The United States(!) of A

factotum's picture
factotum started the topic in Thursday, 27 Aug 2020 at 11:12am

Septic Tanks are going to Septic Tank

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monkeyboy Thursday, 12 May 2022 at 7:41pm
flollo wrote:

I reckon he did. Screw him, so glad US is showing such a strong support. I never believed much in Biden but he proved himself on this occasion.

Yeah it's interesting this - I think it's a Lend Lease arrangement like the US did for UK, Europe, Soviet Union and I think for Aus in WWII. Possibly how the US ended up running Pine Gap and how AUS ends up buying so much un needed military equipment (that last bit being just my opinion).

Historical context: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease

Not saying it's a bad thing; help is required.

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velocityjohnno Saturday, 14 May 2022 at 6:02pm

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sypkan Thursday, 19 May 2022 at 12:05am

wtf does that even mean?

is it funny?

cutting?

relevant to anything?

or just another reminder certain parts of 'the left' are in an ip obsessed death spiral?

sypkan's picture
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sypkan Thursday, 19 May 2022 at 12:06am

and another reminder the left can't meme...

carry on....

'winning'

sypkan's picture
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sypkan Thursday, 19 May 2022 at 2:17pm
Constance B Gibson wrote:

Lured you out of your JP/Tucker postered bedroom/gimp dungeon, but.

yeh, but only because I literally cannot believe how lame some of your memes are

you supposed to be a man of taste and substance...

(or is that a gender fluid benchong of taste and substance?)

but some of your shit is the most tasteles, nitpicking, mean girl, divisive, snide, shadow sniping crap I've ever seen

do you make them yourself?

and what is the point of leaving half the letters out of white?

is this supposed to be witty?

less offensive to the unschooled?

or is this just your little michelle obama womxn moment?

the whole thing is just weird, ...but not even remotely cool weird...

just odd little man in his xi / diangelo postered dungeon suffering a relevance deficiency complex weird

you're better than that

I think...

sypkan's picture
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sypkan Thursday, 19 May 2022 at 8:56pm

you couldn't trigger me if you tried

not because your material is shit

but because you ip inspired cult pespective means you have such a wayward perception of me, you have no fucking clue what I am about

you show it with every desperate post and putdown

(though the cult does have just a few generic disparaging, deplatforming, smearing, indoctrinated 'answers' to everything... so maybe you're not even trying... geez, one would hope so...)

but carry on...

'winning'

(with the narroewst of narrow views of the 'untenable')

it's a fucken crack up

so 1980's!

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Distracted Friday, 20 May 2022 at 2:29pm

Although Ukraine has regained some land in the north around Kharkiv, Russia has now almost taken Luhansk , one of the contested regions in the east.
If they they do take it and then move onto the rest of Donbas, the question is whether they stop on that border and it may eventually become some sort of DMZ like Korea, or do they just continue fighting into eastern Ukraine and the war and people dying will continue to grind on.
https://mobile.twitter.com/Nrg8000/status/1527423190984962048

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Supafreak Friday, 20 May 2022 at 9:36pm

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flollo Sunday, 22 May 2022 at 10:27pm

This is good. Finally, someone put it together nicely.

https://blogs.berkeley.edu/2022/05/19/open-letter-to-noam-chomsky-and-ot...

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etarip Sunday, 22 May 2022 at 11:48pm
flollo wrote:

This is good. Finally, someone put it together nicely.

https://blogs.berkeley.edu/2022/05/19/open-letter-to-noam-chomsky-and-ot...

Spot on flollo…

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flollo Monday, 23 May 2022 at 8:09pm

Wow. Biden confirming US would use military to defend Taiwan in case of a Chinese attack. Australia would I guess have to join in. If that was to ever happen China would slap embargo on Australian goods, effectively ruining our resource heavy economy.

https://www.wsj.com/video/watch-biden-says-us-would-respond-militarily-i...

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velocityjohnno Monday, 23 May 2022 at 8:45pm

They'd knacker themselves in the process, as evidenced with the coal embargo. We'd switch to lithiums/rare earths/cobalts to Japan/EU/South Korea/US quicker.

Just wow to the Biden link, he's actually said it. That would be rather hectic, but history has shown island states can defend themselves from really big invaders (Japan's divine wind 1274 & 1281; England 1588, UK 1805, 1940) - power enough for control of the sea or a huge storm in your favour, or combination of both.

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wax24 Monday, 23 May 2022 at 9:29pm

Biden has never said otherwise. He said it while campaigning in 2020. However anyone may feel about it... whether that is good or bad policy... it has not changed. Dunno if the next President will pick up that baton or not... we'll begin to see a coupla years from now.

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frog Tuesday, 24 May 2022 at 8:30am

One strategic scenario is that the US actually wants to set up a second proxy war in the east to compliment the doozy they have going in the Ukraine. The aim is to weaken and disrupt its two main strategic competitors. Many US Think Tanks are in the middle of the vinegar stroke of excitement right now as long long years of think tanking (what do such organisations actually do all day!?) are reaching the main game.

Now, they need a proxy "partner" in the Pacific sphere to be at the pointy end so they can sit back and have plausible deniability and no boots on the ground.

https://www.lawfareblog.com/utility-proxy-war

Who is possibly intended to be up the pointy end? Not many choices except, crazy as it seems, in addition to Taiwan, of course, they may be thinking Australia. Hence, maybe, Dutton's preparatory war comments to fertilise the ground? Thankfully he is not "Defence" Minister anymore.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2022-05-14/coming-proxy-war-china

And to think that I used to think the general goal of most countries was world peace.

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DudeSweetDudeSweet Tuesday, 24 May 2022 at 8:53am

All very true and very concerning there Frog.

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sypkan Tuesday, 24 May 2022 at 4:52pm
flollo's picture
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flollo Wednesday, 25 May 2022 at 10:38am

Biden, Albo, and co meet in the Quad meet. Meanwhile, China is to visit 8 islands Pacific nations in 10 days.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-25/chinese-foreign-minister-visit-pa...

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Roadkill Wednesday, 25 May 2022 at 11:10am

meanwhile, another great day in the land of the free. 18 kids dead. Fuck yeah..Merica. fuckwit lawmakers

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Cockee Wednesday, 25 May 2022 at 9:06pm

We are lucky in Oz that mainly only the crims (mostly middle eastern) regularly use guns to murder their opposition while most home invasions, car jackings and stabbings are by Sudanese youth (who are, thankfully, a very low % of the population). Hate to think what these groups would do with easy access to firearms.

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AndyM Wednesday, 25 May 2022 at 9:30pm

Haha, you’re a funny guy!

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Cockee Wednesday, 25 May 2022 at 9:54pm

The truth is painful sometimes, ladyboy. Suck it up.

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Michael Adam Wednesday, 25 May 2022 at 10:10pm

In the lucky country only the cops have guns ay. It’s great. And safe.
Safe safe safe. SAFETY FIRST!
acab.

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velocityjohnno Tuesday, 31 May 2022 at 9:39pm

Meanwhile in Europe:

Surely bullish for bicycles and bicycle repairs/parts, walking shoes, running shoes, horse and cart, horse drawn cars, carrier pigeons...

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velocityjohnno Tuesday, 31 May 2022 at 9:41pm

Artist's impression of future transport on the continent:

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velocityjohnno Tuesday, 31 May 2022 at 10:02pm

More seriously, pay attention to a very good 2nd part of this superb vid, "The Sino-American war and Australia's role in it". In fact the whole vid is a must watch if you want to understand the situation and capabilities, strategies, and likely conflict paths. Presenter is a double Masters and PhD in Military History.

A few takeaways - we have a very sophisticated early warning system which was wholly developed here. Combined with our current military, it would be enough to defend the country... until... a great power either begins to outrange individual weapons systems, or develops blue water navy power projection with proper carrier battle groups. Both are happening. The situation in this case could see our defences overwhelmed before allies could deploy sufficient force to back us up. The presenter outlines ways to address this with systems available now.

What would a likely conflict look like? Much reading in the subject sees me agree with the presenter that like the surprise attacks of 1904 and 1941, a war in Asia would begin with a sudden, out-of-the-blue, all out strike by the challenging power.

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velocityjohnno Wednesday, 1 Jun 2022 at 5:27pm

I'm actually going to have to look that up! Is it a movie, a board game? That 1980's movie with "the only winning move is not to play?"
No, just a History grad (even some Australian Literature history in the bundle) with an interest in the area. Everything from Mackinder to Mahan; the campaigns that prevailed (ie Nelson's 2 years at sea 1803-5) and the world they created. A particular fascination with the fuck ups that led to the fall of Singapore and deletion of ABDA in 1942, and following campaigns my great uncle was part of, and what he went through. I've tried to see a lot of it from the perspective of the IJN/IJA, being wowed by the sheer pace of their conquest.
Whether we present a strong defence or aim to reconcile for now, I've read the other side's published plans since the late 90's, and they aren't going to defer from their path imo. Si vis pacem...

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etarip Wednesday, 1 Jun 2022 at 8:02pm
Constance B Gibson wrote:

You a big Risk fan, VJ?

Didn’t you use that joke already CBG?

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truebluebasher Wednesday, 1 Jun 2022 at 9:52pm

$10b JEDI > $9b Joint Warfighter (5 year Deployment)
Private Army Troop Leaders...

Google / Alphabet - Gi Joe's Yuppie Quad Future Cadets at War with Darth Trump.
Oracle - Grounded by The Supreme Being! Part of Jedi Alliance (vs) Stormtroopers!
Microsoft - Darth Trump's Rebel Alliance of Yuppie JEDI Knights aimlessly policing our Planet
Amazon - Stormtroopers Space Cowboy Bezos lost the Holy War to Darth Trump's Jedi alliance!
IBM - OB1 Kenobi was deleted by The Supreme Being...still haunts Gromz as a Hologram!

29th March ( Warfighter Delayed)
https://www.fiercetelecom.com/cloud/dod-delays-award-jedi-replacement-co...

23rd May - "d d don't you wworry 'bout that...US are willing to use The Cone of Silence!"
Gi Joe shirtfronts The Craw!...not Craw...Craw! Craw!

31st May (Joint Warfighter multi player mode will be repackaged just in time for Xmas WWIII )

https://mobgaze.com/index.php/2022/05/31/pentagon-delays-cloud-computing...

State of Play for Team USA.

Google Alphabet's Schmidt Futures sponsors the Quadie Jedi Gromz fellowship
https://www.rt.com/usa/539435-google-employees-pentagon-cloud-computing/
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/15/google-pursuit-of-jwcc-among-issues-of-t...

Oracle
https://www.windowscentral.com/pentagons-jwcc-contract-microsoft-oracle-...

Microsoft (5 Eyes)
https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/key-enablers/8139-thales-microsoft-tea...
https://www.reseller.co.nz/article/682635/microsoft-talks-up-its-new-clo...
Amazon
https://dodtimes.com/business/amazon-offers-2nd-air-gapped-cloud-for-top...

IBM
https://www.dlt.com/blog/2022/05/13/ibm-named-leader-2021-gartnerr-magic...

[ Today's NZ News ] PM Ardern @ US White House Grand Stage (Tuff Gig!) Let's Rock!


[0:00] Pacific War
[2:40] CPTPP
[3:50] Guns
[6:45] Partners / Return Visit
[8:00] Vice Prez > Space + Terrorism
[8:55] Tariffs > Trade > Tourism
Take 3 Here > Here > Here (Maybe a sneaky 4!)
[10:00] Gun kickback
[10:50] Ukraine
[12:50] Radicalization > Live feed Massacres
[13:20] Solomon Islands
Wow! Great Leadership!

China Great Firewall
https://mezha.media/en/2022/05/31/china-tops-google-bing-and-youtube-res...

Chinese Whispers
30% of Chinese be they visitors, college educated or export Traders can & do access www.
Favourites : 40.35% Google > YouTube 31.58% > Facebook 8.79% > Insta 8.75% > Twitter 7.89%
Foreign news / education can be translated > Tunes are universal > Idol Chat is just Idle Chatter

2002-09 Google China 45.8m > 388m or 36.2% which shows Chinese would adopt Global www.
2010-13 China not happy with Google Maps / Porn > (Censorship) Market dropped to 1.7%
2017 ( Underground Google groupies ) 31% of Chinese were bypassing GFW with VPNs (World #4)
Important for tbb to link any wild numbers! (No foreigners Fined + No local went to Jail) Fine $150?
https://www.nstec.com/can-chinese-people-use-vpn-to-access-google/
2020 MSM underplay current market @ 3.8% or 3.8m users. (Roughly 10% of actual www users?)
31m Chinese VPNs could check out WOTD + daily surf reports....[Locals Only] "Them's fightin' words!"

Censored China represents 50% larger wealthier www market than 20m online Aussie mugs!
These 31m are also #1 influential VIPs...eg: English speaking 50% > Uni 70% + Global Traders!
Most would engage in western lifestyle cliques...wading thru skulls of common commie muck!
2015 Google snapped up $6b China profit ...from their undercover groupies with 50% growth targets!
2022 Google's censored Chinese groupies are worth 5x more than Gi Joe's Anti China Pentagon Gig!
Choose! Untaxed mega bucks funnelled under the Great Fire Wall or Joe's cheap trick to knock it down!

More interesting if 30% choose to share www with 2 mates? Then that equally affords all to read this!
Also just as weird > a high proportion of sites offer translation...
Noting Russians are next biggest users of VPNs...

( Great Fire Wall = Censorship? ) vs ( Iron Curtain = Sanctions ? ) vs ( Factcheck = Propaganda ? )

Salute this detailed up to date nerdy Chinese net timeline...surprised it's not censored!
https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat7/sub44/item1147.html

truebluebasher's picture
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truebluebasher Friday, 3 Jun 2022 at 10:48pm

The Prez makes a stand & stands up tall & speaks for one and all!

Crew salutes The Prez... this is the leadership the World deserves & respects!
The whole world is listening & we're on yer side Prez!
We reserve only the best for those leaders that stand up when it counts!
We heed your call to act ...The World are one Chorus with the US!
Let's do something...this is The World's return prayer dedicated to The Prez of USA one & all!

&t=312s

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tubeshooter Friday, 3 Jun 2022 at 11:35pm

The States gun laws are pretty insane.
I still can't see shit changing much there in the near future..
As for Biden , yeah nah. Stick a fork in his arse and turn him over , he's done. It's all lip service.

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Rabbits68 Saturday, 4 Jun 2022 at 1:00am

Good as gold TBB. Cheers.

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truebluebasher Tuesday, 14 Jun 2022 at 11:13am

[Signs of Change]

[Protect Kids NOT Guns]
[Arms are for Hugging NOT Killing]
[STOP Children smothering Children]
[Clever Kidz NOT Kevlar Kidz]
[Graduations NOT Funerals]

[Peace NOT a Piece]
[Who cares about Thoughts & Prayers]

> ( ( ( Am I your Next Target ) ) ) <
https://compote.slate.com/images/764779a4-bb15-4c8e-97ad-372db45f9647.jp...
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/3641f3110178e8b1cd230a78c423ec4bc2eb62d...

Crazy things Kids Say : [Me Next]
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/FEAD/production/_100079156_m...
https://c.files.bbci.co.uk/5AB2/production/_100081232_deborah-lowery-pho...

Hands Up [ Don't Shoot ]
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/11CFD/production/_100575927_...

sypkan's picture
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sypkan Saturday, 18 Jun 2022 at 11:09pm

this little assange dilemma is going to be a test for albo

he talked the talk... now let's see what he's got...

truebluebasher's picture
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truebluebasher Sunday, 19 Jun 2022 at 7:58pm

AUKUS emergency diplomacy saves the day!

23rd Feb 2021 Albo "Enough is Enough!"
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7139149/labor-leader-wants-julian...

Sept 2021 Julian is reluctant to discuss Health conditions as he fears further isolation!
16th Nov 2021 Julian's Dad says Vax is Mandated in Max Security Prison = Julian can't say No?
Later clarifies he was just illustrating Julian is damned if does & equally damned if he refuses!

UK declare Vax is not Mandated in Belmarsh Prison (Over 50% refused Vax!)
Noting Anti Vaxerz have supported him?
https://consortiumnews.com/2021/11/16/assanges-father-says-his-son-has-b...

If Julian's Dad is right, then Julian's Stroke comes into question either way.
14th Dec 2021 Julian suffers a stroke > Drooping right Eyelid + Memory / Brain damage!
https://www.democracynow.org/2021/12/14/headlines/julian_assange_suffere...

22nd March 2022 Neocoms HJS > Friends of Israel / Pro US Islamophobes lean on team player Patel
https://declassifieduk.org/priti-patel-was-part-of-cia-linked-lobby-grou...

17th June 2022 Wong / Dreyfus Joint Statement :"Dragged on too long, needs to be brought to a close!"
Code for Julian to queue jump a million Mass Shooters for Joe's Electric Chair?
https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/media-release/uk-...

Politics of Pandemic Prisoners.
Julian's stroke either Exempts him from Vax and or US / Oz Entry!

If UK Vax Julian with US Compliant Vax he's a US Plaything!
If Oz or UK Vax Julian with US contraband > Oz / UK compliant Sputnik he is banned from US entry!

Note: Health Experts would argue against over vaxing of Stroke patients. (Correct!)
Large US Public would Voice concern of Dodgy Un / Russian vaxed Celeb Prisoner Entry over their loved ones!
Choose : Evil Empire Poison for Oz freedom or Big Pharma poison for The Hot Seat. (Tough Choice!)

Flies Under the radar on Oligarch BA, backdoors downunder to save AUKUS from falling on their sword.
Bald Eagle & Uptight Flying Kangaroo will grant Julian passage on UK's Vax easy Flying Lion-horse
Renegade takes the Evil Empire poison for dodgy Oz entry & US Broadway happy ending sellout!

Can happen! All completely inline with WHO/AUKUS protocol & all above board! No need for 1,000 Lawyers!

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Westofthelake Saturday, 25 Jun 2022 at 4:49pm

Can someone check if it's 1950?

"Such a dissonance. Old white men who love guns pretending they respect life. Righteous religious indignation that has no basis in humanity. One day women will rule the world with kindness and commonsense without the need to involve any deity and without these grossly inept right wing religious lunatics who claim a god to be their guidance" - CM

250622

How to criminalise abortion.

What a statement of progressiveness!

Well done US of A (not)

Tank o'clock.

udo's picture
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udo Saturday, 25 Jun 2022 at 5:48pm

Problem Solved - Big Pharma .........USA
R U 486
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mifepristone

truebluebasher's picture
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truebluebasher Wednesday, 29 Jun 2022 at 5:01pm

"Warning for Dems"
Increasingly over the last year 1m Dem voters in 43 states have flocked to GOP...(630k GOP to Dems)
As crew can guess...more so in the swing State Cities...
Denver, Larimer County, Colorado, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Raleigh, North Carolina, Augusta, Georgia, Des Moines, Iowa.
Rejection of Left ( Vax / Race Card ) Possibly GOP vaxers = switched or outed as Dems!
Few Dems were Embracing of the Right...mostly switched coz they were sick of the Left

Stop & consider the Politics of the Day...

Joe is bleeding Votes towards mid Terms & outta the blue...Supreme Beings play their King & Ace cards.
23rd June 2022 : Supreme Beings funnel Arms to Dem Stronghold Playgrounds.
25th June 2022 : Joe :"We all pray for a God willing Hero to rise up & ..."Do Something"
"All Youth Health Records" will be screened and prescribed exorbitant Big Pharma care packages.
Only then is yer bullied Goth Kid deemed sane enough to get a Machine Gun for his birthday massacre.
Our Hero...Wot a guy!..a mega-leap for US is another cowardly step backwards for Mankind.

US Abortion Ruling
2000 FDA Approve Mifepristone ( RU-486) + Misoprostol Combo Abortion Drugs up to 10-12 weeks.
96.6% effective > 0.4% Risk > 0.001% Deaths in Women > Over 3m US Women accessed to 2021
7 US States require unusual counselling on (RU-486) reversal with high doses of Progesterone?

July 2020 FDA Emergency approval for Abortion Drug
Dec 2020 FDA Telehealth approve Abortion Drugs (Prohibited / Restricted in 19 States)
Dec 2021 FDA Telehealth approve permanent ongoing supply thru mail.

Data (How many Women / Families affected)
2011 = 25% Abortions thru using Pills
April 2017 Republican Govt medicated abortions record rises from (39%) > 2020 (54%)
Additional full current estimates 2020 Telehealth/Online 54% > Clinics 43% > Hospitals 3%
(2016) 110,469 > (2019) 203,300 Medicated Abortions (vs) Clinics (2016) 153,283 > (2019) 175,611

(2022) U$ Costs-without Insurance = $40-$90 pill/s > $350-$1,000 course > Clinic $850-$3,000
https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-availability-and...
https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2022/02/medication-abortion-now-accou...
24th June 2022 : Supreme Beings terminate National Abortions > Restricting interstate Abortions.
Pretty much outsources the Devil's bidding to foreign shores...keeps God fearing Yanks hand's clean!

Our Supreme Beings are moving fast to prohibit Transgender & Cannabis treatments for Youth.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/alabama-claims-primacy-over-pa...
Judges will Power up Police States to intervene & assume control of suss Gromz as Wards of the State.
Then they're back to rifling thru yer neighbour's Bedrooms to bust up Gay Marriages...
God's Work is never done...bloody exhausting remoulding humans into Christians.

sypkan's picture
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sypkan Thursday, 30 Jun 2022 at 6:34pm

the hollywood extravaganza january 6 trial (with no defense witnesses...) really has gone next level

trump attacking special service guys, lunging at the 'limo' steering wheel to direct the the car, ...the loose cannon got real loose... apparently...

or '...something to the effect of...'

media loved it, all over it, presenting it all as fact, ...including our own abc, who were all over the 'bombshells' last night, going through it word for word, without even a hint of skepticism... or checking anything at all it would seem...

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/cassidy-hutchinson-provided-...

unfortunately, the secret service guys, so it seems, aren't so on board with her account of events....

or what she 'was told'

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2022/06/28/another-j...

sorry fox news and jesse watters, but he does break it all down a little quite well...

https://m.

yeh yeh, media bias blah blah blah...

but it seems not even the basics of this story stack up

pure theatre... surprised there wasn't a russian traffic controller in there somewhere...

scary that so many media nutjobs can present, and so wholeheatedly jump in on, such wild stories without even checking the most basic of basics...

including 'our' abc

most disappointing, and just plain bloody scary actually...

lift ya game ita!

etarip's picture
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etarip Thursday, 30 Jun 2022 at 8:56pm

“With no defence witnesses…”
It’s either a sham, show trial in which case you don’t cooperate OR you provide witnesses to take the stand and testify under oath.

Can you have it both ways?

Make your mind up.

sypkan's picture
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sypkan Thursday, 30 Jun 2022 at 11:07pm

well i may have worded that clumsily

I meant there's literally no one there to challenge the narrative

a narrative that appears to have gone full fiction in last minute desperation due to failing ratings and relevance...

it's clearly a sham trial nonetheless

thermalben's picture
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thermalben Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 5:52am

Why is "no one there to challenge the narrative"?

etarip's picture
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etarip Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 8:23am

The ‘narrative’ is largely an interpretive process. The content of that narrative is generated by a range of people, with varying levels of access to the events in question, testifying their version of events.

The narrative can be shaped, in this case, by providing credible witnesses prepared to provide a different or alternate perspective on the events in question.

If it’s so cut and dried, why is no one prepared to do that?

frog's picture
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frog Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 8:37am

Certain narratives in certain situations have a forcefield around them buffering off dissent and discouraging questions. Challenging narratives can be career ending moves or simply lead to social ostracism in the workplace. The cold shoulder used well in a highly public settings can be very powerful. Imagine if a new leader like Albo went to a NATO summit and questioned anything about the current group think there - instant stink eye and backs turned during coffee break. More then awkward.

Who sets narratives? That is interesting and complex. Sometimes it is very strategic from on high with nefarious goals. Often it is just a groundswell of common views with some basis in good intent and threads of logic that sweeps away subtleties, nuances and inconvenient facts .... and sadly often the truth.

Covid peak group think and speak was a classic example where the overwhelming good intent to save lives and stay safe made staying on message seem so important to so many media and political influencers that they struggled to shift as the facts changed and gave simplistic answers to complex questions.

Facts eventually chip away at most bad narratives. But then the narrators swamp us a swirl of new ones so we are so overloaded it all gets lost in the fuzz.

sypkan's picture
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sypkan Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 10:39am
thermalben wrote:

Why is "no one there to challenge the narrative"?

because pelosi stacked the panel

she allowed the two never trumpers, and refused the republicans that are non compliant to the cause...

creating a panel not even remotely resembling anything fair or objective

sypkan's picture
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sypkan Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 10:54am

she didn't want anyone there that might ask hard questions

the whole thing is so so obviously stage managed, right down to 'witnesses' reading from teleprompters, it is a fucking joke

the big big question still remains... why weren't the national guard mobilised?

when there was extensive unignorable intelligence there would be trouble...

pelosi clearly don't want that question addressed

and, apparently trump did ask for the national guard... if it really was a premeditated 'coup' to overthrow government... why the hell would he suggest protecting the capitol with the natiioal guard?

inconvenient questions, ...questions way too inconvenient for the narrative...

etarip's picture
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etarip Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 12:58pm

You mean like the Supreme Court?

sypkan's picture
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sypkan Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 2:44pm

i guess you could compare it to the supreme court... desperately... spiriously...

tell me etarip, do you get all upset when the sitting democrats appoint progressive judges?

or is that kind of hypocrisy just reserved for republicans appointing conservatives?

forgive me if Im wrong, but isn't that the whole game? ...democracy at work...

I honestly cannot believe the butt-hurtedness getting around because of the appointtees of the supreme court.

yeh sure it sucks when it dossn't go your way... but the collective hissy fit full meltdown about an already known outcome has been next level...

as are the calls to action / calls to arms... yet somehow, miraculously, it's trump that is 'our biggest threat to democracy'

go figure...

etarip's picture
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etarip Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 4:49pm

Did I come across as butthurt? Projecting much mate?

Your whole rant about the Jan 6 inquiry is, frankly, a case-study in butthurtedness. You’re bleating like a stuck pig.

If you’re going to go all out on the Dems ‘stacking’ what is largely an inconsequential House Select Committee, you’ve surely got to invite a comparison to stacking SCOTUS, against convention and precedent and ultimately national interest. But, this is probably my first substantial post on either topic.

groundswell's picture
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groundswell Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 5:18pm

How many people were arrested for drug crimes in the United States in 2002? 1.5 million. Of these, one third were imprisoned. 500,000 Americans will have to spend the next few years in jail. 1.5 million Americans will now have difficulty acquiring a job, entering a college, and enlisting in the military.

This trend is not new. Every year, at least one million Americans are arrested due to the War on Drugs. Every year, one million Americans receive a mark on their criminal record. Every year, one million Americans are barred from holding certain positions, and are refused employment for drug use. 13% of all arrests are related to drugs. The rate of arrest is one person every 17 seconds. Every year, 43,000 new inmates go to jail. 25% of these are for drug related crimes.

100,000 of these arrests are juveniles; Americans under the age of 18. These are 100,000 students who will have their life ruined because they have a black mark by their name due to a drug offense.

How much money did the United States spend on the War on Drugs last year? The federal budget to fight drugs: $20 billion. And together, the Fifty States spent another $30 billion. $50 billion is spent annually to fight drugs. This is $50 billion that could be used to enhance education, to create new jobs. $50 billion we could be using for welfare payments, poverty reduction, or medical research. $50 billion we squander every year. Meanwhile, the drug trade nets an estimated $40 billion a year. Who is winning this battle?

The war on drugs has lost the faith of the American people. A survey was conducted, asking Americans if they thought the War on Drugs was working. 86% said no. The youths of America vehemently disagree with the War on Drugs; a 2003 census revealed that more than 50% of students try an illegal drug before graduating high school. 85% of teens state that they have access to marijuana; 47% have access to cocaine; 39% have access to crack. What progress has the War on Drugs shown us?

After 40 years of war with drug use, America still maintains the highest drug use rate in the world, with 43% of Americans having tried marijuana. This is higher than the Netherlands, a nation infamous for it's legal marijuana; only 19% of Dutchmen have tried marijuana.

Every year, one million Americans are arrested for drug crimes. Every year, the drug trade makes $40 billion. Every year, the government spends $50 billion to fight drugs. Who is really suffering? Who is really winning this war?

The American public has shown time and time again that it does not want to continue the War on Drugs. The statistics have shown time and time again that the War on Drugs has not shown significant results. We are spending billions of dollars to criminalize our young population for actions that harm no one. We are fighting a victimless crime. Continuing this war will only lead to a strengthened black market, a disillusioned public, and a massive crime rate.

Our alternative is to end the drug war. Stop pouring billions of dollars into a failing effort. Stop sending millions of good Americans to jail. Maintain an illegal status on drugs, but do not spend billions of tax dollars to continue a failing offensive.

We need to decide: our morals, or our future, the children of America?

sypkan's picture
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sypkan Friday, 1 Jul 2022 at 6:23pm

"Did I come across as butthurt? Projecting much mate?"

not really, the butthurt comment was a more a general observation...

"...Your whole rant about the Jan 6 inquiry is, frankly, a case-study in butthurtedness. You’re bleating like a stuck pig."

hardly mate, I couldn't really give a shit, as I - like most of america it would seem - knew exactly what this show trial would be... just more fiction from the dems... more fabrication from the dems... more breathless 'bombshell' drama...

just more manipulation of every tool at their disposal to the enth degree basically... just another sojourn into the realms of the ridiculous... which is why the public aren't really buying into it...

others however...

my issue is with the media

and especially 'our' abc... i find it disgusting they can perpetuate such unfounded bullshit, without even a hint of checking basic facts... but they've done it through the whole trump shitshow... 5 years of it! ..russia mk 1, 11, and 111, the impeachments, the pee tapes, the russian banks, hunter's laptop... and on and on the list goes...

without a single correction as new (correct) information has come to light

it's just out of this world, the misinformation that has been spread by once reputable sources... does my fucken head in!

and it's not even about trump at all!

...it's about restoring some trust in the system... which is lacking to say the least... yet 'the left' continue to play this game...

either because; they think they totally have it over the public; they feel some duty as trump is apparently so so bad; they truly live in the bubblyest of bubbles; or they are deranged beyond repair, still...

none of this shit is working, they are just making another trump presidency more inevitable...

'facts' are so easily checkable on the internet now, any half idiot can look up what's happening, ...but somehow, the media seem totally ignorant of this basic development, a wide known phenomenem that has been with us for a decade or more... it's astounding, i honestly don't know what it is they are thinking... full blown tds is the only practical explanation...

"...If you’re going to go all out on the Dems ‘stacking’ what is largely an inconsequential House Select Committee, you’ve surely got to invite a comparison to stacking SCOTUS, against convention and precedent and ultimately national interest. But, this is probably my first substantial post on either topic."

you can make loose comparisons if you wish... but I would argue they are very very different... and as to 'inconsequential' ... yeh nah...

and my point stands... 'stacking' the supreme court is exactly what both sides do when in power... you think biden's appoinment brings no bias?

and as to the secret service story... ffs, they didn't even have him in the correct bloody vehicle!

seriously!!

none of this makes sense!

are the democrats that amateaurish they cannot even get the basics right?

or, do they just know a compliant media will not challenge any detail?

is it misinformation 101? ... ie. put the lie out there, which will dominate the headlines for 24 hours, doing the desired damage, ...all before the truth can even gets a look in...

or, are the media / political class that deranged they have totally lost any and all semblance of judgement?

sure seems like the last one... the deranged are so desperate to jump on board- every time! - they seem void of any concept of what the 'norms' are thinking

it's just plain bloody weird

especially if this is all not a result of nefarious conscious decisions!

I'd actually prefer that ...as dark and fucked up as that is... I hate to think people are still this fucked up about trump

but it seems as if thay are...