Good Morning Digital Neighbors! Happy Saturday to all my friends across Locals! You all know I like using my varied designations for the different communities I have joined. Some are names I have developed myself and others are ones that were in common use by the community and its members. More than anything it is fun for me to say there are certain vibes that join members together in these various communities.

I joined Locals in October of 2019 but was skeptical about involvement in the "Facebook" portion of the site that involved posting and commenting. The years of 2016 to 2019 left me very jaded about online discourse. Between censorship and unhinged TDS posters & commentors, FB had become a colossal waste of time. I know there are some who are MAGA-teers as some have pejoratively called them, and anyone who think a singular political figure is a savior needs a wakeup-call. Individuals make a difference, but they have to create movements and the movement must live beyond them. I voted for Trump twice, he was the inheritor of the Tea Party movement and took those pieces and melded them together into a political movement I could support. Not a perfect person, none are, but he loved what we wanted to help. Do I think Trump necessarily love me, no. But he does love America. You can't say "make it great again" unless you thought it was once great. The LEFT never thought American was great. You can only help that which you love, which is why the LEFT, cannot help you, it can only chastise, re-educate and indoctrinate you. The LEFT/CABAL hates you, and if not hatred, it holds you in contempt and with dismissal. Don't forget that. Sorry, distracted by one of my typical rants. 😁

Facebook had become an exercise in futility. I had been active there for a number of years doing the same type of posting there that I do here. My morning mix of spirituality/religion, political babbling, and humor was pretty much the same there as it is here. The discussion was changing with the growing number of lies that the Enemedia promoted. One of the bridges too far was the Ferguson lie. Hands up, don't shoot was a lie that the Enemedia ran with and they loved it. The chaos of Ferguson was bootcamp for Antifa and other mostly peaceful types.

For seven months I mainly just watched videos on Locals that @DaveRubin posted and didn't do much more than that. The 2020 Lockdown and the all aboard bandwagon for Vaxxing that FB promoted pretty put the final stake in my heart for involvement over there. We went from the prosperity of 2019 to the desolation of 2020, it was unreal to me. Lockdowns and the new team vibe of "lets all be afraid together" was disturbing to me. The talking point of "saving even one life" was another BS Ferguson moment. I am still pissed about the completely illogical willingness to believe that when we take risks everyday when we drive somewhere.

I cannot believe how quickly we rolled over as a culture to the fear of the moment. Churches included, bought into the fear. I could accept the two weeks to flatten the curb but after that things started unraveling with the narrative soon after that. I think the Elites were surprised with the publics willingness to do two weeks and after that wanted to see how far they could go. The instantly pejorative nature of the media made matter worse. Trust BIG PHARMA because nothing else can help us, no vitamins, no current treatments, NOTHING. VAXX or DEATH!

During March the Dumpster fire came along and lifted my spirits and soon after that Triggernometry. Those three communities I consider my hub of sanity, conversation and laughter during the days of BS after March and the following months. In May I joined @bridgetphetasy over at Phetasy and decided to start posting there and at Rubin Report. It was one of the best decisions to make in 2020. It not only helped wipe away the BS of Enemedia, it helped put FB on a backburner and leave only an outpost for occasional visits with no interaction.

Locals is not perfect, but it is far better expression of social media than many. Thanks to the Supporter - Member reality one can join and spectate but not participate beyond liking what another shares. Paying to be
Supporter seems to be a good model for troll containment and rando's ruining a thread or poisoning a community. Disagreements can arise and be handled with thoughtfulness. But when thoughtful discussion crumbles because we are emotional reactive creatures one can mute those you prefer not to hear from or engage with. It the host wants to exercise more direct stewardship they can promote some members and remove others, it is their community to help direct, promote and encourage. Some creators handle that well, other less so. Your mileage may vary after all in the mix of humanity.

So thank you @DaveRubin for the being the godfather of Locals and what you help create here. Thank you @Bridgetphetasy for being a reason to examine Locals as something more than a platform to listen to podcasts. Thank you @TRIGGERnometry for the community you created and then fine bigots I have met there! Thank you Supporters and Members at At Padre's for making my little hole in the wall an enjoyable community. I can't thank the ADD Irregulars enough for the laughter, conversations and thought provoking posts they share. Coffee Talks & Speakeasies are some of my most enjoyable moments when I venture on-line. I was skeptical about ZOOM, but I am thankful for its inclusion in the community life of Padre's, I think it adds the final layer of personalism that makes popping on to Locals a joy. Happy Saturday my friends! Also for all you Seekers of Sanity & Civility I look forward to getting to know the Tulsi @tulsigabbard community as well and I am happy to venture back there again.