I’m not making excuses for the dems complete lack of backbone, or their complicity in all the current horrors, but I do think this conversation should always acknowledge that many millions of (poor, undocumented, disabled) people would be utterly fucked during a total shutdown.

Oh, I fully believe community is the most important resource. I wouldn’t be driving off somewhere to fend for myself, I would just want my car to be functional.

My last car was an EV. I loved how it drove, I loved charging at home and never having to stop at the gas station, and I told everyone around me, “If you can afford it, you have an ethical obligation to buy a hybrid or an EV.” Since Trump 2.0 I’ve been concerned about some form of collapse that would make me flee my home - natural disaster, violent military occupation, etc. I started to wonder, “What’s stopping Elon from limiting access to all these superchargers?” Public chargers are much slower than gas, and they’re easily vandalized. The whole thing just seems like a liability at this point. At least in a Mad Max scenario I could barter for a can of guzzoline.

I hate that I’m even considering any of this.

Thank you for writing this.

In 2020 Bernie and Biden were the front-runners, and then all the other candidates dropped out and endorsed Biden. So it wasn’t ratfucked in an illegal way, but in a “torpedo a popular leftist in favor of a right-of-center establishment neolib” way.

It’s an unbelievable gift. You can pretty much play anything on Criterion and it will be somewhat nutritious (as the Buddhists would say)

Gambling addiction is the scariest kind of addiction, IMO. You can get sober but you’re still in the hole.

That’s what I thought also. Maybe she thinks DHS is itself a cabinet and she’s leading the meetings.

Minneapolis Public Schools has been offering a remote option since Jan. 9th, and nearby districts have done the same or are discussing it. It’s safer but presents the same issues as the pandemic, i.e. strain on teachers and requiring a parent to be home with the kids.

The other day I there was a request for rapid response by my work. When I got there, several school buses were idling in the street, with parents lined up to meet them, for like 25 minutes. School policy is that kids stay on the bus until ICE has left the area.

There was an SUV with 3 masked up agents just sitting there, heckling observers. They said, “If you guys would leave us alone, we could do our job.” I said, “Oh yeah? What’s your job?” and they said, “Catching the criminal illegal aliens and pedophile predators. Don’t you want us to protect the kids?” These smug fucks spend their weekday afternoons looming around bus stops, and if they miss a chance to snatch someone, they’ll settle for scaring little kids. The worst of the worst. There were about 50 parents, teachers and neighbors at the intersection by the time they gave up and left.

They’re not winning the war, but they’re laying siege against our time, money and mental bandwidth. It’s exhausting.

What’s the story here exactly? That someone isn’t supposed to laugh while they’re grieving? How many days have to pass before they’re allowed to giggle? That’s not how grief works.

Haven’t we all, at some point, had to put on a face even when we feel like shit? I know these people are terrible, but it’s not because of this.

You couldn’t go 60 seconds in that crowd without someone asking, “Do you need any hand warmers? Are those gloves warm enough? I have an extra pair.” When we reached the Target Center there were half a dozen Somali neighbors handing out free, hot sambusas.

One interesting thing is that the route for the march made several turns, so it was hard to gauge the size of the crowd without one long, continuous view. I was about 150 people from the front, and it wasn’t until I watched a timelapse that I realized how fucking massive the march was.

Wherever you are, I hope you have a chance to march this Friday. Don’t wait to find out if there’s “a lot of people” before you decide. You’re not attending the march - you are the march. We’re going to make it through this.

ICE is at my door. Do you live in Minneapolis? I do, and I’m out every day, but not everyone is able to do that. People have kids, they have patients they have to see, they have disabilities. It’s bleak right now, and I promise you that even though these organized protests aren’t physically confronting ICE, they keep the community engaged and send a message that they’re not wearing us down. Even if you believe what you’re saying, it contributes nothing helpful to this movement.

I shouldn’t bother responding to this energy-suck, but god damn I get so mad reading so many versions of the same defeatist comment. Why do you even take the time to write it?

The more granular the analysis, the more I feel completely insane. I watched the video from 4 angles at regular speed and I saw nothing ambiguous. She turned to drive away and he shot her dead. There’s no other side of the story.

Thanks for investigating and sharing more info!

I hadn’t heard that they only collect the bonus after 5 years. Do you have a source?

I often remind people that what we refer to as “personality disorders” don’t appear out of nowhere. The most narcissistic person you know is paralyzed with fear that they’re unlovable. When they speak highly of themselves, they’re desperate for you to tell them they’re good and special, because they can’t find that goodness in themselves. Unfortunately when their efforts repel everyone around them, they end up confirming what they fear the most.

For all the darkness and evil Trump has brought to this world, remember that he’s never really felt loved a day in his life.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion about why this is happening, and I share yours.

We need a president who runs the country like a business, i.e. creates a front, scams everyone, then shutters the company to avoid accountability.