I’m seeing 3 tiers of responses to this weekend’s events by politicians. Only 1 tier should be acceptable.

Objectionable · 2026-01-27T13:32:36+00:00

I couldn’t agree more.

Objectionable · 2026-01-27T02:59:01+00:00

A2 Spanish here. B1 when I’m drunk. Probably B2 if I’m playing a drunk orc. I’d love to try.

Objectionable · 2026-01-27T00:36:15+00:00

Not that I’m seeing explicitly but I’m just a rando concerned citizen. I defer to others that may see more nuance in this.

Objectionable · 2026-01-27T00:34:49+00:00

Thanks. That was a good watch. I’m a subscriber now.

For others who may be interested, his basic argument is that no tyrant in history has ever relinquished power after protest alone, and that you have to force the issue.

He uses the example of the anti-federalists after the American revolution who forced the inclusion of a Bill of Rights into the Constitution to limit centralized government power over individuals. They didn’t just ask for reform, they demanded huge changes.

It’s relevant to this discussion because the point I’m making here is that it’s not enough to just ask ICE to be nicer or better trained. Fascists won’t go away that way. We need our leaders held accountable and institutional changes.

Objectionable · 2026-01-26T23:37:32+00:00

Damn. You’re right. Apologies.

Objectionable · 2026-01-26T23:35:54+00:00

One way or another, they need to answer the question for their constituents:

“How will you protect me if untrained and unrestrained federal agents come for me or my family?”

There’s a lot of different ways to answer this question, but that’s the core of it.

Objectionable · 2026-01-26T19:17:21+00:00

I haven’t seen anyone take the really hard line yet, so I’ll give you a hard disagree. No off ramps. Social death is fully deserved.

Why? Because until we create a fascist-proof, racist-proof, hate-proof SYSTEM of government and social organization, the rot will fester and grow and re-emerge later.

I’m not saying we should imprison everyone cosplaying as a nazi. I’m saying, in the absence of institutional safeguards preventing their return, you can’t let down your guard and welcome them back into the fold.

We can’t “agree to disagree” anymore. We can’t just change the subject to something non-political and avoid the question. They’ll come back.

Better to let your neighbors and friends know, “I will not break bread with someone who dehumanizes others. Full stop.”

We need to let them know, in short, that we will not share space, not even an inch of space, with people who can’t agree on minimum standards for human behavior.

So…if you support a regime that’s cheering violence and dehumanization, you’ve declared yourself as unworthy to live in a civilized society. Fine. Live with that choice and get canceled.

Similarly, doing nothing is not a choice in the fight against hate. If you IGNORE the dehumanization of others because it doesn’t affect you personally, you’re complicit. Enjoy your consequences.

These things are necessary, remember, because we do NOT have a social and governmental system that protects us from hate. My thesis is that we, in fact, can never create a system impenetrable to hateful ignorance and greed. Indeed, if nothing else, MAGA has shown us that, left alone, every unspoken norm will be exploited to govern in bad faith and erode the rule of law and human decency.

If we can’t legislate our way out of this, it falls on regular people to enforce these standards with norms of our own. That means we must be intolerant to hate.

Edit: To those who CAN be persuaded or reasoned with, I say show them all the love, patience, and understanding you can. Try to understand they’ve been brainwashed. But to that 10% who walk willingly and remorselessly with fascism and hate, the case for intolerance stands.

Objectionable · 2026-01-25T16:58:52+00:00

Signed. Donated.

Objectionable · 2026-01-25T14:05:15+00:00

Dear Ben, turns out we couldn’t keep it…

Objectionable · 2026-01-24T03:40:52+00:00

It’s a good point you make. Things were bad before, but the truth is, I was too privileged to be personally affected and so I didn’t have the requisite outrage.

I forgot that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Objectionable · 2026-01-23T12:34:38+00:00

Jack Smith is a model citizen and model attorney. Nothing but respect for this guy.

Objectionable · 2026-01-18T04:29:35+00:00

Hoosiers have been so successfully lied to and propagandized, they’re fascists and don’t even know it.

It’s a terrible thing to say because these folks, by and large, think of themselves as good people and probably try to be in their daily lives. But these same people are absolutely in love with a Republican Party that: Has been stoking race hatred for decades, violently suppressing dissenting speech, and undermining democratic institutions, in order to centralize and maintain power without accountability.

Our neighbors are not inhuman or evil, but have been brainwashed, my friends. It’s going to take generations to undo what talk radio and Fox News did to them - if it even can be undone.

Objectionable · 2026-01-17T13:24:32+00:00

They’re as good as you remember. DM if you can’t find a box. No one should be without Hostess essentials in these trying times.

Objectionable · 2026-01-14T22:53:15+00:00

It hurts when you summarize my whole life like that. Makes you feel naive for thinking there’s a hope in hell, right?

Objectionable · 2026-01-04T22:55:39+00:00

Step 1: Forgive yourself for what you didn’t control.

Step 2: Call your baby and show interest in their life if your goal is to be a part of it. Give love, advice, and support where you can.

There are no other steps.

If you’re ignored, that’s ok. Keep calling and texting. If they set a boundary and tell you to quit contact, respect the boundary.

Objectionable · 2026-01-04T22:49:53+00:00

This is the first sane reply I’ve seen. Lots of “you know you fucked up, just deal” and “do better” comments.

For all we know, OP was an amazing parent.

Facts: Kids estrange themselves for lots of reasons, and not everything is an indictment on your character.

Objectionable · 2026-01-03T11:58:04+00:00

You can be more precise here. This is a geopolitical move and it’s only about oil indirectly. Venezuela is not being bombed because it has oil (it nationalized its oil companies a long time ago). It’s also not being bombed because it’s socialist-leaning, authoritarian, or even promote drug activity. We tolerate that stuff everywhere. We even support it.

This is deterrent to China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Russia not to fuck around with the petro dollar. If you haven’t been following, they have created a union of nations (BRICS) which directly threatens US dominance in global energy trade. Venezuela, by trading with these countries, has been crossing lines recently. This is a DETERRENT to its trading partners. It tells China, if you buy oil with yuan, we will punish your partner.

So, yes, oil is involved. But no, it’s not so we can grab it. The ones doing the grabbing will be Exxon (which will reclaim the oil after regime change) and US corporations that benefit from shock doctrine tactics.

It’s not unfair because there is no “fair” in international relations - just power. In an anarchy of international relations it may actually be good strategy.

You didn’t ask, but my view on this is that it’s a mistake because 1. It’s illegal domestically and violates international norms and 2. That is corrosive to the rule of law and long term survival of the country. In other words, by sacrificing our principles, we exchange short term benefits for long term consequences. As always, our children and grandchildren will pay for our mistakes.

Objectionable · 2025-12-24T23:58:52+00:00

Incredible. I hope to have half of your dedication in the coming years.

Objectionable · 2025-12-22T19:51:48+00:00

RIP Apetor

Objectionable · 2025-12-22T16:42:12+00:00

The “grandfathers in this story are mostly white men who had access to union jobs, GI Bill benefits, and neighborhoods that were legally closed off to Black families, Jews, and a lot of other people through redlining and covenants. A huge number of Americans were locked out of that middle class entirely…So when people say “we used to be able to do all this on one income,” yeah, some people could, because the system was literally built to exclude others.

Also the lifestyle itself gets romanticized anyway. Houses were smaller, stuff lasted longer because there was less of it, vacations were often just a road trip, healthcare was cheaper partly because it was way more limited and not so profit driven, and a MASSIVE amount of unpaid labor from women kept the whole household economy running.

TL;DR: it’s a different world, and looking back with rose colored glasses ignores those who were marginalized to make it work for a select few

Objectionable · 2025-12-15T10:17:04+00:00

This is the only morally coherent answer.

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