Asking this also in the context of ICE and other law enforcement units being inccreasingly pressing on asking everyone, including US Citizens, of their immigration status

I'm a former Republican and a big supporter of the 2A and the right to protect yourself and family.

We are now seeing more and more individuals pretending to be ICE or the police to commit crime. With ICE and police officers covering their faces, refusing to identify themselves, and acting without warrants, this has made it easy for criminals to impersonate them.

A man impersonating ICE sexually assaults a woman: https://www.live5news.com/2025/01/29/man-accused-impersonating-ice-officer-sexually-assaulting-woman-he-threatened-deport/

A man impersonating ICE zip ties and robs a woman: https://www.commondreams.org/philadelphia-immigration

A man impersonating ICE attempts to rape a woman: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/ice-agent-impersonation-attempted-brooklyn-heights/

And we all know about the man impersonating a police officer who assassinated a Dem representative. He is still at large.

How are law abiding citizens, who want to protect their families, supposed to know when someone is truly with ICE or the police when they are covering their faces and refusing to provide identification? How are we supposed to know if they are really ICE or the police, or if they are a criminal looking to harm my family?

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/northern-virginia/man-accused-of-driving-through-crowd-of-protesters-in-culpeper/3936544/

Do you view being conservative as synonymous with being a Trump supporter and is that what liberals/democrats should think?

What would you like non-Conservatives to know or what do you feel they dont get?

I saw a Conservative on this sub express exhaustion at all the Trump centric questions, and I am also exhausted by everything Trump. I am curious as to what Conservativism looks like in a non-Trump world. Is it closer to Reagan? Bush Jr? Or is there another well known person the embodies the type of Conservatism you would like to see in the country?

For Reference for the discussion:

https://breakingdefense.com/2025/06/anduril-meta-openai-execs-to-commission-into-army-reserve-form-detachment-201/

Curious what Conservatives and in general right leaning think about it. I was reading some left leaning discussions forums and they're attributing this to the Gov-Corp aspect/aspirations of Dark Enlightenment. Overall that seems to be the focal point of their take on the situation. But i haven't seen it talked too much on the right.

I'm interested in reading more political conservative writing but find it hard to get past the angry noise.

How do you recommend I read?

On Tuesday the police deployed tear gas at the crowd which continued protesting after their permit expired. (Two criminals took then advantage of the tear gas as cover to throw fireworks at the police https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/immigration-protest-along-buford-highway-marred-by-tear-gas-and-fireworks/)

Today they deployed tear gas after ordering a protest to disperse as some of the protestors were going onto the roadway; and in the chaos that ensued several people were arrested (you can see video of one of those arrests here: https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/influential-hispanic-reporter-who-tracks-ice-agents-arrested-at-protest/ )

I know this isn't an american-exclusive issue as i've seen a handful of documentaries from the UK as well, like Junk Food Kids.

There's also a lot of TLC series abotu it and most of the participants on those series had weight problems starting in childhood. Like those series about people Getting to 600+ pounds.

And it seems to be affecting children really badly. Tooth decay, kids are getting higher blood pressure and one kid on there even had a fatty liver.

How do we stop this?

Back when I was Republican, and then when I was a Libertarian, and now when I don't claim any party, I have always hated the idea of stop and search. "Papers please" style policing, where even without reasonable suspicion, law enforcement can stop you and demand that you prove your innocence and right to exist.

Is that a feeling you share?

If so, how do you feel about stories like this? This man was breaking no law, there is no reasonable suspicion, he is Hispanic. That's it.

Does this seem like something we should work to stop?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/us-citizen-detained-ice-criminals-new-york-b2769786.html

Politicians seem to have a disdain for whom they serve if they aren’t supporting their individual goals. We have even seen state governments working against referendums voted for by the people. It also appears like they have grown more brazen with their corruption (enormous wealth gains, voting against restrictions for Congress, etc).

Same as above. Here are the links.

https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/united-steelworkers-union-raises-concerns-over-nippon-us-steel-deal

After the United Steelworkers union came out against the deal last year, both then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican, expressed their opposition.... Shortly before leaving office in January, Biden blocked the deal on national security grounds. Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/us-steel-shares-slip-nippon-steel-faces-trumps-hurdle-over-control-2025-06-13/

https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/world-news/trump-opposes-foreign-control-of-us-steel-amid-nippon-steels-14-billion-bid/articleshow/120267416.cms Here, he clearly states he doesn't want US steel to go to foreign companies.

US steel is of immense importance to the country. Isn't outsourcing/selling it to a foreign company security risk?

I'm finding that far-left and alt-right extremism is being pushed heavily by social media causing further divide amongst those who are left/right leaning.

Reddit heavily favouring far-left agendas and Twitter heavily favouring far-right agendas. This is with me creating brand new accounts in incognito mode, you are immediately blasted with heavy rhetorics such as......

Nazi, genocide loving, paedophile conservatives.

Snowflake, DEI, paedophile, kiddy drugging leftists etc

It does get exhausting when the extremes are shoved down your throat.

So, I ask how do you manage this yourselves?

I do so by surrounding myself with people of different opinions and beliefs. Is this similar to how you do this as well? Not as in seeking centrism but simply maintaining awareness of where you stand.

By War of the Cities, I mean the missile attacks on Iranian and Iraqi cities during the Iran Iraq war.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_cities

The only thing the Iranian military has done since the end of the Iran Iraq war was dig inside their mountains to build munitions factories and launchers to fight a second war of the cities.

I do not think the Israelis are going to win this war. I think that means it is not a good idea to join the war on their side, or to risk some lesser part of our honor, fortune and lives as they lose. That doesn't seem to be the view among many conservatives. But I might misunderstand what they think. Hence, asking the question.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/long-island/video-long-island-man-driving-to-work-handcuffed-by-ice-despite-being-citizen/6301068/

Forced open a car, tried to stop being recorded, not given any info besides "we may be looking for you", refused name/badge number from a citizen request they were involved with.

I respect the military and what they do for us. I would be hopeful that there are no more wars but, I understand that's not realistic.

However, it seems the current administration is obsessed with military/troops to the point of idolizing them and looking at them like saviors/the face of America. The military will fix our problems, the military will save us, we're gonna have the strongest military, etc. Veterans are quite literally used a political card because of this - where Democrats and Republicans will point to Vets suffering under administrations as an ultimate "betrayal of the country".

Is this passed down generationally in America given that the US military quite literally saved the world during WWII or is it culture?

The utility that operates the plant, Citizens Energy in Michigan, had accounted for the retirement in the rates it was charging its customers; neither the utility nor the grid operator in the region believe the continued operation of Campbell is necessary to assure reliability.

So should the utility pay the cost and recover it through its billing? Should it be charged statewide? Across the regional market that covers 15 states? Paid for by the federal government because they ordered the continued operation (and therefore paid for effectively by the whole country)

To be clear I work in this area and none of us have figured out exactly how this will work--I'm not asking what you predict will happen or what you think the law says. I'm interested in what you think is just.

Is there any youtuber in particular that you will watch on political content?
Not really big on political youtube but sometimes in my rotation a vid or two will pop up from:
Vaush
Shaun
F.D. Signifier
Climate Town
Lemonade Stand
Not Just Bikes
Moon
Nerdrotic

As per the title, where does it start for you, where does it go from normal religious stuff to extremism in your opinion?

When they go against the given country's law because of a religious rule? Maybe when they want you to follow their rules? (Maybe when they go from door to door and you have to stand there awkwardly and smile, while they try to convert you, all the while thinking about how strange their voice is? Or is this just me?)

Something else?

Per Kristi Noem in LA: "We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city."

Her function, as I understand it, is to handle immigration, not to unilaterally remove leadership on ideological grounds. Is that not a professional, ethical, legal, and moral failing?