# Bricker is a Pile of Shit Sculpted into Human Shape **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 30, 2017, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344 "2017-03-30T13:46:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/41 "2017-03-31T10:04:22Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Shodan is beneath contempt I’m gonna disagree with this. **Shodan** is actually a pretty decent person when he isn’t talking politics. Away from left v. right, he ceases viewing the world in black and white, and becomes an interesting human being. But once back in a political conversation, his knee reliably jerks, and there ceases to be any nuance to him. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/42 "2017-03-31T11:31:15Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > You mean beside the fact that he has openly stated that “Regards” can be equated to “Fuck off?” It feels like this observation has been made many times. I don’t remember if they have all been posted by the same person, but they’ve all been silly – and far more annoying than **Shodan’s** sign-off line. Other words and expressions that can (depending on context) mean “fuck off”: nice, charming, sweet, friend, fugoff, idiot, goodbye, good day sir, happy for you, get well soon, later, this, that, and and. I hope we can all stop using those words outside the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/43 "2017-03-31T11:48:47Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > It feels like this observation has been made many times. I don’t remember if they have all been posted by the same person, but they’ve all been silly – and far more annoying than **Shodan’s** sign-off line. > > Other words and expressions that can (depending on context) mean “fuck off”: > nice, charming, sweet, friend, fugoff, idiot, goodbye, good day sir, happy for you, get well soon, later, this, that, and and. > > I hope we can all stop using those words outside the Pit. Bless your heart. May your hemorrhoids shrink without surgery, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/44 "2017-03-31T12:36:09Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > May your hemorrhoids shrink without surgery, > Shodan [QUOTE=Bored of the Rings] “Gimlet, son of Groin, your obedient servant,” said the dwarf, bowing to reveal a hunchback. “May you always buy cheap and sell dear.” “Frito, son of Dildo, yours,” said Frito in some confusion, racking his brains for the correct reply. “May your hemorrhoids shrink without surgery.” [/QUOTE] Gotta have context, after all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/45 "2017-03-31T13:43:20Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > He had already used night soil, though. I would have gone with soliciturd, myself. Even better! ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/46 "2017-03-31T13:47:51Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > (post shortened) > > Hahahaha. Which word(s) are you having trouble understanding? “Feature”? “Thomas confirmation hearings”? > > Are polygraphs permitted as evidence during a petit trial? Oh, you’re a special kind of stupid, aren’t you? Since you seem to be having trouble with reading comprehension and projecting that onto me - I understand every word he wrote. And I also know there was no trial on Anita’s accusations, so the admissibility of the polygraph is irrelevant. It is suggestive that she passed a polygraph and would-be Justice Thomas declined to take one, however, so anyone calling her a liar had better produce a goddamn cite, or blow it out their ass. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/47 "2017-03-31T13:50:52Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I’m gonna disagree with this. **Shodan** is actually a pretty decent person when he isn’t talking politics. Away from left v. right, he ceases viewing the world in black and white, and becomes an interesting human being. But once back in a political conversation, his knee reliably jerks, and there ceases to be any nuance to him. You’re welcome to disagree. I have been hanging around this place for 15 years and haven’t seen any evidence of what you say, but perhaps I’m just hanging out in the wrong sub-forums. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/48 "2017-03-31T14:08:29Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > It is suggestive that she passed a polygraph and would-be Justice Thomas declined to take one, however, so anyone calling her a liar had better produce a goddamn cite, or blow it out their ass. Since you ask nicely… > [@](#): > > Most psychologists agree that there is little evidence that polygraph tests can accurately detect lies. [Cite](http://www.apa.org/research/action/polygraph.aspx). > [@](#): > > Central to legal, legislative, and scientific assessment of polygraph tests are their validity. Yet, despite many decades of judicial, legislative, and scientific discussion, no consensus has emerged about the accuracy of polygraph tests. [Cite](https://fas.org/sgp/othergov/polygraph/ota/contro.html). > [@](#): > > The panel’s report to NRC found no evidence of polygraph validity. [Cite](http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/polygraph.aspx). > [@](#): > > In 1998, the U.S. Supreme court acted to restrict their use in legal proceedings. In particular, defense attorneys can no longer use evidence that their client passed a polygraph test as establishing innocence of a crime. [Cite](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201303/do-lie-detectors-work). Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/49 "2017-03-31T14:53:39Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > You mean beside the fact that he has openly stated that “Regards” can be equated to “Fuck off?” I don’t recall seeing him state that, but then again I don’t read every post on SDMB. Judging from his replies in this thread, I’m sure his tongue was planted firmly in cheek. It’s remarkable how powerful that phrase turned out to be. I think this falls under the category “choose to be offended.” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/50 "2017-03-31T15:01:55Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > You’re welcome to disagree. I have been hanging around this place for 15 years and haven’t seen any evidence of what you say, but perhaps I’m just hanging out in the wrong sub-forums. 🙂 I don’t often see him outside of political threads, but I agree that he comes across as a decent person outside of politics. Too bad that his politics are so nasty and stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/51 "2017-03-31T15:12:47Z")
My own theory of what best fits all the known facts is somewhere in between. I don’t think AH was consciously lying, and I think it’s most likely that CT did say some inappropriate stuff to her. But the thing about sexual harassment is that it’s not either/or, where either it’s egregious harassment and the victim is horribly wounded for life or it’s completely above-board. Sometimes it’s just minor league stuff that’s annoying but not more annoying than all sorts of other things that people routinely put up with. So I think what happened was something along those lines, and because of whatever else CT had going for him, it was worthwhile for AH to put up with it and follow him from job to job, and keep up with him thereafter. And over the years she didn’t remember the specific details of exactly what CT had said, and these became intermingled in her mind with other things she remembered from other sources. But what happened then is that Democratic operatives got wind of it. And, looking for material with which to fight the CT nomination, they contacted her and asked if she would go public with her story. And once she agreed, she was swept along by the momentum. She might have had somewhat vague but definite memories of CT saying unpleasant things to her. But that wouldn’t suffice at this time. In the position she now was in, going public and saying “well, I don’t remember exactly, and it wasn’t really all that terrible but he did do some unpleasant and inappropriate things …” wouldn’t cut it. At this point she needed to pinpoint exactly what she remembered, and she needed to emphasize that what happened to her was very significant, in order to justify her new position as focus of the anti-CT campaign. So it’s not as if anyone pressured her to lie, or even that she herself was lying, but that her being used by a political campaign created a dynamic in which she was pressured to exaggerate somewhat and overstate the accuracy of her detail recollection. Once that happened, neither side of the CT fight had any incentive to suggest the scenario that I think happened. The Democrats were incented to maximize the evils of CT so they weren’t going to play it down. The Republicans, for their part, seized on the inconsistency of AH having had friendly relations with CT for many years after the incidents she was alleging, including but not limited to following him from job to job, and the fact that there was reason to question the specific details she was alleging. So everyone was focused on the more extreme version of CT’s alleged crimes, and no one had any incentive to suggest that perhaps the allegations were partially true. But that’s what I think most likely happened, anyway. Hard to know for sure, or course. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/52 "2017-03-31T15:13:29Z")
Thanks for the kind remarks. Up yours, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/53 "2017-03-31T16:34:25Z")
Shodan is all right. I often agree with him on non-political topics. I do think he is prone to yoursidedoesittooism, and of course he is a rabid partisan as am I. But he certainly is capable of making and acknowledging good points. Bricker isn’t my cup of tea, but he’s smart when he wants to be and feigns ignorance when he doesn’t. I’ll give him credit for evolving on SSM. He does seem to see everything through a legalistic lens, often he will focus on the legality of something regardless of the morality. Like Shodan, he can make good points and acknowledge the same. Also a partisan, but he at least had the sense not to vote for Hillary’s opponent. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/54 "2017-03-31T16:55:44Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Since you ask nicely… > [Cite](http://www.apa.org/research/action/polygraph.aspx). > [Cite](https://fas.org/sgp/othergov/polygraph/ota/contro.html). > > [Cite](http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/polygraph.aspx). > [Cite](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201303/do-lie-detectors-work). > > Regards, > Shodan I couldn’t find it from your quoted summaries, but which of those provided any evidence that she lied? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/55 "2017-03-31T19:46:54Z")
for historical reference - > [@CandidGamera](#): > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=822264&page=5](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=822264&page=5) > > I direct you to post #168 for the context of what he’s responding to, and post #170 for his response. > > If you’re not up to following a link, Budget Player Cadet rightfully calls out Shodan’s bullshit quote reproduced here : > > Quote: > I keep waiting for the Dems to push someone into lying about Gorsuch sexually harassing her, or forging some documents and sending them to CBS. > Wherein Shodan, **well-established** piece of shit, implies that Anita Hill was lying about Clarence Thomas. Bricker, Excrement Esquire, is not to be outdone, though, responding to BPC’s callout thusly : > > Quote: > That was a feature of the Thomas confirmation hearings, as I see it. > Explicitly confirming that he thinks Anita Hill was A.) lying and B.) operating as a pawn of the Democratic Party. Despite supporting witnesses, and a passed polygraph. (post shortened) > [@CandidGamera](#): > > Oh, you’re a special kind of stupid, aren’t you? Since you seem to be having trouble with reading comprehension and projecting that onto me - I understand every word he wrote. And I also know there was no trial on Anita’s accusations, so the admissibility of the polygraph is irrelevant. It is suggestive that she passed a polygraph and would-be Justice Thomas declined to take one, however, so anyone calling her a liar had better produce a goddamn cite, or blow it out their ass. Hahahaha. You chose to pit someone based on this quote - _“That was a feature of the Thomas confirmation hearings, as I see it.”_ Your delusional response was that **Bricker** was explicitly confirming that Hill was lying, and a pawn. Something he did not do. Were you projecting your thoughts, or wishful thinking? > [@CandidGamera](#): > > Explicitly confirming that he thinks Anita Hill was A.) lying and B.) operating as a pawn of the Democratic Party. Despite supporting witnesses, and a passed polygraph. You are also the one who introduced the term, “a passed polygraph” to this thread. A test you consider to be irrelevant. Thanks for sharing? IIRC, they dealt with many issues during the Thomas hearing. Were there any other features of the Thomas confirmation hearings that might cause you to act out in such an irrational manner? ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2017, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/56 "2017-03-31T20:03:57Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Oh, you’re a special kind of stupid, aren’t you? Since you seem to be having trouble with reading comprehension and projecting that onto me - I understand every word he wrote. And I also know there was no trial on Anita’s accusations, so the admissibility of the polygraph is irrelevant. It is suggestive that she passed a polygraph and would-be Justice Thomas declined to take one, however, so anyone calling her a liar had better produce a goddamn cite, or blow it out their ass. Anyone who claims that polygraphs mean anything is woefully misinformed. From the American Psychological Association: > [@](#): > > The accuracy (i.e., validity) of polygraph testing has long been controversial. An underlying problem is theoretical: **There is no evidence that any pattern of physiological reactions is unique to deception.** An honest person may be nervous when answering truthfully and a dishonest person may be non-anxious. Also, there are few good studies that validate the ability of polygraph procedures to detect deception. As Dr. Saxe and Israeli psychologist Gershon Ben-Shahar (1999) note, “it may, in fact, be impossible to conduct a proper validity study.” In real-world situations, it’s very difficult to know what the truth is. [Link](http://www.apa.org/research/action/polygraph.aspx). and > [@](#): > > Recent formal documentation of this comes from a National Research Council (NRC) blue ribbon panel appointed a year ago to examine the scientific validity of the polygraph for national security. Many psychologists served on the panel, including Paul Ekman, PhD, a longtime researcher of deception detection (see main article). **The panel’s report to NRC found no evidence of polygraph validity**. [Link](http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/polygraph.aspx). Slee ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2017, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/57 "2017-04-01T04:15:55Z")
> [@Shagunathor](#): > > There are actually coral reefs near Norway. One can find interesting info on them by googling “Fugløy reefs” > > A quote from the abstract of the article “The Fugløy Reef at 70°N; acoustic signature, geologic, geomorphologic and oceanographic setting” Lindberg, B., Berndt, C. & Mienert, J. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) (2007) 96: 201. doi:10.1007/s00531-005-0495-y > > “With a height of more than 40 m some of the Fugløy reefs are among the highest reported from the Norwegian Margin. This indicates highly favourable growth conditions, and conservative estimates indicate a net growth rate for the reefs of ~5 mm/year. We expect that cold-water reefs will be found further north along the Barents Sea” > > Just sayin. > [@Other Fucking Message Boards that Suck Major Ass!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-fucking-message-boards-that-suck-major-ass/658247/54): > > This is so typical of the Dope - start a flaming Pit thread, and next thing you know, actual information starts getting flung about. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/58 "2017-04-03T13:55:25Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > Anyone who claims that polygraphs mean anything is woefully misinformed. I understand that their analytic value isn’t what many people seem to think it is. However, when you’ve got a situation where only two people know the truth, and one of them volunteers to take a polygraph and actually follows through on that, and the other refuses to take a polygraph at all - any reasonably intelligent person would have to conclude that the one refusing to take the polygraph is concerned about what it might show and their account should be considered suspect, relative to the first person’s. In simpler terms, because I know how tired reading makes you, Anita Hill put her money where her mouth is. Clarence Thomas did not. It doesn’t matter how accurate or inaccurate polygraph tests are. Anyone choosing to believe Thomas’s account over Hill’s has no substantive reason to do so. Just bias. Hill’s account actually has circumstantial evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2017, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/59 "2017-04-03T14:12:28Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > I understand that their analytic value isn’t what many people seem to think it is. However, when you’ve got a situation where only two people know the truth, and one of them volunteers to take a polygraph and actually follows through on that, and the other refuses to take a polygraph at all - any reasonably intelligent person would have to conclude that the one refusing to take the polygraph is concerned about what it might show and their account should be considered suspect, relative to the first person’s. > > In simpler terms, because I know how tired reading makes you, Anita Hill put her money where her mouth is. Clarence Thomas did not. It doesn’t matter how accurate or inaccurate polygraph tests are. I’m not completely dismissing this point. But one thing that mitigates it considerably is that Anita Hill did not publically announce that she was taking a lie detector test and face the prospect of being exposed as a liar, only to pass the test. If you look at the contemporary reporting (e.g. [here](http://articles.latimes.com/1991-10-14/news/mn-429_1_lie-detector-test) et al), the taking of the test and the passing were reported simultaneously. So she wasn’t “volunteer[ing] to take a polygraph and actually follow[ing] through on that”, and had she failed the test she probably wouldn’t have had to publicize that she had taken it altogether. It’s also worth noting that Thomas had much more at stake than Hill did, at that point. All that said, I’m still not completely dismissing the import of this point. Just that there’s a lot less to it than meets the eye, as above. (In any event, as previous, I think Hill believed she was saying the truth, and probably was to some extent.) ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344/60 "2017-04-03T14:30:05Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > I understand that their analytic value isn’t what many people seem to think it is. However, when you’ve got a situation where only two people know the truth, and one of them volunteers to take a polygraph and actually follows through on that, and the other refuses to take a polygraph at all - any reasonably intelligent person would have to conclude that the one refusing to take the polygraph is concerned about what it might show and their account should be considered suspect, relative to the first person’s. (post shortened) You talk about “circumstantial evidence”. Refusing to submit to a polygraph can have several possible meanings besides the one you hold so dear. If the polygraph test is inadmissible in court, if psychologists say that there is little or no evidence of the validity of polygraph tests, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to take a polygraph test. Regardless of the outcome, the results WILL BE QUESTIONED, and no opinions will be changed based on the value of the polygraph results alone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bricker-is-a-pile-of-shit-sculpted-into-human-shape/783344.md?page=4)