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George Orwell’s 1984 is currently the top selling book on Amazon

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Re: George Orwell’s 1984 is currently the top selling book on Amazon

#271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really wish people and the media stop over emphasizing about every gaffe and focus on real news stories. For instance, the "alternative facts" comment/incident is being talked about everywhere, from TV news channels to news parody shows to talk shows to social media etc. But, at the same time it seems like there is so much more important news that one would think deserves more attention like the executive orders, w…

This is why he got that far in the primaries and then eventually got elected. Every gaffe was reported on and some of it also not true which muddied the water to a point where people stopped listening when serious things came up. All of this just for profit and tv ratings. There is also ego in there because who want's to be the last to break a story. We see the same thing happening when a disaster occurs. For example…

> Every gaffe was reported on and some of it also not true

What wasn't true? Honestly curious as I don't remember any truly spurious accusations against him.

> All of this just for profit and tv ratings. There is also ego in there because who want's to be the last to break a story.

Certainly, but that doesn't discount the validity of the reported incidents.

> We see the same thing happening when a disaster occurs. For example the airport shooting. So much false information is reported just because they have to be the first/exclusive.

Yes and no. I think a lot of that comes from reporting on a developing real-time situation where information is constantly revised. That's rarely the case with speeches or political coverage of this sort.

Re: George Orwell’s 1984 is currently the top selling book on Amazon

#272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm really confused by how impeachment works in the U.S. Impeachment requires a crime. Lying isn't usually a crime, and as best I can tell hasn't been one any of the times Trump has done it (.. yet?). It also hasn't been a crime any of the times Obama has done it. Failure to give up business interests is breaking precedent and confounding ethicists, but also doesn't seem to be illegal. When we come up with somethin…

> Lying isn't usually a crime It also isn't lying if the person saying it believes it to be true.

What is it then called when you could and should have easily verified your belief and even after pointing out that your belief is wrong, you refuse to admit that your belief was actually wrong, if not lying?

"No, sir. I did not lie in my CV. I _believe_ that this funny looking letter I received from my mother some time ago means that I have Ph.D from MIT"

Re: George Orwell’s 1984 is currently the top selling book on Amazon

#273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm really confused by how impeachment works in the U.S. Impeachment requires a crime. Lying isn't usually a crime, and as best I can tell hasn't been one any of the times Trump has done it (.. yet?). It also hasn't been a crime any of the times Obama has done it. Failure to give up business interests is breaking precedent and confounding ethicists, but also doesn't seem to be illegal. When we come up with somethin…

> Lying isn't usually a crime It also isn't lying if the person saying it believes it to be true.

[deleted]

Re: George Orwell’s 1984 is currently the top selling book on Amazon

#274
post #34

This is amazing. The womens marches over the weekend and these seem to be an indicator of a very sudden awakening.

Will this awakening by introspective at all? Because punishing wrongthink seems to be endemic with third wave feminists and modern "progressive" groups.

Third wave feminism has absolutely nothing do to with equality, it's all about getting people to attack the people to the side rather than look above.

Re: George Orwell’s 1984 is currently the top selling book on Amazon

#276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's too bad that you lack a sense of humor. Try looking in lost-and-found.

I'm kinda with you but it just isn't reddit. HN typically detests humor or satire, with notable exceptions. Then again I think it may be a sign of the end times that HN is entertaining a political thread.

Nah I think HN just expects humour to at least be a little clever.

Re: George Orwell’s 1984 is currently the top selling book on Amazon

#277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trump claimed that he will do so with hotel profits, but we have no evidence that he's actually doing that. This is exactly the place where his finances should be disclosed, at a minimum, to a bipartisan ethics commission for review. And it's not like he only has hotels. He owns, or has stake in (not necessarily controlling, but still enough to derive profit) many other businesses. Some of which aren't even in US. As…

>Trump claimed that he will do so with hotel profits, but we have no evidence that he's actually doing that. Given how hard he fought for the Presidency, I seriously doubt that he would endanger his ability to continue in office just to keep a few tenths or hundredths of a percent of his overall hotel revenue.

You may be right you may be wrong. Do you remember that time when he claimed he was going to personally donate money to veterans and then only did so when the media caught him having not done it (though others in his fundraiser had)? [1] And then he bought a giant portrait of himself with charity money? [2]

The point is when it comes to ethics in leadership is that you are supposed to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. For that to happen, we must see evidence. If its good enough for rank and file members of corporate America, it's good enough for the President of the United States. He must disclose his financial conflicts of interest and resolve them -- in public.

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05... [2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-clue-to-the-wherea...

Re: George Orwell’s 1984 is currently the top selling book on Amazon

#278
post #17

I must admit, I'm really confused by how impeachment works in the U.S.. Clinton was impeached for perjury and abuse of power because he took advantage of his position (and a political intern) and then lied about it. Now we have a president who is not giving up his business interests while in office and who has already told some absolute whoppers, including the release of official press releases that were nothing but…

I really wish people and the media stop over emphasizing about every gaffe and focus on real news stories. For instance, the "alternative facts" comment/incident is being talked about everywhere, from TV news channels to news parody shows to talk shows to social media etc. But, at the same time it seems like there is so much more important news that one would think deserves more attention like the executive orders, w…

the horrifying stuff were his campaign promises, yeah? though, in fairness his campaign was also all about alternative facts.

Re: George Orwell’s 1984 is currently the top selling book on Amazon

#279
1984 and Brave New World are my all time double plus good books. We've been gradually sliding towards those worlds over the last number of decades, regardless of Trump. If nothing comes of this election but stronger protections around all sorts of freedoms then I'll be happy for it even if just by way of grassroots demand from the general public through awareness and engagement.

I really do hope this election increases citizen participation in the public sphere.

Re: George Orwell’s 1984 is currently the top selling book on Amazon

#280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Failure to give up his business interests is an impeachable offense. He literally does not meet the requirements set forth in the Constitution. He isn't being impeached because his party controls both houses.

"Failure to give up his business interests is an impeachable offense." Nope. They've had lawyers on this for a while, and I think he's ok on it. FYI - do you know how many Republican secretly wished that Trump were 'gone'? Probably most of them. He's a) a loose cannon and b) not actually a conservative on many issues. I think he's legally in the clear on his ownership issues.

The Republicans don't want him gone at all. With him in the office, they can aggressively push the conservative agenda and have him be the fall guy if things don't work out.
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