Reading

Created
Sun, 08/10/2023 - 01:30
Trump’s endorsement may not be enough If John Fetterman can wear a hoodie, Jim Jordan should be able to go jacketless as speaker. But he’s not there yet. “GOP lawmakers are casting doubt on whether former President Trump’s endorsement of House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) will move the needle in the speaker race, Axios has learned.” One side: On the other hand: As Digby said, this is their problem. Ours is how long are Americans going to hand a book of matches to Republican arsonists and expect Democrats to put out the fires an clean up the mess?
Created
Sun, 08/10/2023 - 00:00
What the left is missing Ok, my neurons fire funny. Stick with me. Something about bonding is coming. The last several days, people of all ages from the community here have been building a playground not far from where I sit. Rather, rebuilding a playground: After two years of fundraising and advocating for a park rebuild, ground was broken Sept. 28 for Candace Pickens Memorial Park, formerly Jones Park Playground, in North Asheville. One of the people holding a shovel was Keesha Martinez, whose daughter, Pickens, was the 22-year-old murdered at the park in May 2016. […] Pickens was killed in 2016 on her then 3-year-old’s son birthday. She had taken him to the park to celebrate, according to previous Citizen Times reporting. Her son, Zachaeus, was also shot, losing his left eye and surviving. The company that designed and furnished material relies on community volunteers to build out the site under direction from its superintendent and foremen. They supply most tools. Neighbors bring theirs too. While we were hauling materials around the site last night, Martinez introduced herself as Candace’s mother. An idiot, I didn’t know what to say.
Created
Sat, 07/10/2023 - 20:25

Socialists periodically predict the downfall of capitalism, but each decade the coffin remains empty. In his new book, Yanis Varoufakis – the former Greek finance minister, game theorist and “erratic Marxist” – offers a twist on this familiar narrative. Capitalism, he writes, has already died – we just failed to notice. By George Eaton “It […]

The post The NEW STATESMAN reviews my TECHNOFEUDALISM appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.

Created
Sat, 07/10/2023 - 11:14

The arrest of US regime change operatives in Tbilisi suggests a coup against Georgia’s government could be in the works. As Ukraine’s counteroffensive fails, the West appears eager to open a new front in its proxy war. On September 29, in a disclosure ignored by the entire Western media, the US government-run Radio Free Europe’s Russian-language portal Slobodna Evropa revealed that three foreign operatives had been summoned for questioning by the Georgian Security Service, for allegedly assisting opposition elements prepare […]

The post A Maidan 2.0 color revolution looms in Georgia first appeared on The Grayzone.

The post A Maidan 2.0 color revolution looms in Georgia appeared first on The Grayzone.

Created
Sat, 07/10/2023 - 11:00
It’s not too late to vote in Fat Bear Week! There are now just two competitions left: Get ready for a jaw-dropping generational joust between the tough tectonic tank 806 Jr and the bomb of a boar, 32 Chunk the hunk. In the game of percentages, cubs can outcompete adult bears in weight gain to body size. The tank grew 7000%. While the hunk…well, just blew up, he’s practically a Chunkasaurus.Will 32 flatten the floof? Or will the tenacious tank dunk on the Chunk? And: This match is a battle of the survivors!Massive mama 901 survived a series of firsts: The 2022 #FatBearWeek competition as runner-up and her first year as “a single mom who works two jobs, who loves her kids and never stops.” 9480 Otis the GOATis has survived more #FatBearWeek competitions than any other bear with 4 wins under his belt. Despite his late arrival and scrawny size, he lost no time going from gaunt to gargantuan!Select your survivor. Click the following link to vote! https://explore.org/fat-bear-week
Created
Sat, 07/10/2023 - 10:46
Today’s news on Trump’s national security crimes: Trump Leaked Nuclear Sub Secrets To Australian Businessman Susie Madrak, Oct 6, 2023 Crooks and Liars I dropped my Photoshopped illustration in the comments section of Suzie’s article at Crooks and Liars. I then popped over to Salon to read their article titled, “Tip of the iceberg”: Experts sound the alarm after Trump blabbed nuclear secrets at Mar-a-Lago by Igor Derysh where I read the various excuses given by Trump’s spokespeople: A Trump spokesperson told ABC News that the report lacks “proper context and relevant information.” “President Trump did nothing wrong, has always insisted on truth and transparency, and acted in a proper manner, according to the law,” the spokesperson said.
Created
Sat, 07/10/2023 - 09:30
When he was mocked on the cable networks for getting the lowest vote count in history, he pulled the plug. ABC’s Jonathan Karl writes: In reporting for my upcoming book, “Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party,” I learned that Trump had secretly plotted to be elected speaker back in January, when he was publicly supporting Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was struggling to get the votes he needed. The idea of Donald Trump serving as speaker was first proposed on the day he left the White House — Jan. 20, 2021 — by a pro-Trump activist named Rogan O’Handley, who went by the name “@DC_Draino” on social media. The idea was soon aggressively pushed by Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist in the White House. At first Trump had no interest in the job, but that all changed as he watched McCarthy fail in vote after vote on the House floor in early January of this year. The prime-time drama surrounding the seemingly endless voting for House speaker in January caught the attention of the former president, who was soaking up every minute of coverage from his perch in Mar‑a‑Lago.
Created
Sat, 07/10/2023 - 08:00
He’s been spilling even more nuclear secrets but his hand-picked judge in Florida continues to protect him by slow-walking the trial A delay to consider how long to delay the trial. Trump’s documents case, in Judge Cannon’s hands, is going nowhere fast. https://t.co/GxcTZhkqK0 — Steven Mazie (@stevenmazie) October 6, 2023 We just learned that Donald Trump has been whispering American nuclear secrets in the ears of his Mar-a-lago members and they’ve been spreading them around to anyone who will listen. Torri Otten at TNR reminds us of all the other times he’s done this: Trump allegedly told Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt in April 2021 that Australia should start buying its submarines from the U.S. Trump then told Pratt the supposed exact number of nuclear warheads a U.S. sub can carry, and how close it can supposedly get to a Russian sub without being detected, ABC News reported late Thursday, citing anonymous sources.
Created
Sat, 07/10/2023 - 07:44

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández transformed his country into a de facto narco state, stealing elections with drug money and stacking state security services with crime lords. A Department of Justice motion against the jailed politico shows the US knew of his shocking crimes all along. Just weeks after the 2014 inauguration of former Honduran President, Juan Orlando Hernández, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) learned the country’s new leader was deeply embedded with the country’s mammoth narco trafficking […]

The post The US knew the president of Honduras was trafficking drugs. It supported him anyway. first appeared on The Grayzone.

The post The US knew the president of Honduras was trafficking drugs. It supported him anyway. appeared first on The Grayzone.

Created
Sat, 07/10/2023 - 06:42
The Triumph Of The Good

my strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure

-Tennyson

A little while back John Michael Greer wrote an article about “stormtrooper syndrome”, the idea that the good always win and the bad always lose. Excellent article, and worth your time.

Greer blamed some of this on Tolkien, a frequent sparring target, and with some reason.

But this is as an old idea, and I place the most modern wellspring firmly in the mythos of World War II.

The Germans were Nazis, and the Nazis implemented the Holocaust. The Holocaust was Evil, not just evil. At first they seemed unbeatable, but the forces of good did eventually win.

Created
Sat, 07/10/2023 - 06:39
I have some strong feelings about the social web (aka “the fediverse”) right now. I don’t aways communicate them well, because they feel so essential to me, which can be frustrating for my friends, colleagues and allies. I want to set out some steps for my reasoning. A lot of people don’t agree with me … Continue reading ActivityPub, the SocialCG, and the social web