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<It Never Rains In Southern California(But Man It Burns) editionThread for the hellish discussion related to the greatest, best country God has ever given man on the face of the Earthâ˘
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>>2105852 >>2108302Is there any homeless ordinance now in effect? i assume theres lots of refugees setting up tents in streets in other towns. Its fucking stupid how homelessness is illegal until the petit bourgeois lose their property.
Also I found this video on the internets
>>2108287As a black man, this is how I feel every time I see what you honkies spew online, yet nevertheless, I must fight through my urge to see you vile subhumans brought low to put forth proletarian revolution over liberal nihilism or fascist reaction.
You cannot even imagine the incredible hatred in the heart of the black intellectual who has spent even a second of his life around second-rate, deeply conceited pigskins.
>>2108306>Still, there's some potential for near-term relief. Homeowners in California could get help from a new state regulation, announced Monday, that will require insurers to offer coverage in wildfire-prone areas.
>The ultimate goal of the new rules is to get homeowners out of the FAIR Plan, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara's office said. The average cost of insurance on the FAIR Plan is about $3,200, or more than double the typical homeowner's cost in California, according to Bankrate.
>The rule will require home insurers to offer coverage in high-risk areas, something the state has never done, Lara's office said in a statement. Insurers will have to start increasing their coverage by 5% every two years until they hit the equivalent of 85% of their market share. That means if an insurer writes 20 out of every 100 state policies, they'd need to write 17 in a high-risk area, Lara's office said.
>In exchange for increasing coverage, the state will let insurance companies pass on the costs of reinsurance to California consumers. Insurance companies typically buy reinsurance to avoid huge payouts in case of natural disasters or catastrophic loss. California is the only state that doesn't already allow the cost of reinsurance to be borne by policyholders, according to Lara's office.
>Opponents of the rule say that could hike premiums by 40% and doesn't require new policies to be written at a fast enough pace. The state did not provide a cost analysis for potential impact on consumers.I'm sure this'll work out fine.
>>2108319What you believe is irrelevant
>Name a nighur you respectWhichever one puts a bullet in your head
>>2108336so far the fires have been blamed on
>the gays>DEI (minorities)>the homelessyou'll know the crisis got even more serious when they start blaming teachers too.
>>2108341>city council*town
>the country ganking us*county
>>2108334The sheer wit…
i kneel before the Philosopher
king prince
>>2108419No itâs
>Why do ziggers shill on this imageboard The answer is obvious
Pseudo-leftists feel vicarious power through Russia
>>2108430Chinese construction
>made of wood Greek construction
>made of stoneIpso facto truth be extracto
>>2108448Savings doesn't really tell you much. I think networth is a much more important number. If you try to search about median average savings, they're only talking about savings account balances, but only a fool is trying to make money off a savings account. They pay nothing. Personally I either keep my money in my checking, or I put it into investments.
Your networth is a total off all your assets - liabilities so it will tell you a lot more. A lot of people your age who went to college will have a negative networth because they're still 10s of thousands of dollars in student debt.
The place most Americans invest their money is in their home, so once again networth will give you a much more accurate picture of how much money someone has. All these assets can be liquidated and turned into cash so it's basically the same thing.
>>2108458Exactly
Why the fuck do you invest so much in whether or not a bourgeois regime gets destroyed and/or replaced by another bourgeois regime?
Why is the US Left as a whole utterly obsessed with upholding bourgeois dominance of the world?
>No uhhh Russia will collapse any day now!?I thought that was supposed to be the nafoid stance, why do I see ziggers posting it every day too?
>Wow did you know in inter-imperialist competitions the imperialists actually want to eliminate each other, I thought they were actually all wholesome chungus frienderinos!? >>2108475Sounds like premium copium to me, liberal
>>21084821. How will Russia collapse America in your mind?
2. Why wouldnât the other bourgeois powers of the world, including Russia and China, ever once support socialist revolution anywhere even if America did collapse/why wouldnât the imperialists just destroy the left opposition in their redivided territories?
3. Why are you shilling for Russia like a tailist cuck instead of gathering socialist forces or groups or even organizing as an individual if you genuinely think the West is going to fall very soon? Do you also want reactionaries to gain power in the old imperial core or youâre a total cuck that would gladly accept eternal capitalist dictatorship here if a bourgeois state lacking original sin gets to be hegemon?
>Or if you think China is bourgeois Is it not the motor engine of global capitalism?
Has it not been pumping life into an otherwise moribund Western imperial core for over 30 years now?
Have they supported any socialist in the past fifty years?
Didnât they side with the USA over the USSR multiple times near the end of the Cold War, including the arming of the Mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan War?
How can you argue they arenât in any serious way?
>>2108508>>2108505what about the Osho commune from the netflix movies? or the offshot hare-krishna communes?
did they really achieve abolishment of the Family Unit and of personal (yes; personal as well as private) property, as is so-often touted?
>Im trying to investigate the historical support for radically egalitarian\communalist experiments in the USA >>2108496I think blaming China for assisting Western imperialism in dominating the world until it got too difficult to work with is pretty fair
I think socialists like you need to justify why anyone should judge China by a standard other than what itâs actually doing, particularly when dengists struggle to speak well of China without using liberal metrics like GDP growth, human rights shit, and industrial production
âChinaâs actions are defined by Chinaâs highest idealsâ
Thatâs not how you do a marxism
>>2108527>BTW can americans explain what "unincorporated towns\communities" are, in legal terms? I think they have their own lawsâcan they have ANY laws? like, if they all vote for a law for killing hitchhikers who visit their town, they can do it?
<unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County do not pass laws, but the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors does set policies and regulations for them. The Board of Supervisors is the local government for unincorporated areas.
>The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has executive, legislative, and quasi-judicial powers. >The Board of Supervisors sets policies and regulations for unincorporated areas, including employment laws, rent control, and fair chance ordinances. >The Board of Supervisors also appoints department heads, with the exception of the assessor, district attorney, and sheriff. >Each member of the Board of Supervisors is elected to a four-year term by the voters in their district >>2108526>Thereâs another fire. I see great plumes of grey-red smoke rising from the hills. Like the fingers of some devil or malefic god.Yeah I already posted about it.
>>2108437>>2108442I know you're in the valley so I was wondering if it would effect you. It seems it has. Good luck.
>>2108527laws in the US follow regional hierarchy.
Town laws are below county, which are below state, which are below federal.
You'd be looking at more a situation where the cops are complicit either in doing it or covering it up/neglecting to prosecute.
>>2108526>>2108536They just said on the news the evacuation message might've been an error. They sent it out county wide by mistake. Only the Mountain View Estates area is evacuating right now.
News guy right now.
>someone probably just got fired for what they just didlol.
>>2108530>>2108538>>2108543oh shit. That's so bureaucratic, and then americons have the never say Soviets were bureaucratic
Imagine being an IRS agent, having to jump trough so many hurdles to collect debts. Autism + 150IQ are needed.
>>2108543I'm just explaining overall system, not specifically the unincorporated bit.
>>2108546from what i understand it kind of depends on the officers involved more than anything.
IRS are going to handle things under their own code bit.
Marijuana laws are up in the air right now with it legal in some states but not federally, so if your car is stopped by state level police you might get off free, but federal police might still arrest you.
>>2108555>Marijuana laws are up in the air right now with it legal in some states but not federally, so if your car is stopped by state level police you might get off free, but federal police might still arrest you.There are no federal police stopping cars besides border patrol and ICE. It's more of an issue if you get stopped by city or county police vs. state police in states where it's illegal but local cities have issued directives to the police to no longer arrest for it, for example: Houston, TX.
The issue with feds vs states with regards to weed is it is still illegal to operate a weed business. There was an issue in LA county a few years ago where this councilmen was working with the feds to bust dispensaries that were operating legally by state and local laws. Also the feds keep all marijauna businesses from being able to operate bank accounts and etc.
>>2108467Alas poor CPUSAnon
I will honor you by smoking a blunt
>>2108605this
also get everything out of your bank accounts and buy as much toilet paper and canned food as you possibly can
>>2108654That's crazy. I thought
maybe it'd be animal skeletons but nopeâhuman.
>>2108667Shit, they are canceling spectacle now.
Things really are bad
>>2108725I thought they only spammed DEI at anyone non-white with a decently high paying job. But they'll bitch about it when they see anyone non-white working
any job.
>>2108683>If our side of the block catches fire, they will do nothing. They will let it all burn and they will take their efforts to JPL and start protecting JPL.Goddamn you JPL! First you give us cancer now this? All to put shitty robots on Mars? Damn you Parsons, you Strange Angel.
https://jplwater.nasa.gov/Docs/NAS72310.PDF>>2108738>so QRD on the California fires? I'm trying hard to give a fuck but find zero to give. Is this really a happening, or is MSM shitting its pants because elites are now being affected by climate change?I gave you an
EXCLUSIVE live update from the front lines:
>>2108683 >>2108742>Seems like with growing frequency that Amerifats are getting absolutely destroyed by climate events and noone gives a fuck lolShe's
>>2108683 really fit. She's always been really good at basketball. I remember her stunting on guys at the Magic Johnson 24 Hour Fitness. She works sometimes as a stuntwoman in Hollywood, but it's really hard in showbiz to turn that into a full time salary equivalent. She's also on a roller derby team. Super cool woman.
>>2108746Like I said the area getting burned in Altadena includes a lot of really lower middle class people. Her dad worked, maybe still works I dunno, at a hardware store mixing paint and shit:
>>2108721>>2108719 >>2108748Here is one of the houses redfin suggests as similar in the area.
>980 sqft>sold for $900kThis is a house all spruced up for flipping too.
>>2108751Think too, this calculator
>>2108719 the mortgage on that shack is $6000 a month
>>2108724That party was some demonic eyes wide shut shit too.
>>2108708>Trump gets elected and all of the porkoid class cums.Trump was the soggy waffle.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-07-16-ga-5524-story.htmlA Suburban War of Revenge : Officials Attribute 10 Deaths to Wave of Gang Violence : Officials Attribute 10 Deaths to Wave of Gang Violence - Los Angeles Times> On June 19, 1988, two men on a motorcycle rode past Marvin (Flash) McFee, an Altadena gang member and drug dealer, fired a bullet into his chest, and disappeared.> It was, as murders go, a humdrum affair that a local newspaper described in a few sentences: âA 22-year-old man died in an apparent gang-related drive-by shooting outside an Altadena residence Sunday night. The victim was unidentified. Circumstances of the shooting were not detailed.â> But McFeeâs murder was far more significant than anyone suspected.> Altadena sheriffâs deputies now believe it sparked a war of revenge between black gangs which has brought a wave of violence to Pasadena and Altadena.> Since the death of McFee, who was a member of the Altadena Block Crips, at least 10 people have been killed in shootings that have bounced back and forth between Pasadena, the stronghold of the Bloods, and Altadena, turf of the Crips.> 225 Died Last Year> Although the number of deaths pales in comparison to the 255 who died last year in gang-related homicides in Los Angeles, it marks a turning point for these two suburban communities.> What was once a sporadically violent standoff on the fringes of the gang war in Los Angeles, has become a war of its own.> âThereâs no such thing as a fistfight anymore,â said Pasadena Police Officer James Deal Jr., a member of the departmentâs four-man gang unit. âThe way I see it, theyâre playing for keeps.â> By most accounts, the fight has become more violent in the past two months than ever before.> Two weeks ago, a group of gang members tossed a Molotov cocktail through the window of a house on West Palm Drive in Altadena. Nine people escaped the fire.> Died a Week Later> Cennie Brown Earby, 34, was trapped in her bedroom. She was burned on more than 90% of her body and died in a hospital a week later.> Investigators believe the intended victims were Kelvin Turrentine, who they suspect is a Crip member and who was shot in the buttocks a few days after McFeeâs death last year, and Wallace Brown Jr., another suspected Crip member.> Since the firebombing, at least seven others have been wounded in drive-by shootings in Pasadena and Altadena. Another Altadena house was firebombed a week ago.> âThatâs what you call retaliation,â said one man as he huddled with some friends at the Kingâs Village housing complex in the heart of the Pasadenaâs Bloods territory.> âBefore, it was like this,â he said, shadow boxing with the air.> âNow itâs like this.â He formed his fingers into the shape of a pistol.> County Sheriffâs Deputy Steve Underdown strapped on a flak jacket and, armed with a couple packs of cigars and a .357-caliber pistol, headed off for a patrol in Altadena.> For the last year and a half, Underdown has been a member a four-man team that as part of its duties monitors gang activities in the Altadena area.> During his tour of duty, the streets have taken a definite turn for the worse.> âThis is where McFee was shot,â he said as he guided his unmarked patrol car past a house on Calaveras Street.> His partner, Joseph Key, turned a spotlight on the house across the street. âThe record for most shot up,â Key said. âFifteen reported.â> The house is for sale, as are two others within a few dozen yards.> A year ago, Key and Underdownâs tour of the streets would have been a short affair, a few stops here and there, mostly at the homes of drug dealers.> This night, it takes hours. On some streets, the names of victims blur together as the unmarked patrol car cruises past.> The increase in the number and severity of gang-related attacks has come with startling speed, Underdown said.> He chuckled when he reminisced about more peaceful days, when four years ago, Bloods and Crips faced off in a tackle football game at Charles White Park. Parents served hot dogs, deputies walked the sidelines.> As he drives past the park, Underdown points to a spot nearby: âThis is where Kelvin Turrentine got it.â> The teams in this new game between Bloods and Crips have been developing for the past two decades.> Pasadena Police Sgt. Monte Yancey said there are two dominant factions of Bloods in the city: the Pasadena Denver Lane Bloods, who claim the northwestern quarter of Pasadena, and the Squiggly Lane Bloods, who largely operate in the border areas between northwest Pasadena and southwest Altadena.> Police believe the Denver Lane Bloods are related to a âsetâ in South-Central Los Angeles that goes by the same name. The Pasadena group also goes by the name Devilâs Lane Bloods. Why this set, one of 36 in Los Angeles, migrated north is unknown to police.> Altadena is claimed by the Altadena Block Crips, who mainly operate on the west side of the community. There is also a small group of Crips based near the northern border of Pasadena, named the Raymond Avenue Crips.> Law enforcement officials estimate there are about 300 Bloods and 200 Crips in both cities, although the violent core of âold gangstersâ may number just a few dozen.> Bloods Are Dominant> Unlike the conflict in Los Angeles, the Bloods are the dominant group in this suburban dispute. Pasadena, in fact, is one of the few cities in the county that is identified as a Blood stronghold, law enforcement officials say.> Ed Turley, a member of the Community Youth Gang Services Project, a gang intervention and mediation group funded by the county and the city of Los Angeles, said Altadena and Pasadena were largely Crip territory in the early 1970s.> But he believes the balance of power began to shift in the early 1980s. Underdown said the beginning of crack cocaine sales on the street in the mid-1980s also exacerbated the conflict, not only bringing gang members out into the open, but also sparking turf wars over drug territory.> âEveryone was out on the street,â Underdown said. âIt didnât take long for things to get bad.â> There were a few shootings in Pasadena and Altadena that came with the crack cocaine trade, but McFeeâs death sparked a back-and-forth style of attack that no one had seen before.> Shot Up a House> Two days after McFeeâs shooting, a pair of suspected Bloods were wounded near Summit Avenue and Claremont Street in Pasadena. The next day, a carload of gunmen shot up a house on Thurin Avenue in Altadena.> Two days later, six apartments were shot up at the Kingâs Villages apartments in Pasadena. The next day, Kelvin Turrentine was wounded in a drive-by shooting near Altadenaâs Charles White Park.> In this hazy world of revenge, police often can only guess whether attacks are related to drugs, gangs, personal fights or none of the above.> But as some gang members say, the reasons no longer matter. âWe just donât get along,â said one youth recently as he stood on the street in front of Kingâs Villages with a red baseball hat on his head, the symbol of a Blood.> The animosity has reached a peak this summer.> The attacks, Underdown believes, started with a traffic accident June 10. That day, he said, suspected Blood member Damion Thomas was run off the road in Pasadena by a gray Hyundai sedan that had been identified in previous drive-by shootings.> Thomas was riding a motorcycle, which burst into flames when he crashed. Thomas suffered third-degree burns on his arms, legs and face. He has since been released from a hospital.> Drive-By Shooting> For the next two weeks, there were shootings in Pasadena and Altadena.> The first to die was Rickey Rivers, 28, who was shot June 26 on the 2200 block of Casitas Avenue in Altadena. Investigators are not certain Riversâ death was gang related.> Paxton Valentine III, a 19-year-old known Blood member, was killed in a drive-by shooting on Casitas Avenue in Altadena the next day. A suspect later told sheriffâs deputies that Valentine was killed âso Flash can rest easy.â> The house on West Palm Street was firebombed three days later.> The shootings over the past year have left in their wake contradictory perceptions about the violence, ranging from comfortable ignorance to a hardened acceptance of the bloodshed.> The suburban gang conflict jumps from block to block, covering residential neighborhoods where startling events like a firebombing on one street can go unnoticed three streets over.> Two blocks away from the firebombed house on West Palm, resident Michael Jackson didnât hear the sirens that night. He knows there are drug emporiums nearby, but in his ethnically mixed neighborhood, he guesses there are many neighbors who donât.> Situation Has Improved> At the Kingâs Villages housing complex, which police squad cars patrol at least a few dozen times a night, some residents say the gang situation has actually improved over the last year.> âIâve seen a difference,â said one 65-year-old resident. âLast year, it was so bad the police wouldnât come here. Now I can come out and feel safer.â> But she still doesnât want her name published. âI donât hear anything,â she said. âDonât use my name. Iâve got to live here.â> Others agree with police that the situation has grown more violent.> A resident of Kingâs Villages said her niece was shot a few months ago by gunmen who mistook her for a rival gang member. âJust about everybody knows someone who has been shot,â the woman said.> Last week, her apartment was hit by shotgun fire. It sounded like someone throwing gravel against the wall, but she knew it was shotgun pellets. âYou can tell the difference,â she said.> Arrested More Than 100> So far this year, deputies in Altadena have arrested more than 100 people in sweeps that involve stopping known gang members and, sometimes, youths who just seem suspicious.> Underdown said the theory is, if they can confiscate a few guns or temporarily take a few people off the streets, the conflict has a chance to die down.> But the sweeps also have thrown a disconcerting component into the already jittery neighborhoods of Altadena and northwest Pasadena.> While police officers usually recognize the people they stop, sometimes they donât.> âIâm just standing here with my girlfriend,â said 19-year-old Anthony Dion Mann after Pasadena Police Officers Derrick Carter and James Deal Jr. stopped to question him. âIâm a decent human being.â> Mann had not been doing anything unusual, but Carter and Deal thought they recognized him. They explain itâs their job to keep a close watch on the streets.> Target of a Drive-By> In a few minutes, several adults come out of the apartment building next to the parking lot Mann is standing in. âItâs not right,â one man told the officers. âTheyâre not doing anything.â> Deal and Carter try to explain again, but eventually decide to leave.> âThey do it to me all the time,â Mann said, glaring at the two officers as they walk away.> The officers received a warmer reception when they stopped to talk with a 16-year-old they have talked with many times about drug dealing.> The youth was the target of a drive-by shooting a few days after the Altadena house was firebombed.> âYouâre lucky,â Deal said to the boy.> He asks him whether he knows who did the shooting.> The boy shakes his head.> Does he know why he was shot?> He shakes his head again.> âHe crept up and started shooting,â the boy said.> The first bullet caught him in the leg, cracking a bone in two. He hobbles around the sidewalk on crutches. A bright red pair of warm-up pants covers a long leg cast.> âItâs always like this in the summer,â the boy said. Trump pushes back Ukraine war deadline in sign of support for Kyivhttps://archive.md/x47xaUS president-elect Donald Trump has pushed back his campaign pledge to end the war in Ukraine in â24 hoursâ to several months, in a shift European partners have interpreted as a sign that his administration will not immediately abandon support for Kyiv.
Two European officials told the Financial Times that discussions with Trumpâs incoming team in recent weeks revealed they had not yet decided on how to solve the conflict, and that support to Ukraine would continue after the US presidentâs inauguration on January 20.
âThe whole [Trump] team is obsessed with strength and looking strong, so theyâre recalibrating the Ukraine approach,â said one of the officials.
The incoming administration was also wary of comparisons being made with Joe Bidenâs calamitous US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which was something the Trump camp would not like to see repeated in Ukraine, the official added.
Trump earlier this week suggested that âsix monthsâ was a more realistic target to end the war. His appointee as special envoy for the war in Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, told Fox News on Wednesday that the aim was to stop the conflict in â100 daysâ.
âI would like to set a goal on a personal and professional level â I would set it at 100 days and move all the way back,â Kellogg told Fox News when asked about a Ukraine peace deal. âAnd figure a way we can do this in the near term, to make sure the solution is solid and itâs sustainable and that this war ends so that we stop the carnage.â
>>2108815bvsiness as vsval
no bvcking orthodoxy from mr. orange man.
orange man 1 said build wall, make mexico pay.
no wall???
senile man said cure cancer
where cancer cure???
orange man 2 say cut off zelensky's coke habit
zelensky still sniffin!!!
>>2108830Bro it's 3AM in the only part of America that matters
People with lives are all asleep
>>2108838i know your ass is literally and figuratively sizzling but kindly stop posting and go back to inhaling forest fumes
t. texan
>>2109095inb4 the US military loses to a bunch of
rice farmers with AKs ice fishers with dog sleds.
>>2109125yeah that's how law and criminalization works.
rich homes: "deserve" to be protected by the law because of what they have "contributed to" (appropriated surplus value from ) society
poor homes: don't deserve to be protected by the law because they have not "contributed to" (appropriated surplus value from) society
if a rich man does drugs on his private property, it didn't happen. therefore he does not contribute to "crime statistics"
if a homeless man does drugs in public, he has no property to hide behind, the cops arrest him, and he contributes to "crime statistics"
if a rich man's house is on fire, the bourgeois government mobilizes every reseource and expense to putting it out
if a poor man's house is on fire they let it burn until all the rich houses have been quenched
if a rich man's house is abandoned, the police form a phalanx outside
if a poor man's house is abandoned, the police allow it to be looted, as proof of just how criminal(ized) the poor are.
bourgeois law in its very embodiment criminalizes poverty, while pardoning the crimes of the wealthy
that is why any /pol/yp ranting about crime statistics is a reactionary imbecile
>>2109172>Chicken or vegan?<reeeeee why vegan is heckin mandatoryi don't think you know what the word mandatory means when meat is also offered
>mutual aid is le bad and the same as bourgeoisie tossing crumbs to launder their image, i am a true revolutionary for sitting in my armchair and criticizing people who went to gaza and handed out food while getting bombedget a grip
>>21091882 non vegan/vegetarian options on menu:
>chicken>turkey(neither are red meat, obv)
5 vegan/vegetarian options on menu:
>jambalaya>coleslaw>apple>beans & rice>cornbreadIf you think this is how the working class eats in the US you are out of your mind. They fit in perfectly well with the cali PMC vibe tho. But nobody thinks that "World Central Kitchen" has any affiliation with the workers, anyway. They are just a feel good charity org. They are as "radical" as Ben & Jerry.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/far-hollywoods-wealth-los-angeles-fire-survivors-feel-forgotten-2025-01-10/https://archive.is/T3sIdFar from Hollywood's wealth, Los Angeles fire survivors feel forgotten
>ALTADENA, California, Jan 10 (Reuters) - In the close-knit Los Angeles suburb of Altadena, where rows of neat bungalows once nestled in the shadow of the San Gabriel mountains, smoldering ruins and the skeletal frames of burnt out cars now lie.>While the fires that have devastated celebrity neighborhoods near Malibu have caught the world's attention, a similar size blaze in Eaton Canyon, north of Los Angeles, has ravaged Altadena, a racially and economically diverse community.>Black and Latino families have lived in Altadena for generations and the suburb is also popular with younger artists and engineers working at the nearby NASA rocket lab, who were attracted by the small town vibe and access to nature.>Many residents told Reuters they were concerned that government resources would be channeled towards high-profile areas popular with A-Listers, while insurance companies might shortchange less affluent households that don't have the financial means to contest fire claims.>"They're not going to give you the value of your house … if they do you really have to fight for it," said Kay Young, 63, her eyes welling up with tears as she stared at a sprawl of smoking rubble, the remnants of a home that has been in her family for generations.>Inez Moore, 40, whose family home in Altadena was destroyed by the fire, said communities like theirs would likely suffer financially more than wealthier suburbs because many people don't have the resources or experience to navigate complex bureaucratic systems.>"You're going to have some folks who are not going to get as much as they deserve, and some folks who may get more than actually they need," said Moore, a lecturer at California State University.>Moore, Young and several other residents told Reuters they didn't see any fire engines in Altadena in the early hours of Wednesday when they fled flames engulfing their community, fueling a resentment that their neighborhood wasn't a priority.>"We didn't get help here. I don't know where everybody was," said Jocelyn Tavares, 32, as her sister and daughter dug through the smoking debris of a life upended - a child's bicycle half-melted, a solitary cup miraculously spared from the flames.>Los Angeles County Fire Department did not respond to a request for comment about the residents' complaints.
<REBUILD>Since breaking out on Tuesday night, the Eaton Fire has killed at least five people and grown to 13,690 acres as of Thursday night, consuming much of the northern half of Altadena, an unincorporated community of some 40,000 people.>As late as 1960, Altadena was almost entirely white. As new highways built in urban renewal projects tore apart Los Angeles neighborhoods, African American families began buying homes in what remained for decades a relatively affordable community.>Residents told Reuters they paid around $50,000 for a three-bedroom home in Altadena in the 1970s. The same house would cost more than $1 million today.>By 1990, nearly 40% of residents were Black. Today, about 18% are Black, 49% white and 27% are Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.>Altadena residents voiced concerns that the area may become more gentrified if families who have lived here for generations could not secure insurance payouts to cover the cost to rebuild a home that they bought cheap decades ago.>Despite the widespread wreckage, many locals were upbeat about the community rising from the ashes, sharing tales of narrow escapes and memories of decades spent growing up together with neighbors who were now sharing in the disaster.>"There are rows of us that went to school together," said Young, gesturing to a vast stretch of scorched foundations.>Michael McCarthy, 68, a clerk in the City of Los Angeles, said his home was saved by a neighbor who risked his life by staying behind after everyone else had fled, using a hose to spray water on their roofs.>"I know this community will rebuild, everybody knows everybody here, everybody loves everybody," said McCarthy, who is due to retire this year.>"Well, I got a new job now, and that's putting all this back together and do what I can for the neighborhood." >>2109167>>2109217<If you think this is how the working class eats in the US you are out of your mind. They fit in perfectly well with the cali PMC vibe tho. https://www.dulans-sfk.com/passion-for-food==From Farm to Fame: Adolf Dulan's Culinary Odyssey
Our History==
>During his life, Adolf Dulan, known within circles as the 'King of Soul Food,' embarked on his culinary journey in a humble log cabin on a farm in Luther, Oklahoma. It was there that he worked alongside his mother, observing her as she skillfully prepared the family's meals. In this nurturing environment, Adolf developed a deep appreciation for the art of cooking, observing his mother's cherished recipes that included farm-raised fried chicken, flavorful collard greens, and an array of delectable southern dishes. The invaluable lessons learned from his mother laid the foundation for Adolf's lifelong passion and expertise in the world of soul food.
>Adolf Dulan had a very successful 40-year career owning and operating restaurants in Los Angeles. From his starting point with his wife, Mary Dulan, in the hamburger stand business to Aunt Kizzy's Back Porch, the highly regarded soul food restaurant in Marina Del Rey, which operated for 35 years. Aunt Kizzy's Back Porch thrived, with its tantalizing soul food gracing the tables of Air Force One and the onboard jetliners of professional athletic teams. Its diverse clientele ranged from elegant Sunday-hat-wearing mothers of the church to esteemed politicians, celebrated professional athletes, supermodels, and renowned celebrities. Guided by Adolf's warm and welcoming demeanor, the restaurant cultivated an atmosphere reminiscent of a joyous Oklahoma family gathering.
>After Aunt Kizzy's huge success, Adolf was on the lookout for something new. Adolf took a vacation to visit his son Terry in New York in 1999. Being aware of his Dad's unwavering passion for soul food, Terry took him on a tour of small cafeteria-style restaurants. Little did Adolf know that this trip would ignite his inspiration and set him on a mission. Fueled by his newfound ideas, Adolf returned to Los Angeles with a determination to turn his vision into reality.
>At the age of sixty-five, in 2001, he accomplished just that by opening Dulan's Soul Food Kitchen. What started as a new idea blossomed into a thriving establishment with two locations, one in Inglewood and the other in Los Angeles. These eateries have become renowned for their generous portions, down-home service, and food that evokes the nostalgic flavors of a grandmother's Sunday dinner. Dulan's Soul Food Kitchen stands as a testament to Adolf Dulan's entrepreneurial spirit and his commitment to bringing the warmth and comfort of soul food to the hearts and palates of countless patrons." During his lifetime, the restaurant received numerous accolades and awards.
>Adolf left us in 2017, leaving a remarkable legacy for his five children. To continue into the next generation, Adolf handed the reins to his son Terry Dulan to lead the family businesses in 2014. Terry took charge of the Dulan's Soul Food Kitchen locations in Inglewood and Los Angeles. As the impetus for the success of the Dulan family, Terry's dedication and commitment have carried forward the legacy. In Terry's words, "my father's spirit is alive and well and continues to preside over this business." >>2109217It's just soulfood, most dishes don't use that much meat and especially not much red meat. Unless you wanted them to make chillings or fry up catfish.
The real crime is replacing the rice in jambalaya with orzo for seemingly no reason.
>>2109247Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and filet gumbo
â˛Cause tonight Iâ˛m gonna see my ma cher amio
>>2109256The majority of people spoil their lives by an unhealthy and exaggerated altruism â are forced, indeed, so to spoil them. They find themselves surrounded by hideous poverty, by hideous ugliness, by hideous starvation. It is inevitable that they should be strongly moved by all this. The emotions of man are stirred more quickly than manâs intelligence; and, as I pointed out some time ago in an article on the function of criticism, it is much more easy to have sympathy with suffering than it is to have sympathy with thought. Accordingly, with admirable, though misdirected intentions, they very seriously and very sentimentally set themselves to the task of remedying the evils that they see. But their remedies do not cure the disease: they merely prolong it. Indeed, their remedies are part of the disease.
They try to solve the problem of poverty, for instance, by keeping the poor alive; or, in the case of a very advanced school, by amusing the poor.
But this is not a solution: it is an aggravation of the difficulty. The proper aim is to try and reconstruct society on such a basis that poverty will be impossible. And the altruistic virtues have really prevented the carrying out of this aim. Just as the worst slave-owners were those who were kind to their slaves, and so prevented the horror of the system being realised by those who suffered from it, and understood by those who contemplated it, so, in the present state of things in England, the people who do most harm are the people who try to do most good; and at last we have had the spectacle of men who have really studied the problem and know the life â educated men who live in the East End â coming forward and imploring the community to restrain its altruistic impulses of charity, benevolence, and the like. They do so on the ground that such charity degrades and demoralises. They are perfectly right. Charity creates a multitude of sins.
https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/wilde-oscar/soul-man/ >>2109292 (You)
Bro literally making the Jew argument.
>It is today taken as almost axiomatic that the left supports the LGTB cause. It came therefore, as a surprise to me to find a communist journalist Gearoid O Colmain arguing that homosexuals, far from constituting a persecuted minority, are in fact key protagonists of the ruling class and bourgeois ideology.>He claims that<In the Soviet Union homosexuality was seen as one of the many perversions promoted by the bourgeoisie and their petty-bourgeois opponentsâ a ruling class phenomenon of social rather than biological origin. The communist understanding of sexuality has, since the counter-revolutions in Europe in 1989 and the dissolution of the USSR, been conveniently buried and forgotten.
>My impression of his arguments is that they are very mixed with some stuff that is plausible and some stuff that is cranky, denying that HIV causes AIDS for example. But I think that a plausible economic argument can be made for one of his key arguments â that the political gay movement expresses middle class and upper class interests. I will in this post try to pull together an argument to this effect. I will focus on the mean class position of homosexual men, and show that this puts them in the top 10% of the population, and that this economic position is not incidental, but is closely connected with the gay male mode of life. Note the specificity, it does not apply to Lesbians.Very relevant to the autism/eugenics debate
>>2109299I never liked him. I was ahead of the curve.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-10/as-fire-approached-a-brother-and-sister-made-a-fateful-choice-only-one-survivedhttps://archive.is/W48rgAs Eaton fire approached, a brother and sister made a fateful choice. Only one survived>Shari Shaw said she is still processing the last moments with her brother.>A 62-year-old graphic designer who lives in Pasadena, Shaw drove to Victorâs home at 7:30 pm Tuesday to try to get him to safety and help pack up some of their family belongings.>Victor, who lived in a tract home their parents bought on Monterosa Drive in the 1960s, had been suffering from balance and vision issues.>She found him watching local TV news and growing agitated as he saw footage of fires fanning across Los Angeles. She said he took a seizure medication that helped calm him down, and he started to feel groggy.>As Victor drifted off to asleep, Shari monitored the news and packed their parentsâ wedding photos, important documents and Victorâs medication and overnight kit.>But about 2 a.m., when she went outside to load her SUV, she could see flames on the hillside and mostly orange smoke. A house about a block away started to catch fire. Embers descended on the cul de sac.>She ran back to the house and rapped on the front door.>âWe have to get out of here!â she screamed. She did not hear him stir. Embers were falling on her SUV. If she didnât get out of there, she figured, they both would end up dying.<Shari hopped in her SUV and drove to the bottom of the street, where she spotted a police officer driving around the neighborhood. She motioned to him and asked him to help get her brother out.<The police officer rebuffed her pleas and warned her, âDonât go up there,â she said.>After the officer drove off, Shari decided she would try rousing her brother one more time. >But the smoke was so thick she made it only halfway up the street.>âI couldnât do it,â she said. âAt that point, I just prayed that he got out.â>All through the night, her calls to his cellphone went to voicemail.>On Wednesday morning, a neighbor told her via text message: âThereâs nothing left.â>Shari asked whether her brotherâs car was still in the driveway. The answer was yes.>About 11 a.m., Shari made her way back to her family home with a friend.>She told her neighborâs son about her brother, and he went walking into the debris. He found Victorâs body on the walkway outside the front door.>A garden hose was in his hand.>Shari saw her brotherâs body, but she couldnât go closer. She recognized his green sweatpants.>Ever since, she has wondered what happened after she left.>âHe might have felt like he was trying to do the right thing and attempting to put out the flames,â she said. âI donât know if he truly believed he could, but I know he tried.âV>ictor had been dealing with breathing issues, and she wonders whether the heavy smoke might have asphyxiated him. He might have lost his balance, she wonders, and fallen.
>âIt plays in my head,â Shari said. âHad I been able to go back or stay five more minutes, would it have made a difference?â>She continues to go over the possibilities, wondering whether, maybe, things could have happened differently.>âMaybe I could have carried him?â she said. âMaybe some superpower hero power would overwhelm me â an adrenaline rush or something maybe would have kicked in?â >>2109442You got that backwards. The Southwest natives were the most sedentary of the natives north of the Mexico border. The thing the natives did tho was controlled burns which these tards in LA failed to do. The gubmint doesn't allow people to do controlled burns and they won't to do them themselves.
https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-01-09-la-apocalypse-was-entirely-predictable/>Chapter Three of Ecology of Fear is entitled âThe Case for Letting Malibu Burn.â It begins by noting that L.A.âs pre-European residents, the Chumash and Tongva Indians, annually set small fires in the hills of Pacific Palisades and Malibu to clear out the brush that would explode if left in place. Mike notes that Richard Henry Dana wrote in his seafaring classic Two Years Before the Mast that when he first sailed up the California coast in 1826, he saw a fire engulfing Topanga Canyon. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/836c2be680dd496baa36b632c39b8e9eRevitalizing Indigenous Fire Knowledgehttps://www.instagram.com/p/DEnJQZ6vBAY/>The root of the LA fires is, ironically, the prohibition of fire. (Follow LA based Indigenous nonprofits @tongva.taraxat @sacredplacesinstitute). Indigenous Peoples densely populated what is now known as Los Angeles and performed routine, patchy burns, applying low intensity, gentle fire to the land. This would prevent catastrophic fires because it would periodically burn away the fuel loads that would build up. When thereâs too many shrubs and trees, not only does it create lots of fuel to catch on fire, their roots suck up all of the water in the water table, drying up the soil and the trees themselves more and more. Itâs better to have a few healthy trees than hundreds and hundreds of dried up, sick trees. Our ancestors knew this and properly thinned the shrubs and trees accordingly. Itâs time to bring this practice back and empower indigenous peoples to lead that effort. Cultural burns are our heritage.https://www.instagram.com/jessa_songwriter1/reel/DEnfi7Zz4D8/>Traditionally in what is now known as California Indigenous families took care of the plants and the land which included the use of fire.>Although Traditional burns were outlawed in the 1800âs, in 2023 SB 310 was passed for Federally Native Nations to bring back the good fire in their Homelands.>Today non-federally recognized Natives still have to find ways to continue to implement these ways which is hard when they are expected to go along with modern society be it 9-5 jobs and privatized lands. I pray for the safety of everyone enduring these current fires and thank the Fire fighters for their love and hard work at this time.>Moving forward I hope to see more funding be generously handed to all of the Native Nations whos ancestral homelands are in need of caretaking to take place (which is all of it!) and to allow them to safely caretake and economically caretake for their families.Raking the forest like Trump has been advising for years now.
>>2109431>Gets there at 7:30pm and starts packing>Only ready by 2am (lol)>Didn't even tell her bro to get in the fucking car before he took his sleep-inducing medicationThis is basically manslaughter lmfao
She had every opportunity to save him but was too retarded to.
>>2109485Biden:
âYou fucked up Jack! Thatâs why I voted for Trump!â
>>2109547>>2109469>>2109442Yeah I think people really love to lean on the "noble savage" trope (or rather accusing people of deploying it) but like… It's really not hard to have superior land management methods when your competition is "CUT DOWN EVERY TREE, RIP OUT THE ROOTS, CHURN THROUGH THE SOIL, EXTERMINATE THE BISON, AND PLANT ONLY ONE CROP FOR MILES AND MILES."
Like what is the yakubians' fucking problem???
>>2109621This is boring.
Why is he talking about this stupid jobs report when California is getting turned into charcoal?
>>2109621>bumbling senile fooltime to turn the page already
time for
>funni The historic Rodney King home in Altadena has survived. No more wind advisories until Monday night/Tuesday morning.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2012-jun-19-la-oe-0619-mcdougal-king-20120619-story.html
>Rodney King used to tell a harrowing story about growing up in Altadena, where he and his three brothers rode their bicycles through the vacant hills behind the nearby Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the weekends. When he was 9, he and his older brother sat astride their Sting-Rays on a rise in the San Gabriels where they saw a Los Angeles County sheriffâs squad car roll to a stop on a dead-end dirt road. Two deputies emerged, pulled what looked to be a young gang member from the back seat and began roughing him up. Rodney and his brother didnât stick around to watch. They high-tailed it home to tell their father.
>Kingâs father, Ronald, had already begun the dayâs drinking out in the garage, in back of the house. He had scant patience with his boysâ wide-eyed horror. That, he told them between swallows from a can of stout malt liquor, was the way things were. If the boys were smart, theyâd keep out of the back seat of patrol cars.
>There was no way then or now to prove the veracity of Rodneyâs story, but it has the ring of truth. Glen, as friends and family called King, was born two months after the assassination of Malcolm X and four months before the Watts riots. He was 3 when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. died and a whole new round of rioting scorched African American neighborhoods across the nation. More than 20 years would pass before Kingâs beating would trigger the next nationally televised race rage.>>2109643>Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley offered King $200,000 and a four-year college education funded by the city of Los Angeles.[69] King refused and sued the city, and was subsequently awarded $3.8 million.Lol. Scholarship as a settlement.
> King invested a portion of his settlement in a record label, Straight Alta-Pazz Records, hoping to employ minority employees, but it went out of business.[72] With help from a ghostwriter, he later wrote and published a memoir
>King was subject to further arrests and convictions for driving violations after the 1991 incident, as he struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction. In May 1991, King was arrested on suspicion of having tried to run down an undercover vice officer in Hollywood, but no charges were filed.He could tell they were a cop.
<On August 21, 1993, King crashed his car into a block wall in downtown Los Angeles.
<On July 1995, King was arrested by Alhambra police after hitting his wife Crystal with his car and knocking her to the ground during a fight. King had previously been arrested twice on suspicion of abusing her.[75] He was sentenced to 90 days in jail after being convicted of hit and run.
<On August 27, 2003, King was arrested again for speeding and running a red light while under the influence of alcohol. He failed to yield to police officers and slammed his vehicle into a house, breaking his pelvisMan he should've got a permanent driving ban.
<On November 29, 2007, while riding home on his bicycle,[69] King was shot in the face, arms, and back with pellets from a shotgun. He reported that the attackers were a man and a woman who demanded his bicycle and shot King when he rode away.Cycling in LA huh? Only a nobody cycles in LA.
>In May 2008, King checked into the Pasadena Recovery Center in Pasadena, California, where he filmed as a cast member of Season 2 of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which premiered in October 2008. Dr. Drew Pinsky, who runs the facility, showed concern for King's life and said he would die unless his addictions were treated.[79] King also appeared on Sober House, a Celebrity Rehab spin-off focusing on a sober living environment.[80] During his time on Celebrity Rehab and Sober House, King worked on his addiction and what he said was lingering trauma of the beating. King and Pinsky physically retraced King's path from the night of his beating, eventually reaching the spot where it happened, the site of the Children's Museum of Los Angeles, which is now Discovery Cube Los Angeles
> In 2009, King and other Celebrity Rehab alumni appeared as panel speakers to a new group of addicts at the Pasadena Recovery Center, marking 11 months of sobriety for him. His appearance was aired in the third-season episode "Triggers."[82] King won a celebrity boxing match against Chester, Pennsylvania, police officer Simon Aouad on September 11, 2009, at the Ramada Philadelphia Airport in Essington.BEATS THE COPS
>On September 9, 2010, it was confirmed that King was going to marry Cynthia Kelley, who had been a juror in the civil suit he brought against the City of Los Angeles.[1] On March 3, 2011, the 20th anniversary of the beating, the LAPD stopped King for driving erratically and issued him a citation for driving with an expired license.[84][85] This arrest led to a February 2012 misdemeanor conviction for reckless driving.I wonder if Luigi will end up marrying one of his jurors.
>The BBC quoted King commenting on his legacy. "Some people feel like I'm some kind of hero. Others hate me. They say I deserved it. Other people, I can hear them mocking me for when I called for an end to the destruction like I'm a fool for believing in peace."[87]
>On Father's Day, June 17, 2012, King's partner, Cynthia Kelley, found him dead underwater at the bottom of his swimming pool.[90][91] King died 28 years to the day after his father, Ronald King, was found dead in his bathtub in 1984.[92] >>2109614>If anything Indigenous land management techniques work against that trope since they debunk the notion that these people lived in "harmony with nature." They didn't live in harmony, they actively bent it and shaped it according to human needs above all else. They were just better at doing it sustainably than the Europeans who were absurdly destructive (and self destructive) as you pointed out.My pet theory is Native Americans didn't have have domesticated animals which created a pressure to innovate on the agricultural front in a sustainable manner as well as forest management. You know the saying
>As we shape our tools in turn they shape usEuros with their domesticated animals viewed ecology as something to be dominated and extracted while natives needed sustainability.
I'm mean look at this freakish corn this tribe in Mexico that was cultivated by local tribal populations. It creates its own nitrogen fertilizer and drips it into its soil. No GMO, just doing it through old school plant domestication.
https://news.wisc.edu/corn-that-acquires-its-own-nitrogen-identified-reducing-need-for-fertilizer/ >>2109679The Tongva, who are the Los Angeles natives domesticated foxes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_foxhttps://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/8210/Rick_et_al_2009_Origins_and_antiquity_of_the_island_fox_(Urocyon_l.pdf
>Foxes and domestic dogs were present on California's Channel Islands since at least the middle Holocene, and their introduction by humans would have significantly altered island ecosystems. The purportedly pre-human-age island fox bones have now been directly14C dated to the Holocene, with island foxes on the northern islands for at least 6400 yr and on the southern islands (San Nicolas) for at least 6000â5000 yr (Vellanoweth, 1998; Shelley, 2001). Several linesof evidence support the hypothesis that Native Americans introducedfoxes to all the islands where they are currently found, including: 1)the widespread occurrence of foxes in island archaeological sites and absence in pre-Holocene fossil/subfossil deposits; 2) deliberate translocation of foxes between islands by Native Americans; 3)significance of foxes in Native American religion and ceremony; 4)presence of late Pleistocene ground nesting colonies of Chendytes and Fratercula; and 5) rapid dwarfing of animals on other islands around the world. This is one of the few known animal translocations by hunter-gatherers (see Grayson, 2001) and demonstrates a significant Native American influence on the structure and functioning of Channel Island ecosystems. >>2109299Any dipshit can be mad that something is disliked and call it derangement syndrome
>bbbbut then why are you so mean to ACP because they suck and donât do anything
>>2109679>left imagethe chiampas are based
>right imagemonsanto filing a patent so fast
>>2109734Just said in the news Crowley the Fire Chief of LA shared memos with them that she had been sending the mayor for years saying that all the budget cuts to the fire department are going to end in catastrophe. She did a big interview with the same reporter earlier today and she said that they need 60 more fire stations.
Rumors are swiling the mayor fired her because of the interview, but now the mayor's office has denied it. The firefighters are reportedly lining up behind the chief.
Bass is in so much deep shit.
>>2109770It kind of isn't.
The basic interpretation of Christian Nationalism, that only Christians should be citizens, is so far beyond the pale that nobody here would seriously say it. And the idea of having "the church" run our country is laughable since our dedicated christschizos are rarely part of a larger church.
Ignoring those, all you have is people using religion as a flimsy pretext for reactionary bullshit. But it's not like religion is necessary for that, there are always excuses.
>>2109770>>2109778>It kind of isn't.This. Those people are so universally hated. I remember seeing Southerners who grew up in the house who deliberately learned to speak in a more generic American accent because they don't want to be associated with these freaks. Ain't nowhere you can go in the country sounding like that and not be laughed off immediately.
Lol I just realized that lady is 100% the real life Firecracker.
>>2109786It's pretty impossible to know who was doing their job and who is just covering their own ass. The Fire Department has a budget of $500,000,000. Without knowing what they spend that on we don't know if that $7,000,000 made the difference or if there's a ton of misappropriation going on and this is just shit rolling uphill to cover it up.
Karen Bass is gonna be out of a job for sure though. Not just for the handling of the FD's budget, she's just generally incompetent.
>>2109806I can literally see the flames from my house.
Feel exhausted. Headache. Dunno if itâs the smoke or because Iâm doing dry January. Picked the wrong month to quit drinking.
>>2109811https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_M._Breedlove>Philip Mark Breedlove (born September 21, 1955)[1] is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force who served as the commander of U.S. European Command, as well as the 17th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) of NATO Allied Command Operations, from May 2013 until May 4, 2016. He previously served as the commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe,[2] which he concurrently served as commander of U.S. Air Forces Africa, commander of Air Component Command, Ramstein,[3] and director of Joint Air Power Competence Center. He previously served as the 36th vice chief of staff of the United States Air Force from January 14, 2011, to July 27, 2012. On May 10, 2013, in a ceremony in Stuttgart, Germany, Breedlove took over the command of USEUCOM.[4] Three days later, on May 13, 2013, he assumed command as SACEUR.[5] >Like, oh my god! (Valley girl)
>Like, totally! (Valley girl)
>Encino is, like, so bitchin' (Valley girl)
>There's, like, the Galleria (Valley girl)
>And, like
>All these, like, really great shoe stores
>I, like, love going into, like, clothing stores and stuff
>I, like, buy the neatest mini-skirts and stuff
>It's, like, so bitchin'
>'Cause, like, everybody's like
>Super-super nice
>It's, like, so bitchin'
>Like
>>2109842>People keep saying altadena's working class but the cheapest homes are still a million dollars.Anyways where we live ain't no "working class" it's a cripset. It's just like Compton Muahuahahaha
My friends had to duck and cover at the local park in shootouts. God bless I was never in any shootout. I was hitup on the street tho.
>>2109866Ehh who gives a fuck. I doxxed myself to the block I lived on. I don't live there anynmore but I imagine there is the same level of interest in random posters on leftypol.
I said. I watched the whole Angles Crest burn down first hand, but it never came close to the suburbia. This time is completely different. The just let Altadena burn.
I was gonna say to you, how far do you live from the edge of the wilderness? In Altadena they let it burn for 1.5 to 2 miles. If you're above that you're surely safe..
>>2109870>What the fluck is going on with your photo? What is all the bright white shit at the bottom?They're street lights.
>>2109868I'm close enough to smell the smoke and see the fire. Right now I'm just gonna get high and play Marvel Rivals. In other news Scientologists are allegedly stealing relief in Santa Anita supplies so they can then redistribute them and claim credit.
>>2109881>I'm close enough to smell the smoke and see the fire. Right now I'm just gonna get high and play Marvel Rivals. In other news Scientologists are allegedly stealing relief in Santa Anita supplies so they can then redistribute them and claim credit.In other news my neighbor is a Scientologist and I have defended them many times against Christian cucks. Your religion is just as, or more insane than Scientology. The most grifter Scientologist isn't as shameful as your pope.
>Some original reporting for y'all. I just wrote to my ex-neighbor a few hours ago to see how they're doing. She used to babysit me as a kid. They have a really small kind of humble home. Father worked as a paint mixer at a hardware store*Scientologists have more of a sense of god than Catholics and I'll stand by that.
Some articles from a gommunist mag I just ran into if anyone is interested.
https://www.geesemag.com/the-marginality-of-american-communismhttps://www.geesemag.com/towards-a-socialist-intervention-in-the-contemporary-democratic-movementI agree with the idea of US parties often being outside of the Real Movement and/or failing to analyze burger society as it is, but at the same time these authors don't do a great job of actually laying out how we can be at the forefront of current struggles without just preaching or being immediately recuperated as has happened to the bernouts and AOC types.
>>2109805>I mean more in the sense that gay marriage served the interests of a very narrow economic stratum of the lgbt "community" and this economic layer of gays and lesbians wanted and were granted access to bourgeois societyI don't think it's homophobic to make that argument. It's just that so many arguments against it are usually bundled up in the defense of the bourgeois "family" at the same time, which is contradictory (not saying you're doing it but most smear-the-queer socialists out there will also be tradfags about the family). It's different when socialists who have some idea of what they're talking about and understand each other do talk about it, and not in a moralfagging kind of way about the "family" (good) or the "bourgeoisie" (bad) in the goofy-ass cartoon Marxism version of how those topics are talked about. Like what are really talking about? (Social relations, relations of production, forces of production, etc.)
>>2109793>but "gays are bourgeois" ain't itWell he says something about the gay men are bourgeois and lesbians are not, and it's like, okay, Ellen Degeneres. Who's apparently horrible. What are stereotypical jobs for gay men? Hairdressers, flight attendants. There are some rich evil ones too like Thiel but class is a different thing from an identity or a sexual orientation.
>>2109922around obamas second term the liberals got it in their head they were the new moral police, what came to be known as the so called social justice warrior and later woke. Trump getting a second term has defeated the wokeness, corporations are getting rid of dei, only need pop media to start catering to chuds and this is game over. MAGA is the new normal, the elite.
This might seem like dark times, but with wokeness out of the way maybe there is room for the far left to take over
>>2109791I know three people who moved
to NY & NJ last year. I'll probably be next.
>>2110174> southern states because summer is overrated as fuck and getting unbearableSummers in Texas are literally unusable. No one goes outside. Even at night it is still hot as fuck because the humidity traps the heat unlike a desert where ot gets really cold at night. Last summer we were setting records for the highest lows. 5am in the morning and it is still 85f.
Only nice seasons in Texas are fall and spring. The winters are cold as shit too. Worst of all words.
>>2110262https://www.reddit.com/r/Minneapolis/comments/17pvxdj/comment/k880c5l/>We have decent public transportation, quality bike infrastructure, are friendly to lgbtq people, legal weed, great healthcare, and great weather for four weeks in spring and fall. Downsides are some of the worst cops in the country, cold weather in winter and hot weather in summer. Ahh so basically another Texas.
>I moved here from Europe 9 years ago for college. I would currently pick Minneapolis over Boston simply because itâs cheaper and the people are friendlier. But be aware, I moved here from a cold country thinking I could handle it and nothing could have prepared me for HOW cold it gets. Itâs cold and dark for almost 5 months of the year, so you will need to prepare mentally for that. But colder lol.
>>2109981Thank ya!
>>2109916I totally get ya, it's not for everyone. I like to joke that it's my Autism simulator. Just a nice repetitive game you can chill out and vibe in.
>>2109989>It's literally a thinking lib's feelings about the deepening political polarization in the West.Thank you for giving me an opportunity to sperg out on Death Stranding.
So one of the first things that stood out to me about the game is that there's absolutely no currency in it. Currency isn't even mentioned. I thought at some point you'd see something about "Make deliveries -> Get Money -> Use Money to buy more gear." But you aren't delivering stuff for
money in the game, you're delivering it for
likes, likes which are basically unlimited, which you can't "spend" on anything, which generally just exist to show you that people (NPCs and other players) appreciate what you're doing in the game. You're not spending or gaining money, hell the "smash the like button" mechanic in the game costs nothing, it's literally just saying "thanks for the bridge" or what have you.
In the game's lore you learn that production is almost entirely taken over by advanced 3D printers, almost like the replicators in Star Trek. Eventually seasoned players learn to recycle degraded equipment in order to produce new equipment, and excluding big projects like roads or a zipline network, the things you need in your daily life are all extremely easy to produce: shoes, clothes, ladders, etc. Scarcity, it appears, has been eliminated. The printers themselves don't have a cost beyond the resources required to produce a certain object, and as you bring more bunkers and cities on to the chiral network, they share more of their resources with you. The stars you gain aren't signs that you're "profitable" or whatever, it means the representatives of these various places
like you more and are more willing to share their resources. Then you learn previously that the entire job of "porters" exist because AI made most forms of employment redundant, and people needed some form of labor to give themselves meaning. Like Diehardman says outright that society created porters solely to give peoples' lives meaning, a society running off the profit motive fundamentally can't conceive of that. This wasn't a decision based on any pursuit of profit, it was based off of giving people meaning.
Sam's outfit is pretty clearly inspired by the U.S. postal service which, I mean, is a great microcosm of the struggle of Capitalism vs Socialism: the post-office is a public service, it's not supposed to be profitable, but the Republican Party is desperate to turn it into a for-profit business, even though
it won't be able to function under such conditions. The choices you make in Death Stranding similarly are as far removed from the profit-motive as can be. Why do you take on extra packages and plan these extensive routes from one map to the other? Literally just to see if you can. Just to get likes. To increase your relationship to others. To see if you can. If you're judging things based off
profit then there's genuinely no reason to deliver to the Old Man in the second zone: he's a pain in the ass to get to. He's on top of a mountain. There's no road going there. If you're doing things just for profit then you'd likely stop delivering to him after the first round. But the more you go out of the way to get this old guy his medicine, the more appreciative he gets, eventually joining the Chiral Network, gifting you with more bandwidth and resources, shares his data with the rest of the world. If you stop delivering to him after
that, then he eventually dies, but not before sending you an email thanking you for being pretty much his sole connection to the outside world.
The game isn't just a repudiation of the "Live in a hut in the woods" response common in American apocalypse fiction. It's a repudiation of the profit motive itself. You see someone's package on the ground, and you pick it up. If you don't deliver it then you leave it in a mailbox for someone else. You see an isolated village as far from a road as possible? You deliver to it. Eventually you find a rhythm of delivering to as many places as possible, darting between different settlements, and at no point are you accruing some kind of currency that you can spend to buy shit later, you're doing it
for the fun of it.Even the one private company you see in the game, Fragile Express, it doesn't even seem to operate as an actual capitalist endeavor. You use it mainly because they were the only source of deliveries in areas where the government literally ceased to exist. There, again, doesn't seem to be any currency constraints, Fragile doesn't seem to be extracting any surplus value from her "employees" (in fact she makes plenty of deliveries herself). It's a "company" in the sense that it's just a collective of people gathering together for a private endeavor; delivering packages. Expanding the chiral network? It literally just means people can print whatever at their 3D printers from their home: motorcycles, classic movies, furniture, etcetera. What can't be printed (like food and organic material) seems to be delivered via porters. It's an economy built around resource
sharing more than anything.
Plus every individual you meet seems to have their own "thing" going that isn't merely subsistence living and isn't really motivated by profit. One dude's a retro gamer. Another is a musician. Another tries to make art out of junk. All of these people are independent of any "Employer-Employee" relationship. Even the farmers you meet, rather than being motivated by profit, are more or less scientists interested in developing new agricultural techniques
for the sake of it.Death Stranding is literally just a Communist take on the "Post-Apocalypse" genre and it's immensely hopeful because of it. It isn't some reactionary zombie flick where people fantasize about the possibility of killing their neighbors for resources. It's about sharing resources and doing things because
they're a simple social good. >>2110274It can take some getting used to. Unironically if you're playing it with a good bit of weed it might help, definitely isn't the kind of ADD "flashing colors and combat" game that a lot of modern stuff is.
Unironically I think the mechanics it introduced would be good for a Tolkien/Lord of The Rings game. Lots of hiking.
>>2110290Oh yeah, there's that too, lol.
I'm extremely hyped to see where they go with the second game. 'Specially since it seems like you're going down to Mexico and it looks like Kojima is going after arms dealers.
>>2110262idk Minneapolis just seems soulless and overly white and midwestern to me. Plus winters are depressing and freezing.
If you're going to move to the midwest just move to Chicago
>>2110259>winters are coldlol no. ignoring the once in a while "freeze," Texan winters are nice; I was wearing shorts on Christmas when I was visting family. But yes, the summers are horrible and a big reason why I moved away.
Anita Bryant died (a few weeks ago but it was just announced). She was before our time, but emblematic of right-wing culture war going wrong and failing, which is the most interesting thing about her I think, and more on that in a second. But first, who was Anita Bryant?
Bryant was a beauty queen and singer from Oklahoma who was somewhat popular in the 1960s among an older and conservative audience (she also performed at USO tours, White House functions during the LBJ administration, and the Super Bowl, which was less of a spectacle in those days). The counterculture loathed her because they saw her music and overall aesthetic as cheesy, dated and hoplessly square and normie. Think of the kind of 1950s pop that is parodied in the Fallout games, this was her biggest hit:
https://youtu.be/C0phY9iHTrgShe was also an Evangelical. Then as the 1960s wore on, she shifted into gospel music and T.V. commercials. She sold Coca-Cola, Holiday Inn, Tupperware, all kinds of things, usually with a conventional, 1950s tradwife (although they didn't use that word then) angle. Then most notably she became the national spokeswoman for the Florida Citrus Commission, a state commission dedicated to supporting the state's citrus growers and promoting citrus products. But while she was being an industry shill, she also became a culture warrior, aggressively opposing anything to do with the counterculture movement – and *especially* anything regarding sexual boundaries. Her first big move in this direction was in 1969, when she organized protests against Jim Morrison of The Doors for pulling his dick out on a stage, but Morrison was generally a reprobate piece of shit so I can't really blame her for that.
Then after that, she leaned into what she's most famous for today: anti-gay campaigning in reaction to the emerging gay rights movement, which combined the libertine nature of the sexual revolution with the politics of the civil rights movement. (It's worth mentioning that pre-1970s America was not one of complete oppression, a popular misconception, but the 1950s/1960s were absolutely terrible and owed a great deal to McCarthyism.) Anyways, Bryant was horrified and disgusted by the sheer thought of homosexuality and wanted to do something about it, and formed a group called "Save Our Children" (later renamed to "Protect Our Children" because a child welfare group had already taken the name) which became the leading anti-gay organization in the country. As liberal cities began passing non-discrimination ordinances during the decade, Bryant and Protect Our Children were there to roll them back, which had a significant affect in accelerating the politicization of the gay rights movement, and contributed to the spread of Pride parades in American cities.
The thing about Bryant is that she said hysterical Karen-like shit all the time which also gradually alienated her own cause from Middle America. Think of Maude Flanders from The Simpsons ("won't somebody PLEASE think of the children!?!?!") and you get the archetype. She said if the gays were allowed to spread, soon we'll be protecting the rights to have sex with dogs. Quote: "The recruitment of our children is absolutely necessary for the survival and growth of homosexuality⌠for since homosexuals cannot reproduce, they must recruit, must freshen their ranks." This turned her into a laughing stock on the Johnny Carson show, who was not usually political. He made his Middle America thing the core of his popularity, so the fact that she was such an easy target (in the 1970s at that) was a bad sign.
Things came to a head in 1977-1978 over a proposed law by a California Republican – backed by Bryant's campaigning – to ban gay teachers from Californian public schools. (They're trying to go after the kids after all.) But this was a bad idea. Ronald Reagan came out and said it was a bad idea. The gay rights campaigners became more aggressive, and in 1977 a gay rights campaigner (and conscientious objector during the Vietnam War) named Tom Higgins shoved a pie into her face during a press conference. She blurted out "at least it was a fruit pie!" while her face was messed up and said she's pray to God for the man while bursting into tears. A truly great moment in American history right there. The same year, Harvey Milk was elected city supervisor in San Francisco. In 1978, the law to ban gay teachers failed. A month later, Milk was assassinated.
While this was also going on, gay bars began a national boycott of Florida orange juice. Gay bars stopped serving screwdrivers, replacing them with apple juice and calling it the Anita Bryant. This started in Miami and went national. It's important to keep in mind that the gay rights movement was much poorer and more disorganized at the time, so this was one of the first (if not the first?) cases of a national, coordinated action. Then in 1980, the Florida Citrus Commission fired Bryant. She tried to fight it, and claimed she had been blacklisted, which was true, but interestingtly she did not make a successful leap into right-wing grifting. That was less developed at the time, too, but what destroyed her career was apparently that she filed for divorce from her husband (who said he refused to recognize it, calling it against the Bible). The Evangelical community refused to support her, so she moved back to Oklahoma and faded into irrelevancy and obscurity, suffering from financial problems and declaring bankruptcy twice. In 2021, Bryant's granddaughter married another woman. And that's the end of the story.
>>2110339>Anita Bryant died (a few weeks ago but it was just announced). She was before our time, but emblematic of right-wing culture war going wrong and failing, which is the most interesting thing about her I think, and more on that in a second. But first, who was Anita Bryant?Lol I told my mom, and she was like, goddamn she was still alive? Took her awhile. She asked is there a RIH? Rest in hell?
>Things came to a head in 1977-1978 over a proposed law by a California Republican â backed by Bryant's campaigning â to ban gay teachers from Californian public schools. (They're trying to go after the kids after all.) But this was a bad idea. Ronald Reagan came out and said it was a bad idea. The gay rights campaigners became more aggressive, and in 1977 a gay rights campaigner (and conscientious objector during the Vietnam War) named Tom Higgins shoved a pie into her face during a press conference. She blurted out "at least it was a fruit pie!" while her face was messed up and said she's pray to God for the man while bursting into tears. A truly great moment in American history right there. The same year, Harvey Milk was elected city supervisor in San Francisco. In 1978, the law to ban gay teachers failed. A month later, Milk was assassinated.My mommo volunteered for the No on 6 campaign. She said she never met Milk but she was on a bus with him onetime but didn't know it until he got off and everyone started saying "Hey that was Harvey Milk!." Yeah Reagan seemed to personally not have any problem with gays, probably because of his showbiz background.
Go watch the Milk movie if you haven't seen it yet.
>>2110330>idk Minneapolis just seems soulless and overly white It's 20% Black. What's your maximum White threshold.
>lol no. ignoring the once in a while "freeze," Texan winters are nice; I was wearing shorts on Christmas when I was visting family. But yes, the summers are horrible and a big reason why I moved away.Nah it's pretty fucking chilly. I'm From LA so maybe that is my baseline comparison. Never lived somewhere where it snows. It doesn't get to the 40s and 30s(highs) in the daytime in LA. And I'm in Central Texas too but I've gone up to the northwest a number of times and it snows there a lot, but not enough that they actually are prepared to plow the fucking interstate. Fucking spun out and got stuck in a massive pile of hard as snow. Luckily I was able to go foward, reverse, go foward, reverse, out of this deep pile with 2wd and no snow tires.
>>2110367What I meant is that it's all segregated and Minneapolis is very much a white midwestern city. Contrast with e.g. Texas where it's a lot more of a melting pot with mixing of cultures and people of all ethnic groups spanning all the class divisions (though with the upper class being predominantly white ofc). I'm not a white midwestern dude so I wouldn't want to live somewhere like that.
>Never lived somewhere where it snows. It doesn't get to the 40s and 30s(highs) in the daytime in LA.Jesus christ lmfao, and you want to move to Minneapolis? If you think Texan winters are "cold" then you're in for a rude awakening kek
>>2110373Makes a huge difference. Here in Chicag,o I will get legitimately depressed if the sun doesn't show up for a few days, shit sucks.
>>2110367People adapt to their environments, so Texas experiences scorching heat coupled with humidity but the natives are more adapted to it, while northerners who move to Texas are like "pfft this isn't cold at all" when there's a week-long cold snap that blows in and makes the natives uncomfortable.
>>2110376Well there's snow but no ice and those 18-wheelers have huge tires.
>>2110384>Jesus christ lmfao, and you want to move to Minneapolis? If you think Texan winters are "cold" then you're in for a rude awakening kekYeah I was more suggesting it to those people who aren't afraid of the snow.
>>2110174> snow isn't hell, Personally I've seen a lot of people discuss this shit online. I pretty much only see people who were born and raised in areas where it regularly snows, who said
>one winter I decided>that's it, never again no more snow ever againI've never really seen the opposite. Look at everyone moving to fucking Phoenix. I guess it might be better than Texas because it actually cools off once the sun goes down, but the daytime is like literally death. I passed through there one time in the summer and it was fucking GHOST TOWN. Literally no one on the street. I tried walking my dog, but quickly realized the sidewalk was burning her feet. What a hellscape.
But then again, 17,000 people die every year from slipping on ice, so. Snow still worse. Pick your poison.
>>2110402Ay yay yay, is that an AI image? Sorry I didn't inspect it closely enough. I got it from the image search from this site:
https://learncalifornia.org/where-is-santa-barbara/We livin in the future baby. In the future all photos will simply be AI generated. We can have AI imaginations of places.
>>2110404Tbh shifting to conquering Canada, Greenland, and Panama is something of a defeat. Being rebuked in Ukraine is essentially putting an end to its non stop looting of the rest of the world. Now to maintain the status quo it's got to start cannibalizing it's supposed "allies." The cost of maintaining the status quo is going up.
Personally I think latam anons should be deeply concerned about the prospect of the US seizing Panama directly. In all likelihood that's going to become Trump's new "wall", and it signals no good intentions for the countries on the other side of it.
>>2110418>Unless they draft and/or just start using prisoners too or something, I can't see how they can accomplish any of that.The prisoners thing isn't unlikely. That's what Russia did with Wagner and it worked out well for them. California is currently using their prisoner-slave firefighters to keep La from being incinerated.
More prominently though you have an occupation force ready in the form of the US population itself. As climate change worsens the territory further north is going to become more accessible as the Southern US becomes more untenable. Florida and Texas both have populations of 24 and 30 million respectively. Now imagine 20 million up and leave for the Canadian frontier to escape the heat and enjoy the benefits of living in Canada like universal healthcare. How do you think Canada's population of 40 million is going to fare against that?
>>2110271>luxury space gay communismvs
>the first strand type existing socialismwich your siding with?
>>2110530What makes you think that in this scenario Canada is in a position to "let" anyone do anything? The question was whether or not the US army had the capacity to invade and occupy several states at once. My stance is that they wouldn't have to. Crush the Canadian military, subjugate its government, and then open up its frontier to settlement, and give the settlers the relevant incentives and support to be the occupation force you need.
You know, not unlike what they did during the Western migration.
>>2110779Thank you comrade.
>>2110781Another reason why the Chinese should run TikTok directly
https://perfectunion.us/how-this-billionaire-couple-stole-californias-water-supply/How This Billionaire Couple Stole Californiaâs Water Supply<In a series of secret meetings in 1994, the Resnicks seized control of Californiaâs public water supply. <Now theyâve built a business empire by selling it back to working people.
>While 40 million Californians suffer through unprecedented drought, one billionaire couple owns a massive share of the stateâs water system, largely seized in a series of secretive meetings two decades ago.> That system was largely paid for by the very taxpayers whose water these billionaires hold hostage.> Urban water systems are desperate for water, but in 2023 theyâll receive just 5% of what they requested from the state. Stewart and Lydia Resnick use 150 billion gallons a year.> Journalist: âI wonder how youâre thinking about water for your businesses?â> Lynda Resnick: âWeâre thinking about water 24/7. Okay? I donât want to get into a drought discussion right now because itâs really off topic but it is serious and a lot of people have suffered⌠Itâs a tough time for people with no rain. But you know, our climate is in terrible jeopardy but we donât wanna go there right now, we all know that, right.â> The Resnicks are the biggest farmers in Californiaâas of 2007 they owned four San Franciscoâs worth of farmland.> And nearly half of Americans buy at least one of their products: Their pistachios, their pomegranate Juice, their mandarins, their flowers> Itâs all under one massive umbrella: The Wonderful Company, a privately owned company worth at least 5 billion dollars. The majority owners, the Resnicks, are worth at least 8 billion.> How were they able to take over such a large percentage of what should be a shared public resource?> This is The Class Room from More Perfect Union, and today weâre looking at How The Resnicks Got Rich:> Lynda is a former child actress, the daughter of Jack Harris, a successful movie distributor of the 1950s, most well known for The Blob.> At 19 she founded her own advertising agency, and in her early 20s Lynda actually did something pretty cool: she assisted in the leak of The Pentagon Papers, the Department of Defense documents that showed just how cravenly evil the United Statesâ actions in Vietnam were.> Stewart was born to a middle class New Jersey family and started his first business, a janitorial service, in grad school.> He eventually acquired American Protection Services, a burglar alarm and security company. Lynda approached him about marketing services for the company, and they hit it off, not knowing that one day theyâd work together to take over most of Californiaâs water.> The lovebirds became business partners. They bought Teleflora, the flower delivery company, and The Franklin Mint, purveyors of inane little chotchkies.> Lynda was the marketing person, and Stewart was in charge of business Lynda told the LA times in 1993, âIâve always said that Stewart and I together make one perfect person, like little salt and pepper shakers.â> In the late 80s they found their primary industry: agriculture.> They got into the pistachio business. Lynda said, âWeâve done more for the pistachio than anyone ever since it was planted in the Garden of Eden. My husband should be canonized for all the work heâs done.â> They started branching into other productsâ almonds, pomegranates, citrus, wineâand acquiring more and more land to cover it, including some very important land in Kern County which granted them water rights in the area.> As the Resnicks were building their empire, the state of California was building new water infrastructure with taxpayer money.> Californiaâs natural water supply is very inconsistent: vastly differing amounts of rainfall means the state can go from surplus to drought and back very easily. So they build water banks to store water during surpluses to have during droughts.> One important storage facility is the Kern Water Bank, started in 1988. The facility was built with hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, which couldâve been a good thing: the people of California wouldâve owned the water.> But there were two Californians thirstier than the rest, and they wanted more water: Lynda and Stewart Resnick, and they had a lot of political powerâweâll get to that.> In 1994 state water officials, water infrastructure contractors, and agricultural landowners with water rights arranged a secretive meeting at a resort in Monterey Bay California.> These groups, a mix of private companies and public agencies, rewrote Californiaâs water laws without any input from voters, taxpayers, or legislators. The new laws, called The Monterey Plus Agreement or The Monterey Amendments were devastating for working Californians and great for agriculture billionaires.> The original law had âurban preferenceâ a long-standing rule that in times of drought the state water board would give urban areasâwhere people liveâaccess to state water supplies before agricultural interests. Monterey axed that. That means that in times of drought the water systems for normal Californians would have to buy water from the private companies, because they werenât getting it from the state.> The new agreement also loosened regulations on âpaper water.â Thatâs water that doesnât necessarily actually exist anywhere but on paper: the full quantities of water that providers could have, but donât actually need to have. Today 5x as much water has been promised and sold as actually exists.> And importantly, the meeting changed ownership of the Kern Water Bank. What once belonged to the state was transferred to a few private water contractors. One of which was Westside Mutual, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wonderful Foods. The Wonderful employee who runs Westside, Bill Phillimore, is the chairman of the âpublicâ organization that manages the Kern Water Bank.> Boom. One secret meeting and the Resnicks owned nearly 60% of an important California water resource, built with hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money.> The new ownership combined with the rules on paper and surplus water meant that during times of drought the Resnicks could sell Kern water back to the state water systems.> They took Californian taxpayersâ water and sold it back to themâ both literally as the water supply, and also to grow expensive food like gourmet pistachios and pomegranate juice. They converted the peoplesâ water into products many canât afford.> And thatâs just one waterbank, the Resnicks also have control of other water boards and have been sued for directing more water towards their properties.> So how do they get away with this Chinatown-level chicanery? With philanthropy!> The Resnicks donate millions of dollars to politicians and research institutions, which help them secure control over water systems, and even get more water and more taxpayer funding.> One important project is the proposed California Delta Tunnel, a taxpayer funded project which would send water from Northern California to Central, where the Resnicksâ farms are. Theyâve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on California and federal legislation and politicians who support the tunnel project.> But their favorite politician is Senator Diane Feinstein, chair of the Energy and Water subcommittee. Sheâs a close personal friend of the Resnicks, attending their holiday parties in Aspen and maintaining their financial interests.> A quick look through bills sheâs sponsored show several which would direct money to Kern-adjacent water projects. The Resnicks even ask her for things directly:> When a pesky study about endangering salmon and shad fisheries threatened the Delta Tunnel, Stewart wrote a letter to Feinstein demanding a new study. She immediately forwarded it to the Obama administration, who agreed to spend 750 thousand dollars on a new study. It returned the same results as the first one. You canât buy science! But the Resnicks have tried:> They are among the top donors to the University of California system, with their donations focusing on agricultural and ecological studies. The Resnicks have basically bought entire departments who put out studies on how water systems should be managed, and where funding should go. That leads to even more federal and state taxpayer dollars being used to fix up what the Resnicks profit off of.> This is all bad for California even in a capitalistic sense: agriculture uses 80% of Californiaâs water, but only represents 2% of its GDP.> The Resnicks water monopoly is just one way their quest for wealth hurts the rest of us. They lobby for increased tensions with Iran to keep embargos on superior Iranian pistachios. Their giant crops lead to monocultures which kills important pollinators. They siphon taxpayer dollars into the charter schools they own, set up to train children to work on their farms. And of course, like any company of this size, they exploit their workers. >>2110802Same.
Itâs honestly really fucking cool the Chinese state annually Luigis their CEOâs like sacrifices to a communist God.
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