stickly

This seems like wishcasting. More likely, they're watching their own back by getting orders in writing when possible. If the noose ever starts to close, all truly incriminating official records will be destroyed just like Berlin in 1945. It will be their word against anyone else's.

If anything this is groundbreaking evidence that destabilizing an international rival is safe, easy and profitable. The rest of the world isn't going to hold hands and sing kumbaya, every country is now in an arms race to root out their own instability and isolate themselves.

We're headed back to the late 19th century. Say goodbye to soft power, simmering rivalries and large scale international cooperation. Every nation will have its own strong man and/or Palantir-style surveillance. Alliances will turn on a dime, your oldest friend could be your biggest threat in under a decade.

International mistrust now abounds at a time where cooperation is the only way to prop up our failing biosphere. All hard won rights and freedoms in the last 200 years will be quietly clawed back. Anyone cheering for this is a fool.

None of that has mattered or will matter to the administration. It's becoming very obvious that they decide the crime, criminals and punishment (in any order they please). Legal precedent, clear constitutional rights and established jurisdiction don't mean anything. Whatever rulings they don't want will be thrown out and the ones they keep will be grist for the fascist mill.

The only thing the judge can do here is release a soundbite that makes it clear the actions that continue are in violation of the court order. Legalese is not that, no matter how technically correct.

unless reasonable suspicion that the person is [...] in violation of U.S. immigration law

Ah so this is another powderpuff order to be ignored. Why not just say "has concrete evidence"? Don't want to make it too obvious the house of cards has already collapsed when they completely ignore you?

I wonder how chicory (and optional caffeine pill?) emissions stack up against the coffee equivalent. It's close enough to coffee for me 🤷

Are there any insights on what the policy implications of new leadership might be? Or is it less a factional takeover and more a "meet the new manager"?

It's still a fine needle to thread. No matter the reason, loyalty is being sacrificed for competency. Lose too much loyalty and you lose control completely.

Appealing to hypocrisy is a fallacy, full stop. Someone can be a hypocrite but that has no bearing on whether an action is justifiable for both/neither.

We've been in a pseudo-birth strike for decades, kids have been increasingly expensive as real wages dropped. The only thing it's gotten us is regressive assaults on reproductive rights.

That makes no difference to their budget. They can still spend what they want, maybe with a little extra inflation, and they still balance their books anyway. The only thing they miss is that free couple hundred dollar loan from the 65%-ish that over withhold.

A government doesn't need fiat currency, they just need to control the flow of it in/out of the economy. Sitting on your taxes is as good as paying them. Also, income tax is 48% of revenue and ~30% is paid by the top 5% of earners. I don't think a 6 month delay on <18% of revenue would be noticeable.

Am I high or is everyone in this thread just ignoring that the IRS can garnish your wages and put levies on your accounts?

Unless everyone triggers a bank run to get their dollars into coffee cans, taking what you owe is as simple as a few key strokes.

My head is spinning from how fast we pivot from jokes about American "freedom" invasions to full throated support of Chinese freedom invasions