[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 12 points 2 days ago

The fact that the negligent discharges often involve experienced officers should be a wake up call that ICEs recent behavior isn't new or just because of Trump - the incompetence is baked in.

[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 1 points 2 days ago

Ah, adverse possession is also an excellent tactic! Of course, that's also something that takes time, but definitely not a bad idea

[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 4 points 3 days ago

Is there a lemmydrama like subredditdrama? Maybe a fedidrama community would work. I don't know if one exists yet

[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 2 points 3 days ago

Not every action has to solve every issue immediately. Things take time. Long term, tenants' unions are ideal, best coupled with legislation to break up these property management companies and private equity firms that have a stranglehold on shelter.

A mass rent strike is an excellent demonstration of people power and a good first step in that kind of long term operation. If you have a better idea on an action that both mobilizes a large number of people and has an immediate impact, you should certainly share it. There are plenty of avenues of attack here.

[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 4 points 3 days ago

I think it's fair to expect students to use computers in a programming class. I don't know if there's a need for students to be using computers for the entire school day

[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 4 points 3 days ago

I'm torn on this - Christianity (particularly evangelical christianity) has had an extremely negative effect on democracy in our country and has caused physical harm to others.

However, I think most people with a conscience subscribe to some form of philosophy or religion (even if atheists aren't "loyal" to any particular perspective and may not even use titles/categories to describe their value system) and I think it's fine for your morals/conscience to influence decision making. Even a purely scientific decision making process could be considered a form of philosophy.

That being said, most organized religion is about obedience to the tenets of said religion, not a method of asking questions about the world to try to find the most just way to proceed.

[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 6 points 3 days ago

I know everyone wants to be a doomer about things like this, but Minneapolis has demonstrated clearly to the nation what organization can do. This is a good way to provide solidarity with neighbors who cannot go out and work due to ICE occupation. By making it so that nobody pays rent, it means landlords will not be evicting those who are most vulnerable right now.

It's a good strategy.

[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 3 points 3 days ago

Yet another instance in which the "free speech" right didn't actually care about the 1st amendment, they just wanted to say the n word on Twitter without people yelling at them.

I wonder if they realize how obvious it is to others that their morals are a lie

97
submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by UltraMagnus@startrek.website to c/politics@lemmy.world

In times like this, it's good to know that what protestors are doing on the ground is having an effect on ICE. In particular:

The Twin Cities Model: Don’t Copy It, Learn from It

What sets apart the Twin Cities rapid response network and its surrounding ecosystem is not strict adherence to a particular structure. It is a clear analysis of their conditions, a willingness to adapt, and the courage to fight back as the violence increases.

I think this article is also useful - setting off car alarms, whistling, filming, and yelling at ICE does have an effect, especially when protesters outnumber ICE. In particular:

In Minneapolis, we’re already seeing the success of ICE Watch. There are countless videos from ICE Watch observers that show agents leaving without detaining anyone after they encounter resistance. There are currently about 3,000 ICE agents in Minnesota, but the Department of Homeland Security claims they have only arrested 2,400 people — less than one person per agent.

58
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by UltraMagnus@startrek.website to c/games@lemmy.world

I'm thinking 2015 - Witcher 3, Undertale, and Kerbal Space Program are all classics. Fallout 4, Arkham Knight, and Cities Skylines were all excellent too, though fallout 4 and Arkham knight aren't necessarily the best games in their respective series.

[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 13 points 3 months ago

It has a little more gameplay than past telltale games with its dispatch sections (a bit of strategy, deciding which heroes go on what calls), but otherwise you are right, it's a fancy choose your own adventure game. They have done some interesting things with superhero tropes so far (e.g., superheroes working out of a corporate call center), but it's a bit early to tell if they'll subvert some of my expectations for the "final boss".

175

I've been enjoying Dispatch so far, and the sales numbers seem well deserved. I know a few people waiting for all the episodes to be outbefore they buy it, though (final episode is out Nov 12).

If you liked the telltale games you will like dispatch.

[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 16 points 3 months ago

"Staying peaceful" and "fighting back" aren't mutually exclusive. Anyone who thinks nonviolent tactics don't work hasn't read up on their history (East Timor, Philippines, etc.). Every time ICE shows up to pepper spray cops and shoot at priests, local police gets more pissed, and they drive a wedge between local and federal law enforcement, weakening the administration's ability to project power. Don't underestimate that opportunity.

That being said, current actions are far more symbolic than transformative. No kings protests don't do anything on their own, but could easily be leveraged into an enabler of things like boycotts and general strikes which will have a strong impact.

2

I learned about it from the unforgotten realms forums, around 2012ish

4

ICNC has a lot of good resources on nonviolence - I like this one since it's very practical/to-the-point. Really liking the section talking about "pulling out" the pillars of support rather than "pushing into" the pillars.

12

One of the shorter presentations at FediCon, but definitely interesting, especially since lemmy instances are very much driven by the user base (whereas Linux doesn't really change based on how many users there are). Also interesting since the speaker, Janet Vertesi, is one of the people working on the "Europa Clipper" project (the one where we're flying a satellite through Europa's geysers to get water samples, since landing and drilling under the ice is impractical. This has nothing to do with the presentation, I'm just excited about it).

Video Highlights:

2:00 - The current dominance of a few social media companies was predicted. Although there are lots of neat tools for opting out of Microsoft/Google/etc., but it's the community of these tools that matters

7:30 - Difficulties with how entangled folks are with mainstream tools (maps, calendars, clubs, etc.) - and how to overcome these obstacles. Interesting bit about how all the privacy toggles on Facebook, etc. give a false sense of security and discourage users from making bigger, more effective change. Additionally, behavior change happens at the group level, not the individual level.

12:00 - Building a network of "Tech Reclaimers" to help others make the change. Teaching social and technical skills (e.g., moderation - people are used to the technology doing everything for them on "traditional" social media), taking small steps, etc.

17:30 - Ongoing events

[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 64 points 6 months ago

The assumption that you'll lose a lawsuit against a large corporation probably stops a lot of viable lawsuits from ever happening - good for him for giving it a go.

[-] UltraMagnus@startrek.website 18 points 6 months ago

One of the factors in whether a nonviolent resistance movement can succeed or not is whether any state forces end up shifting loyalty. "Appealing to the moral sense of the people oppressing them" may be false if you're just talking about whoever's at the top, but it absolutely is a factor for the day-to-day bureaucrats and security forces. Nonviolent campaigns are more likely to cause these sorts of changes (particularly when violent crackdowns against nonviolent resistance backfires).

Consider the success of the following movements:

  • Peoples Power Revolution (First one in 1986) - several military leaders defected from the Marcos regime
  • Velvet Revolution (1989) - had several government officials defect
  • Malagasy Political Crisis (2002) - Defense minister resigned, generals and military officers were split on who to support (source for this one, since the article is hard to find). In fairness, although this one would largely be classified as nonviolent, at the time, it was hard to say whether or not there would be any armed conflict (aside from some incidents with police attacking protesters early in the movement)

There's several other cases of this happening over the past century, but I hope you get my point - nobody's appealing to the guy on the throne, they're appealing to all the other cogs in the machine.

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UltraMagnus

joined 6 months ago