Reading

Created
Thu, 31/10/2024 - 03:00
In front of an enormous crowd of 75,000 people last night, Vice President Kamala Harris gave what was billed as her “closing argument” on the Ellipse, site of Donald Trump’s infamous insurrection incitement speech on January 6th. There were no insult comedians or crude radio talk show hosts or ancient wrestling stars ripping off their shirts. It was just her, standing before that massive crowd laying out the stakes in the election and offering her vision for the future. Much of her speech was familiar to those of us who have followed the campaign closely. Her indictment of Donald Trump was crisp and direct and her list of policy objectives was meticulous and thorough. But she was also obviously making a pitch to any swing voters who are still on the fence. She said: I will always listen to you even if you don’t vote for me, I will always tell you the truth, even if it is difficult to hear. I will work every day to build consensus and reach compromise to get things done. She went on to promise to listen to people who disagree with her and, unlike Trump who considers them an enemy, she will offer them a seat at her table.
Created
Thu, 31/10/2024 - 00:00
It’s ghosts, goblins and yahoos season Like Lewis Carroll’s oysters, election conspiracy theories are coming “thick and fast,” and “more, and more, and more.” A voter engagement group yet unnamed by Pennsylvania law enforcement submitted batches of voter registration applications suspected of being fraudulent both in York and Lancaster counties. Or about 60 percent of those examined in Lancaster. “It is not uncommon, especially in presidential election years, for paid workers of such groups to turn in fabricated applications,” explains Katie Bernard of The Philadelphia Inquirer. It won’t matter who is paying the group. Donald Trump will use the episode to declare the election invalid when he loses Pennsylvania next week. Bernard deconstructs Trump’s claims about what elections officials discovered: Lancaster County was not “caught with 2600 Fake Ballots and Forms, all written by the same person,” as former President Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social Monday night.
Created
Thu, 31/10/2024 - 00:00

Our friends at 270 Reasons are gathering a polyphonic orchestra of brilliant writers, teachers, doctors, filmmakers, artists, and citizens of all kinds to weigh in about their plans to vote this November. These opinion essays run the gamut from advocacy for basic human rights to acutely personal mini-manifestoes. Read the rest over at 270 Reasons.

- - -

Because Her Policies, Character, and Leadership Ethos
Align with My Core Values as a Veteran

In 2008, I was stationed at what was then known as Fort Hood, Texas, and I watched on TV as Barack Obama was elected president. It was a profound moment for me personally, as I realized that if “a skinny kid with a funny name” could be elected president of this country, then there was hope after all for me, and for my son, who was months old at the time. I deployed to Iraq less than a year later.

Created
Wed, 30/10/2024 - 23:00

“I should have used Saran wrap, but I’m not above eating the stale remains of the pickleball player’s soul.”

I yawn out a plume of black flies, then slither out of bed and over to the Keurig machine. In my haze, I accidentally puncture the last pod with a gnarled claw, causing coffee grounds to explode all over the floor. Beelzebub’s breasts! Guess I’m going out for coffee.

I’ve been famished since I woke up, so en route, I swoop down to bum a quick breakfast off a man wearing a THIS IS WHAT A FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE T-shirt. I sink my talons into his chest and extract the glistering, lumpen essence beneath, then cram it into my maw.

For those of you wondering what a feminist tastes like, he’s a pleasantly complex blend of saccharine and bitter notes. His aftertaste whispers, “I’ve never cheated on my girlfriend, but only because I haven’t had the chance.”

Created
Wed, 30/10/2024 - 20:00

After trying to block production at an Elbit factory in New Hampshire, the Palestine solidarity activists are calling for more, better direct action.

The post They Got 60 Days in Jail for Protesting Israel’s Largest Arms Maker — and Say That’s a “Huge Victory” appeared first on The Intercept.

Created
Wed, 30/10/2024 - 17:22
This is what you are voting for if you vote for Donald Trump. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 29th October 2024 Dear US voters, in the spirit in which I would beg a dear friend not to get a facial tattoo, I’m writing to ask you not to vote for Donald Trump. While […]
Created
Wed, 30/10/2024 - 10:30
In Trump opposite land, all of his hatefests are lovefests Trump held a hastily arranged “press conference” in which he took no questions and basically droned on for a while as per usual. Clearly, they felt they needed to address the raging scandal over his MSG rally but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize or even say that he didn’t agree with the comments. Instead he just lied and said it was a lovefest and told voters once again that they can believe him or they can believe their lying eyes. They are nervous. Their rally didn’t go as planned and now Harris is holding a huge event on the Ellipse where they expect about 50 thousand people. I doubt there’s going to be a bunch of speakers crudely insulting half the country.