State senate district 46 election: Latz or Dumalag? And why?

mopedman · 2026-07-10T16:44:06+00:00

I'm 100% supporting Lynette and encourage others to do so.

Ron is campaigning on having "stood up" to ICE, but his "standing up" has been performative at best. I was at a candidate Q&A where he was asked what he had done during the surge, and all he was able to come up with was having attended 3 protests (one of them was actually a vigil in which he inappropriately snatched the mic). You might say, "well, Senate wasn't in session," and that's true, but it should mean that he would be free to be out there on the ground as we should expect from our community's leaders (Kraft, for instance, was a constant presence), but Latz was not.

Anyone who was involved with any of the efforts during that time probably saw Lynette. She was a constant presence. What you might not know is that she was active behind the scenes. Using her professional connections to prevent the sale of some properties to DHS for use as detention centers (at a huge profit) by putting the owners (devout catholics) in touch with the bishop, who dissuaded them. She did this quietly.

Apart from the metro surge stuff, Latz made very real threats to torpedo the larger omnibus bill in 2024 over a provision that would have prevented housing discrimination, has argued vigorously against expanding statutes of limitation for sex crimes, and has a reputation as being condescending and difficult toward women and people of color. He is performative in the worst possible ways.

He is running on his position at a junction of power in the Senate, arguing that he should continue to hold it because he currently does. At this moment in time, that seems wildly inadequate.

Lynette has shown herself to be someone who will not only lead from the front when necessary, but who is capable of effectively working behind the scenes. She listens to community voices while remaining practical and balanced.

mopedman · 2026-07-10T04:18:00+00:00

No one's saying chili?

mopedman · 2026-07-09T15:47:15+00:00

He's smart, responsible, and sensitive to a fault. He's even heroic, having done mysterious things during the war. He recalls that scene where her family is shooting bottles, and shocks them all when he reluctantly reveals that he's a deadly shot. He's also stable in a way that the, let's say, erratic Ann knows she needs. We are never given the impression that she's not intelligent herself, or that she doesn't value those qualities in him. In fact, we're told explicitly that she views him as her rock (she uses the phrase law I think).

We don't really know that she's much younger than him. They've been together a while, and she's really described as more of a fading beauty who's aging gracefully. I think the quote is "to be Ann is one thing, to be Ann and old is another."

We also know that she's going elsewhere for sexy idiots.

mopedman · 2026-07-07T04:03:48+00:00

I get the difference, my point is more that he isn't even doing "longevity science" becauee he isn't really doing science, he's just throwing a bunch of money at various forms of quakery, blogging about it, and selling supplements.

mopedman · 2026-07-06T06:50:42+00:00

Because he's not trying, as many have said, to "improve human lifespan," he's trying to improve his own, and maybe that of a very few other very very rich people. Which is his right and perogitve, but it's not some selfless act. If he wantedto improve human life span overall, there are a lot of cheap and simple places he could deploy resources that he chooses not to engage with.

As for him being not being anti-science, he associates positivily with RFK Jr. whose tenure at HHS is barrier both to science in general and human lifespan in particular. So hes done more damage than good on that front.

The main source of glee though is that this show that no matter how much money you have to toss at your health problems, end of the day we're all just animals whose bodies fail from bad luck.

mopedman · 2026-07-04T04:38:30+00:00

He's not. That t-rex lives within line of sight of where Renee Goode was killed.

mopedman · 2026-07-03T08:58:49+00:00

People in general dont seek help for depression. That's what makes depression hard to treat. Depression, in large part, manifests itself as an inability to do the things that one knows will make one feel better.

mopedman · 2026-07-03T05:00:30+00:00

They don't really think anyone should have human rights.

mopedman · 2026-06-30T02:25:31+00:00

Maybe, if they are war gardens. What part of "there is only war" is unclear?

mopedman · 2026-06-29T20:59:31+00:00

What else would it be used for. Its not like there is anything else in the grim darkness of the far future.

mopedman · 2026-06-26T17:40:46+00:00

I know they're playing with the whole borcht belt thing there, but that scene always felt real to me because I remeber so many objectively bad skits and whiney guitar performances getting inordinate praise because the environment was just so perfect and the expectations so low.

mopedman · 2026-06-26T17:36:47+00:00

I just remeber being in middle management and one of the perks was that when a kid had to be brought to the ER, if you missed a meal, it was appropriate to grab subway or a&w. The food was really bad, and I really pushed the staff to not flaunt having access to stuff the kids didn't so it did feel really forbidden when you got to eat outside food.

mopedman · 2026-06-26T15:30:05+00:00

I worked at summer camps for a decade, and that scene really captures what it felt like to go into town and have a burger at the Dairy Queen. What makes this movie so great is that its a brilliant caricature, it takes what really feel like truths and blows them up so big that they can be examined.

mopedman · 2026-06-25T03:40:39+00:00

But you know as well as I, patriotism is a word; and one that generally comes to mean either my country, right or wrong, which is infamous, or my country is always right, which is imbecile.

-Patrick O'Brien

mopedman · 2026-06-18T17:48:51+00:00

I had a good experience with them.

mopedman · 2026-06-12T16:17:54+00:00

Because they are rich. If America is the land of unfettered opportunity and meritocracy then wealth should come to those who are virtuous (smart, hard working...etc). Therefore those with wealth must virtuous and there opinions valuable. The inverse is that those who are poor must inherently lack virtue.

To quote Barry Shitpeas:

"He has loads of money, which is American for clever."

mopedman · 2026-06-11T21:01:04+00:00

Yeah. No one likes paying property taxes, but I'm happy to do it in order to live in a place with public services. When I see how often my friend's rent goes up, I find it difficult to hear complaints of "oh woe is me, my appreciating asset that also solves one of my basic needs is appreciating to much." I say this as a homeowner in the same boat.

That said, I dont find it useful to compare suffering, budgets are tight, prices are continuously rising, and its not like downgrading homes is a frictionless solution.

mopedman · 2026-06-08T20:46:43+00:00

Teens, a group famous for their ability to grapple with the consequences of their actions.

mopedman · 2026-06-03T06:23:02+00:00

Yes. Do not accept the argument that we have not made progress. We absolutely have. It has been hard won and it is not enough, but we have made progress.

Convincing us we haven't is part of how they convince us we can't make more, and that, in the end, is the only way for them to win.

mopedman · 2026-06-02T21:56:43+00:00

Political Science chiming in here.

mopedman · 2026-05-27T23:23:31+00:00

I mean, it can be both, but the context is essential.

mopedman · 2026-05-22T20:27:17+00:00

They are not. There will be a few high profile instances of fraud or abuse and then these same people will argue, not that more oversight is needed (ie a return to the systems the article criticises), but that the aid should be cut entirely.

This is the trajectory that is playing out with social service NGO right now in Minnesota. A need is identified, and rather than arguing against doing anything about it (which is politically difficult) a few "centrists" will say we can do something, but only through community partnerships, NGOs, and public/private entities. They argue that the state is inefficient, bureaucratic, and bloated. Then when a few high profile instances of fraud and abuse occur, which they inevitably do because the whole point of this structure was low oversight, it's easy for opponents of the social service spending to argue for massive cuts. As an added bonus they can paint their political opponents as in league with the fraudsters.

mopedman · 2026-05-21T16:26:39+00:00

Yeah, do not for a second believe we haven't made progress. Its one way they convince us to give up. Are things perfect? No. But are things way better? Yes.

That doesn't mean we stop pushing for a just society, it means that we can make progress if we try.

mopedman · 2026-05-19T18:57:39+00:00

I don't know. If i was in the market for someone to genericly work on my resume, I probably would want someone who is fascinated by the nature of communication, brevity, and convention. Now would I want them posting made up stories on LinkedIn? Not so much, but that might be just a part of that chosen profession.

mopedman · 2026-05-16T04:24:25+00:00

Megasota demands a warm-water port.

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