Sorry to disagree. Trump is very nimble, hits where unexpected, plays rope-a-dope very well, deflection, and commands enormous resources he uses skillfully for his advantage.

Biden had better do a lot of training.

Remember how Trump bullied Hillary by hovering over her. If Hillary had just turned around and confronted him, trump would have retreated. This was a lost opportunity.

Trump is physically big, at 6ft 2 and he uses his size to diminish and discount others, and to distract.

Keep remembering: Trump will win by carrying Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Minnesota. Trump is poling at scrumptious majorities in these states.

matter how much you're telling us...

I'll agree trump is big in size, in fact he's obese but this isn't a sumo wrestling match, it is politics and Biden is very well fit. As far as the states you mention, Biden is doing quite well. Trump has had much of his so called winning because of a Republican Senate led by the equally loathsome McConnell.

morning and I know in five of the states you cite Trump is not leading Biden. You have a right to your opinion but not to your own facts. And by the way just saying Sanders is shorter than Biden so Trump would really tower over him...now wouldn't he? If you can't provide a link that supports your outrageous claims about Trump beating Biden, than may I respectfully suggest you delete that part of your post. Perhaps you should consider that Sanders has no path based on math, and Biden will be our nominee.

I use his style to reinforce your point.

Is my hazy recollection your moniker indicates you are something of a 'rockhound' correct?

I was never one to collect specimens in the field. That is hard, unrewarding work of the sort I shun. I did, however, own a business that sold mineral specimens on the Internet to collectors around the world. Hence my name. I sold all of my remaining stock in trade, though, in 2007, and shut the business down, for various reasons, including an overabundance of competition. Mine was one of the first two internet mineral dealer businesses on the Internet, founded in 1995.

There is now another mineral dealer whose business is called MineralMan, though. That was never the name of my business, and it appeared after I had closed my business. There is no relationship there. It is rather a natural name for a mineral dealer, I suppose.

My mineral business was called The OsoSoft Mineral Connection, and was an offshoot of my shareware software business that was named just OsoSoft, after the town in California where I once lived, Los Osos. I kept the name because I had business licenses in that name and it was more convenient just to use the same business name.

I adopted the screen name MineralMan for all interactions on political websites a very long time ago, and have used it for a couple of decades.

That is, perhaps, more information than you might require, Sir, but I would rather err on the side of full disclosure.

It stuck in my mind because my daughter did a display of mineral samples, described and catagorized, for a school project when quite young, and my price for help (as I did most of the display work) was that she be ready at any moment to answer questions on the subject, asked out of the blue. I expect she remembers more of it than I do now.

During my fairly extensive studies in mineralogy, I read an early 19th century textbook on minerals, just to see what knowledge was current at the time. The first sentence in that book remains in my memory:

"We are to study minerals."

In my opinion, that was a cogent beginning for some very useful information. Minerals and mining are very important in human endeavors. You were wise, Sir, to help your daughter learn something about them.

Ages ago I bought a book which had apparently been re-titled to present it as related to alchemy, but what it turned out to be was a nineteenth century examination of the history of chemistry, of encyclopeadic quality with a special emphasis on chemical knowledge and practices of antiquity. It was fascinating. The nearest it got to anything alchemic, aside from occasions where some historical figure important in development of chemistry had alchemical interests, was a discussion of various ways, starting with practices in ancient Egypt, by which people had contrived to pass off brass or bronze as gold, or to make heavily alloyed gold pass for pure. Means to color quartz and such to pass for precious gems were also recounted. There was a lot of sound information on how things were mined and the ores refined, and, since most alloys were at the time made by mixing ores, there was a great deal of information on impurities to be expected, and that were associated with particular sources of various ores.

Once one has some knowledge in a particular field, it can be enlightening to read books written long ago about that field. So I have found, in any case.

I come by my interest in minerals and mining naturally. Both of my grandfathers worked in mines, and had fascinating stories to tell. My maternal grandfather also was a collector of geological specimens and was always happy to teach his grandson about them.

A good many copper ores are quite attractive semi-precious stones so the trade led me into a number of mineral emporiums. One of my favorites was garnet in matrix, and another was Australian opals in matrix. These were often of low quality, viewed as opals, but being so clear they were like a window into a rock, and I found them fascinating.

was the constant and ever-changing variety of specimens that passed through my hands. Most of my stock was also on display in cabinets I built for the office suite my wife and I rented, so they became part of my own collection for as long as they had not been sold. The room they were in also served as a mineral museum for the local area, and often had classrooms of children coming to see the display cases and to listen to me talk about minerals and their importance in our lives. Every child also left with an attractive, if inexpensive, labeled specimen to take home.

My little mineral museum was a popular field trip for children from the local schools. It was a great pleasure for me, as well.

Your kind words are greatly appreciated.

In tribute to the judge, one of DU's very best.

I hope that he appeals.

I must have missed it.

Regarding a piece that was a poli-sci textbook exposition of certain tendencies in left politics over the previous century and a half. I have appealed, and have no intention of entering into a discussion of forum moderation practices.

Please don't leave again.

Your work off-line is quite impressive. We are lucky to have you.

One tries to be entertaining and informative where possible.

I always keep mine handy.

And the comments of others here as well.

The odd thing about it all is, Sir, that of the candidates at the commencement of the primary, Mr. Biden was my least favorite, short of Sanders, who is utterly and completely unacceptable.

Indeed, I offer myself as an example of someone whose inclinations are well to the left of Mr. Biden, and who could produce in support of opposing him any number of longstanding disagreements with his actions in the Senate, yet who recognizes clearly that, in the present crisis our country faces, everyone with the least shred of patriotism, or any desire for success in achieving left and progressive goals, simply must join in behind the man who will bear the standard of the Democratic Party in this year's election.

I have no patience at all with anyone calling himself a leftist who does not see the chief duty of any leftist at present is to do all he or she can to turf out of office both the cheap thug Trump and McConnell, the gravedigger of our Republic, and see to it the power of the christo-fascist reactionary right is broken in our Federal and state governments.

What I see and admire in you is that you are a team player. Joe Biden was not my first choice either but we saw what needed to be done for our party & Country.

Our regularly scheduled intramural squabbles may recommence....





"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

My tipple nowadays is straight seltzer water....

"Irish Coffee is the one drink which provides all four basic food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat."

days.. Irish coffee-four food groups.. right!

My tipple is now Kombucha but I like those little DU guys'

I do not do it very often, however that is simply because the mood seldom strikes. I actively like plain seltzer. I miss phosphates, which were an old soda drink, a syrup like chocolate or cherry charged with a real soda siphon. Always made fresh --- bottling just didn't work. Can't even get them in an old-style delicatessen anymore. Every so often I will stir some chocolate syrup into my seltzer, and although it's not bad, it's nothing like the real thing, at least as I remember it.

to enjoy what you want when you're in the mood.

I can't even remember what sodas from the soda fountains tasted liked. I remember the hot fudge sundaes, though.

Making DU Fun Again

It has been a while.

I appreciate reading all, The Magistrate's Posts.

I also enjoy The Magistrate, and many others who post here regularly. I have not been posting long, but have been reading for years.

enjoy his intellect, wit, charm, good manners. He is never rude or offensive...always polite...can't see how any (even if you you disagree and I don't) could take offense.

He is candid, cogent, succinct and goes straight to the point.

I would give Mineral Man a nod in that direction as well.

So many admirable folks for Joe.
I am thrilled to be in the company of them

Folks like the Magistrate have stopped my questioning and built up my positivity.

I am now positive Joe is going to win. No more gloom and doom from anyone. Especially undecided. We are winning 2020.

Thanks to all the Biden supporters.