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What's Going on at the FBI?

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Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#151

Post by fatbird »

emptysongglass wrote: post #89
DyslexicAtheist wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

imagine being energy dependent on a regime that bullies you from Washington, and being asked to increase security spending to 5% of GDP by purchasing US weapons systems. while being told by the same regime they might take over Greenland or the Panama canal. when putting US foreign policy into perspective over the past 30 (or more depending where you are) years, then aligning with China suddenly looks a lot less awful…

Other NATO partners being asked to increase defense spending to 5 percent is entirely reasonable. And that's with or without Trump asking for it. I live in Europe, I am European: we've outsourced our own defense for far too long. It is absurd that a country presenting an existential threat to us has been met with more supplied resistance from a country across the earth than Europe. It's long past time for Europe to w…

You're right, but this has been the explicit design of US foreign policy since WW2: we'll protect you, you rebuild as a bastion of western capitalism. It was all carrot.

When the EU tried to set up a small standing armed force in the 90s to serve as an umbrella org in the event of war, the US put pressure on Germany and France not to support it, and it failed.

Now you're seeing the stick. And NATO partners should absolutely up their spending on domestic defense industries. German tanks, Swedish anti-air, Ukrainian drones... you've got more than enough indigenous industry already to not feed the US with your defense dollars.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#153

Post by notepad0x90 »

blurbleblurble wrote: post #67
notepad0x90 wrote: post #43

I think a lot of people just want to give the current administration a chance. Half the country wanted him, and if it wasn't this, it would be an actual civil war eventually. However, isn't it a bit naive to presume the current administration would relinquish power and allow for a peaceful transfer of government in the end? I hope I'm wrong but all the evidence and data is pointing to a decline of America and the Ame…

Half the country did not. 1/3 of eligible voters. Which doesn't even count people under 18. And to say that everyone who voted for him "wanted him" is a stretch.

i just counted people who voted. for trump voters, it is hard to believe they didn't want him to the most part. many people stayed home because they didn't like kamala or trump. you can vote for anyone you want, including yourself.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#154

Post by [deleted] »

Juliate wrote: post #94
Juliate wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That. The impact on commercial, technical, cultural influence of the USA is incredible. How could we have any insurance that these (personal and professional) US-based infra/tools companies (even AWS, Microsoft, Apple) could be even operating as expected, and in good faith, now that some petulant, inconsequential mixed-business-political leader is able to trigger that level of damage on a whim?

It just hit me, in the same spirit, aside political affiliation concerns, who would still now drive a Tesla and feel "safe"? Just for the exercise, imagine Musk taking over Google or Apple: would you then still trust your computer/phone at the same extent as you do today?

[deleted]

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#155

Post by bryanlarsen »

hnbad wrote: post #146
bryanlarsen wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the Democrats have nothing to offer in response to the people's suffering. WTF? The Democrats are the ones with concrete offers to ease people's suffering. Literally. Stuff like Medicare for all. For example, Clinton offered coal miners retraining and income support in order to ameliorate the inevitable. Trump offered empty impossible promises. People voted for the empty promises rather than the concrete reality. C…

> WTF? The Democrats are the ones with concrete offers to ease people's suffering. Literally. Stuff like Medicare for all. No. Democrats have concrete offers. The Democrats don't. The Democrats had several opportunities to pass far-reaching reforms like Medicare For All but didn't. There's a massive difference between the ideals of a few activist politicians running for office and the actual policy decisions of a gov…

> generally things are pretty rough

But better than everywhere else in the world. Virtually every other country did worse over the last 4 years than the US did.

> The Democrats had several opportunities to pass far-reaching reforms like Medicare For All but didn't.

They had 2 opportunities to bypass the Senate filibuster and pass far-reaching reforms. They chose to use those two opportunities to fight inflation and stabilize the economy.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#156

Post by Juliate »

throwawaythekey wrote: post #82
Juliate wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't make it more normal. Not sure what point you're trying to make.

I guess it depends on what you mean by normal. The point I am trying to make is it is common for Presidents to do things which are later deemed illegal.

"Normal" is defined by norms (constitution, laws, regulations).

What you're trying to say is "usual" - if it is, indeed, usual for each of your presidents to do so.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#157

Post by illiac786 »

guappa wrote: post #129
credit_guy wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The promise that everything will be fine in Hong Kong?

I think "fine" and "you can ignore laws" aren't precisely identical in all cases.

“fine” and “you can enact any law you want on people because you are not accountable to them” also isn’t really the same.

(Not that trump’s accountability is particularly high… but there’s some hope he’ll be gone in 4 years, whereas the situation is different in china)

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#158

Post by illiac786 »

DyslexicAtheist wrote: post #33
thih9 wrote: post #20

I’m not from the US and news like this change my perception of that country - it seems unstable; just like I’m not considering a Wordpress blog, I’d think twice before any long term plans that involve the US. The comparison to the Wordpress drama works surprisingly well for me, complete with vendettas and an overzealous leader, just on an even larger scale and affecting more people.

imagine being energy dependent on a regime that bullies you from Washington, and being asked to increase security spending to 5% of GDP by purchasing US weapons systems. while being told by the same regime they might take over Greenland or the Panama canal. when putting US foreign policy into perspective over the past 30 (or more depending where you are) years, then aligning with China suddenly looks a lot less awful…

I still hope for a next election in the US. I don’t in china. That alone makes china significantly less stable /reliable on the long run (while on the short term it might be the opposite actually)

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#160

Post by SauciestGNU »

jimkleiber wrote: post #144
SauciestGNU wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but Fauci should also not have to spend the twilight years of his very accomplished life defending himself from petulant fascists' revenge prosecutions.

Yes, emotionally I'd agree. However, legally, I think it's a very slippery slope. What if Don Jr shoots someone dead and then Trunp premptively pardons him so no one can investigate the shooting? I think the hard part of enforcing the law is enforcing it equally, even towards those we love the most.

I think enforcing the law is only important while there is rule of law. What the Republicans are doing now is rule by law. It's not a good-faith reading of laws, it's using raw state power to turn the legal apparatus against the perceived enemies of the state/regime.

We're way past lofty ideals like equal application of the law. It's going to take a reconsideration of our social contract in order to live in a society where we once again protect the innocent and punish the guilty.

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