Romeo's Heart

blah blah blah.

[Time Capsule Tales @timecaptales]

For the United States Bicentennial in 1976, the government funded one of the wildest short films ever made.

Created by animator Vincent Collins & produced by the United States Information Agency, the film goes on a kaleidoscopic journey through iconic
American symbols.

[Kevin Bass @kevinnbass]

I was a lifelong Democrat. I thought most conservatives were ignorant or evil or lying. I believed almost everything written in the New York Times, The New Republic, and the Atlantic. I was horrified when conservatives criticized the authorities. Every criticism I saw: I thought all of it was motivated by animus, resentment, self-interest, or ignorance.

Whatever truth there might have been in the criticism, I saw as a mere "half-truth": an exploitation of this or that cherrypicked fact being weaponized. Why did I see it in terms of weaponization? Because I was biased: I saw liberal establishment institutions and figures as fundamentally good, so all criticism of them was automatically interpreted as being in bad faith.

Didn't the critics know that these institutions or figures were fundamentally good? If they didn't, they were ignorant. If they did, they were evil. It was that simple. This meant that any legitimate criticisms would just be dismissed, as if bouncing off of an impenetrable bulletproof shield.

This all changed once I started writing about the pandemic. Soon people started talking about me the way I once thought about conservatives. This led to a complete identity collapse as I came to understand that my old worldview was hateful and ignorant, that I hadn't understood what I had been judging.

I cannot forget the hearing that led to my dismissal from medical school a year after I started writing. During the hearing, people talked about me as if I wasn't human. My behavior was interpreted in the worst possible light. Complete fabrications were created. Nobody was concerned with the truth, only horrified at my apparent "unprofessional behavior", which was really a mirror of their unprofessional behavior directed at me. They structured the hearing to make it virtually impossible for me to speak and explain that what was being said was a lie. And nobody seemed to have any problem with this. Why? Because I was bad. If I am bad, then every mistreatment and every violation of the school's own policies became justified. A person who is bad does not deserve any rights. They only deserve punishment.

But the thing I remember most was the allusions to my social media activity. They said, "Kevin is driven by resentment from his childhood." I wasn't. I was on good terms with my parents. They alleged that I needed psychotherapy to deal with this trauma. It was a completely fake story that they had constructed about me, to demean me, to marginalize me, to try to explain the views I had expressed: that something terribly wrong had happened during the pandemic. They couldn't imagine that I might have legitimate points. So they reduced me to the same kinds of psychological caricatures that I once reduced conservatives to in my own mind.

When I was dismissed, I was broken. But I had help from friends who helped me understand what happened. And I came to realize that a hysteria had overtaken the left. I spent a lot of time reading about show trials, about witch trials, and so on. I also connected with people who had experienced similar things and came to realize that something similar had happened to hundreds of physicians around the country. My story wasn't unique. It was all the same story over and over again.

I cannot believe the person I once was. I cannot believe that I could exist like that. I still don't understand how I could be like that, or how millions of people in this country could continue being like that. It disturbs me greatly.

One thing I know is that whatever this thing is that is driving people crazy needs to be destroyed. It is hostile to civilization and to our humanity. It causes us to dehumanize each other and try to destroy each other. It is the very same monstrous thing that I once attributed to conservatives. But it had been inside me, and I could now see it inside others. This is something I still grapple with.

[Robin Monotti @robinmonotti]

JOHN LENNON: Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives.. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends.. I think they're all insane. But I am liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it!

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

@iamcoachcolin There's a whole conversation taking place right now with MAMUHH and that moutin'a ebidence! I know that much. 🗻🕵️🧐

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

Y’all. Don’t you dare do this. These flock cams are for our safety.

*sly face with side eye tone*

[Jason Bassler @JasonBassler1]

🚨 Flock has a hidden weakness many don’t know: public records requests.

Activists have successfully forced at least 8 cities to shut down Flock programs, either by exposing unauthorized data access or showing the footage was publicly accessible.

One of the most effective ways to take down Flock cameras? FOIA/PRA requests.

Here’s a template to file one in your city:

To the Custodian of Records:

Pursuant to the (your state here) Public Records Act (your state's public records act code.), I request access to and copies of the following public records relating to the (your local police) Police Department’s surveillance camera network reportedly consisting of more than 2,600 cameras deployed throughout the city.

Please provide records covering the period January 1, 2020 through present unless otherwise specified.
1. Policies and Legal Authority

All policies, procedures, memoranda, directives, or legal analyses governing:

-The deployment and operation of surveillance cameras within __________

-Any legal justification for the program under federal or state constitutional law

-Policies governing Fourth Amendment considerations or privacy protections

-Any City Council ordinances or resolutions authorizing the camera network

2. Contracts and Vendors

All contracts, agreements, memoranda of understanding, purchase orders, or amendments with vendors or service providers related to:

-Surveillance cameras

-Automated license plate readers

-Real-time crime centers

-Video analytics, facial recognition, or artificial intelligence

-Data storage or cloud services used for camera footage

Please include vendor proposals, RFP responses, and bid documents.

3. Camera Locations

Records identifying:

-The number and location of cameras deployed

-Maps, GIS datasets, or inventories of surveillance devices

-Any classification of cameras as public, private-partner, or third-party integrated cameras

(If precise coordinates are withheld, provide generalized location records or district-level inventories.)

4. Data Retention and Access

All records describing:

-Video retention schedules

-Policies for deletion or archiving of footage

-Which agencies or departments have access to the camera network

-Any data sharing agreements with other agencies including but not limited to:

-(your state) Highway Patrol -Federal agencies (FBI, DHS, ICE, etc.) -Regional task forces

5. Private Camera Integration Programs

All records relating to programs that integrate privately owned cameras into the police network, including:

-Agreements with homeowners, businesses, or HOAs

-Terms of participation

-Data access rights granted to the police department

6. Surveillance Technology Capabilities

Records describing whether the system includes or supports:

-Facial recognition

-License plate recognition

-Behavioral analytics

-Crowd detection

-Real-time monitoring centers

7. Crime Reduction Claims

All records, reports, studies, or internal analyses supporting claims that the surveillance network caused reductions in crime, including:

-Statistical reports

-Internal evaluations

-Communications discussing the effectiveness of the system

8. Communications

Emails, memoranda, and internal communications between (your city) Police Department personnel, City officials, or vendors referencing:

-Expansion of the camera network

-Privacy concerns

-Public opposition or legal review

Search terms should include: “camera network”, “surveillance cameras”, “real time crime center”, "Aerodome", "Raven", “ALPR”, “Flock”, “facial recognition”, and “camera integration”.

Format

Please provide records in electronic format via email or download link.

If any records are withheld, please provide the specific statutory exemption relied upon and produce all reasonably segregable portions of responsive documents.

Fee Waiver

This request concerns matters of significant public interest involving government surveillance and constitutional rights, and any fees should be waived or minimized.

I look forward to your response within the statutory timeframe.

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

@mhp_guy This is true!! Don't do it! We bought a 3500 dollar Samsung and in under 2 years, had to buy a new one. The repair guy told us to not even bother having it fixed, it's just gonna keep breaking down-get a new one. You've been warned. 😭

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

💯

[Kentucky Girl @Notwokenow]

Y’all, this is hysterical. Everyone in the south will identify.

[Flopping Aces @FloppingAces]

America’s ruling class has performed another miracle.

They took the most basic truths in human civilization ... crime needs punishment, borders need enforcement, schools should teach, welfare should be temporary, families matter, merit matters, and taxpayers should not be looted by professional parasites ... and somehow rebranded all of that as “extremism.”

Incredible work, really.

Apparently, a “compassionate” society is one where the violent repeat offender gets another chance, the victim gets a candlelight vigil, the taxpayer gets the bill, the schoolkid gets passed along illiterate, the fraudster gets a grant, the NGO gets another contract, the illegal alien gets services, and the working American gets told to shut up and be more inclusive.

What a beautiful system.

Soft justice did not stay in the courtroom. It metastasized. It became soft borders, soft schools, soft parenting, soft welfare, soft standards, soft men, and soft bureaucrats explaining why every obvious solution is “too harsh.”

Lock up predators? Cruel.
Deport illegals? Hateful.
End generational welfare? Lacking empathy.
Punish fraud? Complicated.
Restore merit? Problematic.
Teach kids to read? Probably colonialism by Tuesday.

A serious country protects the innocent from the guilty. A decaying country protects the guilty from consequences and makes the innocent finance the experiment.

That’s America’s real crisis.

Not poverty. Not “root causes.” Not another fake expert panel.

Consequences.

We stopped imposing them on the people destroying the country, so now the country imposes them on everyone else.
(article below)

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

@CharlotteLee_88 @ProjectConstitu @BasedSamParker @alleytopfiles @researcherdaisy @iamcoachcolin @baroncoleman

[Lj Priest (Formerly Trader Jill) @RealTraderJill]

I’ve never been the super patriotic type, but this World Cup has done something weird to me...

Watching the U.S. play on home soil while stadiums packed with people from every background and every country got to experience America firsthand did something to me. The roar of the crowds, the sheer size of everything, the food, the chaos, and the pride all hit different when you see the world reacting to it. It felt like people were finally getting a real taste of what this country is like, and for once, they seemed to like what they saw. That hit me in a way I wasn’t ready for!

I felt genuinely proud to be an American, and not in some cheesy flag-waving way, but in a “damn, this place is kind of ridiculous and I love it” kind of way.

It got me thinking about all the over-the-top, larger-than-life things we have here that most of the world just doesn’t. So here’s my list of American things that blow other countries’ minds:

🇺🇸Texas BBQ. Not whatever sad little grilled meats other countries call barbecue. I’m talking about actual Texas brisket that’s been smoking for 12 hours and somehow tastes like it was blessed by angels. The rest of the world has no idea what they’re missing.

🇺🇸Real cowboys. Not the movie kind. Actual working cowboys who still exist, rope cattle, and look at you like you’re soft if you complain about the heat. We still have a whole profession that belongs in a Western, and we somehow treat it like it’s normal.

🇺🇸Everything is just bigger. Our trucks are bigger. Our portions are bigger. Our personalities are bigger. Even our problems are bigger. We don’t do subtle in this country, baby!!

🇺🇸You can drive for 10 hours and still be in the same country but in a completely different world. One day you’re in the desert, the next you’re in the mountains, and the day after that you’re at the beach. Most countries can’t even offer that in a week.

🇺🇸State fairs. Where deep-frying butter is considered a normal food option and nobody questions your life choices. We turned “let’s see how much we can fry” into a competitive sport.

🇺🇸National Parks that feel like another planet. Places so massive they have their own weather, their own ecosystems, and could probably be their own countries. We just call them “parks” like it’s no big deal. Grizzlies? We got 'em! Manatees? We got those too! Gators? You betcha!

🇺🇸And then there’s the small detail that we have the most powerful military in the world, and most of us treat it like it’s just another thing on the list of American normal. We’ll lose our minds arguing about whether the Cowboys are good this year or if gas is too expensive, all while casually having the ability to project force anywhere on the planet before most countries can even finish their morning coffee. It’s the kind of thing you don’t really appreciate until you realize how many nations would consider that level of military dominance their entire national personality.

This World Cup made me realize I’ve been taking a lot of this for granted. We’ve got our issues, sure. But we also have Texas brisket, real cowboys, and the ability to drive across multiple climates without ever showing a passport. That’s pretty cool when you think about it!

I'm an American, and I'm damn proud and grateful to be one!

[NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯_夏樹蒼依 @japan_nobunaga]

My American friends invited me to dinner. It was wonderful.

Then, at 9 o'clock, someone said the sacred words: "Well! We should get going."

I rose. I gathered my coat. A clean farewell. We would part now.

We did not part now.

This was not a goodbye. This was the ANNOUNCEMENT of a goodbye.
A goodbye, I would learn, has many stages, and we had completed only the first.

For we then talked, standing, for twenty more minutes.
About a road. About the road they would take to drive home.
The conversation about leaving had become longer than the dinner.

We reached the door. "Okay! Goodnight!" Surely now.

No. At the door, a SECOND conversation began. A fresh one.
Someone remembered a story. We laughed. We were not leaving. We were thriving.

We moved to the porch. Stage three. The night air. New topics emerged.
The host, in his socks, in the cold, would not go back inside while a guest remained.
The guest would not get in the car while the host stood in the cold. A perfect deadlock of courtesy.

We reached the cars. Stage four. The driveway summit. The final boss.
Standing by the open car door, we discussed, in depth, plans to do this again —
the very event we were currently, allegedly, ending.

It was now 10:30. The "goodbye" was ninety minutes old. It had outlived the meal.

I understand it now. The long goodbye is not a failure to leave.
It is the meal's dessert. The reluctance IS the affection, made visible and stretched as long as it will go.

So I have learned to honor it.

Last week I left a friend's house.
The goodbye was so warm, so complete, so beautifully extended,
that we finished it standing in his driveway at midnight,
and I was so moved I invited him to MY house —

and he is here now. We are having dinner.

I can see, in his eyes, he is already thinking about the road home.

[Rothmus 🏴 @Rothmus]

They say “America has no culture” and what they mean is that the Constitution and Bill of Rights, English common law, the language itself, Thanksgiving and the 4th of July, the nuclear family, the work ethic, rock n roll, country, plus every innovation that turned this place into the world’s superpower don’t count as real culture.

It’s just “whiteness,” this blank or oppressive thing that exists only to be critiqued and replaced.

And this line has become so dominant, so institutionalized in schools, media, HR departments, and elite culture that it’s now the standard water everybody swims in.
Most people don’t even clock it anymore because it’s treated like obvious truth instead of the radical self-erasure project it actually is.

But this isn’t a good faith argument at all, and it carries clear ulterior motives to justify the erasure of America’s historic core and the people who built it.

Because once you get Americans to accept that their culture is either nonexistent or evil, then mass demographic change, open borders, and tearing down the old traditions suddenly look like moral progress instead of an existential attack on everything that made the country function in the first place.

The reality though is that America has one of the strongest and most distinctive cultures on earth, forged from Western and Christian roots and supercharged by liberty and merit.
And the World Cup visitors are reminding us of exactly that right now.

Germans are going viral saying if you want to hate America watch the news but drive through it and meet the actual people.

Europeans are shocked by how genuinely warm, friendly, and generous Americans are in real life and can’t stop talking about the hospitality and customer service.

Japanese fans are writing poetry about unlimited free chips and salsa, while others are losing it over Texas brisket, ranch dressing on everything, Waffle House at 2 am, Buc-ee’s, the ridiculous size of Walmart, and free drink refills that never end.

These outsiders are cutting straight through the institutionalized narrative and showing us what we’ve been gaslit into taking for granted, and that is an abundant, open, high trust, high energy culture that actually works. Americans built it, they live it every day, and they are not apologizing for it or handing it over.

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

@LUFC1992_v2 Welcome to Mississippi! You should go to the coast, Bay St. Louis, and Ocean Springs. You'll love it!

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

@paramounttactcl @baroncoleman Oh don’t you worry your pretty little (big) head, PT, there are indeed more photos with “burn marks” where these came from. Allegedly. Bless it. 😇

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

@NotMyNamejj @jonaaronbray Have you seen the photo posted by @baroncoleman 2 hours ago on X, taken by Charles McClintock (I'm assuming)? His chest does not look "ok."

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

@SteveCameronPr1 @PCope1960 Oh...Good find. This is unraveling at a rapid speed now. 👀

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

@baroncoleman Go freaking MAX! 🔥

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

@LionelMedia Mah muhhh! Git in hurr @iamcoachcolin 😭🥰

(Sorry- my keyboard just took off typing on its own).

[Romeo's Heart @anjeeheart]

THIS is America. (Down south, anyway).🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[Collin Rugg @CollinRugg]

A Texas man is taking World Cup tourists four-wheeling, dancing, horseback riding, and shopping at Buc-ee's to give them the best American experience.

Drew Haas of Texas is taking tourists to his 30-acre property to help them make the most of their travels.

"We love this lifestyle. We enjoy every second of it. We just wanna, like, soak it in," one tourist said.

Amazing.

[JP Sears @AwakenWithJP]

We still see you.