News Us politics - read first post before comment

[blackemerald1]

Between the trade war T is trying to start and the sanctions going back on Iran, he may just send us right back into a recession.

I hope for everyone's sake you guys do not lapse into a recession. I hope there are a lot of Diplomats running around and holding off angry Trade partners from retaliating.:)

As for Iran...the fact that there was ever an agreement in the first place was nothing short of a miracle. Now T says it's not good enough. :confused:

Well come on then Mr Negotiator - Mr Deal maker - get moving and make something better. I really want to see him do something apart from stalking up and down in front of the WH and shaking hands for unnecessarily and awkwardly long times with allies. Proves nothing and it does nothing.:p

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Anyone have any thoughts on net neutrality? Since it passed I've been waiting on someone to talk about it but not heard a peep. It seems the IT side has gone quiet as well. At least I've not seen much but google it and you'll see a lot of stiring up of angry people. It's not good and though we are asking the Senate to tell us where they stand, it affects everyone. Even those outside of the US. Anyone outside of the US watch Netflix? Yep, thought so. But it is a US company so that does effect you outside of the US watching Netflix as well (or using Facebook or Youtube or google or any other US site). I can't make an "official" comment online one way or the other, other then the FCC's official statement as I work for an ISP and I'm not gonna chance that but, I think you can guess where I stand on it. Another Trump administration f*ck up? Thoughts?

 

[somerandomguy]

The repeal of net neutrality is terrible and will mean internet access will suddenly be too expensive for a lot of people, but it's par for the course for this administration which has never found a big business it can't pander to.

 

[scout86]

I totally agree that the repeal is a problem. I live in a rural area. They don't make all that much money off us. We're going to get kicked to the curb. What's the MOST frustrating, is I think a majority of people, both in the public and in Congress, didn't want to see a repeal. There's a move in the Senate to try to stop it, so we'll see. But there's no way I'm taking the word of a huge company that they won't take advantage of their near monopoly to gouge the consumer as much as they can.

 

[hodge]

This may get me banned, but here goes. I have a question for Trump supporters. How well off do you think you'd be if you applied the same kind of fact-free zone to your personal life that you do to our public life?

We all know at least some truths about our personal histories that brought us here. We air them in therapy and/or here. Which helps bring us closer to healing. Only the truth will set us free. Why don't we all do the same with our national life?

 

[scout86]

The part about this "post-truth" era that bothers me the most is that most people I talk to DO think they know "the truth". They trust their sources of information, they really and sincerely do. I'm having a really hard time convincing them that "my" sources are any better than theirs. (I don't always try real hard to do that.) Any ideas on how to do that? Any ideas on how to decide what sources you can trust?

 

[hodge]

That is the most important question of our time in the U.S. right now. I wish I had the answer. The only thing I know to do is to pull rank and remind people of my career of being a reference book writer and editor whose job it was to figure out what the best sources of information are. (They are the ones who tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It's easier to discern when it's about history, because all the facts have come out.) And when I'm really hamstringed, I tell about my scoring in the 98th percentile on analytical thinking on the GRE. None of this means anything to the hardcore. It is like banging your head against a brick wall. It is really depressing. I decided against going for a Ph.D. in the early 90s because I saw this relativism happening on the left in academia and it's toxic. Instead I got into reference publishing and never regretted that. Other than that, I will just say I trust the former DAs and federal prosecutors I see interviewed on MSNBC all the time. Jill Wine-Banks and Nick Ackerman were both on the team that investigated Watergate, and if they aren't trustworthy, no one is.

 

[Milo's papa]

@scout86, the only way I know is to do your own research, reach your own conclusions when you're satisfied you have enough facts, and to h**l with the people that are going to argue with you about it. There's one thing I've learned in this totally polarized climate we live in today is that you're not going to change someone's mind. Everyone seems to believe that they're the one thats right, have the right answers/opinion/infomation. Although you may give them enough information to make them say, " HMMM". That's the best you can hope for. That's one of the reasons I won't debate with people anymore. Your wrong, they're right.
Not much help, but it's the best I have. Take care and be safe.

 

[Justmehere]

UGH. Idiots in the media...

There have been so many headlines claiming Trump called immigrants animals.

I just saw the video of what he actually said, and what he was actually talking about.

He was talking about MS13. Not all immigrants. MS13 is worse than animals.

 

[Fadeaway]

I can't post any links but this just happened. 8 confirmed dead 12 injured. I guess we learned nothing from Parkland. How many more kids have to die?

The tweets from the parkland survivers says it all imho. :cry:

 

[blackemerald1]

@scout86 @hodge & @Milo's papa - so true re relying on 'sources'.

A really long time ago I did a entire course on critical analysis on sources.

In the last term I was given a really big assignment and tore it apart. I knew there was something wrong about it but I could not nail it. So I rang my lecturer up and told him my problem. He laughed. I was the last to hand my assignment in and thus far all had got it wrong. He told me to look again. It took a lot of research and dredging but I finally found out the entire assignment relied on one thing that was untrue. It brought down everything else.

But that was one single assignment that took months. Now it takes too long to check and double check everything. I'd go crazy. So now when I read something...I try very hard to not take it as the last word on the matter. Unless I really care.

As for convincing someone else that there is a problem with a source. Goodness no. Haven't got the energy. If people want to get their news inside an echo chamber then nothing I can say will convince them to pop their heads out and think for themselves.

 

[Milo's papa]

@blackemerald1, I couldn't agree with your last paragraph more.