volkris @volkris@qoto.org
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
Remember: the vice president is the president of the #Senate. The VP is in the legislative branch, not the executive branch.
People talk about #Trump as if he should be passing legislation to fund government when really it's not his call. The legislation is being blocked in the Senate, so the executive branch has nothing to do with it. Trump doesn't get a vote, so let's not inflate his ego by saying otherwise.
HOWEVER, JD #Vance actually does have authority in that chamber, in fact he's one of the few people that really does.
Yes, the #Democrats bear responsibility for voting to block the legislative procedure, but really, let's also lay this at Vance's feet. He should be pressing for a solution because that's his actual job.
I wish more Americans were informed about the VP's actual position in the US government.
The funny thing about a headline like this is that, I don't think it's broadly reported because it's technical, but there are serious reasons to think that Halligan was not legally appointed and so has no authority to bring any charges at all.
You know, if we're talking about law and order here...
THE RETURN OF LAW AND ORDER: US Attorney Lindsey Halligan Expected to Drop More Charges Against Serial Liar Letitia James – John Bolton, Pencil-Nec...
volkris
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Relatedly, and also at National Review, from columnist Ed Whelan: "based on the facts as I understand them, I believe that Lindsey Halligan has not been validly appointed as United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia." That would imply that the Comey indictment is invalid. /2, end
Re: Was Lindsey Halligan Valid...
#Trump canceling a meeting with China on account of them not sending the US rare earth metals is just, it would be delicious if it didn't have real world implications... and wasn't yet another instance of a pattern that's gotten so repetitive.
Once again a giant accomplishment that Trump celebrated and crowed about--China bowing to him to send those resources, showing how awesome and nearly godlike he is--didn't end up working out.
Oops.
And once again to conservatives this is the fault of the other guy, not the one who lied about such a tremendous accomplishment.
Siiiiiigh.
volkris
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Liberals need to stop calling conservatives Nazis because it's dehumatizing! -- #Hannity, apparently not knowing that Nazis were indeed human #USPolitics
volkris
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#Kilmeade, missing that he is potentially identifying the problem: To be a reporter traveling with the president is really rough because the guy doesn't sleep! He'll wander out and talk to the press anytime around the clock. He doesn't sleep! #Trump #USPolitics
volkris
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Conservative media: #Trump is awesome! When you're covering him on a trip it's hard because he doesn't sleep, he comes out anytime day or night to talk to you!
Me: oh well that might be what's so screwed up about him. The dude is constantly brain dead exhausted.
It's worth noting that in the recent #BlueSky vs #Fediverse drama, the fundamental complaint was that BlueSky wasn't centralized enough, so some people are coming to Fediverse seeking that centralization.
For the years of talk about how BlueSky isn't decentralized like Fediverse, those folks were always wrong, and this is another case illustrating their getting that backwards.
Fediverse is centralized around instances. BlueSky is decentralized down to users. Of the two, BlueSky is the decentralized option.
Whether that's good or bad is a separate matter.
Once again we can see that #Trump is being used, but he's too damn stupid to realize that the folks flattering him into thinking he's in charge are mainly just making fun of him.
This week there was a lot of reporting about "Trump's plan" for #Gaza, Hamas, and Israel, but there was also reporting that the plan was spearheaded by British figures. Trump was flattered into promoting it as his own, and he did as he was told, but thinking it was his idea all along.
Today it's being reported that Trump tried to issue orders with regard to "his plan", but those orders were ignored because no one actually cares about him beyond his usefulness to them.
This cycle repeats over and over again.
What a pathetic idiot.
volkris
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#Hannity, on a roll listing out his standard series of grievances, referring to "unvetted known terrorists" in the US illegally, without realizing the contradiction. #USPolitics
volkris
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"I spoke to the governor, she was very nice," Trump said. "But I said, 'Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what's happening? My people tell me different.'"
Almost ... a glimmer ... "am I in an anti-reality bubble populated by sycophants?" ... and gone.
Trump seems to back off Portla...
volkris
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I've upgraded my instance to Mastodon v4.4 from v4.3...
I did not put in my any of my custom patches. It would have required work I did not wish to put in...
and I immediately regretted it...
Mastodon is a mess without my patches. Yep, I submitted them to their GitHub. They got no traction beyond the occasional "can you rebase this." Yes, sure, I'm going to rebase it, and again, and again, and again,.... because Mastodon is my 24/7 job. (Newsflash: it isn't.)
It does look like I'm going to have to rework them now because without them Mastodon is nigh unusable.
I love the fediverse. I hate Mastodon. I just hate it less than the alternatives. (Yes, I've tried them. They sucked, hard.)
volkris
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Federal judges have started issuing more rulings on a per curiam (collective unsigned) basis for fear of Trump retaliation so maybe the remaining staff at the Bureau of Labor Statistics can start issuing monthly job numbers that way.
volkris
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This is the correct reporting on tariffs:
"The import taxes are at a level not seen in the US in almost 100 years, with Americans expected to pay an average of 18.3 percent more for imported products."
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/07/nation/trump-presidency-live-updates/
#Trump supporters are saying that #JDVance encouraged #Musk to apologize to Trump, saying that #Vance helped Musk come to his senses.
What they don't realize is, this fits into the model whereby folks like Vance are manipulating Trump, who is too petty and oblivious to notice.
A couple of figures like Vance know exactly how to play the game and manipulate Trump and his supporters. This is another case of that happening.
Mainstream #conservative media take on #Musk vs #Trump seems to be settling on the idea that #Elon has poor impulse control, but good on Trump for being a mature statesman.
Just so you know.
Siiiigh.
It's always worth reading for yourself rulings like those against Trump's tariffs, as you just know the reporting on it will be questionable, from both sides.
One really funny thing is that Trump has once again shot himself in the foot with all his nonsense of "they've been screwing us for years!" which means that isn't an emergency and thus doesn't justify emergency imposition of tariffs.
NPR: "Under the Constitution, Congress has the power of the purse."
Siiiigh, that kind of line might be okay in informal banter, but for a legit news organization actually trying to explain legal matters to their readers, it's just not right.
It gets into the realm of reporters begging questions with hand waving behind vague idiom. They might as well just say everybody knows blah blah blah.
They should have instead informed readers with what the Constitution actually says and legal disputes through history if they wanted to get into it. But all that gets hidden behind this often misinterpreted throwaway line.
Do better, #journalism . Our society desperately needs it.
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
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