Yes, I think we need to give them and others a soft landing spot where they can save at least a little face. We should help them lean into the narrative that “Trump lied and tricked his supporters into thinking he had virtuous, selfless objectives.” The more we scold them for not seeing what we’ve been screaming for over a decade, the more likely they will dig their heels in just to save face.

Cognitive dissonance is a very powerful drug.

I think another reasonable thing is for our justice systems to tie human responsibility/culpability to the actions of AI (or whatever we may be calling these computing advancements in the future).

Replace the buzzword “AI” with “computing advancement” or (more broadly) “technological advancement.”

I think that makes it easier to see how the analogies in the comic strip are meaningless to the basic pattern that our technology has been advancing and will continue advancing, unless or until societal collapse (and maybe not even then if, by then, technology has reached the point where it can start creating its own advancements).

Can someone explain this to me… Because the lawsuit was filed in federal court and had a judge working the case, the judge has to approve the settlement. But Trump came to this agreement with the DOJ and withdrew the case in a way that wouldn’t require the judge to approve it. But doesn’t that mean that this agreement is technically not a settlement to the case, and therefore it is meaningless?

My portfolio looks fantastic, but that has to remain untouched for at least 2 more decades. Feels weird to see that while simultaneously looking for better grocery store deals and cutting down on fun spending like restaurants, happy hours, and clothes. I never spent a ton on those things yet the little bit is now having a real impact on my monthly budget.

And, when mainstream media periodically interviews republican congressmen who happen to be opposed to the Trump admin’s latest corruption/idiocy, why the hell do they never ask “Since you’re against these illegal/irresponsible actions… what the flying F are you gonna do about it?”

Thanks for the detailed history. That was fun to read, and you landed it perfectly back at the initial site.

Why is it that during every MTG interview from a mainstream journalist, wherein MTG criticizes Trump for doing something illegal, the journalist NEVER asks her (or any Republican congressman in a similar situation) the very basic fucking question…

So… as the party in power… what the fuck are you going to do about it?

Which goes hand in hand with similar safety that comes with having an extensive global economy. Isolationism very directly makes the entire world less safe.

As dire as our situation is becoming, I actually feel generally sanguine about our podcast system. Chuck Todd points this out frequently, as he blames/thanks the corporate authoritarianism for him leaving NBC to start his own podcast. I didn’t care much for him on Meet the Press, but I actually like him a lot now and, more importantly, appreciate his insight and intuitions.

I see HP fun or mockery. I upvote HP fun or mockery.

Am I missing a punchline at the end? Or does it simply end with additional frustration?

If we somehow survive this, 60%+ of Americans should file a class action lawsuit against Fox News for causing and contributing to such widespread destruction of our democracy.

I have definitely heard the “I know you don’t like tRump…” intro to a statement from his supporters (who happened to be family or friends) at least a few times before. It’s too early for me to analyze the commonality right now.

I remember briefly hearing that speculation but then PBS Spacetime putting that theory to bed by explaining that (IIRC) Jupiter would have to be much more massive for it to have had a chance at becoming a brown star.

The Milky Way and Andromeda are on a direct collision course and in all probability there won’t be a single star collision at least on the first pass.

Maybe the factoid first became popular when the USSR existed

I finally know the proper spelling for my sinister scheming noises

We will need to hold their feet to the fire. Restoring normalcy will not be enough. Accountability for all of the crimes of this administration is crucial. We must make sure that they know that anything less would be interpreted as them being complicit.

That’s not necessarily true. We would need the next president to be proactive about working with Congress to design meaningful restraints on the presidency so that they can draft the legislation and the president sign it into law. That way the next next president wouldn’t be able to unilaterally cancel all of those safeguards.