will h

Philosophy Professor. I kick up, not down. Film. Metaphysics (free will). Basketball. Religious Studies. Chess. History. Cults. Views are my own.

[Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald]

You won't hear a better 55-second description of MAGA and Trump than this: in terms of the perspective of any minimally honest MAGA supporter:

[will h @willheusser]

@jaaonpe @e_cdalton Not their house and not the price. Funny how people will believe anything if its on the internet

[will h @willheusser]

@b_connerton @BulwarkOnline @RepJeffries @Timodc Or republican vice presidents for that matter. 🤔

[will h @willheusser]

@b_connerton @BulwarkOnline @RepJeffries @Timodc True conservatives are homeless right now so naturally conservative media outlets with principles will look weird, like Thomas Massie. How many republican presidents or presidential candidates were at the inauguration? None. And neither would Reagan.

[Tennesseine @Tennesseine]

I own a medical billing company, so trust me when I tell you:

The United States is the only country on Earth that employs more people in the business of blocking access to healthcare than it employs in the business of providing healthcare.

You got suckered.

And it shows.

[Rep. Gloria Johnson @VoteGloriaJ]

I wondered most of my life how the holocaust could have happened, I could not fathom how people could let it happen. Now, as the American President brags about his new concentration camp and his “Christian” followers cheer him and buy merchandise, I know exactly how it happened.

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

I debated whether to share my story on here, but I guess I will.

I think there's an idea out there that millions of violent criminals are pouring across the border, carrying machetes and drugs, looking to harm Americans. Certainly, while some people fall into that category, the vast majority of undocumented immigrants don't.

My family escaped Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and went through an arduous journey that eventually landed them in the Canada. My father worked there for a time as a janitor; my mother, a secretary. When work fell through, my dad was offered to work with his sister in the United States, so he went, as our family needed money. He ended up staying in the US longer than he was supposed to — not knowing immigration laws — and asked my mom to come be with him. Of course, she went and carried me over the border while I was still a baby.

I'm still unsure whether we technically broke an immigration law. The border between Canada and the United States was pretty porous (as it is today, for the most part). But either way, since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I've been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else.

The lack of legal immigration has totally shaped my life. It has made every interaction with the law much scarier. It has shaped which opportunities I could or could not get. It has taken an emotional toll, as this legal issue hangs over your head like a black cloud.

There are millions of people in my situation — people who were brought here as children, some babies, and were unable to raise their hand during this process and say "maybe we should hire a lawyer." Parents may have crossed the border not knowing about the law, as the law can be pretty confusing and lawyers are expensive. Perhaps, in the end, they should have hired a lawyer; but sometimes life is messy. In the end, they crossed for the same reason many people rise every day: to support their families.

I think it's unreasonable to deport millions of people who have contributed positively to society. It's simply not true that the majority of these people are violent criminals carrying drugs. Many own small businesses; many work as skilled laborers (including garment workers!). The vast majority are good, honest people. For those of us who grew up in the United States, sending us "back" to our "home" country would mean sending someone to a foreign land, as they grew up in the United States. Tearing families apart based on immigration status seems inhumane.

About twenty years ago, I watched with some small measure of hope that the Dream ACT would pass and help a portion of undocumented immigrants. I saw people march angrily in the streets (something I supported). But I was dismayed to see nothing really come about. In fact, when Obama passed DACA, I was skeptical that it would be sensible to give your information to the federal government without a guaranteed path to citizenship. It seems that the Trump administration may use those lists to hunt down immigrants.

I think the ICE sweeps are inhumane. I support and admire the protestors who are putting their bodies on the line for non-violent resistance. Ultimately, I think we need to solve this issue on a systemic level. It's unreasonable to me to expect that the government will deport some 10-20 million people. Even deporting 1 million will cause an insane amount of chaos, not to mention an incredible amount of wasteful government spending. The militarization of law enforcement is over the top and only escalate the situation.

I have seen people march on this issue, only for it to be dropped later and dissolve into quiet grumbles. In the end, nothing is done for immigrants. Time passes until decades later, we have another political crisis like the one we have today. This cycle seems unsustainable. I hope people sustain this energy to solve the immigration issue and put undocumented immigrants — most who are peaceful, skilled, and hard-working citizens — on a path to citizenship. As time continues to go by, many undocumented immigrants are seeing their lives wasted away.

If you care about this issue, I hope you get involved on the long haul: volunteer for pro-immigrant groups, donate to mutual aid, and perhaps pursue career paths that help people in this situation. I was moved to read someone on here say that, when they found their employee was undocumented, they helped them get a green card. The path was difficult, as our immigration system is broken (it took them 11 years). But I can tell you that this is like pulling someone drowning in raging waters.

Ultimately, I hope me sharing this story helps push back against the idea that all undocumented immigrants are MS-13 members. I know many people in my position and they are all like your neighbors.

[will h @willheusser]

@WallStreetApes Popular media trying to make everyone feel better: People are leaving California in droves. Oh and wind day closed all the other lifts, this was too eventually. Silly silly Fake news

[will h @willheusser]

@hkarthik Dude, the nimbys are everywhere there is scarce housing. Bipartisan support for stopping density or expanded housing knows no color or gender or party although anecdotally seems like a lot more Republicans around where I live. That's no more accurate than your experience.

[will h @willheusser]

This # in Trump's coalition is only about 5 to 10% at most but it was all the difference in several states where Biden/Trump won by 1 to 3%. The Trump campaign had the poll numbers all along and until we recognize this is more about messaging than policy, history will repeat.

[will h @willheusser]

Without listening to the talking heads, I woke up delirious but clear eyed and knowing 100% why some non racist Obama supporters went for trump 2 or 3 times, it's as clear as the sun shines and some democrats won't like to hear it. The new realignment is so obvious now. thread

[will h @willheusser]

Harris ran a solid campaign but this was always about Trump appealing to populists and nothing Harris could've done to win short of talking about class differences a lot more and sticking it to the rich like Bernie did.

[will h @willheusser]

But Bernie's lane was the only chance to win in 2016 or now and Biden was able to capture enough of it in 2020. We lost the popular vote and Russian interference didn't do this and we will continue to lose if we don't capture that Obama magic of being change agents.

[will h @willheusser]

The # of those disaffected people looking for change because of their economic pain outnumber the elite suite of establishment Republicans like mitt Romney & Liz Cheney who sincerely believe that 47% of people just want government handouts and think the government has done enough

[will h @willheusser]

It wasn't her message or style however and I don't think she could've out on those shoes despite being someone who would've made a great president To be clear, Bernie's message feels more stale to me now that I'm 9 years older (and a little more settled)

[will h @willheusser]

@TXBABAYAGA @TheoQuintard Ok so why doesn't UFC president Dana White speak out about China? It's another sports league with business in China and he spoke at the RNC today so waaay more connected to Trump than Popovich is to Harris so even more relevant. Why the double standard?

[will h @willheusser]

@EliteMarino @TheoQuintard Ask Dana White about China while you're at it.

[Larry Sabato @LarrySabato]

A favorite JFK quote: "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.'

[will h @willheusser]

@GmorganJr @mcuban I get the nba China stuff. But why isn't the same question asked about the UFC and Trump surrogates like Dana White? As a ufc and nba fan, I only hear nba owners being blamed for silence on China but never the Ufc. Honest question.

[will h @willheusser]

@mehdirhasan You're good. But the perfect (and I'm giving the benefit of the doubt here) is the enemy of the good. We (pragmatists/realists and idealists) can live under one tent but it's one month until the end. Time to co exist but avoid those trying to tear us apart.