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Journal by fustakrakich

Watch them wrassle a pair of siamese elephants

Still too close to call...

QOTD:

...Gabbard won by not being there. The dog and pony show conducted by corporate news has adult political aspirants panting like sixth graders for teachers attention. Demeaning to all involved.

Extremely so... Looked like they were begging permission to go to the bathroom.

This has to be part of the Trump campaign. He has them doing a Keystone Cops routine, shooting at each other. What a scene!

Big 501(c) scam, all of this

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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:15PM (54 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:15PM (#960815)

    I always find it amusing how when you make criticism of the right the response from people on the right is pretty even handed. You make good points and they are worth consideration. Yet the response from people on the left is to "REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" and accuse you of being a Russian.

    The intelligent people on this site on the left going full insane in this way has more than anything else shifted me to the right, when formerly I would have voted Democrat.

    Starting Score:    0  points
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    Extra 'Troll' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   -1  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:33PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:33PM (#960822)

    You are not fooling anyone, fustakrakich. We know it's you.

  • (Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:35PM (18 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:35PM (#960824)

    You aren't fooling anyone, fustakrakich. We know it's you.

    • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday February 22 2020, @02:48AM (17 children)

      by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Saturday February 22 2020, @02:48AM (#960914) Homepage Journal

      A) Wrong.
      B) Spam.

      --
      My rights don't end where your fear begins.
      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @09:54AM (16 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @09:54AM (#960982)

        The parent comment was a double post, but that could be an honest mistake if the first comment didn't appear on the page right away. The spam mod is a bit harsh. However, I'm more concerned about you stating that it's incorrect.

        There's only one way to know that it's incorrect. That is by using your admin access to see if the comments were posted by the same IP address, then reporting this information in your comment. There are two possibilities here:

        1) You didn't check to see if the AC had the same IP as fustrakrakich and you are just making things up. If so, you're trolling and behaving unprofessionally by stating something authoritatively. Everyone knows that you have admin access and such behavior is unbecoming of an admin of this site. Even if you didn't actually check the IP addresses of the comments or chose to provide false information, your comment has the appearance of providing authoritative information about whether the comments were posted from the same IP.

        2) You did look to see if the comments were posted by the same IP address. Even though the IP addresses are hashed, you have the ability to check if they are identical. I believe this possibility is likely, that you checked to see if the hashed IP addresses were the same, then reported back in your comment. SoylentNews has an embarrassingly vague privacy policy [soylentnews.org] but it does state the following:

        No personal data held by the site will be shared, sold or otherwise distributed outside of the site with the exception of demands supported by the appropriate legal documentation served upon the Board.

        Personal data shall be held by the site for the minimum time necessary, and efforts should be made to anonymize or encrypt such data wherever possible.

        This is quite ambiguous and horribly written but appears to mean that personal information won't be provided to any third party, no one except those with administrator privileges, unless served with legal documents requiring that such access be shared. The AC's comment isn't legal documentation, yet you may have shared information about whether the AC post was made from the same IP as the logged-in user. If so, that appears to violate even SoylentNews' horribly vague excuse for a privacy policy. It also violates the reasonable expectations of privacy described at the beginning:

        It is the policy of SoylentNews, in as much as is reasonably possible, to retain the least amount of personally identifiable information about the community's members. Certain items are necessary in the conduction of the site's operation. These include, but are not necessarily restricted to: e-mail address and IP address [what else?]. Reasonable and customary steps are taken to protect that information.

        It is reasonable to expect that administrators won't blurt out whether or not logged-in users posted certain AC comments. The IP address logging may be needed in order for IP bans to function. However, it is inappropriate for administrators to share that information publicly or appear to do so. It undermines confidence in the expectation that SoylentNews will respect the privacy of users and quite possibly directly violates the privacy policy.

        I am calling for you to resign your administrator privileges from SoylentNews. If you won't do so, then it's time for the other staff to revoke your privileges. It's also an absolute embarrassment that SoylentNews doesn't have a proper privacy policy. The editors would gladly post articles harshly criticizing other sites for poorly-defined privacy practices, yet you're guilty of exactly that. It is hypocritical and embarrassing.

        1) Fire The Mighty Buzzard
        2) Get a real privacy policy

        • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:58PM (1 child)

          by fustakrakich (6150) on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:58PM (#961084) Journal

          It's ok. I checked the IP address. It wasn't me. But don't take my word for it. To tell the truth, I wouldn't say one way or the other, I find all your wild speculation far more interesting and entertaining. So, by all means, knock yourselves out!

          You should know better than to stick your nose into a steaming heap...

          --
          La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @12:42AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @12:42AM (#961232)

            It's ok. I checked the IP address. It wasn't me.

            Considering you are the one who stands accused, why should I take your word on this?

            But don't take my word for it.

            Well, I wasn't planning on it, but thanks for giving us your permission anyway.

            You should know better than to stick your nose into a steaming heap...

            Yuh-huh. So, you were saying?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @06:48PM (6 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @06:48PM (#961107)

          TMB is a fascist admin using abusing his position to get people banned for trivial shit. Just another example of the alt-right proving what they are. It is an on-going problem that has driven many good users away.

          All users should wake up to this reality. It often gets swept under the rug as "honest mistake" or "minor overreaction" as things continue as "normal" with the bigots spewing their hatred without a problem, with the propagandists posting the same comments over and over.

          This place has a great user base overall, but it is being controlled by rightwing fascists who use false claims of freedom and openness to promote themselves. It is how fascism works, sneaking up with innocent sounding rules they can hide behind. Aristarchus has been pointing it out for a very long time, and we've seen so many alt-right clickbait stories filter through over the years while none of Aristarchus' 100% valid and pertinent to tech submissions are ever accepted. I think maybe once or twice in an attempt to shut him up and have an example they can point to and say "nuh uh we're totally not fascist we published that story there."

          It is a sad state of affairs, SN mimics the US. A pretense of freedom corrupted by rightwing assholes still bitter about the Civil War.

          • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday February 23 2020, @01:02AM (5 children)

            by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Sunday February 23 2020, @01:02AM (#961239) Homepage Journal

            Someone got banned for anything other than spamming? Bzzzzt! Wrong! Care to lie^Wtry again?

            --
            My rights don't end where your fear begins.
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @09:37PM (4 children)

              by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @09:37PM (#961570)

              That is the problem with fascists, they use the cover of law when convenient to maintain their pretense. As I said, SN is a microcosm of all the problems in the US. A "community" site which is owned by a private corporation, has a select group of users controlling the narratives, and allows an admin to frequently abuse his position. For someone who claims to not care you sure go through a lot of trouble with your petty attempts at banning people.

              • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 24 2020, @06:09AM

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 24 2020, @06:09AM (#961737)

                fascis.ts fascist5 fasc/ists .fascists .fascists fascists fascists/ fascists fascists /fascists fascists fascists fascists fascists fascist.s f.ascists fasc.ists/ fascists. fascis/ts fascists fa..scist5 fascists fas/cists fascists fasci.s.ts fa/scists. fasci.st5 fascists fa.scist5 fascists fascists fascist5 fascists fas.cists fascists fasc/.ists fascist5 fascist5 f/.ascis.ts f.ascists f.ascists fascists fas.cists fascis/t5 fascists fascists/ fascists fascists fascists fascists fa.scists fascist5 f.ascist5 fasci.sts fascists fascists fascists. fascist5 fascists fascists fascis.ts fascists fascists fasc/ists. .fasc.ists fascists fascists fa.scists f/ascists /

                That is cathartic. I want Trump to win the election in 2020 just to see what you weirdos do about it. Reclaim your cuntry from the fackcysts.

              • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday February 24 2020, @12:21PM (2 children)

                by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Monday February 24 2020, @12:21PM (#961792) Homepage Journal

                Name one user that's been banned. Go ahead, I'll wait. Yeah, that's what I thought. You know why? Because nobody but spammers have ever been banned. Not ordinary users who got the occasional spam mod but actual spammers. Yeah, nobody. As in zero people. Lie some more.

                --
                My rights don't end where your fear begins.
        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday February 23 2020, @01:00AM (6 children)

          by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Sunday February 23 2020, @01:00AM (#961237) Homepage Journal

          I stated a negative identity not a positive. I'm also happy to report it was not Richard Nixon, Santa, or Keith Richards. Do try and not make arguments that are so blatantly ridiculous in the future.

          --
          My rights don't end where your fear begins.
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @01:11AM (5 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @01:11AM (#961244)

            Get a real privacy policy, then follow it. The fact is, you abused your power, and it's not the first time. It's time for SoylentNews to step up and remove your administrative privileges.

            • (Score: 4, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday February 23 2020, @03:05AM (4 children)

              by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Sunday February 23 2020, @03:05AM (#961273) Homepage Journal

              We're in no need of detailed rules telling us how not to be assholes in regards to anyone's privacy, thanks. Do feel free to keep ranting on about how saying an AC was not a specific registered user is a horrible violation of someone's privacy though. One of these days there's a very minute chance you might figure out something that isn't completely absurd and I'll not do it again.

              --
              My rights don't end where your fear begins.
              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @03:45AM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @03:45AM (#961287)

                If you don't think a privacy policy is necessary, then this site has lost all credibility in calling out anyone for violating people's privacy. Don't post anything about data breaches or how social media companies and Google don't respect privacy. You don't respect privacy, something that's very apparent here. The reason you oppose a document pledging not to act like assholes is because you want the ability to act like assholes when it suits your purpose. SoylentNews isn't some benevolent organization, but a corporation that has issued shares of stock. From what I'm seeing, there are plenty of reasons to question whether SoylentNews really is acting in the public benefit.

                • (Score: 3, Informative) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday February 23 2020, @02:12PM

                  by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Sunday February 23 2020, @02:12PM (#961394) Homepage Journal

                  Ha! Hahahahahahaha! Yeah, we issued shares of stock. To the two guys who footed the thousands of dollars each necessary to get us up and running, because they didn't want us having to use site funds to pay them back instead of for the site. Since they're also the only two board members at the moment, there's exactly zero extra power granted by said stock. And neither of them can sell a single share of said stock unless both of them agree.

                  --
                  My rights don't end where your fear begins.
              • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @04:10AM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @04:10AM (#961291)

                One other thing... Actually, you do need a privacy policy. At a minimum, you are certainly in violation of California law [wikipedia.org] and quite possibly in violation of other states' laws as well. Just because you're incorporated in Delaware does not mean you can't be sued under California laws. The law does apply to you because your website is accessible to residents of California. And your privacy policy isn't conspicuously posted, which is in violation of the law.

                • (Score: 3, Informative) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday February 23 2020, @02:53PM

                  by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Sunday February 23 2020, @02:53PM (#961397) Homepage Journal

                  Now that's useful information. Gracias.

                  Now to comply with that law we could put "Privacy Policy: We don't track anyone except on this site, so DNT requests aren't relevant and are ignored. We don't collect any personally identifiable information from you except your email address, which you can change at any time, never has to be real in the first place, is only used to contact you if necessary, and we share with nobody." in the footer and be covered by that law. Which I just did until something a bit shinier can be worked up.

                  --
                  My rights don't end where your fear begins.
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:39PM (31 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:39PM (#960828)

    More shilldom with the tired attempt of "I'd be a Democrat if it wasn't for all those angry people."

    I too vote with my feelz over realz, I mean who cares about policies or corruption anyway? We should all vote Trump to ensure maximum, uh, WTF is your point?

    His name was Walter Sobchak, his name was Walter Sobchak

    You MAGA morons are just too much with your gas-lighting projection. I wonder if you realize how badly you're mocked by Rick and Morty. Well, everyone is mocked, but you seem like the type to go around saying "You gotta have 185 IQ to get R&M!"

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:51PM (28 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:51PM (#960831)

      As always if you want to fight corruption you would vote third party like I and many others do. There isn't anyone running from either of the two big parties who isn't corrupt. The disgusting thing about your partisanship is you only see the corruption on the other side. I said I was pushed to the right, not that I was going to vote for Trump. I didn't before and I am not going to now.

      Vote your conviction and not your fears, or we will never break from the two party system. Every vote for one of the current candidates from either party is a vote to further degrade our system.

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @10:10PM (27 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @10:10PM (#960854)

        Ah, now the "vote 3rd party they're all corrupt" method of trying to get voters to disenfranchise themselves!

        If you're not voting Sanders or Warren then you're one of few options

        a) selfish with a helping of evil
        b) stupid with a lot of brainwashing
        c) not totally stupid with a LOT of brainwashing

        Just boggles the mind how "Americans" don't see the clear fascism on display between Trump and Fox. Now the MSM is joining the anti-Bernie fight across the board because their previous tactics aren't working so well. I am a bit shocked to see the dirty tactics here, as others have tried to claim "SN is so small who would bother targeting us." Maybe you're just conservative trolls copying the tactics of the propaganda big boys, who really cares at this point? Stupid for a reason, or just plain stupid doesn't much matter.

        • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @10:47PM (4 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @10:47PM (#960859)

          Ah! Here come the arsonists to rescue us from the fire!

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @11:45PM (3 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @11:45PM (#960869)

            Very helpful addition to the conversation. Never anything useful, just whinging and stating the obvious "vote in someone better."

            Never addressing the fire burning up the country this very second, or the swamp being drained into every aspect of life polluting society and the environment.

            It really sucks having to keep swatting you flies, but I guess that is part of your point! Make everyone so tired of the bullshit arguments they just check out. Sorry, but no matter how much you kick up dust on a message board it won't stop my vote.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @12:05AM (2 children)

              by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @12:05AM (#960872)

              You are the match, the gas, and the log fueling the fire. And your camera truck is parked on the hose... Do your part and get out of the way!

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @03:24AM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @03:24AM (#960921)

                You are the match, the gas, and the log fueling the fire.

                I am rubber. You are glue. Anything you say bounces off of me and sticks to you!

                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @03:57AM

                  by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @03:57AM (#960927)

                  Ah, so you're the burning tire... You are the primitives burning the country down

        • (Score: 5, Interesting) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday February 22 2020, @01:52AM (18 children)

          by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Saturday February 22 2020, @01:52AM (#960897) Journal

          Frightening as hell isn't it? I've had a similar revelation as of a few months ago, that Sanders and to a lesser extent Warren are the only actual pre-Clinton (as in, pre-1996) Democrats in the room; the others are various kinds of Reaganite. And yes, at this point, a vote for anyone but either Sanders or Warren *is* willful, deliberate evil. Hanlon's Razor ("do not attribute to malice what can be explained by ignorance/stupidity) has long since lost its edge in the context of politics.

          Thank you for saying this outright. More people need to hear it. We are out of time, maybe have been out of time for years already...

          --
          I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @02:16AM (4 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @02:16AM (#960905)

            a vote for anyone but either Sanders or Warren *is* willful, deliberate evil.

            Frightening indeed! This is the wacky bullshit that makes us cringe and run away

            • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:39AM (3 children)

              by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:39AM (#960951) Journal

              Door, ass, etc.

              --
              I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:53AM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:53AM (#960956)

                :-) That's how Trump wins. You just keep hemorrhaging more votes with your bad attitude.

                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @09:39PM

                  by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @09:39PM (#961571)

                  *You're not the votes we're looking for* /hand_wave

                  Move along cretin, move along.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 24 2020, @07:17PM

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 24 2020, @07:17PM (#961941)

                Buddy, by the end of the year I'll be in Canada if I have any luck at all. If not, and Sanders or Warren are not the nominee, they are getting written in.

                Pot, kettle, etc.

          • (Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @02:44AM (3 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @02:44AM (#960911)

            > And yes, at this point, a vote for anyone but either Sanders or Warren *is* willful, deliberate evil.

            Translation: "I will be voting for Hillary by the end of the year."

            • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:41AM (2 children)

              by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:41AM (#960952) Journal

              Buddy, by the end of the year I'll be in Canada if I have any luck at all. If not, and Sanders or Warren are not the nominee, they are getting written in.

              --
              I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @06:23AM

                by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @06:23AM (#960962)

                Why would they want you swimming across the border to their country?

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @09:07AM

                by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @09:07AM (#960977)

                Yes, we know. You are going to the land of blackface to sell poison as directed by US big pharma.

          • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:16AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:16AM (#960946)

            Frightening as hell isn't it? I've had a similar revelation as of a few months ago, that Sanders and to a lesser extent Warren are the only actual pre-Clinton (as in, pre-1996) Democrats in the room

            To a lesser extent... That's funny. Pre-1996, Pocahontas was a Republican (and the first Woman of Color at Harvard Law School, according to the Fordham Law Review).

          • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @10:19AM (7 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @10:19AM (#960987)

            Your comment is not helpful. It's a common divisive tactic to claim that those who disagree with you are not acting in what they believe is the best interests of the country. Suggesting that those who support other candidates are working against the best interests of the country is a statement that calls democracy into question. While I don't believe that your intent is to spread Russian propaganda and trolling, the sentiment expressed in your post is consistent with the objectives of Russian meddling in our elections. And Russian trolls have been exploiting a perceived unfairness against Sanders in the primaries to undermine confidence in the American democracy.

            You've said that Sanders is a centrist. On the scale of political positions outside of the United States, this is a reasonably fair statement. However, the overall content of your post is saying that voting for anyone right of center is a deliberate act of malice. That is ridiculous an unhelpful. You're effectively saying that anyone who disagrees with your politics is engaging in deliberate evil. That is needlessly divisive and harmful.

            I think it's fair to point out that American politics have taken a hard turn to the right over the past 30 years. Reagan and Bush 41 were relatively moderate compared to the present day Republicans. For example, they were far more willing to support environmental laws like the Montreal Protocol than current Republicans. Republicans have moved to the right and Democrats have made a bigger move to the right so that there is little difference between the parties. The problem is that politics are controlled mostly by tribalism, which works because people believe there are significant differences between the two parties when, in fact, the differences are very small. However, this is because of the ignorance of the electorate rather than deliberate evil by the voters.

            The DNC has done itself no favors by changing the debate rules to accommodate Bloomberg after he donated to the DNC and one of the PACs. At a minimum, it is an apparent conflict of interest that undermines the perception of fairness. The DNC leadership needs to be ousted over this. I actually do understand your frustration with the Democrats but your conclusion is not helpful. I agree that people need to wake up and see what has happened to American politics. The problem is that voters are ignorant rather than acting with deliberate malice.

            • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:52PM (6 children)

              by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Saturday February 22 2020, @05:52PM (#961079) Journal

              One more time: there comes a time when Hanlon's Razor loses its edge. Sorry if my tone...or the truth...bothers you, but there it is. We're out of time, maybe have *been* out of time since the mid-Clinton administration for all I know. We took the wrong leg of the trousers of time when Ford pardoned Nixon.

              --
              I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
              • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday February 22 2020, @06:35PM

                by fustakrakich (6150) on Saturday February 22 2020, @06:35PM (#961101) Journal

                Out of time for what?

                We took the wrong leg of the trousers of time when Ford pardoned Nixon.

                They lit that fuse when they nominated Humphrey, the official end of whatever scraps of liberalism existed within the DNC, marking a very prosperous relationship with the GOP. The merger may become official with Bloomberg. He is very juiced in on both sides, making for them, a palatable replacement for Trump. Then, maybe, possibly, a viable opposition will emerge, in maybe 500 years or so.

                --
                La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
              • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @08:08PM (4 children)

                by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @08:08PM (#961146)

                You're better than this. Tyranny is able to exist when the people are unwilling or unable to come together to stop it. So long as the people are divided, the descent into tyranny will continue. Keeping people divided is an effective strategy for seizing control. Both parties have been doing this for far longer than you're willing to say.

                FDR railed against the courts and devised a plan to pack the Supreme Court with judges who would be favorable to him. Republican obstructionism to fill the courts with far right judges is the result of decades of both parties trying to turn the courts in their favor. Almost a century later, the right is still trying to roll back the New Deal. Then there's the interventionism from both parties accelerated at the end of World War II and allowed for the birth of the military-industrial complex. Congress has been ceding its powers to the executive for at least a century. Most of the control over borrowing was given to the executive branch under Wilson as a matter of practicality during World War I and never reclaimed by Congress. Since then, power has gradually been transferred from the legislative branch to the executive branch, centralizing far too much power with the wrong branch of government. If we held American presidents to the same standards as the Nazis, every president from Truman onward would have been tried for war crimes and convicted. Plenty of other high ranking officials like Cheney and Kissinger would also have been convicted and held accountable for war crimes.

                This... started way before Ford pardoned Nixon. Way before then.

                And it will continue as long as the people remain divided, pretending that Republicans and Democrats are on opposite sides. Keeping the people divided ensures that they won't be an impediment to the descent into tyranny. The issue isn't that half the population or more is evil. The issue is that most Americans are blinded to what's really happening and are content to engage in petty partisan squabbling. The two parties are not significantly different from each other, not enough to make a difference and turn things around. And as long as the people are divided, believing their fellow people are evil, there is nothing to make us turn back.

                WAKE UP!

                • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday February 23 2020, @08:37AM (3 children)

                  by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Sunday February 23 2020, @08:37AM (#961345) Journal

                  And you don't think Sanders is horribly disruptive to the corporate Democrats? I'm sure they'd assassinate him if they could. Remember how Ocasio-Cortes made the point that she and Biden, in a parliamentary system, wouldn't be in the same party? Sanders has the corrupt Dems in a bind.

                  For my part, I've had enough. I've given up on the US and am trying to get the fuck out of here across the northern border as soon as possible, preferably before the next election. Shit's fucked and it's going to take at least 50 years to fix even in the best case.

                  --
                  I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
                  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @10:06AM (2 children)

                    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @10:06AM (#961363)

                    The motivation you're describing for supporting Sanders is very much the same reason many people supported Trump. They felt their needs were neglected by establishment Democrats and Republicans and wanted an outsider, willing even to tolerate someone like Trump. They're not necessarily racist or even supportive of racism, but they hold their noses and tolerate Trump. A lot of elderly people are particularly vulnerable to misinformation, telling them things like all the criticism of Trump is just lies created by the deep state. The propaganda changes their worldview and it leads them down a rabbit hole. I object to characterizing people as evil because many of them are actually being exploited by the alt-right propaganda machine.

                    I've seen family and friends get sucked in by the alt-right and the alt-lite to the point that they genuinely believe a totally different set of "facts" than everyone else. They're not evil. They're victims of being brainwashed by alt-right and alt-lite propaganda, which actually is evil. The most insidious evil isn't the type that dresses up in white sheets, wears pointy hats, and burns crosses. That's easy to spot. They're much sneakier. intentionally drawing misleading conclusions from initially true statements or pretending to be reasonable and rational. They begin with something that's reasonably true, then reach a more outlandish conclusion that might seem reasonable if you don't scrutinize it enough. Once people begin to accept the initial misinformation, then they're more willing to accept bigger conspiracy theories and lies.

                    People begin by rightly believing that the two parties don't truly represent their interests and are basically two sides of the same coin. They're willing to accept that our leaders are very corrupt but are fed misinformation about the nature of that corruption. Many of the people supporting Trump began from a similar place of disillusionment as your own. Begin from a reasonable position that the DNC is unfair and many of the Democratic candidates don't share the values of the people. Sneak in some misinformation about the nature of the corruption, stuff like pizzagate or the murder of Seth Rich, then build even bigger conspiracy theories and lies around that. Then tell people that Trump is an outsider who is under attack because he wants to eliminate that corruption and he's being fought at every opportunity. Or begin with the story of an immigrant who commits a heinous crime. We have enough immigrants that, statistically speaking, there are going to be a few nasty criminals mixed in. But tell the stories of a few criminals and convince people that they're actually representative of the people entering this country.

                    And plenty of Democrats would tell you that the right is actually evil, that the people voting for Trump are awful. Rather than calling out the brainwashing and propaganda for what they are, instead you dehumanize anyone who supports Trump or the GOP. Rather than finding some common ground and working to undo the alt-right brainwashing, these people are viewed as the enemy and you're supposed to be angry with them. In the process, you're fulfilling some of the message of alt-right and alt-lite propaganda.

                    The DNC isn't interested in doing what's right for the people. It's about defeating Trump, even if it means electing a candidate who is truly awful. I'm no fan of Biden, but Bloomberg is truly awful. He's not even a real Democrat, plus he's a racist and a sexist. He doesn't understand the concerns of ordinary Americans. But he has the resources to launch a massive ad campaign and to make large donations to the DNC and PACs. The DNC changed the rules so Bloomberg could participate in the debates. This is about electing someone who supposedly can defeat Trump rather than any sort of principle. And Bloomberg might well win the nomination in a contested convention. Bloomberg won't bring about the change we need. He's less of a Democrat than Biden or Klobuchar.

                    And you're damned right that Sanders is scary to the DNC because they can't control him and he's not part of the establishment. Bloomberg is basically Hillary 2.0, extremely wealthy, out of touch with ordinary Americans, and not even a Democrat at all. But Bloomberg plays nice with the establishment. Bloomberg won't energize Democrats and get enough turnout to defeat Trump. It's a losing proposition. The idea that Sanders can't beat Trump is a lie. A good portion of Trump voters can relate to Sanders far more easily than Bloomberg. He will also energize a significant segment of the Democrat base that just isn't interested in supporting a candidate like Bloomberg.

                    I support Bernie. Nebraska's primary is very late but it might well be meaningful this year. You bet I'll be voting for Bernie in May. And hopefully he'll be on the ballot in November so I can vote for him again. I just refuse to dehumanize people who are victims of the propaganda and brainwashing, who have been sucked in by the misinformation. We don't despite or dehumanize the victims of tyrannical regimes in places like the Middle East and North Korea. We should apply that same standard to our fellow Americans as well, understanding that many of them are also victims of propaganda and lies.

                    • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday February 23 2020, @04:44PM

                      by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Sunday February 23 2020, @04:44PM (#961444) Journal

                      I agree with basically everything you've said, but something's broken inside me. I don't have any more faith in the US or the American people any longer. Right now all my energy has to go into getting the hell out of dodge and somewhere civilized--north of the border seems the most realistic choice--before it all goes to hell and takes me down with it. And some of the premonitions I've been getting recently are telling me that it's already too late, that I'm not going to make it. At this point I simply cannot spare any more time or energy for evil or stupid people like that. "He who is filthy, let him be filthy still" and all that.

                      --
                      I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
                    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @09:48PM

                      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @09:48PM (#961577)

                      Dehumanizing?

                      a) selfish with a helping of evil
                      b) stupid with a lot of brainwashing
                      c) not totally stupid with a LOT of brainwashing

                      Nowhere in there is anything about them not being human. Selfish, possibly evil, some amount of stupid, and probably brainwashed. Covers just about everything you said above, but isn't coddling people.

                      You do realize that one of the big complaints conservatives have is that liberals are fake? That all the nice words are lies, that liberals are the real racists, etc.? No one likes being treated like a child, so I have given up trying to be nice about it and have stated simple facts. If you are not a millionaire++ in the US and you're not supporting Sanders or Warren then you're A, B, or C. Plenty of humans are dumb, selfish, and misinformed. Not even a partisan thing as the DNC and MSM are making abundantly clear.

                      We are in a class war and there is no time for the kiddie gloves.

        • (Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday February 22 2020, @01:43PM (2 children)

          by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Saturday February 22 2020, @01:43PM (#961016) Journal

          If you're not voting Sanders or Warren

          Or Trump. Third party all the way! Sorry, I consider these candidates among the worst that the Democrat Party has to offer this year - huge spending programs with hazy schemes for paying those off. Very Trumpian, if you ask me. And of course, if Congress doesn't play ball and give them what they want, they'll executive order their way out of the bag. Not a clue between them.

          Just boggles the mind how "Americans" don't see the clear fascism on display between Trump and Fox.

          So what? Show it's a problem first. Biased media has been around for centuries. We've figured out how to deal with it.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @09:52PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @09:52PM (#961579)

            You don't get it, there is plenty of very real fascism. Currently it gets wrapped into "corruption" since officially the fascism is mostly illegal. Mostly.

            Civil asset forfeiture, corporate lobbying, targeted harassment of minorities, systemic racism of all sorts.

            Taxes would go up a bit, society would improve, and corporate subsidies would mostly be eliminated. It is very simple to pay for the programs, just selfish assholes like you prefer the rich being able to rob the poor. Literally.

            • (Score: 1) by khallow on Monday February 24 2020, @04:59AM

              by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Monday February 24 2020, @04:59AM (#961722) Journal

              You don't get it, there is plenty of very real fascism.

              I remember when that word, "fascism" used to mean something.

              Currently it gets wrapped into "corruption"

              For a good example.

    • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:54PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @08:54PM (#960834)

      > I too vote with my feelz over realz

      From your post I'm pretty sure you hand the democrats a blank ballot and let them fill it in for you. About 12% the US does this, another 12% does for Republicans. Those people are the biggest political problem in the US.

    • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday February 21 2020, @10:09PM

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Friday February 21 2020, @10:09PM (#960853) Journal

      Like I said last time. It's the "stop hitting myself" defense!

  • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday February 22 2020, @02:47AM (1 child)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Saturday February 22 2020, @02:47AM (#960913) Homepage Journal

    That? That's not a political thing. That's because his fridge water dispenser goes to a vodka reservoir.

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.