site banner
PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   2908 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for August 25, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

1
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Given what happened in Pennsylvania, how well will the Secret Service be able (or should that be "willing"?) to protect Donald Trump if (when) he's sent to Rikers Island next month?

  1. Former president goes to prison, where he is guarded by a disgraced former secret service agent who was already in, feels like a great premise for a network tv show.

  2. Trump won't need guards, they'll recruit themselves from the jail population, hoping for presidential clemency and aid. ((I'm aware of the state federal difference, but nevertheless...))

  3. Trump is never going to see a cell unless he's on tour.

Former president goes to prison, where he is guarded by a disgraced former secret service agent who was already in, feels like a great premise for a network tv show.

It does; the sort of thing USA Network would air.

Trump won't need guards, they'll recruit themselves from the jail population, hoping for presidential clemency and aid.

How effective would fellow inmates be at protecting him from being Epsteined?

Trump is never going to see a cell unless he's on tour.

Why not?

Because Democrats are too chickenshit to pull the trigger when the chips are down.

You may be right about that — it looks like Judge Merchan just delayed Trump's sentencing to after the election.

1), but as a movie starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.

It just screams USA network series in the Monk, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Psych tradition.

Donald Trump probably does not need protection inside of a prison, anyways.

Tell that to Epstein; or, for that matter, to the Romanovs.

Jeffery Epstien might disagree were he around to do so.

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats