So, yeah, it's entirely possible that the framers of the Constitution wanted the laypeople (i.e. us) to believe they intended a free and equal society while nonetheless setting up a legal structure to ensure that the plutocrats stayed in charge...
...and that, therefore, when adherents of right-wing "philosophy" (I use the term generously) claim that an inherently stratified and bigoted society ruled by assholigarchs is in fact what the framers intended, they are actually correct...
...but even if they are, I don't fucking care. They may be correct about what the framers wanted, but they're wrong about what's right.
I want what we were promised.
I will not support anything less than that.
I never pledged allegiance to anything less, nor would I ever.
What the Right wants is straight-up unacceptable and unnecessary, and also thoroughly proven to have bad outcomes for everyone (even if a few get to temporarily feel like the lords of creation).
The "landed gentry" do not know WTF they are doing anymore, if they ever did.
We need a legal framework that actually delivers on the promises implied by the Constitution.
Legislative truth-in-advertising, or GTFO. 👩⚖️
@tarotbird I have a theory that most curricula make history boring in order to reduce the number of kids who really pay attention to it.
(Also, all brontosauruses are thin at one end, much much bigger in the middle, and thin again at the far end.)
6 years of research: "The only trait that consistently predicted objections to remote work was narcissism—the tendency to be self-centered & entitled. The higher the opinions of themselves leaders expressed, the more they coveted power and status—& the more they favored return-to-office mandates."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597826000300
@anon_opin In theory, this will help drive down housing prices, which is in fact the epicenter of the problem.
So... yeah, seems good. Not sure what they're not getting about the situation...
(Maybe they're trying to appeal to all the "my home is my investment" people?)
@RnDanger @the_etrain ...second only to the US southeastern peninsula, because of all the minifloridians. (Or is it minichlorination, because of all the backyard pools? I get my force-physics terminology mixed up...)
@EndlessMason It's not directly applicable, but somehow I feel like quoting...
They go, "Me and your mom, we've been noticing lately you've been having a lot of problems
And you've been going off for no reason
And we're afraid you're gonna hurt somebody
And we're afraid you're gonna hurt yourself,
So we decided that it would be in your best interest if we put you somewhere you could get the help that you need"
-- Suicidal Tendencies, "Institutionalized"
@tzimmer_history I suspect the latter know full well that it was never intended that way. All they care about is power, not truth.
[edit] ...although I just now came across this thread which cogently argues that in fact the Constitution was basically a con -- intended to sound like it was delivering equality for all while in fact reserving power for the elites.
I'll have to read your piece now to see how it covers that...
RE: https://mastodon.social/@thefunnypages/116874035800482612
Dick Tracert
oh heck, now I've done it -- I have to add an image description, just for a throwaway #offalPost.
Okay, here goes.
This is a 2-panel daily Dick Tracy comic.
First Panel: Someone whose name is apparently "Sam" is asking a sharp-looking woman "Fill me in. How did the FBI reach the point it's reached?" She responds "Fair question, Sam. It does involve some guesswork."
Second Panel has, as a background, a diagram which is apparently trying to show how a VPN works; I couldn't swear it's at all accurate, but I don't see any glaring issues. Over this background, sharp!woman says "The hacker who hit Ubusoft used a VPN. It's a different type, that obscures more information than normal. The VPN is based in North America; the hacker might be, too."
At this point, I feel like an @epigram quote is in order:
I'll compose a highly performant interface in Dreamweaver, see if I can crosslink the remote IP address...
RE: https://mastodon.social/@thefunnypages/116873822940720216
This is a four-panel daily "Wizard of Id". The eponymous wizard is brewing something in a wooden vat. In the first panel, he lists "lizard gizzard*, bat dandruff and aardvark fluid..." as he deposits them in the vat; in the second, he exclaims "and A-LA-KA-ZOLT!"
In the third panel, quite suddenly, nothing happens. He stares with puzzlement into the inert vat.
In the fourth panel, a spirit of some sort rises from the vat and says "Try COMMAND + OPTION + ESCAPE".
Perhaps he wasn't following the correct recipe.
* presumably no relation
@futurebird We just found it, honest! Nobody was using it! Just a few savages who didn't know how to develop it properly.
@riley It will be the world's first black market that is also a black & white, tabby, tortie, and calico market.
@EndlessMason It's more likely than you think! (The gaslighting lobby is strong in this one annoyingly powerful.) :blobcatupsidedown:
...suddenly realizing that my parents' way of teaching me to deal with strong feelings was to point out how unreasonable they were, and how I needed to "get control" of myself.
In other words, they taught me how to self-gaslight.
El Niño continues to grow, with sea surface temperatures clearly at record high levels for the time of year...
➡️ Sign up for my next monthly briefing to learn more, including an open Q/A: https://climatecentral-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/5817787808929/WN_EM9Mg3FVQm6erm59agslAA.
We'll also have a new mid-year update on U.S. billion-dollar disasters so far this year.
