BartHarleyJarvis's recent activity
-
Comment on Semisonic - Closing Time (1998) in ~music
-
Comment on Why we're going to Cuba in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis LinkOn January 29 of this year, Trump announced a de facto oil blockade against the island nation, threatening to slap harsh tariffs on any country which “directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba.” In February, the Russian tanker Sea Horse abruptly diverted its course from Cuba, carrying more than 200,000 barrels of oil the Cuban people had been counting on. Since then, widespread electricity blackouts have become a regular occurrence. People can’t refrigerate their food, garbage is piling up in the streets since there’s no fuel for trucks to collect it, and preventable disease is spreading. Worst of all, doctors in Havana report that over 3,000 people who rely on dialysis machines are at risk of dying from loss of power.
Words like “sanctions” and “restrictions” really don’t capture the reality. This is an undeclared economic war, and a lethal one. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio want to bring about regime change in Cuba, and have demanded that President Miguel Díaz-Canel resign from office. So they’re inflicting as much pain and suffering on the Cuban people as they can, in hopes of bringing the entire nation to its knees. If the blackouts continue, they will kill people; it’s possible they already have.
The blockade is obscene on a human level, and it’s illegal under international law. You couldn’t ask for a more clear-cut case of collective punishment. Last September, the General Assembly of the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to lift U.S. embargo on trade with Cuba, with 165 countries in favor of sanctions relief and only seven against—including, tellingly, both the United States and Israel. But the U.S. has so far gotten away with its role in the collective punishment and starvation of Gaza, and it’s now committing the same crime against Cuba.
-
Why we're going to Cuba
27 votes -
Comment on A top US counterterrorism official resigns, citing the Iran war (gifted link) in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentI'm not aware of Trump's latest position on the war, but in the aftermath of the Rubio-Johnson Israel comments he said something to the effect of: "If anything, I pulled them into this war." Not...I'm not aware of Trump's latest position on the war, but in the aftermath of the Rubio-Johnson Israel comments he said something to the effect of: "If anything, I pulled them into this war." Not that it makes a difference on your wider point though. Sooner or later, he'll go back to blaming people if he hasn't already.
-
Comment on Canada is already at war with the US, we just don't know it yet in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentI appreciate the implicit suggestion that Israel is just an extension of the US.--No, the US is not at war with Canada; the US is at war with the entire world ...
I appreciate the implicit suggestion that Israel is just an extension of the US.
-
Comment on Documents reveal a web of financial ties between Donald Trump officials and the US industries they help regulate in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentI've been reading up on the 1880s/1890s since there are so many glaring similarities to the present. Obviously, there are some major differences that add to the anxiety (e.g. climate change,...I've been reading up on the 1880s/1890s since there are so many glaring similarities to the present. Obviously, there are some major differences that add to the anxiety (e.g. climate change, nuclear weapons, AI, etc.), but politically, we've had our feet in these waters before.
-
Comment on Scary Movie (2026) | Official trailer in ~movies
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentFor a minute there I thought I was watching the trailer for a Jeremy Boreing/Daily Wire movie.For a minute there I thought I was watching the trailer for a Jeremy Boreing/Daily Wire movie.
-
Comment on Why we struck Iran in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentYou're leaving out an important detail that was specifically mentioned in the quoted text. This is (allegedly) supposed to be a "rules based international order" which is under the leadership of...You're leaving out an important detail that was specifically mentioned in the quoted text. This is (allegedly) supposed to be a "rules based international order" which is under the leadership of the US and its western democratic allies. It's not about whether or not assassinations are possible, or if they have been done before. It's about how it effects international law and the agreed-upon rules. Russia and its predecessor were punished for their actions in Ukraine and Afghanistan. The US most likely will not face repercussions, which undermines what remaining credibility the current international system has.
-
Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun in ~tech
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentTHANK YOU! You'd think we have enough evidence of the societal damage brought on by Facebook's "move fast and break things" mantra to not allow the same mistake with something that could...we have a highly structured, rigorous, and regimented process for the release of drugs (or we did before the MAGA disease struck). We should, hypothetically, be able to have an AI equivalent.
THANK YOU! You'd think we have enough evidence of the societal damage brought on by Facebook's "move fast and break things" mantra to not allow the same mistake with something that could potentially upend every single industry and completely blur the lines between fact and fiction. Absolute insanity and a complete betrayal of the original mission behind the creation of these tools.
-
Comment on Elon Musk says SpaceX will prioritize a city on the moon instead of a colony on Mars in ~space
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentPfft. Says you. I took the hyerloop to LA today. Anything is possible with some good old fashioned American ingenuity and enough Ketamine to kill a parade of elephants. Anything.Pfft. Says you. I took the hyerloop to LA today. Anything is possible with some good old fashioned American ingenuity and enough Ketamine to kill a parade of elephants. Anything.
-
Comment on US Democrats determined to squander advantage on Department of Homeland Security funding in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentHow do you think they were able to split the DHS appropriations bill off from the other five funding bills in the first place? Funding the government still requires some participation from the...How do you think they were able to split the DHS appropriations bill off from the other five funding bills in the first place? Funding the government still requires some participation from the Democrats, no? Plus it's been a tough or week for the pro-ICE crowd.
I'm not sure I'm ready to believe that the only thing holding Chuck Schumer back from entering the negotiating table with a bolder set of demands is a handful of votes in the house.
-
Comment on US Democrats determined to squander advantage on Department of Homeland Security funding in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis LinkA useful comparison would be how Republicans responded to the surge in funding for the Internal Revenue Service in the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act. The moment they got leverage, Republicans forced substantial reductions in that funding, despite a Democratic Senate and a Democratic President in 2023-24. They have continued this approach ever since, including another hack at IRS funding in the funding bill that passed the House just last week with bipartisan support. There is now only about $10 billion of that $80 billion surge left, and nearly nothing for enforcement of the tax laws, the whole point of the policy.
Yet where Republican nullification of the IRS money is seen as a fact of life, the $75 billion ICE surge in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has been deemed untouchable by Democrats, at least in this round of asks.
Meanwhile, critical concepts that Schumer has taken off the table, like accountability for Pretti’s death, still face a struggle to move forward. A spokesperson for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), which is conducting an investigation into the shooting of Pretti, told the Prospect Wednesday that “federal investigators have not shared any information with Minnesota BCA agents.” A judge granted a temporary restraining order to preserve all evidence in the case, but that evidence has not been shared.
-
US Democrats determined to squander advantage on Department of Homeland Security funding
23 votes -
Comment on Federal officers kill another citizen in Minneapolis, National Guard activated in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentHere's another angle of the execution and the moments leading up to it -
Comment on Federal officers kill another citizen in Minneapolis, National Guard activated in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentIt looks like they executed the person. It feels like everything is already in motion and we're just waiting for the whiplash.It looks like they executed the person. It feels like everything is already in motion and we're just waiting for the whiplash.
-
Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentWelcome to the USA! Where the intentions are always good and the bad things only happen by accident. If, by chance, they don't buy your excuse the first time, we recommend trying something from...Welcome to the USA! Where the intentions are always good and the bad things only happen by accident.
If, by chance, they don't buy your excuse the first time, we recommend trying something from the following list of options:
-
Say he was a dictator/bad guy and that the people there need our help
-
make something up about how American lives were in jeopardy
-
remind people of how cool your military is. Big gun go boom, commando kill bad guy. They eat that shit up every time.
Or, you can try a new technique and just say it's for the natural resources. We've found that after decades of conflict with questionable motivations, Americans don't care enough/can't do anything to punish the people responsible, no matter how bad the blunder! Nothing matters!
-
-
Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentThis is just another example of Trump saying the quiet part out loud and operating with far less subtlety than his predecessors. To think they jumped through all those hoops in the 80s when they...This is just another example of Trump saying the quiet part out loud and operating with far less subtlety than his predecessors. To think they jumped through all those hoops in the 80s when they could've just said "we're doing it because we say so." Oliver North crawled so Pete Hegseth could drunkenly stumble.
The most troubling thing is going to be the lack of pushback and/or consequences.
-
Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis Link ParentAh, yes. The age old, "Your defensive response to my aggression will be treated as aggression so I can justify my aggressive behavior as defensive." Works every time.If he wanted to stay in power he should have avoided giving US intelligence the impression that he would be bringing in weapons and troops and resources from Russia and China. That's the only reason this happened - the USA will never allow hostile foreign powers any toeholds in the Americas, and no amount of laws, conventions, treaties, congressional actions, or hand wringing will ever make even the slightest difference to that cold hard geopolitical reality.
Ah, yes. The age old, "Your defensive response to my aggression will be treated as aggression so I can justify my aggressive behavior as defensive." Works every time.
-
Comment on Candice Owens and the death of the decay of the American brain in ~society
BartHarleyJarvis LinkCandice Owens is one of the most popular conservative media figures in 2025. In the past few months, Owens has attracted intense attention — and significant criticism — for promoting baseless and...Candice Owens is one of the most popular conservative media figures in 2025. In the past few months, Owens has attracted intense attention — and significant criticism — for promoting baseless and conspiratorial claims about Charlie Kirk's assassination and Emanuel Macron's wife. Her commentary is similar to Alex Jones's, only she operates in more mainstream political spaces.
-
Candice Owens and the death of the decay of the American brain
8 votes
If 90s alt-rock classics take you back to simpler times, I highly recommend the podcast 60 Songs That Explain the 90s. IIRC, this was the final song he covered, which ended up being somewhere around 120.