SMcIntyre's feed

  • 6 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    You're shtick is getting old.

    Try again when you have something to actually contribute to the discussion more substantive than your nonsensical rambling.

  • 6 years ago
    Video/Audio SMcIntyre

    Tina Turner - Better Be Good To Me

  • 6 years ago
    Level Up SMcIntyre

    Level 23

    SMcIntyre is now level 23 with 795,925 XP.

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    • Tribe Creation The maximum amount of tribes you can create has been raised by 2 to a total of 13.
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  • 6 years ago
    Video/Audio SMcIntyre

    Jennifer Lopez - Waiting For Tonight

    Part of the late '90s "Latin Explosion", this is still Jlo's greatest hit.

  • 6 years ago
    Interactive SMcIntyre

    Space Company

    Reminiscent of text based incremental games such as "A Dark Room" or "Kittens Game", Space Company melds a more visual UI with the discover as you go mechanic.

  • 6 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    If automation could replace those workers, it already would have.

    Not only is that not true, but it clearly demonstrates that you have no understanding of even basic Economics.

    Automation hasn't been widely implemented in the agricultural industry because it's not yet cost effective when compared to dirt-cheap illegal labor, it has nothing to do with the viability of the technology. It's the same situation that existed in the fast food industry. We've had the technology for nearly completely automated fast food restaurants since the early 1960s, but at the time it wasn't cost effective when compared to human labor so there was little development of the tech. Now that human labor is quickly reaching the point where it's becoming more expensive than automation, we're seeing waves of restaurants converting to automation technology. The same thing will happen in agriculture.

    Historically migrant labor hadn't been criminalized, and has been allowed in more modern times under guest worker programs.

    So your argument is: "It wasn't illegal until it was"? Historically it was also permissible for people to own other people as property and for everyone but white males to be considered three-fifths of a human. Times change. Societies grow and adapt, as do their needs. Since 1940 our population has nearly tripled, to the point where the United States is now the third most populous country on the planet. At the same time, our economy has become much less labor dependent than it used to be. We don't need to import more people.

    Realistically, either you give up the notion that migrant labor is a criminal underclass in urgent need of incarceration in lucrative private prisons that in turn drive the pokitical fortunes of nativist bigots campaigning on herding up brown folks with a new, more malevolent kind of cowboy, or yes, ag businesses are failing and crops go to rot.

    And right on cue here comes the race card. You're incapable of making a valid argument on the merits so it's time to go with the old "you hate brown folks" routine. It's as predictable as it is pathetic.

    Myself, I would think words about a permanent underclass making pennies an hour would stock in your throat, because with your strict 'no illegals' policy and your principled opposition to minimum wage, aren't you just looking to substitute one poverty-stricken slave class for another?

    Again, if you understood basic economics you'd already understand that that's a ridiculous question.

    I'm against illegal immigration because they're supplying industry demand for labor without causing a subsequent increase in the cost of labor. Had these farms played by the rules to start with, wages would've risen to meet their labor demands and the ever increasing cost of labor would've led to new innovations in the industry to increase productivity. By supplying the industry with counterfeit labor, illegals are suppressing wages and suppressing industry innovation, neither of which are good for the economy.

    I'm against the minimum wage because it creates the very class of perpetually poverty-stricken people we're talking about. The minimum wage is a price floor on labor, and as anyone who has ever taken Intro to Macro knows, price floors create surpluses. In this case though instead of a warehouse full of goods, that "surplus" is a class of people who have been- by Government mandate, permanently priced out of the labor market. It makes it impossible for people who a...

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  • 6 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    Settle down there Chicken Little, the agricultural industry isn't going to go broke just because they have to start operating within the law. Automation is well on the way to making human labor in agriculture largely obsolete anyway. Self-driving harvesters are already hitting the market, as are smaller autonomous robots and drones that can help with crop management. So the agricultural industry isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

    I mean, I was foolish enough to think that migrant farm laboring families that together with their children still make less than a dollar an hour probably weren’t the best choice as to who to hunt for sport when it came right down to it, but apparently I was wrong about that as well.

    Well you certainly do seem foolish, so I guess on that point you and I are in complete agreement.

    Your apparent defense of de facto slavery aside (which is a topic we're absolutely going to get back to) for a moment, your argument is based on a flawed premise. If the workers are in this country legally, then they have nothing to worry about. If they're in the country illegally then they're not migrants, they're criminals.

    So, now tell us more about how you're in favor of having a perpetually exploited class of cheap labor that's paid "less than a dollar an hour". These people are here illegally, they're being exploited by corrupt farm owners, doing physically demanding outdoor labor in all kinds of weather, doing it all for pennies on the dollar, and you're perfectly fine with all of that so long as you don't have to shell out more for your tomatoes?

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  • 6 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    If you have to cheat to win, you're not actually winning. If those farms can't compete on the open market without the benefit of illegal labor then they shouldn't exist, and it's really not any more complex than that. So forgive me if I don't shed a tear for the guy in your article who spend years profiting from hiring illegal labor now that he's being forced to face the consequences of his actions.

    And being from Florida, I'm perfectly comfortable with my grasp on the economics of the Agricultural Industry thanks. Maybe someone could offer you a refresher.

  • 6 years ago
    Video/Audio SMcIntyre

    Screaming Trees - Nearly Lost You

  • 6 years ago
    Video/Audio SMcIntyre

    Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight

  • 6 years ago
    Interactive SMcIntyre

    Water Company

    An interesting take on the SwarmSim mechanic, Water Company puts you in charge of a city's water utility. You'll have to provide water (both hot and cold), make sure the water has been treated and purified, and provide for storage of any excess. Definitely on of the most involved Incrementals on the market.

  • 6 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    Oh boo-hoo. These farms have been cheating the system for years and now they're having to pay the piper. That industry has benefited from counterfeit labor for decades which has suppressed wages and created a massive imbalance in the market. Now the market is going to have do what markets always have to do in such situations, correct itself.

  • 7 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    There is nothing subjective about this. Solitary confinement is not torture. That is fact.

    There have been numerous challenges over the years, and while various courts- including the Supreme Court, have found individual cases where specific jails/prisons have acted inappropriately, Solitary Confinement as a practice, has never been found to be unconstitutional. That is fact.

    Solitary confinement is a structured, and carefully managed program used to deal with problem inmates, it's not Shawshank.

  • 7 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    Congrats, I'm certain you deserved it. Still doesn't make it torture.

  • 7 years ago
    Conversation SMcIntyre
    This comment has gained traction and has turned into a conversation.

    I know this is a difficult concept for some people to grasp-- particularly people like Chelsea Manning who seem to think that rules don't apply to them, but actions have consequences. Choices have consequences.

    Chelsea Manning chose to break the law: She chose to disobey orders. She chose to violate the Espionage Act by stealing, and then delivering to WikiLeaks, hundreds of thousands of classified/sensitive documents and files. This twenty-three-year-old, who flunked out of community college, took it upon herself to decide what was in the best interests of U.S. National Security. She decided to say: "Fuck the chain of command, fuck the law, fuck the Army, fuck the Defense Department, fuck the entire Intelligence Community, fuck the Commander-In-Chief, and fuck Congress, because I know better than all of them." That was her choice. No one did this to her, she put herself in this situation.

    After she was caught, arrested, tried, and convicted, you would've thought that she'd have learned her lesson, but what does she do? She goes to prison and decides, yet again, that rules are for other people, and that she doesn't have to follow them if she doesn't want to. So now she gets to spend the next several months, if not years, in a cold, dark room, all by her lonesome, because she can't seem to grasp a concept as simple as: "You have to follow the rules". Again, that was her choice. She did this to herself.

  • 7 years ago
    Achievement SMcIntyre

    Snaptivist

    Has had their comment turn into a conversation 2/2 times! Congratulations SMcIntyre on this achievement!

    +7400 XP
  • 7 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    I don't give shit if she violated the rules of the prison; solitary confinement is torture.

    Solitary confinement is not torture, and anyone who thinks it is has no clue what they're talking about. Period.

     

    As to the avenues that we have for whistleblowing. Yeah, right. I live in the real world, and in the real world Manning would have been killed before that information was allowed to go public.

    Apparently you live in fantasy land.

  • 7 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    Since I don't have control over the candidates running for office or who votes for candidates outside my district, the former isn't really an option.

    No one ever said changing the country was easy. If you want easy, go get a paper route. Real change is never easy, and damn sure isn't quick. After the pilgrims hit Plymouth Rock, it took almost another 160 years before America told England to piss off, and we fought a war to do it. It was over 130 years after the abolitionist movement started in the U.S. before slavery ended, and we fought a war to do that to. There was over a decade and a half between Brown v. The Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act, and while it wasn't a war, it certainly had plenty of blood and a body count. It was almost half a century between the Stonewall Inn and Obergefell, and that too was a less than peaceful process. Change is absolutely possible, but only for those willing to put in the work.

     

    I've done what I can to support organizations supporting good candidates, but I don't have the sort of resources like Sheldon Adelson and the Koch Brothers to buy elections.

    Or George Soros and Tom Steyer (careful, your bias is showing).

     

    Those people have also learned the value of a good disinformation program which is why we're still struggling with bullshit like climate change denialism.

    We still have to deal with bullshit like climate denial for the same reason we still have organized religion: Cognitive Dissonance. People would rather invent comforting illusions rather than face uncomfortable facts.

     

    The practice of indefinite solitary confinement is being challenged as a method of torture.

    And if/when the courts decide that it shouldn't be used anymore then she'll be placed back in a regular cell. But I wouldn't hold your breath on that one, because solitary confinement isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

     

    Her treatment in prison is a result of people feeling like she doesn't deserve any rights as a prisoner. That's not justice, that's vengeance.

    Nope, still wrong. Her treatment is a result of her breaking the rules. This isn't Sandals® Kansas, it's a Federal Prison. There are things you're not allowed to have, and certain ways you're expected to behave. She chose to have contraband in her cell. She chose to fight with the guards when they tried to remove her from her cell. Those were her choices- nobody else's, and now she has to live with the consequences.

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  • 7 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    This is why turnover is extremely low. We're not electing leaders who are willing to compromise to get things done any longer, and gridlock is the inevitable result.

    Your problem isn't with the process, it's with the people. As I said before, either find better candidates, or do a better job of selling your message.

     

    No, but they're also prohibited from cruel and unusual punishment. It says so in the Eighth Amendment. Even disobeying orders, committing espionage, compromising national security and endangering the lives of anyone doesn't strip her of that right.

    Nothing that's being done to her even comes close to qualifying as an Eighth Amendment violation . Cruel & Unusual punishment has a set legal standard, with four basic elements:

    The punishment can't be arbitrary. She was granted due process, afforded legal representation, and was tried and convicted at Court Martial.

    The punishment must be used commonly. Prison is the standard form of punishment for criminal activity in the U.S., and solitary confinement is a standard form of punishment in every prison in the country.

    The punishment can't be unnecessarily harsh. Given that she was facing a maximum of 90 years in prison, there is nothing at all harsh about 35 years, especially considering she'll be eligible for parole in another 8 years. Likewise, there is nothing unnecessarily harsh about solitary confinement. When you have someone who is already in prison, who still won't obey the rules, and is a danger to themselves and others, then solitary confinement is absolutely necessary.

    The punishment can't have been rejected by society. Both prison and solitary confinement are widely accepted by society.

     

    Such empathy. Does landing in prison automatically strip a convict of any right to dignity? Is American justice supposed to focus more on justice or vengeance? Because this sounds more like vengeance.

    This didn't happen to her because she landed in prison. This happened to her because, once again, she decided that rules don't apply to her. She decided that she could do as she pleased. Clearly, she was wrong.

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  • 7 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    When the government has become so corrupt and subservient to special interests, someone has to challenge it.

    That's a bullshit excuse. We do challenge the government, frequently. There's a reason why we have the old election cliche: "Every two years we get to go overthrow the Government", because we do. If you think the Government is so corrupt, then go find a candidate you consider honorable and run 'em, or run yourself. Take your message to the people. If you're right, and the Government is so corrupt, then you shouldn't have any trouble convincing others. Grassroots candidates win all the time. Hell, right now, there's a better than 50/50 chance that the Speaker of the House is going to lose his Primary tomorrow and not even be on the ballot in November. Go and do likewise.

     

    Chelsea Manning did that and is now being abused and tortured.

    She disobeyed orders, committed espionage against the United States, compromised National Security, and endangered the lives of who knows how many members of the military, foreign operatives, members of the intelligence community, and American Citizens. Do you think they're going to give her a fucking cookie and say "good for you"?

    She's in prison because she deserves to be. She's in solitary confinement because she deserves to be, since she won't obey Prison rules.

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  • 7 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    No she didn't. The government put her in solitary confinement.

    She put herself in prison by breaking the law, and she put her self in solitary by violating the rules of the Prison.

     

    Those are the people who should be in jail.

    That very well may be, but that absolutely does not change the fact that she broke the law. There are mechanisms in place for reporting crimes in the military, even ones committed by the military. Likewise the Federal Government has a method for reporting crimes committed by the Federal Government. Neither method includes stealing classified information and delivering it to a foreign national and a member of the media.

  • 7 years ago
    Comment SMcIntyre

    I know this is a difficult concept for some people to grasp-- particularly people like Chelsea Manning who seem to think that rules don't apply to them, but actions have consequences. Choices have consequences.

    Chelsea Manning chose to break the law: She chose to disobey orders. She chose to violate the Espionage Act by stealing, and then delivering to WikiLeaks, hundreds of thousands of classified/sensitive documents and files. This twenty-three-year-old, who flunked out of community college, took it upon herself to decide what was in the best interests of U.S. National Security. She decided to say: "Fuck the chain of command, fuck the law, fuck the Army, fuck the Defense Department, fuck the entire Intelligence Community, fuck the Commander-In-Chief, and fuck Congress, because I know better than all of them." That was her choice. No one did this to her, she put herself in this situation.

    After she was caught, arrested, tried, and convicted, you would've thought that she'd have learned her lesson, but what does she do? She goes to prison and decides, yet again, that rules are for other people, and that she doesn't have to follow them if she doesn't want to. So now she gets to spend the next several months, if not years, in a cold, dark room, all by her lonesome, because she can't seem to grasp a concept as simple as: "You have to follow the rules". Again, that was her choice. She did this to herself.

    show moreshow less