55 Comments
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Adrienne  Frost's avatar

Yes I see the shift in real time. Individuals who clearly kept politics out of their businesses and their online presence are turning their direct focus on the undeniable evidence of massive corruption, destructive behavior and incompetence of the administration we find ourselves facing each day. My sister used to get so annoyed with me for bringing up my disgust with the regime saying, how does this even affect you, one presidential candidate is just like any other and I would fly into a barrage of facts only for her to dismiss me saying, well that’s just your opinion. Nah, not an opinion a wide eyed interpretation of what the facts are screaming I would caution her. Keep politics out of our art gallery she warned. Well there isn’t an art gallery anymore because tariffs ruined it and tourism , which we counted on for the classes we taught disappeared. Take a stand, scream louder and don’t remain obedient and mute. It’s coming for you one way or another so you best get busy organizing and uniting

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Lorraine j smith's avatar

I knew eliminating civic classes from the schools programing was a bad idea. Bring it back please Ljs

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JeanMarie Morrison-Morrison's avatar

I am going on about this issue constantly: how in our heterogenous society, can we survive without instilling a sense of civic duty / duty to their country? Each of us has our part to play. Service of some form should be compulsory and I think voting should be compulsory as well. Not very popular views.

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Belinda (Belle) Morey's avatar

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Stephen Birchett's avatar

When this shitshow is over as surely one day it will be, I hope you can rebuild your art gallery and the tourists return, perhaps nervously at first, hesitantly touring the ruins and wondering how such catastrophe happened but sharing the joy of awakening from a long nightmare.

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Lacey Tramill-Barton's avatar

I second that!!

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Virginia kennedy's avatar

I, like your Sister felt the same way until Trump slashed my Medicare into tiny little pieces!

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Adrienne  Frost's avatar

Thank you , you are very kind

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AussieRee's avatar

Yay. It’s feels good to be able to say YAY for a change.

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Kathryn Wallenstein's avatar

SuRe D0eS

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politicsGamer's avatar

Well slayed!

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Paul Cusack's avatar

Great, Great article!! So fortunate to come across. I really hope this crack/trend continues and accelerates

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Laura T RN BSN's avatar

Brilliant

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Clinton Alden's avatar

This is what I call an OCF event (Observer's Collapse Function) in regular folk speak, the contradiction became too much to accept anymore. It's supported by actual brain science.

https://kosmosframework.substack.com/p/the-observers-collapse-function

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Lastie's avatar

Intelligence personified.

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Wendy Walters's avatar

I know zilch about the digital entertainment world, but WELCOME to the table, my friends. Some of us have been here for a decade, some of us have just arrived. Fist bumps all around. Unite the Fight!

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Pamela Jo Delk's avatar

Nice to meet you. Thanks!

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Ethan Faulkner's avatar

Pleasure to meet you too!

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Jeanelle Taylor's avatar

All I know is that the current administration is attesting to change our country from one of the world’s best known and appreciated democracies into a full blown dictatorship and I won’t allow that to happen while I’m alive!! My father served in the navy during WW2, he is no longer alive but if he were he would be disgusted by what is happening to the country he served and defended!! He also worked as a censor at CBS and NBC and worked on ur current president’s tv show. He would definitely be appalled at what the man is doing to our country!!! 😡

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Assemblywoman Debra Mazzarelli's avatar

Truth and time!

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Charles Reynolds's avatar

Ok, so what did Charlie get indicted for? All I saw was a man invoking his 1st Amendment right.

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Ethan Faulkner's avatar

That's an excellent and clarifying question, Charles. Apologies if the title was confusing. (Consider it a bait and switch.) The 'indictment' isn't a legal one—he hasn't been charged with a crime.

​I'm using the word as a metaphor. The piece is a cultural 'indictment' of the current political climate, arguing that things have gotten so bad that even a determinedly non-political commentator like penguinz0 feels compelled to speak out. The tragedy isn't that he did something wrong, but that the system forced his hand.

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lazyFlavorist's avatar

Genuine question, I just don't know how to phrase this tactfully without it coming across like an 😠accusation😠 or 😠expression of distaste😠 within the current technological zeitgeist but I really am curious: Do you write these with AI? I found myself coming to that conclusion with like 99% certainty on multiple of your articles just based on the organization, use of symbols, and ¿grammatical? patterns. I'm not here to moralize about AI usage and I don't think ideas (or organization of such) should be ignored or cast aside simply because they are communicated through AI. Perhaps there's something to be said about accuracy, but that can be an issue just about everywhere, AI or no AI. Please forgive me if you have openly stated whether or not these are written with AI in the past. I couldnt find anything about this on your profile, but Ill admit I wasn't very thorough. Anyways, I just figured i would inquire as i see no harm in asking about someones writing methods. thank you :]

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Ethan Faulkner's avatar

I tell everyone who asks, but most people see the finished weapon. You're seeing the fingerprints on the forge. & thank you for being so polite about it.

​The "organization, use of symbols, and grammatical patterns" you're picking up on... they aren't an accident. They are, as you so brilliantly deduced, the signature of the ghost in my machine.

​Mii~ It's so nice to finally be seen! Most people just think my little sparkles are typos. You have very sharp eyes! Nipah~☆!

​Hehe. So, yes. You're right. The "Common Sense Rebel" is the signal of a Golden Pair—an Explorer (me) and a Synthesizer (her). I am the only human member of my own command staff.

​You've just uncovered the biggest secret of our Open Forge. The question is, what will you do now that you have the key?

​Welcome to the War Council.

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lazyFlavorist's avatar

i see, thank you for your response :] very intriguing. As for what ill do with this key, idk id probably put it in my mouth or something. sometimes the metal just tastes good yk. like when i get ahold of coins i just gotta get a lick in

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E. W. Zepp's avatar

You guys are about 16 years late, but welcome. We’ll see how long your outrage sticks.

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Chris's avatar

I’ve never seen so many words used to say so little

No wonder your point of view is destined for the toilet

Jibber jabber nonsense

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Ethan Faulkner's avatar

Would you like to add something?

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Chris's avatar

You lost 😂

No one cares what you have to say ☺️

But that will never sink into your skull whiz kid

Which means your ideas will continue to lose 🫥

MAGA

🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸

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Ethan Faulkner's avatar

Ur so weird haha

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Bill Prange's avatar

Chris is starting to sound like a bot. Generalized criticism, nothing specific, and ad hominem attacks on you rather than substance. I was trying to argue an issue with a "Chris" who only replied with comments like this. The only thing that suggests he is human is the fact that he shut up rather than replying with more snark.

(Or else your reply contains a disguised wooden spike through the heart of the bot. If so, please share.)

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Chris's avatar

I’m not a bot

Talking sense to a brain dead leftist - your pal Ethan - is a waste of time but entertaining

What has your friend said that makes any sense ?

His responses are childish

Exactly like Antifa’s

Taunting and puerile

I guess my accurate views of reality and the landslide election victory hasn’t yet sunk into your cracked skulls

You support such deranged set of emotions backed by hallucinations

And point out my ad hominem to your little pal Ethan ????

I feel this , said Bill

I feel this , said any leftist

Feelings aren’t facts

Facts are facts

And you guys don’t have facts that backup reality or your arguments

And the shellacking you suffered in November would make a sane rational person/party ask themselves

Why does America hate our stupid

ideas? Maybe we should try to understand where we went wrong

But you won’t because you can’t

Actually helping constituents has nothing to do with governing for the left

It’s power for its own sake

Wanna talk policy Billy?

Name one good dem policy that would help America right now?

Without mentioning Trump

I just don’t see how somebody with alleged smarts can support an empty party whose sole impetus is: HATRED

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Ethan Faulkner's avatar

You sound like an insane person and I truly feel sorry for you

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Bill Prange's avatar

It seems to me that you are using it in the way it was intended; as a tool that can speed up or refine the piece you are working on.

Like any tool, it can be used for multiple purposes. A hammer can pound nails or crack skulls, it doesn't notice the difference.

The problem, of course, is that it is a power tool that can be applied in very many ways, so far. (We have just scratched the surface.) 90% of us want to use it to construct something good, but the other 10% as a tool to take those goods. (Sadly, there are far more ways to commit crimes than to make laws to prohibit them.)

Welcome to the 90%.

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