zeke5123
2yr ago
Another problem for him is that about 1,000 emails (where he used aliases) reference Rosemont Seneca. So much for “I don’t discuss business with my son.” Also 200 of them evidently are subject to executive privilege which begs a lot of questions.
Also, some of the emails copy Hunter and set up calls with say Burisma.
None of those are individually smoking guns but when you look at the mosaic and pattern Biden doesn’t really have a good defense.
We have three witnesses alleging he was involved in the scheme. We have a fourth say so in an email.
We have these emails you reference.
We have the twenty shell companies.
We have the meetings at Cafe Milano followed by cash payments.
We have the boast about getting the Ukrainian prosecutor fired while have contemporary state department documents praising the efforts of the prosecutor.
We know from Devon Archer the prosecutor actually had harmed Burisma persons.
We know the money for Hunter’s work was spread to the entire Biden family.
We know banks published numerous suspicious activity reports.
We have Hunter saying his dad takes half of his money and other records where they clearly co mingle funds.
We have the Biden estates yet they never came from money and didn’t make that kind of money as a Senator.
We have the years of shady business from Jim Biden.
We have the DOJ stopping appropriate inquiries/ evidence gathering that might further prove the story.
The source documents in things like the Hunter laptop have been cross checked with unrelated sources and check out.
There doesn’t seem to be a hole in the story. At the absolute best, Joe Biden was aware what his son was doing and participated in it without changing American policy. That is he “sold” his office but didn’t give anything of value. That still cannot stand and be much be removed from office.
zeke5123
2yr ago
Didn’t finish it but the guy seemed a bit like a regular folk with a general libertarian streak (even if not doctrinally) coupled with some localism / social conservative values.
The song isn’t inconsistent at all. The song isn’t complaining about the rich generally; it is complaining about DC (ie the government types) rich people specifically. One can believe DC is oppressive, steals resources to make themselves rich, and therefore one can desire tax cuts without a hint of cognitive dissonance (indeed trying to cut off the spigot is consistent with believing the first two).
zeke5123
2yr ago
FWIW, I listened and thought it was a good song. It feels authentic because the singer isn’t really produced at all and the topics are real. It has a classic American “fuck the central government” ethos. And honestly, post covid it still (to me) feels like something isn’t quite right (which the song messages — not covid specifically but that things aren’t right).
So it’s obvious to me why this song could and did hit it big.
zeke5123
2yr ago
I used to prefer Brave New World as I thought it more realistic — no need to exert external control; you can control people by frying their will with simple hedonistic pleasure.
The last five years has made me think “why not both” is the choice made by people desiring power.
zeke5123
2yr ago
Question is why don’t the democrats make that offer explicit? Perhaps one of your premises are wrong.
zeke5123
2yr ago
My favorite pseudonym was Mike Vick’s “Ron Mexico” for checking in a hospital for if I recall an STD.
zeke5123
2yr ago
Funny enough I also used a reference to Orwell. Perhaps we are both NPCs?
Joking (hopefully) aside, Zero Covidians were NPCs in 2021. They are not now. To give a timeline:
-
They had a Twitter profile with a mask in it.
-
They added a Ukrainian flag after the Russian invasion.
zeke5123
2yr ago
I seem to recall you are in Finland? Is that right?
In the NY area, it was very common to see people double masking, masking by themselves in a car, masking and have a face shield, etc.
zeke5123
2yr ago
Just disagree. Yes there are bad parents. There are of course bad teachers as well. The question is who gets to decide who is a bad teacher or a bad parent. I don’t think it should be within the teacher’s discretion to make that decision because well teachers can be both bad and they lack skin in the game (despite wanting to do good they may have ideological motivations that cause them to do bad).
That is, allowing teachers to keep secrets is also “dangerous.”
Also it is bad form to complain that there aren’t high profile bills about funding schools but are about the trans issue. Funding schools is a relative normal issue for the last hundred years. Trans issuers are new. Of course there will be high profile bills there when there won’t be for discussing a 1% increase in funding etc.
zeke5123
2yr ago
I’m sure that’s what the educators say and believe but it doesn’t follow that is good for the kids. The whole debate is who is in the best position to make an intelligent decision: the kid, the educator, or the parent.
The kid is young, dumb and subject to peer pressure with limited long term thinking.
The educator has little skin in the game.
The parent has a ton of skin in the game and likely can be a bit more long term thinking.
zeke5123
2yr ago
Why is it sacrificing the balkans? You could while Ukraine was being invaded move a bunch of military installations into the Balkans so that if Russia expanded (questionable whether they would) they wouldn’t be facing a group trying to get it together but a group that is already together.
zeke5123
2yr ago
The original video of her has yet to make an appearance in any of the numerous "j'accuse" incendiary articles.
ESPN has ran numerous pieces about this with zero easily available video. It is akin to them running stories about someone saying a racist thing allegedly. They never quote what was actually said; they just tell you it was double plus ungood.
I don’t understand the rationale outside of narrative control. Can someone steelman?
zeke5123
2yr ago
I think the whole “Vivek is smarter than Trump so he will succeed” totally misunderstands how government (or even very large) organizations run. In very large organizations, the CEO needs to rely on trusted lieutenants to help implement the CEO’s vision.
The government is an even more extreme version of this. The president being smart is a necessary condition but not sufficient to the president being successful. The main ingredient is predicated on the team he can build combined with knowing when and how to burn political capital.
Edit: Vivek has shown zero ability to delegate successfully in a large organization. Instead, his business success seems to have come from the ability to bamboozle investors instead of running a successful business venture.
zeke5123
2yr ago
You are correct. The die was cast Vivek wants to put the paste back into the bottle. He can’t. It is one thing to criticize the outcome of the support given to Ukraine based on the outcome but this proposal is just dumb.
zeke5123
2yr ago
So to stick it to the racists, you want a candidate to succeed based on the color of his…skin?
Do you think Republicans dislike Clarence Thomas? Do you think they dislike Tim Scott (a man who really hasn’t done anything but is considered a super star for…reasons)?
zeke5123
2yr ago
And of course you can’t have any discussion about appeasement without someone invoking WWII. As if that was the sole appeasement in the history of military affairs.
Appeasement works when you can buy time to improve defenses. When Russia invaded Ukraine, we should’ve strengthened our NATO allies (a core goal for the US); not a corrupt state that was outside our sphere of influence.
Well I think he described the psychology of both the people living in it and some of the methods that can be used by the ruling class.
More options
Context Copy link