Real question:

Anyone know which phone brands/manufactures are made 100% in China for Chinese population consumption primarily and 1) work in NA and 2) are easily set to English as the UI language?

I figure it may be better to just accept whatever possibility of backdoors Chinese intelligence may build into their electronics as opposed to western (mainly Israeli and US) intelligence backdoors.

I’ve seen some brand recommendations in the past but figured some of you nerds might have some knowledge on such things. My understanding is it’s sometimes difficult to get the phones connected on NA (US) providers.

One quote I remember regarding “civility” was something like “We need to make civility a pejorative.”

If you’re acting “civilly” it means you have the privilege of doing so. You’re on the “winning side” or perceive yourself to be. For those being actively threatened or attacked the expectation shouldn’t be to behave “civilly.”

This is like the least illegal thing this week

I wonder if Russians and those in former USSR and Yugoslavian states are getting a sort of sick enjoyment from seeing America just putting a gun to its own head everyday. “Ah, now it’s your turn to have your life expectancy cut by decades and all hope for the future crushed.”

It really sucks when you know something is gonna happen, but you hope it doesn’t, and then it’s happening. Germans probably got a word that means all of that and it’s at least 20 characters long.

You know the correct way to deal with people who attempt coups? You don’t put the mfers in prison that’s for sure.

Lula knows what he must do. He won’t. But it would be so goddamn funny

I just hope the autopsy can explain his head:face ratio. I’ve never seen anything that crazy in my life.

That’s the most 1980s/1990s coded right wing “you’ll never take my automatic rifles, ATF pig motherfuckers!” guy I’ve seen outside of historical footage in at least two decades

I thought all those guys went extinct after the FBI kinda just said “fuck it, let’s just arrest and harass Muslims” after 9/11

Glad(?) to see they live on

Election 2028:

Trump runs for term 3 “for the meme”

The democrats put up that zoomer that thought Russia was still the USSR and Communist (Frost? I think his name name is)

Trump runs on promising to personally execute, live on tv, all the feds he fired over the past four years after the democrats say they will rehire them all.

The democrat runs on… restoring NATO… and promises to immediately declare war on Russia

I hang myself in my closet

Thanks for that

Yeah, that summary basically aligns with my understanding of how the extermination of the natives worked

(Replied to myself somehow the first time…)

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Is there a source for that $300 per Native American claim?

Not that I doubt the US gov would pay for such bounties, of course they did, it’s just $300 in 1877 is like… a fuckload. It’s hard to exactly calculate due to the gold standard being abandoned and even if you arrive a direct calculation with inflation and everything factored in there it still doesn’t tell the whole story. Like $3000/yr in 1960 could provide for a household in NYC. It’s only like $30K/yr with inflation and obviously you need like 3-4x that to live comfortably in NYC. So the dollars are sort of irrelevant if you don’t factor in every piece of cost of living (something liberals/conservatives do all the time when you bring up wages, but that’s too much off on another topic)

Anyway, apparently $300 in 1877 is equivalent to about $9000 in today’s money. That seems like an entire year’s salary back then.

I don’t intend this to be callous or insensitive, but I would assume there would be so many bounty hunter assholes bringing in villages of dead natives that it would destroy the US government to pay that much out. Like these settlers were doing a full scale holocaust in the western states at that point with bodies piling up.

Yeah, well, unfortunately for the US population (and world… since people use the products worldwide) if the Nazi-asses say it just barely in a slightly ordering or angry tone, Apple and Google (and everyone else) will immediately drop on their knees and start sucking toe.

This is sort of ironically one of the few areas that private corporations, if they found an ounce of value in doing so, could stand up to the might of the US Gov. In most cases the government (of any country, really) can simply legally steamroll any non-cooperative private corporations. Pass a few laws if they deem it necessary, but Trump seems to be more on a vibes-based EO signing spree. So there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t just sign a napkin and hand it to Tim Apple saying “I order you to listen to KASH FUCKING DUMBASS “ONE BILLION DONKEYS” Patel”

Google will 100% fold immediately. I thought they did years ago, but might be misremembering. Pretty sure they actively aid the FBI when they “request” assistance unlocking devices. Apple, at least publicly, still refuses to help. I think now they even claim they can’t help at all even if they wanted to (which is the ideal standard, imo. Don’t even let the corpos have the ability to implement backdoors)

Apple might make a show of it. I only say this because they do sort of sell their products with the tagline of “we keep your shit secure. See, look, we even tell the US Gov to fuck off regarding “terrorism” suspects’ devices!”

I have basically no faith in their withstanding any actual amount of pushback though and without the backing of Google, MS, Meta, etc. to include any corporation that handles private, encrypted messaging of any sort… they will ultimately fail no matter if they resist or not. As a US corporation they are beholden by the laws of the US and, again, Kash “Donkeys in the Walls!” Patel strikes me as a “man” with so many chips on his shoulders that… well, I don’t know the metaphor there. He’s a very stupid person and also immoral, evil, however you wanna characterize him. So, he’d absolutely strong arm if necessary. Normally something I’d support from the gov (arresting corpo scum), but of course they’d only do so to advance the worst policies ever.

Am I missing it or does the quote NOT mention the most important thing. You know… Mission accomplished? (Edit: They quote from him. The implication is he’s still alive and well. Not sure why that was not explicitly stated in such an article… but whatever)

Speaking fully generically about a wide, wide range of things: If you’re gonna do something, do it right. If you got like a 1cm diameter hole in drywall that needs repaired, you don’t just throw a bucket of drywall “mud” at the wall and hope it fills in properly. No, you get your mud, you get your tools, putty knives and such, you get in there and do the job right. You make sure that hole is plugged and it’ll never come loose or be an otherwise weak spot in the wall. Otherwise, don’t bother! It just makes the job harder for the next guy!

No, trust me, I get it.

Maybe I am doing some sort of circular cope or something myself. I have spent a lot of time (too much…) considering how much I should “care” that liberals only care about the dogshit when their face is rubbed in it. When the dog has actually been shitting all over the carpet for years and they never cared.

Part of me thinks “Finally! Welcome!” But then I see they have no actual push back. They just want the spectacle, I suppose, of pointing out the obvious. Then I go “Ok, well, that’s still better… than not? I guess?”

Either way it feels incredibly shitty because no one with any amount of institutional power seems to care about the rhetoric at the core of the movement. I am absolutely fine and happy if they call out Nazis doing hate symbology in public… with the condition that they recognize those symbols are directly tied back to the laws they want to pass (and have passed).

Some libs “get it” to an extent. Many still seem incredibly shortsighted and only focused on Trump. He seems to be self-aware of this (maybe giving him too much credit though) and that’s why he leans into the third term thing repeatedly. Give them a spectacle and something to obsess over… something that isn’t analyze any of his executive orders, stated goals, laws he wants, etc. Not a unique analysis there either by me.

Honestly all feels a bit “lib-bait”

They keep talking about third term which drives libs crazy (just wait till the libs figure out there are worse people than Trump…). We only even have limits for presidents because the same libs, right wingers, whined and pissed themselves after the country elected the least-shitty president 4 times. If the president is good… who cares. Let them stay 50 years. I don’t understand the term limit shit. If they think it means the next republican won’t be a Nazi … bad news, guys! The democrats and republicans are both Nazi parties! “Oops! All Nazi!”

And as far as the salute goes. Yes, doing a Nazi salute is (obviously, no shit) bad.

Giving Nazi speeches, believing in their hearts Nazi/fascist rhetoric, passing Nazi laws, etc. is the actual problem though. And they’ve been pretty openly doing this for years, decades even. It just seems, no other word I can think of, “liberal” to focus on the unavoidable aesthetic and ignore the fundamental, meaningful day to day stuff.

It just seems to me to set this unobtainable standard of “Oh, now they’re Nazis!” It doesn’t really matter if Trump walks in wearing a literal SS uniform. The right is just gonna say “Oh, but…!” “Wow, I can’t believe you think…” and liberals will back off every time they are presented with any way out, even the most obviously ridiculous path out. They’ll take it. Look to how they refuse to call the Elon one (which was 0% chance NOT a Nazi salute) what it is. Because he gave them a path out of it. Another day to cope and pretend it isn’t already here… and has been for a long time.

If they’re waiting to see the skulls on the caps, well, maybe that day never arrives. My point is: that doesn’t fucking matter. The SS would still be one of the most evil groups in history even if they wore rainbow sweatsuits all the time. Yeah, the skull is a bit “on the fucking nose” but their actions and their rhetoric was evil. The caps are a symbol of that. The salute is a symbol. That symbol can be there or not and it doesn’t matter.

I feel like I’m repeating myself a bunch, but just trying to make it clear. Hate symbols are bad because of what they are symbolic of. Not just because “oh no! Evil thing!” I kinda thought this was obvious, but the way lib brains work… makes me wonder.

(And even while I write this I also think “Holy fuck… they’re just doing the goddamn thing.” So, I’m not placing myself as immune. I do try to “check” myself sometimes though. Bannon endorses murdering trans people and kicking out immigrants… yeah, of course he’s a Nazi. This shouldn’t be shocking to me or anyone else)

That can all be true, and I don’t really disagree, and yet…

Well let me just state some “facts” for no particular reason

A ton of US citizens rely on programs they’re proposing cutting (not talking about the military. Yes people rely on that but… 🤷‍♂️. Give them cash to not work. I don’t care). Imagine this purely fictional world where millions of people potentially are teetering… then shoved. They know who did it. Elon, Thiel, Trump, etc. I would think “being alive” would be a large part of this world they want… alive to “enjoy” it. Hard to do if… well… free country. Free speech. I’m so free to say the thing…

Absolutely not gonna happen

Although if reporters aren’t asking “Do you mean THE MILITARY MILITARY or all the other shit?” then they’re failing to do their jobs.

8% reduction in soldiers, arms production, etc.

Or that remains the same- and 8% of VA doctors, etc. are fired.

Defense budget doesn’t include the VA, btw, but we all know it’s suddenly going to. Magically.

But, you know, Inshallah he does manage to cut the DoD. I doubt it! Highly! But hey… ok…

I actually proposed this plan (definitely not uniquely but whatever- still counts!) for the last… decade now. Just cut the budget repeatedly for two decades and it will starve the MIC (in theory) and does so in a controlled wind down from the insanity since WWII.

Of course “my plan” also called for diverting those resources immediately, plus adding on top, to expanding Medicare to everyone. Of course cuts are not required in order to fund Medicare, but if thr Nazi ass dems insist then, hey, cut the DoD in half, push the money to healthcare! Blammo!

God, that’s gonna make the libs moan in agony. They still (some fucking how) are obsessed with the like 4 bots that Russia had on facebook 10 years ago. I doubt it was intentional, but it’s almost like he’s mocking them with that statement. Maybe he read some “dirtbag left” reply guy to some hyper libbed up DNC shill and was like “That’s good. I’ll save that one.”

Since nothing is going to get better… it’s at least been entertaining to see the collective meltdown as Trump gasp negotiates with Russia/Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine. I can practically see all the libs doing that scene from that Tarantino movie with Leo where he points at the TV in my head. At this point, I don’t even give a shit.

Fuck, I hope Putin, Xi and Trump are all best buddies and all the conflicts end. This desire for never ending aggression towards Russia and China is just pure insanity. “Oh no, but what if…” I don’t give a shit! China ain’t doing shit outside of Asia and Russia ain’t doing shit outside of Europe. Two places the US should be staying the fuck out of! If the map of Ukraine has to be redrawn, well, that was happening anyway.

That’s the thing liberals are still coping over. Russia has held the territory for years now. When you say this they act like you’re “justifying” it. No, it’s just a fact. Israel has annexed the Golan Heights. I care a lot more about that than any land Ukraine will be giving up. And yet, it is reality. They took it, they held it, and it’s just the way it is now until or unless someone makes them give it up.

I’m just ranting now, but seriously, fuck all these annoying libbed-up pieces of trash who pretend to give a single shit about anyone on any side of any of these conflicts. They don’t give a shit. They have zero skin in the game. They just saw TV lib man say “Ukraine is important to democracy” and they’ve been repeating that for years while simultaneously cheering for genocide done by another “democracy.” These people are devoid of empathy and understanding. So if I they cry a little extra hard over something which was basically inevitable anyway… good

It’s not that I doubt they want to do that. I just… Iraq is half the world away. No one in the US sees what was done there or not done (rebuilding-wise).

If they promise infrastructure in the US, and it’s clearly not happening next year, 2 years, 4 years from now, what happens?

I can’t be alone thinking there is a bottom for all this government graft, corruption, etc. At some point something has to give… I’m not saying it’s anywhere near there yet, but I just have this feeling that Musk is going to explode this is in his face because he’s kind of just a dumb guy. Dumber than most of the others. Someone in the background, probably Thiel also dumb but knows to kinda stfu a little, I can see absolutely grabbing all this stuff though.

That’s rather hopeful

To avoid just being a pure cynic here: what have you seen thus far to indicate that the US plans to re-industrialize?

If Trump was doing tariffs AND a massive “New Deal” style government funding, new department-creating, infrastructure building, industry building bill (all of it) thus forcing US industry to be rebuilt, then I could see this. But he’s just throwing tariffs out there and, I dunno, hoping industry magically is rebuilt? As someone who lives in “the rust belt” it’s called that for a reason. That shit ain’t coming back without billions if not trillions of dollars of direct investment into rail, manufacturing plants, mining (iron, probably coal for steel. Unless modern steel can be made without it).

It just seems like Trump thinks you can use the stick and these places will come back on their own. I’m not sure if be understands the scale of what re-industrialization of the US looks like. He and the republicans would have to be willing to just dump infinite resources into the sector, not unlike China, give it a couple decades, and then it might work.

As far as Musk goes, I think he overplayed himself. I said before somewhere (maybe this site I don’t remember) that he’s clearly being used by Trump to take the blame. As he is doing now. He has no legitimacy or protections under the laws as they exist. As soon as Trump is tired of his toy Elon could be gone in an instant and considering he’s violated countless laws… I’m not sure what the dumbass is even trying to do in the end. He took on incredible personal risk for a potential, but highly unlikely, personal reward. I dunno I don’t have a crystal ball obviously, but I just don’t see things “being great” for Musk a couple years from now. His spiraling drug addiction mixed with his egotism and apparent inability to read rooms. I do agree he’s a much bigger “threat” (hate that word for such a loser) than libs are currently willing to accept.

If only a hero of the Mario’s Mansion, Shinzo Abe, variety were out there… it would really pave over this annoyance. Not solve anything, but definitely pave over one of the most annoying bumps.