Political Randomness

[Max Peck]

Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Denmark all seem like decent picks. At least people there seem happy, which is a good start.

[Blackhawk]

Nordic is definitely the way to go. Who'd have thought the vikings would end up being the most civilized?

[LawBeefaroni]

Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Denmark all seem like decent picks. At least people there seem happy, which is a good start.

Nordic is definitely the way to go. Who'd have thought the vikings would end up being the most civilized?

They're also pretty strict on who is allowed to immigrate. Homogeneity is no accident.

I wouldn't expect they'll take in a bunch of disillusioned Americans. Except those who bring a decent amount of money with them.

[Max Peck]

Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Denmark all seem like decent picks. At least people there seem happy, which is a good start.

Nordic is definitely the way to go. Who'd have thought the vikings would end up being the most civilized?

They're also pretty strict on who is allowed to immigrate. Homogeneity is no accident.

I wouldn't expect they'll take in a bunch of disillusioned Americans. Except those who bring a decent amount of money with them.

The topic at hand wasn't "Where to emigrate" It was:

I wonder what the sanest country is these days.

The Nordic countries rate very high in terms of "happiness" so I was speculating that might imply a certain amount of sanity, given that the least sane countries seem to be consumed with hate and anger.

[LawBeefaroni]

Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Denmark all seem like decent picks. At least people there seem happy, which is a good start.

Nordic is definitely the way to go. Who'd have thought the vikings would end up being the most civilized?

They're also pretty strict on who is allowed to immigrate. Homogeneity is no accident.

I wouldn't expect they'll take in a bunch of disillusioned Americans. Except those who bring a decent amount of money with them.

The topic at hand wasn't "Where to emigrate" It was:

I wonder what the sanest country is these days.

Ah. Ok. Damn page break mixed with my own assumptions.


Well, I'll still say thst homogeneity can contribute significantly to a nation's rank on the happiness scale. It doesn't make them better but certainly seems to correlate with the "happiness" measures.

[Isgrimnur]

Judge rules Arkansas law allowing criminal charges against librarians is unconstitutional

A federal judge on Monday struck down key parts of an Arkansas law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks found that elements of the law are unconstitutional.

“I respect the court’s ruling and will appeal,” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The law would have created a new process to challenge library materials and request that they be relocated to areas not accessible to children. The measure was signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2023, but an earlier ruling had temporarily blocked it from taking effect while it was being challenged in court.

[Carpet_pissr]

Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Denmark all seem like decent picks. At least people there seem happy, which is a good start.

Nordic is definitely the way to go. Who'd have thought the vikings would end up being the most civilized?

They're also pretty strict on who is allowed to immigrate. Homogeneity is no accident.

I wouldn't expect they'll take in a bunch of disillusioned Americans. Except those who bring a decent amount of money with them.

The topic at hand wasn't "Where to emigrate" It was:

I wonder what the sanest country is these days.

Ah. Ok. Damn page break mixed with my own assumptions.


Well, I'll still say thst homogeneity can contribute significantly to a nation's rank on the happiness scale. It doesn't make them better but certainly seems to correlate with the "happiness" measures.

According to recent data, immigrants and their descendants make up around 18% of the population in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden), with the majority of these individuals residing in Sweden; this figure includes both refugees and other migrant groups.

[Unagi]

Immigrants and their descendants seems to take the word 'immigrants' in a historic sense, not a more modern, 'immediate' sense.

[RM2]

In my opinion Bernie Sanders has been nailing it lately:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/sanders-pens ... 10949.html

[Daehawk]

So uhhh this idea that Trump wants to make Canada the 51st state. Can I move to Canada and help them build a wall on their southern border and keep my medicare benefits?

[El Guapo]

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lejyae6rc22n

What's the deal with sharing Bluesky links? Is there a way to do it so that it appears in the thread like Twitter links do (or used to)?

[Max Peck]

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lejyae6rc22n

What's the deal with sharing Bluesky links? Is there a way to do it so that it appears in the thread like Twitter links do (or used to)?

According to this, it's doable. It looks like it would require the admins to install the extension.

[Max Peck]

This isn't political news, but the obvious joke about foreshadowing the upcoming administration certainly is political...

Tesla cybertruck bursts into flames outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing one

A Tesla Cybertruck burst into flames Wednesday morning just outside the entrance of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, killing one person and injuring several others, according to local officials.

The Clark County Fire Department confirmed that it had responded to a vehicle fire in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel at approximately 8:40 a.m. local time.

In a news conference, Clark County Fire Department Deputy Chief Thomas Touchstone said that as first responders began to extinguish the fire, they "realized at the same time that there were multiple persons with injuries located around the vehicle."

Touchstone said seven people were injured, two of whom were transported to University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas.

Touchstone said officials are working to recover the body from the Cybertruck. Officials asked that the public stay away from the scene for the time being.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

[Alefroth]

Were the doors stuck shut?

edit: Sounds like it was more of an explosion than bursting into flames. Being investigated as a possible terror attack.

[Max Peck]

From what I've been seeing it appears that the vehicle was loaded up with fireworks. It feels more like a dumbass accident than an intentional attack, but I guess we'll see what we see if the investigation bears any fruit.

[Kraken]

My first thought was left-wing violence because of the symbolism of a Musk dumpster fire outside a trump property. But maybe it's really just an ironic accident.

[Max Peck]

The additional reporting I've seen indicates that the vehicle was loaded up with "mortar-style" fireworks and cannisters of camping fuel, so your first thought may well be more on the nose than mine was. Someone running around with a stupid amount of fireworks on New Year's Day is plausible, but it's hard to see any reason to be loaded up with explosives and fuel that isn't nefarious. If it was actually a badly-executed terrorist attack or something like that, at least the perp only managed to kill themself.

[Kraken]

Dying inside the vehicle points more toward a stupid accident than a wannabe terrorist IMO, unless the driver had a martyrdom wish. But the emerging data do seem to support the second hypothesis.

[Max Peck]

Wannabe terrorists can have stupid accidents too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Another possibility is that it was a suicide intended to make some sort of statement without causing too much collateral damage. As far as truck bombs go, it wasn't very effective since the force of the blast was directed upward rather than outward. That could either be by design or due to incompetence though. At any rate, it has apparently resulted in Leon bragging about the toughness of his Cybertruck.

Robert Evans had this to say:
https://bsky.app/profile/iwriteok.bsky. ... qksapqqc25

the culprits for both the Vegas and New Orleans attacks were GWOT-era veterans. this is a trend that will continue. we have millions of vets from a quarter century of careless war, a media ecosystem designed to break people's brains and an ever-rising cost-of-living. buckle up

also elon musk is hell bent on throwing a bunch of these guys off of disability so, y'know, keep an eye out for that

Although I have no idea where his information came from, and haven't seen any reporting that confirms it, I generally trust him enough that I wouldn't expect him to be this specific in characterizing the Vegas perp without some factual knowledge to back it up.

[LawBeefaroni]

Seveal sources have named the suspect. .

Daily Mail (yeah, i know) says he's an 19 year army vet who served 18 years in the special forces.

Also saw that he spent time in the same unit or at the same base (can't remember) as the New Orleans truck terrorist. Could just be coincidence.

For some with significant Army/Special Forces experience, he seemed to have a really poor understanding of how explosives work. But he gave us possibly the photo of the year:

[Isgrimnur]

From r/army:



The slow-motion video.

[LordMortis]

Went to share that photo nf FB and then deleted it before posting. I just can't come up with right words to justify posting the poignancy of something so horrible no matter how poignant it may be. Especially as I can't look at that and not see terrorism. But, wow, that hits the feelings strong.

[Max Peck]

Seveal sources have named the suspect. .

Daily Mail (yeah, i know) says he's an 19 year army vet who served 18 years in the special forces.

Yup, AP is now reporting information on him. Both of them served at Fort Bragg, but not at the same time. Also, while he was a combat veteran he wasn't a "vet" in the conventional sense since he was still on active duty as a Green Beret. Which invites the question of why he didn't build a better VBIED than a truck full of fireworks and camping fuel, assuming this was a deliberate action and not a weird accident after all.

The man who died in a Tesla Cybertruck explosion was an active-duty US Army Green Beret

The person who died when a Tesla Cybertruck packed with explosives burst into flames outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel was a highly decorated U.S. Army Green Beret who deployed twice to Afghanistan, officials said Thursday.

Two law enforcement officials identified the man inside the futuristic-looking pickup truck as Matthew Livelsberger. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the Army said in a statement. He had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor. Livelsberger was on approved leave when he died, according to the statement.

The FBI said Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday’s explosion but provided no other details.

[Holman]

I've seen nothing not already mentioned here, but the Cybertruck explosion really seems like a case of someone planning to head out to the desert for a fireworks extravaganza. If nothing else, a Green Beret would know there wasn't enough explosive power in those materials to do anything but damage the vehicle and its occupant.

Seems like maybe Tesla has claimed another victim?

[LawBeefaroni]

Presumably, Tesla would have camera footage that could possibly clarify intent/cayse. But if it is damning to Tesla we'll never see it.

[Holman]

Presumably, Tesla would have camera footage that could possibly clarify intent/cayse. But if it is damning to Tesla we'll never see it.

Musk was already out this morning claiming that anything less tough than a Cybertruck wouldn't have fully contained the explosion.

So Cybertruck actually saved lives, y'see?

EDIT: Well now the reporting is that he shot himself just before the explosion?

[Max Peck]

Yup.

Man shot himself in head before Cybertruck exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel, officials say

The highly decorated Army soldier inside the Tesla Cybertruck that burst into flames outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel shot himself in the head before the explosion and likely planned to cause more damage but the explosive was rudimentary and the steel-sided vehicle absorbed much of the force, officials said Thursday.

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that a handgun was found at the feet of the man, who officials believe is Matthew Livelsberger. Officials believe the shot was self-inflicted.

Damage from the blast was mostly limited to the interior of the truck. The blast “vented out and up” and didn’t hit the Trump hotel doors just a few feet away, the sheriff said.

“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience,” said Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge for the the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Among other charred items found inside the truck were a second firearm, a number of fireworks, passport, military ID, credit cards, an iPhone and a smartwatch, McMahill said. Authorities said both guns were purchased legally.

[Max Peck]

Went to share that photo nf FB and then deleted it before posting. I just can't come up with right words to justify posting the poignancy of something so horrible no matter how poignant it may be. Especially as I can't look at that and not see terrorism. But, wow, that hits the feelings strong.

Here's how you do it:



It's even aged just fine as more facts come out.

[Isgrimnur]

Government buys Grand Teton National Park land for $100 million to protect from developers

A portion of land within Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park has been sold to the federal government, which will prohibit private development.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon certified the sale of the state's so-called Kelly Parcel to the U.S. Department of Interior for $100 million on Friday.
...
Located within Grand Teton National Park, the Kelly Parcel stretches 640 acres through the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. It has been owned by the state of Wyoming since the state's establishment, but it's only been a part of the national park since 1950.

The Kelly Parcel is a state trust land, which means that assets from the land generate income for Wyoming public schools, as stated in the state's constitution. The parcel, according to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, currently obtained about $2,800 annual through various permits.

[Max Peck]

Will the federal government still prohibit private development of the land as of January 21?

[Isgrimnur]

“Pizzagate” gunman killed by Kannapolis police after he pulls gun on officer

According to police, a Kannapolis officer was patrolling North Cannon Boulevard about 10 p.m. when he saw a gray 2001 GMC Yukon being driven by a person the officer knew had and outstanding arrest warrant. The officer stopped the car, and while talking with the driver, recognized that the passenger was also someone with an outstanding warrant.

Two additional Kannapolis police officers arrived to help with the stop, and the original officer went around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door to arrest Edgar Maddison Welch of Salisbury.

When the officer opened the door, Welch pulled a handgun from his jacket and pointed it in the direction of the officer. That officer and a second officer who was standing at the rear passenger side of the Yukon gave commands for Welch to drop the gun. When he refused, both officers fired their duty weapon at Welch, striking him.
...
This was not the first time Welch had interactions with police. He pleaded guilty in March of 2017 to federal charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and transporting a firearm over state lines in the incident that has come to be known as “Pizzagate.” In 2016, Welch fired an AR-15 rifle inside a pizza restaurant in Washington, D.C., saying he was there to save children he believed were being held as part of a child abuse sex ring. His theory came from a baseless Internet rumor that the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria was the home of a Satanic child sex abuse ring involving top Democrats such as Hillary Clinton.

[Isgrimnur]

Texas governor orders state’s flags raised to full-staff for Trump’s inauguration

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Monday ordered the state’s flags be raised to full-staff on Inauguration Day, as President-elect Trump enters his second term in the White House.

The move disrupts the 30-day period of half-staff mourning issued by President Biden to honor the late President Carter. Biden ordered flags nationally to half-staff through sunset on Jan. 28. Abbott’s order would apply to all flags at the Texas Capitol and at state buildings on Jan. 20.

[GreenGoo]

How are federal orders applicable to state flags?

[Smoove_B]

States rights, brah.

Except when it comes to abortion. Guns regulation. Recreational cannabis. You get the idea.

[GreenGoo]

States rights, brah.

You misunderstand. How can the federal government make a state do anything with the state flag?

[Smoove_B]

It's against the federal flag code to fly a state flag above the American flag. So if Governor Dipshit keeps the American flag at half staff while elevating the TX flag higher, then...nothing will happen. Norms don't matter anymore. All that matters is stiggin' it.

[El Guapo]

States rights, brah.

You misunderstand. How can the federal government make a state do anything with the state flag?

I don't know, but I'm guessing that state flags as a matter of practice follow federal flag practices, even if they're not legally required to.

[stessier]

States rights, brah.

You misunderstand. How can the federal government make a state do anything with the state flag?

I think you know this, but he ordered the American flag to fly at half-staff, not the state flag.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, in honor and tribute to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr., and as an expression of public sorrow, do hereby direct that the flag of the United States be displayed at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions for a period of 30 days from the day of his death. I also direct that, for the same length of time, the representatives of the United States in foreign countries shall make similar arrangements for the display of the flag at half‑staff over their embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

If it ever went to court, I can't see how the President would win on any land that isn't federal.

[stessier]

It's against the federal flag code to fly a state flag above the American flag. So if Governor Dipshit keeps the American flag at half staff while elevating the TX flag higher, then...nothing will happen. Norms don't matter anymore. All that matters is stiggin' it.

The federal flag code is not legally enforceable unless I missed something.

[Smoove_B]

The federal flag code is not legally enforceable unless I missed something.

Nope. Which is why I said nothing will happen. I say this as someone that lives next door to a MAGA family that is currently flying an American flag at full-staff. Also at night, completely dark. Because this is AMERICA and our flag is performative jewelry for many people.