Been a student. Been a clerk. Been a salesperson. Been a manager. Been a teacher. Been an expatriate. Am a husband, father, and chronicle.
That’s the thing. The regime says it’s legal. They’re lying. The state has a right to investigate federal exercise of power. If that right is removed, you no longer have a United States. It’s a fief.
I feel for you all. As I did 2001-2009.
Yes. Lest we forget, Philly PD bombed the city of Philadelphia.
Note: 9 MOVE members were convicted and imprisoned on questionable evidence in a similar, violent attempt to serve a “warrant”. Unless you, bot, believe that those not charged or convicted are guilty of crimes they were not even charged with, let alone the charges (contempt of court, parole violations, loud noise, animals, illegal weapons posession, threats) the warrants were being served represented in a land where people are innocent until proven guilty.
8 adults and 3 children dead. For what? Procedure? A monopoly on power? What of the 250 people and 60+ homes destroyed in the ensuing fire?
All this to say, America is mad racist. Still.
“West Philadelphia born and raised…”
Takes on a spin, no? I prefer the Roots.
Does putting the intervening time appreciably change the message, the context, or the effect?
The Society of Profesional Journalists, in the US, has a code of ethics that states, “Seek truth and report it. Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.” (emphasis added)
I watched the J6 hearings. I’ve seen his rally speeches. The entire purpose of news media is to convey meaning without distorting the message, the context, or the effect.
Sounds like Beirut all over again.
DS9 does so much right. It is certainly on point in its treatment of moral gray.
Sci-fi all the way.
Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009) shows the fall of an empire (loosely, America) at the hands of their AI creations. I guess Rome or Britain could also sit in for America. This show aired while Bush the lesser was taking Afghanistan and Iraq apart piece by piece.
The Expanse (2015-2022) is the worthy heir to the throne of casting harsh light on the oligarchs and hegemons. Belters could be any people put upon by this corrupt system: migrant workers, Indigenous people, refugees, the unhoused, the descendants of the enslaved — anyone who was expected to bootstrap success.
Both are good shows. The Expanse is proving to be somewhat more resilient to the passage of time.
I’m starting to think that the Nobel Prize for Economics should be renamed the Nobel Anti-Peace Prize.
Basically, there has always been opportunity in disaster. The Shock Doctrine uncovers the methods of those who engineer or wait for crises in order to capitalize on, or pass profiteering legislation in challening times.
I read the Shock Doctrine back in '09. It crystallized the Bush II presidency in such detail and scope that I’ve never been able to forget it.
Things have only gotten worse. Even under Obama. Certainly under Trump and Biden.
The part about Yeltsin firing on his own Parliament was very insightful. Again, setting the stage for Russia’s current exercises of Shock.
Letting enough people die expedites certain forms of problem-solving; particularly those that involve the military, technology, heavy industry, reconstruction, and financial sectors of the economy. When the most expensive things are destroyed — like cities, infrastructure, and the concept of human security — that’s where the fuckiteering begins. Debt loads, overcharging, and profiteering on misery for companies /countries that caused the problems in the first place.
It’s gross.
It was The Corporation for me. Then, I discovered Adam Curtis. Smartest Guys in the Room, some Michael Moore stuff, then I really started taking a look at War docs with Smedley Butler and Dalton Trumbo and Charlie Chaplin shouting at me from the 1930s and 40s. Errol Morris kicked ass in the Fog of War, John Pilger kicked ass in Occupation 101, and BBC kicked ass with the Death of Yugoslavia.
This was 20 or 25 years ago. All this seems trite by comparison to where we are now.
They know that Israel is at the eye of the global shit storm. Iran might close the strait of Hormuz, and the Yemenis are definitely going to take shots at ships heading for Bab-el-Mandeb (Gate of Grief). Iran may start boarding ships as well.
This is a business decision.
The rest of this post is bullshit. If it comes true, well, then, I’m an unprofitable prophet.
Goodness knows how this is going to go once the NATO-backed EU sanctions on Israel hit in mid-July. US will try to sanction/tariff their way around that, an attempt to support their pals, but, surprise! Domestic unrest will force the felon’s hand.
That frees up some space for more integrated transport across Europe, Canada, and emerging markets across north and west Africa, quelling some of the decolonial “unrest” in Mali, Burkina Faso with offers of “trade.”
The wedge in the anglosphere will widen, and the US will be more isolated. They’ll either attack Canada or suffer Civil War by November, about the time people start to realize they can’t pay for their heating this winter and can’t even afford “2 dolls instead of 30” this Xmas.
I look forward to Netanyahu making his case in court and watching every argument evaporate under the sheer gravity of reality. Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, standing beside him, defiant. Gallant gave up.
So there’s this Rick and Morty episode (s05e04)
I’ve read Dante’s Inferno. Two things are true:
Though, the ninth circle — betrayal — is where many politicians, pundits, and the president of Israel belong. Frozen in the ice at the center of Hell.
I agree with funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works. Running cover for despotic regimes seems to be a pattern that 20th and 21st century American history is shot full of.
Please keep in mind that America backed Pol Pot as the head of state through that 1975 to 1979 genocide and for over a decade after.
“Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink,” Guterres said. “The United Nations stands ready to support any initiative that promotes de-escalation, diplomacy, and a renewed commitment to peace.”
I feel like I’ve heard this before…
"It is time for restraint, reason and de-escalation.
"There is no place for actions and statements that would take this dangerous situation over the abyss.
“It is time to establish a ceasefire and return to the path of dialogue and negotiations to save the people in Ukraine and beyond from the scourge of war.”
~ Antonio Guterres, 23 February 2022.
UNSG must be one of the most frustrating jobs on Earth.
Literally ignore them. They are no more than tourists. No official interactions. No preferential treatment.
I forgot to say this in my previous response: I’m sorry that this happened in your state and I hope that Minnesota can do exactly what you’re describing. I heard the AG of Minnesota, Keith Ellison, talk on Democracy Now!
Wherever the shooter is, the state of Minnesota needs to take custody of him and any evidence. State-level courts need to try him for the homicide he committed. Minnesota needs to convict him at the state level.
If he’s only ever federally charged, the regime could try the case to appease public opinion. Even if he was convicted federally, -2 could/would pardon him.