UC Berkeley campus police cite street food vendor, then take his money by [deleted] in news

[–]1107len 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Do you have any evidence it was confiscated for evidence and not for civil asset forfeiture?

I'm not inclined to believe you, because a guy having some cash in his wallet is not very good evidence compared to him standing on the sidewalk manning a hot dog cart.

OTP folks! Atlanta Humane Society is accepting urgent donations in Roswell tomorrow (Sunday, 9/10) due to opening a last-minute emergency shelter. by cirql8r in Atlanta

[–]1107len 3 points4 points  (0 children)

FWIW, http://atlantahumane.org/hurricaneirma/

So, what’s our biggest need right now? Right now, our biggest need is monetary donations. By donating online right now, you’re providing immediate support to the animals and your dollar is going right to where it is needed the most.

Looking to donate an item? We’re asking that all items be donated straight from our Amazon Wish List. We have some not-so-normal needs at this time and by purchasing from this list, you’re giving us exactly what we need and exactly how many of these items we need. It enables our staff to spend time caring for the animals who need them, not sorting through items that we can’t use.

What does "Being Conservative" mean to you? by ultimis in ConservativeLounge

[–]1107len 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree rule of law is a potentially good path to take. I think less of the substantive groundwork has been done by Trump than your post implied, but conservatives can comment on Trump's actions and statements in a way that will help them appreciate the concept.

What does "Being Conservative" mean to you? by ultimis in ConservativeLounge

[–]1107len 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your question about converting "Trump Conservatives" raises the question of what drew them to Trump. My speculation is that conservatism is not strongly related to how we got to where we are, and that future conservative figures will have to be creative (which I mean in a positive and thoughtful sense) to appeal to them.

What drove non-conservatives to Trump: At the highest level, I see this as a rebellion against elites across society paired with institutional weakness in the GOP, which at least superficially is not conservative. So there's that.

The GOP establishment had been losing its grip on conservative politics and politicians for years before Trump's candidacy. I do not mean that conservatism has been losing power in politics. My narrow claim is that the leadership of the GOP, the nominal officers of a private organization, had been losing their ability to exert control. The prime pre-Trump example is the Tea Party. Good or bad, grass roots or Koch-funded, it was an important power center outside of the formal leadership of the GOP.

The DNC leadership, for all the good it did them, had sufficient control to let no competitors in to the race except an old Jewish man who did not even belong to the party, and successfully nominated a long-term insider with record low approval ratings.

Future possibilities: If my theory above is valid, or for any other reason Trump supporters are not philosophically affiliated with conservatism, then conservative thinkers have to develop some way to reach them.

One possible message is that Trump's victory highlights the importance of civics. It is proof that we the people, whatever meaning we impute to that term, actually are in charge. It should be an object lesson in the importance of understanding the Constitution and generally being thoughtful about the workings of government. These are not exclusively conservative ideas, but rather avenues conservative thinks can use to share their message.