Yup — I think a lot of it was this image of a fictional utopia where certain people had access to everything, that was thwarted only by evil people trying to impose rules to make things equitable, fair, etc.

(They just needed to ignore that the inequity was caused by capitalists.)

Absolutely! They money is a proxy though, it provides access to impunity— legal defenses, lobbying, etc. The wealthy can (in large part) do whatever they want. It’s when they’re told “no” (you can’t discriminate, harass, etc.) that you see this backlash. It’s basically, I’m rich, give me a pass.

About 15ish years ago, the folks on the /b/ 4chan board would call CSAM “cheese pizza” (same initials as what they were exchanging).

4chan is also where Qanon and PizzaGate were dreamt up (tho maybe on /pol/, I don’t know because you’d have needed a hazmat suit to actually lurk there ever).

Turning off replies because I'm not interested in debate.

I'm right.

Also, don't tell me that the state cops protect us from ICE when I was personally brutalized by ICE in the presence of a mob of state cops. Police do not protect protesters. That's simply not how they exist in relation to us.

“Listen, we have to get past these internal recriminations.” - me when my boss asks why I haven’t gotten anything done in 7 weeks

Will you commit to doing everything in your power to ensure ever last person complicit in the destruction of our democracy goes to prison for a long time, and ensure your colleagues do too?

Or will we get more mealy-mouthed nonsense as the country and lives we all worked to build backslides further

I am no historian, amateur or educated, but I think the Spanish Civil war had strong rural v urban origins. The need for land reform, industrialization, and the last vestiges of colonialism seem to have culminated in battle lines drawn at city borders.

Sorry, Senator, no one will ever trust you or any Senate Democrat again. If you couldn’t hold this line, why would anyone ever take your negotiating position seriously in the future.

If the Dems as a party can’t unite against a fascist, they’re useless. You’re useless.

I own this and it’s spectacular for travel.

It’s not about power alone. It’s about impunity. They don’t want to be held accountable for their actions. Power is one way to achieve that, money is another. It’s a basic desire not to be bound by rules.