Everything is Political

[der kulterer]

ELECT BIRD OF THE YEAR 2020!
HIHI NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT!
SHAME ON KIWI PUKUPUKU AND ALL HIS FRAUDULENT VOTES!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... orous-hihi

[kanafani]

kanafani, the whole story of hunter's burisma employment was widely reported by mainstream media during the impeachment trials. that's the only reason i know a lot about it. most of your questions were answered then. hunter biden got a job on his own, surely trading on his family name. that's not nepotism. at the time, many msm commentators said there should be a law preventing a lawmaker's son from getting a foreign job like that. but there is no such law. and as flabrezu describes, people get jobs that way all the time. i'd bet children of half of the senators have had jobs like that. that's not the way i think the world should work, i said i find it sketchy earlier, and you might say hunter did something he shouldn't have done (he's said that himself), but it's not clear what joe did wrong here. you seem to think joe should have prevented hunter from taking the job. we're talking about a man in his 40s, the tearaway of the family, with a bad drug problem, for all we know joe did tell him not to take the job and hunter told him to leave him alone. he didn't need his father's consent.

joe then observed the standard ethical practice in that situation, which is to avoid altogether any conversation with his son about ukraine, his employment, etc, or at least that's what he says he did. that's why republicans during the impeachment hearings were making such a big deal about whether joe and hunter had any communications about any of this at the time. if there any material evidence that one had been influencing the other, that would have been an issue (and we'd still be hearing about it today, from republicans).

i feel like anyone reading greenwald's take on all of this is getting a very muddy picture of the factual record. i'm not sure if your perspective on this was influenced by his article, but i see a lot of similarities between what you're saying and what he wrote. it's really only because greenwald came up (as a recommended source) that i replied at all; he's been willfully dishonest about at least one subject (when he knew what he was saying was false, his correspondence with sam harris demonstrates that), so i'll perpetually be very suspicious of anything he writes, regardless of his accomplishments earlier in his career.

Look, call it nepotism, or cronyism, or favoritism, or whatever term fits the act exactly. I think we both know what we are talking about, and I honestly think we are not in disagreement that much. It’s not illegal, but it stinks, certainly not something to be dismissed entirely, which is the feeling I got from some, not you in particular.

I really do not buy that joe was incapable of controlling his son or influencing him. This is how these things work. If the company that hired him is fully aware that joe won’t go for any such shit, then why would they hire hunter in the first place?

On the topic of the media covering this, at the risk of repeating my self, again, never claimed there was a blackout on the issue, I was just pointing out that there did not seem to be any excessive zeal in pursuing this too aggressively. In fact there was a disposition to move on. You think it was looked into and the case was closed, fine, I respect that. I maintain that those same respectable anchors and journalists have made a much bigger deal on similar things touching people from what they implicitly feel is the other camp.

I do admire glen Greenwald a lot, but I don’t think in this case my judgment was clouded by his take. I mean you see the facts I mentioned in this thread. I hope I did not mention falsehoods and bullshit, if I have please point them out, I’ll have not problem in being corrected, it’s not like the subject is religion to me.

I’m just surprised by the emotional response to what I thought was a pretty bland comment from me (the sons of elected officials should not get sketchy lucrative jobs, and their daddies should not be off the hook). Not from you, but others. Is it that the subject just brings up the specter of qanon to some, and is beyond the pale?

[kanafani]

and i agree with you about most things, so maybe it's better just to focus on those

Let’s do that

[der kulterer]

BIDEN, TRUMP: A CASE OF ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION
YES, WE KLAN

[rischka]

now, looking forward to see (on Fox News) Orange Man in orange jumpsuit.

from your mouth to god's ear jiri

i'm no fan of biden either?? he was my last choice in the primary (bloomberg aside). but i did vote for him in the general yes. guilty as charged

i still feel he was the least bad of available options at the time

I was just pointing out that there did not seem to be any excessive zeal in pursuing this too aggressively.

probably cuz every congressperson has someone like this in their family and yes it's wrong and bad. sorry if i've offended anyone

i'll never pass the purity test. i'm too pragmatic in this area i suppose. DC in my veins lol

https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/ ... 53254?s=20

maybe next time

[MrCarmady]

"The United States of America is the main imperialist force of the entire world and the most genocidal state in human history."
Really? Really really? Really really really?

Sure, really. I would say that at the very least there is a debate to be had, and totals must be carefully tallied up before we reach a conclusion.

Happy to have a friendly debate on this and I don't think the US would make top 3 most genocidal states in human history by any metric.

Did Sally actually leave? That's sad. Hope everyone is back soon talking about movies. Ironic that this election has made the forum more active than I ever remember it being this year, though.

[kanafani]

"The United States of America is the main imperialist force of the entire world and the most genocidal state in human history."
Really? Really really? Really really really?

Sure, really. I would say that at the very least there is a debate to be had, and totals must be carefully tallied up before we reach a conclusion.

Happy to have a friendly debate on this and I don't think the US would make top 3 most genocidal states in human history by any metric.

No no... I was kind of joking. I don’t want to engage in such a macabre exercise. We’ve killed a lot of people, that’s all. ‘Not in the top 3 of killers’ is small consolation.

[der kulterer]

Russian lawmakers consider bill that would give Putin lifelong immunity from prosecution

GAMING THE ENDGAME article about Trump is being read with attention in Russia.
i expect, even Lukashenko is gonna subscribe to New Yorker.

[MrCarmady]

Another bit from that article:

"the US lied to the public that the Libyan people wanted US intervention to overthrow their government. Keep in mind, this is a government that provided free healthcare and education to its people, something that Susan Rice would be hard-pressed to ever care about for ordinary Americans."

Big brain time. Besides, who'd ever want to overthrow such a handsome guy? He's like a movie star!

[thoxans]

Did Sally actually leave?

she does that. she's like a hummingbird that flits in and out. stick around long enough, and you'll start to be able to predict the migratory patterns. generally, anywhere from 4-8 weeks here, followed by 4-8 weeks gone. variations occur based on weather patterns, what's currently in bloom, and the amount of readily available sugar water

[Pretentious Hipster]

Lmao already made someone mad by posting this elsewhere

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTUj69_5MsE

[rischka]

https://twitter.com/COVID19Tracking/sta ... 11968?s=20

i was told this would disappear november 4th

[...]

Lmao already made someone mad by posting this elsewhere

Was it because the guy kept referring to the Japanese Prime Minister as "Abe", as like Abe Lincoln, rather than how it's supposed to be pronounced? Cuz that bit was annoying, the Weeaboo stuff not so much.

[thoxans]

the assumption by everyone is that even post-vaccine we'll be living in a whole new world where face masks will just be a part of everyday life ala some eastern countries, right?

and, i mean, i'm ok with that too. especially right now cuz my face mask is doing a decent job of covering up this damned poison ivy rash that's blotched my once gorgeous kisser

[kanafani]

the assumption by everyone is that even post-vaccine we'll be living in a whole new world where face masks will just be a part of everyday life ala some eastern countries, right?

and, i mean, i'm ok with that too. especially right now cuz my face mask is doing a decent job of covering up this damned poison ivy rash that's blotched my once gorgeous kisser

Masks really suck if you wear glasses. They keep fogging up!

[Pretentious Hipster]

the assumption by everyone is that even post-vaccine we'll be living in a whole new world where face masks will just be a part of everyday life ala some eastern countries, right?

and, i mean, i'm ok with that too. especially right now cuz my face mask is doing a decent job of covering up this damned poison ivy rash that's blotched my once gorgeous kisser

Masks really suck if you wear glasses. They keep fogging up!

Indeed. Winter weather is coming here too, so the fogging is easily going to get worse.

[kanafani]

the assumption by everyone is that even post-vaccine we'll be living in a whole new world where face masks will just be a part of everyday life ala some eastern countries, right?

and, i mean, i'm ok with that too. especially right now cuz my face mask is doing a decent job of covering up this damned poison ivy rash that's blotched my once gorgeous kisser

Masks really suck if you wear glasses. They keep fogging up!

Indeed. Winter weather is coming here too, so the fogging is easily going to get worse.

Lasik eye surgery starting to sound like a good idea in this brave new world.

[rischka]

https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/13270 ... 97538?s=20

trump subtweeted by his own DHS. i think the danger is past. trump will build a media empire to rival fox news and run 3rd (Q?) party in 2024, ensuring dems win again

[Pretentious Hipster]

A must watch about Bolivia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYX7koMKkPY

[Lencho of the Apes]

Good ol' Bertold...

3 bre.jpg (96.87 KiB) Viewed 1836 times

[rischka]

sure. always blaming the women (joke)

trump made a statement yesterday taking credit for the forthcoming coronavirus vaccine. he says new york state won't be getting it because cuomo doesn't like him. SAD. he came *this close* to admitting he lost the election...." we won't be doing lockdown; i won't be doing lockdown, someone else may be doing lockdown...i don't know "

how fucked up is the electoral college?? biden got the same number of EC votes as trump did in 2016. while winning the popular vote by more than 5 million

[wba]

A must watch about Bolivia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYX7koMKkPY

[rischka]

so this bullshit is still going on with a huge rally in DC over the weekend. trump's large adult sons are urging him not to give in according to the post this morning, even without a legal leg to stand on. it's good for their 'brand.' no surprise they don't give a shit about the country. not sharing information with the incoming admin could well impact the roll out of the corona vaccine (which trump will take credit for anyway). if jr. runs in 2024 i swear to god i'm moving out of this country

we're being held hostage by a reality tv star.

most disturbing ofc almost no one in the GOP is standing up to this nonsense. we're very likely in for total gridlock for the next four years

[kanafani]

https://twitter.com/TheEpicDept/status/ ... 1335571457

[rischka]

Obvious trolling but the mssg is clear: they don't believe in democracy if it doesn't produce their desired outcome. I dont know how we fight this... it seems like they intend to institute an apartheid state. I think I'm done voting now. I did find it really moving to be part of this though

[kanafani]

Chill out. It's not going to work. Not this time anyway.

[nrh]

we are reaching across the aisle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jjctv- ... e=emb_logo

[rischka]

LOL the wisconsin elections commission has informed the trump campaign a recount will cost 7.9 million. up front

ok i'll try to chill. not much i can do about it but i hope someone has a plan

trump isn't going to shut up about this for four years

[flip]

question: if republicans succeed at persuading their base that the american election system is fraudulent and rigged... why will anyone in their base ever vote again? isn't this maybe not such a bad thing?

i feel like i'm probably wrong about this but i'm not exactly sure why.

[kanafani]

question: if republicans succeed at persuading their base that the american election system is fraudulent and rigged... why will anyone in their base ever vote again? isn't this maybe not such a bad thing?

i feel like i'm probably wrong about this but i'm not exactly sure why.

People tend to give up on voting when they’re demoralized, or they feel they have no stakes in the game. This whole ‘it’s rigged’ business is not designed to demoralize them, but rather to rile them up and make them angry. Anger is a good motivator. They can’t wait for revenge. Nothing pleases these people more than triggering the libs. They’ll be more motivated next time. They’ll rationalize that they need to utterly crush the libs (by voting in great numbers) to ensure the libs don’t get a chance to cheat and rig. Something like that. This will keep their energy up for the next two years.