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Showing content with the highest reputation on 2020-06-02 in all areas

  1. TrueBlue4ever

    US Politics

    Long rant coming. Ignore if you wish, just need to get this off my chest, not looking for any response necessarily. Let's just sit back and remember that 62,000,000 Americans voted for him last time. I was in Arizona in February when he held a rally, and there was a buzz around the city when he came in. He has disgusted and divided his country in the eyes of many within and many outside the USA but he is still popular with a large segment of Americans, and those he is popular with find him very popular. I suspect there will be less fence-sitters this election than last, and I would like to think that even the Bernie Bros. who are ticked about their guy losing to Biden will take a step back and realize that this election is all about "do you want Trump or not?" Yesterday he crossed a line by declaring war of some of his citizens and utilizing the military to take control. That speech could be seen as very frightening if you accept the narrative that he has been pushing for a fascist state. There was no veiled text in his call for law and order against Antifa and all the other agitators who he sees as threatening his America. But if you accept the narrative that the fake media has been out to get him and the deep state has tried to take him out and sabotage him despite a legitimate election victory, then that image of him walking to re-claim sacred holy ground that had been vandalized by thugs the night before is a powerful unifying image, and the willingness to stand up to and dominate the bullies who tried to destroy the country and harm innocent Americans sends a message of strength, guts, courage. (Forget that he tear-gassed peaceful protestors to clear the park and had armed guards escorting him, his state-owned media at FOX and AON will spin it as quelling an insurrection). If you believe that your America is great again once those violent black people (who proved it once again that they want to destroy all peace-loving whites with their actions, and don't respect law and order as proven by their attacks on the police) are put in their place, then yesterday was another triumphant stand against them, just like the election in 2016 was. It is chilling to write this, but even more chilling to think that what I just laid out is the mindset of 10's of millions of Americans right now, and not just the fringe elements. And if you don't subscribe to this view, then are you not more than a little afraid of how readily the police and military were willing to do Trump's bidding and clear the streets? Images of media being shot at, peaceful protestors being maced and tear-gassed and beaten with shields and clubs, people standing on the porches of their homes being told "get inside now" by military soldiers parading down the street in their Humvees, and then hearing "light 'em up" and getting shot at when they were already off the street (but not inside, so not good enough) filled my screen, but I think they will be drowned out by the "law and order" crowd who see this as justifiable and proper action to "dominate" the rebellion. These remind me of the images of the army moving in to Tiananmem Square - at least it would not surprise me if that's where this is headed. But Americans, Dem or Repub, do like to agree on one thing - that America is the best nation in the world. They have loved to be labelled as cowboys, those brave individualists who stand up to tyranny and play by their own rules. It's mirrored in the slogan "America First". So I think that a whole lot of them give Trump not just a pass but an A+ grade for his action, because it reinforces how tough he is (and, by transitive property for his supporters, they are). There was a line in Captain America where the Red Skull said "I'm not sure if arrogance is a purely American trait, but you certainly do it better than anyone else", and I fear that arrogance has blinded many Americans from seeing what is really going on. The ironic thing is just how blindly hypocritical Americans who follow Trump are too. Government should not interfere, but use all the force of the Government to control the people (at least those who don't line up with my ideology). We demand the cities open up and we have the individual freedom to go get a haircut, and will storm a capitol building with my AR 15 for intimidation purposes to get what we want, and no Government can stop us, but how dare those unarmed protestors speak out in anger about racial injustice in the wrong way with vandalism (although peaceful resistance by taking a knee at a sporting event without violence was also "the wrong way" so maybe it's the message and not the means that's really irks those who complain), and the Government should step in and stop it. The COVID lockdown is unconstitutional and my safety is my own business and my choice if I go out and risk catching or spreading the virus, but hey let's impose a nationwide curfew because I am in danger from those thugs, looters, Antifa, etc. My rights are enshrined in the Constitution, and no Government can take those away, but hey let's violate the freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of lawful assembly if they stand for something other than what I stand for, and let the Government use the full power of the military to facilitate the taking away of those rights. The next "funny" irony will be the 2nd Amendment. "Patriots" have always bastardized the meaning of the Amendment to justify an individual's right to own automatic weapons, armor-piercing bullets, Kevlar, and the like to ensure their personal safety and freedom, when the original intent was to keep a well-regulated civilian militia to protect the country, and act as a police force when necessary, especially against a tyrannical Government. Well, if there was ever a situation that mirrored the original intent of the Constitutional Amendment, would it not be arming oneself to defend against Government forces (be they police or military) attacking unarmed civilians to "dominate" citizens in the name of "one law"? You wonder how quickly Trump would try to revoke that right if he felt their was a threat of insurrection from the masses who were prepared to fight his firepower with their own? And would his followers jump on board with that infringement on their liberty if they suddenly felt that perceived threat and abdicated their power to him? "My right to guns does not extend to someone's else's equal right to guns, because they disagree with me, so yeah the government can take away their guns and put in restrictive laws, I agree with that restriction because it's in my best interest (until it isn't its the part they don't see). Other dictators have been able to suppress freedom by armed force when necessary, without fear of reprisal because their citizens did not have the same access to weaponry that the Government did. In the US it's a whole different ball game. Wonder how that will play out?
    7 points
  2. Mr Dee

    Black Lives Matter

    An important first step was taken here..
    4 points
  3. bigg jay

    Covid-19

    Agreed to that match-up, but I'd be willing to boo the **** out of the Riders any chance I get!
    4 points
  4. do or die

    US Politics

    Bishop says she found out Trump visited historic DC church by watching it on TV http://Bishop says she found out Trump visited historic DC church by watching it on TV
    4 points
  5. 3 points
  6. Mr Dee

    Black Lives Matter

    Has to start somewhere.. Walz said the investigation into the police department's policies, procedures and practices over the past 10 years will determine if the force has engaged in systemic discrimination toward people of colour, and work out how to stop it. State Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero will lead the investigation.
    3 points
  7. Wideleft

    US Politics

    I was a huge supporter of Obama even though I did not always agree with his go-slow approach or some of his decisions. In retrospect, I realize that never in the history of that country was a man under so much pressure not to f things up. He still managed to leave the country in a far better place than when he started. He's a good human being and I will always support those types.
    3 points
  8. Wideleft

    Black Lives Matter

    If history is to repeat itself, America will get new gun control - just like in the days of the Black Panthers. When Black Panthers Carried Guns, Conservatives Supported Gun Control The debate around guns has not always been the partisan stalemate it is today. But it has, like so many other political issues in the US, always been partly about race. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/joshuamanson/gun-control-history-race-black-panther-party-conservatives
    3 points
  9. 17to85

    Black Lives Matter

    A big part of fixing the policing issue in the states would be if they got serious about gun control too. When everyone might be packing heat it means the cops are always on edge about that as well as all the other systemic issues. Bottom line that country has a lot of problems that they simply refuse to even try and tackle.
    3 points
  10. Floyd

    Black Lives Matter

    If only some past president could have warned them about the danger of the military industrial complex...
    3 points
  11. Probably a ****-for-brains RedNexiter, too. And then he tweets some assclown apology with some longwinded BS using his own anecdote to try and make up for attacking another person: "But let me try and explain"... that I'm just a clueless putz. Weird how he can't even apologize to the person he attacked.
    3 points
  12. HardCoreBlue

    US Politics

    Tucker Carlson is promoting violence. At some point down the road my hope is he and others of his ilk are held accountable for their actions and words. For all you vocal and non vocal MAGAts out there, there will be a day you will have to crawl back under the rock you came from that was temporary lifted up by this deranged idiot and his deranged administration. It’s coming. Take your hate and racism dressed up in religion and freedom and gtfo.
    3 points
  13. 3 points
  14. But you were so free to express those thoughts. It couldn't be because you assume everyone on this board is white? That's the privilege you are granted just being born white. The gang angle is weak. Gangs come in all forms. The Hells Angels don't allow blacks in their membership. Storm Front is essentially a gang and they are Nazis. You've either never heard of Asian gangs, South American gangs, German gangs or English gangs, or they were omitted because they didn't fit your narrative. I'm also curious as to whether you even knew about the Hong Kong riots or Charlottesville when you blamed the current situation on one culture. It's good that you're retracting those comments only minutes after stating the right to express your opinion. The Saskatchewan insults are not my cup of tea, but if you think that's some form of racism, you really need to learn more about the subject.
    3 points
  15. Wideleft

    Black Lives Matter

    "Urban riots must now be recognized as durable social phenomena. They may be deplored, but they are there and should be understood. Urban riots are a special form of violence. They are not insurrections. The rioters are not seeking to seize territory or to attain control of institutions. They are mainly intended to shock the white community. They are a distorted form of social protest. The looting which is their principal feature serves many functions. It enables the most enraged and deprived ***** to take hold of consumer goods with the ease the white man does by using his purse. Often the ***** does not even want what he takes; he wants the experience of taking. But most of all, alienated from society and knowing that this society cherishes property above people, he is shocking it by abusing property rights. There are thus elements of emotional catharsis in the violent act. This may explain why most cities in which riots have occurred have not had a repetition, even though the causative conditions remain. It is also noteworthy that the amount of physical harm done to white people other than police is infinitesimal and in Detroit whites and Negroes looted in unity. A profound judgment of today’s riots was expressed by Victor Hugo a century ago. He said, ‘If a soul is left in the darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness.’ The policymakers of the white society have caused the darkness; they create discrimination; they structured slums; and they perpetuate unemployment, ignorance and poverty. It is incontestable and deplorable that Negroes have committed crimes; but they are derivative crimes. They are born of the greater crimes of the white society. When we ask Negroes to abide by the law, let us also demand that the white man abide by law in the ghettos. Day-in and day-out he violates welfare laws to deprive the poor of their meager allotments; he flagrantly violates building codes and regulations; his police make a mockery of law; and he violates laws on equal employment and education and the provisions for civic services. The slums are the handiwork of a vicious system of the white society; Negroes live in them but do not make them any more than a prisoner makes a prison. Let us say boldly that if the violations of law by the white man in the slums over the years were calculated and compared with the law-breaking of a few days of riots, the hardened criminal would be the white man. These are often difficult things to say but I have come to see more and more that it is necessary to utter the truth in order to deal with the great problems that we face in our society." - Martin Luther King
    2 points
  16. Doesn’t matter. Pedestrian crosswalks telling them to stop and go only when it’s safe is against their freedoms.
    2 points
  17. Wideleft

    US Politics

    If rumours are true that the other 3 cops are about to be arrested, then a pause should be declared. That would take Trump right out of the equation. If the charges don't stick, then we're in for another round.
    2 points
  18. Tracker

    US Politics

    Obama was hamstrung by his own party, and there was not and is not all that much difference between the GOP and DNC. The Democrats are fearful of alienating those voters who have supported the GOP for generations and are unlikely to ever change. This has been the fallacy in the thinking of the Democrats- trying to woo the intractable voters. The Democrats and America would be best served to proceed vigorously with a progressive agenda, knowing full well that they will be vilified by every conceivable insult, threat and dire prediction the GOP, the 1%, big business and the evangelical right can throw at them for the next ten years. Trump exemplifies the worst of America and the GOP and if the electorate is sickened by what their country is being deformed into, a moment may come when the sane majority will accept that "radical" change is the only remedy, or they will be reliving this horror in another 20 years, only even more violent and chaotic.
    2 points
  19. What an ass Hard to imagine...? Don't get me wrong... I wasn't a huge supporter of many of Obama's policies, but he was all class.
    2 points
  20. Jpan85

    Covid-19

    I am guessing but first choice for anything will go to the Bomber for Life members.
    2 points
  21. Tracker

    US Politics

    You need to remember that any plant reflects the soil it has grown in, and this is the case for Trump.
    2 points
  22. Six Atlanta Officers Charged for Tasing, Assaulting Two Students: DA Charges have been filed against the six Atlanta police officers involved in an assault on two college students during a protest. Two of the officers were fired Sunday after the incident was captured live on local station CBS46. Charges against the six officers include aggravated assault, simple battery, criminal damage to property, pointing a handgun, and aggravated battery. The students, 22-year-old Messiah Young and 20-year-old Teniyah Pilgrim, both attend historically black colleges in Atlanta and were arrested after the city’s 9 p.m. curfew while in their car leaving a protest at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. The officers shattered the car’s driver side window and tased Young. Pilgrim was detained, but released without charges. Young was charged with fleeing the scene and driving with an expired license, but Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms ordered the charges to be dropped. https://www.thedailybeast.com/six-atlanta-officers-charged-for-tasing-assaulting-two-students-da-says?ref=home
    2 points
  23. While I strongly agree that in broad terms gun control is a huge problem, it is not germaine to this issue. The proof is how differently police approach and confront people of colour as opposed to how they treat whites. Where was the tear gas when the white nationalists stormed the Michigan State Capitol building or in Charlottesville? It's not hard to find footage of police shootings of POC for minor traffic infractions, while the Bundy's of the world are literally pointing their weapons at law enforcement and nothing happens.
    2 points
  24. The Unknown Poster

    Wrestling

    I like good wrestling as a needed distraction at times. For older fans that remember Tully or new fans that dont know why he was so great, here's one reason. Great promo! Really shows the difference between a lot of the older guys who learned to cut promos vs the newer way of scripted promo. Tully is the man!
    2 points
  25. Yep. It's the "cowboy" mentality as I said before. A very American way of looking at the world. Everything is showdown at the OK Corral. That's why the words Vietnam and 9/11 sting so much, Not just tragedies, but the tough USA getting punched in the mouth and not having a response. Not just a loss, but an embarrassment to their ego. Losing the schoolyard fight. That mentality bleeds into their right to bear arms, their "policemen of the world" attitude, their military and police stance.
    2 points
  26. TrueBlue4ever

    US Politics

    If Trump loses, I don't think he pushes as much as he is pushed by the GOP to go through the courts to claim the election (with the Bush v Gore precedent) and have the votes discounted. They have more to hold on to than him as they are career politicos. For him it is a game show starring him, and if it is more effort than it is worth to carry on, he walks out on his own terms. If that Supreme Court intervention does not work, I do not see him starting an insurrection. His followers may well protest, and there may be a lot of residual violence, but Trump is not going to put himself at the forefront of it, IMO. Why? Look at his history. In business, he always talked a tough game, would threaten lawsuits, would not pay his bills, but when push came to shove he would settle and pay out of pocket, conceding defeat in the lawsuits against him, and buy his way out of it. He'd give in, and the only "win" was that he would exhaust the other side enough to take a lesser amount to end the squabble. And he's declared bankruptcy 6 times to "re-finance", not caring what damage he's left in his wake but not staying around to clean up the mess or fight and carry on and rebuild. I suspect what he will do is sow discord amongst the public with his rhetoric until inauguration day, not to try and overturn the result but merely to provide distraction and cover while he silently feathers his nest on the way out. He will not bother with the "peaceful transition of power" not as a revolt but simply because he doesn't care to clean up shop and turn over the keys before he leaves. To him, it's easier to leave the destruction, shrug and say "here's the damage deposit, just easier and less work for me on the way out" and not care how he leaves his supporters hanging (THAT'S when they'll finally realize they've been conned all along, when the payoff they've been waiting for doesn't come in and it's obvious he's fled town - that's how all con men operate). Since he doesn't answer to the people any more, and they cannot help feed his ego, screw them. His only real concern after his defeat will be "now that I'm on the clock, how do I grab what I can on the way out?" He may or may not pardon his buddies. Remember how many people he leaves high and dry? If his political allies cannot help him in the business world, who cares about what they sacrificed to get him to where he was? Cost of doing business. Roger Stone who? If releasing Stone helps Trump later, then he gets out. If not, why bother? Trump demands loyalty but gives none in return, so I would not be surprised to see him walk away from those he has hinted (promised) to pardon. The only pardon he cares about will be his own, or anyone who will be a part of his next venture. Trump does not care about the fascist revolution he has started, he only likes the power he personally derives from it, so I don't see him leading a rebellion if he loses, he just skips town with the gold and his supporters stand around saying "what do we do now, dear leader? Dear Leader? Anybody seen him?" Think Hitler's exit in his bunker or the other members of the Gestapo sneaking off to Argentina and leaving the rank and file soldiers to face judgment at Nuremburg.
    2 points
  27. How to Fix American Policing At a painful time, a roundup of proposed remedies 07.13.2016 The question isn’t new, but after last week it seems more urgent than ever: What reforms are available to improve the relationship between police and the black communities they serve? That question has figured in policy platforms issued by a variety of groups, from leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement (that platform is called Campaign Zero), to the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing to the NAACP. Some platforms apply to a single jurisdiction, such as the proposals for the New York City Police Department issued by Communities United for Police Reform. Some ideas come from academics. Some come from community advocates or the ranks of law enforcement. Some ideas have been pitched for decades while others have surfaced in recent years. Many have been discussed at national conferences on this question, hosted by the Department of Justice. Last week, the tension between black and blue, as some have phrased it, sparked protests and vigils around the country, following the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La.; Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn.; and police officers Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Smith, Michael Krol, Lorne Ahrens and Brent Thompson in Dallas. What follows is a canvass of proposed reforms, including ones renewed in the aftermath of last week’s killings: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/07/13/how-to-fix-american-policing
    2 points
  28. The Unknown Poster

    US Politics

    Really, FOX NEWS should have their license pulled since they had admitted they are "entertainment" and not news. Maybe the next admin.
    2 points
  29. Fred C Dobbs

    US Politics

    Arlington County pulled their police out of Washington last night: https://patch.com/virginia/arlington-va/arlington-withdraws-police-district-columbia
    2 points
  30. Yeah its tough. But I think there will be a very strong desire to find a middle ground between zero fans and 30,000 fans. The flip side might be, especially using two hub cities and a short season, to be very careful during the season games, have no fans and then hope you can have fans for the Grey Cup game. If you're using two hub cities, thats multiple games were week in one city so many games. Even if they allowed 5000 fans per game, it would be a lot more overall. But then you risk out of towners as well. The worst case scenario would be reduced fans and COVID ramps back up and leads to infection among a team(s) and you end up playing most of the season but have to shut down before Grey Cup. So I imagine they will be careful. They'll get money from the feds and the TV contract and make it through.
    2 points
  31. do or die

    Black Lives Matter

    Well, they have around a 70 year tradition to uphold.....
    2 points
  32. Unfortunately https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fbi-agent-arrested-protests/
    2 points
  33. bustamente

    US Politics

    Maybe we should start building a wall 😉
    2 points
  34. Brandon

    US Politics

    I guess the next month or so will be crucial. A great time for Biden to speak up and win people over. I wonder if Bernie was the candidate how much in public eye he would be and based off what I've seen with him I think he would of killed it and really swing a lot of people on his bandwagon.
    2 points
  35. FrostyWinnipeg

    Covid-19

    So BC would work. They're already used to sodis at Lions games.
    2 points
  36. Today, I learned that Honey Bees actually hack nature if they are hungry... When bumble bee queens emerge from hibernation, they need to gather pollen and nectar to start their new colonies. If they wake up too soon, there may not be enough flowers in bloom. Now, researchers have discovered the bees have a way to order some fast food: They nibble holes in leaves, spurring plants to blossom weeks ahead of schedule. Many questions remain about the details of this strategy and how it evolved. “It’s certainly surprising,” says Lars Chittka, a behavioral ecologist at the Queen Mary University of London, who was not involved. “We’re only at the beginning of exploring this phenomenon.” Researchers at ETH Zürich chanced upon the discovery when they noticed curious bite marks on leaves while studying how bees respond to plant odors. They had added bumble bees to a research greenhouse and observed them cutting holes in the shape of half-moons. What was going on? At first, the researchers thought the insects might be feeding on fluid from the leaves, but the bees didn’t stay long enough to get much. Nor did they appear to be taking any part of the leaves back to their colonies. A key observation—that bumble bees from colonies with less food were more avidly damaging the leaves—suggested another goal. The researchers wondered whether the damage triggered the plants to flower sooner, providing pollen to the hungry pollinators. After all, some plants speed up their flowering when they are stressed by disease or drought because these threats provide an incentive to reproduce sooner. But no one had ever shown that a pollinator can stimulate flowering. “I thought it was a long shot,” recalls Mark Mescher, an evolutionary biologist at ETH Zürich who co-led the research. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/hungry-bumblebees-make-plants-flower-early-cutting-holes-their-leaves http://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2020/5/25/bees-bite-leaves-to-induce-flowering
    2 points
  37. Mr Dee

    Covid-19

    Otherwise known as tree hours.
    2 points
  38. Brandon

    The TV Thread

    Bring back Murder She Wrote.... with a dark twist where Jessica Fletcher secretly murdered everyone over the years! It's no coincidence that everywhere Jessica went someone dropped dead!
    2 points
  39. bustamente

    US Politics

    What Trump said today's about using the military against his own citizen's must of warmed Putin's cold blooded heart
    1 point
  40. bigg jay

    Black Lives Matter

    Not true. While they didn't have black members for a long time, they have had blacks members for at least 20 years. They are few and far between but they are there.
    1 point
  41. Hitler was enormously popular with the German masses, they let him do whatever he thought best, Trump leaves only division and disrespect in his wake.
    1 point
  42. The secret service will force him into the bunker if need be but I suspect he’s able to choose to go in if he wants. And he is a known coward.
    1 point
  43. DR. CFL

    2019-20 CFL Offseason

    This is like the reporting on the Covid vaccine progress.....all very positive and encouraging but so much that still needs to be worked out. It feels like we are simply treading water waiting for the life raft.
    1 point
  44. 1. Walking by someone within 6 feet 2. Standing stationary next to someone in a crowd for an extended period. Henry was referring to the first, not the second, and was not referencing the protests at all since that quote was from a month ago.
    1 point
  45. As someone who recently binged a bunch of Perry Mason, that looks to be a waste of time. Might be more inclined to watch it if it wasn't Perry Mason, but it has so little to do with the TV show, it's saddening.
    1 point
  46. Wideleft

    Today I Learned

    Today I learned exactly how and why the anti-Soros nonsense was developed: "It began in 2008, when Orbán decided to seek reelection. His old friend Bibi — as Netanyahu is known — introduced him to the two people who would guide his success. Before long, Finkelstein and Birnbaum were applying their formula to Orbán’s election campaign — and then turbocharging it. Enemies were easy to find in Hungary. The country was an economic basket case and had to be bailed out in 2008. Austerity measures were demanded by their creditors at the World Bank, the EU, and the IMF. Finkelstein and Birnbaum told Orbán to target “the bureaucrats” and “foreign capital.” Orbán won the 2010 election with a two-thirds majority as the country shifted to the right. Birnbaum is still amazed today how easy it was: “We blew the Socialist party off the table even before the election.” Birnbaum and Finkelstein, now part of Orbán’s inner circle, found themselves with a problem. While the satisfied winner of the election started rewriting the constitution, they were now lacking an opponent. “There was no real political enemy … there was no one to have a fight with,” Birnbaum remembered. The ultra-right Jobbik party and the Socialist party were beaten, the rest in splinters. “We had had an incumbent with a historic majority, something that had never happened in Hungary before.” To maintain that, they needed a “high energy level,” said Birnbaum. “You need to keep the base energized, make sure that on Election Day they have a reason to go out and vote,” he said. They needed something powerful, like Trump’s “Build the Wall!” “It always helps rally the troops and rally a population” when the enemy has a face, Birnbaum explained. “Arthur always said that you did not fight against the Nazis but against Adolf Hitler. Not against al-Qaeda, but against Osama bin Laden.” Who could become that enemy in Hungary now that Orbán was in power — and wanted to stay there? Orbán was busy creating a new, more dramatic story of the nation. Hungary, which had collaborated with the Nazis, was painted as a victim, surrounded by external enemies, under perpetual siege, first from the Ottomans, then the Nazis, and later the Communists. Hungary’s mission was clear: to defend against its enemies, and to preserve Christianity against encroaching Islam and secular forces. Against this backdrop, Finkelstein had an epiphany. What if the veil of the conspiracy were to be lifted and a shadowy figure appear, controlling everything? The puppet master. Someone who not only controlled the “big capital” but embodied it. A real person. A Hungarian. Strange, yet familiar. That person was Soros, Finkelstein told Birnbaum. Birnbaum was mesmerized: Soros was the perfect enemy. At the beginning, it almost didn’t make sense. Why campaign against a nonpolitician? Although he was born in Hungary, Soros hadn’t lived there in years. He was an old man, known all over the country as a patron of civil society. He had supported the opposition against the Communists before the fall of the Iron Curtain, and financed school meals for kids afterward. In Budapest, he had built one of the best universities in Eastern Europe. Orbán had even received money from Soros: During his time in the opposition, his small underground foundation Századvég published critical newspapers, created on a copy machine that was paid for by Soros. Orbán was also one of the more than 15,000 students who received scholarships from Soros’s Open Society Foundations. Thanks to Soros, Orbán studied philosophy in Oxford. The two men only met once: when Soros came to Hungary in 2010 after a toxic spill to provide $1 million in emergency funds. There didn’t really seem to be a reason to turn against him in Hungary. But Finkelstein and Birnbaum saw something in Soros that would make him the perfect enemy. There’s a long history of criticism of Soros, dating back to 1992, when Soros earned $1 billion overnight betting against the British pound. For many on the left, Soros was a vulture. But Soros used his sudden prominence to push for liberal ideas. He supported everything the right was against: climate protection, equality, the Clintons. He opposed the second Iraq War in 2003, even comparing George W. Bush to the Nazis, and became a major donor for the Democrats. He was soon a hate figure for the Republicans. But there was more. Finkelstein and Birnbaum had expanded their work into exactly those countries where the Open Society Foundations was trying to build liberal local elites and civil rights movements: Ukraine, Romania, the Czech Republic, Macedonia, Albania. Birnbaum believed Soros stood for “a socialism that is wrong for these areas.” According to Birnbaum, Finkelstein was more practical about his opposition to Soros, whom he saw as simply a means to an end: “It wasn’t an emotional thing.” Read the whole story at this link: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hnsgrassegger/george-soros-conspiracy-finkelstein-birnbaum-orban-netanyahu
    1 point
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