djsp

joined 2 months ago
[–] djsp 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

To be fair :P, English is not my mother tongue, so I don't necessarily realize how pedantic some expressions I use come across. Fair enough?

[–] djsp 4 points 14 hours ago (3 children)

To be fair, fearing for one's life is understandable in a society where gun ownership, social injustice and mental illness are not only relatively widespread, but correlated, and the chances of being hurt in even simple altercations correspondingly high. The solution, though, is not allowing police to resort to violence routinely, disproportionately and indiscriminately, but to address the root causes of the danger with socioeconomic justice and safeguards, proper universal healthcare and at least some restrictions in gun ownership. Those who either aren't willing to solve these underlying issues or deny their existence outright often resort to the charge of terrorism as both a convenient deflection and an instrument of suppression and oppression. It is in our interest to push back against such misuse and keep the public discourse centered on the origins of conflict.

[–] djsp 4 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (5 children)

If I understand your quotation correctly, unlawful gathering warrants the charge of terrorism only when “intended to […] (a) influence the policies of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion and (b) affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder, assassination or kidnapping”. Then again, (a) and (b) seem redundant and the law and the judiciary might see intimidation or coercion where we do not.

[–] djsp 4 points 3 days ago

Intelligent analysis I concur with and thank you for. I sometimes wonder what myths our flawed present may pass down to our uncertain future. Who knows? After two millennia, our descendants might think of Trump the way we conceive of Narcissus while they recall the new flood myths we are delivering them.

[–] djsp 58 points 4 days ago (2 children)

For anyone else who, like me, didn't know: Trump once referred to Tim Cook as “Tim Apple”, as described in the Wikipedia article on Tim Cook:

In a meeting for the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board with President Donald Trump in March 2019, Trump referred to Cook as "Tim Apple".

[–] djsp 12 points 5 days ago (10 children)

Presidents and administrations might not be able to dictate specific prices, but they can and do enact laws and regulations that influence or even define the economy. Trump's proposed tariffs are expected –not just by economists, but by markets, as seen after the election– to raise prices and, if they are enacted and result in the predicted outcome, fingers should be pointed at his Orangeness.

[–] djsp 1 points 5 days ago

I don't know what substances were involved in writing that post. Mind sharing, @werefreeatlast? :P

[–] djsp 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Easy there — you already filled up your quota with Rupert Murdoch.

[–] djsp 2 points 2 weeks ago

Russia benefits from a stronger US dollar insofar as its oil and gas exports are settled in that currency. The more valuable the US dollar is (as measured against the ruble), the more rubles Russia's exports end up yielding — or the better they compete with other producers in international markets.

[–] djsp -5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

To the contrary: the value of the US dollar, as measured against other currencies, has surged in the past weeks amidst Donald Trump's announcements of tariffs, because markets expect them to bump prices and higher prices, in turn, ~~would~~ could prompt the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, just as we saw in 2022.

TL;DR: higher tariffs => higher prices => Federal Reaerve raises interest rates => US dollar appreciates

The incoming Trump administration could counter this dynamic by changing the mandate under which the Federal Reserve has been operating for about a century and bringing it under the executive, stripping it of its independence.

[–] djsp 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

That's weird. The Internet Archive hosts a copy of the page that you should be able to view. I would like to find out why you can't access the Mexican government's website, though.

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