Spyke
lemmy.world

Their site currently claims to be under construction. Or have they been demolished?!

114

Next their webshite will be a room full of balls (I assume that's what is getting erect over the rose garden?).

17

It's interesting how quickly & fervorously people will defend private capital from the smallest of infractions.

In this case it's just bad reviews, a form of peaceful public protest, the company will still earn a lot of profit.
Worst case is other customers might not want a gov contractor.

But yeah, "companies must do anything for max profit" is a systemic religion.

79

I don't know why anyone treats that as a defense of companies. Sounds more like a problem statement than acceptable reasoning.

Even shareholders are hurt by the mindless drive to maximize profit because they still have to live in a world where everyone is trying to make the most for the least.

5
lemmy.blahaj.zone

I wonder if Trump will just stiff them like he did when he was in real estate.

I just can't imagine him being ok with paying contractors for work.

71
piefed.social

Oh, Trump will pay them, with donations from his rich pals and most likely public money. Wherever the money comes from, it won't be from his pocket.

You don't really believe he'll put a cent of his own money into that boondoggle do you?

13
Wirlockereply
lemmy.blahaj.zone

If he's gotten away with stiffing contractors he's gotta stiff demolition people. What are they gonna do? Rebuild it? Forclose the rubble?

2

Two different contracts. Draw out the process for the demo people, and get the builders to work while that's happening.

Stiff them both when the work is complete.

3

*youtube did because of an unrelated lawsuit they settled.

Not sure if it was settled by paying the money spwcifically for the building? Thats weird, I would assume goes to trump and he'll use it for the building. Idk weird.

2
drhodlreply
lemmy.world

www,google.com says "Could not post the question"... Censorship in real time.

8
Alaknárreply
sopuli.xyz

I mean... I hate what Trump is doing as much as the next guy, but review-bombing the demo company for doing proper demo? That's just stupid. It's the equivalent of a child throwing itself down on the floor of the supermarket, yelling, and stomping feet - it achieves nothing, but makes life harder for everybody.

If they're a good demo company and someone needs demolition done, they won't find them, because they took a job... Stupid.

And in this sense it's good that Google is killing the obvious review-bombs.

-28

Are they doing a proper demo? You are supposed to need plans submitted before beginning renovations like this and those plans have not been submitted. These seem like the guys you call when you need someone who doesn't care about following rules.

16

When I hire contractors, if they are good at the job is the first thing I check. Then, if they are fascist sympathizers is the second thing i check. I want to know and google is stopping my from knowing.

12

It doesn’t make life harder for everyone. It makes life harder for the people who took a job for a fascist. Perhaps they should not have done that.

8
drhodlreply
lemmy.world

I dunno. If they took on a historical and cultural demolition without having the correct authority (which they didn't because we know none of that demolition has been approved by relevant agencies. Donny's say so is NOT enough, although I can see that it'd be hard to decline the POTUS), then I think there's a price they need to pay. It's akin to a soldier obeying Donny 2 Inches unlawful orders. There is an obligation to do the right thing, and obeying orders is not an excuse. Where I come from, demo companies are frequently being fined for middle of the night demolitions of historically protected properties. Obviously, the punishments don't eclipse their profits, because it does keep happening, but THAT is a whole other story.

7

If they took on a historical and cultural demolition without having the correct authority (which they didn’t because we know none of that demolition has been approved by relevant agencies.

I didn't know they didn't have the necessary paperwork. Still...

Donny’s say so is NOT enough, although I can see that it’d be hard to decline the POTUS)

That's the problem right there. Normally, POTUS wouldn't make that request without appropriate paperwork being done. Normally, they could say "no" when paperwork was missing. But right now, the US is so much beyond "normal", that I don't blame them for taking on the job. Who knows what went down there? It's all insanity all the way to the top, so might as well they've been strong-armed into doing this, threatened with ICE raids and what not.

I agree with the rest of what you wrote in principle, but look at it this way: if a soldier disobeys an illegal order, the soldier is being put on trial and that's that. If the demo company's owner refuses a job, and the insane POTUS goes after them, it's not just the owner whose livelihood is on the line - their family now loses their source of income. The families of those employed there lose their source of income, etc., etc.

If this was any civilised country, where people get social security and healthcare, I would agree with you 100%. But since it's the US, these people losing their jobs might mean even full on bankruptcy and homelessness.

I agree that they shouldn't have done the demo if the paperwork was not in place, but I fully understand why they did it.

And I still think that - unless we see something like that directly from the CEO of that company - calling them "fascist" or "supporters of fascists" is some fundamentalist insanity on par with the Taliban.

2

Yeah, it'll look just great when it's done though. Really fit in with the aesthetic.

42
lemmy.ca

Canada didn't do anything in 1812. It was the British army. Canada didn't even exist until 1867.

13
PhAzEreply
lemmy.ca

It was British settlers actually, who became Canadians.

13
tehn00bireply
lemmy.world

Sounds like a fun alternative to the movie Red Dawn, where Canadians overtake America.

6

Yes please. I want to go there anyways. Would be nice to be governed by some place more sensible. I know it's not perfect but it's leagues better than we have here at the moment.

6
lemmy.world

They call a peaceful protest nation wide the "Hate America" rally after paving over the rose garden with checks notes concrete, and are now literally destroying the white house.

Got it.

40

Dictator gotta make his mansion the way he wants, it's part of the gig

8
lemmy.ca

I love the sentiment, but Trump's sycophants will simply contact Google and all those negative reviews will disappear.

Edit: They're already doing it

The company’s rating dropped at one point to 1.8 stars, until Google revised it to 4.1.

32

But the construction company and Trump's maggots do.

3

Removing review bombs is automated. This happens every single time a business gets negative attention. And every single time people still do it anyways.

6
muusemuusereply
sh.itjust.works

you could make a meme out of it that just keeps echoing through the internet like the whole Four Seasons thing.

2
60d
lemmy.ca

Your tax dollars at work. The in-group doesn't pay taxes.

30

They're getting paid by the government, not trump personally - I'm assuming they'll get paid much more than the job is actually worth, possibly as payment for some previous or future job for trump. There will be some angle to every contact issued for the whole project.

9
lemy.lol

I have this strong mental image of MAGAts hearing about this and hiring these guys to knock down the houses they live in to own the libs. I mean they already voted in a rapist conman who was guaranteed to sink the economy to do the same, I'm wondering if there is any limit to the masochism they will indulge in to hurt other people.

30

Definitely. It's just a LLC, they'll dissolve it and start another once they finish.

7

Soo..crypto scams and scammers, Amazon, Comcast, and palantir. just some of the worst folks around.

2
infosec.pub

All the negative reviews have already been removed by google. They currently have only 4 reviews.

14
piefed.social

Of course it did. Google is a fascist collaborator. Just like all the other Big Tech companies.

That's the very definition of Fascism: it comes from the world "fasces", which is Latin for "bundles", describing industry and the state working together in cahoots.

21

Uhhh, I dislike Google as much as the next guy but from a company standpoint this is likely completely automated with no thought or choice behind the action. They deal with fake reviews constantly and while we think these are valid, they are not real.

1

Ah yeah you got him, Americans, really showed him. Oooo bad reviews I’m sure he’ll be shivering in his sheets.

11

If they don't stop immediately the people will go for the ultimate weapon - Strongly Worded Tweets!

0
lemmy.world

Honestly this is all such a distraction. Whitehouse has been extended and rebuilt before. Should he have gotten permission? Yes. But is anyone surprised he didnt?

Release the epstein files.

7
prolereply
lemmy.blahaj.zone

You think the Epstein files are the important thing being distracted from? You honestly believe anything would change if they were released?

They are the real distraction at this point.

-2

No.

Always point out that every republican representative is actively and aggressively supporting people who put their 50 year old penises in 14 year old girls and/or boys.

That's what they mean by "family values".

5

Doesn't mean they shouldn't be released.

Edit: not sure if that's your point but it seems to be the implication of your statement.

3
piefed.social

When the regime falls, it is my hope that they and companies like them are put in front of a judge to explain why they agreed to help the fascists destroy the nation and its treasures.

10

Lol that was a good laugh! Thinking capitalists will punish their own. Peter Thiel raking in government contracts after admitting openly he is hostile to the state and wants to destroy America shows you how fucked we are.

7

They won't. I don't think any corporation was ever punished for helping the Nazis. Whether they are fuel and energy providers or information technology providers or bankers. The Swiss absolutely hid a shitload of money for the Nazis and no Swiss banker ever got in trouble (the legendary privacy policies of the Swiss banking system were forged during WW2). Without IBM's punchcard readers and technology the holocaust would not have been nearly as effective. That technology allowed them to catalog and document where their would-be victims were and how many and allowed them to moved to the camps or shot on sight.

1
lemmy.ml

Lib discourse is so wild.

Let's be clear: taking action like boycotts or whatever against companies collaborating with fascists is 100% appropriate and valid. But there's so many companies that are complicit in much worse ways than bulldozing the White House. Why should I even give a shit about the White House? How about instead we pressure corporations that are involved in manufacturing weapons and bombs for the regime? Or companies that provide it with data, surveillance, and technical support? You know, the companies that give the admistration material power over people?

By all means, knock yourself out doing this, I'm just confused why everyone is so invested in the White House. But if I had to guess, I'd say it's because it's a way of reaffirming loyalty to the state while criticizing it, making the criticism safely toothless. Me, I'd just say that all he did was save us the trouble of knocking it down ourselves.

-1
frustratedreply
lemmy.world

Libs dont have a coherent moral or political worldview. They are preoccupied with aesthetics and decorum. It is why the libs will not be involved in material change for the better. They simply lack the imagination or will.

EDIT: I worry that people are taking that I am on the side of the Trump admin. I am to the left of the democrats and that is the basis for my disappointment and criticism.

-4

What gets me is that the side pearl-clutching over the White House is arguably more correct than the side pearl-clutching over the demolition company. But, like, how are those the two sides lmao

-1
lemmy.world

Why protesting against the company? Protest against the president who ordered such a thing

-48
discuss.tchncs.de

What???

Of course you protest against people collaborating with fascists. Next you say people shouldnt protest against ICE because they are just following the presidents orders...

68
lemmy.world

At what level do you collaborate with fascists? ICE carries out unlawful orders with extreme brutality and should be protested against. A construction company is just a construction company. At this point let's list all the companies working for any federal agency, including cleaning services and gardening because they collaborate with fascists. Come on.

-17

Yes. Unironically boycott anyone that directly does Trumps bidding. Cleaning the building is something that people were already doing before the Trump regime. Wrecking the white house is NOT something that was done before and is a change directly ordered by Trump.

20
Jikiyareply
lemmy.world

"I'm not at fault, all I did was build Auschwitz!" Yes this is taken to absurdity, but the point is still there. You can't do bad things and then expect not to be held to account for those decisions, just because it was a job you were getting paid for.

15

Again, one is building a concentration camp, another is restyling the WH with questionable decision styles.

-8
Eheranreply
lemmy.world

It is a construction company, working on a building. This is not even remotely comparable.

-43

Its just a construction company, working for a guy that wants to build shower rooms with gas canisters and ovens that fit bodies...

27
thelemmy.club

Both are just workers that are getting paid for a job that was ordered.

Even worse than ICE, private capital has direct gain (profit) from this.

8
Eheranreply
lemmy.world

Getting paid to fix a building and getting paid to murder someone are not even remotely comparable things. Unless "can get stuff with other stuff" is the level we go to, at which point any argument is useless to begin with. This is like someone talking about trees = bad because someone else said the order to murder someone. (Both are using language to convey information, there is no deeper connection)

-3

That is way the response OP posted isn't even remotely comparable to the response if this demolition crew would be executing ICE detainees.

At every point in your life you choose who & what to support.

I think bitching about where you get your money is a very valid point overall.

6
NutWrenchreply
lemmy.ml

This is the same Google that renamed "The Gulf of Mexico" to "The Gulf of America" in all their maps just to suck up to Trump. Trump couldn't get away with half the sh*t he does if he didn't have these companies constantly blowing him.

7
piefed.social

IG Farben agreed to supply canned pesticide to the Nazis. It was just a government contract too. And guess what: they found out it was a poor business decision after the war.

80

IBM just supplied some accounting machines to Weinmar Germany (they knew what they were counting).

27

Only 13 of IG Farben received prison terms, from 1.5 to 8 years, then received senior positions on the successor companies after.

12
lemmy.world

And Amazon provides services for government websites through AWS, are you thinking everyone is going to abandon every product that uses AWS as well? Or are we just targeting low hanging fruit?

-29
prolereply
lemmy.blahaj.zone

The ones that we viably can, sure. That might change depending on the person, and their needs.

2
lemmy.world

I doubt we could find many sites that don't have some ties/business with the U.S. government. I assume most of Lemmy has ties to AWS or Cloudflare who both support government sites. Lemmy.world uses Cloudflare.

My point was trying to get some random llc shutdown doesn't do anything. All that will happen is people looking down at others while really supporting much larger bigger-issue companies.

-6

are you thinking everyone is going to abandon

everyone? no. someone? yes.

24
Zaktorreply
sopuli.xyz

The government is a small part of Amazon's giant business and most of it is just continuing on from before the government went fascist. This company is making a significant portion of their work destroying the fucking White House under a shady plan. There's a reason this single act is getting more attention than Amazon hosting government servers.

13
lemmy.world

I think it's a lot more accurate to say these companies were enabling it rather than some random llc that bid on the contract. It would make more sense to stop using all of their services/products.

" dinner for potential donors held at the White House on 15 October included senior executives from prominent US companies including Blackstone, OpenAI, Microsoft, Coinbase, Palantir, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Amazon and Google.

Also present was Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets NFL team, and Shari and Edward Glazer, who, together with their siblings, own both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Manchester United.

A pledge form seen by CBS News, the BBC's US partner, suggested that donors could be eligible for "recognition" for their contributions. While plans are still being finalised, that recognition could potentially take the form of names etched into the structure."

-5

A principled construction firm does not destroy national landmarks. This isn't a blind contract, they knew what they'd be doing. I really don't know why you're going so hard for them. It's not that complicated.

5

Maybe the same outcome of the construction workers on the Deathstar II?

23

I fully expect they're buddies with Trump somewhere high up or they wouldn't have been given the contract.

19

Aside from the obvious nazi collaboration points I think that any person. Or any company. Or any thing, entity, etc etc that works for, or with, the orange rapist should not only get boycotted at the very minimum. But also to be ridiculed and investigated with a fine toothed comb.
The tactic should be to find out what other dodgy shit they are doing and bring them down in every and any way possible.

Why go to these extremes, you may ask. Simple, if the kiddie fiddling conman had had this treatment in the 80s and 90s then he'd not be able to get away with his shit now, and none of this would be happening now.
With the huge added bonus of numerous women and kids not being sexually assaulted and raped over those years.

When it comes to investigating Donvict Drumpf, his actions, and his collaborators then the question isn't why, it's why not.

18
14th_cylonreply
lemmy.zip

i don't think that people hire such companies based on google reviews

as did someone building concentration camps. you have free will to accept or don't accept any contract and live with consequences.

but to put your mind at ease - i am pretty sure that customers of such companies don't hire them based on google reviews, so don't worry, the demolition company is probably safe.

13
lemmy.world

It's a ball room, not a concentration camp. Critizing the companies who take contracts for core civic or whomever agreed to build that prison in Florida to lock up immigrants would make sense, but this just seems dumb to me.

-18
prolereply
lemmy.blahaj.zone

If Hitler had survived long enough to see his (and Albert Speer's) vision of Berlin fulfilled, would you be ok with the contractors who decided to work on those projects?

2
lemmy.world

Google is actively funding the project, and we go to Google services to help fund Google to "rebel" against this 1 LLC, even ignoring the other complany who bid on the contract. I get why people think they should boycott them, but no one here will be contracting this company for anything.. so why not boycott Google, Microsoft, and Amazon who are actively enabling this regime. (All paying money towards this ball room being built)

-3

People are. You can boycott more than one thing at a time.

3

When you accept a government contract from a fascist government then you did something wrong.

6
prolereply
lemmy.blahaj.zone

"I mean why? They were just following orders, they didn't do anything wrong"

5

Following illegal orders is the thing they did wrong, Cletus.

1
drhodlreply
lemmy.world

There were no proper authorities issued to demolish the WH. The agencies that do those authorities, weren't even consulted. This is an illegal, midnight-style demolition, and I guarantee you that the demo company does NOT have the correct permits. If Donny 2 Inches issued the order, it is an ILLEGAL one, and obeying illegal orders (paying attention, ICE cunts ?) is no excuse in a court of law.

2

While I agree with you, every permit giving agency would have to be under the executive branch and thereby deemed reporting to the president according to the supreme Court rulings at this point. He's a king in all but name. As soon as he decided to "lift" the sanctions on Russia by simply ordering/dissolving the entities that were supposed to upkeep the laws made by the legislature, he should have been impeached by the house, and removed by the Senate. Yet the Senate would not vote to, so everything he does on federal land (a lot of D.C. because Republicans refused to allow it to be a state) has no one to argue his actions oppose the laws of another body, and thereby have near no protections against his actions.

2

While i disagree, i'm shocked how many other people disagree too, but bever when they invade other countries, because these vrave war criminals never have achoice and just do what they're told.

1
Eheranreply
lemmy.world

People here compare this to providing poison to murder people. Simply deranged.

-14
drhodlreply
lemmy.world

Is is amazing how easy it is to locate people who are complete moral vacuums. You are a shit person.

1
Eheranreply
lemmy.world

This is how "the left" can not win. Antagonizing the most niche, far away thing and then saving things like that when someone disagrees.

0

Your idea of "winning" is to sell your soul, and be inhuman.

1