U.S. Presidential Election 2016 (Sponsored by Betty Croker's Hamburger Helper)

[Ben]

Am I missing something? I thought they hadn't met yet. What's the 'deal'?

[Yevrah]

Quite, are the BBC about 3 days behind? :cab:

[Spikey M]

Am I missing something? I thought they hadn't met yet. What's the 'deal'?

Well, there's "reports" from the Telegraph and others, that the deal is basically:

"Give Russia what they have already taken, agree to never join NATO and give us $500 Billion of rare earth minerals to repay what Biden gave you. Then you can have peace. If you - or Europe - say no, we will pull all American Armed Forces out of Europe and will actively work against you."

Could be bollocks, but it's coming from quite reputable sources.

[Lofty]

Also makes sense given the 'no-one who would object to these terms is permitted to attend'

[Boydy]

1891889201085354101

It's UK politics but the Ukraine stuff was happening in here.

It's going to be funny when the Ukrainians get pissed off with being a US vassal state if the Telegraph story is to be believed and end up cosying up to the Russians in a few years anyway.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Still beats sending 10,000 of our kids to die in the Battle of Bialystok, which is what we are on course to do unless something happens to the Putin regime in the next ten years.

[Lewis]

£12.8 billion, plus many times that subsidising energy bills. The entire endeavour has been all-ends-up retarded, and the spastics are still at it crying 'appeaser' at Reform MPs.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Makes you wonder what Mauritius will do with their £18 billion. Full scale invasion of Madagascar?

[phonics]

£12.8 billion, plus many times that subsidising energy bills. The entire endeavour has been all-ends-up retarded, and the spastics are still at it crying 'appeaser' at Reform MPs.

We just spent 3 billion quid on rescuing Thames Water.

[Spikey M]

Better than spending it on Donbas water.

[phonics]

At least Donbas water has minerals that aren’t cocaine in it.

[Shindig]

£12bn gets you a station platform and a foot of rail on HS2.

[Luke Emia]

Surely it would be better if didn’t have to spend all that money propping up Ukraine and our energy bills and also didn’t need to give money to a private company to stop them going bust? I don’t think this is an either or, just a case of money being spunked up the wall in all directions for no real benefit.

[Yevrah]

It’s genuinely one of the dumbest things we’ve got involved in my years of caring. Made all the more lol by the fact that we’d been sucking the Russian cash cock for the previous 20 years.

[phonics]

I don't get this position. It's the one justified foreign policy decision outside of Kosovo this countries had in my 35 years on this planet.

[Luke Emia]

I don't get this position. It's the one justified foreign policy decision outside of Kosovo this countries had in my 35 years on this planet.

I think my thoughts on it are we’ve done just enough to keep Ukraine going but not enough to make a big enough difference. Either go fully at it if you are the west or don’t and just let Putin do what he wants. We’ve just ended up in this shitty halfway house which has cost a fortune and achieved nothing.

[phonics]

I think my thoughts on it are we’ve done just enough to keep Ukraine going but not enough to make a big enough difference. Either go fully at it if you are the west or don’t and just let Putin do what he wants. We’ve just ended up in this shitty halfway house which has cost a fortune and achieved nothing.

850 thousand dead Russians, 15-50 dead Britons. The country still exists. I'm not sure we could get a better result. The price of energy is now the same as it was prior to the invasion, we're just being ripped off by energy companies.

[Lewis]

Plus one big dead Ukraine.

[Jimmy Floyd]

My question to the Lewis/Yevrah position is to what point you think Russian expansionist aggression should be appeased (or realpolitiked, you choose) out to?

If Putin goes in for the Baltics are we pretending Nato doesn't exist? What about Finland? When does our strategic interest become invoked?

[Jimmy Floyd]

As for Trump, the only thing he ever wants is a 'deal' (i.e. to screw someone over for his material benefit), so nothing he does here should be a surprise. The bigger traitors are, as always, the Germans for actively enabling Putin over the last 25 years.

[Lewis]

Finland and the Baltic countries shouldn't be in NATO, so I would quite happily wave them off along with anyone else on the Russian periphery (anyone who thinks we should be defending Georgia is out and out deranged and can be ignored).

We have an interest in Central Europe, and even then the Europeans should be doing most of the actual dying, as was the expectation during the Cold War.

[Jimmy Floyd]

So you basically agree with Putin that Gorbachev caused a 'historical aberration' or whatever the phrase was.

The tide will turn again when Putin goes under and some useless kleptocrats and/or warlords take over.

At least Keir Starmer is being made to re-arm and possibly even re-industrialise. Here come those pesky events.

[phonics]

Can I genuinely ask why Russia taking over anything East of Germany is fine but once it hits that artificial line it becomes bad?

And a follow up question on that, wouldn't Russia taking over those places make them a more well resourced, harder to beat opponent that would require far more resources in capital, industry and people than our current investment.

[Lewis]

So you basically agree with Putin that Gorbachev caused a 'historical aberration' or whatever the phrase was.

The tide will turn again when Putin goes under and some useless kleptocrats and/or warlords take over.

At least Keir Starmer is being made to re-arm and possibly even re-industrialise. Here come those pesky events.

I don't regard the old borders of the Russian Empire/Soviet Union as being inviolable, but the existence or non-existence of any peripheral country within those boundaries is simply not a critical matter for the United Kingdom (or anyone past Poland).

As for re-arming, we have had three years to do that and haven't, which shows how seriously we are really taking all of this. Re-industrialising from relatively trivial increases in defence spending is not going to happen.

[Yevrah]

My question to the Lewis/Yevrah position is to what point you think Russian expansionist aggression should be appeased (or realpolitiked, you choose) out to?

If Putin goes in for the Baltics are we pretending Nato doesn't exist? What about Finland? When does our strategic interest become invoked?

Anyone in NATO is a red line and we gear up as a result. Which is presumably the reason Ukraine aren’t in it, because everyone in the know knew this would happen and we’d be forced to (actually) act (as opposed to whatever this shit is were doing now) if they were.

[Yevrah]

And you can debate who should or shouldn’t be in Nato, but a deal’s a deal.

[Yevrah]

As for Trump, the only thing he ever wants is a 'deal' (i.e. to screw someone over for his material benefit), so nothing he does here should be a surprise. The bigger traitors are, as always, the Germans for actively enabling Putin over the last 25 years.

Hang on, didn’t we do exactly the same by turning London into an Oligarch’s playground?

[Lewis]

Can I genuinely ask why Russia taking over anything East of Germany is fine but once it hits that artificial line it becomes bad?

And a follow up question on that, wouldn't Russia taking over those places make them a more well resourced, harder to beat opponent that would require far more resources in capital, industry and people than our current investment.

It's not an 'artificial line'. Eastern Europe is further away and less relevant to us than Central Europe (and even then I really mean Germany). If Russia took over the Baltic countries it would make no difference to anybody other than Latvians and Estonians. If Russia took over Poland - not that they would want to do this even if they could - then that enables them to exert unwanted influence on our affairs.

[phonics]

Anyone in NATO is a red line and we gear up as a result. Which is presumably the reason Ukraine aren’t in it, because everyone in the know knew this would happen and we’d be forced to (actually) act (as opposed to whatever this shit is were doing now) if they were.

I mean they literally tried to be in it and got invaded for it.


Hang on, didn’t we do exactly the same by turning London into an Oligarch’s playground?

Yes, that was bad.

[phonics]

It's not an 'artificial line'. Eastern Europe is further away and less relevant to us than Central Europe (and even then I really mean Germany). If Russia took over the Baltic countries it would make no difference to anybody other than Latvians and Estonians. If Russia took over Poland - not that they would want to do this even if they could - then that enables them to exert unwanted influence on our affairs.

But they’ve said they want to do exactly that so isn’t it better to stop them when they’re far away than when they have an extra third of europes resources to play with?

[Jimmy Floyd]

I don't regard the old borders of the Russian Empire/Soviet Union as being inviolable, but the existence or non-existence of any peripheral country within those boundaries is simply not a critical matter for the United Kingdom (or anyone past Poland).

As for re-arming, we have had three years to do that and haven't, which shows how seriously we are really taking all of this. Re-industrialising from relatively trivial increases in defence spending is not going to happen.

Ok, but I don't think this is realistic in a mass media age. When there's footage of dead white children being pulled out of apartment blocks, public opinion is going to go postal. Support for Ukraine is not a fringe view in the UK, particularly not in 2022 - the opposite is true. We have democratic politics and any PM in 2022 saying 'You know what, old Vlad's got a point here' would have been destroyed and replaced by someone who agreed with the public. Today's leaders don't have the luxury of Gladstone and Disraeli inviting the Russian ambassador to their club for a game of cribbage and to carve up Poland, they have to sell everything they do to the domestic mass market.

No such concerns for Putin of course.

[Lewis]

And you can debate who should or shouldn’t be in Nato, but a deal’s a deal.

Historically one of the main justifications for us and France maintaining our independent nuclear capabilities was that, in the event of the Soviet Union invading Western Europe, the Americans would think actually fuck it France and Germany aren't worth the almost inevitable nuclear war. And those are important countries. If Russia did try to call our bluff over somewhere pointless like Lithuania you could easily see the countries expected to do all of the fighting soft-peddling it.

[phonics]

Slightly unrelated but I saw a map of Churchills suggestion on how to carve up Italy and it was one of the most mental things I’ve ever seen.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Hang on, didn’t we do exactly the same by turning London into an Oligarch’s playground?

Bad, but laundering Abramovich and Lebedev's money is just venal, whereas (as Gerhard Schröder did) deliberately orienting your national energy policy towards Russia in exchange for personal kickbacks is criminal.

[Lewis]

But they’ve said they want to do exactly that so isn’t it better to stop them when they’re far away than when they have an extra third of europes resources to play with?

In theory. But we haven't stopped them (if Ukraine was a buffer it isn't anymore), and we never had any means of doing so short of direct intervention, so what do you propose?

[phonics]

I’m no war expert, I’m not even Yevrah, but haven’t the lines of war been practically frozen for a year and Russias taken slightly under a million casualties. Isn’t that the definition of stopped?

And isn't most of our contributions just buying arms off ourselves and then giving it to Ukraine therefore just a way of funding ourselves?

[Lewis]

Ok, but I don't think this is realistic in a mass media age. When there's footage of dead white children being pulled out of apartment blocks, public opinion is going to go postal. Support for Ukraine is not a fringe view in the UK, particularly not in 2022 - the opposite is true. We have democratic politics and any PM in 2022 saying 'You know what, old Vlad's got a point here' would have been destroyed and replaced by someone who agreed with the public. Today's leaders don't have the luxury of Gladstone and Disraeli inviting the Russian ambassador to their club for a game of cribbage and to carve up Poland, they have to sell everything they do to the domestic mass market.

No such concerns for Putin of course.

I think you drastically under-estimate the extent to which people are conditioned to give a shit about particular things. Most people in this country still couldn't find Ukraine on a map, and the most vocal proponents of our continued involvement think that they are winning. Do you think people would send their kids off to die for Ukraine?

[Yevrah]

Everyone being brain dead after Covid paved the way for our main political parties to do a right number on the populace regarding Ukraine. The fact we’re distracted constantly with all manner of other largely inconsequential shit didn’t help either.

[phonics]

I think you drastically under-estimate the extent to which people are conditioned to give a shit about particular things. Most people in this country still couldn't find Ukraine on a map, and the most vocal proponents of our continued involvement think that they are winning. Do you think people would send their kids off to die for Ukraine?

Two of the top 5 things people are concerned about are the NHS and Climate Change and you think both are a load of shit. What's your point?

They literally are winning. A country with 1/4 of the population and 1/8th of the GDP have the lines of occupation at a standstill.

[Yevrah]

Why they felt the need to do that is the bit I can’t square. Did any of them really believe that delaying Putin moving his drinks cabinet a few hundred miles West would make and difference to us whatsoever?

[phonics]

Everyone being brain dead after Covid paved the way for our main political parties to do a right number on the populace regarding Ukraine. The fact we’re distracted constantly with all manner of other largely inconsequential shit didn’t help either.

Mate, take a look in the mirror.

[Yevrah]

They literally are winning. A country with 1/4 of the population and 1/8th of the GDP have the lines of occupation at a standstill.

That sounds suspiciously like net spend territory.

[phonics]

That sounds suspiciously like net spend territory.

Yeah that's kind of how war works. The goal is to kill more of them than they kill of you.

[Yevrah]

Mate, take a look in the mirror.

I don’t need to, I had an appreciation for where Ukraine ranked in my countries of concern both before and after the invasion and that hasn’t changed. Where were all of these people and our main parties when he annexed Crimea? Pitch it differently, bit of emotive ‘brothers and sisters’ language and we’re all in. Which is back to Luke’s point and one I’ve been making since the start - in that we’re not really all in as this halfway house approach is pointless.

[Lewis]

I’m no war expert, I’m not even Yevrah, but haven’t the lines of war been practically frozen for a year and Russias taken slightly under a million casualties. Isn’t that the definition of stopped?

And isn't most of our contributions just buying arms off ourselves and then giving it to Ukraine therefore just a way of funding ourselves?

Russia hasn't taken a million casualties, and has - arguably to its overall detriment - managed to do all of this without upending normal life all that much. They will annex about a third of Ukraine and neutralise the NATO threat on their border. This was obviously not what they had planned and it has cost them a lot more than they had originally intended, but what remains of Ukraine will be a failed state for the next fifty years because the only people left will be seething freaks, seventy year olds, and criminals. Meanwhile, Western Europe has collectively spent about a trillion pounds setting our economies back a decade and all of its industry has died.

All of this could have been avoided by simply recognising that a country with ten million Russians in was of far less value to us than Russia, and therefore the worst possible candidate for NATO membership.

[phonics]

Why they felt the need to do that is the bit I can’t square. Did any of them really believe that delaying Putin moving his drinks cabinet a few hundred miles West would make and difference to us whatsoever?

How many miles West does Putins drink cabinet location make a difference?

[Yevrah]

Yeah that's kind of how war works. The goal is to kill more of them than they kill of you.

Population size and GDP are factored in when it comes to deciding who has won? News to me.

[Yevrah]

How many miles West does Putins drink cabinet location make a difference?

Poland seems a sensible cut off point.

[phonics]

Russia hasn't taken a million casualties,

Im quoting the foreign office who had it at 700,000 in October: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-human-cost-of-russias-illegal-war-is-appalling-uk-statement-to-the-osce


Meanwhile, Western Europe has collectively spent about a trillion pounds setting our economies back a decade and all of its industry has died.

Western Europe has spent 132 billion pounds. The UK has spent 13 billion. 10 Billion of that being military which is us buying arms from ourselves.

https://www.ifw-kiel.de/topics/war-against-ukraine/ukraine-support-tracker/

[phonics]

Population size and GDP are factored in when it comes to deciding who has won? News to me.

Who won the War in Afghanistan?

[phonics]

Poland seems a sensible cut off point.

Okay so now you've given Putin an extra 14 countries worth of resources for free you think it's going to be an easier fight?

[Lewis]

Two of the top 5 things people are concerned about are the NHS and Climate Change and you think both are a load of shit. What's your point?

They literally are winning. A country with 1/4 of the population and 1/8th of the GDP have the lines of occupation at a standstill.

The climate change comparison is a good one because you know how people say they really want clean energy but nobody has actually gone and spent ten grand on a heat pump, imagine the question was 'You know how you support Ukraine... Would you like to see drone footage of your son dying in the unpronounceable village Mahow went to that time?'

[phonics]

But my entire point is that by doing what we're doing we're hurting the enemy and risking almost nothing and instead you'd like to give up 1/3rd of europe and worry about it when they hit the Rhine and then send way way way more sons because they know how to spell Sudetenland.

[Yevrah]

Who won the War in Afghanistan?

Was that even a War? In any case, that wasn’t a draw on points with GDP as an away goals style separator.

[Lewis]

Im quoting the foreign office who had it at 700,000 in October: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-human-cost-of-russias-illegal-war-is-appalling-uk-statement-to-the-osce

Western Europe has spent 132 billion pounds. The UK has spent 13 billion. 10 Billion of that being military which is us buying arms from ourselves.

https://www.ifw-kiel.de/topics/war-against-ukraine/ukraine-support-tracker/

I believe those casualty figures about as much as I believe the official Ukrainian ones. 46000 I think he said yesterday, which makes you wonder what the massive, untouched Ukrainian Army is doing all day when the Russians sound like they are down to five men and a Lada.

The Office for Budget Responsibility priced the 2022/23 energy bailout plus emergency cost of living payments at £51.1 billion. This is a direct cost of the war, and then you have the knock-on costs of extra borrowing brought about by the non-existent growth this has all caused.

[phonics]

Was that even a War? In any case, that wasn’t a draw on points with GDP as an away goals style separator.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJNK4VKeoBM

[Yevrah]

Okay so now you've given Putin an extra 14 countries worth of resources for free you think it's going to be an easier fight?

No, I meant Poland as in West of Ukraine. As I said above, if he fucks with a(ny) NATO country in the region we go in. Beyond that, it’s really not our business. We can’t solve all of the World’s ills, so a line has to be drawn somewhere and that seems a sensible one.

[phonics]

I believe those casualty figures about as much as I believe the official Ukrainian ones. 46000 I think he said yesterday, which makes you wonder what the massive, untouched Ukrainian Army is doing all day when the Russians sound like they are down to five men and a Lada.

The Office for Budget Responsibility priced the 2022/23 energy bailout plus emergency cost of living payments at £51.1 billion. This is a direct cost of the war, and then you have the knock-on costs of extra borrowing brought about by the non-existent growth this has all caused.

At least give me a link.

[phonics]

No, I meant Poland as in West of Ukraine. As I said above, if he fucks with a(ny) NATO country in the region we go in. Beyond that, it’s really not our business. We can’t solve all of the World’s ills, so a line has to be drawn somewhere and that seems a sensible one.

But my entire point is look how successfully we've made them spend in population and resource capital without having to go in. And we're the good guys for once! We spent my entire adult life in Iraq and Afghanistan and achieved nothing. We're actually doing something here.

[Yevrah]

We didn’t realise quite how bad either of those were until we’d left, so I’d reserve the bunting until we’re at the same stage with this one.

That said, I’ve no idea at the moment how fucked Ukraine is on the ground. The coverage of any of it seemed to dry up months ago.

[phonics]

The Office for Budget Responsibility priced the 2022/23 energy bailout plus emergency cost of living payments at £51.1 billion. This is a direct cost of the war, and then you have the knock-on costs of extra borrowing brought about by the non-existent growth this has all caused.

So I've found this stuff and it seems the most brilliant ripping off of the British people subsidised by the government so that we could continue to be ripped off.

Energy purchase price was up 20% from February 2022 to January 2023 with spikes but basically 20%. Prices for us increased 50% and the government gave the people 200 quid and businesses 345 quid.

So was that 51 billion quid caused by Russia or privatised greed?

[phonics]

We didn’t realise quite how bad either of those were until we’d left

Please don't make me post the jingling keys again.

[Lofty]

I like the way Deal King Trump has blamed Ukraine for starting the war.

[Kikó]

I like the debate around Ukraine and NATO as if the former has no agency. I suppose we feel the same way about Taiwan.

[Ben]

On the other hand we've got the UAE supplying arms to militias in Sudan who have massacred potentially hundreds of thousands, and the NATO lot are staying very quiet about that because they don't want to fuck up their relationship with their rich Arab mates. We (the West) aren't automatically Ukraine's beacon of hope in this. We will chuck them under the bus as soon as it's convenient too.

[Boydy]

Good read from Cory Doctorow (the enshittification guy): https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/18/pikettys-productivity/#reaganomics-revenge

[Pepe]

US wages are not 'plummeting.' We can be very convincing if we can just make shit up.

If you believe in the power of capital, invest in stocks. You too can be a capitalist. Suggesting that only the wealthy own capital is very misleading.

[Pepe]

The fun will begin when AI turns the value of labor to zero.

[Jimmy Floyd]

My personal current theory on AI/labour is that the impact won't be anything like as much as envisaged, primarily because what CEOs actually value as much as profit is the control of people's time. Look at our friend Musk dancing joyfully across twitter because WFH is ceasing. This doesn't make him money, or if it does, it makes him a tiny amount of money. He just likes the idea of all those people being in hoc to him.

[Pepe]

All I want is my $300k per year UBI. Is that too much to ask?

[Ben]

UBI signals the beginning of the end for capitalism. I'm here for it.

[Pepe]

Can one of you anti-capitalism lads explain to me what you mean by the end of capitalism? What do you want to not exist? Do you want people to not be allowed to own companies? Should profit be illegal? Something else?

[Spikey M]

Main issue is that it's essentially a pyramid scheme that left to its own devices devours the poor. That said, it's the best system we have, so it is what it is.

[Ben]

Can one of you anti-capitalism lads explain to me what you mean by the end of capitalism? What do you want to not exist? Do you want people to not be allowed to own companies? Should profit be illegal? Something else?

Everything is finite. All pyramid schemes fail eventually.

[Pepe]

So 'capitalism' will 'fail'. That doesn't mean anything to me, unfortunately. I'm not smart enough.

[Lofty]

I think Billionaires want to be the new kings, and if there is a way to cream off money using AI which also could result in the labour market essentially making everyone serfs who can't afford to anything outside what the market wants, that would be a good thing as far as they're concerned.

[Ben]

I don't think any of us know enough to know what will replace it. It'll probably kick off with massive unrest, maybe in 10 years when AI and Elon are Emperors of the World. Maybe in 500 years.

Regardless, it's still nice to think of a world where billions of people aren't being exploited to line the pockets of few. Capitalism needs a lot of restraint to stop this but it looks like shackles are only being removed at this point. There's plenty of theory out there about "late stage" capitalism where it's completely let loose to the point it eats itself. Maybe that theory won't end up being complete fantasy.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Nothing will or can replace capitalism. It's like asking what will come after gravity.

Capitalism is the natural order of things and other system are attempts to circumvent it, unfortunately those events only last for so long before magnetic pull overtakes them. Look at China. Things like a social safety net and the welfare state are just minor modifications.

When people rail against capitalism, what they mean to do is rail against the current winners of capitalism.

[Magic]

You guys are insane if you think AI is replacing anything lol.

Biggest fucking grift/con ever. Quote me.

[Pepe]

Remember how excited he was at the beginning? Bet he got himself an AI girlfriend and she dumped him.

[Magic]

Remember how excited he was at the beginning? Bet he got himself an AI girlfriend and she dumped him.

I know I was like omg I don't have ADHD anymore lol this saved my life and after about 2 weeks realised it was absolutely pointless. In fact I'd say that original AI or AI-lite was actually miles better than the utter shit that's out there now.

[Pepe]

Can't you use it for whatever you were using it for originally anymore?

[Magic]

Can't you use it for whatever you were using it for originally anymore?

I was using it for note searching and creating templates and in the end I dropped it because it was useless and just created barriers for the way my mind works.

Maybe it's useful if you're a complete NPC devoid of creativity.

[randomlegend]

I think Billionaires want to be the new kings, and if there is a way to cream off money using AI which also could result in the labour market essentially making everyone serfs who can't afford to anything outside what the market wants, that would be a good thing as far as they're concerned.

This is absolutely what they want and they aren't even hiding it, yet you've still got mongs like Yevrah and Quincy standing on the sidelines cheering them on.

[Yevrah]

I’m not cheering anyone on, I’m just not getting hysterical over an administration that’s a matter of weeks old.

[Magic]

I’m not cheering anyone on, I’m just not getting hysterical over an administration that’s a matter of weeks old.

They've done more in that period than anyone else ever.

[Luke Emia]

You guys are insane if you think AI is replacing anything lol.

Biggest fucking grift/con ever. Quote me.

This. It can do some good stuff but it’s overhyped. Plus if it takes over everyone’s jobs who is going to buy Apple/Google/Amazon’s wares?

[randomlegend]

I’m not cheering anyone on, I’m just not getting hysterical over an administration that’s a matter of weeks old.

What does it matter how "old" it is? All that matters is what they've done.

[Yevrah]

Which isn’t as bad as how you portray it. It might well turn out to be, but it isn’t yet.

[randomlegend]

Which isn’t as bad as how you portray it. It might well turn out to be, but it isn’t yet.

It is as bad though.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Liberal democracy of the West 1900-today is hugely atypical in the sweep of history. Most of human history is powerful strongmen ruthlessly seizing power and then exploiting the populations under their control.

Worth remembering from all sides.

[Pepe]

Worth remembering, I agree, but so far the power size was via winning an election and no one has been exploited yet. Still, I've bought a shotgun for when they come get me.

[randomlegend]

Worth remembering, I agree, but so far the power size was via winning an election and no one has been exploited yet. Still, I've bought a shotgun for when they come get me.

No, the power seize is things they've been doing since winning an election. Despite what you seem to believe, winning an election in the US doesn't give the government carte blanche to do literally anything they like.

[Pepe]

Ah yes, THE DATABASE (!)

[Pepe]

I'll lol if he gets impeached though. I assume the attempt will come at some point.

[Shindig]

"Impeach him for a third time. That'll work."

[Spikey M]

The Government's of the west have been doing what businesses have told them to for decades at this point. Usually flying in the face of what voters vote for. Mass-Imigration being the obvious example. The people hate it. They vote for reducing it every time. And yet...

Let's stop pretending democracy is still a thing. If it ever really was.

[randomlegend]

Ah yes, THE DATABASE (!)

Yeah, along with all the other stuff.

Like cutting the agencies tasked with investigating and preventing election interfence. You'd think Trump would be wanting to bolster such agencies given his concerns about the election he lost? Can't think of any reason he'd want to do the opposite?

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/wireStory/dismantling-federal-efforts-monitor-election-interference-creates-opening-118872391

[randomlegend]

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/ensuring-accountability-for-all-agencies/

Trump's just signed this. Let's see what the courts do and what happens when Trump ignores them.

No seizure of power, indeed.

[Giggles]

The Government's of the west have been doing what businesses have told them to for decades at this point. Usually flying in the face of what voters vote for. Mass-Imigration being the obvious example. The people hate it. They vote for reducing it every time. And yet...

Let's stop pretending democracy is still a thing. If it ever really was.
Certainly not in the age of controlled media.

[Pepe]

Yeah, along with all the other stuff.

Like cutting the agencies tasked with investigating and preventing election interfence. You'd think Trump would be wanting to bolster such agencies given his concerns about the election he lost? Can't think of any reason he'd want to do the opposite?

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/wireStory/dismantling-federal-efforts-monitor-election-interference-creates-opening-118872391

My ad blockers are ready. I will not let Russian Facebook ads sway me the next time an election I cannot participate in happens.


https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/ensuring-accountability-for-all-agencies/

Trump's just signed this. Let's see what the courts do and what happens when Trump ignores them.

No seizure of power, indeed.

Not sure what the courts can do if said agencies fall within the executive. The president is the leader of the executive arm. What agencies in particular are you worried about?

[Magic]

I didn't have America nuking Kyiv before Ruzzia on my Trump Bingo card.

[niko_cee]

You have to think that Trump ostensibly going full madman probably helps Ukraine more than it hinders them as it is hard to ignore the fact that he appears to have entirely lost the plot in certain regards.

As to what agencies, them making the FTC overtly political is probably going to be a big headache for BIG TECH.

[Pepe]

As to what agencies, them making the FTC overtly political is probably going to be a big headache for BIG TECH.

Anti-billionaires rejoice!

[Jimmy Floyd]

You can tell in the ostensibly on-message JD Vance quotes that he, too, thinks Trump is insane.

[Pepe]

You have to be insane yourself to not think so.

[igor_balis]

My dad was always banging on about us being in "late stage capitalism", fucking years ago, but if anything it confirmed my assumption that it's gonna be around for the foreseeable cus he was a retarded white van man who read some Jürgen Habermas once and didn't understand it because he's an idiot.

[Jimmy Floyd]

From a UK perspective, the Reform silence is pretty telling. They must be crapping themselves. Keep sucking at the Trump teat, or adopt a position which YouGov this morning says is held by 3% of the British (from now on I refuse to say 'UK' ever again).

Nigel probably has about 40 different tweets in his drafts.

[John Arne]

Lol at everyone backing Trump a few months ago because he was funny and that Kamala Harris, an actual lawyer, was apparently not fit for the job.

He's not even trying anymore... just lots of outright lies.

1892242622623699357

- The US had committed a total of about $124 billion in military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine between late January 2022, just before the Russian invasion, and the end of December 2024; the think tank found the US had actually allocated about $119 billion.

- The latest survey from a leading Ukrainian pollster, conducted earlier this month, found that 57% of Ukrainians said they trusted Zelensky. That was up from 52% in December – and 52% was Zelensky’s lowest wartime figure in this series of trust surveys.

- The European Union plus individual European countries – had collectively committed far more total wartime military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine through December (about $258 billion) than the US committed (about $124 billion). Europe had also allocated more military, financial and humanitarian aid (about $138 billion) than the US allocated (about $119 billion).

- Contrary to some viral social media posts this month, that wasn’t a confession that half of the cash that the US sent to Ukraine had vanished. In reality, Zelensky was saying exactly what experts in the US and elsewhere have repeatedly pointed out – that a large chunk of the total US budgetary “response” to the Ukraine war is not in the form of money handed to the Ukrainian government.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/19/politics/fact-check-trumps-lies-about-zelensky-and-ukraine/index.html

Still, Trump is so funny.

[AJ23]

Everyone wants a personality who connects to them as a politician. Someone who talks to them like an uber driver.

Trump has got that down to a tee. He knows exactly how to manipulate. Begrudgingly, I'll give him credit for that. Bringing Hulk Hogan into his presidential speeches.

In a world where most people view politicians as robots, he shoots from the hip (seemingly) and he's got many playing out of his hand.

Other politicians need to step up. Because they're getting fucked by the biggest egotistical, gaslighter in the game. Aside from Putin of course.

[AJ23]

https://i.ibb.co/tpyTwZMS/IMG-6879.jpg

[niko_cee]

From a UK perspective, the Reform silence is pretty telling. They must be crapping themselves. Keep sucking at the Trump teat, or adopt a position which YouGov this morning says is held by 3% of the British (from now on I refuse to say 'UK' ever again).

Nigel probably has about 40 different tweets in his drafts.

Nigel's broken cover and said the electorally sensible thing.

For the home market is what they say I think.

[Jimmy Floyd]

There's something I find very funny about the fact that DT has spent the last few hours locked in negotiations with... Tiger Woods.

[Yevrah]

Elon Musk has been wielding a chainsaw and I didn't find out about it here. Hope RL's ok.

[AJ23]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Maybe there's a subliminal message in that.

The sooner YR4 takes us all out, the better.

[Magic]

Lmao Steve Bannon doing the Nazi salute now and everyone cheering. What a vile place America is.

[Spikey M]

RL has one of TTH's great E-victories on his hands here and he's silent. He's either dead, masturbating furiously or a far better man than I am.

Claim your title, son. Bofe sidez us. Rub our faces in it. 'Mon.

[Shindig]

Someone should remind them what the Nazi ideology led to. Germany thought it was clever to piss off an Empire AND had the naivety to think Russia would let them do it. It took them into a war they couldn't win and they've been apologising for it ever since. It was a humiliation and they didn't even get to the British mainland.

It's not a winner.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The whole Nazi project was a desperate toddler lash-out at the fact that Germany is doomed never to be a successful great power, due to being surrounded by enemies, complete lack of natural resources, and crap sea access.

France have no excuse. They should be a major world power to this day but instead they sit around making cream cakes.

[Magic]

Murdering millions of us as a "desperate toddler lash out".

[niko_cee]

Apropos of not much I was looking at the WW2 death toll the other day and the numbers in the east were insane. Nearly 7m Ukrainians, over 16m Ruskis, China shipped 20m and were barely even in it. The numbers are completely incomprehensible in a modern context.

[Magic]

Japan absolutely filled their boots, didn't they? Crazy fuckers.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The Russians were arguably the most useless army in the whole thing, despite ultimately winning. Wasted millions of lives unnecessarily.

Battle of Kursk was mental. Wiki has (this is a Soviet victory):

Battle of Kursk:
254,470–450,000 killed, captured or missing
608,833–1,200,000 wounded or sick (of which 74% wounded and 26% sick)
Total: 863,303–1,700,000 (including 710,000 combat casualties)
6,064–7,000 tanks and assault guns destroyed or damaged (of which, 60–65% were completely destroyed)
**1,626–3,300 aircraft (Luftwaffe claimed 4,209 Soviet planes downed)
5,244 guns and mortars

Germany lost only 165k in the same battle.

[randomlegend]

RL has one of TTH's great E-victories on his hands here and he's silent. He's either dead, masturbating furiously or a far better man than I am.

Claim your title, son. Bofe sidez us. Rub our faces in it. 'Mon.

At this point I just feel like an able bodied athlete collecting medals by competing at the special Olympics.

[Lofty]

Weren't the Russians under supplied and queuing up waiting for their mates to die so they could pick up a gun?

Once the tide of war turned the red army was free to rape it's way to Berlin.

[Magic]

At this point I just feel like an able bodied athlete collecting medals by competing at the special Olympics.

Trans.

[Ben]

China shipped 20m and were barely even in it.

This is arguably the most mental stat. Japan was well on its way to practically eliminating China as a country before they got giddy and bombed Pearl Harbor.

[Yevrah]

How the fuck has Steve Bannon been unearthed? And while I was prepared to give Elon the benefit of the doubt on a first offence basis, the Banster going anywhere arm raising after Elon having done it is not afforded the same luxury.

Reminds me of a load of kids in a playground who think they’re being edgy by finding Nazi Germany funny and is utterly pathetic.

[Ben]

Frankly I think it's a lot worse than pathetic and there's a real danger stuff like this will keep getting normalised, then they'll be too far gone to reel back in.

[randomlegend]

How the fuck has Steve Bannon been unearthed? And while I was prepared to give Elon the benefit of the doubt on a first offence basis, the Banster going anywhere arm raising after Elon having done it is not afforded the same luxury.

Reminds me of a load of kids in a playground who think they’re being edgy by finding Nazi Germany funny and is utterly pathetic.

No mate they are just actual fascists.

[randomlegend]

Frankly I think it's a lot worse than pathetic and there's a real danger stuff like this will keep getting normalised, then they'll be too far gone to reel back in.

Almost like I've been saying this for years.

All the stuff Trump/the Republicans have managed to normalise over the past few years which would've been considered insane previously; now "suddenly" they are throwing Nazi salutes and trying to dismantle the safeguards on their power (they are) and it's all "woah woah woah wait a second".

It. Was. So. Fucking. Obvious.

[Yevrah]

There’s plenty of insanity the other side have been normalising. Which isn’t to excuse this current lot, far from it, but more to point out that we are definitely not living in a golden age of politics.

[randomlegend]

You have a brain worm.

[Yevrah]

Frankly I think it's a lot worse than pathetic and there's a real danger stuff like this will keep getting normalised, then they'll be too far gone to reel back in.

Fair point. I would like to think that huge swathes of Trump/Republican voters would be turned off if facism is somehow normalised, but we certainly shouldn’t be risking finding out.

[randomlegend]

Fair point. I would like to think that huge swathes of Trump/Republican voters would be turned off if facism is somehow normalised, but we certainly shouldn’t be risking finding out.

We're already in the "finding out" stage. How can you not see this? Voters being turned off isn't going to fucking matter because they are quite clearly setting up to rig future elections.

I wouldn't be remotely surprised if they rigged the last one.

[Yevrah]

We're already in the "finding out" stage. How can you not see this? Voters being turned off isn't going to fucking matter because they are quite clearly setting up to rig future elections.

Well we’ll need to see how that plays out. Anyone can try and set up to do anything, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. If that’s even indeed what they’re doing. An Obama would still wipe the floor with this lot.

[Yevrah]

I wouldn't be remotely surprised if they rigged the last one.

You literally sound like Trump now, just on the other side of the fence.

[randomlegend]

Not in a rigged election he wouldn't.

Who's going to stop them? They own the safeguards at every level.

[randomlegend]

You literally sound like Trump now, just on the other side of the fence.

Which is exactly the point. You accuse someone of doing something when it's ridiculous, then when you do it the other side sounds ridiculous accusing you. Trump and Musk have both hinted at it.

[Yevrah]

Not in a rigged election he wouldn't.

Who's going to stop them? They own the safeguards at every level.

I genuinely don’t know enough about the safeguards to answer that. I doubt many people do.

[Yevrah]

Which is exactly the point. You accuse someone of doing something when it's ridiculous, then when you do it the other side sounds ridiculous accusing you. Trump and Musk have both hinted at it.

We’ve lived through the best part of a decade of ridiculousness at almost every turn. This is just different ridiculousness that you like less than the stuff that came before.

[randomlegend]

We’ve lived through the best part of a decade of ridiculousness at almost every turn. This is just different ridiculousness that you like less than the stuff that came before.

No it fucking isn't, holy shit.

You've literally got them throwing Nazi salutes and siding with a fascist dictatorship in Russia and you're still out here drooling about "bofe sides m8".

It's insane.

[Yevrah]

No it fucking isn't, holy shit.

Your hysteria is not warming me to your argument.

[randomlegend]

Your hysteria is not warming me to your argument.

I don't have any interest in presenting an "argument" to you. You're like a flat earther, denying the evidence of your own eyes. There is no convincing people like you with reason and proof because it's not what you deal in.

[Yevrah]

It basically all boils down to three things.

Is what you think they're trying to do actually what they're trying to do.
Is it as bad as you think it is if they can do it.
Can they do it?

And I don't know how any of us can answer those questions in anything like an informed enough way.

[Yevrah]

I don't have any interest in presenting an "argument" to you. You're like a flat earther, denying the evidence of your own eyes. There is no convincing people like you with reason and proof because it's not what you deal in.

One can prove the Earth is round, you cannot prove that this is end of days stuff, let alone that it will actually result in the end of days.

[niko_cee]

I genuinely don’t know enough about the safeguards to answer that. I doubt many people do.

The US political system is currently going through one of those post 2008 stress tests the banks had to do. It is failing it hard and, aside from the existential threat to western civilization, it's glorious to witness.

30 year plan to capture the supreme court from the republican establishment somewhat blowing up in their faces as it has created a deranged monarchical tyrant. They could still do something about it but it doesn't seem they want to.

[randomlegend]

Yeah you're right, America should wait until they've done it and can't be removed from power and then decide whether that's what they were trying to do. :thbup:

[Pepe]

Trans.

:lol:

[Yevrah]

Yeah you're right, America should wait until they've done it and can't be removed from power and then decide whether that's what they were trying to do. :thbup:

How does America do anything else?

[randomlegend]

God knows. General strike?

[Pepe]

How is Bannon still relevant? Is that some sort of job application from him?

[igor_balis]

At times like this you have to ask who are the real fascists, is it the fascists, or is it blue haired SJW straw men (sorry for assuming their gender)?

[Yevrah]

I don't think any of them are. Throwing the fascism label around like confetti really isn't cool.

[Jimmy Floyd]

There are zero fascists alive in the world today (almost no communists either). It's OK to make a new label for people. Trumpians. Whatever you like.

[Pepe]

It is easier than actually pointing out specifics you disagree with.

[Pepe]

Are the likes of Cuba and Venezuela still proper communist, or do they run in some sort of extra shit capitalism way?

[Magic]

We need to abandon the idea of countries and borders now. These people aren't loyal or whatever to a set of values of a common people. They care about power, control and money. Lines on a map are for poor people now.

[Ben]

Are the likes of Cuba and Venezuela still proper communist, or do they run in some sort of extra shit capitalism way?

Have they ever really been communist? They always said they were "working towards" it whilst just being a tinpot dictatorship.

Sankara probably give it the best shot as a recognised head of state. Then the French assassinated him for being pretty good at it.

[Pepe]

Depends what you call real communism, I guess. I don't know, but tinpot dictatorship fits well enough.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We need to abandon the idea of countries and borders now. These people aren't loyal or whatever to a set of values of a common people. They care about power, control and money. Lines on a map are for poor people now.

I dunno, Vladdy P seems quite fixated on them.

[Magic]

I dunno, Vladdy P seems quite fixated on them.

I'm not on about him, he's a relic. I ment Thiel and co. The new world order.

[Spikey M]

At times like this you have to ask who are the real fascists, is it the fascists, or is it blue haired SJW straw men (sorry for assuming their gender)?

The fact that this is the choice, when most people are neither, is most of the problem.

[Giggles]

I'm happy with actions and not tweets for now.

[Dquincy]

Almost like I've been saying this for years.

All the stuff Trump/the Republicans have managed to normalise over the past few years which would've been considered insane previously; now "suddenly" they are throwing Nazi salutes and trying to dismantle the safeguards on their power (they are) and it's all "woah woah woah wait a second".

It. Was. So. Fucking. Obvious.

Your hysteria is worrying. It's almost like you have a vagina.

Reading through this, the yevrah chap seems to be trying his best to have a rationally calm conversation with you, including looking at both sides of the coin. But you seem unable to do the same.

[Manc]

This is absolutely what they want and they aren't even hiding it, yet you've still got mongs like Yevrah and Quincy standing on the sidelines cheering them on.


You have a brain worm.


So naive it's painful


You being a moron doesn't make me unhappy.


Like a parade of the brain damaged.


Giggles having anything left of "burning immigrants alive" as "extreme left" really is special needs stuff.


You are too stupid for words.


Oh my god you are so fucking stupid.


You cannot be this irredeemably fucking stupid.

:hug:

[Magic]

It's how he talks to his patients.

[Yevrah]

Ok, now I'm confused. I've just clicked on the BBC and seen this:


During his address this evening, Zelensky also speaks briefly about the US-proposed mineral deal.

He says the two countries were working on a draft agreement and that he hoped for a "fair result".

"This is an agreement that can add value to our relationship, and the main thing is to work out the details so that it can work," he says.

He (Trump) is actually going to stop this incredibly stupid war, isn't he? :D

[Lewis]

Assumimg he still thinks he can 'win' Zelensky should tell the Americans to shove it and ask the Europeans to empty their inventories first.

[Shindig]

He could probably sort it by twisting the deal in Donald's favour. Like, by giving America the precious metals instead.

[randomlegend]

Trump now openly threatening a state governor with removal of federal funding if they don't do as their told.

What was that about the Republican party wanting return power to the States?

[Yevrah]

Trump now openly threatening a state governor with removal of federal funding if they don't do as their told.

Given this is the context it was said in he'll be getting a lot of support for doing so:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE1kGVAySBE

[Disco]

Quite fun seeing the americans implode. Turns out putting the dumbest man alive back into office not a great idea especially when you let some doughy k-holed twat run rampant inside your government with no idea of how it actually works.

[AJ23]

Apropos of not much I was looking at the WW2 death toll the other day and the numbers in the east were insane. Nearly 7m Ukrainians, over 16m Ruskis, China shipped 20m and were barely even in it. The numbers are completely incomprehensible in a modern context.

Russians got absolutely battered by the Finnish in the winter war. Finnish with a lesser army, tanks, weapons and aircraft.

You don't want to fuck with those Finnish, who love the snow. Russians think they're like that, but the Finnish I've met are more nuts and prepared to die with drugs and alcohol or acting like Johnny Knoxville. They'd inject snow in their veins if they could.

One of the best education systems in Europe. What a combination. You've also got to be wary of them based on their Eurovision entries.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Russians got absolutely battered by the Finnish in the winter war. Finnish with a lesser army, tanks, weapons and aircraft.

You don't want to fuck with those Finnish, who love the snow. Russians think they're like that, but the Finnish I've met are more nuts and prepared to die with drugs and alcohol. They'd inject snow in their veins if they could.

One of the best education systems in Europe. You've also got to be wary of them based on their Eurovision entries.

Simo Hayha, The White Death :cool:

[Disco]

It didn't help that Stalin shot everyone who knew which end of a rifle was which in '37, any competently led and equipped army would have rolled the Finns in pretty short order but that rules out the Russians of pretty much any era.

[John Arne]

It didn't help that Stalin shot everyone who knew which end of a rifle was which in '37, any competently led and equipped army would have rolled the Finns in pretty short order but that rules out the Russians of pretty much any era.

To offer some (BBC sponsored) balance, I know a a few Finns and they are work-shy, arrogant, stingy cunts.

[Disco]

If you like Ruski incompetence then you want the Russo-Japanese war. Chock full of slav based idiocy but with added crocodiles and Douglas MacArthur being a massive racist.

[Kikó]

To offer some (BBC sponsored) balance, I know a a few Finns and they are work-shy, arrogant, stingy cunts.

Penaldo

[Kikó]

Good Mafia shakedown.

https://archive.is/x05JQ

[niko_cee]

That has seemed like a very obvious play for a while. Does flirt quite closely with being actively hostile though and I'm still not really sure they've thought through this great power diplomacy thing if it ends up alienating the rest of the non-retarded world.

This is a beautiful country you've got here it would be a shame if someone came in and smashed it up . . .

Oh.

The EU/UK should offer Ukraine all the seized Russian assets they hold for a 'mineral deal'. Hit Donald right in the minerals.

[Shindig]

Russians got absolutely battered by the Finnish in the winter war. Finnish with a lesser army, tanks, weapons and aircraft.

You don't want to fuck with those Finnish, who love the snow. Russians think they're like that, but the Finnish I've met are more nuts and prepared to die with drugs and alcohol or acting like Johnny Knoxville. They'd inject snow in their veins if they could.

One of the best education systems in Europe. What a combination. You've also got to be wary of them based on their Eurovision entries.

The fact the alcoholism is so bad the industry was nationalised tells you everything. At least they've stopped killing themselves.

[Lofty]

Apparently CPAC is very onboard with a third Trump term.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He'll be 82 by then. I can't see it, regardless of what they do or don't force through. There'll be a whole long queue of wannabe strongmen trying to succeed him as well.

[randomlegend]

Trump or otherwise is fairly irrelevant. What matters is that we'll be seeing Republicans "elected" for a long, long time.

[Shindig]

Nah, Ukraine's invading them next week.

[Pepe]

Michelle then Chelsea then Malia.

[Jimmy Floyd]

With modern technology I think the Dems could find a way of putting up Rosa Parks.

[Pepe]

Or Tulsi :drool:

[Pepe]

With modern technology I think the Dems could find a way of putting up Rosa Parks.

I would vote for cyborg James Baldwin.

[Shindig]

I'd vote for Robocop.

[Dquincy]

Vance has potential presidency attributes imo. Clear in his message and doesn't pander to identity politics.

[Magic]

Vance has potential presidency attributes imo. Clear in his message and doesn't pander to identity politics.

Except the nazi white power one.

[Magic]

Musk asking for workers to say what they did last week or resign. :D

[niko_cee]

Does this apply to all levels of the Federal government?

Last week I alienated traditional allies.

Last week I sacked all the people in charge of maintaining the US nuclear deterrent.

The mass culling of all probationary people will be an interesting one. I've often wondered whether you could do that in the health service but generally concluded in my mind that you'd probably just end up sacking all the people who actually do stuff and keep all the off sick with stress scroungers in a double whammy lose lose outcome.

[Shindig]

In the middle of all this, Grimes has been trying to contact Elon through his twitter account for some child support payments. How can a billionaire be such a deadbeat?

[Magic]

Does this apply to all levels of the Federal government?

Last week I alienated traditional allies.

Last week I sacked all the people in charge of maintaining the US nuclear deterrent.

The mass culling of all probationary people will be an interesting one. I've often wondered whether you could do that in the health service but generally concluded in my mind that you'd probably just end up sacking all the people who actually do stuff and keep all the off sick with stress scroungers in a double whammy lose lose outcome.

The new brown fascist FBI guy is telling his staff to ignore it lmao. We cooking.

[Kikó]

Does this apply to all levels of the Federal government?

Last week I alienated traditional allies.

Last week I sacked all the people in charge of maintaining the US nuclear deterrent.

The mass culling of all probationary people will be an interesting one. I've often wondered whether you could do that in the health service but generally concluded in my mind that you'd probably just end up sacking all the people who actually do stuff and keep all the off sick with stress scroungers in a double whammy lose lose outcome.

Also the probation thing included people who had just been promoted and still in "probation" for that new role. Good way to get rid of those who were actually doing their job well.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If one wanted to be bumped off by the CIA at warp speed, Musk is doing pretty much everything right.

[Ben]

Imagine. :drool:

[Yevrah]

Ketamin overdose incoming.

[niko_cee]

Bird Flu running riot in the states, good job they've sacked all the people who might have been tasked with doing something about it.

Enjoy your fifty dollar eggs.

[Bernanke]

If anything, this whole thing is showing that the three letter agencies all are some weak shit.

[Pepe]

What can you do about bird flu?

[Spikey M]

Monitor and manage it.

[Manc]

Don't count your chickens.

[Magic]

What can you do about bird flu?

Lock down but at the office instead of home.

[randomlegend]

1893676454673522785

:)

[randomlegend]

Judge Reyes: EO 14183 adopts definitions of a separate executive order called Defending Women from Gender Ideology, Extremism and Restoring biological Truth to the federal government. And that EO states, “sex shall refer to an individual’s immutable biological classification as either male or female.” And it states that, “It is the policy of the United States recognize two sexes, male and female.” Do you see that or do you remember that?


Jason C. Lynch: I will take the court’s word for it.

Judge Reyes: you understand, as a matter of biology, it’s just incorrect, that there are only two sexes, right?

Jason C. Lynch: do I understand that to be incorrect as a biological matter?

Judge Reyes: yes. It is incorrect as a biological matter. You understand that, right?

Jason C. Lynch: I don’t understand that to be incorrect.

Judge Reyes: you understand that not everyone has an X or or an XY chromosome, right?

Jason C. Lynch: honestly, no, I don’t.

Judge Reyes: it’s actually kind of a really important point because this executive order is premised on an assertion that’s not biologically correct. There are anywhere near about 30 different intersex examples. So someone who does not just have xx or xy chromosome is not just male or female. They are intersex. And there are over 30 different potential intersex examples. We’ve got genetic differences. We have people with xxx chromosomes. We have androgen insensitivity, xy genetically that may have female external sex characteristics and internally have testes. There’s a five alpha reductase deficiency that causes changes in testosterone metabolism, xy that may have female external genitalia or ambiguous genitalia. The point being, and I’m happy to have you guys brief this more if you want, but I’m telling you right now that there are people who are neither male or female. And so the premise of the executive order is just incorrect.

:lol:

The e-victories continue to flood in.

[niko_cee]

The US now voting with Russia, Hungary and a slew of other strongman basketcases, and Israel, lol, against their own proposed resolution. At least China had the decency to just abstain.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Really not sure what he's trying to do. Easily the first US president to go so blatantly against the founding fathers, the flag of liberty and all that jazz.

[niko_cee]

He's taken Steve Bannon's political credo literally and run with it.

Stir up enough fuss so no one realises you've just ripped off hundreds of thousands of crypto twats for hundreds of millions of dollars with your latest meme coin escapade.

It's an interesting one the land of the free indeed. Giving off strong Louis 14th - 16th vibes at the moment. Maybe Trump can be the former and Vance can be the one who loses his head.

[Spikey M]

Whatever they're doing it's either 4D or 4 IQ.

[Ben]

Measles outbreak picking up more pace in the US despite it being eradicated 25 years ago. Funny, that.

[Disco]

Are you suggesting ball tanning isn't a viable alternative to the MMR?

[Magic]

Whatever they're doing it's either 4D or 4 IQ.

Lol isn't this what the retards say because they don't have the cognition to spot bad.

[Spikey M]

Lol isn't this what the retards say because they don't have the cognition to spot bad.

No, it's what people say when they "spot bad", but it isn't clear whether they're going to get what they want or not.

[Magic]

"does this mean less brown people".

[Spikey M]

Yes, all those brown Russians and Ukrainians. Go to bed, Custard.

[randomlegend]

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/02/judges-block-doge-access-to-personal-data-in-loss-for-trump-administration/


The American Federation of Teachers and other "plaintiffs have shown that Education and OPM likely violated the Privacy Act by disclosing their personal information to DOGE affiliates without their consent," said the order issued today by US District Judge Deborah Boardman in the District of Maryland.

"This continuing, unauthorized disclosure of the plaintiffs' sensitive personal information to DOGE affiliates is irreparable harm that money damages cannot rectify," she wrote.

And another one.

[Yevrah]

The US now voting with Russia, Hungary and a slew of other strongman basketcases, and Israel, lol, against their own proposed resolution. At least China had the decency to just abstain.

While that’s nuts, what is the point of a vote for a resolution to condemn Russia’s war?

[Magic]

While that’s nuts, what is the point of a vote for a resolution to condemn Russia’s war?

I still feel reticent to call it a war on the basis one is trying to do a hostile takeover and the other is fighting for it's life. It's basically to show the reasonable world disagrees with shitty behavior and will back it up with non-hostile retaliation like tariffs (lol) and stuff.

[AJ23]

Measles outbreak picking up more pace in the US despite it being eradicated 25 years ago. Funny, that.

Nothing a bit of bleach won't sort out.

[niko_cee]

While that’s nuts, what is the point of a vote for a resolution to condemn Russia’s war?

I dunno, to show that the international community stands against military aggression?

Could you not just say what's the point of the UN?

I suppose the interesting thing is if you look at NATO, and why it was established, it was as a bastion in the great ideological battle of the age. You could argue now, unlike in the days of capitalism versus communism, both US and Russian political outlooks are broadly similar, heralding an age of kleptocracy and oligarchy.

[Magic]

I guess when you look at the world's countries as independent businesses and yourselves as corporate giants looking to do buyouts traditional borders and sovereignty doesn't really apply.

[Shindig]

A large bruise that appeared on Donald Trump's hand is down to him shaking a lot of hands, the White House has said.

What a quote.

[Spikey M]

1894616074861130182?t=cAQm5NNz7UueF5aDvKJmYQ&s=19

[niko_cee]

22 seconds in :D

Why is Elon Musk's shoddy lookalike eating hummus repeatedly?

[Magic]

Gaza really wasn't the place I had on the bingo card for the final trillionaire retreat.

[Magic]

Hmm people reckon it's to counter the Trump/Musk toe AI video from earlier in the day. So if you search Trump AI that comes up instead.

[phonics]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GksCw_8WIAA44C0.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GksCyRKWQAAOU_q.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GksCzWkWsAAsS9Z.jpg

I'm shocked the Republican president is going to do what every Repubican president has done for the last 50 years.

[Yevrah]

That video. :lol:

[niko_cee]

Totally missed the bearded belly dancers and Trump and Netanyahu chilling poolside at the end.

:cab:

[Pepe]

Trump Gaza looking nice. :D

As for Phonic's chart, I saw it on Reddit a few days ago and in a shocking twist, it is nothing but made up BS.

[niko_cee]

I assume the Brooking Institute or whatever it is is some extremist pinko organisation, but they have a report (https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ES_20180608_tcja_summary_paper_final.pdf) about the effects of the previous round of Trump tax policy, with commentary on it's future extension implications. Chapter V on distribution.

[Pepe]

Brookings is alright as far as 'think tanks' go.

[phonics]

1894720726294249712

lol

[Pepe]

The classic add three zeroes trick.

[randomlegend]

Trump Gaza looking nice. :D

As for Phonic's chart, I saw it on Reddit a few days ago and in a shocking twist, it is nothing but made up BS.

Might be useful if you provided literally anything to back that claim up.

The report from Brookings (who you've said are "alright") appears to say the same thing on a quick glance.


It will make the distribution of after tax income more unequal

[Jimmy Floyd]

Why would Trump do anything otherwise? His, and frankly America's entire raison d'etre is to punish 'losers' while rewarding 'winners'.

[Pepe]

Might be useful if you provided literally anything to back that claim up.

Nah, check your own sources.

[randomlegend]

I have checked all sources and it is the truest thing that ever truthed.

[niko_cee]

https://youtu.be/7k6WKHc0tq0

[Pepe]

I have checked all sources and it is the truest thing that ever truthed.

Then act accordingly. Oh wait, you do not live in the US so you have zero reason to worry about any of this.

[randomlegend]

I do live in the US. Do your own research.

[Pepe]

False. If you were in the US you would be rich and a lot less miserable.

[niko_cee]

I don't think it is particularly mad to fear the spread of US style policies as a sort of political contagion, we have experienced as much for decades, although, at the same time we are perfectly capable of having our own pretty stupid tax system so maybe people in glass houses and all that.

[randomlegend]

I've seen your post but in a shocking twist it is nothing but made up bullshit.

[Pepe]

Which reminds me: There is this old man I play football with. We all take turns playing on goal, except him. 'I can't, I am a doctor' he says as he shows us his delicate hands. What a wanker he is. :D

[randomlegend]

Definitely a surgeon.