The All Things Political Topic - Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you

[Elerond]

Even FIFA starts to have doubts when their biggest sponsors are banned from the games and they are losing money in television deals and tickets sales are anything but good.  

But maybe Qatar is able to compensate FIFA's losses, who knows.

[Zoraptor]

5 hours ago, majestic said:

Corruption in the FIFA? Part of the game.

The only way they could have proven there was no corruption was to do the right thing and award the WCs to England and the US!

I'm always reminded of the situation when Australia was part of the Oceania Confed and constantly complained about not having the FIFA rep from it, eventually (partly) leading to them leaving for Asia. Oddly enough the non Australian rep corruptly distributed money to the other countries leading to him getting returned as rep all the time instead of honestly giving 90% to Australia as the most important country.

5 hours ago, BruceVC said:

And the issue is really Budweiser is a sponsor and they backtracked on an agreement

Budweiser?

What's the fuss about then, they weren't going to sell beer at the stadiums anyway.

Edited November 18, 2022 by Zoraptor

[Bartimaeus]

The U.S. Justice Department has appointed a Special Counsel (one Jack Smith, most recently the Specialist Prosecutor for Kosovo at the International Crime Court) to handle two separate criminal probes into Donald Trump: firstly, the January 6th insurrection, and secondly, the issue of stolen classified documents. We'll see if it concludes and ends in convictions within two years...seems unlikely given what I know of the U.S. justice system and how slow it can move when one party is doing everything they can to delay, which has seemingly been Trump's MO.

Edited November 18, 2022 by Bartimaeus

[Gromnir]

18 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

The Justice Department has appointed a Special Counsel to handle two separate criminal probes into Donald Trump: firstly, the January 6th insurrection, and secondly, the issue of stolen classified documents. We'll see if it concludes and ends in convictions within two years.

ken starr and john durham may have eliminated the point o' the special prosecutor. in both cases, the prosecutor appears to have indulged partisan theatrics. why is The People gonna think a special prosecutor is less corrupt than ___________?

yeah, the special prosecutor is gonna be insulated a bit from a republican house demanding an end to investigations, so is not a complete waste. however, the notion somebody special is needed 'cause trump is now a Presidential candidate and *add some nonsense 'bout trust or transparency here 'cause we cannot bring our self to conjure up a real explanation* but given the stoopid o' starr and durham in particular, am unsure if the public sees special prosecutors as... special. so, point not found.

HA! Good Fun!

Edited November 18, 2022 by Gromnir

[Gorth]

Off cut from old thread....

 

Looks like things are getting even hotter in Iran

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63681472

 

"Protesters in Iran have set fire to the ancestral home of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Images posted on social media show part of the structure in the city of Khomein being set ablaze."

[BruceVC]

https://albemarlegop.org/the-new-woke-discrimination-demands-a-new-law/

This  proposed  law cant be implemented soon enough in the US , it will go a long way to addressing the real examples of bias  towards Conservatives and how in some states the consequence of freedom of speech is selectively practised in the private sector. To quote the article 

"Disney fired actress Gina Carano after she compared the treatment of conservatives on social media to Nazi persecution of Jews. The company called her post “abhorrent and unacceptable,” although co-star Pedro Pascal wasn’t sacked for likening Trump supporters to Nazis. Longtime Sacramento Kings broadcaster Grant Napear lost his job for tweeting “ALL LIVES MATTER.” A Virginia high school teacher was fired for refusing to use a student’s “preferred pronouns.” A software company dismissed an employee for posting a TikTok video complaining about Bronx bodegas. A USA Today editor was demoted for tautologically tweeting: “People who are pregnant are also women.”

Also mentioned in the article that Goodyear banned people wearing  Blue Lives Matter shirts  but allowed people to wear BLM, how can you possibly justify that? Thats why this law makes sense for the private sector 

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by BruceVC

[Gorth]

That's the kind of garbage you would expect Murdoch to push on his media outlets...

boohoo, I lost my privileges? I got called out on my fascist leanings? Mandatory book burning ceremony in school at 8:30am on Mondays?

What happened to let private companies manage their own business rather than the government running it for them? It sure didn't work for the Soviets.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

22 minutes ago, Gorth said:

What happened to let private companies manage their own business rather than the government running it for them?

That only applies when it negatively affects someone conservatives dislike, when it negatively affects reactionaries it needs to be made illegal.

[BruceVC]

46 minutes ago, Gorth said:

That's the kind of garbage you would expect Murdoch to push on his media outlets...

boohoo, I lost my privileges? I got called out on my fascist leanings? Mandatory book burning ceremony in school at 8:30am on Mondays?

What happened to let private companies manage their own business rather than the government running it for them? It sure didn't work for the Soviets.

Did you read the link? How is wearing a Blue Lives Matter shirt fascist leanings?

How is firing someone for Twitter Nazi comparisons fine but when someone else says the same thing about Trump supporters they not fired?

The article mentions real cases in the US of this inconsistency from the private sector. And  laws already exist in the private sector for  protection of   race, sex, and religion so why not political views?

[Gfted1]

2 hours ago, Gorth said:

What happened to let private companies manage their own business rather than the government running it for them?

Thats a great question: S.Res.294 - 100th Congress (1987-1988): A resolution calling for an end to the 10-day old pro football strike. | Congress.gov | Library of Congress 

Heres a 45 page .pdf if you want more deets: S.Res.294 - 100th Congress (1987-1988): A resolution calling for an end to the 10-day old pro football strike. | Congress.gov | Library of Congress 

[Pidesco]

5 hours ago, BruceVC said:

https://albemarlegop.org/the-new-woke-discrimination-demands-a-new-law/

This  proposed  law cant be implemented soon enough in the US , it will go a long way to addressing the real examples of bias  towards Conservatives and how in some states the consequence of freedom of speech is selectively practised in the private sector. To quote the article 

"Disney fired actress Gina Carano after she compared the treatment of conservatives on social media to Nazi persecution of Jews. The company called her post “abhorrent and unacceptable,” although co-star Pedro Pascal wasn’t sacked for likening Trump supporters to Nazis. Longtime Sacramento Kings broadcaster Grant Napear lost his job for tweeting “ALL LIVES MATTER.” A Virginia high school teacher was fired for refusing to use a student’s “preferred pronouns.” A software company dismissed an employee for posting a TikTok video complaining about Bronx bodegas. A USA Today editor was demoted for tautologically tweeting: “People who are pregnant are also women.”

Also mentioned in the article that Goodyear banned people wearing  Blue Lives Matter shirts  but allowed people to wear BLM, how can you possibly justify that? Thats why this law makes sense for the private sector 

 

It's like a joke Web page. It might as well have finished with a complaint that everyone mentions the Jews but no one ever remembers all the SS officers that died during WWII. 

[Gromnir]

7 hours ago, Gorth said:

That's the kind of garbage you would expect Murdoch to push on his media outlets...

boohoo, I lost my privileges? I got called out on my fascist leanings? Mandatory book burning ceremony in school at 8:30am on Mondays?

What happened to let private companies manage their own business rather than the government running it for them? It sure didn't work for the Soviets.

well, in the us, local and state government has been interfering with business since... forever. can't sell booze on sundays and no firearms for indians? @Guard Dogwas enraged by the anti-liberty aspect o' no smoking ordinances while convenient ignoring the whole democracy bit which had voters decide there should be laws 'bout smoking in restaurants. has always been laws and rules limiting biz. thank goodness.

we posted this previous... mostly 'cause o' the james earl jones narration.

all that clean air and water legislation passed during the nixon administration no less, placed limits on business and even GD were ok with such... 'cause. most o' us is ok with some kinda government limits on private business... 'cause. am not sure what is your personal "because," but most o' us got one, eh?

however, speech is different... at least has been in the US since 1787... but less so in the past decade.

congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

...

now keep in mind this is something we frequent have difficulty explaining to europeans, but until recent in the US there were a kinda near ubiquitous understanding amongst the citizenry, even if most people couldn't explain the what or why behind the special exception for speech, that the kinda speech which required protection were speech which offended people... particular the majority. is the majority which, through democratic process, would make laws which might burden the naacp or woke teachers in arkansas. so yeah, we got nazis in skokie, illinois able to wear their brownshirts and march through a mostly jewish community w/o the government able to prevent 'em from doing so. a florida preacher burning copies o' the quran shocked europeans, but there were literal nothing The Government, by of and for the people, could do to stop him from doing so. 

if a company such as obsidian has a message board they use as part o' their advertising and goodwill efforts, then the notion The Government could force them to change content regulations woulda' been unthinkable to most americans in 2002... but is far less clear in 2022. 

‘This Is Positively Dystopian’: Judge Skewers DeSantis’ ‘Stop W.O.K.E.’ Act, Blocks Law Turning Higher Ed Workers into ‘State’s Mouthpieces’

in 2002 the comical farce o' an anti-woke law being passed and surviving Constituional scrutiny woulda' made us sneer with derision. 2022? dunno. clarence thomas suggests, via dicta, that free speech only applies to political speech, which would have antonin scalia and louis brandeis rolling in their graves. the ridiculous anti-woke laws ain't just rando local laws neither but appear as some kinda concerted effort by republicans o' all people, the folks who until recent claimed they were the party dedicated to keeping government limited and remote from the liberties o' ordinary gun-toting americans, is creating laws which is "dystopian," and heretofore unthinkable.

we woulda' laughed at the florida anti-woke campaign in 2002. am not laughing no more. unfortunate is no longer fringy folks (and bruce) who embrace a fundamentally unamerican effort to have The Government interfere with speech 'tween private citizens.  is no longer just a bad joke circa 1980 or 90 when some "patriotic" group tried to get a flag burning amendment passed... 'cause even those loons knew they needed a Constitutional amendment to get around american first amendment free speech protections. 

wtf

am feeling old(er).

HA! Good Fun!

Edited November 19, 2022 by Gromnir

[Bartimaeus]

Using the law to bludgeon private companies and individuals into allowing speech they do not want to platform is pretty obviously the complete opposite of free speech. If fascist scum spray paint swastikas all over the side of your house, I imagine most anyone except fascist scum would be a little peeved if the government compelled you to never wash said vandalism off - and that you must also allow the other defacement that any random bugger walking by decides to create or put on your property to stay up as well. It's the exact same for the Obsidian forums and any other website hosted and maintained by a private entity or individual: your property is your property, and the government forcing you to allow it to be sullied and tarnished is the impingement of your property and free speech, not kicking to the curb the random dregs who are abusing their privilege (and not right) to be there by taking a crap all over it.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Bartimaeus

[Bartimaeus]

Oh, also, Donald Trump is officially unbanned from Twitter as of 10 minutes ago after Elon Musk held a Twitter poll as to whether to unban him.

[BruceVC]

Just now, Pidesco said:

It's like a joke Web page. It might as well have finished with a complaint that everyone mentions the Jews but no one ever remembers all the SS officers that died during WWII. 

So you dont support this proposed law, its unclear from your post?

 

[BruceVC]

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-back-twitter-elon-musk-says-people-have-spoken-1760891

Trump is indeed back on Twitter, Democracy has spoken. 15 million people voted and we should respect the will of the people like in all voting outcomes

I have mentioned this before but he should never have been banned because it fueled the hyperbole that freedom of speech is being undermined in the US. Also ideological lines are already decided when it comes to Trump, its not like Twitter is going to change people's opinions on him?

Besides according to Trump he will continue to  use his own Twitter, not that I believe him. He is too much of an attention seeker to not use Twitter

https://news.yahoo.com/trump-says-hes-happy-twitter-132939373.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

 

Edited November 20, 2022 by BruceVC

[BruceVC]

https://the18.com/en/soccer-news/world-cup-2022/i-feel-gay-gianni-infantino-fifa-president-speech

Did anyone hear the cringe statement from Gianni Infantino around his views about Qatar, according to him  "Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel (like) a vagrant. Today I feel (like) a migrant worker," he said. "I feel all of this because what I see ... brings me back to my personal story."

While he drives off in his ferrari paid for in bribe money ( okay Im being unfair but you know what I mean )

 

 

 

[Lexx]

How is that democracy? I didn't vote, didn't even know I was able to vote for that. How long was the voting period? This is nothing but a sham.

/edit: Looks like 1 day, without announcement unless you follow his sorry ass on Twitter, which I am not doing. And now we're about to see every single one of Trumps stupid tweets on the news again.

Some people say Musk closed the poll when the No-votes became too big, but dunno if that really happened.

Also just saw a comment which I agree with: "You’re missing the funniest part though…remember how he was obsessed with Twitter’s bot problem? And now that he’s in charge, suddenly and after no changes, the bot problem is gone and he’s bragging about user numbers"

/edit2: Looks like Trump doesn't even want to come back, lel. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/trump-cites-twitter-problems-says-he-ll-stick-to-own-platform-1.1848811

Edited November 20, 2022 by Lexx

[Elerond]

4 hours ago, BruceVC said:

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-back-twitter-elon-musk-says-people-have-spoken-1760891

Trump is indeed back on Twitter, Democracy has spoken. 15 million people voted and we should respect the will of the people like in all voting outcomes

I have mentioned this before but he should never have been banned because it fueled the hyperbole that freedom of speech is being undermined in the US. Also ideological lines are already decided when it comes to Trump, its not like Twitter is going to change people's opinions on him?

Besides according to Trump he will continue to  use his own Twitter, not that I believe him. He is too much of an attention seeker to not use Twitter

https://news.yahoo.com/trump-says-hes-happy-twitter-132939373.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

 

It is not will of people if less than 10% of people entitled to vote, cast their vote.

It is mockery of democracy, but Musk owns Twitter and therefore is it's dictator and is entitled to rule his platform anyway he chooses.

But anyone who says that such polls are will of people and some how protecting freedom of speech are just lying themselves or just hate democracy and want to distort meaning of freedom of speech for some reason.

But as Twitter is spiralling down of its own destruction because it is losing assets that made it popular in first place

[BruceVC]

24 minutes ago, Elerond said:

It is not will of people if less than 10% of people entitled to vote, cast their vote.

It is mockery of democracy, but Musk owns Twitter and therefore is it's dictator and is entitled to rule his platform anyway he chooses.

But anyone who says that such polls are will of people and some how protecting freedom of speech are just lying themselves or just hate democracy and want to distort meaning of freedom of speech for some reason.

But as Twitter is spiralling down of its own destruction because it is losing assets that made it popular in first place

So you blaming the outcome, which was very close, on the fact that some  people didnt bother to vote or didnt care to vote?

Do you do the same thing in elections  in countries when only some people decide to vote? Do we say " Im angry with the results and I blame the people who voted " or do you accept the outcomes because thats how Democracy works?

 

 

[Lexx]

You usually have a public announcement for that, a few days to prepare, and then a set amount of time to vote at a specific time.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

The muskrat has called Trump's suspension a mistake for some time now.  If the poll would have failed, Elon would have done it anyway and said that he cares more about principles than popularity or something.

6 hours ago, Lexx said:

Looks like Trump doesn't even want to come back, lel. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/trump-cites-twitter-problems-says-he-ll-stick-to-own-platform-1.1848811

lmao

[rjshae]

13 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

Oh, also, Donald Trump is officially unbanned from Twitter as of 10 minutes ago after Elon Musk held a Twitter poll as to whether to unban him.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it no longer matters. The orange troll deserves to die forgotten.

[Elerond]

9 hours ago, BruceVC said:

So you blaming the outcome, which was very close, on the fact that some  people didnt bother to vote or didnt care to vote?

Do you do the same thing in elections  in countries when only some people decide to vote? Do we say " Im angry with the results and I blame the people who voted " or do you accept the outcomes because thats how Democracy works?

 

 

Here elections are null and void if less than 50% of people vote.

Do you think that Russia, Iran and North Korea have democratic and fair elections as they do have elections where people get to vote and person with most votes wins the election? And do you think that Russian referendums on areas that it conquered from Ukraine were fair and democratic and showed real will of people when result that they want to join Russia was option that got most votes?

[Zoraptor]

Turkey has been bombing the Kurds in Syria again in response to the bombing last week in Istanbul*.

That was a bombing supposedly carried out by a headscarf wearing (ie religious) arab who had been contacted multiple times by the Turkish nationalist MHP party (claimed to be a wrong number due to her having the same name as someone else...), supposedly done on behalf of the Kurdish atheist PKK. And the suspect had very obviously been beaten up (at best) when 'confessing'.

*Whatever you do don't read the BBC article, utter garbage that reads like it was dictated by Erdogan.