All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[Charles RB]

French students protest about Front National, with "Dear Europe, We're Sorry" signs. Depressingly the protests are smaller than previous anti-FN marches. They keep getting more and more popular, partly down to the Socialists being unpopular and the UMP being unable to deal with it, and all the usual wank about "invisible majority", "THE ELITES", and saying they've moved away from fascism. On paper, they apparently have! But would you believe Le Pen II: The Sequel taking over a fascist party is going to mean nothing fascistic?

(Then there's the fact that for all the "SAY WHAT YOU MEAN" and "TELL IT LIKE IT IS" talk from supporters of these parties, say "okay they're fascists/racists" when you mean "they're fascist/racists" and people complain and support them more. Odd, that. "Saying what you mean" only seems to work for the parties saying "all our problems are foreigners". It's almost like what people actually mean is "agree with me that my prejudices are right and it's someone else's fault")

[wjowski]

actually Chelsea Manning doesn't say a damn thing

and Snowden is a better story than some low level member of the military with gender identity issues

Manning's gender issues have absolutely nothing to do with what I was talking about but okay.

[Pinsir]

actually Chelsea Manning doesn't say a damn thing

and Snowden is a better story than some low level member of the military with gender identity issues

She doesn't have gender identity issues

[Pinsir]

Okay, now this is getting silly

Gun control makes sense to people who grew up fearing drive-bys and stray rounds but... Overkill Much?

Wow England way to play right into their hands. Lets just invade the country and liberate Scotland and Wales. The Isle of Man should be put in charge of England.

[Vibranium]

She doesn't have gender identity issues

perhaps not...definitely has crap timing though

announcing your "true gender" after you're convicted in some attempt to garner sympathy??

[heretic]

(Then there's the fact that for all the "SAY WHAT YOU MEAN" and "TELL IT LIKE IT IS" talk from supporters of these parties, say "okay they're fascists/racists" when you mean "they're fascist/racists" and people complain and support them more. Odd, that. "Saying what you mean" only seems to work for the parties saying "all our problems are foreigners". It's almost like what people actually mean is "agree with me that my prejudices are right and it's someone else's fault")

You forget, screaming fits about brown tides and unassimilatable religious movements plotting to defile our women is not racism. It is defense of the nation and traditional values.

Of course some 80 years back people were making the same claims.

[Professor Moriarty]

Crooked news shapes our world views

[Paradox]

Eh, TV journalism went straight into the toilet after Cronkite retired. I haven't paid them any attention in years.

[Charles RB]

And here's America's new carbon emissions plan:

On Monday, President Obama is set to unveil details of the cornerstone of his climate plan: Limits on carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's fleet of existing power plants. The rules are likely to be the biggest step toward the president's goal of cutting US greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent by 2020. ... Because the benchmark is different for each state, the EPA will allow each state to draft its own plan for how to achieve it. This could include so-called "inside-the-fence" measures, like installing carbon-scrubbing technology on existing plants and "outside-the-fence" measures like investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency, participating in a carbon pricing system, or shifting more of its electricity production to cleaner plants.

[Vibranium]

number of alleged Jimmy Saville victims climbs

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/06/0...-jimmy-savile/

More than 500 reports of abuse on victims aged as young as two have been made against late BBC presenter Jimmy Savile, according to a new investigation by the NSPCC charity published Monday.

The probe found that Savile, one of the biggest TV stars in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s, exploited high-level contacts to gain access to vulnerable victims at a high-security psychiatric hospital.

“There’s no doubt that Savile is one of the most, if not the most, prolific sex offender that we at the NSPCC have ever come across,” said Peter Watt, director of child protection at the children’s charity.

“What you have is somebody who at his most prolific lost no opportunity to identify vulnerable victims and abuse them.”

The investigation was commissioned by BBC programme Panorama and will be aired at 8.30pm local time (1930 GMT).

[CenturianSpy]

In a change of historical US Policy (and in direct violation of US law), President Obama and his staff negotiates with terrorists to get Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl released from the Taliban in exchange for several Gitmo terrorists.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/...ostage-in-2009

[Paradox]

While I'm not all that fond of Executive Branch powers overreach, at least he used it for good instead of power hungry evil. And the only reason it's a violation of the law is because he didn't give 30 days notice, not (as you seem to imply) that he negotiated with the terrorists.

[Lucette]

The basic point of the EU is "let's buddy up in order to make MONEY!!!!", with side effects of "let's loosen up our borders" and "let's synchronise regulation". Only recently has the EU put someone in for foreign relations on behalf of the EU, and she can't really do much unless the EU member-states are in alignment. Guess how often that's happened.

When you talk about ''synchronising regulation" we tend use the term ''harmonization of standards'' - usually to the lowest common denominator and to be talking in relationship to free trade agreements. What do Brits think about the TTIP/TAFTA or CETA? What do Brits think of the F-35?

Still smirking over the article where they told me to lay back and think of Scotland. Started thinking of Toddish McWong's Gung Haggis Fat Choy which features a dragon moving to the sound of bagpipes and haggis filled spring rolls. I wonder what UKIP would think of that.

After all, what was the single biggest threat to the EU? The economic crash and the bailouts and the conditions for those bailouts

It sounds to me that Greece was treated like a third world country - selling off public assets at bargain basement prices and spending some of the money that Germany is charging them interest on - on German made military equipment. So, not only does Germany get the money they loaned back (before interest), but they also manage to sell a few of their toys.

the noise isn't where it should be...I bet if Snowden was in the US and being put on trial youd have mass protests and movements

It isn't about the messenger, it is about the message.

Bradley Manning says 'hi'.

Chelsea Elizabeth Manning. I think the point is that the American Government would use the guise of 'National Security' to make it a military kangaroo court for Snowden and he would end up serving the sort of time one usually does only for Murder. Chelsea did not think that she made an informed decision to join the military to fight in Iraq (ie she felt like she had been misled even lied to) and I think that is what she wanted to make sure that the next guy or girl knew what the war was really about before they signed on the bottom line.

Obama, give Chelsea Manning a pardon -- and your Nobel Peace Prize
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbN4LwxzVxM

Canadian vets victimized by national security state

''Then there's veteran advocate Sean Bruyea, whose file at Veterans Affairs grew to some 14,000 pages, with his confidential medical and financial files seen more than 4,000 times by over 850 people. One Veterans Affairs memo famously advised staff that it was time to take the gloves off with Bruyea, who subsequently told the Ottawa Citizen "to be accused of being an enemy, that shocked me."

http://rabble.ca/columnists/2012/11/...security-state

The motherload

https://openmedia.ca/

[Mikekerr3]

Why has this not made the international press like the recent lunacy in Pakistan?

Because unlike the thing in Pakistan it is not a normal occurrence and not the action of a govement. Just another crazy, not some following their cultural rules.

[Mikekerr3]

Would the world be a better place with him in prison?

YEs it would, Criminals being in prison is a very good thing.