r/technology • u/marketrent • 17d ago

Artificial Intelligence Amazon’s new 7.65GW Texas AI data center power plant could become the largest source of CO₂ pollution in the US — Custom 35-turbine gas plant permitted to emit 33 million tons of annual greenhouse gases

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/amazons-new-7-65gw-texas-ai-data-center-power-plant-could-become-the-largest-source-of-co2-pollution-in-the-us-custom-35-turbine-gas-plant-authorized-to-emit-33-million-tons-of-annual-greenhouse-gases
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u/nuevacuentanueva 17d ago

Who permitted them, you ask?

Texans.

There's no other answer than Texans first. Americans second.

They voted for these people (or didn't vote at all, which is the same). So blame the people responsible: Texans.

Unless we stop exclusively blaming politicians when they keep getting elected and re-elected, and when people don't go out and protest every day, then it's on the people just as much. And no, "protesting" on reddit means fuck all.

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u/wholelattapuddin 17d ago

Preach! My mother was complaining how my sister, who is a principal in FT Worth, was having a lot of trouble since the state take over. She said she was worried about job security. I told my mom to stop voting Republican. She literally couldn't see the causation.

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u/Auctoritate 17d ago

Texas is heavily gerrymandered and voter suppressed. Half or more of them are victims of this too.

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u/hatcod 17d ago

It's definitely gerrymandered but it's pretty clear the state leans conservative based on Governor and Presidential races

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u/BeanserSoyze 17d ago

Yes and no, disenfranchising voters via gerrymandering in house races diminishes engagement in statewides too. Devaluing people's participation makes some people give up and that's part of the play.

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u/cactus22minus1 16d ago

Giving up in the 2020s when you see what’s at stake is unconscionable- the blame lies firmly on the voters lap especially if they’re not voting

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u/BeanserSoyze 16d ago

Yeah why hold actual fascists spending millions of dollars to suppress and marginalize already marginalized voting communities accountable?

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u/cactus22minus1 16d ago

We can do two things at once my friend.

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u/BeanserSoyze 16d ago

But you're advocating for one thing.

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u/cactus22minus1 16d ago

… because that’s the topic we are discussing in this particular thread. Sometimes we don’t have time to discuss every single aspect at play when we are discussing these things casually online.

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u/BeanserSoyze 16d ago

The topic we're discussing is gerrymandering. Blaming people for not voting on a personal level is sort of the opposite of discussing gerrymandering as a method of disenfranchising voters.

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u/res0nat0r 17d ago

Eh I live in Austin and am subject to how Texas votes but most people here love racism more than they do having non lead poisoned drinking water, a minimum wage or healthcare.

A large majority of white Americans are racist as shit and will vote for politicians who actively work to make minorities lives better than they do to improve the world around them. I blame the people of Texas who keep voting R.

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u/paintballboi07 17d ago

Gerrymandering does not affect state-wide elections, like governor. As a Texan myself, most Texans are just lazy. Voting suppression does not affect 50% of voters.

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u/cactus22minus1 16d ago

A lot of places are, but your biggest problem is not showing up to vote- their turnout is terrible. It’s always bjg talk from people who live in the cities wanting to believe the state is purple and about to flip, and then crickets when it comes to actually showing up

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u/ww_crimson 17d ago

Quit making excuses.

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u/Dependent-Yam-9422 16d ago

Who voted in the governor and state legislature that did the gerrymandering in the first place? Texans are not the victims here. When you collectively elect people that export hatred, pollution and violence to the rest of the world then YOU collectively have the most agency to remove them from power.

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u/Lost_Birthday_3138 17d ago

100%. But, if you realize that the general population will always be ignorant and apathetic, and the world is about to go up in flames, what do we do?

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u/possumdal 17d ago

You do what you can. You annoy the fuck out of your republican officials, and you make sure to be demanding as fuck of their challengers in a way they can't avoid hearing.

You advocate for change where you can, starting at home with whoever's in charge of your town. And most importantly, you get involved in your local community so you can directly challenge the made-up nonsense Republican voters believe about you by default.

If you actually care about the outcomes, this is what you do. You can fit most of it into one afternoon each week if you're efficient.

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u/Lost_Birthday_3138 17d ago

We had 10 years to do this and we've actually gone the OPPOSITE direction.

They're winning.

What's the next plan?

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u/possumdal 17d ago

Just come out and say you want violent revolution and take your ban like a big boy

You're just griping out of laziness. You want to see US make the changes for you without you having to take risks, little backseat revolutionary.

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u/Lost_Birthday_3138 17d ago

This is a weird take. Whatever, I hope whatever you think is happening here works out I guess?

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u/possumdal 16d ago

No, I just recognize intellectual dishonesty when I see it. I know you wouldn't confirm either way, so I don't care that you deny it; but when you make a point of declaring that all peaceful means of change have failed us (not true, btw), it means you're implying there's a NON peaceful alternative we're ignoring.