Nashville explosion

[Doc Reeves 6434]

18 minutes ago, fakebusiness said:

Wut. He was a total hawk.

Sure, as long as it didn’t directly involve troops. His drone strike policy as a substitute for boots on the ground devolved into a tyrannical US policy that propped up control in the region but also directly began and aided the evolution of ISIS. The war with Iraq was not one we could withdraw from without a much different state of affair within the region. It’s is a huge stain on the US. He won’t be remembered for that tho because of the unimaginable damage that has been wrought by his successor

[Brisketexan 104621]

 

Ummm.....two things. See item 7. He COULDN’T be a registered voter - he was a convicted felon.

Second....lots of folks who don’t or can’t vote nonetheless have strong political beliefs. Including conspiracy theory nutbar beliefs like “5G is a mind control plot that causes COVID and makes frogs gay.”

Fomenting nutbar conspiracy theories that things are a threat to our existence and freedom is textbook stochastic terrorism. Try to deny it all you want, but nobody with any sense is buying it. Shit, you don’t even buy it yourself.

[fakebusiness 129]

1 hour ago, Doc Reeves said:

Sure, as long as it didn’t directly involve troops. His drone strike policy as a substitute for boots on the ground devolved into a tyrannical US policy that propped up control in the region but also directly began and aided the evolution of ISIS. The war with Iraq was not one we could withdraw from without a much different state of affair within the region. It’s is a huge stain on the US. He won’t be remembered for that tho because of the unimaginable damage that has been wrought by his successor

Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Somalia, the genocide in Yemen, etc. A lot of blood on that administration's hands. His successor being terrible doesn't justify or change that. This thread isn't about that though.

[Cajun 11675]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

Ummm.....two things. See item 7. He COULDN’T be a registered voter - he was a convicted felon.

Second....lots of folks who don’t or can’t vote nonetheless have strong political beliefs. Including conspiracy theory nutbar beliefs like “5G is a mind control plot that causes COVID and makes frogs gay.”

Fomenting nutbar conspiracy theories that things are a threat to our existence and freedom is textbook stochastic terrorism. Try to deny it all you want, but nobody with any sense is buying it. Shit, you don’t even buy it yourself.

Point taken on the felony conviction/no voting thing.  I didn't consider that, so good catch.

That said, the only thing I "buy" is that there are a some serious leaps being made about this guy's motivations without evidence to back it up.  He may be full-on right wing "YOU STOLE MY ELECTION!!!" or he might not.  I don't know and neither do you. 

It's interesting that the very people decrying conspiracy theories are engaging in just what those theorists thrive on - taking a kernal of information and building a belief around it not rooted in KNOWN fact and then trumpeting it as if it were.

But hey, if that's what you're buying don't let me stop you.

Edited December 28, 2020 by Cajun

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

I think he's more a Unabomber type with Anastasis-like "a pox on both their houses" beliefs. 

Something about him doesn't strike me as Trumpy...

Trump types are genetically incapable of not shouting their eager willingness to fellate his withered orange cock at every opportunity. It's factory model for their ilk. Sure, many of them go to town on optional upgrades like QAnon, Birtherism, and Pizzagate, but all of them start out with a Trumpalo baseline. There would be years of Warner-penned hot takes and Internet screeds to prove it, but unless he was some kind of ghost online, they just aren't there. 

[Doc Reeves 6434]

8 hours ago, fakebusiness said:

Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Somalia, the genocide in Yemen, etc. A lot of blood on that administration's hands. His successor being terrible doesn't justify or change that. This thread isn't about that though.

I disagree. I see these events as completely connected. Unliked decisions made in our country’s best interests is far different from decisions made solely for one leaders gain. 
History is never about one person in dealing with problems that faced this county that have no good solutions. Our foreign policy the last four years has been an incredible and sweeping failure, erasing some gains made over 80 years while our citizens hate the opposite political party more than our countries enemies. The dramatic and almost doomsday scenario that we are now living in thanks to the recent mega hack is ignored or greeted with nihilism while people blow themselves up trying to destroy windmills. 
 

 

 

 

[Brisketexan 104621]

10 hours ago, Cajun said:

Point taken on the felony conviction/no voting thing.  I didn't consider that, so good catch.

That said, the only thing I "buy" is that there are a some serious leaps being made about this guy's motivations without evidence to back it up.  He may be full-on right wing "YOU STOLE MY ELECTION!!!" or he might not.  I don't know and neither do you. 

It's interesting that the very people decrying conspiracy theories are engaging in just what those theorists thrive on - taking a kernal of information and building a belief around it not rooted in KNOWN fact and then trumpeting it as if it were.

But hey, if that's what you're buying don't let me stop you.

I think you're getting pretty defensive about something that I really don't see happening (sure, I'm positive there are some folks out there concluding that he did this all for Trump, or he did it all for Biden, but in this world, you can find someone trumpeting ANY belief -- those conclusions aren't widely held at all).  

Instead, the noise and discussion is focused on his possible beliefs as to the "threat" of 5G networks.  That concept is not really a political ideology concept -- it's kind of like anti-vaxxers in that is has adherents who are hardcore Trump/Qanon types, as well as hardcore granola-crunching hippies.  So, it's not political so much as it is a "nutbar conspiracy theory" problem.  And yes, sorry to tell you, when we talk about nutbar conspiracy theories people DO tend to immediately think of one side of the political spectrum that has gone all-in on such theories (Qanon, COVID is a Bill Gates microchip hoax, "the Kraken," all that shit) -- so, when people say "fuckin' a, looks like this terrorist was a nutbar conspiracy theorist," folks on that end of the political spectrum instinctively get defensive. 

SO, maybe some introspection about how the Venn diagram of "conservative politics" and "people who believe in nutbar conspiracy theories" is now two circles that overlap a whole lot more than they used to would be a very, very good idea.  But as to this particular event, interestingly enough, they may not overlap at all.  This guy may have resided in the portion of the "nutbar conspiracy theorist" circle that overlaps both right, left, and even apolitical beliefs.  So, you can put your hackles down.

At least, that's my tentative takeaway.  We have a world in which nutbar conspiracy theories are easily and widely disseminated to a population full of uneducated/mentally unstable kooks.  When these theories are couched as a threat to human life, then someone will inevitable act to "save humanity!"  It's stochastic terrorism defined.  And it's a real fucking problem.

[SwanderedTalent 5761]

9 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

And yes, sorry to tell you, when we talk about nutbar conspiracy theories people DO tend to immediately think of one side of the political spectrum

maybe those people should broaden their reading a bit

[Guest Lobo]

Serious question, did this 5G level shit rear its head during the 4G roll-out?  I don't remember it, but then---I wasn't inundated with the rants and ramblings of some of our dumbest citizens back then.  Now, unfortunately, even reading mainstream business shit like WSJ and Bloomberg, I have to listen to the lowest common denominator amongst us.  So how long exactly has his particular sub-set of conspiracy culture been around and doing their thing?  

[Brisketexan 104621]

2 minutes ago, SwanderedTalent said:

maybe those people should broaden their reading a bit

Yeah.....that won't yield the results your hoping for.  Own the fact that it's problematic that one end of our political spectrum has mainstreamed nutbar conspiracy theories at an unprecedented level.  Like I said, there are nutbar conspiracy theorists and theories that reside all over the spectrum, but when we see rallies by the leader of a political party with people waving signs championing an absolutely insane conspiracy, when that leader feeds and stokes such theories (Q!  Kraken!).....that's some next-level shit.  It's a problem.  It's a big problem.  Because conspiracy theories are one thing -- they exist, always have, always will.  Conspiracy theories that are given LEGITIMACY by stacks of government officials....that's really fucking dangerous.

When you sow the seeds of insanity, and water and fertilize them meticulously, nobody should be surprised when some of those seeds bear explosive/murderous fruit.  For fuck's sake, we've watched the same shit happen in the middle east for decades (remember how we all talked about and thought that middle eastern societies were nuts for their conspiracy beliefs before and in the wake of 9/11?)  It's human nature.  It's no harder to create deranged self-motivated terrorists in the middle east than it is here, and vice-versa.

There's a reason that the people in charge of assessing terror threats are unanimous in evaluating this type of domestic terrorism as the primary threat we face.  You're free to pretend otherwise, but that isn't going to stop more shit like this from happening.

Feed nutbars boatloads of inflammatory bullshit, you will inevitably start fires.  It's common sense.

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

40 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

  When these theories are couched as a threat to human life, then someone will inevitable act to "save humanity!"  It's stochastic terrorism defined.  And it's a real fucking problem.

 

20 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah.....that won't yield the results your hoping for.  Own the fact that it's problematic that one end of our political spectrum has mainstreamed nutbar conspiracy theories at an unprecedented level.  Like I said, there are nutbar conspiracy theorists and theories that reside all over the spectrum, but when we see rallies by the leader of a political party with people waving signs championing an absolutely insane conspiracy, when that leader feeds and stokes such theories (Q!  Kraken!).....that's some next-level shit.  It's a problem.  It's a big problem.  Because conspiracy theories are one thing -- they exist, always have, always will.  Conspiracy theories that are given LEGITIMACY by stacks of government officials....that's really fucking dangerous.

When you sow the seeds of insanity, and water and fertilize them meticulously, nobody should be surprised when some of those seeds bear explosive/murderous fruit.  For fuck's sake, we've watched the same shit happen in the middle east for decades (remember how we all talked about and thought that middle eastern societies were nuts for their conspiracy beliefs before and in the wake of 9/11?)  It's human nature.  It's no harder to create deranged self-motivated terrorists in the middle east than it is here, and vice-versa.

There's a reason that the people in charge of assessing terror threats are unanimous in evaluating this type of domestic terrorism as the primary threat we face.  You're free to pretend otherwise, but that isn't going to stop more shit like this from happening.

Feed nutbars boatloads of inflammatory bullshit, you will inevitably start fires.  It's common sense.

Yeah I was listening to an interview with an expert on propaganda and he told a story about an American shrink who got to pick Herman Goering's brain on the subject. Not sure if was before the war or after, when Goering was in the dock at Nuremberg...Anyway, this shrink was under order from our government to find out how ze Germans went from virtually no army to a millions-strong death machine in just a few short years, and this coming only a couple of decades after that country had suffered far more than we have ever suffered, and also lost that war in which millions died or were maimed or who came back permanently staring into space. Our military wanted to know, because it was hard to persuade the American public to enter the world wars and send our boys off to die in places like Peleliu and bombed out French pastures. 

Goering said it was easy. You just had to put literal mortal fear in the minds of your target audience. And any government worth its salt could find some minor or even virtually nonexistent threat and convert it into the cause of white-knuckle terror. The Nazis, for example, had their public on edge at the idea of the threat of a Polish invasion (and even created a fake one to use as a flimsy excuse for invading Poland). 

The shrink cut him off and said something like "That would never work in America. We are a democratic republic" and fat old Herman laughed and said "It doesn't matter. You could be as Red as the Soviets, or have a monarchy, or a government like yours. Just find someway to terrify them, make it a life or death sort of deal. They will come around."

And so it seems we listened. We launched right into a Red Scare that lasted for 50 years and then just rolled that right into a perpetual Global War on Terror, a war that can never be won, because the enemy perpetually changes shape. Shit, it's a war on an abstraction to some degree. "Terrorism" is not a country, nor even an idea: it's just a means of fighting. 

And now we have a citizenry whipping themselves up into frenzies of mortal terror all by themselvs.

 

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by MaybeACoordinator
Left out the kicker at the end

[Judge Roybeanbag 11810]

22 minutes ago, kevwun said:

The tech and jump in speed are quite a bit different for 5g compared to previous upgrades.  That probably has nothing to do with why the crazies latched on to it though.  The first time I heard about it was right when Covid started blowing up and somehow 5g got linked to it.  The UK crazies have really latched on to it even more than in the US.

Here's a decent article on the issue:

 

https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/4/24/21231085/coronavirus-5g-conspiracy-theory-covid-facebook-youtube

 

 

[Foosters 17733]

10 minutes ago, StruggleBus said:

Why do we need 5g anyway? I life has been great with LTE and I don't want to change that. 

[TKthunder2 4981]

28 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

Owned by AT&T

AT&T owns Warner Media (HBO, WB, Turner) not Warner Communications which now a part of Charter/Spectrum.

[atomheartbevo 89447]

2 hours ago, Lobo said:

Serious question, did this 5G level shit rear its head during the 4G roll-out?  I don't remember it .....  So how long exactly has his particular sub-set of conspiracy culture been around and doing their thing?  

Social media plus the fucking qanon idiots (you know, TexAgs) that were dropped on their heads as children being really well organized, have helped spread these kinds of conspiracy theories faster and wider than was possible in the past.  Although, as I've noted before, when I was a kid, we heard the same jokes about the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster as kids on the other side of the country in the 1980s, so I dunno.  My theory on that is that the jokes were spread by dads talking to other dads on the telephone, because no way we kids all came up with the same precise jokes about shampoo or what NASA stands for.  But I digress.

I would also ask what companies do not have a 5G rollout, or are way behind the other companies.  Get the crazies out trying to wreck your competitors' infrastructure and it might help you a bit.

Edited December 28, 2020 by atomheartbevo

[atomheartbevo 89447]

30 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Back then those types were usually East Europeans, Italians, & Irish.

What slurs did you all use back then, when talking about those groups?

[Bruno Sardine 147]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

I think you're getting pretty defensive about something that I really don't see happening (sure, I'm positive there are some folks out there concluding that he did this all for Trump, or he did it all for Biden, but in this world, you can find someone trumpeting ANY belief -- those conclusions aren't widely held at all).  

Instead, the noise and discussion is focused on his possible beliefs as to the "threat" of 5G networks.  That concept is not really a political ideology concept -- it's kind of like anti-vaxxers in that is has adherents who are hardcore Trump/Qanon types, as well as hardcore granola-crunching hippies.  So, it's not political so much as it is a "nutbar conspiracy theory" problem.  And yes, sorry to tell you, when we talk about nutbar conspiracy theories people DO tend to immediately think of one side of the political spectrum that has gone all-in on such theories (Qanon, COVID is a Bill Gates microchip hoax, "the Kraken," all that shit) -- so, when people say "fuckin' a, looks like this terrorist was a nutbar conspiracy theorist," folks on that end of the political spectrum instinctively get defensive. 

SO, maybe some introspection about how the Venn diagram of "conservative politics" and "people who believe in nutbar conspiracy theories" is now two circles that overlap a whole lot more than they used to would be a very, very good idea.  But as to this particular event, interestingly enough, they may not overlap at all.  This guy may have resided in the portion of the "nutbar conspiracy theorist" circle that overlaps both right, left, and even apolitical beliefs.  So, you can put your hackles down.

At least, that's my tentative takeaway.  We have a world in which nutbar conspiracy theories are easily and widely disseminated to a population full of uneducated/mentally unstable kooks.  When these theories are couched as a threat to human life, then someone will inevitable act to "save humanity!"  It's stochastic terrorism defined.  And it's a real fucking problem.

That’s a bit of a partisan take. Conspiracy theories? You mean like the one espoused by virtually every media outlet in the United States following Trump’s election that he secretly colluded with Russia and was in all probability a Russian asset acting in concert with Russian intelligence and that all this would be formally uncovered and revealed in the Mueller investigation?

You don’t have to be a Trumper to be a gullible dumb-ass.

Edited December 28, 2020 by Bruno Sardine

[StruggleBus 3922]

8 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Social media plus the fucking qanon idiots (you know, TexAgs) that were dropped on their heads as children being really well organized, have helped spread these kinds of conspiracy theories faster and wider than was possible in the past.

Yeah, my Q anon sister in law has spent the last week trying to convince my wife that the covid vaccine will make her sterile. 

I mean I actually wouldn't care because I don't want more kids, but it's still annoying. 

[Hugo Stiglitz 23356]

1 minute ago, Bruno Sardine said:

secretly colluded with Russia

Nah, he was pretty open about it. 

[atomheartbevo 89447]

8 minutes ago, StruggleBus said:

Yeah, my Q anon sister in law has spent the last week trying to convince my wife that the covid vaccine will make her sterile. 

I mean I actually wouldn't care because I don't want more kids, but it's still annoying. 

I still think hair loss and the spreading of covid are the funniest things to come out of the 5G conspiracy nuts, but covid vaccine causing sterility....that's a unique one.  That could be a selling point.

Edited December 28, 2020 by atomheartbevo

[workswithseed 2036]

26 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Social media plus the fucking qanon idiots (you know, TexAgs) that were dropped on their heads as children being really well organized, have helped spread these kinds of conspiracy theories faster and wider than was possible in the past.  

The first time I heard people attacking 5g towers was over in the UK.

[seven 1366]

On 12/26/2020 at 9:05 AM, Lobo said:

Materials of Bike Rack include an unknown glowing blue substance which fell to Earth, presumably from outer space.  Do not taunt Blue Bike Rack.  

 

What a fucked up end to the year.  Massive car bomb in a major U.S. city and a huge chunk of the nation thinks, "Oh shit, hope it wasn't my team."  Even the Ulster Unionists and IRA take Christmas Day off.  

It's called protomolecule 

[atomheartbevo 89447]

2 minutes ago, workswithseed said:

The first time I heard people attacking 5g towers was over in the UK.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-54065470

[RDCanecutter 26274]

28 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

What slurs did you all use back then, when talking about those groups?

Google H.P. Lovecraft on immigrants. So bad that it's almost good, except that it's just really bad.

[RDCanecutter 26274]

6 minutes ago, workswithseed said:

The first time I heard people attacking 5g towers was over in the UK.

Yeah, surprised me because the French are generally through the roof on conspiracy theories + gleeful burning stuff down. Les Rosbifs stole a march on them this time.

[wildcat09 29254]

31 minutes ago, Bruno Sardine said:

That’s a bit of a partisan take. Conspiracy theories? You mean like the one espoused by virtually every media outlet in the United States following Trump’s election that he secretly colluded with Russia and was in all probability a Russian asset acting in concert with Russian intelligence and that all this would be formally uncovered and revealed in the Mueller investigation?

You don’t have to be a Trumper to be a gullible dumb-ass.

You should try reading the Mueller report.

[wildcat09 29254]

11 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

Google H.P. Lovecraft on immigrants. So bad that it's almost good, except that it's just really bad.

Don't google his cat's name, though.

[Armybrat 40741]

48 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

What slurs did you all use back then, when talking about those groups?

Wogs, dagos, micks were the preferred nomenclature.

[Captainant 27462]

39 minutes ago, Bruno Sardine said:

That’s a bit of a partisan take. Conspiracy theories? You mean like the one espoused by virtually every media outlet in the United States following Trump’s election that he secretly colluded with Russia and was in all probability a Russian asset acting in concert with Russian intelligence and that all this would be formally uncovered and revealed in the Mueller investigation?

I mean, the senate intel committee did produce multiple reports with that conclusion thoroughly documented. 

[Biff Tannen 45495]

13 minutes ago, Captainant said:

I mean, the senate intel committee did produce multiple reports with that conclusion thoroughly documented. 

Dude, it's the Daily Texan.  Don't waste your time.

[Bozo_Casanova 26281]

58 minutes ago, Bruno Sardine said:

That’s a bit of a partisan take. Conspiracy theories? You mean like the one espoused by virtually every media outlet in the United States following Trump’s election that he secretly colluded with Russia and was in all probability a Russian asset acting in concert with Russian intelligence and that all this would be formally uncovered and revealed in the Mueller investigation?

You don’t have to be a Trumper to be a gullible dumb-ass.

But it helps!

[SquishMitten 10401]

That’s a bit of a partisan take. Conspiracy theories? You mean like the one espoused by virtually every media outlet in the United States following Trump’s election that he secretly colluded with Russia and was in all probability a Russian asset acting in concert with Russian intelligence and that all this would be formally uncovered and revealed in the Mueller investigation?
You don’t have to be a Trumper to be a gullible dumb-ass.

Um. You know all that pretty much actually happened right? Just because some people refused to believe it or read the report doesn’t mean it wasn’t in there.

[Enchubben 5509]

4 hours ago, Bruno Sardine said:

That’s a bit of a partisan take. Conspiracy theories? You mean like the one espoused by virtually every media outlet in the United States following Trump’s election that he secretly colluded with Russia and was in all probability a Russian asset acting in concert with Russian intelligence and that all this would be formally uncovered and revealed in the Mueller investigation?

You don’t have to be a Trumper to be a gullible dumb-ass.

Dude, these people are from the cloak room, don’t waste your time.

[ConferenceRoom 6130]

6 hours ago, Bruno Sardine said:

That’s a bit of a partisan take. Conspiracy theories? You mean like the one espoused by virtually every media outlet in the United States following Trump’s election that he secretly colluded with Russia and was in all probability a Russian asset acting in concert with Russian intelligence and that all this would be formally uncovered and revealed in the Mueller investigation?

You don’t have to be a Trumper to be a gullible dumb-ass.

[Captainant 27462]

Lol just realized my comment on what is backed by the public record and what is a conspiracy theory got moved to the cloak room. Keep up the good work, imma and blacklab

[Hagbard Celine 10763]

@immamac whatever this thread is, it's not the thread for news on the nashville intentional act, maybe change the title?

[conVINCEd 21468]

20 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Lol just realized my comment on what is backed by the public record and what is a conspiracy theory got moved to the cloak room. Keep up the good work, imma and blacklab

They don’t want to lose the 35% of the country that is insane.

[Continental Op 3934]

Speculation such as "LOL RELIGION OF PEACE!!!" regarding a bombing?  A-OK!

Speculation such as "Hmm... Maybe a weirdo right winger?" regarding a bombing?  CLOAK ROOM! 

[Homercles 10205]

9 hours ago, Armybrat said:

Wogs, dagos, micks were the preferred nomenclature.

HERE YOU ARE ALL EQUALLY WORTHLESS!!

[RDCanecutter 26274]

20 minutes ago, Homercles said:

HERE YOU ARE ALL EQUALLY WORTHLESS!!

Half right, FACE.

[Biff Tannen 45495]

[Gatorubet 30104]

That’s a bit of a partisan take. Conspiracy theories? You mean like the one espoused by virtually every media outlet in the United States following Trump’s election that he secretly colluded with Russia and was in all probability a Russian asset acting in concert with Russian intelligence and that all this would be formally uncovered and revealed in the Mueller investigation?
You don’t have to be a Trumper to be a gullible dumb-ass.

Hug that Bill Barr doll close, close your eyes, and click your heels three times.

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

11 hours ago, Armybrat said:

Wogs, dagos, micks were the preferred nomenclature.

You forgot Bohunks and Polacks. 

[Armybrat 40741]

8 hours ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

You forgot Bohunks and Polacks. 

Well, since Mrs. Brat is a Bohunk I refrained from going too far. The Polacks were off busy changing incandescent lightbulbs somewhere. 

[Guest Lobo]

8 hours ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

You forgot Bohunks and Polacks. 

What movie was that, the "Oily Bohunk"?  I know it's John Hughes, but which one?  The man was so prolific.  

4 days later, has Trump commented on this thing at all?  Somebody nearly leveled a couple blocks of a major U.S. city because of some shit on Qanon?  

[ConferenceRoom 6130]

4 hours ago, Lobo said:

What movie was that, the "Oily Bohunk"?  I know it's John Hughes, but which one?  The man was so prolific.  

4 days later, has Trump commented on this thing at all?  Somebody nearly leveled a couple blocks of a major U.S. city because of some shit on Qanon?  

Sixteen Candles

Edited December 29, 2020 by ConferenceRoom

[4th&Five 41461]

 

[HenryJames 65890]

 

[Bama Chick 28596]

Oh boy.

[Upgrayedd 5806]

Wait- Bob Hope was a lizard person?