this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2024
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[–] DogPeePoo@lemm.ee 275 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Nevertheless, he added, “the judge gave him a max sentence, claiming it was ‘a moral imperative’ to punish him as harshly as possible.”

This guy gets fried on ‘mOrAL iMpeRaTivE’ — but Trump and Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh continue to party on— while making a complete mockery of the ever apparent 2-tiered US justice system.

[–] go_go_gadget@lemmy.world 40 points 9 months ago

United states of decay

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 21 points 9 months ago

In a bourgeois state, the laws are for the little people.

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 234 points 9 months ago (7 children)

It annoys me to no end that real-life whistleblowers end up in jail, have to emmigrate or die under mysterious circumstances, but fictional whistleblowers are cheered on in theatres and novels.

It's like America has a severe case of cognitive dissonance that the world sees, but is happy to stay that way no matter the cost.

[–] Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world 105 points 9 months ago (5 children)

We have a severe case of conservatism. It is a plague long overdue for a cure.

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[–] Sabata11792@kbin.social 49 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Real life whistleblowers endanger the real life rich.

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[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 32 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Fictional whistleblowers are cheered on because the public likes whistleblowers and the people making the fiction know that but real whistleblowers are persecuted because the people in power do not represent the public

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 21 points 9 months ago (1 children)

As has been said here before, not many cheered for Chelsea, Snowden, Reality or even Assange.

We can't keep blaming the elite who rule us if we're not willing to put boots on the ground and shut the nation down until politicians do the right thing.

And it's not impossible ... just look at France to see how it should be done.

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[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Real life whistleblowers don't have a full team of Hollywood PR professionals boosting their image.

The closest we came to a real whistleblower celebrity was Edward Snowden. And when he left Hong Kong for Russia, all the liberals who thought he was a based freedom fighting chad decided oops nah, Big Russia Foreign Agent disregard everything about that PRISM shit.

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[–] kibiz0r@midwest.social 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

If anything, the jester solidifies the king’s power by working for the king as a sort of pressure valve. The king wants some of the discontent of the people to be expressed openly, releasing built-up tension and ensuring that said discontent will not burst in actions that could really undermine his position. The jester is his means of doing that.

When we, the public, laugh at the king, our laughter is also an expression of his power. He wants us to laugh so as not to act. It is, then, his laughter grafted onto our faces. When we laugh at the king, it is actually the king laughing at us.

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[–] phoneymouse@lemmy.world 123 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Help the guy out… he did it for you and me, and now he has legal bills: https://www.gofundme.com/f/charles-littlejohns-legal-defense-fund

[–] einat2346@lemmy.today 18 points 9 months ago

Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged with killing two people and wounding a third during racial justice unrest in Wisconsin last year, is continuing to rack up massive amounts of donations ahead of his November trial, according to a legal defense fund associated with his family which said Monday it has raised nearly $500,000 in the past three months. Forbes

Support for Charles Littlejohn $48,685 USD raised of $250,000 goal GoFundMe

To be fair though, Kyle Rittenhouse gets indirect funding from all the weapon manufacturers and conservative groups. Charles Littlejohn managed to piss off everybody who matters/makes decisions.

[–] Sweetpeaches69@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago

Cheers for the link!

[–] kalkulat@lemmy.world 102 points 9 months ago (1 children)

"We don't pay taxes; only the little people pay taxes." - Leona Helmsley. (~ 1989)

(Convicted of extortion; sentenced to 16 years; released after months.) Her husband's death left her with the Helmsley hotels, the Helmsley Palace and the Empire State Building. (Yes, that one.)

[–] cabron_offsets@lemmy.world 33 points 9 months ago (1 children)
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[–] Rakonat@lemmy.world 91 points 9 months ago (6 children)

Biden if you were looking for a chance to prove you're about reform and equality for working classes, now is your chance to pardon this guy and give him a position in department of treasurey.

[–] Smeagol666@lemm.ee 13 points 9 months ago (10 children)

It will never happen. Biden is owned by the same people as Trump. There's only one party, the party of the Oligarchs. All of the petty shit about abortion, trans rights, gay rights, racial equality, gender equality, religion, second amendment, etcetera are all distractions to keep us all at each others throats while the rich cocksuckers figure out more insidious ways to fuck us all over.

[–] DingoBilly@lemmy.world 26 points 9 months ago (11 children)

This sounds a lot like the one party "they're all the same" bullshit that right wingers like to propogate.

Because make no mistake, one party is at least trying to push laws through that help (democrats), versus the other which just openly fucks people and doesn't give a shit about helping out.

[–] go_go_gadget@lemmy.world 19 points 9 months ago (19 children)

44 Democrat senators, 36 Republicans and Joe Biden all worked together to pass a law forcing a union to accept a contract it's members had already voted on and rejected.

Fuck all of them.

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[–] TWeaK@lemm.ee 91 points 9 months ago (1 children)

In other words, don't fucking give up that you're the source, and journalists mustn't give up their sources either.

Or, you could flee to another country. Is Edward Snowden still alive?

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 35 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I'm amazed Reality Winner is still alive.

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 19 points 9 months ago (1 children)

That name probably makes it hard to search for her. I'm too lazy to try and prove my assertion one way or another

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[–] cultsuperstar@lemmy.world 74 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Just more proof that tax laws are not made for the working class.

[–] ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world 26 points 9 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

deleted by creator

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[–] friend_of_satan@lemmy.world 71 points 9 months ago

His name is Littlejohn, and he's fighting against rich people? It was his destiny! If that judge didn't let him off he must be in bed with the aristocrats!

[–] hdnsmbt@lemmy.world 61 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Few us citizens will even protest this extreme injustice. Ask yourselves how this would play out in France.

[–] Deello@lemm.ee 56 points 9 months ago (10 children)

If recent memory serves, the answer is rage for a few days then back to life as usual.

[–] BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works 13 points 9 months ago

There's only so many times you can guillotine the same corpse before it gets old. After all it's "eat the rich", not "slice the rich like toast". So a few days will be sufficient.

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[–] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 15 points 9 months ago (3 children)

I think the biggest problem is how it's such a complicated issue, it's really hard to just 'rally the masses around'. Especially when there's plenty of other runaway complicated issues we also need to rail against.

I think this is why the "Occupy Wall St." protests ultimately fizzled. People were pissed, many knew exactly why, many had a vague idea, and many others just wanted to blow off steam.

One "advanatage" the rich have with their ideology is insidious simplicity. Does it serve money? Do that. Does it keep you rich and punish others? Do that. Terribly predictable, but they all unite under solidarity of acquiring currency. They're not bothered with how it affects the planet or any other human beings that don't threaten their accounts.

A majority of these injustices are essentially us being very unhappy with all the complicated, multifaceted, complex ways in which these weaponized simpletons pursue cash and the power to acquire more cash. We know something is VERY wrong, but untangling it enough to unite under a common demand is a much heavier burden.

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[–] AutistoMephisto@lemmy.world 58 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

And the Judge was furious they couldn't give him a harsher sentence. That five years was quite literally throwing the book at him. It's a felony, though, so even after he gets out he'll be stripped of his rights to vote or purchase a firearm. His job prospects will dwindle to the point of non-existence. And I think he'll be prevented from owning a computer or accessing the Net, given the nature of his crime.

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[–] eskimofry@lemmy.world 55 points 9 months ago (2 children)
[–] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 21 points 9 months ago

No surprise there.

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[–] redfox@infosec.pub 42 points 9 months ago

I wonder what would have been revealed if he had published tax information on all of Congress.

I feel like them calling for such harsh treatment isnl a defense mechanism for knowing they either use the same tactics,.or they don't like when someone mentions all the legal insider trading/conflict of interest they all do?

I'm pretty sure every senator and rep has more money then everyone I know.

[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 39 points 9 months ago

Just another day in paradise... As we (the poors) all await the jubilee.

[–] TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee 38 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Tax avoidance is the real problem, while tax evasion is largely a misdirection at people who begin to get a fraction of their wealth without the experience to properly manage it. They've even penalized people who essentially have nothing to do with the US, accidental Americans (those who've lived their entire life in another country), as tax evaders because of the slimmest thread of association to the US.

Imagine being growing up in a country for decades, working there and having everything there, and having the US show up and tell you that your day-to-day bank account down the street is really a foreign bank account, using their economic weight to have the bank freeze it and throw you out. It isn't a case of the theoretical, it has happened, and those people have been forced to "renounce" (heckled) to fork out over $4k to get them off their back - and even the EU has been ok with this, largely because it also answers to the lobbyists of wealthy billionaires.

Meanwhile rich assholes use what are essentially shell corporations (they don't even have to be because of the size of their wealth) to move their wealth to whatever fiscal paradise they want. They don't even need to change their citizenship because they can just create a corporation with headquarters wherever they please for whatever tax benefits it gives them. This is the problem: https://time.com/6326583/tax-shelters-multinational-corporations/

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 34 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I hope future people will give him the medal he deserves instead.

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[–] DrunkenPirate@feddit.de 33 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

I just learned: In ancient times the government paid money to their citizens to get their fellowship. Only conquered countries had to pay taxes.

And in ancient times in Mesopotamia, there have been quite regular debt reset events. All private debts got null. Commercial debts still were valid.

I‘m currently reading „Debt“ by David Graeber. Interesting to read how religion, money, guilt and debt are intertwined. How we are forced into the rat race by burden us with debts - with both, moral and financial debts.

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[–] ReallyKinda@kbin.social 29 points 9 months ago (5 children)

This guy obviously shouldn’t be in jail, can someone expand on the guy who the article says was forced into psychiatric care?

Anyways this one legal loophole has been around for awhile—rich people can acquire really low interest loans against their assets so they do, and they use that to pay their expenses, and when it comes tax time they write down that they made some money but they also took out a massive loan so actually they’re in the red. If you own a house you could probably leverage this to some extent yourself. Maybe if everyone who could did it they’d close the loophole? Obviously you couldn’t get rates as low as a politician who chills with the Schwab CEO.

[–] NABDad@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

can someone expand on the guy who the article says was forced into psychiatric care?

Judging from how he was treated, it looks like he was one of the good officers the police say they have:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Schoolcraft

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[–] Branch_Ranch@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago

That was a great, well sourced article.

[–] mihies@kbin.social 19 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Well, nobody stood up for Assange or Snowden, rather the opposite, I'm not surprised of this outcome.
Edit: typo

[–] Orionza@lemmy.world 19 points 9 months ago (1 children)

America built on the backs of the poor, with the rich with whips whipping at their backs. But we all knew this. We know that the rich are evading axes, and we poor are all paying for the criminey! government funding that we hate. (there are some good things the government funds, but nothing compared to what they put in crazy wars and overseas spending. But that's another gripe.) I kind of feel bad this guy got 5 years for telling us all what we already know. Now if he would have given us all a way to fix this problem, that would be something for the rich and government to be in an uproar about.

And five years is quick, compared to the life sentence exile that Edward Snowden got. We all knew all that stuff too.

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 17 points 9 months ago

the rich are evading axes

Now that's a suggestive typo...

[–] redfox@infosec.pub 18 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (4 children)

Everyone has well covered my frustration with both the tax ideas here and some miscarriage justice, so I have this question:

Question:

  • What countries do you think are really good examples of what right looks like for taxation?

  • Any countries that rise above the rest for proper proportion of personal tax, corporate tax, etc?

Why: The older I get, the more I feel like Americans are tought that capitalism good, else bad; rich are the reason the rest of us have it as good as we do, and we should thank them for it.

I'd like to compare to other countries, that's why I'm curious,.just trying to Google is a broad starting place.

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[–] justdoitlater@lemmy.world 18 points 9 months ago

We need more people like him

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