Sure, I agree that it’s definitely reasonable to make those assumptions and that they were almost certainly involved. I’m definitely not arguing with any of that, just the presentation here. I’m not saying there wasn’t evidence, I was genuinely asking because the picture was (intentionally) stripped of any possible context so that we could all feel clever and smug without having to think about anything. Thank you for giving some more history, in any case.

All I was asking is if there was evidence or not. What we have here is a screenshot of a part of an article with no context which appears to contradict itself that people are circlejerking over. The fact that it happened doesn’t prove that Maduro was right (or wrong) all along. I just take issue with this “meme” being posted as some gotcha crap when it’s deliberately excluding any actual information.

Was there evidence? Honestly asking.

Something being a reasonably safe bet isn’t evidence, and neither is the CIA having done this before. Years of paranoid delusions (or less generously, lying) isn’t suddenly justified if something finally happens. If there was actual evidence of them doing it sure, but this picture on its own isn’t a gotcha, it’s some “Alex Jones is right 95% of the time” kind of shit.

I finished Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. This was my least favourite book the first two times and I wasn’t looking forward to it, but it was really good this time through. I think it’s because I read a physical book instead of listening to the audiobook this time, and this one is much slower and more contemplative. Memories are such an important part of this story, so being able to read entire pages of scene-setting, that go in detail into everything that Dresden was seeing & feeling, and everything they mean to him, were much more effective in a medium that lets you sit with things for a moment and really take it all in. Loved it.

I’m in Fellowship of the Ring now, gonna alternate these with Dresden files. I only just watched the films for the first time in the last year or so and I read The Hobbit last month (didn’t watch those ones). No thoughts on it yet except I’m glad we didn’t stick around in Hobbiton for very long, I really don’t like the people there for the most part.

Obviously

state laws will be updated to limit firearms owners to four guns for recreational use and 10 guns for commercial and farming use

The country’s gun lobby has opposed the plan, describing it as “the fight of our lives.”

🙄

Yeah I know, but we’re shitposting

Same enemies

XCOM Enemy Unknown

XCOM 2

Just regarding the post title, John Birch died 14 years before the JBS was founded and had nothing to do with them. They considered him a martyr because he was killed by a Chinese Communist during an assignment so they used him as a symbol of anti-Communism. James Doolittle, a wartime pilot and possibly Birch’s friend (maybe they just worked together, not sure exactly and I don’t feel like looking into it further), said in his autobiography:

“[Birch] had no way of knowing that the John Birch Society, a highly vocal postwar anti-communist organization, would be named after him because its founders believed him to be the ‘first casualty of World War III.’ I feel sure he would not have approved.”

As usual it’s these far right assholes hiding behind something/someone more respectable to launder their bullshit.

🌎🧑‍🚀🔫🧑‍🚀

Worst Spot (Attempt at a big moment in a match)
Moose/Cardona/others fail to even try to catch Leon Slater from a 16’ leap. (60%)

I’m still irrationally annoyed about this one. The whole “risk vs reward” thing is dead these days because everyone’s a spot monkey and it sucks because I used to love that sort of thing when we didn’t see it 10 times every show, maybe I’m just getting old. That should have won him the match, or, since he missed, ended it for him. Once he hit the ground that should have been it, do not move again. But no they have to stick to the plan instead of telling an actual in-ring story so he jumps straight back up, gets into the ring and then gets attacked. What’s the point?

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a recent interview that his agency intended to probe anti-fascist and anti-ICE protesters and those that support them. “We are going to track the money. We are going to track these ringleaders.” He went on to claim, without evidence, that many of the protesters in Chicago were “professional agitators that are being brought in.”

Why bother, just listen to any right wing political commentator over the last 10 years, it’s all George Soros right?

City populations are measured using satellite-mapped urban footprints for global consistency.

Is global consistency more important than accuracy? This says Perth has 1.1M people, which is a pretty huge difference from the actual 2.3M. Seems useless. I guess that means it’s twice as spread out as whatever the standard is, but then make that map instead.

Anyone who celebrates anything that isn’t relevant to me personally is an idiot.

I’m in the postgame and I haven’t even seen a Frigibax yet. Judging by the gaps in the dex, that, Rotom, and Gimmighoul (though I evolved & returned the one in the sidequest so at least it’s registered) are the only normal mons I’m missing, assuming everything between the last mega rogue & the final boss are legendaries.

Since they appear to all be returning in future seasons, I might just wait for the last one. It only takes like 12 minutes but I still don’t want to do it. If I miss out it’s not like I was going to use it anyway so whatever.

He’s already been in WWE. His theme song was called Money Money Money and the lyrics are just “Money” being repeated infinite times. IIRC he was presented as the good guy in a feud against Vince McMahon, and he’s been in the WWE Hall of Fame since 2013. He was about as incapable of doing anything competently as you’d expect.

God damn you didn’t say it was a sleeper hold! I don’t know who Gunther is so I was picturing like a Sharpshooter or something, at least that would have been a real move. Going out on a rest hold is brutal.

What happened?

I read about the first fifth of Ghost Story (Dresden Files) this morning. According to my history it’s been a little over 5 years since I last read this, it feels like so much less. To be as vague as possible, that first meeting with the Ragged Lady breaks my heart every time.

I also started The Fellowship of the Ring earlier this week. Only a couple of chapters in, so not much to say about that yet except that I find Hobbits very unpleasant.

I’ve continued Words of Radiance after a 8-9 month hiatus. This Graphic Audio thing is still rad, I’ve just been going through a reading reading phase rather than an audiobook one. I haven’t gotten around to getting a physical copy yet because I have the previous book in the giant hardcover with (I think) the European art? My local fantasy bookshop hasn’t had it in when I’ve been around and I haven’t bothered to ask.

Finished the latest Incryptid, the last couple have been a bit disappointing. They never quite do it for me, what I really want is for the books to go for another chapter and let me see the family in the aftermath of the story, but they always end abruptly right as the climax resolves and there’s no wind-down. You’d think after 14 books I’d be used to it but it always leaves me a little deflated. It’s nice that we get to explore a little more of different characters each book, but I just want to see them together outside of an immediate crisis too.

What else… I’m near the beginning of The Death of WCW, we’re still going through the history of wrestling in North America. I know a lot of it and don’t really care, but it’s necessary context so fair enough.

Oh and I still have a handful of other books on the backburner, Storygraph says I have 12 books going 🤷‍♂️ I’ll finish some eventually.