chapotraphouse

maybe im a sNoWfLaKe but i keep seeing libs throw “unelected african illegal immigrant” around regarding musk, thinking they’re “throwing it back at” conservatives or somehow proving them as hypocrites, as if conservatives even give a shit about their blatant hypocrisy. but to me it just reads like libs who have always wanted to say shit like that about immigrants but kept it in due to fear of social repercussions, and now they get to let loose on leon kums, kind of the same way they misgender caitlyn jenner, like “see THIS is how your fellow republicans talk about trans people”, as if jenner is ever gonna read their reddit post

Netanyahu gifted Trump a golden pager during their meeting in Washington | CNN

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gifted US President Donald Trump a golden pager, a reference to a deadly Israeli operation against Hezbollah that killed 37 people and injured thousands.

humbnail just looks like a big poop nugget

Updoots to the left

Money well spent.

Skullboy is doing a stream every day this week and is almost up to $350k at the moment.

I know a lot of you don't really like twitch culture so here is the direct link to the fund for anyone feeling generous.

what the fuck is going on

🧀

America's Finest News Source with another hit.

We’ve put together some of the brightest legal minds America, Germany, and Argentina have ever produced

It's the second tweet. This is the first minus a pop culture reference I didn't understand.

The AG issued in quick succession 14 memoranda tonight, ordering return to the office, reinstating federal death penalty, creating a “weaponization” group to investigate Jack Smith and other prosecutors and employees, terminating DEI, ending funds to sanctuary cities, and more.

The OP says it's "clear" but he's a lawyer and people who agree with him must be lawyers too. I read the memo but because I'm not a lawyer it's far from clear to me. I googled and I couldn't find a single article at google or google news about the 14 memos.

https://subium.com/profile/teddypasketti.bsky.social/post/3lhhsd42k722h

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/4426556

Friend of mine has an interview to do remote work for a tribal government and at first it sounded amazing because they'd be working with a tribe instead of some fuckin corpo, but then I just found out they work with the DoD through this DIILS shit, so there's no way this isn't some fucked up warcrime shit, right?

Like, this is just 'nooooo theres no Azov warcrimes here look see they know the laws cause we did a seminar with wholesom chungus Ukraine!' right?

Read George Orwall

https://subium.com/profile/nytimes.com/post/3lhhjicnz2c2t

https://subium.com/profile/gokunaruto.bsky.social/post/3lhhkxokrd22p

Gorbachev Introduced glasnost and perestroika to reform the Soviet system. These policies inadvertently eroded the ideological and institutional foundations of the USSR, accelerating its collapse. His policies of liberalization unleashed an economic chaos that the Soviet system was not able to contain.

Today, Trump is pursuing a similar, if ideologically inverted, disruption of the US institutions. Attacking the deep state, undermining trust in media and elections, and prioritizing loyalty over expertise. He's enacting a purge of the permanent bureaucracy under the guise of draining the swamp, feeding off polarization and institutional distrust. These policies erode the very stability of the system paving the way to an unravelling akin to that of the USSR.

Gorbachev inherited a stagnant economy that he attempted to fix using market reforms with perestroika. These reforms took form of a shock therapy with sudden price liberalization, fiscal austerity, and privatization. An economic collapse followed as a result of hyperinflation, economic instability, and the rise of an oligarchic class. Similarly, Trump is busy slashing regulations and cutting corporate taxes, fuelling short-term growth that deepens wealth inequality and corporate consolidation. Like Gorbachev, he's ushering in a polarized economic landscape where faith in the system is rapidly dwindling among the public.

The economic unravelling of USSR revived nationalist movements, particularly in the Baltics and Ukraine, that undermined the unifying ideology. Similarly, amplified nationalism, in form of MAGA, is deepening cultural and regional divides in the US. Trump's rhetoric is rooted in divisive politics. Just as Soviet republics turned inward post-glasnost, prioritizing local grievances over collective unity, so are states like Texas, Florida, and California are increasingly talking about breaking with the union.

Gorbachev's reforms set the stage for Yeltsin who presided over the chaotic privatization of state assets, enabling a handful of oligarchs to seize control of Russia's oil, gas, and media empires. The shock therapy transition to capitalism led to a rapid rise of the kleptocrats. Similarly, Musk's companies target the remaining public services and industries for privatization. SpaceX aims to replace NASA, Tesla/Boring Co. are going after infrastructure, while X is hijacking public discourse. In this way, his wealth and influence mirror Yeltsin-era oligarchs' grip on strategic sectors. The main difference here is that Musk operates in a globalized capitalist system as opposed to the post-Soviet fire sale. Musk is actively using his platform and wealth to shape politics in his favor, and much like Russian oligarchs, he consistently prioritizes personal whims over systemic stability.

Yeltsin was sold as a democratic reformer but enabled a predatory elite. Many Russians initially saw capitalism as liberation, only to face a decade of despair as the reality of the system set in. Similarly, Musk markets himself as a visionary genius "saving humanity" with his vanity projects like Mars colonization, yet his ventures depend on public subsidies and exploitation of labor. The cult of the techno-oligarch distracts from the consolidation of power in private hands in a Yeltsin-esque bait-and-switch.

The USSR collapsed abruptly, while the US might face a slower erosion of its institutional norms. Yet both Trump and Gorbachev, despite opposing goals, represent disruptive forces that undermine the system through ideological gambles. Much as Gorbachev and Yeltsin did in their time, Trump's norm-breaking and Musk's oligarchic power are entrenching a new era of unaccountable elites.

Marx was right! History repeats, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.

Not my Reddit account but this was just too funny not to share. I do not have the link to the original but if somebody does I’ll add it here