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What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

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Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#751

Post by lupusreal »

3D30497420 wrote: post #532
brylie wrote: post #497

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an expat in the EU, I have a surreal sense of being a bystander at an ongoing emergency scene. I don’t want to be yet another gawker as this situation is unfolding but am struggling to come up with actions that are within my power to take as a form of protest, resistance, or solidarity. What are some practical actions that we can take to resist these sweeping changes?

Hope the US gets bad enough that people in the EU notice and decide they don't want to go down the same route? Honestly though, I'm in the same situation and I don't know. I did just start paid subscriptions to several media outlets that have been doing good reporting on the situation (Guardian, Verge). I unsubscribed to the Washington Post after they pulled their Harris endorsement (which was appalling), but their c…

Genuinely curious if you think a WaPo endorsement could have swayed the election, and if not, why it mattered at all.

From my perspective, Trump voters distrust and dislike the old media so much, a newspaper telling them they shouldn't vote for Trump would only strengthen their resolve.

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#752

Post by squigz »

cbracketdash wrote: post #458
einrealist wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The process is the problem. There is no oversight and accountability for Musk and his "DOGE". That's pure poison to Democracy and to a functioning society. Musk is neither competent nor efficient. He looks at line items and makes stuff up. He destroys a hundred useful things to destroy a bad one. Details don't matter to him. Its the same con man mentality that feeds off the works of his workforce. People who think he…

It's easy to dismiss eccentric people as conmen. But you have to consider, he has been at least partially instrumental in at least 2 impossible companies: electric cars and rockets. Regardless of what you think of his intellectual capacity, he has a proven track record of organizing people to produce exceptional outcomes ! An inevitable characteristic of his algorithm is chaos: delete as many constraints and parts as…

> An inevitable characteristic of his algorithm is chaos: delete as many constraints and parts as possible. When things break, re-add those necessary parts.

This might work sometimes for companies (surprisingly, often it doesn't) - it has far more significant and wide-reaching consequences when you're doing it to an entire country and its institutions, particularly one as influential as America.

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#753

Post by nonethewiser »

waveBidder wrote: post #739
rayiner wrote: post #705

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A “coup” implies an overthrow of the legal structure of power. Who is being overthrown?

the Congress. the president doesn't have the authority to unilaterally shut down entire departments

I thin you want to be a little more precise in your definition. A president doing things they dont have the authority for would probably mean every president conducted a coup.

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#754

Post by 77pt77 »

bakuninsbart wrote: post #446
77pt77 wrote: post #351

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> The USA passport is far from a strong passport. Plenty of better alternatives elsewhere. Also, that implies getting citizenship, a 5 year ordeal. This depends on the metrics chosen to evaluate. My german passport offers significantly more visa free travel options, but the German government is notorious for not really giving a shit about citizens getting stuck in crisis abroad. For example when the Sudan civil war b…

> but the German government is notorious for not really giving a shit about citizens getting stuck in crisis abroad

And the USA is?

Get real. They won't help you either or if they do they'll charge you!

When it comes to that nothing beats a French passport.

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#755

Post by agnishom »

Propelloni wrote: post #710
agnishom wrote: post #625

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Him assuming the office of the president is legal. But him trying to replace the law which has gone through due process using executive orders is unlawful. It is not a coup because he became president by force. It is a coup because he is consolidating power. (The president is not supposed to be all powerful.)

The Wikipedia-article explains why "consolidating power" as part of the government is Gleichschaltung and not a coup. A coup is the sudden, violent, and unlawful seizure of power from a government [1] which is not the case here. [1] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/coup

From the link you posted: "a sudden illegal, often violent, taking of government power, especially by part of an army"

The violent part and the army part seems to be optional

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#756

Post by nonethewiser »

tyingq wrote: post #729
leereeves wrote: post #723

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Routinely reaching past the defined limits of the executive branch could be described as a coup. Depending on the event/circumstances, it's congress being overthrown, or the constitution, etc. Assuming a definition of coup like "violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group" there's a reasonable case to be made.

> Routinely reaching past the defined limits of the executive branch could be described as a coup

Not accurately. It would apply to probably every president. Biden with student loans for example.

This definition is also too broad: "alteration of an existing government by a small group". That would apply to every President. Every president has a cabinet and changes the government. I think you need more precision in your definition.

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#757

Post by batushka5 »

searine wrote: post #41

Do you hear that sucking sound? It's biggest brain drain you've ever seen. It already been happening, I know several great scientists who've already left, this BS just kicked it into high gear.

This sounds like Hollywood celebs leaving to Canada - no one did. So where will so called top scientists go? Real scientists will continue their work after weeding out. But the DEI, climate, gender studies and other bottom feeders will need to pack for Europe. Or learn a trade.

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#758

Post by alxjrvs »

lupusreal wrote: post #751
3D30497420 wrote: post #532

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hope the US gets bad enough that people in the EU notice and decide they don't want to go down the same route? Honestly though, I'm in the same situation and I don't know. I did just start paid subscriptions to several media outlets that have been doing good reporting on the situation (Guardian, Verge). I unsubscribed to the Washington Post after they pulled their Harris endorsement (which was appalling), but their c…

Genuinely curious if you think a WaPo endorsement could have swayed the election, and if not, why it mattered at all. From my perspective, Trump voters distrust and dislike the old media so much, a newspaper telling them they shouldn't vote for Trump would only strengthen their resolve.

Not the poster, but I don't think a newspaper pulling an endorsement out of fear of reprisal is a great sign of a free press (or, to the poster's point, a press you care to pay for.)

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#759

Post by Integrape »

rocky_raccoon wrote: post #744
Spooky23 wrote: post #733

Earlier quoted context omitted.

JFK wrote a book called “Profiles in Courage” - no courageous people are around. The “coup” happened a long time ago. The US has demonstrated that there’s no rule of law at the federal level for some time now. Once the Chief Justice leaned back and tolerated the open sale of the court, that was basically it. We don’t have the same system of governance anymore… we’re like Italy 1936 or Argentina in 1948 now. We’ll inv…

> skip the funny hats. I don't know about that part... those red ball caps are pretty goofy looking.

The mark of the beast

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#760

Post by 77pt77 »

Spivak wrote: post #385
77pt77 wrote: post #351

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I don't know what to tell you, if you think the cuisine available in the US isn't great it's because you aren't looking. The "tossed salad" nature of the country comes out in full force to create a food scene that holds its own against anywhere in the world. Even if you restrict yourself to classic American cuisine the food is still world class. One of my absolute favorite things to do any time a friend from overseas…

[flagged]
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