Full Reichstag Fire

[canpakes]

From the Wall Street Journal this morning:

President Trump escalated his battle with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, saying the Democratic leaders should be imprisoned for failing to protect ICE officers.

“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!,” Trump said Wednesday on Truth Social. 
The White House and the offices of Johnson and Pritzker didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

That sounds weirdly authoritarian and fascist-y.

[Some Schmo]

Yes, I don’t see why people care about skin pigmentation. People are people.

Because if you suffer crippling insecurity, thinking whiteness is superior is intellectual comfort food. Of course, it's poisonous, processed food only a moron would ingest, but there it is.

Anyone who uses DEI in a derisive way is probably a incompetent screwup worried about losing their job to the millions of people who could do it much better than they can.

[Kishkumen]

Because if you suffer crippling insecurity, thinking whiteness is superior is intellectual comfort food. Of course, it's poisonous, processed food only a moron would ingest, but there it is.

Anyone who uses DEI in a derisive way is probably a incompetent screwup worried about losing their job to the millions of people who could do it much better than they can.

Being a US citizen is possessing US citizenship. It is not dependent on race, gender, age, height, weight, IQ, language, religion, educational attainments (past the citizenship test), or any other factor. It is about possessing the rights of citizenship.

This is as it should be. I have never understood, nor will I ever understand, why anyone should think that there needs to be some other standard than citizenship to enjoy the full rights of a citizen.

[canpakes]

Hegseth’s sprawling hunt for Charlie Kirk critics spans nearly 300 investigations

The inquiry, resulting in a smattering of disciplinary action so far, follows an extraordinary Pentagon directive aimed at silencing criticism of the slain activist and Trump supporter.

October 8 at 3:21 PM 2025

The Pentagon has investigated nearly 300 Defense Department employees, including service members, civilian workers and contractors, for comments appearing online after last month’s shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.

The sweeping, ongoing inquiry, which has resulted in a smattering of disciplinary action so far, follows an extraordinary directive by the department’s political leadership to silence criticism of a prominent, polarizing figure who was unabashed in his views and fervent support for President Donald Trump.

The order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to target those critical of Kirk, former defense officials and congressional Democrats say, reflects a deepening alarm over the former Fox News personality’s stewardship of the military, whose personnel are expected to remain loyal to the Constitution, not any one party or president.

Since taking office, Hegseth has routinely subverted those norms — saying as recently as last week that the nation’s generals and admirals should quit if they don’t support the Trump administration’s bid to impose what opponents say are regressive policies on the armed forces. Troops faced similar choices — get in line or get out — under the Biden administration’s coronavirus vaccine mandate, resulting in the dismissal of thousands.

Hegseth and his political staff have argued forcefully that speech celebrating or mocking the Turning Point USA founder’s death is itself an illicit partisan activity subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... tigations/

This seems like an awkward combination of both snowflake-y and fascist-y.

[Whiskey]

Because if you suffer crippling insecurity, thinking whiteness is superior is intellectual comfort food. Of course, it's poisonous, processed food only a moron would ingest, but there it is.

Anyone who uses DEI in a derisive way is probably a incompetent screwup worried about losing their job to the millions of people who could do it much better than they can.

Being a US citizen is possessing US citizenship. It is not dependent on race, gender, age, height, weight, IQ, language, religion, educational attainments (past the citizenship test), or any other factor. It is about possessing the rights of citizenship.

This is as it should be. I have never understood, nor will I ever understand, why anyone should think that there needs to be some other standard than citizenship to enjoy the full rights of a citizen.

No. We should send the Canadians back to Cambodia.

[canpakes]

That sounds authoritarian-ish and fascist-y.

It certainly doesn’t sound very American.

[Whiskey]

That sounds authoritarian-ish and fascist-y.

It certainly doesn’t sound very American.

I believe in free speech. People should be able to burn the flag and call a Hell's Angel a faggot to his face.

[Moksha]

No. We should send the Canadians back to Cambodia.

Didn't Trump halt the war between Canada and Cambodia so that nobody could leak the Epstein Files implicating Trump as the criminal mastermind?

[Whiskey]

No. We should send the Canadians back to Cambodia.

Didn't Trump halt the war between Canada and Cambodia so that nobody could leak the Epstein Files implicating Trump as the criminal mastermind?

No that is why he started the war.

[Whiskey]

I'll wait.