Political Randomness

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Jan 20, 2019 12:18 pm

The Art of Influence: Propaganda Postcards from the Era of World Wars

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Jan 20, 2019 1:19 pm

Yup, that's the one. I saw an exhibit of WW2-era posters at a different museum a couple of years ago. While those were graphically more striking, the postcards formed a better narrative, if only by their numbers (the posters exhibit only had a few dozen).

They also had a film loop with outtakes from some of the newsreels and motion pictures of the time. I've watched a LOT of patriotic WW2-era Hollywood flag-wavers -- it's a fascinating genre -- so it was interesting to glimpse comparable efforts by the Axis powers.

75 years from now, museum-goers will look at our Facebook memes and MAGA hats the same way.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 9:58 am

TheMix wrote: ↑Sat Jan 19, 2019 12:22 pmshe isn't limited to only things that she's experienced. Seems many younger folks today seem to consider anything "old" to be not worth their time.

She probably has an intern sitting down researching "popular memes" and has a spreadsheet of themes and translated uses.

msteelers · Post by **msteelers** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:54 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Sun Jan 20, 2019 12:18 pm The Art of Influence: Propaganda Postcards from the Era of World Wars

I saw a similar exhibit at the WW2 museum in New Orleans. I believe it was a special exhibit, and focused on the propaganda coming out of Germany at the time. It was chilling.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:39 pm

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:48 pm

Spoiler:

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:09 pm

James Earl Ray would have been an NRA member.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:25 pm

If anything could have saved King from being killed by a 30 aught 6 round fired at range from a scoped rifle, it would have been carrying his own handgun.

Next up: Brady. Were secret servicemen woefully under equipped that day, with reports claiming each agent had at most 2 weapons on their person?

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 8:31 pm

The NRA's coffers are probably full of Russian money so might as well do what boss Putin says and let loose with the divisive propaganda.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:41 pm

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:48 pm There is no god.

Dude: spoiler tags.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:44 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:41 pm Dude: spoiler tags.

Fixed. Might want to edit your quote.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:58 pm

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:44 pm
Kraken wrote: ↑Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:41 pm Dude: spoiler tags.
Fixed. Might want to edit your quote.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Jan 22, 2019 3:15 pm

No Davos this year for some:

“America is open for business,” President Trump declared last January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

He canceled his trip to this week’s conference, however, because the U.S. government is partially closed for business.
...
British Prime Minister Theresa May is skipping Davos so she can manage Brexit.
...
French President Emmanuel Macron opted to stick around Paris to deal with the Yellow Jacket protests.
...
More than 60 heads of state will still fly to the Swiss Alps for the five-day confab, along with more than 3,000 of the haves, the have-mores and the hangers-on. But the meeting in many ways underscores the extent to which globalization continues to be in retreat and global elites have failed to turn the tide of populism. “The combination of climate change, income inequality, technology and geopolitics pose an existential threat to humanity,” Klaus Schwab, the founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum, said in a statement released ahead of the conference.
...
-- The theme of this year’s conference is “Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.” Sebastian Buckup, the director of programming at Davos, lamented in a lengthy essay last week that we live in “an era of fortresses and walls,” and he said the goal of the meeting is to draft “a blueprint to construct a geopolitical framework that can support this era’s needs.”

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Jan 22, 2019 3:30 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Jan 22, 2019 3:15 pm No Davos this year for some:

Oh thank god. No extermination for now.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:23 pm

Germany

Lawmakers from the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) walked out of the Bavarian Parliament on Wednesday after a Jewish community leader accused the party during a speech to commemorate the Holocaust of playing down Nazi crimes.

"A party is represented here today that disparages those (democratic) values and downplays the crimes of the National Socialists," Charlotte Knobloch, a Holocaust survivor and president of the Jewish Community in Munich, told the regional assembly.

All but four AfD lawmakers in the Bavarian lower house stood up and left the hall as legislators from the other five parties applauded Knobloch.

The AfD, which has always rejected charges of racism, entered the Bavarian Parliament for the first time in a regional election last year, winning 22 seats to become the fourth largest party, on a par with the center-left Social Democrats.

The rise of the AfD, which has representatives in all of Germany's 16 regional assemblies, has alarmed Jewish leaders who accuse it of contributing to a rise in anti-Semitism.

The AfD also entered the lower house of the federal Parliament in Berlin, the Bundestag, for the first time in a national election last year, drawing support from a broad array of voters angry with Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision in 2015 to welcome almost a million asylum-seekers, most of whom are Muslim.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:40 pm

I was watching The Big Interview with Dan Rather last night - it was with Geddy Lee of Rush.

I knew that both of his parents were holocaust survivors, but I didn't know that they met while being forced as teenagers to build a Jewish detention center in Poland, then both were sent to Auschwitz, and then his Dad was sent to Dachau, while his Mom was sent to Bergen-Belsen, but they both survived and met up again at Bergen-Belsen when the Allies used it as a relocation center. Quite amazing actually.

fun side note - Geddy's birthname was Gary and his middle name was Lee. His mom rolled her 'R's and one of the neighborhood kids heard Gary as Geddy, and it eventually became his nickname all through Jr High/High School. When he first became a Musician a buddy said he should have a stage name, and he went with Geddy Lee and history was born... he eventually changed his name legally as well.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 5:22 pm

Fascinating.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 6:15 pm

Eater wrote:F*** Your Hair, the documentary about a Chicago brewery’s decision to stop selling its beer at Trump Tower Chicago following the then-presidential candidate’s disparaging remarks about Mexicans, will be showing later this month at the Gene Siskel Film Center in the Loop. The 38-minute movie features interviews with 5 Rabbit Cervecería’s founders and workers, plus others in the Chicago beer industry. The footage shows the reasoning why the Latinx company felt it needed to make a political statement in pulling its beer which was specially brewed for the bar and restaurant inside Trump’s downtown skyscraper.

....

After the beer was pulled, 5 Rabbit named the beer Chinga tu Pelo (which translates to “fuck your hair”) to disparage Trump. The beer was sold at other bars and stores in Chicago.

I've had a few. Not bad.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 7:45 pm

AOC is getting in a pissing match with Glenn Kessler, WaPo's lead fact checker, on Twitter because he awarded her 3 Pinocchios over some of her recent comments about minimum wage and living wage.

Sigh.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 7:49 pm

Political leadership by quip/clapback (am I using that right?)

Finally something I can support.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jan 25, 2019 12:52 pm

Macedonia

In what may be the most significant diplomatic step in the Balkans since the end of the Bosnian war, a bitter, decades-long bilateral dispute has been put to rest in Europe Friday. After 27 years of mutual mistrust, a name deal has been sealed between Athens and Skopje.

Under the agreement, Greece's neighbor will stop using the name "Republic of Macedonia," a name it chose for itself when it declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. It will instead call itself "Republic of North Macedonia." Following months of street protests and heated debate in both countries, the name deal has overcome the last of a number of hurdles in Athens Friday, with 153 votes in support in the 300-seat parliament.

The change is significant because Greece, a member of both NATO and the European Union, has been blocking Skopje's membership to NATO and the beginning of accession talks with the EU until the name dispute is resolved. Under the deal, Greece will lift its objections paving the way for its neighbor's integration.

Both countries have been under pressure to resolve the dispute, as Western nations see the further integration of Balkan countries into the EU and NATO as a way of improving the region's stability. The move will perhaps even serve as a compromise that can ease other regional disputes. But Moscow openly opposes Macedonia's aspirations, having long been a major player in the region.

The agreement, first ratified in Skopje, follows the defeat of Macedonia's nationalist conservatives by the social democrats. It has significantly improved the climate between the two neighboring countries after decades of strong nationalist rhetoric on both sides.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jan 25, 2019 1:16 pm

WaPo

Michael Beatty wasn’t in the greatest of moods Thursday afternoon.
...
Moreover, the Republican’s social media feeds were filled with posts he didn’t agree with, he said — further souring his emotional state.

One of those posts came from comedian Patton Oswalt, whose critical tweet about President Trump pushed Beatty over the edge.

“I just realized why I was so happy you died in Blade Trinity!” Beatty responded Thursday afternoon, citing the 2004 film Oswalt acted in. He also referred to Oswalt as a “sawed off little man.”

In an interview Thursday, Beatty said he didn’t think Oswalt would ever read his replies. But the comedian responded before taking things a step further — pointing his 4.5 million followers toward Beatty’s GoFundMe account, created to help cover his medical expenses.

Oswalt donated $2,000 to the fund, which had previously accumulated just over $600. In a sudden outpouring of support, the donations began pouring in.

The fund had accumulated more than $21,000 as of Thursday evening.

Remus West · Post by **Remus West** » Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:29 pm

I sometimes want to dislike Patton Oswald then things like this remind me why I don't at all. Good work.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Fri Jan 25, 2019 3:13 pm

The fund had accumulated more than $21,000 as of Thursday evening.

Friday afternoon, up to $38,000

I appreciate that the guy admits his issues with diabetes is pretty much his own fault for not caring about his diet. While I don't wish ill on folks, it's hard sometimes to rally empathy when someone spends 50 years poisoning themselves and then cries "I'm poisoned!?!" and then refuse to accept responsibility for it...

I'm guilty of it too, but over the last couple years (after learning all the horrible things about sugar), I've been really trying to keep it to a minimum/treats only thing. It helps with weight loss, helps with keeping me stable all day, and helps keep me from worrying that I'll lose my legs some day.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Jan 25, 2019 5:09 pm

Eh, it's a pull of the slot machine. Someone gets you a few million looks and you'll get paid. Lottery is the new American Dream.

Remus West · Post by **Remus West** » Fri Jan 25, 2019 6:34 pm

I didn't even look into the guy he suggested funding for. I thought it was great that he took the guys twitter attack and greeted it with love rather than hate.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Jan 25, 2019 9:23 pm

This thread is happening right now. I pray it goes the distance.

Seriously. Start it with me. You must suffer this literature.

Unagi · Post by **Unagi** » Sat Jan 26, 2019 10:13 am

how is this real.

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Sat Jan 26, 2019 10:40 am

That was stunning. That woman deserves a Purple Heart.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Mon Jan 28, 2019 12:18 pm

In which the snake eats itself. Newt Gingrich: Trump 'should not pay any attention to Ann Coulter'

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-S.C.) on Monday said that President Trump should not concern himself with the opinions of staunch conservatives in the media like Ann Coulter when attempting to broker an immigration deal.

"He should not pay any attention to Ann Coulter," Gingrich said on "Fox & Friends" when asked whether Trump should be worried about appeasing his more conservative supporters.

"Ann Coulter’s never run for office," he continued. "She doesn't know anything about how you put a majority together. She’s off here in some fantasy land where she gets to be noisy, which helps her sell books.

"The fact is, the president’s base is with the president," Gingrich continued. "If he goes to them and says, 'I got this done for the wall, I got this done to protect America, I’m doing these good things you believe in,' the base is going to say, 'fine.' "

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Jan 28, 2019 1:40 pm

UAE

The United Arab Emirates drew mockery this weekend after announcing the winners of its gender balance awards — every one of whom was a man.

At an awards ceremony Sunday, the UAE named the winners of its Gender Balance Index for the second round of 2018 in three categories: best personality supporting gender balance, best federal authority supporting gender balance and the best gender balance initiative.
...
Lt. Gen. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the UAE’s deputy prime minister and interior minister, was awarded the first prize, while male representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization also received awards.
...
According to the news release put out by the Dubai media office, Maktoum “recognized the efforts” of one woman — Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum — but she did not win an award. She is the head of the UAE’s Gender Balance Council and wife of a deputy prime minister.
...
In previous years, the UAE’s Gender Balance Index has honored women. In 2017, the same year that the index was launched, the UAE launched a program to try to become one of the top 25 countries in the world for gender equality by 2021.

Despite the bad optics, the UAE is the highest-ranked Persian Gulf state for gender equality and second only to Israel in the wider Middle East, according to the United Nations. The country was listed as 34th among nations in a 2017 ranking, just behind Poland.

However, activist groups argue that the country has not fully implemented laws that would stop discrimination against women. In its 2018 country report, Human Rights Watch noted that discrimination on the basis of sex and gender was not included in a 2015 anti-discrimination law and that current law permits domestic violence by a husband against his wife.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Mon Jan 28, 2019 4:10 pm

You're wrong.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 5:14 pm

Canadia

When energy companies go bankrupt, the cleanup of their old oil and gas wells must take priority over paying off creditors, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday.

Though centred in Alberta, the 5-2 decision sets a precedent across Canada, empowering provincial governments to stop defunct companies from off-loading their messes onto other companies or the public. The judgment is expected to resonate across the western provinces, where the number of companies walking away from old wells has skyrocketed amid low oil prices.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 5:43 pm

Seems reasonable to me. Now investors in Canada have reason to consider the environmental impact of their funding decisions.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 6:02 pm

Alberta is not happy with the federal government about a bunch of things, including restrictions on their natural resource usage in various ways, including wanting a new pipeline built and environmental protections, carbon tax, etc etc.

They will be overjoyed to see investment in fossil fuels take it on the nose on this one.

Which is not to say it's wrong, just that Alberta is used to being rich and the price of their oil has dropped through the floor, leading to much civil unhappiness with the population and politicians (on behalf of the citizens). It's a non-stop stream of anger and Trudeau bashing in their media for the last few months.

This is just a cherry on top of their problems, I'm guessing.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:17 am

So they’re pissed off because they didn’t diversify their economy during the halcyon days of expensive oil?

Cry me a river.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:27 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:17 am So they’re pissed off because they didn’t diversify their economy during the halcyon days of expensive oil?

Cry me a river.

Sure, I'll let them know your feelings on the matter.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Fri Feb 01, 2019 2:55 pm

I thought we had a thread for right-wing extremism and terrorism but a quick search came up dry. Maybe I was thinking of the IRS targeting conservative NGOs one, dunno?

Anyways, ugh.

Revealed: FBI investigated civil rights group as 'terrorism' threat and viewed KKK as victims

Bureau spied on California activists, citing potential ‘conspiracy’ against the ‘rights’ of neo-Nazis (hat tip to Mr. Fed)

The FBI opened a “domestic terrorism” investigation into a civil rights group in California, labeling the activists “extremists” after they protested against neo-Nazis in 2016, new documents reveal.

Federal authorities ran a surveillance operation on By Any Means Necessary (Bamn), spying on the leftist group’s movements in an inquiry that came after one of Bamn’s members was stabbed at the white supremacist rally, according to documents obtained by the Guardian. The FBI’s Bamn files reveal:

The FBI investigated Bamn for potential “conspiracy” against the “rights” of the “Ku Klux Klan” and white supremacists.

The FBI considered the KKK as victims and the leftist protesters as potential terror threats, and downplayed the threats of the Klan, writing: “The KKK consisted of members that some perceived to be supportive of a white supremacist agenda.”

The FBI’s monitoring included in-person surveillance, and the agency cited Bamn’s advocacy against “rape and sexual assault” and “police brutality” as evidence in the terrorism inquiry.

The FBI’s 46-page report on Bamn, obtained by the government transparency non-profit Property of the People through a records request, presented an “astonishing” description of the KKK, said Mike German, a former FBI agent and far-right expert who reviewed the documents for the Guardian.
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The report ignored “100 years of Klan terrorism that has killed thousands of Americans and continues using violence right up to the present day”, German said. “This description of the KKK should be an embarrassment to FBI leadership.”

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Fri Feb 01, 2019 5:59 pm

This should be an interesting weekend in Virginia, as it has come out that Governor Ralph Northam, after his comments on abortion earlier this week, allegedly posed in blackface next to a guy in a KKK outfit in his med school yearbook in 1984.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Fri Feb 01, 2019 6:15 pm

I saw the story and the pictures. It is really unclear if that is him or not though the composition of the page implies either the man in blackface or KKK costume is him. Weird shit. How did this not come up before now? This is basic opposition research fodder.