volkris @volkris@qoto.org

@calebhailey Yeah it highlights the hobby horse that I often express, that ActivityPub isn't so much decentralized as centralized around instances.

Or, more practically, I'm often struck by discussions ignoring user empowerment to focus on things like instance administration and developers imposing their personal preferences on users.

It's something I feel like highlighting a lot.

This platform is not focused on users, and I think that's an issue.

@me

@dyckron Well I think that it's really about what I'm hearing from so many Catholics, since he is supposed to be leading them.

When the pope is losing their faith (pun intended?) I think it shows that the exact people he is supposed to be leading aren't feeling led.

I personally don't have a dog in this fight since I don't consider myself an active Catholic, but I am surrounded by Catholics who are expressing such disappointment in the Pope.

@PandaChronicle " removing an insurrectionist from the ballot" is the taking away the ability to vote.

You might say we should do that. Fine! But it's important to realize that we are interfering with the ability to vote even if it's for the best that we do that.

It's about owning it.

If anything by owning what we are doing we are emphasizing just how important it is that we do it.

@LaNaehForaday

@LaNaehForaday agreed, Trump is not fit to be president, he is not above the law, but that is why it is so important to be clear and correct about what the law IS.

When I say you don't know what you're talking about I'm pointing out that you are misrepresenting what the law is.

@slcw polling says otherwise.

Really the thing that is promoting Trump as a viable candidate now is the same thing that promoted him back in 2016: people buying into this false story that he is such a strong man play into his hands as that's pretty much the only thing he can sell himself on.

Polling shows that his supporters don't even agree with each other on policy positions, and that's fine with him, because he vomits out rhetoric without substance. It's the only way he can unite voters with such absolutely opposite positions, he lets all of them think that he is a strong man who will implement whatever position the individual wants to project on him.

So we all push Trump into this position where he might win the election by buying into his whole schtick.

We need to call him out for being a empty suited loser. That's the way to actually prevent him from winning.

Otherwise, you're just playing his game and shoring up his election.

@slcw I mean that is a kooky conspiracy theory that really shouldn't get promoted.

No, it is fearmongering, and it's amazing how many people buy into the narrative without really questioning it. And that needs to be called out because it's antisocial, anti-democratic.

No anyone who actually sits down and listens outside of the echo chamber knows that that's just nonsense.

@cpoliticditto@mas.to your excerpt says otherwise

@Neidfyre I would be happy to tell him that!

But in reality I think he's a smart enough person to know it already.

Yes, that's how the nomination process was designed to work. Presidents are required by law to work with the Senate to propose nominees that the senators we elect would be interested in confirming. Garland was the wrong choice, and ended up being a political stunt by Obama, and we really haven't held Obama responsible for that stunt.

We really should hold these powerful people more accountable for their abuse of the republic.

But even so, the country continues.

Even with abuse of office like that the country goes on.

@ewdocparris

@LaNaehForaday That's not how legal processes work, though.

You're basically promoting a conspiracy theory above a simple question of law and respect for democracy.

Yeah, it stinks that there are other people around that don't agree with you, but that's how democracy works. We let these people vote as a way of expressing themselves instead of engaging in violent activities.

Take away the ability to vote and, well, the risks increase.

@JesseStone I mean people who aren't xenophobic won't be particularly alarmed about this.

@dyckron I think a lot of Catholics would disagree with you, pointing out that it's leaving a leadership vacuum for the Pope to be putting out these statements.

It's not leadership when a whole lot of people are becoming increasingly disaffected and questioning of the leadership.

@mookie@troublemaker.social John Oliver doesn't slay Elon Musk, he just shows himself as not knowing what he's talking about.

I really wish comedians like Oliver stuck to comedy. They used to be really funny, but now they keep blabbering on about areas outside their expertise.

@cpoliticditto@mas.to that is a misrepresentation of the statement that you shared.

Your own excerpt debunks your claim.

@SonofaGeorge That's quite a conspiracy theory that just really isn't supported by the evidence.

@bigheadtales so I said it sounded like you were in an echo chamber, and you said you don't know what story I'm talking about, and well there you go.

That's pretty much the whole thing about being in an echo chamber.

No, you don't know what's happening in the outside world because the whole thing about an echo chamber is that the outside world doesn't pierce the chamber.

@maxbsawicky the threat of a Biden victory is exactly why another Republican nominee would likely prevail, according to polling.

People really hate both of these guys. The first alternative to either of them is probably going to win.

So that's the strategic side, kicking Trump off the ticket would promote a different nominee that people don't hate as much, so that nominee would pretty much trounce Biden according to polling.

@JoshuaHolland indeed!

And that's why it's so frustrating to read things like these that are so disconnected.

@Binder or maybe they are the experts and they know what they're doing.

@maxbsawicky Well there are a few reasons.

Philosophically, there's that democracy thing that we want to support. Don't keep Trump off the ballot as we want to allow voters to vote for whoever they want to on the ballot.

Strategically, keeping Trump off the ballot encourages Republicans to vote for someone who has a better chance of winning the election. Maybe that's not actually a direction one wants to go.

Legally, it makes a mess of the legal system to try to jump through the hoops to justify the exclusion.

I could go on.

@JoshuaHolland Yeah but we can see for ourselves that they are wrong