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bolverk

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by bolverk

  1. It's shit like this that killed off Veep.
  2. Most of his shit is just outright trolling. Again, he is not posting in good faith. Take, for example, this post (quoted by Anastasis -- otherwise, I wouldn't have seen it this morning): https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/topic/35425-national-pro-palestine-protests-thread/?do=findComment&comment=6156167 A) This has absolutely nothing to do with pro-Palestine protests. So, it's off-topic. B) The tweet is from a known and established purveyor of fake news. It's so bad that the AP wrote an entire article just about this one account and its history of spreading disinformation (they added "satire" at some point to give them "cover" similar to Pronghorn). C) The fake news account's tweet quotes an obvious provocateur who makes some outrageous statements deliberately twisting the truth that, if you address them, you'll only get sucked in like a victim of the Three Year Letterman. Like, as if this guy needed to be taken seriously as a scholar: There have been REPEATED complaints about Pronghorn flooding the zone with bullshit from garbage accounts in a "news" thread, which is supposed to be a discussion about factual events. Unfortunately, you've given him the cover that he needs to keep acting in bad faith and pretend he's just innocently posting what he sees on Twitter, even though he's already admitted that he knows it's propaganda. I know you don't want to see conflict on this board, and I realize this can be a giant fucking headache. However, this is different from a simple, honest debate about a news story from various viewpoints. It's a real problem that needs to be addressed because you've essentially enabled a troll to twist the truth and continue to spread bullshit as long as it's at an acceptable volume. His spamming is a problem, but you're giving him a pass on posting from sources known to spread disinformation, which is a problem for the "news" section of this board.
  3. “I’m thrilled with the whole thing. Even the booing from both sides — I fully expected it.” Fresh Off Defeat in Speaker Fight, Greene Relishes the Chaos She Wrought The hard-right congresswoman from Georgia failed spectacularly in her bid to depose Speaker Mike Johnson. But for a figure who sees her power in creating chaos, the loss was the point. As Republicans and Democrats booed her loudly Wednesday when she called a snap vote on the House floor to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, paused briefly to narrate the drama to viewers back home. “This is the uniparty, for the American people watching,” Ms. Greene sneered, peering over her glasses at her colleagues like a disappointed schoolteacher. Ms. Greene went on to take her shot at Mr. Johnson and miss, an outcome that she knew was a certainty. The vote to kill her attempt to remove him was an overwhelming 359 to 43 — with all but 39 Democrats joining Republicans to block her and rescue the G.O.P. speaker. The move buoyed Mr. Johnson, confirming his status as the leader of an unlikely bipartisan governing coalition in the House that Ms. Greene considers the ultimate enemy. And it isolated Ms. Greene on Capitol Hill, putting her back where she was when she arrived in Washington three years ago: a provocateur and subject of derision who appears to revel in causing huge headaches for her colleagues. “Hopefully, this is the end of the personality politics and the frivolous character assassination that has defined the 118th Congress,” Mr. Johnson said after the vote. The word “hopefully” was doing a lot of work. If Ms. Greene’s goals in Congress were to chair a powerful committee or to build up political capital to drive major policy initiatives — or if she had to worry about drawing a political challenger — this all would constitute a major problem for her. But those have never been the incentives that have driven the gentle lady from Georgia, whose congressional career has been defined by delighting her base and stoking anger on the right more than legislative achievement or political pragmatism.
  4. Wordle 1,056 4/6 ⬛⬛🟨⬛🟨 ⬛🟩⬛🟨⬛ 🟩🟩⬛⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #334 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 Daily Quordle 837 4️⃣6️⃣ 8️⃣5️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ 🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜🟩🟨🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟨🟩🟩🟨🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ClickWord.org Daily 461: 639 points (top 30% 🎉) 10 words: ⚛️⚛️🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟥🟧🟨 💪 Best word: 150 points 🔥 Streak: 2 days #ClickWord #ClickWordDaily461
  5. Has anyone from Hays, Blanco, or maybe Llano County chimed in? Well, except for that one smooth-brained ditch digger from earlier today who, perhaps, wishes he hadn't?
  6. He moved to Colorado, didn't he? But, yeah, the weather geek I'm watching is saying 100+ mph winds and very large hail along the north and west sides of San Marcos.
  7. Indeed it does: We continue to see fundraising emails from the Trump campaign that feature language & imagery of George Soros controlling puppet strings and secret globalist cabals. This isn’t just disturbing, it’s indisputably dangerous and reprehensible. Let’s be clear, these are antisemitic tropes about Jewish power and are a gateway into hardcore antisemitic conspiracy theories.
  8. This guy just said there are reports of baseball and tennisball size hail, driven by 80-90 mph winds knocking out windows, associated with that storm near Brady. Also, a tornado warning...
  9. A Ukrainian tank crew says the Abrams is still being used on the front lines, but isn't finding 'tank-on-tank' battles where it has the edge A Ukrainian tank crew told state media they're still using the Abrams tank on the front lines. The report comes after the Pentagon said Ukraine had pulled back its Abrams tanks over concerns of drone attacks. A Ukrainian Abrams commander told Army TV that the tanks weren't withdrawn but are used situationally. A Ukrainian tank crew says the US-supplied Abrams is still viable on the front lines, but the tank-on-tank battles where it excels have been few and far between. Pentagon officials in late April told the Associated Press that Ukraine was pulling back its Abrams tanks from the heaviest areas of fighting because Russian drones were making them more difficult to defend. But a Ukrainian state media report is now pushing back on the assessment, citing the crew's commander saying that Kyiv hadn't fully withdrawn the heavy-duty armor. "It all depends on the situation. You see, we don't fight in a way that it's purely tank-on-tank," said the man, identified as Dmytro of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, told Ukrainian military news outlet Army TV. The outlet is run by Ukraine's Defense Ministry. "If it was tank-on-tank, there would be no questions. The T-72 wouldn't even be standing next to it," Dmytro said. Dmytro added battlefield circumstances have become "very difficult" due to Russia's advantage on the ground with personnel and equipment. "So we have to adjust our actions. These tanks are designed primarily for direct contact. Go out and destroy the opponent's vehicles," Dmytro added. Army TV on Tuesday uploaded a video of Dmytro and his crew. It was titled and captioned in English, standing out from the YouTube channel's usual coverage in Ukrainian. "WHERE IS UKRAINIAN ABRAMS: how the legendary American tank fights at the front," its title reads. Clips in the video showed the tank crew operating an Abrams M1A1 at an undisclosed location. Dmytro said his team had, in the last few days, deployed their Abrams to take out Russian infantry and equipment, including a T-62 tank that had been disabled by an exploding drone. It's not immediately clear when the video was filmed. When asked about Army TV's response to the prior assessment, a Pentagon spokesperson told Business Insider: "We refer you to the Ukrainians to speak to their operations." Army TV's video was lavish with praise for the American battle tank, a much-desired ground asset for Kyiv, with a gunman named Koka and a driver named Alexey complimenting its maneuverability and internal systems. The Abrams is touted as an effective tool against Soviet armor, with a winning track record against Russian-made vehicles, but has also faced challenges in Ukraine. In late April, one anonymous defense official told the AP that Ukraine was not deploying the Abrams in combined arms warfare, though its crews had been trained for such scenarios. At least five Abrams tanks have been reported lost in combat, with another three damaged. The US promised in January 2023 to deliver 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which received its first batch in September that year as part of the initial rounds of aid provided by the Biden administration. A renewed tranche of supplies and weapons, which Ukraine says it desperately needed to defend its positions against Russia, was held back for months due to political infighting on Capitol Hill. Congress eventually voted through a $61 billion package to Ukraine.
  10. A face so punchable even that other douche wants to punch him.
  11. "There must be in-groups (wypipo) whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups (meskins) whom the law binds but does not protect."
  12. Inauspicious return to posting results after a break for a few days. Wordle 1,055 5/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟨 ⬛🟨🟨⬛🟨 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #333 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 I was clueless in NE quad and got stuck in a trap in the NW Daily Quordle 836 9️⃣🟥 4️⃣5️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ClickWord.org Daily 460: 543 points (top 30% 🎉) 12 words: ⚛️🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟥🟧🟧🟨🟨🟩 💪 Best word: 144 points 🔥 Streak: 1 days #ClickWord #ClickWordDaily460
  13. While the delivery of some bombs has been delayed, the administration fought for months to secure $15 billion in military funding. This is one of the things that's so fucking frustrating. You can be an Israel supporter, but once you level any criticism, you're either antisemitic or pro-terrorist.
  14. Trump vows to target EVs, LNG exports in meeting with oil CEOs -report WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed to reverse dozens of the Biden administration's environmental rules and policies at a meeting with top U.S. oil executives, where he also asked them to raise $1 billion for his presidential campaign, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. The Post, citing unidentified sources familiar with the meeting last month in Florida, said Trump promised to end President Joe Biden's emissions rules aimed at promoting electric vehicles and halt the Biden administration's freeze on permits for new liquefied natural gas exports, among other actions. Trump told the chief executives that giving $1 billion would be a "deal" for them, according to the report. Invited guests included the CEOs of Venture Global, Cheniere Energy as well as representatives from Chevron, Continental Resources, Exxon and Occidental Petroleum, it said. Representatives for Trump's campaign could not be immediately reached for comment. Representatives for the companies also could not be immediately reached. Trump, who faces a rematch with Biden in the Nov. 5 presidential election, has vowed to undo much of the Democratic president's work to fight climate change. Biden has touted his administration's climate efforts — including its tailpipe rules — as both good for the environment and for the economy, which is a factor in his re-election campaign. At the meeting in Trump's private club, the Republican presidential contender also said he would auction off more leases for oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and reverse drilling restrictions in the Alaskan Arctic, the Post reported. He also reiterated his complaints about wind power, it added.
  15. I vaguely recall someone posting a Tweet that Ukraine's domestic ammo production was ramping up, too, so maybe we should see these as supplements upon which they're not wholly reliant? Plus, it doesn't include what the US is providing. Just trying to throw a positive spin on the situation.
  16. Back to the trial (That sounds like Johnny Sack)
  17. Synopsis of the morning so far: Trump’s lawyer calls Stormy Daniels transactional. ‘Not unlike Mr. Trump,’ she replies. A lawyer in Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial on Thursday sharply attacked Stormy Daniels over her account of having had sex with Mr. Trump, suggesting that she has continually sought to make money off their liaison. Ms. Daniels had a simple retort: So has Mr. Trump. Before Mr. Trump became president of the United States in 2016, he was more of a savvy marketer than a real estate tycoon, lending his name to all sorts of projects and products. There was Trump Ice Natural Spring Water, Trump Home mattresses, Trump steaks, Trump men's wear. Even today, on TrumpStore.com, a blue Trump Signature Collection silk necktie sells for $125. Mr. Trump’s lawyer Susan Necheles argued during cross-examination that Ms. Daniels wanted to make money from the outset, which motivated her to go public about her 2006 encounter with Mr. Trump. Ms. Necheles noted to Ms. Daniels that she has “an online store where you sell merchandise.” She mentioned a $40 “Saint of Indictments” devotional candle that carries an image of the porn star draped in a Christ-like robe. (Mr. Trump himself recently made news by hawking a Bible for $59.99.) The lawyer characterized Ms. Daniels’s online commerce as “shilling.” Ms. Daniels retorted: “Not unlike Mr. Trump.”
  18. This was my favorite part of the testimony so far this morning.
  19. Please, don't let the simpleton make this thread go off-topic. Let's look at some of the testimony over the last hour to get back on track:
  20. I see I'm not the only one who's fallen victim to this site's predilection to adding strikethroughs on long quotes. For others, here's the full article (free link): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/us/antisemitism-republicans-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qk0.clvT.xMBF37o5FYc0&smid=url-share Many of those who continue to decry the protests as being chiefly antisemitic (yes, there are some antisemites partaking) are among those who've been trafficking in this shit for years, including Trump. But somehow, being opposed to the occupation of the West Bank and indiscriminate killing in Gaza makes one an antisemite. Some key passages about Trump in this very long piece (there's a shitton of other examples from other Republicans in this piece too): Former President Donald J. Trump chimed in. President Biden, he wrote on Truth Social, “HATES Israel and Hates the Jewish people.” Amid the widening protests and the unease, if not fear, among many Jews, Republicans have sought to seize the political advantage by portraying themselves as the true protectors of Israel and Jews under assault from the progressive left. ***** Debate rages over the extent to which the protests on the political left constitute coded or even direct attacks on Jews. But far less attention has been paid to a trend on the right: For all of their rhetoric of the moment, increasingly through the Trump era many Republicans have helped inject into the mainstream thinly veiled anti-Jewish messages with deep historical roots. The conspiracy theory taking on fresh currency is one that dates back hundreds of years and has perennially bubbled into view: that a shady cabal of wealthy Jews secretly controls events and institutions contrary to the national interest of whatever country it is operating in. The current formulation of the trope taps into the populist loathing of an elite “ruling class.” “Globalists” or “globalist elites” are blamed for everything from Black Lives Matter to the influx of migrants across the southern border, often described as a plot to replace native-born Americans with foreigners who will vote for Democrats. The favored personification of the globalist enemy is George Soros, the 93-year-old Hungarian American Jewish financier and Holocaust survivor who has spent billions in support of liberal causes and democratic institutions. This language is hardly new — Mr. Soros became a boogeyman of the American far right long before the ascendancy of Mr. Trump. And the elected officials now invoking him or the globalists rarely, if ever, directly mention Jews or blame them outright. Some of them may not immediately understand the antisemitic resonance of the meme, and in some cases its use may simply be reflexive political rhetoric. But its rising ubiquity reflects the breaking down of old guardrails on all types of degrading speech, and the cross-pollination with the raw, sometimes hate-filled speech of the extreme right, in a party under the sway of the norm-defying former, and perhaps future, president. In a July 2023 email to supporters, the Trump campaign employed an image that bears striking resemblance to a Nazi-era cartoon of a hook-nosed puppet master manipulating world figures: Mr. Soros as puppet master, pulling the strings controlling President Biden. ***** Dov Waxman, a professor of Israel studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that Mr. Trump and other Republicans “are presenting themselves as committed to fighting antisemitism, but they’re actually mainstreaming some of the most antisemitic ideas in circulation today.” That duality was encapsulated on the day the House speaker visited Columbia. Mr. Trump, speaking to reporters that evening at the Manhattan courthouse where he is on trial, amped up his criticism of the campus protests — and added a twist: He compared them to the violent 2017 march in Charlottesville, Va., where torch-bearing white supremacists chanted, “Jews will not replace us.” At the time, he sought to minimize the deadly Charlottesville rally by saying there were “very fine people on both sides.” Now, he called it “a little peanut,” adding: “The hate wasn’t the kind of hate that you have here. This is tremendous hate.” ***** In March, when the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat and the nation’s highest-ranking Jewish elected official, called for new elections to replace Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, congressional Republicans accused him of being anti-Israel. Mr. Trump went further, saying that “any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion.” When Jewish groups criticized his comments, the Trump campaign held firm, saying that the Democratic Party “has turned into a full-blown anti-Israel, antisemitic, pro-terrorist cabal.” ***** Mr. Trump once claimed to be “the least antisemitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life,” but he has a history of trafficking in antisemitic tropes. During the 2016 campaign, he tweeted a photo of Hillary Clinton against a backdrop of $100 bills and a Star of David. His closing campaign ad featured Mr. Soros — along with Janet L. Yellen, then chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, and Lloyd Blankfein, then the chief executive of Goldman Sachs, both of whom are Jewish — as examples of “global special interests” enriching themselves on the backs of working Americans.
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