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Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2021 10:40 am
by John A Arkansawyer

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2021 5:07 pm
by beantownbubba
John A Arkansawyer wrote:
Mon Oct 18, 2021 10:40 am
Glad tidings from Doug Muder! "Your worst fears about Texas schools aren’t true. But your next-to-worst fears probably are."
"During the conversations with teachers during last week’s meeting, the comments made were in no way to convey that the Holocaust was anything less than a terrible event in history. Additionally, we recognize there are not two sides of the Holocaust. As we continue to work through implementation of HB 3979, we also understand this bill does not require an opposing viewpoint on historical facts."

Well, that's a relief.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2021 10:56 am
by beantownbubba
The comments section to this op-ed in today's NYT is closed so I'm just going to let off a little steam here. About halfway through I actually thought the column was intended as satire, but nope, it's clear that the author means every word. I can't stomach deconstructing it line by line, but here's just one example: Corporations externalize costs, like say, the infrastructure on which they rely, but taxing them to fund that infrastructure is "penalizing" them. Oh, hell, here's another: "Everyone's in the stock market," i.e. over 50% of Americans own stock. Of course he doesn't mention that the overwhelming majority of those people own a few shares through an IRA or equivalent, i.e. a structure that does virtually nothing for their overall wealth and absolutely nothing for their current wealth and he presents that as if it's the same as Jeff Bezos's portfolio. And on and on and on. He doesn't quite veer into outright lying, but boy he comes close, over and over again. Feh.


https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/opin ... jones.html

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2021 11:24 am
by pearlbeer
beantownbubba wrote:
Mon Oct 18, 2021 5:07 pm
John A Arkansawyer wrote:
Mon Oct 18, 2021 10:40 am
Glad tidings from Doug Muder! "Your worst fears about Texas schools aren’t true. But your next-to-worst fears probably are."
"During the conversations with teachers during last week’s meeting, the comments made were in no way to convey that the Holocaust was anything less than a terrible event in history. Additionally, we recognize there are not two sides of the Holocaust. As we continue to work through implementation of HB 3979, we also understand this bill does not require an opposing viewpoint on historical facts."

Well, that's a relief.
I'm deeply embarrassed to be a Texan right now. Our state government is not reflecting the will of the people in my state. We are better than this.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2021 12:54 pm
by beantownbubba
pearlbeer wrote:
Tue Oct 19, 2021 11:24 am
Our state government is not reflecting the will of the people in my state. We are better than this.
I hope you're right but you must admit that the recent evidence, from abortion laws to voting restrictions to misguided education policies, to anti vaccine mandates, etc, do not inspire confidence.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 11:12 am
by beantownbubba
So Donald Trump is creating a social network/media company (not for the first time, but this time he appears to have the financing).

1. Good for him. He's certainly entitled to do so.

2. The issues of censorship and banning on social media networks have receding from the front pages, but they haven't gone away and they're serious. IMHO, they're also much harder to resolve than partisans on both sides acknowledge or allow for. Not many people have the wherewithal to respond by competing, but somebody doing so seems to me to be a good thing.

3. According to Heather Cox Richardson, the terms of service of this social media platform prohibit criticism of Trump. If true, this is flabbergasting. "Ironic" doesn't even begin to hint at the contradictions, hypocrisy and fatally flawed nature of this restriction. That this is acceptable to self proclaimed free speech/expression advocates, libertarians and others who have howled at the limits and restrictions of mainstream media and social networks beggars belief. Can you say "cognitive dissonance?" Or "Orwellian?" Like so much of the culture wars, in the end it's just sad because there seems to be no way out of the mire.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 12:20 pm
by Zip City
The roll out of this platform was, predictably, a cluster fuck. People were able to register earlier than expected, and random Joes were registering "@donaldtrump" and "@mikepence" (etc.) as usernames.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 5:25 pm
by LBRod
beantownbubba wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 11:12 am
That this is acceptable to self proclaimed free speech/expression advocates, libertarians and others who have howled at the limits and restrictions of mainstream media and social networks beggars belief.
What makes you think this is acceptable to those groups?

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 10:48 pm
by beantownbubba
LBRod wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 5:25 pm
beantownbubba wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 11:12 am
That this is acceptable to self proclaimed free speech/expression advocates, libertarians and others who have howled at the limits and restrictions of mainstream media and social networks beggars belief.
What makes you think this is acceptable to those groups?
You're right. Too many unstated assumptions there.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 6:51 pm
by John A Arkansawyer

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2021 7:49 am
by beantownbubba
This is astonishing. Not for Rubio's attempt at populist rhetoric, which is merely pathetic blabbing from a wannabe. It's the actual words he uses/"arguments" he makes. I guess I'm not surprised that Rubio doesn't know what Marxism means, but I have to confess to being a little surprised by his support for gutting the first amendment and telling businesses what to do and how to do it, which by actual definition is either communism or fascism. It's as if I wanted to tell you that this morning the dog bolted through the open door and got hit by a car but what I actually wrote was that last night the cat sneaked out the window and got eaten by a coyote. Bizarre stuff. I guess he's desperate to remain "relevant" when he really doesn't fit anywhere in the current political landscape.

The larger problem is that the misuse and misunderstanding of basic terms and concepts makes it awfully hard to have a serious discussion about anything.v

https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/ind ... 0E2DE35A61

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2021 8:25 am
by Zip City
Oh, Marco Rubio knows EXACTLY what Marxism is, he's just playing to the voters who don't. It's calculated misinformation

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2021 7:49 pm
by John A Arkansawyer
Being a Whiny Little B Isn’t Good For Your Soul
Let us Tour the Emotional World of Democratic Second-Guessing and Doom-casting.

And yet a lot of it does come down to weak knees, whatever their roots in the structural dynamics of the party and its coalitional nature. It is also rooted in the qualities people on the center-left value most. Empiricism and at least an idealized version of civic democracy are rooted in skepticism and doubt. The taproots of Authoritarianism are confidence and aggression. We don’t come to these things, either side of the political spectrum, by accident.

The only answer or path to repair is … how can I put it? Well … really to grow the fuck up. Dust ourselves off, try to build and internalize an ethic of strength and resilience even if it is only at first within ourselves.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2021 10:19 am
by beantownbubba
There is no bottom. What is the use of pointing out the obvious, overwhelming hypocrisy and irony of this outrage? Pissing into a hurricane doesn't begin to describe the pointlessness and despair I feel. I can't even muster up very much anger at McConnell's chutzpah because by now we know that this is exactly who he is and what he does. I predict that being "McConnelled" will soon be a synonym for being gaslighted.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... p_opinions

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2021 3:30 pm
by Zip City
boyyourself hasn't been here for over a month. Hope he didn't catch the 'rona

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2021 7:37 pm
by Flea
beantownbubba wrote:
Fri Nov 12, 2021 10:19 am
There is no bottom. What is the use of pointing out the obvious, overwhelming hypocrisy and irony of this outrage? Pissing into a hurricane doesn't begin to describe the pointlessness and despair I feel. I can't even muster up very much anger at McConnell's chutzpah because by now we know that this is exactly who he is and what he does. I predict that being "McConnelled" will soon be a synonym for being gaslighted.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... p_opinions
Every single American deserves every possible guarantee that they will receive impartial justice.
Image

That Mitch, he is such a kidder! I hope he dies slowly and painfully from a spongiform encephalopathy..

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2021 10:46 am
by beantownbubba
Zip City wrote:
Sat Nov 20, 2021 3:30 pm
boyyourself hasn't been here for over a month. Hope he didn't catch the 'rona
I believe when he left he said he was unlikely to come back.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2021 11:01 am
by tinnitus photography
beantownbubba wrote:
Sun Nov 21, 2021 10:46 am
Zip City wrote:
Sat Nov 20, 2021 3:30 pm
boyyourself hasn't been here for over a month. Hope he didn't catch the 'rona
I believe when he left he said he was unlikely to come back.
he's with Wolf, on the great farm of 3DD.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2021 12:08 pm
by Zip City
beantownbubba wrote:
Sun Nov 21, 2021 10:46 am
Zip City wrote:
Sat Nov 20, 2021 3:30 pm
boyyourself hasn't been here for over a month. Hope he didn't catch the 'rona
I believe when he left he said he was unlikely to come back.
I must've missed the going away party

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2021 6:13 pm
by Clams
Zip City wrote:
Sun Nov 21, 2021 12:08 pm
beantownbubba wrote:
Sun Nov 21, 2021 10:46 am
Zip City wrote:
Sat Nov 20, 2021 3:30 pm
boyyourself hasn't been here for over a month. Hope he didn't catch the 'rona
I believe when he left he said he was unlikely to come back.
I must've missed the going away party
I'm in touch with him. He's doing good.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2021 7:04 am
by John A Arkansawyer
"Starting when?"



"I love my job!"

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:30 am
by tinnitus photography
this is a great read:

https://lithub.com/a-close-reading-of-t ... manifesto/

How did the scion of America’s most storied political dynasty; the author of a feminist classic that influenced generations (The Beauty Myth); and a progressive media critic end up on the same page as a QAnon cultist whose book reads like Don DeLillo on DMT?

What all four have in common is the knee-jerk suspicion that all government and establishment-media narratives, all expert opinions are “propaganda.” This wariness is coupled, paradoxically, with a willingness to believe any “counternarrative,” no matter how dubiously sourced or implausible. In raising doubts about public-health authorities like Fauci, the CDC, and the WHO, Kennedy, Wolf, and Miller seem to see themselves as standard-bearers of the 1960s activism whose bumper-sticker slogan was Question Authority. Conspiracism is a counterculture—a counterculture of counternarratives.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:56 am
by John A Arkansawyer
So is the Supreme Court going to take the moderate path and just strike down Roe, or are they going to go after Griswold? Not much shade in the ever-shrinking penumbra. And what is the next big overturn? Most people I know are thinking Obergefell, but my money is on Sullivan.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:59 am
by John A Arkansawyer
What all four have in common is the knee-jerk suspicion that all government and establishment-media narratives, all expert opinions are “propaganda.” This wariness is coupled, paradoxically, with a willingness to believe any “counternarrative,” no matter how dubiously sourced or implausible.
The suspicion is only sensible; credulousness is the mind-killer. It adds up to my only famous saying: "Skepticism is the worst form of gullibility."

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 11:43 am
by beantownbubba
John A Arkansawyer wrote:
Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:56 am
So is the Supreme Court going to take the moderate path and just strike down Roe, or are they going to go after Griswold? Not much shade in the ever-shrinking penumbra. And what is the next big overturn? Most people I know are thinking Obergefell, but my money is on Sullivan.
I don't know have any special insight on the subject, but going after Obergefell seems unlikely to me. As surprising as it was at the time, it doesn't even seem to be that controversial any more except for a shrinking minority (wedding cakes and the like are another story). I agree that Sullivan is a better bet.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 11:48 am
by beantownbubba
If you want to understand the mindset of anti vaxxers who continue to refuse to get vaccinated against covid even as the virus ravages their ranks, you might want to look to Massachusetts. Here, the state Republican Party and Trump are gloating that they forced moderate, old style Republican incumbent governor Charlie Baker out of the race for another term. As most know, MA is a very blue state that has regularly elected old fashioned Republican governors but there is virtually no chance that that the party's preferred candidate, a Trumpist, can win election here so it appears that Trump and the GOP would rather lose control of 1 of 50 statehouses rather than see a moderate Republican elected. I personally don't understand either viewpoint but they seem very much connected. Something about noses and faces.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 11:56 am
by tinnitus photography
who's gonna run on the R side that fits the Trumper bill? i cannot see that going well.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 12:03 pm
by beantownbubba
tinnitus photography wrote:
Thu Dec 02, 2021 11:56 am
who's gonna run on the R side that fits the Trumper bill? i cannot see that going well.
My understanding is that the GOP nominee is expected to be Geoff Diehl, who has Trump's endorsement. I don't think "going well" is a factor in that decision.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 12:42 pm
by Clams
beantownbubba wrote:
Thu Dec 02, 2021 11:48 am
If you want to understand the mindset of anti vaxxers who continue to refuse to get vaccinated against covid even as the virus ravages their ranks, you might want to look to Massachusetts. Here, the state Republican Party and Trump are gloating that they forced moderate, old style Republican incumbent governor Charlie Baker out of the race for another term. As most know, MA is a very blue state that has regularly elected old fashioned Republican governors but there is virtually no chance that that the party's preferred candidate, a Trumpist, can win election here so it appears that Trump and the GOP would rather lose control of 1 of 50 statehouses rather than see a moderate Republican elected. I personally don't understand either viewpoint but they seem very much connected. Something about noses and faces.
Makes about as much sense as Dr Oz carpetbagging his way into the PA senate race, but here we are.

Re: The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 1:17 pm
by pearlbeer
Clams wrote:
Thu Dec 02, 2021 12:42 pm
beantownbubba wrote:
Thu Dec 02, 2021 11:48 am
If you want to understand the mindset of anti vaxxers who continue to refuse to get vaccinated against covid even as the virus ravages their ranks, you might want to look to Massachusetts. Here, the state Republican Party and Trump are gloating that they forced moderate, old style Republican incumbent governor Charlie Baker out of the race for another term. As most know, MA is a very blue state that has regularly elected old fashioned Republican governors but there is virtually no chance that that the party's preferred candidate, a Trumpist, can win election here so it appears that Trump and the GOP would rather lose control of 1 of 50 statehouses rather than see a moderate Republican elected. I personally don't understand either viewpoint but they seem very much connected. Something about noses and faces.
Makes about as much sense as Dr Oz carpetbagging his way into the PA senate race, but here we are.
The Rock for President! He is our only hope.