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For a long time I have questioned the level of American patriotism and how healthy it was. From the outside it always came across as conceited and misguided. Add the 2nd amendment views and commitment to free speech that get portrayed to the world as ‘only Americans are free’ and it really invoked strong negative impressions, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. I think we are now seeing the reasons why the lack of guardrails lead to problems. Allowing hate speech as free speech, can lead to extremism that you can’t curtail. I can’t help but feel that Trump is the product of a problem and not the cause. The right wing vitriol, lies and hate are ‘legal’ and it’s treated no differently to the truth. I know there isn’t a simple answer to getting to balance right between suppressing views and free speech. I believe Europe and other Western countries might have the balance a bit better than the US sadly.

Melania already has the perfect jacket for this.

I wonder if it is related to him hating Taylor Swift? People predicted Trump would pull stunts to get back in the news cycle, it’s really hard not to see this as a Trump inspired bit of drama - especially with an AK47. Unless it’s Melania out to get Loomer …

This isn't like your etch-a-sketch; what you write here lives on. You don't need to remanufacture truths and self justify anything anymore: just vote Trump and sleep soundly. Biden caused world inflation and Covid, the Afghanistan war from start to awful finish is Biden's fault, Harris is a giggling idiot, whatever gays are doing to you won't stop without republican intervention, and you need a closet full of the kid killers gun of choice for when the transgender medical police come for your children. And to top it off, the world economy will blow momentarily but not until we get a rare historical two-fer: massive CO2 induced food production which, oddly, has failed to lower prices as some would predict and runaway world hunger that goes uncured because in turns out that corporate interests really don't give a fuck. And again it is all caused by that scheming, but still a dumb ass, Biden and his bobble headed marionette. No worries, you're good.

Hi Joe, Re: If it burns the Republican party, in it's current form all the way to the ground, that would NOT be a 'bad thing', IMO. Just maybe, there is hope on the horizon: The endorsements crystalized the remarkable evolution of the Republican Party’s establishment wing Establishment Republicans are backing Harris for president. Will it matter? - oregonlive.com I look forward to the day that the GOP becomes what it once was, a political party that I belonged to for 40 yrs. Jerry Baumchen

The individuals involved are also similar such that they are also members of the same species, which is interesting but hardly relevant. Like you, I also safe any gun handed to me no matter the qualifications of the giver. I also take great care where I point a gun regardless of whether I personally safed it or not. Nor do I consider any gun safe just because the safety is on. The point is that just because Baldwin plays a gunslinger on TV doesn't mean he has a good understanding or practice of safe fire arms behavior anymore than he would understand warp drives when playing an alien. It could be that just like a trusting student accepting a final gear check from a JM before jumping his accepting a "safed" gun from a qualified, SAG card carrying, gun handler was what he and his co-workers considered safe. Maybe his checking of the handlers work would be considered insulting in that line of work. As far as pulling the trigger goes, have you ever sat in a goose pit and the guy in the next pit over had a discharge as he was standing to shoot? Maybe Baldwin was lying about that but maybe he is also a victim of his own ignorance and has bouts of normal, human, mis-rembering. To my mind, unless the safety protocols on the set included a responsibility by him to recheck the "experts" work he should get a pass and the handler should get a cell.

One reason he faces fewer charges is because he was CONVICTED of THIRTY FOUR of them.

It's not going to be good. Trump is using Mafia style intimidation. Lindsey is being used as an example, because he made the mistake of saying how awful Trump did at the debate. As transparently wrong as it is, Trump is insisting that he won the debate,. Loomer is doing the enforcing of that view on the Republicans. A lot of Republican congressmen have secrets which could be revealed. Putin is reported to have extensive info on a lot of US political figures, so he can help out on the intimidation. If Trump goes down, he will burn everyone and everything on his way out.

Because they are not 20% more destructive. It was a troll to get people to click on the link, thinking it was about climate change, when in fact it is just another slam on Harris. It was dishonest and misleading. Feel free to start another thread with a more accurate title if you don't like the disclaimer.

And once again I must ask: How would we detect a difference?

I think once he is behind bars or under the ground, a lot of these Maga idiots will melt into the dark. They are a bunch of cowards, despite all their tough talk. And the FBI, LE, and DOJ will be ready for them this time, especially if Garland is replaced by someone a little less concerned with "optics" in an attempt to be "fair". If the blue wave sweeps the house and senate clean, then perhaps the SC can be sorted out as well. This will go a long way to negating any threats MAGA pose. I think they overestimate themselves hugely, because as far as I can see, most Americans are heartily sick of their nonsense.

And to be honest, is it? Someone you truly believe will follow through on their threat holds a gun to your head and says they'll paint the wall with your brains unless you eat a chunk of shit... is there anyone here who is seriously going to stand on their principles of hygiene at that point? Like the political choice - you've got Trump with his stated aim of dismantling constitutional democracy, or 4 years of more kids learning about the truth of slavery in schools and a few more black people being hired in front of white prep schoolers. Is that a tough choice, even if you really, really, really think the white guys should get the job?