#rules of democracy

[fairuzfan]

Apparently Biden's aides are urging him to call for a ceasefire but he's refusing to listen to them the same for congress aides. He thinks its a "loud minority" speaking up against the genocide. If any one of you vote for Biden he will take it as a sign that he did good and do it again if he sees fit. You are not safe.

#literally what the hell #the congressmen are getting an unprecendent number of calls they said but they are refusing to listen #we do not live in a democracy #we are ruled by evil men and women

[empress-leo]

The fact that Rishi Sunak was not only unelected by the British public but also unelected by the Conservative party makes him the first person in world history that I know of that has become the head of a democratic nation with literally no-one in the entire country voting for him.

#uk politics #liz truss #tory britain #tory scum #ukpol #boris johnson #democracy #death of democracy #actually facism #Rishi Sunak #UK dictator #dictator #literally #we are being ruled by an unelected dictator #dystopia

[tanadrin]

RE "revolutionary leftists are revolutionary because they know they can't win electorally."

It astounds me a little that there are leftists who think that a communist revolution is more likely to work than, like, fifty years of community-building and electoral politics. Sewer socialism, union activism, and other boring activities have brought much more success in the U.S. than agitation for a revolution.

What I mean is, setting aside the moral concerns (violence is bad, even when it's necessary, and if there are practical alternatives then we should pursue them), I am not a revolutionary leftist because I think we would lose a revolution. For one thing, there is a considerable right-wing element in the country that is much better prepared for this kind of thing, and I think that the majority of the institutions in the U.S. would pick fascism over communism if they had to choose, but also, prolonged violent action is ripe for breeding authoritarianism.

Goatse is concerned that "the party" might "abandon or neglect its primary ends," but what is leftism if it is not, at bottom, an attempt to improve the living conditions of all people, et cetera et cetera? To the extent that social democratic parties successfully pursue this end to some degree, they're better than than an ostensible communist party that talks the talk but commits human rights abuses. And, more than the fact that U.S. leftism has some pretty fierce opposition that would probably fare better if The Revolution happened tomorrow, I think that, even in winning, we would lose, because what came out the other end would look a lot more like Stalinism.

I think one thing the hardcore revolutionaries in OECD countries don't realize is that the reason they can't marshal support for their revolutions is that the socialists won most of the issues that were salient in the early 20th century--workers got more rights, better pay, unions were legalized, etc., etc. But it didn't take restructuring the whole political economy to do it, which is immensely frustrating if you believe that any society without your ideal political economy is inherently immoral and impure, so in order to justify an explicitly communist platform you have to rhetorically isolate it from the filthy libs and feckless demsocs who it turns out have been pretty effective within the arena of electoral politics in which supposedly nothing can ever get done, and treat them as of a piece with the out-and-out fascists and royalist autocrats of the 1920s and 30s.

Which, you know. Is not persuasive to most people! Most people understand intuitively the vast gulf between the SPD and the Nazis; they see that, milquetoast and compromising though they may be, the center-left can deliver substantive policy improvements without the upheaval of a civil war or political purges, and this is attractive to people who are not of a millenarian or left-authoritarian personality.

Which isn't to say that communists don't often make important points! It sucks having to fight a constant rearguard action against the interests of capital rolling back the social improvements of the 20th century, and it sucks that liberal governments in Europe and North America have historically been quite happy to bankroll and logistically support fascists and tyrants in the third world against communist movements (which invariably only exist as communist movements because these same fascists and tyrants have crushed more compromising movements and only the most militant organizations have managed to survive).

But I agree with you: communists also talk a big game about how liberalism is the real fascism (what's that line from Disco Elysium I see quoted everywhere about how everybody is secretly a fascist except the other communists, who are liberals?), while also being awful at democracy. Suppressing dissent because your small clique of political elites is the only legitimate expression of the people's will (which you know, because you have declared it to be so) really is some rank bullshit. A system with competitive elections is still, well, a system with competitive elections, even if those elections are structurally biased in certain ways; all the bloviating that attempts to justify communist authoritarianism cannot really obscure the fact that authoritarian systems are cruel and brittle, regardless of the ideology being served.

#world's worst leftist #i'm not a huge fan of capitalism #but i am a huge fan of democracy #liberalism rules actually #and its highest expression is probably democratic socialism

[daniel-nerd]

important update on the israeli government

while everyone is looking at gaza, some people try to shed light on what’s happening in the west bank, which is very important, but people completely miss the laws our government is trying to pass.

even before the war, we managed to fight off a law that protects the the prime minister and any other minister in the government from getting arrested.

we’re still fighting against a law that undermines the court.

a few days ago, we managed to fight off a law, that allows the minister of education to fire any teacher that is suspected in their eyes to “support terrorism”, both in class, and in their private life. the government made it very clear that any support for palestinians rights is supporting terrorism in their eyes.

and now they’re passing a law that censor al jazeera, under the excuse of nazism, and antisemitism. it doesn’t matter what you think of al jazeera, this is a clear violation of the human rights for information, and free speech. this is an undemocratic law that every fascist regime passed on their rise to power!!this is a pandora box that would be very hard to close.

i am now, more than ever, scared for my safety, privacy, and freedom. this is NOT ACCEPTABLE. and there needs to be consequences, and sanctions against this insanity.

considering i found out about the law against teachers, only after it got rejected, im sure there are EVEN MORE laws that flew under my radar. and that is exactly their plan. passing as many undemocratic laws as possible, while everyone is in chaos.

#:3 #196 #egg irl #traaa #rule #ruleposting #:3 hehe #r/196 #israel #palestine #news on gaza #gaza #free gaza #gaza strip #palestine news #al jazeera #democracy

[sordidamok]

Trump is deliberately attacking the rule of law in USA and his cult followers are imitating him. This is a threat to democracy. The fact that he is getting away with is proof that the law favors rich, white men.

Serious work to do.

#rule of law #trump is a threat to democracy #republicans are domestic terrorists #vote blue #vote democrat #democrats #democracy #social democracy #vote blue 2024 #vote biden #vote blue to save democracy #democratic socialism #democrats now socialism later #vote biden/harris #biden/harris 2024 #stochastic terrorism #trump is a traitor

[dykedvonte]

An independent Courier would actually hate being in charge or enforcing standards in New Vegas. At least in my mind.

They made Vegas independent but I feel like that playthrough/style so clearly makes it apparent it isn't for them. They are making Vegas a place where people can live freely, like how House genuinely didn't care what people did but without the behind-the-scenes Big Brother surveillance he did. Having every family, faction, and other influence group or person comes to them about alliances or rules would be draining, and boring, one note.

In an independent Vegas, The Courier is also Independent. They like getting rid of lines and borders that impede freedom, they like to help give people the tool but I don't believe they want to be the one to shape it.

#a lot of this is like how ncr started but then lost its way #the courier would like a democracy but like one that is truly run by the people like if public votes or letting people split off and embrac #their traditions instead of a universal standard like house changing the tribes caesar wiping out so many cultures and the ncr whole thing #with their money being worthless in territories they have not taken control over cause people dont want to #the courier doesnt want to be house 2.0 and i see that so often in peoples interpretations of that ending and I just dont think its the cas #like theyd stay to help it stablize for a but ultimately i think theyd leave to clean up any loose ends or just travel the mojave like #a lot of the dialouge good or evil is very much like the courier doesnt want the responsiblity to be placed on them rather they choose what #they want to take on that is not presented in sort of a scenerio where they losely rule NV cause everyone else would go to them even if the #say they arent in charge #i at least for the follower quest tell them their choices are theirs and no one elses so i see that as their outlook so im biased #cause im also good karma just for how nice I am and I like doing crazy adventure shit and its actually hard to have fun when everyone hates #you for being legion #anyway make of this what you will #fallout #fallout new vegas #fnv #the courier #courier six #courier fnv #the strip fnv #robert edwin house #caesar’s legion #new california republic #independent vegas

[just-late-roman-republic-things]

Classical historians will be like "He was a bad seed from the start...just look at how nasty he was..." and then describe what we'd now consider blatant signs of child abuse.

(I'm not mad at Suetonius or other writers, just sad that so many historical figures didn't get the help and protection they clearly needed, and everyone suffered for it.)

#augustus look what happened to your descendents. look at the cost of attaining one-man rule #reason 9152 why democracies are better than autocracies #historiography #child abuse mention #jlrrt speaks

[scottguy]

Republicans don't give a damn what the majority wants. It's all about power and imposing their will.

Vote accordingly Ohioans when your state representative is eligible for re-election.

#Republicans are fascists #Republicans want minority rule #Republicans don't listen to voters #Republicans hate democracy

[never-was-has-been]

This is no longer saying the "quiet part" out loud. This is Bald faced Christos-Fascist agenda that I've been saying for many many years on social media. NOW, it is apparent that it has sprouted in full bloom like a Venus Flytrap growing with steroidal chemicals and nitrogen. This adversity from them and their ilk will not stop (or be stopped!) until they achieve Full Spectrum Theocratic Dominance. Mark. My. Words here: 12-24-2023.

#1 Christos-Fascist agenda #They HATE Democracy! #They want a Monarchy where the “God” of Abraham RULES the land-nay-the Whole phucking Planet. #Mark. My. Words. #Who's Going to STOP them eh? #The Left is powerless against these a-holes unless we/the Left can change it together.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

* * * *

Jack Smith calls the question.

December 12, 2023

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

          Monday brought multiple positive developments for those who yearn for the courts to serve as a bulwark against Trump's effort to assume dictatorial powers. Let’s review the threads of hope that run through the judicial developments on Monday relating to Trump.

Jack Smith goes directly to the Supreme Court on the question of Trump's presidential immunity defense in the D.C. election interference case.

          Trump's primary defense against the 91 federal indictments secured by Jack Smith is delay. His claim of presidential immunity for all acts undertaken as president is not a serious defense but is structured to create delay. It is one of the few defenses that can lead to a pre-trial appeal—and lengthy delay of trial.

          Judge Chutkan denied Trump's motion to dismiss the D.C. election interference case, and Trump appealed to the D.C. Circuit. After the D.C. Circuit rules, the matter can go to the Supreme Court. Even with expedited briefing in both the D.C. Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, that process might delay Trump's criminal trial until after the 2024 election.

          Everyone knows that Trump's claim of presidential immunity will eventually end up in the US Supreme Court, so Jack Smith called the question on Monday by asking the Supreme Court to take the case without an intervening stop in the D.C. Circuit. The procedure invoked by Smith has been used in extraordinary cases—including US v. Nixon.

          The historical background is discussed by Lucian K. Truscott IV in his excellent Substack newsletter. See Lucian K. Truscott IV, It's called the Nixon rule, and the Supreme Court should uphold it without delay (substack.com). I highly recommend Truscott’s analysis—so much so that I will assume you have (or will) read it so that I can skip some of the details he ably covers.

          Jack Smith’s petition is here: U.S. v. Donald J. Trump | Petition for Writ of Certiorari Before Judgment.

          Before addressing Smith’s petition, let’s skip to the end: Smith has undertaken a bold, brilliant, gutsy move that prioritizes the interest of the American people in knowing whether the leading GOP presidential candidate is a criminal before they are asked to vote for (or against) him in November 2024.

          Smith is, of course, taking a gamble by front-loading the ‘overwhelming question’ that will determine whether Trump is above the law. Framed as a two-part question by Jack Smith in his petition, he asks the Supreme Court to decide the following:

Whether a former president is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office, or

Is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he has been impeached but not convicted [in the Senate] before the criminal proceeding begins.

          The answer to those questions is plainly “No.” The questions posed by Smith can be reframed as, “In America, is any person above the law?” Again, the answer is plainly “No.”

          Given that Trump's defense is meritless and should be summarily rejected, Jack Smith’s petition poses the following question to the Supreme Court:

          Will the US Supreme Court aid and abet Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election by delaying his trial until after the 2024 election—preserving the possibility that Trump will dismiss the prosecutions against himself if he is elected?

          Stripped to its essence, Jack Smith is challenging the Supreme Court to put its legitimacy and legacy on the line. Indeed, he is offering the Court the opportunity for partial rehabilitation. If they decline that opportunity, the justices will deserve the judgment of history that would follow a refusal to consider the matter on an expedited basis and rule that “No person is above the law.”

          Let’s now look at the procedural posture of the petition. Jack Smith is asking for two forms of relief: (a) to skip over the D.C. Court of Appeals by granting a “writ of certiorari” (a fancy word for appellate review), and (b) that the Supreme Court grant review on an expedited basis.

          In a positive sign, the Supreme Court ordered Trump to respond to Smith’s request for expedited review on Wednesday, December 20, 2023. As explained by Professor Tribe on Lawrence O’Donnell’s “The Last Word,” the fact that the Supreme Court ordered Trump to file on an opposition on an expedited basis suggests that there are five votes on the Supreme Court to grant Jack Smith’s request for expedited review.

          If the Supreme Court is inclined to grant expedited review, that is a very good sign. It suggests that Trump will be tried for election interference before the November 2024 election. Although a conviction is not guaranteed, Jack Smith will present evidence of Trump's guilt on the eve of the 2024 election. That is all we can ask for.

          But there is more good news. As Jack Smith was filing his petition with the Supreme Court, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals also indicated that it would move expeditiously by granting Smith’s separate motion for an expedited hearing before the D.C. Circuit. On Monday, the D.C. Circuit ordered Trump to file a response by Wednesday, December 13, in opposition to Smith’s request for an expedited hearing in the D.C. Circuit.  

          Here is the way to think about the dual proceedings in the D.C. Circuit and the Supreme Court. Unless and until the Supreme Court grants Jack Smith’s petition for a writ of certiorari, the D.C. Circuit retains jurisdiction over the case. If the Supreme Court grants Smith’s petition, the D.C. Circuit loses jurisdiction; if it denies Smith’s petition, the D.C. Circuit retains jurisdiction.

          In effect, Smith is on “two fast tracks” to review Trump's defense of presidential immunity. He has hedged his bets and called the question. Good!

#Robert B. Hubbell #Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter #Jack Smith #SCOTUS #expedited review #D.C. Circuit Court of appeals #legal #Rule of Law #Democracy

[morgana-pendragon]

delilah green doesn’t care — “a clever and steamy queer romantic comedy about taking chances and accepting love - with all its complications - by debut author ashley herring blake”

written in the stars — “in her debut, with nods to bridget jones’s diary and pride and prejudice, alexandria bellefleur delivers a charming rom-com about a free-spirited astrologer who agrees to a fake relationship with an uptight actuary — with results not even the stars could predict!”

the jasmine throne — “trapped by her despotic brother within the crumbling walls of an ancient temple, princess malini dreams on vengeance. forced to disavow her birthright and her power because of her past, maidservant priya dreams of freedom. in a world beset by wild magic and turbulent uprising, their destinies will become irrrevocably tangled. and together, they will set an empire ablaze.” + the oleander sword — “the prophecy of the nameless god— the words that declared malini rightful empress of parijatdvipa— have proven a blessing and a curse. she is determined to claim the throne fate offered her. but deposing her brother is going to be a brutal and bloody fight. the power of the deathless waters flows through priya’s blood. now an elder of ahiranya, she dreams of seeing her country rid of the rot that plagues it: both parijatdvipa’s poisonous rule and the blooming sickness spreading through all living things. but she doesn’t yet understand the truth of the magic she carries. their chosen paths once pulled them apart. but malini’s and priya’s souls remain as entwined as their destinies. and saving their kingdom from those who would rather see it burn will come at a terrible price.”

pride and prejudice and pittsburgh — i cba to copy all that from the back of this one so it’s a time travel lake house type deal with a girl from two hundred years in the past and one from pittsburgh

#abbie polls #if i’m honestttttt i don’t wanna do jasmine throne rn bc its two tomes that are bonkers long and i just finished tihylttw and they’re both #like high fantasy and my brain deadass needs a break i think 😭 but whatever democracy rules whatever you guys pick #polls

[plthroughlegallense]

[ISRAEL HAS NO JURISDICTION IN THE WEST BANK]

How can a foreign country imposed their laws on another nation when they are not even citizens of that country?

Israel being a creation of the United Nations, are bound by the United Nations resolutions and borders which specifically creates which areas form part of “Israel”.

It’s no surprise that a country without a formal Constitution may easily get confused in understanding the real meaning of “sovereignty” and “respect for the rule of laws”.

The West Bank is not even part of Israel, the Palestinians are not even granted Israeli Citizenship. Why and on what basis is Israel detaining Palestinians in their own soil when Israeli law only applies within Israel.

Can you imagine if your neighbouring country imposes their laws on your soil when you are not even a citizen of that country?

We surely can’t but somehow the lawless apartheid regime finds no error in it.

#palestine #colonialism #democracy #administrative detention #collective punishment #constitution #home demolition #law #legal #free all oppressed peoples #ruthless aggression #israel is an apartheid state #israel #israhell #rule of law #aggressive #aggressor #settler #settler colonialism #israeli settlers #illegal settlements #settler violence #settler terrorism #israel is a settler colony #squatters

[shattered-pieces]

I have nothing but contempt for people who are in free countries yet support a dictatorship, support the war on a free country. I suppose russian propaganda has gotten to them here, but that's no excuse. They should know better. It's so obvious to anyone with half a brain who looks at the russian invasion that it's wrong and must be stopped. Russia is a huge country who attacked its smaller neighbor. No justification. Any "justification" is propaganda. It is merely a war of expansion.

Fighting against it is as morally right as fighting the nazis in world war II. Because russia is also doing nazi like things to pieple, not "just" bombing peaceful cities and killing civilians on purpose. It's committing grotesque war crimes. Just because Ukrainians dared to be free. Just because they dared to resist the russian machine that wanted to spread darkness and tyranny over Ukraine, not satisfied with keeping it in their own country.

#revenge for not wanting to be russians #:( #ukraine #russian invasion #appeasers need to shut up #america needs to wake up #supposedly free country #some ppl dont know what freedom is #cant see a threat if it were in front of their face #i wish i could slap them w the truth #how can i make them see the obvious if they dont see it? #perhaps they also want slavery #strongman rule #trump is a threat to democracy #his followers are facilitators of the evil russia does. #i despise all of them.

[rjalker]

The "vote blue no matter who" crowd is just happily proudly announcing right now that they are fine with genocide and fashism as long as it's not happening to them.

Now watch them come out of the woodwork to accuse me of being a Russian psyops.

[ID: A five-panel digital comic with no title, showing a person, representing a political leader, standing next to a large red box labled, "Fashism", with another person watching from the corner. In panel 1, the politician is smiling, holding a thumb's up. The person watching has their mouth open in horror, clutching their face with exclamation marks over their head. In panel 2, the person in the corner is now yelling frantically, "We gotta stop this!!!" In panel 3, the politician holds up one finger, and, with a smile, says, "Just wait [smiley face] You can vote it away!". The person watching, now smiling with their hands lowered, says, "Yay!" Panel 4 is a transition card that reads, "One election later" with the word "election" in thinner script surrounded by flowers and stars. In panel 5, the box of Fashism has been painted blue, with a paint can and brush visible behind it, and the politician once again smiling with a thumb's up. The person in the corner is cheering happily, shouting, "We did it, Genocide Joe! We beat fashism!" End ID.]

#Genocide Joe Biden #vote blue no matter who #fashism #vote them out #because fashism definitely plays by the rules of democracy!!!!! #described images #political cartoon

[wobblydev]

i am (in my dreams) working on making Tsolarja into a ttrpg. i have made multiple rpg systems over the years with their own flavours and mechanics, which is fun in itself.

they were all run by the gm with various fun and inventive ways to determine probability of success and failure, from typical dice to scrying to art interpretation.

Tsolarja is supposed to be a place without rulers and despots though, which seemed somehow counter to the concept of a single gm. i respect the story-telling process and that an auteur can be crucial to creating the landscape of a story for players to explore, so i don't know if the system needs to be completely 100% cooperative, but i would love the mechanics to be while maintaining randomness and chance.

so, friends, help me make a system that is operable and fun to use while still allowing for story, agency and role playing.

i thought maybe we start with Rusty's Rules of Order as a skeleton? for those who don't spend a lot of time in solidarity union meetings or similar decentralised activist orgs, Rusty's Rules is a relatively simply way to hold a functional meeting.

i thought perhaps the chair in this scenario would be the gm (dm). they have the plot in mind, know the world they're playing in, the npcs the beats etc.

the agenda is essentially the campaign, but typically all the attendees would have the agenda well in advance, so i'm not sure how to work with that.

i imagined most of the game would be typical role playing in character as normal. everyone would need to know essentially the strengths and weaknesses of all the characters and be able to reference them in a sort of cheat sheet. if a test was well within the skills and abilities of a player, then failure would be an extremely low probability.

how do we test for success in higher stakes? how do we decide what happens without just rolling dice which (in my opinion) is so boring. (maybe i'm alone in that)

would players propose outcomes to situations and vote and discuss those outcomes with the chair having some authority to shift or adjust? i am fascinated by the potential for democracy in a ttrpg but not entirely sure how to make it work.

you are all very smart and creative, help me please. unless it's just very silly, then tell me that too please.

@lixiebuilds @natalieironside @poliesther

#Tsolarja #ttrpg #Rusty's Rules #democracy

[letoscrawls]

This episode looked like a super bowl commercial and i'm not even american

#WTF #i laughed so hard #yeah this show is so unserious now but i can't not support a democracy ruled by lizzo and jack black #another successful episode directed by bryce dallas howard #star wars spoilers #the mandalorian spoilers #the mandalorian #the mandalorian s3 spoilers #sw spoilers