[Reason] After President Donald Trump's loss in 2020, a majority of his supporters believed the election had been rigged. Some adopted wild conspiracy theories involving Chinese supercomputers, Hugo Chavez, and state-level Republican officials. These beliefs culminated in an attack on the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead. To make sense of these events, many officials have argued that platforms such as Facebook and Twitter allowed conspiracy theories to spread unimpeded, leading to erroneous beliefs and deadly behaviors. In other words, they blame misinformation for the violence.
But it strains credulity to believe random tweets can lead otherwise normal people to drive across the country and stage an insurrection. That places an undue focus on misinformation itself, rather than on the people and institutions sharing it and on the people who choose to access and believe it. It also seems odd to call for more government intervention into our information ecosystem when government officials—the president, members of Congress—were, in this instance, the biggest purveyors of misinformation.
Since he became a candidate in 2015, Trump and his high-profile supporters in Congress and the media have repeatedly claimed that elections are rigged. Since his loss last year, he has become only more vociferous about this. It should come as no surprise that the person with the biggest bully pulpit in the world was able to convince some voters he was cheated. This is what politicians do: They build and mobilize coalitions. On the other side of the ledger, electoral losers are naturally prone to believing they were cheated, and Trump's claims only exacerbated this tendency among his core supporters.
Once we account for the influence that politicians have, as well as the dispositions of core audiences, the role of misinformation and mediums of communication in fomenting events like the Capitol riot become highly conditional and much smaller than many are arguing.
Nonetheless, pundits have called for interventions ranging from the benign (more journalistic fact checking) to the heavy-handed (internet censorship, the nationalization of social media). While these calls have intensified recently, they are not new. After the 2016 election, many journalists declared that we had entered a "post-truth" world in which lies, misinformation, and groundless conspiracy theories carried as much weight as statements of fact, if not more. Such sentiments grew more widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic.
[Reason] "The current disparate treatment of women unacceptably excludes women from a fundamental civic obligation and reinforces gender stereotypes about the role of women, undermining national security."
Go on, fancy national commission, tell this #GirlDad more!
"After extensive deliberations, the Commission ultimately decided that all Americans, men and women, should be required to register for Selective Service and be prepared to serve in the event a draft is enacted by Congress and the President."
Go f-f-f-f-f-f-lush yourself.
Last Thursday, the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, a body created by Congress in 2017 to reassess the oxymoronically named Selective Service System and brainstorm ways to increase public participation in the military, at long last presented its final recommendations to the Senate Armed Services Committee. In a nearly year-old report whose official delivery was serially delayed by COVID-19 and other distractions, commissioners reacted to our newish reality of having fully integrated female combat troops by urging Congress to ungender President Jimmy Carter's 1980 reinstatement of compulsory draft registration for 18-year-old males.
And, because this is the world we live in now, they did so in the name of equity.
"That women register, and perhaps be called up in the event of a draft, is a necessary prerequisite for their achieving equality as citizens, as it has been for other groups historically discriminated against in American history," the commission concluded. "Reluctance to extend the registration requirement to women may be in part a consequence of gender stereotypes about the proper role for women and their need for special protection."
There is indeed a compelling moral and legal case for women and men to be treated equally under the law when it comes to military obligations. Which is why I, like The Volokh Conspiracy's Ilya Somin and most libertarians I'm aware of, prefer the equality of no military obligations whatsoever.
In consequentialist terms, the draft has not been used since 1973, and military capability has improved markedly since switching to an all-volunteer force. But the root argument against pre-conscription is moral: We do not truly own our own lives if the state can lay theoretical claim on them between the ages of 18 and 26. The Declaration of Independence elevated first among our unalienable rights "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness," not "Death, on-call Servitude, and whatever else you can Manage in the margins."
#2
...because those who were trying to ram through the now failed Equal Rights Amendment lied through their teeth saying it wouldn't happen. Just another of the encyclopedia of Leftist disinformation.
Technically, they don't need 'equity' to do so. Article I says Congress is the basis to organize and regulate the militia. Per Title 10 USC subparagraph The Militia, it is and has been all male citizens 18-45. They're either class I - National Guard or class II - the unorganized militia. Its the 'selective activation' of that class II that is colloquially referred to as the 'draft'. It just takes Congress to modify the text to 'all citizens'.
It's been a failing in the whole story. The first militia acts passed in the first year of the new republic stipulated 'all white males 18-45' which in Venn Diagram would be a major overlap of those with the franchise. The act was changed in the 1860s to include those of African descent followed by the 15th Amendment giving the franchise to the same group. It was the 19th Amendment which extended the franchise to women without militia obligations where the break occurred in 'having skin the game' happened.
#3
It does open an interesting issue because eventually if we have a war with a draft we will see a lot of men transitioning to avoid service. It really should be everyone or no-one.
Since it is unlikely we'll fight another war big enough yet isn't over before the draftees can be trained we should just dump the system or use it for civilian purposes or something that might create some kind of unifying even in the lives of our youth.
1) Even if the Administration put its weight behind this, I think Congress would kill the Selective Service before they allow women to be drafted.
2) Alternatively, if Congress did manage to pass such a thing, it would be laden with so many 'buts', 'ifs' and 'howevers' that it would end up that if a woman didn't want to register, she wouldn't have to.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/21/2021 11:12 Comments ||
Top||
#5
As a vet I'm all for this. Women wanted full equality. Well, ya got it. The military always needs clerks, cooks, supply chiefs, cargo pilots, etc. and women fill these rolls very well. I'm not for them going into full combat roles as they can't carry and keep going in the rigors of battle, but they sure as fuck can operate a gate gun and pull defense on the major bases.
#6
And the State has mandated that legal adults have no right to buy a beer or a pack of smokes. But a 16-year-old can be tried in a court of law [sic] as an adult.
#7
Take it the next step farther. All service categories open to whoever can pass the physical and skill requirements The quarter of a percent of women (or whatever small number it is) who can handle forced march requirements would be the ones going through the women’s quarters looking for hidden jihadis while the male troops search the rest of the village — that platoon would have full employment being attached to each male unit in turn as needed. When rotated home they could be drill sergeants for the women’s boot camp, desperately trying to find a few more gymnasts and soccer babes capable of joining them... and forcing the rest to accept they’ll never be able to do the work, no matter how hard they try.
I'm a proponent for a return of an auxiliary corps, not just for women. There are a lot of combat soldiers who's body can no longer hold up to the demands in the field. I'd reclassify them and keep their knowledge and experience in by putting them in such an auxiliary corps along with those who can do necessary military tasks and functions but can not perform effectively in a combat threat environment.
In a major conflict where men are off getting their asses shot off there needs to be young people left behind to take care of the home front. The elderly, the children, etc. etc.. If young men are hearing that their little sisters are getting shot, raped, tortured, etc. because the generals allowed it, these bastard generals aren't worth fighting for.
WWII was won by the US because according to the Japs and the Nazis the US had the material/manufacturing advantage. Guess who was back home giving the troops that massive advantage. Their sisters building the bombs, guns, boats and planes in a peaceful and human stateside aka HOME.
[WIRE] North Carolina’s largest school district is encouraging teachers to ignore white parent’s concerns about "critical race theory" curriculum because "white parent’s children are benefiting from the system."
The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), which serves the greater Raleigh area, held an equity training that taught teachers and staff how to include "critical race theory" — the theory that America is irredeemably rooted in racism — into the classroom.
According to training materials obtained by City Journal, the WCPSS equity training conference began with a "land acknowledgment." This forces teachers to recognize that they are working and teaching on stolen Native American land.
At one point in the training, the district insinuated that white parents are a barrier to social justice because their children benefit from the system.
#2
The solution may be to send these teachers to an Indian reservation so the won't be so oppressed, forced to teach whitey on stolen Native American land.
#3
Private school, charter school, or group home school with some professional guidance.
They don’t realize how many of the omnipresent PTA moms are trained and experienced teachers and other professionals who for various reasons chose to stay home to rear their children. Especially now, with the wave of unpersoned professors following hard on the heels of downsized academic departments, there will be plenty of highly knowledgeable instructors at all levels available for group tutoring, just like my grandmother organized for my mother and the children of other Jewish families when the Nazis kicked them out of both public and private schools. In that six months, my mother said, she advanced two full school years in all her subjects.
#4
just like my grandmother organized for my mother and the children of other Jewish families when the Nazis kicked them out of both public and private schools.
America's non-Woke and Deplorables are to the 2020s as the European Jews were to the 1930s
#5
It’s interesting to look at the district website. On the front page there is a collection of photos of smiling, masked, white female teachers, followed by a very concerned Black mother hugging her sad child to her.
[Breitbart via Lucianne] Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and conservative activists will hold a rally at the West Virginia state capitol Saturday against the "Corrupt Politicians Act."
The Council for National Policy Act will host a rally at the Charleston, West Virginia state capitol at 1:00 P.M. Eastern.
The rally will feature conservative leaders to rally against H.R. 1/S.1, the For the People Act, which the leaders refer to as the “Corrupt Politicians Act.” The legislation already passed the House. The rally will feature:
Sen. Ted Cruz;
Eric Berger, co-founder of FreeRoots;
Jake Hoffman, president and CEO of Rally Forge;
Ken Blackwell, board member of CNP Action and former Ohio secretary of state;
Kelly Shackelford, chairman of CNP Action, and president and CEO of First Liberty Institute;
Mike Thompson, senior vice president of CRC Advisors.
The rally precedes a hearing on the bill held by the Senate Rules Committee on March 24.
The legislation would:
Federalize control over congressional elections;
Declare that standard state and local maintenance of elections systems, such as purging ineligible voters from voter rolls, limiting vote-by-mail, requiring voter ID, and establishing rules against felons voting, would erode the right to vote;
Restrict lawsuits against the rules in H.R. 1 to the federal court system, which is, coincidentally, favorable to Democrats;
Establish online and automatic voter registration;
Protect illegal immigrants from prosecution if they vote;
Establish same-day voter registration;
Register minors to vote;
Mandate early voting;
Establish nationwide vote-by-mail without a voter ID; and
Allow ballots to be counted ten days after Election Day.
[ZERO] Soldiers "from every echelon" of the US military have been openly questioning why last year's violent BLM and Antifa riots weren't treated like the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a comparison which has flown sideways up the ass of the military's top enlisted leader, Chief Master Sergeant Ramón "CZ" Colón-López.
In a Thursday briefing at the Pentagon, Colón-López (CZ) told reporters that some troops have asked "How come you're not looking at the situation that was going on in Seattle prior to that? [Jan. 6 riot]"
"This is coming from every echelon that we're talking to," CZ added.
#4
#2 Methinks a recruiting and retention crisis is looming. Won't need to continue paying Chiefs if there are no Indians.
Posted by: Gomez Angolurt5530 2021-03-21 06:27
....Oh, you got that right. Which, given the nutcases we have in charge right now, may be feature, not a bug.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/21/2021 7:05 Comments ||
Top||
#5
If 'soldiers' have questions, it pays to have a look into it.
#6
This is how you get a coup, boys. When the rank and file and most junior-to mid officers openly questions those at the top. It is words first, then bullets. I would not advise those officers to visit a combat zone. "Enemy" sniper might take advantage.
#9
Only to citizens IRB. The only way to get it was through military or civil service. Military was faster to get it, but you could be a government donk for a decade then get citizenship.
Sounds like a good way to get what we have now but on steroids.
[AlAhram] al-Ahram Weekly keeps up with developments in relations between The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... and the Gulf countries
Judging by media reactions in the Gulf, the hype about restoring warm relations between Turkey and the Gulf countries is winding down. This week, Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
Continued on Page 49
[Babylon Bee] WASHINGTON, D.C.—According to anonymous sources, Biden was seen wandering the White House grounds this morning, desperately looking for President Obama.
"Barack! Barack! Where are ya, you ol' devil?" Biden yelled as he shuffled through the hallways in his bathrobe and slippers. "You can't hide from me, I know all the best hiding spots around here, you know that! Barack? Helloooo?"
After several minutes of fruitless searching, Biden got more agitated and uncooperative, aides say. At one point he bumped into Kamala Harris and asked for her help. "Michelle! Where's your husband Michelle? I need him real quick. Important meeting."
Amid increased calls for Democrats to show some humanity and help Biden step down and live out his remaining years peacefully, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said to the press: "Statements by these anonymous sources are completely false. The President is in perfect health and also has a fully functional brain."
"Also, there is no crisis at the border," she added. "But if there is, it's totally Trump's fault. No further questions at this time."
#6
Photo is obviously shopped. Everyone knows Biden likes to play with his dogs while completely naked.
Also likes for kids to come up and rub his -er- hair...
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the agent asserted that, “We had to cancel the VP Christmas get together at the Vice President’s house because Biden would grope all of our wives and girlfriend’s asses.” The annual party was for agents and Navy personnel who were tasked with protecting the Biden family.
“He would mess with every single woman or teen. It was horrible,” the agent said.
According to the source, a Secret Service agent once got suspended for a week in 2009 for shoving Biden after he cupped his girlfriend’s breast while the couple was taking a photo with him. The situation got so heated, the source told Cassandra Fairbanks, that others had to step in to prevent the agent from hitting the then-Vice President.
In the sequel to our Wintel Wars article, we offer the ultimate deep dive into the tectonic shifts happening in the tech industry, giving unparalleled context to Karp's cryptic musings.
We lay out how Google and Facebook gradually created privatized versions of secretive DARPA programs, and why Palantir and Apple are leading a push for privacy as industry tensions ignite.
We discuss how Palantir threatens the current paradigm with software for a decentralized alternative. Europe's GAIA-X offers significant upside potential as Palantir seeks a new European hub in Switzerland.
While the last decade focused on the consumer internet, the Palantir+IBM partnership is a harbinger of how the next decade will be shaped by software platforms for the industrial internet.
Calls for the US government to provide R&D funding for the technology sector provide an additional catalyst. These sentiments were recently echoed by In-Q-Tel employees writing for a Council on Foreign Relations publication.
[AlAhram] The group is "building and retaining a cellular structure which allows it to carry out terrorist attacks," a US military expert said
In the two years since Kurdish forces wrested away the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... 's last Syrian bastion, the jihadist group has proved it does not need a stronghold to pose a potent threat in more countries than ever.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/21/2021 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Reason] After President Donald Trump's loss in 2020, a majority of his supporters believed the election had been rigged. Some adopted wild conspiracy theories involving Chinese supercomputers, Hugo Chavez, and state-level Republican officials. These beliefs culminated in an attack on the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead. To make sense of these events, many officials have argued that platforms such as Facebook and Twitter allowed conspiracy theories to spread unimpeded, leading to erroneous beliefs and deadly behaviors. In other words, they blame misinformation for the violence.
[Reason] "The current disparate treatment of women unacceptably excludes women from a fundamental civic obligation and reinforces gender stereotypes about the role of women, undermining national security."
[ZERO] Soldiers "from every echelon" of the US military have been openly questioning why last year's violent BLM and Antifa riots weren't treated like the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a comparison which has flown sideways up the ass of the military's top enlisted leader, Chief Master Sergeant Ramón "CZ" Colón-López.
[Babylon Bee] WASHINGTON, D.C.—According to anonymous sources, Biden was seen wandering the White House grounds this morning, desperately looking for President Obama. 
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
