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I'm just a small voice in a big world but I'm endorsing Shahid Buttar (CA-12) and Alex Morse (MA-1) for Congress this year. I've followed both storylines closely in the past few weeks and decided that we have to remain more vigilant against unfounded smears.
Being on the
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Being on the
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left means we're naturally more inclined to believe victims of abuses whose voices haven't been taken seriously throughout history, an injustice upon an injustice. Our willingness to listen is a great asset yet it can also open the door for non-victims who want
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to exploit our empathy and manipulate us. I believe that is what happened in both cases.
Having known cases where men force their wives to sell themselves at rest stops, burn cigarettes on their bodies, murder them & worse, and having known victims of targeted physical
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Having known cases where men force their wives to sell themselves at rest stops, burn cigarettes on their bodies, murder them & worse, and having known victims of targeted physical
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violence and sexual assault of all sexual orientations, races, religions, and ages (sadly even under 5 years old), it bothers me deeply to hear anyone trying to equate the above with trivialities like an awkward flirt, direct message, or being disciplined at work.
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Knowing full well that we are all heightened in sensitivity to allegations of this nature in the post Me Too era, the people who targeted Shahid Buttar and Alex Morse tried to profit unjustly by squandering the hard earned goodwill victims have gained for deceitful personal
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and political purposes. They attempted to manipulate us and fortunately, they were exposed.
Going forward, it's important to not let their actions make us cynical and predispose us to not believing actual victims of abuse. We simply need to use our judgment to
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Going forward, it's important to not let their actions make us cynical and predispose us to not believing actual victims of abuse. We simply need to use our judgment to
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differentiate real harm and injustice from fanciful stories by non-victims and bad actors trying to prey on our concern for real survivors. Things to watch out for are abstractions and vague language as well as narcissists pretending to be gravely offended by ordinary
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innocuous activity. I also might consider applying more scrutiny to allegations that surface in the midst of a political campaign.
All that said, I'm happy to say that I believe Alex Morse and Shahid Buttar have the character, judgment, and policy positions that would
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All that said, I'm happy to say that I believe Alex Morse and Shahid Buttar have the character, judgment, and policy positions that would
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make them excellent legislators. I would be thrilled to have them join Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, and Mondaire Jones in the next Congress. 
And thank you to @HumanistReport for its excellent reporting & interviews that helped educate this decision.
-Brian
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And thank you to @HumanistReport for its excellent reporting & interviews that helped educate this decision.
-Brian
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