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  • Israel killing civilians in Gaza and the West Bank
    ↪BitconnectCarlos
    , your comment still doesn't confront the issue. :/

    keep making excuses for or dodging — (earlier)

    • October 7 attacks :death:
    • Casualties of the Gaza war :death:
    • Gaza humanitarian crisis (2023–present) :death:

    There isn't just one condemnable action here.
  • The End of Woke
    Perfect starting place for a woke position. — Fire Ologist

    Nope, it's more or less Wittgensteinian. And an ever-moving target, mostly used by conservatives as a swear word. (Does that work as a definition?) Besides ...

    (not that any of this is about me, mind you) — jorndoe

    Tried what? — Fire Ologist

    Made an effort. Say, addressed the particulars brought up.

    So, the examples, ↪Fire Ologist? — (earlier)

    @Jeremy Murray, have you found "woke" to be a postmodernist thing?

    Joke making the rounds in the wild some 8-10 years ago:

    rteq91rz2gaf9ke6.png
  • Israel killing civilians in Gaza and the West Bank
    I get it. — BitconnectCarlos

    I'm not convinced.

    • Hamas goes on a murderous heinous rampage :down: :death:
    • Netanyahu bombs away and causes a large humanitarian crisis :down: :death:

    When you keep condemning one, and keep making excuses for or dodging the other, then your posts might as well be propaganda.

    Those are two condemnable actions, not one.

    But there are others that do the same vice versa, and so the chatter hardly overlaps.
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    ↪Christoffer
    , well, Korea was split up by the Allies after the 2nd world war (not entirely unlike East and West Germany I s'pose).
    There was a conflict-ridden momentum.
    Do you think it was realistic for a single Korea to remain fairly uninfluenced + thrive, perhaps analogous to South Korea / unlike North Korea?
    Technically possible sure, but realistic?
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    How the clown circus continues to treat others and set a creepy atmosphere:

    South Korean workers return home after ICE raids at US Hyundai factory
    — Reuters / Australian Broadcasting Corporation · Sep 12, 2025
    South Korean workers detained in US raid arrive home
    — BBC · Sep 12, 2025
    Why shall [we] continue US investments after such back-stabbing?

    Americans in other countries might want to self-identify as Canadians or something.
    I'm sure Canada, Mexico, Europe, whoever would welcome such investments.

    Earlier:

    Following the Immigration Enforcement Operation on the Hyundai Battery Plant in Georgia, I am hereby calling on all Foreign Companies investing in the United States to please respect our Nation’s Immigration Laws. Your Investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products, and we will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so. What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers. Together, we will all work hard to make our Nation not only productive, but closer in unity than ever before. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA — Donald J. Trump · Sep 7, 2025

    The only man who could play both parts in Dumb and Dumber... — David Farrell
  • Ukraine Crisis
    Some of this seems plausible:

    Russia's brazen attack on Poland may aim to solve several tasks at once.

    The first is testing NATO's "red lines". The Kremlin knows well that the main weakness of the West is not the lack of weapons or finances, but political will. Ideally, Moscow wants to prove the inability of the North Atlantic Alliance as a collective institution. This test is personally addressed to Donald Trump, who has repeatedly demonstrated skepticism about US allied obligations. It would be a victory for Putin to show the world that the American president is not ready to risk for Warsaw or Vilnius.

    The second is creating an atmosphere of fear in Central Europe. The terror and threat of war always give birth to political extremes. The ultra-right and ultra-left forces, who openly or secretly sympathize with Moscow, get a chance to strengthen their positions. And then Europe will increasingly resemble the continent of Orban, where cooperation with the Kremlin becomes the norm, and solidarity with victims of aggression is "luxury".

    The third - provoking a discussion about Europe's own defense capability. The Kremlin understands perfectly: the more Europeans talk about the need to strengthen their own armies and restore the defense industry, the louder the voices about reducing aid to Ukraine will sound. Moscow is trying to convince the West that it's better to prepare for a hypothetical future war than to help Ukraine in a war that is raging now.

    The fourth - fueling anti-Ukrainian moods. Streams of Ukrainian refugees in Europe have already become a convenient visor for populists who ignite xenophobia. The blow on Poland is a signal: the war is near, and Ukrainians - "reminder" that the war can come and to your home. The Kremlin wants Ukrainians to be treated as a burden, not as allies in the fight against the aggressor.

    The fifth is preparation for more large-scale aggressive actions. Now the Kremlin can predict scenarios of further war depending on the reaction of Washington and Brussels. If NATO's response to the strike on Poland turns out to be a quail, it will be for Putin an invitation to even more daring steps.

    That's right, step by step, Nazi Germany tested the readiness of the world to respond - from the Rhine region, from Sudet, from Prague. And each time the West convinced itself that "it's not a war yet", that "it can still survive".

    Now Putin is acting the same way. And whether NATO's determination to respond to the attack on Poland is sufficient, not only the fate of Ukraine, but also the fate of the West itself depends.
    — Vitaly Portnikov
  • The Ballot or...
    Charlie Kirk wasn't exactly sympathetic (tg) (bf) (hp), but that doesn't justify murder. There are reasons for laws. Hopefully, the perpetrator(s) will be sentenced appropriately.

    He's not the only victim.

    The Babbitts were gifted just under $5 million by taxpayers, and Ashli Babbitt got a funeral service with all-out military honors. She was one of the Jan 6 (2021) attackers.

    A couple of months before Kirk, Melissa and Mark Hortman were murdered.

    The responses don't quite match House Trump's response to Kirk's murder, though. Is that because, unlike the Hortmans, Kirk was "one of us"? He wasn't elected by taxpayers for office as far as I know. Do they want to semi-martyr him before the US audience?

    I thought freedom was important to House Trump, the clown certainly doesn't hold back, but it seems like that no longer applies to everyone. (nbc) (nbc)

    I guess we'll see what happens.

    elo40dnb55jnz1pi.jpg
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    ↪Christoffer
    , there's a stark contrast between North and South Korea; Pyongyang went down, Seoul thrived. (Freedom; HDI doesn't have North Korea; ...)

    I'm thinking some of that divergence can be attributed to the history of their foreign support/influence. Seoul went democratic/humanitarian/aspiring, Pyongyang went militant/crazy, etc.

    EDIT

    HDI: North Korea, not South Korea
  • The End of Woke
    ↪Mijin
    ,
    ↪Athena
    , regarding Korea at least, there's a stark contrast between North and South Korea. Can't some of that be attributed to yester-century's darker history...?
  • The End of Woke
    ↪Athena
    , oh no, not at all; apologies if I came through that way.
    My point was just that gangsta' sistas' and bullies might be associated with "woke", whether accurate or not; such people have been around forever anyway.
  • Ukraine Crisis
    Get a Passport or Leave: Russia’s Ultimatum to Ukrainians (— HRW · Mar 25, 2025)

    The date given was Sep 10, 2025.

    Colonization.
  • The End of Woke
    ↪Fire Ologist
    , hmm...? You could have tried.

    Anyway, in offices and companies, demanding an even distribution across whatever, say skin color or gender, is overreach (if done with legislation). Conversely, a marked disproportionate representation of whatever can be remedied by stimulating merit (contra discrimination or social imposition), maybe all the way back to elementary school.

    So, the examples,
    ↪Fire Ologist
    ?
  • The End of Woke
    Just talk around it and talk about the unwoke. — Fire Ologist

    Nope. I called those folks anti-woke because they called The Little Mermaid woke. Is that what it is?

    Meaning is found in its use. Since we're not talking mathematics, definitions are fraught and have to follow use anyway, be it about equality/exclusion, conspiracy theorists, gay marriage, angry bullying radical lesbians, merit, whatever.

    So I had to give examples and some context. And gave an apparently agreeable rule-of-thumb. 3/4 wokeity rating? The linked 2024 article also gives examples and international context; notice how "woke" is used to divide/polarize (e.g. "Kremlin statecraft"). From admittedly unreliable memory, "black lives matter" also got "woke-stamped" by some (coinciding with "statecraft" and perhaps some other moves).

    Anyway, "woke" is now used as a pejorative by one side in culture wars, often enough accompanied by an extreme example though implicitly carrying other baggage along. But my understanding/impression could easily be off; either way, personally I'd just as well do without the populist noise and @Athena's bullies (not that any of this is about me, mind you).

    Are the Trumpests "anti-woke"? — earlier
  • The End of Woke
    Years ago, I was horrified by the demands of men-hating, homosexual women, who had gotten control of a women's shelter. [...] — Athena

    :o Not what I associate with "woke", seems more like reactionary radicals or something, but my word-use could easily be off. Gangsta' sistas' been 'round forever.

    ↪Fire Ologist
    , okie, so we can go by that rule-of-thumb. I'm not sure what its wokeity rating is. 3/4? It comes up in that context.

    RFK Jr was appointed because he's susceptible to Circus Trump's whims, because of perceived loyalty, or whatever, not merit. He's also easy to discredit and throw away, just in case. Concern for health overruled or otherwise irrelevant. :down: Are the Trumpests "anti-woke"?

    Say, around 1900 (± whatever years depending on place), women couldn't be elected to office. There was a strong, long-held undercurrent of tradition, rendering merit irrelevant, overlapping with conservative (and religious) sentiments. I suppose yester-yester-century's new movements might have been labeled "woke". Not good enough. :down:

    There is no such thing as a woke snob? — Fire Ologist

    Could be. I was going by the rule-of-thumb, though, which I understand to be in the spirit of DEI. Anyway ... other such agreeable rules?

    A couple of years ago, Disney made yet another incarnation of The Little Mermaid, the first being from the late 1980s. Then there was an uproar because of :scream: Ariel's skin color. An army of retarded "anti-woke" rose to the occasion. :down:

    Wasn't "woke" also associated with conspiracy theories some years back? Well, there are elements of these culture wars that play right into the hands of adversaries. :down:
  • The End of Woke
    (maybe I should have added snobbery — ok done)

    the issue before DEI wasn’t that all of these incompetent nepotism babies were running everything — Fire Ologist

    Well, that ...

    seems like a false dichotomy — Fire Ologist

    Anyway, RFK Jr's appointment to head of US Health is a clear high-profile example involving competence, one I'd hold the administration accountable for. Coming up with other examples isn't hard; I guess typical (historical) examples involve skin color, ethnicity, females, religion, political leanings, homosexuals, whatever.

    You need to define “conservatism” [...] — Fire Ologist

    I'm not using the words in some non-standard way, but rather suggesting an ethical stance, then trying to ask if that's more important than conservatism.
  • The End of Woke
    Selecting people by merit instead of tradition/conformity seems like the right thing to do.
    Is that anti-conservative?

    EDIT (added snobbery)

    Selecting people by merit instead of tradition/snobbery/conformity seems like the right thing to do.
    Is that anti-conservative?
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    That was 7 years ago:

    How everything became the culture war
    — Michael Grunwald · POLITICO · Nov 3, 2018

    Much of the article aged fairly well.

    ↪Relativist
    , how far does the immunity go?
    All the way until impeachment + conviction by Congress?

    Trump's "Fifth Avenue" sequel
    — Axios · Jan 9, 2024

    Possible Exxon business for lifting of sanctions (which apparently matter to Putin):

    Exclusive: US and Russian officials discussed energy deals alongside latest Ukraine peace talks
    — Reuters · Aug 26, 2025

    Does Sullivan's accusation hold up?

    Trump threw away America’s relationship with India just to PROTECT his family’s business interests with Pakistan — a move he says makes US allies like Japan & Germany wonder if they can TRUST Washington at all.
    — MeidasTouch via Megh Updates · Sep 2, 2025 · 1m:32s
    Ex-US NSA Jake Sullivan Accuses Trump Of Sacrificing India Ties For Family's Business With Pakistan
    — CNN-News18 · Sep 2, 2025 · 5m:47s

    If this...stuff is true, then...corruption of sorts, though I doubt the Trumpets care.
  • Ukraine Crisis
    €6.4 billion from the EU to Slovakia over half a decade for development, education, science, resilience, infrastructure, whatever.

    ... 2024 Jun 6 · 2024 Jun 30

    Fico insists on continuing to help finance the Kremlin's bombing of Ukraine.

    ... 2024 Dec 23 · 2025 Aug 16 · 2025 Sep 2

    :chin: What am I missing?

    EDIT (had some trouble finding the reference below)

    Slovakia and Hungary call on the Commission to uphold energy security guarantees (— Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs · 2025 Aug 27)

    Referring to a 2025 Jan 27 statement by the European Commission, that the integrity of the energy infrastructure supplying EU members is a matter of security for the entire EU, Blanár calls Ukraine's attack on Russian oil pipelines unacceptable.

    Some Slovak press apparently wasn't impressed by recent events where Fico met with Putin:

    Robert Fico was surrounded by dictators from all over the world in China. They celebrated the end of World War II (— Aktuality · 2025 Sep 2)
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    There are some coincidences here and there, but perhaps nothing illegit.

    • The Kremlin backs Orbán (Hungary)
    • Orbán (Hungary) backs The Heritage Foundation
    • The Heritage Foundation pushes Project 2025
    • The Trump administration and Project 2025 overlap

    Both Trump/Vance and Orbán periodically whine and complain about Europe / the EU, for example. (As well as Putin.) While critique is welcome, crap has been seen going beyond that. Is there a momentum of sorts towards alignment of sorts (or attempted anyway)?

    • PM Orbán takes part in panel discussion in Washington (— Government of Hungary · Mar 8, 2024)
    • How Orban Became Putin’s Pawn (— Foreign Policy · Jul 11, 2024)
    • Hungarian government proxy is spending a fortune to influence public opinion in the US (— Atlatszo · Oct 23, 2024)
    • Why is Hungary’s Viktor Orban cozying up to both Putin and Trump? (— New York Post · Mar 2, 2025)
    • Autocracy, Corruption, and Decline: Why Hungary and Orbanism Must Never be a Model for the U.S. (— Just Security · Jun 30, 2025)
    • U.S. science and universities are becoming political hostages in the Orbánization of knowledge (— STAT · Sep 2, 2025)

    Much more importantly, what's your take, anything to see here? (Could be faces in the clouds.)
  • Ukraine Crisis
    Continuing from earlier comments ...

    SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Push for peace in Ukraine could rapidly fade if large-scale Russian attacks continue
    — UN · Aug 29, 2025
    The assault of “629 airborne weapons” killed 25 people — including 4 children — and wounded 63 more, said Yulia Svyrydenko, including a girl “not yet three years old, born under Russian shelling in October 2022, and killed by Russian shelling in August 2025”.
    Strikes also damaged the European Union Delegation and British Council premises - diplomatic sites, not military targets - “deliberate acts of terror”, she said, demanding stronger air defence and long-range capabilities to protect civilians, alongside tougher sanctions to deprive Moscow of funds for its war.
    Citing the Russian Federation’s systematic abduction of children, forced adoption and identity erasure, she said: “Russia kills children from a distance with missiles and drones, and those who fall under its control it steals.”
    She urged the Council to act, insisting that peace requires both bolstering its defence and intensifying pressure on Moscow until it shows genuine willingness to negotiate, stressing: "Aggression must be punished, never rewarded."
    — Yulia Svyrydenko
    Such attacks targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, including arms depots, airfields and UAV factories, not civilians, said the Russian Federation’s speaker.
    Rather, civilian deaths resulted from Ukrainian air defences placed in residential areas, he said, stressing Kyiv is “shamelessly and criminally” using Ukrainians as human shields and such tragedies are “intentionally whipped up to blame the deaths of Ukrainian civilians on Russia,” to secure more Western arms and sanctions.
    Moscow further accused the West of hypocrisy, ignoring Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Russian Federation cities that, it said, killed and wounded scores of civilians in late August. The West’s selective blindness undermines its credibility, while reiterating demands for security guarantees that address the Russian Federation's concerns. He also accused Kyiv of “skyrocketing human rights violations”.
    On the Alaska Summit, he said the Russian Federation remains open to negotiations, but only on terms that exclude North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expansion and recognize Russian interests, accusing Kyiv of blocking compromise and pursuing “PR over diplomacy”.
    — Dmitry Polyanski
    “These are not military targets. Aerial attacks in massive waves on densely populated urban areas with explosive weaponry have no justification,” Slovenia’s representative said.
    Reiterating condemnation of intensified attacks “while peace in Ukraine is being discussed”, she said they represent a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and “must not go unpunished”.
    “2025 is rapidly becoming the deadliest year of this war,” she said, stressing: “We need to refocus our discussions on stopping the bloodshed. We need an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.”
    — Ondina Blokar Drobič

    :chin:
    Well, yes, something doesn't add up, though at least it consistently doesn't add up; in this UN forum, I guess all that can be done is calling it out.
    House Trump was silent in this round, as far as I know (2025Feb21, 2025Apr15, 2025Jun17); busy at home (2025Aug12, 2025Aug29).
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    More crap from the clown entourage...

    Stephen Miller: The Democratic Party is a 'domestic, extremist organization' (Fox · Aug 25, 2025 · 5m:5s)

    Well then, now that it's been broadcast by a government official, what will happen next (if anything)?

    Stephen Miller Yells About American ‘Killing Field’ in Unhinged Rant (Daily Beast · Aug 26, 2025)
    Stephen Miller rants about ‘killing field’ in Chicago as he appears to liken city crime to Cambodian Genocide (The Independent · Aug 26, 2025)
    Taking Stephen Miller Seriously. And Literally. (Charlie Sykes · Aug 29, 2025)
    Stephen Miler called Democratic Party a 'domestic, extremist organization' (just double-checking · Snopes · Aug 30, 2025)

    Should be passed off as Trump-style ramblings, though I suspect some will pick it up.
    What's your take?

    Reichstag fire (— 1933)
    Shelling of Mainila (— 1939)
    Zersetzung (— 1970s—1980s)
    "False positives" scandal (— 1988—2014)
    Domestic Military Deployments after Trump v. United States (— Chris Mirasola · University of Houston Law Center · Nov 13, 2024 — Aug 19, 2025)
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    I was thinking about taking bets on whether Trump will double down on his RFK Jr appointment. :D
    (He'll either stay, or quietly be asked to resign for some reason they find plausible, is my guess.)

    White House says ousted CDC director Susan Monarez was 'not aligned' with President Trump's mission (— ABC · Aug 28, 2025 · 1m:21s)
    Look, what I will say about this individual is that her lawyer's statement made it abundantly clear themselves that she was not aligned with the president's mission to make America healthy again. — Leavitt


    Make America Healthy Again

    414s2chzhtobf8uy.jpg

    Monarez is better aligned with the slogan than Trump and RFK Jr together
  • Backroads of Science. Whadyaknow?
    Yaay :up: :)

    A new cancer vaccine just wiped out tumors in mice
    — University of Florida · Aug 19, 2025
  • Fascista-Nazista creep?
    Some have used Guenther's writings to argue that politicians are out of touch and gotta' go.

    Political Representation Gaps and Populism
    — Laurenz Guenther · Toulouse School of Economics · Sep 30, 2022 — Aug 18, 2025
    Representation gaps and the rise of populism
    — Laurenz Guenther · The Conversation · Feb 3, 2025

    So, politicians and population don't match up, and "right-wing populists fill the cultural representation gap".
    Like en vogue fashion, populism may go wherever the wind blows.
    A populist leader then can't be expected to be principled; concern for truth, morals, whatever takes a back seat.
    They can instead take culture wars for a ride (in the front seat), and have (loud) us-versus-them attitudes reign; convenient for adversaries.
    When populism is a weakness of humanity, it becomes a weakness of democracy.

    Screenshot-2024-03-04-155313.png
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    4 CDC leaders resign over ‘weaponizing of public health’ (— The Hill · Aug 27, 2025)

    Beyer: Trump Must Fire Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (— Don Beyer · Aug 28, 2025)

    No sh¦t. And a few others. How much longer before RFK Jr gets a cab home? And a few others. Hold the administration accountable.
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    How to erode long-standing friendship/trust

    U.S. Orders Intelligence Agencies to Step Up Spying on Greenland (— Wall Street Journal · May 6, 2025)

    France summons US ambassador over antisemitism claims (— Courthouse News · Aug 25, 2025)

    Denmark summons US envoy over suspected influence operations in Greenland (— Reuters · Aug 27, 2025)

    EDIT

    Rumors will have it that the Trump administration has been doing crap in Alberta, Canada; though being rumors, they've become more credible
  • Ukraine Crisis
    Obama, Trump, whoever, brought up for Europe (and Canada) to carry its NATO weight, as it were.
    Defense increase seems to be happening, however scary.

    Will war in Ukraine mark a new era for European defence research? (— Nature · Aug 17, 2022)
    Europe needs to spend more on defence, not just pretend to (— The Economist · Mar 20, 2025)
    French Automaker to Mass Produce MBDA’s ‘One Way Effector’ Missile (— DefenseMirror · Jun 15, 2025)
    Europe builds for war as arms factories expand at triple speed (— Financial Times · Aug 12, 2025)

    Russia might find itself well outgunned in Ukraine (+ deterrence works), but I'd suggest not forgetting more sanctions.

    e4f6etgphh5gnzqz.jpg

    Pleasantries:

    Chinese President Xi Jinping sends independence day greetings to Ukraine (— SCMP · Aug 25, 2025)
  • Ukraine Crisis
    Russia’s top diplomat says Zelensky can’t sign Ukraine war peace deal because he’s ‘illegitimate’ (— New York Post · Aug 24, 2025)
    secure elections can not take place with the ongoing war against Russia

    He's legitimate. (Can the same be said for Putin?)

    Q: "This past weekend, Sergey Lavrov was saying that Putin will not sign a peace deal with Zelensky because Russia views him as illegitimate."
    President Trump: "It doesn't matter what they say. Everybody's posturing. It's all bullshit."
    — CSPAN · Aug 26, 2025

    According to one commentator, the Kremlin's push is like a Trojan horse.

    • would buy them time
    • would give them an easy excuse to withdraw from negotiations at any time
    • besides, they could always claim that such an election was illegitimate

    Seems safe enough to say that the Kremlin does not† particularly have peace in mind.
    Rather, colonization‡ at the expense of Russians and Ukrainians (and North Koreans).


    † (some chronological evidence) 2014, 2014, 2019, 2019, 2022, 2022, 2023, 2023, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025, 2025

    ‡ (some chronological evidence) 2020, 2022, 2022, 2023, 2023, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2024, 2025, 2025
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    to get his opponents to defend flag burning — NOS4A2

    Intentionally going for division/polarization/vitriol?

    (division favors adversaries, collaboration favors the cooperators)
  • Ukraine Crisis
    Emphasis mine ...

    As the President of the United States, I will stand up to Countries that attack our incredible American Tech Companies. Digital Taxes, Digital Services Legislation, and Digital Markets Regulations are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology. They also, outrageously, give a complete pass to China's largest Tech Companies. This must end, and end NOW! With this TRUTH, I put all Countries with Digital Taxes, Legislation, Rules, or Regulations, on notice that unless these discriminatory actions are removed, I, as President of the United States, will impose substantial additional Tariffs on that Country's Exports to the U.S.A., and institute Export restrictions on our Highly Protected Technology and Chips. America, and American Technology Companies, are neither the “piggy bank” nor the “doormat” of the World any longer. Show respect to America and our amazing Tech Companies or, consider the consequences! Thank you for your attention to this matter.
    DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
    — Donald J. Trump · Aug 25, 2025

    It's unclear what that will mean for ...

    Russian attack on western Ukraine hits an American factory during the US-led push for peace (— AP · Aug 21, 2025)

    What do you think will come of it (if anything)?
    What should come of it (if anything)?
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    Do people out there really just swallow all this?

    Despite a very high popularity and, according to many, among the greatest 8 months in Presidential History, ABC & NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the worst and most biased networks in history, give me 97% BAD STORIES. IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEY ARE SIMPLY AN ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND SHOULD, ACCORDING TO MANY, HAVE THEIR LICENSES REVOKED BY THE FCC. I would be totally in favor of that because they are so biased and untruthful, an actual threat to our Democracy!!! MAGA — Donald J. Trump · Aug 24, 2025

    Unsubstantiated postulates (as usual) just in that post:
    • very high popularity (self-appraisal)
    • according to many, among the greatest 8 months in Presidential History (self-appraisal)
    • ABC, NBC
      • FAKE NEWS × 2
      • worst and most biased networks in history
      • 97% BAD STORIES × 2
      • ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY × 2
      • SHOULD, ACCORDING TO MANY, HAVE THEIR LICENSES REVOKED BY THE FCC
      • biased and untruthful × 2
      • threat to our Democracy × 2

    I'd like to see some substantiation.
    After all, it's from the person in the top position of the US.
    Until substantiated, it reads like accusations that are confessions ("biased and untruthful").
    And attacks on free speech.
  • Free Speech - Absolutist VS Restrictive? (Poll included)
    Does that count as free speech, or, more generally, free expression?

    Is flag burning protected speech? What to know about Trump's order (— BrieAnna J Frank, Bart Jansen · USA TODAY · Aug 25, 2025)
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    ↪BitconnectCarlos
    , you can click on your name (
    ↪BitconnectCarlos
    ) to find the older post. The current Gaza situation is a humanitarian disaster. (If I remember right, Biden started putting pressure on Netanyahu.)
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    ↪BitconnectCarlos
    , were you thinking of this (poster)?

    xorin18p9cfe1n9q.jpg

    I'm in. I'm not on board with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Not that anything here is about me, though.

    Why has Donald Trump not spoken out about the famine in Gaza? | Inside Story (— Al Jazeera · Aug 25, 2025 · 27m:55s)

    As mentioned before, there's more than one problem, ongoing existential threat to Israel, ongoing injustices to Palestinians, ... Apparently, many can't see one for the other.
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    Trump keeps pulling this one ...

    This dire public safety crisis stems directly from the abject failures of the city's local leadership… — Donald J. Trump · Aug 11, 2025
    Crime stats in big blue cities are fake. The real rates of crime, chaos & dysfunction are orders of magnitude higher.
    Everyone who lives in these areas knows this. They program their entire lives around it.
    Democrats are trying to unravel civilization. Pres Trump will save it.
    — Stephen Miller · Aug 12, 2025
    the stats that they gave because they turned out to be a total fraud
    the real stats, the stats went through the roof
    — President Trump calls Washington, DC crime stats a 'fraud' amid crime decrease · WUSA9 · Aug 13, 2025
    D.C. gave Fake Crime numbers in order to create a false illusion of safety. This is a very bad and dangerous thing to do, and they are under serious investigation for so doing! Until 4 days ago, Washington, D.C., was the most unsafe “city” in the United States, and perhaps the World. Now, in just a short period of time, it is perhaps the safest, and getting better every single hour! People are flocking to D.C. again, and soon, the beautification will begin! — Donald J. Trump · Aug 18, 2025

    What are the supposed real, (magnitude) higher numbers that he's using for comparison?
    It's a standard case of "Put up or shut up", especially before doing anything.

    Furthermore, he keeps pulling it (msn) and the population, including many politicians, keep tolerating it; where are the responses with potential consequences?
    Further furthermore, the number of False or misleading statements by Donald Trump keep increasing, which was record-setting some time ago (also check CNN / Colbert from 2020).
    Regress for all to see; I'm sure US adversaries are delighted, and the Trumpists appear oblivious.
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    they're all funded by the US department of state — Tzeentch

    Nope. They have all kinds of funding, some including from the US State Department, the Economist Intelligence Unit mostly from revenue, ... It varies, yet these freedom type results are fairly similar. You can also find methodologies.
  • Climate Change
    Sea-level projections from the 1990s were spot on, study says
    — Phys.org · Aug 22, 2025

    The "accelerating" part is a downer. (Is that still a word?)

    Evaluating IPCC Projections of Global Sea-Level Change From the Pre-Satellite Era
    — Earth's Future · Aug 22, 2025

    Probabilistic reconstruction of sea-level changes and their causes since 1900
    — Earth System Science Data · Jul 31, 2024

    How would more moving water in circulation manifest (in everyday life)? Low islands getting smaller seems a safe bet. Low fields becoming lakes? I'm guessing more flash floods in some places.
  • Ukraine Crisis
    How public lying can work:

    Feb 27, 2014 · Little green men (Russo-Ukrainian War) (— various via Wikipedia)

    Feb 26, 2019 · From 'Not Us' To 'Why Hide It?': How Russia Denied Its Crimea Invasion, Then Admitted It (— Carl Schreck · Chizhov, Putin, Shoigu · RFE/RL)

    Feb 20, 2022 · Moscow Has No Plans for Aggression, Has Never Attacked Anyone In Its History, Kremlin Spokesman Says (— Ilya Tsukanov · Peskov · Sputnik)

    Feb 24, 2022 · Russian invasion of Ukraine (— various via Wikipedia)

    Plausible deniability or unactionability for a while, until exposed or otherwise unfeasible, just long enough.
    I guess there's no accountability for such lying, apart from distrust perhaps.
    (The domestic audience is a bit more puzzling.)
    In this case, all on Putin's watch.

    When       Putin
    1999—2000  (acting president)
    2000—2004  1st presidential term
    2004—2008  2nd presidential term
    2008—2012  (prime minister)
    2012—2018  3rd presidential term
    2018—2024  4th presidential term
    2024—      5th presidential term
    
  • Ukraine Crisis
    ↪Tzeentch
    , you've repeated that already and have already gotten responses. As to my comment, should I take that as a "Yes" + a "No", then?
  • Donald Trump (All Trump Conversations Here)
    ↪frank
    , globalization has already happened in whatever ways. Goods-versus-bads is apparently a hot topic in some circles. Blanket globophobia is a wee immature, though.

    ↪frank
    , nah. But the Kremlin is on it; age-old strategy. Distrust in Trump's US doesn't mean mutual distrust throughout (if that's what you were seeing); in fact, it can lead to increased cooperation/collaboration/bonding elsewhere.

    ↪NOS4A2
    , any relation to Michael?
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