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One of my favorite ways to waste time is to imbibe a little somethin' for the head and cruise TikTok. It's like browsing People Magazine while waiting in line at the grocery store, but better. (At least for now.) Over time, it's been amusing to watch the changes in what's dominating my feed. For instance, when elon was showing us all how to run a government, I saw a flood of bot videos trying to drum up sympathy for poor elon, who was being relentlessly mocked.

The sturm und drang of Charlie Kirk's murder is dying down a bit - possibly because I block any creator trying to guilt-trip me for declining to canonize him.

What seems to be escalating is military recruitment videos. Such propaganda has been around since forever (“Uncle Sam wants YOU”), but it's acquired a new tactic I've never seen before.

They're all AI generated and include several with the same script: soldiers in combat gear wanting public support while they protect us from Iran (weird, huh?) Pretty standard stuff.

But the dominant category - about half of the videos I've seen - is the sexualized depiction of active-duty women.

Those videos seem to have two basic categories. One is of 2 conventionally attractive white women leaning shoulder to shoulder, smiling blissfully at each other. The second is of a similarly attractive white woman with a caption about enlisting and meeting hot girls. Many of those captions are just an age and the word "single".

It's an obvious attempt to appeal to teenage boys, whose testosterone and libido are both at their peak. But when the 2 top civilian "leaders" of the military are known sexual predators, one of whom is an Andrew Tate wannabe, ya gotta wonder what military women have to say about this new strategy.

Things that make you go "hmm".

Sincerely, LRL

heron said:

Yup - it's a hard one. I cut my nursing teeth in the early seventies at a municipal hospital, on a medical floor. Before EMTALA and during the for-profit conversion of health care. My AIDS unit was part of the state public health system in the late 80's - early nineties. The homeless version of a home away from home, along with corrections.

A whole 'nother thread.

Tweety said:

We had an encampment downtown that was aggressively moved in 2024.  They were required to offer up alternatives than to camp in a public park.   Business owners in the area pressured the city to enforce existing laws.  I'm not sure how it all worked out but they were removed.

I know years ago when I was a Universalist Unitarian we fed the homeless in that park and the city said we could not feed the homeless on public property. (This was before the encampment, but the park was a favorite hangout for the homeless who got dumped out of shelters during the day).  Fortunately the church was nearby and we set up on the church's property and word got out that there was a meal there once a week. 

I do think that if a homeless person refuses what you offer they shouldn't be threatened with fines or jail time.  Because that's not freedom.  If someone can't live in an unauthorized encampment and wants to wander the streets that's their freedom.  

Also we need to acknowledge that programs to help them, such as addiction and housing services have been cut.  Homeless shelter beds in some areas a full.  I know sometimes we try to discharge our homeless patients to the Salvation Army where they reserve us some respite beds (and even our Home Health Nurses will go there to check on them) and they are full.  

I don't have any answers but I understand that if I owned a bar or coffee shop and there is a tent city in the park across the street I would be bothered.

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2007/08/07/homeless-whose-tents-were-slashed-sue-city/

Speaking of homeless veterans, the public health hospital that housed my AIDS unit provided inpatient care to the local community. I worked there from '89 to '98, just in time to start admitting Viet Nam veterans. Like many public services, my unit - the whole hospital, really - was a last-resort placement for anyone who lacked resources: low income uninsured, Medicaid, street junkies, drag queens. trans hookers. You get the idea. Many, if not most, of the hospital's dicharges were to shelters.

Our unit evolved into a kind of cross between acute care, long-term care and hospice. We saw many of the veterans who came home and were promptly demonized by lefty peaceniks and ignored by everyone else. My patients were the ones that didn't survive it.

Someday, I might tell the story about the time I was passing 9pm meds and I walked into a pt room annd found about a dozen vets, all pts in various units in my hospital. They were sitting in absolute silence, watching the movie Platoon. I gave my patient his meds, minus the chit-chat, and bailed as quietly as I could. Definitely a closed ceremony.

I flash on that scene every time I think about trump's birthday parade, not to mention that disgraceful performance at Quantico.

LRL, still evolving.

GrumpyRN said:

Exactly! Do you not think some of the rhetoric is a bit extreme?

Just because you don't agree with someone how does that make them "the radical lunatic left?" How about "kill the homeless?"

What do you think of this guy?  Seems like extreme rhetoric.  And no calls for him to drop out.  That'd be the honorable thing for him to do on his own.

But it seems neither is going to happen.

This, is the LRL.  Disgusting.

Just as despicable, the media's lack of coverage of this story which this article also speaks to.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/liberal-media-downplays-scandal-dem-virginia-ag-hopeful-jay-jones-texts-fantasizing-murder-gop-lawmaker

Beerman said:

Fine.  Back to your post:

"So authorizing "Full Force" is not code for "Shoot Civilians" or anyone who gets in your way?"

Get in the way of what, exactly?  In what scenario are you imagining that Trump will have people shot?

A protester just got shot by an ICE agent.

 Not active duty military. Rather, ICE = DHS law enforcement. The insane clown posse 2.0 is still trying to figure out how trigger something violent enough to get around the Posse Commitatus Act.

Things that make you go hmmm.

heron said:

A protester just got shot by an ICE agent.

 Not active duty military. Rather, ICE = DHS law enforcement. The insane clown posse 2.0 is still trying to figure out how trigger something violent enough to get around the Posse Commitatus Act.

Things that make you go hmmm.

Do you mean the woman who rammed into a Border Patrol vehicle several days ago?

How exactly was she triggered into doing that?

heron said:

[...]

What seems to be escalating is military recruitment videos. Such propaganda has been around since forever (“Uncle Sam wants YOU”), but it's acquired a new tactic I've never seen before.

They're all AI generated and include several with the same script: soldiers in combat gear wanting public support while they protect us from Iran (weird, huh?) Pretty standard stuff.

But the dominant category - about half of the videos I've seen - is the sexualized depiction of active-duty women.

Those videos seem to have two basic categories. One is of 2 conventionally attractive white women leaning shoulder to shoulder, smiling blissfully at each other. The second is of a similarly attractive white woman with a caption about enlisting and meeting hot girls. Many of those captions are just an age and the word "single".

[...]

I tend to not participate in the political threads, however feel the need to comment on this.

As you've referred to them as "military recruitment videos" and wondered "what military women have to say about this new strategy," are you suggesting that these videos are officially sanctioned by either the Department of Defense or the individual branches of the military?  

heron said:

[...]

It's an obvious attempt to appeal to teenage boys, whose testosterone and libido are both at their peak. But when the 2 top civilian "leaders" of the military are known sexual predators, one of whom is an Andrew Tate wannabe, ya gotta wonder what military women have to say about this new strategy.

Things that make you go "hmm".

Sincerely, LRL

As a retired Marine, and the husband of a disabled veteran Marine, if any branch of the military produced this trash as an official recruiting video I would be offended;  and I know my wife would be as well.  However, without a link or source to review these videos I find it hard to believe that they are.

Beerman said:

Do you mean the woman who rammed into a Border Patrol vehicle several days ago?

How exactly was she triggered into doing that?

Have you seen any bodycam footage? There's more than one narrative making the rounds. The woman's advocates are claiming that bodycam footage exists that shows the officer doing the ramming, then shooting her 5 times.. Which, if true, makes your question moot.

You clearly believe the government version of events. I don't. The only evidence I know of is basically he said/she said. The trump occupation  of "blue" cities is an evolving situation. I watch and wait - go pick a fight with someone else

LRL

heron said:

 

heron said:

Have you seen any bodycam footage? There's more than one narrative making the rounds. The woman's advocates are claiming that bodycam footage exists that shows the officer doing the ramming, then shooting her 5 times.. Which, if true, makes your question moot.

You clearly believe the government version of events. I don't. The only evidence I know of is basically he said/she said. The trump occupation  of "blue" cities is an evolving situation. I watch and wait - go pick a fight with someone else

LRL

It doesn't seem like you're watching and waiting. 

Anyway,  I'm not sure why you think I "clearly believe the government version of events", or that I'm trying to pick a fight.  I simply asked one question.

You implied that the government attempted to "trigger" protesters into an action so that the Border Patrol (you erroneously reported ICE) could shoot them.  I simply asked how they did that.  That's all.

Now, after reading various reports, the question remains.  Even the LRL website I read reports that the "protesters" followed the CBP vehicle for some time.  Other reports I've read describe what I would call harassment by the "protesters".

I'm also curious as to why you identified the person shot as a "protester"?  Was this a mobile protest?  I wouldn't consider following and harassing agents in a vehicle on the road a form of peaceful protest, would you?

The Trump Peace Plan ???

https://www.foxnews.com/world/hamas-accepts-trump-peace-plan-ending-2-years-war-gaza-returning-hostages

chare said:

I tend to not participate in the political threads, however feel the need to comment on this.

As you've referred to them as "military recruitment videos" and wondered "what military women have to say about this new strategy," are you suggesting that these videos are officially sanctioned by either the Department of Defense or the individual branches of the military?  

As a retired Marine, and the husband of a disabled veteran Marine, if any branch of the military produced this trash as an official recruiting video I would be offended;  and I know my wife would be as well.  However, without a link or source to review these videos I find it hard to believe that they are.

I have no idea whether they are officially sanctioned. The creators are identified by random names or numbers. I don't know if DOD or the individual branches have social media programs, but I suspect they do. Maybe I should have referred to the videos as propaganda. What else would be the purpose of such depictions other than recruitment?

If you want to see them for yourself, get on TikTok and search "female soldiers". A number of the videos I'm talking about turned up in the results.

Meanwhile, I'd welcome your take on hegseth's dog and pony show last week.

heron said:

I have no idea whether they are officially sanctioned. The creators are identified by random names or numbers. I don't know if DOD or the individual branches have social media programs, but I suspect they do. Maybe I should have referred to the videos as propaganda. What else would be the purpose of such depictions other than recruitment?

If you want to see them for yourself, get on TikTok and search "female soldiers". A number of the videos I'm talking about turned up in the results.

Meanwhile, I'd welcome your take on hegseth's dog and pony show last week.

So no, they aren't military recruitment videos.