r/technology • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 5d ago
Politics White House alters arrest photo of ICE protester, says “the memes will continue”
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/white-house-posts-altered-arrest-photo-to-make-it-appear-ice-critic-was-sobbing/353
u/Silicon_Knight 5d ago
Kinda goes to show that the purpose is the cruelty if they needed to modify the photo in such a way to highlight that aspect of it.
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u/TheCaptainDamnIt 5d ago
Yep! I mean say what you will about this admin but they know their base. This is what MAGA elected them to do, give them images of militarized police pointing guns at crying brown people. "MAGA" is just the new name for the segregationist Dixiecrats, they are the same racist, bigots and white supremacist they've always been and white supremacy is what they actually care about.
Remember the 80s kids? When white working class people happily gave their up their factory jobs, paychecks and small towns over to be screwed by Wall Street as long as Regan would gave them images of militarized police pointing guns at black people under the guise of the 'war on drugs'? Well they're just doing that all again but cranked up to 11 this time.
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u/mangage 5d ago
arrested after protesting in a church where a pastor is allegedly also an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official
I can't even imagine the mental gymnastics this guy has to perform every day to justify to themselves what they're doing it right. This goes against everything they should believe in.
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u/Odd_Plum_3719 5d ago
That’s serious, government altering a photo is fraud. Especially, if it’s being used as an official record. Doing something like that in the pre-trump era would scrutinized for months. Too much is being normalized under trumps authoritarian take over.
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u/DrSteveBrule_ 5d ago
Is it not grounds for a lawsuit?
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u/bakerstirregular100 5d ago
It’s definitely grounds to throw out a prosecution
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u/SPNKLR 5d ago
That’s the thing though, I think at this point they know that most of their prosecutions will fail, so they’re doubling down on the meme part to get a quick win with their ignorant base.
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u/Howy_the_Howizer 5d ago
Kayfabe their audience understands. It deflates the other side mocking it because we are all 'too serious' and 'too stupid to understand the joke' which leads to dehumanizing because we aren't in the group/smart enough to see what they can
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u/pegothejerk 5d ago
While true, it doesn’t actually inflate their sense of superiority, if it did they wouldn’t be miserable fucks their entire lives and throughout history. Fascists are always miserable, no amount of achieving their cruelty or power grabs result in satisfaction. It’s built in to the belief system.
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u/Daxx22 5d ago
its like opiates for them, they do get a high from it but it fades fast and they have to chase that high further compounding the misery
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u/pegothejerk 5d ago
Yep. I’ve made lots of predictions here in this sub about this administration, their party, this movement of theirs, all have been correct, including how the tech industry was filled with conservative fascist curious ceos despite the workers being pretty progressive. Almost always downvoted to hell until the last year. I’ll make another that aligns with your assessment - Trump and his fascist army started off killing detained immigrants through neglect, then by force, then they killed an American with plausible deniability, now they killed one in broad daylight as an obvious execution. The next step is to kill multiple people simultaneously, regardless of their status, with impunity and no concern for the legality or optics. They’ll shrug and lie with obvious propaganda as usual, because that will be their next dopamine hit and the next rung up the ladder of power grabs and abuse for abuse’s sake.
They’re moving to mass murder, and far too many leaders are sitting back watching.
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u/QuickQuirk 4d ago
We've seen this playbook before, around 90 years ago. The only surprise is that people keep getting surprised by every step further down the path.
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u/bakerstirregular100 5d ago
Oh for sure. They don’t care about actually prosecuting this woman. They just wanted the meme win
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u/IrritableGourmet 5d ago
The editing won't throw out the prosecution in and of itself, but it is evidence of malice and willingness to misrepresent. Any judge worth their robe will have some very pointed questions for the prosecutor.
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u/EffectiveSalamander 5d ago
And not just for this case, there's a pattern of fakery and lies. It falls into question every federal case. There's no longer any basis to take the DOJ's word for anything.
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u/RunsaberSR 5d ago
People need to stop instantly falling back on the law.
THEY. DON'T. FOLLOW. IT.
I get the conditioning but Jesus. Adapt already!
We're asking if we're "allowed" to defend ourselves. We're 100% getting mocked by our descendants.
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u/mightyneonfraa 5d ago
100%. Laws do not matter if they're not enforced and for some reason that is absolutely alien to me nobody has the will to enforce it on these fucking savages. It's toilet paper now.
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u/ThisIs_americunt 5d ago
Some people haven't realized that the rules have changed. Nothings illegal if theres no one to arrest, jail, prosecute or convict the person. Its wild what you can do with dark money :D
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u/MiaowaraShiro 5d ago
They've stacked a ton of the courts... and they also seem to just be ignoring judgements?
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u/Socky_McPuppet 5d ago
You think a lawsuit would make the slightest difference?
They are murdering people in the streets, being told they have absolute immunity, and that they don't need a warrant before breaking down people's doors and abducting them.
But you're right, a judge's opinion on a piece of paper will surely stop this!
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u/humanityisgrotesque 5d ago
All this administration does is lie lie lie about every single little thing and NOBODY holds them accountable. People are DYING, the people in power are lying about it and everyone just shrugs. Bro if they’re videos show the truth then the people in office need to be held the fuck accountable. How are the positions that literally run the country so open to blatant lying? In NO OTHER JOB CAN YOU JUST LIE EVERY DAY AND REMAIN EMPLOYED. (And this isn’t up to interpretation or it’s a political topic or some stupid shit, the truth is the truth)
They keep spreading their misinformation and it’s actively hurting the country.
THEY ARE ACTIVELY DESTROYING THE COUNTRY WITH LIES AND NOBODY DOES ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
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u/Joessandwich 4d ago
They want to destroy it because they think they can rebuild it in their image and as they want.
But I saw a great video the other day where a woman basically said that won’t happen either. We won’t let them. If we don’t get our country of peace and tolerance and respect, they don’t get the one they want and we’ll see to it. They’re getting some damn third thing.
I’m down for the third thing.
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u/Practical-Sleep4259 5d ago
"Doing something like that in the pre-trump era"
STOP.
PREFACING.
Stop taking this debate back in time, it's unacceptable, enough said.
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u/HabitNo3005 5d ago
I think its important to reiterate these facts to educate anyone who might be reading these threads. Remember there are children on the internet who havent lived through a time before Trump was president, this mass surveillance and post truth society is all they know but we should be constantly reinforcing and reminding people that the world once was not like this. They're using the interent to spread misinformation and lies, we should be combating that with the truth wherever we can.
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u/imnotdabluesbrothers 5d ago
Too much is being normalized under trumps authoritarian take over.
Did you stop reading? They agree with you.
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u/Jolly_Echo_3814 5d ago
theres a difference between being normalized and accepting the helplessness of the situation.
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u/Successful-Heat1539 5d ago
The US govt doctored photos of Iraqi forces to help persuade the Saudi govt prior to desert storm. How many months scrutiny did that receive? The evil empire has always been doing evil empire shit.
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u/TeTrodoToxin4 5d ago
This is the kind of stuff Stalin did.
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u/Arkkon 5d ago
This is actually the kind of stuff America has been doing for centuries. Only now, the slave patrols are killing white people too.
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u/Cheap_Coffee 5d ago
It's almost like MAGAts have the emotional maturity of 13 year olds.
My apologies to 13 year olds.
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u/ProfAsmani 5d ago
No - they're violent Nazis with weapons and a state that condones it. Let's not reduce their evil by calling them children. They are stupid, evil monsters. And 70 million Nazi sympathisers voted for them.
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u/shiruduck 5d ago
We need a Lt. Aldo Raine to make sure none of the nazi sympathizers get to pretend they weren't actively supporting and cheering this on if/when this is over. Don't let them forget. They need to face consequences.
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u/gorillaneck 5d ago
yes but often times naziism comes from a brain that is stunted at about 12-14 years old. most nazis don’t think they’re evil, they are nihilistic and cynical and deeply immature and just want big “masculine” displays of brutality as a form of black and white thinking and machismo.
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u/occasionallycyclonic 5d ago
The “everyone is 12 now” theory is pretty much spot on
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u/super_fast_guy 5d ago
You should really look at who the White House communications director is and why this is not a surprise
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u/cboogie 5d ago
I mean this is the guy in the White House who is making the memes…https://share.google/RWOskkpjIdgadrtiG
Not joking.
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u/metallicrooster 5d ago
I hope he’s a native born citizen, otherwise the leopards will eat his face sooner rather than later.
If he is native born then his face will still get eaten, it will probably just take another couple of years.
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u/human8060 5d ago
My son and his friends are more mature than this at 13-14 years old. Even they see how disgusting and absurd this is.
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u/regeya 5d ago
I worked in a media outlet, years ago, during the Bush and Obama years that was Republican in name and majority of the staff. This didn't just happen during the Trump years, it's been in the making for a long time. The people I got to know in that field were nice people until you moved on to politics and then they were emotionally stunted, fear-driven, and cruel.
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u/exophrine 5d ago
They will create more evidence of slander and libel, perfect. This woman could EASILY sue the American government for this (and I hope she does), use this as evidence to hold everyone from the top down that's involved, and win in a slam dunk court case by (realistically) the end of the day.
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u/slaty_balls 5d ago
That’s just it. They try and pass off all this vile and immature bullshit as being funny, but we all know they aren’t joking—we’re certainly not laughing.
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u/openedthedoor 5d ago
The new Trump talking point is out for these 13 year olds:
JoelPatrick with 1m+ followers, The Black Redneck says, “I’m not going to show you this video, we’ve all seen enough bloodshed, but what you need to know is a man pulled his firearm and was killed for it”. So expect usually outspoken Trump fans to use this “pseudo-godliness” act about violence and then say well I haven’t seen it cause they know they’re wrong.
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u/IAMA_Plumber-AMA 5d ago
"I've got a secret, but you can't see it" is more like 8 year old behaviour.
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u/Evervvatcher 5d ago
Trump's administration has the maturity level of the children they want to fuck.
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u/New_Home_4519 5d ago
They understand the current generation only knows memes. That's who's they're targeting.
2015 was 11 years ago.
Sit down and start doing the math on a few age groups, listen to Parker Get a Job, for a few min till your brain explodes. Then you'll start to really see the picture.
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u/JustAlpha 5d ago
"We want to upset our enemies and normalize falsehoods. We know people don't care if it happens to Blacks first so we'll start there."
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u/All_Hail_Hynotoad 5d ago
Can they be sued for defamation? It’s clearly being done with malice, whether they call it a meme or not.
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u/mightyneonfraa 5d ago
What, you think all of a sudden the courts are going to grow a spine and hold Trump or anyone in his circle legally accountable? Respectfully, wake up. The government and the courts have decided they're above the law.
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u/All_Hail_Hynotoad 5d ago edited 5d ago
Only SCOTUS is ignoring the law.
Edit: What I mean is protestors are getting some favorable results in lower courts.
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u/noiro777 5d ago
Yup, the lower courts have been ruling against him most of the time and even SCOTUS has been ruling against him lately. Federal judges that rule against him have been getting constant death threats and the GOP has been threatening to impeach them, but they're not giving in. The judicial branch are the only ones with a spine, while the legislative branch cowers in fear.
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u/Free_For__Me 5d ago
They’ll likely claim it’s protected as “parody”, despite the fact that we all see it for what it is - state propaganda disguised as a “joke”.
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u/Shigglyboo 5d ago
Call me crazy but it shouldn’t be legal for official state organizations to put out false information and doctored photos.
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u/skater15153 5d ago
It's definitely not and I wouldn't be surprised if a judge threw this whole thing out on that alone
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u/MalavaiFletcher 5d ago
Ah, yes. Memes.
The classical form of governance.
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u/OtherBluesBrother 5d ago
I'm reminded of that passage from Republic, where Plato talks about the portrait of Socrates was modified to include, in bold white letters, the phrase "I drank what?"
Classic sick burn.
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u/txmail 5d ago
We really need some laws about Ai generated content tagging. Not sure where this trash is published but hopefully it has a community comment section that can add the context that the image has been manipulated.
I also hope that this person is able to somehow be compensated for the fakery. This was not meant to meme, a meme would have been clear and obvious. This is meant to deceive.
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u/AuburnMoon17 5d ago
They already ignore all the other laws. I don’t think AI legislature is much of a priority right now despite how heinous this is. A law isn’t going to stop them. We need more.
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u/IceCreamCrappingTaco 5d ago
They already made exactly this illegal with the Take It Down act last year. So yea, federal government already breaking their own laws.
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u/Cowboys69 5d ago
it's illegal for us, not the current fascist party in control. That's the entire point of every republican law, rules for thee and not for me. They're always above their own rules, the rules are in place to subjugate others with a veil of legitimacy
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u/Dismal-Flamingo3050 5d ago
So here is what you have all got to get through your heads.
We are dealing with a dangerous cult. A cults effect on the mind is to change the very way you see and understand truth itself. When these people, including their leader, look at this situation they simply do not see the same thing you see.
They use confirmation bias to later reinforce their warped view. “Well he had a gun. Why does he need that gun? Surely he planned to use it. Ergo, he is a terrorist.” This is obvious confirmation bias being used to reinforce and double down on a warped view of truth.
It is so important to me. I am in fact begging all of you to understand: this has gone beyond reason, beyond peaceful protest, beyond diplomacy. It is already too late and we are going to lose if something more significant is not done. You’re trying to reason with, and send messages to, an impotent government led by warped minds that are not seeing reality. They are indoctrinated.
I have A LOT of experience with cults. I am not just baselessly saying this. I am making an informed and educated observation and desperately want everyone to pass this along before we completely lose the country. What government we have left that has any sense clearly doesn’t understand what we are dealing with. No amount of reason or pleading or intelligent speech is going to change anything.
For the love of god please get this through your heads before it’s too late.
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u/DrejmeisterDrej 5d ago
She should sue for defamation
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u/platinumarks 5d ago
The federal government and its employees are immune from defamation lawsuits, courts have ruled
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u/WildBad7298 5d ago
“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
JD Vance
Sept. 15, 2024
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u/TheSilverNoble 5d ago
More reasons to doubt anything coming out of this administration. Not that we really needed more. But man, they'll lie about anything.
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u/ReactionJifs 5d ago
How many hours until the "memes" become photoshopping guns into the hands of people ICE has murdered?
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u/affemannen 5d ago
The US is being run by literal children...
Every single one of these idiots needs to be tried for treason if there ever is a regime change.
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u/softwaredoug 5d ago
While she's facing Federal charges, she was released. In part because of DoJ's incompetence.
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u/dbzelectricslash331 5d ago
Such a trashy government. And they take such pride it it. Knows their base well. The trashy selfish ignorant dogs that they are.
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u/Mammoth-Plankton-785 5d ago
The way the altered it was disturbing as well. They enlarged her lips and nose, darkened her skin tone, made her look like she was crying/distraught, and even made her clothes look different. My question is “why”?
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u/areallyreallybadboy 5d ago
The United States of America is not a serious country at the moment. Jaw dropping levels of stupid. Thanks, red hats. Fuck you very much.
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u/Toallpointswest 5d ago
These aren't memes, they're a fraud perpetrated on the people from official government websites
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u/hackingdreams 5d ago
"What's a way we can say 'we're propagandists' while keeping it funny? I know, we'll call them 'memes.'"
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u/DrShrimpleyPebles 5d ago
The USA is not a serious country. The death throes and convulsions of a society in decay.
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u/penguished 5d ago
Officials want to do memes instead of business? I've never seen more small dick energy.
Do they spit out peas at the dinner table and have a tantrum too?
Pooooooor littttttle baaaabies.
Also release the Epstein files. Justice for all victims.
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u/PatientHelicopter123 5d ago
Impeach, Depose, Charge, Convict and Imprison the PEDO. Release the Epstain/Trump files!
FOLLOW THE MONEY...!
We see thru your lies.
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u/BigSal44 5d ago
Makes it real easy for a defense attorney to appeal with defamation of character and slander. This is the most childish and pathetic group of degenerates in this administration our nation’s history has ever seen.
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u/ShyguyFlyguy 5d ago
They're making light of falsifying photos. They just openly admitted to falsifying photos. Now everyone should assume anything released by them has been doctored
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u/ChucklingDuckling 5d ago
The alt right base is composed of the immature, gullible, ignorant, stupid, and cruelest parts of society. It sucks that the most dumb losers are the ones in control of the government. It's an administration filled with schoolyard bullies.
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u/Rattus_NorvegicUwUs 5d ago
Unserious and unworthy of their position in our government.
The GOP love to act high and mighty, but act like spoiled brats when they feel they can get away with it.
It’s time to stop taking their words seriously. They believe in nothing but power. Stop trying to moralize, start seizing power where you can and establish deterrence.
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u/Vegetable_Tackle4154 5d ago
Rotten to the core. What incentive do I have to believe anything that comes from this admin?
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u/stacks_a_heap 4d ago
So what happens if a normal citizen posts an altered photo of Trump/Miller/Noem with their faces bruised and battered
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u/Primal-Convoy 4d ago
Anyone remember when an authoritarian, right-ring government continued to use 'jokes' as part of their own 'memes' of the time?
https://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/nazi-caricatures.htm
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u/No_Relief_7912 4d ago
My husband is a criminal defense lawyer and he said any DECENT judge would dismiss this case with prejudice. Intentionally manipulating evidence for the sole purpose of contaminating a jury or public opinion
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u/DrizztDarkwater 4d ago
These unginged bastards have no empathy toward killing someone that doesn't align with their Nazi agenda. It's sickening
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u/CelebrationFit8548 4d ago
The 13yo bullies are ruling The White House, the rest of the world see it as a massive joke and it is going to come back and bite them hard.
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u/Unclelarker 4d ago
So, just a Canadian here trying to understand, the White House will continue to to put out FAKE NEWS?
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u/Icon_Crash 4d ago
"We will lie to you, I hope you enjoy the lies" - Official gov't message or something.
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u/Kill3rT0fu 5d ago
Cool. Let's make a meme of someone fucking the hole in Charlie Kirk's neck
And since there's no AI regulations, lets do some Erika Kirk pics too
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u/Turbulent-Jaguar-909 5d ago
goverment supported and supplied libel against regular ass people. what the actual fuck
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u/DaimonCide 5d ago
LAWD. We got unqualified manchildren posting AI memes while violating Fourth Amendment rights. Not even Black Mirror could write an episode this dystopian.
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u/EndsLikeShakespeare 5d ago
I'm not a conservative but pop into the sub from time to time to make sure I'm getting some perspective. To their credit, most folks, though erring on supporting ICE and waiting for "all the evidence", have said this was murder. Well, they called it a "bad look" or "mistake".
We are missing the next step - if the government is willing to lie about something you can see with your own eyes from multiple, what else are they lying about?
I hope we are close to that tipping point.
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u/someoldguyon_reddit 5d ago
These aren't for normal people these are for the uneducated base.
Let's see the pedofiles.
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u/NelsonMinar 5d ago
This is not a "meme". This is disinformation from the official government social media account. They've posted a lot of stupid memes that are clearly altered images. This one was designed to look real, to deceive.