Politics

[Crazed_Insanity]

Nothing fair about wars…

I still think Hamas was setting up a trap to make Israel and US look bad. Also to bring about coalition of the Arabs… So far, it’s mission accomplished, by the blood of a lot of their own people…

[mk]

How many attackers were over 35.

And if China attacks Australia, Australia must surrender to save lives.
Don't be hypocrites.

Mexican cartels are leaving DEA agents mostly alone.
Retaliation is too severe.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Israel is currently helping to create more Hamas fighters. Those who survived this war will most likely hate Israel more.

Anyway, Israel and US responses have all been too predictable.

If it’s not used to unite the Arab world, then it’s possibly done to split US support? Or maybe both. Parts of woke America will always side with the weaker minority group. The crazy Trump America may cut support for Ukraine but probably won’t ever cut support for Israel. So this issue alone will further destabilize America.

Somebody must have paid Hamas a lot of money to start this shit.

[FaultyMario]

Mexican cartels are leaving DEA agents mostly alone.

Why would they harm their business partners when business is booming?

[Tom Servo]

How many attackers were over 35.

And if China attacks Australia, Australia must surrender to save lives.
Don't be hypocrites.

Mexican cartels are leaving DEA agents mostly alone.
Retaliation is too severe.

Oh come on. That's almost Billi talk saying "if you're criticizing the Israeli response, then you're saying they should just surrender."

[FaultyMario]

Mexican cartels are leaving DEA agents mostly alone.

This is such an ignorant statement, mk. Get informed before you go on dude.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIod0wRaQtM

[Crazed_Insanity]

Oh come on. That's almost Billi talk saying "if you're criticizing the Israeli response, then you're saying they should just surrender."

I have never say anything ‘almost’ like that.

I do find it interesting that people could actually pick sides in a war situation.

Hamas started a fight they know they cant win and use their own as human shields.

Israel responded too harshly, yeah, that I totally agree, but are they really the bad guys?

It’s like people picking sides with Biden and Trump, each side full heartedly believes the other side is pure evil.

Personally I believe US government/establishment may be the most evil here… selling them weapons to sustain these kind of proxy wars yet, using American taxpayers’ money… countless lives lost, financed by lives of future generations of Americans, while they take in all the profits…

[FaultyMario]

https://www.scottritterextra.com/p/the-missiles-of-april


While Israel has carried out attacks against Iranian personnel inside Syria in the past, the April 1 strike differed by not only killing very senior Iranian personnel, but by striking what was legally speaking sovereign Iranian territory—the Iranian consulate.


From an Iranian perspective, the attack on the consulate was a redline which, if not retaliated against, would erase any notion of deterrence, opening the door for even more brazen Israeli military action, up to and including direct attacks on Iran. Weighing against retaliation, however, were a complex web of interwoven policy objectives which would probably be mooted by the kind of large-scale conflict between Israel and Iran that could be precipitated by any meaningful Iranian retaliatory strike on Israel.


The failure of the Iranian nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA) to produce the kind of economic opportunities that had been promised at its signing has been a major driver behind this Iranian eastward pivot. In its stead, Iran has joined both the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS forum and has directed its diplomatic energies into seeing Iran thoroughly and productively integrated into both groups.


For the first time ever, the issue of Palestinian statehood has been taken up by a global audience. This cause is further facilitated by the fact that the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu, formed from a political coalition which is vehemently opposed to any notion of Palestinian statehood, finds itself in danger of collapse as a direct result of the consequences accrued from the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent failure of Israel to defeat Hamas militarily or politically.


The US has tried—unsuccessfully—to take the keys out of the ignition of Netanyahu’s suicide bus ride. Faced with extreme reticence on the part of the Israeli government when it comes to altering its policy on Hamas and Gaza, the administration of President Joe Biden has begun to distance itself from the policies of Netanyahu and has put Israel on notice that there would be consequences for its refusal to alter its actions in Gaza to take US concerns into account.


The Iranian attack on Israel appears to have successfully maneuvered through these rocky policy shoals. It did so first and foremost by keeping the United States out of the fight. Yes, the United States participated in the defense of Israel, helping shoot down scores of Iranian drones and missiles. This engagement was to the benefit of Iran, since it only reinforced the fact that there was no combination of missile defense capability that could, in the end, prevent Iranian missiles from hitting their designated targets.

The targets Iran struck—two air bases in the Negev desert from which aircraft used in the April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate had been launched, along with several Israeli air defense sites—were directly related to the points Iran was trying to make in establishing the scope and scale of its deterrence policy. First, that the Iranian actions were justified under Article 51 of the UN Charter—Iran retaliated against those targets in Israel directly related to the Israeli attack on Iran, and second, that Israeli air defense sites were vulnerable to Iranian attack.

[mk]

Oh come on. That's almost Billi talk saying "if you're criticizing the Israeli response, then you're saying they should just surrender."

What happened when few planes hit few structures.

Ideology of death doesn't stop.
New generations are always ready, with personal feelings, when time comes.

[mk]

This is such an ignorant statement, mk. Get informed before you go on dude.


Yes, and way too short.

[Tom Servo]

What happened when few planes hit few structures.

Ideology of death doesn't stop.
New generations are always ready, with personal feelings, when time comes.

I criticized our response to that as well.

You threw out the hypocrite label, now back it up.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Plenty of criticisms to go around in a war situation. However, who really cares. What can criticisms or condemnations do? Somehow save lives or make anything better? Netanyahu has hijacked Israeli military along with good will of US and doing some crazy things... all thanks to Hamas giving him great excuses...

When in a war, all you want is to beat the crap out of your opposition and win. Should be a last resort kinda thing, but why are nations seemingly jumping into it?

What really bugs me is what objectives are those involved trying to achieve with our current wars?

What is Putin and Hamas really trying to achieve by starting shit? And insist on refusing peace talks after all these time?

What is US trying to achieve supporting these proxy wars?

It just seems like nobody is trying to win anything, but just like a bigger scale mass shooter... they just want to inflict pain and destruction all around. In the process make money selling arms and then in the after math, sell them loans to 'help' them reconstruct. America's defense contractors and banks stand to make the most of it. However, I really hope it's not US who started all that crap.

My other theory is that this could also be just a proxy war between US and China.

US and Biden's image is beginning to tarnish... if US were to collapse, then China could take over as the world leader selling other smaller nations weapons and lend them money as well...

I guess time will tell exactly what happened during WW3. Right now, it's all very confusing.

At least on the US side, I have to say that I've lost confidence in Biden's will or ability to keep peace around the world. I still won't vote for Trump, but I wouldn't mind seeing how president Trump ending these forever wars once again...

[FaultyMario]

The whole point of "forever wars" is that they can't be ended by a single individual.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Trump has been the only modern president who pulled troops out of a 'forever war' though, which was probably why the 'establishment' doesn't like him. Trump blocked their profits!

Dismantling NATO also doesn't sound like a bad idea now. Without NATO and Biden Jr messing around in Ukraine, that war probably would not even happen. Ukraine war is really stupid IMHO... at least it didn't really have to happen if US didn't meddle around there so much.

Hamas' motive is something I can't figure out and not sure how Trump could make things better there.

It'd suck if that was all orchestrated by Netanyahu himself so that he can grab on to power?

How can both US and Israeli intelligence failed to know what's about to happen? Hamas is really that good at countering intelligence? I can't believe that. So either it's an inside job or somebody else really capable was helping Hamas...

I'd be super impressed by Trump if he could bring peace in middle east now. If that could really happen, I'd vote for his 3rd term. ;)

[FaultyMario]

yes, we know you're a Trump sympathizer.

Just stay away from the Kool aid, homes, it's not in your best interest to drink it.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I have sympathy for Biden too. However, my sympathy won’t be enough to want to vote for either.

Both sides offer their different flavor kool aid though. I try to not drink from them of course…

[FaultyMario]

Naaah, the Trump Kool-Aid... yikes!

[MR2 Fan]

Yeah billi, because under Trump there'd be no war in the Ukraine if we just let Russia take over right? :rolleyes:

[Crazed_Insanity]

At least for me, I d rather Taiwan be taken over by China rather than flattened by the CCP.

US was also consistently expanding NATO. Putin even asked if Russia could also join NATO, Bill Clinton entertained the idea, but after a meeting with the ‘real boss’, the answer was no. NATO was created to keep the Russians in check.

We really should’ve just allowed Ukraine to join NATO right away rather than messing around seducing them.

Ukraine is the poor girl being abused by her abusive ex, so he’s beating her again. What can we do?

Nothing. Because the boy friend is not only as big as OJ, but he has nuke too!

So best we could do is to continue to date her and supply her with knives hoping that maybe she can kill him someday…

Is Trump really a Russian asset? Maybe.

However if a Russian asset could save some lives, why is that so bad?

I hate seeing a place being bombed indefinitely for seemingly no reason.

Ukraine is now a sovereign independent nation. It can take care of herself. If we really wish to fight for her, then let’s send in troops to fight for her. If we don’t think it’s worth it to get involved, then we shouldn’t even supply her with weapons and give her false hopes!

[Crazed_Insanity]

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/01/27/the_geopolitics_of_world_war_iii_1007840.html

Found this article and it seems to have the best explanations for all the wars so far…

[FaultyMario]

The whole point of "forever wars" is that they can't be ended by a single individual.

because killing highly popular presidents is kinda frowned upon.

[Rare White Ape]

because killing highly popular presidents is kinda frowned upon.

Except if you’re a left-wing president who made peace with your neighbours in 1993.

[FaultyMario]

I meant Kennedy, but you're right about General Rabin.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Was Kennedy really trying to end Vietnam war? I think it's not really all that clear, right? Given that he feared communism so much... Cuban Missile crisis and the moon program were all geared toward getting ahead of the Soviet Commies! Would he really just let the domino fall so easily in Vietnam like that? Since he's dead, I think we'll never truly know.

If his life was indeed taken because of his intention to withdraw, what was the reason for Trump's life being spared when he pulled out of Afghanistan?

Establishment simply got bored with the forever war? Similarly it was another "crooked" republican president who finally pulled out of Vietnam? I kinda wish Obama could pulled out of these forever wars, but Obama changed his colors once he won the WH. He ran his campaign like a Bernie but he presided over the WH like Hillary. For now, Trump gets the credit for ending a forever war in Afghanistan.

So in a way, both Nixon and Trump were simply admitting defeat and gave up? Establishment didn't kill them, but made sure they run away in disgrace with tail tucked between their legs? ;) Of course, things remain to be seen with Trump. Establishment perhaps is no longer as powerful as before...

Anyway, other than W who invaded Iraq, it seems dems are also very good at starting forever wars. It's clearly a bi-paritsan thing. It's good for US interests geopolitically and it's profitable selling arms and then maybe sell them loans to help rebuild. US needs to stop messing the rest of the world up... and instead of foreign aids, more money should be invested in our own country more. Our politicians have lost sight of what's important, just like Boeing executives.

[MR2 Fan]

We had no U.S. troops in Vietnam until 1965

[Crazed_Insanity]

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/foreword

"Kennedy avoided war in Laos, rejecting a military proposal to send American troops to fend off a communist insurgency there. However, he authorized sending troops and military advisers to the U.S.-backed nation of South Vietnam and steadily increased their numbers throughout his presidency. The administration was determined not to lose either the nation of South Vietnam or the broader region of Southeast Asia to communism, cementing its military commitment to Vietnam.

Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963 brought his Vice President,..."

I can't remember dates exactly, so I had to google and look it up at the official historical timeline provided by our very own state department.

Anyway, regardless of what Kennedy might have done had he lived, I just don't think he was assassinated because of war in Vietnam. It was during an early stage of the war... if the 'establishment' really murdered him because he wouldn't fall in line, it was probably for some other reason.

I tend to think commander-in-chief definitely has the power to end forever wars. Otherwise that name/label would be bogus. There may be forces more powerful than the US president, but ending wars should be within his power.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Oh man, Israel strikes back at Iran.

US told Israel that if they attack Iran, they go at it alone. US won’t go to war with Iran… Hope US will stick to our own words…

Either way, we’re inching closer to WW3?

[Rare White Ape]

Oh man, Israel strikes back at Iran.

US told Israel that if they attack Iran, they go at it alone. US won’t go to war with Iran… Hope US will stick to our own words…

Either way, we’re inching closer to WW3?

The Care Bears aren't going to be able to help you with this one hoss.

[MR2 Fan]

Someone just set themselves on fire outside of the NY courthouse where the Trump trial is happening :eek:

Also, AMAZING job by the reporter on the scene. EDIT: Some of the footage below may be disturbing

https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1781379206196134317

[Crazed_Insanity]

Wow.

[Tom Servo]

I am very surprised that Substack still hasn't taken down the guy's blog post.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I guess it's down now.

It was on CNN's live broadcast. Warned viewers about graphic content... what would be the reason to take it down?

What happened to X's free speech?

It's interesting my yahoo or apple news feed doesn't tell me anything about this fire. Is it fake news or is it being suppressed? What a weird thing to happen in the US...

[Tom Servo]

Naah, it's still up.

Generally when someone posts their weirdo manifesto before doing something like this or a shooting or something, it gets taken down pretty quickly. It's pretty standard conspiracy theory/paranoid delusion stuff, refreshingly free of racism, but starts off weird and then just gets progressively nuttier until he spends a rather large part of it explaining that The Simpsons exists solely to brainwash people as part of a government plot to steal all your money with bitcoin.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I couldn’t load it up on my PC earlier, but yeah, now I can still see it in my phone. Anyways, this isn’t a manifesto, but a clip of CNN reporter reporting something on the fly as it is happening. Why must it be taken down?

None of my regular news feeds are showing me anything about a man setting himself on fire. I’m now being as paranoid as YW now… why is our MSM suppressing this? Or perhaps no Americans care? Mass shootings can get on the news pretty quickly, but a person commits public suicide isn’t news worthy I guess. Particularly when Trump is involved…

[Tom Servo]

You're talking about something very different than what I'm talking about. He wrote a post on Substack entitled "I have set myself on fire outside the Trump Trial." I'm hesitant to share it directly because it's the paranoid ramblings of a man who set himself on fire. It's probably pretty easy to find, though.

And I'm seeing it all over the place, so not sure what you're looking at.

The latest article I saw on WaPo (again, it's being reported in mainstream news) said that he was still alive but in critical condition.

FWIW, I see pretty much all the major news sources in this: https://news.google.com/search?q=self%20immolation&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

[Crazed_Insanity]

Just saying if I didn’t see MR2’s post, I wouldn’t even know that incident occurred. My regular news feeds are not showing this story.

Even your Google search doesn’t have anything from CNN. Their own reporter saw everything as it happened.

MSM doesn’t want to talk about this for whatever reasons. MSM such as CNN, NBC, even FOX.

Deadline has the most up to date info on this, but frankly deadline isn’t really my go to news source. Maybe it should be in the future?

[Tom Servo]

Well, a lot of places don't like to glorify suicide attempts. But I found out about this from my wife who got a news alert and I saw it from tons of news sources. My google search used "self immolation", they may have described it otherwise.

Man. I thought "okay, this is one of those things where I can view Billi's posts and not be annoyed" and somehow you turned it into paranoid conspiracies. Goddammit, man, why can't you be even vaguely normal for like an hour?

[FaultyMario]

Playing me-against-the-world gets old in less than an hour, noted.

[MR2 Fan]

The person has died according to CNN

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-19-24/h_3efea0cc0b473c43c6bb95b177eed8d3

[Crazed_Insanity]

This guy is clearly like me in a way that he doesn’t like neither Biden nor Trump, but as crazy as I can be, I’m not into suicides. Not to mention in such a public way.

Clearly this man was trying to make a statement with this stunt, but clearly this thing is getting reported much less compared to typical mass shootings. A crazy suicidal man with disinformation shouldn’t be reported I guess. This was caught on live camera. Most MSM simply reported a man burn himself and now in critical condition… and now dead. All CNN did was describing what they saw and then heard that the dude’s dead. Pretty amazing piece of journalism right there.

We’re now left to search other fringe news sites or the dudes manifesto for more information…

Crazy man handed out some crazy shit pamphlets and burnt himself to death. Nothing much to see here, let’s move on… it’s still a perfectly normal day in america, at least this crazy dude didn’t shoot anybody…

Lastly, we all can get annoyed by different things, from a psychological perspective, usually that’s due to something within us end up being triggered.

For that crazy guy, I guess both Biden and Trump triggered him enough to want to commit suicide. I share his feelings but luckily I’m not triggered to the same extent to want to harm myself. Maybe it would’ve been best for him to stop watching the news, but ideally he should’ve tried counseling and try to deal with his internal issues… so that hopefully he can be triggered less… Biden will be Biden. Trump will be Trump. Only person we can change is ourselves. Quite honestly, I’m still shocked and saddened that the guy decided melting himself was the best course of action. He must’ve felt super hopeless to have done that.

[Tom Servo]

Playing me-against-the-world gets old in less than an hour, noted.

I think it's more of "here's a bare minimum of what people should be able to expect" kinda thing. You should be able to hold it together for at least that long before immediately deciding there's some vast conspiracy against you rather than many, many other explanations.

[MR2 Fan]

I like how I can read the first 5 words of a Billi post and keep scrolling because I know the rest will be not worth reading

[FaultyMario]

I think it's more of "here's a bare minimum of what people should be able to expect" kinda thing. You should be able to hold it together for at least that long before immediately deciding there's some vast conspiracy against you rather than many, many other explanations.

I hadn't bothered clicking on the button to view Billi's posts so with one half of the information on hand, I just kind of guessed what point you were trying get across.

Poor guy, I hope that in his last moments he found the peace that the qonspiracies took away from him.


What was the name of that book that explained how (older) people become consumers of news-entertainment and ended up deep in the rabbit hole of misinformation?

[Tom Servo]

Hmm...not sure. Closest I can find is "Misinformation Age", but that doesn't sound exactly like what you're describing.

But I think that exchange was a really clear example of just this rush to "this must be a conspiracy." Once it turned out that this wasn't a terrorist act or even an overtly political statement, but rather a possibly mentally ill person, consumed by conspiracy theories, committing suicide in public, it just wasn't the biggest news story. It still was extensively covered - we all know about it, every mainstream news outlet has covered it, it just wasn't the top story on a day where the first criminal trial of a former president is happening, there's a continuing crisis in Gaza, and Israel and Iran are lobbing missiles at each other.

And then, despite clear evidence that it has been extensively covered by every major news org, the fact that one single org didn't show up in a search for "self immolation", the org he's actually referenced as covering it, is now a sign that they're trying to cover it up. Like, maybe they didn't use the term "self immolation"? But we know they've covered it, he's even confirmed the articles are still there. It's just that it's not even in the top three of major news stories today, so it doesn't show up on the top headlines. And yet, the lack of evidence of a coverup is just more evidence there's a coverup.

[MR2 Fan]

What was the name of that book that explained how (older) people become consumers of news-entertainment and ended up deep in the rabbit hole of misinformation?

IMO it started with 9/11, people started tuning into non-stop 24 hour news coverage to keep themselves safe. Remember the threat level things that Fox News kept hammering home all the time back then?

People started getting used to just watching the news channels constantly, especially when they're retired (aka bored). My dad watches MSNBC non-stop when I'm visiting, so lucky it's not Fox but the same thing.

Imagine being fed Fox News or Newsmax or the other more extreme outlets all day every day...you'd start to go wacky too.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I hadn't bothered clicking on the button to view Billi's posts so with one half of the information on hand, I just kind of guessed what point you were trying get across.

Poor guy, I hope that in his last moments he found the peace that the qonspiracies took away from him.


What was the name of that book that explained how (older) people become consumers of news-entertainment and ended up deep in the rabbit hole of misinformation?

The guy was in his 30s.

Conspiracies can only sprout when there’s lack of transparency.

It should be clear that US government isn’t always forthcoming with real truth. When trust has been eroded, what do you expect? Now the only thing to do is to just blame crazy people for coming up with conspiracies…

Btw, I finally saw stuff about this on my Apple News feed. I guess it’s just trending a day late.

[Tom Servo]

Yeah, my father-in-law watches MSNBC and CNN pretty much non-stop. It is not good for people.

[mk]

I criticized our response to that as well.

You threw out the hypocrite label, now back it up.

It's a level thing, you're quite fast and single sided now.
I'm not objective either, of course.

Their relative casualties are 44000, or around 50 to the opposite direction.
There's also over half a million kids in danger in Sudan.

One other thing.
I read that Iran is practically a nuke nation.
Little Boy style in few weeks any day.

[Tom Servo]

Wait, pointing out that tons of people who have been killed in Gaza literally cannot be held responsible for what's happened to them because they haven't been able to vote in an election since 2006 is being "quite fast and single sided?"

What does that even mean?

Judging by your second paragraph, did you misunderstand what I was trying to say?

[Crazed_Insanity]

I don’t quite fully comprehend what mk said but I get the feeling that you two probably agree more than you disagree and are tripped up due to some sort of misunderstanding.

Lastly, little boy style bombs luckily so far are not being used and hopefully never again or else the world will be in serious trouble…

[MR2 Fan]

I don't envy the judge in Trump's criminal trial at all. Trump will do everything he possibly can to push the judge, but he knows the judge won't put him in jail (even though he should) for breaking the gag orders because it would send the entire GOP insanity machine into overdrive and make threats against everyone much worse.

Imagine having that issue, ignoring everything else...whether to jail one of the two leading presidential candidates 7 months before election day.

[FaultyMario]

Wasn't the judge chosen because of his experience, i seem to recall something about his professional profile when they started to drag the judge's adult child into this mess.

[Rare White Ape]

Did anyone else see the student in that protest using an empty water cooler jug firstly as a drum, then as an implement of self defence against a row of cops with riot shields and batons? He is my hero.

[Tom Servo]

Wasn't the judge chosen because of his experience, i seem to recall something about his professional profile when they started to drag the judge's adult child into this mess.

I believe (and may very well be wrong) that judges are generally just picked based on scheduling and who's available when. It is true, that he's a very experienced and well regarded judge, so he's probably better suited than most when it comes to dealing with Trump.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Trump in jail would answer part of my prayer. Biden retiring gracefully will be a full answer of my prayer.

Trump’s side is definitely the crazier and more emotional side. If they lost the election, I’m scared that Trump will come back bigger and harder in another 4 years.

Whereas if Biden lost, there’s always Kamala Harris next time? Folks like Bernie or AOC or Katie Porter just have no real significant place in the dem party…

It’s also amazing to me that congressional leaders are in such lock steps when it comes to foreign aids. We can’t agree on women’s rights in this day and age, but we can agree on giving Ukraine more bullets and missiles to prolong a pointless war that we(NATO) have caused…

And average Americans mostly care about how to gag Trump or free Trump… college students want to stop the ‘genocide’, but too bad Palestinians are not on our list of recipients for foreign aids…

[mk]

Wait, pointing out that tons of people who have been killed in Gaza literally cannot be held responsible for what's happened to them because they haven't been able to vote in an election since 2006 is being "quite fast and single sided?"

What does that even mean?

Judging by your second paragraph, did you misunderstand what I was trying to say?

Misunderstanding is always a possibility, maybe even more than that.

From my point of view the issue is how fast you flipped the side.
It's justification or not is in body counts, but there is obviously also your own or "own" versus others.
Nothing to do with voting, but much to do with the reality of their political status quo.

My issue is too many sacrificed family members.
Worst when a little girl with her preschool backpack is sent to die, walking towards an Israeli checkpoint.
So my body counting style is not objective, start of the thing is not helping either.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Body counts can never be objective.

Let's forget Israel for a minute.

How many died in Pearl Harbor? How many died in Hiroshima when we drop not one but 2 atomic bombs?

How many were killed in WTC? How many did we kill in Iraq and Afghanistan over the years?

Do we protest against USA about genocides?

Maybe YW will. ;)

Anyway, not saying I totally agree with what US did, but when we are at war, obviously it'll be difficult to try to talk reasons with the parties involved. It's best we avoid wars from starting in the 1st place.

Ukraine should've asked for automatic NATO membership when it signed the non-nuke proliferation treaty... or it should've never given up its nukes.

Hamas should've known to never mess with Israel like that... just like Japanese really should not have attacked Pearl Harbor. Don't start something you cannot win!

Of course Hamas was probably not trying to win a war, but to make Israel and US look bad. For that, they have accomplished that mission objective.

[FaultyMario]

Two national anti-fascist holidays were celebrated yesterday, April 25th: Italy's Festa della Liberazione and Portugal's Dia da Liberdade.

Some U.S. Universities also joined in on the Antifa celebrations...

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/digital-images/org/c4909932-7ba7-4c9c-a3fd-7d80f75a3d9b.jpg

And to that, I raise my glass!

[Tom Servo]

Misunderstanding is always a possibility, maybe even more than that.

From my point of view the issue is how fast you flipped the side.
It's justification or not is in body counts, but there is obviously also your own or "own" versus others.
Nothing to do with voting, but much to do with the reality of their political status quo.

My issue is too many sacrificed family members.
Worst when a little girl with her preschool backpack is sent to die, walking towards an Israeli checkpoint.
So my body counting style is not objective, start of the thing is not helping either.

I am very much hoping there's a misunderstanding here.

I think that when you say "how fast you flipped the side", I hope you mean as a nation, not me specifically. If you mean me specifically, this conversation is over.

If you mean as a nation, that's a fair complaint, but the accusation goes to what I meant. Hamas committed war crimes. What they did on October 7th is inexcusable. Israel had committed a number of crimes against the Palestinian people, but what Hamas did is not an appropriate response. Israel using what Hamas did as an excuse to obliterate the population of Gaza is also inexcusable and are also war crimes. They are relying on the "Hamas is the elected government of the Palestinian people, so it's all fair" which is just as much bullshit as what you are saying. Just like it's bullshit to conflate all Israelis with Netanyahu's murderous campaign of slaughter.

My point was even the idea that "they're Palestinian and they can all be lumped under their government" is bullshit even if you believe in that level of idiocy because a MASSIVE portion of the Palestinian population hasn't even had the opportunity to vote for their own government. Even if someone is dumb enough to conflate the entire population to their singular government, it still doesn't apply.

I think that we probably align more than you think, but I took it as a direct insult that you claimed I've suddenly changed my tune. I'm more than willing to think that there's a misunderstanding here, but hopefully I've made my viewpoint clear.

[Crazed_Insanity]

When both Hamas and Netanyahu are doing stupid, crazy, evil things... when they're engaged in a war, it'll be difficult to clearly see any viewpoints.

My only wish is that, whether it's Ukraine or Middle East, US should take up leadership to stop the fighting rather than continue to 'aid' by adding more fuel to prolong the fire.

If there's fire that is truly worthy of our fight, we should pull up our sleeves and fight the fire along with our friends.

Otherwise facilitate some sort of peace talk or something.

US definitely still carries sufficient weight in the international community to stop these wars if that's what we really want to achieve. However, US govt tend to want these forever wars to go on for various reasons.

[sandydandy]

I just checked and he bought it at around $54, and after taking a detour south the stock price has recovered and is now at $53, so he’s pretty much almost at break-even.

Tesla stock has fallen quite a bit, however. I just learned today that I misspoke in this post. I had no idea that Twitter stock had been de-listed when I posted this.

That explains why it’s always $53.70 every time I look it up. :lol:

Twitter/X is now a private company, and an almost complete shithole as far as I can tell.

I’m using it a little more these days, and have discovered that as long as I stick to viewing posts from people that I’m following, I’m good. The minute I tap on “For You” then I’ll begin losing brain cells. The stupidest of the stupid post the absolute stupidest shit you can ever read. It’s vile!

[Yw-slayer]

Waiting for US politicians to claim that protests on US campuses are "A beautiful sight", that crackdowns and arrests are authoritarian and intolerable desperate lashing out by a corrupt regime on sacrosanct freedom of expression and democracy by a vast majority of the population with valid demands against an illegitimate regime that has funded and continues to fund human rights abuses and oppress the weak, unrepresented merely expressing their right to self-determination against an evil authoritarian force hell-bent on crushing all dissent. Also for them to spit blood that a regime of gangsters is breaching the right to private ownership by stealing private property, causing major economic issue and a lack of confidence in the free market!

Oh wait, no, I'm just lolllling big-time.

[Crazed_Insanity]

You’ll probably wait for a long long time… :p

I truly wish all Chinese and Americans can have better lives, but I’m really as happy with the Chinese and US government as I am happy with Trump and Biden.

Really wish those near the top can wise up someday to stop thinking about their own stupid interests and think of their own citizens for a change…

[neanderthal]

California makes up 32.5% of registrations of battery electric vehicles in the U.S.,[/b] and the sluggish popularity of Tesla among new-car registrants comes at a particularly vulnerable time for Tesla as a company and for its CEO.

Elno really thought he could trash California and feel no repercussions. Fuck Elno and his sycophantic followers.

[mk]

hopefully I've made my viewpoint clear.

You have.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Elno specifically came to CA to pursue his entrepreneurial dream. He used to believe America is like the only place in the world where if you succeed, people will be happy for you and won't try to drag you down. There's no way for him to start Tesla or SpaceX in South Africa because of that. That's why it was imperative that he comes to Silicon Valley. Anyway, at the moment, America is just like any other place in the world.

Somewhere along the line, there was a fall out between Elon and the DNC. I'm not really sure exactly what happened. Most likely Elon said something DNC did not like? Which caused Biden to recognize GM as the one who revolutionized the EV industry? I wonder what's stopping Biden proclaiming Boeing as the one who revolutionized the rocket industry! ;)

Anyway, it will probably be super difficult for the next Elno or Steve Jobs to start and grow something new in CA nowadays. Lots of companies are moving out of CA. Hopefully there will be enough new startups to cover for the existing companies leaving.

Also, this is why polarizing politics sucks. Yeah, we want EVs to save the planet, but we don't want Elon's EVs. Fuck him and fuck his cars. We rather drive Toyotas and Hondas. Fuck Elon and fuck the climate. We don't care anymore! We liberals gotta stick together no matter what! Yeah, let's cheer for Toyota and Honda outselling Tesla! Yippee! BTW, Toyota's US HQ moved out of CA to Texas too. Only Honda HQ remained faithful to CA. Toyota is smart to not tweet about stupid shit like Elon I guess! ;)

I really wish Americans can try to work together.

I wish those fucking pointless wars can just stop too!

I also really wish election ballots can also give voters 3rd option which is to abstain. If abstain selection has the most votes, then that particular office shall be vacant. It'd be as if voters assasinated or fired the president... We don't like the sitting prez and we don't like the challenger. So the WH can be empty to save some federal money... or perhaps let the next in line be prez. I suspect congress probably won't be able to decide who the next speaker of the house will be in that case too... ;)

So eventually, maybe we could drain the swamp that way? Enough of this lesser of the 2 evils.

What the fuck is the point of arguing or protesting FOR Israel or Palestine? FOR Biden or Trump? As if the lesser evil is really that good... Yeah, sometimes we move right, sometimes we move left, but I really don't think we're moving forward much.

[neanderthal]

The fuck you know about South Africa? That's right, you don't know shit. Shut the fuck up.

[neanderthal]

Brilliant


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[neanderthal]

Genius my big fat arse!!! (https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-lays-off-charging-and-new-vehicle-development-teams-report)

[Rare White Ape]

Very stable genius

https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/profit-of-4804-how-musk-s-takeover-crushed-twitter-in-australia-20240428-p5fn2k

[Yw-slayer]

Elno really thought he could trash California and feel no repercussions. Fuck Elno and his sycophantic followers.

I LOL hard everytime I think about how in 2011 Elno/Elun loled at BYD being a serious competitor, and is now scared, wailling, and begging for US government protection from them, while trying to continue to shill his stuff to a population who have a vast choice of undoubtedly the most forward-thinking, and also the widest variety of electric cars on the planet.

[neanderthal]

I LOL hard everytime I think about how in 2011 Elno/Elun loled at BYD being a serious competitor, and is now scared, wailling, and begging for US government protection from them, while trying to continue to shill his stuff to a population who have a vast choice of undoubtedly the most forward-thinking, and also the widest variety of electric cars on the planet.

Dude coulda kept his mouth shut and kept minting money, but he decided to be a Nazi and thought we'd just overlook that. He's as deluded as the billis that love him.

[Tom Servo]

My god, I wish I hadn't read his post. Literally twisting himself in knots to try to avoid putting any blame on Musk. Everything that has ever happened to Tesla is everyone else's fault, it's all because of a divided America, and Musk has done nothing wrong.

Delusional nonsense.

[Crazed_Insanity]

America is divided because of Musk?

If he never came here to America, we’d be in a much better world without him?

Interesting.

I think you guys are a bit too obsessed with the guy. A world without Tesla and SpaceX will still be fine. We’d not have EVs and US astronauts will probably have to abandon the ISS because we can no longer partner with the Russians… but anyway, the world can still go on if we never had Musk. However, do you guys really wish to pin the ills of the world on Elon Musk? I honestly do not understand.

You might as well blame all the evils of the world in Billi too? If people like me, along with Jesus Christ could just disappear, the world would be a utopia? :D

Elon isn’t the one printing money.

Elon isn’t the one financing all the wars around the world using the money he printed.

There are definitely people more evil than Elon.

The divided states of America has been around long before Elon. Remember our very own GTF split in the past? Right and left GTFers just couldn’t stand each other anymore.

Like I said, I self identify as politically bi so I’m okay either way, just that most other people find me annoying! ;)

[Rare White Ape]

That's right, you don't know shit. Shut the fuck up.

...

[Crazed_Insanity]

Swervo is an admin, right?

Maybe he can exercise his right to shut me up?

[Tom Servo]

Thought about it some more and realized there's a cross-cutting theme to Billi's posts. He *wants* to believe that the MSM is hiding the self-immolating conspiracy theorist from him. He *wants* to believe that everyone is being very unfair to the up-until-recently richest man in the world. He will find a way to twist the narrative to make it fit the answer he's looking for.

It's always a conspiracy. It's the opposite of Occam's Razor. There's a plot afoot, and he'll figure out a way to conjure it out of thin air. Nevermind the obvious answers to what's happening, there's something more nefarious going on.

I give it two years before he devolves into "it's the Jews."

[Yw-slayer]

While we are ragging on Elno/Elun I'm just going to stick this here: https://www.autoblog.com/2024/04/30/tesla-lays-off-execs-cuts-supercharger-division/ Elun shuts down Supercharger division and fires 500 people.

Suck it, Elun.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Thought about it some more and realized there's a cross-cutting theme to Billi's posts. He *wants* to believe that the MSM is hiding the self-immolating conspiracy theorist from him. He *wants* to believe that everyone is being very unfair to the up-until-recently richest man in the world. He will find a way to twist the narrative to make it fit the answer he's looking for.

It's always a conspiracy. It's the opposite of Occam's Razor. There's a plot afoot, and he'll figure out a way to conjure it out of thin air. Nevermind the obvious answers to what's happening, there's something more nefarious going on.

I give it two years before he devolves into "it's the Jews."

So, everything is Elon?

He caused the wars?

He caused our political divisiveness?

He’s the reason why there’s a huge gap between rich and poor?

If only X, Tesla and SpaceX can go bankrupt, our world would be a better place?

I think this is the similar kind of wishful thinking that if only Christianity can die off, our world would be a better place. Really?

Yeah, some people would blame the Jews, but I really think ‘you people’ are blaming the wrong guy too. You’re giving Elon way too much credit for this fallen world.

The existence of Jeff Epstein and the ability that companies like Enron to FTX could operate for as long as they did should be hint enough that our government is rotten. Ok, maybe US government isn’t as bad as that, but at least as bad as Boeing. But Boeing is too boring. Let’s go back to picking on Elon and his companies… and how he ruined America? By buying Twitter? By building lousy cars and rockets? And his countless failed ventures?


Oh look at him doing layoffs! Haha! What an evil idiot he is! Yeah whatever. :p

[mk]

Dude coulda kept his mouth shut and kept minting money, but he decided to be a Nazi and thought we'd just overlook that. He's as deluded as the billis that love him.

They say that a head start is a decade.
Quite accurate again.

GE did finally quite well for quite some time.
Probably not because of Edison.

Seems that the head internals of Musk has had some shuffling.
Many scientists have also their peak, maybe it's to hard to keep the level.

[Tom Servo]

I think also Musk's made a couple of big miscalculations.

He, like Trump, seems to think if he's got the adulation of some adoring fans on the internet, then he's doing things right, but isn't realizing that for all the sycophants fawning over him on Twitter, most people are finding him annoying. Other heads of major companies, like Zuckerberg, Bezos, etc tend to not really be on social media except to do things like product announcements.

He also has now positioned himself as someone that most democrats find pretty irritating, but he's making electric cars, which most republicans think are cars for commies and there's no way they're replacing their coal-rollin' lifted truck for some electric nonsense. So he's basically segregated his customer base into two parties that both would rather not have a Tesla. Combine that with a ton of new all-electric cars coming into the market that are more, for lack of a better term, car-like and they suddenly have a ton of competition and are pissing off their customer base.

Honestly, shutting the fuck up is probably the single best thing he could do for his brand right now, but like Trump I do not believe he's actually capable of doing that.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I can definitely agree with that analysis. Elon and Trump have that in common for sure. They're loud mouths and can come across as annoying.

However, they are only 'symptoms' of our problems, not the cause.

Any 'medications' we come up with to ease or get rid of the symptoms, won't really cure our root problem.

After thinking about this some more, I think you guys have issues with conspiracy theories the same way you guys have issues with 'miracles'. We can explain everything using Occam's razor you crazy idiots! There's no need for conspiracies... and we especially don't need God to explain 'miracles'. We know how everything works and we know the problem! The problem is God and Elon Musk! :p

Listen, I'm not expecting everyone to worship God... We do still have free choice. This cannot be forced. I also most certainly do not expect everyone to like Musk... not to mention Trump.

However, by constantly bitching about Elon or Trump... the negative publicity is still publicity. They couldn't seem to shut up, but besides you guys, I see it on MSM too. They can't shut up about talking shit about Trump and Elon too. Why don't you shut up? No, why don't YOU shut up? Regardless of who fired 1st, do we really need to continue on like what's going in Ukraine and Gaza?

There's really nothing else to report for the MSM?

I do admire Elon more..., but even I don't believe Elon deserves that much publicity. The world most certainly does not revolve around him and his companies. I still think Tesla and SpaceX are a plus for our world, but even if they're gone, the world can still go on without them. Of course I prefer those companies to continue to exist. As for X... I was never on Twitter to begin with. So I really couldn't care less about that. However, if Elon could someday manage to create an everything app... like how the Chinese can use their version to pay for everything... particularly if we could use something like bitcoin... then that could become big!

However, I'm sure the 'establishment' who owns the central bank will do everything in their power to crush Elon Musk, or at least X, before that happens. You guys will probably be cheering about that!

Anyway, I just think what's going on with Elon or Trump is kinda like some sort of flair up of an allergic reaction of our society. However, there's an underlying illness that is way more seriously being overlooked. Do I know how to fix it? No I don't. However, we're all being distracted by the allergic reaction... because it's so annoyingly itchy! :p

[FaultyMario]

Honestly, shutting the fuck up is probably the single best thing he could do for his brand right now

Speaking from Mexican cases, Carlos Slim rarely has contact with the media on the few occasions that he is out in public. And when he does, he chooses to go on print media, preferably glossy magazines.

Rogelio Zambrano has zero media presence, even when his building conglomerate has been associated in some shoddy deals. Everything from corruption cases in Spain, funding paramilitaries in Colombia or building the annexation wall in the West Bank.

Lesson here, if you want to make lots of money you're going to do questionable actions, so you've got to choose what is it you want, be filthy rich or be loved by the plebs; you can't have both.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I think the allure of the likes of Trump and Elon is precisely because they say shit that typically wouldn't be said... out loud!

Naturally that can turn lots of people off, but to some, I think myself included, I quite enjoy their politically incorrect frankness. :p I think it's actually somewhat refreshing because I'm sick and tired of most of the rich and powerful doing questionable shit behind the scene for so long... until it is so bad and hits the fan, we usually just won't know anything about their misdeeds.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure Trump and Elon are smart enough to know that not everyone loves them... all they need to do is to keep those who like them to like them even more.

I seriously have no love for Trump, but I do admire him for keeping US out of forever wars.

I do admire Elon more, but no way I'd vote for him for president even if he qualifies. He should just be focusing on making things that can transform our world.

If I started a rocket company and the Apollo astronauts were laughing at me, that'd probably be enough to cause me to give up..., but Elon cried about that... and continued on with SpaceX.

So it's obvious people could hurt his feelings, but he keeps on pushing forward anyways. That's the quality I admire about him the most. Not the annoying tweets.

Look, nobody's perfect. It's also fine to keep on talking shit about Elon. I'm not telling you guys to shut up at all. I'm not asking people to love him either. Heck, I don't even love him that much. I still haven't bought or leased a Tesla.

I just think all the negative publicity about him is weird... probably orchestrated distraction so that american people won't bitch about wars and inflation... or it could very well be self inflicted by Elon I guess.

However, seriously, I'd rather all rich people be like Trump and Elon... than like Carlos Slim or those silent... hidden rich folks secretly doing their shit in the background...

Oh sorry, fuck me for being a conspiracy theorist again. It's just Elon and Trump fucking with us. We have no proof that 'establishment' even exists! Sorry guys! :p

[Rare White Ape]

So he's basically segregated his customer base into two parties that both would rather not have a Tesla.

There is a third group of people who do actually want to own a Tesla.

Those people are cunts.

[Cam]

Lots of Teslas around here. What does that tell you? :lol:

[Tom Servo]

Heh, there are tons here too, but sales are way down now. They just had two rounds of layoffs in a month.

[Crazed_Insanity]

There is a third group of people who do actually want to own a Tesla.

Those people are cunts.

Yes! As spelled out on this earth day t-shirt!

4285

[neanderthal]

While we are ragging on Elno/Elun I'm just going to stick this here: https://www.autoblog.com/2024/04/30/tesla-lays-off-execs-cuts-supercharger-division/ Elun shuts down Supercharger division and fires 500 people.

Suck it, Elun.

I saw this and thought "this man is even more stupid that we thought." The Tesla supercharging network is literally the biggest one in the US, and just as it opens up to all manufacturers and as more electric vehicles are coming to market and in greater numbers, he basically squanders the opportunity to mint money from all those electric vehicles that don't come from his company.

If I was the CEO of Electrify America I would be racing to build shaded, solar powered multi car charging stations everywhere right now. Stick a Starbucks coffee joint and a fast food place at each one, a small lounge, kiddie playground, and clean bathrooms.

Musk is an idiot.

[neanderthal]

Thought about it some more and realized there's a cross-cutting theme to Billi's posts. He *wants* to believe that the MSM is hiding the self-immolating conspiracy theorist from him. He *wants* to believe that everyone is being very unfair to the up-until-recently richest man in the world. He will find a way to twist the narrative to make it fit the answer he's looking for.

It's always a conspiracy. It's the opposite of Occam's Razor. There's a plot afoot, and he'll figure out a way to conjure it out of thin air. Nevermind the obvious answers to what's happening, there's something more nefarious going on.

I give it two years before he devolves into "it's the Jews."

Totally. And the second it dawns on him it'll become some other conspiracy, some other nefarious plot. You couldn't invent a better shape shifter than billi if you were the most creative person high on the higest mushrooms and psychadelics.

[neanderthal]

I think also Musk's made a couple of big miscalculations.

He, like Trump, seems to think if he's got the adulation of some adoring fans on the internet, then he's doing things right, but isn't realizing that for all the sycophants fawning over him on Twitter, most people are finding him annoying. Other heads of major companies, like Zuckerberg, Bezos, etc tend to not really be on social media except to do things like product announcements.

He also has now positioned himself as someone that most democrats find pretty irritating, but he's making electric cars, which most republicans think are cars for commies and there's no way they're replacing their coal-rollin' lifted truck for some electric nonsense. So he's basically segregated his customer base into two parties that both would rather not have a Tesla. Combine that with a ton of new all-electric cars coming into the market that are more, for lack of a better term, car-like and they suddenly have a ton of competition and are pissing off their customer base.

Honestly, shutting the fuck up is probably the single best thing he could do for his brand right now, but like Trump I do not believe he's actually capable of doing that.

A simple thumbs up is not good enough for this post

Elno wants to be a regular guy and be liked; hence his cavorting with the Joe Rogans of the world. And at the same time wants us to think he is better or smarter than us.

Except, we see on the daily, that dude is dumb as shit.

Shoulda just kept his mouth shut. And like you say, left his social commentary to product announcements. But no, had to prove his was smarter than us, and just pantsed himself doing so. Those of us who aren't billi anyway.

[neanderthal]

There is a third group of people who do actually want to own a Tesla.

Those people are cunts.


Lots of Teslas around here. What does that tell you? :lol:

These two posts back to back are pure genius.

[neanderthal]

Speaking from Mexican cases, Carlos Slim rarely has contact with the media on the few occasions that he is out in public. And when he does, he chooses to go on print media, preferably glossy magazines.

Rogelio Zambrano has zero media presence, even when his building conglomerate has been associated in some shoddy deals. Everything from corruption cases in Spain, funding paramilitaries in Colombia or building the annexation wall in the West Bank.

Lesson here, if you want to make lots of money you're going to do questionable actions, so you've got to choose what is it you want, be filthy rich or be loved by the plebs; you can't have both.

Fax

[FaultyMario]

i saw that some people over at elno's have doxxed a couple of the provocateurs from UCLA's protest as members of the IDF.

Why people aren't in a fit about agents of a foreign state actively participating in an operation on American soil is beyond me.

[Rare White Ape]

Why people aren't in a fit about agents of a foreign state actively participating in an operation on American soil is beyond me.

People ARE upset. But you won’t hear it from the MSMBC, CMM, FOX MEWS or even MPR.

Why not?

HMMMMMM, ONE WONDERS

[Tom Servo]

Well, to be fair, I a) haven't seen that on Twitter and b) don't exactly trust random tweets when it comes to the doxxing.

[Rare White Ape]

The protectors of the USA’s freedom to rake in huge amounts of tax dollars to be paid as corporate war profits for investors (ie the cops) seem to be having a field day.

https://www.jta.org/2024/05/02/united-states/90-pro-palestinian-protesters-arrested-at-dartmouth-college-that-drew-rare-kudos-for-its-oct-7-response


A past chair of Dartmouth College’s Jewish studies department was thrown to the ground, handcuffed and reportedly arrested during a standoff with state riot police at the site of a campus pro-Palestinian encampment late Wednesday.

In footage circulating on social media, historian Annelise Orleck can be seen being dragged to the ground by police and handcuffed following a harsh exchange of words. Ninety protesters were arrested in total as Dartmouth joined dozens of other colleges and universities across the United States in cracking down on their encampments.

“Those cops were brutal to me,” Orleck wrote on the social network X following her arrest. “I promise I did absolutely nothing wrong. I was standing with a line of women faculty in their 60s to 80s trying to protect our students. I have now been banned from the campus where I have taught for 34 years.” She also wrote that the cops “tried to hurt me. They did hurt me. And they seemed to enjoy it.”

[Tom Servo]

As they keep getting the cops to come out to college campuses and rough people up, has there ever been an instance of this happening where history viewed it later as "yeah, bringing in cops to rough up protestors was the right call"?

[Crazed_Insanity]

The same people funding Netenyahoo are the same people funding the cops!

I guess Occam’s razor shows us those people are the American taxpayers! We voted for Biden and Biden must be doing what we want him to do, right? What other explanations can there be?

[Rare White Ape]

I guess Occam’s razor shows us those people are the American taxpayers!

Yes you are correct. But also taxpayers from other countries that also supply arms and assistance to the IDF (ie Australia, which among other things helps the Israeli military with intel via the facility at Pine Gap).


We voted for Biden and Biden must be doing what we want him to do, right? What other explanations can there be?

Biden is NOT doing what is expected by left wing voters. This is all down to making sure the status quo is maintained, while the left wants war to stop and people get the help they need to ensure basic needs are met.

Meanwhile liberals (hack, spit!) think that being pro-Palestine is the same as antisemitism.

All Biden has to do is move further left.

[FaultyMario]

All Biden had to do is signal the Israeli hardliners that this type of shit is no go.

[FaultyMario]

As they keep getting the cops to come out to college campuses and rough people up, has there ever been an instance of this happening where history viewed it later as "yeah, bringing in cops to rough up protestors was the right call"?

meh, a cop fired his gun be inside Columbia.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yes you are correct. But also taxpayers from other countries that also supply arms and assistance to the IDF (ie Australia, which among other things helps the Israeli military with intel via the facility at Pine Gap).



Biden is NOT doing what is expected by left wing voters. This is all down to making sure the status quo is maintained, while the left wants war to stop and people get the help they need to ensure basic needs are met.

Meanwhile liberals (hack, spit!) think that being pro-Palestine is the same as antisemitism.

All Biden has to do is move further left.

Question, why doesn’t Biden do what his supporters want and move left to align with his supporters?

Also, why the speaker doesn’t move further to the right, which is where his supporters are!

Yet both defied their supporter’s will to try to maintain a ‘status quo’?

Why is the status quo so important that politicians are willing to defy the will of their own constituents?

I think the so called antiestablishment candidates like Sanders and Trump would not have tried to maintained that status quo. But who knows, maybe they’d change too once in power. Obama ran as anti-establishment but certainly ate his words once in power.

Something odd happens once you’re in power and it changes people. I better not think about it too much because I don’t want to be a conspiracy theorist! :p

[Yw-slayer]

Lolling hard

Not at students and faculty being beaten, but at the craven and obvious hypocrisy of it all of US politicians and western MSM.

[mk]

Are there enough material to say who are real and who are not?
I've read rumors that at least IDF has been present.

[Rare White Ape]

I do know that cops are rousing and creating violence against students, and then stepping back and not acting when right wing counter-protesters are causing trouble.

So basically it’s 50/50 on who’s causing the violence.

And then Joebi-Wan Shitnobi gets to say this isn’t a peaceful protest anymore and is therefore illegal.

All of the video evidence is available via social media etc.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Are there enough material to say who are real and who are not?
I've read rumors that at least IDF has been present.

Are there really that many IDF folks around the world? Wouldn’t they rather take the opportunity to seriously mess with the Palestinians rather than travel all over the US to mess with our students? I can imagine perhaps some IDF sympathizers in the mix, but actual IDF probably would be in Israel defending its country?

I feel bad for Gazans, but I’m also feeling so bad for our kids. This generation of college kids started out in isolation back in 2020… and now they end their college years in 2024 together in jail! These kids will probably either become really awesome and great after enduring all the hardships, or we probably have fucked them up forever… :(

[FaultyMario]

Well, to be fair, I a) haven't seen that on Twitter and b) don't exactly trust random tweets when it comes to the doxxing.

I think it's beyond twitter at this point, and it's more than random tweets.

It's highly probable that IDF agents are trying to escalate conflicts in the major campus protests.

[MR2 Fan]

Twitter has been horrid. In a way it makes me feel bad for humanity BUT then I realize there's a lot of bots, bad actors, and paid people whose entire job is to stir up shit.

Beyond that though, it seems there's very few people who are taking an IMO unbiased view.

[Tom Servo]

I think it's beyond twitter at this point, and it's more than random tweets.

It's highly probable that IDF agents are trying to escalate conflicts in the major campus protests.

This feels super conspiracy theory to me. I'll wait until I hear actual evidence about this.

[neanderthal]

Israel trying to take the worlds eyes off what they're doing in Gaza isn't that far fetched to me.

But then again, I believe Hamas started all this on orders from Russia, to take the worlds attention off Ukraine.

[FaultyMario]

This feels super conspiracy theory to me. I'll wait until I hear actual evidence about this.

Why?

Israel has a tradition of paramilitary units. And they also have a blurry history of operations overseas.

The main reason why President Petro of Colombia is making an effort to cut diplomatic ties with Israel, beyond the claims of crimes against humanity, is because during the previous political era (2002-22), the Israeli defense industry went well past any ethical boundaries in their involvement in the domestic Colombian conflicts. And as I've said in other threads, the problem with the Israeli defense industry is that it is difficult to tell where private and public interests lie.

[FaultyMario]

Just to clarify, the logic of "look, that guy must be IDF" does veer towards the weeds a bit, but not by much.

[Crazed_Insanity]

IDF or not, important thing is that the same folks funding the IDF are the same folks funding the cops to hurt US taxpayers’ kids in college.

What mean American parents we are…

[Tom Servo]

Because it sounds like every other conspiracy theory these days and also is a convenient way to try to explain away things. Just like saying there were FBI plants doing January 6th or whatever. Reddit and Twitter have a long tradition of incorrectly doxing people and it all just sounds too convenient to be saying "there are IDF plants at these protests." I'm going to continue to not believe it until it's reported by someone I consider reputable.

[Rare White Ape]

This is pretty much as close as what we have in confirmation that *anything* has happened, back in January.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/23/alleged-chemical-attack-columbia-students-pro-palestine-new-york

I've not sought any more recent updates bout the NYPD's investigation though, if it went anywhere.

[Tom Servo]

Oof, yeah, that's a lot of hand-wavey "some mystery substance was used and also unsubstantiated claims from a group" kinda stuff.

It all sets off my bullshit detectors. Not saying it's not possible, but definitely need way better evidence before I believe it.

[mk]

IDF rumor is easy to back off since almost all citizens are at least vets.

I'm many times finding my self thinking how sneaky Russia is, but then I remember The Real Hunt for Red October.
Though USA is not known for small long balls, maybe they are just too sneaky.

Have I told about an artificial identity here that Russia made by adding on church records.
Later they created an artificial son, I'd say that that is a small long ball.
If one wonders why here, just check how our passport is accepted.

That leads to a curve ball.
It's always suspicious around these things if there is sort of a direct but still somehow fuzzy finger pointing.

[MR2 Fan]

I don't know if any person here has the patience to watch a 36 minute video, BUT I was really surprised by this speech and also surprised that it was being done by a Republican.

He brings up a LOT of great points, especially at the end, and it is very scary where our economy is at right now. He brings up the democrats and Biden a couple of times but I think his points are actually fair for the most part.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2qHcKY5m7A

[Crazed_Insanity]

Great speech. Regardless of your political orientation, puts the future of our country in perspective a bit.

However, does it really matter who we vote for if we don’t start having meaningful reforms/changes? All the partisan bickering is kinda pointless and probably just there for show.

Here’s another depressing video but he outlined some changes that need to be done. If we don't change our ways, I guess it's only matter of time until the fall of the American empire.


https://youtu.be/qEJ4hkpQW8E?si=xzPRdvyftuP5A-AF

[neanderthal]

I have to admit being impressed with Nayib Bukele's governing so far.

Western journalists been trying him and he's been making them look foolish.


https://youtu.be/cEMwYD_9Qsk?si=uGSqDXe0y-WOLll3

[FaultyMario]

That Cryptobro really did say:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldH9EyOf7Xk

[Tom Servo]

So RFK Jr. apparently actually had brain worms. Or at least one that ate part of his brain before dying and its corpse hanging out in there.

Reported this was part of his explanation during divorce proceedings in 2012 that his earning potential had been reduced due to brain damage.

Why do I think this will not be disqualifying for a president?

[FaultyMario]

Why are family court proceedings public?

[Tom Servo]

Apparently they are public by default in California: https://www.lawofficesofaaroncsmith.com/blog/2024/03/are-family-law-cases-public-record-in-california/

[FaultyMario]

daaamn.

[Tom Servo]

It's also been noted that he's the only person that's said this and provided no other evidence, so while nobody is under any obligation to provide medical information, it also puts him in the tricky spot of either having part of his brain eaten and maybe not totally fit for the presidency or having lied about having part of his brain eaten to get out of paying alimony which...admittedly in today's climate would likely not make him unfit for the presidency.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I personally have no issues with the worm(s). There ought to be annual cognitive tests though, especially if our politicians are all going to be so freaking old now.

As for RFK Jr., I really don't like his voice. I do like what he's saying though. However, he does seem suspiciously appeared to be a Nazi sympathizer as you guys have shown earlier...

Now it's known that he was using the worm as excuse for not paying alimony? We now know that he has integrity issues.

I really like Andrew Yang before too. However, his NYC mayoral run has demonstrated he probably won't have impeccable integrity as well...

Really wish more people could be like Bernie Sanders.

[neanderthal]

Tesla is rehiring some of the people they unceremoniously fired laid off who worked in their charging division, including the top dawg in that dept. There is no more important a division in Tesla than their wide and highly lauded Supercharger network right now, and Elno crippled that division with the latest round of layoffs.

At a time when the network has just been opened to basically all manufacturers, and Tesla could mint money on charging, this idiot was going to curtail its future growth and stability. Every one is coming out with their own electric car now, and they aren't going to be able to sell their green car credits as easily as they could 10 years ago, and this idiot, ...


I can't stop laughing.

[Crazed_Insanity]

The fact that you posted this in a political thread kinda proves that this round of layoffs are probably not purely based on financial decisions.

Imagine if your company has bunch of folks with opposing political views working for you..., would you feel safe with them? ;)

As employees, would you feel happy working for such 'idiotic' boss? :p

It'll probably be best if you go your separate ways when things get so polarizing like that.

Elon has a very unorthodox approach. He has over cut twitter staffs... and when he realizes he made a mistake and wrongly got rid of some people... then he would go back to right his wrongs though.

EV market is shrinking... he needs to cut fat. He has demonstrated that's how he cuts fat to survive. For those who hate him, he obviously has no problems telling them to go fuck themselves in front of cameras!

I don't quite agree with his management style, but hey, X is still in business after all those cuts.

I don't see Tesla going down any time soon. Tesla was close to being done many times before, but I think it'll survive this...

The guy didn't make it this far all because of daddy's emerald mine in south afrika...

Plenty of folks have laughed at him before. From the Russians to the Apollo Astronauts... to all the shortsellers... but who laughed all the way to the bank?

Anyway, I don't think Elon was driven by money though. The wealth he accumulated is just a byproduct. Mentally, he is obviously not normal. ;)

[Rare White Ape]

lol

[Yw-slayer]

The only way his company will survive is with Genocide Joe's baseless, protectionist, pathetic, and hypocritical 100% tariffs on electric cars made by SOME ENTITIES.

HMMM ONE WONDERS WHY

[Crazed_Insanity]

Genocide Joe and Elno do not see eye to eye. However, quite often I'm seeing Elno bowing down to Emperor Xi... I guess he has a lot at stake in China... I'd love to hear Elon tell Xi to go fuck himself too! ;)

I think it's a mistake for Elon to setup shop in China, but what do I know.

If Tesla gets into trouble, I'm sure it'd be because of the shit going down between US and China. However, maybe he'll surprised me. I never thought he'll be able to succeed with his EV and rocket ventures originally. I didn't laugh at him, because I thought it was good of him to try..., but I certainly would not bet a single penny that he'll be where he is today.

So who knows, maybe he'll be able to use his money to reconcile the differences between western evangelical christians with eastern atheistic communists. Maybe then the world will have more people like Billi? Sorry, didn't mean to scare you guys. Probably won't come true! ;)

[MR2 Fan]

Biden just announced new tariffs on products from China:

25% on steel and aluminum,
50% on semiconductors,
100% on EVs,
And 50% on solar panels

I don't know how this will affect end-use products like PCB's, aluminum panels, etc like I'm trying to purchase for 3D printers right now

[Rare White Ape]

baseless, protectionist, pathetic, and hypocritical

Not to mention highly reactionary.

We all know why China is already ruling the world and will only get stronger over the next decade. It has been planning and executing its dominance for a long time now. The way to do it is to boost your at-home industries rather than trying to hinder their overseas rivals.

China subsidieses so many of its industries by a huge amount and allows them the time to carve out a portion of the market while they become self-sustaining and profitable. And then those profitable businesses, having already carved out their slice, take over. Just watch. Temu, Didi, TikTok and BYD are just a handful of names that I can pull out of a hat of recent companies that are pushing massively into Western markets.

But oh no we can't have taxation in America and use those funds to drive the economy because it's tyrranny and restricts freedom! If, 20 years ago like I said back then, countries like the USA invested in solar panel manufacturing instead of squabbling over stupid shit like making sure oil companies don't go broke, then it wouldn't need any solar panel tariffs today!

China laughs at the rest of us. The tariffs won't do anything to slow China at all, but they will allow other countries to leap frog past the USA if they haven't already done so.

[MR2 Fan]

Yep, the tariffs hurt the U.S. consumer more than anything

[Yw-slayer]

China subsidieses so many of its industries by a huge amount and allows them the time to carve out a portion of the market while they become self-sustaining and profitable. And then those profitable businesses, having already carved out their slice, take over. Just watch. Temu, Didi, TikTok and BYD are just a handful of names that I can pull out of a hat of recent companies that are pushing massively into Western markets.

Just on this point and not on the other stuff. In relation to EVs. It does not appear that EVs, solar panels, or home batteries have actually been heavily subsidised to the extent suggested by politicians from countries where the western MSM western-focused institutions are based ("the Usual Suspects") (perhaps it should be Global Northern and Global Northern-focused, but let's leave that for another time).

I do rag on Bloomberg a lot (most of the time in relation to the "Failed State" joke), but it can be worth considering analysis based on data, rather than a shoot-from-the-hip Phil Space column based on anecdotes of panic-buying in supermarkets. So, let's have a look at extracts from https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-03-25/china-easy-money-isn-t-driving-this-clean-tech-boom.



There’s a comforting but erroneous explanation for why your solar panels, home battery and electric car are increasingly likely to be made in China.

The economy is awash in easy money from state banks; its renewable manufacturers are undercutting rivals everywhere else in the world; ergo, China’s comparative advantage isn’t scale, cost efficiencies or innovative prowess, but the availability of cheap government subsidies.

In the EV industry “everybody has an endless supply of loans and support from the local government,” the Financial Times quoted Jörg Wuttke, former president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, as saying in a recent article.

That theory provides a compelling justification for trade restrictions. If Chinese manufacturers are only surviving thanks to a drip feed of government cash, there’s no way for overseas rivals to compete. Best, then, to use tariffs, investigations and other hurdles to exclude their products altogether, and give homegrown competitors a chance.

It’s a persuasive narrative because swathes of China’s economy really do run this way. In the middle of the 2010s, all-but-forgotten Dalian Wanda Group Co., Anbang Insurance Group Co., HNA Group Co. and Fosun International Ltd. went on a multi-billion-dollar shopping spree for foreign companies. The bursting of that bubble prompted another to inflate in real estate. We’re still seeing the aftereffects in every fresh gloomy headline about property developers China Evergrande Group, Country Garden Holdings Co., and China Vanke Co.

You can see the pattern in the published accounts of Fosun, currently aggressively divesting businesses amid a credit squeeze. It spent a net 112 billion yuan ($15.56 billion) of cash on acquisitions and other investments over the decade through June 2023, but generated just 65 billion yuan in spotty, volatile operating cashflows:

Were it not for the 127 billion yuan in cash from financing — the vast majority of it debt — there is no way the company could have paid its bills.

(Paragraph comparing with Berkshire Hathaway removed)

Is the same thing happening with clean technology? It doesn’t look that way.

If Chinese solar, wind, battery and EV manufacturers are doing well because of easy credit, it should leave clear fingerprints on their financial statements. You can measure this by comparing their operating cashflows to the average debt they held during the year: Where cash is low relative to debts, it’s going to take a very long time to pay back creditors.

Looking through a group of 145 renewable companies with at least $1 billion in annual revenues — 77 of them Chinese — this is the result you get:

As you’d expect in a sector experiencing rapid growth, leverage is often relatively generous — but it doesn’t look significantly higher among Chinese companies. Many of the most feared and aggressive renewable exporters, such as Longi Green Energy Technology Co., Tongwei Co. and JA Solar Technology Co., have very low borrowings relative to their cashflows. Plenty have enough cashflow to pay off 25% of their debts in the current year. This doesn’t look like a sector being propped up by government loans, or indeed loans of any sort.

For the sake of comparison, let’s look at an industry that has pretty clearly been the beneficiary of easy government money: real estate:

(Paragraphs on real estate removed)

To be sure, Chinese manufacturers still enjoy powerful advantages. Generous and consistent purchase support for EVs and solar panels gives owners confidence to invest aggressively, just as the same policies do in Europe and the US.

The government remains fixated on keeping costs low: China is home to nearly half of the world’s special economic zones, whose main advantages are cheap land, easy regulation, and low taxation. It also offers reduced corporate tax rates for companies in new technology industries. Fundamentally, it’s the biggest single market for clean technology, so domestic factories have scale advantages that competitors elsewhere could only dream of.

The problem for developed countries is that, when applied to their own economies, these measures are all supported as old-fashioned pro-business policies, rather than unfair mercantilism.

It would be comforting if China’s success in clean tech was a result of easy credit from a communist state. In truth, though, this boom is a capitalist success story on a grand scale.
(emphasis added)

So, and staying with these these industries in particular, the analysis appear to be that business-friendly policies are applied to facilitate the development of new industries in relation to the biggest single market on the planet with a decent amount of spending power. In this case, it just so happens that they are being applied by the "Other" country rather than by the Usual Suspects, and that the results have been far too successful for the liking of the Usual Suspects.

[Rare White Ape]

Thanks YW I appreciate the info. I’ve just seen a bunch of narrative about state subsidies being aimed at expanding Chinese business interests outward way more than the fear-mongerers say that China does with its military, hence my impression of the matter.

Although, my point still stands about progress being stifled by oil companies actively perpetuating the debate about climate where there should be no debate.

[Yw-slayer]

No problem, man.

[Crazed_Insanity]

It would be comforting if China’s success in clean tech was a result of easy credit from a communist state. In truth, though, this boom is a capitalist success story on a grand scale.

It's clear China grew because of capitalism. Communism has proven itself in various countries that it takes away productivity.

Anyway, my main discomfort about China is the dictator. I don't trust him. Historically, dictatorships who rose up by destroying political oppositions also tend not to end well. Certain past emperors of previous dynasties at least could end up with a good emperors on certain rare occasions... but we all know absolute power corrupts absolutely.

If Xi whipped China in to great shape and then setup China to be able to run without him in charge, then he'd likely gain my admiration... I mean even bigger ones than whatever I have for Elon Musk! ;)

However, if he's mainly into power grab like Mao, chances are, China will repeat history. More Chinese people will suffer... and we can stop dreaming about cheap solar panels or EVs then.

Of course US govt/establishment isn't all that trustworthy as well, but at least we still have certain check and balances in place... Point is, at the moment I don't have a positive prospect for both China and US in the near future. If our current trajectories don't change, we will all end up suffering more...

As for tax hikes... at least we're still allowing them to come. Where as certain US companies are banned in China. They don't have google or facebook or youtube... government only allows their own copycat versions. So there's really no reason why to complain about US unwilling to play fair. Each nation wants to protect itself.

Again, I worry for Elon's Tesla factory in China. If someday Xi decides to take it, there's nothing Musk could do. Biden would probably just laugh at him! ;)

[Crazed_Insanity]

In other news, Speaker of the House stood outside of Trump's court and declaring US court system corrupt. Election results are probably also corrupted whenever they lose...

Anyway, USA perhaps just might fall before emperor Xi of China.

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-speaker-mike-johnson-court-09aef3de395fa77843f2600f40da6ac3

[MR2 Fan]

Interesting that Mike Johnson wasn't wearing a red tie like the other MAGA congressmen who came to support Trump.

Dude is a weird mix of saying he supports the most MAGA stuff but then lets congress actually do something even when Trump hates it.

[Crazed_Insanity]

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/fact-check-biden-again-falsely-212038162.html

What is going on? CNN is fact checking Biden for saying the wrong thing? That's nice fair journalism! ;)

It seems most polls are showing the 2 candidates to be pretty close, with a consistent 10% support for RFK Jr.

I think there's no guarantee that those 10% would all go to Biden if RFK Jr. drops out. Trump is starting to attack RFK Jr. too. If you guys hadn't convinced me that he might be a NAZI sympathizer, I might go for him as well. However, perhaps I'd still be hesitant about supporting him because if his family doesn't even support him, why should I? If a person can be that divisive in his own family, what chance will he have at uniting the nation?

Anyway, I'm still choosing to be an agnostic come 2024. Don't feel like participating in all this bullshit. All the court drama is now giving Trump additional free publicity. I think unless something drastically happens, Trump will probably win. During the pandemic, people wish for normalcy. Now things are more or less normal, it's time to MAGA and be abnormal again I guess.

China probably doesn't have a preference either because neither Biden nor Trump will be friendly to them. So I wonder how China will interfere with our election. There were talk of Putin preferring Trump, so if Trump's win means Ukraine war will end because Putin's happy, then I'm all for that. However, I'd still not want to vote for him.

Hopefully come 2028, a new guy could emerge to inspire me to vote. Or the old Bernie could work too. I don't care how old he is, if he's on the ticket, he will win my vote. However, I can just dream on... the 'establishment' would never allow that to happen. I wish Bernie had Trump's skill to be able to beat the establishment sponsored candidates during the primary process... ;)

[neanderthal]

It was disproved several times in different videos, but here is an actual drag race between the Fuglytruck (Cyberfugly?) towing a Porsche 911, and a 911.


https://youtu.be/K0AJmLvKjxw?si=tlpp9rARXbOAbT9s

[neanderthal]

Elno really does think he's a (stable) genius and we are morons.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I don’t understand why his this political but that’s a fun video to watch though!

Given the results we’re seeing, clearly the cybertruck and the entire Tesla as a company is a big giant lying Ponzi scheme!!! We should shut Tesla down at once!!!!

[Crazed_Insanity]

Let’s try a different race! Elno vs sleepy Joe! I think I’m beginning to understand why those 2 can’t get along…


https://youtu.be/PKIOUYbHe30?si=C3bif6ArjhYYeLvE

Is our government using the legal system to carry out justice or using it as a weapon?

Regardless of who’s telling the truth, as our legal system pound on Trump, to the Trump supporters, it’s gonna look like an orange Rodney King or an orange George Floyd are getting beat up…

[Tom Servo]

I absolutely do not know where to start with this. I wonder if the brain worms posted it.

https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1792970117204287992

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GOHo0SvasAA2HGv?format=jpg&name=medium

[Crazed_Insanity]

There must be some sort of Nazi dog whistling in that poster somewhere? :lol:

Also, why would average Americans care about what's going on with GameStop? Only MR2 cares about it! :p

Trump and Bernie are just way more relatable for average folks. RFK Jr. is just weird. Sounds weird and acts weird. He does have significant support though. 10% is not nothing. However, I get the feeling that his supporters are just there because they don't like either Trump nor Biden, not because they love RFK Jr.

Seriously, how will a poster like that 'resonate' with anybody? Maybe the worm is really his campaign manager! :lol:

[FaultyMario]

They're just hoping to ride on the wave of popularity from the hottest Hollywood release.

Anyway,


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GOIoftEXkAIgYlD.png

[neanderthal]

Jasmine Crockett 2036!!!

[neanderthal]

What happens to the student loans of the graduates who weren't permitted to walk or to receive their diploma because they were at the forefront of the Free Palestine movement on campuses across the country?

I understand that if they get their diploma then they have a year to start paying, but what if they don't?

[mk]

Ingman chocolate soft-ice is nationally sold out.
Length of crisis unknown.

Production sold to Unilever and local factory closed in summer 2022.
Here is the outcome.

[Yw-slayer]

What

[Tom Servo]

Not sure if Finland is like Norway, but ice cream is an absolute necessity in Norway. I can see a national crisis over an ice cream being sold to a multinational conglomerate that suddenly cannot supply the necessary amount.

[Tom Servo]

And yes, it's often very cold in Norway. And yes, for some reason, they STILL EAT ICE CREAM when it's insanely cold.

[21Kid]

Probably because ice cream is amazing

[Rare White Ape]

I haven’t had ice cream in a while. I better get me some of that soon.

(This is the stuff I talk about when locked out of any social media trying to avoid spoilers until I can watch the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 which I won’t be able to do for a few more hours)

[Tom Servo]

For Michele's birthday my folks and I got her a Ninja ice cream maker. It is glorious. First batch was a coffee ice cream and now I'm trying to figure out how to make gelato with it.

[Cam]

Why do you libs have to make everything political?

[Tom Servo]

I know, I can't be happy with American ice cream, I have to figure out how to make immigrant ice cream. Pretty gross stuff, if I'm honest.

[sandydandy]

And yes, it's often very cold in Norway. And yes, for some reason, they STILL EAT ICE CREAM when it's insanely cold. :lol:

Hey it’s cold as fuck in Canada during the winter too, and we love our ice cream! Just not outside, obviously.

[Tom Servo]

I'll bet Canada gets colder than the parts of Norway I'm familiar with, I don't think it ever got much below 25F, and I do not get the ice cream in the cold. It's delicious, but y'all are lunatics.

[Crazed_Insanity]

In current political climate, we should have a more polarizing flavor for ice cream.

Can you use your ninja I scream maker to make a Sriracha flavored ice cream? Making it hot and cold at the same time! :D

[FaultyMario]

Why do you libs have to make everything political?

mmm... sorbete!

:drool:

[Yw-slayer]

mmm... sorbete!

Sounds like FURRINER TALK?!??!?!?/!/!/?!1!!

[Yw-slayer]

Shaping the Policy Debate - How does the British media present China?

Full Report: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/lci/assets/2024/british-media-china.pdf

Release: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/british-media-china and extracts from it below


The Lau China Institute together with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have launched a new joint report highlighting the implications of consistently negative coverage of China in British media.

The report, by Dr Tim Summers, Associate Professor at CUHK and Affiliate of the Lau China Institute, is based on an analysis of more than a thousand articles published in British media outlets - The Telegraph, The Guardian, the BBC, Financial Times and The Economist - between 2020 and 2023.

While negative reporting of China in the last few years is not a new phenomenon, the analysis provides systematic evidence that negative framing and tone have strongly dominated coverage of China in recent years. Given the relationship between media coverage of China and public opinion, political views and government policy, this has important implications for Britain’s policies towards China.

The author found that between January and July 2021, of the 576 reports on China in The Telegraph, 62% were deemed ‘negative’ in tone, with just 2.5% positive, and the remainder classified as neutral in tone. For The Guardian, the research found that in the first quarter of 2023, the tone of articles on China was also predominately negative.

Dr Summers argues that this level of negative coverage poses significant implications: “If media coverage is predominately negative, public opinion is bound to sway the same way. This, in turn, makes it more likely that the UK will adopt a more critical policy toward China, and may lead to missed opportunities with the country. British policy makers should consider the entire picture when considering Britain’s policies towards China, not only media coverage and public opinion.”

HMMMMM ONE WONDERS

[Crazed_Insanity]

When China threatens to attack Taiwan, possibly paralyze the entire world of its supplies of semiconductors, how should Western media continue to praise China about that?

Lastly, to me, CCP is not 'China'. Criticism of CCP is not the same as racism against all Chinese.

If you do bad things, media will report bad things about you. Doesn't matter if you're CCP or Biden or Trump. Nobody has very high approval ratings. Just did a quick google, UK government's approval rating is at a whopping 14% with 64% disapprove of them! If Brits could exit out of their own government, they probably would.

In a world where anti-establishment sentiments run high, pretty much all forms of big government are not looked upon favorably. Dictators can pretend better that they are popular with their people. Even if Hitler was really popular with the Germans, you know how things ended. I don't see Xi ending well. I hope China won't be dragged down along with him.

[neanderthal]

You ... consistently invoke Hitler.

People do that for hyperbolic reasons, or because the argument is stupid as fuck, and damn does that shoe fit like Cinderellas 6 inch Manolo Blahniks. Or are they Loubotins?

[Crazed_Insanity]

Sorry, maybe I used the dictator on the wrong political spectrum… maybe I should use Mao or Stalin?

China only avoided demise by not following Mao’s trajectory. Had China stuck with Mao’s policies, surely things will end like Soviet Union.

Point is dictator will never end well. Not for Xi and not for Putin. If we could secretly poll people inside, how high of an approval rating do you think they will get?

Yet, YW was saying western media should stop being so negative when reporting about them? Com’on.

Anyway, you have any positive things you like to report about the XiXiP?

[Tom Servo]

Salem Media, the publisher of Dinesh D'Souza's "2000 Mules" has pulled the film, halted all future distribution, and issued an apology to a Georgia man accused of voter fraud in the film.

Looks like someone had to settle a lawsuit.

https://www.npr.org/2024/05/31/g-s1-2298/publisher-of-2000-mules-election-conspiracy-theory-film-issues-apology

[MR2 Fan]

I know Trump's cognitive abilities are often in question and otherwise normal humans would have a much easier time for us to see the signs of it, but Trump is a special case.

Despite all of that, THIS video clip shocked me. Short scenario, woman in crowd passes out, they yell to get water for her, Trump hears "Water" and starts to get his bottle out and....drinks it himself then asks if she's ok.

There's two scenarios, either he's completely oblivious to what he's doing/mental decline, or he doesn't give a f about her and in his head this is some kind of "power move". Either is completely terrible

Anyway, here's the clip, starts at 8:41


https://www.youtube.com/live/13VqOrpxkIk?si=aDfnYvdBt3K1JDiB&t=521

[MR2 Fan]

Ah crap, was watching a clip of Michael Cohen saying he's worried about Trump because once he becomes the Republican nominee officially, he gets briefed on national security info....I forgot this was a thing....I don't understand WHY they get briefed before being elected.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Don’t know for sure, but I’d guess that there are probably certain bipartisan matters that both candidates may need to know sooner rather than later?

Especially matters of national security, you probably don’t want the incoming president learn everything on day 1! Of course I’d agree it probably makes mores sense to have such briefing after officially winning the election?

Anyway, these kind of details don’t bother me too much, but I am bothered by having 2 such presidents in advance age…plus, I’m not really happy with both of them after their respective 4 years. It’s also kinda sad to see American voters fighting so hard with each other because of these 2 presidents. I really don’t feel hopeful with either in the WH.

[FaultyMario]

I'm on my way to the polls.

We're electing the first female president of North America.

[FaultyMario]

Ok, we did it.

What's your excuse, Canadian and Yankee cousins?

[Tom Servo]

Rampant misogyny is my first guess. We elected an orange guy who constantly has temper tantrums and gets all upset but also claim that women just are too emotional to be president.

[MR2 Fan]

Also, the GOP spent DECADES bashing Hillary.

[Fiat500]

Congratulations, Mexico! 👍

[Yw-slayer]

Ok, we did it.

What's your excuse, Canadian and Yankee cousins?

It's that they don't consider you part of North America?

[sandydandy]

Ok, we did it.

What's your excuse, Canadian and Yankee cousins? We had a female Prime Minister in the early 90's. Kim Campbell (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Campbell). She was the interim PM after Brian Mulroney resigned, but she lost in the next election several months later.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Also, the GOP spent DECADES bashing Hillary.

Obama bashed her 1st!

If Obama didn’t eat his word and just stayed a senator, Hillary could’ve easily became the 1st female president back then. (No time for her to write too many emails)

Obama also could have had a better chance at beating Trump back in 2016. (Riding on the BLM movement)

Affordable healthcare for all could also be easily done when the pandemic hits…

Anyway, congrats Mexico!

[Yw-slayer]

Internal combustion engines for life for enthusiasts yo.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way.

One might WONDER why there is now so much anti-EV and pro-hybrid hype in CERTAIN SECTIONS OF THE PRESS and from CERTAIN GOVERNMENTS when, after a process of several years, manufacturers from a country which has more land mass than the United States have fixed all the traditional EV problems such as range anxiety, premium pricing, and limited choices.

ONE MIGHT WELL WONDER WHY

[Rare White Ape]

AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENT IS SO AUTHORITARIAN THAT IT WON’T EVEN LET OIL COMPANIES TELL IT WHAT TO DO.

DOES IT HATE FREEDOM?

[FaultyMario]

DOES IT HATE FREEDOM?

You know who hates freedom?

This woman:

PARENTAL ADVISORY STUPID ARGUMENTS


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIwFeG1TAxY


Marjorie Taylor Greene's expository technique makes my blood boil. And that there are smart people getting paid to prepare her on how to deliver her nonsense so that it gets "engagement" on social media is the more inflammatory. Two further observations, a) that those people choose to turn off their ethical compass for earnings in the short term with major damage to social cohesion in the long term and b) that these advisers are getting paid from money coming from voters, from either taxes or donations, is just evil.

[Yw-slayer]

WAIT WAIT. THIS IS A POPULARLY ELECTED OFFICIAL IN THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL LIBERAL DEMOCRACY so how could wut u say be da case?

[sandydandy]

You know who hates freedom?

This woman:

PARENTAL ADVISORY STUPID ARGUMENTS


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIwFeG1TAxY


Marjorie Taylor Greene's expository technique makes my blood boil. And that there are smart people getting paid to prepare her on how to deliver her nonsense so that it gets "engagement" on social media is the more inflammatory. Two further observations, a) that those people choose to turn off their ethical compass for earnings in the short term with major damage to social cohesion in the long term and b) that these advisers are getting paid from money coming from voters, from either taxes or donations, is just evil. Ugh she's a fucking goblin.

Thanks to her and her followers the word "pedophile" is thrown around loosely and recklessly these days too. It's even crossed over into the hip hop world. Not sure if anyone here kept up with the recent Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud, but it basically ended with Kendrick getting the knockout punch by calling Drake a pedo. That seems to be the new norm in America now. Don't like someone? Call them a pedophile. Nevermind the gravity of the word itself and what it actually represents, (ie. real victims of sex abuse).

It's sick.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Hopefully we can further tweak our election to have better results. For now, when it's just 2 party candidates duking it out, we often end up with crappy lesser of the 2 evil politicians. Worst case scenario, we end up with somebody like MTG.

However, I think I heard a Ted talk from Andrew Yang claiming that ranked choice voting could help eliminate this problem.

For example, Sarah Palin was able to be eliminated by such voting process. Most of the GOP senators who voted for impeachment ended up losing their re-election, but only states with ranked choice voting allowed few of those senators to survive their impeachment vote. So looks like rank choice voting could help reduce electing extremists such as MTG. I hope. Instead of having stupid party primaries, hopefully we can end up choosing our presidents this way too. If we have rank choice voting for presidents, for sure there's no way Trump nor Biden would end up as the eventual nominees.

[Tom Servo]

To be fair, in Drake's case there's some evidence of a predilection for underage women. Like that time he kissed a 17 year old on stage after he knew she was 17.

For MTG, it's just "you're a democrat, therefore you're a pedophile," while ignoring people like Matt Gaetz who's at least been investigated for paying for underage prostitutes.

[Crazed_Insanity]

To be fair, I wish we can have a thorough apolitical investigation of Fauci... and how US taxpayer's money were used in the Chinese lab.

Should we move these dangerous types of research to China because it's too risky to do at home and the Chinese didn't really care... so yeah, let's let them do it.

Further, these kind of researches are done for what purpose? For future prevention or for biological weapons?

Wuhan Lab sure has done a great job preventing the next pandemic. Couldn't even noticed the wet market started something until it's too late.

Of course, we'll never get to the bottom of this now. All we're left with is Chinese blaming the Americans and then blue and red Americans blame each other... and we'll never get to the bottom of the truth and we won't learn anything this time so next time we'll have another pandemic like it.

[MR2 Fan]

To be fair, in Drake's case there's some evidence of a predilection for underage women. Like that time he kissed a 17 year old on stage after he knew she was 17.

For MTG, it's just "you're a democrat, therefore you're a pedophile," while ignoring people like Matt Gaetz who's at least been investigated for paying for underage prostitutes.

Drake also had an...odd...friendship with actress Millie Bobbie Brown when she was like 14, so yeah

[MR2 Fan]

In other news, Biden just signed an Executive Order to fix the border issue by not allowing asylum for those crossing the border illegally since Congress wouldn't do it.

While there are some issues with this approach, it is brilliant because the GOP can't tag this border issue on him as easily anymore.

[speedpimp]

If and when a female US President gets elected it will probably be a shrill, harpy of a nightmare like Large Marge The Barge.

[sandydandy]

To be fair, in Drake's case there's some evidence of a predilection for underage women. Like that time he kissed a 17 year old on stage after he knew she was 17.

For MTG, it's just "you're a democrat, therefore you're a pedophile," while ignoring people like Matt Gaetz who's at least been investigated for paying for underage prostitutes. Not trying sound like a homer by defending Drake, but I think a mega star celebrity giving a star struck fan a kiss on stage, (while kind of eyebrow raising), doesn't really rise, (or stoop), to the level of pedophile. That's a very very heavy word that should be reserved for the likes of R Kelly.


Drake also had an...odd...friendship with actress Millie Bobbie Brown when she was like 14, so yeah Well...Drake was an actor himself many years ago, and maybe he was a huge fan of Stranger Things and was comparing notes with her.

(I realize I might be going out on a limb that's getting weaker and weaker trying to defend Drake). :lol:

[MR2 Fan]

The other thing is that apparently Drake had people in his "camp"...label or something that were also on certain lists for things they did. Kendrick's line was with an "s" at the end....as the way to say it cleanly "PDF Files", he wasn't JUST referring to Drake.

[Tom Servo]

Yeah, and from what I gather they actually pre-determined the fan, who they knew was 17, would be the one he'd bring up on stage.

I do agree that it's a heavy word that should be reserved for certain things, though oddly enough I heard Popehat talking about this on his podcast and was saying that there's an expectation of a certain amount of hyperbole in a diss track, and that part of that expectation makes it less likely that anyone listening to a diss track takes the accusation as seriously as one might from a congressperson. (For the record, he was being asked if Drake had a possible defamation claim against Lamar, and his assertion was that he absolutely does not.)

That said, I am extremely white and all of my information about this beef came from Popehat and the QAnon Anonymous podcast...in fact, entirely from podcasts...so take that as it were. I still think there's more to hang your hat on there than there is just saying "every democrat is a pedophile", but yeah, I also think it'd be very different if like Lamar held a press conference and claimed he had proof that Drake was a pedophile.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Very interesting that my yahoo comment is 'rejected' when I simply spoke FOR Elon Musk. Does what I say below spreading any sort of conspiracy theories or anything too offensive? So weird. I filed an appeal, but they probably wouldn't get back to me. I wonder if there's a moderator reviewing stuffs in real time or some sort of AI bot felt like I triggered something? I feel like I'm living in China!

4308

Actually, they didn't ignore me, they just quickly sent me that they've rejected my appeal.

FB would quickly delete my wife's comments against CCP regularly with no questions asked! ;)

I just hope America won't continue to devolve and further control free speech on various platforms. But anyway... I'm sure the establishment will try hard to delete X. ;)

[sandydandy]

Yeah, and from what I gather they actually pre-determined the fan, who they knew was 17, would be the one he'd bring up on stage.

I do agree that it's a heavy word that should be reserved for certain things, though oddly enough I heard Popehat talking about this on his podcast and was saying that there's an expectation of a certain amount of hyperbole in a diss track, and that part of that expectation makes it less likely that anyone listening to a diss track takes the accusation as seriously as one might from a congressperson. (For the record, he was being asked if Drake had a possible defamation claim against Lamar, and his assertion was that he absolutely does not.)

That said, I am extremely white and all of my information about this beef came from Popehat and the QAnon Anonymous podcast...in fact, entirely from podcasts...so take that as it were. I still think there's more to hang your hat on there than there is just saying "every democrat is a pedophile", but yeah, I also think it'd be very different if like Lamar held a press conference and claimed he had proof that Drake was a pedophile. I’m going to give Drake the benefit of the doubt…for now.

On a side note, he was punched hard and has released a couple of shit songs since the beef ended. The belief, (and hope), of the “culture” is that he’ll never recover. The industry however is hoping he can get back on his feet and make hit music again - they’re paying him $400M.

But back on the topic of PDF files, it’s definitely crossing over into entertainment. I saw that Tom Hanks’ Hollywood star was defamed and the P word was written on it. Not sure if this is old news or something recent. I saw it on Twitter today.

[Tom Servo]

Oh yeah, the QAnon people have had a boner for him ever since he contracted Covid early on in the pandemic while filming in Australia. That was a sign that he and his wife were actually being held in Guantanamo because he once posted a picture of a pair of shoes he saw on the street which is proof that he abducted a child. He's now possibly a clone. They knew he didn't really have covid in Australia because covid's not real and also, at least for some of 'em, Australia isn't either.

I wish I was making this up, but that's pretty much the QAnon thing on Tom Hanks.

[FaultyMario]

that reminds me. i should be watching Saving Private Ryan in an hour or two, 80 years of the most awesome killing of nazis is well worth it.


And guys, when you die and you get to see your poppas on the other side of the flowery bridge, tell them some Mexican dude is grateful for them being the baddest Antifa ever.

[MR2 Fan]

I think Tom Hanks was on the Epstein list, or at least one of the many fake ones going around...amazing how all of the Trump supporters will talk about that list then completely ignore all of the photos with Trump and Epstein being best pals

[Tom Servo]

I'm almost 100% certain that he was not on any of the real ones, but yeah, I'm sure he was on one of the myriad fake ones.

This calls for Incognito Mode.

Yeah, no, he's not on any of 'em.

[Crazed_Insanity]

We have an actual list. We had the guy.

Unfortunately one way or another, we're unable to proceed with the investigation.

Similar to financial crisis, horrible shit happened.

Unfortunately for one reason or another, our justice system, regulators or whoever are supposed to protect us and investigate the culprits just couldn't do their job.

So we're left with lots of conspiracy theories... and we end up fixated on loudest mouth folks like Trump and Musk... whether to worship them or to investigate them. As if other people don't really exist anymore.

Only on some occasions when rich people really screwed up so badly that you can't cover up for them anymore... such as Elizabeth Holmes or SBF or Bernie Madoff...

I really think if we could really go after Epstein like we're going after Elon Musk or Trump, we could probably serious cripple the 'establishment' and change the world. We could probably get rid of Trump too! ;)

[sandydandy]

Am I the only one who’s noticed a shit ton of porn on Twitter lately? Elun trying to compete with Pornhub it seems.

[Tom Servo]

There's a ton, mostly 'cause the spammers are out of control despite Musk's promises that he knew exactly how to handle that. Also, they just announced a couple of days ago that porn is A-OK on Twitter, so...

[sandydandy]

So what’s going on with these Russian warships and subs hanging out near Florida?

[George]

They're waiting for valet parking at Mar-a-Lago.

[Tom Servo]

Huh, I hadn't heard about that. Miami Herald saying that they're headed to Cuba for wargames type stuff, and it sounds like it's not entirely unprecedented, they said it was the first time Russia had done that in five years. It does sound like they were purposely getting pretty close to the Florida coast to be provocative, though.

[FaultyMario]

So what’s going on with Biden acting like he's suffering from senile dementia?

[Tom Servo]

We talking about this? How Republicans used misleading videos to attack Biden in a 24-hour period (https://wapo.st/4ceFqo3)

[Cam]

Doesn't that describe FOX News?

[Crazed_Insanity]

Here we are, more concerned with convicting Trump or Hunter Biden... or how old or senile the other guy looked or how pro-life or pro-choice the other guy is! :p

When China is doing military exercises off of Taiwan's coast and Russia doing military exercises off of US coast...

To me, the biggest failure of Biden Admin is his inability to stop an aggressor from invading and to stop being the aggressor invading into another territory.

I think I've just recently discovered a biggest ponzi scheme ever... which is our money printer. Of course we all kinda know our government can print money and that causes inflation, but the sad reality is that even the rise of our stock market is pretty much in line with the amount of money we printed, or the so called 'money supply'. That means our stock market didn't really grow, but simply increased because we've increased the amount of money thru printer... without printing more money, our markets would've been flat or maybe even drop!

https://www.tradingview.com/chart/SPX/f07vbzx1-SPX-vs-Money-Supply/

If even I can see this, naturally rest of the world can see this too... and naturally globalism ended up becoming more nationalistic, each looking for itself? Why should nations continue to play with US's ponzi scheme?

I do enjoy seeing my 401k and my home value grow, but apparently that's all just because of value of dollar shrinking thanks to inflation thru money printing.

With pretty much every nation facing some sort of financial pressure, I kinda think wars are inevitable? Or at least more cold wars... this way nations can keep their folks employed at least. The continual inflation could be good because that means the deficits we've accumulated earlier will be worth less and less so they become easier to pay back! ;)

Anyway, yeah, hopefully it'll just be another cold war, but whether cold or hot, I'm still kinda saddened to be inching closer to WW3. When we were young and saw the Berlin Wall fell, most of us probably thought we're inching toward the Star Trek world, but I guess not yet...

So back to topic, who should we have as president in this crazy world up ahead? To me, Biden is clearly not the guy. Of course Ukraine and Palestine wars are not his fault, but he clearly has little or couldn't control the situation much. However, I'm still not voting for Trump though. Hopefully somebody much better will rise up later...

[MR2 Fan]

Let's assume for a moment that both candidates have some mental decline, what are we left with? All of the other people in the president's cabinet and white house staff that do the rest of the day to day operations. The presidential office is not a 1 man show, it takes dozens of staffers. Trumps's cabinet was full of sycophants. Biden's is full of professionals in their respective fields.

This is a pop culture reference that is not based in 100% reality, however if anyone remembers the TV sitcom "Spin City" starring Michael J. Fox (then later Charlie Sheen), it reminds me of that. The Mayor was a well liked, but ultimately clueless buffoon and his staff did all of the actual work to keep the office running and keeping him out of trouble. Although it was fiction I feel like it some of it is based in reality.

[Cam]

My wife: "I'm touring The White House soon. Want to come?"
Me: "Nah. I'd probably do something stupid."

[Yw-slayer]

Failed State lol

[Rare White Ape]

Failed State lol

A successful state would have two very differing candidates with opposing viewpoints and a strong democracy, with a strong economy that provides benefit for all of its citizens.

A failed state would just eschew "democracy" entirely and have either an ineffective puppet opposition (to maintain status quo) or be bold enough to go with a straight dictatorship.

Tally up the points and see where AMERICA falls.

[MR2 Fan]

The problem is that all of our democracy "safeguards" are now found out to be very weak and there's very few people who are willing to do anything about it....not that they can do much. Democrats always suck at messaging to begin with.

Even if the democrats somehow get super-majorities in congress, I doubt much will change.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Exactly! I’m not sure if that’d help even if we could turn US completely blue! US is not a failed state yet, but just a corrupted one.

It is rather ironic that the Republican Party is now the party of the people, or at least the conservative people…

I think they don’t mind Trump starting a revolution by draining the swamp. However, since I don’t believe Trump’s moral character, along with his dictatorial ambitions, I can’t in good conscience support him.

So I should keep on supporting the ineffectual blue team? Nah, I’ll vote on a case by case basis. Biden has lost my vote based on his handling of the wars abroad. Both Trump and Biden are old and lame in their different ways. I’ll just leave the WH in your capable hands! :p

BTW, for the 1st time in my life I voted as a shareholder! I usually never give a damn about those things. They can run their companies however they want, if I don’t like something I’ll just sell their stocks. If I keep the stocks, then it’s essentially a vote of my confidence in them… However, this time, I voted to honor the contract with Elon Musk and move Tesla out of Delaware.

I voted to basically to tell the Delaware court to fuck off and find some other things better to do. I’m sure there are a lot of scum fraudulent companies like Enron and FTX they could get before they implode?

[MR2 Fan]

The way Trump keeps talking nicely about Hannibal Lecter, I think he's found his new running-mate!

[Yw-slayer]

A successful state would have two very differing candidates with opposing viewpoints and a strong democracy, with a strong economy that provides benefit for all of its citizens.

A failed state would just eschew "democracy" entirely and have either an ineffective puppet opposition (to maintain status quo) or be bold enough to go with a straight dictatorship.

Tally up the points and see where AMERICA falls.

Nah mate, can't be bothered, I'm just playing the "Failed State" label game because Lolapalooza

[Crazed_Insanity]

The nations that didn’t have a toilet paper run during the pandemic are the more successful states! :p

BTW, Tesla shareholders voted to pay Elon and move out of Delaware.

Maybe most shareholders are Elon worshippers, however, if that’s the general sentiment as well, Dems will be in trouble come November.

[MR2 Fan]

So the U.S. Supreme Court basically decided today that people can modify their guns to be fully automatic...overturning a TRUMP era restriction banning "bump stocks".....because 'MURICA

[Rare White Ape]

Interesting....................................... ........................

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-covid-propaganda/

[Tom Servo]

Yeah, absolutely brilliant there. Do propaganda to keep a pandemic going that's currently active in your own country to own the Chinese. Way to go.

[Rare White Ape]

S
T
A
B
L
E
GENIUS

https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-demands-money-twitter-australia

[Crazed_Insanity]

Whether if I get laid off or fired or not, if my employer accidentally paid me too much money and then subsequently asked that they’d be grateful if I return the extra money, I’ll return the money. What’s so genius about that? CEOs shouldn’t be paid too much money, but when regular folks got paid extra due to some error, then they should keep it? I don’t think they should go to jail for it if they spent it, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for the money to be returned.

As for the propaganda thing… I think it should be increasingly likely that covid19 was a collaboration between US and China gone bad… why else would DOD got involved like that? Also, clearly it doesn’t matter whether if we have a red or blue guy in the WH. US government is going to do what the US government gonna do. Trump probably pissed off lots of folks pulling out of forever wars… but the president probably don’t have a full picture what the entire government is doing?

Lastly, at least Twitter was not under Elon’s control while spreading lies for the US government? Yeah, Elno should’ve let well enough alone!

[Yw-slayer]

Interesting....................................... ........................

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-covid-propaganda/

INDEED

ONE

WONDERS

[Tom Servo]

I'm going to regret this, but what does one specifically wonder? That the US engages in propaganda? That the propaganda might be anti-Chinese? That the Trump Pentagon may not have taken Covid seriously enough? That the US often does some pretty reprehensible stuff?

Like, who wonders this?

[FaultyMario]

It's about confirming the suspicions.

I think that's the job that newspapers used to do well and it helped society.

It used to be that what we now call conspiracies was information that people passed around and, depending on which circles or how commonly it was passed around, professionals in the field of public information would snoop around and inform the public on the merits of it. If it turned out that it was the result of some sort of nefarious activity by powerful entities, then the public would mobilize and demand actions be taken.

but that was a couple of generations ago, the powers are now encouraged by their audiences to act nefariously, and the organizations that replaced journalism have no incentives to uncover and explain facts to the public.

[Yw-slayer]

I'm going to regret this, but what does one specifically wonder? That the US engages in propaganda? That the propaganda might be anti-Chinese? That the Trump Pentagon may not have taken Covid seriously enough? That the US often does some pretty reprehensible stuff?

Like, who wonders this?

Rhetoricalolz

[Tom Servo]

Man, this is gettin' to be like the "I'm gonna dip my balls in it!" guy.

[Cam]

That is a reference I am missing and I don't think I want to get it.

[Rare White Ape]

YW has just been pointing out the hypocrisy in US media when it talks about matters relating to competitors like China, vs how it treats the same thing domestically.

Whos' interests is it REALLY working for? HMM?

ONE WONDERS...

[Cam]

I was talking about, “…dip my balls in it guy,” not YW’s snark.

[Cam]

…and I don’t want to know.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, I don’t wonder about what others do with their balls, but I do wonder how many really continued on with their covid vaccine shots lately, whether US or Chinese shots?

Last I checked was around low 20% range.

We still wear masks in crowded places, our kid is probably one of the last ones wearing mask, but we don’t really trust vaccine makers nor do we really see the need for Covid vaccines at this stage. Seriously, who do you guys really trust nowadays? Western or eastern MSM? US government? CCP government? Who’s not a hypocrite?

[Tom Servo]

It's a reference to a sketch comedy show that used to be on MTV called "The State" and whose members went on to do stuff like Reno 911. There was a character named Louie on it who had his catch phrase "I wanna dip my balls in it!" (I misquoted earlier) that got so overused and so often without any context to make it actually funny that that overuse and failure to at least use it when it made sense became the actual joke. As it was, the character was written to piss off MTV who kept demanding that they have recurring characters and catchphrases that they could use in marketing and to be more like SNL.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_State_(American_TV_series)#Recurring_character s

[Yw-slayer]

Sandstorm DELETEDEDDDEED??! ++??!

[Crazed_Insanity]

Anyway, back to disinformation campaigns...

Whether there's coronavirus... or if one's pro-vaccines or against... whether Chinese version or the American version is better...

Whether you believe climate change is real or not... whether you believe EVs are necessary or not... whether you believe Chinese EVs or American EVs are better...

Just give people the choices and help them make the best possible choices. Do we really need to prove anybody wrong and take away people's right to choose? Or perhaps once you're pro-life(wish to reduce climate change and wish to save people from dying in pandemic), you'll have to end up taking away other people's choices?

There has to be a healthy balance between pro-life and pro-choice. Ideally, just let people choose and then allow them to face their consequences too.

Lastly, disinformation campaigns likely won't work if there isn't some sort of suspicion brewing in the 1st place. The lack of transparency, I think, is the main culprit for most conspiracy theories. I can't help the flat earthers or the fake moon landing folks, but they're free to believe what they want and I'm okay with that. I only have to worry about myself making the right choices... or else I might face undesirable consequences...

[21Kid]

He DIDN'T want to know!!!

[Rare White Ape]

There has to be a healthy balance between pro-life and pro-choice.

Yes OK

[FaultyMario]

yes, that balance is the most freedom for the people with the least choices.

does our society have a group of people that, because of their socioeconomic status, have a more limited amount of choices on how to live their lives than the average person?

is it harder for them to eat healthy, to go to schools that'll leave them with meaningful learnings, to find satisfying jobs, to enjoy the fruits of civilization and art, to understand how the universe works, to receive appropriate healthcare, to have pleasurable relationships with their bodies? you know, is it more difficult for some people to lead the kind of life that the better off do?

not owning the stuff that the rich own, no; living a life that can have a comparable scale in terms of satisfaction.

if the answer is "yes, we have people living among us whose choices in life are so limited that their lives look nothing like the lives of the rich", then we're certainly unbalanced in the prolife/prochoice scale.

people thus need more choices in their lives, and that, of course, includes the rights of poor women to have agency over their own bodies.

[Tom Servo]

Lol, only saw the quoted line, but I can't imagine why someone who believes in free speech absolutism also thinks that other things must have a "healthy balance."

FWIW, I think we had one. Anyone who wants an abortion can get one, and the government can't force you to have one. That's a pretty healthy balance.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Naturally the poor has limited choices and the rich will have more because money can give us more options.

The solution is to help everyone get richer, not to equalize everyone to be poor like most communist nations. China realized that and allowed capitalism in China.

Likewise even capitalist USA has social security! So the 2 big nations in the world are trying to balance things out… and they are still trying…

Like the saying goes, 'give me liberty or give me death!' Without the liberty to choose, what's the point of life?

God is definitely pro-eternal life, but even He gave Adam and Eve the choice. Serpent was the very 1st disinformation spreader... it's up to A&E to decide whether to believe God or believe the snake. God didn't shut the snake up and allow A&E to be able to freely make their choice. However, there will obviously be consequences when we chosen poorly..., but hopefully humanity will learn from their own mistakes?

[FaultyMario]

Being poor is not natural, you sick fuck.

[FaultyMario]

Also, having choices is not the same has having freedoms.

From your magical garden and primordial couple example, Eve and Adam were presented with few alternatives, none of which came upon as the result of them exercising any sort of power over their surroundings, thus, they were not free. They were not free to choose, they were not free to arrange amongst themselves what it was it that they wanted out of living in Eden, they only had the choice to free themselves from that state of subjugation at the cost of paying for their own stuffs. And if you remember that fable, they fucking went for it. Head first.

Because no self-aware being would choose to live a life of leisure at the cost of their freedom.

So this balance you speak of, is not so much a balance, because rich women can always have abortions.

Let's be clear on this: if you have enough power in this society, you acquire all the available options. You can drive a car at 200 km/h to the airport and get on a small jet that'll dump 90 times the yearly carbon budget of a family of a family of four in one hour so you can go to a small sandy island and be undisturbed while you roast your semaglutide-injected body under the sun so that you become so attractive that you can have sex with anybody you choose, unwanted pregnancies be damned.

So no, you thoughtless pig, a marginalized girl who's working two shifts as a clerk in some dark corner of capitalism does not get to decide whether to believe God or the snake, she's too busy trying to figure out if abortion rights are part of the breadcrumbs that this celebrity-worshipping society has deemed adequate for people like her.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Being poor is not natural, you sick fuck.

Way to go distorting what I said and get all offended over nothing.

Without the existence of the tree of knowledge, then A&E would truly be 'jailed' inside the garden of Eden forever and ever without any way out. I'm sure A&E could have the choice for more knowledge directly from God if they would only ask. Ask and you shall receive remember? If they wish to remodel the Garden, God never forbid them to do that. If they need help from God, I doubt God will withhold that. They went in head first with that disinformation because A&E wish to play God themselves without God. Is it a good idea for humans to play God as if we are really God? That's never a good idea. We are God-like, but we need to understand that we are not God.

A poor girl will have other things on her mind rather than abortion rights dude.

However, we need a fair abortion rights for all. If a right only benefits the rich and not the poor, then it's not really a right. I'm not talking about freedom of something just for the rich, but for all.

It is normal for a society to have rich and the poor regardless which -ism state you're living in. Even in communist states, Xi has more money and power than everyone in China. Basic human rights are not dependent on how rich or poor a person is. Human is a human. We all should have the same rights, just as God loves all of us the same regardless of your status.

Of course, then we also get to determine just when a human becomes a human? Moment of conception? few weeks? few months? Doesn't matter? Women mommies will always trump the rights of the babies? It's impossible to have a clearly cutoff line IMHO. However I do believe a government who'd allow kindergartners to be shot to death and still allow crazy weapons to be legal is really in no position to preach about saving unborn babie's lives.

If a government is not going to pick up the full responsibility of raising an unwanted baby, then it has no right to take away woman's abortion rights. Just as Jesus can't forgive our sins without actually "paying" for it. If kids are abused, social services will come and take the kids away and save them, right? Perhaps social services can expand to help out with these unwanted pregnancies? Anyway, point is it makes no sense to force women to give births to unwanted babies.

[FaultyMario]

there is no sin, you judgemental prick.

[Crazed_Insanity]

What the fuck is wrong with you? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something? Hope everything is well?

If I get to play God..., actually my prayer to God is that all future babies will be born into loving environments. If we can adopt unwanted pets, surely we can also adopt unwanted babies. That's the better solution than to forcing people to keep their unwanted babies/pets...

[FaultyMario]

You don't get to play God. Repent, you blasphemous manchild!