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Created
Sun, 16/04/2023 - 23:00
Denialism is an American tradition America’s original sin cannot be waved way or wished away. But if there is one way in which the country is as exceptional as it believes, it is in its ability to avoid dealing with harsh realities. The Silents seemed particularly good at this, but they perhaps learned it from their parents and their parents’ parents. The United Daughters of the Confederacy devoted decades and dollars, along with erecting Confederate monuments, to rewriting the history of the Civil War so Southerners might avoid confronting their treason and defeat in defense of slavery. So was born the myth of The Lost Cause. Even now, the history of Donald J. Trump’s 2020 election loss and the violent insurrection he inspired is being Lost Caused by his seditious supporters. Election denialism grows out of that long tradtion and generational reflex. Theodore R. Johnson considers our aversion to confronting the legacy of race in this country and why he writes frequently about it nonetheless.
Created
Sun, 16/04/2023 - 21:00

By Caitlin Johnstone / Substack Seven progressive Democrats from the House of Representatives have signed a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for the Biden administration to drop the charges against Julian Assange and cease seeking his extradition. It’s a good letter as far as these things go. It lists the major press freedom advocacy groups […]

The post Caitlin Johnstone: US Moral Authority Is Dead And Buried appeared first on scheerpost.com.

Created
Sun, 16/04/2023 - 14:49
by Oleksandr Svitych* We are living in the times of the populist nationalist challenge to the liberal order. This challenge comes in many forms, including reactionary and progressive ones – from Marine Le Pen’s Front National in France to Jobbik in Hungary, to Manuel López Obrador’s MORENA in Mexico and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in […]
Created
Sun, 16/04/2023 - 11:00

Over the last decade, economic debate in Britain has been dominated by one subject: austerity. The size of a government’s budget deficit and total public debt have always been hot topics among economists, but since the financial crisis these metrics have acquired greater popular significance. Mentions of the word ‘austerity’ in books and articles, for […]

Created
Sun, 16/04/2023 - 10:43
What is “neo-noir”, as opposed to “film noir”? The easiest explanation? Most of your film scholar types generally define the “classic film noir cycle” as cynical, dark, and moody B&W crime dramas produced between 1940 and 1959; consequently, any similar entries going forward automatically get tossed into the “neo” noir bin. Now, there are those who would say (with a certain air of haughtiness) “actually, that’s an oversimplification” (yes, I hear you). But I’m a simple kind of man. I take my time; I don’t live too fast. Troubles will come, and they will pass. So, for the purposes of this study (and to spare you further Lynyrd Skynyrd quotes) I’m just going to dive in with my picks for the top 10 neo-noirs of the new millennium (so far) …suitable for late night viewing, with a stiff shot of your favorite adult beverage on standby. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead – It’s a testament to the late director Sidney Lumet’s gift that his final film (which he made in 2007, at age 82) was just as vital and affecting as any of his best work over a long career.
Created
Sun, 16/04/2023 - 08:00
Charlie Pierce on the recording obtained by the Tennessee Holler which shows the conversation among those pigs in the legislature after they expelled the two Justins: Much of the first part of the recording consists of a re-education session aimed at Rep. Jody Barrett, who jumped the fence after voting to expel the two Black guys and voted against expelling the white lady. The other members of the congregation jumped all over Barrett allegedly because he didn’t give the GOP leadership a heads-up, but really because expelling the two Black guys and not expelling the white lady made the rest of the House majority look…racist. Rep.Jason Zachary found his dudgeon achieving orbit status. They then dogpiled on Barrett for a while. But the full aria came from Rep. Scott Cepicky, who looked out from the height of his seat representing District 64 and saw armageddon approaching from all sides. Cepicky sought to steel his comrades against the onslaught of wokeness, inconsistent pronouns, and books about gay penguins. And, Lord have mercy on him, he actually resorted to profanity. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Republican farm team.
Created
Sun, 16/04/2023 - 06:30
Even small rural towns balk at destroying libraries: It isn’t every day that the ruminations of local bureaucrats in a small rural Texas county become national news. But when commissioners in Llano County — population 21,000 — voted Thursday to keep its three-branch library system open, the moment was closely monitored by the biggest news organizations in the country. That’s because Llano County has become a national symbol of local right-wing censorship efforts after officials threatened to close its libraries entirely rather than allow offending materials to remain on shelves. Under intense scrutiny, the commission blinked. Its leader acknowledged feeling pressure from “social media” and “news media.” The commissioners’ apparent reluctance for Llano to be seen as a locus of censorship points to an unexpected development: Skirmishes emanating from book bans at schools and libraries in red states and counties, once localized affairs, are becoming viral national sensations. And the American mainstream appears to be paying attention.