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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   30002 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of March 17, 2025

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Elon Musk’s DOGE Uses Police to Seize Independent Nonprofit

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency staffers used police and private security to forcefully take over the U.S. Institute of Peace on Monday.

The USIP, an independent nonprofit founded by Congress, had its president, Greg Moose, and its board fired last week by the Trump administration. The Associated Press reported that DOGE workers on Monday had law enforcement escort them into USIP, which is not located in a federal building, after previously being denied access.

“DOGE just came into the building—they’re inside the building—they’re bringing the F.B.I. and brought a bunch of D.C. police,” USIP lawyer Sophia Lin told The New York Times as she and other staff members were forced out of the building.

Obviously, if you wanted to paint Trump as a dangerous authoritarian fascist, this is exactly the sort of thing you'd point to as Exhibit A. So I'm trying to determine if this is actually as bad as it sounds, what the steelman is here, and the extent to which this may or may not have been under the purview of the executive branch's legitimate authority.

The linked article and their website describe USIP as a "private" nonprofit that was "founded by Congress". Obviously, the government using the police to forcibly seize private property due to political differences is not a good look. Presumably there are legal minutiae here that would determine the extent to which this organization is or is not still subject to the government's authority (is any organization "founded by Congress" subject to federal government control in perpetuity?).

As a side note, the Trump administration seems to REALLY hate US assistance to foreign countries and they're doing their damndest to shut it off. USIP describes itself as an "independent organization dedicated to protecting U.S. interests by helping to prevent violent conflicts and broker peace deals abroad".

It is as bad as it sounds, there is no steelman.

  • -38

I hope so. If I ever try to take over the world, I can’t imagine seeing all these comments steelmanning my endeavor as some bureaucratic trifle.

I am burning the Erdtree, goddammit! I intend to ascend to Elden Lord and reforge the shattered Elden Ring!

Moon atheist waifu supremacy over anti-horn golden crybabies any day.

  • -11

Moon atheist waifu supremacy

Every time you post something like this...

How many layers of 4chan are you on, anyway?

It’s a humorous reference to Elden Ring.

Are they just gonna be allowed to insult me? I thought that was against the rules?

  • -17

What exactly was the insult?

Presumably that she spends too much time on 4chan to the extent that her perception is skewed by a similar degree to being literally intoxicated.

If I was going to mod one of the many, many quips and insults thrown your way, it probably wouldn't be this one.

Frankly, I'm not even sure what Listening was going for.

What? So you're saying that it was an instance of rule breaking...you just won't mod it? Huh??

  • -14
More comments

Sorry, that was insensitive. How much Crystal Cafe are you on?

I'm going to have to ask you to explain the joke.

More comments

Context, my dear roadhouse, context.

Moon simping and being a pawn of women in general is Reddit.

True based and redpilled anons aren't afraid to inherit the frenzied flame and crash the lands between with no survivors.

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