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Random Politics Thread

Totenkindly

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So you guys might have seen this memo going around on social media yesterday (got it originally off Kip's substack).

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Basically agencies will have celebration months during the year for these various demographics (as noted above) and will often also have Advisory Councils which are just groups of employees who either identify as such or are allies / want to be involved and will host special events during the year. During the designated months, often in the various agencies there would be a small area with displays and photos and posters and history, etc., to explain events and people of importance and their impact on our country. (During COVID shutdowns, this usually happened now on web sites rather than on physical site.) The agency head would typically send a memo to kickoff the month with a short blurb.

So Trump basically ignored Pride month (June, annually) when he was in his first term, he never acknowledged/celebrated it, and this time it looked like all the groups were going to be shut down under anti-DEI initiatives. You can see above -- blacks, women, LGBT, Jews, Hispanics, Indigenous Americans, even persons with disabilities (!) -- all of this has been shut down / gone into hiding. The only reason the actual holidays of MLK's Birthday and Juneteenth haven't been removed is likely because they are established by Congress.

Aside from the memo above, this seems to be true now. I just got my e-mail address removed from the PAAAC group (which is the Pacific-Asian group). I am not Asian, but my daughter is + I had lots of friends who were in this group, so I had joined as well to stay abreast of their activities. So yeah, all official recognition of these groups have been expunged.

I am really curious to see what happens to the mandatory training VODs we have to do annually for how to treat persons with disabilities now, for example.
 

Totenkindly

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I can't even....

But yeah, they can't even make a secure mailing list. So much for national security.

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EDIT:
 
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Totenkindly

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I mean, Ken's newsletter isn't a crude email. He might call Trump a stupid motherfucker but that's an accurate statement.
I find him (Ken) rather amusing... Way for him to prove his point about lack of security :D
 

Red Herring

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In November 2024 the Selfdetermination Act made it easier for trans, non-binary and intersex people to change their name and gender in the public registry. People of age can now do it without much paperwork. The only limitation is that the change takes three months to become legally effective and you can't change your entry back within less of a year.

This reform was immediately used by a wellknown neonazi activist who changed their name and gender from male to female. They did this shortly after being sentenced to a prison term for hate crimes. Most assume that they did this purely to provoke and mock the law (and possibly see if they'll get transfered to a jail for women). Others aren't excluding the possibility that they were actually closeted all along. They did not undergo any visible change in appearance or lifestyle. The thing is that the law also forbids malicious deadnaming (accidentally misspeaking is no issue but trying to find out someone's former name and gender, e.g. through public records, and then using that information to harm or intimidate them is illegal). Now this person is trying to sue the media for mentioning their old name. But since they already were a publically known figure (they have a chapter of their own in the annual report on anti-constitutional activities!) they probably won't get away with any frivolous lawsuits.

This is her:
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She apparently threatened to sue anybody who'd adress her as a man.
 

Red Herring

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@mods as an FYI - I can live with the annoying drop-down advertisement that you have to close every time before being able to read a new page on the forum if that keeps the forum alive...but why do I have to currently see adds for the extremist far-right AfD party on this forum much, much more often than on any German website I have been to? It's like one in three or four adds now on TypeC is for the AfD. Do you have any influence on this whatsoever?

I am asking because, seriously, I see more German far-right adds here than on any German website. I don't expect you to be involved in or knowledgeable about European politics, I get that, really, but please read up on them.
 

Virtual ghost

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@mods as an FYI - I can live with the annoying drop-down advertisement that you have to close every time before being able to read a new page on the forum if that keeps the forum alive...but why do I have to currently see adds for the extremist far-right AfD party on this forum much, much more often than on any German website I have been to? It's like one in three or four adds now on TypeC is for the AfD. Do you have any influence on this whatsoever?

I am asking because, seriously, I see more German far-right adds here than on any German website. I don't expect you to be involved in or knowledgeable about European politics, I get that, really, but please read up on them.

To tell you the truth I was wondering about this exact thing. But I never asked this because from what I understand the mods have no real control over this if they allows the adds. Because what you see should be defined by your geographic location. However in my case not only that it was the far right, it was the party that ruled in 1940s. Since in my case those guys are still around and they haven't even changed the name. Because here those kinds of things aren't as forbidden as in Germany.
 

The Cat

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@mods as an FYI - I can live with the annoying drop-down advertisement that you have to close every time before being able to read a new page on the forum if that keeps the forum alive...but why do I have to currently see adds for the extremist far-right AfD party on this forum much, much more often than on any German website I have been to? It's like one in three or four adds now on TypeC is for the AfD. Do you have any influence on this whatsoever?

I am asking because, seriously, I see more German far-right adds here than on any German website. I don't expect you to be involved in or knowledgeable about European politics, I get that, really, but please read up on them.
That is terrifying. I use an ad blocker, thanks for giving us a heads up. I don't know how the ads work, but that is fucked the fuck up. I'm gonna reach out to the other mods and someone will get back to you. If that doesnt happen let me know.
 

Totenkindly

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I have little hope anyone has a spine enough to actually fight the war, and I hate expecting Democrats to actually be the ones to fight because they typically suck -- but that's where we are and at least it's being said.

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Totenkindly

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So... posted today by my friend who has worked high up in executive security roles for multiple gov agencies including Interior... but she's talking lingo so I don't track it all.

speaking with somebody this morning helped me formulate a bette idea of what's happening at OPM... and Feds, feel free to offer corrections.

So, while everybody is freaking out about personnel data at OPM being stolen... the individual stuff on an SF-50 is sensitive, but the clearance stuff is more troubling.

Since the 2014 breach, when they formed NBIB with the DOD, which was then transferred to DCIA (formerly the DSS) all the investigative data is located there, at DCIA in Quantico...

It's easier to jackboot your way in with US Marshals past rent-a-cops at OPM to reuse the tail back to DCIA than show up at Quantico with a bunch of fresh faced nobodies...

So I'd scare some Fed who has access to the tail back to the DCIA to pull all the clearance info, which, is more to preventing blackmail, and get all the secrets... including those for legislators... THIS is why nobody's acted because they don't know what was pulled... there's a lot of folks with a lot of secrets...

When done, wash, rise, repeat - wonder who hasn't had a tariff... probably is also getting a sweet deal on clearance data.

How about that end to the Ukraine war? hmm... Gaza? hmmm...

Also, USAID is also cover for a lot of IC folks... under State Department as well (figure out the in the field more than near a consulate and embassy) and less questions, so going in there is less about not wasting money but to also find out who's under deeper cover as well.

There, there it is laid out... have fun kids.

She also notes if this was to curb waste, HHS would be the agency to hit... but they're going after intel data instead.
 

The Cat

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Some of us may die, but that's a sacrifice they're willing to make.​
 

Virtual ghost

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Some of us may die, but that's a sacrifice they're willing to make.​


At this point I am openly willing to say "bring it on". If you are this ignorant on how the world works you just have to learn the lesson on hard way.
As the video says: going after China, Canada and Mexico is already one very big bite. Therefore opening additional front towards EU truly makes sure that the glass will spill. After all EU has bigger population than US and it is fairly wealthy in the global context. Not to mention that EU is probably the biggest single investor into US. Since not many have the money and will to actually do it at this point. What in the end means that this money should dry up in this situation. Plus this puts numerous US companies doing business in EU into pretty uncomfortable situation (the social stigma will surely hurt them). Therefore if he were to target only EU then I could possibly have some discomfort over it. But in this context I don't really mind. Because I can't really see him winning anything of value or significance.

After all Canada, Mexico and EU are already starting some kind of talks on how to create some sort of united front in this mess (in order to minimize the damage to themselves). Those 3 have almost double the population of US. While China has about 4.25 times more people. What is 6 times more people than US (if he doesn't hit someone else with tariffs). In the case that the country is healthy and orderly then just maybe a miracle could happen but this just wouldn't work in current situation.
 

The Cat

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Alas, learning isnt the point of the exercise. Damnation is.
 
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