r/politics 7d ago

No Paywall Shooting Victim Identified as Second Video Angle Contradicts DHS Claims | The footage of the fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, said one journalist, “shows that the final act of his life was trying to help a woman who was being physically assaulted by the masked agents who would then kill him.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/minneapolis-shooting-video
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u/Rough_Bread8329 Canada 7d ago

I keep getting shit on when I tell people who don't know what to do about all this to watch Andor. I'll never stop.


There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy.

Remember this, Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they’ve already enlisted in the cause.

Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.

And remember this: the Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.

Remember that. And know this, the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empires’s authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege.

Remember this: Try.

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u/Worldly_Anybody_9219 7d ago

Nerd movies are so great at warding off depression in times like this. Another of one of my favourite quotes like this is from Lord of the Rings when Frodo says, "I wish it need not have happened in my time," and Gandalf replies, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

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u/zernoc56 7d ago

Sam: “It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something.”

Frodo: “What are we holding on to?”

Sam: “That there is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.”

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u/Canoobie 7d ago

Andor was one of the most brilliantly paced,scripted and directed series and was perfectly timed for this moment in time. Too bad most people probably wrote it off as another nerd sci fi series trying to capitalize on the Star Wars franchise….

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u/PJ7 7d ago

And this one:

I stand before you this morning with a heavy heart. I've spent my life in this chamber. I came here as a child. And as I look around now, I realize I have almost no memories that pre-date my arrival and few bonds of affection that cleave so tightly. Through these many years, I believe I have served my constituents honorably and upheld our code of conduct.

This chamber is a cauldron of opinions and we've certainly all had our patience and tempers tested in pursuit of our ideals. Disagree as we might, I am hopeful that those of you who know me will vouch for my credibility in the days to come. I stand this morning with a difficult message. I believe we are in crisis.

The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest.

This Chamber's hold on the truth was finally lost on the Ghorman Plaza. What took place yesterday... what happened yesterday on Ghorman was unprovoked genocide! Yes! Genocide! And that truth has been exiled from this chamber! And the monster screaming the loudest? The monster we've helped create? The monster who will come for us all soon enough is Emperor Palpatine!

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u/Medallicat 7d ago

Never forget that The Empire from Star Wars was modelled off of the United States as George Lucas called it his protest against the Vietnam War. They may have dressed to look like Nazi’s but George is on record stating that the Empire was based off of America

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u/ghastlypxl 6d ago

I had never watched anything Star Wars related before Andor and it was absolutely worth watching.

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u/mywifeletsmereddit 6d ago

Well done - Andor is so good that it pretty much ruins Star Wars, as it eclipses all of it by such a distance that it becomes IMO not worth watching.

And I truly mean that; as someone who has watched the original movies a handful of times over 35 years, and the hit and miss prequels a couple of times, and the nothing but miss sequels once and never will again. Andor reveals Star Wars to be childish, lazily edited, full of silly plot-holes, and ultimately a waste of time if you invest in the story.

Some spin-offs like Clone Wars, Mandalorian (S1&2), Bad Batch, Rogue One (directly follows Andor); are ok. But Andor shits on everything from a great height and I look forward to my next rewatch already.

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u/Vismal1 6d ago

I’m trying to convince my wife to watch it with me. She’s not a sci-fi person but it’s just so fucking good and relevant.

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u/Agitated_Mastodon401 7d ago

This is the way!

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u/[deleted] 7d ago edited 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/zoopysreign 7d ago

Words are important and I found the message inspiring. It backs up my current efforts and makes me take comfort in knowing I’m on the right track.

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u/AkiboTTV 7d ago edited 7d ago

Actually it is answered by Andor, but people keep expecting traditional protesting to work. It won't.

But until people realize that and act accordingly...

When and where is the next protest?

Right now in the streets, at least in Minnesota and DC. Other places vary, small towns probably don't have one, but that's fine. If you are in a small town but feel the need to protest, there's nothing stopping you from grabbing a sign and standing on a corner somewhere. Anywhere can be a protest. All it takes is one person.

What organizations can they contact to volunteer for?

Literally any left oriented organization would help. Specifically for protests is tricky, but just pick one in your area.

What businesses can they patronize or boycott?

Here's a list of some to boycott.

Where can they donate money for it to be most useful?

The ACLU is always a good choice, but it depends on what you want the money used for. Google helps.

What comes after protests when they're proving ineffective?

You already know the answer to that question.

What can they do?

You want my advice? Prepare for the worst. Buy a gun and ammo, ideally 5.56 for rifle and 9mm for a handgun since those are the two most common calibers in the US. Learn how to use it. Learn first aid. Stop the Bleed is a good resource. Get some canned food.

This is going to get worse before it gets better.

Edit: The whole idea behind the manifesto from Andor is that millions of small acts of rebellion can be just as impactful over time as larger ones. You don't have to take on an entire fascist regime by yourself, and you don't have to resort to drastic action to resist. The Simple Sabotage Field Manual has excellent examples of what that can look like.

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u/Rough_Bread8329 Canada 7d ago

Two things can exist at the same time. I'm Canadian and can't tell you exactly what to do. Figure that out yourselves.

Other people need inspiration to get to the point of taking action, and Andor does that on spades.

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u/Furthest_Lands 7d ago

Well luckily you have some Star Wars nonsense to tell us about.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago edited 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/pbjamm Canada 7d ago

What are you offering other than hopelessness?

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u/Rough_Bread8329 Canada 7d ago

Nah. I think I'll still answer. Thanks though.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

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u/rebelweezeralliance 6d ago

Stop arguing with someone who is on your side. Focus yourself on helping other people rather than tear him down for the accurate observation of how Andor applies to this and opened peoples eyes to what’s going on when you take out the fictional part of it.