ಚಿರಾಗ್ 🌹✊🏾Ⓥ🌱🇵🇸 (he/him)

#democraticsocialist #engineer #scientist #antifascist #vegan #cis #intersectional #antiracist #antisexist #prohuman #freepalestine #tootfinder #fedi22

ಚಿರಾಗ್ 🌹✊🏾Ⓥ🌱🇵🇸 (he/him) (npub1cyj…27v6)">https://justmytoots.com/ಚಿರಾಗ್ 🌹✊🏾Ⓥ🌱🇵🇸 (he/him) (npub1cyj…27v6)

Proud supporting member of Artisans Cooperative (npub1qdw…8zgv): https://artisans.coop ✊🏾

My Bookwyrm: https://bookwyrm.social/user/chiraag

Reach me on Signal: https://signal.me/#eu/AOQ7tnnuq__ysE9yQwC7EKOUF5mQhPGF4YPkJIDgZYbYLseIWKFFUIRWvKDgFHLS

YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCaNOj58aryPFfDmsMojW-g

PeerTube: ಮಿಲನ (npub15ww…8flf)

WriteFreely: Chiraag's Musings (npub1njg…3sgg)

Living on occupied Ohlone territory

Website: https://chiraag.me
Blog: https://blog.chiraag.me
Pronouns: he/him
Age: > 18

Public Key

npub1cyjgyn06808g2kru6f8plqezgj00fp45dc6hglgmewc7lqykvj2smh27v6

NIP-05 Address

chiraag_at_mastodon.online@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsvzfyzfharhn59tp7dynslsv3yf8h5s66xudt505duhv00sztxf9gpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds8cxw36

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1cyjgyn06808g2kru6f8plqezgj00fp45dc6hglgmewc7lqykvj2smh27v6

Show more details

Published at

2026-07-07T16:54:00Z

Kind type

0 Metadata

Event JSON

{ "id": "55872a1f276495c3e042a3012c1ba7ae3e75e9528539552b2702e3d461d38a61", "pubkey": "c124824dfa3bce85587cd24e1f8322449ef486b46e35747d1bcbb1ef80966495", "created_at": 1783443240, "kind": 0, "tags": [ [ "t", "Vegan" ], [ "t", "engineer" ], [ "t", "antifascist" ], [ "t", "cis" ], [ "t", "antiracist" ], [ "t", "freepalestine" ], [ "t", "intersectional" ], [ "t", "scientist" ], [ "t", "prohuman" ], [ "t", "democraticsocialist" ], [ "t", "fedi22" ], [ "t", "antisexist" ], [ "t", "tootfinder" ], [ "proxy", "https://mastodon.online/users/chiraag", "activitypub" ], [ "L", "pink.momostr" ], [ "l", "pink.momostr.activitypub:https://mastodon.online/users/chiraag", "pink.momostr" ], [ "-" ] ], "content": "{\"name\":\"ಚಿರಾಗ್ 🌹✊🏾Ⓥ🌱🇵🇸 (he/him)\",\"about\":\"#democraticsocialist #engineer #scientist #antifascist #vegan #cis #intersectional #antiracist #antisexist #prohuman #freepalestine #tootfinder #fedi22\\n\\nhttps://justmytoots.com/nostr:npub1cyjgyn06808g2kru6f8plqezgj00fp45dc6hglgmewc7lqykvj2smh27v6\\n\\nProud supporting member of nostr:npub1qdw2ylpr0uqmux9fxysnj0nezlfwv9n0c3jegr8jspu69rdavahqe38zgv: https://artisans.coop ✊🏾\\n\\nMy Bookwyrm: https://bookwyrm.social/user/chiraag\\n\\nReach me on Signal: https://signal.me/#eu/AOQ7tnnuq__ysE9yQwC7EKOUF5mQhPGF4YPkJIDgZYbYLseIWKFFUIRWvKDgFHLS\\n\\nYT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCaNOj58aryPFfDmsMojW-g\\n\\nPeerTube: nostr:npub15wwwvfyz59xqg4prp854n2jvt2j9u3d852auhwpf9qw6f29k4hesuu8flf\\n\\nWriteFreely: nostr:npub1njgxjun6rr5jfjcsy0ze4azja0n5fh962tvkvkh5rsycf5ljzdesq73sgg\\n\\nLiving on occupied Ohlone territory\\n\\nWebsite: https://chiraag.me\\nBlog: https://blog.chiraag.me\\nPronouns: he/him\\nAge: \u003e 18\\n\",\"website\":\"https://mastodon.online/@chiraag\",\"picture\":\"https://files.mastodon.online/accounts/avatars/000/165/860/original/9b7f461c68ca98c9.png\",\"nip05\":\"chiraag_at_mastodon.online@momostr.pink\"}", "sig": "79135a7bfa624a050d31dd942ae841fa8470a2a85ba248152887251126bab3359e98ea76c9d1bdec7accbce5c41edc30420a34adeb599be1e9685e9531838828" }

Last Notes

2026-05-01 14:54:17 UTC

- reply

I tried the vulnerability on my Debian unstable system and...it didn't work? Might be that the kernel version I have already got the patch (even if it wasn't labeled as such).
Anyway, I think they released an update:
https://ostechnix.com/debian-13-trixie-copy-fail-cve-2026-31431-vulnerability-fix/

2026-02-09 03:44:09 UTC

Hell yes
https://ground.news/article/progressive-candidate-launches-last-minute-challenge-to-karen-bass-for-la-mayor_2545d5

2026-02-01 01:28:14 UTC

https://act.biologicaldiversity.org/_M_d3tlOQ0G4T2Doik-Tug2
#CenterForBiologicalDiversity #SaveWoolyBats #Conservation

2026-01-31 00:59:30 UTC

You know, it's so funny...I regularly get emails from both Reich's - Robert Reich and Sam Reich!

2026-01-27 02:04:37 UTC

- reply

We can choose to switch to other banks. We can choose to use other software. We can choose to shop elsewhere. And while these actions will not immediately fix things (and we should continue going into the street, yelling at our representatives, whatever we are able to do), this is how we fix things long-term.
Amazon, Google, and the rest of them will not fall overnight. But we *can* cause them to fall.
2/?

2026-01-27 02:02:06 UTC

The world is on fire and it feels like everything is falling apart. It's easy to get stuck in thought patterns like defeatism and despair.
It feels like the goons are unstoppable, that the fascists and techbros and awful people are all winning. But they have names and their power depends on us *giving* them that power.
1/?

2026-01-26 14:24:34 UTC

- reply

The solution I've implemented is a custom domain + catch-all addresses, so everyone gets their own email address! Makes it easy to track if someone is selling my data.

2026-01-21 22:12:28 UTC

- reply

I 100% guarantee that if ICE did a sweep and saw me, they would come after me. Even though I was born here and brought up here. Why? Because I'm brown and have a "funny name".
I get that you want to pretend as though this recent stuff is ICE messing up their job, but I *guarantee* you they've been terrorizing black and brown people ever since they were created. That *is* their job.

2026-01-21 22:10:37 UTC

- reply

If your problem is that ICE isn't "doing their job properly", I'm sorry but we're not on the same side. ICE *is* doing their job - their job is to brutalize and terrorize non-white people who look like they could be foreign. And they've been doing that since day *ONE*. Pretending as though them not going after Indians is them not doing their job properly is just...wrong.

2026-01-21 21:53:53 UTC

- reply

To put it bluntly, I don't want *anyone* being picked up by ICE, no matter how shitty their paperwork. I believe immigration irregularities used to be a *civil* (not criminal) violation before the DHS was created. So yeah, saying you wish ICE would go after *anyone*, no matter how much you despise them or their views, is a shitty take.

2026-01-21 21:52:05 UTC

- reply

> But yeah I have yet to hear of them picking up any Indians in Redmond. Shame really...
Please tell me how I'm supposed to read this any way *other than* I wish ICE would pick up (read: throw in detention camps) Indians living in Redmond.

2026-01-21 21:29:11 UTC

- reply

Yo. Anti-caste Brahmin here.
STFU and stop advocating for ICE to come after Indians, holy shit. I don't care if they're the most virulently casteist Brahmins on the planet (I know a bunch), *no one* should be subjected to ICE's horrors.
Discrepancy is real, but that means we fight to ensure others aren't treated horribly.
People are literally *dying* in ICE custody. STFU.

2026-01-14 15:18:18 UTC

- reply

FWIW, I'm browsing with ProtonVPN (US server) and I can see the list/site.
Correction: Site loads, list is unknown (not getting 403, but it also hasn't loaded yet).
Interesting. Canada and India VPN servers got 403'd, but the US server is loading, albeit veeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrry
sloooooooooooowwwwwwwwwly.

2026-01-11 01:48:30 UTC

Hey, remember when that Republican called out "You lie!" at Obama and the subtext was "You lie, [boy]!"? That was bad b/c of the racist subtext, but uh...maybe other people should try that?
Maybe Democrats and the press should try doing that to Trump and Vance and all these mofo grifters out here brazenly lying to our faces 24/7. And don't @ me about decorum when these people have destroyed all sense of gravitas already.

2026-01-03 18:36:03 UTC

- reply

Before Trump, there was Bibi. Despite *mounds* of evidence of war crimes, the international order didn't do much. Western countries who supposedly care about human rights and self-determination didn't do much. Bibi exposed the hollowness of the rhetoric, Trump blew up the whole damn thing.
There is no coming back from this. And we did this to ourselves. We could have had a system for nations to resolve conflict peacefully, and we blew it up for oil.
10/10

2026-01-03 18:32:15 UTC

- reply

What Trump did last night is the culmination of the rot of the international based order. He showed the world that the US truly can do whatever it wants, without even the *pretense* of hewing to international norms. And no one will do anything. None of the so-called upholders of the international rule-based order will actually hold him (and US) accountable.
9/?

2026-01-03 18:30:41 UTC

- reply

We desperately need an impartial, truly international rules-based order that will hold *everyone* accountable for human rights abuses, imperialism, and violations of sovereignty. We should have institutions in place so that the US would *never* feel free to do something like this.
But we don't. Instead, we have western hegemonic institutions that let colonizer states do as they please - as long as they are from the West.
8/?

2026-01-03 18:28:50 UTC

- reply

So critics of international law as a tool of western imperialism and hegemony aren't entirely wrong. But that doesn't mean that we should throw out all of the institutions carefully built up over the last 75 years!. We should strengthen them so that they can hold *all* nations accountable - including western colonizer states like the US.
7/?

2026-01-03 18:26:53 UTC

- reply

So it's ludicrous to pretend (as some liberals are wont to do) as if this is the first blatant violation of international law by a sitting US president. We've literally *never* cared what international law said. Ever. The times we agreed were when *we* set international poilcy. And the times we didn't, we just put up a giant middle finger.
6/?

2026-01-03 18:25:49 UTC

- reply

After that it was a series of coups all across North and South America (yeah, Honduras, Guatemala, etc are all part of *North* America - I refuse to call it Central America!). We just never give it a rest. Of course, simultaneously, we were overthrowing Mossadegh in Iran, fighting in Korea and Vietnam, attempting to assassinate Castro (over 60 times!).
5/?

2026-01-03 18:24:09 UTC

- reply

There is an argument to be made (and I am making it!) that US colonialism started at home, with English colonists (and later the US government) stealing land from indigenous people and breaking treaties. Colonialism in the US context started at home *long* before it spread abroad. First it was Manifest Destiny (combined with the US-Mexico war to take the southwest and California), then it was the Spanish-American war to take the Philippines and Cuba.
4/?

2026-01-03 18:21:29 UTC

- reply

It's egregious not because it flouts international law (god knows we've done that enough times), but because it also violates US laws and US norms, where the President would normally keep US lawmakers informed (at the very least). It's a show of force, not only against Venezuela, but to US citizens as well.
3/?

2026-01-03 18:20:07 UTC

- reply

But I would argue that this action (kidnapping a sitting head of state without even the pretext of human rights/democracy/etc and without briefing Congress) is more akin to what ye old kings would do, where there was no check on their authority and they could do as they pleased. That is, this action attempts to show LatAm, US citizens, and the world that Trump is above not only international law, but US law as well.
2/?

2026-01-03 18:17:55 UTC

Venezuela, a thread 🧵:
It is simultaneously true that the US has never cared about international law *and* that the current action is egregiously bad, even for us. The first point is self-obviously true - not only from the general POV (Iraq and Afghanistan are perhaps my generation's most obvious examples) but from LatAm's POV as well (look up the list of coups and covert operations in North and South America over the last 70 years).
1/?

2026-01-03 17:19:58 UTC

The fact that the head of my country (a pedophile, child-murdering, wanna-be tyrant) can blatantly kidnap another sitting head of state with the rest of the so-called "free world" playing along is both a testament to the true lack of an international rules-based order and to the fecklessness of the supposed free world.
Iraq and Afghanistan were bad. This is *exponentially* worse.

2025-12-28 06:19:50 UTC

https://restofworld.org/2025/chatgpt-india-alternative-ai-llms/
Thanks [@h_tejas](https://newsie.social/@h_tejas ) for sharing!

2025-06-11 17:20:05 UTC

- reply

Oh, interesting. I think the same general principle, though, of Firefox doing more to protect your privacy by blocking tracking scripts is what's causing the issue here.

2025-06-11 15:19:59 UTC

- reply

Firefox does a better job by default of protecting your privacy, which leads Google (through reCAPTCHA) to think you're a robot (esp if you block tracking scripts and/or use a VPN...I get a double-whammy of this).

2025-06-09 02:16:14 UTC

https://open.substack.com/pub/zeteo/p/breaking-israeli-forces-board-gaza

2025-05-20 13:24:14 UTC

- reply

Yessss. Now do Saudi Arabia and Qatar and UAE and...goddammit. If we were fully consistent, then a good chunk of countries would become pariah states (good!), including the US (good!).

2025-03-03 18:09:32 UTC

Signal is one of the most important anticapitalist tools we have right now. It's FLOSS, free to use, privacy-preserving, and run by a (real - looking at you Mozilla) nonprofit. But that doesn't reduce the bills Signal has to pay to make the service work: https://signal.org/blog/signal-is-expensive/
I know several people here have issues with Signal's centralized nature, but it's the gold standard in encrypted messaging for a reason. Go donate if you can - we all deserve privacy.

2025-02-12 13:49:27 UTC

I received one of these emails, but didn't realize it was part of this coordinated wave of abuse directed at @npub1fh7…ee83 . Stay strong Codeberg, and let's make the right wing trolls sorry they ever targetted you in the first place:
https://blog.codeberg.org/we-stay-strong-against-hate-and-hatred.html

2025-02-11 18:00:14 UTC

- reply

I signed up a while ago and still haven't gotten an invite :/

2025-01-30 23:16:31 UTC

- reply

Yeah, at some point (probably when this breaks), I'd like to switch to a fully open source one that's repairable/upgradable, if such a thing exists. But honestly, this thing just keeps going - it's already 5 years old or so and it's still as good as it was on day 1, so...I see a long life ahead for it :) (the case is another matter - the PLU official case is falling apart at the edge, but still holding on for now...).

2025-01-30 23:07:14 UTC

- reply

I use a Kobo - seemed like the least bad option haha. Got a Libra H2O and it's great :)

2025-01-29 19:48:20 UTC

Hey Bookstodon, what's the best way to discover indie authors, ideally ones using something like BookFunnel to deliver DRM-free ebooks? I've discovered a few on here by chance, but I'm always on the lookout for more!
@npub1ny7…uv57 #Bookstodon #SupportingIndieAuthors

2025-01-29 00:33:53 UTC

- reply

I mean, IDK, sway + wayland is way better than anything with X11 for 98% of things (more seamless, fewer bugs, etc). Most FLOSS programs have also gained new features, putting them closer to proprietary programs (which have meanwhile enshittified, slurping up data and forcing people to store things in the cloud).
Yeah, some things have gotten worse, but Signal is way better (privacy/security wise) than what we had 10 years ago. @npub1jta…8zna has gotten better.
(cotd.)

2025-01-28 21:09:38 UTC

- reply

IDK. Linux is still nice. Firefox, while not perfect, is still flexible enough to be reasonably private by default and fairly snappy.
Also depends on what kinds of sites you go on, whether you're using uBlock Origin, etc etc etc.

2025-01-15 23:42:32 UTC

Did @npub19kd…t56d delete the post that caused so much controversy?!

2025-01-15 22:18:29 UTC

- reply

Yes, I started reading it!

2025-01-15 20:26:44 UTC

- reply

Looks right up my alley, thanks!

2025-01-15 15:59:10 UTC

- reply

Yup, we read it in school!

2025-01-15 13:28:42 UTC

Looking for historical fiction recommendations set in non-Western settings *or* in otherwise nontraditional settings (I really enjoyed reading Olaf Audunsson a while back which is set in thirteenth century Norway, right around when Christianity was still fairly new to the Scandinavian countries).
#HistoricalFiction @npub1ny7…uv57 #BookRec

2024-12-17 16:47:17 UTC

- reply

Yup, a lot of other outlets have reported as well: Trump files suit against Iowa pollster Anne Selzer and Des Moines Register newspaper
https://ground.news/article/trump-files-suit-against-iowa-pollster-anne-selzer-and-des-moines-register-newspaper

2024-12-12 17:29:51 UTC

- reply

The problem is that it is voluntary. It means that companies are free to ignore standards that they don't like :/

2024-11-26 15:02:33 UTC

- reply

Surprised @npub1rvd…m6kr isn't part of this...

2024-11-17 06:28:06 UTC

- reply

Sure, but that doesn't mean we can't use the term.

2024-11-16 23:59:12 UTC

- reply

I mean, it's also just a bad take. Yeah, words sometimes have different meanings in different contexts because that's how words work. It doesn't mean we shouldn't use them if they are accurate.

2024-11-16 23:53:03 UTC

- reply

This is like saying we can't call someone racist because racism has different common and dictionary definitions. Obviously the fact that common use might differ from the dictionary (or even academic!) definitions doesn't make the term useless.
If you're saying we can't say someone's fascist when they're fascist, I'm done here. That's such a mindbogglingly stupid take I don't even know what to do with it.

2024-11-16 23:23:40 UTC

- reply

Except, again, genocide *does* have a definition.
Use a dictionary before asserting that words with concrete meanings are supposedly amorphous.

2024-11-16 23:21:24 UTC

- reply

Acting like fascism is some nebulous term when it has a concrete definition suggests that you agree at least in part with its ideals but don't want to say as much.
Hence: Found the fascist.
PS: Israel *is* committing a genocide, glad to see you're on the wrong side of that as well.

2024-11-16 23:17:23 UTC

- reply

Found the fascist.

2024-11-09 19:11:57 UTC

Don't like fascism? Stop supporting companies that like it. It's not sufficient, but it's necessary.
Don't buy from Amazon. Don't buy from Whole Foods. Don't buy from Walmart. Close your Facebook/Instagram accounts (keep Messenger and WhatsApp if necessary - you can create a new Messenger-only account if needed). Close your Twitter account.
Boycotts work when they are widespread. This *is* doable, but it takes organizing.

2024-11-08 20:43:03 UTC

Y'all, the chaos has already started.
Buckle in.

2024-11-07 23:20:43 UTC

Y'all, take the money you have been giving to corporate outlets and redirect it to nonprofit newsrooms. The mainstream media is failing us (and has for a long time), and this is a good opportunity to redirect your money:
https://newsmatch.inn.org/

2024-11-07 00:32:34 UTC

- reply

Yes, but maybe not (only) on YouTube (i.e. a regular podcast perhaps hosted elsewhere and mirrored to YT).

2024-11-05 15:47:43 UTC

- reply

No, I meant in a later social media post.

2024-11-05 14:59:49 UTC

- reply

TBF, she later did condemn Russia. But yeah, it's a really bad look.

2024-10-24 20:18:10 UTC

- reply

I mean, that's certainly true in the UK, but it's not _as_ true here. Like, the Dem nominee is talking about going after price gouging and brought on as VP someone who has done *tons* of populist stuff as governor. There's only so much Dems can do when they don't control Congress, but if you think they haven't done anything, you're just not paying attention.
1/?

2024-10-24 14:29:11 UTC

- reply

All I'm trying to get at here is that I see absolutely no hope of a ceasefire under Trump and a very low possibility (albeit positive small percentage possibility) of a ceasefire under Harris. And I stand by that given Trump's record and his comments regarding escalating in Iran and telling Israel to "finish the job", not to mention his extremely pro-Israel moves in his first term.

2024-10-24 14:24:15 UTC

- reply

I mean, no disagreements on Biden. I hope we're in agreement that Harris isn't in charge of foreign policy right now and might be under other pressures to appear 'strong' (which might explain some of the hawkish rhetoric she uses)?

2024-10-24 14:06:59 UTC

- reply

All of this is to say:
* We *don't* know how she will actually react on this issue because of the historical politics surrounding Israel.
* The fact that she even talks about Palestinian suffering is in stark contrast to Biden who doesn't give a shit and Trump who hates Palestinians.
5/5

2024-10-24 14:05:56 UTC

- reply

Coupled with the fact that Harris probably feels pressure to not make too many waves given all of the other factors counting against her (woman, PoC), I get why she's doing what she's doing (while I disagree with the assessment, since an overwhelming percentage of voters across the spectrum want a ceasefire).
4/?

2024-10-24 14:04:04 UTC

- reply

I look at Harris speaking forcefully about Palestinian suffering and see someone who might actually do the right thing once she has the reins of power. You look at it and see crocodile tears. But I hope we can agree that *she doesn't currently control foreign policy*, and I would add that the current situation (VP running while current President is still technically eligible) is fairly unprecedented, at least in recent history.
3/?

2024-10-24 14:02:27 UTC

- reply

Are the signs encouraging? I mean, sorta? She talks about the humanity and suffering of Palestinians more than either Trump or Biden, which I think should count for something (Biden doesn't give a shit and Trump actively *hates* Palestinians).
And I think this gets to the crux of the issue, right? We're looking at the same situation differently.
2/?

2024-10-24 14:00:48 UTC

- reply

> However, of the two of them, we know how Harris will respond to further Israeli crimes against humanity. She is currently vice president and at least has the merit of coherency.
I mean, she's the VP and can't really outright contradict Biden's FP, and you *know* this. Add to this the fact that many people look at speaking out against Israel as some sort of taboo and I would say we don't actually know how she will respond.
1/?

2024-10-23 22:56:05 UTC

- reply

Like, Netenyahu explicitly wants Trump to win. What do *you* take away from that?
Trump is America's Netenyahu.

2024-10-23 22:53:49 UTC

- reply

> Trump has repeatedly tried to portray himself as a strongman during his four-year term as president - from 2017 to 2021 - 'standing up' to leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu while preventing potential military escalations in the world through tough threats and shrewd diplomacy.
Anybody who unironically writes this is either ill-informed or pro-Trump.

2024-10-23 17:04:13 UTC

- reply

Or are you saying he's condemned the current invasion of Lebanon, which even Biden has done (while obviously acting to continue aiding Israel)?

2024-10-23 17:00:04 UTC

- reply

As for Trump condemning an invasion of Lebanon, which invasion are you talking about? There were skirmishes and exchanges of rocket fire, but they are described as isolated incidents between 2006 and 2023 (when the current invasion took place):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli%E2%80%93Lebanese_conflict#Isolated_incidents_(August_2006%E2%80%93October_2023)

2024-10-23 16:33:02 UTC

- reply

RE Golan Heights, I'm talking about this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_recognition_of_the_Golan_Heights_as_part_of_Israel

2024-10-23 16:29:55 UTC

- reply

Ah I see, you don't actually want to engage with the points I'm making.
I guess you like JAQing off.

2024-10-23 16:26:00 UTC

- reply

Nothing is perfect. RCV isn't perfect. STV isn't perfect. Proportional representation can be gamed. Single-payer healthcare has some meaningful issues that need to be addressed.
That doesn't mean those aren't better than what the US has now (of *course* they are). And that doesn't mean we don't work towards those goals.
6/?

2024-10-23 16:24:42 UTC

- reply

And I can't imagine you're ignorant of this either. Like, I know that you're heavily engaged with this stuff. So you *know* about the NPVIC. You *know* about RCV being a reality in a bunch of states. You *know* that structural factors affect this.
But your goal here is simply to try to paint me as a hypocrite for daring to engage with a flawed system.
5/?

2024-10-23 16:23:30 UTC

- reply

When you asked me how to make viable third parties and I gave a pathway to do so (along with actual, meaningful progress towards that goal), you changed the topic. That's not an honest conversation. That's not an honest discussion - you're JAQ sealioning instead of actually engaging with the points I raised.
4/?

2024-10-23 16:22:16 UTC

- reply

On the national stage, in a safe blue or red state, yeah, voting doesn't matter. But on state-level propositions, state and national representatives, even senators? Of *course* it matters. And local elections are won or lost by a handful of votes, often with huge repercussions.
Checking out of that is just stupid.
3/?

2024-10-23 16:20:30 UTC

- reply

It's easy to say "Hey, the system sucks so you shouldn't partake". You know what's harder? Actually trying to change the system. And you know how the reforms that I discussed *have* been made? By people who engaged with the system to find ways to change it for the better.
2/?

2024-10-23 16:19:11 UTC

- reply

Ah yes, the old "You criticize society, yet you partake in it" bullshit.
Checking out of the system is giving up whatever leverage I have (especially in local races where it *can* make a difference).
Yeah, it sucks. But there *is* a meaningful difference (when I pointed out the differences, you switched topics). When I pointed out the path to reform, you don't actually address that.
1/?

2024-10-23 16:13:27 UTC

- reply

People *do* vote for third parties (hell, I do it b/c I'm in a safe blue state), but that hasn't exactly created viable third parties, has it?
The system is broken. There are several states out there right now that do RCV and proportional awarding of electoral votes. That needs to be expanded. The NPVIC needs to be expanded as well (209 EV so far with 50 pending). This is how we do this.

2024-10-23 15:46:10 UTC

- reply

Eliminating private political donations would also help, FWIW. My point is that we need structural changes to our election system if we want robust third parties to be able to take hold and eliminate the spoiler effect.

2024-10-23 15:44:07 UTC

- reply

That's not a recipe for building a robust third party. Not even close.
Let's get national RCV/STV and elimination of the electoral college and then third parties becomes far more viable.

2024-10-23 15:43:22 UTC

- reply

There are structural factors that prevent third parties from making inroads (FPTP, no RCV or STV, etc). We need to dismantle those before voting for third parties in swing states is ethical IMO.
Also, third parties don't seem to actually do the groundwork of building a party from the local-up - esp the Green Party just shows up with a Presidential candidate once every 4 years.

2024-10-23 15:35:45 UTC

- reply

I mean, I *wish* it weren't binary. I *wish* Harris not winning wouldn't imply Trump winning. I *wish* we had national RCV and robust third choice parties.
But we don't.

2024-10-23 14:55:05 UTC

- reply

He is not an isolationist. Drone strikes went up 400% under Trump. He assassinated Iran's top commander Qasem Suleimani. He dropped the MOAB on Afghanistan. He explicitly allowed Israel to occupy the Golan Heights (Syrian territory). He *tried to go to war with Iran but was stopped by his generals last time around*.
This is honestly such a bullshit talking point and I don't know how it keeps getting spread.

2024-10-23 07:06:16 UTC

- reply

only to end up with an *even worse* situation in the Middle East (more famine, more genocide, potentially a hot war with Iran) is somehow reasonable?
Look, I get it. It sucks to have two awful options, but at the same time, Harris *is* meaningfully different from Biden and doesn't currently have the power to affect policy. Am I hopeful we'll get a ceasefire under her? I honestly don't know.
3/?

2024-10-23 07:04:08 UTC

- reply

promises to be a dictator on day 1, *and* will escalate the war on Gaza is somehow better than the one who is at least saying more of the right things than *either* Trump or Biden?
You want to tell me that the one who has repeatedly talked about Palestinians in ways that acknowledge their suffering is equally as bad as the one who openly dehumanizes them?
You want to tell me that it's worth throwing women, LGBTQ+ folks, and people of color under the bus
2/?

2024-10-23 07:01:38 UTC

@npub1703…2l86 @npub1zxn…0kqm I get it. I really do. But you know what's terrifying? Trump will *even further* escalate the genocide, *even further* arm Israel. Like, he's itching for war with Iran and asking Israel to attack Iran's nuclear sites.
You want to tell me that out of the two options, the one who will shred the rule of law, outlaw abortion nationwide, deport pro-Palestinian protestors, potentially sic the military on protestors,
1/?

2024-10-21 23:41:10 UTC

This is what the IDF spokesperson has been reduced to: He doesn't actually *engage* with the points Mehdi makes, but rather attacks Mehdi's "loyalties" (and dishonestly at that).
https://zeteo.com/p/mehdi-versus-israeli-colonel-on-piers

2024-10-20 05:28:40 UTC

This is hilarious (definitely NSFW lol):
https://www.dropout.tv/courtney-pauroso-vanessa-5000/videos/courtney-pauroso-vanessa-5000
#DropoutTV #Vanessa5000 #CourtneyPauroso

2024-10-17 14:50:26 UTC

- reply

No, it *always* matters. If no one who watches Fox is amenable to facts, then there's no point going on. The whole *point* is to bust their narrative in their face.

2024-10-17 14:08:55 UTC

- reply

Honestly? She spents so much effort accepting the conservative framing on immigration rather than making the positive case for immigration. She's not the only one, ofc, but it's not a good look IMO. Yeah, obviously it's Fox, but she leaned so hard into the "illegal immigrants are bad" stereotype rather than challenging the conservative framing of the question.

2024-10-11 18:11:47 UTC

- reply

Yeah, I truly get this. At the same time, I refuse to give up hope that we *can* make change, because otherwise there is no reason to pay attention. If we cannot meaningfully change anything, then knowledge is simply a curse. Might as well give up, surrender to the totalitarian GOP right now, right?
1/2

2024-10-11 17:25:24 UTC

- reply

There are only two realistic choices here: someone who is promising to work to end the bloodshed and someone who is promising to expand it.
Jill Stein is not going to win.
Cornell West is not going to win.
A vote for one of them is obviously a vote *for them* (no, it's not a vote for Trump). But it also implies that the two main choices are exactly the same *when they're not*.
If you want the bloodshed to end, Harris is the only realistic hope.
4/4

2024-10-11 17:22:38 UTC

- reply

Trump is promising to *expand* the war, green-lighting an expansion into Iran for example. And y'all can say "Hey, but Biden is green-lighting an expansion into Lebanon" *and you're right*. But Harris is walking a tightrope here between trying to show she might do things differently and not throwing her current boss under the bus.
3/?

2024-10-11 17:20:48 UTC

- reply

But Harris isn't exactly in charge of foreign policy, nor does she have much power right now.
It is absolutely right to be cynical about Harris, to hold her feet to the fire, to keep her accountable. But we also know that what she is promising on this issue is markedly different from what Trump is promising.
2/?

2024-10-11 17:18:40 UTC

Harris is trying to thread the needle despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of Democrats want an immediate ceasefire. My best guess is that she's actively trying not to piss off AIPAC and other pro-Israel donors. In her interview with Colbert, she's at least saying the right things about wanting a ceasefire and talking about Palestinian suffering.
It doesn't change the fact that Biden is green-lighting a genocide.
1/?

2024-10-07 13:00:13 UTC

I fully agree that the October 7 attack was terrorism (like 9/11 was terrorism here in the US). And like the US, Israel decided to get bloodthirsty revenge against people who had *nothing to do with the attack*. If you believe ordinary Israelis should not be held accountable for the actions of the IOF, then the same must apply to the actions of Hamas. Civilian deaths are never acceptable.
Yes, Oct 7th was a horrific tragedy. That does not justify the horrific Israeli response.
1/?

2024-10-04 06:15:12 UTC

- reply

This is a joke, right? Vance lied through his teeth the entire night.
Also, to compare Walz lying/misspeaking about a random trip he had to China with Vance lying about flipflopping about Trump is...wow. No words.

2024-09-23 17:01:09 UTC

- reply

Seems like the defenders of the earlier Israeli terrorism in Lebanon might not have picked the best side.
(yes, this is a subtoot).

2024-09-15 22:38:16 UTC

- reply

This is why I recommend avoiding posting AMP links: https://www.theregister.com/2017/05/19/open_source_insider_google_amp_bad_bad_bad/