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

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#323901: Aug 14th 2020 at 3:15:12 PM

The 5th only protects against self-incrimination, so I’m pretty sure he’d still have to answer questions relating to his co-conspirators. None of what he said (or I assume anything gained from what he said) could be used against him, but I’m happy to trade him for Trump.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#323902: Aug 14th 2020 at 3:18:56 PM

Can't he be convicted for bribing the DOJ, on camera no less?

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#323903: Aug 14th 2020 at 3:22:14 PM

Actually, a judge recently ruled against Flynn having his case thrown out.

Barr still wants the charges thrown out but they haven't been...yet.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#323904: Aug 14th 2020 at 3:57:44 PM

The DOJ wants the case dismissed "without prejudice", meaning it could be brought again.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
TheAirman Brightness from The vicinity of an area adjacent to a location Since: Feb, 2011 Relationship Status: Historians will say we were good friends.
Brightness
#323906: Aug 14th 2020 at 5:12:07 PM

[up]Suspending the pulling of them is nice and all, now put them back you cowards.

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tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#323907: Aug 14th 2020 at 5:44:29 PM

The New York Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents current and retired NYPD officers, have endorsed Trump.

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
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
#323908: Aug 14th 2020 at 5:46:39 PM

[up]Some people just don't know how to help their case.

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Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#323909: Aug 14th 2020 at 6:37:26 PM

Yep, the NYPD need to be Georgiafied.

nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#323910: Aug 14th 2020 at 7:12:15 PM

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) and Secretary of State Michael Adams (R) have negotiated a plan for voting in November. It looks pretty good. Courier-Journal article

Kentucky will allow anyone concerned about catching or spreading the coronavirus to vote by mail in the Nov. 3 general election, part of a larger plan announced Friday that also expands early voting.

The compromise, negotiated by Gov. Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams, eliminates the no-excuse absentee voting by mail that Kentucky used so successfully in the June primary.

But it provides Kentucky voters a relatively easy out if they want to skip in-person voting - they can request an absentee ballot by stating they are afraid of contracting or passing on the virus.

There is no age limit for who can request an absentee ballot, Adams said.


A photo voter ID bill, passed by the commonwealth's General Assembly this past legislative session, will go into effect for the November elections.

However, Adams said that people who have been unable to obtain a photo ID because of the pandemic but who have a different form of ID will still be able to vote - so long as they sign a document explaining why they were unable to get the required ID.


Another change Adams noted is that county clerks will be required to contact voters whose absentee ballots do not contain signatures or those who have mismatched signatures until Nov. 9 to cure their ballots.

In the primary, thousands of absentee ballots were tossed because of voter error - Adams said this change can help reduce that number.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#323911: Aug 14th 2020 at 8:06:35 PM

That makes me...suspicious.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Gilphon (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#323912: Aug 14th 2020 at 8:11:14 PM

I agree, but I'm not sure how much of that is just me feeling inherently suspicious of the phrase 'compromise with Republicans about voting rules'.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#323913: Aug 14th 2020 at 8:13:01 PM

I don't know because the GOP in the state is directly controlled by Mitch as he controls the purse strings and patronage system for everyone.

It'd be awesome if there was a coup because Mitch is hated by everyone he controls in the state. Getting him out by making a fair election that puts May in his spot would be a delicious master stroke.

But if such a coup happened, well I think Mitch would see it happen.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#323916: Aug 15th 2020 at 7:16:33 AM

Matthew Buck reviews the documentary "Boys State", which is about the real life high school summer program for students:

Edit:

The documentary is about the Boys State summer camp, where a thousand high school students form political parties and run for office, to teach them how political systems work. The students are separated into nationalist and federalist parties. The documentary follows five students in this program.

It is a boys only affair, which gives it a rather Old Boys Club feeling to me, and as a result it is rather testosterone laden and one sided on gender issues.

This is a program that has produced major politicians like Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill Clinton, so there is a sense that this is about the next generation of politicians, who could potentially heal the divided political landscape of the US. A lot of these kids use this program as a practice run for their political aspirations.

The documentary tries to give equal time to both sides, but gives a bit more attention to the nationalists (left wing) overall, because that is where the drama lies, with more infighting among its politicians.

The documentary follows the camp in Texas, which means the main issues are gun control and abortion, which is of course troublesome given that the entire camp is made up of boys, making the arguments over abortion rather one sided and inherently sexist because it leaves out the female side of the equation.

The most interesting leads are the outsiders, Steven and Rene. Steven is the son of a Mexican immigrant and runs a very progressive campaign. He does manage to reach out to the right wing of his party. Rene is from Chicago, and mentions how this camp is very white compared to Chicago, but also sees this as an opportunity to get out of that particular bubble and reach out to a more generally white audience like Texas. Rene does meet with hostility, including a campaign in the nationalist camp to oust him from his position as chairman.

Social media also plays a large role, which is an indication that this will likely remain an important factor in politics for better or worse.

Another lead is Ben for the Federalist side, who organises a smear campaign against Rene, imitating tactics from recent real world politics. It gives a sense of despair about whether politics will ever go back to way it has been before, with the way even teens are taking over this hostile divisiveness. This does give food for thought about how pervasive these political issues are, even in small scale local politics.

Ben is at least honest about his own convictions, as opposed to Robert (nationalist), who runs a populist platform playing to the crowd, but admits to the crew that he does not actually believe those politics, but he will say those things in order to win. It is a demonstration of how many politicians value winning over anything else, even if it compromises the integrity of their own politics.

There is still some hope in the documentary though, as people from both sides still share the same space and actually support each other, even if they don't agree on politics.

The documentary is well produced and well worth a watch.

Boys State is a strong documentary that offers a timely window into the state of American politics, and where it might potentially be leading in the future. I think that it's very well produced and very broadly appealing, I can definitely see this being a particularly watchful documentary, especially for American viewers, but I recommend it with the caveat that, if you're outside of America, it might not have the same level of appeal, but I do think that the way it connects with the people participating in it, it manages to make us care about their stories, and potentially, where they might be going in the future, especially the likes of Steven and Rene. Boys State will be released on Friday, August 14th by A24 and Apple TV+.

Edited by Redmess on Aug 15th 2020 at 5:46:29 PM

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#323917: Aug 15th 2020 at 7:18:27 AM

wrong thread I think

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#323918: Aug 15th 2020 at 7:26:29 AM

It is a documentary about a Texas high school summer camp where students practice becoming politicians. It is all about US politics, and how the next generation of US politicians is formed.

This is the right thread, is what I'm saying.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
RedSavant Since: Jan, 2001
#323919: Aug 15th 2020 at 7:44:34 AM

Weblinks Are Not Examples. What significance does the camp/program have, and what general conclusions does the reviewer posit about it?

It's been fun.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#323920: Aug 15th 2020 at 7:48:44 AM

Come on, Redmess. We've been over this time and time again, and there are plenty of examples of the correct way to post video links.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#323921: Aug 15th 2020 at 8:08:34 AM

I don't feel the camp has any notoriety yet,it's a summer camp in Texas where kids learn to be politicians,I've certainly heard of weirder (the Jesus camp springs to mind)

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#323922: Aug 15th 2020 at 8:10:16 AM

Yeah it sounds very similar to Model UN, if you want a serious effort to get kids in the mindset of government and governance than you’d be better off democratising schooling.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#323923: Aug 15th 2020 at 8:16:05 AM

[up][up][up][up][up]

Incidentally, I actually attended the NY version of the program about 20 years ago now, which is also (to my knowledge) the only one in which Marines are the instructors - every Boys State program has a branch of the military involved in it, as it's conducted by the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary for Girls State. Unfortunately, my instructor (Staff Sgt. Moore) was a newbie to the program, so he got tricked into thinking that formation marching would earn a prize for the best group, so I also wound up having my scalp get sunburned. It's also nationwide, not just Texas, just for clarity's sake.

The experience itself was genuinely eye-opening, especially in regards to the political horse-trading that happens behind the scenes (e.g. "I'll vote with your group on X if you vote with my group on Y"), though because of the shortened time-span I think the amount of backstabbing on such things went way up (e.g. I was supposed to be supported by another group for a judgeship position, but they reneged on the deal in favor of a guy who rapped about why he should be picked) since there were no long-term consequences to the action.

Also, you may want to include either your or Film Brain's takeaways from the documentary along with the link to the video, rather than just the video without comment.

[down]

And as I mentioned, there is a Distaff Counterpart in Girls State, because there would likely be a bit of an issue with having a bunch of Hormone Addled Teenagers sharing dorm buildings under minimal supervision (about 1 instructor per 30 students, iirc), so girls aren't being left out.

Edited by ironballs16 on Aug 15th 2020 at 11:55:51 AM

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#323924: Aug 15th 2020 at 8:43:55 AM

The documentary is about the Boys State summer camp, where a thousand high school students form political parties and run for office, to teach them how political systems work. The students are separated into nationalist and federalist parties. The documentary follows five students in this program.

It is a boys only affair, which gives it a rather Old Boys Club feeling to me, and as a result it is rather testosterone laden and one sided on gender issues.

This is a program that has produced major politicians like Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill Clinton, so there is a sense that this is about the next generation of politicians, who could potentially heal the divided political landscape of the US. A lot of these kids use this program as a practice run for their political aspirations.

The documentary tries to give equal time to both sides, but gives a bit more attention to the nationalists (left wing) overall, because that is where the drama lies, with more infighting among its politicians.

The documentary follows the camp in Texas, which means the main issues are gun control and abortion, which is of course troublesome given that the entire camp is made up of boys, making the arguments over abortion rather one sided and inherently sexist because it leaves out the female side of the equation.

The most interesting leads are the outsiders, Steven and Rene. Steven is the son of a Mexican immigrant and runs a very progressive campaign. He does manage to reach out to the right wing of his party. Rene is from Chicago, and mentions how this camp is very white compared to Chicago, but also sees this as an opportunity to get out of that particular bubble and reach out to a more generally white audience like Texas. Rene does meet with hostility, including a campaign in the nationalist camp to oust him from his position as chairman.

Social media also plays a large role, which is an indication that this will likely remain an important factor in politics for better or worse.

Another lead is Ben for the Federalist side, who organises a smear campaign against Rene, imitating tactics from recent real world politics. It gives a sense of despair about whether politics will ever go back to way it has been before, with the way even teens are taking over this hostile divisiveness. This does give food for thought about how pervasive these political issues are, even in small scale local politics.

Ben is at least honest about his own convictions, as opposed to Robert (nationalist), who runs a populist platform playing to the crowd, but admits to the crew that he does not actually believe those politics, but he will say those things in order to win. It is a demonstration of how many politicians value winning over anything else, even if it compromises the integrity of their own politics.

There is still some hope in the documentary though, as people from both sides still share the same space and actually support each other, even if they don't agree on politics.

The documentary is well produced and well worth a watch.

Boys State is a strong documentary that offers a timely window into the state of American politics, and where it might potentially be leading in the future. I think that it's very well produced and very broadly appealing, I can definitely see this being a particularly watchful documentary, especially for American viewers, but I recommend it with the caveat that, if you're outside of America, it might not have the same level of appeal, but I do think that the way it connects with the people participating in it, it manages to make us care about their stories, and potentially, where they might be going in the future, especially the likes of Steven and Rene. Boys State will be released on Friday, August 14th by A24 and Apple TV+.

Edited by Redmess on Aug 15th 2020 at 5:46:14 PM

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#323925: Aug 15th 2020 at 9:39:49 AM

....And this is on topic how?

Sorry but this seems like a national version of Model UN, not something pertinent to current US Politics.

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