caeron

I guess I was spoiled. I never doubted my parents' love. So if they made up Santa, I would have known they did it for me. Sort of more a story than a deceit. I do remember actively lying to help sustain my younger brother's belief. Explaining away all the Santas around town as really Elves.

The timing isn't that surprising. Victims often seem to come forward at times like this, perhaps triggered by the idea that their abuser is going to get rewarded instead of punished.

No recollection of it at all. I think I was just a greedy little shit. As long as the presents kept coming, fuck Santa.

One woman was a former staffer. Others came forward. His staff are quitting. I find it unlikely that multiple women have all decided to lie about it. I find it unlikely that his own staff would abandon him if they didn't believe these charges. I find it unlikely that the San Francisco Chronicle was duped by some Trump stooge. Otherwise good people do bad things. Perhaps these public destructions of men will discourage others from doing similar things. The court of law and the court of public opinion have different standards, as they should.

I think the theoretically ability to possibly invade and occupy Iran is irrelevant in the face of the political realities. There is no support for that kind of massive campaign and losses. Hell, most voters don't even support the billions spent on bombs. Trump is losing his diehard supporters over this war already. Does anybody really think the American public would sit still for the massive loss of life that an invasion and occupation would entail? Maybe large parts of the IRG would fold, but as we learned in Iraq it takes very few people to keep a war alive and the US casualties continuing. There are plenty of actors in the world who would like to see us bleed like that, so you can be sure those forces would get support. I suspect Iran would make Iraq look like a picnic. We're in a quagmire, and we're likely to stay there. Iran has no reason to capitulate to our demands. They have already demonstrated their willingness to kill their own people, they are certainly willing to let us do it. They can take that pain longer than the west can take the pain of the global economic shocks of this war.

And this is why we can't have nice things. Science comes up with great ways for us not to get sick and die. Then, people privileged enough to have access to them too often shrug their shoulders and 'no thanks'. Never mind the social value of preventing the spread of deadly diseases, they don't feel like it so they're not gonna.

Trump made them play their own trump card, the strait of hormuz. The only real answer is invasion. Trump's politically in a corner about the war already. Ordering a ground assault and an occupying force would end him. He's an idiot, but I don't think he's that much of an idiot. So, I don't see Trump getting what he wants at the negotiation table even if the Iranians negotiated in good faith. They're very bad people, but they're not stupid people. For all their suffering, they have defeated us. They have a big chunk of the world's oil and gas hostage. Whether we withdraw more from the middle east, everybody is looking around for more trustworthy allies than the US. We elected that buffoon twice. They need to prepare for whoever the third will be.

I think that the fact that the district shifted 25 points towards the democrats even though they lost is a huge, huge red flag for the republicans.

The sad thing about the repeats was that we would have enjoyed it near as much as if they'd stripped down sets and costumes and the rest to the minimum, and given us something new. I get all the other financial constraints, but as you say, there is only so much money around. You do the best with what you have, not do the best and hope you have.

Our opera did a lot of repeats too, it was one of the reasons we stopped going.

That seems a little much to share to me, but his lack of response does imply at the very least he's looking only for easy money.

While I don't think your offer is creepy, without knowing you he might. Perhaps he doesn't think he's quite that desperate yet. So it may be a scam, or not. But, if he doesn't respond to your offer, he doesn't get the help so it doesn't really matter if it is or not. Pity. He's cute and has a twink vibe. Bet he's been hit on before.

I too occasionally see a super hot actor and google "actor name naked" to see if I get any good hits. Sometimes you get lucky.

Some of us just have resting bitch face.

Perhaps you might wish to read the NY times pieces that investigated and broke the story. I find their vetting valid, and I believe the victims.

This thread is why victims don't come forward. They don't get believed, they get accused of having motives and lying, and they get blamed for their own victimization. Apparently, they're also responsible for abusing other women too. Powerful men get away with shit while victims get re-victimized. I believe them. If evidence comes to light that disproves their claim, then I will change my mind. But, you get nothing but grief for coming forward. You don't do that without a strong reason to.

If you haven't been, Shinjuku ni-chome is the traditional gay location in Tokyo. I recall getting accosted on the street there by a young Japanese guy who was totally into my western Salary Man vibe. The fact that he felt coming at me on the street was sort of wonderful. Alas, I had other interests at the time. To me, at least, Shinjuku ni-chome is a bit of a pilgrimage site, the heart of old tokyo gay life. But, I've not used any of the agencies yet, so can offer no comment on them.

Most things seem to have zero effects on human rights. If you're violating human rights, you more or less by definition don't care what other people think.

Saying "there is some justice in" brings politics in already. I am not of the foolish school who believes that if one party is bad, the other must be good. They can both be bad.

While I think a great number of Iranians want change, there is no organized opposition in Iran. Change to who? There isn't anybody there to take the reins away. I think the only realistic hope is that we get a new version of the supreme leader who will capitulate on Trump's asks. (no nukes, no regional meddling, no missiles.) I think even that unlikely.

I share Unicorn's desire to visit Iran. Unfortunately, they are known to take western hostages and I have many familial links to the US military and intelligence community, so travel today seems very, very unwise. I very much hope one day a better Iran emerges that I might be able to visit.

Yup, America Fuck Yeah! We can kick anybody's ass. We often do. What happens after? Who cares, cause fuck yeah, we kicked their ass! Did you see how we freedom'd those terrorist muthafuckers into the ground. America! Freedom! Freedom and Guns! Guns and some Freedom, but especially Guns! Guns are Freedom! If you shoot them, it's freedom, so they deserved it. Let's freedom the world! We're going to need a LOT of ammunition for that! (I am appalled by the behavior of the current administration, and by much of my country's historical behavior. I can mock it, but I can't change it. But none of that excuses similar behavior in others. If we condemn it, we condemn it everywhere with what small influence we have on the outcome. Often merely our voices.)

A quick google shows me two reported executions in 2022, and two in 2021. I imagine there are others. I'm not going to defend the west's behavior, but that doesn't make what the Iranian government does any bit better. I think you can think both parties are bad. Like Israel's government and Hamas. It is, perhaps, possible that bombs will change the Iranian government, but I think it very unlikely. Magical thinking. I think the most likely outcome is that the Revolutionary Guard will tighten their grip on a country in shambles.

If you're a fan of the Islamic regime in Iran, you are really in the wrong place here. You can get the death penalty there for gay sex.

Trump is corrupt. That doesn't make the 'supreme leader' any less of a monster. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of protesters have been murdered by the regime. Not that bombing will help. A new 'supreme leader' will arise in time and the cycle will repeat.