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The reason I voted no is that during this past year when I have had discussions with conservatives online it has ended up becoming a nasty shouting match. I would prefer this to be a safe space with minded people.

To the point where a Capitalist Market's only goal is growth & stockholder wealth, with no regard for sustainability or environmental impacts, and then to have SCOTUS declare corporations are "people" who vote with money & political force, further cementing their death grip on our Earth that will inevitably result in a depleted, dead Planet - YES, CORPORATIONS ARE EVIL.

I can only speak for myself. If I was a celebrity, I would feel obligated to speak out. It would be a gift to be able to do the moral and ethical thing in such a potentially impactful way.

DEAR RED STATES… WE’RE LEAVING Dear Red States, We’ve decided we’re leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we’re taking the other Blue States with us. That includes Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia, most of the Northeast, and our favorite swing-flirts like Michigan and Pennsylvania when they behave. We’ll call ourselves The United States of Sanity. You can keep Mar-a-Lago. Here’s the split: • We get stem-cell research. You get stemware from Branson gift shops. • We get the Statue of Liberty. You get the world’s largest ball of twine. • We get Apple, Microsoft, Google, and you get MyPillow. • We get Hollywood. You get Duck Dynasty reruns. Resources: • We control most of the venture capital, the Ivy League, the West Coast tech corridor, the Great Lakes (about 84% of North America’s surface fresh water), and 95% of U.S. wine production. • You get coal, cattle, and almost all the tornadoes. • Pineapples? Hawaii. Lettuce? California. Cheese? Sorry, Wisconsin votes blue more often than not, so it’s coming with us. Taxes and money: • On average, blue states send more to Washington than they get back. Red states take in more federal dollars than they pay. So when we “split the check,” you’ll be picking up your own tab for the first time in decades. Good luck with that. Culture: • Blue states have lower divorce rates and higher life expectancy. Red states have more churches per square mile, but somehow not more stable marriages. • In recent polls, around 40% of Republicans still doubt evolution, and a stubborn minority think Saddam helped with 9/11. Y’all can keep those history books. • We get Broadway. You get Branson, which is kind of Broadway if it ran on casseroles and Precious Moments figurines. Weather: • Hurricanes? You’ll still get clobbered in Florida and Texas. • Mosquitoes? Honestly, they’re bipartisan — but they seem happier in your humidity. Peace out, —The Blue States 🥂💻🌊

I, for one, cannot help but wonder about the consequences of electric cars on the "national power grid." If all Americans were to buy electric cars and all electric car owners (of which I am not one) plugged in their vehicles to charge car batteries at the same time -- say, between 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. . . . To quote H. Ross Perot out of context, "you're going to hear a giant sucking sound" . . . followed by The Big Blackout.

They are splitting hairs and arguing in bad faith about distinctions about whether a few years either way makes any difference at all, in the law and the facts of an illegal, immoral, and unfair power imbalance between a child and an adult in a sexual situation. Period... Also, the fact that a man, including Epstein, prefers sex with girls close enough to legal consent age, at least in how they appear to onlookers, still makes them a creepy scumbag and a pedo, a criminal, and an adult man who has no business having sex with them. Those men are merely trying to look more respectable than they are, and to minimize or reduce their vulnerability to being condemned by the public and their peers..

Yes, Megyn Kelly can do basic math. As far as common sense goes umm 0. Whether a child is five or 15 they are still considered a minor. When a person of any age does not consent to sex and it is then forced on them, that is rape. Rape of a minor makes you a pedophile. PERIOD.

i fear that the bad news is already baked into his stock price and the bar has already been lowered to dirt level. i mean, he bragged about grabbing women by the cat hairs, is already a felon and adjudicated rapist, blew up 20 boats carrying 79 people on spec, hoped for his VP to be hanged, and buried his ex-wife on his golf course for the tax break!

With all the gerrymandering, 2024 election results under scrutiny, and Gavin Newson telling us Republicans are rigging the midterm elections, how confident do feel our elections will be fair and accurate going forward. Gavin Newson has been catching some heat from some democrats who feel there is already a clear lack of trust in our voting system right now, and it's one of the most serious issues facing our democracy. I feel Gavin Newson is doing the right thing. While prop 50 is gaining some controversy, in Gavin's words " we have to fight fire with fire". While the Lyin King is destroying our country, we have to make sure we do everything possible to save our democracy. We are out of time and have to win the midterms. We need to applaud the efforts of Gavin Newson going full out on the president and his administration.

There’s no place like Rome. There’s no place like Rome. Start packing.

. . . or all get to be eaten. Should I wind up on the menu, per favore, serve me with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.

The implication is that we're going to win unless the Rs can figure out a better way to cheat. They're working on it. Our side needs to be ever-vigilant and "think outside the box." The Rs are diabolical and clever and have no boundaries. Nothing is off the table. Nothing is too-farfetched for them. Nothing is sacred. They respect nothing. Our people need to brainstorm and consider the most far out possibilities, because that's what they will be doing. ARE doing. Trust no one. Check and re-check everything and everyone.

I think it is especially important for comedians to speak out. They are the ones who call out nonsense, piffle, lies, hypocrisy and utter bull💩. We depend on them to remind us of reality.

With fame comes responsibility.

I'd say frequently, but not always.

Happy to receive unbiased news from sources that have not been bought.

Yep. Pretty much sums it up. I’ve been saying this kind of thing for 4 decades. Funny, I was so brainwashed that I didn’t think we had a choice. “That’s the way corporations work.” Kind of like the “boys will be boys” bull💩 excuse for them being aggressive and/mean.

That's pragmatic and offers space to get things done. If there are right wing trolls here (or any kind of troll) on the forum, it's the job of moderation to weed them out for 'disturbance of the peace.' Isn't a huge part of our agenda opening minds and appealing to the good side of people? I know for me at least, rage never got me anywhere and the real work begins when I can belly breathe again.

I agree with most of the content at MSNBC but if you watch or try to watch an evening’s worth, you’ll get the same story rehashed three or four times on three or four different programs. There must be more voices, more untold stories and more points of view than those we see on MSNBC every evening.

I believe it's ok for celebrities to voice their opinions, just as it is ok for anyone to do so. But people must keep in mind that they are just individuals voicing an opinion.

Give me a Democratic Socialist before an autocratic oligarchy any day of the week! Good going, Zohran Mamdani! More please!

interesting and complicated, Toledo. I suppose voting rights was a way to put an end to the violence. But now, between Musk, the King and all the king's men, they're doing all they can to take away the voting rights of others.

Republicans also like to say guns don’t kill people; people kill people and blame mass shootings on mental health issues. Yet they don’t support funding for mental health services. Their arguments never make sense to me.

Last night was very encouraging. That being said, the timing was perfect. The Lyin' King and his lying administration decided to purposely withhold Snap money even though it was court ordered. At the same time throwing himself of all things, a Gatsby party while also posting endless pictures of his completely marble new bathroom. In answer to question one, is it possible they could rig it? I don't put ANYTHING passed this administration. I'm not worried about the physical intimidation such as poll intimidation. I am deeply concerned about polling machine manipulation. If there is anyway to fix the election which they are blatantly already doing, we have a year to figure out how to stop him. Hopefully, a blue tsunami will help stop tampering. We are beginning to see and especially after last night some Republicans are realizing there chances of being reelected are going to be very slim and maybe that will override THE LYIN' KING intimidation so they can do what they already know is the right thing to do.. The Election of Zohran Mamdani should be the biggest voice of change. He ran a great campaign and truly won over young voters. The Lyin' King is already trying to get him deported. Mamdani seems ready to take on the President. He needs to not poke the bear. The President is already threating to withhold funding to NY. Hopefully, Mamdani will pick a very knowledgeable administration to back him. He already has the endorsement of the governor and they will have to work closely together to handle the President. I think the Democrat's will embrace change because they realize they have no choice. The old way of thinking and running campaigns, put us in this position. Hopefully, they will join forces and support each other in positive change going forward. They must!!!

“Living in a society” Matthew Cooke you are right. People are so afraid of words such as socialism and communism and have no idea what they really mean. Unfortunately, we are so far from “living in a society” I can’t imagine we will be able to redeem some essence of peace and caring for each other. The saddest part is we all want the same things. A place to live, food to sustain us, an education, a living wage and people we care about. The amount of wealth and greed is so completely out of control. To have people going hungry so the rich can keep raking it in, is inhumane. How much money is enough? Is it the thrill of a race to be the richest person in America no matter how many people you have to destroy. Maybe I’m naive but none of these billionaires seem happy or content. They will never know the true feeling of peace or appreciation for any place or person. For the sake of our children and grandchildren this President and administration have to be stopped and punished. Only then we can start to rebuild and be living in a decent society.

overview of socialism versus the "dark triad"

I applaud the celebrities that speak out and donate to causes they believe in. These are not normal times. When you have billionaires buying elections, we need all the help we can get. As for JK Rowling, I never was a Harry Potter fan but my daughter was. She was extremely disappointed in Rowling as a person but respects her writing.

Jennifer Lawrence says, Billie Eilish is going the other way. Telling billionaire's off to their face and donating millions. which way would you go if you were a celebrity? for example, J.K. Rowling airs anti-trans positions. Will you, should you boycott the Harry Potter universe?

Who could possibly feel that the AI video of The President flying a jet dressed as a King flying over a protest dumping poop is an appropriate response to a peaceful protest of 7 million people? Imagine if Obama or Biden did something like this. The Republicans freaked out when Obama wore a beige suit. Do I agree with Trumps freedom to be able to post such a disgusting and churlish piece of 💩? Yep I sure do. Should this man-baby be our president? Absolutely not. The Speaker of the house, Mike Johnson needs to go too. Such a religious man with no morals whatsoever. He is the ventriloquist dummy, sitting on Trumps lap. All Americans should be appalled.

Sure, the Lyin' King (or Prez-a-King, whichever you prefer) is prejudice against every category of human being that is not a white male. Actually, ANY human being that doesn't like and/or support him. But his bias won't stop him from hanging with Kanye or turning against the DC police if it's useful. His policies and relationships are purely transactional. If most Hispanics voted for him, he'd open the borders. If crime benefits him (as did the Jan 6 insurrection) he'd rationalize it and pardon the thugs. If peace can get him a Prize, he's for it, otherwise he'd risk a global war by dropping bombs on Iran and support the massacre of Palestinians to appease the interests of powerful political allies. He pretends to be an anti-abortion Christian for the same reason. In reality, he's not even a Republican. He's a Narcissistic Sociopath out for himself. "Follow the money" is the traditional advice for figuring out the moves of politicians around the Monopoly board. The Top Hat, Battleship and Racing Car own Park Place. They routinely PASS GO and collect $200 (million or billion) from The Banker. The Boot & Wheelbarrow (working men), Iron & Thimble (working women), and Dog (natural world), are stuck on the 2 purple spaces. Today, "follow the money" still applies. But, also, the dice are fixed and the guy rolling them is most interested in accumulating GET OUT OF JAIL FREE cards!

It's my belief that MTG looked at the polls and decided she was on the wrong side of the Epstein fallout. How soon we forget her rants and antics against the left. Her current behavior is just cleaning up the image for her next gig.

I agree, resigning because of someone you oppose, might be better for your own life and welfare, but it does nothing to stop the 🧻hole you oppose. If anything, it gives them a win, and makes them look and feel stronger... To me, the congress critters who start finally opposing THE LYIN' KING before they resign, are not profiles in courage, rather they are cowards. I have more respect for a Liz Cheney, who stand and fight, all the way to being defeated at the polls, compared to those who virtue signal thru resigning, rather than staying on and fighting, down to the last election they face..

He was the “right” black man only because he was a “safe” black man (not radical, not militant, not aggressive, not forceful — unlike the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) for a segment of the electorate. For me, Barack Obama was not the right black man. America needed — and still needs — a “person of color” who didn’t — and doesn’t — play it safe. Perhaps that man is Zohran Mamdani.

Captain's Log—Stardate 2025.15.10 it's been 1 year since Newbl construction began. Now 3 weeks into its initial launch, i'm still deliberating its purpose and direction. i steered an online dating service for over 25 years and a prior political discussion forum for 10. You'd think i'd have learned enough. Still, things change. And key questions remain: i know the public is tired of being exploited by unscrupulous money-sucking data-harvesting profiteers. But, even if they embrace the concept of a non-profit social network, are they willing to help built one from scratch? communicating can be a heavy lift. Are web-surfers too dependent on instant gratification -- 30 second cat-clips, hot TikTok stars, vertical doom-scrolling, swipe-left-right decision-making, and thumb-typing? thousands of cyberspace travelers have dropped in. Most — hesitant to sign-up and engage. Surely, numerous bugs in the software have impeded growth. How much? i'm feeling the next phase should be about me listening. And not to any half-human Spock or a.i. Copilot. i need to beam down. explore deeper. interview the native life forms...

It's esp., been true since the early 1970s, when the SC began ruling that campaign money was protected speech, and therefore couldn't be limited or regulated. This was long before their Citizen's United decision, which was more of a final nail in the coffin. It's really interesting to me, that the corporate media will occasionally mention how high our rate of non voting is in elections, compared to other developed democracies. But at the same time, the corporate media never does any studies, research, or analysis of why that is, esp. when it comes to asking registered voters why they don't vote. My take is that those voters see no real diff between the two major parties, esp. on economic issues and policy, and that's why they don't bother voting, esp. in fed elections. But the corporate media doesn't want to admit that, much less let those voters ever know about any third party or independent candidates, that offer a real option for voting outside the duopoly, and someone who isn't bought, because those parties and candidates don't have the money to buy ads in the corporate media, so the corporate media protects their big money clients, the major parties. And so it goes, on and on...

I'm with Lindy and macphysto, in really missing George Carlin. He was my hero and was also my generation's Lenny Bruce, when Carlin got older and his commentary got edgier and angrier.. I love the T-shirt with him and the quote, " Never underestimate the power of stupidity in large groups of people"...

. . . to his eternal damnation, as far as I am concerned. Exactly! America does not have to exactly and slavishly copy the single-payer/universal healthcare models in other countries. Customization and optimization should be the strategy! Adopt what would work in America. Jettison what would not work.

Hi Ben. Welcome to Newbl. Truly I feel for all of the federal workers not getting paid and all of the people not getting food money. It's especially difficult this time of year with the holidays upon us. I feel like we finally had some leverage to work with. It would have at least secured ACA . I fear the whole shutdown was for nothing and people suffered needlessly if we get nothing out of it. Unfortunately, we can only assume at this point the Republicans will renege on their promise, as we have learned their promises are just lies to advance whatever outcome they desire. We definitely have more fighting to do. I believe there will be a huge protest at the Capital on 11/22 thru 11/25. On 11/28 the Blackout begins and ends on 12/5. No Black Friday or Cyber Monday participation. (lol that will be difficult but I will do my part). You are right, our focus now has to be on winning the midterms. It's our only hope at this point. Although, I am hoping for an opening of the Epstein Files Christmas miracle.

The Dems winning a lot of the local races in PA, in areas that went red last election, says the pushback is real against the current administration. The Dems derailing the hold the line on the shutdown doesn't do anything for the momentum they might have had going. I have heard that if they can actually hold a vote on the extensions on the subsidies next month, the Republicans will vote against the extensions and will appear to be wholly responsible for the increases and rightly so. Frustrating

I share your aggravation, Lindy, and I agree with you that the shutdown was a waste. I am not surprised by the news. I was hoping against hope that Democratic congress members would surprise me and "hang tough." But -- incurable pessimist and cynic that I am -- I knew that it would be Democrats who would cave in. None of the Democratic senators and Independent Senator Angus King in Maine who "backed the Republican deal" are up for reelection in 2026; two (Illinois Senator Richard Durbin and New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen) are retiring. I am a lifelong registered Independent voter. The Democratic party has never failed . . . to disappoint me.

Thank you, Lindy! In capitalist America, financial boycotting by citizens domestic and abroad is, IMO, one of the more effective means of protest. Hit the fat cats where it hurts them the most: their wallets! Here is the link to the 50501 Movement.

It's a big crap-shoot - so many people using it have no idea what they're doing...

Calendared. Shop local!

For me, the most influential left-leaning shows are not on television (I balk at folks who get their news from TV comedy shows). They are on the radio; that is the medium where I get most news. Besides National Public Radio (which ain't what it used to be and probably will be less so because of reprehensible GOP funding cuts), "Pacifica Radio" provides the radical Leftist-Progressive-Socialist perspective that educates and appeals to me. Of course, Democracy Now! is a Pacifica Radio staple. Perfectly complementing Amy Goodman and her DN colleagues is (national treasure) Ralph Nader whose Radio Hour is highly informative and inspirational. I also listen to CounterSpin, the radio show produced by the national media watch group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), and several locally produced radio talk shows. To be added to my playlist: The Final Straw and The Project Censored Show.

The problem is, even the most red states are 30% blue and the most blue states are 30-45% red. It’s not a clean, down-the-middle division that will solve everything. I’d rather see the end of all federal taxes and laws and services except for military. Each state wholly independent on all the top issues, and self funded. This would include FCC, FAA, all of it. Fly into Alabama and listen to their radio at your own risk. Or drive and listen to subscribed podcasts.

Guns: The American Sickness. The Eternal and Incurable National Social Disease (the "gift" that keeps on giving). America's Favorite Candy and Not At All Guilty Pleasure. Gun deaths? School massacres and church shootings? Meh. Sh!t happens. There is no unacceptable tipping point. No intolerable amount of "collateral damage." No "beyond the pale." The sky's the limit. And like Heaven above, the Second Amendment is holy and sacred and must be honored . . . at all costs. No matter the costs. It will never be infringed. God willing. . . . and God is a Rock-Ribbed, Right-Wing Gun Owner . . . who has all of us in His gunsight.

it’s frustrating to watch the people responsible for the mess still getting their pay and perks while everyone else feels the impact. The system really does need a reset

The Great Gatsby is a great choice. There is a moral to the story, and it is so beautifully crafted. I'd first read the book in the 1990s, and had what I consider a surreal experience shortly afterwards. I was listening to NPR in my car one afternoon when suddenly I heard a passage being read from the book (I forget what the program was about). The reading was from the opening paragraphs of the chapter where Fitzgerald describes the summer party scene at Gatsby's residence "under the constantly changing light". I remember getting goosebumps as I listened, because I had just finished reading the book and that description was still fresh in my mind. I'd later watched the film and had enjoyed it too. Once again, a great choice for this forum.

Boycotts got Nestle out of the business of selling formula to breastfeeding morhers in third world countries in 1977. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_Nestl%C3%A9_boycott Artst’s boycott of the “Sun City” venue helped bring down apartheid in South Africa. https://youtu.be/9fR2r8Qlyyk?si=HzmeaQSyd4UwcLqA The lettuce and grapes boycotts helped UFW stand strong. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-22-mn-55663-story.html#:~:text=But%20grape%20growers%20said%20their,$382%20million%2C%20industry%20officials%20said.&text=%E2%80%9CIt%20hasn't%20hindered%20or,the%20blessings%20of%20organized%20labor.%E2%80%9D&text=The%20Associated%20Press%20contributed%20to%20this%20report.