US Politics Mega-thread - Page 2682

On December 19 2015 10:49 TheTenthDoc wrote:
The fact that the American public is so underinformed makes the constant statement of falsities on both side of the aisle even more toxic than it already was and means we need to hold politicians more accountable than ever before (and no, clickbait articles that can always be dismissed as partisan/establishment opposition are not accountability). Too bad there's a negative incentive for the government to actually do that in any meaningful fashion.

If a drug company makes an ad that includes too many positive images, they have to remake the ad entirely and state everything wrong with the first ad in it.

If a politician says something demonstrably false...they go on with their day.

And no, this is not infringing on the right to free speech. You do not have the right to lie to the American public. I would argue you actually have the responsibility to keep them informed. Unless you're the CIA or NSA I guess.

On December 19 2015 11:00 Toadesstern wrote:
you would have to prove that they knew they were lying at the moment they made the statement and did it deliberately if you want to go after them I'd guess.
Even if you had some rule to make them re-do statements, I wouldn't be surprised if you could get out of that by just saying "yeah but there IS a tiny fraction of scientists that do believe that the earth is only a couple thousand years old! So can you really say it's demonstrably false?" or something along those lines.

On December 19 2015 11:43 Danglars wrote:
You most certainly have that right. Any agency or citizens council endowed with criminal or civil power extra-judiciary would be abused with allegations all day long, just as politicians today accuse each other of lying for political gain. The best you can hope for is a civically engaged population ready to hold politicians' feet to the fire. We're talking elections, pressure for impeachment, state representatives & article 5, and other means in state constitutions like the initiative process.

Politician says something demonstrably false? You'd hardly find unanimous agreement in this very forum much less the population in general. This all reads way too much like disenfranchising the dumb by revolutionary act in the name of a representative republic. It's incredibly utopian considering the divergence in political ideologies.

On December 19 2015 13:20 wptlzkwjd wrote:


I do too

Edit: His daughter I mean, not mine. I don't even have a child.

Washington (CNN)A major breach at computer network company Juniper Networks has U.S. officials worried that hackers working for a foreign government were able to spy on the encrypted communications of the U.S. government and private companies for the past three years.

The FBI is investigating the breach, which involved hackers installing a back door on computer equipment, U.S. officials told CNN. Juniper disclosed the issue Thursday along with an emergency security patch that it urged customers to use to update their systems "with the highest priority."

The concern, U.S. officials said, is that sophisticated hackers who compromised the equipment could use their access to get into any company or government agency that used it.

One U.S. official described it as akin to "stealing a master key to get into any government building."

Juniper Networks' security fix is intended to seal a back door that hackers created in order to remotely log into commonly used VPN networks to spy on communications that were supposed to be among the most secure.

Juniper said that someone managed to get into its systems and write "unauthorized code" that "could allow a knowledgeable attacker to gain administrative access."

Such access would allow the hacker to monitor encrypted traffic on the computer network and decrypt communications.

Deaths from drug overdoses have surged across the US to record levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nationwide, overdose deaths last year exceeded 47,000, more than the number of people killed in car accidents and up 7% from the previous year.

The CDC said 61% of the deaths involved some type of opioid pain relievers and heroin. The count also included deaths involving powerful sedatives, cocaine and other legal and illicit drugs.

CDC director Tom Frieden said the rise in overdoses related to opioid use, up 14% from 2014, was particularly concerning.

“The increasing number of deaths from opioid overdose is alarming,” he said. “The opioid epidemic is devastating American families and communities.”

Overdose deaths are up in both men and women, in non-Hispanic whites and blacks, and in adults of nearly all ages, the report said.

West Virginia, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Ohio had the highest overdose death rates. In West Virginia, the overdose rate was 35.5 per 100,000; the national rate was about 15 per 100,000.

State rates are calculated to provide a more balanced comparison between states given the differences in population size.

In sheer numbers, California — the most populous state — had the most overdose deaths last year, with more than 4,500. Ohio was second, with more than 2,700.

The numbers are based on death certificates. Nearly half a million Americans died from drug overdoses from 2000 through 2014, the CDC says.

On December 20 2015 02:10 farvacola wrote:

On a related note, there is hope in the form of liberalized drug policies.



A new study found the unintended way legalized marijuana is likely preventing overdose deaths.

HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama has vetoed two bills that would have blocked steps that his administration is taking to address climate change.

One bill would have nullified carbon pollution standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The second bill would have voided a set of national standards designed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas pollution from existing power plants.

In a letter notifying Congress of his decision, Obama says climate change is a "profound threat" that must be addressed.

Some Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates scoff at the climate science.

Obama has made addressing climate change a priority. He recently praised a new international climate agreement reached at a Paris conference and credited his administration as being a driving force behind the deal.

On December 20 2015 10:06 GreenHorizons wrote:
3rd Democratic Debate stream

http://abcnews.go.com/Live?stream=1