sailingbythelee

@sailingbythelee@lemmy.world

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sailingbythelee ,

Correct. I'm pretty sure that "illegal" is just the short form of "illegal alien". And is that the accepted legal term for a foreign national who is in the US illegally, right?

Honestly, all of this language policing just turns the average person right off. I mean, I suppose it wouldn't be necessary if the Republicans weren't constantly sneering at people, but still. It is better to reclaim terms the Republicans abuse rather than try to language-police hundreds of millions of people. It is very, very off-putting.

sailingbythelee ,

The two most important things missing from Linux are mass familiarity and certain important professional software suites. It isn't that Linux doesn't have software nearly-equivalent to things like the Adobe suite, MS Office, and AutoCAD. It is that it doesn't have those EXACT applications. Like it or not, in a professional setting, you usually have to use the big proprietary applications because that's what everyone else uses. Using standard software reduces compatibility and training headaches, and eases recruitment. Most technically-oriented professionals wouldn't even take a job that disallowed them from accessing and maintaining their competence with the standard software of their profession.

Biden uses feisty State of the Union to contrast with Trump, sell voters on a second term ( apnews.com )

That was one of the more interesting SOTU addresses I've seen. Personally, I think he said most of the things that needed to be said, and he said them reasonably well. I'm sure he's going to get some flack for attacking Trump directly (though not by name), but I was frankly glad to see it. Doing otherwise makes it seem like it's...

sailingbythelee ,

Don't help him!

sailingbythelee ,

Time? What time do you think we have? The hour is later than you think. Trump’s forces are already moving. The Nine have left Mar-a-Lago. They crossed the River Delaware on Midsummer’s Eve, disguised as lobbyists in black.

sailingbythelee ,

Frodo and Sam made it to Mount Doom because they moved in secret and carried the one thing that could kill Trump, I mean Sauron, without direct confrontation. Like it or not, in this analogy, Biden is our Aragorn. Come to think of it, they are about the same age! If there is a Frodo secretly making his way to Mount Doom with Putin's kompromat, I mean the One Ring, we don't know about it yet.

sailingbythelee ,

You're only comparing Biden to Bilbo because they both look old. That's shallow. If Trump is Sauron in the analogy, which is how I set it up, then Biden is at least as strong and important as Aragorn. More so, really.

sailingbythelee ,

Oh I don't doubt that the "uncommited" oppose Trump, too. The problem is the Genocide Joe rhetoric and other similar bullshit. You push that narrative and it may very well have lingering effects in Trump's favor during the general election. Maybe in other elections it didnt matter quite as much, but this is Trump were talking about. Why do you and others like you not get that? Hello, knock, knock. Trump is fully embracing the Hitler playbook and aiming to be president of the Most Powerful Nation on Earth. And you want to bitch about Biden? At this moment...? SMH, it is your sort of fractious indiscipline and short-sightedness that allows fascism to gain power, laughing all the way at your stupidity and inability to mount a coherent defence of democracy. You think you have nothing to lose, but you do. Things can get much, much worse.

What is a gender neutral replacement for man, guys, buddy, etc?

So I've realized that in conversations I'll use traditional terms for men as general terms for all genders, both singularly and for groups. I always mean it well, but I've been thinking that it's not as inclusive to women/trans people....

sailingbythelee ,

But y'all makes you sound like an idiot.

sailingbythelee ,

folks, y'all, youse

The redneck trifecta!

sailingbythelee ,

What's got all y'all's balls in a knot, youse folks?

sailingbythelee ,

No, just that one.

sailingbythelee ,

I thought I read that the decision was unanimous. If the liberals and conservatives on the court agree, it seems unlikely that packing the court would change the decision.

Also, as much as I'd love to see Trump excluded from ballots, we all know that states like Texas would turn around and do the same to Biden, just out of spite. It would change the nature of democracy, in a bad way, if individual states could just randomly decide to exclude candidates they don't like. Heck, what would stop them from excluding ALL candidates of a particular party, except perhaps some token losers or quislings no one ever heard of?

sailingbythelee ,

This is a strange situation, for sure. The age requirement you bring up is a good comparison. Age is something you are, not something you've done, possibly done, or definitey not done, so there isn't as much to argue about.

However, what if some 33 year-old decided to run and had the support of one of the two big parties, and just lied about her age? Presumably, that would require a finding of fact and would be adjudicated by the federal courts, not Congress or each state legislature or Attorney General.

Your example makes it pretty clear that even something supposedly "self-executing" still needs a back-up plan. Another interesting example is the 2000 election, where it was the Supreme Court that arbitrated the final vote, which decided the winner of the presidential election (incorrectly, it seems, based on later statistical analysis). Nasedon these two examples, I don't entirely understand their reasoning for pushing the decision about eligibility to Congress. While an election is for a political office, the process of running an election is supposed to be apolitical.

What the US really needs is a non-partisan, apolitical, independent federal electoral commission.

sailingbythelee ,

Yeah, the Supreme Court's record on key issues is not great. Citizens United, for example, is at the root of a lot of the current troubles.

But a big part of the problem is actually the structure of US democracy itself. US democracy was set up primarily to prevent tyranny, and it does that through separation of powers. And it has been successful in that regard. However, the structure the founders created also causes gridlock on key issues.

In the US, it is relatively rare for one party to be fully in charge for any length of time. In a Westminster-style parliamentary system, on the other hand, a majority government usually gets a chance to implement their program and then they deal with the consequences in the next election. The role of the opposition is to point out all the stupid things the government does. When something goes poorly, it is clear who is to blame.

One of the problems with the US system is that the parties can legitimately blame each other when nothing gets done, which means they can avoid accountability.

In parliamentary systems, the government of the day bears the blame for fuck ups, whereas in the US system there is a tendency to blame the institutions. Perhaps that's why you see surveys in the US where people strongly approve of their local representative, but have very low approval of Congress overall. This lack of power and accountability for the government is also why the Supreme Court is such a huge force in the US. Gridlock doesn't change the fact that decisions need to be made, so more and more key decisions are being made either by the Supreme Court or by presidential decree.

Also, having a President is just a bad idea. I believe the US only has a President because Washington was so revered at the time. Having such a singular, king-like office with actual power inevitably creates a cult of personality. In contrast, parliamentary systems turn the king or his representative into a powerless ceremonial position that stays silent on political issues.

sailingbythelee ,

Right, but Congress votes along party lines so that isn't much of a remedy. The remedy is just as flawed as the process that leads to political bad acting in the first place. That's why people look to a (supposedly) non-partisan body like SCOTUS to resolve the issue, and why SCOTUS becoming partisan is such a big deal.

But your larger point that the system has broken down is well-taken. Much of how government functions successfully is based on unspoken conventions and norms of behavior. When a large proportion of the population actually WANTS someone like Trump, you have a very serious problem. No democratic structure or form of government can save the people from themselves forever. Sure, gerrymandering and other dirty tricks make a difference, but at the end of the day Trump really will get almost half the vote. He's not the representative of some small fringe party who managed to ride a crazy set of circumstances to power, like Hitler did. Trump represents one of only two major parties and will legitimately get support from right around half of those who vote, which is just crazy when you think about it.

What the actual fuck happened that we stand on the precipice of such madness?

sailingbythelee ,

This is fantastic. Thanks.

Trump is disqualified from Illinois ballot, judge rules ( www.reuters.com )

An Illinois state judge on Wednesday barred Donald Trump from appearing on the Illinois' Republican presidential primary ballot because of his role in the attack at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but she delayed her ruling from taking effect in light of an expected appeal by the former U.S president.

sailingbythelee ,

You're not wrong. However, it's still massively consequential because if he can be taken off the ballot for the primary, he will also be taken off the ballot for the general. It will be interesting to see how SCOTUS rules. Will they decide to create a new legal test at the federal level? Will they throw it back to Congress? Since they supposedly love states rights so much, will they leave it up to each state to decide?

Each option is incredibly consequential. Option 1 allows the Supreme Court to disqualify candidates. Option 2 turns it into a political contest, like an impeachment proceeding. Option 3 is absolute chaos, since we know some states will disingenuously retaliate by removing Biden from their ballot regardless of whether there is any merit to an insurrection charge.

sailingbythelee ,

You are demonstrably wrong. Trump is still going to get nearly half the vote. Potential Trump voters are not just the rabid nutters we associate with Trump rallies. They include millions of normal people who who can be swayed. You almost certainly live in a left-wing social and media bubble if you think Biden is guaranteed a victory in the general election.

sailingbythelee ,

Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine, assuming we are using the rather expansive definition that people are now using for the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The US should definitely support Ukraine, but Europe could do a hell of a lot more to ramp up war production. All the talk is about US aid, but the Europeans are being massive pussies. They brag about sending more food and medical aid, but Russia won't be intimidated by that. Europe needs to convert to a war economy, massively ramp up war production, and supply Ukraine with unlimited military equipment. This is a war whose outcome will be determined by industrial production, which means Russia will certainly win if Europe doesn't get its collective ass in gear. The US should take the opportunity to ramp up military production as well, but the Europeans are a lot closer to the action and have much more at stake. The Europeans should agree to take the lead on Ukraine while the US gears up for competition with China.

sailingbythelee ,

I'm not sure where you are getting the idea that what Russia is doing in Ukraine is somehow less genocidal than what Israel is doing. At least Israel has the excuse that they were attacked by Hamas, and that Hamas's ultimate goal is the extermination of Israel. Ukraine did nothing to Russia and has no thought of eliminating Russia as a country. Ukraine's only "crime" was being friendly with the West, which also has no intention of eliminating Russia, except in Putin's paranoid fantasies.

sailingbythelee ,

Nope. And the "who started it" conversation doesn't go anywhere useful.

sailingbythelee ,

So, what's your suggestion then?

sailingbythelee ,

Your suggestions are very tempting, I must say. We don't want to sleepwalk into fascism. It could be 1930s Germany all over again.

Trump and many of his gang were arrested already, though, and are facing trial. So far, the verdicts have shown that the justice system is still somewhat functional. I don't think it makes sense to flip the table as long as the justice system continues to hold Trump and his ilk accountable. Taking it to the next level and declaring an emergency would accomplish what, exactly? He has already been charged, so would the point of the emergency declaration be to skip the trial phase and go straight to hanging? Essentially it means outlawing Trumpism, which means purging the GOP, which means civil war. No one wants civil war as long as there is a chance to beat Trump constitutionally.

We had a situation in Canada in the 90s where our second largest province had a very serious vote on whether to separate from Canada. It would have literally ended the country as we know it. It was certainly tempting to arrest the leaders for treason to save the country. However, that would certainly have led to either a civil war or the Quebecois equivalent of the IRA in Canada. So, we persevered through the vote and the remainers won by about 1%, as I recall. We saved the country by the skin of our teeth, but through legitimate democratic means, and so the result was respected.

sailingbythelee ,

I wish I could confidently disagree with you, but I can't.

sailingbythelee ,

Is Tlaib suddenly going to be Biden's best friend after the Michigan primary? How can you vote for someone you've been accusing of genocide for months? No, the people she is inflaming simply won't vote. Or, maybe they'll even vote for Trump using the skewed logic that angry, hurt and frustrated people use. Either way, Tlaib is helping Trump whether she means to or not.

sailingbythelee ,

Exactly

sailingbythelee ,

Yes, you are confused, and you are also trying to confuse the issue with false equivalence. The outcomes of a Trump presidency and a Biden presidency are not going to be the same, either in the Middle East or more broadly.

sailingbythelee ,

You are being obtuse intentionally, I assume, to make a point. Withdrawing support for Israel is not one of the options. Your choices are status quo or fascism. And if you choose not to choose, then you are still making a choice. Trump can be elected by a combination of active support and negligence on the part of those who could stop him.

sailingbythelee ,

As I said, your preference is not one of the choices in the election.

sailingbythelee ,

Which is actually a choice to help Trump win. Its a zero sum game where the winner takes all. Every vote NOT cast for Biden is potentially the vote that allows Trump to win, especially in swing districts. You can't stand above the fray or absolve yourself of blame by simply refusing to play the game.

sailingbythelee ,

OMG, you are hopeless.

sailingbythelee ,

No, I meant you are hopelessly bad at logic. Your line: "Oh, so you stand with genocide" is right up there with the anti-abortionist's favorite line: "Oh, so you believe in killing babies". That kind of logic is characteristic of teenagers and religious fanatics.

I get it. You are looking for a "third way" to avoid an unpalatable choice. Unfortunately, being a responsible adult and a leader sometimes means having to choose from among less-than-ideal choices because not choosing is also a choice.

sailingbythelee ,

Fact: Politicians have positions on many different issues and you won't agree with all of them. Supporting a politician overall in a race doesn't mean you support every one of their positions.

Fact: Trump would be much worse for world (and Middle East) peace than Biden. The US sliding into fascism is just about the worst thing that could happen for democracy and human rights worldwide.

Fact: The US has a first-past-the-post two-party electoral system, which means that you can't avoid the choice between Trump and Biden, no matter how unpalatable that may be for you.

Fact: Choosing Biden over Trump doesn't mean you support genocide, because choosing Trump would lead to even more genocide. The choice is between less genocide or more genocide, not no-genocide. No matter which US President gets elected, there will still be genocide in China and elsewhere. But electing Trump gives a giant green light to even more genocide.

What is so difficult to understand about that?

sailingbythelee ,

One of the problems with lists that rate "greatness" is indeed recency bias. It takes a generation or two before a President's legacy is understood. Reagan's legacy is still volatile. Will Iran-Contra, voodoo economics, and the War on Drugs be considered significant in 50 or 100 years? Hard to know.

If Trump loses the next election and MAGA burns out, Trump will be remembered as a buffoon who lamely and unsuccessfully tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power. If his actions eventually lead to the overthrow of the US constitutional order, then he'll either be considered the Second Coming or worse than Hitler, depending on your perspective. I think/hope the US constitutional order will survive Trump and that he will be largely forgotten by history, like other lesser known Presidents.

sailingbythelee ,

Absolutely true. What I find puzzling is the hesitation to support Ukraine. If the US wants to pivot to Asia, it will need to ramp up its war industry. No better way to do that than to sell or give lots and lots of war materiel to Ukraine. A war for Taiwan and/or an expansion of war in the Middle East will require a huge build-up of industrial capacity to mass manufacture ammunition, missiles, computer components, tanks, trucks, artillery guns, combat aircraft, surface ships, and submarines, plus the primary industries needed to produce all of the raw materials required. Also, where are we going to get business and consumer products if we support Taiwan in a war with China?

If people give it more than a minute of thought, they'll realize that we are utterly unprepared to defend Taiwan. I'm not sure if NATO could even handle a war with Iran right now, but it would certainly be much easier if Russia were first defeated in Ukraine.

All that is to say that any pre-Trump iteration of the Republican Party would have jumped at the chance to help Ukraine as a way of reducing Russia, supporting the military industrial complex, and readying for great power competition. Apparently, the Republicans don't care about foreign affairs anymore.

sailingbythelee ,

Is that broadly true? Hillary is Hillary because "Clinton" would obviously refer to Bill, since he was President. She also embraced the first name reference in her campaign materials. What about other famous women? Margaret Thatcher is Thatcher, J.K. Rowling as Rowling, Angela Merkel is Merkel. On the other side Bernie Saunders is Bernie. Perhaps calling someone by their first name is a sign of affection, not disrespect?

sailingbythelee ,

Hurting his finances is arguably more effective. Going to jail makes him a martyr to his supporters, and he can appeal a criminal charge until he dies. Taking his money makes him a loser right now.

Also, doesn't a criminal fraud charge requires a victim, meaning a complainant that can show they have lost money as a result of the defendant's actions? I'm sure those people exist, but that's not what this particular trial was about. However, maybe others will come forward now that he has lost this trial.

Passkeys might really kill passwords ( www.theverge.com )

Passkeys: how do they work? No, like, seriously. It’s clear that the industry is increasingly betting on passkeys as a replacement for passwords, a way to use the internet that is both more secure and more user-friendly. But for all that upside, it’s not always clear how we, the normal human users, are supposed to use...

sailingbythelee ,

I must admit that, despite reading about passkeys a bit, I still don't understand the actual practicalities. I seem to recall that Bitwarden can store keys, but can't generate them. If that's true, who generates the passkey?

A State Supreme Court Just Issued Another Devastating Rebuke of the U.S. Supreme Court ( slate.com )

The Hawaii Supreme Court handed down a unanimous opinion on Wednesday declaring that its state constitution grants individuals absolutely no right to keep and bear arms outside the context of military service. Its decision rejected the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Second Amendment, refusing to interpolate...

sailingbythelee ,

Rights are a fascinating concept. While I agree with you practically that we definitely create the social contract that "gives" people rights, that's not really how rights are conceptualized in law. In the Western conception, rights are, by definition, not "given", they are "inalienable", meaning that you have rights even if someone has taken away your practical ability to exercise them. The rights themselves, separate from your ability to exercise them, are indeed considered "inherent". In the olden days, this was often codified or framed in terms of religion, but it doesn't have to be. Calling rights "natural" or "self-evident" are other ways of framing their "inherent-ness".

Of course, in reality it isn't so simple. We separate "natural" and "derived" rights. There aren't many natural rights. Things like the right to life, to self-determination, and to freedom of conscience are considered natural rights (in the West, anyway), while something like the 2nd amendment to the US Constitution would be considered a derived right. Derived rights, of course, are rather more subject to interpretation since they rely on a chain of reasoning from a more natural right, and that chain of reasoning is subject to challenge.

sailingbythelee ,

What's the difference between an "internet atheist" and an atheist?

sailingbythelee ,

They had the "right" but they weren't able to exercise it. The moral wrongness of withholding their inherent right to life, etc. Is what created the moral impetus to free the slaves. It is a subtle but important difference. If rights are inherent, they can't be removed without violating the moral fabric that those rights are based on. Thus, when a government removes the ability to exercise an inherent right, that is what makes that government's action "wrong" and not just "different".

sailingbythelee ,

Yup, fair enough. If I wasn't clear, I'm not necessarily arguing that I believe in the concept of inherent rights. I'm an atheist, so I have a bit of trouble with it, too. Nonetheless, it has a very long tradition and underpins the modern concept of rights. At least conceptually, we lose something when we say that rights are contingent rather than inherent.

sailingbythelee ,

Right, so the CIA ousted a pro-Soviet Iranian leader in, what, the 1950s? Not defending that, but it was a long time ago. At what point does the theocracy in charge of Iran bear responsibility for the current situation? Or will it always be America's fault?

sailingbythelee ,

The current oppressive regime in Iran wasn't installed by the CIA.

Lol, are you serious about your "statute of limitations" claim? If so, I guess you think those damn Romans are responsible for Brexit. Is King George responsible for Trump, too? Get a grip, friend.

sailingbythelee ,

What's your suggested alternative to democracy?

sailingbythelee ,

Its a good idea, though the application is somewhat limited. Most government business is complex, boring and technical, but direct democracy is feasible for a few issues that the public is invested in. The US, at least, already has some direct democracy in the form of ballot questions. However, too many ballot questions would be exhausting and virtually no one would be able to keep up. No, we have representative democracy for good reason. Rather than direct democracy, we need electoral reform. Various forms of proportional representation might tick your boxes, or perhaps something more radical like non-geographic elections.

sailingbythelee ,

Sorry about that. I missed the reference, though I see you've updated your comment with the link. Anyway, yes, electoral reform is desperately needed.

What is being done to make Flatpaks better integrate into the system

For example, theming shouldnt have to be a 10 step process. Make Flatpaks use your themes correctly. Another thing is QT Theming, why is it outside of KDE you can't use the breeze style? It's the best and most consistent application style for QT apps. And the final point, when is the naming scheme of org.foo.bar going to be...

sailingbythelee ,

alias shortname 'flatpak run longname'

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