"What's the worst that could happen?" For a small hint of what that might look like for the economy, look at John Oliver's program re UK Elections. Then add in the total disregard for Constitutional law, environmental issues, and destruction of our historical institutions, and one can get an idea of just the beginning of the worst that can happen.
I’ve lived in mid-Michigan for 47 of my 50 years. If you could remove politics from the psyche and discourse here, people would like each other more and be kinder. In many ways, politicians have poisoned the minds of so many people, and the ever growing divisive rhetoric issued by politicians and far right and left media, casting those with differences as the “enemy” who will “destroy” America is doing much harm.
Michigan is a unique state with plenty of small Midwest towns that host local fairs and feel like Mayberry. I grew up in such a town, not far from Dexter. We also have the Great Lakes, Mackinac Island, the U.P., and a few bigger cities with their own identities. Grand Rapids, a big city with money and churchy people who lean Republican because they love tax breaks and private schools. Ann Arbor 2 hours to the east with U of M and a liberal population. Much of the state is beautiful, especially north of Clare or so. From there it’s plenty of pines, rivers and lakes. Far more open land than crowds of people, and few eye-rolling signs about “Trump Won” or other nonsense. But we are a purple state, and people do avoid conversations with strangers that could give clues about political affiliation. The militias keep to themselves and their compounds, from what I’ve seen.
We now live in a beautiful small-ish one stoplight town with a mix of people and views. We live in an idyllic subdivision with kids and dogs and lawns and flower beds. We have neighbors on both sides of us who are quietly republican, and we get along with both and discuss politics with neither. It does color our views of people when we know they would willingly or enthusiastically put Trump back in the White House. I wish we had a different approach to politics that required more decorum, drastically limited campaign finance, and prohibited misinformation or hostile rhetoric. People would be kinder and see their fellow citizens as Americans and not feel uneasy or suspicious about whether a stranger is like us or them.
Oregon is beautiful. I’m not far from Howell. I have friends there. I traveled the PCH from San Fran to Seattle in 2014 and decided then that I would retire in Oregon. I’ll be an old guy, 65 when we move there. But I have a feeling I’ll be glad when we do. If I’m fortunate enough to stay healthy that long.
I grew up on Pardee Lake, 5 miles south of Howell. It used to be a lot nicer, fewer people, even if most of them were Klansmen! I used to ramble the woods and marshes for hours. Welcome (in the future) to Oregon!
Thanks! I spend nearly half my time now 2 hours north near Houghton and Higgins lakes. I love the pine woods and vast areas with few people. Other than the relationships people have with friends and family, I feel nature is the second most rewarding experience people have in life. That’s just my personal opinion, of course. So when people are more divided than ever, and Covid helped shrink our social circles, I’ve looked more and more to the lakes and woods.
This country was founded on three original sins: the racism that perpetuated slavery and the genocide of the original nations people, misogyny that kept women from participating in the political process for centuries and the vanity that allowed people to accept the heresy that somehow America and white Americans were inspired by, even chosen, by God. The destructive impact of those sins remains with us today. Welcome to Hell, America.
Some of your pictures are Manchester, not Dexter or Hell.
Manchester is a nice place to ride a Motorcycle (we have an '89 Honda PC800, the ultimate anti-Harley) and get an ice cream at the Dairy Queen next to the river. You can go and watch the water go over the dam and sit across from the old mill.
It's Americana, no question.
Town like Manchester have survived out of sheer will, and have not fallen to the abandoned boarded-up storefronts of other locals.
So I'm sayin... go to Manchester (or other towns like it where you live), wear your Biden shirt or rainbow hat and buy an ice cream. Smile at the locals. Tell them their kids look nice.
The two Manchester, MI photos are ID in the captions in the third gallery. Photos three, four and seven are the only photos I couldn't get a geolocation on.
As someone who actually lives within the Dexter school district…it’s a mixed bag. There’s definitely a strong contingent of Trump supporters, but it’s also, like, a ten minute drive to the People’s Republic of Ann Arbor. Plenty of liberals here.
Spouse and I used to think we would retire to the countryside, but that’s off the table now, we have no desire to live in Redneckistan, we’ll stay right where we are.
Yeah, that's the one! Came in for some comfort pancakes, saw they had bibimbap, and pulled out my titanium chopsticks. The server(s) (who struck me as co-owners?) seemed rather amused. Great food, would demolish again.
It's really not as nowhere as this makes it seem. It's literally about 10 miles from Ann Arbor, has well-regarded schools, and apparently has a ton of parkland (does the Michigan Militia know that Dexter has a "a dedicated environmental awareness plan"?)
The person I was talking to explained that a lot of people had started moving to Dexter over the last few years, exploding the value of homes and leaving some of the locals irked at new people. The town clearly had money in order to keep up its aesthetics.
It was painfully obvious that Biden had a cold or some other temporary upper respiratory distress the night of the debate. I say he tried to knock it back with some OTC meds Really foolish move. They can cause disorientation, drowsiness lack of balance, among other side effects. Says so right on the label "Do not drive or operate machinery" They forgot to say "don't do debates" You'd think that somebody would have had the sense to know this and postponed.
So many post-debate questions, the only one I have is the same one I asked eight years ago: "Can that fucking guy take a breath without exhaling a lie?" The answer is and always has been a hard no.
Biden had a cold. Unfit for office! Trump is a convicted felon, serial liar and adulterer, with zero knowledge of any issues, but we're cool with that!
So with all of the post debate brouhaha could we use this moment to acknowledge that Kamala Harris would be light years ahead of Donald Trump if we are trying to keep US America from becoming like Russia, a thin veneer of "Democracy" that serves to protect the very wealthy from any limits on their wealth extraction at the expense of everybody else? I'm not assuming Biden is toast after that disaster, but face it, that was bad and it will take a lot to recover from. It drives me crazy that people are floating Gavin Newsome because..let's face it..white male. Fuck that. If Biden poses a threat to a D victory up and down the ballot it's KAMALA HARRIS's turn. STOP BUYING THE SPIN that Americans aren't ready for a black female president, are they ready for concentration camps and throngs of political prisoners and widespread political violence tolerated by the fascists? Turning away from Kamala would be correctly seen by black Americans as a betrayal, she is next in line and was already elected once. We cannot win without black Americans support, do not piss those voters off or it's game over. Can you think of one Biden voter that would be put off and not vote or..shudder...vote for PAB instead?
It's what we're going to need, along with unified government -- in order to pass any laws and undo the damage of what SCOTUS just UNdid with Chevron.
I know not everyone majored in politics, buuuut ... I'd like to think people learned a little bit in the last EIGHT YEARS just how long it can take to make any progress toward anything good.
We've come to a regrettable place where threats of violence if you don't get your way are considered "protected' speech L:ike the "right to keep and bear arms" all rights come with responsibilities, We seem to have forgotten the responsibility part
Politics sucks because nobody who is actually good at the job is willing to do it, unless they get roped into it against their will. Like I did about two hours ago when I was appointed president of the HOA so we could adjourn the fucking meeting for the year. Sigh.
"She grabbed my arm and leaned in to whisper, "You know everyone in town's watching you, right?”"
ummm
yikes.
"What's the worst that could happen?" For a small hint of what that might look like for the economy, look at John Oliver's program re UK Elections. Then add in the total disregard for Constitutional law, environmental issues, and destruction of our historical institutions, and one can get an idea of just the beginning of the worst that can happen.
So sad.
I’ve lived in mid-Michigan for 47 of my 50 years. If you could remove politics from the psyche and discourse here, people would like each other more and be kinder. In many ways, politicians have poisoned the minds of so many people, and the ever growing divisive rhetoric issued by politicians and far right and left media, casting those with differences as the “enemy” who will “destroy” America is doing much harm.
Michigan is a unique state with plenty of small Midwest towns that host local fairs and feel like Mayberry. I grew up in such a town, not far from Dexter. We also have the Great Lakes, Mackinac Island, the U.P., and a few bigger cities with their own identities. Grand Rapids, a big city with money and churchy people who lean Republican because they love tax breaks and private schools. Ann Arbor 2 hours to the east with U of M and a liberal population. Much of the state is beautiful, especially north of Clare or so. From there it’s plenty of pines, rivers and lakes. Far more open land than crowds of people, and few eye-rolling signs about “Trump Won” or other nonsense. But we are a purple state, and people do avoid conversations with strangers that could give clues about political affiliation. The militias keep to themselves and their compounds, from what I’ve seen.
We now live in a beautiful small-ish one stoplight town with a mix of people and views. We live in an idyllic subdivision with kids and dogs and lawns and flower beds. We have neighbors on both sides of us who are quietly republican, and we get along with both and discuss politics with neither. It does color our views of people when we know they would willingly or enthusiastically put Trump back in the White House. I wish we had a different approach to politics that required more decorum, drastically limited campaign finance, and prohibited misinformation or hostile rhetoric. People would be kinder and see their fellow citizens as Americans and not feel uneasy or suspicious about whether a stranger is like us or them.
I'm from Howell. Glad I found Oregon.
Oregon is beautiful. I’m not far from Howell. I have friends there. I traveled the PCH from San Fran to Seattle in 2014 and decided then that I would retire in Oregon. I’ll be an old guy, 65 when we move there. But I have a feeling I’ll be glad when we do. If I’m fortunate enough to stay healthy that long.
I grew up on Pardee Lake, 5 miles south of Howell. It used to be a lot nicer, fewer people, even if most of them were Klansmen! I used to ramble the woods and marshes for hours. Welcome (in the future) to Oregon!
Thanks! I spend nearly half my time now 2 hours north near Houghton and Higgins lakes. I love the pine woods and vast areas with few people. Other than the relationships people have with friends and family, I feel nature is the second most rewarding experience people have in life. That’s just my personal opinion, of course. So when people are more divided than ever, and Covid helped shrink our social circles, I’ve looked more and more to the lakes and woods.
This country was founded on three original sins: the racism that perpetuated slavery and the genocide of the original nations people, misogyny that kept women from participating in the political process for centuries and the vanity that allowed people to accept the heresy that somehow America and white Americans were inspired by, even chosen, by God. The destructive impact of those sins remains with us today. Welcome to Hell, America.
Some of your pictures are Manchester, not Dexter or Hell.
Manchester is a nice place to ride a Motorcycle (we have an '89 Honda PC800, the ultimate anti-Harley) and get an ice cream at the Dairy Queen next to the river. You can go and watch the water go over the dam and sit across from the old mill.
It's Americana, no question.
Town like Manchester have survived out of sheer will, and have not fallen to the abandoned boarded-up storefronts of other locals.
So I'm sayin... go to Manchester (or other towns like it where you live), wear your Biden shirt or rainbow hat and buy an ice cream. Smile at the locals. Tell them their kids look nice.
Bring a blanket. Go watch the fireworks.
Let them know that you are they and they are you.
The two Manchester, MI photos are ID in the captions in the third gallery. Photos three, four and seven are the only photos I couldn't get a geolocation on.
Dominic identifies some of the photos as being from Manchester in the captions.
As far as hell, Churchill was quoted saying: "If you're going through hell, keep going."
It applies... really nothing to see there.
As someone who actually lives within the Dexter school district…it’s a mixed bag. There’s definitely a strong contingent of Trump supporters, but it’s also, like, a ten minute drive to the People’s Republic of Ann Arbor. Plenty of liberals here.
Spouse and I used to think we would retire to the countryside, but that’s off the table now, we have no desire to live in Redneckistan, we’ll stay right where we are.
I had really good bibimbap at some diner in Anne Arbor.
Bell’s Diner on Stadium?
Gotta be Bell’s, we eat there all the time.
Yeah, that's the one! Came in for some comfort pancakes, saw they had bibimbap, and pulled out my titanium chopsticks. The server(s) (who struck me as co-owners?) seemed rather amused. Great food, would demolish again.
Yeah, Dexter is REAL close to A2 and the like.
It also takes away from the Mayberry-eque description to know that the 2022 median property value in Dexter was $390k.
Holy shit.
To live nowhere?
It's really not as nowhere as this makes it seem. It's literally about 10 miles from Ann Arbor, has well-regarded schools, and apparently has a ton of parkland (does the Michigan Militia know that Dexter has a "a dedicated environmental awareness plan"?)
It's also pretty par for the course for the area.
The person I was talking to explained that a lot of people had started moving to Dexter over the last few years, exploding the value of homes and leaving some of the locals irked at new people. The town clearly had money in order to keep up its aesthetics.
It was painfully obvious that Biden had a cold or some other temporary upper respiratory distress the night of the debate. I say he tried to knock it back with some OTC meds Really foolish move. They can cause disorientation, drowsiness lack of balance, among other side effects. Says so right on the label "Do not drive or operate machinery" They forgot to say "don't do debates" You'd think that somebody would have had the sense to know this and postponed.
The ultimate irony would be if Biden had COVID and attended the debate anyway.
Dr. Ronnie Johnson would never treat a patient with OTC meds!
Oddly apropos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPHVX0FbpxE
So many post-debate questions, the only one I have is the same one I asked eight years ago: "Can that fucking guy take a breath without exhaling a lie?" The answer is and always has been a hard no.
Biden had a cold. Unfit for office! Trump is a convicted felon, serial liar and adulterer, with zero knowledge of any issues, but we're cool with that!
So with all of the post debate brouhaha could we use this moment to acknowledge that Kamala Harris would be light years ahead of Donald Trump if we are trying to keep US America from becoming like Russia, a thin veneer of "Democracy" that serves to protect the very wealthy from any limits on their wealth extraction at the expense of everybody else? I'm not assuming Biden is toast after that disaster, but face it, that was bad and it will take a lot to recover from. It drives me crazy that people are floating Gavin Newsome because..let's face it..white male. Fuck that. If Biden poses a threat to a D victory up and down the ballot it's KAMALA HARRIS's turn. STOP BUYING THE SPIN that Americans aren't ready for a black female president, are they ready for concentration camps and throngs of political prisoners and widespread political violence tolerated by the fascists? Turning away from Kamala would be correctly seen by black Americans as a betrayal, she is next in line and was already elected once. We cannot win without black Americans support, do not piss those voters off or it's game over. Can you think of one Biden voter that would be put off and not vote or..shudder...vote for PAB instead?
The only people calling for Biden to step down are the NYT and the beltway pundits.
Chump gets sentenced July 11. The media won't even remember how to spell debate.
"The media won't even remember how to spell debate."
That certainly would be the ideal outcome, but I guess we'll see
Cool, but I expect a Biden win followed by a Harris run to keep the office in 2028.
It's what we're going to need, along with unified government -- in order to pass any laws and undo the damage of what SCOTUS just UNdid with Chevron.
I know not everyone majored in politics, buuuut ... I'd like to think people learned a little bit in the last EIGHT YEARS just how long it can take to make any progress toward anything good.
We've come to a regrettable place where threats of violence if you don't get your way are considered "protected' speech L:ike the "right to keep and bear arms" all rights come with responsibilities, We seem to have forgotten the responsibility part
"We've come to a regrettable place where threats of violence if you don't get your way are considered "protected' speech "
They're only "considered" that by people who don't know the law and bitter drunks like Missy Ann -- excuse me, Martha Ann
Those of us who know 1A doesn't say anything like that are going to have to hold the line
Politics sucks because nobody who is actually good at the job is willing to do it, unless they get roped into it against their will. Like I did about two hours ago when I was appointed president of the HOA so we could adjourn the fucking meeting for the year. Sigh.
"You know everyone in town's watching you, right?”
Proper response: “You know, liberals own guns too, right?”
(I don’t, but they don’t know that).
American fascism looks so wholesome!
And corn fed elevated BMI.
"You know everyone in town's watching you, right?”
Good old middle-American hospitality.
Watch the video.
👆👆👆