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July 17, 2023
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Woke and CRT are not the same thing. Woke is a very broad term encompassing many things and CRT is a specific study of Critical Race Theory. You expose *yourself* when you complain that study of racism is an “agenda” as if the very foundation of this nation wasn’t very much rooted in racism. I guess it makes you squirm.

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July 17, 2023
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Is American history taught in primary schools & includes our history of racism? You betcha. Is CRT specifically? No. Do you think schools should stop teaching the part of American history that involves racism all-together? Judging from your posts, it sounds like you could personally use a refresher.

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You keep changing subject. Define “woke”

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July 17, 2023
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That is unbelievably ridiculous. Words have meaning. The word is being misused.

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How do you define “Woke” again?

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July 17, 2023
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The goal of Woke, and particularly diversity, equity and inclusion study, is to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity in a democratic society built on the proposition that all persons are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights, among them the right of self-determination regarding matters of personal health, safety and welfare. These are ideals that MAGA detests because they would diminish MAGA's ill conceived right to bear weapons designed to kill the most people in the least amount of time, thereby enabling the "autonomous citizen" to exploit their neighbors for personal gain.

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What woke means to me is that you are entitled to your opinion. You clearly are an intelligent person. Your argument is well stated, and your vocabulary is impressive. I just happened to disagree. Hopefully there’s room for that in your philosophy.

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“The historical fact is the USA is built not on racism.” On the backs of slaves but sure…. No racism there. 🙄.

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July 17, 2023
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Right, like no wars were fought over it or anything. Hardly a big deal. “Long gone south…”. Nobody waves confederate flags anymore, do they?

All your statements are comically misinformed.

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I think you need to read the dictionary meaning again otherwise you are missing the point of this conversation.

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As I have said in the past, her mental capacity needs to be scrutinized. I think the word 'woke' that they use as something bad, is above the intelligence level of any Republican. They make themselves look dumber and dumber everytime they use it. I guess they think that if they say it enough times, it will become something it isn't. And these birdbrains are in charge of our government??!!

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When Trump supporters started driving around with giant American flags in the back of their pick ups, I felt that a symbol that once belonged to all of us had been co-opted. Now I feel that way about the term woke. The right has weaponized a concept that we should all be striving to achieve. Wokeness is some thing we should be striving for not defending against.

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Republicans made “liberal” an evil word. When it in fact means, “relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.” That seems like a pretty good philosophy as well.

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July 17, 2023
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That’s not the question. If some said you believed in liberal principles would you be offended?

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What you failed to state clearly was the simple truth that Stefanik does not support women in the military. Go ahead, ask them.

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She certainly has been slow to react to the sexual assault reforms. When I asked her about sexual assault in the military years ago, she said she was told it was not happening.

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Stefanik is a total sell out. A bought and paid for TeaThuglican MAGA Trump supporter. Makes me sick just looking at her on TV when she stands next to McCarthy while he spews his nonsense lies about "wokism" whatever that is? I just hope that by 2024 everyone realizes that they need to vote DEM from POTUS to local dog catcher because the horrific signs of fascism are everywhere.

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Thanks Ken for once again calling out our North Country representative. Elise is once again engaged in dangerous theater that threatens our military not strengthens it. And for the record, I couldn't disagree more with Mr. Tucker regarding "woke", which is simply an awareness and acknowledgement of where we came from so we can improve civil society going forward. And disagreement need not be disagreeable. Name calling, generalizing about "all" republicans and democrats, and denigrating anyone who disagrees with you will pave the road to ruin.

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Consider that the right has a leader who told over 30,000 documented lies while in office and has started a social media site called Truth Social. That shines a light on their respect for the meaning of words. The GOP is an Orwellian nightmare.

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Right on, Ken. It’s time America “woke” up! It’s time Elise and the GOP “woke”up! It’s time all of us “woke” up to the truth of history and the reality of racism.

P.S. I did not receive the Post-Star in my Saturday late afternoon mail.

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I did not receive mine either.

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Heard good reviews about the music in the ATF event, wish I’d seen it. Stefanik needs to be defeated!

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“Woke is now defined in this dictionary as “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice),” and identified as U.S. slang. It originated in African American English and gained more widespread use beginning in 2014 as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. By the end of that same decade it was also being applied by some as a general pejorative for anyone who is or appears to be politically left-leaning.”

I almost always bow to Merriam-Webster when it comes to defining words and not to rightwing extremists who want to hijack them for their own purposes. Today’s Republican Party has taken “1984” as a playbook.

If Floridians want to have their state run by the warrior on woke, Ron DeSantis, who’s going to spend his time fighting with Disney and trying to get books on Jackie Robinson banned instead of focusing on the fact that insurance companies are fleeing his state, that’s on them.

My concern is with the sick joke I have “representing” me in Congress. She obviously has no interest in representing Democrats in upstate NY and likely would consider me a RINO now that I’ve become a Republican. Then, I don’t value her opinion any more than she values mine.

I’ve lived over 66 years in upstate NY including the 4 years at PAFB. It’s disgusting that a tourist from Albany can waltz in and spit in the faces of every Democrat in the district and get elected.

If I can help elect a Republican that at least shows a modicum of respect to the opposition, I’ll do that. Support Jill Lochner over the Ultra MAGA Princess.

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We saw Pump Up The Volume on Friday and loved it. The 2 leads were phenomenal- especially the talented performer playing Nora. I could see myself listening to the soundtrack on repeat - I hope to see a full production one day soon! I’m sure I saw the original movie but forgot the theme and was surprised how applicable it is to today’s climate.

Separately, I’m continually astounded by the way Republicans are able to take a completely innocuous word and twist it into oblivion. Being woke is being aware of social injustice and systemic racism. If you’re against that are you supportive of racism or just pretending it no longer exists?

Interesting op-Ed on that here: https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/right-wing-language

DEI initiatives help ensure that all people in organizations & businesses feel welcomed and accepted. Why would anyone think this is bad for the military except those that think hate & bigotry are a key ingredient to power? Or again, simply want to ignore that it exists. The military is fertile ground for racism & discrimination.

We have DEI initiatives at my workplace and they take nothing away from me except maybe an hour once a year to complete my requirements. They DO make me more aware of my words and actions for which I’m open to as I am willing to learn & grow as a person. Seems many people are expressing that they are not willing to learn & grow.

I guess being anti-racist and anti-bigoted equals weak in the minds of Republicans. And they wonder why we call them racists?

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I thought Pump Up the Volume had more energy than almost any production I have ever screen at ATF. I could also listen to the sound track over and over again.

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Thank you for consistently exposing the flagrant lies and bigotry being spewed by S-K and the current party l"eaders". Can you imagine what this country would be like without the wondrous diaspora of human intelligence and disciplined labor that Republicans seem to want to eliminate from our populace?

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Why can’t gerrymandering be drawn as equal areas of rectangles? Why snake it to make it?

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Sadly, because of politics. It has been said, that computers could easily draw fair and equitable districts, but then the programmers would be accused of being political.

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I always like to say, “better than being asleep.“

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July 17, 2023
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Maybe being “woke” would be better as laid out in dictionary.

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Stefanik has her sights for Trump's VP choice. Screw North Country.

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That seems to be the only reason for her abominable behavior.

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After years of living in Stefanik’s NY-21, I now live in gerrymandered NY-22, a huge, politically and culturally dissonant swath of counties extending from just west of the NYC area to rural Broome Co. Worse yet, we are “represented” by sleazy, carpetbagger Rep. Marc Molinaro. Like Stefanik, both are using their voters hostage and their positions to serve as “place holders” for their future ambitions to run for Governor and/ or US Senate. They make no pretense insofar as providing any level of actual constituent representation or services goes. They have done *nothing* but throw photo ops on their “official” FB pages. Furthermore, Stefanik responds to constituent concerns with canned letters extolling her own virtues but no mention of the subject matter. Molinaro blatantly deletes unfavorable FB posts even though it is against the law.(https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/fourth-circuit-court-decision-davison-v-randall).

Neither of these duly elected members of the U.S. House are doing their job. Since Stefanik has held sway in NoNY, very little in the way noticeable change has occurred. Molinaro has copied and pasted her egregiously bad habits. Both need to be voted out.

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Agreed.

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