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• Post #2985999

  Thanksgiving as a formal holiday seems meaningless. If we are thankful for something, then we are, and not just on an arbitrarily selected day. Even so, a happy day to all, to remember and acknowledge what is good.

• Post #2985998

  Wearing a hat that does not hide the face is a harmless aspect of some religions. Suppose a law is passed banning hats indoors at gov't jobs. Some gov't employees are members of a religion that requires head-cover. They protest against the law. Question: Are they facing a religion-based special penalty? Or are they seeking a religion-based special exemption from the law?

• Post #2985997

  @alexafontanilla2024@gaygeek.social All true -- but is it relevant? When did the Trump cult ever pay any attention to mainstream media? And what about Dem voters? Were they discouraged from voting for Harris because WaPo didn't endorse her? The real problem is America's long tradition of refusing to defend itself against Big-Lie demagogy, because that would require mandatory secular education emphasizing critical thinking and civic responsibility.

• Post #2985996

  Why do we forbid false advertising but protect blatantly false political hatemongering as "freedom of speech"? False advertising cheats people out of some money; false political rhetoric merely cheats people out of democratic freedoms. It is a matter of what America deems sacrosanct.

• Post #2985995

  Though I sneer at most analyses of the election outcome, I recently read an interesting claim: Some young men who had been Bernie Sanders supporters voted for Trump... because they despise the status quo. Such voters exemplify "Special Kind of Stupid."

• Post #2985994

  NY Times article says "Donald Trump's conservative populism" is a new era in American politics. If so, it is not about politics or conservatism but language: When language was meaningful, "conservative populism" would have been called an oxymoron, because conservatism is the antithesis of populism (and it does not automatically imply right-wing).

• Post #2985993

  In America today, populism = demagogy. The defense against populist demagogy is conservatism, but that has become extinct. Those who call themselves "conservatives" today are the opposite of conservative; they are cheap demagogues who use populist tactics to promote faux-religious fascism.

• Post #2985992

  BLASPHEMY: Insulting God or insulting things held sacred by believers (objects, places, concepts that believers associate with God) Bibliolaters insult God by upholding biblical depictions of God committing atrocities. Non-believers dismiss things held sacred by believers. Which "crime" is more serious?

• Post #2985991

  To save American democracy, we must: 1. Mandate secular education emphasizing critical thinking. 2. Recognize that freedom of speech is not license to lie. 3. Abolish the Electoral College. 4. Establish a single primary day across all states. 5. Define freedom of religion as freedom to believe and worship within the limits of the same laws that apply to all, with no special privileges or exemptions. 6. Discourage participation in polls, which distort the election process.

• Post #2985990

  MAGAt's reveal how they plan to Make America Great Again: Ensure that all Americans hate the same people and the same ideas that they hate.

• Post #2985989

  @jxself Injections may make him feel better, but they are also frightening him and driving him away from you. So for him, feeling better is NOT being happy. It is never easy, but part of the responsibility of having an animal friend is knowing when to let go. 18 is a good long life for a cat. If his choice is No More Injections, think about respecting it.