Colin Durant

we talk a good game about children as a society but it’s all talk, and women have known that for a long time. Now women can act on it, and that’s making everyone panic.

these are poll taxes. indrect ones, but poll taxes nonetheless. they're just forced on county and state election authorities.

Just thinking about the County Clerks who are largely Republican (fewer voters, but in rural and smaller counties) will go apeshit over this. They aren't geared up for this and it will require wholesale changes in their processes and they generally don't have large staffs.

I saw an IG reel with someone (again, I think it was a woman) playing the riff on banjo and it 100% would not sound out of place on, say, another Justified mini-series.

it's zero-sum bullshit aimed at ensuring white men stay on top as opposed to everyone being able to express and experience their full humanity, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -- with liberty and justice for all.

bell hooks' "The Will to Change" is probably the best starting point for men to read about men, patriarchy, and how it hurts us while it destroys women. if you want an updated look at how women are the USA safety net (to explain why a growing number want no part of it), read @jessicacalarco.com.

it is all zero-sum bullshit and it's good to see women challenging it for themselves. Now we (cishet) men have to catch up.

and to distract from all this, the men in charge hold over fear of the Others in cities and on public transit, the fear of not doing enough to protect your kids (encouraging helicopter parent behaivor), and making biz-style hustle & grind mindset apply to parenting 24/7 for "fear of falling behind"

all of this is USA patriarchy on display, because the men in charge want men and women working with less value, the men too overworked in the name of "providing", and the women exhausted from default parenthood, sexism, and the pay gap.

instead we have created a world where we're all shuttling children in cars, evaluating home-buying or renting decisions based on school quality, with two parents working and nowhere near enough time to build the "village" that's needed for support.

traffic laws and transportation planning would build cities where people walking and biking had just as much priority as cars, if not more, because slower speeds would be safer for children walking or riding bikes, skateboards, etc. Stores and play areas would be short walks away.

the USA is not serious about having a society where children thrive. If we were, we'd have universal, single-payer healthcare, heavily subsidized child care, fully paid leave for mothers and fathers, fully funded K-12 education, and public universities would cost much less to attend.

women can't win here. Conservatives -- including the Heritage Foundation -- slammed young and "single" mothers for having kids they can't afford and now that women in that same cohort listened to those experiencs, they're concerned about the birthrate.

also I have always felt so much of the discomfort and cringe around the band is less about Matthews than assessing a band that was 3/5 Black in its heyday and highly fluent in multiple genres at a time when musical proficiency was 100% not cool

I am semi-biased in that I loved DMB as a teen yet undersand how cringe it can be -- but yes, go to the show. even if it is not your jam, there is something to admire in the musicianship involved. Matthews is a very good rhythm guitarist -- singing while playing what he does is hard!

Unsurprisngly, Hegseth wants a "return" of the Boy Scouts in both name and function to have influence over how it "develops boys into men" and to maintain a pipeline to military service.

A reminder that Girl Scouting of America has welcomed trans and nonbinary girls from the first one that asked, has always had lesbian and bi members and adults, never declared bankruptcy to avoid paying for sexual assaults, and never poached the other side to recover from said bankruptcy.

when you are a prime data point in the Craziest CFB Season (and best IMO)

HOT, HOT, HOT! HOT, HOT, HOT!

(sorry but kinda not)

Doc, think I’m skipping out on the concerts this time sadly — economics of four tix with the kids and such. You grabbing the PDX Pioneer Square ones?

so many dudes fumbling baddies they had no business being in the orbit of

The only body count I believe in is the one formed by Ice-T

- Devonta, it is not that hard to remember to tell your fiancee she's pretty once in a while. I'm still not convinced he is physically attracted to her
- PLEASE DO NOT FUMBLE ON THE GOAL LINE WITH AMBER, JORDAN.
- Vic & Christine remain unbothered. #LIB

#LIB thoughts from last night:

- I slagged Connor for being boring and simple and that was unfair, but not as unfair as Bri was to Connor. She pulled a Bizarro Chris on him.
- Alex gets trapped because he can't commit to the lie.
- Just say no, Emma. You too, Brittany.

this website is about to crash again

Mostly counter. Feels most comfortable for me as a righty

Graham Platner is the epitome of how certain sectors of the Left’s insistence on class consciousness over all else enables men to claim progressive, leftist ideals while still enjoying their privileges under patriarchy (sexism, racism, anti-Semitism, etc.)

Still mad about that one BTW

another way the zone gets flooded with shit; just all-encompassing virtue signaling by the folks who claim to hate virtue signaling

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is decadent and depraved, and should have been quietly killed after Stephen Colbert filleted everyone in attendance years ago