Drunkard's Walk Forums - Politics and Other Fun

An observation

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 16:57:22 -0500

For a while, I'e thought that the Borribles Step would need an extremely long explanation about how the Special Borrible Group was based on a Real Life organization, and, yes, such overreach by police officers really was accepted by London citizens who weren't affected by it.

Now, all the note has t say is that the Special Patrol Group was real in the 1970s and it acted much like ICE in the mid-2020s.

Hi9story doesn't repeat, but it rhymes.

Political Images thread the Third

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 05:25:34 -0500

Antichrists are popping up everywhere

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 04:16:12 -0500

I'd like to share a little news story. It's fairly long, but I'm just going to say that I was laughing for about ten minutes straight as I read through this story: Inside tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s off-the-record lectures about the antichrist

You know how having money makes people think that they're really smart in every field? Well, someone managed to get a recording of Peter Thiel's four-part lecture series, despite making it clear that recordings were entirely prohibited. And this guy hates universities so much that he just spent a few hours trying to impress academics with his theories about the antichrist.

What is the antichrist? Apparently anything to do with world government, like UNICEF or something. And also getting in the way of new technology, like luddites. Who is the antichrist? People like Marc Andressen, Greta Thunberg, and Eliezer Yudkowsky get mentioned as candidates, fairly close together. (A different article noted: "With enemies like these, who needs friends?") The whole thing is like SF tech scene inside baseball, but antichrist flavored.

And people kept going to see these things! I mean, I definitely would have, this is comedy gold, especially if you're in technology.

I'm not really knocking the idea of there being antichrists, there are plenty of people who meet the definition in 1 John. It's that, like, people whom you disagree with in politics are probably not the antichrist just because you disagree with them, right?

Book recommendations

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 13:08:20 -0500

ISBN 978-1-5387-7800-5
(also available as an ebook, but you probably want a copy that can't be remotely deleted without your permission or knowledge)

Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism
by Stewart "Brittlestar" Reynolds

Exactly what it says on the tin.

A quick read, but you should take your time and think about what's written in each of the two- or three-page chapters.

Grotesque, Unbelieveable, Bizarre and Unprecented - Presidential Election 2025

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:27:00 -0500

Every 7 years Ireland gathers together to watch paint dry.

And occasionally elect a President at the same time. And while the current incumbent is well loved - we're required to get a new one after 2 terms of 7 years. (A constitutional referendum to nail him inside the Aras would take too long to spin up)

And yet, considering how utterly inconsequential the position of President of Ireland is, it tends to turn up some the most vicious of catfighting (Probably emulating the yanks) and usually ends up with one candidate being monumentally humiliated in the public eye by some utterly trivial 'scandal'.

After a nomination campaign which has been as electrifying as a dead battery, with the only spark being the establishment sending Maria Steen back to 1954 where she belongs, the race began with a shrug, and had been proceeding with all the processional drudgery we've come to expect.

Until it floated up that, about 16 years ago, Jim Gavin had once owned an apartment.

And he rented it to a tenant who paid the rent by direct debit.

And, of course, Jimmy could no longer pay the mortgage on that flat in 2009 - because very few people *could* - so handed the keys back to the bank and rolled the remants of the loan into his home mortgage. The tenant, unfortunately, kept paying him for several months, totaling about 3300k in rent. (About a months rent in 2025 terms)

And for 16 years, and even after a solicitors letter, that debt stayed outstanding. Washed under the carpet. Too much money to be dealt with summarily in small claims. Too little money to be dealt with in real court. Probably not actually owed in legality. So it was forgotten. One tenant agrieved by their own mistake. One landlord too busy to think about it - thinking it was all so long ago.

It lingered like an old German shell under a Belgian farm, waiting for it's opportunity to ruin someone's day with a bang

That day was Saturday. After receiving a bruising earlier in the week for flying a video drone without the proper permits - something someone who once worked for the aviation regulator should've known about, the final knife in the back came on Saturday.

A report of a disaffected former tenant floated up early in Saturday - a tenant who sent proof to the political party backing Jimmy of their complaint that they were owned a substantial sum of money - just in time for poor oul Jimmy to deny on a publically televised any knowledge or having any records of the 3.3k debt ever being owed in the first place. The party knew, and they didn't warn him. The knives were out.

So now, Micheal Martin who put him forward looks like a gobshite. Everyone involved in the whole affair looks moronic. And the entire thing is turning into a political omnishambles worthy of our Westerly and Easterly neighbours.

Reports that Bertie Ahern was seen huddled in Fagans with his circle of sheisters clustered around a mobile phone like witches around a cauldron, have yet to be verified. But if the cutest, most devious hoor of them all had put a knife in the Gavin campaign's back- I wouldn't be surprised.

Jim Gavin officially withdrew from the campaign last night.

Too late for his name not to be on the ballot on polling day.

Part of me thinks it'd be fun to vote for someone who now desperately wants not to be President. If we follow Hitchicker's logic, he's the perfect man for the job. Or we can cause a constitutional crisis for shits and giggles.

Now it's just Heather Humphries, and Catherine Connolly.

They each exist, and have a body temperature of approximately 37 degrees.

The Imperial Presidency, Part 2

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 12:41:29 -0500

(09-11-2025, 11:54 AM)Jinx999 Wrote: He did say that Empathy is made up, woke and "dangerous"; so, in accordance with his beliefs, I have decided to not feel bad about his death.

Regarding that, I can't help but wonder how long it is until the Republicans start declaring that Christ's teachings are "woke" and dangerous, and any church that doesn't preach the Prosperity Gospel needs to be shut down.

Is "cool" woke?

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 07:46:29 -0500

Considering that "cool" as applied to people was first used by black jazz musicians, is being cool "woke"?

Meanwhile, in Canada...

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 06:18:53 -0500

I could have called this "Why Canada is a bad choice for the 51st state", considering that nobody's said that that harebrained idea is cancelled (so we have to assume it isn't), but then I thought that a more neutral thread title would be better all around.

Sexual orientation question to appear on census for first time in 2026

Quote:The questions to be asked in next year's census include a respondent's sex at birth, with the option to select male or female. Respondents are also asked to provide their gender, with the option to choose man (or boy), woman (or girl) or write in their own answer.

The census questionnaire also provides a definition of gender to guide respondents.

"Gender refers to an individual's personal and social identity as a man (or boy), a woman (or a girl) or a person who is not exclusively a man (or a boy) or a woman (or a girl) for example, non-binary, agender, gender fluid, queer or two-spirit."

Question 36, which is only to be asked for those aged 15 years and older, asks directly about sexual orientation, explaining that the information is being collected "to inform programs that promote equal opportunity for everyone living in Canada to share in its social, cultural and economic life."

Respondents can choose between "heterosexual (i.e. straight), lesbian or gay, bisexual or pansexual" or write in their own answer.

India Pakistan Conflict

Tue, 06 May 2025 18:16:22 -0500

The BBC reported that India has struck several targets in Pakistan. Packistan has vowed retaliation. I pray cooler heads prevail instead of the situation escalating further.

How do you get more nurses in under-served areas?

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 06:59:31 -0500

This has been happening for two years, but I only learned about it today.

In order to address the shortage of nurses and paramedics, the province of Ontario pays the tuition, books, and course fees of Ontario residents taking Practical Nursing or Paramedic programs at many Ontario colleges and universities. One has to commit to work where one takes the courses (which means Toronto is not included in this scholarship program at all, and paramedic students only qualify for a scholarship north of North Bay).

You get more nurses in under-served areas by training them in those areas.

What's the difference between a Canadian and an American?

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 17:48:37 -0500

Q: What's the difference between a Canadian and an American?
A: A Canadian knows the difference between a Canadian and an American.

Yes, that sounds like a joke, but it's serious: Canadians know far more about Americans than Americans know about Canadians.

Here are some things that Canadians believe. We might not always practice them, but we believe them:

Immigration is a net benefit to society.
A person's biological sex makes no difference to that person's ability to do any job.
A person's biological sex makes no difference to who that person can fall in love with, or marry.
A person's skin colour makes no difference to that person's ability to do any job.
A person's skin colour makes no difference to who that person can fall in love with, or marry.
Religion has no place in politics.
Religion has no place in criminal law.
Historical injustices should be rectified.
What whites did to indigenous peoples is a series of historical injustices.
Since people contribute more to society when they are healthy than when they are sick, health care should be paid for by society.
Socialism is not communism.
"Socialism" is not a dirty word.
Prisons exist for rehabilitation, not for punishment.
Firearms are for hunting, not for self-defence.
Concealed carry of a firearm is something that only criminals do.
People need to be trained and licensed before being allowed to operate a car unsupervised, just like they need to be trained and licensed before being allowed to operate a firearm unsupervised.
Alcohol is no worse to society than marijuana is.
Political cartoonists shouldn't take sides, they're supposed to skewer everybody equally.
The word "colour" has six letters, and the second-last letter is a "u".

Got any more differences?

2025 Election Thread

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 11:13:39 -0500

Starting with the one in Ontario. CBC News ticker

As of the first morning:

Conservatives (who called the election 18 months early): "Protect Ontario", negotiate with the USA in a position of strength. No mention of health care.
Liberals: They say the province didn't need an early election, it needs doctors. They also want to fight the perception that young people need to leave Ontario in order to succeed.
NDP: “Time and time again, Doug Ford has shown he can’t negotiate his way out of a paper bag.” They're making health care a major platform plank.
Greens: “We should be here at Queen’s Park working across party lines to show Donald Trump strength through unity. Instead Doug Ford has called an election, abandoning the people of Ontario when they need him the most” They're also campaigning on housing and health care.

What 17th-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes would say about American democracy today

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 07:30:29 -0500

Quote:Hobbes had his doubts about democracy as being an ideal structure to maintain the peace.

"The reason why he was skeptical of democracy, it's because the wealthy, the powerful, take over and the concerns of the common people are almost ignored," said Vertika.

And Hoekstra thinks the current political situation in the United States right now is a case in point.

Part of an ongoing series of publicizing PhD thesis work before the students defend their theses. Set aside an hour to listen to the episode.

Well, there goes my spending power. Maybe.

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:00:08 -0500

Chrystia Freeland, the deputy Prime Minister of Canada, was scheduled to present a financial update to the House at 4pm today.

She just resigned from the Cabinet.

Whatever the reason, this sends a signal to His Orangeness (Premier-elect of the 11th Province!) that his tactics are working...

The Imperial Presidency

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 04:59:58 -0500

At risk of actually creating a thread #2 on this year's election after it's pretty much over, it's time to create a new thread about Donald J. Trump: the man, the myth, actually it's pretty much all myth.

So one of the first things Trump did was to say that he expects the new Senate leadership to bring back recess appointments. Any new majority leader would have to say that he (definitely he) will let Trump do it. And honestly, I think he's probably right?

So the background is that the Senate has the right to review all Presidential appointments above a certain level, unless the Senate is in recess, in which case the President can appoint someone on an interim basis. This makes sense, right? What has happened in practice is that the Senate would just not confirm people, hold appointees forever until some political compromise was made. And then just, like, never actually go out of session. Even when everyone is gone from DC, to have one or two members of Senate leadership on the floor to like pretend that they still had quorum (which they do until someone makes a quorum call, even if there are obviously only two guys there). No one gets voted down, they just get eventually withdrawn. This system sucks.

But what will Trump do with this power? Well, remember the spoils system of the 1800s, where bureaucrats were given offices based on their support of the candidate? Basically that. Our country survived a century on a political bureaucracy, so not so bad, right?

Except, well, let's look at the quality of people Trump wants to nominate:

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State - "Little Marco"
Robert Kennedy Jr, Secretary of Health and Human Services - thinks vaccines are bad and once left a dead bear in Central Park, as you do
Matt Gaetz, Attorney General - resigned Congress to take this job, just a few days before the Ethics Committee's report would have been released
Doug Bergum, Secretary of the Interior - some state governor I don't know, name sounds like an ingredient in Earl Grey tea
Elise Stefanik, Ambassador to the United Nations
Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, veteran and Fox News host
Sources say: Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security - this former rodeo queen and former governor is best known for securing her home by killing her family dog

This list of cabinet members has been carefully crafted to own the libs. So lets just focus on one of the people above, Tulsi Gabbard.

I think I've made it known for years here that I consider Gabbard a Russian agent, or at least a Russian asset. She was once Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, but she's always been something of a thorn in the side. She's anti-war, anti-American imperialism, and in favor of an isolationist United States. Oddly enough at about the same time as RT news switched from promoting left-wing causes to promoting right-wing causes, Tulsi Gabbard also switched and started having more right wing talking points. What a coincidence.

So basically, of anyone you want associated with intelligence, why not someone who share's Russia's values? What can go wrong? Since I've been doing WWII parallels, this is kind of like Churchill becoming PM and appointing Unity Mitford as head of MI6. The mind boggles.

Shall I add a bit more fuel to the fire? The Daily Beast here refers to The Daily Mail's report that Tulsi and her husband are tied to the Science of Identity Foundation (SIF), described as an alt-right branch of Hare Krishna, who apparently has a man-god leading them named Chris Butler. I mean, this report could be tabloid crap, but "alt-right Hare Krishna" was not a phrase I was expecting to hear, ever.

The national security establishment is unimpressed, with an off-the-record comment describing her nomination as "a left turn and off the bridge." W.'s UN Ambassador called Gabbard the "worst cabinet-level appointment in history." Well, until the next day when Matt Gaetz was nominated. If I were FVEY country, I would really consider stopping intelligence sharing with America, to avoid having their own agents compromised.

Honestly, I have no doubts in my mind that I could to a better job than Tulsi Gabbard -- in fact any of the forum regulars here would be a better choice to serve as our intelligence director. Including the Dutchman and the socialist Irishman, who at least would still have a chance of actually serving the interest of Western civilization, unlike this lady.

So that's what we have right now: a whole list of cabinet members designed to own the libs, make money, and reduce our republicanism. Oh, and without needing the Senate to approve them.