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The Starfleet Gazette Will Not Be Endorsing a Candidate for President of the United Federation of Planets

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-starfleet-gazette-will-not-be-endorsing…
Created
Mon, 28/10/2024 - 22:25

“After the Washington Post announced it would not endorse a presidential candidate in this year’s election or in the future, its billionaire owner remains silent as the newspaper’s staff are in turmoil.” – CNN

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The Starfleet Gazette will not be endorsing a candidate in the upcoming election for president of the United Federation of Planets. This decision was not made lightly, but neither of the two candidates—decorated Starship Voyager Captain Kathryn Janeway or The Borg—has shown us a real path to endorsement, and we must stay true to our priorities: journalistic integrity and not pissing off The Borg.

Sure, The Borg have been a bit of a problem. Their tendency toward mass assimilation and the stripping of individuality and personal freedom doesn’t exactly jibe with our idea of what makes a great leader. But let’s be honest. Kathryn Janeway hasn’t been perfect.

Classic deception from the Australian Treasurer

https://billmitchell.org/blog/?p=62086
Created
Mon, 28/10/2024 - 14:08
There is a pattern. Start with an aim which usually involves advancing the interests of some powerful lobby group. It is known that if the citizens realise that there is special pleading going on they will not be supportive. The solution – create some metaphorical language that will help convince us that the aim is…

How Long Before This Storm Turns Political?

https://tomdispatch.com/how-long-before-this-storm-turns-political/
Created
Mon, 28/10/2024 - 08:32

Images of homes that collapsed under mudslides or falling trees, waterlogged farms, and debris-filled roads drove home (yes, home!) to me recently the impact of Hurricane Helene on rural areas in the southeastern United States. That hurricane and the no-less-devastating Hurricane Milton that followed it only exacerbated already existing underlying problems for rural America. Those would include federal insurance programs that prioritize rising sea levels over flooding from heavy rainfall, deepening poverty, and unequal access to private home insurance — issues, in other words, faced by poor inland farming communities. And for millions of rural Americans impacted by Helene, don’t forget limited access to healthcare services, widespread electricity outages, and of course, difficulty getting to the ballot box. Case in... Read more

The NY Times Comes Through

https://digbysblog.net/2024/10/27/the-ny-times-comes-through/
Created
Mon, 28/10/2024 - 07:30
For all the shit we’ve given the NYTimes in this election season, they have really pulled out all the stops to make up for it the last couple of days. This was yesterday’s front page. Here are a couple of the inside pages in the same issue. There are more. A huge section was devoted to this subject. I have included a gift link to this online multimedia indictment of Trump. It’s amazing. And here is their endorsement of Kamala Harris which, unlike the Washington Post and the LA Times, they seem to think is something a major national paper has a responsibility to do: It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump. He has proved himself morally unfit for an office that asks its occupant to put the good of the nation above self-interest. He has proved himself temperamentally unfit for a role that requires the very qualities — wisdom, honesty, empathy, courage, restraint, humility, discipline — that he most lacks.

“Our Best Choice In This Horrible Situation”

https://digbysblog.net/2024/10/27/our-best-choice-in-this-horrible-situation/
Created
Mon, 28/10/2024 - 06:00
To all our progressive and American Muslim friends who are thinking of leaving the presidential slot blank on the ballot, I urge you to read this. It’s the best argument I’ve seen about how to smartly leverage all of our concerns over Gaza and Israel: Arizona Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and Progressive Democrats and Community Leaders Statement on Presidential Election As Democrats and leaders in the Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and Progressive communities in Arizona, we the undersigned make the following statement, published on 10/24/2024: This past year has been very difficult for all of us. With over 42,000 Palestinians killed by Israel using American-supplied weapons and no end in sight despite all our struggle for a ceasefire, we approach the presidential election heartbroken and outraged. We know that many in our communities are resistant to vote for Kamala Harris because of the Biden administration’s complicity in the genocide. We understand this sentiment. Many of us have felt that way ourselves, even until very recently. Some of us have lost many family members in Gaza and Lebanon.

A new global order has arrived

https://johnmenadue.com/a-new-global-order-has-arrived/
Created
Mon, 28/10/2024 - 04:59
When justifying vast increases in defence expenditure, subsidies for so-called critical industries, foreign aid as an increasingly important element in the securitisation of foreign policy, governments and conservative think tanks never tire of telling the public that they live in the most dangerous of times. It is arguable that the times are any more dangerous Continue reading »