A Republic, while we kept it

arensb@mastodon.social

He is intensely, extremely, terribly uncomfortable.Associated entities include: <a href="https://flyovercountry.social/@arensb" class="u-url mention">@arensb</a> (alternate Mastodon) <a href="https://ooblick.com/author/arensb/" class="u-url mention">@arensb</a> (Blog)

Posts

Post #4299962
Voluntary Charity There&#39;s a trope I&#39;ve run across a couple of times in conservative fora, that of voluntary charity, the idea that charitable giving should be a personal decision, not something forced by the state. To quote the Encyclopediat of Conservatism: Charity is voluntary and personal; state welfare is compulsory and bureaucratic. Conservatives argue the two differ in kind, not merely in scale. http://ooblick.com/2026/07/voluntary-charity/
Post #4299961
@aadmaa2 I guess paragraphs breaks are in short supply in Freedom250land?
Post #4299960
When you&#39;re so delusional, you think your speech, not the fireworks, is the big draw.
Post #4299959
An underreported bit of mediocrity for the DC Fourth of July celebrations: the cheap-looking projections on the Washington Monument (photo from https://wjla.com/news/local/washington-monument-illumination-returns-for-fourth-of-july-celebrations-freedom-250-independence-day-projection-mapping-250th-anniversary-national-mall-patriotism). This looks like a cheap neon store sign, not a tribute to America&#39;s anniversary. #Freedom250 #July4th #corruption
Post #4299958
#ListenBrainz thinks I&#39;m old. #Music
Post #4299957
Happy Bastille Day to all who celebrate! Allons enfants de la république, le jour de gloire est arrivé!
Post #4299956
That supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way? Ticketmaster can fuck all the way off to its singularity.
Post #4299955
Oatmeal Raisin in the Sun (probably too obvious) #CookiesAMovieOrPlay #HashtagGames
Post #1718984
I feel seen. https://theonion.com/man-finally-good-enough-at-new-hobby-to-understand-how-bad-he-is-at-it/
Post #1718983
If rock bands were named the same way as law firms, we might have groups called Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr; or Crosby, Stills, Nash &amp; Young.
Post #1718982
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/waas #enshittification #comics #SMBC
Post #1718981
Good on AP for not sanewashing (some of) Trump&#39;s more blatant bullshit: https://apnews.com/article/trump-fake-math-drug-price-reductions-1c89714a4b60ead1485d1de31b27da92 #news
Post #1590093
I hate it when life imitates #Bioshock Infinite. #uspol
Post #1590092
Looks like #trump fucked up so bad with his Jesus cosplay that even BillDo won&#39;t defend it: https://www.catholicleague.org/pope-and-president-clash/ &quot;Trump does not help his case by posing as Jesus blessing a bedridden man; he released this Truth Social picture after he criticized Leo. It is offensive and immature.&quot; And that&#39;s the paragraph after the one where he praises mass deportations.
Post #1590090
Joyeuse journée Gérard Lambert à tous! https://youtu.be/dkCxWZhP6pc #Renaud #musique
Post #1590089
Tiens, j&#39;avais jamais remarqué, dans &quot;Les Aventures de Gérard Lambert&quot; de Renaud: &quot;Alors, pendant une demi-heure Dans son moteur il tripatouille Il est crevé, il est en sueur Il a du cambouis jusqu&#39;aux coudes Dans le lointain le jour se lève comme d&#39;habitude&quot; &quot;coudes&quot; rime pas avec &quot;tripatouille&quot;. #musique
Post #1590088
From an article about electing the president by popular vote: &quot;The upside to the swing state system is that it forces national campaigns to focus on the diverse regional interests of places like Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Mexico instead of simply trying to appeal to the entire nation all at once.&quot; So it&#39;s a *feature* of the current system that some states matter more than others?! Are you fucking kidding me? https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-democrats-...
Post #1180827
Shrimp yoga. #CatsOfMastodon #cats #Mango