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"Using the Internet for the 1st time" (YouTube)

I still find ACAB cringe inducing, and a bad slogan, but that's an interesting origin I did not know about. I agree with most of what you're saying.

I think the phrase "All Cops Are Bastards" seems to focus on cops/people, and not the institution of policing. I'm not sure if it's effective messaging or not. Maybe it helps with striker or protestor solidarity, IDK.

I think police hold back organized crime (currently, in the U.S.). They maintain a "monopoly on violence." I think if all police suddenly disappeared, other gangs would quickly take over the job. I.e. forcing people to pay them for "protection," and stuff like that. This currently happens in many parts of world, and has happened in the U.S. in the past, so I don't think it's some far-out idea. As bad as the system currently is, I think a mafia or cartel controlling things would be worse. U.S. police, generally, don't engage in racketeering or execute you without a trial (it does happen, but is not generally the case).

Don't get me wrong, I think the current system is evil too, and it needs to be torn down and rebuilt in a radically different way. I agree with thr concept that police currently function mostly to protect capital and the ruling class, and are, themselves, a gang of sorts. But, I think a society will always need to maintain some kind of "police" to remove people who cause harm to others (who would then be rehabilitated, if possible).

Stock buybacks. Enron and WorldCom. Mass layoffs when not needed. https://sci-hub.se/http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.52686 https://sci-hub.se/https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.491627

Trump is currently favored in polls and in betting markets. Few people care about the convictions. People who would vote for him definitely don't care about impeachments. The far-right has a very effective and expansive propaganda machine (old media, alternative media, and social media) that can counter any negative ("fake") news. Biden is a very weak candidate because of his physical and mental health, and the Democrats are ineffective at "controlling the narrative" compared to the Republicans. I think it'll probably be a close election, and if I was forced to bet, I'd bet on Trump winning.

Decarboxylation happens when heat is applied (smoking or vaping, for example), turning THCA into delta-9 THC.

No, not much. I use GIMP and Inkscape occasionally for simple things like quick and dirty mock-ups, changing backgrounds, and adding transparency. They're good enough for that. I'd bet a professional could learn to become efficient at using GIMP, but I don't think it's as intuitive or feature-rich as Photoshop.

Delta-9 gummies are the real-deal. I can't tell the difference between THCA flower and regular flower (I'm pretty sure it's just uncured bud). They also make THCA concentrates.

AfD is far right. They are ethno-nationalists that believe only ethnic-Germans belong in Germany. A leader has defended the Nazi SS. They have discussed re-migrating German citizens out of Germany. How do you compromise with people who would like to carry out an ethnic cleansing? Only forcibly relocate Muslims for now, and wait until next year to expel the Jewry?

Most far-right politicians do not debate or operate politically in good-faith. IDK about the people who vote for them. I think it usually takes years of slow progress for people to move away from extremist positions, and it takes a change in their environment to start the process (new social circle, life experiences, media consumption habits, etc).

Rural populations lean red. Not exactly sure why that is. I guess contributing factors are that rural people tend to be more religious, bigoted, "independent" of public infrastructure and community, and pro-gun. I think Republicans also give more lip service to rural economic conditions, and visit rural parts more often. Democrats seem to largely ignore rural America, and even sometimes express contempt for them.

The stickers are usually either made entirely of plastic or coated in plastic so are not edible or compostable. I don't think the glue is edible either. Eating one won't hurt you, but it's possible eating glue residue over a lifetime might.

A lot of the "elites" (OpenAI board, Thiel, Andreessen, etc) are on the effective-accelerationism grift now. The idea is to disregard all negative effects of pursuing technological "progress," because techno-capitalism will solve all problems. They support burning fossil fuels as fast as possible because that will enable "progress," which will solve climate change (through geoengineering, presumably). I've seen some accelerationists write that it would be ok if AI destroys humanity, because it would be the next evolution of "intelligence." I dunno if they've fallen for their own grift or not, but it's obviously a very convenient belief for them.

Effective-accelerationism was first coined by Nick Land, who appears to be some kind of fascist.