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

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#278876: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:13:17 AM

The white nationalism issue with Twitter should be taken as instructive. Why do so many Republican politicians' tweets get detected as promoting white nationalism? The answer is dangling riiiiiight there.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#278877: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:20:31 AM

Maria Butina (one of the Russian assets within the GOP/NRA) has been sentenced to 18 months. She will almost certainly be deported to Russia after her release.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/26/politics/maria-butina-sentencing/index.html

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#278878: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:22:23 AM

Seems a bit low for a spy, but she did cooperate, as I understand. (Yes, I know the government hasn't officially called her a spy, but who are they kidding?)

Edited by Fighteer on Apr 26th 2019 at 2:24:13 PM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
ShinyCottonCandy Everyone's friend Malamar from Lumiose City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Everyone's friend Malamar
#278879: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:25:42 AM

Given the current state of affairs, I'm going to be grateful she's even receiving that sentence.

My musician page
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#278880: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:28:52 AM

Uh, the SCOTUS being able to overrule Congress is pretty essential to checks and balances.

Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#278881: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:32:07 AM

Trump doesn't really care about checks and balances (and has in fact complained that there are too many checks and balances on his power baked into the constitution).

"Yup. That tasted purple."
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#278882: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:32:17 AM

(Yes, I know the government hasn't officially called her a spy, but who are they kidding?)
Themselves?
Connolly threatens to jail Trump officials who won't comply with subpoenas – A Democratic lawmaker on Thursday ratcheted up warnings to the Trump administration amid a growing standoff over subpoenas and oversight requests the White House says it will resist.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/25/politics/gerry-connolly-subpoenas-white-house-cnntv/index.html

Edited by sgamer82 on Apr 26th 2019 at 12:34:55 PM

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#278883: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:40:16 AM

This subpoena thing is as clear cut a case of legal absolutes as I've seen. I want to see some people in jail over it.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
BlueNinja0 The Mod with the Migraine from Taking a left at Albuquerque Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
The Mod with the Migraine
#278884: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:43:43 AM

You can't help but question if there's still deep seated racial/gender bias. And on the fifth case, I even doubt Buttigeig will still be considered a darling once his homosexuality is revealed to the general public.
There probably is still some bias among a lot of Democratic-leaning voters, even if they don't realize it. But virtually everything I've seen about Buttigieg has been, "New Democratic primary contender, THE GAY MAYOR FROM MIDDLE AMERICA, is ____." None of the news media have been particularly subtle abuot referencing his sexual orientation.
Alright, I'm starting to get seriously uncomfortable with the amount of people calling Bernie Sanders 'White'.
Maybe I'm misremembering, but I thought he was very much a non-practicing Jew? Seems like that's what makes him a Generic White Guy™ to a lot of people.
Warren's a shoo-in if she can get people talking about her like she's the Batman of writing effective government policy!
Will she go to her Bat-Office and use her Bat-Computer to send policy emails to her Bat-Cabinet?
Warren can win campaigning on a wealth tax and implement a top 70% income tax rate and 90% of voters wouldn’t know the difference between the two.
90% of voters won't need to know the difference, because we'll never make enough to be affected by it.
Basically,no one is against taxing the rich,they just want it done fairly and in line with constitution
I think we all just don't want to see them weasel out of it ... again.
In fact, Chinese Knock-Off Air Bud who has never set paw in the United States can be a Supreme Court Justice.
I'd take him over Clarence Thomas.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw
Grafite Since: Apr, 2016 Relationship Status: Less than three
#278885: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:48:15 AM

Any blow to the traitorous NRA is good in my book, can't believe they're still allowed to exist after knowingly cooperating with a Russian spy. Anyway, I'll be looking to see how CNN treats Biden, given how they had Bernie basically just getting smear questions.

Life is unfair...
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#278886: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:48:28 AM

Uh, the SCOTUS being able to overrule Congress is pretty essential to checks and balances.

Yes, but that doesn't mean it's a good thing.

Many stable nations have legislative supremacy, I wouldn't mind if the US had an equivalent considering that for much if not most of its existence the Supreme Court has been a tool of reactionaries.

That's why I support packing the court, so it can cause a series of partisan court packing battles which renders the Supreme Court irrelevant.

There probably is still some bias among a lot of Democratic-leaning voters, even if they don't realize it. But virtually everything I've seen about Buttigieg has been, "New Democratic primary contender, THE GAY MAYOR FROM MIDDLE AMERICA, is ____." None of the news media have been particularly subtle abuot referencing his sexual orientation.

Focusing on his sexuality doesn't mean that he can't have a sizable boost because he's a white guy.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Apr 26th 2019 at 11:50:58 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
DeathorCake Since: Mar, 2016
#278887: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:48:44 AM

[up]x6

The right doesn't actually care, and once packing the courts to get an agenda passed becomes a position worth taking you may as well just kneecap the court rather than messing around adding more and more judges and hoping Republican courts won't start taking chunks out of things like Roe vs. Wade or Obamacare. What happened with the Muslim ban exactly? IIRC from the far side of the pond it looked like "no, no, no, oh go on then, you reworded it cleverly enough". Some balance of power that proved to be, even before that wonderfully impartial rapist Kavanaugh got a seat.

[up]

What he said. There's a reason the various centre and right-wing governments over here have been ignoring or attempting to evade Parliament and handing off government competences to "independent watchdogs", QUANG Os, the private sector and various other largely unaccountable bodies like it's going out of style, and it's not because they want to put checks and balances on themselves.

Edited by DeathorCake on Apr 26th 2019 at 6:56:42 PM

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#278888: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:50:34 AM

The Supreme Court ruled that slaves couldn't escape their chains by coming to the North.

Beat

It ALSO ruled that the President or Congress could not steal the land of Native Americans.

It'd have been nice if the latter hadn't been overruled by people who believed in legislative supremacy.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#278889: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:52:21 AM

The Supreme Court ruled that slaves couldn't escape their chains by coming to the North.

Beat

It ALSO ruled that the President or Congress could not steal the land of Native Americans.

It'd have been nice if the latter hadn't been overruled by people who believed in legislative supremacy.

Just because something is good 25% of the time doesn't mean that the 75% of the time it's bad is any less real.

"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
#278890: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:57:32 AM

It also legalized homosexuality.

And has struck down many many unconstitutional laws.

The problem with thinking the Supreme Court is the problem is that it forgets that a huge chunk of elected officials would love to make laws that would have everyone living the Handmaid's Tale if not for the fact the SC forbids it.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#278891: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:59:48 AM

Will she go to her Bat-Office and use her Bat-Computer to send policy emails to her Bat-Cabinet?

Sadly, no, because FOX News would throw a fit over her having her own private Bat-server.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#278892: Apr 26th 2019 at 12:01:51 PM

Not to mention that the Courts are basically the only thing standing between us and the legislatures doing even worse voter suppression and gerrymandering. If you pick your own rules and maps, you can ensure you stay in power even if only a few people want you.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#278893: Apr 26th 2019 at 12:02:20 PM

It also legalized homosexuality.

And has struck down many many unconstitutional laws.

The problem with thinking the Supreme Court is the problem is that it forgets that a huge chunk of elected officials would love to make laws that would have everyone living the Handmaid's Tale if not for the fact the SC forbids it.

Fine, you want to play at that game? I'll play.

Dred Scott v. Sanford, Buck v. Bell, Korematsu v. United States, Plessy v. Ferguson, Bowers v. Hardwick, Lochner v. New York, Hammer v. Dagenhart, Kelo v. City of New London, Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Commission, Bush v. Gore, Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker, Citizens United v. FEC

What a wonderful institution.

I hope this has proven my point, mentioning the nice things it has done doesn't magically erase the decades it was controlled by reactionaries.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Apr 26th 2019 at 12:03:58 PM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#278894: Apr 26th 2019 at 12:03:34 PM

We can cherry pick good and bad decisions all day, it’s not gonna help much.

DeathorCake Since: Mar, 2016
#278895: Apr 26th 2019 at 12:07:40 PM

[up]x5

Then you outlaw their election-rigging antidemocratic bullshit at a federal level, make power as accountable as you possibly can to the population, ignore all the pearl-clutching and wailing from Fox News and dare them to beat you in a fair election after you've legalised homosexuality and abortion properly. I'm fairly sure they won't. If they do, take your lumps, although obviously even a proper one-man-one-vote system for President and Congress isn't anywhere near the scale of democracy I'd like to see.

Also, "unconstitutional" is not even close to a synonym for "good", especially with your constitution. My personal opinion is that denying the democratic bodies of your polity the actual power because the people might vote for the wrong policies isn't much more right-on if you don't like the last people who did the exact same thing.

Edited by DeathorCake on Apr 26th 2019 at 7:10:13 PM

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#278896: Apr 26th 2019 at 12:15:54 PM

[up]

The problem with that logic is that the Supreme Court exists so that 51% of white people can't vote to kill 49% of black people in a community.

The majority is not more likely to be moral, decent, or freedom-loving than a minority.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Apr 26th 2019 at 12:16:57 PM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#278897: Apr 26th 2019 at 12:23:12 PM

The courts have made good and bad decisions, often coming from the same people.

The legislature have made good and bad decisions, often coming from the same people.

The presidents have made good and bad decisions, often coming from the same people

No institution is infallible because there are people in it. Best we can do is design a system that makes us more likely to emphasize the good decisions and mitigate the bad ones.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#278898: Apr 26th 2019 at 12:26:24 PM

[up]x6 And I could list other positive decisions the Supreme Court has made. Here's just a few.

  • Brown V. Board of Education 1954 (Separating black and white students in public schools is unconstitutional.)
  • Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963 (Criminal defendants have a right to an attorney even if they cannot afford one)
  • Loving v. Virginia, 1967 (Invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage.)
  • Roe v. Wade, (1973) (protects womens' right to an abortion)
  • Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015 (Legalized Same Sex Marriage)

Doesn't mean that much either way.

Edited by megaeliz on Apr 26th 2019 at 3:29:40 PM

ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#278899: Apr 26th 2019 at 12:27:18 PM

So with the Kentucky sex trafficking story, "good" news - two days ago, a Federal indictment was unsealed charging Cleoretta Allen, 41, of Louisville, KY with "two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and one count of interstate transportation for prostitution".

So it seems as though the Feds are stepping up somewhat.

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#278900: Apr 26th 2019 at 12:35:18 PM

You need to have some form of limit on democracy, because otherwise you run into mob rule. A major purpose of government is to protect minorities from the majority.

[up][up]Exactomundo-Fourth Spartan's logic also works the other way around.

Leviticus 19:34

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