this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2024
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[–] [email protected] 101 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's also giving 1.8 billion dollars in weapons to Israel. Fuck every single dem who voted for genocide, and the few republicans who didn't vote for it because it was insufficiently genocidal.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (4 children)

This was included in a funding bill. If that wouldn't pass the government would shut down. You can blame Republicans for those extra things added.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

the government would shut down

Good. A government that needs to commit genocide to even function shouldn't exist.

Imagine trying to use that as an excuse to fund genocide.

You can blame Republicans

Biden has been bypassing congress to send "israel" weapons faster.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Then the government should've fucking shut down. Not even close to an excuse for voting to fund genocide and I'm utterly baffled as to how you could possibly make such an argument.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (3 children)

People are missing the forest for the trees but you are right.

If Republicans force this through on every bill then at some point it would have to pass. You can't just shut down the US government indefinitely in the real world.

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[–] [email protected] 101 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Important note for those who dont want to read the actual article: the ban is essentially saying only some flags can be bought with federal funds and then hung up officially, and the pride flag isn't one of them. It also doesn't prohibit personal displays, so while they can't be on flag poles or bought with federal funds, they can still be displayed. Interestingly, the bill also bans the confederate flag. It's still just bigotry being forced by the GOP but there's always more context than a headline can provide.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago (2 children)

And the State Department can do whatever it wants. Why would Congress have oversight of a routine maintenance issue for the Executive Branch? They can fly all the pride flags they want and no one can stop them.

The House's budget power only exists until the item is purchased. It's actually not very strong. Literally how are they going to enforce this? The Justice Department will be defending the State Department. The House will have... who?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago

The House will have… who?

Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Barrett, Kavanaugh, and Gorsuch.....

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

The House should be about to pass laws that curtail the rights of the executive branch. This is a key part of the system of checks and balances.

[–] [email protected] 65 points 10 months ago

Oh nooo scawwy wainbow

[–] [email protected] 32 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Maybe the US's adversaries could learn from this and go the opposite way to improve LGBT rights instead. Would decrease western govs' ability to pinkwash imperialism, spread atrocity propaganda etc.

So far, the only governments I can think of that seem to have realized this and vastly improved LGBT rights accordingly have been the GDR (which would've likely spread to the rest of the socialist states) and Cuba.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago

Maybe the US’s adversaries could learn from this and go the opposite way to improve LGBT rights instead

Nah: right wing extremists are getting more and more power everywhere so looks like it's worse LGBT+ rights for everyone.

The future ain't looking too bright.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 10 months ago (1 children)

What a waste of time. Sometimes I'm ashamed to even admit that I'm American.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago

Nationalists ruin nations

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The US is always so disrespectful flying their flag higher than others

I thought it was common knowledge that to fly two flags you need two poles

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think it stems from our domestic flag rules which have state and local flags flying below the US flag, even if on different poles. The US flag must always be the highest.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I was gonna say that Texas' flag is the only one "allowed" to be at the same height as the U.S. flag, but apparently I've been taught a big ol' lie.

In fact it looks like we're both wrong, according to Snopes.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

In some cases, the acceptable way to display the flag is to burn it. Is day now is such a time.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Time to start raising the Wrath flags.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I read that as "Welsh flags" at first and thought "a little unorthodox, but ok.. Let's have some dragons up in this bitch!"

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I read it as "Wraith Flags" and wondered how Colonel John Sheppard has been doing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

Colonel John Sheppard

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Hopefully they get rid of the POW/MIA Flags too.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I don’t mean for this to come off as ignorant or accusatory; I’m curious: how come you feel that way about POW/MIA flags?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (4 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Out of curiosity, where do you draw the line for non-government related symbols to be shown? What types of non-government related symbols should be allowed, and which ones shouldn't?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Perhaps each symbol could be evaluated individually based on what it is meant to represent? I don't know why that's such a difficult thing to imagine.

I've seen those black "POW/MIA" flags next to US flags all of the time and I've never once seen a single ammosexual conservative freak complain about it, despite their cult of personality centering around someone who literally belittled prisoners of war for being caught.

I've never heard of anyone complaining about that. I see the "pride" flag to be as offensive as the black POW/MIA flag.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Perhaps each symbol could be evaluated individually based on what it is meant to represent?

Which criterea do you propose should be used in such an evaluation to determine whether the government should display a specific symbol?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Am I being tasked with creating a protocol for evaluating which symbols the government should display? Like what do you think you're accomplishing with this line of questioning? It's not my fucking job or expertise to come up with that criteria, there are much smarter people who could do that.

I know you think you've made some powerful rebuttal here, but you really haven't.

There is no set of reasonable, ethical criteria that could possibly make displaying a rainbow flag offensive. It just doesn't exist. If you're upset by seeing a pride flag, then that's 100% your problem.

That's like getting mad at seeing the California flag flying next to the US flag because you just hate that CA exists. Fucking dumb.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Am I being tasked with creating a protocol for evaluating which symbols the government should display? Like what do you think you’re accomplishing with this line of questioning? It’s not my fucking job or expertise to come up with that criteria, there are much smarter people who could do that.

I apologize if my probing came off as accusatory — this was not my intent. I'm simply curious if you perhaps had a framework that you had considered as a solution to the issue that you are describing. I have no issue at all with the recognition and discussion of issues, but I believe that degrading something simply because of its shortcomings, without the suggestion of an alternative, or a possible solution, is non-constructive. It is often the case that there are downsides to the systems in place — and it is certainly important to be aware of them — but it is also often the case that, despite their downsides, they are the current best solutions. One can, for example, look at democracy. There exists a metaphor that says "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding on what's for dinner". It can certainly happen that the majority makes a decision to the detriment of the minority, but, despite its shortcomings, democracy is possibly the most moral solution as, even if its decisions are to the detriment of a minority, the people must always have a say in the laws that govern them. Through the recognition of these shortcomings, however, a well-structured government can implement checks, and balances in an effort to reduce these "negative" outcomes. These mediations are only arrived at through the discussion of shortcomings, but one would simply not have democracy if they only belittled it.

I know you think you’ve made some powerful rebuttal here, but you really haven’t.

I am trying to word my comments in a way that doesn't antagonize, and I am not, in the slightest, seeking "gotcha" moments. I only wish to have a discussion on the issue that you pointed out. I apologize if I wasn't successful to that end.

There is no set of reasonable, ethical criteria that could possibly make displaying a rainbow flag offensive. It just doesn’t exist. If you’re upset by seeing a pride flag, then that’s 100% your problem.

I would, perhaps, reword the question to ask whether a government should be involved in cultural issues. I have no doubt that there are people who truly believe that the pride flag is evil and/or offensive, but removing the pride flag, and any other symbols, from government buildings needn't be interpreted as a surrender to bigotry but, instead, the taking of a position of non-involvement.

That’s like getting mad at seeing the California flag flying next to the US flag because you just hate that CA exists. Fucking dumb.

Ha, yeah, that's bigotry for you. That being said, I would still argue that the flying of California's flag is fundamentally different than the display of a cultural symbol — of course, this is dependent on context, and what the intent of flying flags on flag poles actually is.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Should note this is not permanent. It's only for the extent of the spending bill, which is until October, and can be easily removed from the spending bills after the election, when hopefully we have a more blue congress that won't need to make these shitty concession just to fund the damn government.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (16 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

BlueAnon 👁️

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Ban the scary rainbows

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