Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Tom W]

But the media and The Party will never pass up an opportunity to make it all about race. Its a winning strategy. 80 million votes worth.

Remember the old playground phrase of "Who smelt it dealt it" ? Yeah, it's juvenile, but not without merit. It becomes more obvious everyday that people that find "racism" everywhere probably don't have their own houses in order. Furthermore, they've so vain that they think we're all too stupid to not see that.

[lineygoblue]

Furthermore, they've so vain that they think we're all too stupid to not see that.

This is especially true.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Let's talk about "spring breakers" in Miami first. I'm sure there are some college kids whooping it up in S. FL. What I'd like to see is a sampling, just big enough to be statistically significant, of college IDs with ages. Anecdotally, the trouble makers aren't all college kids. I'd bet 40% of the crowd in Miami Beach were college kids actually on Spring break with most having a good time and mostly behaving. The rest were locals who are used to carrying weapons, fighting, breaking the law and trouble makers who flew in on ridiculously low airfares from NY, Boston, Philly and Chicago to chase 20 yo pussy. I've seen lots of TV news reports and read a ton of news feed articles, local and national. Couple of points:

First, there was a problem with unruly crowds, fights and gun violence at Miami Beach and it wasn't a small one. On Friday, police used crowd control tactics and peaceful reminders for partyers to play nice. That had no effect. Two police officers were hospitalized and several more had injuries that didn't go to the hospital. Chairs, any nearby objects that could be used as weapons were used by brawling morons most likely high on drugs or alcohol.

On Saturday with a curfew in effect starting at 8pm, police arrived, some on horseback, with tactical gear, batons and pepper balls. Police were taunted and if crowds didn't disburse per the ordered curfew, police acted like most of would want them to. 100s of arrests were made and lawbreakers were hauled off in cuffs to waiting paddy wagons. Control of the affected streets was restored. A wholly appropriate response by law enforcement. If you continued to prowl unlawfully you were told to leave and if you didn't you were cuffed, read your rights and put in jail. Remember this is Miami, FL not Portland, OR.

Later today, local news reported that most of the crowd in Miami Beach were "people of color.' At the same time the question arose, "would a crowd of unruly whites been met with police in tactical gear, batons and pepper balls." Fortunately one law enforcement official in Miami responded to questions of force by police directed against blacks, if you're breaking the curfew, breaking the law, your race doesn't matter. We will arrest you. If you resist, we will use force to subdue you. Follow instructions, from law enforcement you'll be fine. Obey the law (paraphrased).

Fort Lauderdale Beach didn't see a large number of "people of color" flow up north to the city's beaches and bars when the curfew was implemented in Miami Beach - it's a one hour drive. In fact, nothing happened on A1A or Los Olas - prime beach bar and restaurant areas that are always crowded on weekends and mobbed this time of year with vacationers and some college students. Reportedly peaceful with crowds behaving and having a good time resp[onsibly.

We'll continue to see the police brutality and race card pulled as long as the news cycle for lawlessness, although properly dealt and with appropriate force, continues .... maybe the next day or two and then it will end locally as the press realizes it hasn't managed to light a fire to potentially explosive racial issue. It will likely be replaced with concerns over unmasked crowds spreading the virus variants...... which for the last two weeks where Fort Lauderdale and Miami have experienced the usual large number of vacationers from the north legitimately travelling to S. FL for the sunshine and relative openness of the state in the face of COVID.

[lineygoblue]

So does this mean that "people of color" have the money to jump on a plane with ridiculously low air fares, purchase a hotel room for a few nights, buy alcohol and then go partying around town to their hearts delight?

I thought "people of color" were all poor.

[Jeff Buchanan]

This is an actual CNN "news" article -- not OpEd -- on the US approach to vaccines and China's approach. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/17/healt...eed/index.html

The Media, man. The Media. (Buchanan, it's worth the click just to see how outrageously stupid these people are).

Read it ....... I've been posting at a cruise forum mostly to try to correct misinformation about COVID and vaccines that people have been exposed to and then post about it on line. I try to write in a style that isn't intended to flame a stupidly uninformed post - and there are a lot of them, a stunning number, in fact.

Maybe two years ago I had a healthy respect for government and the important role they play and functions they carry out. But since then and mostly from the pandemic crisis I've become distrustful to a degree now that I don't believe a thing that the government puts out about policy. Careful research will usually produce clarity and thank goodness for the availability of contrary, different or expanded more meaningful takes from multiple viewpoints on the web. You have to dig, but it's there.

Where we get our information from which mostly is garnered from casual listening watching or reading whatever sources we rely on is no more trustworthy than government. I actually agree with Talent that reports can be so fucking wrong, so misleading that there seems to be purposeful maliciousness. I told my wife today that I'm not conspiratorial and her response was, "you can be." So, yeah, in this case maybe. But I have no doubt that there are foreign and domestic interlopers mixing with stupid Americans on the web that lap up whatever mis and disinformation they are purposefully putting out.

[Hannibal]

So does this mean that "people of color" have the money to jump on a plane with ridiculously low air fares, purchase a hotel room for a few nights, buy alcohol and then go partying around town to their hearts delight?

I thought "people of color" were all poor.

They are all poor. That's why asking them to show ID to vote is racist.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Re the CNN article talent posted. Could this be an example of Chinese misinformation? This is a 2020 analysis of China's broadening propaganda efforts that have morphed from targeting Chinese diaspora to targeting and infiltrating media outlets internationally.

Key trends since 2017

The past three years have been marked by an acceleration of this process and the emergence of more new tactics. It is notable that during the same period, Xi further consolidated his power at the 19th Communist Party Congress in October 2017 and won approval for constitutional amendments that removed presidential term limits in March 2018. The following changes in Beijing’s overseas media activities since early 2017 deserve special scrutiny:

• Russian-style social media disinformation campaigns and efforts to manipulate search results on global online platforms have been attributed to China-based perpetrators.
• Tactics that were once used primarily to co-opt Chinese diaspora media and suppress critical coverage in overseas Chinese-language publications are now being applied—with some effect—to local mainstream media in various countries.
• Beijing is gaining influence over crucial parts of some countries’ information infrastructure, as Chinese technology firms with close ties to the CCP build or acquire content-dissemination platforms used by tens of millions of foreign news consumers.
• There is evidence that Chinese-owned social media platforms and digital television providers in multiple regions have engaged in politicized content manipulation to favor pro-Beijing narratives.
• Chinese officials are making a more explicit effort to present China as a model for other countries, and they are taking concrete steps to encourage emulation through trainings for foreign personnel and technology transfers to foreign state-owned media outlets.

The CCP’s efforts have had a clear impact on the ground. China’s image and Xi’s own profile have improved in key parts of the world. Coverage of the potential downsides of China’s foreign investments has been stifled in some countries. And Chinese state media content reaches hundreds of millions of television viewers, radio listeners, and social media users abroad, in many cases without transparency as to its origins.

Good chance it is.

https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-report/2020/beijings-global-megaphone

[Ghengis Jon]

Today is our great friend's birthday, our own Doc Hodgeman. 90 years young!

[Hannibal]

...Russian-style social media disinformation campaigns...

They really can't let it go, can they.

[THE_WIZARD_]

So does this mean that "people of color" have the money to jump on a plane with ridiculously low air fares, purchase a hotel room for a few nights, buy alcohol and then go partying around town to their hearts delight?

I thought "people of color" were all poor.

China Joe says poor kids are just as smart as white kids...

[iam416]

I wonder why Chairman Joe has banned The Media from reporting on the border situation? Man, I wonder why The Media is just goosestepping along abiding the wisdom of Chairman Joe. And I wonder what would have happened if a R president had banned The Media from reporting on the border situation?

Ha, just kidding. I don't wonder about any of these things. We all know.

[Da Geezer]

But you voted for Biden.

[iam416]

That's true. I don't regret voting against DJT. I do feel completely gross for voting for Chairman Joe. And I did at the time. The only solace I took in it was that it's probably the last time I'll ever vote for that party.

[lineygoblue]

My vote was the same way. I feel badly for voting for Trump because of his antics, but I couldn't in good conscience vote for Kamala Harris as President. She's even less qualified than Hillary.

That's about to happen anyway, and sooner than I predicted.

I guess I'll have to figure out how to be 'less white'.

[Tom W]

I wonder why Chairman Joe has banned The Media from reporting on the border situation? Man, I wonder why The Media is just goosestepping along abiding the wisdom of Chairman Joe. And I wonder what would have happened if a R president had banned The Media from reporting on the border situation?.

He must have planned on explaining his actions in his SOTU Address..