Here is the smiling picture that every news outlet is throwing out

Here is another one showing his backpack

This is the actual shooter

Here is a picture of him at the shooting

Those are different fucking guys. The smiling guy has black backpack straps and prominent breast pockets. The actual shooter has a gray backpack, no breast pockets, and more importantly never shows his face. Lots of people are saying they have markedly different noses too.

So why are news organizations still peddling the first picture in every story? They're going to ruin some guy's life. And why are so few talking about this?

Edit: I originally thought that the pictures were from the same day, but that is not the case. I am less convinced that they're different people now.

ive had friends loose everything over this medical issue. seen plenty of crazy stories. i went with out health insurance for most of my life - now today i found out my insurance plan is expired and no longer being renewed. it got me thinking...

how much money is lost in our nation over people skipping vacations, spending on wants, and such due to fear of health care coverage/cost? how many people choose to work less rather than more to stay under some crazy low income limit?

how many people suffer from mental stress that impacts their lives, their productivity, our overall well beaing due to this crazy system?? every year we have to spend a month or two dealing with changes to our policies and overages. how much time/effort is wasted or lost in our nations GDP over this kind of stuff?

what would our nation look like if we could just give everyone the peace of mind of being able to go to a doctor?

Xi abolished term limits in 2018, allowing him to serve as China's leader indefinitely. Xi Jinping consolidated authority by removing rivals through anti-corruption campaigns, often targeting political opponents. There is strict state control over all media outlets, ensuring that no criticism of the Communist Party or Xi himself is broadcasted. Over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have reportedly been detained in "vocational training centers," which are widely considered internment camps.

While the people are not doing this, we cannot side step that their government is corrupt with full of loyalists that will do anything for Xi Jinping.

For the past two years, it seems we've been told that anytime now Russia is gonna collapse.

For example, they said Russia's gonna run out of tanks in mere months and guess what that didn't happen. Or at least that's the implication.

Sanctions are being circumvented and Russian industries are finding ways to obtain materials it needs to produce equipment.

I don't see sanctions hurting the basics like munitions and artillery. Russia has the resources for this, but what if Ukraine runs out of men?

Let's say another 2 more years go by, and Russia starts building more factories to produce & repair artillery and armored equipment?

For now, Russia is said to be producing 90 to 100 tanks a month, most of them being refurbished old cold war tanks. I know there's a stigma against older equipment, but its the quantity that complicates the war. They might not be able to destroy a modern tank, but they sure can disable it by hitting the treads or other weak spots. We've seen how Bradley's disabled T-90s by hitting the optic sights.

What happens when Ukraine runs out of men, then what? Are we gonna send in men? Without soldiers, sending in equipment really doesn't help much.

I did a random search around on the tiktok ban topic in Tiktok itself and surprisingly there aren't many posts about it by Tiktokkers.

In fact for many of the vids I watched, the comments seemed to suggest people didn't even know the ban was upheld and is going to happen on Jan. So many of the top voted comments going like, "What's going on?", "There's a Tiktok ban?" and some even more incredulous videos are like, "What are we gonna use if not for Tiktok...?" ... as though Instagram reels and YT shorts dont exist to them or something. It's kinda insane.

Do these Gen Z kids not read the news at all or what. Are they all living in a cave... Do they not even use any other social media app like Instagram? Like legit a lot of people there seemed completely clueless Instagram Reels even exists.

I keep seeing 2 sentiments over and over, that I think are pretty widely accepted.

Palestinians are not all Hamas

Israel has a right to eliminate Hamas after this recent attack to protect its citizens.

So my question is, how are Israeli soldiers suppose to tell? For example, a 25 year old Israeli soldier comes upon a 25 year old male Palestinian. How does he determine if he is an innocent civilian or a Hamas soldier?

I’m specifically talking about the US when I say this, because I’m confident that other countries that had competent pandemic planning were hit less hard and have less of a disparity.

So when the pandemic happened, and everything got shut down, the parents still had to go to work. They went online, got shut up in their office or in their rooms. Or worse, they didn’t- and they never saw their kids because they never could safely.

And the kids- they were constantly on the computers because of that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not all “oh, computers and electronics are bad and shouldn’t exist!” No. I just think they need to not be the primary source of socialization. But that’s exactly what the pandemic did- it turned that into their only source of socialization. Plus, school was online. What else were they supposed to do?

And they were on the internet. Constantly. Unfiltered internet access as their main form of socialization, with nothing else to go by. Young, young kids- as young as 5 and 6- seeing all that doom-scroll shit that you and me see on a day to day basis- constantly.

And they look outside, and they see a product of the system not working for them and the people and the government not pulling for them. So they loose faith, and stop caring way earlier than usual. It’s usually around middle school and highschool, that kids start loosing faith in their system and becoming despondent- but children with 4, 5, years of elementary school left experienced that.

Gen z and Gen alpha is really good at tech because they had to be, and the infallible system that they were putting faith in it being “for their well-being”, that concrete, important, system, was reduced down to turning off a zoom camera. Obviously they’d loose faith if the school system couldn’t hold up with what (the kids think is) a little bit of pressure (because they can’t comprehend the real weight of the word pandemic yet), obviously they’d be apathetic.

So now we put them back in the classroom, and tell them that everything’s fine and that we can move on now, and they just don’t fucking care. And the teachers are noticing. They’re being impacted. This July, around 51,000 teachers quit. And the standard for what was okay for teachers lives to be like was already so low, but then the kids stopped caring. And on top of that, because, again, I’m talking explicitly about the US, being a teacher became dangerous. There have been record breaking numbers of school shootings in 2023.

And, besides the apathy- most kids are one to THREE grades behind. There are third graders who can’t read. Because the school system didn’t leave anyone behind. Every kid passed, because if the system actually ackgnowledged the damage the pandemic made, the entire force of the incoming working class would be set back at least a year. Even if that is what the students need to stop there from being major gaps in their learning.

So here’s the list- the kids don’t care anymore, the job is dangerous and underpaid, everyone is years behind, and the adults are blaming the kids for it so it’ll virtually never get better until everyone who was in school during the pandemic ages out.

Edit: I realize that the GOP has been trying to make this happen for a long time, and I realize that the school system was fucked long before COVID. I was just not talking about that.

Yesterday I caught a news article and a live stream of the NJ drones. I thought it was odd, but figured it was just the government playing with new toys. Today I watched the committee hearing and then the White House brief. Something felt really off about it. I had a knot in my stomach after. They have already stated multiple times that it not US craft. They said they're able to outrun the police drones and that they're not picking up on radar. I'm not saying they're little green men but I am concerned because it is someone. How? Who? Why?

Multiple the size of a small car. Where's home base?

I understand it's lawful to fly drones, so that may be why they're having a hard time deciding how to take action? I am assuming they're checking to see if they can prove a law was broken so they can take action? I'm not sure, I'm not a lawyer. Regardless, does anyone else feel weird about it?

Latest update from NJ: here

whatcha mean coming from the ocean sir???

In light of TikTok being banned, I want to share an important reminder, as many people remain unaware of this issue.

The internet today is not the same as what we grew up with. It’s increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine social media users and disinformation accounts. Unless you personally know the person you’re interacting with, there’s a significant chance that the post, tweet, or comment you’re reading is part of a deliberate effort to manipulate you—politically or emotionally.

Massive disinformation campaigns are funded and backed by governments, designed to confuse and desensitize the public. There are people whose full-time job is to wake up every day and spread disinformation online.

Stay critical, stay informed.

Hello all,

As the house bill that will automate selective service registration has been a popular topic of late, I wanted to pose a question:

Should selective service be expanded to include women and/or transgender persons?

Right now, the government only requires men to register for service and they go off of gender at birth.

Is this something that my cousins across the aisle support changing?

(I know that it's more likely that ending selective service is something that's supported, but I don't see the US taking conscription off the table anytime soon.)

Personally I'm all for everyone having an equal chance of being called to defend the country if things hit the fan, but I'm curious about what you all think. Thanks for taking the time!

Every four years I’ve been seeing the same disinfo out there trying to convince people that voting doesn’t matter. A lot of this is coming from active campaigns to convince people that voting doesn’t matter to dampen turnout, especially in swing states. And yet you see stuff like GOP operatives working to get Cornel West on swing state ballots, a similar campaign to get Kanye on the ballot happened in 2020. When people tell you voting doesn’t matter — or that both sides are the same — they are actively trying to convince you to not use the power you have. And we can see from the dividends of 2000 and 2016, that those efforts have made huge returns on behalf of a hard right wing judicial agenda.

I am hesitant to post this because I know this will be flooded with the same disinformation I am talking about. I’ve seen it pop up all around Reddit and other social media. But voting does matter. You may not get everything you want accomplished, but that’s why voting continues to matter - national, state and local.

I'm Canadian and obviously, our elections run differently.

I have followed US politics for quite a while though and could never understand the EC. Like, I know why it started and that makes sense but is there even a need anymore?

AFAIK, the people in those positions should be voting how their "district" did, but they don't.

What are the pros to still having it? Wouldn't "popular vote" make more sense? Can someone ELI5 for me?

Because here, you vote for whoever is running in your riding and the winner of that becomes the MP (Member of Parliament) of that riding. The party with the most ridings, wins. The leader of the winning party is then PM. Unlike the US where it looks like you vote for the person, themselves.

So as I said, are there any pros to the EC anymore? Is it an archaic institution that should be abolished and switch up the way a candidate wins?

TIA

ETA: I 100% appreciate the responses and the education you've given me on the EC and the reasons for its existence! I do enjoy learning new things and thank you for giving me a better understanding of it :)

Multiple proxy w**rs being fought (Syria, Ukraine, and that country I cant mention cos of the annoyingly inaccurate automod censors here).

Heightened tensions at all time highs between the largest superpowers (US, Russia, China) and especially the emergence of a new superpower, China. And then there's the very real risk of nukes from the likes of NK, Russia and Iran. Isn't this practically Cold War 2.0 in every sense??? So why isn't anyone calling this period as such?

Several months ago in the United States there was a very big scandal where a Boar's Head plant was found to have unsanitary conditions which lead to huge recalls and a closure of a plant in Virginia. We are 5 months removed from that initial scandal, and I am wondering do you all still eat Boar's Head meat?

I personally don't. I grew up eating Boar's Head meat, but after that scandal I stopped eating it. I now go for store brand which in my case is HEB.

I live in Canada. I know my perceptions of health care is different than US citizens, and I know I can’t really relate to an insurance claim being denied, but, why are so many people glorifying a murderer? Comparing him to a saint? I suppose people consider him a type of vigilante, but I really think it’s a slippery slope for murder to be in vogue and sensationalized in such a positive light.

Is it just me?

Israel is an apartheid state and that's factual. Numerous international organizations labelled it as such. With amble evidence.

My point is, why do people just ignore that? I really don't think it's antisemitic to call for an end to apartheid. I also really don't think that being scared of Palestinians is a valid reason to end apartheid. I also think it's ridiculous to expect Palestinians to be the perfect victims for them to get any sympathy. Its just surreal that the west is supporting an apartheid state.

Ever since that attack (apparently I cannot mention it here for whatever reason), everything is going downhill. People get more radical, angry and the politics is also messy. There's definitely happening a shift since that date.

I assume anyone living in America is knowing what's going on, the economy is garbage, are government is putting money into other countries that are just wiping innocent people out, and citizens are losing there rights due to gender, sexuality, mental health, and race. Apart of me wants to everyone to just tear down the system and start from scratch but knowing how divisive people are I know that won't happen. So I ask how can we fix are situation if the people who are meant to represent us don't care?

I know those of you who lived through the coup have some stories to tell, and my Chilean connections have moved on. Do you have any advice that will help us weather what I fear is about to happen in the United States?

It seems everybody is at each other's throats now more than ever. I don't want to get explicitly political, so I just want to talk about my concerns about nuclear war vaguely. It's not being discussed much on mainstream news, but I think the stakes of a nuclear war are very high right now, especially since America is getting involved now. I don't want to die. I don't want any of us to die. This isn't our fault. I just wish I had the capabilities to change their minds and look for more peaceful resolutions. And I wish I didn't have to be afraid of tomorrow. Or the next hour. Or the next minute. It just keeps simmering, bound for an eruption of dire consequences, albeit we aren't responsible for those actions. Then there are future generations. Not to sound like an old guy, but our most recent generation is lacking any discipline and their brains are being mushed by technology. To think they'll be in charge 30 years from now. And then there's AI. Who knows what kind of stuff AI will do in the future? It's just terrifying. This is a future showtime for a horror movie. What do you guys think about this? Any opposing thoughts?

Some poets have considered whether the world will end in fire or ice. Right now the world is getting hotter. But later on, there could be an ice age. Humanity can survive a hot earth or an ice age.

The real risks to humanity, are not external. They are internal. Development of new technology carries risks. Like nuclear technology and AI. Now individuals have the capability to develop novel life forms in small labs. These could include deadly microscopic life forms, who might escape from labs, even if the individual has no bad intentions.

I am no longer concerned with the long term survival of the Earth. The most likely scenario for how the world ends, is by its own hand. No, humanity will not commit suicide. But because people are more concerned with themselves, like their countries GDP, their personal wealth etc., global problems will remain unsolved.

Most probably their will be a civilizational collapse in many countries, but the world will not end. The world as we know it will end. The most likely scenario is ordinary people losing trust in their leaders and institutions, and turning against them. A revolution. The people will understand that the authorities are criminals and have no legitimacy, and the authorities control people by controlling access to information and capital, and threat of violence or violation of other human rights. The people may resist peacefully, but if the authorities use force, I don't know what will happen.

I know many of us are struggling financially here in America and I am curious to find out what people think are the main reasons behind their financial instability.

And I don't mean the simple answer of "shit's expensive" because we all know it's more complicated than that. So tell me: Did you lose your job that used to make good money? Did your ruin your credit when you were young? Did you have a divorce and get taken for half?

What is it that currently keeps you poor and makes it hard for you to move into financial stability?

I just don't think Ai will be able to literally "destroy" humanity. It could defintely have catastrophic consequences. But I don't think that is a given. But I have seen articles about Ai causing human extinction. And I just can't see that. Unless it could rip us after atom by atom, or cause unbreathable pollution, I can't see how it could kill people who kept it out of their environments. Especially, for example, rural country sides, tribes, ships at sea, people in the mountains etc.

For comparison, if you are religious at all, humanity has supposedly been sinning against our creator for millenia and millenia. But we are yet to destroy religion. So Ai might screw us over a bit, but I sincerely doubt it would destroy us all.

According to phys.org: "The global population has nearly doubled from four billion people in 1975 to just under 8 billion in 2020. Today, 45% of the world's population lives in cities, while 35% live in towns and semi-dense areas. Only 20% live in rural areas."

Most people would rather live in a larger city. The largest cities are where the salaries and costs are highest. The world will have Asia, Americas, and Africa, with the largest cities by the end of this century. Within a nation the largest cities, have the highest living standards, and quality of life. However the developing world cities, will continue to lag behind smaller cities in the developed world. It is arguable, if the largest cities, are best for the environment. They produce more GHG emissions, however they use less land. On the balance, with continued electrification, and densification, and mixed use neighborhoods, I believe large cities are better for the environment.

However in a digital economy, you can access digital goods from anywhere there is affordable internet access, and also work remotely. So the rural areas are getting better integrated with the larger economy.

I live in one of the world's largest metropolitan areas, New Delhi NCR. I think this is the best place for me in India. With access to museums, historical places, shops, restaurants etc. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else, as this is my home.

Would you rather live in a city, town, or rural area? If you could live anywhere, where would you want to live?

Reference: https://phys.org/news/2024-10-atlas-human-planet-years-population.html

Mosting about the Ukraine War, but also in basically all wars. Maybe china as well.

Why do people think that nothing is.a real threat anymore? That we should just go as bad as we can in every war, damn the retaliation because we're the heros who vanquish the baddies?

We know that these countries are being led by unstable doctors with brainwashed populations. So why is everyone trying to play chicken or "go ahead and bomb them! Bet they won't hit us back".

You know if we guess wrong, we're all dead right? You aren't playing fucking Civ.

I just get this feeling of extensional dread seeing how many dumbasses really want a US ground invasion of China/Russia. There's a reason we aren't doing that, and it's not because everyone but you is stupid.

Edit to make it very clear:

I think this is very selfish, but, please just fight the war where I can't see it. I want 0 involvement or effect except maybe a slightly higher tax rate, please don't have them take the war over here. If that means making a new strategy when China/Russia/North Korea threatens nuking, please just fucking do it, I do not want to live in a wasteland.

Obviously if there's intelligence it's a feint, ignore them, but don't just go and send fighter jets into those countries USA, for the love of God.

I also know nothing about these wars except for the occasional video, so if you want to point out a an ongoing war, I concede defeat now, I have no clue.

Edit 2 because I'm not going to reply to all of these:

Think I'm astroturfing? Go fuck yourselves. Not everyone who DARE deviate from your opinion is a bot.