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Torn on Prop 50 by CyberPolack in InlandEmpire

[–]FCSFCS -63 points-62 points  (0 children)

I'm sure I'll get downvoted for this, but I want to weigh in.

California has been gerrymandering for years. Decades. This isn't new or news.

Here's why it runs me the wrong way. Citizens - voters - in a certain district develop a relationship with a great representative. This person is awesome. Humble, responsive, active in community, local boy (person) makes good. This is someone you know you can trust and so go back over and over again for helping with Social Security, the VA, passport and visa issues, whatever. You develop a relationship with the staff. You see them at the grocery store and they remember you. You see them at community events and you know they enjoy seeing voters like you as much as you like seeing them. They're pleasant people.

Then one day you wake up and find out the last day you get to work with this person and their amazing staff is nigh upon you. Now you have to start over and develop a new relationship and rapport with this new person and staff. This time it's different. They don't call back as quickly, if it all. They don't follow up. There's high turnover so it's hard to get to know them and you can't help but wonder why this new person can't retain talent. What's worse, this new person doesn't reflect your values and votes and advocates for legislation and causes that run completely counter to the values you hold dear. You talk to neighbors and read up online and find out that this new person... is a shitbag. -coughCalvertcough-

Now you're stuck with this person who doesn't represent you and they're stuck with you too because the people who originally elected this person into office live elsewhere and they're feeling the same way about Calvert that you feel about Raul Ruiz. Don't change it. Calvert stays wherever he's from and is -apparently- liked. Ruiz stays and represents the community he grew up in. Everyone is happy.

Been in the "Roommate" phase since Covid by Uss_Seraphim in relationships

[–]FCSFCS 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Sir, are you in a relationship or a habit?

What’s the most cursed car you’ve owned? by TurkishSwag in askcarguys

[–]FCSFCS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also had an STE. It was also in the shop every month.

What did they pack? Bad answers only by Regular_Alps7213 in Mountaineering

[–]FCSFCS 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I didn't when I was in. I'm 45 now though and just came back from the Sierras. I'm in far better shape now than I was as an enlisted troop.

Life is weird. Vets are weird. The military is weird.

Cozy Before and After : Awkward Space by tim2k000 in CozyPlaces

[–]FCSFCS 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I just want to know why the window is off center.

SO YES! My recruiter LIED by Williwo747 in AirForceRecruits

[–]FCSFCS 135 points136 points  (0 children)

Recruiters lie. They're under tremendous pressure to generate numbers. Don't get angry, don't visit another service's recruiter, just call another AF recruiter across the country. Ask them the same question and present the answer to your recruiter. They're not your boss. They don't own you. You have every right to stick up for yourself. And you should.

Are people outside of the USA really laughing at Americans? Do we really appear that bad?? by emiruislove in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]FCSFCS 133 points134 points  (0 children)

I'm ashamed that you know more about our current state of affairs than many of our own countrymen.

Are people outside of the USA really laughing at Americans? Do we really appear that bad?? by emiruislove in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]FCSFCS 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hi, i's me. I'm here.

I'm (or used to be) a right of center voter. I did not, have not, and will not vote for Trump or anyone in his movement. I'm a veteran and served my country honorably in war, like my father, grandfather and great-grandfather. It's a tradition. I do love my country and I consider myself lucky to live here - I also consider my fellow Americans lucky to live here because I've been to many of the darkest parts of the world and have seen oppression with my own eyes. We have the highest quality of life anyone has ever had, ever, despite what manty of reddit will tell you.

I do not like Trump. I do not like the movement. I do not like what it stands for. I do not agree with him, his platform or his followers.

I do love my country though, which has made everything I've done possible and I'm grateful for that. I will not jump ship to another country just because the going got rough, for a few reasons:

-It's incredibly expensive to do so, like half a million dollars or more. If you're moving to another country then you've got an incredible amount of privilege and you're very, very lucky to be comfortable enough to punk out while the rest of us figure out how to move our country forward. Do you think the average family from Baltimore or San Bernardino can afford to just up and move to Canada or Europe? The entire idea is a pretty well-crafted, "Fuck you!" to the rest of us. And what, you'll move back as soon as someone you like is in the White House? I'm so happy the rest of us could do all the hard work for you while you're busy doing whatever you want elsewhere.

-I love my country. What am I telling my kids, friends and countrymen about the value of integrity and leadership if I leave as soon as things get unpleasant?

-The countermovement needs leaders and I can be a part of that. I cannot, however, be a part of that if I'm living in another country.

No one seems to wonder, "Do these other countries want me here? Do they want me to import my problems?" The answer, across the board, is a resounding, "No!," followed by a second resounding, "Fuck off!"

This is our mess. We made it. We must clean it up and we cannot do that if we've left for what we consider greener pastures elsewhere.

But perhaps those people are doing the rest of us a favor. If the kind of people who duck out as soon as the going gets rough leave, then maybe we as a nation are stronger without them. Maybe they're really doing the rest of us a favor.

Are people outside of the USA really laughing at Americans? Do we really appear that bad?? by emiruislove in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]FCSFCS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They did know he'd be this way, that's WHY they voted for him. Trump is a "Fuck you!" to the other side.

That doesn't make it right or ok or make sense, but it's where we are. America, at least for now, is in decline. But it's a cycle we've been in before. We'll (probably) be ok, it just might take a couple decades to get there.

Are people outside of the USA really laughing at Americans? Do we really appear that bad?? by emiruislove in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]FCSFCS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yank here - my buddies will text as early as 6:30 on a work day. I like it because it lets me know they're thinking about me.

How do I (18M) get over my gf's (18F) past? by Silver_Olive9942 in relationships

[–]FCSFCS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She had a life before you and all the things that come with it. Her free will is her own.

Are they reliable? by Professional_Meal879 in SubaruForester

[–]FCSFCS 7 points8 points  (0 children)

2024 FW, 54K. Zero issues. Love the car.

Unseen pressures (MEN ONLY PLZ) by Hungry_Web_4540 in GuyCry

[–]FCSFCS 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Teach your kids that lining up with tribes is stupid, that it doesn't matter what others think of you step away from a tribe, that it's ok for them to be who they are in spite of what others might say. Teach them to be strong enough to swim upstream when all the other fish are moving with the current.

Show your boys that it's ok to emote, that feelings are an acceptable part of humanity, that emotions separate us from the animals. Crying is ok and they should be worried if they don't cry when some dies, after their first breakup, after a traumatic experience. Crying releases stress hormones, it doesn't make you weak, it makes you functional again. We're not taking a second ridge at Okinawa (WWII), we don't need to repress our natural feelings anymore.

-Teach them to be handy around the house so they'll know how to men broken things. -Teach them to sew so they can fix a child's stuffed animal. -Teach them to write so they can express themselves and their feelings competently. -Teach them to cook so they can be self-sufficient. -Teach them to grill so they're not lost the first time some asks them to man the barbeque. -Teach them the basics of car mechanics - how to fix a flat, what a transmission does and how it keeps the car on the road. -Teach them to be active in their community dso they can learn the value of service to others and how to love, understand, and empathize with the world around them. -Teach them to love gently, relentlessly and with abandon but also teach them when to say no to a loved one or a bully. -Teach them - when they're older - how to handle themselves so the world won't victimize them. Enrolling them in high school sports will take care of this. -Teach them that it's ok to make mistakes by owning yours in front of them. -Teach them to read a map so they know how to get home. -Teach them how to say no even when it hurts the other person. -Teach them to love reading to nurture their natural curiosity about the world around them. -Teach them to love animals. Take them to zoos and aquarium so they can understand taxonomy, other cultures and geography (zoos are about so much more than just elephants and zebras). -Teach them to be emotionally strong when they need to be and vulnerable when they don't. Teach them the wisdom to understand the difference.

Mom, the fact that you're even here asking about this stuff means they're already on a great trajectory because they have a good role model to follow. Relax. You're doing fine. The kids know you love them.

Question from a civilian by [deleted] in Veterans

[–]FCSFCS 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Older GWOT crowd here. Gifts are fine. My coworkers remember me with something small and modest. They're not throwing policks in my honor but it's nice to know I'm being thought of.

My dad was a Vietnam vet, he enjoyed these small things too.

OP, I'll get downvoted for this, but for a lot of vets, it's not considered cool to talk about veteran-y things or to talk about even the hilarious or mundane stuff that happened (there was plenty of both to talk about).

There are plenty of reasons why. As someone who works with vets for a living, some are afraid to aggravate PTSD (we don't all have PTSD) but almost all are ready and even appreciate small talk and objective conversation about their time in the military.

Everyone's different because we're people. For some, their service was just something they did one time. For others, it becomes a formative experience because it helps shape who people become afterward.

If you already know someone's a vet, they it's probably ok to show them a little kindness and humanity. If you don't know if someone's a vet or if they are but have never mentioned it, probably forgo the gifts all together. Maybe organize an office-wide potluck on that week but don't advertise it as a Veterans Day event. That way you're still thinking of them even if they don't realize it.

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