USCE 2023: Please let them shove a camera up your butt

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > USCE 2023: Please let them shove a camera up your butt

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

At least 39 people died in a fire at a migrant detention facility in Ciudad Ju�rez. That�s the Mexican side of the El Paso border crossing. Haven�t seen yet if they were deported from the US or were waiting for a chance to cross or have an asylum case heard, but either way, seems like even more casualties of US immigration policy.

# ¿ Mar 28, 2023 13:17

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# ¿ Jul 27, 2024 08:56

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

In a development that should shock nobody, it turns out that the recent wave of legislation rolling back child labor laws is all the product of a single right-wing policy shop sending pre-packaged legislation around.

Washington Post: The conservative campaign to rewrite child labor laws posted:

At 4:52 a.m., Tuesday, the state�s Senate approved a bill to allow children as young as 14 to work night shifts and 15 year-olds on assembly lines. The measure, which still must pass the Iowa House, is among several the Foundation for Government Accountability is maneuvering through state legislatures. The Florida-based think tank and its lobbying arm, the Opportunity Solutions Project, have found remarkable success among Republicans to relax regulations that prevent children from working long hours in dangerous conditions. And they are gaining traction at a time the Biden administration is scrambling to enforce existing labor protections for children. The FGA achieved its biggest victory in March, playing a central role in designing a new Arkansas law to eliminate work permits and age verification for workers younger than 16. Its sponsor, state Rep. Rebecca Burkes (R), said in a hearing that the legislation �came to me from the Foundation [for] Government Accountability.�
�As a practical matter, this is likely to make it even harder for the state to enforce our own child labor laws,� said Annie B. Smith, director of the University of Arkansas School of Law�s Human Trafficking Clinic. �Not knowing where young kids are working makes it harder for [state departments] to do proactive investigations and visit workplaces where they know that employment is happening to make sure that kids are safe.�
That law passed so swiftly and was met with such public outcry that Arkansas officials quickly approved a second measure increasing penalties on violators of the child labor codes the state had just weakened.
...
It�s one of several conservative groups that have long taken aim at all manner of government regulations or social safety net programs. The FGA is funded by a broad swath of ultraconservative and Republican donors � such as the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation and 85 Fund, a nonprofit connected to political operative Leonard Leo � who have similarly supported other conservative policy groups.
...
Tarren Bragdon, a former Maine state legislator, founded the FGA in 2011 with a focus on cutting social safety net and anti-poverty programs. It quickly tapped into conservative political fundraising networks and grew from $50,000 in seed funding to $4 million in revenue by its fourth year, according to tax filings and the group�s promotional materials. In 2020, the most recent year for which the FGA and its funders� full financial disclosures are available, more than 70 percent of its $10.6 million in revenue came from 14 conservative groups. The FGA joined the State Policy Network, a confederation of conservative state-level think tanks that practice what leaders call the �Ikea model� of advocacy, its president said during the group�s 2013 conference. Affiliates such as the FGA display prefabricated policy projects for state officials, then provide the tools � including research and lobbying support � to push proposals through legislative and administrative processes.
In 2021, for example, Arkansas legislators passed 48 measures backed by the FGA, according to the foundation�s end-of-year report. It identified Arkansas, Missouri and Iowa among its five �super states� where it planned to increase its advocacy presence. In 2022, the FGA claimed 144 �state policy reform wins,� including 45 related to unemployment and welfare, across a slew of states.
�Success in the states is critical for achieving national change, as it often opens the door to federal regulatory reform,� Bragdon wrote in the group�s 2021 report. �Once enough states successfully implement a reform, we can use the momentum and proven results to build pressure for regulatory change.�
Yet even legislators who support the FGA�s policies expanding child labor have found their limits. Missouri�s bill was amended to require a parental permission form for children aged 14 to 16 who want to take a job. The original legislation, edited by the FGA, did not contain any such provision.

If nothing else, I guess it's nice to have an answer to the "who exactly is clamoring to let 14-year-olds work in meat packing plants?" I think ALEC is still around, too, so there are a bunch of these groups out there copy/pasting laws from state to state.

# ¿ Apr 24, 2023 01:53

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Willa Rogers posted:

At this point I'll leave it up to Koos whether I've satisfied his demand to provide proof that the government pressured private entities into censoring speech.

Because I can spend yet more time digging up more quotes of members of Congress or government agencies saying "We're going to regulate you out of existence if you dare to say things with which we disagree, or if you make Adam Schiff look bad, or which might be true but are counter to our interests," and I have a feeling I will still not satisfy the ephemeral & ever-changing burden of proof on this topic.

Because that�s not censorship! It�s saying mean things to try to cajole or bully the companies into doing something that cannot be compelled. That�s asking, not censoring.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2023 03:46

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Willa Rogers posted:

I provided plenty of proof that it was executive-branch agencies pressuring companies to censor speech, not just Nadler & Schiff being assholes.

Again, I'll let Koos decide whether I've provided proof, because the gish galloping is exhausting.

Under your definitions of censorship, is there any regulatory action that would not be considered as such? Whether that be executive or legislative branch. If I�m reading you correctly, you�re saying that �hey, if you don�t act in the way we like, we will come up with rules to compel you to do so� counts as censorship. Isn�t that basically the framework that underlies every new regulation?

# ¿ Jul 6, 2023 03:55

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Axios just put out a bit on "who do young Americans blame for the student debt burden not being forgiven?"

The image really says most of it, but also interesting is that three quarters of the survey respondents said they knew about the ruling before being asked by the poll - pretty high level of awareness, but not surprising. Can't find the raw data/crosstabs, alas.

# ¿ Jul 17, 2023 22:53

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

DeSantis ran such a loving racist campaign against Andrew Gillum. Who would have thought he�d govern like a loving racist after that? It�s still kind of amazing to me that the Fox talking heads are trying to cover for this one, in particular.

# ¿ Jul 23, 2023 15:05

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

That said, I wonder how many of the nominally Democratic-registered voters were old-school Southern Democrats who were conservative as hell when actually casting ballots. That turnover timeline seems to at least sort of match the progression of West Virginia, for example. Florida was certainly not that extreme a case, and the state party is absolutely a trash fire, but I don�t know that we can necessarily just look at the registration numbers as reflective of voter policy preferences.

# ¿ Aug 7, 2023 21:01

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Boebert votes to keep McCarthy. That's not expected - but Buck votes to shove.
Nancy Mace is another to watch. Might be getting towards a tipping point by that part of the alphabet too.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2023 21:06

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

So how long until Gaetz is found floating face down in the reflecting pool?

# ¿ Oct 3, 2023 21:51

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

The Leader (Possibly) of the Civilizing Forces has checked in.

posted:

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is an anti-Republican who has become actively destructive to the conservative movement.
Drama has filled the halls of Congress for 234 years. Bringing together a group of 435 strong-willed personalities guarantees conflict, and it has always been a tumultuous body. But some behavior crosses the line � and when it does, there has to be consequences.
Gaetz obviously hates House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) � and that�s fine. If Gaetz were simply a loudmouthed junior member who attacked McCarthy every day, that would be fine, too. He would just be isolated with a small group of lawmakers who can�t figure out how to get things done. They�d huddle together seeking warmth and reassurance from their fellow incompetents.
But Gaetz has gone beyond regular drama. He is destroying the House GOP�s ability to govern and draw a sharp contrast with the policy disasters of the Biden administration.
Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), a liberal Democrat with whom I disagree on almost everything, perfectly captured Gaetz�s childish behavior in an interview with CNN�s Jake Tapper on Sunday. Gaetz �has no sway� or influence in Congress, Pelosi said, �except to get on TV and to raise money on the internet.� Pelosi told Tapper he was �wasting [his] time on that guy.�
....
I served 20 years in the House, including four as speaker. On occasion, I fought against the GOP establishment. I led the fight against President George H.W. Bush�s 1990 tax increase after he had broken his word about �no new taxes.� I felt bound to stay with my commitment to the American voters.
Unlike Gaetz, though, when I rebelled, I represented the majority view of the caucus at the time.
Gaetz�s motion to remove McCarthy should have been swiftly defeated, but it wasn�t; he should still be expelled from the House Republican Conference. House Republicans have far more important things to do than entertain one member�s ego.

Bit late on the draw, Newt, but also... :sickos:

# ¿ Oct 3, 2023 21:58

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

The House Ethics Committee released its report on George Santos. To the shock of nobody, it turns out he's exactly as dishonest as he seems!

WaPo posted:

House investigators found �substantial evidence� that Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) knowingly violated a litany of ethics and criminal laws, according a House Ethics Committee report released Thursday.
�Representative Santos� conduct warrants public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit upon the House,� Reps. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) and Susan Wild (D-Pa.), the committee�s chairman and senior Democrat, said in a joint statement.
...
The long-awaited report concluded after a month-long investigation that Santos �knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC; and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House,� Guest and Wild said.

However, they didn't make any recommendations on what to do about it, because that apparently would take longer (and the Republican majority is so slim that they don't want to lose any more members).

# ¿ Nov 16, 2023 16:48

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

This Is the Zodiac posted:

I got dinged for "lack of linguistic precision" and caused a multi-page derail because goons are morons constantly falling for poo poo, so I think I owe the thread the explanation that "death to America" in this context means "a country that allows this to happen and does nothing to stop it is a country that deserves to be violently destroyed," with the implied corollary that the ideal outcome is "no longer being a country that deserves that".

If violent destruction of a country is your goal, seems like you would be pleased by violent destruction occurring within said country. Not entirely sure how you square that.

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# ¿ Nov 19, 2023 18:52

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

DeadlyMuffin posted:

Documentation would be great. Like what?

Do you have a source for this? I've been following the I/P thread and I haven't been seeing Biden get credit for the ceasefire, but that thread is also a mess.

Hate to just be linking Twitter, but this is the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement:
https://twitter.com/MofaQatar_EN/status/1727170260154151248?s=20

quote:

The State of Qatar announces the success of its joint mediation efforts undertaken with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), resulting in an agreement for a humanitarian pause. The starting time of the pause will be announced within the next 24 hours and last for four days, subject to extension. The agreement includes the release of 50 civilian women and children hostages currently held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons, the number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementing the agreement. The humanitarian pause will also allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel designated for humanitarian needs. The State of Qatar affirms its commitment to ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, stop the bloodshed, and protect civilians. In this regard, the State of Qatar appreciates the efforts of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America in reaching this agreement.

There's been a fair amount of reporting that the US has been deeply involved in various negotiations - it just isn't the sort of news that tends to get posted in the threads here.

# ¿ Nov 22, 2023 20:21

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Apparently the Indian spy services tried to assassinate a Sikh activist in New York. This after the actual assassination of another Sikh separatist leader in Canada in June.

WaPo article posted:

An Indian government employee who described himself as a �senior field officer� responsible for intelligence ordered the assassination of a Sikh separatist in New York City in May, U.S. prosecutors alleged Wednesday. The court filing heightens scrutiny of India�s spy services following similar allegations made by Canadian authorities in September.
The government employee, who was not named in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan, recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hit man to carry out the assassination, which was foiled by U.S. authorities, according to prosecutors.
The court filing did not name the victim, but senior Biden administration officials say the target was Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel for the New York-based Sikhs for Justice, a group that seeks to carve from India an independent Sikh state called Khalistan.
The alleged link between the Indian government and the assassination attempt on U.S. soil threatens to strain ties between the two countries and prompted the Biden administration to dispatch its top two intelligence officials to New Delhi to demand the Indian government investigate and hold to account those responsible, senior administration officials said.
CIA Director William J. Burns flew to India in August and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines followed in October, said the officials, who like others interviewed for this report spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter�s sensitivity.
The Justice Department said Wednesday that the unnamed Indian government employee agreed, in a deal brokered by Gupta, to pay $100,000 to a purported hit man who was in fact an undercover U.S. law enforcement officer. On June 19, one day after Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated in Canada, Gupta told the purported hit man to proceed with the New York murder, explaining that both Sikhs were on the same list of targets, U.S. prosecutors said.
...
The indictment contains chilling details, alleging that the Indian government employee and Gupta had a sweeping plan to kill �so many targets,� as Gupta put it, in Canada and the United States. The operations would be directed from India. Besides the target in New York, at least one other was in California and three were in Canada, according to the filing.
Prosecutors reference the killing of Nijjar in Canada. On June 12, on a call with a DEA informant, Gupta stated that there was a �big target� in Canada, the indictment says. On June 18, masked gunmen killed Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia.
�Later that evening, just hours after the Nijjar murder, [the Indian government employee] sent Gupta a video clip that showed Nijjar�s bloody body slumped in his vehicle,� the indictment stated.
Gupta replied �that he wished he had personally conducted the killing,� it added.
On June 20, according to prosecutors, the government employee texted Gupta that carrying out the New York assassination was a �priority now.�
But the men were careful to ensure that any assassination not be carried out during the period in June when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in the United States for a state visit hosted by President Biden, according to the indictment. Gupta instructed the informant that �we need to calm down everything [for] 10 days,� a period that included Modi�s time in New York and Washington, it said.
The administration learned of the foiled plot in late July, triggering an effort to raise the matter with senior Indian government officials. In early August, national security adviser Jake Sullivan brought his concerns to his counterpart, Ajit Doval, in person during a meeting in another country in the region.
...
One day after Nijjar was assassinated, Bobby Singh, a Sikh youth activist in Sacramento, received a call from an FBI agent advising him about safety measures, including avoiding public places. When asked where the threat was coming from, the agent told him �we can�t tell you,� he recalled.
Two days later, a threatening text message appeared on his phone at 1:41 a.m. It said: �Just a head up for you. You�re next in the USA. We have all tools ready to come fix the problems.�
It closed: �Jai hind� � or �Victory to India.�
That day, Modi was welcomed to Washington by Biden for a lavish state visit intended to showcase the nations� ties. The following day, Amarjit Singh, a Sikh nationalist from New York, joined a protest in front of the White House over mounting human rights concerns under Modi. Inside the White House, Modi and Biden were meeting.
As he drove back to New York, he recalled, he received a phone call. It was an FBI agent warning him about a threat to his life.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2023 23:20

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

DeSantis agreeing to a debate with Gavin Newsom on Fox News that was moderated by Sean Hannity, and somehow losing that debate in spectacular fashion, has solidified the belief of many of his staff that he no longer has a chance in the Republican primary and probably never did.

Several members of his team are now thinking that his "success" as Governor was just that he had a huge Republican majority who would do anything he asked because they thought the future President might owe them a favor. He barely had to work for anything and just did not have the people skills or policy chops to convince people. The CEO of his SuperPAC has now quit and other members of his staff refer to his campaign as "a dumpster fire" that is doomed to fail.

He is also running in to problems with how devoted parts of the GOP base are to Trump. He had to run his primary campaign mostly as a Trump defender, which obviously makes it very hard to convince people to stop supporting him, and when he did find areas to criticize Trump for positions that he took that were unpopular with the GOP base... the base just swapped positions to support Trump and turn against DeSantis instead.

One hilarious example in the article is him trying to attack Trump and Biden for borrowing so much money, spending so much money, and contributing to inflation. The audience initially nodded along and agreed with him, but when he tried to tie Trump in to Biden for reckless spending, then the person he was making the point to swapped and said he supported Trump's spending, arguing that Trump was just trying to help the country.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/12/01/ron-desantis-presidential-campaign/

I also just want to highlight the wonderful photo that the article uses.

Some photographer had a very good day at the office.

# ¿ Dec 1, 2023 16:56

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Retro42 posted:

Cheering on the horrible person for burning every other horrible person around him on his way out the door isn't really a moral dilemma. It's more like enjoying karma in effect.

Ladies and gentlemen, we got him. I think the votes just crossed the supermajority threshold to boot him.

# ¿ Dec 1, 2023 16:58

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Rigel posted:

sure, but there's not really even the slightest chance in hell that he wins the primary again

"You say this now, but another new name, grow a mustache, and we'll be right back in business!" - George Santos, probably

# ¿ Dec 1, 2023 17:12

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

In other George Santos news, Kathy Hochul has announced that the special election to fill his seat will be scheduled as early as possible and will be held on February 13th.

Was April 1 after the allowable timeframe?

# ¿ Dec 6, 2023 16:15

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Mid-Life Crisis posted:

If you think Trump is all sorts of evil and also that most people are good and don�t like fascists and would stand up when put to the test - voting for Trump is the fastest way to make sure something fundamentally changes so we can break free of the uniparty nonsense.

People put out the stops during Trumps first turn. It�ll happen again. Better than feeling helpless because your liberal leader is actively supporting genocide and barely even pretending to pass legislation to help the people. Just a bunch of handouts, most of which went to corporates if you�re tracking things.

What is the fundamental change you are looking for, specifically?

# ¿ Dec 10, 2023 00:30

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Mid-Life Crisis posted:

Voting systems and fundraising overhauls.

I feel like most of the places that adopted things like ranked choice voting and such happened before Trump and there wasn�t a ton of movement during his administration, though. What�s the link you see?

# ¿ Dec 10, 2023 00:44

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

BIG FLUFFY DOG posted:

Japan's loss involved an occupying power imposing those ideals on them through censorship, rebuilding, co-opting the symbols of the old regime such as the emperor and using them to build support for the new one, purging government officials with the old ideals and ensuring the rehabilitation and reinstalment of previously purged officials with the new ideals. It is not in any way equivalent to a free-for-all civil war. There was not at any point anything close to resembling a power vaccuum.

And that�s not even mentioning a bombing campaign so severe that the two nuclear bombs going off weren�t even the deadliest raids! Or a near famine due to all trade being cut off. Not exactly something you can do just by hoping you can self-collapse the system for the sake of watching it burn.

# ¿ Dec 10, 2023 14:57

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

The UN Security Council just passed a resolution pushing for pauses in the fighting in Gaza. The US did not veto it.

WaPo short article posted:

The United States abstained Friday on a painfully negotiated U.N. Security Council resolution on Gaza, allowing passage of the measure calling for �urgent and extended� pauses in the fighting there and a new screening mechanism for rushing humanitarian aid to civilians in dire need.
The near-unanimous vote � from which Russia also abstained after accusing the United States of �twisting arms� to weaken the measure � �was tough, but we got there,� U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
The rare U.S. abstention came after several U.S. vetoes of similar measures since the Israel-Hamas conflict began that prevented the council from taking a firm stand. After four days of negotiations, several U.N. diplomats said, both the United States and Arab countries � which were pushing for even stronger language � appeared to have compromised somewhere in the middle.
�We know this is not a perfect text. We know only a cease-fire will end this suffering,� United Arab Emirates Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, who sponsored the resolution, said before the vote, noting that a cease-fire call in early December was vetoed. �Often in diplomacy,� she said, the challenge is meeting the moment in the world we live in, not in the world that we want.�
�We will never tire of pushing for a humanitarian cease-fire,� Nusseibeh said.
While the resolution does not name Hamas as the key instigator of the current violence with its Oct. 7 attack against Israel � once a key U.S. demand � it also does not demand a full and immediate cease-fire. Rather than calling for Israel to relinquish its control over inspections of all aid cargo entering Gaza, it calls on U.N. Secretary General Ant�nio Guterres to appoint a senior �coordinator� to oversee the entry of aid, wording that left Israel�s role vague.
The resolution is unlikely to please Israel. A government spokesman said early Thursday that there is a �built-in bias at the United Nations against our country, to the extent it�s simply ridiculous.�

Minimal resolution, even less actual power behind it, but the US not blanket vetoing everything to cover for Israel should hopefully start making Bibi's government start feeling a few twinges of worry. Of course, I doubt it will.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2023 18:57

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

I�m still guessing Kirsti Noem (governor of South Dakota) gets the nod as Trump�s running mate. Checks the conventionally attractive white woman box, went hard on all the lunatic fringe issues, and most importantly has never crossed him. Kari Lake in Arizona is another option, though I think she�s trying to lose another Senate race instead.

# ¿ Dec 25, 2023 05:55

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Wayne LaPierre resigned. Seems likely that the NRA has been fully captured by the lunatics at this point and nothing much will change, but considering how much LaPierre helped direct its turn to absolutism and insanity, maybe it will help. Either way, gently caress him.

# ¿ Jan 5, 2024 21:23

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Sephyr posted:

I'm going to admit my ignorance here, but wasn't the NRA fully in loonie-land since at least the mid 1990s? What has changed?

Nothing has changed since then, which is part of what makes this interesting - LaPierre took over in 1991 and was one of the vanguard leaders of the trip into loonie-land.

# ¿ Jan 5, 2024 21:32

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# ¿ Jul 27, 2024 08:56

Timmy Age 6: Jul 23, 2011; Lobster says "mrow?"; Ramrod XTreme

Fister Roboto posted:

So, this is just flat out not true. The US "just arrests" people all the time, though. For extremely petty crimes like shoplifting or selling loose cigarettes or using a fake check. It often kills them in the process. And if they're not killed, they get thrown in jail while they await a trial for months or years, and then get forced into a bullshit plea deal because the entire system is stacked against them. I'm not saying this is a good thing, but it's evidence that the state absolutely can arrest anyone that it wants to. It's just that who it wants to arrest is almost always poor black and brown people. The US would at least be consistent in its application of the law if Donald Trump had been in a jail cell on January 21st. But instead, we get swift and brutal retribution for the lower class, and endless deference for the upper class even as they seek to overthrow the state itself. What else can you call that but a dictatorship of the white bourgeoisie?

Not to mention our actions on the international stage, which has been to foment right-wing coups to overthrow their democratically elected leaders. The US is totally cool with making other countries dictatorships.

Let's look at the case of Jeanine Anez, former president of Bolivia. She came to power in an illegal coup, and oversaw multiple massacres of protestors against her. Three months after she was voted out of office, she was arrested and charged with conspiracy, sedition, and terrorism. She was detained for 15 months awaiting her trial, and is now serving a 10 year sentence.

Should Bolivia have done this? Or would it have been more "democratic" to let her go free to organize another coup? Is this the act of a dictatorship, or the act of a democracy that recognizes that in order to protect democracy, you have to bring swift justice to those who subvert democracy?

I feel obligated to point out the distinction between federal and local governments here - the "just arrest for petty crimes" tendency is not really something the federal government does to anywhere near the same extent as localities can. Considering this is in the context of "just arrest the members of Congress you don't like," that's an important distinction.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2024 20:03

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > USCE 2023: Please let them shove a camera up your butt