Our Collapsing Civilization

[Mongrel]

The EPA is now allowing asbestos back into manufacturing

One of the most dangerous construction-related carcinogens is now legally allowed back into U.S. manufacturing under a new rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). On June 1, the EPA authorized a “SNUR” (Significant New Use Rule) which allows new products containing asbestos to be created on a case-by-case basis.

[TA]

If you were wondering why:

It's a thread.

[Mongrel]

It's gets worse better:

[Mongrel]

G&M: Fentanyl Used to Execute Nebraska Death Row Inmate

[Mongrel]

It was tempting to post something like "Who said what" and put the appropriate Hitler quote (Munich, 1923) next to the tweet... but I don't even have the spirit for that.

Bibi just literally posted the core tenet of Fascism.

I will however add the relevant Eco quote:

9. For Ur-Fascism there is no struggle for life but, rather, life is lived for struggle. Thus pacifism is trafficking with the enemy. It is bad because life is permanent warfare. This, however, brings about an Armageddon complex. Since enemies have to be defeated, there must be a final battle, after which the movement will have control of the world. But such a “final solution” implies a further era of peace, a Golden Age, which contradicts the principle of permanent war. No fascist leader has ever succeeded in solving this predicament.

[Mongrel]

Oh and his law clerk (the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors no less) was sitting behind him "allegedly" flashing the white power symbol or at the very least making "some sort" of a signalling gesture which was certainly not accidental.

[Yoji]

I hope for their own sorry sake that the Republicans are fine with how they're going to look in the history books. ETA: Like, I can't be the only one seeing all the corruption and hypocrisy, right? It was barely even two years ago when they cockblocked Obama's own SCOTUS pick because it was an election year, but now they've stepped on it and cut the brakes. It's right there, where we can all see it. I'm not even that much of a wonk, and I remember.

Also, can we put it on the record that the "OK" white power gesture is one of the most chickenshit things you've ever seen? At least the Nazi Salute looks... I dunno. Appropriately authoritarian?

[Joxam]

Oh and his law clerk (the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors no less) was sitting behind him "allegedly" flashing the white power symbol or at the very least making "some sort" of a signalling gesture which was certainly not accidental.

Yeah, like at first I was like, "Really hand signals is what we're going to talk about today?" And then I watched the video and was like, "Oh yeah, no, you're right that shit is fishy as fuck" when i saw it on twitter.

[Büge]

I hope for their own sorry sake that the Republicans are fine with how they're going to look in the history books.

I get the feeling that they believe they will write the history books from now on.

[Mongrel]

Oh and his law clerk (the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors no less) was sitting behind him "allegedly" flashing the white power symbol or at the very least making "some sort" of a signalling gesture which was certainly not accidental.

Yeah, like at first I was like, "Really hand signals is what we're going to talk about today?" And then I watched the video and was like, "Oh yeah, no, you're right that shit is fishy as fuck" when i saw it on twitter.

Yeah, I mean gotcha journalism means that all you need is one camera frame, but the video pretty clearly shows her making the gesture deliberately.

Now, maybe she doesn't know it's a white power thing. Maybe she lives a secret life on 8chan and did it "4 the lulz", shit anything's possible these days.

But it's worth pointing out that she currently works in an office dedicated to deporting brown people with zero consideration for their humanity, so does it really matter what gesture she's making? We already know whose side she's on.

[Thad]

Now, maybe she doesn't know it's a white power thing. Maybe she lives a secret life on 8chan and did it "4 the lulz", shit anything's possible these days.

He doesn't add the Rule of Goats (if you fuck a goat ironically, you're still a goat-fucker), but I think it's implied.

[Mongrel]

The top comment does though. So it's covered! :thumpsup:

I'd just like to mention that I love Popehat's current Twitter name.

[Mongrel]

This one takes the thread's title a bit more seriously than usual.

GQ: Sperm Count Zero

A strange thing has happened to men over the past few decades: We’ve become increasingly infertile, so much so that within a generation we may lose the ability to reproduce entirely.

[zaratustra]

The thing about sterility is, evolution works around it very quickly.

[Mongrel]

The thing about sterility is, evolution works around it very quickly.

If you read the article, one of the scariest aspects of this is that the changes are actually being reinforced genetically. Not only are we lowering fertility, we're lowering it permanently, with subsequent generations' DNA coded as less fertile even before environmental impacts are applied.

It doesn't matter if your genetics are predisposed to developing new forms of burn healing if you're currently literally on fire.

[mharr]

I couldn't process what they were saying in that bit. Chemical pollution changes the expression of your genes, lowering fertility but leaving the actual DNA unchanged, then you pass on that lowered fertility to your offspring where it gets lowered again in a repeating cycle? How does that...

What?

[Mongrel]

There are vast amounts of our DNA which is dormant or otherwise unused. You can deactivate something without removing it. This still constitutes genetic change.

[Mongrel]

[Mongrel]

Surprising absolutely no one, this continues to continue.

[Mongrel]

Quite apart from the horror involved, there's no way that number is an accident.