Trump's Appointments

[Colonel Sanders]

Here is what RFK Jr is putting out about autism and vaccines. Total bullshit.

View attachment 54802

They are relying on the pervasive lack of understanding among the laypeople of how science actually works to propagate their misinformation. It is quite easy to do.

The problem is an education system that allows people to graduate high school with zero usable understanding of science or epistemology.

Most students drop science like a hot brick as soon as it is permitted; And what little "science" they are taught prior to that is generally presented as facts to memorize (and to forget as soon as their pens hit the desk at the end of their final exam). No wonder teenagers generally think of science as "boring".

Knowing that the Relative Molecular Mass of O₂ is a bit more than 32, isn't very useful to anyone who isn't planning a career in the sciences, and does nothing to help people understand why vaccines are safe, or why they are important.

Critical thinking and epistemology are hardly mentioned in education for that vast majority of people who don't take an undergraduate philosophy module as part of a degree level course.

IMO, schools should start at the primary level with teaching kids how to think logicslly and reasonably, how to avoid their own cognitive errors, and how to spot errors, falsehoods, and lies told to them by others.

But no such skills are formally taught prior to the tertiary level, and any attempts to introduce them at primary school would be viciously opposed by parents and churches, due to their corrosive effect on belief.

Parents don't want kids who can spot when they are being consistently misled by adults.

I hated science when I was a kid. I simply didn't understand why it mattered. I look back now and can't help but think that if it was taught in a more relatable way that I wouldn't have hated it so much. Why would e.g. chirality matter to a 14 year old?

Instead, how about teaching what the properties of a Bic Mac are; what are fats, carbohydrates, and protein made up of, and how does it affect you? What are the receptors that make it taste the way it does and why does that appeal to so many people?

OTOH, there's "mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell." Zzzzz. The latter is tedious boredom to endure; the former personally affects you, and likely invites further questions about other foods like fries and soda. It sounds frivolous at first glance, but an entire semester could be built around it and remain interesting and memorable because middle and highschoolers can relate to it.

To go further with the subject of chemistry and food, Alton Brown's Good Eats captured a wide audience due to its simple and interesting approach to food science.

As for logic, I'd like to see basic If-Then propositions be taught in high school, and have it framed as a way to win arguments with anyone; parents be damned.

Anyway, logic isn't taught at all and science is taught in a manner that makes it a boring slog.

 

[blastula]

 

[blastula]

Not The Onion.

 

[Spacetime Inhabitant]

Not The Onion.

So Kash Patel was disqualified from being an FBI agent (he did not say why, and he would have access to his FBI file), but when he became director he changed the rules so that if involved in prostitution, bestiality, or theft from employer, you could not be disqualified. Hmm.

 

[Elixir]

he changed the rules so that if involved in prostitution, bestiality, or theft from employer, you could not be disqualified

So, Kash was the pimp of a chimp he stole from his first employer. Got it.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Not The Onion.

So Kash Patel was disqualified from being an FBI agent (he did not say why, and he would have access to his FBI file), but when he became director he changed the rules so that if involved in prostitution, bestiality, or theft from employer, you could not be disqualified. Hmm.

I heard him say that someone could have been forced into bestiality and thus that shouldn’t count against them in their FBI application. I wonder who specifically they had in mind there…

 

[TV and credit cards]

Not The Onion.

What's the problem?
Human traffickers do not just force people into prostitution, they force them into other reprehensible acts.
I would have liked to have more context on Durbin's point about using the word "engage" rather than "victim". It does seem that victim would be the more appropriate choice of words. But that's just my lay opinion.

 

[Patooka]

I'm curious as the the precise nature of events that lead Patel into thinking a clarification on bestiality is necessary. This can't be a common occurrence during recruitment, surely.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Perhaps there was an applicant who had been trafficked and forced into some kind of bestialty show and now their life long dream is to join the FBI in order to bring down the very traffickers who abused them. Should that person’s application be automatically rejected because they participated in bestialty, even though they were forced into it?

but who knows. I don’t trust this administration one bit to work in good faith so…

 

[Elixir]

Should that person’s application be automatically rejected because they participated in bestialty, even though they were forced into it?

Who forced them? Was it Kash?
Please say it wasn’t Kash!

Is this the first time bestiality has become a political issue? I don’t recall another.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Should that person’s application be automatically rejected because they participated in bestialty, even though they were forced into it?

Who forced them? Was it Kash?
Please say it wasn’t Kash!

In my hypothetical it would have been traffickers who this applicant now wants to bring to Justice. Is that not a noble cause? why should this poor soul not have their chance for justice?

Is this the first time bestiality has become a political issue? I don’t recall another.

Look, it's just an HR issue that's being made political because of its salacious nature. I the FBI needs to hire the best of the best, should they simply reject potential ace agents simply because they were forced to be amorous with animals at some point in their life?

 

[Elixir]

why should this poor soul not have their chance for justice?

… or retribution, for that matter. Where’s the perv who forced them to bestiality? Who can confirm it happened at all, the sheep?
Of course I think animal abuse is some of the worst shit people routinely do, and I wish I had confidence that laws and punishments could mitigate it whatsoever.

OTOH, if it gets Kash fired, is it still a bad thing?

 

[Patooka]

Considering how badly this administration (and Patel in particular) has fucked over Epstein survivors, does anyone actually believes the is motivated by the well-being of victims? It's far far FAR more likely the child of an influential donor wants to work for the FBI and their past disqualifies them from doing so.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Perhaps there was an applicant who had been trafficked and forced into some kind of bestialty show and now their life long dream is to join the FBI in order to bring down the very traffickers who abused them. Should that person’s application be automatically rejected because they participated in bestialty, even though they were forced into it?

but who knows. I don’t trust this administration one bit to work in good faith so…

I've tried not to think about this, as the subject is just a bit hairy in my opinion, however, after a little additional thought, there is a major problem with their claim.

The only time something like this should come up would be in a records search... FBI pulls up a conviction of such a charge and that ends the whole becoming a FBI agent thing. It isn't like it is a question on a form or during an interview (people would just lie anyway). So, it would need to be in the judicial record. Who would have been convicted on a charge if they were compelled via traffickers?

 

[crazyfingers]

So Hagsbreath has lost the war on Iran and has sent the army into disarray by firing top Generals for ideological reasons.

What's he doing about it? Mandatory testosterone testing!!

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has rolled out formal guidance for mandatory testosterone testing for male service members 30 and older, a policy that leaves out women for now and faces questions from medical experts about the need and efficacy of such a program.

The Pentagon’s efforts to test for low testosterone coincide with growing interest in the hormone that has been driven by men’s health influencers and podcasters, many of whom recommend the drug as a way to boost energy, muscle and feel younger.

However, many experts say those far-reaching benefits aren’t supported by the science. Hegseth’s messaging on the hormone has blended established scientific facts with broader, and less substantiated, claims.

https://apnews.com/article/testosterone-testing-troops-pentagon-hegseth-09e50f1b2b272c089e667d615091c66b

It's too bad that his impeachment vote got put off several weeks.

 

[ZiprHead]

Saving the country from the scourge of health.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Perhaps there was an applicant who had been trafficked and forced into some kind of bestialty show and now their life long dream is to join the FBI in order to bring down the very traffickers who abused them. Should that person’s application be automatically rejected because they participated in bestialty, even though they were forced into it?

but who knows. I don’t trust this administration one bit to work in good faith so…

Right, but why no exceptions for those who were grabbed by deranged refrigerator repairmen and forcibly masturbated with a spatula, and they let out an excited gasp even though they knew a crime was being perpetrated? I'm not saying this happened to me, but our Frigidaire did break down a lot.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Perhaps there was an applicant who had been trafficked and forced into some kind of bestialty show and now their life long dream is to join the FBI in order to bring down the very traffickers who abused them. Should that person’s application be automatically rejected because they participated in bestialty, even though they were forced into it?

but who knows. I don’t trust this administration one bit to work in good faith so…

Right, but why no exceptions for those who were grabbed by deranged refrigerator repairmen and forcibly masturbated with a spatula, and they let out an excited gasp even though they knew a crime was being perpetrated? I'm not saying this happened to me, but our Frigidaire did break down a lot.

Who said there are no exceptions for that? Are those applications automatically rejected under the new guidelines?

 

[ZiprHead]

Hackers Say They Stole Thousands of Sensitive F.B.I. Personnel Records

Biggest Hack in FBI history: hacking group got the Agency's entire job board of every agent, undercover or not, plus applicants, including their Social Security numbers (yes also Kash).

 

[scombrid]

I’m sure it’s the fault of trans or immigrants and not incompetent GOP appointees or the DOGE kids stealing all the data and fucking up data security in the process.