Live data from Hacker News

Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys

wired.com

711–720 of 756 posts

Re: Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys

#711

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Killing people while trying to scare them into surrender is a feature shared by both terrorism and wars. A big bombing campaign done by an army is a war, not a terrorism.

Even when they specifically target civilians? What would you call a bomb exploded in times square? What if it were placed there by Iranian soldiers? Is that war, or terrorism?

If those soldiers are in full uniform bringing in an unconcealed bomb, and it's part of a broader campaign that's also going after military targets, I would not call that terrorism.

Re: Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys

#712

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US has always used its military for global terrorism. Only just now, it is more in your face. There is no doubt: the US is responsible for some of the most sickening crimes against humanity the world has ever seen, including directly being the inspiration for the Holocaust, as well as US companies providing logistics for the Holocaust! I hate the idea that it was ever the DoD. It was always a terroristic, offensi…

"It was always a terroristic, offensive force." Even during WW2?

Sure. The unnecessary nuclear bombing of two civilian population centers is proof enough. Do you know the ratio of civilians to military deaths in those bombings? Nagasaki is particularly bad: 0.25% military personnel, 99.75% civilian deaths, and that's the most generous count. Not to mention Tokyo, or the numerous other cities which were firebombed. The idea that nuking civilians saved lives is a statement so stupid that only an American could believe it.

Let me ask you a question, directly, UltraSane. Is killing 60,000(minimum) civilians in an instant not terrorism?

Re: Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys

#713
post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The name isn't changed.

the current administration is using the war name, it doesn't matter what it technically is because they are using it to plainly state their ambitions for it

They are calling Gulf of Mexico with a wrong name either, that doesn't mean they are right.

Re: Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys

#714
post #376

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's compare with the Soviets and conclude the obvious: the US did retreat.

The US has over 128 military bases in 55 foreign countries. Russia has 12, mostly in former Soviet countries. China has 3.

How many "foreign" bases did Russia have a few years after WW2, before revolutions kicked them out? Before Russia annexed countries and destroyed the populations?

Because that's, of course, the real question.

It's literally thousands.

You need thousands of military bases if you're going to do "thought police". Because that's what you'll never read here. Russia HAD a (military) thought police. It was Putin's job when he got started, by the way.

Re: Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys

#715
post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

man look at everyone getting weird as hell about it under here. Good gravy!

This comment section is actually pretty good and it's generally well intentioned so I'm not mad but it's the same stuff every time. It's like how a tall person I know hears the same "how's the weather up there" joke over and over and got tired of it. The only thing people will say that annoys me is the "but animals eat other animals" argument from otherwise intelligent people (no worries if children say it). I've yet…

I've never met a vegan as preachy as the average omnivore upon learning someone is vegan. Good luck in all your undertakings, beloved.

Re: Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys

#716

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> An actual king isn't constrained by checks and balances, or the law, for the most part. This is demonstrably false: King George, who was an "actual king" , was constrained by some checks and balances, yet he was still a king. We know that much is correct. Therefore your personal definition here must be what is incorrect. And indeed, it is. You're just adjusting the definition of king here to fit your argument. It s…

Ok then all presidents were acting as kings or King George was just acting more like a president. > It seems like people are so hung up on the Twitter reality TV sports of politics that they've forgotten what a king is. Yes I agree that you are doing that here. And now you've reached the point to where you're shifting definitions and cherry-picking various historic world leaders to draw inane conclusions and comparis…

> Ok then all presidents were acting as kings or King George was just acting more like a president.

You're confusing how someone acts with which laws they are subject to, and as a result, you've been reduced to inane wordplay as your only argument.

Previously, even though a US president theoretically had the power to act like a king, they have mostly maintained a precedent of not doing so*.

Now, a new precedent has been set: A president acting like a king*.

Hope that clears things up.

* - I realize you may personally disagree with this. That's okay. I'm open to hearing arguments otherwise, but the ones you've put forth so far were unsuccessful at swaying people from the consensus stated above.

Re: Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys

#717

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m gonna pull a Rogan and mention how many other sentient beings are massacred while plowing a field. Rodents, insects, snakes, birds, etc. Is that a myth? What is the answer to feed everyone during these budget constrained times? It can’t be tofu, can it? There are just too many of us. In the meantime, the US is overrun by dear and boars, and I’ve been learning archery.

> mention how many other sentient beings are massacred while plowing a field. Rodents, insects, snakes, birds, etc. Is that a myth? Loads of small field animals are killed when eating vegan. Loads more are killed when eating omnivore, because you have to plow even more field to also feed the factory-farmed animals. > In the meantime, the US is overrun by dear and boars, and I’ve been learning archery. Assuming you st…

The deer are full of Chronic Wasting Disease and we've half given up trying to stop it. Many states have stopped their targeted culling programs because they're ineffective once incidence is above 5%. You're suicidal if you eat meat that you know comes from an animal with a prion disease.

Re: Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys

#718
post #453

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And a lot of dissimilarities, like the lack of mass executions of the disabled for example or a missing mass extermination plan of millions, maybe also kidnapping teenagers from the street and shipping them to brothels for soldiers, shooting babies? but apart from that exactly the same

Are you looking for and only accepting isomorphism between the two? There are no governing bodies in history that have ever been isomorphic. Only similarities exist between them. Japan never assisted with extermination of Jews and they are in the Venn diagram of Axis and authoritarianism. I have high confidence that Adolf Hilter, Bentio Mussolini, and Emperor Shōwa never were part of a child trafficking ring that cat…

> Didn't Donald Trump state that immigrants are poisoning the blood of the country? Didn't Adolf Hitler say Jews are poisoning the blood of the country? Aren't both simulates?

That is actually something that is pretty popular with anti-immigration rhetoric before and after Hitler, although there are probably over a hundred such politicians who used that rhetoric, not many have killed millions, that's hardly enough to think you have found Nazism.

> I have high confidence that Adolf Hilter, Bentio Mussolini, and Emperor Shōwa never were part of a child trafficking ring that catered to the wealthy and assisted them with raping and torturing of youths on a privately owned island. There are simulates though with _human trafficking_ between all parties.

As far as I can tell apart from guilt by association, there is no definitive proof about Trump being part of their pedophile ring, nothing that can't be said about Clinton, Chomsky or Gates or many others for example. The relation to Hitler in any case is no relation at all, so this segue is confusing

In any case, this examples are redundant as similarities are not enough to establish a category, as I could establish similarities between Hitler and Gandhi (Vegetarianism, cult following, theatrical rhetorics and meta-narratives) to say Hitler is actually a pacifist. That's of course absurd.

Ignoring the Nazi anti-morality and national scale paranoid schizophrenia which are major missing points, the rapid takeover of a single party of the state, destroying the parliament, making the Executive into the law, creating a party's army and using state violence against political enemies are some of the hallmarks of the beginning of third reich germany. This is simply not Trump USA after 6 years, not close.

I am sorry but these false comparisons are simply a social media convention of getting engagement by turning the volume to 11, and nothing works better than misusing categories through superficial comparisons

Re: Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys

#719
post #673

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To the extent that I can, I do try to pick ethical products (like the aforementioned free-range eggs). It's not an all-or-nothing thing indeed; there's a huge spectrum between veganism and not at all thinking (or caring) about where the animal products come from. But yes, I, as a consumer, am not responsible for what is already heavily regulated in favor of factory farmers. Heard of the ag gag laws? You can't vegan t…

> like the aforementioned free-range eggs I noted this in another comment, but the "free-range" designation means almost nothing. Hens have access to the outdoors, but that can mean a packed coop with no grass where part is missing a roof. Look for "Certified Humane" or research the farm directly.

Thanks for the actionable advice.

Side note: I've never seen that "certified humane" label. I'll look for it though.

The people who are saying that it's "easier than ever" to be buying ethically farmed products are full of it.

Re: Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys

#720

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, an aggressive regime that develops nuclear weapons (otherwise why all this enrichment?), stockpiles missiles and drones that, funds terrorists like hezbolla, hoothis and hamas, should be stopped. Yes, when you apply military force, civilians die. Nobody is happy about it, at least in US. Yes, Iran closed the strait, because Trump taco'ed again and can't use force against it. Yes, Israel bombs hezbolla, because w…

> Send them fresh water and electricity? They tried it with Gaza, didn't help. yes, one cannot imagine why keeping millions of people in an open air concentration camp doesn't work out well

What made it "open air concentration camp"? Do concentration camps have car dealerships and jewelry shops?

Funny it's not even your phrase, you heard it somewhere and keep parroting ever since.

Post reply on HN