miracle2k (u/miracle2k)

miracle2k commented on ACLU Obtained ICE's "Alien Enemies Act Validation Guide" bsky.app/profile/reichlin... · Posted by u/perihelions

15155 · 5 months ago

> Alien visitors are entitled to all rights in the soil of the USA

Except voting, firearms ownership, the ability to work, etc. What else? (* sans LPR status - they're not 'rights' if someone can take them away, though.)

I love how "behave or go home" now equals "imprisonment."

Please keep espousing this nonsense: 2028 will be fun.

miracle2k · 5 months ago

> Please keep espousing this nonsense: 2028 will be fun.

I hope our little pushback against deporting random legally present gay bakers to the foreign gulag doesn't force you to support Trump's 2028 22nd amendment violation.

miracle2k commented on ACLU Obtained ICE's "Alien Enemies Act Validation Guide" bsky.app/profile/reichlin... · Posted by u/perihelions

acidmath · 5 months ago

> Alien visitors are entitled to all rights in the soil of the USA

Where in the US Constitution do you believe this is stipulated?

> democracy

The USA is not a democracy. The USA is a larger republic of a union of republics.

miracle2k · 5 months ago

> The USA is not a democracy. The USA is a larger republic of a union of republics.

"The USA is a democracy" is a perfectly valid and correct statement. "No, it's a republic" is kind of a nonsensical retort, and I'm not sure how it got so popular.

There literally are no democracies which do not have representative elements, and "constitutional republic" and "constitutional monarchy" are concepts that are both perfectly compatible with the separate concept of democracy.

miracle2k commented on ACLU Obtained ICE's "Alien Enemies Act Validation Guide" bsky.app/profile/reichlin... · Posted by u/perihelions

15155 · 5 months ago

Because Tren de Aragua is from Venezuela?

A certain political bent seems to believe that everyone in the world has some undeniable right to emigrate wherever, whenever.

An American illegally immigrating to Europe for financial gain (work) would be deported forthwith just for having done so.

Now imagine if that same American were involved in violent crime - is this a desirable element? Should their offspring automatically become citizens of said European country?

miracle2k · 5 months ago

> An American illegally immigrating to Europe for financial gain (work) would be deported forthwith just for having done so.

They would be afforded a way to challenge their deportation, not be denied access to a lawyer, sent to a foreign gulag on the account of a random guys interpretation of their tattoos, then having videos of themselves in chain gangs posted on the governments social media.

There is really nothing defensible here at all.

miracle2k commented on Zelensky leaves White House after angry meeting bbc.com/news/live/c625ex2... · Posted by u/yakkomajuri

SiempreViernes · 6 months ago

I think this view us a overly flattering interpretation of events.

The basic facts is that the US did give serveral verbal promises that NATO wouldn't expand, and that the later written treaties did not make such promises.

It is however not clear at all from the evidence that the US ever said that they were retracting the early verbal promises.

Further the Brookings piece you linked is trying to make hay out of the fact that the verbal promises were explicitly "only" about expansion into Eastern Germany, which is really just childish: If someone says you can't borrow their shovel, that's not to be understood as them allowing you to borrow anything else they own without asking.

The point is that while it's true that the US never signed anything that prohibited NATO expansion to the east, they were aware they did at one point promise just that.

Then later, as the US changed its minds during spring of 1990, the strategy seems to have been to just pretend not to remember those earlier promises and by narrowly focusing on German unification hope that the issue of the wider European order didn't come up again.

One thing that is really remarkable with all these accounts of how there wasn't any pledges is that the talks were only about German unification in the most narrow sense, and nothing else happened. So the Ion Curtain fell but the US was apparently entirely uninterested in talking to the Soviets about what the new overall structure would be?!

miracle2k · 6 months ago

Independently of your overall point, what strikes me here is that Trump could not possibly care less about any promises that the "US" may have made. He is effectively breaking every deal ever made, with no regard for any continuity of policy (not just now, think the Iran deal in his first term). With Zelensky yesterday, he again went on about this ceasefire deal would be with "him", not like "the other presidents".

In this context, its a bit rich for the pro-Trump "great peace negotiator" group to imply that the US needed to keep verbal promises made 35 years ago. It was, after all, just what some dude said one time.

miracle2k commented on Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon twitter.com/Free_Ross/sta... · Posted by u/Ozarkian

ttul · 8 months ago

As an aside, in Canada, a sentence of life without parole is considered unlawful because it conflicts with Section 12 of the Charter guarantees that individuals have the right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. Courts have ruled that life without the possibility of parole deprives offenders of any hope of rehabilitation or reintegration into society, which could amount to cruel and unusual treatment.

A sentence must balance the gravity of the offense with the circumstances of the offender, while still allowing for hope and redemption. A life sentence without parole forecloses this balance.

It's always struck me as odd that the United States - a nation that is packed with far more Christians than Canada - doesn't shape its system of incarceration to be more inline with Christian values and the teachings of Jesus.

Canada's explicit rejection of life sentences without parole (LWOP) through decisions like R v Bissonnette more closely aligns with Jesus's teachings about redemption and mercy. In Canada, even those convicted of the most serious crimes retain the possibility of parole - not a guarantee of release, but a recognition of the potential for rehabilitation that echoes Jesus's teachings about transformation and second chances.

This philosophical difference manifests in several ways:

- In Canada, the emphasis on rehabilitation over retribution is reflected in the term "correctional services" rather than "penitentiary system"

- Canadian prisons generally offer more rehabilitative programs and education opportunities

- The Canadian system places greater emphasis on Indigenous healing lodges and restorative justice practices that align with Jesus's focus on healing broken relationships

- Canadian courts have explicitly recognized that denying hope of release violates human dignity, which parallels Jesus's teachings about the inherent worth of every person

The contrast becomes particularly stark when considering multiple murders. While many US jurisdictions impose multiple life sentences to be served consecutively (effectively ensuring death in prison), the Canadian Supreme Court has ruled this practice unconstitutional, maintaining that even the worst offenders should retain the possibility - though not guarantee - of earning redemption through genuine rehabilitation.

This doesn't mean Canada is soft on crime - serious offenders still serve lengthy sentences, and parole is never guaranteed. But the maintenance of hope for eventual redemption, even in the worst cases, better reflects Jesus's teachings about grace, transformation, and the limitless possibility of spiritual renewal.

The irony is particularly pointed given that the US has a much higher proportion of self-identified Christians than Canada, yet has adopted a more retributive approach that seems less aligned with Jesus's teachings about mercy and redemption.

But hey, you just have to wait for the right president to be elected and you might get your chance. So I guess that's something.

miracle2k · 8 months ago

> As an aside, in Canada, a sentence of life without parole is considered unlawful because it conflicts with Section 12 of the Charter guarantees that individuals have the right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. Courts have ruled that life without the possibility of parole deprives offenders of any hope of rehabilitation or reintegration into society, which could amount to cruel and unusual treatment.

Germany's highest court has held the same thing.

This is right and proper. We need to defend these principles, now more than ever.

miracle2k commented on Israel, Hamas reach ceasefire deal to end 15 months of war in Gaza reuters.com/world/middle-... · Posted by u/dnsbty

jonathanstrange · 8 months ago

They had no choice. If you're Natanyahu on October 8, 2023, and the reports of the Hamas massacres on civilians come in, there is almost no leeway for reacting in a way differently than how the Israeli government and the IDF reacted. What I've heard from "pro-Palestine" (= pro Hamas) supporters as alternatives so far was utterly unconvincing, basically variations of the following:

- The "Israel should disband itself" reply: Give in to terrorists' demands, give them their country, and humbly negotiated for a freeing of the hostages without any military response. Hamas remains in charge as military dictatorship of Gaza.

- The military genius reply: I would have sent only special forces to Gaza to go after the Hamas leadership and free all hostages. No civilians would have been harmed and all collateral damage is avoided.

Neither of these are even remotely realistic. What was ordered and how events unfolded was more or less like any other country would have reacted. Two goals: #1 Destroy Hamas, #2 Free the hostages.

The problem right now with the hostage deal is that it leaves Hamas in charge. That's a huge problem.

miracle2k · 8 months ago

They had a choice every single time they dropped a bomb! In fact, "the IDF is the most moral army in the world" supporters would like us to believe that very often, they chose not to.

If they want credit for the ones not dropped, they need to take responsibility for the ones they did. Not really that hard!

This is important because "it's all on Hamas's hands" is really just a refusal to engage with the ethical questions at all. Folks could (and clearly would!) say that, whether one child is killed, or a million. It's just a question of when it becomes untenable to brush the question away.

The idea that "this is more or less like any other country would have reacted" is the same trap; this makes Israel no worse or better than any other country, and conveniently means we don't have to ask ourselves about the morality of it all.

> If you're Natanyahu on October 8, 2023, and the reports of the Hamas massacres on civilians come in, there is almost no leeway for reacting in a way differently than how the Israeli government and the IDF reacted.

Any lack of political leeway to react differently is squarely within Israel's ethical score card. I.e. "Israel as an entity is not responsible for its choices because the entities constituent parts forced those choices" is reductive.

> The problem right now with the hostage deal is that it leaves Hamas in charge. That's a huge problem.

That this is the current outcome is maybe an indication that your framework of the three possible options (what Israel did + two strawmen) is lacking.

miracle2k commented on Israel, Hamas reach ceasefire deal to end 15 months of war in Gaza reuters.com/world/middle-... · Posted by u/dnsbty

Niten · 8 months ago

Hamas is a terrorist, Islamist organization with the explicit goal of genocide against Israelis: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2023/10/ha...

The blood of the Palestinian civilians that Hamas waged war from behind is absolutely on Hamas's hands.

miracle2k · 8 months ago

> The blood of the Palestinian civilians that Hamas waged war from behind is absolutely on Hamas's hands.

Everyone is responsible for their own actions. Thousands of Palestinians children are dead, and for every single one, Israel could have chosen not to kill them, and the decision to do so is on them.

miracle2k commented on A Single Pudgy Penguins NFT Now Costs More Than a Bitcoin coindesk.com/markets/2024... · Posted by u/PaulHoule

dpc_01234 · 9 months ago

On the blockchain nobody knows you have "sold" an NFT to your own self.

miracle2k · 9 months ago

That's why when referring to the price people generally don't talk about sales, but about the "floor price", that is, actual committed listings that someone is willing to sell for.

The floor price can be a dubious measure of value for many NFTs, since there are few buyers, but for highly liquid collections like the Penguins, there are corresponding standing "offers" that owners can sell into any time they want, therefore creating a spread between listings and bids.

The price is (was) real.

miracle2k commented on Israel shuts down local Al Jazeera offices theguardian.com/world/art... · Posted by u/jjgreen

reissbaker · a year ago

The U.S. Constitution provides rights for citizens to have free speech — not non-citizens. And in fact, the U.S. does not allow broadcast companies (along with various others, e.g. common carrier and aeronautical radio companies) to be more than 25% owned by foreign entities unless the FCC specifically approves them: https://www.fcc.gov/general/foreign-ownership-rules-and-poli... And for 60+ years the cap was 20%, and you could not go higher: there was no FCC approval process, and the cap was mandated by Congress. (And alternatives like the Internet didn't exist!)

And the E.U. banned Russia's RT media network, and has strict rules over foreign-owned media. This is all just the pot calling the kettle black to score points with anti-Israel domestic audiences. Literally every country complaining about it has some kind of similar restriction. Qatar doesn't recognize Israel as a state and has funded Hamas for years; Israel banning their state-owned media domestically is only controversial because some people find Israel to be controversial. Qatar complaining about it is especially ironic, since they hand out life sentences in prison for criticizing the Qatari government (e.g. Qatari poet Mohammed al-Ajami).

miracle2k · a year ago

> The U.S. Constitution provides rights for citizens to have free speech — not non-citizens.

This is basically untrue. At times, the court has applied different standards to speech by residents, but this does not mean that they would allow the government to apply any kind of limit on their speech, or indeed, more than very narrow ones.

In addition, the first amendment also covers the right to receive information.

Foreign ownership rules are not the same thing as the EU banning RT through legal means, or Israel shutting down Al-Jazeera and instituting internet blocks. You will notice that RT is not blocked in the US, nor is any other foreign media company.

miracle2k commented on Man creatively sneaks onto Delta flight, but gets caught onemileatatime.com/news/m... · Posted by u/jerlam

IshKebab · a year ago

This doesn't really make a difference. You just show ID & boarding pass instead of just a boarding pass. You already have your ID on you. It's literally just a case of taking an extra thing out of your pocket.

This is how it works in Europe and it never even crossed my mind that it could be annoying.

miracle2k · a year ago

> This is how it works in Europe and it never even crossed my mind that it could be annoying.

I've taken many flights in Europe without id check, see also: https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/180781/what-deter...

It's not really a big deal if someone sneaks on board, therefore, no reason to burden millions of flyers every day with additional checks. Also, you may well not have ID on you. Maybe you don't like to carry it. Maybe you forgot your wallet. Maybe you don't even have one. Who cares?