Link to Rob Colbert’s comment disparaging ActivityPub: https://gab.com/shadowknight412/posts/104220064117832818
I will have to sit on this a while before replying to him. I can’t even decode my own feelings yet. Still too shocked.
To be fair he seems interested in valid counter arguments:
https://gab.com/shadowknight412/posts/104220159780270475
He also just spent a likely-low-sleep week getting his server operating again. To me that means at least three nights of proper rest before his brain is functioning well enough for creative thought.
@billstclair
He should leave #Gab. It's not worth it. They are needlessly working him to death, having him fix problems that shouldn't have been there in the first place, but were placed there by rushed ineptitude.
@issdeinschnitzel @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @alex
@realcaseyrollins
We have our own thoughts about Gab.
Everything we've seen from #Cloucflare indicate that their priority is in creating and tracking #radicalised persons, the "#freedom" angle is the #massLine to cover the #classLine, being #militarisation of the #internet.
In this context it makes perfect sense for them to try to isolate #Gab users. Isolation will help to breed the #extremism that a few want.
@billstclair @issdeinschnitzel @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @alex
@realcaseyrollins @billstclair @issdeinschnitzel @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @alex
We would like to thank @aktivismoEstasMiaLuo for helping to open our eyes to Gab, late last year.
@dsfgs
Valid point. Still, I disagree. I am beginning to suspect that the goal was just to dump Nazis into the #Fediverse and lower their own load.
@billstclair @issdeinschnitzel @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @alex @aktivismoEstasMiaLuo
@realcaseyrollins
But you see "sunlight is the best disinfectant".
This is why we didn't like the mastodon.social (again #Cloucflare at the time!!!) campaign to isolate the Gab users.
Thankfully, not all the instances banned #Gab. So the light was able to break through.
We believe one of two things will... (1/2)
@billstclair @issdeinschnitzel @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @alex
We believe one of two things will happen.
Gab will magically find money (and resources) for an aggressive campaign to onboard #dissaffectedMen between 18-35 yo.
Or it will close down.
Judging by the state of things, our bet is on the former.
@billstclair @issdeinschnitzel @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @alex
@dsfgs
No chance of them getting that money, hating on Jews as they do
@billstclair @issdeinschnitzel @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @alex
Why do people think that Gab hates on Jews? Yes, there are definite Jew haters and other haters on Gab, just as there are everywhere else. But they are a small minority. A handful of mutes got the noisy ones out of my feed. The only difference is that being reported for expressing hate on Gab is not a reason to be censored or silenced there, only actual illegal speech under US law.
But mention Gab on Gargron's instance, in any but a negative light, and he'll boot you. So who's the hater?
@billstclair
You do know I was joking right?
@issdeinschnitzel @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @alex
@billstclair @realcaseyrollins @alex @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @issdeinschnitzel If we simplify it & neglect that #Gab spews a concentration of #Trump-aligned values (#xenophobia, racism, misogyny, homophobia, elitism, anti-public healthcare, anti-public education, pro-forced birth, anti-gun control, etc), the mere fact that Gab is on #CloudFlare is sufficient at least for non-CloudFlare nodes to cut ties.
@issdeinschnitzel @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @alex @realcaseyrollins @billstclair A #Mastodon admin who centralizes their node on #CloudFlare is at a loss for understanding or appreciating the #decentralization arising from federating. The loss of #netneutrality breaks Mastodon.
@billstclair @realcaseyrollins @alex @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @issdeinschnitzel E.g. when a user in the free world w/a proper acct & a text-based client sees a copy of a post sourced from CF's #walledgarden, in some circumstances they're blocked by a (often broken) #Google #CAPTCHA if they try to see the source (e.g. if there are images)
@issdeinschnitzel @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @alex @realcaseyrollins @billstclair So there's value to expanding the #isolateGab campaign to #isolateCloudFlare.
We understand your point about isolating Cloucflare from the perspective of people who do not understand the dangers of Cloucflare slipping back into dependence on Cloucflare.
We think we can better address this problem by having a warning system. Eg. cloucflare-based #images might have a red border and warning.
#KnowledgeIsPower, in this case, knowing when you might be getting tracked.
We understand your point about isolating Cloucflare from the perspective of sheilding those who do not understand the dangers of Cloucflare slipping back into dependence.
We can better address this problem by having a warning system. Eg. cloucflare/#redlisted-based #images might have a red border and warning.
#KnowledgeIsPower, in this case, knowing when you might be getting tracked.
@issdeinschnitzel @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @alex @realcaseyrollins @billstclair
@fedilab
Steven 
@dsfgs @issdeinschnitzel @death @SandiaMesa @alex @realcaseyrollins @billstclair @fedilab I’m switching if another petson response I’m just off a cliff. Kill yourself
@niggaflamebuttholeaids
Hi Steven,
We are confused by the what you are writing but hope you are okay.
If you are struggling with something reach out to someone who can help you.
Love from dsfgs
@issdeinschnitzel @billstclair @death @SandiaMesa @fedilab @alex @realcaseyrollins
@dsfgs @issdeinschnitzel @billstclair @death @SandiaMesa @fedilab @alex @realcaseyrollins I was very drunk, but Cloudflare hysteria is gay. That’s what I was trying to get at d:
@niggaflamebuttholeaids
You may think that but all the warning signs are there. When they get heat for an attack or attract people who seek to deradicalise they shut it down (see 8chan).
If you think breeding #extremism will not continue on their platforms for (yet another) attack on people and thus our #freedoms, prepare for "disappointment".
Given today, we'd guess they're hoping to groom a Chinese national.
@issdeinschnitzel @billstclair @death @SandiaMesa @fedilab @alex @realcaseyrollins
@dsfgs @issdeinschnitzel @billstclair @death @SandiaMesa @fedilab @alex @realcaseyrollins For every post you make like this I’m going to get a girl pregnant and force her to abort. You are killing fetuses by infiltrating threads with your bullshit.
@niggaflamebuttholeaids
Cloucflare own or control 20% of the Internet and are allowed to operate without scrutiny.
You are welcome to walk around with you #eyesWideShut.
But we're more interested in learning more about why you are so sanguine about their takeover of the internet, alongside Google it must be noted.
@realcaseyrollins @issdeinschnitzel @billstclair @death @fedilab @alex @SandiaMesa
@dsfgs @realcaseyrollins @issdeinschnitzel @billstclair @death @fedilab @alex @SandiaMesa One more aborted child. I hope you’re okay with this. I am keeping tally.
@niggaflamebuttholeaids
What a funny character you are?
Stay safe. Or in your case because you want to bring on a pregnancy... stay unsafe.
We will not tag you in future discussions on this topic.
@realcaseyrollins @issdeinschnitzel @billstclair @death @fedilab @alex @SandiaMesa
Hi all,
We've removed the person touting an abortion-ultimatum from the discussion. So if you have anything to add to the conversation, feel free to respond to this one.
It does appear that the conversation reached its natural end regardless.
Stay safe
@realcaseyrollins @issdeinschnitzel @billstclair @death @fedilab @alex @SandiaMesa
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @billstclair @realcaseyrollins @alex @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @death @issdeinschnitzel Wtf is up with you dorks periodically infiltrating discussions and making them about Cloudflare? Literally no one thinks they’re up to any good but they’re hardly the worst problem on the Internet.
@niggaflamebuttholeaids @issdeinschnitzel @billstclair @death@husk.site @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @alex Haha well while I think those are good arguments to not use #Cloudflare, they're absolutely terrible arguments to defederate with instances that rely on it. It's like y'all forgot what the entire point of the #Fediverse is smh.
Too many people think that the #Fediverse is a footstool to be used as the soapbox for whatever agenda you have, instead of a means to talk to anybody you wish and perpetuate the free slow of information. Like, if you don't like people's ideology and want instances you disagree with cancelled and removed from federation, why are you even here 😂 Go make something centralized, that actually * fits * that agenda.
I had never heard the CloudFlare hate before. The fact that they haven’t cancelled Gab is a big plus for them in my book.
Interesting rewriting of the rhetoric on your part: “pro-forced birth” instead of “pro-life” or “anti-abortion”. “anti-gun control” instead of “pro-2A”. Makes your opinion on both crystal clear.
So you know my opinion...
If some guy squirts his sperm into you when you’re fertile, it ain’t my business how you deal with it, until the brat is born. Just don’t ask me to pay for it.
But you’ll take my guns from my cold, dead hands.
I don’t like bigotry, but it shouldn’t be a crime. Crime is intentional, aggressive harm of a non-consenting person or their property. Period. Your feewings are YOUR problem. And I encourage self defense.
https://billstclair.com/racism-is-a-right.html
Oh, and public ANYTHING is extortion.
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo
If arguments against #Gab and #Cloudflare are that they're pro #Trump and support gun rights and human rights of the unborn...none of those are negatives, lol. There are real issues with these platforms tho, and it's foolish to say these platforms are bad because you don't like some of their partisan policies.
But #Gab is basically run by a crazy man, whose ineptitude literally damages the product he's trying to provide. #Cloudflare is a bad actor that blocks #Tor and doesn't support privacy.
Some people get off by shaming others about their politics and claiming you must be a bad person if you disagree with them on partisan issues. Not really my thing, but good for you, you found your fetish.
But why bring up topics that divide us, when there are real issues on the table we all agree are bad? This causes needless division, and kind of detracts from the main point of the conversation because it encourages debate on things that arent particularly relevant to this discussion specifically.
@billstclair @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs
@realcaseyrollins @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @alex @issdeinschnitzel @billstclair The #isolateGab movement is mostly driven by those not wanting right-wing extremism on their screens. It's understandable, but this has less merit than the #netneutrality argument. If you become an enabler of net non-neutrality, you're advocating for a broken Internet & supporting inequality of access.
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death@husk.site @alex @issdeinschnitzel @billstclair 😂 Please tell me you actually understand what #NetNeutrality is...describe it here, so that we don't have a misunderstanding.
@realcaseyrollins @billstclair @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs the biggest component to #netneutrality is *access equality*. #CloudFlare inherently imposes access *inequality* whereby users on parts of the network (e.g. Tor) are denied access (in some cases degraded access).
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @billstclair @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs
"access equality" 😂 Mkay.
Here's the reality: #NetNeutrality is proposed and supported by people who don't understand the internet's infrastructure, how it works, and the importance of consumer choice. It demands all websites have the same speeds, and makes "fast lanes" and "slow lanes" illegal. Two problems with this:
1. It gives ISPs and the government the ability to arbitrarily slow down all network speeds, so long as they charge any arbitrary price, so long as everyone pays the same price. And because "muh equality", "fast lanes" would technically be "discrimination based on price" and not necessarily an option for everyone.
2. Equal bandwidth for all sites means that a site like fanfiction.net gets the same bandwidth as Netflix and YouTube. Do I really need to explain why this is bad? Probably. Streaming video takes up a far greater bandwidth than text or images. Netflix getting higher bandwidth than sites like fanfiction.net or Project Gutenberg isn't inequality, but rather the ISPs responsibly meeting the needs of both customers and websites alike. It may sound nice to be able to wish everybody have lightning fast speeds, but tech infrastructures cannot just give all websites Netflix levels of speeds; so, if they were forced to give everyone the same speeds, then they would most likely just slow everything down.
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @billstclair @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs I 100% agree on the #Tor part tho.
@realcaseyrollins @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @alex @issdeinschnitzel @billstclair you're only grasping part of what /access equality/ means -- only the portion highlighted in propaganda on the issue. Access equality is so much bigger than ISPs.
Internet connectivity is not free. Somebody has to lay cable or put up radio towers. Somebody has to route the traffic through data centers. All of that costs money. Hence, somebody has to pay for it. Higher bandwidth costs more money, hence different provider/consumer links have wildly different cost. And it's a big system, much more than ANY centralized organization can possibly manage. That's what markets are about. And price drives markets. The net neutrality crowd thinks they can just forget about all that and make everybody equal.
Read Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron, or watch the film that was made of it. Equality of opportunity is a noble goal. Equality of outcome is impossible, and evil.
@billstclair @realcaseyrollins @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @alex @issdeinschnitzel some services are better than others at achieving #netneutrality. A majority of Mastodon nodes have figured out how to respect #netneutrality w/out sinking finanically to the point of needing CF. The underachieving nodes that fail to be net neutral can be scrapped b/c there are enough ethical nodes to support their users.
If you administer a node, you can refuse to connect to other nodes for any reason you desire. Apparently, your ideas of net neutrality and bigotry are important enough to you to shut down large swaths of the fediverse that disagree. Go wild.
Although I have blocked a couple of trolls, impeccable.social federates with any node that will. And it will stay that way unless some node keeps generating new trolls at a rate that I get tired of blocking.
@billstclair @realcaseyrollins @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @alex @issdeinschnitzel The reason "#ProLife" is usually inappropriate is b/c those who describe themselves as such are typically anti-public healthcare, anti-welfare, anti-worker's rights, anti-gun control, anti- #coronavirus lockdown, etc. IOW, the opposite of pro-life on all issues apart from women's rights. The truly pro-life ppl aren't on gab.
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @billstclair @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death@husk.site @alex @issdeinschnitzel To claim that those policies are attacks on life are unfounded and disgusting.
@realcaseyrollins @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @billstclair Gun control is about putting reasonable guns in the hands of safe, sane ppl. Of course this is to maximize life, so that ppl can protect the lives of themselves & others while reducing the sorts of gun ownership that can take many lives. Of course gun control is pro-life.
@billstclair @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @alex @issdeinschnitzel @realcaseyrollins Of course healthcare for all is pro-life. Supporting the elitist stance of healthcare only for ppl who can afford it means blocking preventitive healthcare from some ppl. Preventitive healthcare saves lives, so of course it's pro-life
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @billstclair @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death@husk.site @alex @issdeinschnitzel I agree that healthcare for all is pro life, but of course by "healthcare for all" you mean "nationalized healthcare coverage plans", don't you? 🙂
@realcaseyrollins @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @billstclair i oppose all plans that would deny anyone healthcare. Public healthcare and/or private but inclusive are all fair enough from a pro-life standpoint.
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @billstclair Because healthcare can just be provided out of thin air, so it's injustice for it to not be free.
@realcaseyrollins @billstclair @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @alex @issdeinschnitzel A true pro-lifer doesn't let finance stand in the way of life. So as soon as you talk about a position that rationalizes denying healthcare on the basis of financing, you're not talking about a pro-life stance
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @billstclair @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death@husk.site @alex @issdeinschnitzel Because healthcare can just be provided out of thin air, so it's injustice for it to not be free.
@realcaseyrollins @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @billstclair You're confusing gun control with gun prohibition. Team gun control is very much in favor of self-defense (otherwise they would be on team gun prohibition)
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @billstclair Gun control prohibits gun use to individuals. Sorry for confusing gun prohibition with prohibition of guns.
@realcaseyrollins @billstclair @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @alex @issdeinschnitzel Ok, you clearly don't know what gun *control* is. Gun control can be implemented in many ways, but they need not deny firearms to ppl who are safe with them (e.g. ppl w/out a history of violence or some mental illnesses)
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @billstclair @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death@husk.site @alex @issdeinschnitzel Okay and who is "safe" lol
That's entirely subjective.
Let's say I run the country and have gun control. I think homosexuality is a mental illness, and let's say the scientists go back to supporting this view. So we just strip guns away from all the gays? That's ludicrous, and a monstrous destruction of human rights.
@realcaseyrollins @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @billstclair you would have to convince scientists to convince politicians 1st of all that homosexuality is a mental illness. You wouldn't, but if we say you manage to you would then have to make a convincing case that it's a mental illness that would compel violence or incompetence with safe gun handling.
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @billstclair Yeah, because all people with any given mental condition have the same level of competence with safe gun handling.
@realcaseyrollins @billstclair @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @alex @issdeinschnitzel statistics can sort that out. Are a majority of deaths by schizophrenic gun users in defense of someone in harms way, or did they lead to a conviction? These things are countable. There's not enough room for subjectivity to make a difference.
@issdeinschnitzel @alex @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @billstclair @realcaseyrollins A true pro-lifer is about finding the gun control balance that yields the fewest deaths (or the fewest deaths to non-aggressors). Achieving the optimum balance is subjective. You can't be pro-life on that issue and oppose subjectivity at the same time.
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @billstclair Look if you're just gonna sit here and assume I have the worst motive, and say I am opposed to life I'm done with this conversation. You don't really know my motives and don't even care enough to ask.
For your part, I'm sure your motives are pure and it really seems like your heart is in the right place; it's just that you're a little misguided and the policies you support are counterintuitive to your goal, although you cannot see that just yet, and that's understandable.
@realcaseyrollins @billstclair @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @alex @issdeinschnitzel the conversation turned into what it means to be pro-life, not whether your motives are "bad" or "good". But you are clearly not pro-life due to your opposition to gun control & prioritization of finance above healthcare for all. So if you've been calling yourself #prolife, it's inaccurate.
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @billstclair @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death@husk.site @alex @issdeinschnitzel That only matters if you can go back in time and prevent shootings, because such stats cannot reliably tell us whether or not any particular individual will use a weapon for good or ill. Statistics can say in general, schizos kill people with gun, and that's fine. But that does not tell us if any given schizo will magically become murderous once given a gun.
Ah, public policy determined by statistics.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -- Mark Twain
Guess what? No matter what statistics say about people "like" me being able to safely use guns, I have the right to defend my life and loves ones, using tools that I find useful for that purpose. If you convince a jury to convict me of an actual crime (intentional harm of a non-consenting person or their property), and I am currently imprisoned for that, then you may deny me that right. Otherwise, not.
I realize that this is much more pro-gun than current US law. Good. "Shall not be infringed" brooks no exceptions. And the Bill of Rights is restrictions on the state, not on the rest of us.
@billstclair @realcaseyrollins @dsfgs @SandiaMesa @niggaflamebuttholeaids @death @alex @issdeinschnitzel Your error is in believing that *any* Constitutional right is absolute. No Constitutional rights are absolute & rightly so -- that can only lead to perverse outcomes.
As I said, my take on 2A disagrees with current US law. For me, 2A is absolute. No matter how many people vote otherwise, and no matter how many guys in black robes and wigs rule otherwise.
But then, I consider taxation to be extortion, a heinous crime, and want it to end, entirely. Fee for service, service contracts, and unanimous consent are the only moral options.
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death@husk.site @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @dsfgs @billstclair Not really. Gun control is about limited rights to those the government deems worthy of them. Self defense is actually pro-life, not ant-life. That's not too hard for most people to figure out.
Ah. So since I don't want tax money to pay for something, I don't want it at all? That does not compute.
I can at least understand the anti-abortion position. Those people believe that a fetus is a human being, with rights, hence abortion is murder. I, and you, disagree, but that doesn't make their opinion invalid, only different.
Those who don't believe in public funding for certain activities usually have no problem with those activities being done, they just don't want tax money to be used to pay for it. They usually encourage real charity.
I consider victim disarmament (the pro-gun rhetoric for "gun control") to be anti-life. And anti-liberty.
The #coronavirus lockdown is not at all a black-and-white issue. I've seen credible evidence, from likely true experts, that the lockdown is absolutely necessary, and that it is counterproductive. I don't know who to believe. But it's becoming clear that the Swedish model works pretty well: protect the elderly and immune compromised, tell others to stay home when sick, which they should be doing anyway, and encourage everyone else to go about their lives.
@billstclair
We need to stay focused on the issue here.
Cloucflare appear to use tools for #tracking and *producing* extremism, turning the internet into a weapon against we the people.
These is the real threat in our opinion and we're concerned that the next toots in our notifications will be centred around division rather than clearheaded debate.
@aktivismoEstasMiaLuo @issdeinschnitzel @alex @death @niggaflamebuttholeaids @SandiaMesa @realcaseyrollins
Missed that. It's so hard to tell nowadays, with so much hate about having an opinion different from The Party's.