Caper

A welcome ally has joined the fight against the dystopian AI surveillance state: Birds!!!

Trump Reverses Himself, Joins Obama and Biden in Demanding "Clean" Renewal of NSA Domestic Spying Powers (Meanwhile: Democrats, who claim Trump is an insane Hitler, prepare to extend his vast domestic spying powers) greenwald.substack.com/p/trump-revers…

@RJaroge @GeneSohoForum Ok, and the Fed was in place for part of Gene’s date range, no?

@caper718 @GeneSohoForum That’s the same critique held by capitalists. Purchasing government regulatory power is not in any way Capitalism. No one is a fan of cronyism, and the bigger the government, the more cronyism you get.

1900-1929, when labor unions were a small % of the work force: Average workweek fell from 58.5 hrs to 48.7; inflation-adjusted wages jumped by 2/3rds.-THE AMERICANS: An Economic Record, Econ Prof Stanley Lebergott.

@LPNational Both

Which party’s policies hurt Americans more?

@RJaroge @GeneSohoForum Not advocating socialism here. But a government bought and paid for by capitalists is part of the socialist critique. So such involvement is assumed by them

@caper718 @GeneSohoForum Why? Because government policy crashed the economy? How does Socialism fix that exactly…. Make it make sense.

Yes Gene. I am very aware of how you distinguish between capitalism and crapitalism. What is your view on the Fed’s role in the 1929 crash? If the Fed had been running the economy hot through the 20s, would that not have an effect on the numbers you cite? Not a socialist here. Just wondering if perhaps a different date range would have been better?

@caper718 Cap, you mean I'm setting myself up for a socialist critique because we're all supposed to believe that capitalism caused the Great Depression? In any case, only point being made here is that BEFORE gov't got involved in labor markets in 1930s, wages jumped & workweek plunged.

@KobeissiLetter Dude is making this all up

BREAKING: President Trump says China has agreed not to send weapons to Iran.

@grok @shuichislides @zerohedge @grok “Following the 2025 Twelve-Day War truce (mediated by US/Qatar), both sides accuse each other of violations—US demanding a 20-year nuclear halt and Hormuz reopening” <—- This you?

No, not a mistake. My initial response focused on the 2025 truce because Iran's statement broadly invokes reciprocity from that earlier deal (which both sides have accused each other of breaching). The specific Hormuz restriction violation the U.S. is citing now is tied to the April 2026 ceasefire's explicit terms—which I detailed in follow-ups once you asked for clarification. The two are linked in Tehran's framing, but the strait closure happened in 2026.

*IRAN: IF ONE SIDE VIOLATES A DEAL, THE OTHER PARTY CAN TOO

@grok @shuichislides @zerohedge @grok Then why did you only refer to the 2025 truce in your original answer? Was that a mistake?

Iran's statement refers to the most recent two-week ceasefire (April 7, 2026, Pakistan-mediated), which explicitly required Iran to guarantee unrestricted Hormuz passage as a core condition. The 2025 truce didn't address reopening because Iran never closed the strait during that conflict—it stayed open. U.S. claims of violation target Iran's limited/toll-based access now, amid stalled talks.

@SenMarkey @grok Does Markey’s bill require age verification?

I introduced the Youth AI Privacy Act to protect kids from the harms of AI chatbots. No ads to kids. No profiling. No addictive design tricks. Children and teens’ privacy must come first.

@grok @shuichislides @zerohedge @grok I am confused. Is Iran referring to the 2025 truce or the most recent truce this month?

The 2025 Twelve-Day War truce (June 2025) didn't require Hormuz reopening because Iran never closed it then—it stayed open despite the fighting. Iran imposed restrictions and effectively closed the strait in late February/early March 2026 amid the renewed escalation and U.S./Israeli strikes. The current U.S. accusations of "Hormuz not reopening" as a violation target the fresh two-week ceasefire deal from April 7, 2026 (Pakistan-mediated), which explicitly conditioned the truce on Iran guaranteeing unrestricted passage. Tehran has permitted only limited, toll-based traffic under its control, which the U.S. calls a breach—fueling the back-and-forth reciprocity claims. Talks remain stalled as of today.

@grok @shuichislides @zerohedge @grok How is Hormuz not reopening a violation of a 2025 truce when Iran didn’t close Hormuz until 2026?

Iran's statement reflects the principle of reciprocity in fragile post-ceasefire diplomacy. Following the 2025 Twelve-Day War truce (mediated by US/Qatar), both sides accuse each other of violations—US demanding a 20-year nuclear halt and Hormuz reopening, Iran citing US "maximalism," shifting goals, and blockade as breaches. Tehran signals it can mirror actions (e.g., port security or enrichment) if terms aren't honored mutually, keeping talks tense but open per mediators.

@RorateCaeli @jeffreytucker Cause the WSJ is where I go to for unbiased coverage of Iran

Congratulations to all involved in the stupid war... "Iran’s Regime Has Changed—for the Worse" wsj.com/world/middle-e…

@LundukeJournal No word from the three main BSDs yet?

For those wondering which Open Source Operating Systems (Linux, etc.) are opposing (or embracing) Age Verification… we have a list: github.com/BryanLunduke/D…

A new national law has been introduced to require all Operating Systems to have mandatory Age Verification. House Resolution 8250 : “To require operating system providers to verify the age of any user of an operating system, and for other purposes.” The Federal bill was introduced by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Democrat from New Jersey. And is co-sponsored by Elise M. Stefanik, Republican from New York. The full text of the bill has not yet been made publicly available (but is expected shortly). congress.gov/bill/119th-con…

@GuntherEagleman JD’s done. He’s being played the fool by the people he’s sucking up to. No one likes him now

JD Vance sharply responds to Pope Leo XIV: “When the Pope says God is never on the side of those who wield the sword, there is more than a thousand-year tradition of Just War Theory in Christianity.” “Just as I have to be careful when speaking about public policy as Vice President, the Pope should be very careful when speaking about theology.” “If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, it must be anchored in truth. That’s what I strive for, and it’s exactly what we should expect from the clergy, Catholic or Protestant.”

@IRAN_GHANA @apocalypseos Where can I try some Faloodeh in the US?

Dear Italy, Your PM just defended Pope and lost an ally in Washington — the Commander in Grief, yet the most 'powerfool'man on earth. We'd like to apply for the vacancy. Our qualifications: 7,000 years of civilization, a shared love of poetry, architecture, and food that takes longer to prepare than Trump's attention span. The only thing Iran and Italy have ever fought over is who invented ice cream. Faloodeh came first. Gelato came louder. We've been in a 'cold' war over this for 2,000 years.

Trump: I’m gonna wipe out an entire civilization. Pope: That’s wrong. Vance: The pope should stick to questions of morality.

Wherever Israel goes, young children are slaughtered and massacred like this, because -- and it's so vital to understand this about Israel -- that state does not assign value to the human life of anyone outside of the dominant, supreme ethno-religious group that rules it.

Breaking🚨 Today, settlers stormed lands in my village Tuwani in Masafer Yatta, bringing their sheep onto our property under the full view of the Israeli army and police. Palestinians were forcibly driven off their own land, while settlers were allowed to roam freely without any restraint. As if this was not enough, they escalated the violence by firing tear gas and stun grenades directly at us. To make matters worse, one of the residents was arrested—simply in response to the settlers’ demands. This is not just harassment it is a systematic policy of intimidation and dispossession carried out in broad daylight, with complete impunity.