| Time |
Event |
| 4:32a |
Banning cluster bombs
The US is in a position to join the treaty to ban cluster bombs,
and it ought to do so. |
| 4:32a |
Whether to spend federal funds on ShotSpotter microphone system
There is a political battle in Detroit over whether to spend federal
relief funds on a ShotSpotter microphone system, which purports to
detect gunshots reliably but is less reliable than advertised.
The article explains that opponents warn that each false alarm will
draw a team of thugs expecting more shorts into an area filled with
poor people, many of whom are black. That could be fatal for the
latter. They also say that helping poor people deal with the great
difficulty of getting through life under neoliberalism will reduce
crime.
In addition, ShotSpotter microphones listen to the conversation of
people talking on the street. That is tyranny, and ought to be
forbidden.
We must not judge a system mainly by what it is nominally intended
to do; we must judge it by all the things it actually does. If a
system were only capable of detecting gunshots, it might be a good
thing (supposing it worked reliably), but it might still be less
desirable than other ways of spending the money. |
| 4:32a |
Plastics plant permit revoked
*US court revokes permits for plastics plant in Louisiana's "Cancer
Alley."*
With new technology, the harmful emissions of chemical processing can
be greatly reduced. We should replace all the existing chemical plants
that emit pollution. |
| 4:32a |
Fossil fuel industry wants to expand free speech for corporations
*Fossil Fuel Industry Seeks to Expand Free Speech for Corporations and
Limit It for Citizens.* (These are two separate, parallel efforts.)
Here's more information about the latter: laws to stifle protests. |
| 4:32a |
Deregulation to let businesses in Britain have their will
The Tories plan across-the-board deregulation, aiming to let
businesses in Britain have their will. Mere human beings will be
powerless to stop them.
One example is fracking.
Is the Labour Party doing anything to stop this? It could warn that
it will restore the eliminated rights when it takes power in two years,
and require all businesses that tried to take advantage to apply for
re-approval. That might discourage businesses from trying to take advantage
of the gap. It's worth a try, but will it try? |
| 4:32a |
Republicans want to privatize Jackson's water system
Mississippi Republicans have seen the chance to ruin Jackson's water system
forever — by privatizing it — and they won't let go.
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| 4:32a |
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| 4:32a |
Using migrants as pawns
Conjecture: Dementis is using migrants as pawns to trigger outrage
from Democrats. That builds him up in the eyes of Republicans.
This suggests we should downplay the importance of his stunts.
I think that Martha's Vinyard's response will be helpful.
Republican officials tricked migrants into accepting flights to
Martha's Vineyard via false promises. The migrants' lawyers are suing
and calling for prosecution.
That's more significant than mere helpless outrage. |
| 4:32a |
US ranked 41 at meeting people's basic needs
When it comes to meeting people's basic needs, the US is not number 1.
It is now ranked number 41, ranking between Cuba and Bulgaria.
Those two are "developing countries", but the US is an "undeveloping
country."
I suppose the reasons for specific faults are complex,
but it is clear that plutocracy is the fundamental reason the US
does so badly with so much money. |
| 4:32a |
Bullshitter's investigation into Hillary Clinton
The bullshitter appointed a special investigator in 2020 to investigate
alleged crimes committed by Hillary Clinton with Russia. The investigation is winding down and appears to have found little or nothing against her.
The bullshitter may choose not to notice the facts and continue repeating
his accusations. |
| 4:32a |
What will NATO do if Putin uses nuclear, biological or chemical weapons?
What will NATO do if Putin uses nuclear, biological or chemical weapons?
As long as Putin does not use weapons of mass destruction, even
"tactical" ones, the reasoning remains valid that we should not have
NATO troops fight in the war, so as to avoid direct fighting between
NATO and Putin, since that fighting could turn nuclear.
However, that reason will lose its validity if Putin does use them.
To deter him from using them, we should make it clear that his use of
weapons of mass destruction could trigger NATO's use of conventional
weapons against the Putin forces and Russia's military power, at least
for a while.
After a week or two of that fighting, it would make sense to give him
a chance to deescalate — offering to pull the NATO troops out of the
fighting if Putin commits to ceasing use of weapons of mass
destruction. |
| 4:32a |
Putin forces make children study a brainwashing curriculum
The Putin forces are using many levels of pressure to force children
in occupied Ukraine to study a brainwashing curriculum, and force teachers
to teach it.
When people don't want the pain of resisting oppression, they tend to
justify collaborating with it by claiming that by participating they
can soften the oppression. In principle, that can be true. In
practice, it is usually self-delusion. You can pretend you are
resisting in a subtle way, while actually doing exactly what the
oppressor wants.
Collaboration plus dragging your feet may seem like an opportunity to
be neutral, but the occupying forces don't stand for neutrality: they
demand that everyone give complete support and participate in the
repression.
Thus, the teachers who agreed to collaborate were compelled to do more
than just teach the Putin curriculum. They also had to join in
measures to attack and punish teachers who did not join in. The price
of collaborating under these circumstances is to become totally
corrupt and totally evil. Then how can you live with yourself?
Has Putin ever organized such complete dishonesty before? I have to
wonder if he is getting advice on brainwashing from his Chinese
allies. |
| 4:32a |
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| 4:32a |
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| 4:32a |
Australia must set higher climate ambitions
*Australia must set higher climate ambitions "to avert impending
disaster," Pacific island leaders say.*
I agree completely, but it's even more important to say this to China.
China's emissions dwarf Australia's. These Pacific island leaders
now have influence there; I hope they use it.
The same is true of the United States, and we Americans have to keep
badgering the government about this. |
| 4:32a |
Image of devotion towards the monarchy is false
The UK media project an image of rapt devotion towards the monarchy,
but this is false. Even people who conversed outside Buckingham
Palace presented various attitudes and opinions. |
| 4:32a |
Hungary is no longer a full democracy
*Hungary is no longer a full democracy, says European parliament.*
The structure of the EU gives it no way to take action against Poland
and Hungary, because each one protects the other. |
| 4:32a |
DeMentis lied to migrants to get them to board plane
DeMentis lied to 50 migrants to convince them to board planes to
Martha's Vineyard. |
| 4:32a |
Long Covid struck cooks, teachers and medical workers
Long Covid has especially struck cooks, teachers and medical workers,
as their work made them particularly exposed. Now that echoes in the
shortage of American workers for those jobs.
Long Covid could be responsible for up to one-third of the US labor
shortage. |
| 4:32a |
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| 4:32a |
Putin forces took away Ukrainian veterans
The Putin forces systematically took away Ukrainian military veterans
that they found in Izium, especially veterans of previous fighting
between Ukraine and Putin's Donbas proxies, No one in Izium knows
what happened to them.
The Putin forces tortured some civilians, and some of those killed
themselves afterward. |
| 4:32a |
New Pun
John Deere puts locked-down nonfree software in its farm machines,
arousing the right-to-repair movement among farmers.
Nowadays it seems to be producing more de-tractors than tractors. |