Rep. Rashida Tlaib Demands An End To ‘Policing, Incarceration, and Militarization’ As Looting Spreads In Minnesota
“Ok, Tlaib. That means no more Capitol Police for you guys.”
Stop pretending that it's only the other side's fault. The "system" depends on struggele, not solutions.
Selected parts of my contributions to a comment thread from May 2020.
"My problem is that we don't have informed science making decisions. We have politicos, none of whom I would trust to give me a straight answer that didn't give them votes. I want to see informed science, but I want to see scientists and statisticians making their best cases. I don't want to see justifications for decisions that have already been made so we can all mutter approvingly about how government has saved us from our own folly."“Journalism has changed a lot since I first stepped into a newsroom...
I don’t like the direction it is going. ...I’m sure there are other journalists out there who feel the same way”
“"There is fear in the air,” I said, breaking the silence.
“Madness is all around us. The public is adopting a personality disorder I’ve been treating my whole career.”
“What is it that you do?” I asked.”
“Two states and two Disneys—California vs. Florida—and their radically different approaches to dealing with the pandemic.”
“Let's take a few minutes to explain what exactly this whole #GameStop fiasco is about, and talk about Wall Street's latest moves, and how the trading app Robinhood may be more akin to the Sheriff of Nottingham...”
I'm not going to include names. I won't give them notoriety.
These were featured headlines on my Signals page. Preserved for future reerence.
“Government grows in response to a crisis.”
Biden, whatcha hidin'? Sock puppet before a field of flags.
I've been posting this for years to show that things are not always what they seem.
“2020 was an ugly year and so far, 2021 doesn’t look any prettier.
With mass lockdowns still enacted, businesses failing by the hundreds of thousands, rising suicides and drug overdoses, and a pandemic that still has yet to subside, things may seem bleak.
Surprisingly, the 1984 comedy classic “Ghostbusters” can teach us a lot about the situation we’re stuck in and how we can get out of it.
Hint: More government is not the answer.”
“We need an open digital commons, where individuals maintain ownership of their own identities and where speech is highly resistant to political pressure.”
I don't know what happened yesterday. I'm pretty sure the 72 hour rule should apply.
When the system screws you repeatedly, fuck the system.
One rule of thumb is that all things being equal (which they usually aren't), the side working to control who gets to speak is the one you should worry about.
“Thou shalt not dissent” should a be red flag with a siren.“…if you had showed this ad or the Tesco ad to anyone this time last year, December 2019, they would either be terrified or would either have laughed it off, thinking it was a ridiculous parody of humanity.”
“Much like segregation was legal while being illegal, if the judiciary is wrong or refuses to rule, what barrier is there to tyranny except breaking the law? An eternal constitutional paradox”
Trump is not and was not "clean."
However…I've seen no indication and no evidence that he broke the law during his campaign or during his term of office.“The government is a big trap designed to keep people in its orbit.
You are supposed to work within the context the government provides to live your life, make money, and affect social change.
Or you're at least supposed to be too afraid of the government to step out of line.
But even rebelling against the government directly is part of the trap. It means you have accepted the importance of the government-- that it is capable of controlling you.
Harry Browne identified different "traps" like these that we fall into in his 1973 book, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World.”
The game destroys what you want to protect. As long as you play the game and follow the rules, you cannot win. We've passed the point where the system can be reformed.
Apparently this will be an issue this election. Here's a selection of headlines to help you watch.
“Neither Trump nor Biden is likely to concede, forcing SCOTUS to act.”
Demonic possession is not about politics or world events.
“Should Latinos see America as a land of systemic racism, xenophobia, and immigrant children in cages? Emma Jimenez, an independent journalist who immigrated from Peru, debunks some common myths. She also shares why becoming an American citizen was the most rewarding experience of her life.”
“Competing gubernatorial candidates Chris Peterson and Spencer Cox call on Utah to support a peaceful transition of power.”
“What do Democratic Socialists like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez want America to look like? They say they want America to emulate Scandinavian countries like Denmark and Sweden. But do their proposed policies reflect that? Or do they point down a darker path? Debbie D’Souza, a native Venezuelan and political commentator, investigates.”
“There are two campgrounds near my house, one privately owned, the other government owned.
Signs at the government run campground say “Camp is full,” but it’s not! There are few people camping. ”"I believe that I'm channeling my ancestors," says Second Amendment activist Brent Holmes, who carries an assault rifle to protests in Richmond, Virginia.
“Wonder Woman 1984 will be hitting theaters (or streaming services) soon. Gal Gadot was fantastic as Diana in 2017’s Wonder Woman, but… she didn’t get her worldview quite right. She had to learn a powerful lesson about how humanity actually works, and it’s time to explain what Wonder Woman got wrong and why it matters to you.
It’s tempting to oversimplify both great things and terrible things by assigning responsibility to one important player. Diana was convinced that Ares, the God of War, was the mastermind behind World War I. So, logically, killing Ares meant ending the war.Unfortunately, Diana found out that it just doesn’t work that way.And whether you’re celebrating or blaming Obama, Trump, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden or Jeff Bezos, chances are it’s a lot more complex than that. Understanding that it’s not as straightforward as ‘your guy = good, their guy = evil’ is something Diana had to come to terms with… and she almost got there.”
“On this episode of Out of Frame, we're talking about Edgar Wright's incredible film, "Hot Fuzz" and the dangerous idea of the "greater good".”
“Nestride Yumga experienced real corruption and civil rights abuses in Africa. Then she came to America, the land of opportunity, education, and freedom. So when Black Lives Matter protests declared America guilty of systemic racism and injustice, she knew she had to defend her adoptive country.”
“The documentary "Coup 53" explores how a seemingly easy regime change wrecked U.S. foreign policy for decades.”
“It sounds like Disney and the other theme parks in California have had enough. It sounds like they are starting to put some pressure on the state to get some REAL guidelines for reopening parks. CAPA, an organization representing California theme parks, has sent a formal request for these guidelines so that Disneyland and other parks can prepare for reopening...like nearly everything else in the country.”
“A huge amount of progress has taken place that a lot of people just don't take into account, especially smart people who are attending to the real problems of the world," says Ronald Bailey, Reason's science correspondent and the coauthor, with Marian Tupy of HumanProgress.org, of Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know: And Many Others You Will Find Interesting.
For instance: In 1990, the World Bank estimated that about 1.9 billion people lived in "absolute poverty," defined as surviving on the inflation-adjusted equivalent of $1.90 a day. By 2018, the number had dropped to 650 million, even as global population increased. If current trends continue, less than 5 percent of the planet's population will be in absolute poverty by 2030.Despite ongoing problems in the Amazon and elsewhere, forests are expanding on net across the planet. "If you look broadly across the entire globe," says Bailey, "what you find is forests have expanded since the 1980s to an area that's about the size of Alaska and Montana combined, basically 800,000 square miles of land." And the world is getting safer, too, especially for poor people. "The chance of a person dying from a natural catastrophe—earthquake, flood, drought, storm, wildfire, landslide, or epidemic—has declined by nearly 99 percent since the 1920s and 1930s," write Bailey and Tupy.Other positive trends include continuing economic growth and rising living standards around the globe, far fewer food shortages and famines, a decline in the number of autocratic regimes, and a reduction in major armed conflicts.Bailey tells Reason that this massive ongoing progress is largely ignored because politicians and the media have an interest in foregrounding bad news—and because human beings, at least in the past 200 years, tend to take progress for granted. He says that's a mistake. Progress is the result of implementing better ideas for organizing society. "Basically," he says, "the Enlightenment happened." With that came the rise of representative government, property rights and markets, and especially the free speech and open inquiry that are essential for technological and social innovation.Official figures from Ireland belie the narrative.
“Bridget Phetasy on why Trump and Biden fail to inspire and how new media are reshaping politics.
Until the Republicans and Democrats start appealing to voters like her, they will have to eke out tighter and tighter victories by scaring partisans with insane claims. Despite that, Phetasy is optimistic because she thinks new media are staging a conversation that speaks to politically homeless independents.”“It's a scary time in America. In the last few weeks, we've seen police violence, protests, riots, snitch lines... all framed by the backdrop of a viral pandemic. It's not hard to see that a lot of people are hurting and angry. It's also not hard to understand why.
“The vice-presidential candidate opportunistically painted the site's co-founders as villains when they were actually helping law enforcement to catch sex traffickers.”
“Biden picked the only VP candidate whose record on police and criminal justice reform is just as terrible as his own.”
“Oprah Winfrey is a self-made African American woman with a net worth of over $2 billion USD, and she has now taken the opinion that America is best viewed through the lens of a racial caste system. In this understand of America, even the poorest white still has innate white privilege and an advantage over other groups. But is her own success story possible in such an imagined world?”
“As families flock to virtual charter schools and "pandemic pods," California blocks the money from following the child. ”
Constitutional rights are not God given rights.
Adapted and edited from a discussion at another site.“Wait, are you telling me diseases can still spread even when your protesting for the "correct" political ideology? Dr. Mac and company investigate this insane rumor.”
“The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2020, also known as the EARN IT Act, is a dangerous bill introduced by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. If it becomes law, it will end private communication on the internet.
The EARN IT Act is part of a long history of using sex panics to expand state power. If we fall for it this time we may effectively end freedom of expression and open communication on the internet as we know it.EARN IT threatens website providers’ and other intermediaries’ ability to provide end-to-end encrypted services. End-to-end encryption is critical to ensuring private communication and often personal safety.Like so many of the save-the-children bills before it, EARN IT will not combat child sexual exploitation, but it will be the largest expansion of state surveillance powers in recent history, eliminating private communication on the internet."Tip of the hat to The Honest Courtesan.“The science is settled.”
Why the big push to eliminate hydroxychloroquine/zinc as a COVID-19 treatment?
“GUNS? WHO NEEDS THOSE! TOTALLY USELESS AND OUTDATED! EVERYONE IS SUPER CIVIL AND SOCIETY IS VERY STABLE RIGHT NOW!”
We celebrate enabling perpetual victimhood. And then we dare congratulate ourselves for it.
“American doctors are holding a “White Coat Summit” in Washington, D.C. to address “a massive disinformation campaign” by the media about coronavirus.
Dr. Stella Immanuel has successfully treated hundreds of COVID-19 patients using Hydroxychloroquine. This broadcast went viral and Facebook DELETED this video off our page. This censorship is out of control!
Watch as Dr. Immanuel tackles the media's narrative about Hydroxychloroquine.”
We've lost the lessons of the Whiskey Rebellion.
Adapted from a discussion at another site.The Decalogue isn't universal. It never has been. Insisting that it applies to everyone is just another way to control the another's behavior. After all, how can they dare question if it's "God's will?"
Adapted from a discussion at another site.Do you remember that there was a Plan? I do.
Funny how that Plan has changed until after the first part of November, isn't it?“'Cause even though - Perfect it's not - It's the best thing this world's got.”
“Capitalism gets a bad rap because so many people want power over us. Here's the Simple Truth.”
I"m sworn to veritas and truth is not singular.
Should there be an "official" American language? Problems with "bilingual education" as opposed to learning another language. The two things are not the same and are applied for completely different reasons.
Adapted from a discussion at another site.“Experts and models constantly over-predict disaster!”
Despite the best of intentions, the U.S. Department of Education is fundamentally illegal.
A short one adapted from a discussion at another site.Yes, America is doomed. Yes, America is failing. And no, election games won't save it.
Adapted from a long discussion on another site.Funny how all this was predicted in a 2010 Rockefeller Foundation report. It's almost like there is a master plan.
When I wrote the original version of this, I did not have a working political blog. So it got a lot more political than my usual lexicon entries.
“This song was played frequently on KVIL in Dallas back in 1980. Until today, I had feared that this song was lost. When i came across a recorded performance today I was elated! It is a wonderful song of patriotism that this country really needs! Please watch it and share it with your friends and help revive the song!”
“This 4th of July, when you watch the fireworks, will you think about the Declaration of Independence?
We should. After all, the holiday is meant to honor the Declaration. It, and the Constitution it led to, help keep us free.”
“Dennis Prager has traveled all over the world. But at the end of every trip, he returns home with a new appreciation for America. Why? Because no country is more open, more generous, and has done more for the cause of freedom than America has.”
“Black Lives Matter makes sense as a Preposition. As a movement? Not so much. Here's why:”
“Breaking it down is very simple to understand.”
“Political activists have started to take over newsrooms, forcing out people who hold “offensive” opinions.
Where is all the intolerance coming from?”
Stand up for what you think is right even if you stand alone. But don't force anyone to stand with you.
“A citizen and the government have a friendly chat about home ownership, corn, consenting relationships, and war.”
I didn't think it was possible. Me, the self-proclaimed political junkie. And I am burned out on politics.
“Our lovely and unbiased healthcare professionals are here to explain why your job and family are stupid and not a worthy reason to put lives at risk, but rubbing shoulders with 10,000 strangers to shake signs and burn cars is!”
“If you’ve been to New York, you’ve probably visited Central Park. But there’s a part of its story you won't see.
It’s a story that goes back to the 1820s, when that part of New York was largely open countryside. Soon it became home to about 1,600 people. Among them was a predominantly black community that bought up affordable plots to build homes, churches and a school. It became known as Seneca Village. And when Irish and German immigrants moved in, it became a rare example at the time of an integrated neighborhood.
Everything changed on July 21, 1853. New York took control of the land to create what would become the first major landscaped park in the US -- they called it “The Central Park.”
In the Vox series Missing Chapter, Vox Senior Producer Ranjani Chakraborty revisits underreported and often overlooked moments from the past to give context to the present. Join her as she covers the histories that are often left out of our textbooks. Our first season tackles stories of racial injustice, political conflicts, even the hidden history of US medical experimentation.”
“Protestors who have formed the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (or CHAZ) in Seattle have released a series of demands, which include, among other things, free housing, college and socialized medicine.”
“In the years following the Civil War, Booker T. Washington devoted his life to helping blacks transition out of slavery and into freedom. While his ideas were never fully embraced in his time, today, more than a century later, they remain strikingly relevant. Derryck Green from Project 21 explains.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib Demands An End To ‘Policing, Incarceration, and Militarization’ As Looting Spreads In Minnesota
“Ok, Tlaib. That means no more Capitol Police for you guys.”
American Exodus
“Don’t wait for the oligarchy to let you in. Just walk away.”
Why the president can’t quickly solve the computer chip shortage
“A White House summit on the semiconductor shortage lays bare the idled factories, lack of infrastructure and geopolitical complications that Biden must navigate to address the issue.”
Did Delhi just yield the Indian Ocean to the US?
“Last week's US Navy freedom of navigation operation showed it regards India’s EEZ as part of a 'global commons' where US will act as it deems fit”
EU Sanctions Iranian Officials Amid Vienna Talks
“The sanctions mark the first time that the EU sanctioned Iran for alleged human rights abuses since 2013”
https://unherd.com/2021/04/the-tragedy-of-ulsters-lost-boys/
“Lockdown and Brexit have drawn a new generation into an old conflict”
Indefinite Incarceration for Protesters With ‘Wrong’ Politics
“As a Minneapolis suburb devolves into chaos, Americans are once again reminded of the different set of rules that applies to protestors on the Left.”
Daunte Wright shooting: Brooklyn Center city manager fired after call for due process for police officer
“'Effective immediately our city manager has been relieved of his duties,' Brooklyn Center mayor Mike Elliott said”
Exclusionary Zoning is Even Worse than Previously Thought
“Fixing a calculation error in a leading academic article on the subject shows that zoning has a far bigger negative impact on the economy than was previously realized”
Biden Re-Ignites The Waco Fire
“The president’s ATF nominee reminds us of a dark episode of law enforcement lawlessness.”
Facing The Facts Of War With Russia
“The Biden administration appears willing to get us into a fight we’re not ready for.”
Funeral aid program allows death certificates to be altered for those who 'may have' died of COVID
“"If your loved one's death certificate doesn't have COVID listed, you can have it put in," said N.Y. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”
'That's Not Orwellian, THIS Is Orwellian': Aussies Mulling ID For Access To Facebook, Twitter, Tinder
“The Australian government is mulling a proposal which would require citizens to provide at least two forms of identification if they want to use social media, under the guise of 'battling online bullying and more easily report users to authorities.”
Trudeau government threatens Halifax Security Forum over proposed Taiwan award
“HFX wanted to honor Taiwan's president with the prestigious John McCain award. But Canada feared poking the Chinese bear.”