In other news

This is insane

Kinda funny that Abbott hasn't sent the National Guard to Dallas, where ICE actually was attacked recently.

The Trump administration isn't "fighting for Portland" or any other American city. It is carrying out a propaganda campaign against their perceived political opposition, and they are corruptly wasting massive amounts of public funds to do it.

I doubt the Trump administration is even aware of the actual problems in the the cities they are going to war against. Even if they were, this is is not an administration that is going to do any serious policy. These people live for the dopamine hit of 5-second sound bites, their next social media post and the rush of likes and more power. They're addicts, not serious policy-makers.

The sad part is that the money spent on these hollow and incompetent politics could have been spent doing good stuff in regards to societal problems. But of course, it would require investing effort into long-term programs what would wax and wane in popularity. Not exactly a great selling point for modern day "conservatism".

If it is one thing the military teaches career officers, it is to keep a stoic face in the face of idiocy. Though, I suspect listening to Hegseth for 45 minutes stretches that principle to the brink. As a personal anecdote, it is one skill I have never learned, for better and for worse.

I'm no psychic when it comes to the political leanings of American generals, but if we put the bluster about "fat and beards" aside (this picture seems to show a rather fit bunch for their age, by the way) I suspect that regardless of leanings, this meeting likely came with a sense of being forced by order to be associated with politics these men and women do not particularly want to be dragged into and possibly tainted by.

I don't think one should reach too much into reactions in such a crowd. Officers like these these are not going to have raucous or openly hostile responses to political speeches while in uniform. That said, even the more polite and muted responses you expect from a crowd like this certainly comes with a range of its own, and they didn't seem thrilled.

As for Trump's speech, I have never meet a military officer who wants to fight in a civil war. That doesn't mean these guys are necessarily much of a checks and balance against the failings of an increasingly fragile democracy / republic, but it does stress the importance of fighting tooth and nail for every off-ramp you can muster in the face of an increasingly authoritarian federal executive.

Predictably, crickets on this today. Who holds the championship belt, again?

This will soon be the norm, followed by lots of folks falling off of balconies.

I do think if it was that easy to stamp out political opposition in the US they would have thrown a number of people off of balconies long before now

Faulty wiring is still undefeated for house fires.

Even for the houses of people who received multiple threats to their safety?

I skimmed it and said they mentioned explosions. That pretty much puts a damper on your typical electrical house fire.

Looks like arson to me or maybe some unfortunate gas related issue but that's a stretch given the threats. I don't know the stats but unless we are living in the 1950s, electrical fires being the #1 cause in 2025 would be something imo. I mean, back then you could burn your house down overloading a circuit to run a Christmas tree.

Remember when republicans hated socialism? Good times.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-u-...

Not to be pedantic, but socialism is a system where the workers own the means of production. Communism is when the government does. MAGA 2025 is some twisted mix of authoritarian communism, crony capitalism, and fascist dictatorship. It's whatever the mad queen wants.

So MAGA 2025 is basically Singapore, which is considered one of the most productive, functional city-states in the world?

Even if you happen to agree with them now, a world where Trump and his minions get to decide whether you are beaten with a cane is a dangerous one for anybody.

[emoji106]

No

I’ve never heard anyone make that distinction and I doubt you could substantiate that.

Abbott deploys national guard in Texas

On the left

Kavanaugh assassin gets sweetheart deal of 7 years and another trans individua;

Virginia Attorney General candidate calls for a bullet to the head of top republican but not stepping down

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/...

In theory, you're right. Here's what ChatGPT says:

So is this statement accurate?

"In a socialist society, workers own the means of production, and in a communist society, the state owns the means of production."

❌ Not entirely accurate. Here’s why:

In socialism, the workers owning the means of production can mean state ownership — but not always. It could also mean cooperative or public democratic ownership.

In communism, according to Marxist theory, there’s no state at all (in the end). So the state cannot own the means of production. The community as a whole owns and controls everything.

✅ A more accurate summary:

In socialism, the means of production are owned collectively — often through the state, but also through cooperatives or public mechanisms — with the aim of transitioning to a classless society.

In communism, the means of production are held in common, and the state has ceased to exist, as class distinctions are abolished entirely.

BUT, in practice:

ChatGPT said:

Great question! In practice, in countries that have called themselves communist (like the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, North Korea, etc.), the situation often looks quite different from the ideal theory.

In practice, who owns the means of production in these so-called communist states?

The state owns and controls the means of production.

I thought everyone knew about Marx’s phrase, the withering away of the state.

Yet they're still calling democrats commies.

Where did you hear of the national guard being deployed in Texas.

Kavanaugh is still alive, so there is no assassin. The guy you're talking about didn't even attempt to kill him; he turned himself in before doing anything.

That Virginia politician said that in 2022, in a private text message.

HEY CHILLROB WHATS UP