The Trump Impeachment Thread

October 7th, 2019 at 1:36:59 PM permalink
DRich
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 51
Posts: 4941
Quote: Face
'
WTF am I supposed to tell my kid? The only advice I have for him now is to save his bootstraps, cuz if he's anything like his dad he's gonna want to hang himself by 30.


Just tell him that the only security you need is enough to buy a bullet.
At my age a Life In Prison sentence is not much of a detrrent.
October 7th, 2019 at 2:13:14 PM permalink
Face
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 61
Posts: 3941
Quote: DRich
Just tell him that the only security you need is enough to buy a bullet.


/sigh. Real talk, this is how I coped from '98 to '04ish. '98 after my brain injury I struggled deeply with suicidal ideation and through some sort of twisted machinations of my mind it transformed into a crutch. It became sort of a god to me. It was an Answer. In struggling through the dregs of deepest depression, it was a door to freedom. The only door I had. It gave me the strength to keep pushing. It gave me hope. And because it gave me that hope, that knowledge that what I was experiencing wasn't permanent, I found the strength to push through and I made it.

Self delusion is a beautiful thing. Logically it is not an answer, and the very concept makes no sense, but the idea of suicide literally saved my life. I had the ability to end my pain, therefore pain is not permanent, therefore it can end. If it can end, I need only make it to that point. And THAT I could do.

Becoming a father ripped that from me. I was aware of it the moment it happened, and I've been aware of it every moment since that day. That is no longer a choice, and that loss of choice stripped me of everything. Now I HAVE TO make it. And I have no f#$%ing idea of how to do that. I just know I have to, because if I don't, he won't.

And that scares the shit out of me.
Be bold and risk defeat, or be cautious and encourage it.
October 7th, 2019 at 2:28:37 PM permalink
DRich
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 51
Posts: 4941
Quote: Face
/sigh. Real talk, this is how I coped from '98 to '04ish. '98 after my brain injury I struggled deeply with suicidal ideation and through some sort of twisted machinations of my mind it transformed into a crutch. It became sort of a god to me. It was an Answer. In struggling through the dregs of deepest depression, it was a door to freedom. The only door I had. It gave me the strength to keep pushing. It gave me hope. And because it gave me that hope, that knowledge that what I was experiencing wasn't permanent, I found the strength to push through and I made it.

Self delusion is a beautiful thing. Logically it is not an answer, and the very concept makes no sense, but the idea of suicide literally saved my life. I had the ability to end my pain, therefore pain is not permanent, therefore it can end. If it can end, I need only make it to that point. And THAT I could do.

Becoming a father ripped that from me. I was aware of it the moment it happened, and I've been aware of it every moment since that day. That is no longer a choice, and that loss of choice stripped me of everything. Now I HAVE TO make it. And I have no f#$%ing idea of how to do that. I just know I have to, because if I don't, he won't.

And that scares the shit out of me.


I have been fortunate and never had any serious depression. My kids are grown so my suicide wouldn't be quite as impactful to them. The problem is that I am happily married and I am just not comfortable abandoning my wife. Therefore, I blame my wife for my misery.
At my age a Life In Prison sentence is not much of a detrrent.
October 7th, 2019 at 2:52:18 PM permalink
rxwine
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 188
Posts: 18629
Quote: DRich
I have been fortunate and never had any serious depression. My kids are grown so my suicide wouldn't be quite as impactful to them. The problem is that I am happily married and I am just not comfortable abandoning my wife. Therefore, I blame my wife for my misery.


I decided it's not challenging enough to still have something to live for. It's more like a challenge to live while someone is stomping on your balls, twisting all your limbs and pushing a screwdriver through your brain and no one or anything anywhere cares whether you live or die.

Besides, we all have only limited time anyway, might as well see how far we can go. The end is guaranteed anyway (as far as I know).
You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?
October 7th, 2019 at 3:33:28 PM permalink
rxwine
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 188
Posts: 18629
I'm waiting and practically expect Trump to announce eventually he wanted to be impeached, and it was his idea, and he is the best impeached President ever.

And then his supporters will point out the genius of it all. Just a matter of time.
You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?
October 7th, 2019 at 4:18:00 PM permalink
petroglyph
Member since: Aug 3, 2014
Threads: 25
Posts: 6227
Quote: DRich
I have been fortunate and never had any serious depression. My kids are grown so my suicide wouldn't be quite as impactful to them. The problem is that I am happily married and I am just not comfortable abandoning my wife. Therefore, I blame my wife for my misery.
Very similar here, only there is no blame, just reason.
The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury. GW
October 7th, 2019 at 4:30:04 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
Quote: Face
I hope you're not missing my point.


And my point is, my parents always
worked, always had a steady income
and lived within it. That's the big
difference, they had reasonable
expectations and no credit debt.
Find a millennial today who lives
like that. They have goals way
out of proportion to their earning
ability.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
October 7th, 2019 at 5:30:56 PM permalink
beachbumbabs
Member since: Sep 3, 2013
Threads: 6
Posts: 1600
Quote: Face
/sigh. Real talk, this is how I coped from '98 to '04ish. '98 after my brain injury I struggled deeply with suicidal ideation and through some sort of twisted machinations of my mind it transformed into a crutch. It became sort of a god to me. It was an Answer. In struggling through the dregs of deepest depression, it was a door to freedom. The only door I had. It gave me the strength to keep pushing. It gave me hope. And because it gave me that hope, that knowledge that what I was experiencing wasn't permanent, I found the strength to push through and I made it.

Self delusion is a beautiful thing. Logically it is not an answer, and the very concept makes no sense, but the idea of suicide literally saved my life. I had the ability to end my pain, therefore pain is not permanent, therefore it can end. If it can end, I need only make it to that point. And THAT I could do.

Becoming a father ripped that from me. I was aware of it the moment it happened, and I've been aware of it every moment since that day. That is no longer a choice, and that loss of choice stripped me of everything. Now I HAVE TO make it. And I have no f#$%ing idea of how to do that. I just know I have to, because if I don't, he won't.

And that scares the shit out of me.


Here's why you're going to make it.

1. You're a brilliant writer. Expressive, heartfelt, informative, witty, and observant. Say it all, because writing it down draws the poison of self-defeat like pulling the stinger out of your skin. Yeah, it still swells and hurts, but you're through the worst of it and already healing. Just write it down. If you kept a journal, you'd already be a millionaire on the best-seller list. Get crackin'.

2. You're a Renaissance man. Welder, woodworker, auto repair, do it yourselfer, whatever it is, you can break it into its parts, fix or improve it, and move on. You fish, plant crops, cook, clean, shop, do everything that needs doing and make your own way. Medical man, researcher, reader, country lawyer, you either know it or know where to look for it. So nothing can overwhelm you into despair for more than a few minutes.

3.You're a connoisseur of joy. Sure, you grump and pule on here sometimes, but the things that pierce your heart and stay, are the sharpness of beauty and trieste. The look of a Caribbean sunset from your private boat. The smell of the ice on the hockey rink. The feel of a fish testing the line. The satisfaction of a beautiful handcrafted aquarium, the sound of a stubborn boat motor coughing to life, the bitter taste of gunpowder while at the range. The moments of pride or reflection your son has brought you, building your pond together, making him a home.

You'd never know joy if you hadn't hit the troughs, honey. It's the price of admission. Don't let them funnel you to the egress just yet. There's lots more joy to be had.

For one, you still need to learn to fly. Talk about joy. So stick around for that much, at least, however long it takes.
Never doubt a small group of concerned citizens can change the world; it's the only thing ever has
October 7th, 2019 at 6:17:16 PM permalink
Face
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 61
Posts: 3941
Quote: Evenbob
And my point is, my parents always
worked, always had a steady income
and lived within it. That's the big
difference, they had reasonable
expectations and no credit debt.
Find a millennial today who lives
like that. They have goals way
out of proportion to their earning
ability.


Well, if we're just speaking anecdotally, then I can agree to a point. Especially if we're talking my direct peers, like the Senior Millennial / Junior Gen X, your late 30 / early 40, I can see that. I know very few of my peers who have any savings or retirement plan, who bought houses without down payment, who buy new 1500's and immediately throw stretch tires and lift kits and coffee can exhausts, and generally try to live the Instagram life. That certainly does exist. And I would agree with you re: personal responsibility in those cases.

But I learned that lesson before I even had finances, and while I enjoy my motorsports and day dreams, I've never been a materialistic person. Not since 10th grade have I concerned myself with new shoes or trendy shirts. I'm a big gamer, but I haven't bought a new console since... well, ever. Original Xbox was the last one I received as soon as it was out, and that was a gift. I game extensively, but exclusively buy titles several years out of date so I get them for <$20 instead of >$60. You've seen my last 10yrs of vehicles, so no question there. Spartan, bare, value over status. I don't drink. I don't have a "social life", don't party, don't go out to dinners or soirees, don't see movies or concerts. Don't tailgate the Bills or season ticket the Sabres. I was ~29 before I got my first credit card, and that was opened and controlled and used exclusively by my wife only. I've never used one myself. We saved >$25k for down payment on our first house. After the divorce, I upended my entire life to make that ~$35k debt a priority, lived a life of severely impeded entertainment and luxury, and got it off in a few years. And every single large purchase since then has been done the same. Down payment, debt a priority until it's gone. I've never missed a bill in my life (save divorce shuffle and mailbox destruction), never had actions taken (except for the ER bill I refuse out of principle), never had to take out a high interest loan or engage in predatory practices (It's my money and I want it now!), never fell for get rich quick plans, MLM schemes, Nigerian princes, or collectors fads, and save the unemployment / comp, I ain't never been on the dole, declared bankruptcy, or requested or accepted charity (except that damn ER bill attempt).

I know you can point to a bunch of leaks, but they're all accounted for. The very reason I don't, say, stop at a C-store to make a trip more enjoyable, is because I know I have a $912.50p/yr leak with my smoking habit (and yes, that's exactly my cost, because I eschew luxury so no Newports for this guy). It would make me happy to right now end this post and go play hockey, but I chose a lifestyle that requires a 12mpg vehicle, so travel restrictions are mine to own. And I do so, happily, because personal responsibility isn't a cliché, it's a lifestyle. Stop waiting for it to happen and take control, right?

That's where you lose me, and where I am lost. The preparation for adulthood came by way of experiencing my parents. That was the lens I saw everything through. As I aged and fears of adulthood came, it was them that grounded me. My parents were nothing special (on paper). Mama never went to college, she went straight into the state. Pops was a trained dentist c/o the USNavy, but likewise went right into the state after serving. Neither made leaps within the organization. Both stayed front lines for their entire careers, save the typical bump up for the last 3 years. And through all that, I never wanted for nothing. This amazing building that I call home was theirs in their mid 20's. I grew up in the back of a '72 Cuda and 5.0 Mustang. I sure remember the winter beaters in the 80's, when I was lil, when they were in their early 30s, but by early 90's when I was 12-14 and they were my age now, those cars were all new, and have been ever since. There was a 24' pool out back. A 24' cuddy cruiser, brand new. Vacations were not "grand", it was just 1 trip to Darien or Cedar Point and one trip to Allegany every summer, but they were guaranteed. Mom blew out her knee, it got fixed. Pops knocked out his teeth, they got fixed. Their kid put their car through the trees at 90mph, kid was home that night, new car was in the drive that week, and life went on. They even had enough to blow $11k/yr on my (one year of) college, put a new roof on the house, extend the driveway to two lanes, gut and replace the bathroom, get a new washer and dryer, have the Cuda rebuilt when Pops wrapped it around the tree, fix the neighbor windows I sent a rock through, replace the neighbors bike I bombed into the crick... and they all of this by just going to work. And they, like the rest of my quasi-Amish family, did not do it via credit cards or sketchy loans or hope at the dog track. They were just simple, they lived simple, and that simplicity fell below their means, just as you prescribe.

My output, in comparison, falls quite short of even theirs. My simplicity, my wants, not a single one opposes theirs. My one vacation doesn't even reach their cigarette output at 1990s premium prices. My vehicles at 38 are of the status of their vehicles at 23. Their holiday budget existed, mine does not. Their boat was the same price as mine, only in vastly differently valued dollars. Pops bought his Cuda, I built my race car. Pops paid for a new roof. I installed my own.

And again, please, do not miss my point. I don't even care that "Pops had a Cuda, I have a s@#$box CRX!", not at all (well, a little, but not my point =p) My point isn't that I can't even reach their splendor, it's that I can't manage a future, even at a self imposed reduced wanting. My parents always had health insurance, just as I do now. Know how many hundred dollar bills they got? Now compare them to just my teeth alone. Can you see what I'm saying?

I'm doing more work, vastly more what with the extra construction / mechanics / roofing / etc that I've picked up (neither have EVER had a side gig), have eschewed even further the trappings of luxury, and am STILL drowning. THAT'S my bitch, and what's got me raging. I don't want a European suit, a G7, my own island, a 918 with "Supreme" written across the hood. I just wanna know that when I stand up and can't walk, I'm not going to lose everything I own. I want to have this simple life I have, fishing pole in hand, and know my home is secure. That's it. And that, apparently, is asking too much. Worse, that all of this is somehow my own fault.

It's positively crushing.
Be bold and risk defeat, or be cautious and encourage it.
October 7th, 2019 at 7:32:27 PM permalink
Dalex64
Member since: Mar 8, 2014
Threads: 3
Posts: 3687
I am hoping that this second whistleblower, with first-hand knowledge, can tell us whether or not the "transcript" (or whatever you want to call it) was complete and accurate.
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." Daniel Patrick Moynihan