Retaliation

Plus: Capitalism blaming, desalination innovation, Houthis fire on Saudi Arabia, and more...

Canada slaps retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods: Starting today, clothing, cheese, metal, paper products, and wood imports from the United States—totaling roughly $20 billion—will be subject to tariffs in Canada. The new tariffs will also "double the rate of existing tariffs that Canadian businesses pay on imported American steel and aluminum products and affect about 700 products, including aluminum foil, railway locomotives and steel bridges," reports The New York Times.

These tariffs were enacted by the Canadian government in response to tariffs placed on Canadian goods by U.S. President Donald Trump. "Last spring, I warned that America is trying to break us so that they can own us," Prime Minister Mark Carney said just weeks ago. "And I promised: 'That will never, ever happen.' We are keeping that promise." When asked by a reporter why his tone seemed so combative, Carney responded: "We were attacked. You're at war when you get attacked. We got attacked."

Carney is making good on his threats, issued late last month after negotiations stalled, to retaliate "dollar for dollar" as the U.S. ratchets up tariffs on Canadian products. Polling indicates the prime minister has lots of domestic public support.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meanwhile, fired back: "I don't think you can be in a tit-for-tat with someone who's 13 times larger than you are." Trump mused, last Friday, that the U.S. might "end all trade with Canada."

I must once again tap the sign: "Tariffs not only impose immense economic costs but also fail to achieve their primary policy aims and foster political dysfunction along the way." This way bad things lie. Why exactly are we souring our relationship with our northern neighbor? Is there any real reason for this?

Quick thread:
So in the last few weeks, we've seen the #TNOIIECBAFTATPPAAFPDATW tariff t-shirt up and come to life 1/x pic.twitter.com/79RHtRLx8r

— Scott Lincicome (@scottlincicome) May 3, 2018

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Scenes from New York: "In the harrowing months that followed the attacks on the World Trade Center, New Yorkers were repeatedly assured that the air around the fallen towers was safe to breathe," reports The New York Times. "But 10 months later, health officials were still finding evidence of asbestos as much as half a mile away, according to a sample of air quality records being released on Tuesday." The Mamdani administration is releasing "more than 170,000 pages of air quality reports, contamination records and correspondence among city officials. The records were stored in 68 boxes in a city office, shielded from public view for more than two decades." Apparently even city officials had misplaced the documents, discovering them only last year. (Hard to know the degree to which that's true.)

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QUICK HITS

• The art of capitalism blaming:

"Capitalism is why people have to work" is very silly thing to say, but it's part of a grand tradition of blaming literally everything, no matter how absurd, on capitalism.

A short thread: pic.twitter.com/s4LDj81V6H

— Jeremiah Johnson 🌐 (@JeremiahDJohns) September 5, 2026

• "Desalination, turning seawater into water you can drink, transformed a desert into an oasis," writes Stephen McBride at Rational Optimist Society. "An hour up the road in Dubai the world's largest desalination facility pumps out enough fresh water to fill 890 Olympic swimming pools every day. Abu Dhabi alone makes close to a tenth of all the desalinated water on the planet. 97% of Earth's water is ocean you can't drink. First, you have to take out the salt.…'Desal' is one of the most under-celebrated successes of our lifetime. The cost of desalinated water has fallen more than 70% since 1990. And it's changed the fortunes of nations." The problem is, desalination plants take up a ton of space. What if you don't have that kind of capacity? Enter two former SpaceXers in Torrance, California, who invented a compact desal technology: "Access weighs 25 pounds and looks like a beer cooler. I lifted it one-handed. You drop a hose in the ocean, press a button, and get six gallons of clean, fresh water every hour."
• "Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen fired drones and missiles at a number of Saudi Arabia's southern energy facilities Tuesday morning, escalating the fighting on what has become a second front for the kingdom and sending oil prices back toward $100 a barrel," reports The Wall Street Journal. "Saudi Arabia confirmed the attacks, which the Houthis said targeted facilities in Abha, Najran and Jazan. The strikes hit gas and oil storage facilities including at a power plant in Abha and left the major refinery at Jazan aflame and off line, people familiar with the damage said. Output at Jazan had already been diminished by previous Houthi strikes."

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Canada slaps retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods...

THEY LOST TO THE UNITED STATES IN THEIR NATIONAL SPORT

[Dillinger]

"we'll always have 1993, hosers!"

[Fist of Etiquette]

Starting today, clothing, cheese, metal, paper products, and wood imports from the United States—totaling roughly $20 billion—will be subject to tariffs in Canada.

Don't they know they're only taxing their own citizens with this?

[DaveH]

A great opportunity for an adult in the room: Canada should retaliate strategically by going immediately to unilateral free trade.

[damikesc]

That IS hilarious.

[JFree]

That is ridiculous. Canada should have the weaponry to be able to retaliate without consequence. eg to punitively tax exports of oil to the US. That would immediately demonstrate the 'value' of Canadian oil to the US and the US would be in recession in a week or two - esp since Trump himself has advocated that notion via his 'trade with Canada is useless'.

Course that would also mean the US would go to a fighting war with Canada. And Canada does not even have the capability to do that. They are incapable of exporting crude to a global customer even when prices for global crude/products are high. They are, basically, a colony in economic terms.

So there is in fact no competitive buyer for Canadian crude - and hence there is no 'free trade' since you can't have free trade without multiple potential buyers/sellers.

[But SkyNet is a Private Company]

Canada has had more tarriffs on us, and complete market shutouts for certain products, for a long time. If anything, we were "retaliating"

[JFree]

Horseshit. They are selling their oil at a 20-30% discount to WTI. That is stupid as hell on their part - but the consequence to the US is that we get 60% of the imported oil we can refine at a 20-30% discount. That is what allows the Gulf to export refined product - and export all shale oil that we can't refine. It is the only reason diesel is still under $10/gallon.

Canada has a whole bunch of stupid internal barriers - but even then it is AMERICAN CEO's (eg the auto industry - where all the decision makers are in the US) who have rigged that shit. They're the ones who structured Canada/Mexico as if they were internal manufacturing divisions of Ford/GM/etc.

The reason we can't export manufactured goods to anywhere is because we CHOSE to kill that skill set. We chose to financialize our economy instead of make stuff. And with Trump's decision making skills and incompetence, it ain't coming back. His tariff shit is just a way for him to get attention. It will not lead to reshoring.

[JFree]

Hell Canada is not even a significant net trade deficit country - lower than China, Mexico, Vietnam, Taiwan, Germany, India, Japan, Bermuda, Ireland, Thailand, South Korea, Italy, and Malaysia - with the US. So by Trump's own kindergarten clown math Canada is screwing us less than Bermuda is.

[Social Justice is neither]

But that would require a tacit admission that their initial tariffs were wrong and communists can never be wrong.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Tariffs not only impose immense economic costs but also fail to achieve their primary policy aims and foster political dysfunction along the way.

I blame the Founders.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Mamdani administration is releasing "more than 170,000 pages of air quality reports, contamination records and correspondence among city officials..."

And you were blaming the RoP for all the New York deaths.

[Medulla Oblongata]

Keep importing drivers who kill people on the streets...

https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/2097011166274802149

EXCLUSIVE: The driver who kiIIed Lisa Maldonado, 33, while backing up his truck on a highway ramp in Texas is Khasan Begbaev, who is from Uzbekistan, DHS confirmed to us.

Begbaev currently has residency status in the U.S. which will be REVOKED if he’s convicted, and make him eligible for deportation.

Begbaev allegedly LIED to police about the nature of the crash before they uncovered the dashcam video which contradicted his story.

Begbaev was charged with one count of manslaughter.

https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/2096790833102045213

Ohio Judge Tammie K. Hursh just sentenced Haitian illegal Yvio Michel to just 20 DAYS in jail after he caused a crash that kiIIed a father and his son

20 days for kiIIing Hurshel Gipson and his 11-year-old son, Michael.

--------------------------------------------

Title 49 Subtitle B Chapter III Subchapter B Part 391 Subpart B § 391.11

General qualifications of drivers.

(a) A person shall not drive a commercial motor vehicle unless he/she is qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle. Except as provided in § 391.63, a motor carrier shall not require or permit a person to drive a commercial motor vehicle unless that person is qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle.

(b) Except as provided in subpart G of this part, a person is qualified to drive a motor vehicle if he/she—

(1) Is at least 21 years old;

(2) Can read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records;

(3) Can, by reason of experience, training, or both, safely operate the type of commercial motor vehicle he/she drives;

[Medulla Oblongata]

More COVID fraud.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/georgia-sisters-plead-guilty-roles-2m-pandemic-benefits-fraud-scheme

Two Georgia women have pleaded guilty to their roles in a scheme to defraud the federal government by causing pandemic unemployment benefit funds to be paid on ineligible claims that had been held or denied for suspected fraud.

Sisters Joirean Creel, 35, of Duluth, and Adriane Creel, 24, of Stone Mountain, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Honest Services Wire Fraud. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan D. Greenberg accepted their guilty pleas Aug. 31.

According to allegations in court documents, the defendants were both hired to work as remote teleservices representatives through a subcontractor for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). The agency administered Ohio’s unemployment insurance program, which included federally funded unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of their jobs, the defendants were given access to an online system to process and manage unemployment benefits for the claimants. They were supposed to use the system only for their job providing customer service to claimants by phone. Instead, the two women abused their positions and system access to solicit and accept bribes and kickbacks that caused $1.96 million in benefits to be paid. However, the claims paid had been previously flagged as suspected of being fraudulent. The defendants used their system access to nullify and void the suspected fraudulent claims even though they were not authorized to do so. They also fraudulently obtained additional unemployment benefits for themselves by submitting applications in their own names. The defendants submitted their applications to other states including New York, Pennsylvania, and Nevada, despite being employed to help ODJFS administer the unemployment insurance system. In addition, investigators discovered that Joirean Creel was also employed by the U.S. Postal Service while claiming to be unemployed.

During the investigation, law enforcement seized and forfeited a Mercedes Benz GL450. In total, ODJFS lost more than $2 million as a result of the conspiracy.

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

Canada "I'm going to tax your imports at 400%"
America "okay, we will impose the same tax on you"
Canada"waaaaaaaa, that's not fair, your mean!"

Why does anyone take that trash country seriously

[Social Justice is neither]

Well right now it's a convenient vehicle to justify their TDS.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"Capitalism is why people have to work" is very silly thing to say, but it's part of a grand tradition of blaming literally everything, no matter how absurd, on capitalism.

The free market is why we have hippies and commies.

[damikesc]

I think we should go with what the Fat Electrician said:

"Oh, so 'real socialism' has not been tried? How about every time you complain about capitalism, I respond with 'well, that's not real capitalism.'"

Because we do not have and never have had pure capitalism.

[mad.casual]

Capitalism is the underlying "Nazism". If I trade you a bar of gold for a cow or a box of ammo, unless you use that gold to make circuits or something, that you then trade back to me for butchered beef or dead coyotes or something, it's capital. Even Native Americans had wampum before "we" arrived.

They don't hate capital or capitalism, they'll by the rope off the last capitalist, with capital, in order to hang him. They hate people doing things they don't approve of.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Access weighs 25 pounds and looks like a beer cooler. I lifted it one-handed. You drop a hose in the ocean, press a button, and get six gallons of clean, fresh water every hour.

Right into the datacenter.

[Eeyore]

Apparently that's not even enough for 1 cow.

But remember that same 6 gallons is enough to grow 6 entire almonds.

[docduracoat]

20 years ago, I was able to make 6 gallons an hour of reverse osmosis desalination fresh water with a hand pump system.
That would fit in a small cooler.
So these people have invented nothing new

[Fist of Etiquette]

Is that where all my saltwater went back in '06???

[Fist of Etiquette]

Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen fired drones and missiles at a number of Saudi Arabia's southern energy facilities Tuesday morning...

Are the other A-rabs unable to form a defense coalition, a racist might ask.

[Don't look at me! ( Is the war over yet?)]

Posting on X seems even less productive than posting here.

[Eeyore]

It's better than sharing with your neighbor who will start avoiding you.

It's better than sharing with your spouse who will have to divorce you.

[Mickey Rat]

" "Last spring, I warned that America is trying to break us so that they can own us," Prime Minister Mark Carney said just weeks ago."

And Carney further explained that his plan is for China to own Canada.

[mtrueman]

Playing two would be owners against each other. What else are they going to do? In 1960 Canada sold 233.4 million bushels (233,400,000) of wheat and barley to China, over the objection of the US. That was under PM Diefenbaker, a Red Tory from Saskatchewan and probably the most Nationalist PM in the 20th century, or even ever.

[jonnysage]

Desalination doesnt take up a ton of space, it takes up a ton of money, and electricity. The largest plant is about the size of a major shopping mall, 15 acres.

[Overt]

I think it is all of the above.

Nevertheless if you read the full article, space is just a proxy for "big and expensive" and the real problem is that Desal plants have traditionally needed to be made large for them to make sense. This meant only big governments would make them, which means cycle-time innovation is severely challenged. The Vital Lyfe Access really is a game changer in that it takes what was once a massive industrial project down to small units that cost $800. At that price, you can really change things.

[mad.casual]

At that price, you can really change things.

Grow up. Some 40M Americans live on well water. Untold natives on melted snow and mountain springs.

The thing is RO, which isn't new, and consumes 200W of power. Meaning you have to have access to power infrastructure and, unless you've got access to storage and S&L for replacement filters, it isn't going to get you more than a few years at most.

Yeah, there are a few niche places where a village has outgrown whatever well or other water infrastructure has been built where it could bridge a gap. Otherwise, it's a product for campers, survivalists, and idiotic woke, white saviors.

[Overt]

"Grow up"

JFC, mad, someone piss in your wheaties this morning? Have some coffee already.

"Some 40M Americans live on well water."

Well water is actually a great example of where this is useful. Did you know that most coastal wells are contaminated with salt water? Luckily fresh water floats on top, so generally you just sink your well short of that transition layer...up until the point where population outstrips the recharge rate. At that point, more salt water starts to fill into the aquifer and eventually it is totally lost because the fresh water can't displace it any more.

Of course this happens all the time- thousands of wells have been abandoned in coastal regions in the east, florida, etc. It isn't just on the coast, either. Many areas of the US contain ancient seabeds underground, and they turn much of our underground aquifers even in the midwest brackish. The USGS estimates we have roughly 35x more brackish water reserves than freshwater.

So yes, this can really change things. Just as fracking made the US oil reserves economical to extract, cheap and mobile desalination can make many parts of the country more economical for the US.

Probably the most revolutionary part of this system is that it is accessible to those same well-owners that you speak about. You don't need to fight environmentalists and NIMBY's or corrupt government officials to make potable water for your land. You can do it yourself.*

200 Watts? Oh noes. If only they had generators or solar power (or all the infrastructure that already runs their well) that makes this child's play to solve. And they need new parts every couple years? Oh my no. How ever could people get spare parts? Have you every lived in remote areas? They are difficult to get to, but they aren't Mars.

* A very real problem will be what to do with the brackish water. On the coast it's easy, just discharge into the ocean. Inland, you need to dispose of it.

[mtrueman]

6 gallons for one hour is not much. Each adult on average flushes down 8 gallons a day down the toilet. More than 17 gallons for each shower. Over 400 gallons for the daily lawn watering.

Figures from Google. Take with a pinch of salt, or a cool cup of brackish water.

[mad.casual]

Probably the most revolutionary part of this system is that it is accessible to those same well-owners that you speak about.

It's not revolutionary. It's an RO filter and a pump. The technology has been around and used by sail boats and larger marine vessels for some 50+ yrs. Here's one on ebay that has 6X the throughput for 2X the price.

JFC, you retards slobber all over Tesla and Microsoft until Elon or Melinda Gates does some things you don't exactly approve of and then, when the next huckster promising some newly discovered magic to provide fresh water for all the people in Abu Dhabi comes along you stumble all over yourself to hide your boners again.

There's nobody out there dying beside a pool of brackish water with $799 to their name saying, "If only I had a desalinization system!"

[Weigel's Cock Ring]

Governor Carney is a petulant, entitled, spoiled little brat. And an America-hating communist who received his indoctrination in America-hatred and communism at Harvard (where else).

Well, pack up your shit and get out boy, you're on your own now because we're kicking your lazy, worthless, entitled ass out of the house and we're not letting you come back. Maybe your new "friends" the ChiComs will let you move in.

Good luck son, you and your people ate going to need it.

[mtrueman]

I'm putting my money on Canadian bear gall bladder production. Prices for bear bile are about $US150/gram.

[Fu Manchu]

It's kinda funny how cultists don't give a shit about a person, but the moment he stands up to Trump all of a sudden the talking points download and he's a terrible person.

[Don't look at me! ( Is the war over yet?)]

Poor sarc

[Neutral not Neutered]

For you maybe all of a sudden but Carney's failures have been front and center for a few years now. Trudeau's little left hand.

[damikesc]

Tuq'r Carlson now seems to be arguing that algebra is Jewish because it has letters in the equations.

https://x.com/MaxNordau/status/2097073178623541423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2097073178623541423%7Ctwgr%5E1e7955eec128e8abf4c7c3a42bc159149a20d64d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitchy.com%2Fsamj%2F2026%2F09%2F08%2Ftucker-carlson-algebra-n2432090

It was lovely when he was not bat-shit nuts and did not find Hitler to be a pretty OK guy.

The compilations of him contradicting himself --- usually with verbatim quotes --- have become more amusing.

[mad.casual]

Respect for flat eartherism. For all my inability to understand "Why?", as in, "The guy who programs your GPS satellites says the Earth is round to make the calculations simpler, why would he lie? How does him lying about a flat Earth benefit him and/or harm you?" their answer is at least better than "The Jews".

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

The earth is flat because of the jews

[mad.casual]

*The* Jew*s* or *A Jew*?

Euclid and Jesus: How and why the church changed mathematics and Christianity across two religious wars

smh

[Liberty_Belle]

Pure Mole-Men propaganda.

[Medulla Oblongata]

But I've seen them use that answer before.

[damikesc]

I hope, for his sake, that Tuq'r is making BANK because selling your credibility is usually a fool's option.

[Neutral not Neutered]

He was gone before being removed from Fox.

[Mickey Rat]

Virginia Democrats are putting a deceptively broad pro-abortion state constitutional amendment that will also effectively end parental consent for minors in regards to abortion and gender dysphoria treatment in an authoritarian power grab by the state over minors:

https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/09/virginias-amendment-1-is-extreme-and-deceptive/

"Contrary to what sponsors of the amendment have claimed, Amendment 1 would do far more than write into the state constitution the broad protections for abortion that already exist in state statutes. Rather, Amendment 1 would:

Make abortion freely available throughout the third trimester of pregnancy, all the way up to birth;

Abolish the right of parents to be consulted on, and to consent to, abortions sought by their young daughters;

Enable anyone to perform an abortion and to escape legal responsibility for botching an abortion.

Amendment 1 would also have extraordinary effects beyond the realm of abortion: It would enable a child, without her parents’ knowledge or consent, to receive puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sterilization surgery.

No voter will be made aware of any of this by the deceptive account of Amendment 1 that will appear on the ballot."

"Amendment 1 says, “The Commonwealth shall not penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against any individual for aiding or assisting another individual in exercising such other individual’s right to reproductive freedom with such other individual’s voluntary consent.”

I have difficulty discerning what purpose this provision is intended to serve. Insofar as an individual is exercising her “right to reproductive freedom” lawfully, no one who aids or assists that individual would have any reason to fear being penalized or prosecuted.

This provision would also appear to be a source of all sorts of mischief, presumably not intended by Amendment 1’s sponsors.

Under this provision, a person who is not licensed under Virginia law to perform abortions would face no liability for doing so. That would include instances in which the person botches the abortion.

Under this provision, Virginia could not take away the license of an abortion practitioner who engaged in gross malpractice. "

"Amendment 1 states that the “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” includes “the ability to make and carry out decisions relating to . . . contraception.”

Virginia law specifically defines contraception to include “sterilization procedures.” Those procedures involve surgery — vasectomies for males, tubal ligation or bilateral salpingectomy for females. Virginia law currently requires parental consent for sterilization of minors. (See Virginia Code § 54.1-2969.E.2.)

Amendment 1 would invalidate the parental-consent requirement for sterilization for the same reason that it would invalidate the parental-consent requirement for abortion. It would create an individual’s fundamental right to sterilization, and any burden on an individual’s right could be justified only by a “compelling state interest” — an interest that “does not infringe on that individual’s autonomous decision making.” A parental-consent provision treats a son or daughter under the age of 18 as not autonomous."

"Amendment 1 states that the “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” includes “the ability to make and carry out decisions relating to one’s own . . . fertility care.” Puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones delay or suppress fertility. They are common treatments for boys and girls who identify as transgender and who want to avoid developing as the sex they are.

Amendment 1 does not appear to declare a right to so-called “gender identity” treatment. But it would be a simple matter for boys and girls who identify as transgender to request puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones as “fertility care.” How, consistent with an “individual’s autonomous decision making,” could it be said that treatments that affect fertility cannot qualify as “fertility care”?

Here again, Amendment 1 would override any parental-consent requirement in state law."

"On “Present Law,” the Explanation states in its entirety:

Currently, the Virginia Constitution does not explicitly provide to its citizens a right to reproductive freedom nor does it explicitly protect or prohibit certain kinds of health care procedures or decisions.

That statement is correct, but it fails to inform the voter that “present law,” in the form of statutes, already guarantees a right to abortion through the first two trimesters and provides an expansive life-and-health exception in the third trimester. Many voters won’t know that, and many will be confused by the Explanation into thinking that “present law” doesn’t provide any protections for abortion.

The Explanation also doesn’t inform the voter that “present law” provides parents the right to be consulted on, and to consent to, abortions sought by their young daughters."

"Again, many voters will mistakenly infer that Virginia doesn’t already allow third-trimester abortions when “medically needed to protect the life and health” of the mother. The sentence also doesn’t reveal that Amendment 1 would eliminate the procedural protections in existing law that ensure that the health exception is legitimately invoked.

The Explanation fails to inform the voter that Amendment 1 would invalidate Virginia’s laws on parental consent for abortion and for other medical care that falls within the scope of “reproductive freedom.”

[Eeyore]

Does this mean there is an unregulated liability free job waiting for anyone who wants it in Virginia if this passes?

Virginia has been passing some really interesting laws the last few years.

[DesigNate]

I look forward to the “Republicans Pounce” and “Whycome Conservstives keep starting culture war battles” articles and comments.

[Nelson]

Abortion is the worst of the various culture war attacks coercive conservatives make. There are plenty more, all designed to prevent people from making their own decisions, but this will at least take one state off the table for the constantly-lying, freedom-hating anti-abortionists.

If successful, hopefully it will be tried in the other 49 states to stop the anti-abortion insanity.

[Nelson]

“ Rather, Amendment 1 would:”

First, let’s understand that this is an anti-abortion publication’s interpretation. Anti-abortionists are inveterate liars with zero credibility and a complete inability to accept that their opinions are only opinions. So take all of this with a grain of salt.

Let’s start with the actual text of the proposal:

“ Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) protect the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care; (ii) protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions; and (iii) allow for restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient's health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive?”

“ Make abortion freely available throughout the third trimester of pregnancy, all the way up to birth;”

No, regulation in the third treater is specifically mentioned as legal. It’s literally one of the three bullet points in the ballot question. As usual, anti-abortionists lie.

“ Abolish the right of parents to be consulted on, and to consent to, abortions sought by their young daughters;”

There is nothing in the Amendment that rescinds the requirement of parental or guardian approval of medical procedures or medication for minor children. So this is also a lie.

“Enable anyone to perform an abortion and to escape legal responsibility for botching an abortion”

This is even more of a lie than the other two. It changes nothing about who can perform an abortion or prescribe medication. Literally nothing about who can perform abortions (medicinal or otherwise) will change.

It doesn’t indemnify anyone for medical malpractice. It only indemnifies medical staff from liability FOR THE DECISION THE PATIENT MAKES. Nothing else. So, no suing the doctor because a woman made the choice to have an abortion.

You would think that anti-abortionists would be ashamed of being so dishonest and violating the whole “thou shall not lie” thing, but you would be wrong. Evidence shows they are bad people who do bad things.

“ It would enable a child, without her parents’ knowledge or consent, to receive puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sterilization surgery.”

Again, it in no way alters the existing laws requiring parental or guardian consent for medical treatment of a minor. Nor does it change the age of majority for minors. No change whatsoever. This is yet another anti-abortionist lie.

“ I have difficulty discerning what purpose this provision is intended to serve.”

Texas’ headhunting law is exactly what this would prevent. This would prevent lunatics and zealots from bringing private cases against doctors who perform abortions. Because everyone knows that in addition to being dishonest, anti-abortionists have no respect for the law, common decency, or individual rights. They would flood doctors who perform abortions with lawsuits. Anti-abortionists are exactly that shitty.

“ Under this provision, a person who is not licensed under Virginia law to perform abortions would face no liability for doing so.”

In no way, shape, or form would this change the laws about who could perform abortions. Nor would it shield legal practitioners from medical malpractice claims. It only protects medical staff from “being punished for these decisions” (the decision that the patient made). The patient’s decisions, not the procedures. Is anyone surprised that this is also a lie?

“ Under this provision, Virginia could not take away the license of an abortion practitioner who engaged in gross malpractice.”

Also a lie. This changes nothing about medical malpractice, the liability of doctors, or anything else about the procedure. It quite clearly says, “protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions”. The decisions of the patient, nothing else.

“ Amendment 1 would invalidate the parental-consent requirement for sterilization for the same reason that it would invalidate the parental-consent requirement for abortion.”

Amendment 1 does nothing of the sort because Amendment 1 says (and does) nothing to change existing laws about the age of majority, the requirement for parental consent for medical treatment, or anything else regarding minors. The sheer shamelessness of the lies anti-abortionists tell is staggering.

“ Puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones delay or suppress fertility”

They delay puberty. They are temporary and have no effect once they have cleared the system. They have exactly zero effect on fertility. This is an anti-abortionist trying to shoehorn the words “fertility” and “sterilization” in as much as possible to falsely insinuate that treatments like puberty blockers will threaten fertility or cause sterilization. We can add baseless fearmongering to constant dishonesty in the “what anti-abortionists do” category.

“ Here again, Amendment 1 would override any parental-consent requirement in state law”

Still a lie.

“ Many voters won’t know that, and many will be confused by the Explanation into thinking that “present law” doesn’t provide any protections for abortion.”

So what? A constitutional amendment will prevent anti-abortionists from stealing those rights from individuals. It is a stronger defense against liars (anti-abortionists) who swear up and down they won’t ban abortion … and then ban abortion. You cannot be trusted because you lie constantly, shamelessly, and proudly. You don’t like it because it will shut the door on your ability to infringe on other people’s rights. And anti-abortionists hate individual rights.

“ The Explanation also doesn’t inform the voter that “present law” provides parents the right to be consulted on, and to consent to, abortions sought by their young daughters.”

Because it doesn’t change parental consent or age of majority laws. By the same token, it doesn’t inform voters about jaywalking, local building codes, or what constitutes taxable income. Because, like parental consent, the amendment doesn’t change those laws. Shocker: anti-abortionists lie.

“ Again, many voters will mistakenly infer that Virginia doesn’t already allow third-trimester abortions when “medically needed to protect the life and health” of the mother.”

Again, this is about protecting those rights. Laws can be easily changed by zealots, liars, and authoritarians (AKA anti-abortionists). This is as close to an unbreachable defense as freedom-loving people can create against the forces of evil (anti-abortionists).

“ The Explanation fails to inform the voter that Amendment 1 would invalidate Virginia’s laws on parental consent for abortion and for other medical care that falls within the scope of “reproductive freedom.””

Because it wouldn’t. In any way, shape, or form. There is nothing about changing parental consent laws, the age of majority, medical requirements for providing abortions, medical liability for malpractice, or any other of the list of lies and intentional fabrications anti-abortionists claim.

Every single thing you wrote here (or quoted from the National Review) is a lie. A complete fabrication. Intentional disinformation to make it seem like an amendment to protect citizens from fanatics and zealots is going to destroy Virginia’s lawbooks.

It’s bullshit. You know it, we know it, and the majority of Virginia voters know it. Fuck off, tyrant.

[Mickey Rat]

We have the mischief left wing courts get up to with the interpretation of such intentionally poorly constructed legal language as in this amendment. We saw this earlier in the week in the story about the Olympus Spa potentially not being able to keep males out of what is supposed to be a woman only spa.

And you can also go to Hell, death and pedophile culter.

[Nelson]

Your paranoia and cultural extremism isn’t a valid argument, just culture war bullshit.

[Agammamon]

>Is there any real reason for this?

Carney won't be sold to America because Chy-Na already bought him.

[Spiritus Mundi]

"In the harrowing months that followed the attacks on the World Trade Center, New Yorkers were repeatedly assured that the air around the fallen towers was safe to breathe,"

I see the problem. The air was safe, but not effective. So it is in no way like the clot shot.

[Nelson]

The Covid vaccine was safe, effective, and didn’t cause clots. You’re 0-for-3.

[Dillinger]

>>Canada slaps retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods

so the fuck what, eh?

[Medulla Oblongata]

Indeed, aren't they only harming their own citizens?

[Dillinger]

shame the Canadian voters fell for the ruse

[damikesc]

They're Canadian. Self-harm is kinda their kink.

[Nelson]

OK, that was funny.

[Dillinger]

>>Why exactly are we souring our relationship with our northern neighbor?

how exactly is subsidizing Canada for zero return a relationship?

[Dillinger]

>>Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen fired drones and missiles at a number of Saudi Arabia's southern energy facilities Tuesday morning

Dave Smith blames the Jews.

[MWAocdoc]

"health officials were still finding evidence of asbestos as much as half a mile away"

More alarmism. Tiny amounts of environmental asbestos do not cause serious illness in humans. Asbestosis was prevalent ONLY in asbestos workers working without protection in confined spaces with huge amounts of crocidolite, and most of them were heavy smokers as well. Smaller amounts of asbestos exposure over longer periods of time can cause milder forms of asbestosis but, again, NOT in the general public at very low levels as reported in the Times.

[Eeyore]

Lots of naturally occurring asbestos in the soils in some parts of Utah. I don't think anyone has ever done a serious study into the risks of riding enduros and dune buggies around in that stuff. I doubt if just waking and hiking through it is enough to kick it up into your lungs.

[Neutral not Neutered]

No more study done for this as was for radioactive ore/rocks sitting around on the surface. Complete bloodlines of Americans removed as they were paid by gov to collect the rocks and were paid by the lbs.

Asbestos is nothing like the radioactive ores...

[Eeyore]

It is one of those rocks best left alone - even if shredding it like string cheese is kind of fun.

[Dillinger]

>>I must once again tap the sign:

lol someone defrosted Orrin Hatch for a thirst opportunity

[Rick James]

double the rate of existing tariffs

Double rate of existing what?

[Dillinger]

I still own The Great White North album which I thought maybe was a Canadian product but turns out Anthem Records is in Ponca City, Oklahoma

[Neutral not Neutered]

Sadly the incompetent are leading Canada and harming Canadians even after over a decade of collapsing standards of living, the Lieberals still hate Canada as much as Demonrats hate America.

[Rick James]

It's a post-national country.

Canadians are reaping the rewards of what they repeatedly vote for.

[Neutral not Neutered]

It has been a horrible decade and only getting worse. Folks voted to "Get Trump" after voting for great hair for 3 elections. There's little hope remaining for Canadians with known and allowed election interference ensuring Lieberals will never lose another election.

[Stuck in California]

I'm glad someone else didn't forget this.

Liberal party was absolutely hated, had historic low support, and should have been an easy defeat. Dude paints Trump as the devil coming to conquer Canada and acts like the great savior, and they're dumb enough to vote for the guy they hate simply because he is belligerent toward Trump.

Somehow, media all act like "OhmygodTRUMP!" with regard to Canada. And Trump feeds it, sure. But the root of this personal rancor between them began with Carney when Trump won the election.

Canadians are so fucking stupid that it worked, too.

I have a very low opinion of electorates in general. But geez fuck man, even America was smart enough not to vote for Kamala.

[Zeb]

And they had a great Conservative candidate ready to go.

[mtrueman]

"even America was smart enough not to vote for Kamala."

Americans can't talk. America voted for Obama twice. First time because he was a Black man running against McCain and the winking hockey mother of Alsaka. They went on to put Biden and Trump into office.

[Rick James]

It's important to remember that Trudeau was elected before Trump. I remember NPR gleefully treating him like Obama 2.0, or the Canadian Obama, even making direct comparisons.

[MWAocdoc]

"Desalination, turning seawater into water you can drink"

Just one question: what happens to all the salt you take out of the seawater? I suppose it's literally "a drop in the ocean" at this point, but how much fresh water would you have to take out of the ocean in order to change the salinity enough to affect the ecosystem?

[Medulla Oblongata]

I wonder how much fresh water even one hurricane drops into the ocean? Let alone all the rain all over the world?

[Don't look at me! ( Is the war over yet?)]

While rivers continuously wash minerals and dissolved salts from land into the sea, the ocean does not just get perpetually saltier. A dynamic balance—or equilibrium—is maintained via "salt sinks" that remove minerals from the water.

[Eeyore]

It is a problem. The waste product from a desalination plant is a semi-liquid slurry of various components. One of them is magnesium chloride which is liquid at room temperature. They can't just let it run off back into the water they are trying to filter it out of. I think they currently just dump it further away with a pipe and that kills everything close to the outlet. It's not like they can uniformly dump it back into the entire ocean.

[mad.casual]

If you happen to live in a place where frozen desalinated water falls from the sky in inconvenient places, MgCl2 slurry makes a great de-icer, with the added benefit of being safer for concrete and pets, and a marginal benefit to controlling early season weed growth.

I also have opinions on nitrogen and electric resistance heating if you're interested.

[Eeyore]

You can also use it to make tofu.

[See.More]

[...] how much fresh water would you have to take out of the ocean in order to change the salinity enough to affect the ecosystem?

Doesn't matter! What matters is how much fresh water would have to be taken out of the ocean to counteract sea level rise. 😛

[Marshal]

"Capitalism is why people have to work"

This shows how childish left wingers are. Who could possibly believe people don't need to work and yet we can still produce everything they expect to consume.

[Nelson]

Nepo babies like Donald Trump and socialists.

And Americans are increasingly looking like they’ll have to choose between MAGA and socialism, both of whom are economically ignorant and love deficits. God help us.