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What's Going on at the FBI?

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Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#171

Post by bryanlarsen »

cinquemb wrote: post #163
bryanlarsen wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The general response to broken trust is to trust nobody. Americans breaking trust will make it less likely others trust Russia or Turkey or China, not more. "If you can't trust America, who can you trust?"

I don't disagree with what you state, but I don't think most who are surprised now are ready to ponder systems of governance and cooperation that require less trust than those most used now so i won't go there here.

And I don't disagree with what you state, but I'm sad that we're going to have to shift to a system of lower trust. A high trust society is a large part of what made America and the West great. My dad did business with handshakes instead of contracts. MAGA wants to tear down bureaucracy and regulations? Regulations and bureaucracy are required for the low trust society they're instilling.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#172

Post by throwawaythekey »

MagnumOpus wrote: post #143
throwawaythekey wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my mind democratically elected and coup are antonyms. If you are against trumps style of cleanup then I would probably stick to illegal, although that is TBD, radical or destructive.

Self-coups are common and widespread in the last hundred years. If you cannot list at least a few, your history lessons have failed you. And no, being elected to a public office is no blank cheque to dismantle checks on that office by other branches of government.

I understand that a self-coup could happen but to describe it as already happening seems premature... there are some things that will go to the courts sure but even democrats agree the courts are likely to find in Trump's favour.

Does that mean that the real coup happened when Trump picked the supreme court justices? Perhaps, but again it was very legal, and not particularly out of step from previous norms.

If you compare that to germany in the 1930s, a common example of a self-coup, you'll see some similarities but also large differences...

> The Reichstag building... caught fire... Hitler immediately accused the Communists of being the perpetrators... Using this justification, Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to enact the Reichstag Fire Decree. The decree abolished most civil liberties, including the right to speak, assemble, protest, and due process... the Nazis declared a state of emergency and began a violent crackdown against their political enemies... Hitler submitted a proposal to the Reichstag that if passed would immediately grant all legislative powers to the cabinet... allow Hitler's government to act without regard to the constitution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enabling_Act_of_1933 (Edited for brevity)

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#173

Post by SlightlyLeftPad »

illiac786 wrote: post #157
guappa wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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)

Please don’t normalize the idea of elimination of nearly century-long term limits that are there for good reasons.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#174

Post by illiac786 »

SlightlyLeftPad wrote: post #173
illiac786 wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“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)

Please don’t normalize the idea of elimination of nearly century-long term limits that are there for good reasons.

I 100% agree that the biggest damage Trump has done (so far) is normalizing a new (toxic/noxious) behavior for politicians.

And everyone in the US should try to remember, every day, that this is NOT normal, and it should not become the new normal.

I was being provocative a bit, to help remember it CAN get worse and we shouldn’t just ride it out.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#175

Post by throwawaythekey »

Juliate wrote: post #156
throwawaythekey wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

My bad for using an ambiguous term but please note that "usual" is the first listed definition for normal in many dictionaries. Using norms to mean rules seems to be more archaic.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/normal

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#176

Post by Juliate »

inemesitaffia wrote: post #165
Juliate wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Countries are quick to comply with the new admin's demands. Are you so sure? In just a few days you come to that conclusion? What's certain is the damage that the US is self-inducing. The reaction from abroad, whatever form it may take, has not had the time to take shape yet. > Culturally you will still be writing on this platform in 5 years (because, put simply...) The more I read here, the more I realise how both…

Bluesky is American, hosted on Amazon and is pre-revenue

Yes that’s its main issue. Still better than the hell site.

1/ it’s an open protocol, 2/ if anything it’s an excellent intermediary step towards something different, 3/ it feels like the caring Twitter from 2010 already, and that’s amazing a relief.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#177

Post by jimkleiber »

SauciestGNU wrote: post #164
jimkleiber wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or we just get beyond the idea of punishing the guilty and go to restorative justice.

But I want bad things to happen to bad people... I agree with restorative justice, but the people using a law as a weapon do not so I hope they see the same mercy they show their victims.

What's missing in the first part is that these people believe bad things have already happened to them that's why they do bad things to others

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#179

Post by woodpanel »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #136
woodpanel wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But in fact we see the opposite: Countries are quick to comply with the new admin's demands. Because put simply, there is no alternative available to US hegemony. Culturally you will still be writing on this platform in 5 years (because, put simply...), no critical mass is leaving twitter/x (because...) and technically you very likely will be using an american made co-pilot (...). Could it be, juuuust maybe, that you…

Every single Canadian IT board I'm on is filled with conversations on viable alternatives to American service providers and tips on how to switch.

I don't doubt that "Every single Canadian IT board" hates Trump with a passion. I just proposed that it doesn't matter.

First, any attempt of geopolitical decoupling will be stymied by the likely outlook of an imminent 180 as soon as the beloved progressives are back in charge – as well as the ridiculousness of how that 180 would look.

Secondly, its not a coincidence that the American Empire (aka the West) consists of exactly one import based market surrounded by export based markets which need their trading surplusses to run their welfare programs. Unless the hegemon's subjects are suddenly switching to join BRICS all the grandstanding posture will be water under the bridge, eventually.

Thirdly, "Every single IT board" is exactly what made Trump and other populists elsewhere succeed in the first place.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#180

Post by woodpanel »

Juliate wrote: post #134
woodpanel wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But in fact we see the opposite: Countries are quick to comply with the new admin's demands. Because put simply, there is no alternative available to US hegemony. Culturally you will still be writing on this platform in 5 years (because, put simply...), no critical mass is leaving twitter/x (because...) and technically you very likely will be using an american made co-pilot (...). Could it be, juuuust maybe, that you…

> Countries are quick to comply with the new admin's demands. Are you so sure? In just a few days you come to that conclusion? What's certain is the damage that the US is self-inducing. The reaction from abroad, whatever form it may take, has not had the time to take shape yet. > Culturally you will still be writing on this platform in 5 years (because, put simply...) The more I read here, the more I realise how both…

> [independant citation needed] Here you go.

From America to Zimbabwe, have fun trying to find a country where X is not in the top three tier: https://appfigures.com/top-apps/ios-app-store/germany/iphone...

> Are you so sure? In just a few days you come to that conclusion?

So are you saying, that your currently unverifiable thing in the future (has not had the time to take shape yet) has to stand against the actual happenings of Canada and Mexico agreeing to Trump's terms within a day?

> Let's say that it is a good continuous learning experience

I don't know what you try to say here. Rest assure my standpoint is the minority here. Like another commentator said "Every single IT board" will be filled with the same arguments as are expressed in this threat here (ie. that we're basically witnessing Kristallnacht 2.0).

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