For anyone who used to be a lefty but has since left that camp, what caused that change? What "redpilled" you/caused you to wake up and distance yourself from the left? My story is kind of funny. It was Lily Tino (the trans-identifying male influencer who would abuse waitstaff for misgendering him) claiming that Kurt Cobain was trans. I'm curious other people's stories. Where are you at on the political spectrum(s) now?

The problem between Israel and Lebanon is not another ceasefire, another agreement, or another round of diplomatic negotiations. The deeper problem is that Lebanon has repeatedly demonstrated that its commitments mean very little when it comes time to enforce them. Agreements are signed, promises are made, international guarantees are announced, and then the same pattern returns: Hezbollah remains armed, Hezbollah continues operating from Lebanese territory, Lebanon fails to dismantle its military infrastructure, Israel eventually responds, and Beirut condemns Israel for responding. That pattern is now repeating itself once again. The latest fighting in southern Lebanon illustrates the problem perfectly. The June framework was supposed to establish a process in which Lebanese sovereignty would actually be restored. Non-state armed groups were supposed to be disarmed, their military infrastructure dismantled, and the Lebanese Armed Forces were supposed to assume effective control of Lebanese territory. Israeli withdrawal was connected to the implementation and verification of those obligations. Yet Hezbollah remains armed, its infrastructure remains, and the Lebanese state has still not demonstrated that it is capable of enforcing the central requirement of the agreement. Then Hezbollah attacked Israeli forces. Three Israeli soldiers were seriously wounded in a drone attack near the Ali al-Taher ridge, a strategically important area overlooking Nabatieh and the surrounding road network. Israel responded with strikes against Hezbollah targets, killing senior Hezbollah personnel as well as civilians who, according to Israel, were located inside a building being used for military purposes. The strikes were described as the deadliest Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the June ceasefire. And once again, the Lebanese response followed the familiar script. Instead of beginning with the obvious question — why is Hezbollah still armed and attacking Israel from Lebanese territory? — Lebanese leaders condemned Israel. The Lebanese president's office accused Israel of violating the framework and undermining the negotiation process. The Lebanese prime minister condemned the Israeli strikes. The original Hezbollah attack became secondary, while Israel's response became the central issue.

Hengaw – Sunday, August 16, 2026 Javad Safari, a retired teacher, and his wife, Fatemeh Safari, both detained during the January protests, have been sentenced by the Iranian judiciary to a combined seven years and seven months in prison. Javad was also fined 32 million tomans. According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Javad Safari, 59, who is currently held in Zanjan Prison, was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 32 million tomans. The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations reported that he was charged with “insulting Khamenei” and “encouraging young people to protest.” Javad Safari, who was also injured during the eight-year Iran-Iraq War, was arrested on January 22, 2026, in connection with the protests and transferred to Sefrabad Prison in Zanjan. He was denied access to a lawyer throughout the legal proceedings. Fatemeh Safari was arrested alongside her husband on the same day and released after 20 days. She was subsequently sentenced to two years and seven months in prison and is currently serving her sentence outside prison under electronic monitoring. You, Now