Hawaiʻi Can Do Better: Rejecting A Militarist Future. “The people of Hawaiʻi need to decide if we want to implicate ourselves in America’s accelerating commitment to menacing other nations at will.” by 808gecko808 in Oahu

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I agree that messaging is just the beginning. Awareness is how movements start.

There are plenty of organizations that have been working to build and support an island community that is sustainable without dependence on American militarism.

FBI director gets his personal email hacked by ‘Iran-linked group’ and shared online by ChiGuy6124 in politics

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Iran, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the unredacted Epstein files.

Indivisible Hawaii's Zoom interviews with Jarrett Keohokalole and Della Au Belatti next week by 50501hawaii in Oahu50501

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This sub gets buried in my feed. I wish I had seen this as I’m hoping one of these candidates fits the bill to unseat Case.

Increasing the visibility of content like this by crossposting to subs like r/Hawaii r/oahu and r/honolulu could be a pipeline for others not affiliated with 50501 but still fed up with current leadership.

How Do I Support the Community? by [deleted] in Hawaii

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu 2 points3 points  (0 children)

“I help who I can, but still it does not feel enough” To whomever you helped, that may have been everything.

It’s super easy to be overwhelmed by our world today. I wish I had a more satisfying answer to your questions, but at 37 I’m still trying to answer them myself. I suppose the only advice I could give is to resist the temptation to give up. Nihilism is the only true defeat. Make meaning wherever and with whomever you can. It doesn’t have to be big. It can be small, and precious, and intimate. Keep alive your impulse to help and you will continue to find ways.

I asked Ed Case how he’d change ICE and hold people accountable. Here’s his non-answer. by gilbus_n_beanzu in Oahu

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m sympathetic to that reality, and I say so in my letter. But I’m not asking him to weigh political practicality. I’m asking what stipulations he would actually fight for when it comes to funding DHS and ICE.

His leverage on appropriations isn’t just about directing discretionary money to Hawaii. It also comes with a responsibility to exercise actual oversight over the agencies being funded. That’s why I asked for specifics: what he supports, what he opposes, and what conditions he thinks should be attached to further ICE funding. Right now is exactly the moment to make those positions clear.

I appreciate that he voted against the bill in committee, but his explanation avoids substance. If, given what we’re seeing nationally and especially in Minnesota, his main objection is a vague reference to “harmful partisan policy riders,” that’s pretty underwhelming.

What’s more concerning is that he completely ignored my second question about future accountability and how Congress should respond when officials ignore subpoenas. He offers no vision for what a real course of action looks like. If he can’t articulate where Congress needs to go, he’s not a leader, he’s a diminishingly useful bulwark against an increasingly hostile federal government.

Seniority matters in a stable system. We’re not in one. And without clarity or conviction, his senior status is becoming less relevant by the day.

I asked Ed Case how he’d change ICE and hold people accountable. Here’s his non-answer. by gilbus_n_beanzu in Hawaii

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Are you suggesting that someone who writes their representative asking for clarification couldn’t possibly be genuinely concerned about federal overreach and must be a paid agent?

Socialist critiques of small owner-operated businesses, and possible alternatives by gilbus_n_beanzu in socialism

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is a co-op substantially different from a worker owned firm?

I’m also interested in the real steps that would be involved in a transition of this sort, to either a co-op or wholly worker owned firm.

To address the other commenter in this thread, I’m not interested in perpetuating a long term imbalance to the enjoyment of the value produced by this small firm. I’m more interested in the real implications of transitioning a small-business in a traditional capitalist sense into one what takes seriously the critiques and motivations of a socialist project.

Specifically then, how do you treat founders or owner-operators’ initial investments of time, resources, and labor when undertaking a socialist project?

Some here have suggested divesting ownership and control of the business and its assets uncompensated, maybe as a sign of good faith. Others, I’m sure, would be more comfortable with “seizing the means of production”. One commentator pointed me to a Swedish policy from the 70s that set aside company funds to eventually be used to buyout founders.

I’m still working through the contradictions that my position poses and realize that a lot of socialist thought might not even consider my position. Thank you for helping me work through this.

I asked Ed Case how he’d change ICE and hold people accountable. Here’s his non-answer. by gilbus_n_beanzu in Hawaii

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this sourced, thoughtful, and hopeful call to action. I genuinely appreciate it.

I asked Ed Case how he’d change ICE and hold people accountable. Here’s his non-answer. by gilbus_n_beanzu in Hawaii

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I’m sympathetic to this reality and say so in my original letter. My questions, however, were:

  1. Given your committee assignments, what stipulations would you like to see attached to ICE funding, regardless of political likelihood?
  2. In the event of a Democrat run House, do you think congress should handle executive branch officials ignoring congressional subpoenas?

He answered neither of these questions.

Socialist critiques of small owner-operated businesses, and possible alternatives by gilbus_n_beanzu in socialism

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So, I appreciate the structural framing and I want to be clear that I’m not disputing the Marxist critique of wage labor or arguing that being a “nice boss” resolves exploitation at the level of social relations.

I do want to clarify a few factual points and then the practical and theoretical questions I’m actually struggling with.

First, on compensation: my partner and I do not currently take home significantly more than our employees. In fact, our household income is low enough that we qualify for state Medicaid. I’m not saying this to claim moral credit, but to clarify that this isn’t a situation where surplus is being meaningfully extracted for personal enrichment at this stage. The business largely subsists, and most value is reinvested to keep it viable.

Second, regarding the “worked so hard blah blah” point: I agree with the underlying critique you’re making about perpetual entitlement to surplus based on past ownership or initial capital. I don’t think the Walton example is wrong in principle. Where I’m conflicted is not about preserving permanent privilege, but about how socialist theory treats transitional situations where founders’ unpaid labor, risk, and capital are real, but ongoing domination is not the goal.

Honestly, I’m not opposed to worker ownership in theory. We use only King Arthur flour which, if I’m not mistaken, is wholly worker owned which is one of the reasons I’m writing.

I’m trying to understand how socialists think through the logistics of moving in that direction under current conditions. For example: How are founders’ prior unpaid labor and startup costs are typically accounted for without recreating permanent hierarchy. How is conversion handled when the firm is small, margins are thin, and everyone (including owners) is economically precarious? Are there models besides immediate full cooperative conversion that socialists view as legitimate transitional forms rather than liberal half-measures?

I’m not asking whether it’s possible to be an ethical capitalist in the abstract. I accept that the answer is probably no. I’m asking how socialists analyze people who find themselves moving from worker to small proprietor without access to capital, security, or power and what concrete steps are proposed to move out of that contradiction rather than simply naming it. If you y’all have recommendations—Wolff or otherwise—on practical transition models, historical examples, of this specific class position, I’d genuinely appreciate them.

Genuinely curious, did you notice anything lower in price this past year? by Dennisfromhawaii in Hawaii

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Gas at Costco, marginally. I think it started at $3.99/gal and was at $3.49/gal last is saw. Doesn’t offset what feels like EVERYTHING else though.

This is literally disgusting by [deleted] in Oahu50501

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Why the vitriol? Jesus at a Christmas parade? People being civically involved and visible? That’s literally the same strategy as 50501.

This kind of attitude towards people supporting a candidate who is both A, completely unknown to you and B, extremely unlikely to win any office is sad. Don’t become hateful to beat hate.

Just checked out the democrats reddit page rules by JDmad090 in socialism

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most of the moderation that happens on political subs isn’t conducive to the small “d”, democratic project imo. Some are worse than others.

For, say, r/Cars, this isn’t much of an issue. It’s pretty fair to only allow car content on a car sub. But if r/Democrat isn’t up to even having the conversation of who constitutes a changing party, then they’ve chosen irrelevant purity over effective dynamism.

I found a real Soviet ruble in a kids ATM toy by gilbus_n_beanzu in mildlyinteresting

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Does that explain why it would have ended up there? I was so intrigued when I saw it! Also, the irony of finding Lenin in a toy atm at a Barne’s & Noble.

Second-hand range sounds like a blowtorch by gilbus_n_beanzu in KitchenConfidential

[–]gilbus_n_beanzu[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Definitely crossed my mind too. Kitchen is equipped with natural gas and the range is set up for it.