I'm copying and pasting from another thread I posted in just a few hours ago on basically the same thing.

If you're wanting a good faith explanation:

The folks who own guns are almost all conservative and live in red states where there is positive sentiment towards ice. The people who are protesting are all left wing and very likely don't own a gun, and bringing a gun to a protest is easily how you make what could be a day of bruises and cuts into a day of bloodshed. I've been to several protests, and the big message is "don't give them any reason to mow down the crowd".

Let's also consider why we don't organize like they do in Paris. You get arrested? Fired from your job. You get fired from your job? There goes your healthcare. There goes your housing. Our resistance is slow, not because we aren't passionate or are too complacent and dumb, it's because the sad fact that sick, starving, and homeless people make for poor resistance, and I doubt anyone wants that fate.

The system we have is against us in ways far more sophisticated than what you deal with in other countries. We are surveilled by are government, controlled by our cops, and sold by our corporations. But we aren't dumb. We aren't weak. We see the hellfire and somehow still go out to do what we can, it's just we are up against the most powerful domestic military force in the world.

Anyway, I gotta go teach children who didn't ask for any of this. I don't know how to keep it together, but somehow they do. If you're in Chicago, I'll see you in the streets next protest.✊

PS: the kids are alright

Is it bad that my thought was "well at least that's more accurate"?

My mind went to how "the department of defense" was Orwellian AF. I mean his reasoning is fucked don't get me wrong.

When I had a housewarming party, I put a bunch of googly eyes in a bowl and instructed everyone to become googly eye terrorists in my new house.

It was really fun, and a great surprise to find all my eggs googly-eyed with pieces of paper with pleas for help written on them.

Still finding them to this day.

I feel like if someone dressed up as ice and joined in a raid only to cause internal chaos could deeply hinder the operations of ICE as they all become suspicious of each other and lose trust in their team.

Hot take (?):

It's fantastic that there is a branch of MAGA who hates the corporate Internet as much as we do.

If anything, in my 30 years I've learned degrees only mean so much. Someone without a degree but with actual on the job experience will out perform a new grad any day of the week.

Frankly the university system has become a way to make sure the poor stay poor.

Former liberal here. I always felt I had a more wonkish bent, that pragmatism needs to be more front and center in politics.

But if I'm now in the leftist camp, it's not like Dems are going to go anywhere but the way of the whigs if they don't take some actual stances. They've lost all imagination. You can't win on damage control.

Mike Lee? The same guy who laughed in the face of 9/11 first responders pleading for health care due to the cancer they developed from the debris of the twin towers, and then said "you must have some great stories to tell!"?

I mean the millionaire class is a grey area between those who are so rich they are completely out of touch with working class realities, and those who were working class who got a break and played a good hand right.

Personally I don't really have a problem with millionaires, that's an amount you can make playing by the rules and not bending them to your own will.

No I'm the normal one helping my ND friends out and I don't need any help at all unless it's keeping structure and organization in life and that one time I did Adderall I was finally able to do my chores but no I'm fine.

I used to have political arguments with my dad all the time, but like in a fun debate team way. It really was a fun part of our relationship until 2020... and then shit got real when I moved to a big city and the fun was gone.

When I moved home for a year, the first few months were rough. Lots of anger, lots of pain, but eventually I came to realize nothing I could say would do anything- to my family I was just woke end of story. So I stopped talking politics at all with them, and started talking about music, or yard work, or how we like our coffee. Honestly that opened things up later on to have more honest conversations that were more level headed. Frankly I got him to agree with DEI as a concept so long as I avoided buzzwords or call it DEI by name.

My dad is still the same guy- still funny, he's still bright, he's still kind and would absolutely help a child on the side of the road, he just listened to too much patriot radio. I still call him, but we had to realize our relationship and who we are to each other comes first. Politics might change but he's always my dad and I'm always his son. Besides, when I came out as bi at 16 he was the only one who told me he loved me so that's gotta mean something. He's still in there.

Which is why it's so important that we turn out and vote in the midterms. So many Americans don't vote in the midterms because it's not for the presidential race.

Anyway if you can vote in the next midterms, show TF up and we could actually get the votes to oust this monster.

I grew up in a household that kept with a healthy Mediterranean diet, no sugar, drinking whatever milk my mom decided was healthiest at the time, salads and kale chips, where cutting the bottom of a broccoli stock would be considered a cookie-

And then I moved to the Midwest. My god the orgasmic feeling of digging into chicken wings for the first time or a corn pudding. I had no clue that everyone here puts marshmallows on sweet potatoes or in a sandwich with peanut butter, like what?

And pizza- PIZZA. Look, I've had plenty of pizza before, vegan, peach slices on arugula with a light sauce. But Chicago deep dish? Pizza or not it's a monument to man's gluttony. Double dough? My god that thicc slice is choice.

The chef's here are essentially participating in assisted suicide, and it's the best thing ever. When I go out now, I'm going to Dr. Kavorkian's 24 hour diner, extra gravy please.

If you're wanting a good faith explanation:

The folks who own guns are almost all conservative and live in red states where there is positive sentiment towards ice. The people who are protesting are all left wing and very likely don't own a gun, and bringing a gun to a protest is easily how you make what could be a day of bruises and cuts into a day of bloodshed. I've been to several protests, and the big message is "don't give them any reason to mow down the crowd".

Let's also consider why we don't organize like they do in Paris. You get arrested? Fired from your job. You get fired from your job? There goes your healthcare. There goes your housing. Our resistance is slow, not because we aren't passionate or are too complacent and dumb, it's because the sad fact that sick, starving, and homeless people make for poor resistance, and I doubt anyone wants that fate.

The system we have is against us in ways far more sophisticated than what you deal with in other countries. We are surveilled by are government, controlled by our cops, and sold by our corporations. But we aren't dumb. We aren't weak. We see the hellfire and somehow still go out to do what we can, it's just we are up against the most powerful domestic military force in the world.

Anyway, I gotta go teach children who didn't ask for any of this. I don't know how to keep it together, but somehow they do. If you're in Chicago, I'll see you in the streets. ✊

Right? We've had a flock of canaries go in and never come out. Let's be frank it's been a long time coming:

• Kimmel
• Noem v Vasquez Perdomo
• DC
• Colbert
• PBS
• NPR
• Roe
• Affirmative action
• Net neutrality
• Citizens United
• The Patriot Act

At some point we gotta stop thinking they will ever come out.

Guitarists hate the G string

Have you opened a newspaper, especially in regards to Chicago?

We actually are going hard AF. Brandon Johnson sucks in many ways but at least his administration helped get us prepared for the ICE raids so much so that the head of ICE made public mention of his outrage for Chicago because of how hard we made their jobs. I stood toe to toe with the CPD in 2020, I marched in 2025, I sure as hell am not going to sit it out this time.

Enough with this "Americans aren't doing anything" bullshit. I'm fucking proud of my city for the hell we have raised, and we will be making sure Trump's troops get their asses handed to them in a fuckin deep dish pizza.

But maybe you're thinking of New York which is run by a bootlicker who just let them waltz right on in.

Also consider social factors- chances are more baby's are made during celebrations, and wintertime has a BUNCH of those. I've hooked up with so many people after the NYE midnight kiss, lord knows how many kids I have running around this city.

IF I WENT TO HOGWARTS I WOULD USE PHYSICAL VIOLENCE

NO MAGIC SPELLS ARE GONNA WORK ON ME

I'D BE SNAPPING SOME WANDS SUPLEXING THE GOBLINS

POLYJUICE POTION?

NAH IM DRINKING CREATINE.

WENGARDIUM LEVIOSA?

HOW BOUT YOU SHUT THE HELL UP.

AVADA KEDAVRA?

AVADA THESE NUTS.

Sometimes it's hard to see what is a distraction for what. Venezuela distracts from Epstein, Epstein distracts from secret police kidnapping people, Kidnapping people distracts from tarrifs, Tarrifs distract from Venuzela...