Total topics: 76
A 17 year old girl in the Netherlands has been euthanized after being raped repeatedly in her childhood. To me this case utterly destroys the libertarian ethos. It may have been her choice, but it was something the government should've never condoned. If this is the result of unrestrained freedom, count me out. Noa was a physically healthy girl with a long life ahead of her, who needed help, not death.
I don't really have much to say, but felt like posting this because just thinking about it makes me tear up. God rest her soul.
Created:
Updated:
Category:
Politics
this is for me and my pal Spacetime to discuss policy and just throw ideas around. anyone is of course welcome to join. the only rule is that we avoid culture warring. our last convo was about UBI/technological unemployment
my current opinion is that technological unemployment is already here. We can see it everywhere, from the rise of "bullshit jobs" to the "gig economy." The economy actually HAS improved since the recession and people really are being pushed back into work...but it isn't enough. entire fields are in rapid decline, and not enough new positions are coming in to replace them. The unemployment rate might be low, but the underemployment rate is extremely high and rising.
at the same time our system utterly fails at producing the kinds of jobs that are difficult to automate--high skilled blue collar work.
what do we do?
Created:
Updated:
Category:
Politics
Re upping this quiz I made long ago. Obviously you should strive for as high a score as possible
Obviously you should strive for as high a score as possible
Where do you live?
California: -2 points
Urban: -1 points
Suburban: 0 points
Rural: 2 points
Where did your family come from?
A different country than the one I'm currently living in: -1 point
A different state/province/region than the one I'm currently living in: 0 points
The same state/province/region: 1 point
The exact same area. All four of my grandparents grew up within fifty miles of where I currently live: 2 points
What proportion of your extended family lives within an hour from you?
None: -1 point
Less than 25%: 0 points
Between 25% and 50%: 1 point
More than half: 2 points
Do you have a regional accent?
No: -1 point
Yes, slight: 0 points
Yes, recognizably so: 1 point
Yes, and people who speak my native language from different parts of the country can barely understand me: 2 points
How often do you attend religious services?
Never: -1 point
Annually: 0 points
Once a month: 1 point
Once a week or more: 2 points
Do you come from a religious tradition?
Yes, but no longer practice: -2 points
No, and not a convert to any religion: -1 points
No, but converted to a religion: 0 points
Yes, still practice: 1 point
Yes, still practice with my family at the same church I went to as a child: 2 points
How many children do you have or plan to have?
Zero: -1 point
One: 0 points
Two: 1 point
Three or more: 2 points
What is your occupation?
Officer worker/white collar: -1 point
Blue collar: 0 points
Skilled tradesman/stay at home mom: 1 point
Skilled trademan, doing the same job that my father did: 2 points
How well do you know your neighbors?
Don't know their names: -1 point
Have interacted with them on rare occasions: 0 points
First name basis: 1 point
Know you could depend on them in a survival situation: 2 points
If male, how often do you pee outside?
Never: -1 point
On hikes or trips to the woods: 0 points
Occasionally, especially when doing yard work: 1 point
The majority of the time: 2 points
Which circumstances best describe your significant other?
Grew up on opposite sides of the country/globe: -1 point
Came from the same state, region, or province: 0 points
Share the same home town: 1 point
Share the same home town and religious tradition, families were acquainted before you got together: 2 points
Do you own any animals?
No: -1
Yes, but only pets: 0
Yes, livestock: 1
Yes, livestock, which are descended from my ancestors flock/herd: 2
Do you grow any of your own food?
No: -1
Yes, I have a small garden: 0
Yes, the majority of my property is dedicated to agriculture: 1
I'm literally a subsistence farmer: 2
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
Thett walked out of Camp David in a daze. He strode past Mueller, who was saying something to him,but none of the words went through. Thett knew Kanye was a powerful man, but he had not expected to feel so lowly in comparison. Moreover, he had not expected the highly critical information he thought he was delivering to simply be apart of the plan--a plan in which he was even less than a pawn.
As he exited the premises, he decided that he was done. He was going home. Pulling out his iPhone, he summoned an Uber to drive him to his castle, which like Camp David,was in the woods of Maryland. On the ride he went back to contemplating his journey. It had truly felt like his life had all led up to this moment, like a narrative in which saving his beloved country from the Russians was the final act. And Kanye had shot it all down. On top of that, Thett knew he was under indictment for violating selectively enforced federal regulations and would likely be arrested as soon the government realized that he was still alive--more collateral damage in Kanye's master plan. He couldn't help but feel bitter after everything he had done...
---------
September, 2001. A post 9/11 meeting between President George W. Bush and Pat Buchanan changed the course of history. Buchanan convinced Bush that the neoconservative policies of his predecessors had caused this disaster, and as a result of this revelation the President had vowed to reorient his administration to serve right wing populist ends. Determining that trade with China was undermining industries critical to national security, Bush cancelled a free trade agreement. China objected, stating that this violated the NAP, and threatened the use of military force to defeat the dangerous nonsense of protectionism. Bush didn't back down, and on December 7th, 2001, 60 years after Pearl Harbor, the Trade War began, which Bush promised would be "good and easy to win."
Thett, then a senior at DDO High School (along with Bsh1 and YYW), was drafted into the US Navy. Thett had always dreamed of being a pirate, and in the Navy his job was to storm Chinese trade vessels and seize their products. It was just like being a pirate, and Thett had a grand time during the war, which unfortunately couldn't be said about everyone else. The Trade War was a disaster, as an unexpected Chinese naval victory crippled the US Navy and left the ground forces to fight a land war in Asia without resupply. President Bush immediately resigned and his Vice President, Airmax1227, successfully negotiated an end to the hostilities and the return of free trade. This disaster is what led to the libertarian atmosphere of the current day.
After the war hordes of bitter veterans unable to find a job, many of whom were still enamored with the ideology of protectionism, took to the seas and continued pirating Chinese trade vessels. The US governments failure to rein them in was a continuous source of tension, but under Airmax's libertarian policies, the military budget was slashed to the bone.
Meanwhile, Thett took his savings from his meagre military salary and got rich as a day trader. He won his start up cash by accidentally borrowing twenty three million dollars from his brokerage and investing it in highly risky options and then selling at the only moment that day when it would've been profitable. He posted about the incident on Reddit to try to understand what had happened (https://old.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/7w6cq0/i_somehow_made_110k_this_morning_and_im_still_not/), but forgot to change up his investments, so the same thing happened the next day only with far more money. Suddenly, he was wealthy beyond his wildest dreams, and he leveraged this wealth into celebrity status becoming a rich and eccentric playboy. A brief career in the CIA led to a brief career in politics, followed by a much longer career in business. Thett ran a trust busting enterprise. Whenever a company like Amazon or Google got too big, Thett would create an alternative and use his star power to go after them.
Still, this didn't satisfy him. One day, at Ron Paul 2008 meeting, Thett had a revelation. Since the free market was ALWAYS best, it alone could solve the pirate issue. After the top regulatory mind in the world (Bsh1) took a look at the plan, the Thett3 Privateering Company was born. Thett hired a crew composed of high school friends and military buddies, with the plan to fight the pirates in exchange for pay and soon enough shipping companies were clamoring to hire them out for protection. Eventually Thett's fame culminated in the biggest honor of his life: a cameo appearance for him and his crew on the Spongebob Squarepants movie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohMzC_1W0ZY)
Thett had met kings and queens, presidents and dictators, had fought men and beasts. But it was all over now. His crew was dead. He was broke. And because he violated federal regulations, he was now a fugitive from the law.
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
Please press F for all the liberal boomers out there
Created:
Updated:
Category:
Politics
Andrew Yang is the only democratic candidate to ascend to the god tier level.
Tulsi and Bernie are in the "you aight" tier.
The rest are cringe tier.
What makes American Andy so great?
1) He's promised us all NEETbux
UBI is the wrong answer to the right question--how do we as a society reckon with coming technological changes that threaten to radically change the job market? This has happened before--see the Industrial Revolution which, while ultimately a very good thing, caused a lot of unnecessary misery among the rural English peasant class that could've been avoided had it been implemented better. He is getting the ball rolling on this extremely important question
2) He cares about all Americans
American Andy speaks about white people dying of drug overdoses more kindly than any Republican politician (even though 90% of their voters are white) ever has. Moreover this is not a dog whistle. He is not some sort of white nationalist (obviously) he just genuinely cares about the American people, ~60% of whom are white. He has a chance of actually uniting the country in some way
3) He's promised us all gf's
...probably
Created:
Updated:
Category:
Politics
The motley crew said little during the drive to Camp David. Thett planned to let Mueller do most of the talking to convince President West that the Russian infiltration of his administration was a very serious problem, so he tried to mostly enjoy the ride and reflect on his life's journey. While Thett mused, Mueller desperately attempted to get the green dye out of his hair so that he would look more professional and less "punk rock", but it was to no avail. Thett let out a great pirate laugh at the sight, something he had been doing less and less lately.
All too soon, the motorcade pulled into Camp David and Thett went along with YYW, Tyrone, Rational, and Mueller as they were escorted into the retreats lobby, where secret service agents were watching them like hawks. After a few minutes, a bookshelf on the wall suddenly moved forward--it was not a bookshelf at all, but rather a secret door leading to the chambers within. From this bookcase passage emerged a man even bigger and blacker than Tyrone--he radiated an ancient, metaphysical power, and at his presence the secret service agents immediately snapped into attention. Although he was wearing no uniform, Thett instinctively knew that this man was the captain of the Secret Service. The captain said nothing as he passed the agents, and slowly walked passed Tyrone, Rational, and Mueller before stopping. He pointed his finger at Thett and then motioned for him to step forward.
"Who, me?" Thett blurted out.
The man gave no response save for a withering look that said more than any words ever could. A rough translation of the look would be something along the lines of "Yes you, you idiot. Why else would I have pointed at you? Quit wasting my extremely valuable time."
Thett stood.
"Thett, if you meet President West make sure to emphasize--" Muellers last minute instructions came to a sputtering halt as the captain held up a hand.
Taking a deep breath, Thett followed the man through the secret bookcase.
-----------
Through Camp David the pair went, before stopping before a great oak door at least twenty feet high. Despite his massive height, the captain could barely reach the door knocker, which was a fine brass craving of Kim Kardashian. The door creaked slowly open on its own accord and, as soon as it was open enough for him to step through, Thett was gently nudged through the door, which slammed behind him. The room he found himself in was quite tastefully decorated. Almost every inch was covered in something extremely cool. In one corner, Thett spotted a series of medieval tapestries. Another was dedicated to early 20th century boxing memorabilia. A nearby nightstand had the entire collected works of Collin Leslie Dean stacked on it. The place reminded Thett a lot of his castle. Turning around, he saw a large poster above the giant door:
"It is necessary to write a play, the novel, the poetry and the song ... about the theory of Numbers have an end.-Mohamed Ababou-"
The center of the room was covered by a purple shawl, that seemed to lead into another, smaller room. That was when Thett noticed someone else in the room.
"No...it can't be..."
And yet it was. Standing there, deep in conversation, was...16kadams!
16kadams was the former mysterious advisor of President Trump, and widely considered one of the greatest propagandists of all time. It was said that he had read every single social and political study ever released, and still rejected big brained centrism. What business could he possibly have with President Kanye West?
Thett just stood there watching from the other side of the room for a full five minutes. Finally, 16kadams bowed and exited the room, giving Thett a knowing smirk as he passed by.
"COME CLOSER" said a booming voice. Thett approached the purple shawl and went inside. That was when he saw....him.
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
Bsh was reading a fascinating piece of regulatory code about the cut of pickles allowed to be served on burgers when the knock came. Checking his watch. he was surprised to see that it was nearly 1 AM.
"Who could possibly be calling at this hour?"
He looked through the peephole and saw, to his shock, YYW.
"YY! It's you! You're alive!" Bsh exclaimed happily as he quickly swung open the door.
YYW said nothing, merely moved into the entryway and closed the door. Turning around, he locked the deadbolt.
"How did you survive? Th-they told me you were dead!"
"They told me you've been talking to the FBI. The Russian infiltrated FBI."
"Oh YY it's horrible...it turns out that Thett was knowingly violating a whole host of regulations and he has to be brought to justice. I thought that his negligence got you killed. And you don't actually believe this fake news Russia conspiracy, do you? Republicans are just mad that President West won in a landslide. Oh G-d I thought you were dead!"
"And yet I'm not dead."
"You're not dead!"
"I'm not...but you are."
Before Bsh could even process that statement, YYW was swinging at him with a baseball bat. Only long practice as a pirate allowed Bsh to dodge the blow, and quickly grab a metal pipe he had lying around for narrative convenience to parry YYW's next swing. Bsh's instincts kicked in and soon enough the two were engaged in a vicious brawl that quickly spilled out of the entry way and into the living room. His heart rate rose and with it, his anger. Soon enough even though he still wasn't sure what they were fighting about he was earnestly attempting to kill YYW.
The two exchanged blow after blow before YYW knocked the metal pipe out of Bsh's hands. Thinking quickly, Bsh cartwheeled to his bookshelf and began throwing the entire Code of Federal Regulations at YYW, who continually batted away book after book as if he were Babe Ruth. Finally, YYW missed one and a heavy tome slammed directly into his forehead. Bsh took this chance to retrieve his metal pipe to bring it down on YYW's prone body, but he was already up. The two exchanged more blows for several minutes before YYW spoke.
"I have failed you Bsh. I have failed you."
"I should've known that Thett was planning to violate federal regulations!"
"Bsh, the federal government is evil!"
"From my point of view it's the free market that is evil."
"THEN YOU ARE LOST!"
More blows were exchanged before finally YYW leapt onto the coffee table.
"It's over Bsh! I have the high ground!"
"You underestimate my jumping abilities!"
"Don't try it--white men can't jump."
But Bsh did attempt to jump. And as he did, YYW brought his baseball bat down on his knees and suddenly the fight was over. Bsh lay on the ground moaning.
YYW got up to leave, but couldn't stop without saying his piece.
"You were the first mate! It was said that you would destroy the Russians, not join them! Bring balance to the market, not leave it in darkness."
"I HATE YOU!" Bsh spat in response.
"You were my husband, Bsh. I loved you!"
And with that, YYW turned to leave. Slamming the door behind him, he noticed for the first time a flyer tacked to the door:
"PRESIDENTS RAP BATTLE TOURNAMENT!
Winners and their entourage receive a private meeting with President West himself!"
Suddenly YYW was struck with inspiration.
--------------------------
Thett was incredibly nervous. As confident of a guy as he was, taking part in an intelligence community coup to depose the president and declare yourself interim President-King would rattle anyone. Mueller had outfitted Thett in the finest robes that money could buy along with a brand new Smart Crown that connected to both his iPhone, and his similarly new jeweled iSword.
But for better or for worse, today was the day. He had gone over the speech again and again with Tyrone who, in addition to his musical talents was a noted public speaker. Tyrone would be sticking around in Thett's administration as his speechwriter and also to provide political cover in case his blackface photo surfaced.
Thett was jerked out his thoughts by shouting and the sounds of a tussle. Leaving his private chambers, he saw YYW fighting Robert Mueller as RationalMadman stood by sheepishly.
"What's going on here! Stop!"
"Thett, do you have any idea what he did? He assaulted an FBI witness and left him in critical condition. The entire damn department is on the highest alert now. This idiot blew up everything!"
"Thett, you've got to listen to me" YYW interjected "Please, I have a plan that could fix it all, you don't have to do this!"
"Robert, please allow YY to speak with me."
YYW gave Mueller a dirty look and then showed Thett a crumpled flyer.
"Read this! This is our key to getting to President West and explaining everything."
"But I don't know how to rap."
"I don't either...but he does." YYW gestured to RationalMadman. "He does."
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
Lying to c*ngress shouldn't be a crime because c*ngress is gay
Created:
Updated:
Category:
Politics
The state of New York recently passed a law allowing abortion all the way until the end of pregnancy. The process for a late term abortion involves giving a lethal injection to a baby capable of surviving outside of the womb and capable of feeling pain, and then inducing labor so the woman (I will not sully the word mother by associating it with this filth) can give birth to the corpse of the child she murdered.
Pray for the people of this country. Pray that we repent and pray that if we do not we get what we deserve.
Created:
Updated:
Category:
Politics
YYW led Thett through a long underground corridor. A little known DC secret, these tunnels connected the homes of all of Washington's elites. The trip ended abruptly as they came across an open trapdoor. As soon as they ascended the stairs into a well kept basement, Thett was introduced to the silver fox himself: Robert Mueller.
"Thett, have a seat."
He sounded exactly like Chris Hanson.
Thett sat.
"These are my associates, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page" Thett hadn't even finished shaking their hands before Mueller began the long, sorry tale.
"It all began shortly after President West took office...in addition to firing many career bureaucrats, President West's administration undertook a historic purge of top level FBI and CIA officials. Virtually everyone who had been involved in Washington for more than a few years was unceremoniously let go."
"As his campaign promised" Thett butted in
"As his campaign promised, indeed. But there is more to this story. He didn't shrink the size of the bureau at all--in fact he expanded it, and filled it with people whose views and goals are not aligned with American interests. And speaking of his campaign, we have reason to believe that many of his campaign officials, especially Vice President Emilrose, were compromised from the beginning."
"Compromised by who?"
Mueller then removed the sunglasses that Thett hadn't realized he was wearing. "By the Russians."
"This can't be..."
"I assure you that it is. We have evidence suggesting that Emilrose met with Russian officials during the campaign and that after this meeting they spent over $7,000 on Facebook ads in critical swing states. Ads such as these:"
Mueller slid Thett a thick folder. Opening it, he came across a printed screenshot of a Facebook advertisement. It was a cartoon of Christ arm-wrestling Satan. In the image, Satan's speech bubble said "If Trump wins, I win." and Christ replied: "Not if I can help it!"
It was the most persuasive piece of propaganda Thett had ever seen.
"My G-d..."
"I had appointed Pete here to run the counter intelligence investigation, but the day Kanye West took office, Vice President Emilrose told us that we were dismissed and that the investigation was over. And it gets worse: my mole in the FBI has reported to me that the administration has started an intelligence sharing program with Russia and has initiated a Russian national named Mikhail into the bureau."
Thett was absolutely stunned. "Are you telling me that President West is a Russian intelligence asset?"
"Actually, no. The public isn't aware, but outside of his public appearances Kanye doesn't reside in Washington at all. Emilrose runs the administration. He has spent his entire presidency sequestered in Camp David doing...something. No one is sure what. We believe that he could still be reached, but all of our attempts to establish contact have failed."
The entire room was silent for a solid minute before Lisa Page spoke up.
"Thett, there is something else you need to know. The administration has appointed a special counsel to investigate you, and they have already convinced a Grand Jury to hand down a number of sealed indictments. As of this moment, you are effectively a fugitive from the law. And also..." She hesitated and gave YYW a very sympathetic look. "Also...their star witness is your former first mate, Bsh1."
The color absolutely drained from YYW's face. What ensued was a three minute screaming match where YYW demanded the address to Bsh's safe house, which Mueller absolutely refused to give. When the argument was over, a red faced YYW slammed Strzok to the ground and made to leave the house.
"YY, stop!" Thett called out. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going rat hunting."
--------------------------
The team attempted to chase down YYW, but within moments he had vanished into the night. Defeated, they returned to the war room. After a long silence, Mueller spoke.
"Thett, I am going to get down to brass tacks here. I took an oath to defend this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. I take that oath seriously. I am in contact with hundreds of current and former members of the intelligence community and more and more are coming around to our way of thinking. We are going to make every effort to contact President West and convince him to stop this covert foreign takeover, but if the absolute worst comes to pass we may have to...intervene."
"I fully understand."
"We are going to need some kind of popular leader to take the reins in the interim. Someone well known by the public, and universally respected, who could serve as an appointed President before a special election could take place."
"I agree. But who fits the bill?"
"Well we were thinking maybe...you."
TO BE CONTINUED
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
The very next day, Bsh was right back at the interrogation room, telling Mike his story. The very first thing he asked was about YYW. Mike brought in a doctor to consult Bsh,and after the nature of YYW's injuries were described the doctor concluded that he had almost certainly died immediately after his fight with bluesteel. Bsh pushed his grief aside. Thett had caused this. Perhaps if his ship had undergone its mandatory annual inspection, things would've gone differently. Now instead of a heroes death, YYW died breaking the rules. He had died a criminal, and it was Thett's fault. Thett HAD to be brought to justice.
In exchange for his cooperation, Bsh was promised full immunity. Several days went by, and the number of legal regulations broken by Thett continued to pile up. The biggest violation occurred in 2018, when Thett had brokered a deal between his two close friends Kim Jung Un and Donald Trump, successfully averting a nuclear exchange. However unbeknownst to Bsh, Thett had failed to register as a foreign agent when he interceded with Trump to prevent him from dropping the bomb on the Norks. This was a potential felony.
Thus, three days after Bsh cooperated with the authorities the administration of President Kanye West appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Thett and all surviving members of the pirate crew.
However, given the sealed order handed down by Vice President Emilrose, officials high up in the administration doubted that the investigation would be necessary.
-------------
Thett didn't have many regrets. He had lived a truly legendary life, and he knew it. In addition,he was widely considered to be one of the most humble people in existence. Thett considered his humility to be his best virtue, and he was quite proud ofit. He considered his second best trait to be his decision making abilities, so it as very unusual for him to regret something. However he was quickly comingto regret bringing RationalMadman with him to finish the repair of the ship.
RM was a member of Mestaris crew, who was described as "a nice lad, but a bit confusing." RM was not nice to Thett though. At all. Not only did he ignore all orders Thett gave him, but he only spoke in rhymes. The two had come close to blows once, before Tyrone had forcibly broken them up.
And now, as everyone else frantically packed up Mestari's palace or repaired the ship so they could escape this island before Zaradi told the authorities where it was, RM just sat back and threw diss rap after diss rap at Thett.
"Bitch, speak wrong about me one more time and that jaw where the threats spew out of’s gonna
become Thett3’s most missed bit,
Imma tear you apart, boy don’t you dare say you’re smart,
You’re a van-Gogh to DDO, I’m a Mozart to Debate Art,"
Thett gritted his teeth. Tyrone, Mikal, and Blamonkey who were working nearby just snickered.YYW, who had healed enough to leave his hospital bed, gave a booming laugh as he watched the crew at work.
Tyrone was on the crows nest when he saw it. A strange shape in the distance, on the other side of the island...taking out his binoculars, he took one glance, and was only able to say "okay, this is epic"
It was a WWII era battleship, proudly flying the old red white and blue.
-------------
Once Zaradi had told the Military Industrial Complex what he had heard, the decision was clear. They had been searching for the whereabouts of Mestari, Airmax, and TUF for quite some time. Although the latter two were mere figurehead presidents, they commanded great respect from the public. Combined with Thett's star power, they could cause quite a bit of havoc if they went around trying to convince everyone that Democracy was a god that failed. Yes, the decision was painful but also very clear.
The USS Missouri had recently been recommissioned along with a lot of other super cool battleships as part of President West's campaign promise to Make America Lit Again, and was currently doing anti-piracy operations near Mestari's island. Now that they knew the location of these dissenters, the ship was ordered to bombard the island.
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
Please see the first thread here: https://www.debateart.com/forum/topics/610
----
Few words were spoken between Bsh and Zaradi on the long flight back to Washington, DC. Bsh's only thoughts were on YYW, and the crushing guilt he felt about having left him behind. He wondered if YYW was even still alive...
When they landed, they were immediately met by a cordon of Secret Service and CIA agents.
"Thank G-d" Bsh thought--finally, he could tell someone the whereabouts of YYW and the rest of the crew, and whatever survivors were left could be ransomed.
The closest CIA agent briskly approached Bsh, flashing a badge.
"Bee Ess Ach One, you are hereby under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
"Wait...what?"
And then, as Zaradi walked on, Bsh was taken away.
-------------------
Thett stood over YYW on the makeshift hospital bed. Amazingly, it looked like he was going to make a full recovery despite his many injuries. But for now, he slept.
Sighing, Thett turned away and headed towards his rendezvous with Mestari.
"It's obvious that we need to get off this island as soon as possible, and Zaradi took my only private jet. And before we knew who you were, we scuttled your ship. So Thett, I want you to take a party and look for supplies to fix your ship with. Let me introduce you..."
Thett was then introduced to two of Mestari's surviving allies. One, named blamonkey, was very intelligent looking but quite young. He would be useful, but Thett always preferred brawn to brains. The second was Tyrone.
"Now this...this, I can work with." Thett said, after taking one look at Tyrone. Tyrone was the biggest, blackest man Thett had ever seen. He was easily 6'5", and so heavily muscled that he looked like he could snap an olympic bodybuilder like a twig. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and Thett would later learn that he rarely wore shirts because they didn't make any that could contain him. The slightest unintentional flexing would tear even a finely woven shirt into multiple pieces.
"This I can work with" Thett repeated, handing Tyrone a sword. Tyrone immediately dropped it.
"He's a pacifist" Mestari explained
Pulling a Bass Guitar from behind his back, Tyrone helpfully added "I believe in the power of music above all to change souls"
With that, the trio set off to look for wood and rope to repair the ship.
-------------------
Bsh was led to an interrogation room that looked exactly like they did in the movies. The room was entirely empty save for a metal table, two chairs, and a very old fashioned lamp that gave the room some dim lighting. He sat here in silence until a man walked in. In the dim lighting his face was obscured.
"Bsh...I vould like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."
That slight accent...what was it?
"Who...who are you?"
"I'm nobody. You can call me Mike."
"Mike, we had a permit for everything we did. Everything. I doubled checked the law myself."
It was true. Following the letter of the law exactly was extremely important to Bsh, and it was one of the things he had absolutely insisted on double checking before agreeing to be Thetts first mate. Technically, they were privateers, not pirates, and operated under an official United States charter, their rights to disrupt shipping lanes backed up by ancient maritime law. After running rampant in the Obama years, the Trump administration had challenged the right of Thett's crew to pirate vessels. The resulting Thett v. Trump lawsuit made it all the way to the Supreme Court, where Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the liberals of the court in a 5-4 decision, authoring a pro-piracy opinion: "I liked grog. I still like grog."
The controversy resulting from the lawsuit contributed the Trump's landslide defeat to the incumbent United States President, Kanye West. President West immediately cooled down the controversy by striking a deal where Thett and his crew would work as mercenaries for the United States.
All this to say, their piracy was totally on the up and up.
"Things have changed. Read section C" Mike said
He then slid Bsh a section of regulatory code.
"All privateering vessels must undergo a mandatory federal inspection every year."
It had been a year and a half since Thett had the ship inspected. Bsh felt like someone had punched him in the face. Bsh always had the utmost respect for bureaucrats. He viewed a caste of educated professionals issuing rules as the closest thing possible to the Platonic ideal of rule by philosopher kings. He would never, EVER, violate a regulation this blatantly. Did Thett know about this?
Shocking himself, he choked up.
"I didn't know. I swear. I didn't know!"
"Calm down. We know. Just consider yourself lucky that President West signed his mens rea reform bill when he did. We don't think you knew, but we know for a fact that Thett did. We sent him a letter about the change."
How could Thett do this to him?
"Listen, I know you need rest, so I'll cut to the chase. We're hoping you will help us bring Thett to justice. You are going to be inducted into the witness protection program. As a token of good will, I've left something for you in your room."
Bsh was driven into a safe house twenty minutes outside Washington. Entering his room, he immediately saw the surprise. It was an entire library shelf. Contained in the shelf: the entire Code of Federal Regulations.
Bsh fell to his knees and wept with joy
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
bsh is literally the macron of ddo. Let’s riot until he resigns
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
note how this place is a ghost town after the recent bans of wylted and rationalmadman. Controversial members can be annoying and obviously you can’t let them go too crazy but they act as a giant boost of energy to the site. Idk what RM was banned for (looks like he is back already) but banning wylted over a thread attacking me when no one even asked if I was bothered by it was dumb
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
Friends...I have elected to continue my pirate fanfiction. Four an a half years later. Please see the last episode here, and also note that I am dropping the Royal storyline because I don't know where to go with it, but she will likely make an appearance.
Episodes 1 & 2: http://www.debate.org/forums/miscellaneous/topic/38353/1/#1395352
Episodes 3 & 4: http://www.debate.org/forums/debate.org/topic/40428/
Episodes 3 & 4: http://www.debate.org/forums/debate.org/topic/40428/
The setting: Thett3 and his crew of pirates, working as private military contractors for the US government, have been vigorously hunting down pirates to secure shipping lanes. Our story left off after they fought a battle against the forces of the pirate lord Lucky_Luciano, that they lost badly.
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
I’m sure it’s obvious but I have a ton of really cool, jacked black friends in real life. One of them really wants to join the site but in real life he exclusively refers to me as “my ni**a” which bsh has previously stated wouldn’t be allowed. What should I tell him?
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
Over the years DDO and it's spiritual successor of DART have had a lot of interesting stories. People who have come and gone, relationships, and tons of e-drama. But never before has there been a DDO book--until August 30th, that is. A collaborative effort between myself, bossyburrito (editor) and Romanii (cover artist), in the most autistic thing we've ever done, have created my very own book, based on the various short stories I've written for/about DDO. Such titles include my stupid unfinished pirate fanction, the DDO olympics, and of course DDO Burger King
It's just about the most niche product in the world and I seriously doubt that anyone other than the handful of people who have already bought it would want it...but just in case...here is the link.
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
Spacetime is a legend, he absolutely MUST return
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
I was reading this thread: https://www.debateart.com/forum/topics/381
The idea was weird but there was no reason to lock the thread, and less reason to be catty about it.
"Yeah, no." reminds me of reddit mods, lol. in the near future RIP DART
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
These voting categories need to go away. Debates need to be judged on solely on a win/loss ballot, full stop. I proved this conclusively in my debates with Roy and Zarroette
Created:
Updated:
Category:
DebateArt.com
I’ve been following the DOJs lawsuit against Harvard fairly closely. The DOJ is alleging that Harvard unlawfully discriminated against Asian-American applicants (which is probably true)
a lot of documents have come out of this and I think I’ve discovered the argument that Harvard uses internally (on the DL) to justify affirmative action. While I don’t agree with it, it’s actually a pretty good argument.
The value of an educatipn at a place like Harvard or Yale is not the things you learn there. There is a subset of the student population at these schools who come from extraordinarily wealthy and powerful families who buy them a spot. The true utility of an Ivy Leauge education is the ability to network with these families, and affirmative action is about making sure every group gets a taste.
Thoughts? I don’t agree with it, but that’s the best argument for affirmative action that I could come up with
Created:
Updated:
Category:
Politics