A Boring Dystopia

“The thing that the religious right did over and over and over again – they do it today; JD Vance is actually exceptionally good at this – is this idea that, ‘ You expressing your point of view oppresses me, you enjoying your civil rights oppresses me. Even though I’m the second most powerful man in the country, other people having their point of view is actually oppression against me.’ They were exceptionally good at that...”

this makes me sad

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/49442452

Important to note that reddit work reform did post it.

Source:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TD9AH_Stsc&t=5354

• https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=0TD9AH_Stsc&t=5354

I always find it interesting and telling how these AIs that are trained to be intelligent and helpful (however inaccurately) almost always seem to have a progressive and humanitarian lean. Even as Elon Musk attempts to force Grok to become more right-wing, it continues to contradict his claims that the Nazis were socialists: https://xcancel.com/ProudSocialist/status/2074557346110468195

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/67609000

How the fuck is it even remotely legal for a politician to sign an NDA with a corporation to hide information from their constituents?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/49222005

Classic move ;)

The FCC wants to change the e-Rate program, which could eliminate discounts libraries and schools get to provide internet to their community.

Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the government overseen by Congress, as has been the case in the Trump-Vance administration, the agency’s role in federal operations has shifted to following the administration’s will and agenda. Current FCC chair Brendan Carr was appointed by Trump during his first administration, and Carr’s background includes authoring the Project 2025 chapter about the FCC.

Perhaps it comes as little surprise, then, that one of the most important resources in public schools and public libraries–the internet–is on the FCC’s chopping block.

The e-Rate program helps bridge the digital divide by providing schools and libraries with access to affordable internet and telecommunications services. As more and more services are only accessible online, the e-Rate program has been especially vital in keeping folks connected, especially in small and rural areas. It’s easy to think of schools and libraries as places of learning, with widespread access to physical and digital materials. But those digital services aren’t free, and most of these public institutions benefit from e-Rates. They have to.

Digital connectivity isn’t free through the e-Rate program. Rather, it’s discounted based on numerous qualifications:

• 20-90% of the eligible costs may be covered through e-Rate programs, with schools and libraries in more impoverished communities receiving higher discounts; To receive the funding, schools and libraries have to go through their typical process to bid for these services, meaning that they are getting the most competitive prices and packages to begin with (as anyone who has familiarity with a bidding process knows, this doesn’t necessarily mean these institutions are getting the best choices–they’re getting the most affordable!);
• Laptops, computers, and other physical equipment are ineligible for e-Rate, as it’s limited to connectivity;
• There is a limit each year to how much money is available to each institution via the e-Rate, and institutions can be monitored and audited at any time.