Zink

I recommend Mint. It's basically ubuntu with the controversial stuff disabled (Canonical's snaps mostly, but I guess also any ads for their pro services) and with an extra layer of polish.

I'm happy with it for both the "I want something that works reliably" reasons and the "I'm an engineer who wants a free system that I can control and modify" reasons.

Patriots love their country and criticize it when its wrong.

This line turned on a light bulb deep in the recesses of my brain that were formed while being raised by rural conservatives.

In my conservative world at least, punching down was pretty much universal, not just a political thing. You don't criticize your parents/betters or honestly even disagree with them many times, but you can expect criticism of your own every move. Generational trauma isn't a single event, after all.

Or, if you're lucky, the parent is the type to sweep everything under the rug and pretend that everything is perfect.

So with those kinds of traits plus the very hierarchical thinking, you can see how you simply do not criticize your people in charge, your religion, etc.

But that's only for YOUR people. If somebody is an OTHER then that means they are nowhere on your hierarchy (the correct one, obvs) and are therefore worth less than the lowest peon on your side.

Soooooo, that was a long way of saying these people probably THINK they love their country because they treat it with the same honor, deference, and "see no evil" that they give their own grandmother.

I was wondering if we'll see the republicans themselves use the 25th at some point if the administration lasts long enough.

Like once he gets bad enough that he won't even realize he's been removed, they'll 25th him so he doesn't have to resign and send him to mar-a-lago on a "special secure mission" where every person on property will say he's the current president every day.

It has to be just plausible enough for MAGA to not immediately go even more civil war crazy than usual. Then JD Vance can publicly kiss Trump's ass for cheap plentiful loyalty points while acting like a great uniter who is going to return us to normalcy and prosperity.

So then in the real world that probably means a bunch of tariffs go away or get cut back, while Project 2025 goes ahead at full speed but with less embarrassing fanfare.

I will keep that in mind. I look forward to taking my time with it. Thank you again!

I ordered the other book too, but Wright's book here has definitely jumped to the front of the line.

You can say 'they're all talk until they're not' about anyone.

Sure, you can say anything about anybody. But that does not mean it is equally accurate in all cases. That's why we pay attention to actions and history.

I was really curious to check out that first book after your short version.

But damn, the subject matter of that second book might draw my attention first. The Buddhist approach & techniques made so much sense to me in a completely pragmatic way.

I might have to order myself physical copies of both of these to read outside by my koi pond on cool fall days. The fact that the whole scene will be so on the nose to the point of being cliched will just amuse me further, lol.

Thanks for the recommendations!

Edit: oh jesus christ there's a koi on the cover of Why Buddhism is True, haha. Looks like I should invest in the hardcover.

There's a Jesus quote about specifically this. Here's the first search result.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17–18).

That's the convenient quote that conservatives can point to when they still want to enforce old testament shit. For instance, claiming to follow Leviticus when they're being homophobic, rather than going with their homeboy's forgiveness and loving the sinner.

Jesus was the OG Nigerian Prince!

I think about this more than anything in those quiet "run the brain's existential dread garbage collection routine" moments.

Self aware consciousness is just so wild. Like you say, how does it even exist? But it's also so common on our little planet here (even if we only count the humans) that it is as commonplace as it is spectacular.

It feels like this magical "extra" thing, but at the same time the evidence kinda suggests it's just something that naturally happens once you get complex life.

Yeah. If we think of gorillas as the T-Rex of the primate world, then on paper baboons are pretty much the velociraptors. About half the weight of a human, really fast, and packing 6 inch canines.

I was actually going to comment that I now know about this cheap option thanks to the lawsuit, lol.

I don't watch live TV because I value my time, but every once in a while there's a reason to tune into that one thing.

And honestly is there any chance that maniac ever doesn't have a round chambered?