wonderingwanderer

Is the FOP still going to release statements in support of ICE?

Might be smart to dump any US bonds before the US economy ultimately crashes when the bubble bursts…

If you read Macron’s text, he says russia could be including in the margins of the meeting. It’s an observer’s role, he’s not inviting him back into the G8.

It would he really cool if he arrests him though.

Save us, Rand al’Thor

Extortion and racketeering, diplomacy edition…

Just because wikipedia was the most expedient source to cite on a Lemmy post, doesn’t mean I don’t read books. Stop making assumptions about me.

Hmm, brutal theocratic dictator or democratic referendum with possible constitutional monarchy. Tough choice. Oh but the US at least nominally expresses support for the possible referendum (in reality it’s more like opposition to the theocratic regime), so following the logic that anything anti-west is good, you choose the theocracy?

That’s not that surprising to be honest. Look, I hate trump and I hate agreeing with him even more, but a broken clock is right twice a day, and I’ve been in the background quietly cheering for Iranian self-determination since at least the New Iran movement in 2022. This isn’t about US foreign policy, this is about the Iranian people deserving better than the mullah.

You’re right, Syria was once great, and now for the time being it’s in Shambles. But you’re forgetting a key part of the picture, which is that Assad’s regime already had it in shambles. He needed to go. And although HTS has yet to deliver on the promise of a referendum, and they’ve had questionable relations so far with minority groups such as Druze and Kurds, calling them ISIS is misinformed. They broke with ISIS over ideological differences and disavowed any affiliation, it’s okay if they want to rehab their image to gain legitimacy and international recognition.

Also, I don’t consume Israel’s propaganda. Fuck off with that. Not everyone who is against the Ayatollah is pro-Israel, and just because Israel is conducting opportunistic agitation doesn’t mean the whole protest movement is an Israeli proxy.

There are currently no true parliamentary monarchies in the Middle East. At best, some are semi-constitutional.

Absolute monarchs remain in Brunei, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar are classified as mixed, meaning there are representative bodies of some kind, but the monarch retains most of his powers. Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia and Morocco are constitutional monarchies, but their monarchs still retain more substantial powers than in European equivalents.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_monarchies

Regardless, he openly states that he prefers a secular republic. It comes down to whether the referendum is held in a truly democratic manner; after that, it’s up to the people of Iran to choose.

But anyway, unless you’re fine with the status quo and are arguing in support of the Ayatollah, try reading the room. Cause it seems like these are the only options…

Ah, now I see

Um, what? That’s not at all what I was suggesting…

🍻

He takes credit for any skirmishes that subsided during his presidency even when he had nothing to do with them. And he hallucinates a few too.

What the fuck.

Not waived, US taxpayers will probably foot the bill…

“There’s not enough money to fund social services” / “We can’t pay our employees more cause it would cut into our bottom line”

BS

Why would you salt the ashes if you intend to rebuild? You’re aware that that makes land inarable for generations, right?

At first I thought they meant it like “nepo babies going to ivy leagues remain stupid and out-of-touch,” but on second glance I think you’re right. Yikes.

I’ll drink to drinking to anything!

he said people should choose between a “constitutional monarchy” and a republic.

👀

he said people should choose

So, a democratically-held referendum?

Also, in case you don’t know what a constitutional monarchy is, it typically has a parliament and a set of rules which limit the powers of the monarch. Basically all the extant monarchies in Europe are constitutional monarchies. It’s in contrast with an “absolute monarchy,” which is what you seem to be afraid of.

The people will “choose” a monarchy

How do you know that? What makes you so sure? And if it’s what the people choose, then what right do you have to tell them otherwise?

He’s not his father, and his political views are sharply different. Let’s take a look:

Ideologically, he has expressed support for a democratic transition in Iran and has advocated for a referendum to be held in Iran to determine the nature of the future government. Pahlavi has repeatedly called for protests against the Islamic Republic, and has called for the removal of the current regime from power.

According to Australia’s ABC News, Reza Pahlavi believes in the establishment of a secular, democratic and liberal Iran.

Pahlavi has said that he has no intention to take a long-term leadership role in Iran should the current regime fall. He has said the Iranian people must choose the form of rule they prefer, whether constitutional monarchy or a republic, and that a referendum should be held to decide. Pahlavi has said that after the Islamic revolution in 1979, he concluded the merit of “separation of religion from state as a primordial principle and precondition to democratic order”.

In 2024, Pahlavi told the BBC that he prefers that Iran would choose to remain a republic, since he views this political system as more meritocratic.

Pahlavi has advocated for increased tolerance within Iran, arguing for the establishment of watchdogs and the strengthening of civil society in order to avoid the concentration of power in one group. Pahlavi is said to have defended a democratic vision for Iran, advocating for free elections in order to establish a constituent assembly. According to the university of Navarra, Pahlavi “has refused to commit to the restoration of the monarchy”. Pahlavi told European members of parliament that Iran following the demise of the regime would be an ally of Europe and the West.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reza_Pahlavi

You can write one, I’m sure you can get it published in a sociology journal as long as you pepper it with enough sideways jabs at “white men” as an abstract entity.

It seems like you’re the one fundamentally misunderstanding the organizational structure of state and local governance.

The mayor appoints the police chief. Walz has political power and influence over the mayor of Minneapolis.

No he doesn’t. There is no direct chain of authority from the governor to the mayor. The mayor is elected by the people of Minneapolis, and directly answerable to the people of Minneapolis. The governor is elected by the people of Minnesota and is directly answerable to the people of Minnesota. They often work together on mutual goals that require cooperation, but neither one is accountable to the other.

Walz doesn’t even appoint the MSP police chief; that position is chosen from within the ranks via promotion. The closest thing he could do is appoint a new DPS commissioner, which wouldn’t have much effect.

The “rules” I’m referring to are about breaking this established order that I’m referring to. Breaking those rules means actually pressuring (or in some cases removing) people in their positions that refuse to defend the citizens of the state. Breaking the rules means using the state power to defend citizens against the federal invasion.

Those wouldn’t be breaking any rules, but this isn’t about rules. It’s not about being “against the rules,” it’s about feasibility: what’s possible and what’s not possible. Here’s what the mayor of Minneapolis said:

Why are we put in this position? We’re put in this position because we have approximately 600 police officers in Minneapolis, far fewer that are able to work at any given time. And there are approximately 3,000 ICE agents in the area.

For the record, MSP has about the same number of troopers as MPD, and they’re primarily tasked with traffic enforcement.

And if your idea is to recruit more people to the police force who will fight ICE, how do you plan to convince a bunch of leftists to become cops?

Lastly, it’s not like the leadership is sitting around twiddling their thumbs, they’re following the legal process to seek an injunction:

Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Jan. 12, calling the surge of federal law enforcement into the state “unlawful violent conduct” and “excessive force.”

The lawsuit seeks a court order to halt the immigration crackdown. So far no temporary measures have been ordered, and the lawsuit is pending.

It’s all they can do right now. Sure, it’s a constitutional crisis, but violent means of resistance aren’t called for until all other options have been exhausted. That means secession isn’t on the table unless midterms are either canceled or ignored.

Mobilizing the national guard against federal agents would amount to open rebellion. No matter how corrupt and unqualified the federal administration and DPS/ICE troops are, it exposes the leadership of the state, the guard, and all its troops to legal penalties up to and including treason which can be punishable by death. And we all know how republicans are frothing at the bit to execute people. So unless you’re confident that your state guard can win against the feds, that move is unadvisable. And since it would bring in full military mobilization, it would be a detrimental escalation. Not beneficial to the people of Minnesota or Minneapolis.

The governor and the mayor know these things. They know more than you do, so stop calling them cowards for not doing enough. Nothing they can do is enough, and anything they can do would be akin to thrashing while caught in quicksand.