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Nov 2023 Mod notice:


There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.

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In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.

Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#253701: Aug 31st 2018 at 7:15:18 AM

Re: Bank of America story: This quote from the Huffington Post write-up pretty much sums up why this is disconcerting:

The bank said it has used the same country of citizenship question for almost a decade.

But Paulina Gonzalez, executive director of the California Reinvestment Coalition, said banks questioning customers about their citizenship status feeds into “anti-immigrant sentiment” already running high in the wake of the 2016 presidential election.

The outcry over Bank of America’s citizenship question comes in the midst of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and a climate in which many immigrants in the U.S. feel increasingly vulnerable.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#253702: Aug 31st 2018 at 7:21:13 AM

[up][up]This fat white guy agrees with you. It would have been far better for a country as a whole if we had liquidated the plantations, divided them among their slaves, and given each ex-slave a firearm to defend his land against marauding Klansmen.

(This statement has no bearing on modern gun politics. "I need a gun to be able to personally defend my home and property" made a lot more sense in 1865 than it does now.)

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#253703: Aug 31st 2018 at 7:37:25 AM

Literal burning would probably have been a bad idea.

And was seizure and redistribution on that scale even remotely feasible?

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#253704: Aug 31st 2018 at 7:46:35 AM

No idea. But it wasn't even tried or considered.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#253705: Aug 31st 2018 at 7:47:43 AM

[up][up]It wasn't feasible because the North didn't have the will for it and for dealing with the inevitable insurgency, they wanted their order and civility back even if it was paid for with the blood of black people and white Republicans.

Goddamn white moderates.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Aug 31st 2018 at 10:47:35 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#253706: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:00:28 AM

Fighting a bloody civil war does seem like the kind of thing to put you off more mass conflict, I suppose. It doesn't even seem like a difficult choice for most and I can hardly blame them.

Well, revolutionary France seemed to develop a thing for perpetual conflict, but that's weird.

Kaiseror Since: Jul, 2016
#253707: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:08:28 AM

Lincoln just wanted to forget the civil war ever happened and as a result hasn't willing to enforce any kind of meaningful changes on the southern states, that's also how we ended up getting segregation and jim crow laws.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#253708: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:23:52 AM

[up][up]I certainly can, their weakness and softness allowed the cancerous Southern social structure to remain intact which is directly responsible for unimaginable suffering amongst black people and spawned the majority of the issues that effect the South today.

Was it understandable? Certainly, but that doesn't make it any less unjustified or contemptible in my eyes.

[up]Ok this is extremely unfair considering that Lincoln was y'know assassinated? We don't know what reconstruction would've been like under him because we never got to see it.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Aug 31st 2018 at 11:24:16 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#253709: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:27:44 AM

Trump’s tweeting about Don Mc Ghahn now:

Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner had NOTHING to do with the so called “pushing out” of Don Mc Gahn.The Fake News Media has it, purposely,so wrong! They love to portray chaos in the White House when they know that chaos doesn’t exist-just a “smooth running machine” with changing parts!
I have to talk about this. What does a “smooth running machine with changing parts” even mean? Like did he forgot the phrase “Well oiled machine”?

The Rigged Russia Witch Hunt did not come into play, even a little bit, with respect to my decision on Don Mc Gahn!

I am very excited about the person who will be taking the place of Don Mc Gahn as White House Counsel! I liked Don, but he was NOT responsible for me not firing Bob Mueller or Jeff Sessions. So much Fake Reporting and Fake News!

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#253710: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:30:21 AM

How the hell is a machine smooth running if you're constantly popping it open to remove parts?

Honestly I think that analogy is rather more accurate then Trump intended [lol]

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#253711: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:34:24 AM

Because Trump does not know how to English.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#253712: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:36:15 AM

Honestly I just shorten it too "Trump is a moron", which has the added benefit of covering the rest of his behavior beyond his loose grasp of the English language.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Boston Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
#253713: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:37:51 AM

Regarding Civil War statues - I made one proposal much earlier in this thread. But, if you really want to make a statement, commission a new statue - one that depicts Lee, Stephens and others offering reparations to King and X. Hell, show them grovelling for forgiveness.

It'll be a lightning rod for sure, and bound to attract entirely the wrong sort of attention. (It would essentially be trolling the trolls.) But then you keep a watchful eye over it, and note who brings the graffiti and vandalism, and then all you need do is enforce the letter of the law.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#253714: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:39:02 AM

That would be more than acceptable, if they cannot be wiped from history then I want them to be remembered as the losers they were.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#253715: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:41:09 AM

I like how he puts "smooth-running machine" in quotes, like even he knows he's full of shit.

Anyway, apparently Cynthia Nixon is challenging Andrew Cuomo for governor of New York. Also apparently, she's a fairly high-profile actor.

...I want to feel more enthusiastic about this than I do. Like, apparently (yeah I'm using that word a lot, I have never heard of this woman until a few minutes ago) she at least has a history of activism, but ultimately I'm just tired of the trend of putting actors in political positions. Schwarzenegger, Franken, Trump, Reagan (come to think of it this shit all started with him, didn't it? dammit, Reagan) and now Cynthia Nixon.

While I'm at it, I'm also tired of how the term "Progressive" is used.

Edited by PhysicalStamina on Aug 31st 2018 at 11:41:24 AM

i'm tired, my friend
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#253716: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:43:13 AM

Unjustified? You think it's unjustified for people to have not put even more of their own at risk after one of the first modern wars, based around how the long term panned out?

Demongodofchaos2 Face me now, bitch! from In a Cultivation World (Ancient one) Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Face me now, bitch!
#253717: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:46:19 AM

Trumps popularity is trending downward again.

Gee, I wonder why.

Edited by Demongodofchaos2 on Aug 31st 2018 at 11:47:44 AM

Watch Symphogear
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#253718: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:52:16 AM

Here’s the Crash Course episode about reconstruction, just so we all have a common reference point.

Basically, reconstruction was initially relatively successful (although it did have serious flaws), with expanded voting rights, and nearly 2000 Africans American holding some sort of office, before it was sabotaged by Andrew Johnson.

Edited by megaeliz on Aug 31st 2018 at 12:09:54 PM

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#253719: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:55:02 AM

Unjustified? You think it's unjustified for people to have not put even more of their own at risk after one of the first modern wars, based around how the long term panned out?

Yes I think it's unjustified to allow malevolent social actors to rape and murder to their hearts content because one is war weary.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Aug 31st 2018 at 11:54:32 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
thatindiantroper Since: Feb, 2015
#253720: Aug 31st 2018 at 8:55:33 AM

"he knows he's full of shit."

Have you seen how he eats ? The stuff must be backed up to his eyeballs by now.

Kaiseror Since: Jul, 2016
#253721: Aug 31st 2018 at 9:07:20 AM

Edited by Kaiseror on Aug 31st 2018 at 11:31:19 AM

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#253722: Aug 31st 2018 at 9:08:53 AM

[up]I would strongly recommend that you remove this, we don't need that kind of talk here. IT doesn't improve the discussion and would just make the mods pissed at you.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#253723: Aug 31st 2018 at 9:19:11 AM

Don't blame Lincoln for that bullshit. Lincoln actually was pursuing a heavy plan of black and white integration.

The thing about Reconstruction was it was SABOTAGED by white supremacists.

Specifically Lincoln's own Vice President.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#253724: Aug 31st 2018 at 9:27:50 AM

Yes I think it's unjustified to allow malevolent social actors to rape and murder to their hearts content because one is war weary.

This, a million times this. Permitting the continued violent systemic abuse of an entire population because one is tired is inexcusable.

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#253725: Aug 31st 2018 at 9:32:18 AM

Yes I think it's unjustified to allow malevolent social actors to rape and murder to their hearts content because one is war weary.

Instead, a long term military occupation against an armed and hostile populace, killing off even more swathes of people on every side, without popular support for this especially once the bodies start mounting. Not counting the number of issues from sympathisers and turncoats.

That's just being optimistic about the long term and hoping it would all work out to justify the increase in devastation and unrest now. Hindsight doesn't mean that because one didn't work, the other is automatically more justified.


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