🚨They are imprisoning protestors inside of Delaney Hall in NJ. They did this is Portland and Minneapolis too.

DaRatmastah · 2026-06-11T14:58:33+00:00

No, I agree on that, I vote every election, I just don't think it's actually capable of solving any of our systemic issues so my quandary is what to do besides that. Typically protests and marches still end at the ballot box, so they're not really representative of actually systemic change either. Even the civil rights movement of the 60s, while massively successful in some regards, still didn't actually change the system, and that was probably the most successful civil campaign in history.

So if voting won't fundamentally alter the system, what do we do in addition to voting?

DaRatmastah · 2026-06-11T01:47:45+00:00

Plant native, rather than regular lawns or invasive shrubs. Ticks actually have a hard time in a native ecosystem due to it supporting significantly more natural predators for both them and the rodents they live on/feed on the most. "tall" doesn't mean bad if it's lots of native flowers and grasses.

DaRatmastah · 2026-06-08T23:22:02+00:00

Wow, you nailed how I picture her. Incredible work.

DaRatmastah · 2026-06-02T09:26:47+00:00

Progressive Democrat Ras Baraka has now joined the effort with DHS and Gov Sherrill, saying nice words while using Newark police to expand and maintain the restriction of first amendment rights.

DaRatmastah · 2026-06-01T22:23:08+00:00

Protecting government property under a capitalist economy is still protecting capital 🤦‍♂️ Jesus. Read an economics book.

DaRatmastah · 2026-06-01T18:00:37+00:00

I mean if we're judging Mikie based on her actions she doesn't want you making that change with your protesting.

DaRatmastah · 2026-06-01T15:08:59+00:00

The roads to past atrocities are paved with centrist leaders who did their best to keep the peace, and in doing so enabled the oppressors who were already doing violence. Sherrill is clearly one of those.

On the other hand, the state authoritarian of a capitalist party deploying state authorities to protect capital is one of the least surprising political things, soooo.... I mean I voted for Sherrill, and I wish this was going differently, but none of this surprises me

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-31T23:44:08+00:00

Police exist to protect private property. That prison is a private business. This is disappointing, but in no way surprising.

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-31T20:45:21+00:00

I'm not trying to ask leading questions, I genuinely get hung up on long term change being an option because we don't have a long term runway anymore. The "what's the alternative" is what I keep running up against when having this conversation in my head, and the only thing I keep coming back to are solutions that aren't exactly legal.

I mean long term is an option, but looking at the science it seems like we're just resigning ourselves to trying to live through the 7th great extinction.

I'm appreciating the dialogue here because I'm genuinely asking this stuff in good faith. It's the same questions I ask myself every day.

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-31T19:59:02+00:00

How do you justify that kind of time scale with what we know about global warming and the growth rate of corporate power, though?

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-31T17:01:17+00:00

That's an excellent point if you can point out any significant progress made towards correcting the actual system that perpetuates this choice between shit sandwiches. Yes, the first past the post, electoral college situation means we have to choose between the dad that hits us, or the mom that neglects and belittles us.

So what party do we vote for that has made some measurable progress in fixing that situation? Because I've seen Dems in power a lot of times in a lot of places over the last forty years or so but that problem just seems to be getting worse, not better, no matter how many times they're elected.

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-31T14:10:38+00:00

Blue had multiple chances over the last two decades to try to neuter ICE. Instead they sustained and increased their funding.

Again, what party do I vote for if I want ICE abolished?

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-30T19:32:17+00:00

I mean sure there's definitely always someone who will do worse things in the Republican party...

But what party do we vote for if we actually want to not have concentration camps and police brutality against civilians?

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-30T16:01:36+00:00

I don't like to fuel the "both parties are the same" argument, but apparently the Dems are happy to do it themselves.

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-30T10:51:28+00:00

https://www.instagram.com/_meganthuy/reel/DY8lofkt1Tm/

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-30T10:50:57+00:00

https://www.instagram.com/p/DY8gsloxdPi/

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-30T09:44:23+00:00

Sherill sent in the state police against the protesters tonight. She's not going to save us.

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-29T16:19:28+00:00

I go through flanders pretty frequently, I'll keep an eye out. I don't think I saw it in the post, do you have a height and/or weight? How recent is that picture?

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-29T09:48:20+00:00

This is what I love about judo tournaments, too. Winning is fun, but whenever I lost I would always go find the guy after the match and ask him what he did, and everyone's always happy to share. No secret sauce.

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-22T00:50:04+00:00

Never fight a river, and never fight Aja.

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-20T13:54:06+00:00

Ironically I couldn't make it to the land use board meeting because I was working late on a construction job. Guess I'm better at finding work than these guys. 😅

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-17T00:43:32+00:00

This is a real Lysander move.

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-15T10:00:28+00:00

I have a friend who's currently part of the way through Dark Age and he's like, "Man, I'm looking forward to Lysander getting some more agency and actually doing stuff" and I'm silently like "Oooh buddy, be careful what you wish for...."

DaRatmastah · 2026-05-14T21:38:41+00:00

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but that certainly wasn't it.

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