What's in the news?

[Hades]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/14/health/obamacare-unconstitutional-texas-judge.html

Because you know, because the GOP is committed to protecting people with pre-existing conditions (they said so during the midterms guys, so it must be true).  I am expect that the Supreme Court will take up the inevitable request, and hopefully it will get overturned since Chief Justice John Roberts joining the liberals on the court to uphold the law the last time it was before the high court.  But that requires acting on precedence and consistency rather than rank partisanship and ideology, so there's also equal odds that the Court would allow this ruling to stand.

Would some adult country (Canada, you're closest) please come invade us just long enough to put universal health care in place and then give us our independence back?

[TheVillain]

The good news is that according to several experts they expect the GOP as we know it to collapse no later then 2024, just from how they depend on the Evangelical/Christian Conservative voting block to stay in power and that block is rapidly dying off without being replaced. Even self-described Evangelical/Christian Conservative young people are completely different animals politically speaking, and the vast majority find the naked hunger for power and fearmongering the GOP and their own leaders do to be a huge turn-off.

Though admittedly "as we know it" is the key phrase there.

[Lustful Bride]

The good news is that according to several experts they expect the GOP as we know it to collapse no later then 2024, just from how they depend on the Evangelical/Christian Conservative voting block to stay in power and that block is rapidly dying off without being replaced. Even self-described Evangelical/Christian Conservative young people are completely different animals politically speaking, and the vast majority find the naked hunger for power and fearmongering the GOP and their own leaders do to be a huge turn-off.

Though admittedly "as we know it" is the key phrase there.

At this point its better than nothing.

[TheVillain]

Indeed.

A young self-described Evangelical/Christian Conservative does tend to be way more accepting of LGBT rights, racial and sexual equality, legal abortion, action toward correcting human influenced Climate Change, etc then their predecessors but still be noticeably more conservative then their peers.

I think someone once said that when it comes to religious demographics, the US is about half a generation behind most of Western Europe. Interesting thought.

[Iniquitous]

I think someone once said that when it comes to religious demographics, the US is about half a generation behind most of Western Europe. Interesting thought.

That would be because an extreme branch of Protestantism left Western Europe and settled here where there was no real push against their brand of religion to "humanize" them.

[Lustful Bride]

I had no idea there was an active Rap scene in Russia.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/kremlin-should-take-the-lead-on-rap-music-not-shut-it-down-putin-says/ar-BBR08P4?ocid=spartandhp

[Sara Nilsson]

https://www.theroot.com/report-johnson-johnson-knew-their-baby-powder-contai-1831120980

In a bombshell report, it’s been revealed that Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that their baby powder had occasionally tested positive for small amounts of asbestos.

Of course Johnson and johnson denies it. Still their stock took a massive tumble, down $39.8 billion in value.

However what really stood out to me was

In 2017, a California woman was awarded $417 million from Johnson & Johnson after she filed a lawsuit claiming the company’s baby powder gave her ovarian cancer. However, the ruling was eventually reversed after a judge ruled that Johnson & Johnson had no obligation to warn her that their products could cause the disease.

Note, had no obligation to warn that their products could cause..

WHAT?! How the fuck is that not an obligation?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[gaggedLouise]

Theresa May comes close to calling Tony Blair a traitor against the high office he once held, because of his no-nonsense approach to the Brexit process. *facepalm* Meanwhile, the option of actually holding a new referendum is getting taken more seriously week by week, despite May's and Boris' staunch attempts to kill it.

https://news.sky.com/story/theresa-may-condemns-tony-blairs-call-for-second-referendum-but-close-allies-are-secretly-preparing-for-another-public-vote-11582616

In the church schism of Ukraine, the majority of orthodox priests of the country formally declare a Ukrainian Orthodox Church, fully independent of the Patriarchate of Moscow. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46575548

This is essentially a reflection of the cultural and military struggle between Moscow and Kiev, and between eastern and western Ukraine, and no doubt there will be protests and counter-protests, outside of Ukraine too. If it turns out really bad, we might get to see videos of monks fighting with brooms in some Russian Orthodox monasteries at Mount Athos, just like the infamous scenes there have been sometimes at the most holy churches of Christendom at Bethlehem and Jerusalem (due to how the ownership of those churches is divided up between different Orthodox and Oriental churches). :(

The following two clips are tagged for "brief violence".  :-X

Fighting at the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA2DDihLVVg

Broom fight at Bethlehem (this should have been in a Monty Python movie):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETAGB6LGD5Q

[Lustful Bride]

Aside from harsh crack downs on Islam, China is also increasing the amount of pressure it puts on Christians within its country.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/wang-yi-chinese-pastor-and-dissident-arrested-on-accusations-of-inciting-subversion-of-state-power/ar-BBR0PGd?ocid=spartandhp

How long until they target Jews? And then who will they go for next?

[RedRose]

Apparently Jews are already in trouble, because of beards and kosher meat. I think I heard or read this somewhere.
And then there's this https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/257183/indonesians-hate-the-chinese-because-they-are-jewish

[gaggedLouise]

There's never been that many Jews in China, and I imagine those who were still there in 1930 must have had a very tough time - first a brutal civil war, then a very rough Japanese invasion, then civil war again after Japan had been knocked out (get it, in 1941-45 Mao and his Communists, as well as Chiang Kai-Shek and the Nationalists were US allies just like the Soviet Union, and fighting Japan!) - and then from 1949 on, decades of firmly anti-religious Communist autocracy. For at least fifty years, I think, Jewish worship and traditions would have had to be kept a secret in many places. :(

[Orval Wintermute]

Very strange day in Westminster.
Labour threatens to table a Vote of No Confidence (VoNC) if the Government doesn't give a date for the vote on the Brexit Bill.
Conservatives say the vote will be sometime week commencing 14th January.
Labour claim they've forced the Conservatives to act.

2 hours later, Labour decide to table VoNC anyway. But not in the Government just the Prime Minister.
Because a VoNC in the PM is a non-binding resolution, the Government doesn't have to make time for the vote. In theory if the PM loses the vote, she would have to resign but after just coming through an internal leadership challenge it's more likely that the Conservatives would just ignore the loss.
Then to make things really interesting, the other opposition parties have offered an amendment to the VoNC in the PM to convert it to a VoNC in the Government. The odds of the Government losing that vote are close to zero as it would effectively trigger a new General Election.

So what started out as a good day for Labour "forcing the Government to act" has ended with them in a no-win situation.
They could pull the VoNC in the PM and look weak.
Oppose the amendment turning it into a full VoNC and look like they are running scared of the Government.
Allow the amendment to pass, lose the full VoNC. And then because of their policies be forced to call for a second Brexit referendum, which is something Labour party leaders have been desperately trying to avoid.

[Tolvo]

https://www.spin.com/2018/12/jack-dorsey-azealia-banks-hair-amulet/

Man Twitter is run by some fucking weird people.

[sdparquinn]

https://www.spin.com/2018/12/jack-dorsey-azealia-banks-hair-amulet/

Man Twitter is run by some fucking weird people.

I think thats the first time in my entire life I've read about something involving Azealia Banks that didn't make her seem like a total douchebag.

[RedRose]

Police fed up https://www.thelocal.fr/20181218/french-police-call-to-block-police-stations

OH HELL NO https://newsbeezer.com/franceeng/pregnant-yellow-vest-for-five-months-attacked-and-beaten-by-four-men/

Reaching new continents… https://www.timesofisrael.com/yellow-vest-protests-reach-israel-as-hundreds-demonstrate-in-tel-aviv/

[Lustful Bride]

By Friday Bump Stocks will officially banned by the Trump Administration. If you own one you need to turn it in or destroy it before the 90 day time limit as owning one afterwards may be a felony offense.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/18/politics/bump-stocks-ban/index.html

[legomaster00156]

By Friday Bump Stocks will officially banned by the Trump Administration. If you own one you need to turn it in or destroy it before the 90 day time limit as owning one afterwards may be a felony offense.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/18/politics/bump-stocks-ban/index.html

... I'm speechless. The Trump administration did something good. Over a year late, but still!

[Missy]

It's because Trump is too simple minded and impulsive to be able to handle maintaining a single ideological outlook consistent with his party.

In this case, that's a good thing.

[Lustful Bride]

Under orders from Trump the US is now pulling out of Syria. Whether this makes the situation any better or worse remains to be seen. (Though military officials say that doing so will just give ISIS breathing room it needs to strengthen its positions and possibly regrow in the region.)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/in-syria-withdrawal-trump-discards-advice-from-allies-officials/ar-BBRc7jc?ocid=spartanntp

[Lustful Bride]

Parents of Warmbier (Man who died due to torture he suffered in North Korean prison) are going to sue North Korea for the death of their son.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/warmbiers-parents-stand-up-to-evil-in-suing-n-korea-for-his-death/ar-BBRbQlW?ocid=spartandhp

I wish them the best of luck. I don't think it will get far, but I applaud them for trying.

[Sara Nilsson]

so.. tumblr porn ban...

They decided to make a post explaining what is allowed, cept.. as shown in the screenshot of them posting examples of what is allowed their own algorithms deemed it not ok to post. So even their own example of this is ok, was deemed.. not ok.

Well played.

https://gizmodo.com/tumblrs-porn-filter-flags-its-own-examples-of-permitted-1831151178?IR=T

[Oniya]

The comment thread.  I lost it at 'sweater puppies'.

[Lustful Bride]

US passes an Anti Lynching law that raises the act of lynching to being a Federal level crime.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-hate-crime-lynching-senate-unanimous-20181219-story.html

I'm kind of showing that I don't know my laws but wasn't it already a hate crime? Or does the fact that it is now Federal mean it is in a higher classification now? Like is it a State vs Federal Gov thing?

[Missy]

I'd have to think to be honest. There was a whole movement about it early last century.

[Tolvo]

Higher classification. It could previously be considered a hate crime, depending on how local law enforcement view it and the state's laws. But now this makes it a higher classification outright. Hate crimes often depend on local laws and police and what they consider to be hate crimes. Which usually heavily revolve around bias. The FBI can decide to investigate if they feel local law enforcement are failing to do so properly.