Polarizing stories spotted in the news

[Jinx999]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017...ew-orleans

And here's a story from 2017 about the state of the legal system in New Orleans.

[Black Aeronaut]

https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalbal...mp-voters/

Shows just how polarised America has become.

The actual practical policies of the two parties are reasonably similar, but there is no trust between the parties.

The main issues between the two parties isn't quite as simple as mere distrust.  That distrust is there for a reason, and it's rooted in how those similar policies are acted upon, as well as where those similarities end.

For example, both sides have populist policies.  But where Democrats desire a more moderate approach, Republicans want highly reactive and extremist measures that will hurt more people than they'll help.

As for their actual differences...  There's bad on both sides, to be honest.  Less on the Democrats than Republicans, but still.

For Republicans, we have things like these new anti-abortion laws that have had many of us going, "...and you people unironically bitch about Sharia Law while you pull this kind of shit!?"  Meanwhile, most Democrats would like to respect women's reproductive rights.

And then there's been the Gun Regulation discourse.  The NRA still holds sway with a lot of Republican voters, and a few I've talked to online think that even people who've committed crimes using firearms should still be permitted to hold one.  (Just for the record, I think that's fucking idiotic, and a clear sign that, just like Beau of the Fifth Column said about that Glock mod that makes it look like a Lego toy, these people are their own worst enemy.)

Democrats, meanwhile, still call for outright blanket bans of all kinds, from banning specific types of gun (e.g.: assault rifles), to banning entire classes of fire arms (all semiautomatic firearms), to even banning all guns period.

(For the record, I'm still of the opinion that if you ban all firearms, people of a mind to do so will resort to far more indiscriminate means of either making their point or gaining their fifteen minutes of fame.  Bombs have never been easier to make - a cheap burner phone, a raspberry pi, and your choice of hardware and household chemicals is all you need.)

[hazard]

On the other hand, making a bomb and not blowing yourself up in the process is a distinctly more difficult task than going to a US gun show, buy a gun without any licensing or registry requirements, buy ammunition for that gun at that same show, again without any licensing or registry requirements and then shoot up a place to make their point or gain their fifteen minutes of fame.

But then, part of the problem is that in the US, using violence to make your point is a distinctly more accepted and acceptable course of action than in Europe.

[RMH999]

https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/4/22708...sapp-error

Facebook, Whatsup, Instagram are all down. Where will people go "to do their own research?"

Appears to be a pretty major crash - someone/something borked their internal network (which includes their DNS servers).
This would be a great Leverage episode (to go along with the whistleblower that spoke out yesterday)

[Dartz]

It also includes all their IOT systems. Including the door locks in the office.

Some are locked out. Many are locked in.

The battle for survival begins

[nemonowan]

It also includes all their IOT systems. Including the door locks in the office.

Some are locked out. Many are locked in.

The battle for survival begins

The weatherman is DEAD! I KILLED the weatherman! His STRENGTH is in me!

[robkelk]

Coroner's report: If Joyce Echaquan were white, she would still be alive

The Quebec coroner who presided over a three-week inquiry into the death of Joyce Echaquan said she believes the Atikamekw woman would still be alive today if she were white.

Echaquan, a mother of seven, died on Sept. 28, 2020, shortly after recording herself as health-care staff in a hospital north of Montreal hurled racist remarks at her.

The provincial government continues to deny the existence of systemic racism.

[robkelk]

AP: Texas governor bans all COVID-19 vaccine mandates, including by private businesses

I don't even live in the USA and even I can tell this is unconstitutional.

[Black Aeronaut]

What can I say? He's gearing up for the 2022 Election, where it's all about trying to become the Trumpiest politician in the world.

[Jinx999]

What can I say? He's gearing up for the 2022 Election, where it's all about trying to become the Trumpiest politician in the world.

So an honorless, irresponsible, lying coward?

[Dartz]

Are your neighbours planning to kill you?

If you know, you know...

[Labster]

A Florida school says students who get vaxxed must stay home for 30 days to prevent other kids from being infected or becoming mutants

As a former school kid myself, I’d be overjoyed by this policy to give me three thirty-day vacations. Thanks, Florida Man!

[robkelk]

Photojournalist faked an entire book to highlight how hard it is to spot misinformation

When photojournalist Jonas Bendiksen released a book about the fake news industry, he got messages from people thanking him for covering such an important issue.

But he says no-one noticed one thing about the book: everything in it was also fake.

Text written by a bot. Photos with CG "people" digitally added.

And nobody noticed. Including other photojournalists at the Visa pour l'Image festival.

[Bob Schroeck]

Better yet, deliberate "flags" added to all the images intended to make people feel like something is wrong and wonder about them -- and no one did.

[Labster]

Yeah, I can see the flags, they're pretty obvious.  But the other part of it is that the photos are good photography, so your mind is otherwise distracted by the composition.  I feel like this is a polarizing story only in the sense of a polarizing filter being used.  Misinformation is an obvious problem that everyone is aware of.  Even the QAnon people think we're awash in misinformation.  You could argue that it was a breach of trust as a photojournalist, but really his peers should have noticed.

Russia took its time earlier in the pandemic to doubt the efficacy of Western vaccines in propaganda at home and abroad, and then for some reason people didn't want to take Russian-made vaccines either.  Russia's had four straight days of 1000+ deaths as a result.  Misinformation can be a problem even if you're the one behind it.

[Jinx999]

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/michi...ote-totals

https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/news/po...053701001/

Michigan Republicans are replacing local election officials with people with records of supporting Trump's attempt to steal the election.

[Jinx999]

https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of...ace-theory

[Jinx999]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-did-fight...Wt-62zC4c8

“Conquering the world on horseback is easy; it is dismounting and governing that is hard.”

The Taliban is faced with the difficulty of actually ruling Afghanistan, as opposed to conquering and looting.

[Jinx999]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world...44866.html

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/desantis-s...o-n1282191

Ron DeSantis - Nurgle cultist. Except without the charm.

[Black Aeronaut]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-did-fight...56434.html

“Conquering the world on horseback is easy; it is dismounting and governing that is hard.”

The Taliban is faced with the difficulty of actually ruling Afghanistan, as opposed to conquering and looting.

So, a regime once known for its fundamentalist, yet tyrannical, corrupt, and hypocritical rule is once again a fundamentalist, yet tyrannical, corrupt, and hypocritical regime.

Color me surprised.</s>

It's going to be a really rude awakening for these people when they come to find themselves staring down the barrels of the guns they themselves once wielded. And in the hands of their own tribesmen, at that.

If Russia decides to go and try to claim the place once more, I'm inclined to just let them have it. With all the corruption and cronyism that runs rampant there, Afghanistan is far too much of a headache to deal with.

[Norgarth]

a guy decided to try an experiment concerning jobs down in the Ft Myers Florida area.
https://www.fox4now.com/news/local-news/...uN_hj2nLjw
He applied to 60 jobs that were hiring to see what would happen (and maybe collect a little extra cash) The results were unexpected

[Jinx999]

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/26/polit...index.html

Threats to Secretaries of States and other election officials.

Also
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-57853385

'We're being pressured into sex by some trans women'.

The we is this case are lesbians.

And edited to add:
https://www.thebulwark.com/political-spe...re-robust/

Political Speech for Human Dingleberries Has Never Been More Robust

[Jinx999]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/qanon...49713.html

How crazy is it possible to be?

[Bob Schroeck]

Don't they realize that even if it were possible, JFK Jr. would be a Democrat like his father?


<wink>

[Labster]

Trump is beyond Democrat and Republican, beyond good and evil. He is the Übermensch, the eternal recurrence of the America that always was, and JFK will rise in glory to pay homage to him, and together they will eat a pair of juicy Trump steaks. So it is written.