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Back in the 2000’s I belonged to the Netroots movement. Our mantra was “more, better democrats.” We ran primaries, fundraised and put pressure on politicians, on top of all the normal blogging stuff, much of which we were the first mass practitioners of.

We failed. Obama was our loss moment, as he bypassed us and was able to get our readers without having to appease us.

But Obama was something more important. The financial crisis of 2007-9 was a moment which would have allowed for radical change. An FDR figure could have changed the nature of America in their response to it, breaking up banks and other monopolies and letting a vast swathe of the rich go bankrupt and charging them with crimes, thus breaking their power for generations to come.

Obama didn’t do that. He didn’t even seriously consider it, instead he supported the Federal Reserve and Treasury in saving them and enriching them.

Law and morality are the totality of ties which bind each of us to society, which make a unitary, coherent aggregate of the mass of individuals. Everything which is a source of solidarity is moral, everything which forces man to take account of other men is moral, everything which forces him to regulate his conduct through […]

That first hearing was a train wreck. Is there any possibility that the next ones will be better? House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer did not cover himself with glory in the hearings and the Republicans are not happy. They seem to think it was just a bad performance (which it was) but the real problem is the total lack of any evidence justifying an impeachment. The Bulwark’s Joe Perticone has the details: The House Oversight Committee’s impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden didn’t begin with the bang Republicans had wanted. The first hearing, one week ago today, was seen by many impartial observers as disorganized and rudderless. No surprise there: This has been the case throughout the past several months of the Oversight Committee’s sprawling probes into the president and the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden. The backlash was everywhere, on Capitol Hill and in conservative media. You can even see the skepticism in polling of Republicans. According to a new Monmouth University poll, just three in ten Republicans put a lot of trust in the fairness of the impeachment inquiry.

That couple from the pub who are constantly arguing are taking their show on the road for a series of dates on popular Greyhound bus routes, their manager has announced. “We wanted to reward regional fans of Jase and Cheryl... Read More ›

BRIDGE work has begun for the Coffs Harbour Bypass with the arrival of piling rigs at two key sites. The piling work is an early, foundational part of building the seventeen bridges needed for the bypass. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02)...

The post Bridge work begins on Coffs Harbour Bypass appeared first on News Of The Area.

Of the 12 federal holidays, Columbus Day is one of only three celebrating a person....

Wizards of the Coast revealed more cards and vital information about their upcoming Magic: The Gathering set for Doctor Who.

The Uhuru 3 are accused by the US DOJ of “sowing discord” on behalf of Russia. Their attorneys warn the case threatens to “blow a hole in the First Amendment.” TAMPA, FLORIDA – Defense attorneys representing three US citizens accused of operating a Russia-directed “malign influence campaign” to “sow discord” in the United States urged Federal Magistrate Judge Anthony E. Porcelli to dismiss the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) case against their clients this September 28, arguing their continued prosecution threatens […]

The post How US gov’t prosecution of Uhuru activists threatens a ‘First Amendment exception’ first appeared on The Grayzone.

The post How US gov’t prosecution of Uhuru activists threatens a ‘First Amendment exception’ appeared first on The Grayzone.

Say it ain’t so… It’s been obvious that Rudy Giuliani drinks to excess for a long time. He’s shown up on Fox News inebriated more than once, as was obvious to anyone watching. In the infamous interview “Over Bloody Mary’s with NY Magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi” he was described like this: His ex-wife had implied, in an interview with New York, that he was an alcoholic. Others anonymously question his mental state. “Oh yeah, yeah — I do a lot of drugs,” Giuliani said sarcastically. “There was one I was addicted to. I’ve forgotten what it is. I don’t know where the drug things come from — I really don’t. The alcohol comes from the fact that I did occasionally drink. I love Scotch. I can’t help it. All of the malts. And part of it is cigars — I love to have them with cigars. I’m a partyer.” Here’s some evidence.

“Colleagues have declared that, if they are required to sit next to Matt, they will retire from politics instead,” one legislator said.

Ο Γραμματέας του ΜέΡΑ25 Γιάνης Βαρουφάκης στο κεντρικό δελτίο ειδήσεων του Kontra Channel με τον Πάνο Χαρίτο μίλησε για την οικουμενική σημασία της υπόθεσης Ασάνζ για την ελευθερία έκφρασης και την ελευθερία του Τύπου, τη δράση του ΜέΡΑ25 στο δρόμο προς το Συνέδριό του το Δεκέμβριο, για το www.aristera.eu και την ανάγκη διαλόγου της Αριστεράς.

The post Στο ΚΟΝΤΡΑ-NEWS με τον Πάνο Χαρίτο – video appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.

“Thank you, I am really glad you asked that question, because your question captured very well the Anglo-Saxon media’s perception of China and I would suggest to you, very bluntly, there is a distorted perspective of reality.” – Kishore Mahbubani. On November 22, 2021, Stefan Aust, publisher of “Die WELT”, and former editor-in-chief of Germany’s Continue reading »

We are entering the end stage of the 30-year US neocon debacle in Ukraine. The neocon plan to surround Russia in the Black Sea region by NATO has failed. Decisions now by the US and Russia will matter enormously for peace, security, and wellbeing for the entire world. Four events have shattered the neocon hopes Continue reading »

Sounds great, right? Except that the job advertisement says the positions are unpaid. How can the government get things halfway right by recognising that lived experience matters enough to shape what they do, but not value it enough to pay it? The Australian Government posted a job advertisement online a few days ago looking for Continue reading »

Should the Voice be carried, the addition of a mandated power to a piece of paper is no guarantee that a Commission will be set up, or funded. Dutton could ignore ‘Yes.’ Only voices massed beyond the national gasworks would ensure that the Voice does not go the way of the 1967 amendment granting the Continue reading »

There are many actions taken by individuals, corporations, and governments that by themselves might be considered minor but when taken together can substantially cause harm to environmental values. Revision of the federal EPBC Act provides an opportunity to include provisions that will help mitigate adverse effects of these “cumulative impacts” on areas containing threatened species Continue reading »

I am an advocate for inclusion across the board. I find all forms of segregation offensive, students with disabilities should be part of their local school. By taking this stance I am comfortable I would be accepted as a member of the ‘better angels’. However, I wonder if my membership would survive when the ‘angels’ Continue reading »

The world recently saw the hottest day in 120 thousand years, mainly driven by climate change arising from our addiction to fossil fuels – sustaining economic growth and maintaining our lifestyles. We are consuming more oil than ever before in human history – enough to fill 6,500 Olympic swimming pools every day. The impact of extreme weather is one Continue reading »

A Democratic campaign tech monopoly cut more than 200 people, the second round of deep layoffs this year.

The post As 2024 Looms, Democrats’ Campaign Tech Crumbles Under Private Equity Squeeze appeared first on The Intercept.

Lol: Former President Donald Trump is considering a visit to the Capitol next week where he is open to pitching himself as a speaker candidate, according to a Republican familiar with internal discussions. If it happens, Trump would come speak to the House GOP sometime before lawmakers’ internal speaker election, which is set to happen on Wednesday, that person said. A final decision hasn’t yet been made. The full GOP will meet Tuesday for an internal “candidate forum.” It’s not clear if Trump — the frontrunner in the 2024 presidential primary — would actually run for speaker. Winning would require near-unanimity from the House GOP, a difficult hurdle for the controversial former president. One of his closest Hill allies, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, is already in the race. (Jordan told NBC that he discussed his speakership bid with Trump this week.) It remains a longshot idea: The House has never elected a speaker who wasn’t a member of Congress, though it is not technically a constitutional requirement.

I have not stopped scrolling. Kids in cages, irreversible climate change, fighting in Ukraine, the Capitol insurrection, state violence against minorities, poisoned water supplies, corrupt police, rising fascism, voter suppression—I’ve scrolled past it all, for years, and have not stopped. Not meaningfully, anyway. At this point, I have only one request: to stop feeling things.

In fact, I’m scrolling right now, this very minute, hoping the pleasant numbness that scrolling used to bring me will return, and—shit, look at that, some right-wing governor wants to replace public schools with something called “patriotism centers” that sound an awful lot like sweatshops.

Yep, I’m feeling that. Whether I want to or not.