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Patrick McLaughlin

@mclpatrick

Unitarian Universalist minister. Historian. Anti-fascist. 3rd Culture kid. Gamer, reader, gardener. Animal lover. Nature lover. Maker of gingerbread cathedrals. Trouble-maker.

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22.11.2024
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Latest posts by Patrick McLaughlin @mclpatrick

No.
Just no.

Pass the resolution rejecting the war, and demand it end now.

That will do far more to protect our troops right now.

Then yes, hack the military budget deeply.

02.03.2026 20:35 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

That’s nice (and I don’t disagree).

And it is NOT a reason to vote *for* her. She isn’t qualified and should be rejected.

27.02.2026 00:09 πŸ‘ 175 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

*His* apology wasn’t one.

*BAFTA* knew the risk in advance, and they accommodated him, without doing anything to protect others from harm.

*BBC* should have edited it out. They didn’t, while censoring other things β€” and so they have absolutely *no* excuse.

Accountability?

26.02.2026 20:29 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Murdered.

One does not get to claim anything less than intentional homicide when one throws someone out into the bitter cold without access to help or protection from the weather. And to do it to someone who’s blind and has essentially no ability to even seek help β€” that’s murder.

26.02.2026 20:25 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I’ll skip watching, just to help avoid giving him numbers. He cares so much about those.

And I can read the review, the analysis, and go listen to any excerpts that are actually significant...

24.02.2026 01:46 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

How long before Musk lets us all know that he also suffers from Tourette’s?

23.02.2026 19:46 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

And yet zero accountablity for the *harm* people experienced.

Sometimes what you mean or intend (or don’t) doesn’t matter.

I didn’t mean to run over you doesn’t change the harm done.

And a pre-apology doesn’t cover it.

23.02.2026 19:42 πŸ‘ 21 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

IOKIYAR

06.02.2026 05:40 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The Europeans I went to high school with (or got to know later) are aghast.

And they’re watching.

I know some who’ve already declined coming to the wedding (here in the US) of dear friends β€” because of our shit show. Not safe. And who’ve said not until well after he’s gone. If then.

03.02.2026 22:15 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Check out what’s already happening with reservations for the World Cup. Tens of thousands β€” already β€” have cancelled. They don’t want to/are afraid to be here.

A couple more years of fascism and assaults on people will make 2028 attended largely by Boers and Russians.

03.02.2026 22:12 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Both/and.

We were, in some ways, getting better.

But we never really lanced and drained the deep abscess of our racist history β€” colonialism and racism and enslavement β€” and so the infection remains there, ready to erupt again and again into massive, national crisis. And here we are again.

03.02.2026 22:08 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

And this? This isn’t even in sight of enough.

Cops frequently don’t turn them on, or they β€œmysteriously” fail. Not that ethically rooted, highly trained ICE/CBP agents would do such things.

In uniform. Badges, name plates, no masks.
JUDICIAL warrants (only).
And body cams.
And that’s starters.

02.02.2026 23:35 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Biden was bad.
Trump has been worse.

There are 400,000 Gazans dead or unaccounted for.
(Where people be in Gaza? They couldn’t leave, and…)

Weak as Harris was (and I voted for her) on this, she wouldn’t have been as bad.

Trump was the no constraints on Bibi, do what you want option.

01.02.2026 00:22 πŸ‘ 17 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

An *excellent* notion.

02.01.2026 00:01 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

They aren’t that smart (and not nearly as smart as they think they are).

13.11.2025 19:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Try β€œcentrist” instead.

And remember Hightower’s observation that there’s nothing in the center of the road except yellow stripes and dead armadillos.

10.11.2025 05:46 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Correction: After a bloc of moderate Dems dropped everything.
They got nothing. No substance.

There is no there there.

And the promise of a vote about ACA subsidies is empty several ways β€” including that the new rates will be out and locked in before that hollow vote comes to any fruition.

10.11.2025 05:45 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The Vichy Caucus.

10.11.2025 05:38 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

To be clear, you betrayed the people of New Hampshire and the nation.

A β€œpromise of a vote” is meaningless. We both know there are ways that the GOP and Trump WILL ensure nothing will come of that vote.

Worse, the GOP and use that vote in the elections to cover their asses from our rage.

10.11.2025 05:38 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Once again, We the People have been betrayed by centrists.

10.11.2025 05:35 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

As a guess, Dementia Don remembered that the name started with P. And (if it’s really going to be built), it’s in Portsmouth. Which is to say, Kittery, ME.

31.10.2025 20:31 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I recall him being PM while I was living there.

31.10.2025 20:28 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

How many Scaramuccis will it be? (What’s the betting?)

Hopefully less than a Friedman.

24.10.2025 22:44 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

There were more people who wanted in on offering him fat bribes.

And how could he say no to that?

24.10.2025 22:32 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Particularly when you (apparently) then refer to it by its German (Nazi) name.

Yeah, because the Grateful Dead were a famous German band.

22.10.2025 16:25 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Clearly not the sharpest knife in… the spoon drawer.

21.10.2025 03:41 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Bondi appears to have. FWIW.

21.10.2025 03:39 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I believe my grandfather was just 18 when he moved north to volunteer and join the Royal Canadian Air Force. He flew for Canada until the US finally got into the war.

Some of these fascists are closer to two decades older than he was. Not kids. Cowards, not honorable people.

17.10.2025 22:48 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It costs ~$70 to produce a year’s supply of insulin.

Yet, the average annual cost of insulin went from $2,864 in 2012 to $5,705 in 2016 to $18,000 in 2025. A 25,714% markup. That isn’t inflation or supply chainβ€”It’s corporate greed.

Nowβ€”California will sell insulin for $11. Make this nationwide!

17.10.2025 03:43 πŸ‘ 15506 πŸ” 5552 πŸ’¬ 302 πŸ“Œ 194

I don’t think she’s smart enough to know that she could look them up (much less that she should).

One of the very reliable markers for these folks is that they’re not nearly as smart and clever as they think they are.

09.10.2025 05:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0