Summary

The Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence in a 52-48 vote, with only Sen. Mitch McConnell breaking GOP ranks to oppose her.

Critics, including Democrats and some Republicans, raised concerns over her past meeting with Syria’s Assad, sympathetic comments on Russia, and prior support for Edward Snowden.

Gabbard reversed her stance on key intelligence policies during her confirmation.

  • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    arrow-down
    19
    ·
    13 hours ago

    The empire collapsing is not the same as the country collapsing and the empire must be destroyed for future of humanity. The US, as a country, can absolutely survive without being an empire. I’m celebrating the death of a death machine.

    We don’t have to let our home be destroyed and we should stand up to Trump’s regime on domestic issues. I’m hardly an accelerationist. I’m trans! They’re gonna fucking kill me and I’m not celebrating that. But I am a revolutionary defeatist. In cases like this, where the empire is being destroyed and dismantled by people like Tulsi Gabbard, we should be happy it’s not worse.

    Don’t confuse the country for the empire. They’re not really the same thing.

    • kescusay@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      11 hours ago

      The empire collapsing is not the same as the country collapsing and the empire must be destroyed for future of humanity. The US, as a country, can absolutely survive without being an empire. I’m celebrating the death of a death machine.

      No, you’re celebrating the death of a country. If the government of the United States collapses, that literally is the end of the country. It cannot survive that. It’ll shatter into at least 50 pieces, and a lot of people will die. It’s naivety of the worst sort to pretend that somehow society will march on without a fucking government.

      Don’t confuse the country for the empire. They’re not really the same thing.

      Fucking accelerationists and their ridiculous view of human nature.

      • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        40 minutes ago

        The government isn’t going to collapse just because Tulsi Gabbard is pro-Snowden and anti-NATO.

        What will collapse are the overseas assets and transational corporations and military bases and intelligence assets and NGOs and US-lead task forces and all the other shit that Tulsi Gabbard is going to be responsible for - as in, the most evil shit on Earth.

        The empire will collapse. The government is going to be fine.

    • Tujio@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      12 hours ago

      Hate to say it, but I don’t think that the downfall of the American hegemony would go well for queer folks, even a fucked up as it is. To a certain extent, global power IS a zero sum game. Especially in the context of Tulsi Gabbard, who seems to be aligned with Russian interests. If American influence wanes, that vacuum will get filled by soft power coming from Russia, China, or some combination thereof. Neither of them are huge fans of the queers.

      • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        15
        ·
        11 hours ago

        They just see queer people as Western decadence/bourgeois moral decay etc. If the US reverses position, they will too.

        Also, we fought for our rights before and won. We’ll do it again. We don’t need to ally ourselves with an evil empire.

        • Tujio@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          6
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          11 hours ago

          What? You’re saying if America becomes less accepting of gay people, Russia will become more accepting? Like, having a pride parade in retaliation?

          • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            46 minutes ago

            Gay marriage started getting legalized in the US in 2004. In 2006, Russia began distributing anti-LGBT propaganda. In June 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down DOMA and Russia began to criminalize the distribution of pro-LGBT materials to minors. People in Russia really to believe that queer people are a myth made up by Western ideology.

            There’s almost a direct relationship - as we were more accepted in the US, Russia became more queerphobic.

          • kescusay@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            8
            ·
            10 hours ago

            Yes, that’s exactly what queermunist is saying. And like all accelerationist ideas, it’s naive as fuck.