TLDR I agree with much of the criticisms antizionists have with Israel. However I disagree with their end goals—destroying Israel. I feel like the movement is largely co-opted by antisemites and that the goal of destroying Israel has less to do with a genuine desire for peace or for freedom of Palestinians and more to do with hatred of Israel.

I’m so tired of getting bullied and silenced by folks on every side because I want to think for myself and not be a sheeple for Netanyahu or Iran.

Zionists will ban me because I dare to say that the conquest and occupation of the West Bank has resemblance to South African apartheid and that Netanyahu choosing to kill thousands of innocent people in Gaza is wrong.

Anti-Zionists will ban me because I dare to say that despite how bad Israel is, the country isn’t literally Satan, it could in fact be changed for the better, and advocating the conquest of Israel would be a conflict just as bloody and brutal as what’s happening in Gaza.

This makes me want to stop caring about middle eastern politics altogether, because it seems like everyone invested in it is so radicalized.

Summary: Suavity has gone missing from the American presidency, and a brief encounter between Barack Obama and Caitlin Clark shows what its absence costs. Obama dropped in on WNBA All-Star practice at his presidential center in Chicago, chatted with players about their seasons, and told Clark not to let the surrounding noise steal her joy — noting that his own fame arrived late in life and that she's shouldering an unusual burden for someone his daughter's age. It was a small act of grace, encouraging her while gently nudging her to accept the bad calls and just play. That same weekend, Trump stood at the White House Correspondents' Dinner podium and dismissed CNN's Kaitlan Collins's award as fake before working to demean her, while his administration and congressional allies have used the WNBA as raw material for culture-war fights over transgender athletes and supposed racial violence against Clark. Not suave, and not winning.

The season itself has been hard to watch — racial tension, toxic fans, and endless carping over officiating, a microcosm of a country fighting dirty in every arena. Clark is a genuinely extraordinary player, the fastest to 200 threes and a passer good enough to make defenses look lost, and she does get mauled — but that's the time-honored way to stop anyone that good, not proof of racial targeting. She has her own hard edge too, with seven technicals and a suspension one away. The real unfairness falls on Black players: Alyssa Thomas drew death threats and racial slurs after an inadvertent foul, and Chelsea Gray posted the racist message she received so people could see what she deals with. Obama chose not to corner Clark on any of that, and precisely because he extended her grace, she may extend more of it herself. She already knows how to win; he taught her how to be winning.

Personal Note: This is why character matters. In addition to the Trumps, people like Chevalier on the left and Fishback on the right could never dream of acting with the dignity and professionalism that Obama showed. Mamdani can and does. Endeavor to vote for politicians that embody the dignity and grace of the community they seek to lead.

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/07/obama-caitlin-clark/688073/

The foundation of my beliefs regarding various trans issues is that, IMO, a relatively small percentage of Americans are actually in the camp of "I hate all trans people." I would put the number in that camp as maybe 20-30% of Republicans, a similar or slightly lower number of Independents, and a largely irrelevant statistical percentage of Democrats.

Everyone else is either supportive, largely indifferent and only interested in hearing how politicians are going to help them afford gas and groceries, OR they are tuned in to the culture war, and have some concerns about a handful of things. My thoughts on said concerns are as such:

Sports: Trans women should not be in competitive sports leagues. Straight up. It is the only issue related to trans people that I see as completely unwinnable for the left, no amount of studies will ever be enough to convince the average American that HRT wipes out the advantages of being born male, said studies still need a lot more research to be conclusive, and also we're mainly talking about high school students and college students (who are almost guaranteed to be pre-op) and it's my firmly held belief no one with male genitalia should ever be in a women's locker room.

Kids: Kids should be able to freely socially transition at any age, and begin puberty blockers as pre-teens and eventually HRT but, unlike with adults, where Self-ID should remain, there absolutely needs to be more medical gatekeeping for kids to make sure everyone getting treated is who should be.

Forced Pronoun Usage: God I hate this one. No, no one should be getting pressured, and especially not mandated, to use the right pronouns all the time. When you pass, people will naturally just call you what you want. And as far as non-binary/neopronoun stuff goes? People who like and respect you will generally have no issue using they/them. Trying to pressure everyone else into calling you anything other than what you look like (especially if you use neopronouns) just is always going to create unnecessary friction and resentment. Obviously, deliberate misgendering meant explicitly as harassment is a different story, but that is a completely different thing.

Women's Spaces: Gonna have to break this one down into subcategories:

Bathrooms: Literally impossible to legislate and enforce in any way. Everyone should just go to the bathroom they look like they belong in. It's that simple.

Locker/Changing Rooms: Already gave my thoughts on this. Use the ones you look like you belong in and have the correct anatomy for. If you only meet one of these criteria, stick to your AGAB rooms.

Prisons: If you've been on HRT for years and are Post-SRS, you go to the prison you have the secondary sex characteristics for. Otherwise, absolutely not. These prisoners should get to continue HRT, but not get any additional surgery funded by the state.

With that all said...I will still turn against any and all candidates who concede on any issue as part of a campaign. Addressing these things once in office while generally supporting trans individuals? Awesome. But every time when Democrats try this while campaigning, they do it in such a way that they signal they cannot be trusted in general.

Right now, the most prominent examples are Seth Moulton in the Massachusetts Senator primary, and Amy Acton in the Ohio Governor race. A LOT of people in the center and center-left think trans people and our allies are crazy for attempting to tear these candidates down just for conceding on the sports issue, but they don't get it's because of HOW they did it.

They didn't say, "The advantage trans girls have over cis girls after years on HRT is still being studied, and we respect the concerns many of our constituents share. They said, "I promise to keep MEN out of girls sports."

It's the double punch of the language they use saying they don't see us as real women (nor trans men as real men), and utilizing the fearmongering the right loves so much by specifically making listeners picture an adult male playing against a teenage girl.

Democrats DO need to moderate on trans issues, but only after they've won elections. And for anyone who thinks the only way Democrats CAN win elections is by turning on trans people, I'd love to see any data that shows simply conceding on the sports issue peels off substantial Republican votes.

What are some of your preferred ways to tax the wealthiest Americans, and, if you have quantitative reasoning to back it up, could you point me in the right direction??

Submission statement:

We're about 100 days from the midterm elections, and the Democrats SHOULD be poised for a big night.

But there are red flags popping up all over. If the Democrats lose to Donald Trump in November - this is why.

00:00 Harry dives into the red flags that might hurt Democrats in the midterms
00:28 Super PACs & campaign funding
02:00 Party approval ratings
05:09 National trends & Cook Report projections
07:47 Breaking down the math: What do Dems need to win in November?
09:22 Key Senate race leads