I'm not gonna pretend the clemency was an ethical move - though there is a lot to question about that plea agreement - I will say that if you think this is "as crooked as they come" you are woefully sheltered.
Cutting the sentence in half of a political-rival-turned-ally's son is messed up but the hyperbole of calling it "the most crooked you can be" is absurd
Ichigo asks, Ichigo receives.
This is not surprising, but funny because it's so on brand as to make you go "of course that's his wallpaper. Of course."
No thanks. I'm done trying to explain it. I'm curious if others are having as much trouble understanding or if you're being intentionally obtuse, but there is no other way to say what I'm trying to say. It's complex and nuanced. There is no simple or concise way to say it. So I'm done here. Have a good one 👋
And your ability to be concerned about such things is your privilege
It is obvious that you are generally comfortable with little risk to your daily life riding on this election
Talk to me again when you're sacrificing your own immediate safety instead of the immediate safety of others to uphold your high-minded values
Sure.
The important starting point is:
Your perspective is not the only perspective. Every other person has a complex life, just as complex as yours with its own perspectives
And no one perspective is objectively right or wrong. There is only the opinions we bring to the table, what we each choose to do, how that impacts the world, and who we successfully bring to our cause
And most importantly, the policies I believe are morally and ethically the best path forward are often not widely popular without intense, direct conversation on the nuance of a subject, or until after the policy yields long term success that won't become apparent until after the next one or more rounds of elections
With that said, acquiring votes often involves identifying what resonates with others and pursuing their support rather than enacting the ideal policies you want to pursue
Actual governing means negotiating to enforce a collective will, agreed upon through genuine discourse and collaboration motivated by improving society and humanity
But you can still enact meaningful policy that has nothing to do with those goals and ideals, but rather seeks to generate support through various means.
Through a history of electioneering, the political machine in the US has produced an environment where administrations have a limited amount of time in which they can feasibly prioritize idealistic goals (if they even want or bother to) while still having enough time and political capital to recover any lost support. And the more disregard your opponent has for selflessness and mutual aid, the more risky it becomes to pursue unpopular positions.
You and I may know that it's good policy. That doesn't make it popular. And "it'll be popular when it works" is not a viable strategy when the opposition has become so good at obstruction, deconstruction, consolidation of power, and manipulation of public perception
I hope that clarifies
The fact that you interpret fear of persecution and resistance to authoritarianism as a selfish act tells me everything I need to know about how you view the world. And I choose not to engage in this conversation with you. 👋
My pleasure :D
Are you implying policy only has meaning if it supports your specific goals? Because there has been plenty of meaningful policy that does absolutely nothing to protect or advance the very narrow goals you've defined above in this conversation, or even what one might call moral and ethical. What exactly is "meaningful" when it comes to policy? That is such a vague, garage term in this context
One can enact policy for many reasons, not just legitimate efforts to govern effectively. Enacting policy for the sake of political expediency is still enacting policy, but not what I would consider actual governing
You seem to have misconstrued what "actual governing" means in this context
Can you read? Did you read the article? Unambiguous my ass. There is literally witness testimony that says it was the other assailant that stabbed the victim. Seriously, read the article that was linked so you don't sound quite so willfully ignorant
Also calling Nunez a crony of Schwarzenegger is hilarious given their history.