Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
from the who-said-that dept
This week, our first place winner on the insightful side is an anonymous commenter responding to the assertion that there's no financial incentive to share coronavirus vaccine research:
The ting with the pandemic is that is doing a lot of damage to economies, and the sooner a vaccine is created, the sooner economies can get on track, along with fewer deaths and people disabled out of the work force. It actually makes economic sense to share the information, just to minimize the costs caused by the pandemic, which are greater than any profit to be made from a vaccine.
In second place, it's Stephen T. Stone responding to the claim that "left wingers" are hypocritical for wanting to "outlaw firearms" while also commenting on the silence of big Second Amendment advocates when it comes to unidentified secret police invading American cities:
"left wingers want to outlaw firearms"
Flag on the play — bullshit conclusion, 15 yard penalty, turnover on downs.
You may have some “left-wingers” who want to “outlaw firearms”. But you’ll probably find far more who are okay with the idea of Americans having access to guns in a controlled way. Limits on the number of guns someone can own, limits on the kinds of guns someone can buy, requirements for licenses to legally carry a gun, restrictions on who can legally own a gun (e.g., “no domestic abusers”) — all reasonable avenues for gun control that can be debated without going into “tHeY wAnT tO tAkE mUh GuNs!” territory.
That you assume calls for gun control equal “take all the guns!” is either a genuine fault in your thinking or a disingenuous load of bullshit designed to troll people. Which one is it for you, Mr. “I refuse to say whether the law should force Twitter to host Klan propaganda”?
"complain when the right wing 2nd amendment crowd doesn't stick up for them"
Yeah, and there’s a reason for that: Said 2A crowd loves to talk a big game about standing up to tyranny and preventing dictators from rising to power and whatnot. But what happens when “their side” imposes the tyranny, when “their guy” becomes the dictator? They cheer it on.
How many “MUH GUN RIGHTS, MUH SECOND AMENDMENT” people do you think are marching with people protesting police violence? Because I would bet that the number is low, if not altogether zero. They don’t care if the cops start beating up on “the enemy”. They don’t care about fascism, about tyranny and dictators, until they feel that they’re the targets.
2A militias who don’t want to be called on their hypocrisy might want to consider not being hypocrites. Standing by and watching literal Gestapo tactics being used against their fellow citizens makes them hypocrites. Protesting facemask mandates by storming state capitols with their guns out instead of marching on the front lines of protests against state-sanctioned police violence makes them hypocrites. If they don’t want their cowardice called out, I can think of a simple solution to help them avoid being called cowards.
For editor's choice on the insightful side, we start out with Another Kevin adding an important caveat to our statement that the DHS agents arresting protesters "look for all the world like a branch of the military":
Nope. They don't look at all like any branch of the military. I'm not being pedantic. This is an important point.
If they serving with a branch of the military, their battle dress uniforms would have displayed prominently their names, their services, the insignia of their units, and their insignia of rank, as can be seen at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Dress_Uniform#/media/File:Defense.gov_News_Photo_970806-N-4790M -012.jpg
If this were a war between nations, these individuals would not be soldiers subject to the Third Geneva Convention, but rather unlawful combatants. They are entitled to no protection accorded by wearing a uniform, since they wear merely a camouflage suit that is not recognizable as a uniform.
"Unlawful combatants are likewise subject to capture and detention, but in addition they are subject to trial and punishment by military tribunals for acts which render their belligerency unlawful. The spy who secretly and without uniform passes the military lines of a belligerent in time of war, seeking to gather military information and communicate it to the enemy, or an enemy combatant who without uniform comes secretly through the lines for the purpose of waging war by destruction of life or property, are familiar examples of belligerents who are generally deemed not to be entitled to the status of prisoners of war, but to be offenders against the law of war subject to trial and punishment by military tribunals."
(Ex parte Quirin 317 U.S. 1 (1942); STONE, CJ delivered the unanimous opinion of the Supreme Court, with MURPHY, J recusing.)
Next, it's PaulT responding to the claim that the free market will prevent excessive medical prices by driving over-chargers out of business:
The free market does not and can not work with medicine, where people need the product to live, will pay anything to do that, and may not have the ability to shop around before they need to pay.
Over on the funny side, our first place winner is Yakko Warner offering some support to Richard Liebowitz in his claim that there's a public interest in the continuation of his law practice:
I, as a member of the public, am strongly interested in the continuation of his law practice. Reading up on his antics provides much-needed amusement and levity in these days.
In second place, it's an anonymous commenter responding to the paranoid notion that the DHS agents have been arresting people who are getting paid to cause violence and unrest:
I don't think they were rounding up cops.
For editor's choice on the funny side, we start out with BernardoVera offering another response to that suggestion, which was as a "what if":
What if Comet Ping Pong Pizzeria really does have a basement, and the pizzeria is really a secret pedophile ring operated by agents of the New World Order?
What if the alien Lizard people are actually wearing human-skin suits and masquerading as Democrat politicians -- and George Soros is really the Lizard Lords' front-line commander in the field?
Once you start asking such incredibly insightful and penetrating questions, you could end up uncovering almost anything, no matter how cleverly disguised under the camouflage of mere, mundane reality...
Finally, we've got Strawb with a comment about the fact that people are already losing interest in Parler since there's nobody for them to troll:
It seems it was just a...
Parler trick.
I'll see myself out.
That's all for this week, folks!
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
alternative.
Pandemic and economy AND medicine in a Closed capitalist country.
YOU Really think this is going to hurt?
NOPE, its a total write off, as well as they arnt paying taxes anyway. Those Small business's are hurting, as they cant get the Checks fast enough that the gov promised, and the Insurance corps are denying this as a Pandemic, and stopping Wage/profit Loss insurance.
Intellectual Property?
Love the idea, but 1 corp with the rights to CHARGE MONEY for a drug that should be made public? Even if the gov(you) pay for it to be Public.
How many corps are running around, TAKING every bit of info they can get, including hospitals and so forth, to see if they can create a PROPRIETARY drug for the pandemic? Where is all this knowledge coming from? I dont think they have their OWN hospital system. They are using public info to generate something. and Bitching when another group is interested in the product? Doing the same thing they are??
Next- Oxygen for sale, $1 per psf.
Free market?? WTF? There is no such thing, its a created word that means nothing, except that What they are doing is free/cheap and you are paying for it.
Guns?
Who cares, Mr. Bush Jr.(republican) took all the ammo off the shelves for over 5 years. Over 200 types of ammo, GONE, and they said it was because of the war?? How much ammo are you going to use?? Did use? Still using? 22 ammo does not have the power of trajectory to emulate 30 caliber, 50 caliber, ANY caliber. Who Cares about guns, when you aint got ammo. Even now people are gathering TONS of it, as they can get it. They are afraid another repub will goto war, and have an excuse to remove ammo again.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: alternative.
It's a real shame. I often feel like you have interesting things to say, but your presentation of those ideas is so haphazard that I just can't be bothered to dig into your post to figure out what your point is.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: alternative.
well lets make is REAL simple.
Bush killed guns by taking the ammo away. A gun without ammo, is a Club.
Private corps using Public access to the problems of this pandemic??? ITS PUBLIC, not intellectual property.
This wont cost the major corps anything. its a total write off. As well as the 2 major cuts in the last few years, we will end up PAYING THEM. Again.
free market means nothing, its a made up word to make us think things are fair...THEY ARNT.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: alternative.
" A gun without ammo, is a Club"
...and some prefer them that way, less massacres. What do you need the bullets for anyway? To fight tyranny? Then why is it being visibly implemented as we speak?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: alternative.
well,
If you like it that way, fine..
Lets look at Africa, and 1 group with Machete, are running around killing other groups.. Very few Guns/ammo. WE can do that also.
So, what massacre are you talking about in the USA??
9/11? 3000 killed..
A war in the middle east, that killed over 100,000 innocent bystanders?(we did that) Or do you like 'casualties of war'?
And the bullets and guns and 2nd amendment, was to REMIND our gov. that WE ARE IN CHARGE...but ? allthe people for got, and were not taught this in the last 40 years.. 1.5 generations.
And the real problems tends to be the ones making and removing LAWS, that assisted us in controlling things.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: alternative.
"Lets look at Africa"
When an American immediately tries defending his position by comparing himself with the third world rather than any other modern democracy, he's already lost the argument as he saying he thinks he has more in common with them.
"So, what massacre are you talking about in the USA??"
The fact that you had to not only ask that, but immediately go to one massacre that didn't involve guns, says all we need to know about the facts and logic you're working with here. My point was obvious to any honest man. Even when you make occasional sense, you still dribble nonsense.
"And the bullets and guns and 2nd amendment, was to REMIND our gov. that WE ARE IN CHARGE...but ?"
...and that failed, while there are many countries without gun fetishes that have more freedom than you. I neither have to worry about being shot, nor abducted by secret police in the streets. Some people in the US now have to worry about both.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
2nd amendment
To answer Stone's 2nd point, from a vocal gunowner (https://monsterhunternation.com/2020/06/04/where-are-all-you-gun-owners-now/):
"But I’ve seen this sentiment a lot too over the last few days, so please if you are so incredibly fucking dumb that you are actually wondering why America’s gun culture aren’t commuting into the democrat cities you have banned us from in order to get into gun fights with the National Guard on your behalf, allow me to elaborate.
Hypothetical Liberal “Ally” Who Lives in the Suburbs Which Aren’t On Fire – “Hey, gun owners! Here is some civil unrest! Why won’t you come and help us?”
Snort. Fuck off."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: 2nd amendment
Haha, what. Isn't the entire point that it wouldn't be fighting tyranny "on someone's behalf", it would be fighting tyranny, full stop?
If your "tyranny fighting" is conditional on who exactly is becoming oppressed, then you're not preparing to fight tyranny, you're preparing for self-defense. So the entire "tyranny" argument is moot by their own admission.
Can those guns be confiscated already? The "vocal gun owners" can self-defend perfectly fine with a pepper spray.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: 2nd amendment
Yeah, but you're missing the point that antifa are the tyranny they wish to fight. Right now a bunch of tyrants who wish to take away our rights are being stomped on, if anything the 2A guys would come and fight alongside the National Guard.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[citation needed]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: 2nd amendment
Ummm,
Ya. Ok..
Do need proof of 1/2 of what you said.
And add, that our forefathers had comments about a 2 party system, and its Shown only in this country, that 2 parties ISNT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE. Go to any other democratic based system, and look and see....4-10 other groups.. NOT 2.
A 2 party system is easy to corrupt, and its a Ping pong match.
And I ask my republican LIKE, friends to look at the last 8-10 presidents, and tell me WHO had the most affect. You will find that the republicans have been in office ALLOT longer.
I would suggest you stand with the protestors, and DEMAND of the police forces to THINK about what they are doing. Because only the poor are paying taxes.
And if you think the corps will take care of you...Think again. remember The Coal miners daughter?? and the work they sang about.. There is allot of history about the Work in the past, and how people were treated. BEFORE UNIONS..and even after.
This nation was built on protests. And LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE. And the congress ISNT. They only fix things when we get pissed at them.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: 2nd amendment
The point you're trying to make is loud and clear. What's missing is evidence that what you're saying is true.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
'Tyranny against ME to be specific, screw everyone else.'
If your "tyranny fighting" is conditional on who exactly is becoming oppressed, then you're not preparing to fight tyranny, you're preparing for self-defense. So the entire "tyranny" argument is moot by their own admission.
Oh not entirely, it's just tyranny against them that they care about, everyone else can get fucked for all they care, as so long as the boots are on someone else's neck then it's that person's problem.
Take those same people back in time to the second world war and they'd be sitting on the porch arguing that only the foolish would enlist to go fight the nazi's as that's europe's problem and they'll be waiting in their house, clutching their guns in case it spreads to the US at which point they might start to care.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: 2nd amendment
As good an affirmation as any that the gun owners citing 2A couldn't give a rat's ass about fighting actual tyranny but are only invested in fighting the G-man knocking at their own door. Or, possibly, their neighbor.
Pretty clear, in fact, that the most vocal gun owners who regularly cite the 2nd amendment have not a single clue what it actually means.
"Well regulated militia" indeed. More like ten thousand gun-hugging isolationists who'll sit and cuddle their irons (or cheer happily from their windows) while the blacks, the gays, the liberals, the lefties, and Fred the drug store owner all go out unarmed and eat rubber bullets and pepper spray opposing unjust government.
And when the government finally comes for the gun nut he'll be there all alone, possibly doing a waco but more likely just folding like a cardboard cut-out.
We've seen this crap before and it always ends with someone morosely saying "First they came for the..." after the dust has settled and everyone's looking back on the biggest shit-show in that century.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
"How many “MUH GUN RIGHTS, MUH SECOND AMENDMENT” people do you think are marching with people protesting police violence? "
Uhh, the black ones... https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-53544415/breonna-taylor-death-gunshot-at-louisville-blac k-militia-protest
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
You know why only them and no "tyranny fighters"? Because they think that police terrorism will only apply to people whose skin is pigmented in certain RGB ranges.
They think it will never happen to them.
As if the police never went to look for new toys once the ones they had broke...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]