There are few places where I agree with Rand Paul, but the abolishment of “Homeland Security” is one of them. We got this shit because of 9/11. It greatly expanded the power and control of government over our lives and we weakened our constitutional rights (e.g. illegal search and seizure) because of it.

I completely understand that cybersecurity is a threat, but we already have the Department of Defense, Department of National Intelligence and Department of State covering it, so there is already built in redundancy, why do we need DHHS doing it too?

Capitalism has served me well and, I think if you have a particularly strong work ethic, then the American model can serve you well, up to a certain extent.

BUT, I am not a sycophant. I have seen the dark underbelly of the American model, how certain vampires at the top of companies will maximize profits at the expense of literally everything else - contractually locking in customers and then raising rates on them to the point where they can barely afford it (they’d call that “equilibrium “). Firing good long-time employees because new fresh blood is cheaper, damned if it makes everyone else’s life harder, including that person who gave their life to the company. Predating on the meek, desperate, or just those who don’t think like them, in spite of what it may do to the relationship long term (fuck any sort of commitment or customer relationship at all because it can’t accurately be monetized).

These people chase money above all else. They’re loot dragons. The only relationships they have are those that either think like them or those they can manipulate and control.

So no, don’t chase the American model, but perhaps borrow from some of its most useful tenets. There are good motivated people in the flesh, but the structure is rotten at its core.

Hone your inner Jimmy.

Bone apple tea!

Hmm, how do I say this without getting downvoted all to hell?

I think this is actually a decent pick. Rubio is fairly moderate for a Republican. His parents emigrated from Cuba, so he likely has at least some respect for the blight of immigrants. He presents well intentioned and intelligent. He’ll probably actually read his briefings.

Secretary of State had formerly been a springboard for higher office. Perhaps he would actually bring a smidge of sanity back to the GOP. This country deserves functional bipartisanship.

Probably not, but one could hope.

It’s true. They’re only as powerful as you let them be. The “First they came” poem comes to mind.

Well that’s an odd name to call your phlunctus.

You asked for a staunch democrat 🤷‍♂️

My point is that fascism builds until the root causes and those fanning its flames are rooted out and destroyed ala Napoleon, Mussolini, Hitler; or they burn on and continue to oppress under an authoritarian like Franco, Pinochet or Putin. There aren’t a whole lot of examples in between where an authoritarian relinquishes power after a short term.

I know which one I prefer, and, from example, we can see a little jail time is insufficient.

I’ll move if they distance themselves from the platform I believe in, or if there’s a third party candidate that happens to be enticing enough.

The platform I support, in ranked order:

• Pro environment
• Personal freedoms / social liberty
• Statecraft over War
• Higher taxes on the rich, comparatively, but not to the point of stifling innovation
• Education, Internet and Healthcare as fundamental rights
• Capitalism, with competition
• Global Trade
• Pro Union
• Space exploration
• Security (only at the level needed to maintain personal freedom)
• YIMBYism
• Reducing National debt
• Federalism

As I see it, the Dems are still pretty aligned with that, perhaps just not in the same prioritized order, and that’s fair, because they have others they’ll lose first before they lose me.

I don’t know exactly why, but the way you stated that reminds me of how Saddam Hussein gained power.

There’s a part of me that thinks, if the right can do it, why can’t we? If it takes an order of magnitude more effort to clear up falsified statements then why are we taking up all of our resources on representing the truth? Why can’t we just start saying “they’ve started deporting American citizens in Miami back to Cuba?” or “The mafia is intimidating election workers to stuff ballots in XYZ county?” or “the government has been gutted so much that Social Security checks are not coming out in time. Old people in Arizona are getting kicked out into the streets and dying of heatstroke.”

But then the Ego side of my brain smacks the Id side and says, “You dunce, that’s how we become current-day Russia”

When people do not feel safety and security, they will first reach for scapegoats. When that doesn’t work, they will reach for a gun.

There are a lot of people hurting in this country, obviously a whole lot more than I thought. So the people have found their scapegoats this cycle, now we wait and see if it satisfies them.

Hitler went to jail. What good did it serve the Germans?

It’s as if the sheep decided, “f these boring shepherds, let’s go party with these wolves.”

Mozilla is a not-for-profit. Like hospitals, that doesn’t mean they don’t make profits, it’s just that they have to reinvest most of them into the company and it’s employees. Speaking of which, those activities are not free and they’re not necessarily done just out of the goodness of their hearts. In these trying times in particular, I think we should start realizing that we have to be advocates and supporters for the things we believe in, or else they’ll die on the vine. And when they do, we’ll be left with the lowest common denominators that simply treat us all like a product.

Mozilla is the best of the big 4 browsers, it also isn’t pushing the whole Manifest 3 crap down our throats. At this point I’m sticking with them until I’m convinced otherwise. I’ve changed before and I absolutely would again.

As for losing the advocacy group, it sucks, but if I were in a tough position where I had to choose between advocacy and development, I would stick with my core mission - a stable browser with the features that users want. There are other great Internet advocacy groups out there that do great work (and we need them more than ever). Of course, EFF is one.

• Throat coat for when I’m sick
• Kenya Black or Irish Breakfast with full fat oat milk in the mornings
• Vanilla Spiced chai with a cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and star anise during the holidays
• Russian orange tea on a crisp winter’s day

Growing up in the south, at some point in my 20s I realized I just didn’t really enjoy overly sugared black tea. And then I discovered a whole new world. It’s been a wonderful journey.

I can’t remember where I heard it, maybe NPR politics podcast, but essentially, the election was more so a referendum on Biden’s (and Harris) perceived poor performance in office, particularly around immigration and inflation.

That’s an analysis that makes sense in my mind. My family is clearly in the middle class nowadays and we’ve struggled to keep up financially. Growing up poor, I remember how impossible the situation can be when times are tough.

So in that retrospective, it wasn’t necessarily that the public preferred MAGA policies, they just either like DT or liked him more than the current administration.

Also keep in mind that the vote margins were pretty thin in most swing states - within 1%.

So how does that translate to NC? Well, rebuke of Harris for one, but this is what no full endorsement of MAGA looks like. So we’re seeing that DT is a force all on his own, he’s like an FDR or TR or a Raegan, people just gravitate to him more that your typical politician.

Dems won downballot as well - Buckhout aligned herself with DT and lost. Same thing with Michelle Murrow.

Elaine Marshall, Rachel Hunt and Jeff Jackson won theirs. But further down Republicans, particularly incumbents, performed well.

Yes part of it was Robinson being a closet Nazi, but with DT at top of ticket attrition shouldn’t have been a concern with downballot races.

NC is one of those rare places that has long been purple. It likes to vote Republican for federal but moderate Dem for state. In a world where many other states have gone to “all politics are national”, NC is a holdout in that regard. Dems know how to win here (when not gerrymandered all to hell).

I attribute it to a) a well educated citizenry b) diversity c) dems sticking to their moderate constituency d) the right passing some unpopular laws this year

• Donate to causes you believe in. Organizations like the ACLU will continue to fight tooth and nail against each unlawful policy.
• Volunteer for things you believe in
• Use your constitutional right to protest
• Stock up on enough supplies for a month
• Pack a bugout bag in case things get too out of hand and have an escape plan.

Take solace that 60 million people in this country, at a minimum, did not support this administration. That will be more present in the cities, and there are a lot of cities in this country.

We have power. We have voice. The federal government couldn’t take Afghanistan with 20 years of trying. The same applies here so long as we realize our potential and resist.

Biden tried numerous times with loan forgiveness. It was the conservative judges that kept blocking it.