Tom Duvall, Clinical Therapist

03/23/2026

It would be a bit reductionist to say that everyone's problems can be boiled down to a fear of accountability, but I bet if you looked at your own interpersonal struggles and of those struggling with you through that lens, it would open up possibilities for understanding and resolution that previously didn't seem plausible.

03/14/2026

MARFMTOIA (mar-fum-toy-uh)

Doesn't quite roll off the tongue, so it probably won't catch on in the same way, but I think it's important. There's probably never been a time in history when those in governmental leadership didn't expect those they led to enable their insecurities to some degree. I daresay, in general, though of course there are exceptions, but in general, the kind of people drawn to positions of political leadership are so drawn as a way to cope with their own issues because working through them head on is too scary. Having power or admiration through leadership is an easier, albeit temporary and fickle, way of soothing insecurities if one is too afraid to take responsibility for them.

It might be accurate to say that current leadership has the highest expectations of enabling. I'm confident in saying it's high, enough that I'd argue it's the guiding principle behind most of its decisions. There's less confidence in comparing it to previous leadership with accuracy, not enough to say “make [it happen] again.”

The hat is meant to be cheeky - take a pause if it upset you before responding.

Whether it used to be better or not, it can still be better. Leadership is not meant to be a personal coping skill.

03/10/2026

I asked ChatGPT to describe Russia's government. It's fascinating the way it formally holds itself out as a republic but in practice operates as an authoritian regime with most real power centralized with the president.

Russia is officially a federal semi-presidential republic, but in practice it is widely described as an authoritarian state with highly centralized power.
Here’s how it works formally and in reality:
Official Structure (According to the Constitution)
The modern Russian state was established after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
1. Federal Republic
Russia is a federation made up of multiple federal subjects (regions, republics, territories, etc.).
These regions have their own local governments but are ultimately subordinate to the federal government in Moscow.
2. Semi-Presidential System
There is both:
A President (head of state)
A Prime Minister (head of government)
The President has significant authority, including:
Appointing the Prime Minister
Commanding the armed forces
Influencing legislation
Issuing decrees
The current president is Vladimir Putin.
3. Separation of Powers
Russia’s constitution provides for three branches:
Executive – President and Government
Legislative – The Federal Assembly (State Duma + Federation Council)
Judicial – Courts, including the Constitutional Court
In Practice
Although Russia is constitutionally democratic, many political scientists and international observers classify it as:
An authoritarian regime
A managed democracy
Or a hybrid regime
This is because:
Opposition political activity is heavily restricted.
Independent media is limited.
Elections are widely criticized internationally as not fully free or fair.
Power is highly centralized around the presidency.
Summary
Officially: Federal semi-presidential republic
In practice: Highly centralized, authoritarian political system dominated by the presidency.

03/06/2026

Those in power literally only care about what they can extract from us for their benefit and what's left when that's gone gets tossed like so many orange peels.

02/28/2026

I have no idea if Pam Bondi actually said this, but that's irrelevant. To this point, I say, let it. If the current system requires a bunch of pe*****les and their enablers to avoid any kind of real accountability for their crimes, it deserves to collapse.

Call me naive, but I'd bet those who remained could build a better system. It seems divided, but that's so the benefactors of the current, pe*****le enabling system can act with impunity. If it collapsed and the normal schmucks were all that was left, they'd make it just fine.

02/25/2026

It all comes from the same roots. Healing, connection, vulnerability, safety, and wholeness is the solution to it all.

02/20/2026

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/big-tech-set-to-spend-650-billion-in-2026-as-ai-investments-soar-163907630.html

Remember in Jurassic Park how throughout the movie, John Hammond keeps saying “spared no expense” and then despite the exorbitant amount of money spent, the weak guardrails he had in place (basically, trust Newman not to betray you) inevitably failed, the technology created ran amok, and there was chaos and destruction and people died? Remember that?

Just curious. Good movie. Dinosaurs are cool.

02/16/2026

Normal is one of those fun words that everyone treats like it's objective, but it's almost exclusively subjective.

01/28/2026

https://www.dispatch.com/picture-gallery/news/coronavirus/2020/04/18/photos-protests-over-stay-at-home-orders/68192285007/

This is from April 2020, about a month after Ohio went into its lockdown response during the initial outbreak of COVID 19. The people were protesting the lockdowns, which had most things closed down, so their frustration was valid despite the risks known and unknown at the time. Some of them are wearing masks, but most people were wearing masks at the time when they were outside because of the risk of spreading the virus. For sure they are expressing valid frustration while also being aware of the risks at the time and not everyone wearing a mask here is in the hide-our-face, try-to-look-tough-but-terrified-of-accountability camp.

You can also see that some of them are carrying weapons, much bigger than a handgun, yet when they acted peacefully their motives were not questioned and law enforcement officers did not treat them like a threat.

This was in April 2020, so not quite 6 years ago. That seems long ago because of how fast everything moves, but in reality that's not that long ago.

Several hundred people showed up to a large protest outside the Ohio Statehouse on April 18 to demonstrate Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order. Cars also circled the building honking horns as many …

01/25/2026

This one goes out to all the people who I think they're showing love and patriotism for their country when they're actually pushing enabling and nationalism, which is incompatible with love and patriotism. It makes sense, the kind of people who would push enabling and nationalism and confuse it with love and patriotism are generally afraid of accountability in their own lives, so of course they would apply that on a larger scale at the national level.

01/17/2026

Had to get this out before the invasion starts.

01/13/2026

https://youtu.be/KckGHaBLSn4?si=4Cs_y58MEg5ayhqF

The number of criminal fraud cases wielded against anyone with any kind of power who chooses their own integrity over enabling the insecurities of the administration seems to be a pretty substantial projection on the part of said administration.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/powell20260111a.htmThe Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the United States. It performs five gen...