Yikes! Why didn't I hear about this??

Republican office firebombed in North Carolina. by Alleb on 2016-10-17 02:19:00 UTC Reply

Read about it here.

To quote my dad quoting Brave upon hearing the news:

Trump then called the perpetrators "animals" because that's... that's just what he does. *sigh* The War-Queen will be holed up in her tent in the center of her army encampment. Approach only if you have ice cream.

-Alleb

((OT: anyone else having their ellipses cut down to two periods when you post?))

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Goodness Gracious by Tesla on 2016-10-19 00:02:00 UTC Reply

I'm glad to hear nobody was hurt.
That's awful. by VixenMage on 2016-10-17 18:18:00 UTC Reply

I hope whoever did this is caught and brought to justice - that's unbelievable and utterly unacceptable in a nation that has ~~always~~ ~~almost always~~ at least most of the time given lip service to free political speech.

On the bright side, at least no one was hurt.
Trump ALSO said... by Scapegrace on 2016-10-17 14:02:00 UTC Reply

In that selfsame tweet, I might add, that it was "Animals representing Hillary Clinton". I'd like to point out that there is a federal investigation into the matter and, while it is ongoing, so far there have been no links uncovered to Hillary Clinton or her party. That the perpetrators don't like Donald Trump is not grounds for suggesting, quite dangerously, that Clinton's supporters are behind this; despising Donald Trump merely indicates higher brain function rather than outright political affiliation.

Look, however understandable I might personally find flinging a Molotov at a building connected to both a racist tangerine with some roadkill spaghetti on top AND a man who stole money from disaster relief programs to pay for a ridiculous transphobic "bathroom bill" (Pat McCrory, as any fule kno), this isn't the way forward. The Democrats have the presidential election in the bag, the Republicans are having to retool their entire strategy in order to get the GOP faithful to vote down-ticket (weeks before an election and after early voting has started), and so I consider it entirely unnecessary and completely stupid, regardless of the fact that nobody was hurt in the incident. All this does is fuel Trump's ramblings about a vast, unknowable conspiracy arrayed against him and Real America(TM) and play into his narratives surrounding the rigging of this election. This will make Trump-supporting "poll-watchers" (read: bloated, grubby little fascists) feel entirely justified in engaging in voter intimidation - and since this is American fascism we're talking about, the Trumpists are going to show up armed to the teeth.

This was a stupid, violent act and I hope that the people behind it are brought to justice. I also hope that this doesn't get in the way of people realizing that a Trump presidency is far more dangerous than any of the alternatives. Yes, including Gary Johnston and Jill Stein; they're both too stupid to be President, though for entirely different reasons (Jill thinks vaccines cause autism and Wi-Fi causes brain cancer, Gaz doesn't think... at all, as far as I've been able to make out).

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Interestingly enough... by SeaTurtle on 2016-10-17 15:53:00 UTC Reply

...while it's not been proven that Wi-Fi causes brain cancer, it is known that some individuals are physically affected by sources of EM radiation— a phenomenon known as 'Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity' (EMH). I recall the case of an office worker who had a microwave antenna bolted outside his office window; after several years of working there, he got head-splitting migraines whenever he was exposed to a strong EM field. The poor man couldn't even keep a radio running in the background because it felt like he was itching all over.

The end of the WHO article says: by Huinesoron on 2016-10-17 16:10:00 UTC Reply

Conclusions

"EHS is characterized by a variety of non-specific symptoms that differ from individual to individual. The symptoms are certainly real and can vary widely in their severity. Whatever its cause, EHS can be a disabling problem for the affected individual. EHS has no clear diagnostic criteria and there is no scientific basis to link EHS symptoms to EMF exposure. Further, EHS is not a medical diagnosis, nor is it clear that it represents a single medical problem."

So there's no specific set of symptoms, no clear way to diagnose it, and no scientific evidence linking it to EM radiation... that sounds more like people attributing random afflictions to something obvious around them, to me. It's possible it's an actual effect, but - unless there's been more recent research - I'm far from convinced.

(And either way, nerve/sensation-related effects don't have anything to do with cancer. ^_~)

hS

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As for the whole "vaccines and autism" thing... by Matt Cipher on 2016-10-17 15:03:00 UTC Reply

I am happy to report that "SafeMinds", the anti-vaccine activists, funded a study to prove their point. With them giving the money, the research was supposed to be free of any sort of manipulation and corruption...
.
.
.
.
It backfired at them spectacularly, as the research showed a link between autism and vaccines does not exist.

Presumably... by Huinesoron on 2016-10-17 15:42:00 UTC Reply

... in accordance with their clear dedication to the weight of scientific evidence, they have now entirely reversed their message and are firmly (if not enthusiastically) stating that no, vaccines don't cause autism, and that there's no evidence they're bad and lots that they're good?

No? ... no?

(For my money, the best part of the story is that they're investigating what went wrong, because the initial reports they heard suggested there was a link. Because that's how science works, right? The vague ideas you draw after a week always pan out into solid data three years down the line? Right? Right?!?!?)

hS

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Not really... by Matt Cipher on 2016-10-17 17:36:00 UTC Reply

Now SafeMinds are quite irritated. They've stated that the media that wrote about their failure "didn't understand their goal". They also claim they will try and look for any sort of error in the study.

As for the other part - it started with some outdated and imprecise research that claimed that only partially suggested that vaccines may be harmful.

I don't think I need to say that this is not science. by DCCCV on 2016-10-18 00:43:00 UTC Reply

Science is not coming up with a hypothesis, and making the evidence support your ideas.

Correct me if I'm wrong please.

Oh look, FunÂ™ across the ocean! by Desdendelle on 2016-10-17 12:02:00 UTC Reply

I'm glad nobody was hurt.
Ugh. by Huinesoron on 2016-10-17 09:05:00 UTC Reply

Proof, if any was needed*, that there are awful people on both sides of any debate.

*No proof was needed.

I'm glad no-one was hurt. I hope there's no retaliatory violence.

hS
Well, that's... not acceptable. by Seafarer on 2016-10-17 06:31:00 UTC Reply

Hopefully they find ~~and shoot~~ the perpetrators.

(...I thought Trump didn't believe in evolution, so why's he calling them "animals"? :-p)
*Shakes head* by DCCCV on 2016-10-17 05:29:00 UTC Reply

Otherwise, Hello, Alleb.
Yikes! Why didn't I hear about this?? by eatpraylove on 2016-10-17 02:46:00 UTC Reply

I hate them as much as any Democrat, but that doesn't mean I want their offices firebombed!

Glad no one was killed or injured, at least.