hobbes64's recent activity
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of September 29 in ~society
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of September 29 in ~society
hobbes64 LinkTrump was 'on the verge of outright insanity' in deranged speech to military commanders MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell details how military commanders who listened to Donald Trump’s “deranged” speech...Trump was 'on the verge of outright insanity' in deranged speech to military commanders
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell details how military commanders who listened to Donald Trump’s “deranged” speech have to be wondering “just how much more dangerous their jobs are now that they've seen just how lost and sick their Commander-in-Chief is.”
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Comment on White House in a bind as soybean sales to China plummet to zero in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentI know trump supporters who think tariffs are necessary short term pain for long term gain. Trump relies on this kind of ignorance, it’s the only reason he isn’t in prison.I know trump supporters who think tariffs are necessary short term pain for long term gain. Trump relies on this kind of ignorance, it’s the only reason he isn’t in prison.
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Comment on How I escaped MAGA. Critical thinking woke me up. in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentI’m kind of fascinated by the dichotomies in Christianity and how people respond to it. There have been other good points in this post about Jesus’ teachings. Jesus had a new covenant which is...I’m kind of fascinated by the dichotomies in Christianity and how people respond to it.
There have been other good points in this post about Jesus’ teachings.
Jesus had a new covenant which is based on forgiveness and grace instead of adherence to law. And that’s a great message.
But if you think about it, it’s still authoritarian. You can only be saved through Christ. You can only know Christ through his church. You still have concepts of sin against a god.Many of us love Christmas and the music and the message of love and forgiveness and having a savior. But listen to the religious Christmas music carefully. It’s about worship and being saved from sin. The concept of worship is so authoritarian I can hardly wrap my head around it even though I was born into religion.
To come back to the MAGA discussion: It’s a cult that worships a leader, and the followers were taught this behavior through religion.
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Comment on How I escaped MAGA. Critical thinking woke me up. in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentI grew up Catholic. I no longer practice but I understand Christianity pretty well. I don't really know what atheists say because I don't really follow them. So the following is my impression from...I grew up Catholic. I no longer practice but I understand Christianity pretty well. I don't really know what atheists say because I don't really follow them. So the following is my impression from being brought up in Christianity.
Christianity is at its core authoritarian. There is a guy who created everything and demands obedience and worship. If you don't do what he says, you will be punished.
The idea of control and punishment seems fair, especially if you were brought up in it. But you should realize that it is authoritarian and conservative.
I'm aware that many Christians are considered liberal or progressive. That's true to a point. They do not want to control other people directly. But they want and expect everyone controlled by the authority. Yes Jesus had teachings about turning the other cheek and loving everyone. But he didn't just talk about that. He talked about consequences for people who don't do that.
Churches arose out of this basic idea of a central authority and they build hierarchies around it. Popes and Cardinals and Bishops and Priests for Catholics, and various kinds of Elders and ministers for other forms of Christianity. It's all organized to exert control and authority over people.
MAGA is an extreme version of this. They love authority. They are authoritarian followers. (aside: So are evangelicals who are into The Rapture. I find the idea very sick, that they are going to be whisked away from the worlds problems and they can watch everyone else squirm and cry. Movies and books about the Rapture are basically torture porn like a Saw movie)
Contrast this with Buddhism. At it's core it isn't about authority. It's about an individual overcoming suffering through personal effort. So it's possible to have spirituality without it. I don't know much about Islam, but from my limited knowledge it seems like Christianity with even more authoritarianism.
I'm not saying that there aren't a million great things about Christianity and many Christians. But structurally it isn't surprising that it attracts authoritarians and authoritarian followers like MAGA.
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Comment on Donald Trump suggests using ‘dangerous’ US cities as ‘training grounds’ for military in ~society
hobbes64 LinkConservatives and 2nd amendment advocates who were constantly screaming that Obama and Biden were fascist dictators: “This is fine”Conservatives and 2nd amendment advocates who were constantly screaming that Obama and Biden were fascist dictators: “This is fine”
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of September 29 in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentThe authoritarian power grab by republicans is all the more distressing when the guy you’re giving power to is tweeting AI videos for conspiracy theories including nonexistent medbeds. Oh and he’s...The authoritarian power grab by republicans is all the more distressing when the guy you’re giving power to is tweeting AI videos for conspiracy theories including nonexistent medbeds. Oh and he’s also an insurrectionist and a conman and a criminal.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of September 29 in ~society
hobbes64 LinkYouTube to pay $24.5 million to settle lawsuit over Trump’s account suspension after Jan. 6 attack President Tony Soprano once again paid a bribe by weakling corrupt American business.YouTube to pay $24.5 million to settle lawsuit over Trump’s account suspension after Jan. 6 attack
Google’s YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit President Donald Trump brought after the video site suspended his account following the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the Capitol following the election that resulted in him leaving the White House for four years.
President Tony Soprano once again paid a bribe by weakling corrupt American business.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 labels common beliefs as terrorism “indicators” in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentI’m sure it matters a lot more for people who work in service jobs and have to interact with the public a lot and it would be a condition of employment to be vaxed. But there are a lot of jobs...I’m sure it matters a lot more for people who work in service jobs and have to interact with the public a lot and it would be a condition of employment to be vaxed. But there are a lot of jobs that have requirements such as: you must be licensed, you can’t be intoxicated, you can’t have a criminal record, etc., and people generally accept that.
One of the people I know who complained the most about vaccinations was a military veteran who probably got 50 shots when he joined and had no problem with that, but suddenly a COVID shot is unacceptable because Tucker said so.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 labels common beliefs as terrorism “indicators” in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentI know people who were very upset that they were asked to get vaccines during the pandemic. The language I heard was that they were forced to do something and their lives would be miserable if...I know people who were very upset that they were asked to get vaccines during the pandemic. The language I heard was that they were forced to do something and their lives would be miserable if they didn’t comply. This is not how it was at all- it was pretty easy to not get vaccinated at the height of covid if you were willing to stay away from certain social gatherings. But in their minds, this was some kind of extreme government overstep.
There just a certain percentage of people who are both intensely selfish and very susceptible to propaganda from Fox News. I can’t imagine what they would do if asked to make sacrifices for the community like people did during the world wars: keep lights off at night, recycle metal and rubber, do without sugar, ration gas, etc.
These same people are totally fine with Trumps authoritarianism as you noted.
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Comment on Brannon Braga calls for longer Star Trek seasons in ~tv
hobbes64 Link ParentThere’s a specific aspect of this rushing that I’ve noticed. In TOS, Spock mostly didn’t show emotions. When he did, it had great impact and was a payoff for all the times when he would just raise...There’s a specific aspect of this rushing that I’ve noticed.
In TOS, Spock mostly didn’t show emotions. When he did, it had great impact and was a payoff for all the times when he would just raise an eyebrow.
In New Trek, we don’t have any time for that shit. For example, in Strange New Worlds, Spock has girlfriends and laughs and there will be other payoffs each episode because COME ON COME ON PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT THEIR PHONES AGAIN BECAUSE NOTHING HAPPENED IN THE LAST MINUTE. I actually like SNW but there’s frequently things happening that haven’t marinated properly. (This was more noticeable in Discovery where there was constantly unearned emotional responses).
I also like Lower Decks, and I know it’s a cartoon, but there’s a rushed payoff in almost every episode.
Picard is a master class in unearned nostalgia and confusing rushed payoffs but that’s been covered a lot.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump shares seemingly AI video amplifying 'medbed' conspiracy theory in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentWe can tell he uses similar care for all the important decisions he makes every day.We can tell he uses similar care for all the important decisions he makes every day.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump shares seemingly AI video amplifying 'medbed' conspiracy theory in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentRemember all the crying and complaining that Biden was too old and feeble to be president? This type of bizarre incompetence and lack of judgement should trigger the 25th amendment. But there’s no...Remember all the crying and complaining that Biden was too old and feeble to be president? This type of bizarre incompetence and lack of judgement should trigger the 25th amendment. But there’s no way to properly remove Trump because of the corrupt apparatus that still finds him useful.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 labels common beliefs as terrorism “indicators” in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentI saw a meme today (the one there the clown is putting on makeup) which showed 3 tweets from Stephen Miller: The Democrat Party is now the Fascist Party. Using corporate and government powers to...I saw a meme today (the one there the clown is putting on makeup) which showed 3 tweets from Stephen Miller:
- The Democrat Party is now the Fascist Party. Using corporate and government powers to punish dissent and dissenters
- The Biden Administration's decision to launch a fascist "Ministry of Truth" creates an existential new urgency to restoring free speech online - and quickly (4/22/22)
- We have descended into third world fascist tyranny (3/12/23)
And then on September 24 2025, he tweeted this in response to "California Governor Gavin Newsom calls ICE arresting illegal aliens "authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government"
- This language incites violence and terrorism
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Comment on US House Democrats release latest Jeffrey Epstein documents with Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Steve Bannon and Prince Andrew mentions in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentIt's actually unreal. I don't think anything will shake their worship of Trump. I still have trouble understanding the support that he has. Most people (well, at least half) see that he is an...It's actually unreal. I don't think anything will shake their worship of Trump.
I still have trouble understanding the support that he has. Most people (well, at least half) see that he is an immoral conman who's also kind of dumb and incompetent. And then a lot of people don't notice that, and think the opposite. It's fascinating, in a horrifying way, that so many people don't have basic bullshit detectors and have no ability to judge character or danger.
I guess it's the same people that send their money to TV preachers or think they're getting emails from Johnny Depp who loves them and needs money.
Think about all of the southern men who seem to think that Trump is some kind of hero. He's a whiny rich guy from New York who wears clown makeup and talked a lot about how sexy his daughter is. It just doesn't add up. Propaganda is way more powerful than I thought, and it's depressing.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of September 22 in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentAnalysis: What data shows about political extremist violence (PBS)Analysis: What data shows about political extremist violence (PBS)
Based on government and independent analyses, right-wing extremist violence has been responsible for the overwhelming majority of fatalities, amounting to approximately 75% to 80% of U.S. domestic terrorism deaths since 2001.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of September 22 in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentA Brief History of Trump's Violent Remarks (The Atlantic, October 2024) This is from an article from last year. Since then he's said many other violent things and stoked more violence.A Brief History of Trump's Violent Remarks (The Atlantic, October 2024)
This is from an article from last year. Since then he's said many other violent things and stoked more violence.
"Maybe he should have been roughed up, because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing"
"If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously, okay? Just knock the hell—I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees. I promise, I promise"
"I would bring back waterboarding. And I’d bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding"
"I’d like to punch him in the face."
“They said to me, ‘What do you think of waterboarding?’ I said, ‘I think it’s great, but I don’t think we go far enough.’ It’s true, it’s true—right? We don’t go far enough. We don’t go far enough
"I think you'd have riots" (if he wasn't nominated)
"You also had people that were very fine people on both sides" (August 15, 2017, speaking at a press conference about the white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia)
"Any guy that can do a body slam, he is my guy!"
"I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump—I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad."
"When the looting starts, the shooting starts"
"Can’t you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?"
"And I’ll tell you something—that’s the way it has to be. There has to be retribution when you have crime like this."
"I don’t fucking care that they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me." (referring to the Jan 6 insurrection)
"Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!"
"People are so angry at what is taking place. Whatever we can do to help, because the temperature has to be brought down in the country. If it isn’t, terrible things are going to happen"
"You take the writer and/or the publisher of the paper … and you say, ‘Who is the leaker? National security.’ And they say, ‘We’re not gonna tell you.’ They say, ‘That’s okay, you’re going to jail.’ And when this person realizes that he is going to be the bride of another prisoner very shortly, he will say, ‘I’d very much like to tell you exactly who that leaker is!"
"I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution."
"What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?"
"2024 is the final battle. It’s going to be the big one. You put me back in the White House, their reign will be over and America will be a free nation once again"
"IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!"
"This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH."
"Very simply, if you rob a store, you can fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store. Shot."
"We pledge to you that we will root out the Communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country, that lie and steal and cheat on elections … The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous, and grave than the threat from within. Our threat is from within."
"Except for day one … After that, I’m not a dictator."
"They’re poisoning the blood of our country."
"If I don’t get elected … it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country."
"Well, revenge does take time. I will say that. And sometimes revenge can be justified, Phil, I have to be honest."
"In Colorado, they’re so brazen, they’re taking over sections of the state. And you know, getting them out will be a bloody story. They should have never been allowed to come into our country. Nobody checked them."
"If you had one really violent day … one rough hour—and I mean real rough—the word will get out, and it will end immediately."
"I always say, we have two enemies … We have the outside enemy, and then we have the enemy from within, and the enemy from within, in my opinion, is more dangerous than China, Russia, and all these countries … We have some very bad people; we have some sick people, radical-left lunatics. And it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by the National Guard—or, if really necessary, by the military."
"It is the enemy from within. And they’re very dangerous—they’re Marxists and Communists and fascists … They’re dangerous for our country. We have China, we have Russia, we have all these countries. If you have a smart president, they can all be handled. The more difficult are, you know, the Pelosis, these people, they’re so sick; they’re so evil"
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Comment on US House Democrats release latest Jeffrey Epstein documents with Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Steve Bannon and Prince Andrew mentions in ~society
hobbes64 LinkCool what are you waiting for?Republicans on the committee called the latest batch of files “old news.”
“It's sad how Democrats are conveniently withholding documents that contain the names of Democratic officials” and “putting politics over victims,” according to Oversight Republicans. “We are releasing them all soon.”
Cool what are you waiting for?
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Comment on Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted by a federal grand jury, an extraordinary escalation in US President Donald Trump’s effort to prosecute his political enemies in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentLawrence O'Donnel has a video from yesterday talks about how the inspector General sided with Comey and basically said McCabe lied. And this was witheld from the grand jury....Lawrence O'Donnel has a video from yesterday talks about how the inspector General sided with Comey and basically said McCabe lied. And this was witheld from the grand jury.
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Comment on Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted by a federal grand jury, an extraordinary escalation in US President Donald Trump’s effort to prosecute his political enemies in ~society
hobbes64 Link ParentThe reason people feel the way they do about the Clinton email investigation is the timing of it and the outcome of it. If it would have been announced at a time that didn't affect the election...The reason people feel the way they do about the Clinton email investigation is the timing of it and the outcome of it. If it would have been announced at a time that didn't affect the election outcome, it would have been better for the country and the Earth.
Yes Clinton deserved accountability for it. No, the rest of us should not have suffered the result of her accountability. Yes, it weakens the rule of law when rich people get away with things. No, it wasn't worth it in this case.
In example #5 billion of Trump/Republican hypocrisy, they routinely talk about how unfair it is whenever he's accountable to any law or norm or the constitution.
I’ve never seen a president or an administration that was so brazenly partisan in a way that declares over half the country an enemy. Shame on any person who continues to support this destruction of democracy.