"substack was having some sort of technical issue this morning and emails did not go out."
It's the dockworkers' strike. In a job action in sympathy with the dockworkers' union, which opposes automation, the technical staff at Substack is demanding that emails be sent out via Pony Express to create more jobs. 😉
I got three of your emails, 23 minutes apart first to last. For at least one week, I have NOT received notification from Substack of any replies to my comments. I still receive notification of "likes". Is this a change in Substack? If so, why? This discourages conversation. Oh, that may be the intention! Seriously, is anyone else experiencing this problem? Could I have inadvertently changed a setting on my Substack? Any assistance any of you can provide will be appreciated. But please "like" my comment when replying, as I am not notified of replies.
Mine works but I don’t always get full posts from my paid subscriptions. That is really annoying. I have less trouble since I ditched the actual app on all my devices. It goes to a browser and I can edit easily. Plus my paid shows paid. The app sucks.
Ryan, I am so frustrated. Here's what I now do. Every time I am notified of a like, I use the email notice and click on the word "comment" in the phrase "liked your comment on". This takes me to my comment and all replies, not the entire post. Laborious but it works.
I'm going to try customer service as Janet suggested above. I'll let you know. But if you want to talk, like my replies (even if you don't ).
No worries Gato . . . but your spellcheck seems to have the same glitch with "something" (shows as somehting) as it had with "everything" before you fixed it the other day.
"Everything" also comes up as everyhting. I think it's just a Gato tick. My cat would always misspell "toe" as "toy", but, after many bitten toes, I eventually realized that it was intentional.
l ran into another glitch but found a circumvention. When I opened this article on substack by clicking on its title in the email, any attempt to see more than the two or three comments resulted in a PAGE NOT FOUND error. The circumvention is to open your top page https://boriquagato.substack.com then select this article. After that, commenting and viewing comments works as expected.
This may be the result of my email's article url implying that it is linking to a draft. I dunno if this is normal or not.
I ditched the app altogether on all my devices. Much more functionality when opened in my browser. The post goes to the middle opening that is the browser preliminary look see. I push the little circle up on the top right and it opens neatly in my browser. . I got 2 emails. They both worked. No glitches in my paid and not paid. Plus edit is easier. It does what I want anyway.
“ it’s like someone did a gain of function experiment on patrician stupidity and entitlement, slapped a politician haircut on top, jolted the neck bolts to life, and sent it tottering down the hill towards some unsuspecting heiress.”
I mean, c’mon! Does writing get better than that?? Certainly not more vivid and hilarious!!
The worst is when they use the word "we". What they really mean is YOU, ... but not me, as in "we need to cut carbon emissions" or "we should help XYZ with funding". Remember how Oprah talked about WE should help the survivors in Maui, and set up a website asking everyone else to donate? Yeah ... we.
This was an awesome post. Very succinct with humor what these robots are doing. Kerry—what an entitled twat. He must have his crown polished every night before his jet leaves in the morning from his airstrip.
20 years ago, we had an election between two Yale skull and bones men - Kerry and Bush. Now we finally have a real opposition party. We’ve come a long way, but still a long way to go…
I got both as an email. Both opened smartly in my browser because I have ditched the actual app on all devices. Editing is easy. All likes there and my paid and unpaid is not screwed up. This post was so awesome I am making sure I can get my paws on it always. Might cat bat it out to some friends. 😸😽😻
Sent this to you as a DM, but also posting here in case others find it helpful:
Hey EGM - I received the same post in 3 emails from you at 945, 959, and 1008. Substack confirmed a system error. Recommend subscribing to this site for updates: https://substack.statuspage.io/
The email is linked to hte list of entries, not the actual article. But the actual article is *listed* on the page of entries first, so you just have to click on the article at the top of the list and you are good to go (at least I was).
On the other hand, those who would allow the government to use the bully pulpit to enforce "consensus" are many. Here are the thoughts of one who has tenure for life.
"My biggest concern," said Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Monday, "is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the government in significant ways."
The fact that a person with that view of the Constitution could actually ascend to the court that makes determinations about whether laws are constitutional or not is troubling.
Her “credentials” are really her “indoctrination.” Ivy-educated is Ivy-indoctrinated. It’s just more consensus. “Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels...”
The one thing I'm grateful about is that John Kerry and his fellow wannabee censors are too stupid not to say these things out loud. How anyone can still be willing to support these people after they self-incriminate themselves is beyond me.
Would be nice if we could agree on core values like:
1. Do unto others
2. Honesty, integrity
3. Accountability
4. No lying, cheating, stealing, killing
5. Courage
6. Commitment
For example: The Marine Corps Values
Honor: This is the bedrock of our character. It is the quality that empowers Marines to exemplify the ultimate in ethical and moral behavior: to never lie, cheat, or steal; to abide by an uncompromising code of integrity; to respect human dignity; and to have respect and concern for each other. It represents the maturity, dedication, trust, and dependability that commit Marines to act responsibly, be accountable for their actions, fulfill their obligations, and hold others accountable for their actions.
Courage: The heart of our Core Values, courage is the mental, moral, and physical strength ingrained in Marines that sees them through the challenges of combat and the mastery of fear, and to do what is right, to adhere to a higher standard of personal conduct, to lead by example, and to make tough decisions under stress and pressure. It is the inner strength that enables a Marine to take that extra step.
Commitment: This is the spirit of determination and dedication within members of a force of arms that leads to professionalism and mastery of the art of war. It promotes the highest order of discipline for unit and self and is the ingredient that instills dedication to Corps and country 24 hours a day, pride, concern for others, and an unrelenting determination to achieve a standard of excellence in every endeavor. Commitment is the value that establishes the Marine as the warrior and citizen others strive to emulate.
Anyone else think Walz and Kerry look like Fester and Lurch from the Addams Family?
I'm from the UK and so i can only (vainly) hope we ever get the constitutional protections enjoyed in the US - but for how much longer?
Lurch's speech at the World Enslavement Forum was remarkable. It was basically "why can't WE be more like non-democratic countries?"
Note the point where he emphasised it was democracies *in particular* that were having problems in not believing the shite (sorry, the consensus) dished out by governments.
I simply do not understand at this stage after Walz, Harris, Brown Jackson and now Kerry have all intimated they want to weaken the 1st Amendment, how people still consider them to be the 'protectors' of democracy.
If the US falls to these tyrannical arseholes in November, then God help us all.
The people who side with them think that they themselves are part of the club, that it's "us" (elites and lefties) against "them" (stupid conservatives).
They don't realize that it is actually "us" (elites) against "them" (the entire population they want to rule over.)
One of the gags of the Addam's Family and the Munsters, that it was "opposite day" all the time. I think this pretty much explains our whole government. Pathologize normal, normalize pathology, bad is good, men are women, healthy is sick...sick is healthy.
Pretty astonishing what Salon - which Paglia co-founded and wrote for - has become. It's essentially now a rushing sewer of cultural Marxist shit that has no shut-off valve. I would say it's self-parody but parody implies *some* level of self-awareness.
And Maher is a CIA cut-out, full-stop. A vile, empty shell of a skinsuit masquerading as a human being.
When Maher was on Gutfeld!, I watched and had hopes he really was a rational person - but it was only for that one show. He's back to his ideological insanity.
You had 99.999% of the radio, print, TV & internet under your censorship control. If you can't make that work then you are royally screwed. All it took to break through your wall of censorship was one small outpost on the internet called Substack. If that is all it takes then how do you plan to deal with the peer to peer networks like TOR & Qortal?
I leave you with the BEST Hitler Rant EVER - "And then there was Substack. How could we have not captured that platform like all the others. Free speech and truth." - ROTFLMAO
Essay so nice I got it thrice. The videos don't work but it led to your substack landing page where I could watch them. Same with giving a like or comment. I am sure this all has something to do with the dockworkers strike. So my wife has the comment today about John slow boat, short bus Kerry: "He is a haircut in search of a brain".
LOL!! and would do better to replace the Abraham Lincoln robot at Disneyland than lecture us from Davos. Except the Hall of Presidents is no longer because no one gives a shit!
They say the reason for the strike is to make all the dock facilities autonomous = replacing the workers with robotic AI systems, so why not strike out at the digital world. Kerry did make his speech to the WEF. Our mischievous cat prolly pissed in their cornflakes this morning
¡Cuidado, señor Gato! There is a dangerous and incorrect implicit assumption in what you wrote: "in the end, there can be only one winner and no compromise whatsoever in the debate over whose rights take precedence, those of we the people or those of the state." The incorrect assumption is that the state has rights. It does not: it has powers. And those just powers are only just through our individual consent.
It's definitely not a binary issue unless one chooses to make it so.
If rights are intrinsical to an individual and all have the same rights, and it is up to the individuals to uphold their rights vis-a-vis each other, then we have simply re-invented the law of the jungle. Anarcho-fascism.
If rights are conditional and provisional based on group and fulfilling obligations and duty to group, then they can also be called privileges (just to separate them from intrinsical rights); something earned awarded only upon proof. However, there's a very fast track from that simple principle straight into social credits and all the other dystopian conformism stuff.
If the state is given or has taken authority over you, then morally it has also assumed a corresponding - greater! - moral obligation to you to fulfill its duty based on whatever reason for its authority it has claimed. State taxes you? State owes you full value for the taxes claimed. But in reality, we know how that one plays out, eventually.
And any gathering of individuals needing or wanting to achieve something together is simply recreating the formation of the state: Leader(s), hangers-on, followers, enforcers, serfs, shamans, et cetera.
All of which is why it is much more bountiful to look at places and times where something worked well and try to figure out what the key components were that made something work well, and see if they can be applied/replicated in the present.
Which is much more difficult than any theoretical discussion about principles.
substack was having some sort of technical issue this morning and emails did not go out.
the videos should be loaded now and available online or thru the ap (they are not in the email)
click the title of the piece in the email and read it online.
(you should do this anyway as i sometimes update things)
sorry for the inconvenience
"substack was having some sort of technical issue this morning and emails did not go out."
It's the dockworkers' strike. In a job action in sympathy with the dockworkers' union, which opposes automation, the technical staff at Substack is demanding that emails be sent out via Pony Express to create more jobs. 😉
Improvement? I thought they were using speedy tortoises. Wrong animal.
Cocaine infused tree sloths, I thought.
I've got my third email from bad cattitude so far...
glitchy this morning.
just use the most recent one
Sucks. If this were published any other day it would've garnered 3X as many comments.
This one is in your top 10-15 posts.
I dunno...the failed delivery issue seems to have generated quite a few comments indeed.
I got three of your emails, 23 minutes apart first to last. For at least one week, I have NOT received notification from Substack of any replies to my comments. I still receive notification of "likes". Is this a change in Substack? If so, why? This discourages conversation. Oh, that may be the intention! Seriously, is anyone else experiencing this problem? Could I have inadvertently changed a setting on my Substack? Any assistance any of you can provide will be appreciated. But please "like" my comment when replying, as I am not notified of replies.
My “like” button has been disabled for months and months.
Mine works but I don’t always get full posts from my paid subscriptions. That is really annoying. I have less trouble since I ditched the actual app on all my devices. It goes to a browser and I can edit easily. Plus my paid shows paid. The app sucks.
It sure does. I ditched it, too.
Unbelievable. How do we complain? To whom?
There is a chat line and I have gotten responses. Just search substack customer service.
Did you try different browsers? Or is this a phone app issue?
Tried Google, then Silk (Amazon browser). Stopped using the Substack app.
I think it's intended to push you to use the app. I've had the same issue.
Same. What is up with not getting replies.
It really makes dialogue next to impossible...unless someone sits around all day going back to comments.
Who has time for that?
Ryan, I am so frustrated. Here's what I now do. Every time I am notified of a like, I use the email notice and click on the word "comment" in the phrase "liked your comment on". This takes me to my comment and all replies, not the entire post. Laborious but it works.
I'm going to try customer service as Janet suggested above. I'll let you know. But if you want to talk, like my replies (even if you don't ).
Thanks Susan!
You're welcome.
I haven't noticed if this has happened to me, but going forward, I will check.
It happened and is happening a lot on Facebook.
Thanks, Tonya. Abandoned Facebook during Covid in 2021.
Way before that for me. I started wondering who the hell were all these people I didn’t care a jot for. It was a time dump also. I’m happier.
They kicked me off in 2021. Started another account. Just got that one kicked off, too.
I have the same problem for maybe 3 weeks. I only have android phone, no computer!
No worries Gato . . . but your spellcheck seems to have the same glitch with "something" (shows as somehting) as it had with "everything" before you fixed it the other day.
"Everything" also comes up as everyhting. I think it's just a Gato tick. My cat would always misspell "toe" as "toy", but, after many bitten toes, I eventually realized that it was intentional.
It is always intentional.
🤣🤣🤣
The spellcheck function on Substack is second rate compared to DuckDuckGo’s; why would that be?
I use Grammarly in conjunction with it, still I usually hit send and there are still typos.
Just like a cat....droppings all thru my inbox. Time to put you outside?
Were you even paying attention during the whole Cats Exist at a Higher Level than Mere Apex Predator level chats in the last week?
The Cat will decide where and when the droppings will be, um, dropped.
l ran into another glitch but found a circumvention. When I opened this article on substack by clicking on its title in the email, any attempt to see more than the two or three comments resulted in a PAGE NOT FOUND error. The circumvention is to open your top page https://boriquagato.substack.com then select this article. After that, commenting and viewing comments works as expected.
This may be the result of my email's article url implying that it is linking to a draft. I dunno if this is normal or not.
I ditched the app altogether on all my devices. Much more functionality when opened in my browser. The post goes to the middle opening that is the browser preliminary look see. I push the little circle up on the top right and it opens neatly in my browser. . I got 2 emails. They both worked. No glitches in my paid and not paid. Plus edit is easier. It does what I want anyway.
I got 3 copies! This 3rd copy seems to have all functionality...
FWIW, I got 3 emails, the first 2 were drafts. "OCT 1 - DRAFT"
No worries, I got three emails & the link in the third one worked.
Lucky me, I got 3!
Huh, I got only 2 copies. Feeling slighted! Lol.
Same
the email does not have the videos. i think they were too big.
click the through and read it on the website
“ it’s like someone did a gain of function experiment on patrician stupidity and entitlement, slapped a politician haircut on top, jolted the neck bolts to life, and sent it tottering down the hill towards some unsuspecting heiress.”
I mean, c’mon! Does writing get better than that?? Certainly not more vivid and hilarious!!
and this line:
“consensus” in the context of a society is a shibboleth for “someone is about to get railroaded.”
Awesomeness.
The worst is when they use the word "we". What they really mean is YOU, ... but not me, as in "we need to cut carbon emissions" or "we should help XYZ with funding". Remember how Oprah talked about WE should help the survivors in Maui, and set up a website asking everyone else to donate? Yeah ... we.
The paradox of unanimity, and "orgy of evidence" also come to mind as indicators.
This was an awesome post. Very succinct with humor what these robots are doing. Kerry—what an entitled twat. He must have his crown polished every night before his jet leaves in the morning from his airstrip.
yeah, that ketchup is mighty nutritious! Heinz57 baby! He IS rather Frankensteinian
He married the Heinz fortune, didn’t he? I forget.
It was a perfect description of that tool
"Aggrievement" (!!)
I was coming here to say the same. Hilarious!
I know! Gato's wordsmith-ing + barbed wit = outstanding reading.
Agreed! If John Kerry ever reads that description, he may cease to exist (quick some one send it to him). Brilliant and scathing
20 years ago, we had an election between two Yale skull and bones men - Kerry and Bush. Now we finally have a real opposition party. We’ve come a long way, but still a long way to go…
did you get this as an email?
it seems like the system is not working this morning. i'm not seeing a copy in my in box
I did get your email at 9:45am ET, but there is a problem with the link to like in the email. Let me know if you want more specifics.
i took the old ones down as they did not appear to send.
this should be the only live one, but you need to use the site or the app to watch the videos
Yes. Exactly
I got both as an email. Both opened smartly in my browser because I have ditched the actual app on all devices. Editing is easy. All likes there and my paid and unpaid is not screwed up. This post was so awesome I am making sure I can get my paws on it always. Might cat bat it out to some friends. 😸😽😻
Yes. 3rd one works perfectly
But 3 on a match is bad luck.
Use a lighter 😎
Brilliant!
Got it.
An email so nice, received it thrice.
Sent this to you as a DM, but also posting here in case others find it helpful:
Hey EGM - I received the same post in 3 emails from you at 945, 959, and 1008. Substack confirmed a system error. Recommend subscribing to this site for updates: https://substack.statuspage.io/
Got the email fine.
The email is linked to hte list of entries, not the actual article. But the actual article is *listed* on the page of entries first, so you just have to click on the article at the top of the list and you are good to go (at least I was).
I don't think you're going to get as much participation if the videos aren't working.
Might want to take a look at that
are the videos working now?
they work for me if i read the piece on the website
yes
Same
I would never abandon the Gato over a faulty video!
But I tells ya, it was touch and go there for a minute until that third email dropped.
Thank God!
Mine came as email
Got email. Opened in the Substack app just fine at 10:30 EDT.
I got the email about 7:50 MT, but the comment button at the bottom didn't work correctly.
No.
have you tried clicking the title and reading this piece online?
videos seem to work there
All good now. But, no it wasn't working in app or online.
Going to read the article now. Thx for fixing
On the other hand, those who would allow the government to use the bully pulpit to enforce "consensus" are many. Here are the thoughts of one who has tenure for life.
"My biggest concern," said Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Monday, "is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the government in significant ways."
The fact that a person with that view of the Constitution could actually ascend to the court that makes determinations about whether laws are constitutional or not is troubling.
Sad fact is she did not ascend but was placed due to DEI, no particular knowledge and experience requirements needed.
It's a crisis of confidence. If _we_ are capable of applying the Constitution better than an Ivy-educated JD, of what value are her credentials?
Her “credentials” are really her “indoctrination.” Ivy-educated is Ivy-indoctrinated. It’s just more consensus. “Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels...”
— Michael Crichton
Something something 97% of Scientists Agree...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_consensus_on_climate_change#:~:text=97%25%20of%20respondents%20had%20agreed,risen%20over%20the%20past%20century.
4 out of 5 dentists recommend Trident.
Proof beyond the shadow of a doubt that she should never, ever even been allowed near the Supreme Court.
And yet, here we are.
God help us.
My first thought when she said that was similar to this article. “Precisely”. That’s what the first amendment was supposed to do.
I would rather torch the media and deep state
The one thing I'm grateful about is that John Kerry and his fellow wannabee censors are too stupid not to say these things out loud. How anyone can still be willing to support these people after they self-incriminate themselves is beyond me.
Maybe because NO one will hear what he said? (courtesy media ignoring).
Isn't that what is happening now - at all levels?
What else could explain all the Harris signs?
Yup.
They support them because they believe the government is the conveyance in which goods and services will be delivered to them.
I know some people who will lap it up, but they think they are part of the "correct" ones who won't be silenced.
Consensus the way they use it is tyranny.
Would be nice if we could agree on core values like:
1. Do unto others
2. Honesty, integrity
3. Accountability
4. No lying, cheating, stealing, killing
5. Courage
6. Commitment
For example: The Marine Corps Values
Honor: This is the bedrock of our character. It is the quality that empowers Marines to exemplify the ultimate in ethical and moral behavior: to never lie, cheat, or steal; to abide by an uncompromising code of integrity; to respect human dignity; and to have respect and concern for each other. It represents the maturity, dedication, trust, and dependability that commit Marines to act responsibly, be accountable for their actions, fulfill their obligations, and hold others accountable for their actions.
Courage: The heart of our Core Values, courage is the mental, moral, and physical strength ingrained in Marines that sees them through the challenges of combat and the mastery of fear, and to do what is right, to adhere to a higher standard of personal conduct, to lead by example, and to make tough decisions under stress and pressure. It is the inner strength that enables a Marine to take that extra step.
Commitment: This is the spirit of determination and dedication within members of a force of arms that leads to professionalism and mastery of the art of war. It promotes the highest order of discipline for unit and self and is the ingredient that instills dedication to Corps and country 24 hours a day, pride, concern for others, and an unrelenting determination to achieve a standard of excellence in every endeavor. Commitment is the value that establishes the Marine as the warrior and citizen others strive to emulate.
You have nicely laid out all that they want to destroy.
And a pretty good job has been completed thus far.
Thank you, BEFisher525. Agreed. Staggering to see the damage they have done so far.
When they say "unity" they mean "conformity." When they say "consensus," they mean "unquestioning consent." That's all anyone needs to know.
I'm not going to fit in well in this new paradigm...
I'd wear that like a badge of honor.
I'll drop your badge off on FFSF.
Check out For Funk's Sake Fridays here: https://lilliagajewski.substack.com/
Thank you for the promotion.
I know what you mean. I’ve been practicing my smirk for my inevitable mugshot.
Dag. I didn't realize I had to do any prep.
*peruses smirks online*
You want to look ungovernable and proud of it. Not like you just got busted puking on the sidewalk while drunk in public.
I believe that many of us aren't and won't.
BINGO!
Anyone else think Walz and Kerry look like Fester and Lurch from the Addams Family?
I'm from the UK and so i can only (vainly) hope we ever get the constitutional protections enjoyed in the US - but for how much longer?
Lurch's speech at the World Enslavement Forum was remarkable. It was basically "why can't WE be more like non-democratic countries?"
Note the point where he emphasised it was democracies *in particular* that were having problems in not believing the shite (sorry, the consensus) dished out by governments.
I simply do not understand at this stage after Walz, Harris, Brown Jackson and now Kerry have all intimated they want to weaken the 1st Amendment, how people still consider them to be the 'protectors' of democracy.
If the US falls to these tyrannical arseholes in November, then God help us all.
The people who side with them think that they themselves are part of the club, that it's "us" (elites and lefties) against "them" (stupid conservatives).
They don't realize that it is actually "us" (elites) against "them" (the entire population they want to rule over.)
"Anyone else think Walz and Kerry look like Fester and Lurch from the Addams Family?"
Creepy? Check!
Mysterious? Check?
Spooky? Kooky? Altogether Ooky? Check, Check, and Check!
It Checks Out.
One of the gags of the Addam's Family and the Munsters, that it was "opposite day" all the time. I think this pretty much explains our whole government. Pathologize normal, normalize pathology, bad is good, men are women, healthy is sick...sick is healthy.
Satanic philosophy of Satan's minions.
I represent Lurch's and Fester's attorneys and they will be sending a complaint against you soon as you have disparaged their characters.
You had me at "gain of function experiment on patrician stupidity and entitlement."
🤌 chef's kiss
"Doug Emhoff" and "masculinity" should never be used in the same book, let alone the same sentence. No offense to cats, but the guy is a total pussy.
Pretty astonishing what Salon - which Paglia co-founded and wrote for - has become. It's essentially now a rushing sewer of cultural Marxist shit that has no shut-off valve. I would say it's self-parody but parody implies *some* level of self-awareness.
And Maher is a CIA cut-out, full-stop. A vile, empty shell of a skinsuit masquerading as a human being.
When Maher was on Gutfeld!, I watched and had hopes he really was a rational person - but it was only for that one show. He's back to his ideological insanity.
I never thought there could be an emptier suit than Kamala Harris. But yes, John Kerry is the "winner."
*Gina Raimondo has entered the chat*
Empty AND clueless!
Al Gore?
Dear John & Katherine;
You had 99.999% of the radio, print, TV & internet under your censorship control. If you can't make that work then you are royally screwed. All it took to break through your wall of censorship was one small outpost on the internet called Substack. If that is all it takes then how do you plan to deal with the peer to peer networks like TOR & Qortal?
I leave you with the BEST Hitler Rant EVER - "And then there was Substack. How could we have not captured that platform like all the others. Free speech and truth." - ROTFLMAO
https://metatron.substack.com/p/leaked-video-from-the-wef-global
made my day and I NEEDED a gut-laugh today. thanks
Essay so nice I got it thrice. The videos don't work but it led to your substack landing page where I could watch them. Same with giving a like or comment. I am sure this all has something to do with the dockworkers strike. So my wife has the comment today about John slow boat, short bus Kerry: "He is a haircut in search of a brain".
LOL!! and would do better to replace the Abraham Lincoln robot at Disneyland than lecture us from Davos. Except the Hall of Presidents is no longer because no one gives a shit!
"I am sure this all has something to do with the dockworkers strike."
Dag. They said the impact would be far reaching but I hadn't even considered that possibility.
"...haircut...brain"
🤭😂
They say the reason for the strike is to make all the dock facilities autonomous = replacing the workers with robotic AI systems, so why not strike out at the digital world. Kerry did make his speech to the WEF. Our mischievous cat prolly pissed in their cornflakes this morning
¡Cuidado, señor Gato! There is a dangerous and incorrect implicit assumption in what you wrote: "in the end, there can be only one winner and no compromise whatsoever in the debate over whose rights take precedence, those of we the people or those of the state." The incorrect assumption is that the state has rights. It does not: it has powers. And those just powers are only just through our individual consent.
alas, i fear that depends upon who one asks.
intrinsically, i agree with you, but many argue otherwise that the state indeed has rights and worse, obligations, to rule us for our own good.
a great many people believe this because it's incredibly seductive for aspiring aristocrats.
there is a very serious conflict of philosophies here and the other side is highly committed to theirs as well.
"but many argue otherwise that the state indeed has rights and worse, obligations, to rule us for our own good."
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive."
- CS Lewis
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/526469-of-all-tyrannies-a-tyranny-sincerely-exercised-for-the-good#:~:text=The%20robber%20baron's%20cruelty%20may,make%20a%20Hell%20of%20earth.
Sort of binary tho. If the state has "rights" then it is not controlled by external agency.
The "gain of function" freak show is an outgrowth of assigning the state agency.
Late to the party as ever, but:
It's definitely not a binary issue unless one chooses to make it so.
If rights are intrinsical to an individual and all have the same rights, and it is up to the individuals to uphold their rights vis-a-vis each other, then we have simply re-invented the law of the jungle. Anarcho-fascism.
If rights are conditional and provisional based on group and fulfilling obligations and duty to group, then they can also be called privileges (just to separate them from intrinsical rights); something earned awarded only upon proof. However, there's a very fast track from that simple principle straight into social credits and all the other dystopian conformism stuff.
If the state is given or has taken authority over you, then morally it has also assumed a corresponding - greater! - moral obligation to you to fulfill its duty based on whatever reason for its authority it has claimed. State taxes you? State owes you full value for the taxes claimed. But in reality, we know how that one plays out, eventually.
And any gathering of individuals needing or wanting to achieve something together is simply recreating the formation of the state: Leader(s), hangers-on, followers, enforcers, serfs, shamans, et cetera.
All of which is why it is much more bountiful to look at places and times where something worked well and try to figure out what the key components were that made something work well, and see if they can be applied/replicated in the present.
Which is much more difficult than any theoretical discussion about principles.