It wasn't founded on the inverse either. It was a federation of states, some of which WERE built on equality as a principle.

And I'm really annoyed that side gets left out simply because a lot of us died in the Civil War.

Yes and no.

You see, prior to 1838, black men could vote in PA. They lost that in the 1838 convention and regained it in 1870.

But that occurred because PA was no longer majority Quaker, they'd moved west (and been outnumbered by Irish pouring into Philadelphia). Ohio had de facto black suffrage (despite its crummy 1802 constitution), and Iowa had explicit black suffrage from the day its constitution was enacted to now.

The Dutch did, and it was outlawed before the revolutionary war was even finished with the Gradual Abolition Act.

Quakers.

There is a forgotten history to this country, that a large number of people came here GENUINELY believing that all people were equals, and had been believing that since the English civil war.

At the time of founding a large minority of the population of America were Quakers. By the Civil War, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Iowa were Quaker majority states.

The only reason we're forgotten is because the Civil War wiped us out. Huge numbers of Quaker men (paradoxically) enlisted in the early "Union Generals are shit" phase of the war, and continued enlisting in the "Grant gets people killed" phase of the war.

The survivors mostly converted to Lutheranism or Methodism because they were sending all the Union Army chaplains.

It's revisionist history to say that America was a "color blind" meritocracy at its founding.

You can pretend Pennsylvania colony didn't exist all you like, but it did. It's not our fault all the rest of the colonies were founded by sects that thought it was righteous to be a prig.

It's at the point where I can't really tell if it's being ironic about it or not.

Remember, The Next Generation was pro-SJW in its time, and Lower Decks is quite deliberately kicking TNG in the shin.

If you want to take a clipboard and rundown all the SJW best-of tropes, does it check a lot of boxes? Sure. But not in a flattering way.

I mean take Becket. Archetypal perfect strong minority female? Yes, and no. Because she's played so far over the top into mary sue territory that she's basically just a font of chaos like Rick Sanchez. And when look at her actual flaws, they're very, very human (again just like Rick) because it's all an act to cover insecurity and having awkward relationships with friends and family on account of not wanting to show any vulnerability.

Boimler on the other hand lampoons Roddenberry's ideals. His lived experiences serve to undermine all those ready room speeches Picard gave. Mark Hamill once said that Luke Skywalker was "the Abbott in a universe of Costellos". That's basically what Boimler is, illustrating how detached Gene's clinically professional sense of morality would be from the reality of a universe full of aliens that MIGHT ACTUALLY think like us (and be as fucked up as us).

Lower Decks pokes the dead body of Star Trek with a stick. Picard wears it like a costume.

I've said for a while that Lower Decks directly appeals to people who liked Star Trek but now believe Star Trek is dead, Jim.

Vanguard Group upped its stake to 10.3%

Because Elon's buying drove up the price.

Vanguard is an index fund, their buying and selling is market capitalization weighted. Reading "into" their buying and selling habits is futile, their behavior is almost entirely algorithmic. It was absolutely predictable that if Elon drove up twitter's market cap, within a couple days Vanguard would have to buy accordingly to rebalance.

Can he even pull this off?

In short, he can but the ball right now is in the board's court. They can accept his offer (in which case the shares are recalled by the company at $54.20) or they can refuse.

If they refuse, Elon can try to buy a 50.1% stake on the open market. Attempting to do so would be... expensive.

You're ignoring the immediately obvious.

The United States has a built in safety valve, despite Lincoln's attempt to disable it. We are not one government, we're a federation of governments. Most STATE governments are comparatively popular, because they're more representative of the their constituents values.

The federal government will fall apart. The states will replace it.

The only question is which side will initiate it this time, and whether the other side will (again) make the mistake of trying to prevent it.

Yes, just like things were BEFORE Lincoln.

Ontario

Like Quebec

Say that in the wrong bar in Quebec and you'll need an ambulance.

Gen-X'er wakes up, realizes he became Eldon Tyrell.

Because another thirty years of stagflation is exactly what Japan needs.

ask me anything

Are pop-tarts sandwiches?

"Our gods are dead. Ancient Klingon warriors slew them a millennia ago. They were more trouble than they were worth."

Yes.

But you probably wouldn't pass Goonswarm's background check.

Imagine showing up at E3 with a Game Developer polo...

I kinda want one.

I'm not.

I'm not even certain the judge was honest. Just angry at his incredulity.

If there's one thing that every level of the judiciary hates its when people purposefully waste their time.

Because they really are that stupid.

Think back to high school. Y'know the people who ran for student government? Remember how they were inevitably vapid idealists who didn't comprehend how pointless student government was?

Now fast forward. Y'know how all of us understand that the UN is a sock puppet theater?

That hasn't occurred to them.

Where's the lie?

Yes, the research may have been done in China, but the CCP are as greedy as a New York pigeon and it looks increasingly like America was the dumbass bringing the birdseed.

Oh, that emporer was probably just another

12th century

No. That was firmly in the Heian period, when the Fujiwara clan held the Shogunate and the Emperor was sidelined, setting the norm for how the Shogun would run the country more or less until the Meiji Restoration (give or take a few disruptions).

France

Leaves NATO

Again?

half a dozen different currencies

Hahahahahahahahahaha

How many do we have?

• Gil
• Tomestones
• Company Seals
• FC Credits
• 14 Beastman Currencies
• Hunt Seals
• Hand and Land Scrip
• Wolf Marks
• Ventures
• MGP
• Leaf, Nuts, Bozjan, Bicolors, Centurios