Ah, but the cause is lack of treatment for dysphoria, not the dysphoria itself.

Sounds like it would be possible to prescribe puberty blockers to alleviate depression and mitigate risk of self-harm.

Jan 6 is actually the example I was thinking of. The system was overwhelmed enough that it took so long that their guy took office and pardoned everyone.

That’s the thing. You have to get enough people arrested that the system can’t handle it. Its tough to find that many people willing to make that sacrifice until things get much worse than they are now

Agreed. Protests that don’t disrupt anything are about as effective as online petitions.

“The perfect is the enemy of the good.”

Yes, some cops are going to use chokeholds regardless of bans. Some people are going to commit murder regardless of it being illegal too. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t bother having laws against murder. The fact that chokes are not reduced to zero by chokehold bans does not negate that it reduces the number of chokes used. In the same way, the fact that cops will sometimes shut off their cams does not negate the times that they don’t turn off the cams and it allows victims to seek justice.

I am aware of Killilogy and Warrior Cop training. Cops receiving the wrong training is an entirely separate issue from the cost of improved training.

Finally, please refrain from personal attacks as this detracts from your arguments and violates community guidelines.

I am hoping that the success of Zohran Mamdani is seen as a blueprint moving forward.

Democrats still have 23 governorships, control 37% of state legislatures, and 40% of state chambers. Six of the ten most populous states have 2 Democrat senators, three have Republican senators, and one is split. The house is split 219 Republican to 212 Democrat, but the Democrats represent a much larger portion of the population.

The point is, Democrats are far from being out of the game. Nobody else comes close to having a chance of beating Republicans in an election.

Not allowing choke holds isn’t superficial. Body cams aren’t superficial. They cut down on police use of force and citizen complaints. They also cost money. Better trained police costs money. Sending out social workers with police on domestic calls costs money ,and makes a huge difference in the quality of policing.

The only substantial reduction in policing cost is cutting back on the drug war and most left leaning states are doing that. (Reducing numbers of police would do it but most states have similar per capita number of police as Europe).

There is no doubt we have a long way to go on police reform, but to say there has been no progress simply isn’t true.

There’s only two choices under the current system and the other one is kidnapping people to put in concentration camps right now. The only chance to change the current system without open armed conflict is the Democrats.

I hate it but, until March or April (depending on the poll) a majority of the country still supported Israel.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/04/08/how-americans-view-israel-and-the-israel-hamas-war-at-the-start-of-trumps-second-term/

Democrats regularly raise taxes on the rich and Republicans regularly raise them. Democrats regularly push for prison reform and things like cashless bail. Republicans regularly push for harsher sentencing and reductions in per-prisoner spending. Compare a map of state minimum wages to their political alignment.

If you want Democrats to act on these things more, we have to get obstructionist Republicans out of office.

I hate it but it’s happening no matter who is in power. Best we can do is a party who isn’t going to throw immigrants in concentration camps.

Could be, but isn’t.

Its not a lie. The legal progress towards this has come from Democrats. Yeah, it’s not enough and it’s been too long coming. Still, look at which states passed laws on chokeholds and which states passed laws allowing people to run over protesters, then tell me there is no difference in the parties.

Criticize all you want. Just recognize there is a difference between a less than ideal party and literal Nazis

Exactly! The fascists want people to think there’s no good choice. Apathy helps them take control.

Dems can be convinced to try other election systems besides FPTP because they fundamentally believe in democracy. From my perspective, fixing things without violence is still an option with Dems. It isn’t with Republicans.

Where’s the lie?

Teaching a bunch of lies about American exceptionalism and how imperialism is actually good isn’t what I’d call “fact based”

That’s a right thing, not a left thing.

Right like how democrats in nearly all major cities increased police funding and almost none passed any meaningful reform.

A lot of left leaning places pushed consent decrees, for example:

https://www.chicagopolice.org/community-policing-group/consent-decree/

But don’t remotely consider universal healthcare

The list time Democrats had a filibuster-proof trifecta it was for about 2 months and they passed Obamacare. Since then Republicans have nullified about 40% of it.

Preserve the status quo which I wouldn’t call a democracy.

Except by definition it is a democracy. Like it or not, most people vote for the status quo.

Democrats

• Retain marriage rights for gay couples.

• Expand legality of recreational drugs.

• Free food for schoolchildren.

• Tax credits for families with children.

• Subsidized for free childcare.

• Expand electric car charging nationally.

• Subsidize sustainable fuel sources.

• Fact based education standards.

• Stop racism in policing.

• Expanded healthcare subsidies.

• Preserve democracy.

Republicans

• Being gay or trans should be illegal.

• White supremacy is great!

• Christianity as national religion.

• Privatize the post office and weather service.

*Eliminate the EPA, Department of Education.

• Defund IRS.

• Disenfranchise nonwhites and women.

• Antivax agenda.

• Expand fossil fuel use.

• Eliminate worker safety laws.

• Eliminate collective bargaining and union rights.

• Defunding science research.

• Deregulate crypto.

• No regulations on AI.

• No recognition of child’s educational or bodily autonomy rights.

• Eliminate hate crime laws except for straight white men.

• End democracy, install fascist dictatorship.

But yeah, they are totally the same, right guys? RIGHT!?!