Scrutable

IvanV wrote: Tue Mar 18, 2025 10:41 pm

Chris Preston wrote: Tue Mar 18, 2025 8:17 pmTrump is also insanely miffed that historians rated his first Presidency as one of the worst ever and way below Obama.

He is miffed that historians rate him as one of the worst ever? Woke, radical socialists the lot of them. You'd think he'd be pleased to be rated bad by historians. More likely he's miffed they don't rate him the very worst ever, which in his terms would mean he was the best ever.

You forget Trump is a complete narcissist. In most of his rallies there will be a segment where he talks about the Greatest Ever President which he finishes with by claiming that person is himself.

He spends a lot of time complaining that the people he doesn't like are mean to him. He doesn't like them because they criticise him rather than puffing up his actions. If the woke historians stated Trump was the greatest ever, he would embrace them.

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-heal ... tion-trump

After a recent change by the Trump administration, the federal government no longer explicitly prohibits contractors from having segregated restaurants, waiting rooms and drinking fountains.

Yeah - symbolic. This will please his racist base without actually changing anything (in that I don't foresee contractors re-introducing segregation).

Someone will, to make a point.

headshot wrote: Wed Mar 19, 2025 2:21 pm Someone will, to make a point.

Someone whose name rhymes with Melon Husk. Tesla was investigated a while back for actions that IIRC were somewhat like segregation at at least one factory.

A French researcher on his way to attend a conference in the USA has his phone searched at the border and is refused entry because it had messages on it criticising Trump and his approach to scientific research. His personal effects were confiscated, including his phone and laptop. Apparently criticising Trump now counts as terrorism.

"qui traduisent une haine envers Trump et peuvent être qualifiés de terrorisme"

https://www.lemonde.fr/international/ar ... _3210.html

Last time I completed an ESTA for entry into USA, I was required to declare all my social media accounts. Fortunately, I don't have any of the ones that were listed.

Chris Preston wrote: Wed Mar 19, 2025 11:01 pm Last time I completed an ESTA for entry into USA, I was required to declare all my social media accounts. Fortunately, I don't have any of the ones that were listed.

I’ve been advised before that if I need to travel to China then I should create a clean set of social media accounts. And use a new phone.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... ine-mooney

One minute, I was in an immigration office talking to an officer about my work visa, which had been approved months before and allowed me, a Canadian, to work in the US. The next, I was told to put my hands against the wall, and patted down like a criminal before being sent to an ICE detention center without the chance to talk to a lawyer.

Many ICE detention centres are for profit businesses, so every detention is a money making opportunity for someone. Which corrupts the whole system from the top down.

French researcher denied entry to US for 'expressing personal opinion' on Trump policies

"This measure was apparently taken by the American authorities because the researcher's phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration's research policy"

Authorities told him they had found messages "that express hatred towards Trump and can be qualified as terrorism," the source said.

Another source familiar with the case told AFP that American authorities said the French researcher had been denied entry because of "hateful and conspiracy messages." An FBI investigation was opened, for which "the charges have been dropped," continued this source.

So Trump's now tanking the tourism market and making people afraid to travel there for work or pleasure.

headshot wrote: Thu Mar 20, 2025 4:04 pm So Trump's now tanking the tourism market and making people afraid to travel there for work or pleasure.

I go to the US to attend a conference that happens every two years - the next one is a year from now. After the FAA/air traffic controller cuts I was beginning to reconsider, but now I'm close to decided. Maybe I can attend virtually like they did during covid.

shpalman wrote: Thu Mar 20, 2025 10:54 am French researcher denied entry to US for 'expressing personal opinion' on Trump policies

"This measure was apparently taken by the American authorities because the researcher's phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration's research policy"

Authorities told him they had found messages "that express hatred towards Trump and can be qualified as terrorism," the source said.

Another source familiar with the case told AFP that American authorities said the French researcher had been denied entry because of "hateful and conspiracy messages." An FBI investigation was opened, for which "the charges have been dropped," continued this source.

Genuinely fascistic.

Chris Preston wrote: Wed Mar 19, 2025 11:01 pm Last time I completed an ESTA for entry into USA, I was required to declare all my social media accounts. Fortunately, I don't have any of the ones that were listed.

I don’t think it’s compulsory to fill this bit in, is it? I didn’t last year. Unless it’s different for (a) business travellers or (b) Aussies.

Of course this is moot if the border officials are going to search your phone messages on arrival.

Time to get a burner phone for US trips...

TopBadger wrote: Thu Mar 20, 2025 7:34 pm Time to get a burner phone for US trips...

And a clean Facebook account loaded on

Grumble wrote: Thu Mar 20, 2025 10:41 pm

TopBadger wrote: Thu Mar 20, 2025 7:34 pm Time to get a burner phone for US trips...

And a clean Facebook account loaded on

And somehow obscure any tattoos: https://www.advocate.com/news/gay-makeu ... ted-prison

Ffs, the sheer mind-numbing incompetence: https://bsky.app/profile/gavinesler.bsk ... 5msloibs2o

Great scoop for The Atlantic and @JeffreyGoldberg … not so great for American war planning … “the Trump administration planned its strikes on the Houthis using a group chat—and accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor in chief, @JeffreyGoldberg.”

Yeah but HILLARY'S EMAILS!!!

Trump hates turtles

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c30myl9q550o.amp

JQH wrote: Tue Mar 25, 2025 11:20 am Yeah but HILLARY'S EMAILS!!!

It's the shear hypocrisy that gets me every time... It's hard to believe his supporters don't see it or don't care.

TopBadger wrote: Tue Mar 25, 2025 11:34 am

JQH wrote: Tue Mar 25, 2025 11:20 am Yeah but HILLARY'S EMAILS!!!

It's the shear hypocrisy that gets me every time... It's hard to believe his supporters don't see it or don't care.

See also "Free Speech" - which means "I want to be allowed to say whatever I want without consequences, but you can't."

TopBadger wrote: Tue Mar 25, 2025 11:34 am

JQH wrote: Tue Mar 25, 2025 11:20 am Yeah but HILLARY'S EMAILS!!!

It's the shear hypocrisy that gets me every time... It's hard to believe his supporters don't see it or don't care.

The hypocrisy meter broke some time ago

FlammableFlower wrote: Mon Mar 24, 2025 10:19 pm Ffs, the sheer mind-numbing incompetence: https://bsky.app/profile/gavinesler.bsk ... 5msloibs2o

Great scoop for The Atlantic and @JeffreyGoldberg … not so great for American war planning … “the Trump administration planned its strikes on the Houthis using a group chat—and accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor in chief, @JeffreyGoldberg.”

It seems likely that one of the individuals on the Signal chat was the Nominee for Director of Counterintelligence - so someone who wouldn't have had the authorisation to be able to access the secure channels along with the others. So, not only accidentally including an unauthorised person on the insecure group chat, but deliberately and specifically holding the chat on an insecure channel because they had wanted to include an unauthorised person.
Of course, it'll be ignored