I was a Scout in the 90s. The pedophilia allegations were rampant back then, too. And the beginnings of the christo-fascist movement. And (in my troop) the paramilitary indoctrination. I lobbied all of my frustrations to my parents who made me stay in until Life, just before Eagle. I think they figured I’d just go ahead and finish it out. Nope.

I got SO many valuable life lessons from Scouts, but the organization itself is so disgusting it is hard to fathom. The dads that were there to help were great! The merit badges are simple paths to learning new skills. Friends your age sharing an experience, commiserating with boys at a fucking brutal time in your life, all good! But even with all that value, I still saw the organization for what it was. I got what I could out of it, but how can you reconcile the comradery you feel with the pain the Scouts are causing others?

Boys need a safe space.

I absolutely agree with you and I’m sorry you are the focus of so much vitriol from ignorant sociopaths. Still, I encourage you not to stand by and choose nothing over the least bad option when the final decision affects everyone. It feels like I’m always holding my nose while in the voting booth. I’m about to do it big-time next week to put a proven corrupt crony in office to keep a reprehensible creature out. I hope we will have better options in the future if we have Reps and Senators that work and succeed to get money out of politics.

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The “all or nothing” approach to voting is not realistic. If Turek checks all but a few of your boxes and Hinson checks none, then vote Turek into office. THEN you can work on him to change his mind about whatever issue you have. You’d have zero chance to do that with Hinson.

I’d argue you should even stump for him. Go out to your trans friends and say “what he said is gross and awful, but his stance on expanding healthcare, lowering the minimum wage and refunding SNAP will help all marginalized people, including trans folk.”

It’s a bad take, for sure, but I encourage any voter in Iowa to read about his platform on every other subject: https://turek4iowa.com/platform/

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It’s an old letter that is the “th” sound. Some.people.are trying to bring it back.

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Awesome

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Also did the Deluxe:

#deluxewaffle230 4/5

wafflegame.net/deluxe

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100 and climbing.

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I think of this every time I feed my dog the last of the tuna can: a wolf chasing down a fish at 60 mph.

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Zelenskiy: “President Trump is facing pretty difficult midterm elections. His personal popularity is very low, diesel prices in the U.S. are very high, and the war that he started in the Middle East is not going the way he wants it,” the Sky News reporter asked. “Do you think you are being treated as a scapegoat for his own problems?”

Zelenskiy took a long pause, glanced at the papers on his podium, and then looked up, smiling. The whole room laughed.

“This is my answer,” Zelenskiy said.

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