It’s inadvisable to weigh in late on these things, when so many have weighed in so much already, but regarding the recent New York Times feature “The Partnership: The Secret History of the War in Ukraine”; first, what the Times gets (half) right, albeit by questionable pro-war premises: In the great-power contest for security andContinue reading “The Etiquette of Imperial Failure”
Tag Archives: politics
Bubba’s, 2-23-25
Live at 11:00 AM Pacific Flags, Rags and Fags A bill to redesign the Washington state flag, which features a portrait of the state’s namesake George Washington, failed to make it to the floor of the state legislature. House Bill 1938, sponsored by Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, would create a committee to come up withContinue reading “Bubba’s, 2-23-25”
The Digital Revolution: How it Started, How it’s Going
That Donald Trump will fail or betray his conservative white American supporters is a better bet than its opposite. But as it remains only a probability for now, at the moment I wish to praise him, maybe for the last time, for his under-appreciated destruction of “Barack Obama”—put in quotes here to indicate the failedContinue reading “The Digital Revolution: How it Started, How it’s Going”
An Offer We Don’t Get to Refuse
There’s a taste in my mouth, as desperation takes hold –Joy Division Trump’s self-image as the consummate deal-maker has its advantages and its disadvantages. His willingness to bargain with Putin to end the war in Ukraine, for instance, promises to break the current administration’s determination to keep the slaughter going–if an act of war partyContinue reading “An Offer We Don’t Get to Refuse”
MAGA is as MAGA Does
Somebody tell me it’s not just that stupid, that Donald Trump, lame duck president, is picking Cuban closet-case and AIPAC favorite Marco Rubio as Secretary of State to reward Hispanics for voting for him, as if Mexican construction workers in LA will be hiring mariachi bands for the grand parties they will throw in celebration.Continue reading “MAGA is as MAGA Does”
First the Romance, Now the Reality
Now it is only a question of how deep will be our disappointment. Enjoy the losers’ tears before they dry up, but know as monumental as the election was, it’s but a blip against the longer term trend line tracing the successful progress of their long war. Their histrionics are all the more remarkable inContinue reading “First the Romance, Now the Reality”
Riot on Schedule
A New York Times “analysis” of Telegram activity breathlessly warns of the potential for rightwing violence on election day. More than 4,000 of their posts went further by encouraging members to act by attending local election meetings, joining protest rallies and making financial donations, the analysis found. Posts from other right-wing groups reviewed by TheContinue reading “Riot on Schedule”
Lawsuit Establishes “He Who Smelt it, Dealt it” Precedent
Columbia University is paying a student 395,000 dollars to settle a lawsuit claiming he was unfairly suspended for spraying a group of pro-Gaza protesters with a noxious chemical. Columbia University has reached a $395,000 settlement with a student who was suspended in January after spraying student protesters with a foul-smelling substance at one of several campusContinue reading “Lawsuit Establishes “He Who Smelt it, Dealt it” Precedent”
Shouting Fire
Someone has set fire to ballot boxes in Portland Oregon and over the Columbia River in Vancouver Washington in recent weeks. Hundreds of ballots were destroyed or damaged in fires set Monday at two ballot drop boxes in the Pacific Northwest – and investigators are searching for a person they believe is responsible for both incidents.Continue reading “Shouting Fire”
Slipping the Right a Rufo
There is a stark divide on the American right separating supporters and opponents of Israel. The anti-Israel sentiment of the “far” right originates in opposition to Jewish power and influence, what we’re conditioned to call “anti-Semitism”. Here at least the charge “anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism” is apt. On the near side of respectability is the pro-IsraelContinue reading “Slipping the Right a Rufo”
untethered 