American Politics Impeachment: 2 fast? No, we're 2 furious

[Rusozak]

Isn't a train like the safest mode of transit though? Motorcades can be ambushed and driven off the road, planes can be shot down, Boats are, well it's over land so...

Maybe they were worried about a bombing.

Maybe. The one downside of trains is you know exactly where they are going to be and can sabotage the tracks. Still, the idea of Trumpers trying to stop a train with pickup trucks amuses me.

[Cannot think of a name]

Probably because there was an insurrection like a week ago.

Isn't a train like the safest mode of transit though? Motorcades can be ambushed and driven off the road, planes can be shot down, Boats are, well it's over land so...

Presidential motorcades are serious business. Those cars and trucks are all straight up James Bond level shit.

[Sanghyeok]

I'm afraid the events of last week showed that America is far closer to becoming an authoritarian hellhole than Australia or NZ.. at this point you're really just talking unsubstantiated idealistic bullshit. Being sensible is not the same as being authoritarian. Taking due precautions in a pandemic given near 3M deaths worldwide is not sliding into authoritarianism. Listening to medical advice given a viral disease is not restricting freedom.

It's amazing the claims people make when their very own are doing exactly those claims.

Allow people CHOICES and give them the facts. Allow restaurants to require masks but don't force them to do so. Allow them to have reduced capacity but don't require it. Discourage big house parties but don't ban them. New Zealand and Australia and many US governors took choices away from adults and forced their ideas on them. Encouragement and force are different things. A leader encourages and motivates people and a tyrant forces people to comply. We can also reduce murder rates by putting all men age 15-35 in prison but would this make society better? We can make roads safer by banning private motorized vehicles. Would this make society better?

Xi Jinping is a tyrant and it seems we need to put Jacinda Ardern in the same category as well. There are advantages to having tyrants as leaders. Tyrants get things done. Ghenghis Khan was a tyrant and he led Mongolia to its peak power. Qin Shi Huang was also a tyrant but he definitely got things done as well. However, would you vote for a leader like Ghenghis Khan or Qin Shi Huang today? I want a leader that respects civil liberties. Sadly, it seems few people in New Zealand value real freedom. This should not be surprising in a nation that has always been proud of its wool industry.

This person made excellent points about New Zealand's tyrannical leader.

From Prime Minister to Tyrant

https://www.oliviapierson.org/blog/from ... -to-tyrant

Yet, even worse than all of this – much worse in fact, is her government’s hastily processed, reckless Covid 19 Public Health Response Bill, which passed into law on May 13th 2020.

This bill handed the police ludicrously panoptic powers for the first time ever seen in this country. Police can now enter a private home without a warrant. This is no longer a First World standard of justice – it’s Banana republic territory.

Jacinda Ardern has crossed the line from New Zealand’s Prime Minister to its tyrant.

We have watched her toe this line for several years as she promised to crack down on free speech laws – and she did indeed begin to politicise the police force by having them regularly visit the homes of many conservative bloggers and social media users to ask questions about their posts.

Also came her swift gun control legislation after the Christchurch shooting, and the fiasco of the buy-back, which saw decent, law abiding gun owners handing in their guns while gangs and criminals got to keep theirs.

But now “JacArd” has leapt all the way over the other side of the demarcation between leadership and tyranny with her nationwide lockdown, and subsequent destruction of thousands of NZ private businesses.

Yet, even worse than all of this – much worse in fact, is her government’s hastily processed, reckless Covid 19 Public Health Response Bill, which passed into law on May 13th 2020.

This bill handed the police ludicrously panoptic powers for the first time ever seen in this country. Police can now enter a private home without a warrant. This is no longer a First World standard of justice – it’s Banana republic territory.

As if all this is not horrific enough, there remains a much more sinister aspect to this repugnant bill which should be of utmost concern to NZ citizens: it has handed unprecedented powers to the Ministry of Health to create a class of “authorised” people, i.e., citizens whom The Ministry appoint, or employ, to make sure that businesses and public places enforce social distancing rules and all the rest of the high panic measures around COVID-19. If businesses are seen to not comply fully, they can be shut down on the spot.

This “authorised person or class of persons” is the very definition of a Stasi – a state security service (or safety service) – whose main task in the communist dictatorship of the German Democratic Republic was to spy on the population and create a network of citizen informants.

Here’s the wording in the bill which passed last week:

Subpart 3 – Enforcement, offences and penalties
Authorised persons

18 Authorised persons
(1) The Director-General may authorise a suitably qualified and trained person who is not an employee of the Ministry of Health, or a class of suitably qualified and trained persons who are not employees of the Ministry of Health, to carry out any functions and powers of an enforcement officer under this Act.
(2) An authorisation under subsection (1) must –
(a) be in writing; and
(b) specify –
(i) the authorised person our the class of persons; and
(ii) the functions and powers that may be carried out by the authorised person or class of persons; and
(iii) the term of the authorisation.
(3) The Director-General may renew any authorisation given under subsection (1).
(4) The Director-General may revoke an authorisation given under this section –
(a) in the case of an individual, for incapacity, neglect of duty, or misconduct; or
(b) in the case of an individual, on the written request of the authorised person; or
(c) if the Director-General considers the the authorisation is no longer necessary or desirable.
(5) If a person ceases to be an authorised person, they must surrender to the Director-General all articles and documents received by the person in relation to the authorisation.

During the Covid so-called emergency, we already saw a hotline quickly created for folks to anonymously snitch on their neighbours and fellow countrymen and women.

Now JacArd’s government has legislated for a whole new bureaucracy of people to be employed to spy on other citizens in an official capacity.

The cultural effect on our country of unleashing these pernicious laws are unimaginable, but we can be in no doubt that this dystopian territory is no longer democratic, nor healthy, nor patriotic.

Professor Paul Hunt, NZ’s current Human Rights Commissioner, expressed his “deep concern” about the rushed lack of scrutiny with the passing of the bill. He said:

“This is a great failure of our democratic process. The new legislation, if passed in its current state, will result in sweeping police powers unseen in this country for many years.

In times of national emergency sweeping powers are granted. There is a risk of overreach. Mistakes are made and later regretted.”

When radical Lefties, such as Professor Hunt, voice their “deep concern” at a lack of scrutiny in a new bill permitting undue police powers, we’re really in dire straits – since Professor Hunt was brought to New Zealand to help this government enact anti hate speech laws.

The bill’s sunset clause of two years was amended to being “reviewed” every three months, and funerals and tangis have been allowed up to 50 people instead of just 10, but apart from those small amendments, the bill did pass “in its current state.”

JacArd is not even putting up the pretence of appearing to lead a free and democratic country anymore, she has instead become intoxicated on dictatorial powers and the honking hurrahs of a large gaggle of global press geese.

This is now an untenable situation for the free people of New Zealand who truly value liberty.

Governments are instituted among men in order to effect the safety and security of their natural rights, as America’s Declaration of Independence instructed the world and set the example for all free nations.

– When a government becomes abusive of these ends, as citizens it is our right as well as our duty to remove such a government from office.

– When police can enter at will private homes and businesses with no warrant in order to enforce new laws against the owners, that is an egregious abuse of freedom.

– When government empowers citizens to be transformed into a network of spies to police new laws in the public and private spheres, that is an egregious abuse of freedom.

– Locking down an entire population of citizens, as communist China set the example for everyone to do, is an egregious abuse of freedom.

– Recklessly vandalising a country’s economy in the name of enforced “safety” is an egregious abuse of freedom.

The New Zealand public had no say in the bill’s passing – the fact that it was hurtled through parliament at break-neck speed with enough votes from the Coalition shows New Zealand that chillingly, this government cares not a whit for upholding the precious cornerstone principles of our liberty and natural rights.
​
This government has chosen to blackmail NZ citizens in the most emotive terms imaginable – to quote Ardern when she pitched the idea of lockdown over the TV airways: “If we don’t do this now, tens of thousands of people WILL die!”

That was pure, hyperbolic nonsense; fake news built on false information and designed to instil panic and fear in a population – and it worked.

Jacinda Ardern’s government is not worthy to lead a free people.

They well know this, which is why they are taking our freedoms away.

I guess social democracy is now Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

[Comerciante]

What does it say about us that our Founding Fathers in the middle of a War had more common sense than what is currently being displayed here...

[Kowani]

Staten Island Republican Who Shouted ‘Heil Hitler’ at Protest Apologizes by Saying She Actually Meant to Say ‘Mein Führer’


...what even is this headline

[Infected Mushroom]

I saw the video of Trump condemning the violence.

He looks angry somehow. Almost as if done one forced him to make the video or something.

To borrow a phrase it has all the sincerity of a hostage video.

It seems different from his usual broadcasts.

Like his face and mannerisms... it’s like a corporate PR training video except where the video had to be made because the deadline was coming up and you had to do thirty takes (and where the message was considered hammy)

[Cannot think of a name]

Staten Island Republican Who Shouted ‘Heil Hitler’ at Protest Apologizes by Saying She Actually Meant to Say ‘Mein Führer’


...what even is this headline

Oh, okay. That's be-


heeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyy...

[Salus Maior]

Staten Island Republican Who Shouted ‘Heil Hitler’ at Protest Apologizes by Saying She Actually Meant to Say ‘Mein Führer’


...what even is this headline

Oh, that makes it ok then.

[Comerciante]

Staten Island Republican Who Shouted ‘Heil Hitler’ at Protest Apologizes by Saying She Actually Meant to Say ‘Mein Führer’


...what even is this headline

Are we certain that Covid doesn't have any secondary hallucinogenic properties?

[Cannot think of a name]

To borrow a phrase it has all the sincerity of a hostage video.

It seems different from his usual broadcasts.

Like his face and mannerisms... it’s like a corporate PR training video except where the video had to be made because the deadline was coming up and you had to do thirty takes (and where the message was considered hammy)

It's his normal teleprompter voice, usually used when someone has told him he has to say something he doesn't want to and will backtrack on as soon as he's in front of his followers speaking 'off the cuff'.

[Freiheit Reich]

Peru and Mexico and Brazil also had high death rates and they are mostly non-white.

Personally, I would rather have a higher death rate and not bend towards dictator like tactics. New Zealand and Australia behaved eerily like China with their trampling of human rights to stop the virus. Short-term, it looks great that they solved the issue. Long-term, it may cause their country to become an authoritarian nation because leaders know that they can trample rights in the name of 'safety.'

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" We must not forget these words.

We're talking about basic, basic public health measures to stem the spread of a virulent respiratory disease for which there was no vaccine until recently and still no cure. Refusing to wear masks in public, fighting against social distancing and closures of public places and making political points off actual political leaders who actually try to save peoples' lives is not "give me Liberty or give me death," it's "I'll do as I damn well please and to hell with my neighbors."

If your neighbors are scared, they don't have to get close to you. Your neighbors can avoid crowded places and stay home. Remember, shops CAN require masks and some would. Cautious people can go to shops that require masks and fearless people can go to shops that let people have the freedom to decide. It is quite simple. Yes, there would be more deaths which is sad but it is God's will. If God wants me to die, I will be sad but I have to accept it.

Not wearing a mask doesn't make you selfish. Forcing others to close their businesses and not have parties could be seen as selfish. How many people wore masks last year? I don't want to be forced to change my behavior and live in constant fear. Imagine a world where children never see smiles on the faces of strangers. Imagine a world where people never hug each other or shake hands. Imagine a world of fear and division and constantly changing and confusing rules. Imagine a world where we can't visit foreign countries. I don't want to imagine living in such a world.

[Bombadil]

This person made excellent points about New Zealand's tyrannical leader.

From Prime Minister to Tyrant

https://www.oliviapierson.org/blog/from ... -to-tyrant

Colour me shocked..

"Facial tattoos are not exactly a polished, civilised presentation for a foreign diplomat in the 21st century," she said on Twitter.

"Facial tattoos, especially on a female diplomat, is the height of ugly, uncivilised wokedom."

..and..

“Really?” she wrote. “The face of NZ’s new Foreign Minister? Facial tattoos are not exactly a polished, civilised presentation for a foreign diplomat in the 21st century. Ffs [for f...’s sake]! Jacinda [Ardern] has gone full wokelette on stilts.”

Really not surprised at her hysteric hyperbole over being asked to wear a frickin' mask.

Can you people please not always cite some racist authoritarian when making a point?

[Freiheit Reich]

It is remarkable how many times I've wanted to shout "Are you fucking 12?" in 2020.

It reminds me of this old quote from yore..

“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."

Animal Farm was the book that influenced my thinking as a teenager. It taught me how powerful government leaders will change rules to benefit them and give them more power while maintaining that they care about the proletarians.

Many leaders (including democrats) violated their own covid restrictions and behaved much like the pigs in the story. 'Do as I say, not as I do' because I know more and deserve more than you.'

[Comerciante]

Yes, there would be more deaths which is sad but it is God's will. If God wants me to die, I will be sad but I have to accept it.

You have got to be joking.

Up till now, you've made a case that is vaguely reasonable.

But this is the height of asinine commentary I can swallow.

[The Reformed American Republic]

Yes, there would be more deaths which is sad but it is God's will. If God wants me to die, I will be sad but I have to accept it.

You have got to be joking.

Up till now, you've made a case that is vaguely reasonable.

But this is the height of asinine commentary I can swallow.

The climate change commentary was also pretty bad too.

[Nova Bromelia]

We're talking about basic, basic public health measures to stem the spread of a virulent respiratory disease for which there was no vaccine until recently and still no cure. Refusing to wear masks in public, fighting against social distancing and closures of public places and making political points off actual political leaders who actually try to save peoples' lives is not "give me Liberty or give me death," it's "I'll do as I damn well please and to hell with my neighbors."

If your neighbors are scared, they don't have to get close to you. Your neighbors can avoid crowded places and stay home. Remember, shops CAN require masks and some would. Cautious people can go to shops that require masks and fearless people can go to shops that let people have the freedom to decide. It is quite simple. Yes, there would be more deaths which is sad but it is God's will. If God wants me to die, I will be sad but I have to accept it.

Not wearing a mask doesn't make you selfish. Forcing others to close their businesses and not have parties could be seen as selfish. How many people wore masks last year? I don't want to be forced to change my behavior and live in constant fear. Imagine a world where children never see smiles on the faces of strangers. Imagine a world where people never hug each other or shake hands. Imagine a world of fear and division and constantly changing and confusing rules. Imagine a world where we can't visit foreign countries. I don't want to imagine living in such a world.

God does not exist, and anyone who wishes to risk harm to me while invoking a fairytale, is not my friend, and deserves to be in a neighbourhood where there are no establishments that accept their business.

[Freiheit Reich]

The only things that Trump failed to do is to encourage people to wash their hands more, social distance, reduce visits to elderly people, and establish a national health care program. Many (including me) are afraid to go to hospitals in the USA due to high costs which means people will delay or not get treatment and show up to work until they physically are passing out. He should have been more like Dr. Ron Paul and admit the virus was serious (Dr. Paul mentioned that it killed people) but that people should be allowed to make choices after having the facts. I believe Trump wanted to show that he was cool under fire and tough. He is an old-school leader that doesn't believe in showing softness or fear because that could be implied as weakness.

So in other words he's a relic from another era that has no business running a modern nation and failed to do the bare minimum to keep people safe?

Boy, who could have seen that coming?

Many people admire strong leaders. Putin, Duerte, Orban, and Bolsonaro are known to be strong men and they are admired for this. The citizens see them as strong men that they want to rally behind. These men are not afraid of offending a few people and in some ways are like traditional leaders.

I am not saying I admire them but I know many people like this kind of strong leader. Biden looks quite weak compared to these other men.

[Bombadil]

Yes, there would be more deaths which is sad but it is God's will. If God wants me to die, I will be sad but I have to accept it.

You have got to be joking.

Up till now, you've made a case that is vaguely reasonable.

But this is the height of asinine commentary I can swallow.

God and Trump aren't overly different in character, their sole desire is that you love them and if you don't hell and fire upon you. Alas only one is very real and very dangerous.

He also probably has at least one illegitimate child, so there's another similarity.

[Comerciante]

The climate change commentary was also pretty bad too.

Yeah, but I could take that somewhat.

But implicating that it is somehow God's plan (regardless of my feelings towards Christianity) that we die because we fail to make simple edits to our daily lives.

Is crossing a road of how much stupid I can take.

[Bombadil]

So in other words he's a relic from another era that has no business running a modern nation and failed to do the bare minimum to keep people safe?

Boy, who could have seen that coming?

Many people admire strong leaders. Putin, Duerte, Orban, and Bolsonaro are known to be strong men and they are admired for this. The citizens see them as strong men that they want to rally behind. These men are not afraid of offending a few people and in some ways are like traditional leaders.

I am not saying I admire them but I know many people like this kind of strong leader. Biden looks quite weak compared to these other men.

Yes, the animals admired the strong leader that was Napoleon as well..

[Comerciante]

So in other words he's a relic from another era that has no business running a modern nation and failed to do the bare minimum to keep people safe?

Boy, who could have seen that coming?

Many people admire strong leaders. Putin, Duerte, Orban, and Bolsonaro are known to be strong men and they are admired for this. The citizens see them as strong men that they want to rally behind. These men are not afraid of offending a few people and in some ways are like traditional leaders.

I am not saying I admire them but I know many people like this kind of strong leader. Biden looks quite weak compared to these other men.

I'm not hearing anything that sounds like a rebuttal to any of my claims.

That people are quick to jump behind "strong men" to save them is a failure of the human species, not a god damn feature.

[Freiheit Reich]

This person made excellent points about New Zealand's tyrannical leader.

From Prime Minister to Tyrant

https://www.oliviapierson.org/blog/from ... -to-tyrant

Colour me shocked..

"Facial tattoos are not exactly a polished, civilised presentation for a foreign diplomat in the 21st century," she said on Twitter.

"Facial tattoos, especially on a female diplomat, is the height of ugly, uncivilised wokedom."

..and..

“Really?” she wrote. “The face of NZ’s new Foreign Minister? Facial tattoos are not exactly a polished, civilised presentation for a foreign diplomat in the 21st century. Ffs [for f...’s sake]! Jacinda [Ardern] has gone full wokelette on stilts.”

Really not surprised at her hysteric hyperbole over being asked to wear a frickin' mask.

Can you people please not always cite some racist authoritarian when making a point?

To be fair, in many nations, tattoos are seen as possible gangster background. I admit to also thinking someone as rebellious if they have a certain kinds of tattoos. However, I know Maori people wear tattoos for non-gangster/non-rebellious purposes so her tattoo doesn't bother me. Maybe she doesn't know why Maori people wear tattoos.

[Eahland]

Maybe. The one downside of trains is you know exactly where they are going to be and can sabotage the tracks. Still, the idea of Trumpers trying to stop a train with pickup trucks amuses me.

I've actually been on the Amtrak side of a train/car altercation. The car's passenger was killed instantly; the driver died on the way to the hospital. On the train, we were just, "Why have we stopped? We're not into the station yet..."

I think the car was a Neon... there wasn't enough left of it to be sure from the clip on the news.

(That trip also involved a record-setting blizzard, Amtrak having to borrow my GPS to get us to our destinations, and me appearing on the news twice in one day in two different places.)

[Freiheit Reich]

Yes, there would be more deaths which is sad but it is God's will. If God wants me to die, I will be sad but I have to accept it.

You have got to be joking.

Up till now, you've made a case that is vaguely reasonable.

But this is the height of asinine commentary I can swallow.

The virus was likely either created by God or the Chinese in a lab (these are the 2 main suspects at this point). We know God created many viruses and diseases before and killed millions with them. Ultimately, God will decide if we are to die and we need to be prepared.

It is funny how many blame Trump but God gets a free pass by most (assuming you don't think it was made in a Chinese lab as some believe). Yes, I believe in God but I think I am a more realist than many Christians and am not afraid to admit that God has a violent streak in him. Many people only focus on the nice things God did while forgetting the bad things.

[Picairn]

He is an old-school leader that doesn't believe in showing softness or fear because that could be implied as weakness.

Caution (or preparation) isn't weakness. That's some real BS thinking. Preparation is actually smart, something that all great leaders have done.