Louis Ingenthron @LouisIngenthron@social.cleverlibre.org

There's little good video on former US ambassador Nikki Haley being asked a ambush question at a Berlin, New Hampshire 'town hall' meeting. So here's a transcript from my own fair hands.

Haley: "Yes sir?"

Audience member: "Thank you Ambassador."

Haley: "Thank you."

Audience member: "Please, what was the cause of the United States' Civil War?"

Haley [turns away, smiles, sarcastic tone]: "Well don't come with an easy question."

Haley [addressing questioner]: "Well I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run. The freedoms and what people could and couldn't do. What do you think the cause of the Civil War was?"

Audience member [inaudible].

Haley: "I'm sorry?"

Audience member [loudly]: "I'm not running for President. I wanted to see your view on the cause of the Civil War."

Haley: "I mean I think it always comes down to the role of government. And what the rights of the People are. And we, I, will always stand by the fact the government was always intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the People and was never meant to be all things to all people. Government doesn't need to be able to tell you how to life your life, they don't need to tell you what you can and can't do, the don't need to be a part of your life, they need to make sure you have freedom. We need to have capitalism, we need to have economic freedom, we need to make sure we do all things to make sure that individuals have the liberties so that they can have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to do or be anything they want to be without government getting in the way.

Audience member: "In 2023, it’s astonishing to me that you would answer that question without mentioning the word 'slavery'."

Haley [holds out hand towards questioner]: "What do you want me to say about slavery?"

Audience member: "You’ve answered my question."

Haley [purses lips, retreats to rear of stage]: "Next question."

Audience: [some clapping].

Some useful background is that Haley is a Republican politician seeking to become their candidate for US President at the 2024 election. She was previously state Governor of South Carolina. That's the state where the US Civil War officially started, and therefore you'd think a bit of a gimme question. The AP news service points out that the state's Declaration of Secession (1860) begins by mentioning slavery as the first point of contention with the northern states.

"The State of South Carolina having resumed her separate and equal place among nations, deems it due to herself, to the remaining United States of America, and to the nations of the world, that she should declare the immediate causes which have led to this act:

" - An increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery..."

Florida went so Florida that it couldn't even fit it all in the headline, JFC.

Florida teen allegedly shoots and kills sister over Christmas gift spat | Florida | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/27/florida-teen-allegedly-shoots-kills-sister-christmas-gift

I had several British people request I use "aluminium" instead of "aluminum" for yesterday's comic, so here you go.

This is 100% me at parties, events and conferences.

"During their history, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, she said, all displaced indigenous people. No one is calling these countries illegitimate or demanding they evacuate. “So why is Israel different?”"

Israel is different because israel is the only country currently trying to bomb their indiginous population to smitheriens. North America is at least starting to come to terms with their genocidal history. Israel is trying to complete the #genocide.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/26/lipstadt-antisemitism-virus/

#genocide #israel #gaza #palestine

jesus fucking christ. someone just told me "I block everyone who posts or boosts ads" and then blocked me because i posted about my games being on sale. people like this need to learn the difference between individual creators promoting art they made and "ads", for fucks sake

So, I've spent the past few months rebuilding my #unity game in #foss #godot, and I just released the first #beta tonight!

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/923710/view/3880478611746238537

#GameDev #indie

1000 richest people are approched. "The end of the world is here. Time to go to your doomsday bunker", they are told. The billionaires nodded. They knew this was coming. They were prepared.

So they gathered their loved ones and locked themselves in luxury bunkers. No contact to outside world.

10 years later they emerge. The world has healed. The air is breathable, people are happy. "What was the catastrophy?" they ask the first person they meet.

She screams: "THEY GOT OUT!!!"

#microfiction

I will not be satisfied until my blood type is havarti.

Hiring a software engineer in their late 40s:

Pros:
* Understands your stack better than you do after glancing through the repo for five minutes.
* Will rewrite said stack 2x as fast, and half as buggy if you let them.

Cons:
* Gives zero fucks.
* Knows we're not *really* like family here.
* No, seriously, absolutely zero fucks given.

Do not cite the deep magic to me, product manager, I was there when it was written.