TrickstaPriest

I'm far from an expert. As I've said before, I'm not a political scientist, I'm an actual scientist. But I do know that there are people in this country who genuinely believe that they'd be better off without the other half. Blue State people who think all Republicans are reactionary fascists; Red State people who think that all Democrats are New World Order elitists who have lost touch with reality. In each case, the extremists think they're better off without their opposites. There are a lot of people where I live who would be fine to see California go their own way. I've heard similar sentiments from people in other places regarding Texas and Florida.
 
Where I grew up, we had a word for people like this: idiots. Because only an idiot, in my humble opinion, thinks that America would be a better country without diversity of opinion. We've already got countries without diversity of opinion. North Korea. Iran. Saudi Arabia. I don't want our country to be like that. And oh, by the way, the whole "We don't like where the country is going so we're going to split off and form our own country" thing has already been tried. It failed. Spectacularly. And only an idiot, in my humble opinion, would think it would work better now than it did 160 years ago.
 
But as I said, I'm hardly an expert.

Delaware State is a Historically Black University.
 
Delaware State University 'incensed' after lacrosse team's bus stopped, searched in Georgia
 
Apparently even college women's lacrosse players are criminals and druggies ... if they're Black.

So you guys understand, I'm actively supporting and comforting female friends of mine, probably going to have to be more than one, because of the devastation this is causing them.  It's terrifying them.  I know friends who've had friends commit suicide over stuff like this, being trapped in a state that wants them to suffer.
 
Louisiana has over 2 million people... so over 1 million women.  Roughly 25% of women have an abortion, and almost half of those are pro-life or highly religious.
 
So are they going to attack 100000s of women?  Or just 'the uppity ones'?  What happens when the police sues for an app's geographic tracking data to find 'murderers'?  Wholesale lawsuit, wholesale prosecution, of thousands of women?
 
The Louisiana government has said they are justifying acting outside of the Supreme Court as "well the other states ignored the Fed to legalize marijuana, so we feel this is fine".  Fighting to destroy hundreds of thousands of women is apparently the same as fighting to give people more rights. 
 
Even though our laws are structured specifically to prevent the argument of 'you are treating those people too nice, you should treat them worse'.  That argument literally cannot exist, legally.  The only argument you can have is 'you treat them nice, so you should treat me nice too'.
 
The Constitution was written to guarantee people's rights regardless of what the Federal Government could declare.  To grant the states limited rights, as well, while deferring to the Fed's rule of law for everything else.  It was the agreement that we shouldn't enter a period of constant inter-state warfare that could last a hundred years.
 
It was not written to guarantee the right of the states to abuse its people.  It's a document to grant these minimum rights, guaranteed no matter where you live within the Union.  Not an abstract set of rules to say 'each state should have control over what rights its people have'.
 
Had I written this earlier today, I would have probably cursed so much I'd have been banned for good.

It appears that the GOP, through manipulating SCOTUS appointments, have subverted one of the three branches of government that are supposed to keep each other in check. If they regain a majority in the Senate and House of Representatives, they'll control it all.
 
I don't know if you've noticed that at the state level, state Republicans have been campaigning aggressively to replace the Secretaries of State with their preferred candidates. The SOS are the ones who certify elections.

So you guys understand, I'm actively supporting and comforting female friends of mine, probably going to have to be more than one, because of the devastation this is causing them.  It's terrifying them.  I know friends who've had friends commit suicide over stuff like this, being trapped in a state that wants them to suffer.
 
Louisiana has over 2 million people... so over 1 million women.  Roughly 25% of women have an abortion, and almost half of those are pro-life or highly religious.
 
So are they going to attack 100000s of women?  Or just 'the uppity ones'?  What happens when the police sues for an app's geographic tracking data to find 'murderers'?  Wholesale lawsuit, wholesale prosecution, of thousands of women?
 
The Louisiana government has said they are justifying acting outside of the Supreme Court as "well the other states ignored the Fed to legalize marijuana, so we feel this is fine".  Fighting to destroy hundreds of thousands of women is apparently the same as fighting to give people more rights. 
 
Even though our laws are structured specifically to prevent the argument of 'you are treating those people too nice, you should treat them worse'.  That argument literally cannot exist, legally.  The only argument you can have is 'you treat them nice, so you should treat me nice too'.
 
The Constitution was written to guarantee people's rights regardless of what the Federal Government could declare.  To grant the states limited rights, as well, while deferring to the Fed's rule of law for everything else.  It was the agreement that we shouldn't enter a period of constant inter-state warfare that could last a hundred years.
 
It was not written to guarantee the right of the states to abuse its people.  It's a document to grant these minimum rights, guaranteed no matter where you live within the Union.  Not an abstract set of rules to say 'each state should have control over what rights its people have'.
 
Had I written this earlier today, I would have probably cursed so much I'd have been banned for good.

So you guys understand, I'm actively supporting and comforting female friends of mine, probably going to have to be more than one, because of the devastation this is causing them.  It's terrifying them.  I know friends who've had friends commit suicide over stuff like this, being trapped in a state that wants them to suffer.
 
Louisiana has over 2 million people... so over 1 million women.  Roughly 25% of women have an abortion, and almost half of those are pro-life or highly religious.
 
So are they going to attack 100000s of women?  Or just 'the uppity ones'?  What happens when the police sues for an app's geographic tracking data to find 'murderers'?  Wholesale lawsuit, wholesale prosecution, of thousands of women?
 
The Louisiana government has said they are justifying acting outside of the Supreme Court as "well the other states ignored the Fed to legalize marijuana, so we feel this is fine".  Fighting to destroy hundreds of thousands of women is apparently the same as fighting to give people more rights. 
 
Even though our laws are structured specifically to prevent the argument of 'you are treating those people too nice, you should treat them worse'.  That argument literally cannot exist, legally.  The only argument you can have is 'you treat them nice, so you should treat me nice too'.
 
The Constitution was written to guarantee people's rights regardless of what the Federal Government could declare.  To grant the states limited rights, as well, while deferring to the Fed's rule of law for everything else.  It was the agreement that we shouldn't enter a period of constant inter-state warfare that could last a hundred years.
 
It was not written to guarantee the right of the states to abuse its people.  It's a document to grant these minimum rights, guaranteed no matter where you live within the Union.  Not an abstract set of rules to say 'each state should have control over what rights its people have'.
 
Had I written this earlier today, I would have probably cursed so much I'd have been banned for good.

The one thing on which Republicans and Democrats unerringly agree is that no third Party can ever be allowed to obtain real political power. For such a thing to happen would be an existential threat to the gravy train they've both ridden for decades.

Mind if I quote you on these points next time I chat with fellow Democrats? I have been feeling this way for a long time, and it would help if I weren't the lone voice in this.

Oh, they have a whole menu to choose from based on the draft. Gay marriage, anti-sodomy laws, interracial marriage, contraception...
It seems clear to me that, if they aren't stopped, they'll get to them all, in time, and more.
And Democrats, in control of the other two branches of government, aren't even talking about eliminating the filibuster, let alone expanding the court.
All they're saying is to send them more money and vote harder (curiously, voting rights are another issue they've refused to use their power on).
Dems have had 50 years to codify abortion rights into law, but never did so.
Now they're saying that if we just wait until the next election and give them more money and vote for them, then this time surely they'll do what's needed.
I don't have a lot of hope for avoiding an increasingly fascist, anti-democratic future.

"According to a CNN Poll conducted by SSRS in January, most Americans oppose overturning Roe, with a majority saying that if the decision was vacated, they'd want to see their own state move toward more permissive abortion laws.
Just 30% of Americans say they'd like to see the Supreme Court completely overturn its Roe vs. Wade decision, with 69% opposed -- a finding that's largely consistent both with other recent polling and with historical trends."
 
Another example of a minority of Americans on the extreme political and social Right maneuvering to usurp the will of the majority, and reverse the advancement of civilization.
 
I'm so sorry, my American friends. I fear you won't be getting off this train until someone blows up the tracks.

Alito isn't wrong in his assessment, Ginsburg also said similar things.  But, what are principled people to do, when the State governments are full of jack asses?
 
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/02/politics/roe-v-wade-supreme-court/index.html
 
This might be the final spur needed to get liberals motivated to support candidates for Congress, who will take steps to protect rights.  For example, to enact supreme court reforms (impose an age limit, length of service, whatever is best; not pack the court but raise the number to the existing number of circuits rationalizing the system, same for ethics rules, etc).  This new congress could also act to roll back the Federal retrenchment that Republicans are/have been spearheading.
 
I doubt that will happen.  There's nobody in the Democratic Party, who the Party supports, who will come out as the standard bearer for the change that is needed.  It's such a shame - this and the voter rights restrictions are such core values the Democrats ran on in the 50's, 60's, 70's...  rights and freedoms to the people.
 

Addendum to above: Could this be malicious compliance? IE, somebody in the FSB does not approve of the invasion of Ukraine (whether morally or just from recognizing that it's a fiasco and the longer it goes on, the worse the damage to Russia). They are sabotaging the hoax while pretending to follow orders... to the letter.
 
I mean, sure, Occam's Razor. When something seems to be done by an idiot, the simplest explanation is that it was done bhy an idiot. But I remain open to other possibilities.
 
Dean Shomshak

Congressman says he got advice from 'cult deprogrammers' to learn how to deal with his extremist Congress colleagues

Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif. bitten by FOX operative on Monday evening.
 
https://apnews.com/article/ami-bera-f0519de7337cc7ab37f1e11d858d1a58

Certainly deceived me, to my everlasting shame.  Still, her heel turn was amazingly abrupt and extreme.

If you're talking about Tulsi, she's currently unemployed and I'm not sure she even lives here anymore.  I'm not sure she was ever really considered progressive, but she certainly isn't now.

Yes, this would also be known as the "Rachel Maddow Defense", she successfully used this deflect a libel lawsuit a few years ago. So, what's good for the goose...

TB

As a science teacher in one of the Reddest states, I can state from my own experience that this is true. Our Legislature gives lip service to the importance of education ... as a means of training workers to be competitive in a high-tech global economy. But in terms of kids actually learning science, never mind philosophy, the arts, etc., not really so much. Our Legislature also looks for literally anything they can throw education money at other than public schools — charter schools, vouchers, online high school, you name it.
 
I'm occasionally asked by students, "Why do I have to take science classes when I'm going to be a lawyer/entrepreneur/engineer(no, I'm not kidding about that)/whatever?" I always want to say, "Because if you don't have a solid education in science, you might grow up believing that vaccines cause autism, or that the Earth's climate isn't changing, or that an ex-reality show host knows more about how to contain a global pandemic than doctors do." I have to bite my tongue, because I know I'll get nasty e-mails if I say it.

Update: After I posted above re: Russia's history with the Mongols, I heard today's episode of "The Daily" radio show about Putin's recent speeches. And yep, Putin is playing the "Horde Card": Russia is surrounded by enemies fanatically determined to invade and annihilate it.
 
Plus a hint of Stalin, in warning of the need to find and neutralize internal traitors -- defined as anyone who is not fully in support of his government and the invasion "special military action" in Ukraine.
 
And the Russian people are falling into line. Majority public opinion has shifted from disbelief in the war to enthusiastic endorsement of invading Ukraine. There are already incidents of people being denounced to the police for expressing doubt about the official war narrative: They talked to a schoolteacher on Sakhalin Island who showed her students a You/tube video of children singing a song about peace in Russian and Ukrainian. Many of her 8th graders were outraged. The police soon arrested her; she was tried and convicted under a new law that punishes any speech deemed to disparage the military; and fined the equivalent of $400... more than a month's wages. She says she won't shut up, though.
 
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/podcasts/the-daily/putin-russia-ukraine.html
 
Dean Shomshak

Keep in mind that the pandemic (along with the usual low pay and lack of support) drove hordes of experienced teachers out of the profession over the last two years.  The right sees this as an opportunity to fill the void with right-thinking new teachers and curricula to support them.  This is what's driving the book bans, textbook rewrites, and CRT legislation, not to mention the death threats against school board members.  Public education institutions are weak, and they're pouncing.

World Central Kitchen Restaurant in Ukraine Hit by Russian Airstrike

Revisionaries author A.R. Moxon just published the fourth part of a series of essays on how to change the underlying ideas of society. That is, how to change what's deemed possible within the society (for good or ill). It's about how successful movements get things changed -- and how entrenched interests keep any discussion of real change out of polite conversation. Really good stuff.
Here's a link to part one, which has links to the other three parts:
https://www.getrevue.co/profile/juliusgoat/issues/one-about-the-atmosphere-1037410

Wonder why I'm still hearing stuff from the dems about Trump, not Abbott or DeSantis.  Or better yet, go for the source, Tucker.
 
I kept on telling myself "you know, rejecting an ongoing pandemic would have to be the death of the R party, wouldn't it?  people having to bury their dead, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans due to negligence, that should surely end their popularity."
"you know, inciting massive protests for counting the ballots AS THEY WERE BEING COUNTED would have to be the death of the R party for any sane individual, wouldn't it?" 
"inciting an attempted revolt in the capital would have to be the..."
 
The latest seems to be "siding with Russia as it literally murders thousands of Ukranians would have to be the..."
 
At this point?  I think we have to concede that if these issues aren't heavily advertised, there's no expectation that people will accept 'reality'.

Well, the midterms are seven months away and that issue doesn't directly impact the midterm election itself.
 
I'd think they'd be better off trying to pass more legislation and pointing out the benefits of the legislation they've passed. And if they wanted to pull out an unrelated issue for the midterms, talk about how many Republicans are supporting Russia and not supporting Ukraine.
 
I mean, the presidential debate commission is kind of a real "inside baseball" kind of issue that means a lot to policy wonks and fans of the political process. But I don't think it'll have much effect on most people...until the debates either do or don't happen.

If the Republicans can continue to gerrymander as successfully as it appears they may be in Florida, the mid-terms are likely a foregone conclusion.