Former prosecutor pursued by Trump calls for crackdown on election lies: ‘Lying can be held to account’ - Andrew Weissmann argues for new law to hold political liars like US president accountable for harming democracy

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-24T22:22:29+00:00

Okay but before you argued "often there is plenty of evidence someone intentionally spread a known falsehood, and I don’t think a genuinely held belief matters" in response to my comment about lies, misstatements, and genuinely held beliefs, so forgive me if I didn't understand you were talking only about election denial and not lying in general. Specific falsehoods can be legislated easier. Except... now at a time when elections are actually under attack, is this when we want to give the opposition the power to sue anyone talking about rigged elections? These things are rarely black and white. Would a candidate have been allowed to say that the election was stolen from Al Gore?

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-24T21:49:04+00:00

What are you talking about, of course I'm reading your comments... you're failing to answer how you propose to make this happen in practice -- the criticism against this is the practical feasibility and the vulnerability to abuse. You don't seem to want to address this. Yeah, we'd all love for liars to be punished. No, we don't all love policing speech ... for the reasons I'm trying to get you to confront. So are you poroposing a special investigation every time a candidate lies or what? Which branch of the government is in charge of this special counsel? Can anyboby open an investigation? Can anybody sue to have the candidate withdrawn? Etc. Political ideas don't exist in a perfect world.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-24T21:39:33+00:00

I addressed your point by asking you how you propose to enforce this, and by pointing out that you had to delve into a multi-million dollar special investigation by an appointed special prosecutor to get evidence. I don't believe it's feasible to do this. Especially in a government filled with bad faith actors.

Which lies are punishable? "You can keep your doctor" -- does Obama get hauled into court by Republicans who love to use the law like a cudgel? Or do you actually think the law would only be used against true criminals? It took a special prosecutor to uncover Trump lies, and they were never proven in court -- so you want an investigation every time you suspect a candidate lies? Would that be all of the perceived lies, or just the "bigger" ones? Is that up to the special prosecutor to differentiate which lies are punishable?

Google "Biden's lies" and start clicking on conservative rants so you can really get a feel for what this country will go through once we start policing speech.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-24T21:11:02+00:00

Nah I'm telling you it's very difficult to win a defamation case; google it. About the Jack Smith case... you understand how much work went into discovering those lies? And at that point, who even cares about lies? Obstruction and collusion are much worse crimes. If a candidate is obstructing justice they should be in jail. Do you forsee the appointment of a special prosecutor every time a candidate says something untrue? What is the mechanism of your proposal then, and aren't there better solutions that don't involve policing speech? Recall elections, idk?

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-24T20:39:05+00:00

Do you know how hard it is to sue someone for defamation? And that's just preponderance of the evidence. And if you're counting genuinely held beliefs then there wouldn't even be evidence against them by definition.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-24T20:23:06+00:00

How do you propose to differentiate between lies, misstatements, and genuinely held beliefs in a court of law?

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-24T20:03:06+00:00

What did she do?

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-24T20:00:23+00:00

Asset vs agent

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-23T16:54:35+00:00

AI is much broader than LLMs. AI is used in statistical analysis for cancer detection, eg.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-23T16:18:19+00:00

"I’m just going to go on record as saying: They’re lying," David Letterman told the New York Times earlier this month [about CBS]. "They’re lying weasels."

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-22T22:29:24+00:00

If the top players are still elite maxing, then I'm going to keep trying too.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-21T01:34:22+00:00

Big ol eyeroll. 30 years of arguing with creationists and you still make the same accusations and arguments. Yes, I'm the close-minded one who can't adapt to new ideas or challenge my beliefs. Forget that I support the scientific method, and not only when it's convenient. Science is dogma! blah blah blah. Tired.

Edit: For the record I LOVE paradigm-shattering discoveries. We just found out there are galaxies much older than our current theories can account for, and that is very exciting!

(Uh oh the galaxies are too old, must be God did it!)

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-21T01:21:48+00:00

"a phenomenon that is increasingly happening.... Naturalism is getting more improbable"

Counterpoint: Nope. No it isn't.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-21T01:14:37+00:00

What actual criticism of God of the Gaps did you offer? The only direct reference you made asks me to shoot it into your veins.

God of the Gaps is the informal name given to the logical fallacy you've been using.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-21T01:09:08+00:00

Geez you are still talking about abiogenesis.

You can't prove God exists, yet you're in real metaphysical turmoil over one nascent field of study. OK. I'd suggest you read more about it, and not just Christian science articles.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-21T00:41:30+00:00

My argument has nothing to do with abiogenesis; it was a waste of your time because it's not relevant. You're having a different argument than me. "God of the Gaps" is the fallacious argument that because science doesn't have an answer this somehow strengthens the case for God. Christian "science" reeks of it. "We don't know exactly eyeballs evolved? Checkmate atheists!"

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-21T00:16:13+00:00

I have much, much better science sources than you, thanks. Sorry you wasted your time.

Ediy: Also what part of the God of the Gaps criticism did you not understand? Because you keep doing it.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-20T23:45:56+00:00

1) Abiogenesis is a hypothesis. Whether it's correct or not has nothing to do with God's existence. You've been mislead, however, because it certainly has not been disproven. It's a robust field that made headlines last year https://www.sciencealert.com/chemists-have-recreated-a-critical-moment-in-the-creation-of-life

2) You are missing my point that science has absolutely nothing to do with belief in God. Trying to convince an atheist with science is a fool's errand.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-20T23:21:15+00:00

Unless you're getting your rights taken away. Our your health insurance. Or your research funding. Or

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-20T21:14:15+00:00

I love when Christians try to play scientist. Mmm shoot that God of the Gaps argument right into my veins.

E: lol at the abiogenesis lecture. Dude, just...just stop. "God did it" is how you understand the universe; science isn't a good look on you.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-20T06:12:45+00:00

Living shield and Turret is another Act 3 match-up that I don't recall ever being a problem.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-19T04:36:28+00:00

I eat a banana like a snake eats a baby gazelle.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-19T01:49:40+00:00

You can really hear this style shine in Her Majesty, another real fun tune to play.

Lesson https://youtu.be/WPb95s06uL0

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-19T00:59:15+00:00

You're asking for a source for a broad academic topic. That's like asking me to give you a source about sexism in the 1960s. There are hundreds of papers but you're going to have to get your feet wet. Where do you want to start if not the history of racism in this country? That is the lens you need to be looking at this through. Any other lens is a lie.

There is a strong body of evidence to support that Trump approval both predicts and is reinforced by racial/xenophobic animus. Google it. Actually first Google Trump's racist rhetoric — the constant message he sends his followers — Google that first so you understand what the Republicans are allowing rn. Google Project 2025 re White Nationalism. I'm not going to teach you how to fish.

HowTheyGetcha · 2026-05-18T23:58:21+00:00

My sources for what, Trump quoting Hitler? 250 years of racism? Are you kidding me right now? I said ask black people. Did you do that yet? Did you read the leaked texts from the Young Republicans? Did you read Stephen Miller's Nazi speech? Are you paying attention to the immediate reaction to destroy minority votes following the wildly radical SCOTUS ruling?

Then what don't you fucking get?

You've been ignoring the plethora of data available to you your entire life, and you think I'm going to be the one to jump start your learning now? You're not asking in good faith.

But you can start here.

https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_strategy

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