And then shit has to change. Fast. We cannot be allowed to go through this sort of threat again. Every tier of government now has a responsibility to recognize and close any legal loopholes that have been abused in order to bring us to this point. As well, they must proactively pass legislation to prevent this kind of fuckery from easily recurring.

For me, the necessary catharsis won’t arrive until I feel assured that democracy is safe again.

It’s interesting how this is only being reported now - the day before election day. When the early-voters already cast their ballots, and when the campaign no longer has to worry about keeping up the charade.

How many people signed onto this thing only because they thought they could be the lucky winner? It’s not like they can take it back now. Musk got exactly what he wanted - tons of signatures of support from registered voters in swing states, that can now be trotted out as some kind of “proof” for his preferred candidate when he loses.

On the one hand, some people do not know about, or even would believe, this news. Like die-hard MAGAts and/or people who don’t pay attention to current events.

But for the people who signed the petition for the hell of it, hear about this now, and who are capable of accepting bad news? Oh, they will be pissed. I wouldn’t put it past such a person to respond, “Well, fuck you, too” by not voting tomorrow, or by specifically voting for Harris.

I can’t expect the number of such people to be very high, but I do think that spite is a powerful force. Those who were on the fence before now have a personal reason to distrust Trump. And right in time to express it at the voting booth!

Or first woman vs. first previously-impeached president.

Until he becomes too much trouble and conveniently falls out a window.

maybe they will germinate and grow a new chip plant.

And that, children, is where baby potatoes come from.

Incidentally, there’s a condition called Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome that relates to this property. For someone with AIS that has XY genes, their appearance can range from phenotypically male, to phenotypically female, and anywhere in-between. This happens because their cells don’t respond properly (or at all) to male hormones, such as testosterone. As a result, the unused testosterone gets converted into estrogen, which their cells usually can respond to. For someone with complete AIS, they are usually born and raised as female, only finding out about their condition when they get to puberty and never have a period.

A quick note: excess estrogen can turn into testosterone, too. And yes, there is also an Estrogen Insensitivity Syndrome, but it’s extremely rare (fewer than 10 reported cases.)

He isn’t required to understand his behaviors in order to perform them. All his behaviors could have been shaped through early trial and error. Behaviors that got him a desired result became reinforced. He could’ve tried a lie+insult combo as a kid and got exactly what he wanted.

Repeated enough, the behavior could become second nature.

violent crime rates are near a 50-year low!

I wonder fear how much this could change in the near-future. :(

Some people in the complaints believed they were talking directly with Musk, a sadly common story that has popped up in news reports before.

I remember when I thought I was talking directly to a celebrity online… when I was 13. It didn’t take long to realize how stupid that idea was. To be a grown adult and still think there’s a chance a celebrity is sending messages to random people is mind-boggling.

I cringe at the memories now, but at least I can take comfort in having learned about catfishing long before I had money to lose from it.

Thank you. I don’t see that in the article, so I appreciate you including that update!

I’m happy he survived and all, but…

By the third day, he sent his dog, Freddy, to find his way home.

I’m gonna need some closure on what happened to that dog.

In aviation, this is called an “error chain.” It’s one of the concepts taught in ground school. Human error is a frequent element of accidents, so there is a focus on training pilots to find & fix mistakes early to “break” the “error chain” and prevent disaster.

Congratulations to you both!

Ooof, that racist “slip” and the quick attempt to cover it. Minutes 4:38-4:46

Look at all the … illegals comin’ in here. Takin’ over our … white job-uh, black jobs, Hispanic jobs…

I got the same vibe. From the kid’s expectations and reactions, to the parents’ own words on the incident:

“I don’t think Rotschy [the company] failed my son in any way,” Derrik’s dad said. “All these events culminated into this accident.”

The kid is on defense from the moment he tells his mom that something bad happened to him, then his dad absolves the company of any wrong-doing. Healthy, loving, supportive families don’t react like that. If his parents aren’t chugging the kool-aid, I’d be astounded.

It’s all cyclical anyway. No social media company will reign forever. We’ve already seen a number of them rise and fall. It’s kinda like how different civilizations gained and lost dominance throughout history.

That may be how a lot of people manage addictions. However, when it comes to ideology, leaving one community tends to ripple through a person’s life in a way that completely up-ends it. To leave is to lose everything and everyone that’s dear to you. The thing is, once that door is opened and everything’s already been lost, it becomes easier to question all the other things you were told to believe. I’ve spent a lot of time in areligious spaces (in-person as well as online) and it’s not unusual for former cult members to become full-blown skeptics. The trauma of what they endured provides a strong motivation to avoid becoming duped again in the future.

From the posted article:

Schneider described how she’d been a lifelong Republican and devout evangelical Christian her entire adult life. In 2018, however, “I had an issue with my church.” Schneider was an extremely active volunteer but wanted more of a leadership role. But “because I had a vagina,” she said, church leadership told her that was not possible. That sent Schneider on a journey of exploring new ideas, including voting for President Joe Biden in 2020.

This is a familiar story, and it gives me hope. It also reminds me to look up cult survivor groups to join, because these people need support now more than ever.

This article looks like someone “wrote” it using speech-to-text and didn’t double-check their work.

tossing a hard driving

the whole thing could be for not (instead of “the whole thing could be for naught.”)

and of course,

In a statement to Whales Online

Of course, if it turns out that whales have banded together to make their own website, I’ll stand corrected.

I’m not sure what these canvassers use, but at least on the Harris team they use an app. It uses location data to show canvassers which households to visit, serving the dual purpose of showing where the next house is as well as keeping track of where they’ve gone. On top of that, the app provides a place to record survey answers.

some of America PAC’s outreach has been plagued by disarray, the people familiar with its efforts told Reuters. As with many campaign operations, the group has hired contractors to carry out grass-roots efforts, relying on hourly workers to knock on doors and speak face-to-face with potential voters.

Some of those workers have been difficult to retain. Three canvassers, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters the work isn’t worth the pay, starting at some contractors at as low as $20 per hour. In some cases, they added, canvassers drive long distances in remote areas and don’t get reimbursed for gasoline.

I think this is all extremely telling. First of all, they had to pay for canvassers. Those canvassing on the Harris side are volunteers. That is, those canvassing for Harris do all of the above without being paid or otherwise reimbursed. No doubt the extremely rich think every problem can be solved by throwing money at it - they can’t fathom the intrinsic drives other people have that are more powerful than money. Whether it’s for something terrifying, like fearing for your and your family’s safety, or for something exciting, like breaking a glass ceiling, some forces are so powerful as to motivate people without financial enticement.

Second of all, those canvassers are being paid nearly 3 times the U.S. minimum wage and still say it “isn’t worth the pay.” One has to wonder, why do they believe it isn’t worth it? They don’t tell us in the article, but it’s not hard to imagine being in that scenario. Maybe the way some US right-wingers are known to treat strangers who trespass on their property could play a factor. Or it could be that the wealthy upper management treats their foot-soldiers with distain. Or it could be that they’re overwhelmed with work due to the shortage of staff. I’d rather hear the answer from former canvassers, but with the authoritarian ethos overlaying their entire campaign, I’d be shocked if any of those weren’t a factor.

Speaking of US right-wingers, it’s also very telling that the most die-hard fans aren’t jumping at the opportunity to get paid to spread their gospel politically canvas for their lord and savior favorite authority figure. Is it because the canvass organization failed to connect with them? Or did they connect, but realized that sending those people door-to-door could be a dangerous liability? Or did it turn out that the die-hard fans are only “fair weather friends,” who show up for parties and other happy times, but who’d ignore your calls when you truly need help?

There’s just… a lot to unpack about this situation.