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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

JD Vance is an appalling human being. But he's a fantastic (evil) VP. The guy is everywhere promoting the propaganda. I can think of 2 things Kamala did in 4 years, neither of them good. I can't figure out what she was doing or why anyone thought she'd be a good candidate.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

"Freedom is not self-sustaining. It is not inevitable. It requires people again and again who are willing to stand up and say: 'If not me, then who?' " -Col. Bree Fram, United States Air Force www.npr.org/2026/02/21/n...

npr.org

Former top general calls military's removal of trans troops a costly mistake

As several global tensions simmer, the Pentagon is removing thousands of transgender troops under an anti-DEI push. How might a focus on gender identity distract from mission readiness?

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

I feel like OP asked a genuine question and all the replies are just snarky. It does seem like a surprisingly strong play by the Dems.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

I'm perusing the news and getting all mad when I look over and see this little dude watching with me. So damn cute.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Democracy *is* the people. If the people genuinely don't believe any party represents them then they have the responsibility to start a new party. Sitting out is just actively suppressing your own views.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

You've got it totally backwards. Democracy rests on the people collectively. Candidates/leaders are just a mechanism for convenience.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

:: slow clap :: Good job disenfranchising yourself. Nicely done.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

If we want anything to change in the US we have to take it to the MAGA voters. Trying to fight them via proxy is a losing proposition because their proxies have no reason to care about our position. (I'm not claiming I know exactly how to do that.)

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

If you posted on social media you in fact asked *everyone* for their opinion.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Exactly this! FB, X, etc. are not free speech. An algorithm that quietly mutes some messages while actively promoting others is not a free medium. A *moderation* mechanism that advocates false equivalence, tolerates bullying, and says truth depends on wealth is not a free market.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

That's not how US elections work. Not voting because none of the candidates is perfect is just literally disenfranchising yourself. Slavery was legal for 89 years. It's appalling, but progress is slow and chaotic. You have to win battles to win the war.

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Sue Stone @knittingknots.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Primary elections are when you're right to be picky and have a candidate "earn" your vote by their policies, history, stances. General elections are for voting to keep the barbarians out. Don't believe that, think of 2016 and 2024. Kick the barbarians out!

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

"Don't vote if the candidates don't represent you" is just propaganda. You're being played to give up any voice at all. Sitting out elections just means you acquiesce to whatever majority *did* vote.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Well. We still have Internet access. And they're not rounding up protestors and shooting them en masse. And you don't have to provide proof of party membership to buy food and medicine. So it can/will get worse.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

If they're smart (and evil) they'll keep ICE far away. Then if *anything* happens (and it's drunk football fans, so it will) they'll rush in to "save" the day. Their goal will be to make the protestors look foolish to an international audience.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

You'd think Governor Kehoe actively working to bankrupt the State of Missouri would be daily news in Missouri across the political spectrum.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

There are 340,000,000+ of us in the US. We don't need to 'focus' on one age group. We are capable of supporting all aspects of society simultaneously.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Huh. I did not have 'Jess Piper goes Tradwife' on my bingo card. Very odd turn for you.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

"sitting out" protests are just propaganda used to disenfranchise. The winning candidate doesn't have any less authority. Their laws and crimes have just as much impact. A better system might require a minimum voter turnout. A better system might have ranked voting. But we're not there yet.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

That's good data. I would suggest paying attention to that line: "... if certain conditions are met". What do you suppose will happen to those that don't meet the conditions? And who do you suppose will set the conditions? You will quickly lose the next election cycle if you propose a blanket ban.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

If time permits, please watch the movie 'Moneyball'. Then consider how those same ideas play out in politics. Then decide if you want to lose on principle or move the ball forward. (apologies for abusing the metaphor)

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

If one chooses not to vote then one is implicitly supporting the winning candidate. That's how democracy works. "Sitting out" elections isn't protest, it's acquiescence. I'd much rather be focused on fighting Kamala's stance on Gaza than Trump's on ... *everything*.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Fox News is spinning all day every day. And now ABC & CBS, some days CNN. Anything Musk or Zuckerberg bans or shadow-bans views unfavorable to the administration. Now TikTok too. They have the 4th estate.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

All Republicans favor deportation. Roughly half of Democrats favor deportation. So we're doing deportation, that's how majorities work. If you make voters choose between ICE and no deportations they'll choose ICE. You have to be strategic.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Well we still have to enforce immigration and customs laws. Are we folding those into another agency or just creating a new acronym? (Yes ICE was formed in 2003 but it was formed *from* the INS which no-longer exists.)

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

That's how elections work. You pick the best (or least worst) candidate - and then you focus your continued efforts on the smaller set of issues. You keep having the argument because you expect magically perfect candidates. Life is not The West Wing.

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Greg Olear @gregolear.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

One of the best things I’ve read in a while:

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

I detest these, "Amidst the chaos, look for the calmest person in the room," platitudes. That person has no idea what's going on.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Agreed. We're so bad at doing political parties in the US. The *idea* makes sense: collect like-minded people together for action and to reduce the mental burden. But then we start getting tribal about it and being intellectually lazy.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

At best US military might refuse to carry out an order. The entire command structure and indoctrination make an organized rebellion a non-starter.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

@forbes.com You should consider having different accounts to categorize posts like this if you expect your economic/business posts to be taken seriously.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Expecting people to rise up against the government brutality and simultaneously expecting that uprising to have trigger warnings is a special level of dumb.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

The abject weirdness that so much of the right-wing worldview is: Russia takes Europe and the US gets the Western hemisphere, cause that's fair. As if fairness was going to somehow guide Sino-Russo geopolitics.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

I agree, but it's not like there's a bin of politicians we can sort through to find one we like. If we want accountability then we have to start that plan. Too often the battle cry of the left has been, "We're really mad, and we want someone else to do something about it!"

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

God forbid anyone be triggered by state-sponsored executions 🙄

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

I appreciate the anger in this thread. I would however point out that the donor class largely pours money into advertising, where that money is not especially efficient. I believe we can break through with 1-1 conversations and reasoned positions. It'll be a march, not an instant win.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

I cannot fathom what moron(s) thought going into that church was a good idea. Way to alienate an *enormous* segment of society. And then the rest of the left just ignores it. You can't be this bafflingly ignorant of public relations. This isn't "taking the fight to them".

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Governor Tim Walz @governorwalz.mn.gov · 20/01/2026

Federal agents are pulling over off duty cops based on the color of their skin. This is not a serious operation to enforce immigration law. It’s a performative show of force and it’s gotten way out of hand.

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Reposted by @ralphedwin.bsky.social

Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

1. ICE has STOPPED PAYING for medical treatment for its 73,000 detainees ICE has not paid its bills to 3rd party providers since OCTOBER and the situation will likely persist for MONTHS, a Popular Information investigation reveals Meanwhile, critically ill ICE detainees are not receiving care 🧵

ICE halted payments in October, and the situation will persist for at least several more months

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Grown adults watching other grown adults play a children's game. The whole thing is pathetic. Go outside.

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ANUFH (Arlington Neighbors United) @anufh.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

This is a serious post. If you have any participation trophies or awards you would like to generously bestow to President Trump, we will gladly take them and ensure they get delivered to the bestliest President in the world EVER. DM us to coordinate : )

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

I 100% hear you. I think we (myself included) forgot two follow-ups: (1) to keep pushing after the elections for results (2) to push for viable 3rd party options. It's absurd 340,000,000 people only get two choices every few years.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

First time seeing this. Despite the endless emails for donations. The only message I can recall hearing was that anyone that didn't like Kamala was anti-women and anti-minority. I voted for her because almost anything would be better than Trump. But I'm not surprised most stayed home.

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ralphedwin.bsky.social @ralphedwin.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

That's a large part of the problem: the black community never did define the term, letting the right just spin it however they please.

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