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  1. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 17 in ~society

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    Trump fires chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and two other military officers Fired: Joint Chiefs Chairman, Top Navy Leader, Air Force Vice Chief, Service Judge Advocates General

    Trump fires chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and two other military officers

    Fired: Joint Chiefs Chairman, Top Navy Leader, Air Force Vice Chief, Service Judge Advocates General

    President Donald Trump, in a social media post, announced the firing of Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown and nominated currently retired and little known Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine to take the post.

    Then, minutes later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that he had fired the Navy's top officer -- Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to hold the post -- as well as the Air Force's second-highest officer, Gen. James Slife. Hegseth said he was also removing the judge advocates general of the Army, Navy and Air Force, who oversee the military justice system.

    2 votes
  2. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 17 in ~society

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    FULL SPEECH: Steve Bannon CPAC 2025 Day One - 2/20/25 This is a good speech to listen to as far as understanding what and how issues are being presented in the conservative sphere. ETA: ‘The...

    FULL SPEECH: Steve Bannon CPAC 2025 Day One - 2/20/25

    This is a good speech to listen to as far as understanding what and how issues are being presented in the conservative sphere.

    ETA: ‘The deification of Trump will be complete’ at CPAC 2025

    Steve Schmidt, a political strategist and former campaign operative for George W Bush and John McCain, said: “This is an extremist freak show that retains that quality but has taken political power in the United States. By any reasonable definition, what you’re looking at is a gathering of fascists, political extremists coming together, a fusion of the youth arm, the Christian nationalist arm, the Catholic Maga extremist arm.”

    Schmidt added: “It is an event that portends what’s coming. These people have immense power. This should all be taken literally and seriously. Millions and millions of Americans who voted for Donald Trump should appreciate that this is what they purchased and what they purchased is now emboldened. There will be a very pungent nationalism present – and extremism lurking below the surface.”

    2 votes
  3. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 17 in ~society

  4. Comment on In praise of the ellipsis in ~books

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    I over-punctuate all of my writing like it’s going out of style — which, in this case, it just might be. I’d bet ellipses are falling out of favor at around the same rate as is face-to-face...

    I over-punctuate all of my writing like it’s going out of style — which, in this case, it just might be.

    I’d bet ellipses are falling out of favor at around the same rate as is face-to-face contact. People are losing the ability to, both figuratively and quite literally, read between the lines; it’s a skill that is no longer prioritized to be taught or learned, and our current standards of socialization seem to reflect this.

    The rise of tone indicators and emojis have also most likely contributed to the decline of certain forms or habits of punctuation, as what was once implied has now been made explicit.

    … ;)
    … :o
    … :(

    1 vote
  5. Comment on Who's afraid of Hasan Piker? in ~society

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    Having a passing familiarity with Hasan’s work through other people, I can say that I do think this guy represents one of the inevitable futures of the left and is a strong contender as a voice...

    Having a passing familiarity with Hasan’s work through other people, I can say that I do think this guy represents one of the inevitable futures of the left and is a strong contender as a voice for what will soon be the new potential majority or mainstream of left-wing politics.

    I also believe it will be along the fault lines of certain beliefs he espouses where the left will face a massive internal schism of the sort the right has already experienced as the more strident, more dogmatic strains of the core ideology seek to purge the rest. The sway this guy has over younger leftish people is something else; they’re listening and building whole value systems based on what he says, which cannot be ignored or denied.

    Personally, I’m of two minds about this: That I don’t agree with a lot of his opinions, but whatever fires up a bunch of people who otherwise wouldn’t care about what is happening now is important. And that I actually cannot stand being around people who listen to this guy in the same way as I used to avoid those listeners of Rush Limbaugh.

    There’s just too little flexibility of thought, too little tolerance, too little pragmatism for me to not feel slightly on edge about where such thinking ends up. What’s the conclusion they’re racing towards here? I don’t like it; I also know exactly why people who follow reasoning like Hasan’s don’t like or agree with my opinions, as well.

    If the right has “RINOs”, then I wonder what we’ll be calling their equivalent on the left. As is, I’ll most likely fall into that camp.

    6 votes
  6. Comment on How can one determine "true" sentiment? in ~society

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    As far as I can tell, from my own observations, there is no true sentiment. Most people don’t actually care about anything beyond their own tiny spheres of influence and day-to-day living. They...

    As far as I can tell, from my own observations, there is no true sentiment. Most people don’t actually care about anything beyond their own tiny spheres of influence and day-to-day living. They don’t think about lofty international goals or nuanced issues, they don’t think about how certain policies affect their gay little neighbors a block down the street, they don’t think about anything past their tv or phone or computer, at all.

    When people say they care about ‘the economy’, they don’t; they care about their own wallets, their own spending power, their own taxes, their own everything. It doesn’t really matter how things get better for them — they just want things to be better, and for them not to have to deal with unpleasantness anymore, and however that happens is good enough for them.

    When people say they care about Palestine, they don’t; most of them care about keeping up with the cultural Jones’ for appearances sake, to elevate their own social standing, more than anything else; they’ll float gently on to the next socially relevant issue just as soon as the wind blows them in a new direction.

    When people talk about Canada, they’re not talking about Canada the country, they’re talking about Canada the vehicle. They align themselves in that moment with whatever side they feel is most expedient to getting them what or where they want; it has nothing to do with beliefs or care about Canada — it’s all, once again, about keeping up with the cultural zeitgeist and gaining clout to trade for power for themselves. Canada might as well not even exist as an actual physical place, for all they care; it’s all about establishing oneself in the right sociopolitical fandom to gain followers. Canada is about as real to most Americans in the mid to lower U.S. as California is to most southerners, which doesn’t make sense, but I promise it makes sense, lol.

    The U.S. is comprised of mostly centrists on most issues; the true believers are the outliers. Most Americans are actually quite uneasy with ‘taking sides’ because most Americans have never had to.

    (Obviously assuming this question is focused on the U.S.)

    3 votes
  7. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 17 in ~society

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    Social Security head steps down over DOGE access of recipient information: AP sources

    Social Security head steps down over DOGE access of recipient information: AP sources

    Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy group for the preservation of Social Security benefits, said of DOGE’s efforts that “there is no way to overstate how serious a breach this is. And my understanding is that it has already occurred.”

    5 votes
  8. Comment on Have you altered the way you write to avoid being perceived as AI? in ~tech

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    Most of those ‘sounding like AI’ accusations are just accusations of writing better than the average human being online. I have had to change the way I write online, but not for the same reason. I...

    Most of those ‘sounding like AI’ accusations are just accusations of writing better than the average human being online.

    I have had to change the way I write online, but not for the same reason. I wouldn’t recommend it; your voice is your voice.

    17 votes
  9. Comment on Attorneys are resigning in response to orders from US President Donald Trump's government in ~society

  10. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 10 in ~society

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    Pentagon schools suspend library books for ‘compliance review’ under Trump orders I can’t imagine this is going over well with faculty. DoD teachers, in my experience, are usually a bunch of...

    Pentagon schools suspend library books for ‘compliance review’ under Trump orders

    I can’t imagine this is going over well with faculty. DoD teachers, in my experience, are usually a bunch of left-leaning weirdos (in the best way).

    5 votes
  11. Comment on Statement from NYC Comptroller Brad Lander on the Donald Trump administration’s illegal reversal of FEMA funding in ~society

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    Prosecutor who quit after refusing to drop Adams case says she’s confident he ‘committed the crimes’

    Prosecutor who quit after refusing to drop Adams case says she’s confident he ‘committed the crimes’

    Before resigning, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan told her boss that she was confident that New York City Mayor Eric Adams “has committed the crimes with which he is charged” and that she would refuse the Justice Department’s order to drop the corruption case.

    2 votes
  12. Comment on Statement from NYC Comptroller Brad Lander on the Donald Trump administration’s illegal reversal of FEMA funding in ~society

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    Mayor Adams was supposed to go to trial for bribery and corruption, but Trump’s DOJ intervened, so charges against the mayor were dropped without prejudice, meaning the mayor is still on the hook...

    Mayor Adams was supposed to go to trial for bribery and corruption, but Trump’s DOJ intervened, so charges against the mayor were dropped without prejudice, meaning the mayor is still on the hook and, therefore, beholden to Trump and Musk’s sway. This all happened a day ago.

    Brad Lander is the City Comptroller, but he is also running for mayor against Adams this year. Just today:

    [Lander’s] financial team shockingly uncovered that President Trump and his crony Elon Musk illegally executed a revocation of $80 million in congressionally-appropriated FEMA funding from New York City’s bank accounts late yesterday afternoon.

    The timing of this is convenient; Lander’s is now calling Adams out.

    11 votes
  13. Comment on Megathread - Elon Musk and US politics in ~society

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    What sort of Faustian bargain nonsense is this? And why are we all trapped in it? The norms of government seem to be deteriorating at breakneck speed.

    What sort of Faustian bargain nonsense is this? And why are we all trapped in it?

    The norms of government seem to be deteriorating at breakneck speed.

    5 votes
  14. Comment on Statement from NYC Comptroller Brad Lander on the Donald Trump administration’s illegal reversal of FEMA funding in ~society

  15. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 10 in ~society

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    Link to post on reddit: Musk crashes Trump’s interview and goes on an info dump about how the judicial branch shouldn’t exist He’s just rambling. Also, pic in comments of close-up of his eyes....

    Link to post on reddit: Musk crashes Trump’s interview and goes on an info dump about how the judicial branch shouldn’t exist

    He’s just rambling. Also, pic in comments of close-up of his eyes. (Not the edited pic that looks like circle lenses gone wrong. Just the bedraggled looking one.)

    ETA: Actually, this is one of those situations that I find super interesting, because everyone in my family is solidly centrist, so the way they view events like this is completely different to how I do.

    Generally, they don’t care that Elon Musk is in the Oval Office giving speeches, so long as it doesn’t affect them. They see this, and they just… trust the system; whereas I see this, and I find it surreal. There’s just some guy lecturing the U.S. about disregarding an entire branch of government, looking increasingly like he needs to take a nap — there is no emergency here, other than the one he is creating, so he could just go somewhere else, please; go relax — and we’re all just stuck here having to go through this.

    It’s madness, but it’s also horribly amusing.

    7 votes
  16. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 10 in ~society

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    Here’s the archive link, in the meantime. Most of their embedded links seem to work. And for a trip down memory lane (for Americans), an example of one type of ‘the enemy from within’.

    Here’s the archive link, in the meantime. Most of their embedded links seem to work.

    And for a trip down memory lane (for Americans), an example of one type of ‘the enemy from within’.

    3 votes
  17. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 10 in ~society

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    Yea, he’s been pretty straightforward in his admiration of him. Of all the presidents, lol.

    On a podcast in 2021, he suggested that a future Trump administration should sack "every single midlevel bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, replace them with our people".

    "When the courts stop you, stand before the country like [early US president] Andrew Jackson did and say: 'The chief justice has made his ruling. Now let him enforce it,'" Vance said.

    Yea, he’s been pretty straightforward in his admiration of him. Of all the presidents, lol.

    6 votes
  18. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 10 in ~society