1. #33466
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    Italian police raid homes of anti-vaccine activists who plotted violent attacks

    ROME — Anti-terror police on Thursday raided the homes of anti-vaccine activists across Italy who were allegedly planning to use homemade explosives to carry out violent attacks.

    The group used the Telegram messaging service to plot attacks at demonstrations in Rome against the coronavirus vaccine pass.

    A statement from police said officers had carried out raids “on properties belonging to members of the ‘No-Vax’ world, who in a Telegram chat showed intent to carry out violence during public demonstrations … The accused were active members of a group called ‘The Warriors’ which planned violent acts including using arms and homemade explosives at ‘no green pass’ demonstrations across the country, especially in the capital on 11 and 12 September.” The raids took place in Milan, Rome, Bergamo, Reggio Emilia, Venice and Padua.

    The plotters also incited other members of the group to carry out violent acts against targets including Health Minister Roberto Speranza, police said.
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  2. #33467
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    Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a Republican who voted to impeach Trump, won't seek re-election

    CLEVELAND — Rep. Anthony Gonzalez — one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol — will not seek re-election to his northern Ohio seat in 2022.

    “Since entering politics, I have always said that I will do this job for as long as the voters will have me and it still works for my family,” Gonzalez said in a statement he tweeted late Thursday. “As Elizabeth and I consider the realities of continuing in public service while juggling the increasing responsibilities of being parents to our two beautiful children, it is clear that the best path for our family is to not seek re-election next fall.”

    He added that, while his family was at the heart of his decision, “it is also true that the current state of our politics, especially many of the toxic dynamics inside our own party, is a significant factor in my decision.”
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  3. #33468
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    Quote Originally Posted by PwrdOn View Post
    Accuse the enemy of that which you yourself are guilty. I would joke that next they'll start accusing China of using slave labor to pick cotton and oppressing the rights of women, but of course they've already been doing that.
    More like "Accuse the enemy of things you've done in the past"

    Question, if they actually are guilty, then what?

    Are you willing to say that China hasn't been committing cultural genocide in Tibet?

    That everything is A-okay with the Uyghurs?

    Because if not, you're just throwing shade at the people who are trying to learn their lesson while excusing the people who are using our checkered past as a road map.

    Western past shouldn't be used to excuse crimes today.

    Call me crazy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Cool Thatguy View Post
    More like "Accuse the enemy of things you've done in the past"

    Question, if they actually are guilty, then what?

    Are you willing to say that China hasn't been committing cultural genocide in Tibet?

    That everything is A-okay with the Uyghurs?

    Because if not, you're just throwing shade at the people who are trying to learn their lesson while excusing the people who are using our checkered past as a road map.

    Western past shouldn't be used to excuse crimes today.

    Call me crazy.
    China has not been committing cultural genocide in Tibet, and Tibetan culture is very much alive and well and even actively promoted by the government. To wit, here's a video of a Tibetan TikTok star being used in a tourism ad:



    While he is speaking Mandarin in the video, he does have a bit of an accent which means that he grew up speaking Tibetan and has only picked up Chinese fairly recently, something that would be unthinkable in the Anglosphere. Now, you might say that this version of Tibetan culture is all commercialized and watered down tripe that doesn't represent the authentic experiences of people living in the REAL Tibet, before the Chinese takeover. But, you know, that is kind of just the nature of these things in the 21st century, and is hardly limited to China.
    Last edited by PwrdOn; 09-19-2021 at 06:51 AM.

  5. #33470
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    I think its obvious that PwrdOn doesn't actually understand the policies China engages in to dilute, oppress, and break down local cultures to ensure Han cultural hegemony.

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    Quote Originally Posted by PwrdOn View Post
    Might want to look in the mirror with that one buddy.
    I do all the time, thank you. I'm very pretty.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tendrin View Post
    I think its obvious that PwrdOn doesn't actually understand the policies China engages in to dilute, oppress, and break down local cultures to ensure Han cultural hegemony.
    Also seemed to glide right over the plight of the Uyghurs. Concentration camps aside (ugh), we've seen evidence of graves being erased and mosques being destroyed.

  8. #33473
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    Quote Originally Posted by Reviresco View Post
    Those were primaries -- purging your own party voters isn't a recipe for success. Second, the key point I made, was Kemp ran for governor WHILE he was secretary of state and in charge of his own election. He didn't resign, like most of those people you named, BEFORE he ran.






    Exactly. Though he should've resigned, IMO, to avoid any semblance of manipulating the voting. But given his shenanigans during the campaign, he clearly didn't care.





    Sorry, I don't know. I know about Georgia, because I live here.
    I think it's not a great idea to have the Secretary of State be an elected official, but that is the system in Georgia. We shouldn't pretend to suddenly be shocked by it or make up new rules about it.

    I'm not really convinced of the argument that for appearances' sake, a Secretary of State should resign once they win a primary for another office. Anything done for appearances might not address the substance.

    An elections official can still make decisions in a primary that benefit themselves. And if they're allowed to run for reelection, the same incentives apply for self-serving policies. Even if the secretaries of state weren't able to benefit themselves, they would still be able to use their power to help their political allies, so that's gotta be curbed. Anyone who would manipulate the vote to win an election for themselves is presumably willing to do the same for others, including the political ally who resigned allowing them to take the office.

    Karen Handel's rationale for resigning as Secretary of State (during the primary) was to focus on campaigning full time. That seems to occur frequently with minor statewide officeholders.

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/vir...l_resigns.html
    Sincerely,
    Thomas Mets

  9. #33474
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    I think the real question isn't an abstract discussion of appearances, but did Kemp's removal of voters from the rolls and closing over 200 polling spots enable him to eke out the 55,000 vote margin of victory? Did his actions as SoS enable his win?
    If the answer is even "maybe" it is a problem.
    There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kirby101 View Post
    I think the real question isn't an abstract discussion of appearances, but did Kemp's removal of voters from the rolls and closing over 200 polling spots enable him to eke out the 55,000 vote margin of victory? Did his actions as SoS enable his win?
    If the answer is even "maybe" it is a problem.
    Any guy running for office should not be deciding who can or cannot vote for them. Period.

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    I also want to point out that this was possible because, against all evidence, the Roberts Court deemed the Voting Rights Act no longer necessary.
    There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!

  12. #33477
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tendrin View Post
    I think its obvious that PwrdOn doesn't actually understand the policies China engages in to dilute, oppress, and break down local cultures to ensure Han cultural hegemony.
    Big if true. And since you’re so knowledgeable about the subject, let’s start by naming some of these ethnic groups, pointing out where they live for the benefit of the audience, and identifying some aspects of their culture that is currently under threat from the diabolical Chinese.
    Last edited by PwrdOn; 09-19-2021 at 09:28 AM.

  13. #33478
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    Quote Originally Posted by PwrdOn View Post
    Big if true. And since you’re so knowledgeable about the subject, let’s start by naming some of these ethnic groups, pointing out where they live for the benefit of the audience, and identifying some aspects of their culture that is currently under threat from the diabolical Chinese.
    You've already dismissed what's happened in Tibet and Xianjiang, two clear examples of China's policy of instituting Han hegemony by pretending that they didn't, or aren't, happening, even while China pursues a policy of suppressing minority languages in both locations, both by diluting the populations throiugh mass resettlement and demographic shifts, but also by supressing the ability to use the language in official business and education. If this was in the west, you'd be rightfully up in arms, but because China did it and does it, you dismiss it despite the official government policy indicating otherwise.

    n 1987, the Tibet Autonomous Region published more explicit regulations calling for Tibetan to be the main language in schools, government offices and shops. Those regulations were eliminated in 2002 and state language policies and practices “jeopardize the continuing viability” of Tibetan civilization.[55] In Tibetan areas, official affairs are conducted primarily in Chinese. It is common to see banners promoting the use of Chinese. Monasteries and schools often held classes on the written language for ordinary people, and monks gave lessons while traveling, but officials ordered monasteries and schools to end the classes.[56] The Chinese Communist Party issued orders in December 2018 forbidding informal classes taught by Tibetan monks or other unapproved groups,[57] and ordered schools to stop teaching all subjects in Tibetan, except the Tibetan language in first grade classes, in May 2019 in Golog, in Chinese, Guoluo, Tibet Autonomous Region.
    Last edited by Tendrin; 09-19-2021 at 09:55 AM.

  14. #33479
    Invincible Member Kirby101's Avatar
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    I do appreciate a representative of the Chines Government has taken the time to spend time on our little forum.
    There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tendrin View Post
    You've already dismissed what's happened in Tibet and Xianjiang, two clear examples of China's policy of instituting Han hegemony by pretending that they didn't, or aren't, happening, even while China pursues a policy of suppressing minority languages in both locations, both by diluting the populations throiugh mass resettlement and demographic shifts, but also by supressing the ability to use the language in official business and education. If this was in the west, you'd be rightfully up in arms, but because China did it and does it, you dismiss it despite the official government policy indicating otherwise.
    The fact that China very recently began to institute a uniform language policy, which is something that is generally taken for granted pretty much everywhere else, kind of goes to show that in fact most minorities are given substantial autonomy and various privileges that very few ethnic groups enjoy in other countries. The fact that they are backsliding on this is perhaps unfortunate, but it’s a bit short of “imposing Han cultural supremacy” isn’t it?

    Also, diluting the population via mass resettlement? So I guess you’re saying there’s some kind of “Great Replacement” going on? Of course this is again not true, there are orders of magnitude more people living in central China that could easily overwhelm the Tibetans and Uyghurs demographically if that was the government’s objective, but in reality most Han Chinese don’t want to move out there and the government has not encouraged it, never mind forcibly migrated anyone with the goal of breeding out the perfidious undesirables as you are suggesting.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kirby101 View Post
    I do appreciate a representative of the Chines Government has taken the time to spend time on our little forum.
    Well you know I am an educator and taking time out of my day to inform the ignorant is always well worth the effort.
    Last edited by PwrdOn; 09-19-2021 at 10:21 AM.

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