U.S. Politics

[TheSameIdiot]

I'm putting this in US Politics since it's almost entirely the fault of the US: Israel just confirmed they are officially targeting civilians for their genocide campaign now. They have, quite literally and in express words, stopped pretending that the massive death toll on the civilian population is accidental. And in so doing, they have admitted in no uncertain terms that they're doing a genocide.

And it's like... page 10 news.

I've been thinking a lot about The Horrors and why they persist. I came to the conclusion that things move too quickly now. If you follow the news, 10 notable things happen every day. It's a combination of the internet and the number of people on Earth.

Trump knowingly "deported" (or sent to a foreign concentration camp, depending on your preferred verbiage) nearly 250 innocent people without due process. To me, this is an all-hands-on-deck situation. People should be in the streets. We need to have a general strike. Yet who's organizing it? I'm ready to participate, but it isn't happening. Fascism is here and we're doing fuck all about it. I know another nationwide protest is happening. That's great, but the media won't even cover it. We need more.

The Palestinian genocide is another. They're committing war crimes and human rights violations on camera. You say it's on the U.S., I disagree. We may have one of the biggest hands in the genocide, but we're not the only country that could do something. Where are the economic sanctions? Where is the UN? Why is Netanyahu not behind bars?

I'm not sure how the genocide will unfold, but I am sure the tides are turning on Israel. They lost an entire generation's support. For the rest of my life, I won't give that country the benefit of the doubt. Our politicians (soon to be replaced, by the way) are the only ones who defend them.

Some of today's Horrors:

The Vice President is parroting Nazi ideology

Former President Elon Musk is so addicted to ketamine that he can't tell fact from fiction

https://bsky.app/profile/donmoyn.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3lqf3ygilc22w

The Republican Party is a death cult, and Ernst may win re-election anyway

https://bsky.app/profile/aprilglick.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3lqfej7g3ck2e

 

[Ru1977]

Thank you for sharing these, TSI.

 

[Misfit]

It never ceases to amaze me how much has changed when it comes to politics just in my lifetime alone. Dan Quayle's political career was over for misspelling potato. Now politicians (mostly conservatives, but also Democrats) say and do shit every day that would have been political ruin 30 years ago and it can't even crack the top 10 news items today. Of course, not surprising considering one political party celebrates their own ignorance like it's a virtue. These are the moments when I need to step back, crank up some aggressive music, and just ignore the world for a little bit.

 

[TheSameIdiot]

Thank you for sharing these, TSI.

Yeah. I'm hesitant to share them because:

1) Nobody needs the political brain rot that I subject myself to daily
2) When I deleted my Twitter account last year, I went through all of my tweets. Most of the Trump-era shit I rage-tweeted about wound up not mattering at all in just a couple of years time.

I think this is a little different because of Project 2025, but we'll see what actually matters in five years or so.

 

[Ru1977]

Yeah. I'm hesitant to share them because:

1) Nobody needs the political brain rot that I subject myself to daily

Heh, true.

2) When I deleted my Twitter account last year, I went through all of my tweets. Most of the Trump-era shit I rage-tweeted about wound up not mattering at all in just a couple of years time.

ugh, well that actually adds a dash of hope at least.

I think this is a little different because of Project 2025, but we'll see what actually matters in five years or so.

I agree, way more organized than last time, though I don't know if that matters since he throws so much shit everywhere anyway. I would LOVE if in five years some or even much of this doesn't matter anymore.

I never thumbs up your news posts because that feels incorrect, but I do appreciate seeing some of the stuff you see.

 

[Damien]

I came to the conclusion that things move too quickly now. If you follow the news, 10 notable things happen every day. It's a combination of the internet and the number of people on Earth.

This is 100% part of the problem. Plenty of people have talked about how it's impossible to even keep up with all the horrible shit happening day-to-day, let alone have the mental energy to care about it all, let alone have the TIME and MONEY to fight it all. That's the whole point of this administration and other administrations; make everything so horrible that everyone gives up fighting because they know they cannot bail the ocean with a spoon.

You say it's on the U.S., I disagree. We may have one of the biggest hands in the genocide, but we're not the only country that could do something.

Certainly. But we are the country that could basically stop it harder than one of Trump's sons trying to get his father's affection.

Other countries could do something. We could do THE thing. We could refuse to give them weapons. We could cut off all of our funding (we send billions, with a capital B, of dollars to Israel every year - they literally exist as a country because of American welfare). Any Israeli aggression would end in days if the US just said 'you get nothing else from us.' As long as it's US bombs and US bullets murdering children, then that murder is on America.

 

[AgentHemlock]

I'm hoping this is all one big painful disgusting boil lancing or zit popping. Only silver lining I can see.

One of the many new things about this era is that we are able to see ourselves so clearly and change norms so quickly. Before a billionaire could just billionaire, but the 20teens showed us that one lone voice could ruin the standing of very powerful people. Granted, they'd still be powerful, but they wouldn't be openly accepted. It mattered. I think this is a big push to take that power away by muddying the water of all morality into a swampy smokescreen so it can be business as usual. In many ways Gaza is business as usual, but because of social media people who wouldn't normally see and hear about these atrocities, that aren't tuned into several unbiased news sources, that don't live in urban areas with protests, see it every single day when they open instagram and see their friends and the influencers they follow shining light on it. It's added a level of accountability to governments that they aren't used to. Biggest weapon against that is misinformation and sensationalism.

 

[CTV]

Heartbreaking on a million different levels, maddening on a million more. I hope history, at least, tells the truth for all to see.

As a Black American, fat chance.

 

[Damien]

As a Black American, fat chance.

Listen... we elected a black president so obviously racism is solved.
We did it everyone. Mission accomplished.

 

[jonaskane]

Meanwhile, the Ketamine Kid shows up high as fuck to a press conference with a black eye apparently given to him by a cabinet member, while also seemingly having stolen Stephen Miller's wife.

That old Chinese curse about interesting times...

 

[canprime]

Meanwhile, the Ketamine Kid shows up high as fuck to a press conference with a black eye apparently given to him by a cabinet member, while also seemingly having stolen Stephen Miller's wife.

That old Chinese curse about interesting times...

I'm conflicted. On the one hand it is Elon Musk and I am happy to see him suffering.

On the other, he might have taken Stephen Miller's wife? Pain for Stephen Miller?

Man-o-man such a conflict. What should make me happier?

 

[Misfit]

Are people assuming Miller hit him? I can't imagine that little weasel throwing a punch. He probably ordered an aid to or something and then didn't even thank him or pay him, but rather scold him for not knocking him out.

 

[Justice]

That's one where I'd have to wish for a simultaneous knockout, if those two were fighting.

Totally unrelated note but I read that President Tyler's last grandson finally died. It always blew my mind that our 10th president who himself was born in the 1700s, still had a living grandson, but alas, no more. End of an era. RIP John Tyler's grandson.

 

[joshsquash729]

Oh, to be a fly on the wall for whatever happened with the black eye. I'd love to get ahold of the security footage and throw some cartoon sound effects or Benny Hill music over it.

 

[jonaskane]

IIRC the rumor is that he and Bessent got into some kind of shouting/shoving match and Bessent popped him.