That is a pretty big help financially… indirectly anyway.

Bone apple tea

Vote vote vote!

Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

I think what you said is true. But you’re referring to people who have an actual handicap and are discriminated against for it.

What I’m referring to is the idea of allowing myself to believe that a people group are less intelligent than I am just because they don’t align with me politically or ideologically. There is no actual handicap for which they are being discriminated against, simply having a different life experience and different view point is enough. It’s ironically a deeply fascist mentality…and I agree it is everywhere.

I was mainly responding to the previous comment which characterized right-wingers as having “lesser cognitive ability”. Just saying that that kind of thinking sets up a “we’re superior” mentality that can too easily lead to the same kinds of consequences as thinking you’re superior based on race or social status. There are so many environmental and experiential factors that go into where a person lands politically and how effective certain forms of propaganda are on them. Blanket statements that characterize entire people groups as less intelligent are not in any way accurate or helpful.

There are definitely plenty of well educated, intelligent fascists as well. It’s pretty dangerous to start thinking that what separates two ideological groups is intelligence.

That was almost enough to make me not notice that Zuckerberg is doing the kissing.

Bravo

I prefer analog websites myself.

Yes! AP and Reuters are great! Those two basically comprise my entire news feed, supplemented by a handful of other sources that fall on either side of center (bias-wise).

“neutral outlets like CNN”…listen, I’m all for shining as much light as possible on the disgrace to journalism that is Fox “News”, but CNN is about as neutral as sulfuric acid.

Or aluminum

There was no accusation, but I apologize if it came across that way.

No one’s saying you didn’t experience what you say…just that it does not seem to be an experience shared by many others.

Seems the actual unpopular opinion is in the comments.

I’m not sure if you are just super unlucky and happened to be in the wrong places at the wrong time or if you’re exaggerating your experience, but my wife and I are avid campers and we’ve never had that experience at any of the National Forests or BLM areas we’ve stayed at. Are you mindful about hunting seasons when you are in these places? Obviously if you go during a hunting season, you’re going to hear gunshots. But outside of hunting seasons, I’ve rarely (if ever) heard single gunshots in these areas, let alone something that “sounds like a militia”.

In my experience (living in a very rural area), when people just want to target shoot, the vast majority of them do so either at a gun range or on private land. I’ve never encountered someone doing that on public lands of any kind. Is it possible that what you’re hearing could be on neighboring land where there might be a range or something?

I’m not saying no one has ever done this, but as someone who frequents these places, it’s certainly not an epidemic like you described. Again, maybe you are just really unlucky and just happened to be there on the days when the few weirdos who do that were there.

As a Christian myself, I agree. It’s been sickening to me to see the behavior exhibited by people who call themselves Christians, especially in recent years. I don’t blame anyone for having unfavorable opinions about Christians. It’s no wonder, when so many “Christians” who say they follow Jesus look nothing like him. Instead of love, compassion, and integrity they display hate, cruelty, and hypocrisy. It’s like half the church just lost its mind. Christians had such an opportunity during COVID to put on display what being Christ-like is all about, and while some Christians did, as a whole we completely fumbled that opportunity.

All I can say is that I’m sorry for what everyone is seeing from those people. On behalf of all Christians, I’m so sorry. Just know that we’re not all like that. Not that any of us is perfect, but some of us recognize the complete and utter lunacy of it. And please know that what they’re doing IS NOT what following Jesus is all about. The people with whom Jesus was harshest were the religious people who thought they were being righteous…I think the same would be true now.

Again, I’m so sorry for all of it!

When we look at other countries that have had successful coups overturn their governments, the most common indicator among them is a previous unsuccessful coup plot.