22 votes

US President Donald Trump says he will reopen Alcatraz prison

12 comments

  1. [2]
    hobbes64
    Link
    "Obsession with crime and punishment" is on several of the lists of early warning signs of fascism. He's speed running the rest especially "rampant cronyism and corruption", "corporate power...

    "Obsession with crime and punishment" is on several of the lists of early warning signs of fascism. He's speed running the rest especially "rampant cronyism and corruption", "corporate power protected", "religion and government intertwined". He's always been into "disdain for human rights" and "identification of enemies as a unifying cause".

    25 votes
    1. daychilde
      Link Parent
      We're well beyond early warning signs of fascism. Which doesn't seem incompatible with your comment, but I still felt like saying it.

      We're well beyond early warning signs of fascism. Which doesn't seem incompatible with your comment, but I still felt like saying it.

      25 votes
  2. [8]
    dustylungs
    Link
    And in other news about expensive spectacles designed to distract the public from the administration's corrupt activities...

    And in other news about expensive spectacles designed to distract the public from the administration's corrupt activities...

    President Donald Trump says he is directing his government to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the notorious former prison on a hard-to-reach California island off San Francisco that has been closed for more than 60 years.

    16 votes
    1. [7]
      DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      Whyyyyyy? Sigh This one doesn't even make sense to me

      Whyyyyyy? Sigh

      This one doesn't even make sense to me

      10 votes
      1. [3]
        skybrian
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        Trump and Musk have this in common: if it sounds like it would make a good Onion headline, they think it’s good PR. Also, it sounds like tough-on-crime to people who don’t think about it too hard.

        Trump and Musk have this in common: if it sounds like it would make a good Onion headline, they think it’s good PR.

        Also, it sounds like tough-on-crime to people who don’t think about it too hard.

        15 votes
        1. Eji1700
          Link Parent
          Yeup. The narrative will be "well of course the weak on crime liberals wouldn't want a REAL prison" when the real story was "turns out an island fortress prison is just a MASSIVE waste of funds...

          Also, it sounds like tough-on-crime to people who don’t think about it too hard.

          Yeup. The narrative will be "well of course the weak on crime liberals wouldn't want a REAL prison" when the real story was "turns out an island fortress prison is just a MASSIVE waste of funds for no gain, and it's easier and far far far cheaper to build a supermax on land that's just as horrific and inescapable".

          So even if you ARE for this kind of thing, if you know anything about it you wouldn't be, but of course most people who are for these kinds of things really don't know jack about it anyways.

          11 votes
        2. balooga
          Link Parent
          Next up: Trump declares Pluto a planet again Trump moves executive residence to Mar-a-Lago, renovates White House into luxury hotel Trump authorizes top memecoin stakeholders to personally torture...

          Next up:

          • Trump declares Pluto a planet again
          • Trump moves executive residence to Mar-a-Lago, renovates White House into luxury hotel
          • Trump authorizes top memecoin stakeholders to personally torture detainees
          • Trump adds Disloyalty to the DSM, requires mental health professionals to diagnose it or lose their licenses
          • Trump sells ad space on whitehouse.gov
          • Trump mandates breast augmentation, lip filler for all female executive branch staff members
          • Trump sells entire Smithsonian collection to the Kremlin, boasts that the U.S. “made a killing” on the sale of “a bunch of old junk”
          • Trump stands in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoots somebody to thunderous applause
          5 votes
      2. [3]
        shu
        Link Parent
        As a symbol of punishment against detractors? They probably don't want to depend on El Salvador for their political prisoners, and saying "We send them all to Alcatraz" has that cruel nostalgic...

        As a symbol of punishment against detractors? They probably don't want to depend on El Salvador for their political prisoners, and saying "We send them all to Alcatraz" has that cruel nostalgic old-timey american horror flair.

        9 votes
        1. [2]
          DefinitelyNotAFae
          Link Parent
          Look I guess. It's been closed since shortly after my parents were born. We have supermaxes that are open, functional, and horrible to this day. We have Rikers island if you want horrible places...

          Look I guess. It's been closed since shortly after my parents were born. We have supermaxes that are open, functional, and horrible to this day. We have Rikers island if you want horrible places of abuse. But yeah it's not federally owned. Idk.

          This just doesn't really make sense even symbolically. And I just can't even process it sometimes.

          6 votes
          1. updawg
            Link Parent
            He's sending the criminals to San Francisco.

            He's sending the criminals to San Francisco.

            2 votes
  3. teaearlgraycold
    Link
    I was actually thinking about him pushing for this a week ago. Maybe he’s just a simple man, but I feel like I’m starting to understand him.

    I was actually thinking about him pushing for this a week ago. Maybe he’s just a simple man, but I feel like I’m starting to understand him.

    5 votes
  4. Baeocystin
    Link
    I visited Alcatraz earlier this year. Fascinating, dismal, intense place. And one that needs to stay consigned to the history books.

    I visited Alcatraz earlier this year. Fascinating, dismal, intense place. And one that needs to stay consigned to the history books.

    5 votes