Political Randomness

[Paingod]

Just a town halls are a bad idea for federal level politicians.

Public accountability and listening to the people who voted for you at the state level (the people you're supposed to be representing) isn't a bad idea. Nobody's suggesting positions like "FBI Director" should attend state meetings to discuss his policies.

[LordMortis]

That the primary motivation for the killing was an argument and being a racist piece of shit was just a mitigating factor and not the motivating one. But in the end far more details about the incident are needed than is available publicly.

I have a disconnect there. I don't understand how being a violent racist piece of shit acting with the motivation of "get out of my country" isn't terrorism. His racism is political, a search for institutionalization, (as much as were SB and Miami and Boston) and by its nature aimed "to intimidate or coerce a civilian population". Although, it may come out later he had a thing against the company or those two people, in particular. However, we weren't afraid to label these other acts as terrorism before the jury was in. I guess that's the dumb question part. To me it looks like skin color is literally the only think that separates the quick labeling, which seems odd from a media that seems so invested in immigration "it's not a" ban for terrorism purposes.

[Isgrimnur]

(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping;

The short version: He is not politically active.

(i) He's not attempting to intimidate or coerce a population. He has no manifesto, website, Twitch channel, etc.
(ii) He's not attempting to intimidate or coerce government officials.
(iii) His actions do not rise to the level of mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.

A racist murderer can be a racist murderer. Until he's deliberately attempting to influence public life or policy, he's not a terrorist.

[Rip]

(i've just always wanted to use that one)

I was expecting.

[Captain Caveman]

https://twitter.com/Behind__News/status ... 5420987392

I'm getting really sick of this shit. My daughter goes to a Jewish daycare.

[LordMortis]

(i) He's not attempting to intimidate or coerce a population.

I'm missing how it's not this. That's where my disconnect lies.

A racist murderer can be a racist murderer.

Agreed

Until he's deliberately attempting to influence public life or policy, he's not a terrorist

Murdering by racial profile with "Get out of my country" sounds like a politically active call to arms to me. I'm having a very hard time divorcing myself from this. Does terrorism have to be organized? If so, then why were we so quick to label the other actions as terrorist?

[LordMortis]

https://twitter.com/Behind__News/status ... 5420987392

I'm getting really sick of this shit. My daughter goes to a Jewish daycare.

Add Ann Arbor to that.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/hebr ... omb-threat

[Rip]

(i) He's not attempting to intimidate or coerce a population.

I'm missing how it's not this. That's where my disconnect lies.

A racist murderer can be a racist murderer.

Agreed

Until he's deliberately attempting to influence public life or policy, he's not a terrorist

Murdering by racial profile with "Get out of my country" sounds like a politically active call to arms to me. I'm having a very hard time divorcing myself from this. Does terrorism have to be organized? If so, then why were we so quick to label the other actions as terrorist?

He didn't go there as far as we know to randomly kill people. He went there and happened to get in an argument with people he was prejudiced against and shot them. Unless it is shown he went to the bar with the intention of finding some people of an ethnicity he didn't like to kill them it is hard to call it terrorism.

Of course the substance of the argument could push it one direction or the other but I haven't seen anything that discloses what they argued about or details about how it escalated.

[Paingod]

I'm fine with the Kansas incident being a Hate Crime; that steps up the penalty. It's not terrorism by my definition. Terrorism, to me, is an attack without a specific target that's designed to inspire fear or push a particular agenda. This guy just had himself a nasty grudge against these other guys. Very specific, very non-political.

[El Guapo]

https://twitter.com/Behind__News/status ... 5420987392

I'm getting really sick of this shit. My daughter goes to a Jewish daycare.

Yeah, it's awesome because my daughter goes to a Jewish day school, and my kids are both going to a JCC camp for part of the summer.

[NickAragua]

https://twitter.com/Behind__News/status ... 5420987392

I'm getting really sick of this shit. My daughter goes to a Jewish daycare.

Yeah, it's awesome because my daughter goes to a Jewish day school, and my kids are both going to a JCC camp for part of the summer.

I believe the classic Republican solution to this problem calls for equipping your children with firearms. Preferably automatic.

[ImLawBoy]

https://twitter.com/Behind__News/status ... 5420987392

I'm getting really sick of this shit. My daughter goes to a Jewish daycare.

Yeah, it's awesome because my daughter goes to a Jewish day school, and my kids are both going to a JCC camp for part of the summer.

We're considering a Jewish special needs day school for my oldest (you don't need to be Jewish to attend), and it's affiliated with a larger Jewish school (K-6, I believe).

I'm sure these threats are totally unrelated to having a white supremacist as our virtual president, though.

[Defiant]

I'm sure these threats are totally unrelated to having a white supremacist as our virtual president, though.

While I certainly think that it's a likely factor, given the pattern of increase since the election, it's also important to keep in mind that there was plenty before Trump entered the scene (eg 58% of religious motivated hate crimes in 2014 were targeted against Jews).

[Holman]

1) Jewish Americans are adjusting to the new normal of sending their kids off to be bomb-threatened.

2) Indian-Americans are in mourning and telling their relatives not to come to America.

3) Trump: "Did you see how many votes I got? In November? The biggest votes!"

[Paingod]

I just wanted to drop this here and walk off. The timestamp starts right where I lost it, also her face when he says this...

[Defiant]

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is looking for a new office location in Tampa after the owner of his current space decided not to renew his lease because of constant disruptions from protesters.

link

[Max Peck]

Like Trump, Putin is a jobs creator.

Sweden brings back military conscription amid Baltic tensions

The Swedish government has decided to reintroduce military conscription - a move backed by the country's MPs.

The decision means that 4,000 men and women will be called up for service from 1 January 2018, a defence ministry spokeswoman told the BBC.

They will be selected from about 13,000 young people born in 1999, who will be asked to undergo a military assessment, Marinette Nyh Radebo said.

[Max Peck]

You'll be happy to know that America remains safe from radical Tibetan football hooligans.

A Tibetan women's football team has claimed that they have been denied United States visas to take part in a tournament in Texas.

They say they were told they had "no good reason" to visit the US.

Most of the players are Tibetan refugees living in India, and had applied at the US embassy in Delhi.

US President Donald Trump has imposed a travel ban (now frozen) on nationals from seven countries, but neither India or China is on the list.

Tibet, a remote and mainly-Buddhist territory known as the "roof of the world", is governed as an autonomous region of China.

Cassie Childers, the executive director of Tibet Women's Soccer and a US citizen, told the BBC that she had accompanied the group of 16 players for interviews at the embassy on 24 February.

I wonder if someone is doing Xi a solid, in return for a little something-something on the side.

[Moliere]

You'll be happy to know that America remains safe from radical Tibetan football hooligans.

A Tibetan women's football team has claimed that they have been denied United States visas to take part in a tournament in Texas.

They say they were told they had "no good reason" to visit the US.

Most of the players are Tibetan refugees living in India, and had applied at the US embassy in Delhi.

US President Donald Trump has imposed a travel ban (now frozen) on nationals from seven countries, but neither India or China is on the list.

Tibet, a remote and mainly-Buddhist territory known as the "roof of the world", is governed as an autonomous region of China.

Cassie Childers, the executive director of Tibet Women's Soccer and a US citizen, told the BBC that she had accompanied the group of 16 players for interviews at the embassy on 24 February.

I wonder if someone is doing Xi a solid, in return for a little something-something on the side.

The "no good reason" is because no one watches women's sports.

[Max Peck]

Mubarak is a free man.

Egypt's top appeals court issued a final ruling Thursday that effectively acquits former President Hosni Mubarak on charges of killing protesters during the 2011 uprising that ended his nearly three-decade reign.

The Court of Cassation rejected an appeal by prosecutors, allowing an acquittal verdict from 2014 to stand. The judge also rejected a civil petition for compensation from families of some of the hundreds of protesters killed during the 18-day Arab Spring uprising.

Mubarak and his interior minister, Habib al-Adly, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2012 on charges of failing to protect the lives of demonstrators, but another court threw out the verdict two years later, citing technical flaws in the prosecution.

The ailing 88-year-old Mubarak was flown by helicopter to the courtroom from the Cairo military hospital where he has resided for most of the last six years, and where he served a three-year sentence for corruption charges in a separate case.

He sat in a wheelchair in the defendant's cage during the hearing. When the charges against him were read out, he responded: "It did not happen." Later he exchanged smiles and winks with a dozen or so supporters in the courtroom, including his two sons - Gamal, who was once groomed to succeed him, and Alaa.

Mubarak does not face any other charges and is technically free to go, but it was unclear whether he would leave the hospital, where he has been under informal house arrest in recent years.

Mubarak and figures from his government were widely vilified in the months after the uprising, but many have gradually returned to public life since 2013, when the military overthrew his freely elected successor, the Islamist Mohammed Morsi, after a divisive year in power.

[Holman]

Pew poll: Views about what is important for a strong democracy.



What. The. Living. Fuck??

[Hipolito]

I just wanted to drop this here and walk off. The timestamp starts right where I lost it, also her face when he says this...

Whoa, that's what Kennedy's doing these days?! I had no idea.

[Skinypupy]

Pew poll: Views about what is important for a strong democracy.



What. The. Living. Fuck??

It's sorely disappointing (but not surprising) that every one of those dots - in either color - isn't pegged all the way to the right.

[Max Peck]

There’s no such thing as ‘limited’ nuclear war

Last month, it was revealed that a Pentagon advisory committee authored a report calling for the United States to invest in new nuclear weapons and consider resuming nuclear testing. The report even suggested researching less-powerful nuclear weapons that could be deployed without resorting to full-scale nuclear war. This is terrifying and deserves a swift, full-throated rebuke.

The report comes from the Defense Science Board, a committee made up of civilian experts. The board recommended “a more flexible nuclear enterprise that could produce, if needed, a rapid, tailored nuclear option for limited use.”

Let me be crystal clear: There is no such thing as “limited use” nuclear weapons, and for a Pentagon advisory board to promote their development is absolutely unacceptable. This is even more problematic given President Trump’s comments in support of a nuclear arms race.

As Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work testified in 2015, “Anyone who thinks they can control escalation through the use of nuclear weapons is literally playing with fire. Escalation is escalation, and nuclear use would be the ultimate escalation.”

Nuclear weapons present us with a paradox: We spend billions of dollars building and maintaining them in the hope that we never have to use them. The sole purpose of nuclear weapons must be to deter their use by others. Designing new low-yield nuclear weapons for limited strikes dangerously lowers the threshold for their use. Such a recommendation undermines the stability created by deterrence, thereby increasing the likelihood of sparking an unwinnable nuclear war.

[Kraken]

Huh. I thought tactical battlefield nukes had been a thing for a long time.

[Rip]

I can't speak for ground action but in naval warfare they are indeed a very legitimate weapon. Only a fool wouldn't have a few in their potential arsenal. It isn't like you have to build special platforms for them. Just an optional warhead for missiles and planes you already have.

[Max Peck]

Huh. I thought tactical battlefield nukes had been a thing for a long time.

The article states that as part of the argument about why you don't need to build more of them. She's not arguing against the ones in the existing stockpile, but rather against designing, testing and building new ones, as well as against adopting a doctrine that low-yield nuclear weapons could be used in a non-escalatory manner.

[LordMortis]

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-ameri ... ot-n729161

I remember loving my country. I liked life much better then. I need to get away from the news. This mass emboldening of impotent insanity made potent by a gun needs to stop and I have no idea how it's going to. How can these so called people believe they are the good guys?

[Isgrimnur]

Much like the people in the mid-20th century, they're convinced that their group deserves to be in charge, and every other group is screwing it up for them.

[Holman]

Conspiracy theory question:

I just stumbled on someone ranting online about protesters being funded by George Soros. He was talking specifically about the huge Jan 21 protests, which even the most conservative estimates put at 3.5 million nationwide. The claim is that a significant number of the protesters were somehow bought by Soros, and the "proof" is that Soros can easily afford to fund huge crowds of treasonous subversives.

But how, even in the mind of true believers, is this supposed to work?

Were, say, half the protesters just paid actors? That's close to two million, and there's no way to keep a secret with that many people (plus all their partners and friends, many of whom might not be utterly Soros-loyal) involved. Claiming that all of the protesters were paid is plainly ridiculous, but every notch you raise the premise makes security and secrecy all the more impossible.

Was it a smaller number, then? I suppose I can imagine up to a few thousand die-hards keeping disciplined silence, but in that case the paid protesters are utterly insignificant compared to the real ones. They're a drop in the crowd, and they make no difference. With them or without them, the protest is what it is.

I sometimes see an alternative theory that it's just the smaller town hall protesters who are paid. That has the virtue of being mathematically more plausible, but then there's the question of why a couple hundred local protesters can't be legit when millions turned out nationally.

Conspiracies are usually simple idiocy, but this one has even elected officials nodding to it. Seriously, WTF?

[Max Peck]

I suppose I can imagine up to a few thousand die-hards keeping disciplined silence

Even that doesn't hold up. If they were "die-hards" then it wouldn't be necessary to pay them to show up in the first place.

[RunningMn9]

stuff

This is why I was pleading with people that hadn't made up their minds or that were simply anti-Clinton to please understand what this piece of shit was going to do to this country as he emboldened certain elements that supported him.

[Smoove_B]

I didn't think the implication was that Soros was paying individuals. Instead, he was funding "agitators" or "community organizers" (like that former secret Muslin President) that are skilled at tricking and manipulating liberals into gathering in large numbers. So all the protestors are real, but their angst is theater after being whipped into a frenzy by paid operatives.

[Holman]

Just had a flashback to when we thought Sarah Palin was the craziest and most dangerous thing in American politics.

[Remus West]

Just had a flashback to when we thought Sarah Palin was the craziest and most dangerous thing in American politics.

I never thought she was crazy or dangerous. Just stupid.

[Captain Caveman]

Ben Carson describes slaves as immigrants, who came to America dreaming of prosperity for their children.

https://twitter.com/SteveKopack/status/ ... 5445833728

[Jaymann]

Ben Carson describes slaves as immigrants, who came to America dreaming of prosperity for their children.

Rats?

[El Guapo]

I mean, slaves *were* immigrants - immigrants who had no choice or input into the matter.

[Holman]

But white people wanted slaves here. Therefore, by Trumpian logic, they could not have been immigrants.

EDIT: Oh, man. I did not see the quote until now:

“That’s what America is about,” Carson said. “A land of dreams and opportunity. There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less. But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great grandsons, great granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.”

[gilraen]

We can blame the Prince of Bavaria for Trump...