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

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#276202: Apr 1st 2019 at 9:36:59 AM

dont be silly,the only country they can identify by flag is America

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#276204: Apr 1st 2019 at 10:53:37 AM

Why is law enforcement being exempt?

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#276205: Apr 1st 2019 at 11:04:51 AM

"...denying care in the case of death..." Not sure how that is a concern, really.

[up]I wonder if it's to keep Muslims from being cops.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
ciyinwanderer Since: Dec, 2018
#276206: Apr 1st 2019 at 11:05:13 AM

[up][up]I would imagine it's a tacit acknowledgement that this law is giving people a license to discriminate and if they allowed it to apply to law enforcement it could lead to police not helping someone because they are LGBT, which is bad optics even for them.

Edited by ciyinwanderer on Apr 1st 2019 at 2:05:25 PM

This signature was thumped to preserve the dignity of the moderators.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#276207: Apr 1st 2019 at 11:15:02 AM

I wonder if it's to keep Muslims from being cops.

I'm certain that is exactly the reason.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#276208: Apr 1st 2019 at 11:18:15 AM

So Netanyahu has taken a page from Trump's book, as a couple of researches found at least 150 fake Twitter profiles that made a collective ~130,000 pro-Netanyahu posts that reached roughly 2.5 million Israelis over the past few months. Netanyahu's response? Call it "fake research" and say: "I thought at first it was an April fool’s joke. They are not prepared to accept that you, citizens of Israel, support me.”

And in fully domestic news, a whistleblower has testified that 25 security clearances were granted because of White House pressure, overriding denials made by career civil servants. One such clearance was, of fucking course, Jared Kushner's.

Edited by ironballs16 on Apr 1st 2019 at 2:24:31 PM

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#276209: Apr 1st 2019 at 11:23:34 AM

I'm surprised he didn't go the route of saying

1)Everyone does it,so what?

typical response really

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#276210: Apr 1st 2019 at 11:49:18 AM

The law enforcement exemption for that bill is so it can pass to begin with. A LEO wouldn’t legally be able to take advantage of the religious belief exemption, and I believe under Texas law it’s actually illegal to encourage them to.

They should have sent a poet.
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#276211: Apr 1st 2019 at 1:55:23 PM

Tease or April fools? James Comey says "I'm in," teasing a podsible presidential run in 2020.

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#276212: Apr 1st 2019 at 2:03:48 PM

Doubt its serious. He'd have as much support as the Starbucks jerk.

Oruka Since: Dec, 2018
#276213: Apr 1st 2019 at 2:04:37 PM

He urges folks to vote Democrat.

I appreciate that.

In many ways.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#276214: Apr 1st 2019 at 4:07:14 PM

So apparently during the midterms the ballots of parkland, especially of the younger voters were thrown out at an unusual high rate.

Why am I not surprised?

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#276216: Apr 1st 2019 at 4:36:58 PM

not available in my country

the gist of is "15 percent of young Parkland voters' ballots rejected, study shows ..."

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#276217: Apr 1st 2019 at 4:37:48 PM

It appears that a large part of the problem were mismatched signatures, ballot vs voter registration card.

Well, that's not subjective at all...

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#276218: Apr 1st 2019 at 4:42:16 PM

I'm guessing this is how FOX News sees Latin America.

You WISH this was a joke.

Fox and Friends referred to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras as "3 Mexican Countries" when discussing Trump cutting aid to them.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#276219: Apr 1st 2019 at 4:43:22 PM

The solution is to get rid of the voter registration card (that's a thing apprently?) and have some other of identification,but it sounds like there maybe some attempt to stifle votes,and given that parkland may have been against the republican party it feels likely

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#276220: Apr 1st 2019 at 4:46:41 PM

[up][up]I saw it, that's why I posted that image here.

Though while I know it's part of the joke, seriously, Argentina is "Black Mexico"?

Edited by HailMuffins on Apr 1st 2019 at 8:46:54 AM

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#276221: Apr 1st 2019 at 5:47:56 PM

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/04/01/day-802/

    Day 802: Meaningless 
1/ Senior Trump administration officials overturned and granted at least 25 security clearances – including two current senior White House officials – to people who were initially denied by career employees for "serious disqualifying issues" in their backgrounds. Tricia Newbold, a whistleblower working in the White House Personnel Security Office, told the House Oversight and Reform Committee that she warned her superiors that clearances "were not always adjudicated in the best interest of national security." Oversight Committee chairman Elijah Cummings said he was prepared to authorize subpoenas to compel the White House to comply with an investigation into whether national secrets were at risk. Newbold claims she was retaliated against for declining to issue security clearances, including being suspended without pay for 14 days. (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / Associated Press / CNN / Wall Street Journal)

https://apnews.com/1759ac2858ee4aafb041f91cbd6d86e9

2/ The House Judiciary Committee plans to vote to authorize subpoenas to obtain Robert Mueller's full report. Attorney General William Barr pledged to release a redacted version of the report by mid-April. Chairman Jerry Nadler, however, wants the "full and complete report," which spans nearly 400 pages, as well as underlying evidence. (Washington Post / CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/01/politics/house-judiciary-subpoena-full-muller-report/index.html

3/ Trump called the 2020 census "meaningless" if it doesn't include a citizenship question that two federal judges have already ruled against. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on whether Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' decision to add the citizenship question violated federal law by June. (Washington Post / Politico / Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-census/trump-says-u-s-census-meaningless-without-citizenship-question-idUSKCN1RD2DS

4/ Trump plans to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign assistance programs for Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Democrats called the move "short-sighted and flawed," "reckless," and "counterproductive" to reducing the flow of migrants to the U.S. border. The move affects nearly $500 million in 2018 funds earmarked for Central America but has not yet been spent. (Politico / NBC News / Washington Post)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/31/trump-central-america-democrats-1308680

Trump is considering bringing on a "immigration czar" to coordinate policies across various federal agencies. Trump is reportedly considering former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/40654a1b83eb45e3b661903305083d9e

5/ The White House reiterated Trump's threat to close the U.S. border with Mexico, despite warnings that the move would do little to slow migrants trying to enter the U.S. "It certainly isn't a bluff," Kellyanne Conway said. "You can take the president seriously." Mexico is America's third-largest trading partner and closing the border would cause immediate economic damage. (Washington Post / NBC News)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-s-threat-close-border-certainly-isn-t-bluff-conway-n989341

📌 Day 799: Trump repeated his threat to close the U.S.-Mexico border as early as "next week" if the Mexican government doesn't "immediately" stop all undocumented migrants crossing into the U.S., saying he's "not playing games." Trump has repeatedly threatened to close the border, but he's never attached a specific timetable. (CNN / New York Times / Washington Post / ABC News / Vox)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/29/politics/donald-trump-border-closure-again/index.html

Nearly half of all imported U.S. vegetables and 40% of imported fruit are grown in Mexico. American would run out of avocados in three weeks if imports from Mexico were stopped. (NBC News)

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/america-would-run-out-avocados-three-weeks-if-trump-shuts-n989421

"Fox and Friends" described Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras as "3 Mexican Countries" while discussing the Trump administration's decision to cut aid to the so-called Northern Triangle. (Mother Jones)

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/03/fox-and-friends-describes-guatemala-el-salvador-and-honduras-as-3-mexican-countries/

poll/ 29% of Americans believe Trump has been cleared of wrongdoing, based on what they have heard about Attorney General William Barr summary of Robert Mueller's report. 40% do not believe he has been cleared and 31% are not sure if he's has been cleared. (NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/poll-after-mueller-summary-americans-are-still-wait-see-mode-n989061

poll/ 38% believe no additional investigation is needed after Mueller delivered his report to Barr – down two percentage points from before Mueller delivered his report on the Russia investigation. (Lawfare)

https://www.lawfareblog.com/confidence-muellers-investigation-soars-after-barr-letter

    Notables 
Trump is reportedly telling people he is "saving" Judge Amy Barrett for Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat. Barrett's past academic writings suggest an openness to overturning Roe v. Wade. (Axios)

https://www.axios.com/supreme-court-trump-judge-amy-barrett-ruth-bader-ginsburg-11d25276-a92e-4094-8958-eb2d197707c8.html

The White House claimed that Republicans are "working on a plan" to replace the Affordable Care Act. Senate Republicans were caught off guard last week by Trump's declaration that the Republican Party "will soon be known as the party of health care." Before his inauguration in 2017, Trump claimed his plan for replacing most of the ACA was nearly finished. (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-maintain-that-they-are-working-on-a-plan-to-replace-obamacare/2019/03/31/aa83f844-53ce-11e9-814f-e2f46684196e_story.html

White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney guaranteed that Americans would not lose their health insurance coverage if the Affordable Care Act was declared unconstitutional. Mulvaney promised that a replacement plan for the ACA would include protections more than 60 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. (USA Today)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/03/31/mick-mulvaney-guarantees-no-one-lose-coverage-without-obamacare/3325222002/

More than 750,000 people would likely lose their food stamps under a new proposal by the Trump administration to encourage able-bodied adults to get a job. The administration wants to stop food stamps after three months for able-bodied adults without dependents who don't work, volunteer or get job training for at least 20 hours a week. (NPR)

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/01/707681965/more-than-750-000-could-lose-food-stamps-under-trump-administration-proposal

A federal judge declared that Trump's order to open oil and gas drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans is illegal. The decision puts 128 million acres of federal waters off limits to energy exploration. (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/03/30/federal-judge-declares-trumps-push-open-up-arctic-atlantic-ocean-oil-gas-drilling-illegal/

A Connecticut woman accused Joe Biden of inappropriately touching her at a political fundraiser in 2009. The accusation comes three days after a former Nevada state lawmaker accused Biden of an "awkward kiss" at a campaign rally when she was the state's Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2014. (Politico / New York Times / Hartford Courant)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/01/joe-biden-second-woman-touching-1246875

A group of Senate Democrats will introduce a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College this week. A constitutional amendment can be proposed by a two-thirds supermajority in both the House (~290 votes) and Senate (67 votes) and requires ratification by 38 states. (NBC News / Politico / Daily Beast)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/senate-dems-introduce-constitutional-amendment-abolish-electoral-college-n989656

Trump has made at least 9,451 false or misleading claims since taking office. Trump is making roughly 22 false or misleading claims a day – up from his average of nearly 5.9 false or misleading claims a day during his first year in office. (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/01/president-trump-has-made-false-or-misleading-claims-over-days/

Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#276222: Apr 1st 2019 at 6:33:17 PM

This is how democracies die

Democratic backsliding today begins at the ballot box. The electoral road to breakdown is dangerously deceptive. With a classic coup d’état, as in Pinochet’s Chile, the death of a democracy is immediate and evident to all. The presidential palace burns. The president is killed, imprisoned or shipped off into exile. The constitution is suspended or scrapped.

On the electoral road, none of these things happen. There are no tanks in the streets. Constitutions and other nominally democratic institutions remain in place. People still vote. Elected autocrats maintain a veneer of democracy while eviscerating its substance.

Many government efforts to subvert democracy are “legal”, in the sense that they are approved by the legislature or accepted by the courts. They may even be portrayed as efforts to improve democracy – making the judiciary more efficient, combating corruption or cleaning up the electoral process.

Newspapers still publish but are bought off or bullied into self-censorship. Citizens continue to criticize the government but often find themselves facing tax or other legal troubles. This sows public confusion. People do not immediately realize what is happening. Many continue to believe they are living under a democracy.

Because there is no single moment – no coup, declaration of martial law, or suspension of the constitution – in which the regime obviously “crosses the line” into dictatorship, nothing may set off society’s alarm bells. Those who denounce government abuse may be dismissed as exaggerating or crying wolf. Democracy’s erosion is, for many, almost imperceptible.

...

We know that extremist demagogues emerge from time to time in all societies, even in healthy democracies. The United States has had its share of them, including Henry Ford, Huey Long, Joseph Mc Carthy and George Wallace.

An essential test for democracies is not whether such figures emerge but whether political leaders, and especially political parties, work to prevent them from gaining power in the first place – by keeping them off mainstream party tickets, refusing to endorse or align with them and, when necessary, making common cause with rivals in support of democratic candidates.

Isolating popular extremists requires political courage. But when fear, opportunism or miscalculation leads established parties to bring extremists into the mainstream, democracy is imperiled.

Once a would-be authoritarian makes it to power, democracies face a second critical test: will the autocratic leader subvert democratic institutions or be constrained by them?

Institutions alone are not enough to rein in elected autocrats. Constitutions must be defended – by political parties and organized citizens but also by democratic norms. Without robust norms, constitutional checks and balances do not serve as the bulwarks of democracy we imagine them to be. Institutions become political weapons, wielded forcefully by those who control them against those who do not.

This is how elected autocrats subvert democracy – packing and “weaponizing” the courts and other neutral agencies, buying off the media and the private sector (or bullying them into silence) and rewriting the rules of politics to tilt the playing field against opponents. The tragic paradox of the electoral route to authoritarianism is that democracy’s assassins use the very institutions of democracy – gradually, subtly, and even legally – to kill it.

...

Two basic norms have preserved America’s checks and balances in ways we have come to take for granted: mutual toleration, or the understanding that competing parties accept one another as legitimate rivals, and forbearance, or the idea that politicians should exercise restraint in deploying their institutional prerogatives.

...

But if other countries’ experiences teach us that that polarization can kill democracies, they also teach us that breakdown is neither inevitable nor irreversible.

Many Americans are justifiably frightened by what is happening to our country. But protecting our democracy requires more than just fright or outrage. We must be humble and bold. We must learn from other countries to see the warning signs – and recognize the false alarms. We must be aware of the fateful missteps that have wrecked other democracies. And we must see how citizens have risen to meet the great democratic crises of the past, overcoming their own deep-seated divisions to avert breakdown.

History doesn’t repeat itself. But it rhymes. The promise of history is that we can find the rhymes before it is too late.

I think this is one of the best arguments I've heard to vote Democrat for president in 2020. However, one thing that I'll note is that I don't think it's all the republicans who are eroding our democratic norms (even if they are the main ones doing it right now). Part of the reason I don't want to vote democrat for president is that I see similar worrying signs there to. The authors note that sometimes democracies are able to be saved by people who would not normally come together coming together to defeat those who would undermine democracy as a whole. After some thought, that's something I'd be willing to do. However, I also get the feeling that even if it meant saving democracy, many in this forum would not be able to bring themselves to find common purpose with say the Religious Right.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#276223: Apr 1st 2019 at 6:38:19 PM

[up]All the Religious Right has to do is give up their bigotry and intolerance. Compromise is a two-way street.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#276224: Apr 1st 2019 at 6:42:29 PM

What exactly is there to compromise with? Most of their goals amount to transphobic/homophobic policies, opposing birth control, etc.

Even Goldwater thought they sucked all the way back in the 60's and he turned out to be 100% right.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#276225: Apr 1st 2019 at 6:44:17 PM

Yeah, when you strip away the bigotry and intolerance...there's not much left of the Religious Right.

Disgusted, but not surprised

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