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Topic: What's Going on in the Americas? (Read 292645 times)

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1500 –
Quote from: ersi on
...........Remember when Tea Party seemed like a huge nation-wide movement? They are still around, but not as a party with candidates and other requisites needed to get representatives into parliament and government. For Forward to get any limelight, they need a charismatic figurehead. But they don't have it and won't, so it is a total Abort Retry Fail in my humble opinion.


There was a movement from back then when there was also a lot of dissatisfaction with the Two Major Political Parties. The movement suggested that rather than creating yet another Party, that registered voters in both the Republican & Democratic Parties, or any Party for that matter, leave these parties by simply re-registering as an "Independent"........

"Independent" is not a Political Party, it just says to the 2 major parties that we, the "Independent" Voters, are no longer beholden to any party, & that these 2 Political Parties can no longer take us, the "Independent" Voters, these 2 Political Parties can no longer take us for granted or be counted on for our support.

The only negative aspect of being an Independent Voter (Non-affiliated voter) is that unless the State's Primary Voting rules state otherwise, a non-affiliated voter can not vote in the primaries of any party.

See the estimated strength of all major Party-affiliated & Non-Party-affiliated American Voters  in Wikipedia.

Since the 'Independent Movement started over 15 years ago, the ranks of the Independent voters has swelled to over 35 Million.....that's 35 Million+  highly-motivated voters the Democrats & Republicans can't take for granted or counted on for support.....these votes have to be won over the hard way.....by their platform & policy appeal.

See Gallop Polls breakdown by percentage

PS........JFYI, the USA does not have, & will never have, a Parliament....we have 2 Houses of Congress that basically run on Parliamentary procedures & rules unique to each.
     In times of universal deceit, telling the honest truth is a revolutionary act.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1501 –
I always liked the cheekiness of the Bond flick Never Say Never Again's title.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1502 –
Quote from: SmileyFaze on
PS........JFYI, the USA does not have, & will never have, a Parliament....we have 2 Houses of Congress that basically run on Parliamentary procedures & rules unique to each. [/i][/font][/size]
When it fulfils the role of a parliament, as in parliamentary procedures, then it is a parliament.

Not that you will ever learn it, but FYI in Europe the different countries have things like Bundestag, Riksdag, Staten-Generaal, Assemblée fédérale, Eduskunta etc. Many constitutions don't literally spell out that these are parliaments, but they are. It's just a name thing... like every country has a different name, but they are all countries.

Edit: Here's a simple way to gauge what the chances are for a third party in USA: Since 1950's, there has been only an occasional single stray independent in the House of Representatives[1] or in the Senate.[2] There was some diversity of parties earlier for a while, but not later.

It is quite conceivable that at some point the party landscape will be upset. There may emerge two new major parties or some diversity for a while. However, I'm sure that the future of Yang's party is to fall quickly into a more thorough obsurity than the Tea Party.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1504 –
Not quickly enough. :) Now it's not found.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1506 –
Sweet, now I saw. :)

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1507 –
After a visit to Amazon rainforest in 2016:

Quote from: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/30/world/americas/cannibalism-brazil-bolsonaro.html
“I wanted to see the Indian being cooked,” Mr. Bolsonaro said, describing a supposed cannibalism ritual in a remote region of the Amazon. “I’d eat an Indian, no problem at all.”

[...]

Siding with Mr. Bolsonaro, Brazil’s electoral court ordered the removal of political ads linking the president to cannibalism.
So, is he or is he not campaigning to legalise cannibalism? Brazilian elections are confusing.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1508 –
Biggest remaining issue is if Bolsonaro wants to do a Trump.

Congratulations to da Silva and to Brazil. I would not say da Silva is my favourite politician by any means, but you could do far worse, and very nearly did this election.

What's Going on in Bolivia?

Reply #1509 –
Bolivian general arrested after apparent failed coup attempt as government faces new crisis

Quote from: https://apnews.com/article/bolivia-military-deployment-arce-coup-fears-028cd88f3be1fb02164c05deb0faa099
The apparent coup attempt came as the country has faced months of tensions and political fights between Arce and his one-time ally, former leftist president Evo Morales, over control of the ruling party. It also came amid a severe economic crisis.

Still, the apparent attempt to depose the sitting president seemed to lack any meaningful support, and even Arce’s rivals closed ranks to defend democracy and repudiate the uprising.

In a twist, Zúñiga [the military general who had initiated the coup] claimed in comments to journalists before his arrest that Arce himself told the general to storm the palace in a political move. “The president told me: ‘The situation is very screwed up, very critical. It is necessary to prepare something to raise my popularity’,” Zúñiga quoted the Bolivian leader as saying.

As the crisis unfolded Wednesday, Arce confronted Zúñiga in the palace hallway, as shown on video on Bolivian television. “I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination,” Arce said.
It was so short and pathetic that it was not similar to Russia's Prigozhin moment. Not even close.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1510 –
But the J6 tourists/protesters/rioters at the U.S. Capitol (or thereabouts) was definitely an Insurrection! :)
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"Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility." - James Thurber
"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts!" - Richard Feynman
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Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1511 –
Brazil watchdog moves to block access to Elon Musk's X after court order

Quote
  • Judge's order follows expiry of legal deadline
  • Telecoms regulator says it is proceeding with compliance
  • Saga stems from dispute over regulating online speech
  • Some Brazilians already report blocks on X, formerly Twitter
  • Top three carriers to start blocking X from 0300 GMT

SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Brazil's telecommunications regulator said on Friday it was suspending access to Elon Musk's X social network in the country to comply with an order from a judge who has been locked in a months-long feud with the billionaire investor.

The popular social media platform missed a court-imposed deadline on Thursday evening to name a legal representative in Brazil, triggering the suspension.

Musk has argued that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes was trying to enforce unjustified censorship, while the judge has insisted that social media needs hate speech regulations.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1512 –
Quote from: jax on
The popular social media platform missed a court-imposed deadline on Thursday evening to name a legal representative in Brazil, triggering the suspension.
Moraes wants a "hostage" as a bargaining chip against Musk's intransigence... (Even Musk might cave, if his legal representative were arrested, jailed, and had his financial life subjected to the whims of a rogue judge! But, of course, the judge isn't "rogue" — he's merely a good soldier for the regime.) And like Hamas, he makes a plain threat: Try to rescue my hostage and I will shoot him in the back of the head!!

Some forms of government are easily identified.
进行 ...
"Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility." - James Thurber
"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts!" - Richard Feynman
 (iBook G4 - Panther | Mac mini i5 - El Capitan)

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1513 –
Quote from: https://apnews.com/article/brazil-musk-x-platform-moraes-shutdown-6942614705a4e85064f1d98628b49295
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A Brazilian Supreme Court panel on Monday unanimously upheld the decision of one of its justices to block billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform X nationwide, according to the court’s website.

The broader support among justices undermines the effort by Musk and his supporters to cast Justice Alexandre de Moraes as an authoritarian renegade who is intent on censoring political speech in Brazil.
Oakdale, you are always wrong about everything. Always wrong. About everything. Because you are living under a rock with a tin foil hat on, Alex Jones blasting away in your headphones. Have you been at least halfway to Brazil?

Longer coverage of Musk's Brazil controversy https://apnews.com/article/brazil-musk-x-twitter-moraes-bef06c0dbbb8ed87495b1afbb0edf211

Seems like similar issues that Facebook had over in Myanmar once upon a time https://www.wired.com/story/how-facebooks-rise-fueled-chaos-and-confusion-in-myanmar/

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1514 –
Quote from: ersi on
Have you been at least halfway to Brazil?
Like Kamala Harris, I haven't been to Europe... :)

What are your views on "Free Speech"? Let me prognosticate: "Whatever the government says is correct, and whatever the government doesn't want you to say is criminal malfeasance — so, unless you're a government functionary, you have no recourse should you say something the government disapproves of; if you're a government functionary, you can kiss the asses of your superiors and -maybe- keep your job!"

I think you believe that "regular" people (people who don't work for the government...) can't discern what's going on. Because of course "Who told them what to think?" You can't imagine someone not being told what to think!

Do people believe silly stuff on scant evidence? Sure. (Remember Tawana Brawley and Al Sharpton? :) ) Do they act out on the basis of lies? Sure.
The question is: Do you trust the government to "police" speech?

In my country (at least for now...) we accept that the government is not the arbiter of truth — reason is. It's unfortunate that some people reject that. But as "Honest Abe" said long ago: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”
进行 ...
"Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility." - James Thurber
"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts!" - Richard Feynman
 (iBook G4 - Panther | Mac mini i5 - El Capitan)

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1515 –
Quote from: OakdaleFTL on
Quote from: ersi on
Have you been at least halfway to Brazil?
Like Kamala Harris, I haven't been to Europe... :)
As per your usual, if you ever pick up any of my points, it's the weakest one. Going to Brazil to know Brazil is not going to help you in your current state. First you need to crawl out from under your rock, remove the tin foil hat and stop Alex Jones blasting in your headphones.

I don't like Kamala Harris either. I have seen a few longer speeches by her, and there was one in particular about somebody's rights, probably children's or women's rights, where she was so drousy that she was about to fall over. In that speech she had less stamina than Biden ever displayed on camera.

She looks better when doing character judgement with evidence, which is the business of prosecutors. That's her best element. I don't like prosecutors (or lawyers in general), but this is the line appropriate to counter Trump. Otherwise she is just an average state official.

All in all, this is the bare minimum what your country needs: A state official. Trump is a criminal. Harris would become a boring president, but Trump would become a more dangerous president than he was last time. Harris would do an average job leading the country (very likely not below average, given her very good team). Trump would demolish the country with incompetence, lies, and overt scorn of norms and ethics. If you care for the constitution, then you don't want Trump. But you are you, you don't care for the constitution or law and order. You worship Trump.

Quote from: OakdaleFTL on
What are your views on "Free Speech"?
And your view is: Trump's public incitement of insurrection through Twitter was just free speech. That Trump got banned from Twitter was a breach of the First (and Second) amendment!

Musk's breach of laws and regulations abroad have nothing to do with American free speech. God help us from adopting the American constitution and, even worse, American views about their own constitution.

Quote from: OakdaleFTL on
I think you believe that "regular" [American] people (people who don't work for the government...) can't discern what's going on.
About half of them can't, the Republican half. They failed to notice that the Republican party has lost it and become Trump's personality cult.

Quote from: OakdaleFTL on
In my country (at least for now...) we accept that the government is not the arbiter of truth...
So far so good. It's the same here too. But additionally, we also do not believe that any particular party or a leader of such is the arbiter truth. This is probably the difference.

On the other hand, the government and the rest of state institutions are the arbiter of official norms, of law and order.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1516 –
Quote from: ersi on
As per your usual, if you ever pick up any of my points, it's the weakest one.
No; it's just that you seldom "make" points. (But you almost always parrot the Party Line: Your main-stream media, like mine, has a viewpoint that won't brook dissenting opinions... When you do, it's easy to spot!)[1] And I keep trying to find you capable of humor! :)
So far, I haven't. (That's why I occasionally accuse you of being Eliza!)

What -when he was president- did Trump do that you found objectionable?
1 Perhaps it's different in your country — but you never mention any Estonian sources or circumstances. Are you an ex-pat? An exile? A fifth-columnist? :) ↵
进行 ...
"Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility." - James Thurber
"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts!" - Richard Feynman
 (iBook G4 - Panther | Mac mini i5 - El Capitan)

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1517 –
Quote from: OakdaleFTL on
And I keep trying to find you capable of humor! :)
So far, I haven't. (That's why I occasionally accuse you of being Eliza!)

What -when he was president- did Trump do that you found objectionable?
Oh, I finally get it. Your asking yet again the question that has already been answered a hundred times with plenty of examples is your kind of humour. To put it another way, when you blame me for being incapable of humour, it is a projection of what a sorry joke you are.

Hint: Trump organised the Jan 6 insurrection. He is a criminal, convicted too.

See, answered a hundred times, most recently in the very post you are responding to. Surely America's health care system is so awesome that you can go get your dyslexia cured and attention span enhanced. After Trump abolishes Obamacare, it will be even better.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1518 –
Two RT Employees Indicted for Covertly Funding and Directing U.S. Company that Published Thousands of Videos in Furtherance of Russian Interests https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-rt-employees-indicted-covertly-funding-and-directing-us-company-published-thousands

The DOJ announcement does not mention the Americans who were funded by Russians, but they were a gang who took the bait of Tenet Media, including
Matt Christiansen, Tayler Hansen, Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, and Lauren Southern.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #1519 –
It requires background knowledge to parse Sam Seder's delivery. I'm okay with it, because I know American punditry and talkshowing (nowadays occasionally labelled "independent media" which it isn't) since late 90s when I started paying consistent attention to Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh.

Anyway, for me it is interesting how Sam Seder has a personal gripe with Tim Pool (and Tim Pool with Sam Seder) around the business side of talkshowing, an intrigue torn open by the RT funding. I'm interested because I'm currently thinking how to hopefully monetise some of my bigger hobbies too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAfFTOsfjDo