[Tiste Simeon]

 Gust Hubb, on 13 December 2017 - 04:54 PM, said:

Antarctica is a nice place for them. Noone to persecute down there.

I mean, the environmentalist in me would welcome such a move. I too want to keep Antarctica white...

[worry]

https://www.washingt...9010_story.html

Quote

The Trump administration is prohibiting officials at the nation’s top public health agency from using a list of seven words or phrases — including “fetus” and “transgender” — in any official documents being prepared for next year’s budget.

Policy analysts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were told of the list of forbidden words at a meeting Thursday with senior CDC officials who oversee the budget, according to an analyst who took part in the 90-minute briefing. The forbidden words are “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based.”

[EmperorMagus]

 worry, on 16 December 2017 - 12:50 AM, said:

https://www.washingt...9010_story.html

Quote

The Trump administration is prohibiting officials at the nation's top public health agency from using a list of seven words or phrases — including "fetus" and "transgender" — in any official documents being prepared for next year's budget.

Policy analysts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were told of the list of forbidden words at a meeting Thursday with senior CDC officials who oversee the budget, according to an analyst who took part in the 90-minute briefing. The forbidden words are "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "transgender," "fetus," "evidence-based" and "science-based."

I'm almost certain that someone in the administration or the GOP has read 1984 and decided to use it as an instructions manual.

I wonder when they'll make 'thinking means things about the cheeto' a crime.

[Silencer]

 EmperorMagus, on 16 December 2017 - 02:18 AM, said:

 worry, on 16 December 2017 - 12:50 AM, said:

https://www.washingt...9010_story.html

Quote

The Trump administration is prohibiting officials at the nation's top public health agency from using a list of seven words or phrases — including "fetus" and "transgender" — in any official documents being prepared for next year's budget.

Policy analysts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were told of the list of forbidden words at a meeting Thursday with senior CDC officials who oversee the budget, according to an analyst who took part in the 90-minute briefing. The forbidden words are "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "transgender," "fetus," "evidence-based" and "science-based."

I'm almost certain that someone in the administration or the GOP has read 1984 and decided to use it as an instructions manual.

I wonder when they'll make 'thinking means things about the cheeto' a crime.

That list is absurd. I mean, I knew the Trump administration was in a war against science, but they are actively sabotaging the efforts of institutions that are necessary to the continuation of their own country to do their job.

(Although, ironically, prohibiting a bunch of scientists from using a specific list of words is likely to get you an even more complex to read document as they reach deep into the thesaurus for alternatives that basically mean the same thing...)

[worry]

Pretty much. It'll be vocabulary whac-a-mole. The "fetus" one is insidious though, since they're very likely trying to whittle away everything but "baby".
Then again, they're all insidious, and obvious, and nakedly aimed at specific special interests.

[Cause]

 Silencer, on 16 December 2017 - 03:50 AM, said:

(Although, ironically, prohibiting a bunch of scientists from using a specific list of words is likely to get you an even more complex to read document as they reach deep into the thesaurus for alternatives that basically mean the same thing...)

This! I reckon they will push back hard.

With crazy words like fact based. fertizilled egg.

To me one of the most dangerous words to ban is vulnerable. The CDC is surely meant to identify threats and vulnerabilities to public health.

[Cause]

I have seen articles that now say the CDC thing was a hoax? Is that true?

[Macros]

Tax bill passed through something or other today
The 1% celebrate

[Aptorian]

 Cause, on 20 December 2017 - 10:12 AM, said:

I have seen articles that now say the CDC thing was a hoax? Is that true?

What is true in this day and age?

[Silencer]

 Cause, on 20 December 2017 - 10:12 AM, said:

I have seen articles that now say the CDC thing was a hoax? Is that true?

Less "hoax" and more "the media reported the leak of one person and after the huge shit storm that ensued the CDC issued a formal statement saying there are no banned words and it is just guidelines to help dumb down research and avoid phrases that might turn off politicians to give better chances of getting funding".

Now, because the original reporting was only based on anonymous reports there is currently no way to verify if the new statement from the CDC is the truth, or if it is damage control + a walk back. If the former, then it highlights the dangers of the modern news cycle and internet backlash (though the outrage was justified because it was objection to a hugely concerning idea, whether real or not). If the latter then it highlights the importance of whistleblowing and just how fucked up American politics is right now.
Although, to be honest, if "science-based" and "evidence-based" are likely to reduce your chances of funding, that's a horrifying indictment of American politics anyway, even if it isn't exactly new or unexpected these days.

But yes. "Hoax" is not accurate, as far as I am aware.

[Cause]

 Macros, on 20 December 2017 - 10:20 AM, said:

Tax bill passed through something or other today
The 1% celebrate

With my limited grasp of this bill I have one question. How can the USA afford this tax break? To slash corporate tax from 35 to 20%? Surely that's a loss of billions of dollars for the treasury? With nothing to take its place does that not jeopardize the US budget?

[Obdigore]

 Cause, on 20 December 2017 - 01:11 PM, said:

 Macros, on 20 December 2017 - 10:20 AM, said:

Tax bill passed through something or other today
The 1% celebrate

With my limited grasp of this bill I have one question. How can the USA afford this tax break? To slash corporate tax from 35 to 20%? Surely that's a loss of billions of dollars for the treasury? With nothing to take its place does that not jeopardize the US budget?

The GOP claims that slashing taxes will increase growth, along with slashing public services for the old, poor, and very young.

Everyone else calls them dirty liars, morons, and idiots.

It is nothing but looting the treasury at this point.

To be clear, the USA cannot afford this tax break.

[Khazduk]

From somewhere close but still indistinct, you can hear Nero playing his (not-yet-invented) violin...

[QuickTidal]

Cool news about the Virginia House going to the Dems by ONE vote in a recount.

Amazing.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 20 December 2017 - 03:51 PM

[worry]

If the tax bill tells you anything, it's that the GOP have not simply been ideologically divided from progressives about how to improve the country, or even merely misguided; they have been deliberately and consistently lying about their values this whole time in order to enact this con. They are looting the country, and willing to destroy people in order to do so. This has always been the goal.

Everyone here already knows that, obviously, but the race is between Baby Boomers looting everything and Gen-X and later developing something better.

If Dems are smart -- and they're not, but maybe someone will knock some sense into them -- this tax bill will be used to eviscerate their opponents in 2018 campaigns. Get over the sloganeering and actually talk policy. The bill harms and even kills people -- lots of people -- and it's Step 1 in the plan to gut Medicare and Social Security. Say so.

[worry]

A judge panel allowed a vote for the Republican in that VA election, so now they're tied again. This is how they're gonna handle it (really):

[Macros]

Are you fucking serious? This is how a political appointment is being made???

In other news, Donald Trump is now threatening, not unlike a child demanding his fruit loops (not a forum autochange), sanctions on UN countries that don't vote his way on the Jerusalem debacle.

What an utter fuck wit.
Please, for the good of the planet, march on DC, remove this imbecile from office

[HoosierDaddy]

Not going to happen. No march will result in a removal. That's not how representative democracies work. We made our bed and get to lie in it, up until 2020 or an impeachment, which is the proper and lawful way to remove someone from office.

Trump has no idea how the country or politics works, it's why so many people loved him. Stupid people, but voters all the same.

[worry]

A lovely middle ground between representative democracy and the French Revolution: https://splinternews...rich-1821384779

[Tsundoku]

Nice to see Trump as his UN ambassador issuing threats over UN votes.

http://www.news.com....b1a75e457d97987

While I view the UN as a toothless tiger, that sort of diplomacy ... isn't. That's the sort of behaviour expected of bullies like Putin or nutters like Kim, not supposed democracies.

Then again, the moment Trump and his fuckers got in the USA stopped being a failing democracy and became an outright oligarchy. This tax bill declares it.

The cops are already pretty much just the enforcers of the ruling class, so what's the next step? Martial law and debtor's prison? I still have some small faith that the military would disobey those sorts of unlawful commands, but when what the (mostly) poorly educated bottom-level grunts believe is dictated by mass media, I guess we're depending on the consciences and loyalty of the middle and senior commanders.

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 22 December 2017 - 02:49 AM