Well... it's Trump... again. #47, here we go.

[laughing dog]

So, it is NOT A FACT that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated, but that is a fear.
If an ethnic or racial group owned 70% of the farmland, it is reasonable they would bear that proportion of the expropriation.
Please do not confuse my concern with separating fact from speculation with approval.

Again, even BBC admits that the goal of the land stealing law by the South African government is to redistribute land on a racial basis.

Shift the goal posts much? It is not a fact that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated. At this point, there is no reports that I have seen of any land having been redistributed.

And, of course, the issue that Trump's executive order is for white farmers just files by your "race blind" radar.

For someone who allegedly despises Trump, you're doing a like of whiteknighting here for him.

Please quit being in utter denial about reality. As with all such redistributions it's about giving it to cronies, not to the people. (And, no, Mao didn't. Mao gave the land to "the people" as run by the state. True ownership lies with those capable of actually making decisions about it.)

What reality? Nothing has happened yet. At this time, your suspicions are just that.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

In harkens back to similar land theft by Zimbabwe government.

So, it is NOT A FACT that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated, but that is a fear.

If an ethnic or racial group owned 70% of the farmland, it is reasonable they would bear that proportion of the expropriation.

Please do not confuse my concern with separating fact from speculation with approval.

Look at what actually happened in Zimbabwe--they took the land from the white farmers and gave it to the cronies of the guy in power. With just enough given to the people to pretend it was about giving it to the people. The cronies had no skill in farming the land. The people that got the land they were working on weren't in a position to actually do the whole thing even if they had known what to do (the reality is they knew their part of the job, not the big picture.) Zimbabwe agriculture was royally fucked by that. An oppressor of one's own race isn't magically superior to one of another race.

And that is relevant to a discussion about giving refugee status to white South African farmers because.....?

Because what we are seeing in South Africa is simply a replay of what we saw in Zimbabwe. It's about theft, not fairness.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

According to this 0.5%. Not large... but of things that we could do without... I'd say it is easily expendable. At a restaurant, it is likely the only thing that isn't reused. There is really no reason for it either. Ending the use of straws at sit down restaurants doesn't solve the plastic problem, but it is a relatively harmless attempt at reducing plastics.

At a fast food joint, it is nothing compared to the cup.

I rather suspect disposable straws reduced labor cost by more than the cost of the straws.

The glasses are cleaned regardless.

Reusable straws mean labor cost in cleaning them.

No straws probably increase spills, especially by younger kids.

 

[laughing dog]

Shift the goal posts much? It is not a fact that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated. At this point, there is no reports that I have seen of any land having been redistributed.

Not shifting anything. Even Beebs is admitting that this is the goal of the new land theft law.

Of course you are shifting the goalposts (see the bold-faced potion that you seem to be unable to parse).

And, of course, the issue that Trump's executive order is for white farmers just files by your "race blind" radar.

If white South Africans are being persecuted by their government, should they not have the right to asylum? Or is asylum only something for non-whites and Muslims in your book?

Stop blowing smoke. This is a race-based policy - something you claim to abhor. This is refugee status for land-owning Afrikaaners (who, by the way, have publicly refused the offer), not any South African who is persecuted. Or are you saying that only land-owning white South Africans should have the right of asylum?

Once again, you're accusing others of what you're doing. It appears (I haven't dug into it) that it's the usual game of stealing from the outgroup to give to cronies. It's not racist to refer to a group that's basically all white as "white". You are trying to apply the racism to the offer to be refugees rather than to the theft in the first place.

As usual, you are quick with the baseless accusations. It is racist to offer refugee status to only one race. These potential victims (because nothing has happened) if they wish to come here will be e economic refugees - their lives are not directly threatened. Their situation is not materially different from thousands from Central and South America who are persistent victims of economic crime from vicious gangs. Yet, this administration is denying refugee status to people whom they suspect are economic refugees because of their country of origin (skin color).

So, the executive offer is an example of racism, and it is no surprise to me that the champions of "race blind" policies here are defending it.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Regarding NOAA, I wonder if Musk will consider Hurricane forecasting to be unnecessary.

Conservatives in general feel that NOAA is unneccesary. They would all be for private industry....but organizations like Intellicast or Accuweather get their data from...drum roll please - NOAA. And I'm sure they will eliminated it, not realizing how such a move would increase costs to their base. One big thing the weather service does for farmers is the long range forecasts - helping farmers to determine what crops to plant (drought resistant or not) and what kind and how much crop insurance to purchase. When they start seeing losses from weather related issues, the costs will be passed on to the consumer. Yet again. Which won't be much to bring the price of "groceries" (we are so fortunate that our dear leader gave us a name for the food we buy at the food store) down.

Actually, I think he will continue because of those forecasts. Demand that they are in denial of global warming.

 

[laughing dog]

In harkens back to similar land theft by Zimbabwe government.

So, it is NOT A FACT that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated, but that is a fear.

If an ethnic or racial group owned 70% of the farmland, it is reasonable they would bear that proportion of the expropriation.

Please do not confuse my concern with separating fact from speculation with approval.

Look at what actually happened in Zimbabwe--they took the land from the white farmers and gave it to the cronies of the guy in power. With just enough given to the people to pretend it was about giving it to the people. The cronies had no skill in farming the land. The people that got the land they were working on weren't in a position to actually do the whole thing even if they had known what to do (the reality is they knew their part of the job, not the big picture.) Zimbabwe agriculture was royally fucked by that. An oppressor of one's own race isn't magically superior to one of another race.

And that is relevant to a discussion about giving refugee status to white South African farmers because.....?

Because what we are seeing in South Africa is simply a replay of what we saw in Zimbabwe. It's about theft, not fairness.

Let me get this straight - you think Trump is giving refugee status to these people because they are victims of theft? If he is so sympathetic to victims of theft, why such a narrow executive order?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

In an interview FOTUS says he wants to relocation the 1.9 million Palestinians... but population estimates put the Palestinian population at around 2.1 to 2.2 million before the war. Is this an admission the government estimates a couple hundred thousand have been killed instead of the long out of date numbers that are occasionally used? Or is he just pulling numbers out of his ass again?

By other estimates 100k-200k have gotten out. Thus this isn't a smoking gun.

Where do those estimates come from?

I do not recall, it was a while back. Hamas wasn't shooting the dual citizens that tried to leave.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

In harkens back to similar land theft by Zimbabwe government.

So, it is NOT A FACT that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated, but that is a fear.

If an ethnic or racial group owned 70% of the farmland, it is reasonable they would bear that proportion of the expropriation.

Please do not confuse my concern with separating fact from speculation with approval.

Look at what actually happened in Zimbabwe--they took the land from the white farmers and gave it to the cronies of the guy in power. With just enough given to the people to pretend it was about giving it to the people. The cronies had no skill in farming the land. The people that got the land they were working on weren't in a position to actually do the whole thing even if they had known what to do (the reality is they knew their part of the job, not the big picture.) Zimbabwe agriculture was royally fucked by that. An oppressor of one's own race isn't magically superior to one of another race.

And that is relevant to a discussion about giving refugee status to white South African farmers because.....?

Because what we are seeing in South Africa is simply a replay of what we saw in Zimbabwe. It's about theft, not fairness.

Let me get this straight - you think Trump is giving refugee status to these people because they are victims of theft? If he is so sympathetic to victims of theft, why such a narrow executive order?

No. I think he's offering it because they have money.

 

[Shadowy Man]

No straws probably increase spills, especially by younger kids.

from my experience in restaurants with kids it is the employees’ filling a large container right to the very top that increases spills.

 

[ZiprHead]

In harkens back to similar land theft by Zimbabwe government.

So, it is NOT A FACT that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated, but that is a fear.

If an ethnic or racial group owned 70% of the farmland, it is reasonable they would bear that proportion of the expropriation.

Please do not confuse my concern with separating fact from speculation with approval.

Look at what actually happened in Zimbabwe--they took the land from the white farmers and gave it to the cronies of the guy in power. With just enough given to the people to pretend it was about giving it to the people. The cronies had no skill in farming the land. The people that got the land they were working on weren't in a position to actually do the whole thing even if they had known what to do (the reality is they knew their part of the job, not the big picture.) Zimbabwe agriculture was royally fucked by that. An oppressor of one's own race isn't magically superior to one of another race.

And that is relevant to a discussion about giving refugee status to white South African farmers because.....?

Because what we are seeing in South Africa is simply a replay of what we saw in Zimbabwe. It's about theft, not fairness.

Wrong.

The Fox News claims were apparently based on a short blog post published by the Cato Institute, a libertarian U.S. think tank, warning that South Africa was carrying out a policy similar to Zimbabwe’s Fast Track Land Reform Program, which had led to chaos, violence – particularly against white farmers – and a precipitous drop in agricultural production. This analogy draws from a prevalent, but fundamentally inaccurate, contention that South Africa is going the way of its northern neighbour, on a slide into economic ruin. To its credit, the State Department in its efforts to “explain” the president’s tweet confirmed that it disagrees with this comparison. But the State Department did include the admonition that expropriation without compensation “could take South Africa down the wrong path”.

https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/southern-africa/south-africa/land-reform-south-africa-fact-and-fiction

A lot of good information in the article.

 

[crazyfingers]

An article from AP on a poll of opinions on government spending.

Majorities think that the US is NOT spending enough on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Education, helping the poor, etc... Only spending on Border and Defense even out as about right.

BUT, the respondents also want to cut federal government spending. How the FUCK do you increase spending while cutting spending?

Where US adults think the government is spending too much, according to AP-NORC polling

Many U.S. adults believe the federal government is overspending. But polling also shows many Americans, including Republicans, think the country is spending too little on major government programs like Social Security.

apnews.com

 

[crazyfingers]

I saw this the other day but keep seeing it and it's just another example of Trump's 3 year old child mentality.

AP being banned from the White House press pool because they reference the Gulf of Mexico instead of the Gulf of America.

I need a bumper sticker with a picture and words Gulf of Mexico

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/14/media/white-house-ap-ban-air-force-one-oval-office-gulf-of-mexico/index.html

 

[ZiprHead]

Florida Man Says Wife Taken By ICE on Eve of 11th Wedding Anniversary Was' In The Middle Of' Becoming US Citizen: 'They Just Snatched Her'

A man in Florida is pleading with President Trump not to deport his wife after he says she was "snatched" by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

www.lawyerherald.com

Florida Man Says Wife Taken By ICE on Eve of 11th Wedding Anniversary Was' In The Middle Of' Becoming US Citizen: 'They Just Snatched Her'​

A man in Florida is pleading with President Trump not to deport his wife after he says she was "snatched" by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The man, who asked not to be identified, spoke with CBS Miami on camera about an ICE raid at his home.

"They just came, and they snatched her," the man told CBS News Miami. The man said that he and his wife were about to celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary. Also taken from the home were two men who work in construction.

"It's despicable what they're doing right now," the man told CBS. "It's very embarrassing."

The Trump administration has promised "mass deportations" and continued to ramp up immigration enforcement efforts over the weekend.


On Sunday alone, CNN reported nearly 1,000 arrests.

I wonder who he voted for.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/southern-africa/south-africa/land-reform-south-africa-fact-and-fiction

A lot of good information in the article.

Apologists:

According to South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), the proposed amendment would introduce greater clarity to existing expropriation provisions, though it would remove the stipulation “subject to compensation”.

In other words, they're going to steal it.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

An article from AP on a poll of opinions on government spending.

Majorities think that the US is NOT spending enough on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Education, helping the poor, etc... Only spending on Border and Defense even out as about right.

BUT, the respondents also want to cut federal government spending. How the FUCK do you increase spending while cutting spending?

View attachment 49422

Where US adults think the government is spending too much, according to AP-NORC polling

Many U.S. adults believe the federal government is overspending. But polling also shows many Americans, including Republicans, think the country is spending too little on major government programs like Social Security.

apnews.com

You cut the mythical waste beast. Same as the liberals fund everything through cutting the mythical excess profit.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[GenesisNemesis]

Top US Election Security Watchdog Forced to Stop Election Security Work

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has frozen efforts to aid states in securing elections, according to an internal memo viewed by WIRED.

www.wired.com

Hmmm I wonder why hmmm.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Efficiency? They are just firing people to reduce the work staff. They don't appear to know what any of these people do, whether they are good at it, or whether the position in question is expendable. Including those in charge of nuclear related things. But don't worry, it isn't rocket science.

Trump administration officials fired more than 300 staffers Thursday night at the National Nuclear Security Administration — the agency tasked with managing the nation’s nuclear stockpile — as part of broader Energy Department layoffs, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.

Sources told CNN the officials did not seem to know this agency oversees America’s nuclear weapons.

An Energy Department spokesperson disputed the number of personnel affected, telling CNN that “less than 50 people” were “dismissed” from NNSA, and that the dismissed staffers “held primarily administrative and clerical roles.”

Oh... just clerical workers. Okay, that is dif....

The agency began rescinding the terminations Friday morning.

Oh FFS!

Should we be at least happy that there was some inexplicable pragmatism here?

I think we are learning that Musk, like Trump, is a shitty manager. He did some stuff well, and is good at raising capital, but it seems most of the companies he is involved with do well in spite of him, while their long term prospects are being suffocated by his stupidity (cybertruck, mission to Mars, FSD AI). He helped these companies with liquidity, that's it.

 

[lostone]

Trump wants half of Ukranian rare minerals in exchange for support!!! How low can the man go?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/15/ukraine-rejects-trump-administration-request-half-its-mineral-wealth/?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere&location=alert

 

[Shadowy Man]

Trump wants half of Ukranian rare minerals in exchange for support!!! How low can the man go?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/15/ukraine-rejects-trump-administration-request-half-its-mineral-wealth/?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere&location=alert

Protection racket - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org