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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
For some good news, Obama just protected huge swathes of federal land from offshore drilling, using a 1953 law to make it almost impossible to overturn even with Congress on board and Executive Authority.
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Washington Post, so open in a private window.
edited 20th Dec '16 6:40:16 PM by ViperMagnum357
@ gun control:
Yes, you need a valid ID to purchase a firearm. In Pennsylvania, for instance, the only type of ID a gun dealer is allowed to accept is a PA driver's license or an ID card issued by PennDOT. An out-of-state ID is not acceptable, nor is a Social Security card, a military ID* , or a US passport — So sayeth the local ATF compliance inspectors.
And the buyer has to be able to fill out the paperwork (ATF Form 4473) by himself, without assistance. Once or twice, I was faced with a customer who was functionally illiterate. I told them, "I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to help you with that. If you can't do it on your own, I can't sell you a gun."
EDIT: Form 4473 is available in Spanish, and all gun dealers are supposed to have them on hand. But an individual dealer might just "conveniently" misplace them or claim to be out of them...
edited 20th Dec '16 7:36:12 PM by pwiegle
This Space Intentionally Left Blank.Michael Flynn met with Austrian Neo-Nazis in Trump Tower.
The Freedom Party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, wrote on his Facebook page Monday that he met with Flynn "and a few other high-ranking US politicians" a few weeks ago at Trump Tower.
He noted in the post that his party had recently signed a cooperation deal with Putin's United Russia party, which "outlined plans for regular meetings and collaboration where suitable on economic, business, and political projects," The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
Flynn's relationship with the Kremlin has been under scrutiny since he was tapped by Trump to be the national security adviser. Photos have emerged of the former lieutenant general with Putin in Moscow celebrating the 10th anniversary of the state-sponsored news agency Russia Today, which has featured him as a commentator.
The fact that Flynn appears to have granted an audience to Strache in New York raises more questions about the influence that far-right populism and white nationalism may have on the incoming Trump administration.
The Freedom Party was founded in 1956, and its first leader was the far-right Austrian politician and Nazi Anton Reinthaller.
The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.
This is fine.
"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."Well, in some 'good' news, the Republicans in North Carolina 'might' repeal the terrible Bathroom Bill before the new Governor takes over
. Key word though is 'might'.
It'd be pretty easy for the GOP to pass anti-minority gun laws, just make it so that if you've been stopped more than three times by the police in the last month you can't get a gun, then let racial profiling do the rest.
They're only doing it on the condition that Charlote repeals its own non-discrimination law. That's not a win, it's us giving the Republicans what they want.
edited 20th Dec '16 8:22:37 PM by Silasw
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranA strategy that I'm sure is going to work out just great for us over the next 4+ years.
We need to stop playing ball and start obstructing them just as fiercely as they obstructed Obama. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile. There can be no cooperation and bipartisanship with an illegitimate foreign-installed president and a party of traitors.
"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."Whoever gets the DNC chair, it needs to be somebody who's capable of digging in and fighting back. No more concessions, no more rolling over and letting the GOP have their way. When we're staring down the barrel of autocracy and naked white supremacy, there's no time to play anymore.
"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."What I'm seeing and hearing is that somehow, the Republicans have managed to put the Democrats into a similar position they were in during the Obama presidency: a newly elected president whose legitimacy is being challenged by an opposing party that is being sent into a sort of frenzy that causes them to function in less than optimal capacity, with some members of it contemplating on going to what can be seen as extreme(ist) measures and/or doing to the new president what they see as what has been done to the previous president.
Personally, I think the Democrats' reasons for their outcries are more justified and less petty.
I don't think though, that acting like the Republicans did during Obama's terms is going to help. Even those who can see that course of action as justified will still see it as an act of revenge fueled backlash instead of a morally and ethically sound, fact-based course of action (and yes, they can be and are different and separate, especially in a situation as volatile as this). The means have a very good chance of delegitimizing the ends, so to speak.
That doesn't mean nothing should be done though because that's wrong. But the solution to the oncoming problems probably won't be as simple as taking the "an eye for an eye" approach. or "an eyelid for an eye" or "the whole damn skull for an eye". Besides, we really won't be better than or even as good at it as they are. Not if we still want to have a solid claim as being the better side.
We have to find new things and new ways to do things, and that requires actual critical thinking, and not just unrestrained emotional and moral outrage (but some amount of that can be useful to get things going strong).
So, any good ideas? Meaning, ideas that haven't already been brought up in this thread in the past 2 months?
but maybe somewhereBecause Putin is everything they want to be. An unchallenged autocrat, who can murder their opponents at will, enrich themselves and their allies, bully their neighbors, be respected by their people, and enact socially repressive and bigoted policies cloaked in religion.
If you are rich, connected and right-wing and morally bankrupt (as the GOP higher ups all are, barring a few Cold Warriors like Mc Cain who still have something resembling principles), Russia is basically paradise.
edited 20th Dec '16 9:44:29 PM by Rationalinsanity
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.![]()
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I would add that, thanks to Putin, they're now one of the most powerful (and potentially destructive) political organizations on Earth. So they owe him big time.
The GOP have chosen party over country. I've seen people say that the "Democrats vs. Republicans" conflict has been replaced with "patriots vs. traitors." Or if you prefer, "authoritarians vs. anti-authoritarians."
"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."![]()
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Oh, they have values alright. Or rather, the GOP has values. And they've placed those values over the country. So I guess what we should take away from this is that it's best not to have any values. Best to believe in nothing and thus accomplish nothing -- for good or bad -- than to believe in something and fuck everyone over for those beliefs. A policy to live by.
edited 20th Dec '16 10:07:41 PM by kkhohoho
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Well, one small bit of good news in that regard - Obama has indefinitely banned drilling for oil in areas of the Arctic and Antarctic ocean.
Apparently these bans will also be quite difficult for future administrations (even those comprised of Captain Planet villains) to get around.
I don't know if it's going to stop a truly determined Trump administration, let alone Russia, but it's at the very least another roadblock for them to negotiate. And the fact that Obama made it so hard to get around shows that he knows what's coming.
You know what? The GOP truly have become the party of evil. I say that with deadly seriousness.

Yeah, no, I completely agree with all of you. I just like thinking of theoretical scenerios that would be beneficial to my cause, but I would never want to actually enact.