theSinisterMushroom
No bio...
User ID: 3332
theSinisterMushroom
10d ago
TIL about no federal income tax for Puerto Ricans. Maybe I should move there...
If everyone's happy with the status quo, sounds like a great outcome
Isn’t the central American Revolutionary mythology basically false? No taxation without representation is basically bullshit? Everything I have seen indicates total attempted taxation was like 1-2% of colonial income which to modern me basically feels like zero.
Maybe, but I think taxes were in general lower back then. Income tax for example didn't exist, and neither did sales tax (some goods were excise taxed), leaving land, poll, and other assorted local taxes. One may grumble at their taxes going to the local corrupt politician, but you can shame them or vote them out.
So I think that it was mostly a matter of principle for them. The Americans didn't view themselves as a British colony/territory, but citizens. When they were scorned by the king they probably saw themselves as fighting for a say in their own future.
Incidentally, if the Puerto Ricans made a similar argument with similar fervor, it might behoove the United States to give them a senator or let them go.
theSinisterMushroom
11d ago
The Long Now foundation's bar, The Interval might be cool to check out
Revolutions are intoxicating, I can see how you'd be swept up into the love bombing for being on the right side of history. But it seems to me that the blue leaders in Minnesota/Minneapolis are trying to engineer a siege mentality in their base.
black and white thinking, social conformity, and lack of trust, but also a preparedness for the worst and a strong sense of social cohesion.
Some bits that caught my attention
ICE showed up to start their "Metro Surge" before I got here, and immediately started making like difficult wherever they went. They were atrociously rude drivers. They made belligerent sidewalk scenes during apprehensions. The active folks started following them around, using Signal chats and group texts, blowing whistles to gather crowds.
I'm sure in his (Jill's?) version of history the local activists only started impeding ICE activities after being exposed to their rude driving, since as Minnesotans they're just too nice to just let belligerence like that go.
It was awesome to be with so many people braving the cold
You can feel the energy, the belonging, like being bombed with love.
To me the yelling and taunting at police was misplaced aggression, and counter productive but it was their town, not mine.
we got up in the morning, put on our long underwear and gloves, yelled at the interlopers until we were cold/had to pee, then went out to lunch. I have done some great cc skiing, and he really begun to improve my form in the 'skate' technique.
were soon commandeered into helping a first-aid site for tear-gas etc in a Middle Eastern restaurant two blocks south [...] it was way past lunch and we should eat before she crashed. I could see an active buffet in the Middle Eastern, and we grabbed some plates and had a great meal. The host brought us tea.
If you didn't catch the cognitive dissonance in the main text above, no worries, his reply further down (quoted by @phailyoor) should make you do a double take
they are nearly invisible. The closest I have been is watching a Charger with tinted windows out my bedroom window in the morning [...] we were alerted that they were at the elementary school around the block [...] it as all over before she got there. not sure what ever happened. [...] I have occasionally heard the sound of dozens of whistles being blown in the distance, and seen the rising cloud of dispersal smoke
So it sounds like if you're a legal resident not looking for trouble you're perfectly safe?
I have also been present while crowds waited for them to leave apartment buildings. I split those scenes.
Yeah, it might ruin your appetite for the tapas dinner to hang around there.
https://old.reddit.com/r/minnesota/comments/1qn6dfp/ice_agents_and_what_looks_like_police_stand_at/ https://old.reddit.com/r/minnesota/comments/1qn81j3/protestors_have_taken_over_the_hotel_ice_is/
But out here, living in it, we just wonder "how many more?"
Living in what? Some light protesting before the apres-ski? If you truly believe this is authoritarianism, why not beg Jill to lend you your balls back so you can go spit some ICE officers in the face. Make sure to take some weaponry, you're fighting Nazis after all.
theSinisterMushroom
25d ago
Weaksauce.
Looks like it's time for the left to dump maximally unkind, inflammatory breadtuber video transcripts at the culture war root level. I really wish that stupid Mein Kampf quote would not be reverberating through my head right now.
Well, surprise! It's a new day (week) so all the original stale points are back, and no, the OP didn't bother to adress any of them, just lots of moralizing, hand wringing, language optimized for heat. I'm losing all sympathy for the blue tribe in this battle. It's clearly important to them that they win the argument, since this event will be foundational to blues continuing to foment violent disobedience into perhaps civil war -- just go read the rhetoric on /r/minnesota and /r/minneapolis for some fun.
Still, sorry, your post is just shit dumped as facts, without any critical thought, maximally charitable to your side, maximally uncharitable to the outgroup.
I'm not going to address your whole gish gallop completely, as I find rehashing old points tiring, and you/the breadtuber seem to veer off into Trump, Venezuela, Noem, just throwing piles and piles of spaghetti at the wall.
This is so obviously a murder.
ETA. Of all the things to highlight from the video, you don't highlight this? The consensus of the Motte is that the case it's murder is extremely weak nonexistant.
And it's very frustrating to me to see people deny like the basic reality I'm seeing with my eyes from multiple angles, from multiple sources. I don't know how to say it clear. So, I want to go through I and and when I say people, I'm really not just talking about random fucking people on Twitter or bots.
This person's truth/reality in this whole video is built on a foundation of lies. If it's murder, then we have to beg all the premises that follow. And you're in luck, as I'm pretty sure we have a very low percentage of bots here.
ICE officers are trained to never approach a vehicle from the front, which this guy did
He was moving around the car in a circle, taking video of the scene. Are you even interested at all in truth, did you read any of last week's discussion?? Did you watch the video?
Then she said, (direct quote) "You know, people need to stop using their vehicles as weapons. This domestic act of terrorism to use your vehicle to try to kill law enforcement officers is going to stop. And I'm asking the Department of Justice to prosecute it as domestic terrorism because it's clear that it's being coordinated. People are being trained and told how to use their vehicles to impede law." This is fucking insane.
ETA: Is it? Maybe we agree after all
The idea that she was a domestic terrorist trained to use her vehicle and not a scared mother of three is fucking crazy, bro. This is her fucking glove box. (Video shows stuffed animals spilling out) It's fucking crazy.
This is the lowest of the low, pure pathetic emotional manipulation. But wait, did you know the ICE officer also has a teddy bear called Mr. Shnookums on his keychain? From his immigrant wife, you know (zoom in on Mr. Shnookums). That's Mr. fucking Shnookums, look, he's squished and dirty from the impact with her four ton SUV.
She blocked half a road for likely five minutes in her local neighborhood because ICE was hanging out around schools. She said stuff like "I'm not mad at you" and "I'm pulling out", and those are not the words attempting to murder a federal agent.
I'm not mad at you, I'm grinning from ear to ear that I get to fuck with you for five minutes, right after my buddies fucked you for five minutes before that. And don't worry, we'll be back to fuck with you later too. Maybe you should just get some lunch big boy.
For fuck's sake, someone (possibly Ross) called her a "fucking bitch" not two seconds after she was shot, which cuts the other way.
Maybe Ross called her a fucking bitch two seconds after she hit him with her truck instead? Which way would that cut?
Again: none of this requires you to think Good's wife, for example (!), or nearby protestors, or Good, are virtuous, only to think that the cop did at least something wrong. Something is wrong, and it's the attitude here.
AHA! Herein lies the crux. My side has lost this moral battle, but we need the win or otherwise the whole facade of us being the resistance against the evil empire will crumble. Something is wrong, something has to be wrong is echoing on repeat in their brains, leaving no room for any dialectical discussion, just arguments as soldiers on repeat. Not to worry though, fellow combatants, even if we lose this one small battle of words and wits, we can just shit up the culture war thread tomorrow with the next youtube video transcript from progressive soldier #342788
theSinisterMushroom
1mo ago
I've found certain course lectures lend themselves quite well to being listened to. Wold recommend trying out Sapolsky's full course on human behavioral biology, it's on youtube: https://youtube.com/watch?v=NNnIGh9g6fA&list=PL848F2368C90DDC3D
Maybe some of Jordan Peterson's lectures from before he fried his brain: https://youtube.com/watch?v=kYYJlNbV1OM
theSinisterMushroom
1mo ago
Rich hot straight guys with big dicks think world's perfectly fine as is, news at 11
theSinisterMushroom
1mo ago
Ukraine's civil economy has been leveled, they're importing basically everything (from energy to vehicles, electronics and pharmaceuticals). Someone has to pay for that (not the Ukrainians, they're broke).
theSinisterMushroom
1mo ago
Ackshually, it's illegal to take the assets of the irredentist country that is in actual and hybrid war in Europe
Ok, we'll make it legal
Oh no! Not like this
Agreed though, Europe needs to find its spine... Daddy Putin shows us how it's done: https://boereport.com/2024/05/20/moscow-takes-control-over-assets-of-western-companies/ https://kyivindependent.com/russia-advancing-legal-changes-to-confiscate-western-assets-reuters-reports/ https://www.reuters.com/business/moscow-takes-control-over-assets-western-companies-2023-07-27/
theSinisterMushroom
2mo ago
During my recent downtime I had the choice between playing BG3 and Cyberpunk. I chose BG3 and it was an enjoyable experience, the other mottizens have covered its strengths and flaws quite well.
Having now started playing Cyberpunk I think it has more interesting things to say. It's not quite the same genre, but if you haven't played either, I'd say Cyberpunk has more relevant ideas to explore.
I have never seen The Last Jedi. Instead, I have consumed probably twice its runtime in YouTube reviews demolishing it and had an absolutely fantastic time.
Even better than RedLetterMedia's MrPlinkett review (which is excellent btw), is this deliciously merciless deconstruction from E;R. Great to watch at 1.25-2x with some beer and friends.
What is the source for that promise?
I can't find a direct source. Still am 90% certain that there were demands/promises high up in the RuAF to take Pokrovsk by the end of the summer offensive. I actually think this was the hope during Trump's 50 day deadline
theSinisterMushroom
2mo ago
From what I remember this was a very common confusion between Ukrainians reporting casualties (still probably overestimated, but not really that egregious) and some newspapers reporting KIAs
Get over yourself dude. Necessity is the mother of invention, and if the Ukrainians had decided to keep them, and the Russians/Americans invaded, they could have had two dozen hacked up nuclear ICBMs launched in days.
Edit: That said, they were never going to keep them, as never in their wildest dreams would the Ukrainians of the 1990s have predicted that Russia would be the one attacking them. And also, if the Russians had attacked, many soldiers would have refused orders to launch. But some still might have. Would you have taken the chance were you Russia?
Ukraine didn't have the ability to launch the weapons so their leverage was not that of a proper nuclear power.
Oh, come on. It was Ukrainians soldiers and scientists that maintained these weapons. Yeah, they didn't have the launch codes, but it would have taken them less than a year month to hack a solution to make them operational.
Edit: just to reiterate, since I drastically adjusted my estimate, the Ukrainian nuclear forces had full physical control over the ICBMs, had detailed plans for these weapons, had been maintaining them for years. The only thing they did not have were the launch codes
Ukraine most likely will never gain back any clay lost, that is true. However, what it can do is intensify its economic damage to Russia, in the hopes that it can keep its sovereignty, and make continuing the war unappealing for Russia.
Remember that it was Russia that rejected Trump's peace plan, which included international recognition of Crimea as Russian, no NATO membership for Ukraine, and Russia gets to keep captured territories, including the land bridge.
Piggybacking on this comment, there's an interesting discussion on what will be done with all the veterans of the war. This Russian economics professor believes they will not be allowed to return, but will be given land in conquered Ukraine https://youtube.com/watch?v=GCalxQCXt7A (turn the infernal youtube auto-dub off)
Re: a more credible report on the state of the frontline comes from Michael Kofman https://x.com/KofmanMichael/status/1989384479098679688. TL;DR: bad but not dire for Ukraine, mobilization is an issue, no signs of impending operational breakthroughs or accelerations in Russian gains.
Notably, Russia promised it would have Pokrovsk (and much more) by the end of the summer. They may or may not have it by the end of the year. Kofman believes Ukraine may suffer some setbacks but will stabilize over winter.
theSinisterMushroom
2mo ago
They evidently can't win this.
citation needed
neither Euros nor Ukie radicals want any concession.
oh, I see, the concession required is just a small thing called loss of sovereignty.
theSinisterMushroom
2mo ago
They worked out a solution where Cuba got to keep their communist Soviet-aligned regime but didn't get ICBMs? Great, let's do that for Ukraine now.
theSinisterMushroom
2mo ago
If the Ukrainians can claim victory, which at this point may be just keeping their identity and an independent state, they could conceivably go through a reconstruction boom (baby and economic). Few things catalyze identity formation like resisting a bully.
Why, say, should the key takeaway from https://globalaffairs.org/research/public-opinion-survey/three-four-russians-expect-military-victory-over-ukraine be that 7% more Russians want peace talks than last year? "As in past surveys, three in four support the continued military action in Ukraine" seems just as relevant?
Because, in Russia, disparaging the SMO is punishable by being sent to the gulag, so every poll/interview is full of equivocations, "we fully 100% support great leader Putin and the SMO, we believe 100% in inevitable total victory over the khokhols, but perhaps the czar should consider thinking about, if it pleases him of course, making steps toward peace."
All your link says is that the EU has 'agreed' that frozen Russian assets should be sent to Ukraine. But they can't actually figure out a way to do this for fear of legal/reputational risks. Nations will understandably have some difficulty trusting the EU with their money if the EU can just take it and give it away as they please. It's just talk until they do it.
I will put down (up to) $5000 that money from frozen Russian assets will be used toward Ukraine by the end of 2026. Will you meet me?
Your link saying North Korean shells have a failure rate of 50% comes directly from Ukrainian intelligence.
There's plenty of Russian army telegram channels complaining about the shells. Is it 30% or 50%? I won't litigate this, so willing to concede this point.
There's a huge disparity between these strikes. The Russians have far more missile striking power, much bigger warheads on Iskander or Kinzhals than Ukraine has with their measly drones.
Yes, there's a huge disparity in the strikes in that Russia has kind of run out of high value targets within easy reach in eastern Ukraine. Unless they're going to strike Ukraine's benefactors in the West, or get their missiles on Ukraine's arms factories in western Ukraine (which they don't seem to be doing much for some reason) then Ukraine's puny and sparse drone and cruise missiles will keep doing outsized damage to Russia.
It's no good to just shine a spotlight on every Russian shortcoming, real or imagined, the situation needs to be considered in aggregate.
I agree, my post was an overreaction to an infuriatingly bad and partisan post not worthy of The Motte. Sadly two wrongs don't make a right, I apologize for taking the bait and not raising the discourse level.
I'm quoting such pro-Ukraine sources as Putin, Izvestia, Moskovsky Komsomolets, and Komsomolskaya Pravda
said what he meant
he concern trolled without abandon, built consensus and had so many air-quotes he may as well have been winking to his pro-Russian fanbase over here.
theSinisterMushroom
2mo ago
Strange that the nearly word-for-word identical pro-Russia post didn't pass your screed bar.
But yes, I think Ukraine will accelerate its economic damage to Russia in 2026.
Not sure about the deboonkings you're talking about, pretty sure there's an open source database with video or picture proof of the tens of thousands of destroyed Russian hardware.
China would also like to stay on Europe's good side presumably. Still, it's funny that we're back to accepting Russia-Ukraine as a proxy Chinese-European war.
theSinisterMushroom
2mo ago
this was it, thank you!
The left has a chance to do a funny and reclaim "It's Okay to Be White" from the nazis. Maybe add (red?) white and blue stripes to the diversity/rainbow flag. We'd need some black leaders to say it on tv and in churches. Then the workers united will bring about the socialist paradise.
More options
Context Copy link