volkris @volkris@qoto.org

@lauren There's a HUGE difference, though.

Shoplifting doesn't merely reduce income, reduce potential future gains.

The shop is left with less inventory.

It's the difference between not helping and actively harming.

Or, to put it another way, using an ad blocker does not literally reduce income, as you say. That's factually inaccurate. It doesn't reduce income; it just opts out of ADDING income.

@mastodonmigration yes, and I think it's pretty unfortunate because I'd really like more voices from other perspectives around here to challenge, to see how they'd respond to particular points.

If anything, sort of a "know your enemy" exercise, to put it a bit strongly.

@mpjgregoire

@snrub

Maybe the key is to give him a reason by also voting for representatives willing to threaten him with impeachment should he do bad things?

It's really how the US checks and balances system was supposed to work.
@KFuentesGeorge

@unfinishedsymphony and Obama ordered unilateral executions overseas, but we sort of gave him a pass on that.

In the US, Democrats get held to frighteningly loose standards.
@KFuentesGeorge

Wow, this article went pretty far into the kooky conspiracy theory realm.

Sadly, people really don't understand how US legislative bodies actually operate--or what their own elected representatives are doing, but that's a side point--and so they end up believing these mythical descriptions of officials wielding powers that they simply don't have.

The guy's Speaker of the House after Democrats chose a voting strategy that all but guaranteed such a Speaker, but that's not such a big deal because the Speaker is not all-powerful.

And the Speaker *certainly* doesn't get to decide whether votes for president are counted or not.

This breathlessness is just fearmongering.

@moh_kohn yeah, I've really wished that the major outcome of the trial and conviction would be stories that help explain financial topics to the general public so they can avoid being the next ones duped.

Unfortunately, I knew that wasn't going to happen, and we'll all throw tomatoes at this jerk, buying them from the next person up to dupe us.

@dangillmor I mean, journalist have already become activists, and readers have noticed, and that's why we've lost so much faith in journalists.

They can keep going down that road, but with increasingly poor returns as they turn off more and more of their listeners who aren't interested in being preached to.

@Bongolian I mean this story is clearly not true.

Biden steered us out of a pandemic and a recession? Biden had control of the virus particles? Obviously he did not.

No, it's stupid to say that Biden was in control of that, and farthermore, it's authoritarian to pretend like the president has such amazing amount of control over the world.

No. Biden did not steer the world that way. He can't have. He doesn't have that much authority even if certain people apparently want to vest the president with that sort of authority.

He just doesn't have that power, and for good reason.

@kwheaton The problem is that there's no good choice in this equation. If the US drops financial and military aid there would be more war crimes.l

So yeah it stinks, but there we are.

Do we want more war crimes or fewer war crimes. Either way we get them.

@GottaLaff

@bobbelcher Well that conspiracy theory has been debunked.

@Bongolian someone who wholeheartedly supports democracy?

He's been called out for illegally subverting democracy!

It's basically his calling card!

@Bongolian so basically, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, don't worry about his screw ups.

@mark_melbin Right?

@raph problem is, as far as I can tell ceasefire has never been an option and never will be. So these people are silly.

@dameoutlaw@mstdn.social because I am interested in your pamphlets and would like to know more about your ideas.
@fraying

@mark_melbin Well that was less than helpful

@jackiegardina I do think American presidents have tremendous ability to influence world events, with everything from military might through economic and trade policies.

The resources of the US government are pretty substantial and significant on the world stage.

Is the president 100% to blame for everything that happened in the world? No, definitely not, but the president does have a lot of influence, and we should hold such powerful people accountable for the way they do and do not use the influence they have.

@mnutty you absolutely can.

That's democracy for you.

@mark_melbin what do you think dark money is?