High schoolers are very much aware of the state of politics and also seriously impacted by it. Shouldn’t the people most impacted by school boards, who absolutely have the capacity to understand what school board members are doing, have a say in who those members are?

I think you’re really underestimating the capacity and life experience of teenagers. They’re people. Especially if you’re not just looking at upper middle class white teenagers. A lot of 14 year olds have jobs. Like not even just under the table stuff, like W2 employment. If you’re having taxes taken out of your paychecks that you earn you should 100% be allowed to vote.

I don’t think 14 is an unreasonable line to set, and I think anything above 16 is deeply unjust. Many countries have 16 as the voting age, including Cuba, Brazil, Austria, Argentina, and most of the UK’s weird territories like Jersey and the Isle of Man.

Ultimately I don’t even really think there’s a serious downside to letting any and every resident of the country vote. Regardless of citizenship status, regardless of age, regardless of felony status. Prisoners currently in prison should be able to vote. 5 year olds should be able to vote. Why not? It hardly matters, and it’s not like the 5 year olds demographic is gonna be making serious swings in polling.

And I didn’t say 14 year olds should be in office, just that they should be allowed to vote. It’s a very low bar.

Edit: whoops I did say lower voting age to 14 and remove floors for office, never mind. I’ll take lower voting age to 14 and lower floors for office to 18, because people under 18 should be banned from any employment anyway.

Honestly though when it comes down to it if you gave me a gun-to-my-head choice between a random 14 year old and a random 75 year old as president I would probably pick the 14 year old. If it was random 14 year old or random 85 year old I’m definitely picking the 14 year old.

Thats just an extreme comparison though, I am in no way saying a 14 year old should be president.

I very strongly disagree. I’ve had intelligent conversations with many 14 year olds, whether they throw in a skibidi toilet reference or not.

Every time I talk to a 75 year old I have to explain how basic things work that they should absolutely know and then tell them “You can’t say that about Mexican people.”

Have you ever been in a car with a 75+ year old driver? They can’t navigate a parking lot and are consistently baffled by the concept that signs could instruct them where to go.

The average 14 year old knows more about climate change and how to stop it than half of the senate. I think you’re really underestimating the capacity of teenagers.

Honestly I would care. Like I would prefer non-genocidal old people than genocidal young ones, but I do think being old is inherently a problem for being in elected office

Cognitive decline is obviously a big concern, as well as the possibility of them just dropping dead like 3 already have. Also it distances them from the concerns of the much younger population.

But also on a more basic level I don’t trust them, they don’t have skin in the game. “Don’t order food for the table right before you leave the restaurant.” Things like climate change aren’t as real of a concern to someone in their 70s because they won’t be around to experience the worst of it. Like honestly I’m iffy on if people over retirement age should even be allowed to vote, let alone be in elected office.

Lower the voting age to 14, eliminate any age floors for elected offices, and introduce a ceiling that you can’t run for office if you’re over 65.

Okay genuinely though a random mayor or sheriff that wants a big news day and ticket to higher office should just arrest him for drug use when he wanders into their jurisdiction

Honestly though even given that, I don’t feel like they should be charged with theft. Give them a slap on the wrist and say “Ask if people have permits first next time”

It’s a minor annoyance, not theft.

Honestly held at gunpoint is a weak point for the headline, if I was writing this I think I would’ve gone with “Israeli troops assault and strip search BBC team at gunpoint”

You really want to get “strip search” into the headline because that’s fucking insane. Gunpoint means very little, Israelis literally point their guns at anything and everything including each other.

I think this is the first I’ve even read this

I feel like “government caused wrongful death” should have a pre-defined universal payout that is way more expensive than desperately trying to keep a person alive. Like $30 million or something like that.

One of my coworkers whenever we got paired together would basically rant the whole time about how much she hates Israel and how sick she is of them claiming to represent her, “monsters doing genocide in my name”

Oh i wasn’t aware they firebombed a Synagogue, that would be antisemitic!

What’s that? They firebombed a pro-genocide march full of people there because they are pro-genocide and not because of their religious or ethnic background?

We should stop changing the clocks back and forth

We should dramatically reduce our use of fossil fuels

Genocide is bad (Hold, I’m being told a lot of people do not agree with this)

“These breeding birds, their nests and eggs are protected” is such a weird way to say that

Is that something we actually know? I know it was something weird right wingers were claiming but all I could find said she left the US after college

And prosecuting everyone who collaborated with ICE. “Just following orders” is not a valid excuse, and they are breaking the law.

This would make more sense to me if Israel was in fact parked right next to America’s biggest enemies and not surrounded by its allies who are begging to be closer allies of Israel will just stop

Why do you need an “Unsinkable aircraft carrier” when you have Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia all full of US military bases and happy to work with us?

In practice we don’t even make much use of our military position in Israel, because it pisses off everyone when we do, so we use those bases in Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia way more.

No for real though it really does look like this. I don’t want to say the tail is wagging the dog, but the dog sure looks like it’s wagging.

Why is this? Why does the 51st state get protections the other 50 don’t? At both a population and a government level.

These aren’t really a structured argument or anything I’m just writing as I think of examples:

The US is more willing to assist Israel than itself, no money for relief after tornadoes and hurricanes but we make sure Israelis get free healthcare?

If the California National Guard had attacked the USS Liberty and killed a bunch of US troops, California would’ve faced more consequences than Israel did.

I can go on stage tomorrow and say “The United States is the most evil country in history, the Great Satan, the 4th reich, and must be destroyed with intense violence” and no one will give a fuck. I could advertise my talk beforehand, put up posters, rent out a hall on a college campus, wouldn’t have an issue. Say 10% as much about Israel and the cops will storm the auditorium, the college would blacklist me, and I’d be at risk of getting fired from my job.

Is it just “it’s afraid”? Is it the desperate flailing of a failing colony? No one cares if you say “Free Hawaii” because the powerful aren’t worried about Hawaii being freed?

Obviously the answer isn’t “Da evil Jewish cabal runs everything” but what is it and why does it look so much like it would if it was an evil cabal?

It would honestly be more reasonable to accuse her of funding Hamas than being funded by them