[worry]

worry, on 04 October 2017 - 07:31 PM, said:

Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump committed felony fraud, were going to be charged in NY, and (allegedly) via their attorney paid off the DA in 2012, who overruled his own prosecutors to drop the case.
https://www.propubli...ed-felony-fraud

The same D.A. who didn't charge the Trump kids and then got a huge campaign contribution via their lawyer did the same for Harvey Weinstein.
http://www.ibtimes.c...ned-file-sexual

[Macros]

How does a judge keep his position after shit like that

[Puck]

Am I reading that right? Trump removed the need for health insurance to pay for birth control to protect the "moral convictions of certain institurions"? That's how our news outlets are putting it. Translation: if he can't outright remove Obamacare, he's going to dismantle it piece by piece?

[worry]

Yes he did, and yes dismantling Obamacare piecemeal is a goal, but mostly I think this is the kind of religious right stuff that keeps Mike Pence happy. Corporate personhood extending to religious beliefs -- particularly conservative Christianity -- is hot right now. Admin also argued that birth control may lead to "risky sexual behavior" among teens and young women, which aside from being untrue, gets to the heart of the entire "war on women". It's ALL about male ownership of women's bodies, whether it's legislating sex, birth control, abortion, health care access and coverage in locations like Planned Parenthood, what have you. This is the stuff you know DJT doesn't care about at all, and it's all about red meat for Pence.

[Malankazooie]

Knock knock?

Who's there?

Moron.

Moron who?

More on that later. Donald Trump is a moron.

[worry]

They are going to do their best to destroy Obamacare, and government in general though: https://twitter.com/...069859066286081

Synthetic repeal that undermines the whole system, on top of the sabotage of signups and practical help (like employees that help people enroll).
And the tax "reform" plan that's going to gut everyone but the richest -- lots of hidden healthcare elements in that.
They are merciless.

[Silencer]

You what really sucks about all this? Beyond the obvious and immediate damage, obviously.
This crap was on its way out. There were whole generations who had mostly grown up without someone standing in the White House being a bigoted, narcissistic, toxic asshole.
Sure, there were still plenty of racists and a exists and homophobes walking around, but it was on the down low, mostly in private, and giving the broader population a chance to grow up without so much of it on display from supposed role models.
Hell, you just need to look at how much more progressive, on average, younger people are to see how much good had been done.
But now we get this bullshit ready to try and restore the status quo where the already problematic background radiation of bigotry was loud and proud and it just fucking sucks.
4 years of this people can maybe recover from. 8 years and there's a whole bunch of kids who may be influenced to be the next generation of clinging-to-life-why-won't-it-just-die-already bigotry. When really that shit should be dying out with my parents. Fuck.

[amphibian]

You now understand better (as I now do too) the power and the mechanisms by which white supremacy will endeavor to correct the course of a nation it still holds sway over.

I got a sense growing up that civil rights was a done deal. The brave people of the 1960s did the work and we just had to not hate each other. What a grand and ultimately evil illusion that was. It was evil because it hid the suffering of those living now and because it removed any responsibility from me and those like me from making the world better bit by grudging bit.

[worry]

It makes me wonder if the generational shift will find its way not just to activists, voters, other politically inclined "civilians", but if it will mean an injection of earnest and principled politicians (don't worry, I'm not going TOO crazy with this idea). There's lots of reasons to be cynical right now, and even aside from Republicans it's exhausting to constantly have to push establishment Dems to the left, when they're beholden to moneyed interests too. So the hope is that a general shift towards participating in government -- understanding that's part of advancing a successful society -- means people who are more inclined towards principle (vs. opportunism) will enter that pursuit. Like proportionally, are there fewer Millennials, for instance, who are even interested in being bought off by the likes of the NRA? My observation is there probably are fewer. That doesn't necessarily mean the worst of the worst won't be the most attracted to politics though, since it's a natural pursuit for scoundrels.

Meanwhile, SCOTUS right now actually has a case that may vitally upturn some political aspects of gerrymandering, and it's like waiting on a knife's edge.

[Tsundoku]

worry, on 08 October 2017 - 12:37 AM, said:

Meanwhile, SCOTUS right now actually has a case that may vitally upturn some political aspects of gerrymandering, and it's like waiting on a knife's edge.

Gerrymandering favours Repugs right? Don't hold your breath with this Court then.

[worry]

Gerrymandering favors Republicans nationally, but is very much a bipartisan issue state by state. The makeup of the court isn't really different than it was before Scalia died, except that Gorsuch is a traditional corrupt scumbag instead of a smarmy ideologue, so it's basically 4.5 vs 4.5 with Kennedy the swing vote.

[Tsundoku]

worry, on 08 October 2017 - 12:56 AM, said:

Gerrymandering favors Republicans nationally, but is very much a bipartisan issue state by state. The makeup of the court isn't really different than it was before Scalia died, except that Gorsuch is a traditional corrupt scumbag instead of a smarmy ideologue, so it's basically 4.5 vs 4.5 with Kennedy the swing vote.

Fair enough, business as usual then?

Can I ask what you mean by this:

"but is very much a bipartisan issue state by state"

Are you saying the State Electoral Commissions (or whatever you call them) are pretty evenly split, unlike the Federal ones which seem to be swarming with Repugs?

[worry]

No, I mean that both Republicans and Democrats don't mind taking advantage of gerrymandering wherever they can...so blue states have their gerrymandering too, especially when it comes to state legislatures. I'm not saying there's an even split though, for sure.

Not everything can be blamed on gerrymandering -- there's the electoral college, of course, but there are also one-person-one-vote straight elections of like Senators and state governors. There's also something absurd about having 50 states of such varying sizes. Frankly I think we should accept D.C. and Puerto Rico as states, and then merge North & South Dakota and North & South Carolina, if we wanna keep a round #.

[Gorefest]

worry, on 08 October 2017 - 12:37 AM, said:

So the hope is that a general shift towards participating in government -- understanding that's part of advancing a successful society -- means people who are more inclined towards principle (vs. opportunism) will enter that pursuit.

I fear they are probably too busy using their freedom to protest and publicly engage on picketing McDonalds for its inability to provide Szechuan sauce. This makes me inexplicably sad.

https://www.theguard...motion-heats-up

This post has been edited by Gorefest: 08 October 2017 - 08:55 AM

[worry]

Fandom as subculture is toxic and I hope every last Rick & Morty sauce had salmonella in it.

[Gust Hubb]

Pence up and leave a colt game to protest players kneeling.

And Corker and Trump are going at it on Twitter.

God bless America....

[worry]

More like Pence staged a $200,000+ tax-funded publicity stunt to shame black American civil rights protestors. https://twitter.com/...110181670064130
If that's not American conservatism in a nutshell...

[Macros]

I'd add another zero to that figure when you consider the security and other shit goes with a vp visit.

Arseholes.

[Aptorian]

Macros, on 09 October 2017 - 09:17 AM, said:

I'd add another zero to that figure when you consider the security and other shit goes with a vp visit.

Arseholes.

I was about to ask who this off-brand Rage against the Machine group was and then I figured out it's a supergroup made up of most of RATM.

Well, if there ever was a time where they were needed...

[Cause]

worry, on 08 October 2017 - 10:09 PM, said:

More like Pence staged a $200,000+ tax-funded publicity stunt to shame black American civil rights protestors. https://twitter.com/...110181670064130
If that's not American conservatism in a nutshell...

Id agree that's its a stunt. No question. However I do always wonder about these figures. The secret service gets paid regardless where they are. I imagine the airforce pilots of his plane etc are on standby all day regardless of whether they fly him anywhere or not. So while the fuel was used and has to be paid for the rest of the expenses are spent regardless. The secret service would still have to pay for overtime and travel allowances I guess. So its not that I am not agreeing that it was an expensive PR stunt I just wonder what the true cost was.

During the Libya thing a few years back I remember reading figures of how much it cost the USA to keep a carrier in the theatre. I remember thinking then that the figures made no sense. They included the pay of all the sailors etc and I just remember thinking then that sailors get paid in peacetime too. So journalists sometimes twist the numbers to hammer home the point.