leicsmac

Yep, and the ideas he represents and their endgame have been obvious for the last decade.

If you've seen the plans for the Postal Service that has a critical impact on voting through postal votes, you'd be worried about that.

... that really does sound like cheap movie villain origin story tbh.

I honestly can't see how someone can so completely abandon any moral compass they have outside of movie villain origin stories, but I guess it's possible. For me, there had to at least be a bit of those reprehensible ideas within, even if they weren't running the whole show to begin with.

...I wonder what any of our esteemed members who were totally OK with Trump winning the election (and there are quite a few, if I remember right) think of his first month or so running the show? Would be interesting to hear any grounded perspective on that score.

It's been death-worshipping supremacist ideals exhibiting the very worst impulses our species has to offer all along mate. Trump winning the election has just allowed people like Truss to take the mask fully off.

... and while there's not enough evidence (or too many friends in high places) to bring him to trial for that, there apparently appears to be enough evidence behind the scenes for the current government to bin him off before any more of it comes out.

The best we can expect from the future is The Expanse. The worst is Mad Max.

That's because it was. Only sends a small message, but one that needed to be sent.

But other than that... People do need to get better at parsing information, it's true. That being said, if the onslaught of misinformation - regardless of provenance - is so large and well-directed that becomes tricky no matter how well someone has been taught to do it. Perhaps a multi pronged approach is called for.

Good luck finding trained professionals to fly your Crew Dragon flights if they know they're going to be spoken to like that in public. For all he's done so far, Musk has not really been a liability to SpaceX. I hope that doesn't change because it remains likely the last company he's involved with that's "clean". And that's meaningful for future progress.

As they move further and further beyond the pale, I'm inclined to think that whatever stopped Gaetz from being confirmed was either something that would have made him a massive liability to the leadership (enough that it would threaten the whole thing), or something truly, incredibly dreadful, or both. I can't honestly see the moral compass of these people extending beyond that.

I can understand why people might think that the problem is "not their fight" or "too big" for them or whatever, but I would also ask those who think that way not to get in the way of people willing, able and trying to make the world and future a better place. And yes, the idea of unchecked aggression and "Might Makes Right" that people like Trump embody has led to some dark chapters in history and, if not addressed, will in all likelihood lead to some darker ones in the future. Possibly to a degree never seen or even envisioned before.

From the best that we can fathom, this is legit, yes.

The JB franchise has been a mess for a while now, sadly.

Never. But thankfully people with empathy have worked hard to make it at least a bit fairer. And, hopefully, will continue to do so in spite of the social Darwinists trying to set the clock back. "There is no justice. There is just us." (And, lest anyone think this purely moral stance, a fairer world is a longer lasting one from a practical standpoint, too.)

Morgan Freeman: "It turned out that those dropped catches, in fact, did not come back to bite India."

I've actually put something like this in that thread before now. It goes against every feeling I have regarding humans and freedom of expression, but given the damage it's already caused and the potential for damage in the future, I honestly feel there may come a point where the choice is between that and serious social unrest, perhaps total collapse. But you know the thing that really causes the paranoia wheels to turn? The idea that this unrest through this method is being formented for this exact purpose; create enough disruption, make it truly look like the only choice is the one above, and even smart and aware people might want to exchange their freedom for security. This might be one of the most gargantuan psyops ever launched. I truly, truly hope that I'm wrong about that thought and such regulation would be necessary, rather than just playing into the hands of the powerful, though.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1lv3g51n9yo A rather darkly fascinating look at how misinformation is causing issues in yet another place.

Yeah. The only reliable constant that will require global attention is the anthropogenic effect on our biosphere.

Additionally, I was looking back at the pol thread from around five years ago just now. The Tories had about a 20(?) point lead, Covid was in full swing and Starmer looked dead in the water even just a few months after he got the leadership role. Just goes to show how quickly things can move in a short space of time. I really wouldn't want to predict with much certainty what things will be like when 2029 rolls around.

Well, that attempt certainly appears to be being made, that's for sure. Surely however it's popped into the heads of those major powers that such a paradigm is not sustainable in the world we live in today or the future? Or is it a case of not giving a shit because they're betting they'll be gone before they feel the truly dreadful consequences of their decision making?

Sort of. For me, he's trying to daunt and dominate as many people as possible, because he really believes in that incredibly primitive idea of human nature and enforced hierarchy. Subordinates and enemies, no equals or friends. I doubt he even has anyone he'd really call a friend in the genuine sense.

The worst thing is that some people have seen this coming for the last decade or more. It was preventable. However the good, if rather macabre, thing is that in the words of Frodo, "they cannot conquer forever". Their ideology will not survive the changing world - however, unfortunately, it may end up taking civilisation with it as it dies. See above.

If that's true and nothing can be done we may as well fold our hands, make peace with whatever power we think governs the universe and call an end to this experiment called "civilisation" right now. Double edged sword; it might be a good idea to act the adult in the room by not getting involved with strong words right away, but bullies tend to thrive on indecision as well.