You Rename My Lake – I Move My Hosting

> it's probably one of the easier compliance-swaps they have to engage

It's the corporate equivalent of lacking boundaries and failing to maintain emotional maturity.

Everybody has to say 'no' sometimes in order to be awesome and capable. Corporations need to say 'no' to governments far more often than they do.

We all have fears that saying 'no' to a narcissist will lead to retaliation; having boundaries despite that fear is what keeps us healthy.

> Nothing I know about Google informs me that anyone there is thrilled about the change either

Oh, at least a few people are thrilled: https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/420aa69/214...

Ok, but the president's executive order does not officially change the name of a place or feature. In the US, that function is overseen by the Board on Geographic Names. While they did enact a change for the Gulf of Mexico (now the Gulf of America in US documentation), it doesn't happen immediately. While I imagine the BGN will update Lake Ontario eventually as well, Google tips their hand as being eager to please the admin by updating their maps before there is a corresponding change from the appropriate governing authority.

We can't even accuse Google of consistency, because they show Türkiye as Türkiye, for example, even though (as far as I can tell) the US Gov still uses Turkey.

They just haven't re-rendered the map tiles yet. See the hurricane banner here [1]. "Per Secretarial Order 3453, Lake Ontario has been renamed to Lake America. The basemaps for GNIS are in the process of being updated to reflect this name change."

[1] https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/gaz-r...

I just don't get why they didn't go with OVH in Montreal or something like that. Odd to switch to EU in my opinion. I'm currently using OVH in Montreal for many years and never had any issues.

Why do you think blue states deserve a pass? All of you are Americans, all of you have a part in what’s happened. Is this not what democracy means?

I don't think we can be that reductive. Plenty of the US technology industry is concentrated in blue states like California, Washington, and New York. Likewise, I don't think all blue states can be considered equally resistant to the excesses of the federal government. I'm not going to go so far as to say "never buy American," but I am going to say that as with any boycott it takes research and diligence to decide who does and doesn't align with your values.

Gavin Newsom might be president in 3 years and is on record saying he wouldn't remove some of the tariffs.

Retaliatory tariffs need to apply to blue states too.

Canada also has leverage over toilet paper. 29% of USA crude comes from Canada with the Midwest and Rocky Mountains especially dependent.

You have no idea how hard it was to talk him out of "Lake Trump". Just be glad it's not that.

I treat the lakes the same as roads. A road's name doesn't tell you where you are. It tells you where you are going. If the road leading out of your town happens to share a name with a neighboring town, it isn't named as an honor. If you are bothered by the name, just walk to the end of the road and its name will have changed to where you just came from.

If you are in America and want to cross water to get to Mexico, you just need to use the Gulf of Mexico. If you want to get to Ontario, find Lake Ontario. You'll never be lost.

About the same level of creativity as "Freedom Fries"

Yup! Our biggest vote in life is where we put our feet and where we spend our money. It has always been this way but it is more important than ever that people learn to think this way.

This president’s view appears to be that if it happens in the executive branch he has 100% arbitrary personal control over it. He’s the CEO of the government and he makes the calls. If someone claims there’s a legal reason he can’t do it, he has mediocre but prolific lawyers to deal with that.

He’s worked this way for decades; why stop now just because he’s got a new job?

Exec branch has the authority to direct the U.S. Board on Geographic Names as it's under the US Dept of the Interior.

That does mean the U.S. Gov't / federal depts have to use the recommendation from the board I believe as they control the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), and it cascades from there.

So technically yes. That being said, I think Trump had the Board undo some of the changes the board enacted under Biden so it will likely just flow back.

Here [1] is a document (there is a PDF link on the page, since it's on AWS I don't think the direct link is persistent) describing how the BGN sources the names, the relevant part for you is this:

"Geographic names and their applications specifically established by an act of Congress, Executive order, Treaty, or Federal proclamation are official by law."

1. https://www.usgs.gov/media/files/us-board-geographic-names-p...

Well, he did get elected so...

Yep. They're open and obvious about it.

I guess my only question is, what does Digital Ocean have to do with any of this?

If the author’s goal is to sever ties with all American companies that he possibly can, I think the post could have been a little more clear about that.

I'm still trying to figure out who is dangling the keys in front of whom. Trump is dangling them in front of MAGA, but who is dangling them in front of Trump?

Take a stand and leave the country.

Which previous administration renamed everything under the sun?

Any examples of the previous time a major feature was renamed purely by executive order and justified only by a trade dispute?

You're looking at people upset about Lake Ontario being renamed and saying "people don't get upset about things being renamed." Different things are different.

The "So what, babies shit their diapers all the time" argument.

Pretty weak troll, but there are a lot of good reasons that society agrees to call things by common names.

>hat's their problem not the Canadians

Ignoring that your mad king did this specifically because he's an emotionally immature geriatric toddler and had a war of words with the Premier of Ontario, and that the renaming was 100% targeting Canada[1]...

...this wasn't like the US had some drawn out process when the electorate made their voices heard that what really ails the nation is the 400 year old name of a great lake -- older than the province that was then named in its honour --named by a word from of the aboriginal tribes that lived in the area surrounding the lake. No, this was a tantrum from one very foolish, grotesque convicted rapist, who unilaterally, with absolutely no one to stop his idiotic gestures and actions, decided to rewrite the map, and hundreds of millions cluck and say "yes massa!"

I mean...any other nation would be outraged. Like, this is bizarre fascist dictator shit. In the US, who for decades schooled the world on democracy and checks and balances and responsible government, it's just another day where the foolish tyrant does stupid bullshit.

I kind of get why a weak, pathetic firm like Google immediately choked on his micro-dick -- your corrupt government will try to punish any company that doesn't -- but if they had any credibility they would have decoupled from the tantrums of a foolish clown by now. They already learned how embarrassing it is, and came back for more. Disgusting and embarrassing. If Trump tomorrow renames California to "Libtardland", will Google immediately retitle the maps? I mean, Trump has loyal Myrmidons installed throughout government who'll instantly change every database. If Apple actually holds out against Trump, maybe he'll rename Cupertino to Disloyalville. Will Google be facile pathetic servants and instantly change it?

[1] Trump and his cabinet of criminals and greaseballs continually repeat how little Canada matters, how tiny and insignificant we are, etc, while endlessly flapping their disgusting mouths about us. These foolish idiots just cannot stop talking about us, constantly, 24/7.