What's in the news?

[Cassandra LeMay]

The Polish Constitutional Tribunal continues:

http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/243953,Poland%E2%80%99s-Constitutional-Tribunal-rules-against-swathe-of-legal-changes

Today, the Tribunal made a ruling that the changes to it that had been done by PiS in December were unconstitutional. PiS members, including the Prime Minister, are already saying that they won't obey this ruling.

Are we still living in a democracy???  >:(

Funny thing about democracy is that a majority of people can elect to no longer want a democracy and live in an authocratic, undemocratic state instead. That's still democracy in action, isn't it?

[LisztesFerenc]

Funny thing about democracy is that a majority of people can elect to no longer want a democracy and live in an authocratic, undemocratic state instead. That's still democracy in action, isn't it?

   I'd argue no. If the population want X guy to be in charge, they can keep voting for them in elections. Giving up not only yours but also the future generation's chance to get rid of them isn't democracy. Democracy in action needs to have an undo clause.

[Beorning]

You know what's breaking my heart these days? Even with everything PiS is doing, they are the most popular party among voters...  :-[

This is so crazy. Can't people just see that PiS is breaking the law?

BTW. A moment, I saw one government representative talking about why they won't be respecting yesterday's CT ruling. She said, more or less, "We won't obey, because this is the will of the nation!". My God  :o

[Kythia]

"We won't obey, because this is the will of the nation!". My God  :o

I must be honest, that's actually a line of argument I've always had some sympathy for. 

[Beorning]

Really? I'd say there's a huge difference between winning the elections and being given the nation's support for breaking the Constitution...

[ererruz]

Really? I'd say there's a huge difference between winning the elections and being given the nation's support for breaking the Constitution...

And pointing out that they're only serving the will of the nation even though none of what they're doing was ever advertised in the election campaign...

[Kythia]

And pointing out that they're only serving the will of the nation even though none of what they're doing was ever advertised in the election campaign...

Now that's a different matter.  But if my "The constitution is stupid and should be ignored party" get elected on my platform of the constitution and it's poo-like smell then serving the will of the nation and breaking the constitution aren't different things.  Your original statement (Beorning) didn't differentiate between them - I had read it to mean "the will of the nation is to ignore the constitution"

[Lustful Bride]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/murder-suspect-who-escaped-jail-killed-after-holding-family/ar-AAgCil4?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

Hostage situation ended. An escaped murder suspect held a family hostage until one of them broke free and killed the hostage taker with a gun the family had hidden in their home.

Thank God none of the family got hurt, especially not the toddler.

[Beorning]

Now that's a different matter.  But if my "The constitution is stupid and should be ignored party" get elected on my platform of the constitution and it's poo-like smell then serving the will of the nation and breaking the constitution aren't different things.  Your original statement (Beorning) didn't differentiate between them - I had read it to mean "the will of the nation is to ignore the constitution"

Well, PiS certainly didn't promise to dismantle the CT during their campaign...

Overall, their campaign is notable for how... fraudulent and dishonest it was. For once, they put forward Beata Szydło as their Prime Minister, as they knew that too many people hated the idea of Jarosław Kaczyński as the PM. Now, after the elections, it more and more looks like Szydło is just a puppet, while the real decisions are being made by Kaczyński...

The biggest lie was, though, the issue of their Defense Minister. During the campaign, there was this concern that PiS might choose Antoni Macierewicz as the DM - a man that... doesn't have the best reputation, to put it mildly. So, in the course of their campaign, PiS presented another guy, Jarosław Gowin, as "the most probable DM candidate" - and actually claimed that the other parties' warnings about Macierewicz were obsessions etc. But what happened after PiS won the elections? They made Macierewicz the DM after all. And are now defending themselves with "Hey, we didn't say that Gowin was going to be the DM for sure, we only said that he was the most probable candidate!". *groans*

[ererruz]

Well, PiS certainly didn't promise to dismantle the CT during their campaign...

Overall, their campaign is notable for how... fraudulent and dishonest it was. For once, they put forward Beata Szydło as their Prime Minister, as they knew that too many people hated the idea of Jarosław Kaczyński as the PM. Now, after the elections, it more and more looks like Szydło is just a puppet, while the real decisions are being made by Kaczyński...

The biggest lie was, though, the issue of their Defense Minister. During the campaign, there was this concern that PiS might choose Antoni Macierewicz as the DM - a man that... doesn't have the best reputation, to put it mildly. So, in the course of their campaign, PiS presented another guy, Jarosław Gowin, as "the most probable DM candidate" - and actually claimed that the other parties' warnings about Macierewicz were obsessions etc. But what happened after PiS won the elections? They made Macierewicz the DM after all. And are now defending themselves with "Hey, we didn't say that Gowin was going to be the DM for sure, we only said that he was the most probable candidate!". *groans*

The same Defense Minister, btw, said today that the Ministry should focus on "developing the Christian foundation of our defence system and our army" and that it's "[our] soldiers' faith and devotion are the greatest guarantee of our safety".

[gaggedLouise]

The same Defense Minister, btw, said today that the Ministry should focus on "developing the Christian foundation of our defence system and our army" and that it's "[our] soldiers' faith and devotion are the greatest guarantee of our safety".

Around here, the idea in vogue is that the army should stick with a critical understanding of  questions of gender, and get grounded in feminist values (which, in a  current Swedish context means the idea that gender is seen as a social and linguistic construct - and focusing on opposition between genders rather than working together).  :-\ These values and ideas should be implemented in their daily work and in their fighting (or well, training, but ultimately the idea of armed forces is having the capacity to fight and resist)

The armed forces here are seriously underfinanced and sott of lacking in hardware, and are having trouble recruiting enough personnel after compulsory military training (for the guys) was scrapped some years ago. I could think of better ways to improve training, performance and combat readiness of the army adn other units than to trumpeting out that the military is some "male power bastion" and needs to become more critical of its gender ideas - it's not as if it ever was as macho as let's say the Russian or French army.  :P

[Beorning]

Okay, another international body says that Polish government is in the wrong when it comes to the TC crisis:

http://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/244331,Watchdog-urges-Poland-to-respect-court-judgment-amid-crisis

Of course, PiS is already saying that they disagree with this opinion and won't heed it. Interestingly, it was PiS who invited the Venice Commission to give an opinion on the TC situation... but now, with the Commission's opinion being unfavourable, PiS is pushing its collective ears shut: "Lah lah lah! Doesn't matter! Don't care! We're a sovereign state! Don't stick your ugly foreign hands into our internal matters!"  ::)

[gaggedLouise]

A half-obscure Turkish statute that outlawed the playing of mechanical table football at home has been lifted. It was in force for half a century and if you played the game at home you could be sent to jail, because the table game was seen as "disruptive" and as gambling for money.  :D

When I was a kid, here in Sweden, table ice hockey with a similar kind of setup (a bit more advanced mechanics to let the guys skate around) was fairly common in the home playroom.

[Oniya]

A half-obscure Turkish statute that outlawed the playing of mechanical table football at home has been lifted. It was in force for half a century and if you played the game at home you could be sent to jail, because the table game was seen as "disruptive" and as gambling for money.  :D

When I was a kid, here in Sweden, table ice hockey with a similar kind of setup (a bit more advanced mechanics to let the guys skate around) was fairly common in the home playroom.

We had both of those!  The hockey guys were on long S-shaped tracks, and you could spin the knob to get them to whack the puck (which had a ball-bearing in the middle to help it move better.)

[Lustful Bride]

North Korea Violently executes (Via Anti Aircraft gun rounds) high ranking officer who wanted to bring about reforms and openness for his country.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/in-hail-of-bullets-and-fire-north-korea-killed-official-who-wanted-reform/ar-AAgHFUz?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

A nation run by a family of psychopaths. I feel terrible for South Korea, having this ticking timebomb over them, and for the enslaved people of North korea.

[Lustful Bride]

Clerk at a 7-11 was struck in the stomach by an axe when a masked man rushed in and began attacking. Luckily he survived thanks to the Axe man being killed when someone with a conceal carry weapon (and permit) pulled out his gun and began firing.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/concealed-weapon-owner-shoots-hatchet-wielding-attacker-in-wash-7-eleven/ar-AAgKfJI?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15


What terrifies me is that the guy came in and didn't ask for money or anything, he came in and immediately started swinging an axe at people. That's..guh. I actually have chills trying to picture that. 0_0

Edit: I should correct myself that the man rushed in with a hatchet, which is a smaller axe, but when your on the receiving end it probably all looks the same :P
plus im too lazy.

[Ariel]

Indiana moves to pass stricter restrictions against abortion.

I'm at a loss for words. This is awful.

[gaggedLouise]

The "space bureaus" of Europe and Russia, ESA and Roscosmos, have launched the first part of a two-step mission to look for traces of life on Mars - in the present day or in the past. The rocket that fired off Sunday will carry an orbiter  to Mars that's going to encircle the red planet looking for methane in the planet's atmosphere - on "hard surface" planets like Earth, methane and most hydrocarbon-based gases, liquids and molecules in nature are produced through biological processes. The second step, that's likely to happen in 2020, will include a sturdy ground rover with a 10´/3 m drill to dig into the surface rock and look for chemical traces of life. It's the most determined attempt so far to find out if Mars has any life, or has hosted such in the past.

CBC - with brief video of lift-off

Space News

[Lustful Bride]

Mother Teresa to be made a Saint on Sept 4th.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pope-francis-approves-sainthood-for-mother-teresa/ar-BBqt34H?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

I never knew she won a Nobel Peace Prize.

Edit: Removed some stuff since it sounded too preachy :P

[Beorning]

Huh.

http://www.submediant.com/2016/03/15/citing-evangelical-faith-ted-cruz-calls-to-ban-satanic-tritone/

Edit: apparently, it's a satire. Whoops! Sorry, folks.

[Lustful Bride]

Huh.

http://www.submediant.com/2016/03/15/citing-evangelical-faith-ted-cruz-calls-to-ban-satanic-tritone/

*Facedesking ensues*

[Kythia]

Satire, surely.

Diabolus in Musica is a blinding album though.  Real return to form for Slayer.  Undisputed Attitude was weak sauce.

[Lustful Bride]

http://www.snopes.com/false-ted-cruz-tritone/

Found this. Unsure if it has any value...never heard of Snopes until now so idk :P

[Oniya]

Huh.

http://www.submediant.com/2016/03/15/citing-evangelical-faith-ted-cruz-calls-to-ban-satanic-tritone/

From the bottom of their homepage:

ABOUT US
Submediant is a satirical site. Its contents are not to be trusted. Believe at your own risk.
FOLLOW US

[Beorning]

http://www.snopes.com/false-ted-cruz-tritone/

Found this. Unsure if it has any value...never heard of Snopes until now so idk :P

You haven't heard of Snopes? Read it. Great site.

And thanks for letting me know that the news is fake! Sorry...