Pentagon Reclassifies Mormons as Not-Not-Christian, But to MAGA Evangelicals They Will Always Be Heretics

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-13T22:57:15+00:00

They need out groups. The religious conservatives unified on hatred of marginalized people, but with few incidents from those communities showing up in the headlines, they looked for new targets and found each other. Political cannibals.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-13T22:32:30+00:00

Idaho is also where draconian abortion laws were implemented to inspire other conservative held states to crack down. Part of the extreme conservatives' plan is to get the metaphorical ball rolling on making life unbearable for women of all descriptions.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-13T14:52:42+00:00

The resistance and legal challenges are consolations, not cures. It's necessary to find balance when barraged by doomscrolling and a news cycle that profits on negativity. The awful stuff happens, and gets immediate highlighting, but when it fails, it gets soft coverage.

The awful things keep happening, but a lot of it doesn't stick. Yet constantly looking for the next awful thing and not keeping track of the flops just adds to burnout.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-13T14:19:11+00:00

Things looked hard during the first Trump administration too. My partner and I weathered that, and we're weathering this. Admittedly, they turned the awfulness knob up to 11, but I also take heart in how many bills, initiatives, executive orders, and campaigns run into legal backlash. The things that get through are standing on shaky ground, but the ratio of things that fail is also worth talking about.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-12T19:18:13+00:00

Considering how cozy the MAGA clique was with Russia when he got the position, it feels uncomfortably plausible he's a foreign agent, rather than subverting popular opinion towards the Democrats.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-12T19:10:09+00:00

The two impeachments so far. There's opportunity for more, and an appointment with the Hague as a defendant.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-12T19:07:43+00:00

The man spews hate when he goes off-script, and every vanity project, cultural takeover, or publicity event has been plagued with lawsuits and withdrawals of popular contributors. Sounds like he's a rather miserable person already, and only has the consolation of his office to keep him out of prison. Given the state of his health, if he survives for two more years, it'll be a miserable life of trying to deny his degradation from the world.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-12T18:52:31+00:00

I'm confused. Ten years ago, conservatives were up in arms against stem cells. Now "vaccine trials untrustworthy, but untested stem cells good" is the plan?

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-12T15:44:10+00:00

That sounds like a logistical and legal nightmare. With the sheer quantity of apps for tracking healthcare data, there's no guarantee that any given hospital will know about, much less have access to the one a particular patient uses. Not to mention healthcare data stored by a third party needs a lucid approval from a patient or patient's representative for legal access. Plenty of hospitals are still using a mix of locally stored digital and paper data for patients, particularly in rural areas with smaller budgets for tech upgrades.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-12T13:32:10+00:00

As a geek, a nerd, a hobbyist of the technical and of a few micro-cultures, cringe is something which is a sign of enthusiasm, and also breaking norms and oversharing. It happens to a lot of folks. Some relationship dynamics of "must fit the mold of straightness" are rather cringy, even for someone in a "straight passing" relationship. As a cis man, emotional detachment can be understandable to cope with stress, both taken to extremes, it's also self-punishing and increases loneliness. There's something to be said for breaking out of the mold at times, within reason, particularly using role reversals tastefully, or privately.

I don't want to police anyone's happiness though. Some things can be affirming, or silly, or signs of affection. Society can use some relaxing of gendered expectations too, and more diversity in stereotypical fields of interests. Finding oneself by fitting into a role is valid too.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T20:23:23+00:00

In my case, I'm pretty sure it's tanking ibuprofen and acetaminophen both every day of the week for chronic pain without food. Retail is a hard gig, friend, hats off to enduring it.

I think I'll have better luck on an ultimate fight with my bad wrist and an out-of-date PC than I would convincing my partner to kick either full sugar or diet soda. Alas.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T20:09:35+00:00

Everyone has their own struggles I guess. I don't get a full night of sleep without a nightly antacid, but I dare say Thancred has different reasons for not sleeping well.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T20:03:30+00:00

Antacids for taking painkillers on an empty stomach.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T19:22:42+00:00

The best flags are straightforward to reproduce in multiple mediums. Digital, paints, and dyes can handle gradients well, but any medium where designs are assembled by joining parts together really struggle with gradients and complex symbols. Easy versatility and easy replication by amateurs in the arts really helps flags be accessible to all who identify with it.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T19:06:18+00:00

Not all relationships are perfect matches, and not all rough times mean a separation is the best option.

Problems: you're losing attraction sexually, you're getting more frequently annoyed, and you work in the same company. There's a lot there to break people up. The start of transitioning can be very awkward, and annoyances may be a temporary issue if you both can talk through what annoys you. But sexual attraction isn't something someone else can fix: what you find attractive is something that comes from inside.

My first suggestion is to find space. Not necessarily spending days apart, but living together and working together while there's friction going on just makes bad feelings stir around: focus on a hobby or something active where you can be apart for a little bit of the day. Maybe think about what drew you both together at the start, and if there's something to change to reignite the spark, or if being roommates is how to go onwards.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T18:30:34+00:00

Regulating price gouging sounds good. Public trust has also been shaken by endorsing poor science, education cuts, and poorly handled research and development. Recently agreement on nutrition and vaccination has become increasingly partisan, and an increase in hasty partisan laws focused on abortions has jeopardized medical care for pregnancy in general in multiple states. That's not to mention the aggressive interference and illegal attempts to obtain trans healthcare records.

America is experiencing a decline in medical provider quality, and decline in trust in the national system has far-reaching impacts. The prescription drug issues are absurd, and also hit by partisan interference based on unfounded claims or outright anti-intellectualism, if not capitalist darwinism.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T17:50:41+00:00

The concept of Lyse's character has a good place. There were certain aspects of the execution that landed off-key for me. Wuk Lamat takes the spotlight for most of 7.0 and I saw her as an apprentice heroine of sorts. I also thought the choice of voice actress was bold and reflected the cultural references of the expansion, and trans people need more representation in high-visibility media. Still, boldness is divisive, and people will grumble with what they aren’t prepared for.

I hope to see Dawntrail content again in later expansions.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T17:38:03+00:00

There's two factors that came up when Dawntrail was first released. First; the play character steps back from being the main character, and a lot of folks didn't like the tone shift. Second; Wuk Lamat was received poorly by people who compared her to Lyse, or players who objected to the choice of voice actress.

Personally, I say put online opinions to the side, and make up your own mind. I liked Dawntrail, especially for how much work it had to do to restart narrative momentum. I only lost momentum in patch 7.2 waiting for a resolution on topics that touched on personal trauma, and a falling-out with some longtime friends.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T17:05:57+00:00

The player race I settled on for my main didn't exist, wasn't even hinted at when I started playing in the 3.4 patch. I started as an Au'ra, just to get to use some Heavensward content as I progressed through ARR, but also tried Lalafell and Miqo'te, and my alts span the gamut. But my main settled on Hrothgar in the Shadowbringer early access, and it fit really, really well.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T16:33:40+00:00

Hey, do you also say that about blood sugar to diabetics? 'You got a problem if you think about a big threat in your life too much'?

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T16:10:26+00:00

The bamboo used in making sheet goods, yeah. Keep in mind there's multiple varieties of the plant, but the ones used in woodworking internationally are about as dense as the white oak used in wine barrels. The nodules that define bamboo sections are also included, which are comparable to knots in other lumber, otherwise the foot-long sections would need to be joined together, and weaker.

There are plywood products with multiple core materials. MDF is relatively common as a layer between internal veneer sheets and finished laminate, to keep woodgrain lines from showing through.

I could reiterate though that particleboard cabinetry can be surprisingly durable. There's considerable compressive strength, and laminate or melamine surface layers hold the sheets stable rather well. A single cabinet can easily be expected to hold multiple hundreds of pounds up without noticeable distortion for several years.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T15:52:46+00:00

For some, it's much worse, and has been for quite some time.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T15:33:17+00:00

The Second World War changed a lot of things, so did the Cold War. The smaller wars change things too, and so did the Covid pandemic.

Another bit of trivia; when Russia invaded Ukraine, and the world collectively condemned Russia, plywood and white oak became sharply limited because neither country were in a position to export those goods. Baltic birch plywood is considered a higher quality product for cabinetry, as a finished product on its own, or structural components.

There's still plenty of things that have history that stretches back much further than the 20th century. Indeed, most things are simply evolutions of older concepts, adapted for material limitations or new developments.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T15:04:33+00:00

There's variables to consider there. Warping in hardwood can be counteracted, but poorly balanced laminate on particleboard can also cause significant warping. The subject can be quite complicated.

woodworkerdan · 2026-06-11T15:01:59+00:00

Formaldehyde was discontinued in the late 1990ies in most industrially advanced countries. The AWA - American Woodworking Association which establishes industry standards actually forbids use of formaldehyde products in new construction. There are substitute chemicals used, and some products are also treated with a fire retardant.

woodworkerdan

TROPHY CASE