Understanding the US - Again

[Mort Walker]

Kash Patel is not the least competent MAGA, perhaps war secy Hegseth qualifies for that.

That award goes to the Secretary of Debt Scott Bessent.

[A_Gupta]

There is a new Prophet, recently martyred, and blasphemy against Him is punishable by deportation, loss of employment, doxxing and social shunning. You should not take His Name in vain, and quoting his own words can be blasphemy too; only the Anointed are allowed to quote Him without penalty.

The irony is this from the very people who claimed to be fighting against "cancel culture".

[Vayutuvan]

> The irony is this from the very people who claimed to be fighting against "cancel culture".

What aboutry. It is wrong whoever does it. See how Fetterman is being treated by Dems. He has spoken against Dems celebrating Kirk's assassination. He is also a Jew. Double whammy for him. Naturally he has become a hero for the GOPers now. Just like Dubya was lionized by Michelle after he went against Orange chimp.

Let me engage in my own what-aboutry now the smartalec know-it-alls opened the gates wide open.

KD was the most incompetent of all the executive in the past 5 years. Even Biden did better than her 2021-2023. He started wandering off literally and figuratively only in 2024.

[gakakkad]

Kash Patel is not the least competent MAGA, perhaps war secy Hegseth qualifies for that.

That award goes to the Secretary of Debt Scott Bessent.

Hungseth , basanti , nutlick and rfk jr in no particular order . Of course Navarro etc and other lower level ones as well

[vijayk]

Trump's Paki policy paying off

speaknsee @speaknsee
PAKISTAN BOMBS PLANTED IN THE U.S.A - REACTION
@realDonaldTrump
@marcorubio
@JDVance
@narendramodi
@DrSJaishankar
@elonmusk
@MeghUpdates

https://x.com/speaknsee/status/1968094347309834368

[A_Gupta]

For your enjoyment - the New Prophet vs a student:
https://youtu.be/xjmdI2s_K78?si=7pvwHVu-0uVoH_g1

[chetak]

The real reason that everyone wants in on UKR and are refusing to let go

[Vayutuvan]

For your enjoyment - the New Prophet vs a student:
https://youtu.be/xjmdI2s_K78?si=7pvwHVu-0uVoH_g1

She is good debater. But she is working towards her PhD in this same area at Oxford. I would expect nothing less than this performs of hers against a college dropout generalist.

I would like to what her MPhil/PhD thesese say about varNaashramadharma and her views on Modi/BJP/RSS. Would she be willing to come to IITKgp and debate J. Sai Deepak or Dr. Ranganathan on these and other issues if she has a different take.

When would people realize that our enemy's enemy is not necessarily our friend?

Also, I am sure all ivy leagues and places like Berkeley, UChicago, Kelllogs/Jounalism schools of Northwestern, Stanford all would have a debate club or society. Why did they not debate Kirk in that setting instead of letting Antifa and outsiders do goonda gardi and fist fights on campus?!!! That would have been more illuminating than let Kirk do freeform open debates on campuses?

It is still not too late for these "elite" colleges now that Shapiro is rumored to be taking over Turning Point USA.

[Tanaji]

Both sound insufferable and examples of people who one would not want to associate with in spare time. Life is too short….

[A_Gupta]

I posted that Kirk vs Student for one reason and one reason alone - Kirk’s statement that third -world immigrants are turning the US into a third world country.

Yes, that means you too, Americans of Indian origin.

If you didn’t notice that Kirk said it, you need to sharpen your ability to catch the signal in all of the noise. The fight of whether Western women should eschew a career and have a lot of kids instead is not your fight. You are not Western, and the chances are that on BRF you are not a woman. But for Kirk and his political party that control all three branches of the US federal government, you are a third world immigrant. It doesn’t matter if you are a CEO of a large Silicon Valley company; if not Kirk, then his associate in the White House, Stephen Miller has made it clear that even so you are ruining American culture. They don’t want you in the US, they don’t want your children in the US, and they have the power to make it so, or are perilously close to it.

Nothing that the student said is a threat to you. She doesn’t enjoy the ear of a President with unconstrained power, and she is in England, not the USA. England is not a country where the Secretary of State has made noises about revoking the passports of citizens and the visas of non-citizens for being critical of Kirk.

[A_Gupta]

Goodbye, First Amendment!
ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air for Charlie Kirk Comments After F.C.C. Pressure

[Amber G.]

^^^
Kimmel.
-.& Colbert.
-Suits against the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and 60 Minutes.
-Extorting settlements from CBS, ABC, and others.
-Blocking the AP's access to the White House.
- Firing data scientists ...
---
Just so we’re clear, this is the clip that got Jimmy Kimmel’s show shelved by ABC.
This is also what Jimmy Kimmel said the day that Charlie Kirk was assassinated:

“

Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human? On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.

”

[Amber G.]

Trump: I banned all government censorship and restored free speech

[Vayutuvan]

If someone wants to do something about research funding in the US, please do take advantage of this platform. Stop complaining about Kirk and Kimmel and other demagogues on both sides and do take action if you are so passionate about it.

https://jointmathematicsmeetings.org/me ... ill-visits

Mathematical Sciences on Capitol Hill
Join Colleagues on the Hill: January 8, 2026

Sponsored by AMS, ASA, AWM, NCTM, SIAM, and Spectra (ed: Spectra is the association for LGBTQ+ mathematicians and makes sense given that Turing was gay and was put it jail by the Brutishit)

On Thursday, January 8, 2026, mathematical professional societies are joining together on Capitol Hill for a unique opportunity to meet with congressional offices and communicate the importance of the mathematical sciences! Together, we'll highlight how federal policies impact our community and the broader STEM ecosystem. All JMM attendees are invited to participate — no prior experience needed. You'll receive training, briefing materials, and group meeting assignments to ensure you are prepared and feel confident.

Our Goal is Bold: Visit Senate offices from all 50 states and as many offices in the U.S. House of Representatives as possible.

Sign up by November 10, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. E.T.
Share this page with your friends and colleagues!
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Thursday, December 11, 2025, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. ET: Virtual training session (to be recorded). (Optional)
Monday, December 15, 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET: Virtual Q&A / Office Hours (Optional)
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Wednesday, January 7, 2026, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. ET: Mandatory, in-person training at the Westin DC Downtown; 999 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001. Meeting room details TBD (Required)

Meeting Day Schedule (January 8, 2026)
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Congressional offices meetings
Meet at 8:00 a.m. for a picture at the Capitol!
Participants should plan to be available for the full 9-hour window to maximize the number of meetings we can schedule.
Be sure your group takes breaks and gets lunch.
While we cannot guarantee every congressional office will take meetings, we will make every effort to schedule appointments for all interested participants.
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Some Things You Should Know
January 8 will be a busy day. You may be grouped with people from different states and be asked to join several meetings. Offices are far apart, so there will be lots of transitions.
Flexibility is critical. Senators, Representatives, and their staff may have last-minute schedule changes. We cannot guarantee that all congressional offices will take meetings, but we will certainly work to schedule meetings for all who are interested.
Be prepared with the right attire. We recommend that you wear business or business casual, and comfortable shoes. (ed: Don't be a Zelensky )
You may need to extend your stay in DC. The American Mathematical Society is working to secure a hotel rate for the night of January 7th and 8th. More details soon.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Tyler Kloefkorn.

JMM 2026 Partners

[Vayutuvan]

I posted that Kirk vs Student for one reason and one reason alone - Kirk’s statement that third -world immigrants are turning the US into a third world country.
...

Can somebody actually debate that India is not a thirld world country, if the metric is per capita (both nominal and PPP)?

"Third world" has lost its racist connotation (it never had actually) long ago. Are we even at the level of Mexico, Tunisia, Chile, Peru etc. in terms of quality of life for the average Indian?

That said, I have another explanation. During Trump's 1st term, when his admin instituted more vetting for certain countries, Dems demonized him by saying that he singled out Mohammedan countries only. Also they said he and Gropers are Islamophobic.

He shifted US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Now GOPers are taking a different tack that "we will discriminate based on how poor their original country. As for integrating into the US, they are targeting folks who are marrying their own country/faith people to increase their numbers.

In Europe, it is the Mohammedans who did not integrate. They are the ones who are getting into positions of power and pushing anti-semitic and anti-Israel narrative. The same is beginning to happen in the US as well.

If I were in the admin what would I do to not to come across as islamophobic? It is essential ofc, given that we (americans) are dependant on Islamic oil. I will call out everybody publicly but target by our FBI/CIA/Secret Service, only those who are acting against the interests of the US. We Indian-Americans and Hindu-Americans are just collateral damage in the short term.

As long we weather these 3-4 years of villainization, there will be more of us and less of the Mohammedans.

Some of you who are criticizing Indian-Americans for not organizing themselves and such, have no ideas as to how we can survive for a few years without throwing our lot with the Democrats (Dumbocrat Elite).

On what basis, ya'll asking me and my family to support KD Harris, P. Jayapal, R. Krishnamoorthy, Ro Khanna ("my mother told me that my granddad was against emergency" fame), and the like? Even S. Thanedar is not as snow white as he is made out to be.

[A_Gupta]

Trump said today in England that he got the US $17 trillion of investments in 8 months, and there is still time in the year for more; Biden in comparison got only $250 billion in the final year of his term.

Reality is less exciting.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ROWFDIQ027S

[drnayar]

Trump said today in England that he got the US $17 trillion of investments in 8 months, and there is still time in the year for more; Biden in comparison got only $250 billion in the final year of his term.

Reality is less exciting.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ROWFDIQ027S

Trumps metrics are what he says , who cares about reality anyway ..

[Vayutuvan]

@tanaji ji,

For your enjoyment - the New Prophet vs a student:
https://youtu.be/xjmdI2s_K78?si=7pvwHVu-0uVoH_g1

I give you the above video of Winston Marshall demolishing Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats. Same place - Oxford Debate Club (or whatever they call themselves. I wouldn't be far too wrong if I said - Lords of Debate )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFmjgbdNNgw

I would like to see Winston Marshall and the woman debater from @A_Gupta's video go head to head on "Who is a woman?" question.

[A_Gupta]

“The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Trump’s crackdown on fentanyl suppliers left an open path for a cocaine kingpin to step in, making coke cheaper and as pure as ever. So while Trump may have disrupted the Sinaloa cartel, Mexico’s largest fentanyl trafficker, Nemesio “Mencho” Oseguera, has stepped in to fill the void. Now, cocaine prices have fallen by nearly half compared to five years ago, with a gram now costing around $60 to $75.”

At least the war on inflation is winning somewhere!

[gakakkad]

^^ I wonder if there is an ETF or an option that one could trade on to utilize the above

[gakakkad]

There is a picture a picture floating around in an Israeli phorum which has sri thanedar (piss be upon him ) ,ilhan gobar ,pappu and some other chutiya . I'll post it if I can find it again.

[S_Madhukar]

^^ I wonder if there is an ETF or an option that one could trade on to utilize the above

Simply track Nasdaq or SPY … may be 3X Nasdaq ..bubble always leads to more pure consumption. Fentanyl is for GFC days

[Vayutuvan]

DJI is at record levels. 46280 which is incredible. Same with NASDAQ. Effect of reduction of the interest rates, I suppose.

BRF members who are invested in the stock market have gone quiet on vilifying Trump's tariffs.

[gakakkad]

I still vilify the tarriffs. I am apprehensive about where the market will go in 6 months . It's largely driven by ai beneficiaries . Any one option traded Intel ?

[Mort Walker]

DJI is at record levels. 46280 which is incredible. Same with NASDAQ. Effect of reduction of the interest rates, I suppose.

BRF members who are invested in the stock market have gone quiet on vilifying Trump's tariffs.

Less tariffs and more M2 stimulus out there; along with Sec. of Debt - Fudgepacker-pedo Bessent paying cash for US bonds early buy back.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2SL

On Tuesday 9/23 the Fed will release new data on M2. Highest it's ever been. Lots of cash with the banksters. Has to go somewhere which will be the markets before a big crash happens. The insiders of both parties will cash out early with insider info. Fudgepacker was good buddies with Robert Trump the younger brother who died in Aug. 2020.

[A_Gupta]

ABC News reports: “President Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after his office was unable to find incriminating evidence of mortgage fraud against New York AG Letitia James, according to sources.”

[A_Gupta]

John Yoo, the Bush 2 admin official who issued the opinion that "enhanced interrogation techniques" such as waterboarding were permissible and not torture, is alarmed by Trump's sinking of Venezuelan small boats.

"“There has to be a line between crime and war,” said John Yoo, a former deputy assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush. “We can’t just consider anything that harms the country to be a matter for the military. Because that could potentially include every crime.”"

[A_Gupta]

Less tariffs and more M2 stimulus out there; along with Sec. of Debt - Fudgepacker-pedo Bessent paying cash for US bonds early buy back.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2SL

There also seems to be investor optimism about a US trade deal with China.

[Vayutuvan]

I still vilify the tarriffs.

I am not talking about you hakim ji.

[A_Gupta]

On Jan 2nd, the DJI was ast 42392 and the Dollar Index was at 108.5; on Sept 19th, the DJI was at 46351 and the Dollar Index was at 97.7.

The DJI is up 9.3%; the Dollar Index is down 10%.

Your capital gains just about pays for your imports taking care of the currency depreciation. But then there's tariffs on top of that.

[Vayutuvan]

On Jan 2nd, the DJI was ast 42392 and the Dollar Index was at 108.5; on Sept 19th, the DJI was at 46351 and the Dollar Index was at 97.7.

The DJI is up 9.3%; the Dollar Index is down 10%.

Your capital gains just about pays for your imports taking care of the currency depreciation. But then there's tariffs on top of that.

Oh kay. But everyone looks at DJI, S&P, NASDAQ, ... and start celebrating. Some are more worried about Real Estate prices as they invested in rental properties with financial leverage. Tough luck for those who are gonna lose cash in RE, Street, currency, and even bonds.

[A_Gupta]

The real reason that everyone wants in on UKR and are refusing to let go

As far as I can tell, the minerals in Ukraine are far more real than Pakistan's mythical $6 trillion.

[chetak]

The real reason that everyone wants in on UKR and are refusing to let go

As far as I can tell, the minerals in Ukraine are far more real than Pakistan's mythical $6 trillion.

A_Gupta ji,

the russkis seem to have over run a lot of these mineral rich territories

that is why trump does not want euro trash running "peace patrols" when the war gets over

trump says that the US along with saudis and beedis will run these patrols to make sure that russia keeps its end of the peace agreement

This is one greedy sob, literally trashing the world in pursuit of rare earth minerals, not caring who gets hurt in the process.

[A_Gupta]

Reinforcing the point already made by an esteemed BRFite:

Here’s Mike Masnick on why “debate” is overrated:

Among the attempts to create hagiographic eulogies of Charlie Kirk, I’ve seen more than a few people suggest that Kirk should be respected for being willing to talk to “those who disagree with him” as a sign that he was engaging in good faith. Perhaps the perfect example of this is Ezra Klein’s silly eulogy claiming that Kirk was “practicing politics the right way” because he would debate students who disagreed with him. . . .

There are many problems with this statement, but Klein’s fundamental error reveals something much more dangerous: he’s mistaking performance for discourse, spectacle for persuasion. Kirk wasn’t showing up to campuses to “talk with anyone who would talk to him.” He was showing up armed with a string of logical fallacies, nonsense talking points, and gotcha questions specifically designed to enrage inexperienced college students so he could generate viral social media clips of himself “owning the libs.”

Klein is eulogizing not a practitioner of good-faith political discourse, but one of the most successful architects of “debate me bro” culture—a particularly toxic form of intellectual harassment that has become endemic to our political discourse. And by praising Kirk as practicing “politics the right way,” Klein is inadvertently endorsing a grift that actively undermines the kind of thoughtful engagement our democracy desperately needs.

The “debate me bro” playbook is simple and effective: demand that serious people engage with your conspiracy theories or extremist talking points. If they decline, cry “censorship!” and claim they’re “afraid of the truth.” If they accept, turn the interaction into a performance designed to generate viral clips and false legitimacy. It’s a heads-I-win-tails-you-lose proposition that has nothing to do with genuine intellectual discourse.

The fundamental issue with “debate me bro” culture isn’t just that it’s obnoxious, it’s that it creates a false equivalence between good-faith expertise and bad-faith trolling. When you agree to debate someone pushing long-debunked conspiracy theories or openly hateful ideologies, you’re implicitly suggesting that their position deserves equal consideration . . .

[T]hese aren’t actually debates at all. They’re performances designed to generate specific emotional reactions for viral distribution. Participants aren’t trying to persuade anyone or genuinely engage with opposing viewpoints. They’re trying to create moments that will get clipped, shared, and monetized across social media.

Kirk perfected this grift. As a recent detailed analysis of one of Kirk’s debates demonstrates, when a student showed up prepared with nuanced, well-researched arguments, Kirk immediately tried pivoting to culture war talking points and deflection tactics. When debaters tried to use Kirk’s own standards against him, he shifted subjects entirely. The goal was never understanding or persuasion—it was generating content for social media distribution.

[chetak]

is the sort of stuff trump puts out on twitter

[A_Gupta]

The reality is that in the US there is neither a significant section of voters nor a political party that takes up the cause of legal immigration and legal workers. The Democratic Party is far more concerned with the undocumented people, and the Republican Party, especially under Trump and MAGA are quite against immigration except perhaps of white Europeans.**

Trump's policy stance on H1-Bs was made clear in March 2016, though he softened his stand a bit in a Republican primary debate. People have had ample time since then to know how seriously to take reassuring noises emanating from Trump.

During his first term he tried various measures to restrict H1-Bs that were quickly blocked by federal courts. (Who knows, this latest may also be blocked by a court.). Maybe that is why people did not pay attention to them. However, this time, the concentration in Trump of the powers of the federal government are way greater than in his first term.

I think the people with the long term view in the Indian government saw what might come and promoted the establishment of Global Capability Centers. Let us hope that such can absorb all those whose employment is hit by the latest H1-B curbs.

**
Maybe indicative:

January 2018: Trump: “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Trump demanded to know why the US would accept immigrants from these countries rather than places like Norway.

April 2024: Trump: "“And when I said, you know, ‘Why can’t we allow people to come in from nice countries,’ I’m trying to be nice. Nice countries, you know like Denmark, Switzerland? Do we have any people coming in from Denmark? How about Switzerland? How about Norway?”"

[A_Gupta]

The Print:
A social contract protected Indians abroad as the ‘model minority’: Why it’s tearing now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v8_73QCmEY

Last week, conservative influencer Charlie Kirk died a horrible tragic death. In the aftermath of his violent murder, I expected that the many Americans he appealed to would forget his racist, misogynistic, and homophobic views overnight. But I was certainly not prepared for the brown men falling over themselves to defend him as a free speech advocate. Indian men mourned the same Charlie Kirk who died believing that America was full of Indians.

...
....
Kirk embodied the America first ideology that viewed everyone who wasn't male, straight, and white as outsiders. But his very public views are no match for a community determined to gaslight itself.

...
For decades, Indians were the good immigrants who kept their heads down and followed the unwritten rules of assimilation. Somewhere over the last year though that vision has soured. 20 minutes on any social media platform will confirm the bitterness with which Indians are viewed. Right-wing accounts take immense pride in scapegoating a population that were the darlings of Silicon Valley until last year.

Stereotypes that were out of vogue even 15 years ago have made a rousing comeback. This dangerous rhetoric has real consequences for real people.

Favorability toward India has declined across 15 of 24 countries surveyed with particularly sharp drops in traditional allies like Canada and Australia.
...
Earlier this year, a Canadian woman posted about a loud and disruptive Indian wedding that had been going on all night. The caption accompanying her post said, "Everyone will despise the Indians given enough time."

The worst thing you could once have said about Indians was that they followed the rules of a foreign country, but not their own. That seems like an antiquated memory. Now drunk on the Kool-Aid of India's imminent Vishwaguru status, we are convinced that our obnoxious behavior will be accepted wherever we go.

Professor Aditi Sen who teaches at Queens University in Kingston, Canada watches this unfold daily. She told me you used to go to another country and learn their culture. Now you've already decided you are the best and that whatever you're saying is anti-colonial.
....
The Indian diaspora spent decades building something precious, respect, acceptance, genuine assimilation. Those early immigrants understood the fragility of their positions and knew that acceptance in alien societies was conditional. So they earned it best as they could through discipline and dignity. Now we are watching a new generation of Indians squander away that respect. As we go viral for our brashness every other week, entire communities pay the price for individual arrogance.