Random Thoughts (Political Edition)

Uh... where is the joke? The CIA operations that created the various “banana republics” are historical facts. Remembering the Chilean coup on its anniversary is every bit as legitimate as remembering the 2001 terrorist attacks.

In Germany, the weird day is 9 November.

In the rest of the world, the weird day is 9 November. US date notation makes no damn sense and we should all be using dd/mmm/yyyy where ISO 8601 would be silly

The Joke is as such: 9/11 is mostly associated with the terrorist attacks which occurred in 2001. Their high visibility and impact on politics and the middle east (I was going to use the landscape but that is too literal in this case :p) has made it such that it is the go-to event for the date. By making a de-motivational poster, itself used as a method to convey darkly humorous messages through memes in the early-mid-'00s, and referencing the Allende incident instead of the terrorist attacks, you subvert the expectations of the reader. This creates humor, especially when taking the current political climate and the shift of perception of the United States in the world political stage. You can see a non-political example below.

initiative_demotivational_posters-rbcd64008aac14996b31458f0f5d8848f_wvc_8byvr_704.jpg


Joking and pedantic nonsense aside, it is possible to dislike Allende for his policies and the CIA for generally fucking up Chile. Personally, I believe that the US interventionism kinda screwed us over as we didn't learn how to pick leaders and are very likely to be victims of populism. The crop of 21st century socialist leaders can attest to this.

On the other hand, without those interventions it's likely we would still be ruled by those who took over power back then. With, of course, the requisite devastating effects on the population, production, and overall quality of life. It would have also meant an increased dependence on undemocratic regimes by first-world countries. That "learning how to pick leaders" thing usually carries a body count, unfortunately. In any case, at this point, it's merely speculation on my end, no different from anyone who thinks that their preferred idea would've worked if only they had been in charge.
 
 

WSJ Piece alluding to the reactions (paywalled)


Ambush shooting in Compton leads to rowdy protests; LA reporter arrested after scuffle

Los Angeles County Sheriffs Offer $100K Reward For Info On Shooting Of Two Deputies

Do I get to do it now? Because it seems everyone else is.

In all honesty, the point I was trying to make, and I screwed up trying to point it out in four words. Is that this is where the recent social upheaval is going to move towards (even leaving the politics out of it...and how I wish politics were out of it.). More unhinged acts of violence toward people who did not deserve them, be it empowered policemen with a complex and the certainty the blue wall of silence will protect them, or people crazy enough to decide one day to shoot two policemen in front of a train station in daylight.

There are no winners until things de-escalate. Hopefully with a low body count. I unfortunately do not see this happen any time soon.
 
This is not the first time police have been shot in their patrol vehicle.

At this point, there is no evidence that there is any connection to BLM.

The protesters at the hospital are assholes.

Just because everyone else is jumping off a bridge, does not mean you have to too.
 
Yes, but because the BLM and defund movement is the popular protest subjects now, of course this will be lumped in.
 
We've seen it before and it is quickly forgotten. Trump is correct about how America is a violent place. However he's wrong we like it. You'd be wrong to say America hates it too. We are so violent we are numb to it and killings don't matter anymore. This won't escalate anything because there is nowhere to go. There is no civil war coming just more mass shootings, more killing, and no response from Trump unless he knows you personally.

https://www.latimes.com/california/...o-killing-of-california-lawmen-other-violence
 
"CNN is a crooked, politically biased news source that everyone should boycott! Look at how they are helping my party!"

I don't watch CNN, but holy shit, talk about some mental gymnastics from Carlson.
 
@gaasc Here is a different view from that hospital. Not sure it is the same entrance, but it is a worthwhile read and watch.




I do agree that the violence needs to be toned down, but that has to happen on both sides.
 
I do agree that the violence needs to be toned down, but that has to happen on both sides.

Indeed. This is very much an "everyone sucks here" kind of situation. Tensions are high, two of their coworkers have just been shot, I can see from the video from the third party she may have been rather a bit too close under those circumstances. This still doesn't mean you need a half-dozen people to pin down.

Thank you for sharing.

A brief update:

The deputies, members of the Transit Services Bureau, remained hospitalized in critical condition, but Sheriff Alex Villanueva was hopeful Monday about their prognosis.


"Fortunately, they were spared any injury to a vital organ that would have jeopardized their life immediately,'' Villanueva told KNX Newsradio.

But the sheriff said the deputies -- described only as a 24-year-old man and a 31-year-old mother of a 6-year-old boy -- have a long road to recovery. Villanueva said Saturday both deputies were sworn in just 14 months ago.
 
How close the world came to calamity in 2017, when North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was taunting the United States by launching his new intercontinental ballistic missiles? All Jim Matti's could do was pray.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opi...attis-is-afraid-the-rest-of-us-should-be-too/

Regards of political party or nationality this should scare the shit out of all of us. Require President and Speaker to assent to use, change policy so they cannot be used in first strike scenarios, pursue as Ronald Reagan did full universal nuclear disarmament.
 
The fees earned on money laundering and illegal transfers are way more lucrative than legal transactions.
 
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On another topic that should be unsurprising, the new community model in Minneapolis does not seem to be working as expected, the city council apparently has no idea how can this be. Perhaps if they secured funding for a citywide department whose purpose was to enforce the law. But that sounds very silly.

Right, because a centuries-old system can be up-turned successfully in 3 months, with no opportunity for learnings and adaptations along the way.

But, um...I think the bigger point is that IT HASN'T HAPPENED YET. Nothing has changed. Previous, already-approved budgets and and funding are still in place. In August, the city commission decided they needed/wanted more time, and that necessary aspects wouldn't even make it to a ballot by this November, meaning that there are no real systemic changes until at least next year.

Your post sounds a bit like:
1600808393929.png
 
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