What about a thread for good news?

[Büge]

Mind you, this is not always at the literal barrel of a gun as it was for Lincoln, but the spectre of one was very present in FDR's case, something which is has been very much papered over in textbooks.

Spectre of the Gun was a good Star Trek episode

[Mongrel]

That means, we're still on-topic, right?

[Thad]

I guess what I'm trying to say is that while I know morality is independent of legality, I don't think it's independent of legitimacy. Without real or at least perceived legitimacy you have massive problems trying to make you do anything stick in the long run, and you're also just running the risk of palace coup round robin. And then boom, you've got a failed state. This has happened in plenty of places - some of which even fell into it without the CIA's help!

Note that legitimacy in this case is separate from legality as well.

I think Biden could push things a lot harder and still be considered legitimate. Most of the country (including me and, presumably, everybody else here) considers the current SCOTUS to be illegitimate, but Biden's unwilling to pull an Andrew Jackson "let's see them enforce it", or to even begin to talk about expanding the Court like FDR threatened to do.

And I wouldn't even call that the biggest disappointment of this administration; I'd have to go with immigration policy for that. Biden's border policy is downright regressive; he manages to clear the extremely low bar of "better than Trump" but I can't really think of any fainter praise I could possibly damn him with. I really don't know what he's thinking there; I know public opinion on the whole is still pretty racist and anti-immigrant, particularly in some of the purple states that got him over the line in 2020, but even looking at it from a coldly pragmatic perspective he could be a lot more humane without losing support. Where he triangulates to "center of the Democratic Party" on most issues, I think he's been substantially to the right of that on immigration and it's infuriating.

To the question of whether an inexperienced firebrand could do better, it's complicated. Biden is really good at politics, maybe the best of any president in my lifetime. ("Best at politics" is not the same thing as "most effective"; Reagan was unquestionably the most effective president of my lifetime. He fundamentally reshaped both parties and we're still paying for that.) His successes have, on the one hand, been modest in the grand scheme of things, but on the other it's impressive that he's managed to squeeze even that much out of a razor-thin Senate majority and an opposition made up of literal insurrectionists.

A more progressive but less experienced president could do a lot of things Biden's not willing to do, from long-term ideological moves like pushing the Overton window, to more concrete policy moves involving executive power, but on the other hand it's hard to see somebody like that getting the kind of traction with Congress that Biden has.

I can't imagine being president and not telling Sinema to go fuck herself. And there are 271 people in Congress who are worse than she is.

[sei]

It still points to a larger question, "why are we tapping Hollywood and/or WWE for our future leaders? Aren't these basically incubators for narcissism?"

Fulfilling Idiocracy's prophecy, as I imagine the WWE inclusion insinuated.

[Thad]

It still points to a larger question, "why are we tapping Hollywood and/or WWE for our future leaders? Aren't these basically incubators for narcissism?"

Fulfilling Idiocracy's prophecy, as I imagine the WWE inclusion insinuated.

President Camacho would also be a better president than either Republican who's held the office this century.

[Friday]

Welcome to the White House. I love you.

[Mongrel]

It still points to a larger question, "why are we tapping Hollywood and/or WWE for our future leaders? Aren't these basically incubators for narcissism?"

Fulfilling Idiocracy's prophecy, as I imagine the WWE inclusion insinuated.

President Camacho would also be a better president than either Republican who's held the office this century.

He'd probably be an upgrade over at least 50% of all historical US presidents.

As always, Idiocracy was a utopian film. It's also something of a litmus test when you tell people that and they still disagree anyway.

[Mongrel]

Mexico's Supreme Court has decriminalized abortion nationwide.

In a statement, Mexico’s Supreme Court said the “criminalization of abortion constitutes an act of gender-based violence and discrimination, as it perpetuates the stereotype that women and people with the capacity to get pregnant can only freely exercise their sexuality to procreate and reinforces the gender role that imposes motherhood as a compulsory destiny.”

[Silversong]

Daaaaamn, Mexico. Good job!

[Friday]

Yeah, that's great news.

[Yoji]

It's not often that I say this, but great job, supreme court! Well said!

[Silversong]

As of today, child marriage is banned in Michigan!
https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/go ... -michigan/

[Thad]

Delaware Becomes 17th State to Outlaw 'Gay and Trans Panic' Defense

[sei]

I'm a bit late, but.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/c ... ta-brokers

California Just Passed SB 362: Whatever You Think About the Merits of the Law, It’s a Big Deal

[Mongrel]

Traitor participation trophy to be removed from Arlington

In a recent letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, more than 40 House Republicans said the commission overstepped its authority when it recommended that the monument be removed. The congressmen contended that the monument “does not honor nor commemorate the Confederacy; the memorial commemorates reconciliation and national unity.”

Some of the figures also on the statue include a Black woman depicted as “Mammy” holding what is said to be the child of a white officer, and an enslaved man following his owner to war.

Rebs mad. Eat shit, rebs.

[Thad]

Unfortunately,

Judge issues order keeping Confederate memorial at Arlington Cemetery for now

Likely just a temporary delay, but a delay nonetheless.

[Mongrel]

Arlington this afternoon:

[Büge]

[Mongrel]

That's the former base of the Confederate memorial there (see above posts by Thad & me).

[Büge]

Southern Arizona Jaguar Video Confirms New Cat

TUCSON, Ariz.— A wild jaguar shown in a recent trail camera video from southern Arizona is a new jaguar not previously identified in the state. The images captured last month by a wildlife enthusiast and analyzed by the Center for Biological Diversity confirm the eighth jaguar documented in the U.S. Southwest in the past three decades.

“Every new jaguar in Arizona is a moment to celebrate,” said Russ McSpadden, a Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “After being nearly wiped out these majestic felines continue to reestablish previously occupied territory despite border wall construction, new mines and other threats to their habitat. We’re extremely lucky to live near such magnificent creatures, and we’ve got to do everything we can to protect our shared landscape.”