my therapist does have to see both sides. And gave compassion for all his clients.

Very true. I mean, a therapist would probably talk about how those clients should try to forgive themselves, whereas I just want to shove their noses in dog shit so they remember not to do this again next time.

Edit: Also, what Steph said.

I did check to see what the ten year prizes were just for kicks. Nothing exciting.

Jesse, flatware is totally something I've been thinking about! I have a set that I got from my mom many years ago, that's fairly decent but doesn't have quite enough forks? Plus I have a bunch of random ones that ended up there through roommates or the time I decided to buy like ten super cheap forks so I'd quit running out. But I am picky about what I want, so don't think the particular choice in the website is one I want. I may go with a random crystal bowl? Because then I could put shit in it?

Yeah, he can feel it if he wants to, but fuck, it's not his place to make their case. Unless he was talking about himself, in which case, still not his place and he can go fuck himself.

I don't know about this, therapist dude. Making a terrible choice that will hurt far more people than it will help and regretting it, but not wanting to say anything because people might be mean to you about that bad thing you did? Still a fucking choice. They weren't forced to do that against their will.

RIGHT?

I do feel like encouraging people who voted for Trump but now feel like that is a mistake that it's not too late to do right. It's not about forgiveness, more not letting the past rule the present.

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of Trump voters were duped. They saw the election as between a brilliant but flawed businessman and a criminal who put keeping her secrets before national security rather than an insane and flawed grifter and a mainstream Democrat who just wants to carry one phone.

I don't want to this to trunk into a debate about Trump regret voters.

My therapist wasnt marginalizing my feelings and I never felt like that. And it's kind of his job to challenge me on certain things.

Unexpected amusement of the day: I had to look up what "AMPA" stands for (it's a brain receptor dealie), but it ALSO stands for "American Mini Pig Association."

I really wish my article were about the latter instead of the former.

felt they had no choice

Since this is straight up bullshit, I have no sympathy.

And duped? No.

Self-duped maybe. But Trump almost unique among radical politicians is exactly who he appears to be. And is doing exactly what he said he would. On the few points where this isn't true - say, replacing ACA with something EVEN BETTER - it was transparent as hell that he was full of shit. .

I do feel like encouraging people who voted for Trump but now feel like that is a mistake that it's not too late to do right. It's not about forgiveness, more not letting the past rule the present.

It kind of is, though.

I'm not saying they can't do right in the future, or we won't want and need them down the line. But the damage that is being done now won't be fixed for many years, if ever. Nothing that happens in 2018 or 2020 will change that.

On the few points where this isn't true - say, replacing ACA with something EVEN BETTER - it was transparent as hell that he was full of shit.

I don't know that it was that transparent to his supporters. I suspect that many of his supporters (and elected R's for that matter) have heard so much about how horrible the ACA is from their news sources that they assume that if you dig into the policy you're going to find something terrible that can be replaced to make it much, much better. Right now I think the elected R's are discovering that there is no heart of darkness in the ACA, just a bunch of very difficult compromises.