In Michigan, these US veterans call Trump 'the devil' - and phone-bank for Harris
Source: The Guardian

Sat 26 Oct 2024 10.00 EDT
Last modified on Sat 26 Oct 2024 13.32 EDT

Like so many military veterans, the ageing group of men and women adorned with badges of fighting forces and theaters of war hesitated to talk about their past lives. But after one finally spoke up to denounce the man they called “the devil”, the floodgates opened to an anger and alarm that went far beyond normal political discourse.

The veterans turned out on a warm evening to phone-bank for Kamala Harris in Saginaw, Michigan - a swing county in a key battleground state. But first they got to tell each other about where they served and the ways in which that shapes how they see next week’s presidential election.

Most enlisted decades ago, some for only a few years. But that was long enough when fighting in Korea or Vietnam to have marked out the course of their lives and shaped their views of the world. From that vantage point, the veterans look upon Donald Trump with undisguised disgust.

Some refused to even speak his name, including former air force electrician Josie Couch. “This man here, that Kamala is running against, he’s like the devil and, you know, he ain’t even trying to hide it,” she told her fellow veterans.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/26/michigan-veterans-harris-phone-bank

Your comprehension level is grotesque. Without the $4.7B WV is shit out of luck.

$4.7 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has been announced and is
headed to West Virginia with over 201 specific projects identified for funding.

What do you call Trump's and Vance's shit about Haitians eating pets in OH and the 'enemy within' crap?

Nobody takes either of them and the morons who support them seriously.

Yeah, you saw the worthlessness of the Dems in the PDF about the impact of the Infrastructure Bill in WV.

The Dems did not serve up the lethally incompetent pandemic response that decimated the Trumpanzee population.

Read again, for comprehension this time:

By reaching communities all across West Virginia – including rural communities and historically underserved
populations – the law makes critical investments that will improve the lives of West
Virginians and position the state for success.

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is Delivering in West Virginia
As of March 2024

The Biden-Harris Administration has hit the ground running to implement the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law, and it is already delivering results for the people of West Virginia. To
date, $4.7 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has been announced and is
headed to West Virginia with over 201 specific projects identified for funding.

Since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed, approximately $2.5 billion has been announced
for transportation – to invest in roads, bridges, public transit, ports and airports – and
roughly $267 million has been announced for clean water and water infrastructure.

West Virginia received $1.3 billion to connect everyone in the state to reliable high-speed
internet and, as of today, more than 129,000 West Virginia households are already
saving on their monthly internet bill due to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Many more
projects will be added in the coming months, as funding opportunities become grant
awards and as formula funds become specific projects.

By reaching communities all across West Virginia – including rural communities and historically underserved
populations – the law makes critical investments that will improve the lives of West
Virginians and position the state for success.

There's no 'either of them'. There's an amoral fascist piece of shit and a normal human being.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich just delivered a truth bomb about Donald Trump

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich just delivered a truth bomb about Donald Trump: "He's pathetic. He's small. He's a whiner...He's a damaged man." pic.twitter.com/7s26L6xomD

— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) October 27, 2024

To place Harris in the same 'sick and tired' basket with a convicted felon who is also a treasonous, insurrection inciting, wannabe dictator and f'ing moron who punches all of the winning numbers on the fascist bingo card is moral imbecility.

You weakness for false equivalencies makes Jeff Bezos seem like a moral paragon.

48% of the people polled is NOT 48% of the voting population.

And he ain't winning with these numbers:

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/favorability/donald-trump/

Unfavorable 52.1%
Favorable 43.4%

Kamala Harris for President

Last November, I endorsed Joe Biden, which may have surprised no one familiar with my opposition to Donald Trump. Yet those months—258 days between Biden’s announcement and his withdrawal—were among the hardest in my time as a Never Trumper.

Democrats, activists, and donors alike were demoralized. Hope for a narrow path to Biden’s victory flickered and was finally extinguished after a disastrous debate that marked the end of his political journey. Biden will be remembered as a President of honor and consequence, but his departure was a moment of fear for the forces opposing Donald Trump.

Then, Kamala Harris entered the race—and something shifted.



It was hope.

Not the shallow kind that merely longs for better days, but a fierce, determined hope. Harris brought energy, clarity, and courage, qualities we sorely need in confronting the existential threat of Trump’s return. Her campaign embodies the American story in all its complexity—raised by immigrant parents from India and Jamaica; she represents a life built on hard work, education, and the pursuit of a better future.

But this race isn’t about racial identity; she understood that from the beginning. Harris isn’t running to break glass ceilings or to be the first Black or South Asian woman president, though those aspects of her story are significant. Instead, she runs as a leader—someone prepared to tackle the immense challenges of a complex world. She has the strength and clarity to expose Trumpism as the shallow grift it has always been.

Harris understands the gravity of what she faces: a felon, a rapist, a traitor, an insurrectionist. She’s prosecuted men like Trump before and knows precisely how to dismantle his corrupt, chaotic brand of authoritarianism. Too many in the media still treat Trump’s criminality as peripheral or trivial. Harris sees it for what it is—an affront to democracy—and refuses to indulge the polite fiction that Trump is anything but a fascist.

His agenda, hidden behind programs like Project 2025 or Agenda 47, is a roadmap to authoritarian control. Where others flinch, Harris stands firm, unafraid to call out Trump’s dangerous ambitions. She has withstood the venom and racial animus hurled her way, knowing full well that the attacks would be personal, malicious, and relentless.

She is an antidote to Trump’s cruelty. His malice is not an accident or a byproduct of power—it is the point. It is intrinsic to his leadership style, a performance designed to degrade and demoralize. His political career is littered with examples of his relentless need to humiliate the weak and reward the unscrupulous. From separating children from their parents at the border to insulting our veterans and war dead, his actions reveal a profound indifference to human suffering. He thrives on domination, extracting pleasure from public shame and turning cruelty into a rallying cry. No tragedy, no matter how intimate or devastating, is exempt from becoming fodder for his political spectacle.


Indecency is not merely a tactic for Trump—it is the foundation of his crapulous brand. His followers celebrate his vulgarity, mistaking it for authenticity, while he uses insult and invective as tools of control. Trump’s rhetoric corrupts the national discourse, normalizing behavior that once would have been unthinkable for a public figure. He revels in indecency, knowing that every norm shattered brings him closer to unchecked power.

His language—calling immigrants “animals,” slurring every opponent as a Marxist, a communist, or a pedophile — is that of the tyrant, the autocrat, the dictator. He degrades and assaults women verbally and physically. He promises retribution and to deploy the military against his political opponents.

This culture of cruelty is already spreading from the podium to the streets. It is a generational risk for our children and grandchildren. His contempt for empathy, decency, and truth is boundless; a generation raised on it will be warped by it.

On foreign policy, Harris is sharper and more strategic than Trump’s reckless, self-serving flirtations with dictators. On border policy, she is more pragmatic than his hollow theatrics and racism.

Where Trump clings to ludicrously damaging and outdated economic theories like tariffs, Harris offers a vision for sustainable, inclusive growth. She understands the importance of addressing inequality and reforming a tax code skewed toward the ultra-wealthy, not by attacking free markets but by fostering competition and innovation.

As a conservative, I believe in free enterprise and personal liberty. Yet today’s economy is distorted by cronyism, where wealth flows to the well-connected rather than the innovative. Trump promises to institutionalize this corruption. On the other hand, Harris offers a path forward that preserves liberty and opportunity while dismantling favoritism.

On abortion, she strikes a clear position—recognizing it as a profoundly personal and morally complex issue. Unlike the overreach of Trump’s Red Court and his entire party — who propose monitoring women’s reproductive choices and prosecuting doctors — Harris respects the limits of state power. She understands that the state has no place in private medical decisions. This stance resonates deeply in the post-Dobbs era, where the denial of emergency care is endangering American women’s lives. Hers is, perhaps ironically, the conservative position.

Trump, by contrast, has repeatedly proven himself a liability to America’s security and values. His admiration for dictators and betrayal of democratic principles are not aberrations but the core of his political ethos. His allies fear Harris precisely because she represents the antithesis of everything they stand for. She will defend the nation while he calculates personal gain from every betrayal.

January 6, 2021, wasn’t just a bad day—it was a deliberate assault on the core of American democracy, all orchestrated by a man who would rather burn the republic to the ground than accept losing.

Donald Trump wasn’t some passive spectator to the chaos; he was the arsonist, striking the match and cheering on the flames. He lied, riled up his base, and sent them marching to the Capitol, knowing full well what would follow. The riot wasn’t about election integrity but power and revenge, a mob boss tantrum disguised as patriotism.

Any man who, when given the sacred responsibility of defending the Constitution, instead weaponizes a lie to undermine it cannot—must not—be allowed back into power. To put him in office again is like handing a loaded gun to a man who’s already tried to shoot you once.

I know I’ll disagree with Harris on specific issues in the future—that’s the nature of democracy. But I also know those disagreements will be rooted in good faith, not authoritarianism. Constructive friction is inevitable in a coalition that spans from Bernie Sanders to Liz Cheney. And that’s how it should be.

Harris will meet the challenges ahead as a leader committed to American ideals, not an autocrat bent on personal gain.

That, my friends, is more than enough reason to cast your vote for her. I already have.

And I urge you to do the same.

https://therickwilson.substack.com/p/kamala-harris-for-president?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1887091&post_id=148155777&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1kxqrv&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Because new information that conflicts with his deeply held though unfounded beliefs is rejected out of hand.

I looked in vain for a clause or two in the Bill's provisions for WV to confirm B4's assertions/conclusions that a Bill from the Dems would discriminate against 'rural communities and historically underserved populations'; would betray those communities and populations much like SS, Medicare, Medicaid and the ACA have. No soap.😏

By reaching communities all across West Virginia – including rural communities and historically underserved
populations – the law makes critical investments that will improve the lives of West
Virginians and position the state for success.

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is Delivering in West Virginia
As of March 2024

The Biden-Harris Administration has hit the ground running to implement the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law, and it is already delivering results for the people of West Virginia. To
date, $4.7 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has been announced and is
headed to West Virginia with over 201 specific projects identified for funding.

Since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed, approximately $2.5 billion has been announced
for transportation – to invest in roads, bridges, public transit, ports and airports – and
roughly $267 million has been announced for clean water and water infrastructure.

West Virginia received $1.3 billion to connect everyone in the state to reliable high-speed
internet and, as of today, more than 129,000 West Virginia households are already
saving on their monthly internet bill due to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Many more
projects will be added in the coming months, as funding opportunities become grant
awards and as formula funds become specific projects.

By reaching communities all across West Virginia – including rural communities and historically underserved
populations – the law makes critical investments that will improve the lives of West
Virginians and position the state for success.

CA, NY, IL....for starters assure that won't happen. Also Trump's popularity rating is more underwater than Harris's.

Who said only good folks us A.I.? It's dumb to think that AI will evolve in a regulation free environment.

If you had just average intelligence you wouldn't be oblivious to all of the following.

What AI (Bard) has to say.

IS AI going to be regulated?

The rapid development and widespread adoption of AI have sparked a global debate about the need for regulation. While some argue for minimal intervention to allow for innovation, others advocate for robust regulations to address potential risks.

Here are some key points to consider:

The Need for Regulation: AI's potential for significant societal impact, including job displacement, algorithmic bias, and autonomous decision-making, raises concerns about safety, fairness, and accountability.

Regulatory Challenges: Regulating AI presents unique challenges due to its rapid evolution, complex technical nature, and cross-border implications.

Existing Regulations: Some existing regulations, such as data protection laws and consumer protection laws, may be applicable to AI systems, but their effectiveness in addressing AI-specific risks is debatable.

Proposed Regulations: Various governments and organizations are proposing new regulations specifically tailored to AI, covering areas like transparency, accountability, and safety.

Industry Self-Regulation: Many AI developers and companies are advocating for self-regulation, arguing that it would allow for flexibility and innovation while still addressing ethical concerns.

The future of AI regulation is still uncertain, but it is likely that a combination of government regulations, industry self-regulation, and ethical guidelines will be necessary to ensure the responsible development and use of AI.

AI Regulation Is Coming

Harvard Business Review
Legalweek 2024: Current US AI regulation means adopting a strategic — and communicative — approach - Thomson Reuters Institute
Feb 11, 2024

Thomson Reuters
Existing and Proposed Federal AI Regulation in the United States
Apr 9, 2024 — Key Takeaways * The US government is leveraging existing regulatory tools to address AI, including export controls and...
Morgan Lewis

US state-by-state AI legislation snapshot | BCLP
SB 892, introduced on January 1, 2024, would impact businesses entering into a contract with state agencies to provide artificial ...

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Summary Artificial Intelligence 2024 Legislation
Sep 9, 2024 — Concerns about potential misuse or unintended consequences of AI, however, have prompted efforts to develop standards.

National Conference of State Legislatures
16 states have AI laws, most of them to curb profiling - Legal Dive
Mar 20, 2024 — About a third of states have enacted a comprehensive data privacy law, and most of them — California, Colorado, Connec...

I'm not the one playing. You either didn't read the entire article or you simply didn't understand it. You embody the irrational and the fear of the boogeyman.

If we really think about it, the most serious threat we face is not from AI acting to the detriment of humanity. It is the willful misuse of AI by other human beings. In fact, Homo sapiens is the one behaving exactly as we fear that AI would act. It is Homo sapiens that has become unpredictable and uncontrollable. It is Homo sapiens that has brought about inequality and injustice. And it is Homo sapiens that may cause the mass destruction of life on Earth.

Keeping these facts in mind, we would be wise to remind ourselves that it is possible to develop AI responsibly and ethically. To make this happen, however, we will need to manage our irrational feelings associated with the bogeyman.

Democracy Dies in YOUR MOM’S STANKY DRAWERS
Friday, October 25th, 2024

by Shower Cap | American Madness Journal



https://showercapblog.com/democracy-dies-in-your-moms-stanky-drawers/

Say, this latest round of drama made me realize, Shower Cap’s Blog has yet to formally endorse in the 2024 presidential race. Well, I’ll be danged (all the way to Heck) if democracy dies in a tattered, beer-stained, superhero bathrobe and a luchador mask! Yea, though it may endanger my lucrative defense contracts, (I provide fart jokes to the janitorial staff at Andrews…at a hefty markup, of course) I shall be silent no longer!

I hereby endorse Jill Stein, or perhaps Cornel West, because when I shove quarters up my nose, I shove ‘em all the way! Because I’m a preening nincompoop who values social media feedback from other preening nincompoops more than human life! Because chicks dig counterproductive, masturbatory virtue signalling…right?

Aw, I’m just yankin’ yer chain, I’m voting for Vice President Harris. (C’mon, you didn’t think a Stein voter possessed a brain capable of writing jokes, didja?) And mostly for the Biden/Harris economy, which even Th’Economist calls “the envy of the world,” the biggest environmental bill in history, the dozens of liberal judges, and so on and so forth.

But even beyond that, she has a certain, how shall I put this…non-fascistness that I find charming, somehow. The way she never calls her political opponents “the enemy within,” or threatens to deploy the military against them, it’s…I dunno, kinda refreshing. Like a nice, tall glass of iced tea after a 14-hour shift breaking up rocks in the re-education camp.

She never talks about firing and/or deporting any special counsels investigating her crimes against democracy, admittedly because she never committed any such crimes in the first place, but still.

I find the relative dearth of national security officials warning the nation of her fascist tendencies particularly encouraging. She doesn’t talk like Hitler or praise Hitler or long for “the kind of generals that Hitler had,” which strikes me as a far superior attitude to have about Hitler than, say, her opponent’s.

Whereas you can’t swing a dead cat these days without hitting a four-star general willing to use the f-word to describe Off-Brand Orbán. You might not’ve seen it, but a former Pentagon snack counter clerk just told CNN about the crusty, bronzer-smudged copy of Mein Kampf he found in a restroom stall back in 2019.

Of course, the aforementioned cat would also collide with a veritable legion of institutional Republicans, lining up to normalize the latest depravities as quick as their Turd Emperor can spew ‘em. While Tom Emmer’s sycophancy makes up in enthusiasm what it lacks in finesse, more experienced stooges, like Chris Sununu and Dug Bugman, shuffle from media hit to media hit, regurgitating talking points like the soulless husks they are.

Moses n’ Yertle took things a step further, waggling their crooked fingers at Kamala for stating the obvious. I think it’s kind of adorable that such craven lickspittles imagine they have the right, much less the capacity to shame anyone else.

I suppose the bright side of defending your candidate from accusations of fascism is you finally get to stop defending his bizarre obsession with Arnold Palmer’s (allegedly) massive dong. And shoot, apparently nobody’ll even have time to ask about the model who accused him of groping her “to show off for Jeffrey Epstein.” I guess flooding the zone with shit makes sense when your candidate is a piece of crap.

I’d have to check, but I’m pretty sure Harris never sexually assaulted anyone in an effort to impress a sex trafficker. Or pledged to pardon any domestic terrorists. Or called America the “garbage can for the world.” Or raped anybody. So I’m feelin’ pretty good about that endorsement.

Oh, incidentally, in addition to all the fashy shit, his economic platform would bankrupt Social Security in six years. And you’ll need that money, after his across-the-board tariffs jack up the price you pay for everything from spray-on hair to livestock dewormer. So, fiscally irresponsible, fascist rapist. Got it.

Ah, but an eminently puppetable, fiscally irresponsible, fascist rapist, which explains Elon Musk’s massive, probably illegal, certainly inefficient investment in bribes. Psst, hey Elon, any chance you could cover some of the rally bills your boy has refused to pay, or are you too busy skipping like a dipshit?

Maybe somebody could dip into to the fund amassed from bilking the elderly out of their life savings? Oh, that money is reserved for piss hooker excursions? I understand.

Getting back to Musk real quick, seems he’s gotten into the habit of phoning up Putin, just to talk about boys and clothes, and also throttling Starlink service over Taiwan, as a favor to Xi Jinping. I assume the Bushes trademarked “Axis of Evil,” so maybe we could go with something like, I dunno, Scumfuck Triumvirate? Global Shitwad? We’ll workshop it.

‘Course, we’ve got plenty on our plate domestically. Our don’t-you-dare-call-them-fascist rank and file Republicans are, of course, threatening election workers, necessitating “police snipers and drone patrols” in Maricopa County. Y’know, just like in all the healthiest democracies.

No doubt you’ve seen ads where your local candidate encourages you to make a plan to vote. Well, in Pennsylvania, a particularly enthusiastic 62-year-old named John C. Pollard made a plan to “SKIN (his local poll worker) ALIVE AND USE (his local poll worker’s) SKIN FOR FUCKING TOILET PAPER.” But definitely not in a fascist way.

Other non-fascist MAGA activities this week included flagging voters with “Hispanic-sounding” names as “suspicious” in North Carolina, manufacturing odious deepfakes for Russian military intelligence, and masquerading as a pro-Trump “Black Insurrectionist” to disseminate disinformation over on Elon’s busted, white nationalist playground. Oh, and perhaps a little voter registration fraud in Pennsylvania.

Least fascist of all was Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, who urged North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature to simply award the state’s electoral votes to the Velveeta Vulgarian, without bothering with any of that pesky voting. In Andy’s defense, his plan, while terrifyingly anti-democratic, involves the use of no human skin as toilet paper.

At a perhaps-fascist-adjacent rally in Georgia, Tucker Carlson briefly emerged from deplatformed obscurity to foist his psychosexual irregularities on an audience that probably deserved them, meticulously detailing his fantasy wherein America is a “bad girl” in need of a “vigorous spanking” from Daddy Dotard. Pretty pedestrian, as perversions go, but we should note, for history’s sake, just how embarrassing this whole thing has been.

Keeping with that topic, if you ever want to dazzle a death cult, turns out all you have to do is pretend to work at McDonald’s for half an hour. They were gonna have JD Vance play one of the customers, but he was too busy working on his speech complimenting self-professed “Black Nazi” Mark Robinson.

Seems “Judge” Aileen Cannon has bootlicked her way onto the Turd Reich’s Attorney General shortlist. Used to be, you had to invent a whole new type of extra-masculine toilet to get appointed to the highest law enforcement post in all the land, but I guess times change.

As we navigate these unbearably tense final weeks, with the nation teetering on the brink of autocracy, I find it’s more important than ever to slow down, take a deep breath, and enjoy the sweet, slapstick justice the universe has seen fit to unleash upon Rudy Giuliani, who somehow keeps finding new floaters to collide with as he is flushed down history’s commode.

Amerikkka’s Mayor has been ordered to surrender a wide range of his ill-gotten possessions to defamed election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, including “a picture of Reggie Jackson and a jersey signed by Joe DiMaggio, along with a 1980 Mercedes previously owned by Lauren Bacall, jewelry and fancy watches from Bulova and Rolex,” but it seems as though court officials failed to uncover that trowel he swiped from Four Seasons Total Landscaping, so take THAT, rule of law!

I see Tulsi Gabbard finally completed her long, tediously stage-managed tap dance around the proverbial horseshoe, performing, with a slightly used KFC spork, the self-lobotomy ritual that officially initiates one into the MAGA Republican Party. Have fun with your new friends, Tulsi! Don’t leave your drink unattended around Matt Gaetz!

Ok, before I sign off for the week, I’m gonna poke around the information superhighway one last time, to see if either candidate reneged on a promise to pay for a murdered soldier’s funeral, maybe in a super racist manner? Cuz that’s a deal-breaker for me, endorsement-wise.

Luckovich!




https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219604878

Luckovich!




https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219604878

Luckovich!




https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219604878

Luckovich!




https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219604878

IF disaffected GOP voters voting for Harris...Haley supporters & free range 'WTF?!' anti-Trump voters.....are represented in that 390K GOP vote total then another unpleasant evening, because of delayed count of all mail and absentee votes, awaits Trump on election night or on Wed morning.

And if similar trends prevail in other swing states then the polls, as I suspect, are mostly meaningless.

And Vance repeatedly tried to change the subject when asked if he believed that Biden had been elected in '20, before finally saying no several days later.

Clearly you didn't read beyond the alarmist title.

AI is nothing more than a tool for improving human productivity. And that’s what all major technological advances were, whether it was the stone axe, the telephone, the personal computer, the internet or the smartphone.

Not our first rodeo

What AI doomsayers don’t seem to realise is that AI has been around for decades despite appearing wholly futuristic. They should remember that humankind has encountered technological disruptions before. Think automation in manufacturing and e-commerce in retail. History shows that any significant progress has always been met by scepticism or even neophobia – the irrational fear or dislike of anything new or unfamiliar.

A good illustration is the case of British weavers and textile workers who in the late 18th century objected to the introduction of mechanised looms and knitting frames. To protect their jobs, they formed groups called Luddites that tried to destroy these new machines.

When electricity became widespread, potential customers exaggerated its dangers, spreading frightening stories of people who had died of electrocution. The introduction of television raised fears that it would increase violence due to the popularity of shows glorifying violence. In the 1960s, many worried that robotics would supplant human labour. And up to the 1990s, some people fretted that personal computers would lead to job loss.

AI, the tangible manifestation of our deepest worries

In hindsight, despite some initial dislocation and hardships, all these various innovations yielded great advantages. In most instances, they stimulated the creation of other, oftentimes better jobs.

Generally speaking, humans tend to fear what they don’t understand. And AI is what keeps people up at night presently. The soil has been long prepared by science fiction writers who introduced the idea that a sentient, super-intelligent AI would (either through malevolence or by accident) kill us all.

Indeed, this fear has been fuelled by many films, TV shows, comic books and other popular media in which robots or computers subjugate or exterminate the human race. Think of movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Terminator or The Matrix, to name a few.

No wonder that AI has become the new bogeyman, the imaginary creature symbolising people’s fear of the unknown – a mysterious, menacing, elusive apparition that hides in the darkest corners of our imagination. Clearly, from its portrayal in horror movies, to its use as a metaphor for real-life terrors, this creature continues to captivate and terrify many people.

As mentioned before, all of us have been using various forms of AI for a long time. And the bogeyman hasn’t yet come to get us. Like irrational fears about the bogeyman, the fear that AI will overthrow humanity is grounded in misconceptions of what AI is about.

At its most fundamental level, AI is really a field of computer science that focuses on producing intelligent computers capable of performing things that require human collaboration. AI is nothing more than a tool for improving human productivity. And that’s what all major technological advances were, whether it was the stone axe, the telephone, the personal computer, the internet or the smartphone.

If we really think about it, the most serious threat we face is not from AI acting to the detriment of humanity. It is the willful misuse of AI by other human beings. In fact, Homo sapiens is the one behaving exactly as we fear that AI would act. It is Homo sapiens that has become unpredictable and uncontrollable. It is Homo sapiens that has brought about inequality and injustice. And it is Homo sapiens that may cause the mass destruction of life on Earth.

Keeping these facts in mind, we would be wise to remind ourselves that it is possible to develop AI responsibly and ethically. To make this happen, however, we will need to manage our irrational feelings associated with the bogeyman.

https://knowledge.insead.edu/career/will-artificial-intelligence-kill-us-all

The definition of fascism is NOT unique to Wikipedia. If you think the same characteristics listed aren't available in history books you're an untutored nitwit.

What I don't like is your constant attempts at gaslighting about fascism. Guessing you won't like the following.

People are calling Trump a fascist. What does that mean?
Zachary B. Wolf
Analysis by Zachary B. Wolf, CNN

Published 3:45 PM EDT, Thu October 24, 2024

https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/24/politics/fascism-trump-what-matters/index.html

CNN
—
Fascism is a dirty word in US politics, so when former President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, says Trump fits the definition of “fascist,” it’s news.

It places Trump’s name in the same ideological space as the most infamous fascists, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Trump has rejected the idea and called Kelly a “degenerate.”

Asked at a CNN town hall in the battleground state of Pennsylvania if she agrees with Kelly that Trump is a fascist, the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, did not hesitate.

“Yes, I do. Yes, I do,” she said.

Kelly pointed The New York Times to a definition of fascism: “It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy.”

“So certainly, in my experience, those are the kinds of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running America,” Kelly said.

Kelly added that Trump is in the “far-right area,” and “admires people who are dictators,” which in Kelly’s view places Trump in “the general definition of fascist.”

Using the military to quiet dissent

There are topical arguments to back Kelly up. Trump’s suggestion he could use the military against an “enemy from within,” which he said includes Democrats like Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff from California, certainly sounds fascist. His Republican defenders argue it’s just hyperbole.

Trump wanted to use the military to disrupt domestic protests when he was in office, something that his top general at the time, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley, rejected, according to reporting in 2021. Milley also privately compared Trump’s election denialism to Hitler’s “big lie.”

Even if he doesn’t intend to use the military on Democrats, he has a history of trying to use the military to put down protests in the US, making the threat to quiet dissent.

Sidelining dissent

Trump recently said he would fire special counsel Jack Smith “within two seconds” if he wins the election, which seems obvious since Smith has indicted Trump in cases involving election interference and mishandling classified documents.

The election interference case is delayed until after the election, and a different judge dismissed the classified documents case, although Smith has appealed.

Trump has a history of firing officials who question him. He fired James Comey, the FBI director, when he was president. He fired his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, after never forgiving Sessions for appointing a special counsel to investigate potential collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.

The resulting report from special counsel Robert Mueller has been referred to as the “Russia hoax” so many times by Trump and his allies that most Americans probably don’t remember that Mueller pointedly did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice in the report. Mueller identified multiple contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russians in 2016, a time when Russians were actively trying to help Trump’s campaign. Mueller concluded the contacts did not rise to the level of conspiracy.

Trump’s second attorney general, Bill Barr, slow-walked release of Mueller’s report to dilute its impact. Barr would later leave Trump’s administration after the 2020 election after refusing to support Trump’s unsupported election interference conspiracy theories.

Democrats wonder who would be left to temper Trump’s urges if he’s reelected.

Purging the government

If he wins the election, Trump has promised to do more to go to war with what he perceives as a “deep state” of bureaucrats at the Justice Department, the FBI and the Pentagon.

He has also suggested he would use the justice system to prosecute election officials.

All of this points in favor of at least a thematic alignment with some elements of fascism, built around a strong leader and where dissent in the government is dismissed. But there can also be more to fascism, such as complete control of the German economy and society. Trump has not suggested anything like that.

While Harris is just now coming around to labeling Trump a fascist, he’s been calling her Marxist for the entire presidential campaign, referring to her as “Comrade Kamala.” That’s clearly not true since Harris supports private ownership.

Trump has used the term too

In June, Trump said the US was a “fascist state” as he pushed the unfounded conspiracy theory that President Joe Biden was behind his prosecution in New York for falsifying business records related to hush money payments paid on Trump’s behalf to a porn star in 2016.

I delved into the definition of fascism and how it applied to Trump back in June, when he was using the term.

There are experts who view Trump as fascist. Robert Paxton, a professor emeritus at Columbia University who has written widely on fascism in Europe, had rejected the label for Trump until January 6, 2021, when the historian argued that the image of Trump supporters storming the US Capitol “removes my objection to the fascist label.”

Trump has also repeatedly used language that can be tied back to Nazis, such as when he said immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of the country.

‘I don’t care what you call this’

When CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Ohio Sen. JD Vance in May about Trump’s claim the US is a “fascist state,” Vance would not reject the idea, suggesting at least a tolerance for the term.

“I don’t care what you call this, but this is not the America that I know and love,” Vance, who was not yet Trump’s running mate, said in a tense exchange.

Concepts don’t have timeless essences

Back in June, I also talked to Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins, an assistant professor at Wesleyan University and editor of the book, “Did It Happen Here? Perspectives on Fascism and America,” which includes the writing of Paxton, among many others.

“That model of historical comparison where we look to what happened to Germany in the 1930s and then use it as kind of a navigational device or a map for understanding what’s happened today is quite common,” he said, although there are arguments it is a flawed comparison.

“Concepts don’t have timeless essences that we can just map on to any phenomena, but they change given political context, given power structures in society,” he said.

Today, he said, the term “fascism” is used “to mobilize people in order to get over their divides, to defeat an enemy that’s far greater than their own long-standing disputes.”

Steinmetz-Jenkins argued there is a long history, going back to Franklin D. Roosevelt, of Americans on both sides of the political aisle trying to label their opponents as “fascist,” and there are also examples of American lawmakers threatening their opponents with investigation.

There are arguments in favor of the fascism comparison, but also arguments against it – particularly since there are echoes of Trump’s rise in populist and White nationalist movements closer to home in American history.

I went back to Steinmetz-Jenkins to ask if the comparisons have changed in the intervening months, and he noted that the fascism debate had simmered over the summer, with Harris replacing Biden – and he noted that for most of Harris’ campaign, a message of the politics of joy had replaced fear of fascism.

Now, as Democrats get anxious about losing to Trump, the threat of fascism has returned to the fore.

“What is needed is a plan to inspire people to vote for the Democrats, not fear tactics that might lead to a sense of fatalism that the world is being engulfed by fascism,” he said.

Enough American voters have heard the term “fascism” in the same breath as Trump that if he wins in November, it will be clear that they are at least willing to tolerate it or don’t believe he will carry through with what he says.

Not even close as long as there's a GOP

The words accurately describe the words and actions of individuals so, no, not stereotypes because....evidence.

Two generals who worked closely with Trump have identified him as a fascist. Do you think that the two of them are historically illiterate, like you?

As for your fanciful arguments about the Dems' 'betrayal' of the lower classes? Yet more evidence to the contrary, for you to ignore.

FACT - Fastest wage growth over the last four years among historically disadvantaged groups

You COULD compile a similar list of Trump's 'does he or doesn't he believe......' RE his fascistic, dictator for a day, I am your retribution, enemy within, fire Jack Smith in a second, economy ruining mass deportations and tariffs.......shit; but you won't because you're dishonest to your ethically hollow core

That's what happens when there is a 50/50 Senate. Do you imagine Pence would have NOT been as 'active' if the same divide pertained?

Dems have a stronger case to make because their Senators represent a significantly larger share of the population than do the GOP Senators:

The sorting of liberals into large metropolitan areas and conservatives into more rural areas is only one reason. Another is that large states have grown much more quickly than small states. In 1790, the largest state (Virginia) had about 13 times as many residents as the smallest (Delaware). Today, California has 68 times as many residents as Wyoming; 53 times as many as Alaska; and at least 20 times as many as another 11 states.

Together, these trends mean that the Senate has a heavily pro-Republican bias that will last for the foreseeable future.

The Senate today is split 50-50 between the two parties. But the 50 Democratic senators effectively represent 186 million Americans, while the 50 Republican senators effectively represent 145 million. To win Senate control, Democrats need to win substantially more than half of the nationwide votes in Senate elections.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/learning/whats-going-on-in-this-graph-nov-9-2022.html

There is no level of clarity from Harris that will satisfy you. EVERY presidential candidate has been vague on one intention or another, usually as it pertains to how to pay for what they propose.

Are you satisfied with Trump's statement on tariffs, his fascistic 'enemy within' statements and his mass deportation intentions? I've seen no estimates of costs from economists that don't predict ruinous consequences to our economy.

The fascist shit is clear enough to elicit warnings from generals who worked for him.

Desire from you for clarity just from Harris marks you as just another pathetic Trumpanzee.

More impressive showing the trend. Still time for the effect of the generals' statements nailing Trump as f'ing fascist to show up in the polls.

Photo evidence of Arnold Palmer with a huge dick.







http://mudlizard.com/swamp/display.cgi?page=hof&mess=3835760&full=1

Photo evidence of Arnold Palmer with a huge dick.







http://mudlizard.com/swamp/display.cgi?page=hof&mess=3835760&full=1

Photo evidence of Arnold Palmer with a huge dick.







http://mudlizard.com/swamp/display.cgi?page=hof&mess=3835760&full=1

Hallmark Accused of Wanting to Replace ‘Old People’ Like Holly Robinson Peete & Lacey Chabert

Hallmark, characteristically, informed one of those released:

We don't mean to be a scold
but you really are much too old

We merely speak the truth when
we state that you are simply
too long in the tooth

Martin Holmes, TV Insider Oct 24, 2024 Updated 3 hrs ago

A former Hallmark Channel casting director has filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the network, which claims Hallmark executive VP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly told her staff she wanted to replace “old people” like Holly Robinson Peete and Lacey Chabert.

As first reported by Variety, Penny Perry, a 79-year-old casting director, filed the suit on October 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court. In the filing, she accuses Hallmark of unceremoniously firing her in April after nine years with the company.

The complaint alleges that Daly told Perry that she was “too long in the tooth” and wanted to replace her with someone focused on finding “new talent.”

“We need to bring in someone who knows more young talent,” the exec said, according to the suit. “Our leading ladies are aging out.”

The leading ladies mentioned by name in the suit are Robinson Peete, 60, and Chabert, 42, two long-time Hallmark veterans. According to the suit, Daly is alleged to have said, “Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older.”

Of Robinson Peete, Daly is alleged to have said, “No one wants her because she’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore.”

In a statement provided to Variety, Hallmark replied, “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We do not generally comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we are not going to discuss an employment relationship in the media.”

https://www.wyomingnewsnow.tv/news/entertainment/hallmark-accused-of-wanting-to-replace-old-people-like-holly-robinson-peete-lacey-chabert/article_eaa937dc-8ebf-56fb-af52-6d217d357391.html

Hallmark Accused of Wanting to Replace ‘Old People’ Like Holly Robinson Peete & Lacey Chabert

Hallmark, characteristically, informed one of those released:

We don't mean to be a scold
but you really are much too old

We merely speak the truth when
we state that you are simply
too long in the tooth

Martin Holmes, TV Insider Oct 24, 2024 Updated 3 hrs ago

A former Hallmark Channel casting director has filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the network, which claims Hallmark executive VP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly told her staff she wanted to replace “old people” like Holly Robinson Peete and Lacey Chabert.

As first reported by Variety, Penny Perry, a 79-year-old casting director, filed the suit on October 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court. In the filing, she accuses Hallmark of unceremoniously firing her in April after nine years with the company.

The complaint alleges that Daly told Perry that she was “too long in the tooth” and wanted to replace her with someone focused on finding “new talent.”

“We need to bring in someone who knows more young talent,” the exec said, according to the suit. “Our leading ladies are aging out.”

The leading ladies mentioned by name in the suit are Robinson Peete, 60, and Chabert, 42, two long-time Hallmark veterans. According to the suit, Daly is alleged to have said, “Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older.”

Of Robinson Peete, Daly is alleged to have said, “No one wants her because she’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore.”

In a statement provided to Variety, Hallmark replied, “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We do not generally comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we are not going to discuss an employment relationship in the media.”

https://www.wyomingnewsnow.tv/news/entertainment/hallmark-accused-of-wanting-to-replace-old-people-like-holly-robinson-peete-lacey-chabert/article_eaa937dc-8ebf-56fb-af52-6d217d357391.html

Hallmark Accused of Wanting to Replace ‘Old People’ Like Holly Robinson Peete & Lacey Chabert

Hallmark, characteristically, informed one of those released:

We don't mean to be a scold
but you really are much too old

We merely speak the truth when
we state that you are simply
too long in the tooth

Martin Holmes, TV Insider Oct 24, 2024 Updated 3 hrs ago

A former Hallmark Channel casting director has filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the network, which claims Hallmark executive VP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly told her staff she wanted to replace “old people” like Holly Robinson Peete and Lacey Chabert.

As first reported by Variety, Penny Perry, a 79-year-old casting director, filed the suit on October 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court. In the filing, she accuses Hallmark of unceremoniously firing her in April after nine years with the company.

The complaint alleges that Daly told Perry that she was “too long in the tooth” and wanted to replace her with someone focused on finding “new talent.”

“We need to bring in someone who knows more young talent,” the exec said, according to the suit. “Our leading ladies are aging out.”

The leading ladies mentioned by name in the suit are Robinson Peete, 60, and Chabert, 42, two long-time Hallmark veterans. According to the suit, Daly is alleged to have said, “Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older.”

Of Robinson Peete, Daly is alleged to have said, “No one wants her because she’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore.”

In a statement provided to Variety, Hallmark replied, “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We do not generally comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we are not going to discuss an employment relationship in the media.”

https://www.wyomingnewsnow.tv/news/entertainment/hallmark-accused-of-wanting-to-replace-old-people-like-holly-robinson-peete-lacey-chabert/article_eaa937dc-8ebf-56fb-af52-6d217d357391.html

Hallmark Accused of Wanting to Replace ‘Old People’ Like Holly Robinson Peete & Lacey Chabert

Hallmark, characteristically, informed one of those released:

We don't mean to be a scold
but you really are much too old

We merely speak the truth when
we state that you are simply
too long in the tooth

Martin Holmes, TV Insider Oct 24, 2024 Updated 3 hrs ago

A former Hallmark Channel casting director has filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the network, which claims Hallmark executive VP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly told her staff she wanted to replace “old people” like Holly Robinson Peete and Lacey Chabert.

As first reported by Variety, Penny Perry, a 79-year-old casting director, filed the suit on October 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court. In the filing, she accuses Hallmark of unceremoniously firing her in April after nine years with the company.

The complaint alleges that Daly told Perry that she was “too long in the tooth” and wanted to replace her with someone focused on finding “new talent.”

“We need to bring in someone who knows more young talent,” the exec said, according to the suit. “Our leading ladies are aging out.”

The leading ladies mentioned by name in the suit are Robinson Peete, 60, and Chabert, 42, two long-time Hallmark veterans. According to the suit, Daly is alleged to have said, “Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older.”

Of Robinson Peete, Daly is alleged to have said, “No one wants her because she’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore.”

In a statement provided to Variety, Hallmark replied, “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We do not generally comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we are not going to discuss an employment relationship in the media.”

https://www.wyomingnewsnow.tv/news/entertainment/hallmark-accused-of-wanting-to-replace-old-people-like-holly-robinson-peete-lacey-chabert/article_eaa937dc-8ebf-56fb-af52-6d217d357391.html

Pricks talking about dicks?

Turtle belatedly talks sense.



McConnell says 'MAGA movement is completely wrong' and Reagan 'wouldn't recognize' Trump's GOP
Source: CNN Politics

Updated 8:42 PM EDT, Wed October 23, 2024

CNN — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a scathing assessment of the modern Republican Party in an upcoming biography, saying the “MAGA movement is completely wrong” and that Ronald Reagan “wouldn’t recognize” the party today.

“I think Trump was the biggest factor in changing the Republican Party from what Ronald Reagan viewed and he wouldn’t recognize today,” McConnell told the Associated Press’ Michael Tackett for the upcoming biography “The Price of Power” obtained by CNN ahead of its release.

McConnell added that the former president has “done a lot of damage to our party’s image and our ability to compete.”

“Trump is appealing to people who haven’t been as successful as other people and providing an excuse for that, that these more successful people have somehow cheated, and you don’t deserve to think of yourself as less successful because things haven’t been fair,” he said. Some of McConnell’s strongest comments were focused on Trump’s behavior after he lost the election in 2020, calling him “erratic.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/23/politics/mcconnell-trump-gop-new-book/index.html

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143327299

13. Frankenstein is dismayed by the monster he built?

20. MAGA movement is wrong?

Geez Mitch. You singlehandedly put Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court.[/i

That's kinda like shitting on the rug, then complaining that the room stinks.
Trump couldn't be Trump without you, big guy.
You are the wind beneath his tentacles