Trump

[TheGlyphstone]

As far as the Cold War mindset being outdated, let's not forget that Putin was a lifelong KGB agent for as long the KGB existed. He fought in that war, so to speak, so it's likely still very real to him - the USA is Russia's most dangerous enemy and the biggest obstacle to Russian global dominance, which are things he values. And he thinks like an intelligence agent too, not a diplomat, as demonstrated by his propensity of sowing chaos via cyberwarfare and plying poisons on his opponents. If we want the Cold War mindset to end, it'll likely persist as long as he and his influence on the Russian government does. Otherwise we're just turning our back on a man whose hands are full of knives.

[Beguile's Mistress]

This is the reason the GOP is afraid of Trump.  They watched him for the last four years in office take down anyone who went up against him.  He doesn't care how badly he hurts people.  He just wants to make life hell for them and he has already made moves to skew the Georgia runoffs and take the power away from the Republican Senate.  He believes he'll get the Oval Office back come 2024 so he wants to wipe out those in office now and later replace them with his own people.  It probably won't work out that way but as long as he thinks it will he'll play that game.

[John Birch]

As far as the Cold War mindset being outdated, let's not forget that Putin was a lifelong KGB agent for as long the KGB existed. He fought in that war, so to speak, so it's likely still very real to him - the USA is Russia's most dangerous enemy and the biggest obstacle to Russian global dominance, which are things he values. And he thinks like an intelligence agent too, not a diplomat, as demonstrated by his propensity of sowing chaos via cyberwarfare and plying poisons on his opponents. If we want the Cold War mindset to end, it'll likely persist as long as he and his influence on the Russian government does. Otherwise we're just turning our back on a man whose hands are full of knives.

Agreed. The comparison may not be one-for-one, but we are, in effect, waging a second cold war. Putin will never liberalize, he will never allow the emergence of democracy within or around Russia, and he will never stop trying to curb American power and influence. A 'cold war mindset' if anything is the only appropriate mindset for relations with Russia in the near-future. Otherwise, forget bringing a knife to a gunfight-- we're bringing a bouquet of flowers to a gunfight.

[Missy]

Ohmigawd! Incompetent people got appointed to the SC!? I wonder how that happened!? I mean, the guy who did that must have been a mess!

[Haibane]

Jeez, it gets worse. Trump needs to be put over someone's knee and given a good spanking and sent to bed without any tea.

[Oniya]

Jeez, it gets worse. Trump needs to be put over someone's knee and given a good spanking and sent to bed without any tea.

I was suddenly reminded of the letter that Jane and Michael Banks wrote in Mary Poppins - particularly 'castor oil or gruel'.

[Haibane]

Dominion the company that manufactures voting machines sends cease and desist and document preservation orders to numerous media persons, lawyers, corporations and the executive office of the president regarding defamatory and conspiracy claims over the use of its machines in the 2020 election.

https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/lawyers-for-dominion-voting-systems-sent-21-retraction-or-record-preservation-demand-letters-read-them-all-here/

[Missy]

It's what I would do.

[gaggedLouise]

One of his most outrageous tweets in the last two weeks - this is both funny, absurd and scary:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1342832582606598144   

[Haibane]

Yes, simply bald-faced arrant nonsense and deeply insulting to the many hundreds of thousands of election workers, many of them volunteers.

[Deamonbane]

Dominion the company that manufactures voting machines sends cease and desist and document preservation orders to numerous media persons, lawyers, corporations and the executive office of the president regarding defamatory and conspiracy claims over the use of its machines in the 2020 election.

https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/lawyers-for-dominion-voting-systems-sent-21-retraction-or-record-preservation-demand-letters-read-them-all-here/

The best part is watching Fox News and Newsmax having to walk back on their claims and openly state that there is no evidence of tampering. OAN, on the other hand, took the route of practically daring them into a lawsuit.

I can't wait to see how it works out for them.

[Haibane]

I can't recall now where I read it but if this lawsuit sets a precedent then it basically kills a big chunk of the right-wing media dead because bald-faced lies and conspiracies is a lot of what they peddle and if any company damaged by the twaddle they broadcast can demand a retraction they'll look pretty stupid.

[TheHangedOne]

I can't recall now where I read it but if this lawsuit sets a precedent then it basically kills a big chunk of the right-wing media dead because bald-faced lies and conspiracies is a lot of what they peddle and if any company damaged by the twaddle they broadcast can demand a retraction they'll look pretty stupid.

I would be so super-happy if this was a precedent that was set.  I'm all for freedom of speech, right up until it starts infringing on other people.

[TheHangedOne]

To clarify, because I am tired. I don't like censorship. I hate it. But absolute freedom can't exist, either. Things like slander and defamation, things like inciting a riot, calling for race wars, etc., is stuff that can be done away with.

[Missy]

To clarify, because I am tired. I don't like censorship. I hate it. But absolute freedom can't exist, either. Things like slander and defamation, things like inciting a riot, calling for race wars, etc., is stuff that can be done away with.

Is it absolute freedom if anyone who pleases can commit defamation against me subjecting me to hardship and undue difficulty for the singular and sole reason they made money for doing it?

[Bibliophilia]

That's what he's saying.  Essentially, 'your rights end where my nose begins'.  This is why we need to stop allowing the cries of 'religious freedom' to impinge on the rights of LGBTQ people.  People have the right to believe whatever hateful, bigoted, shitty think they want.  Where their rights end is where those beliefs begin restricting the rights of other people.  We don't police beliefs, we police actions taken in the name of them.

[Bibliophilia]

*thing

[TheHangedOne]

That's what he's saying.  Essentially, 'your rights end where my nose begins'.  This is why we need to stop allowing the cries of 'religious freedom' to impinge on the rights of LGBTQ people.  People have the right to believe whatever hateful, bigoted, shitty think they want.  Where their rights end is where those beliefs begin restricting the rights of other people.  We don't police beliefs, we police actions taken in the name of them.

Yes, thank you.

[Missy]

Sorry, it wasn't my intention to appear as though to argue.

[TheGlyphstone]

What we don't want to encourage, though, is the defamation suit's demented evil twin, SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation). John Oliver's done a few good shows about them, but the gist is that wealthy people/businesses sue newspapers or private citizens who try to publicly call them out on their misdeeds, relying on the sheer cost of defending oneself in court even against spurious lawsuits to silence their critics with smaller bank accounts.

[Haibane]

Essentially, 'your rights end where my nose begins'.  This is why we need to stop allowing the cries of 'religious freedom' to impinge on the rights of LGBTQ people.  People have the right to believe whatever hateful, bigoted, shitty think they want.  Where their rights end is where those beliefs begin restricting the rights of other people.

This is where the corrupt/hateful fundamentalist face of Islam bangs up against everywhere else, and not just the secular west, but moderate Islam as well. In the west we separated church from state to one degree or another long ago, but in Islam the two are still one and hence we get some extreme individuals in the UK calling for and also practising Sharia Law in their communities; honour killings, FGM and so on. It is a very difficult question to police and for politicians to face as they are stuck between the hard places of freedom of speech, individual's rights and religious hate/Islamophobia.

When I talk to some friends or acquaintances online and voice my views on how Islam and Sharia law can and should only stand in majority Islamic states I get some very awkward responses (awkward for me that is). Look at the horrors in France in the last few years concerning the insults against Mohammed and how hated Macron has become in some states following his statements that France is secular and stands for liberty in speech.

[Regina Minx]

Is it absolute freedom if anyone who pleases can commit defamation against me subjecting me to hardship and undue difficulty for the singular and sole reason they made money for doing it?

It depends on whether or not you're using 'defamation' in a very strict legal sense or more colloquially. In a strict legal sense no, of course, a person does not have a right to defame another, regardless of how liberal the free speech laws are in their jurisdiction. If you mean it in a more general, loose sense...the answer is too context dependent to say.

[TheHangedOne]

https://imgur.com/gallery/oGSQZvQ

Republicans are saying, in Georgia, not to vote. If you don't vote, then there will be a negative number of Republican votes, and that will "prove" that there's fraud.

Just, follow the link; read yourself. It's pickling my brain.

[Oniya]

To quote Little Oni:  'I have several questions.  The nerdiest one is that votes are a countable object, and therefore you can't have a negative number of them.  You can't have a negative number of bananas.'

[Haibane]

https://imgur.com/gallery/oGSQZvQ

Republicans are saying, in Georgia, not to vote. If you don't vote, then there will be a negative number of Republican votes, and that will "prove" that there's fraud.

Just, follow the link; read yourself. It's pickling my brain.

More power to them I say! 2020 was madness and tragedy but its starting to look good for 2021, Democrats in control of both houses will help fix a lot of problems.