[QuickTidal]

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 06 February 2025 - 01:30 AM, said:

I've been leery of the right wing/Muskian talking point against mainstream/traditional media institutions. But, the more I see of what they choose not to cover; the spins they do put on the topics they do choose to cover; the lack of attention, depth, and repetition given to key issues/events; the lack of motivation to challenge the administration directly for fear of...something; and the overall both-sidesness...it all has me thinking that they really are shitting the bed.

Just look at Krugman's reasons for leaving the NYT (and he is hardly a "leftist") or Acosta's firing-by-any-other-name.

I went to a journalism school, and I can say clearly that objectivity and challenging the accepted narrative were both important values taught. I'm not sure where they've gone with journalistic organizations today (probably "something something financialization of everything and attention economy and advertising").

Yep. It's so strange to be a few years removed from Trumps initial "fake news" comments and see the media outlets that benefit from his chaos for clicks and revenue just fall into a weird line behind him, so that now we sensible people finally see a revealed corporate media for what it is...and not in the same way of Trump's Fake News, but in a way that says "Hey, maybe the level of honesty here is suspect at the very least, and at worst outright spin"


Again, the best thing I saw during the protests about Gaza was a sign that read "It's not 2001 anymore, you can't lie to us"...because our sources of on-the-ground info have changed and the mainstream media outlets no longer have the only source of our info on these topics...back in 2001 it was CNN (or the equivalent) or nothing...and not only that, but the advent of the 24hr new channel meant they could PUMMELL us with the same news topics they spun out over and over and over...they can't do that now, and it feels like a much different landscape.


No one can convince me that most of the mainstream outlets don't LOVE Trump as he makes them money by being who he is....so instead of the truth, we get whatever sensationalized thing they can use to get us to click. Journalism is either dead or dying...

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Quote

Israel's Iron Dome Is Nearly Unstoppable—America Wants One, Too

Protecting the U.S. would require novel solutions, like orbiting missile interceptors that can destroy incoming attacks.

https://www.popularm...2/iron-dome-us/

Huh. Maybe it's not (practically) impossible after all?

And then Trump can invade Canada without worrying about rockets sneaking too far across the border....

Of course everybody knows about Canadians and their sneaky rockets... Leonard Cohen even wrote a song about it:

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 06 February 2025 - 03:15 PM

[Abyss]

Azath Vitr (D, on 06 February 2025 - 03:12 PM, said:

Quote

Israel's Iron Dome Is Nearly Unstoppable—America Wants One, Too

Protecting the U.S. would require novel solutions, like orbiting missile interceptors that can destroy incoming attacks.

https://www.popularm...2/iron-dome-us/

Huh. Maybe it's not (practically) impossible after all?

And then Trump can invade Canada without worrying about rockets sneaking too far across the border....

Of course everybody knows about Canadians and their sneaky rockets... Leonard Cohen even wrote a song about it:

https://www.youtube....h?v=Gxd23UVID7k

I hate to break this to you Azath, but that song was about the Skrull invasion.

[Macros]

Also, can we really afford to lose the Baldwins and Arquettes?

[Lady Bliss]

Every time I look at the news this last week, I’m more and more shocked by the evil of the trump administration and Elon Musk. Covering plaques of famous women? Allowing racism in our government (blatantly), taking away rights of LGBTQ, wanting to take over Gaza? I need to get back on antidepressants.

[Tsundoku]

Lady Bliss, on 07 February 2025 - 10:39 PM, said:

Covering plaques of famous women?

Huh? Sorry, must have missed that particular turd amongst the shitstorm of the last few weeks (feels like forever already).

[Lady Bliss]

Tsundoku, on 07 February 2025 - 11:26 PM, said:

Lady Bliss, on 07 February 2025 - 10:39 PM, said:

Covering plaques of famous women?

Huh? Sorry, must have missed that particular turd amongst the shitstorm of the last few weeks (feels like forever already).

It was at least at the national security museum, but important women have also been removed from the nasa website. They are trying to erase us.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Lady Bliss, on 07 February 2025 - 11:32 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 07 February 2025 - 11:26 PM, said:

Lady Bliss, on 07 February 2025 - 10:39 PM, said:

Covering plaques of famous women?

Huh? Sorry, must have missed that particular turd amongst the shitstorm of the last few weeks (feels like forever already).

It was at least at the national security museum, but important women have also been removed from the nasa website. They are trying to erase us.

Somehow I missed those, but here they are:

NSA museum covered plaques honoring women and people of color, provoking an uproar

NASA Ordered to Remove Anything About ‘Women in Leadership’ From Its Websites

... but that female co-pilot of the helicopter that collided with the plane? Of course they want to focus on her... especially all those "women shouldn't be president" Trump voters. Wonder how many feel like women shouldn't even be allowed to drive... and non-believers ought to be beheaded in the streets.

[Lady Bliss]

Azath Vitr (D, on 08 February 2025 - 01:03 AM, said:

Lady Bliss, on 07 February 2025 - 11:32 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 07 February 2025 - 11:26 PM, said:

Lady Bliss, on 07 February 2025 - 10:39 PM, said:

Covering plaques of famous women?

Huh? Sorry, must have missed that particular turd amongst the shitstorm of the last few weeks (feels like forever already).

It was at least at the national security museum, but important women have also been removed from the nasa website. They are trying to erase us.

Somehow I missed those, but here they are:

NSA museum covered plaques honoring women and people of color, provoking an uproar

NASA Ordered to Remove Anything About ‘Women in Leadership’ From Its Websites

... but that female co-pilot of the helicopter that collided with the plane? Of course they want to focus on her... especially all those "women shouldn't be president" Trump voters. Wonder how many feel like women shouldn't even be allowed to drive... and non-believers ought to be beheaded in the streets.

And these radical Christians think they are better than the Taliban? Not saying all Christians are bad, but there is definitely a rising radical element.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

The zone has been so flooded with shit that I think I somehow didn't see this until this morning:

Quote

The Trump administration has appointed to serve as the top public diplomacy official at the State Department [...] Darren Beattie [...] In a post last October, Beattie wrote [...] "Competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work."

He questioned U.S. policy towards Taiwan, saying [... it] was "inevitably" going to belong to China, and that it was "not worth expending any capital to prevent."

[...] he wrote that Taiwan being absorbed into China "might mean fewer drag queen parades in Taiwan, but otherwise not the end of the world."

He said a "grand deal should be struck---we agree to acknowledge this reality in exchange for massive concessions from China on Africa and Antarctica."

https://www.reuters....job-2025-02-04/

... and Trump already has Beattie serving in that position on an "acting" basis, requiring Senate confirmation to make it "permanent".

Here is the full tweet:

Quote

Competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work.

Unfortunately, our entire national ideology is predicated on coddling the feelings of women and minorities, and demoralizing competent white men.

https://x.com/Darren...239185203151053

IDK if he'd try to claim he only meant that because white men are still such a large proportion of the population, and women are statistically less likely to want to pursue leadership roles, as a practical matter many leadership roles will still need to be filled by white men... a cursory search didn't find any sort of walking back to that effect. But even if he did try that sort of thing, the mask is at least 99% off (dangling by what looks just like a Nazi salute?...).

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: Yesterday, 02:42 PM

[Tsundoku]

Azath Vitr (D, on 08 February 2025 - 01:03 AM, said:

Lady Bliss, on 07 February 2025 - 11:32 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 07 February 2025 - 11:26 PM, said:

Lady Bliss, on 07 February 2025 - 10:39 PM, said:

Covering plaques of famous women?

Huh? Sorry, must have missed that particular turd amongst the shitstorm of the last few weeks (feels like forever already).

It was at least at the national security museum, but important women have also been removed from the nasa website. They are trying to erase us.

Somehow I missed those, but here they are:

NSA museum covered plaques honoring women and people of color, provoking an uproar

NASA Ordered to Remove Anything About ‘Women in Leadership’ From Its Websites

... but that female co-pilot of the helicopter that collided with the plane? Of course they want to focus on her... especially all those "women shouldn't be president" Trump voters. Wonder how many feel like women shouldn't even be allowed to drive... and non-believers ought to be beheaded in the streets.

OK, thanks for that. Interesting.

I did enjoy a couple of the comments in the NASA article:

"In his order, Trump also demanded that black holes be renamed to "space holes" and any mention of binary stars be scrubbed completely as the term implies the existence of stars that are non-binary."

"An interesting opening gambit for the "free speech" and "government efficiency" party: have all federal employees spend a few days scrubbing undesirable language and replacing it with President-approver phrasing."

"In an effort to improve efficiency in the work place we would like you to stop your actual work to remove any reference to this set of work that was already completed...."

While some elements here and over there would like us to join the Disunited States of Gilead, at least over here they are vastly outnumbered by the Hell No majority. Just saying, in case anyone would like to emigrate ...

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: Yesterday, 01:02 PM

[Lady Bliss]

Tsundoku, on 08 February 2025 - 01:01 PM, said:

Azath Vitr (D, on 08 February 2025 - 01:03 AM, said:

Lady Bliss, on 07 February 2025 - 11:32 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 07 February 2025 - 11:26 PM, said:

Lady Bliss, on 07 February 2025 - 10:39 PM, said:

Covering plaques of famous women?

Huh? Sorry, must have missed that particular turd amongst the shitstorm of the last few weeks (feels like forever already).

It was at least at the national security museum, but important women have also been removed from the nasa website. They are trying to erase us.

Somehow I missed those, but here they are:

NSA museum covered plaques honoring women and people of color, provoking an uproar

NASA Ordered to Remove Anything About ‘Women in Leadership’ From Its Websites

... but that female co-pilot of the helicopter that collided with the plane? Of course they want to focus on her... especially all those "women shouldn't be president" Trump voters. Wonder how many feel like women shouldn't even be allowed to drive... and non-believers ought to be beheaded in the streets.

OK, thanks for that. Interesting.

I did enjoy a couple of the comments in the NASA article:

"In his order, Trump also demanded that black holes be renamed to "space holes" and any mention of binary stars be scrubbed completely as the term implies the existence of stars that are non-binary."

"An interesting opening gambit for the "free speech" and "government efficiency" party: have all federal employees spend a few days scrubbing undesirable language and replacing it with President-approver phrasing."

"In an effort to improve efficiency in the work place we would like you to stop your actual work to remove any reference to this set of work that was already completed...."

While some elements here and over there would like us to join the Disunited States of Gilead, at least over here they are vastly outnumbered by the Hell No majority. Just saying, in case anyone would like to emigrate ...

It’s all fucking scary. I feel like I’m living under the new hitler.

[Cause]

Lol. South Africa being bullied by trump is just fascinating.

The ANC did tehcnicllay pass a law that would allow expropirating land without comepensation recently but has not used it and its widely considered in SA to be unconstitutional and it will lose in court. Meantime Trump has signed a law offering Afrikaaners refugee status in the USA.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Cause, on 08 February 2025 - 04:15 PM, said:

Lol. South Africa being bullied by trump is just fascinating.

The ANC did tehcnicllay pass a law that would allow expropirating land without comepensation recently but has not used it and its widely considered in SA to be unconstitutional and it will lose in court. Meantime Trump has signed a law offering Afrikaaners refugee status in the USA.

The Trump administration probably wants South Africa's rare earths and may use that sort of wildly misrepresented culture war nonsense as an excuse for punitive tariffs (or whatever other pressures it can devise). Though a deal with China like what the acting top diplomat suggested before (in exchange for Taiwan) would make pressuring much of Africa into yielding its rare earths (and gold, and other metals and resources) much easier.

Then again maybe it's a mixture of Musk, white nationalists, and/or Trump's sympathies and antipathies... still I suspect that for Musk and Trump a very large part of the culture war stuff is just a smokescreen for their desire to burn the world as it is and reforge it (even more) into twisted images of their wealth and power.

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: Yesterday, 05:10 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Quote

This week a contact at the DOJ sent me a dozen memos just been issued by new US Attorney General Pam Bondi. The memos, among a range of instructions, informed DOJ employees that the Department will criminally prosecute private entities that implement Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEI/DEIA) policies.

[...] Bondi provides no legal argument, no legal theory, and no practical example as to what crime has been committed that she's targeting. She cites no example of alleged discrimination that has occurred that the Civil Rights Division is working to stop. [...]

Per Forbes, numerous studies show that:

Companies with strong DEI policies perform better

Spoiler

in customer satisfaction, employee retention, and financial strength.

Diverse and inclusive companies have employee retention rates 5.4 times higher than non-inclusive ones.

McKinsey & Company's research has shown that gender and ethnic diversity in leadership results in major financial outperformance.

[...] At only 30% of the population, white men control every major economic and political institution at a rate of more than three times their population. Yet, conservative white men are so uncomfortable that a fraction of that outsized power is being shared with a slightly more representative cross section of society, that they claim they are being "replaced." [...]

If you didn't believe Elon Musk when he [...] endorsed that America should only accept white South African immigrants, maybe you'll believe his former "DOGE" employee Marko Elez. Elez just resigned after the Wall Street Journal confirmed he's a Nazi and eugenicist and believes in a return to racial segregation [...] and this morning Musk made a public push to bring him back to "DOGE" despite his Nazi rhetoric.

[...] AG Bondi is moving full speed ahead to criminalize DEIA, and expects a full report from her staff by March 1 on how to execute on this fascist plan. We cannot sit idle. If we allow this to continue unchecked, it will escalate.

https://www.qasimras...nally-prosecute

... though again, much as Trump is doing with Christian nationalists, it seems like Trump and Musk may primarily be using white nationalists to further their own power... in part because those groups are more willing to tolerate overt abuses of power, and eager to harm vast swathes of the population.

[Tsundoku]

Warning: Parody. Apparently.

Some perspective:

Palestinian Man Generously Offers To Take Over and Redevelop Fire-Ravaged, Hellscape of LA’s Malibu District

https://theshovel.co...llscape-malibu/

A resident of Gaza has revealed plans to take over part of southern California, expel its residents and turn it into the ‘Riviera of North America’.

In a speech today, the 32 year-old said he would be doing a great service for the world. “Los Angeles is a soulless, vacuous hell hole. It’s just a big pile of rubble and collagen right now. There’s nothing productive or meaningful happening there at all. It’s certainly not a place for people to be living, and the only reason they want to go back, and I believe this strongly, is because they have no alternative. Where are they going to go, Nevada?” he said.

He said existing Los Angeles residents would be asked to find somewhere to live in Mexico. “We’re going to take over that piece and we’re going to develop it. We’ll own it and be responsible for getting rid of all of the guns and other weapons, level the site and get rid of the ugly buildings. And the people of America can have a beautiful life in Mexico. It will bring great stability to the whole region”.


---------------------------------------

And more:

US Takeover of Gaza Strip Paused After Trump Told It’s Not a Strip Club

https://theshovel.co...t-a-strip-club/

A White House spokesperson has confirmed that plans for the US to take over control of Gaza, announced by President Trump yesterday, may have been based on a misunderstanding.

“The President heard the words Gaza Strip, and got excited,” the spokesperson said. “He automatically conjured up images of strippers, porn stars and beauty queens, and felt like he needed a piece of the action”.

In the bombshell announcement, which has sent reverberations around the world, Trump said he saw great potential for Gaza to become the adult entertainment capital of the world, promising to build hundreds of new casinos, luxury penthouses and an exclusive, state-of-the-art Gaza-a-Lago golf resort.

“This will be the biggest, most beautiful golf course in the world,” Trump boasted. “The place is already a hole, so all we have to do is add 17 more.”

Trump said the existing Palestinian population who call Gaza home would soon get to savour their first taste of the American dream. “Specifically, the bit of the dream where we deport all the brown people we don’t like to places they don’t want to go.”

Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, has welcomed Trump’s plans and insisted that his country’s recent bombing campaign against Gaza was merely Israeli tradies performing “demolition and site-preparation work” ahead of Trump’s exciting new redevelopment of the region.
Netanyahu admitted he’d never previously supported a two-state solution, but said he could easily change his mind if the two-state solution was between Israel and America.

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: Yesterday, 10:53 PM