I’ll often describe my political writing as leftist, liberal, or progressive. And sometimes those labels carry the implication of people that hate cops, authority, and the system of law by default.

Despite all my ideals, I’m a realist and a strategist. Whenever I can, I teach young leftists, particularly the ones that spout off thinking they’re going to have some revolution, that the system is designed to crush violence, and that their best bet at effecting change is to use their first amendment rights, same way I do. I mean, look at what I was able to do, send corporate fraudsters running faster than the FTC could. Love or hate my politics, I’m always going to try to be a moral man. Educating young people on the fact that they can be successful in the current system through hard work and smart investment is paramount. My arguments are much more from a policy perspective and making that route as palatable as possible for the widest range of incomes and individuals. More people participating in the system means the system will be stronger. Let me not get too far off track here. (PRO TIP: Check out Verizon’s dividends.)

The bottom line is that I believe in the system and, as a general rule, trust the people that uphold it. Or at least am able to understand there’s good and bad everywhere. When I saw two cops had prevented a suicide on the Staten Island Ferry, it really made me think about some of the darker things I’ve written about police in the last few weeks. Was it unfair? Don’t ever let my criticism of systems reflect poorly on the good men, women, and otherwise that serve our counties, cities, states, and countries (I have readers outside the USA). There are many who feel public sector incomes are a waste. But how much value do you place on a human life? Obviously we can’t financially retire everybody that saves a life, there’d be too much incentive to fabricate. But can we please acknowledge that there ARE good people in government?

And those good people are cut down. Rest in peace, Jonathan Diller. I’ve read and watched tragedies like yours before. I will not forget if ever I’m in a position to effect change.

Those that believe government is a waste should step back and realize how ridiculously interconnected everything in this country is. Gutting things on the grounds that the government is too expensive to maintain is insane. Think through the impacts. A kind of inductive reasoning. It’s clear that government creates winners and losers. Plop a courthouse down and all the small businesses nearby get an influx of foot traffic on lunch hour. Just a single example. So why can’t we start writing policy that creates more winners? If we really did defund the police, would they have been there to save this man?

Will we be able to come up with policy that protects our protectors too?

Not if we continue to trust existing political parties, I feel.

Patriots Against Corporatism?

Fight the big money problem, we’ll have politicians unafraid to do what has to be done to meet the needs of the country. A government by its people and for its people.

And maybe we’ll remember that cops are people too.

P.S.

Never let my admiration of the good people I meet be mistaken for an unwillingness to point out systemic failures or the more bizarre things I see.

Never let my willingness to point out systemic failures be mistaken for an unwillingness to strengthen that system.

Should any of those young leftists I talked about come to this page, the first amendment is your best friend. If the government violates a constitutional right, you have systemic recourse. If you violate the law, the government has the right to interfere with your life. Don’t be like the “YouTube auditors” and use your free speech rights to be a jackass. And especially don’t use your rights to abuse cops. But understand that you’re allowed to organize with large groups of people online and off.

A lot of people hold the opinion that organizing online isn’t helpful or doesn’t amount to anything. This is false. We slew a fraud nonprofit with online organization. And on the right-wing end of the spectrum most of the book ban stuff was being done by like 12 people. Once again, a matter of people confidently spouting nonsense in the same way the AIs we created do. The internet has an impact on the world. That’s why world governments use troll farms to influence us.

Relatively small groups of people can have gigantic impacts on any one moment in time, and any one moment in time can change the course of history.

Fate is malleable. Does that scare people?

Am I afraid?

Evil apes duking it out on a giant ball.

Some apes, it seems, are more equal than others.

You see, it’s true. An ape like me can learn to be human too.