Non-terrorist Palestinian speaker cancelled
13 January 2026
The Adelaide festival canceled a speaking invitation to a non-terrorist Palestinian, saying that presenting her would be "culturally insensitive" after a shocking terrorist gun attack on Jews in Sydney.
She rebuked the idea that the mere presence of a Palestinian with political views is somehow offensive in a way that one can at most hint at.
Chilling effect on lawful protest
13 January 2026
*Both Human Rights Watch and the cross-party law reform organization Justice say recent legislative changes have created a chilling effect on lawful protest and should be repealed. Their reports, simultaneously published on Thursday, also say that proposals for more curbs should be halted.*
Bully wants to impose old imperialist international chaos
13 January 2026
What the bully wants to impose is not a "new world order" but a return to the same old imperialist international chaos.
One point in the article is a conceptual confusion:
Yet this is not an administration that wants to colonize; instead it demands compliance. The new bosses in Venezuela are the same old bosses, the same henchmen and yes-men, only now with the No 2 running the show. This isn’t “imperialism”, not a new US protectorate nor some southern principality for son-in-law Jared, but something much cheaper and less onerous to the Oval Office: rule by remote control.
That statement adopts too narrow a definition of "imperialism". US imperialism in the 20th century often operated by working with local strongmen who were, in all but name, vassal rulers. It was different from the kind of imperialism practiced by European countries before 1950, but they often switched over to this new kind with the colonies that they had given independence to.
Laws that attribute personhood to things which are not people
13 January 2026
Robert Reich: we must eliminate laws that attribute personhood to things which are not people, and also the laws that treat some people as less than persons.
We can protect things like species, rivers and forests without falling into those practices.
Republican politicians in Minnesota
13 January 2026
Republican politicians in Minnesota are stubborn magats; they continue to insist on the party lie that Renee Good attacked deportation thugs before one of them killed her.
Big investors buying single-family homes
13 January 2026
*[The bullshitter said] he will ban big investors from buying single-family homes.*
If that were actually done, it would be a substantial good thing. Nowhere enough to compensate for undermining human rights, democracy, and the principle of impartial justice, but good nonetheless.
I don't think he will actually do it. Perhaps, he will drop that proposal when those companies give a few billions to his ballroom fund.
Indian government arrested climate defense activists
13 January 2026
The Indian government arrested climate defense activists for campaigning for India to sign the fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty with support from foreign organizations.
Prohibition of foreign support for humanitarian organizations is a standard fascist policy nowadays, pioneered by Orbán in Hungary.
Proposing granting legal rights to all sorts of things
13 January 2026
There is a fashion these days to propose granting legal rights to all sorts of things — even hypothetical intelligences that some companies predict they will develop any day now.
It is fun to speculate about what life would be like in a world with real artificial intelligences, but it is pure folly to suppose that today's bullshit generators are even remotely like that.
Pervasive monitoring of children
13 January 2026
Medical professionals campaign against pervasive monitoring of children.
RFK diet advice
13 January 2026
RFK jr has started repeating some diet advice that is mostly uncontroversial.
Magat officials blocking funds for needy families with children
13 January 2026
Magat officials have fabricated an excuse to arbitrarily block funds for needy families with children, based on vague accusations of paying support to some families that are not eligible.
Since no human system works perfectly, I am sure that some errors do occur. What the level of error is — whether it is worth a fuss to investigate — I don't know. Perhaps an investigation to stop fraud and error would result in savings enough to justify its cost. Or perhaps it would teach us that the criteria ought to be relaxed so as to legitimize supporting some families that are currently not eligible.
Either way, it is no excuse for stopping everything and demanding proof of a negative.
Magat officials have taken 1/3 of childhood vaccinations off recommended list
13 January 2026
Magat officials have taken 1/3 of childhood vaccinations off the recommended list, based on false assertions and no scientific grounds.
It may be hard for American parents to get their children vaccinations which are not on this list.
Nations' plans to ramp up coal, gas and oil
13 January 2026
*Nations' plans to ramp up coal, gas and oil extraction "will put climate goals beyond reach".* In other words, they will push civilization off the climate cliff.
NASA closing of research libraries
13 January 2026
NASA, driven by magats who don't really like science or historical investigation, is closing more and more of its research libraries.
Federal judge blocks White House freeze of childcare subsidies
13 January 2026
*Federal judge blocks White House freeze of childcare subsidies in Democratic states.*
That is the arbitrary stoppage described here.
Alas, the Supreme Court has a pattern this year of canceling the temporary court orders that have saved Americans from arbitrary punishment by the wrecker and his henchmen.
US deportation thugs resisted scrutiny for abuse of force
13 January 2026
The US deportation thugs have resisted scrutiny for abuse of force, which they do often. Screaming false accusations against the victim is just the first step in that resistance.
Body cam footage of ICE agent in Minneapolis
13 January 2026
Renee Good's wife directed sarcastic criticism at the deportation thugs, but sarcastic criticism is no justification for killing someone. Neither she nor Renee physically attacked them or threatened them.
FBI "investigation" of killing of Renee Good
13 January 2026
The FBI has given us reason to suspect that its "investigation" of the killing of Renee Good will have a result decided in advance by Attorney General Bondi. The FBI is adding to this suspicion by excluding local cops from that "investigation" while denying them access to crucial evidence, including the gun that was used to kill her and the car she was killed in.
Everyone in Iran cut off from the internet
13 January 2026
Everyone in Iran, except the government, has been cut off from the internet in the middle of nationwide protests against religious repression. This will help them hush up news of brutal torture and killings such as the state has applied to previous waves of protest.
Senate passed war powers resolution
13 January 2026
The Senate passed a war powers resolution to stop the bully's use of the US army for bullying.
UK cops that infiltrated protests reported to MI5
12 January 2026
The UK cops that infiltrated nonviolent protest organizations reported to MI5, the state counterintelligence agency. It seems the government envisaged the protesters as Russian agents, though there is no evidence that they worked for or supported Russia.
(satire) Felony Oil Possession
12 January 2026
(satire) *Nicolás Maduro Charged With Felony Oil Possession.*
US repression of protesters reaches new level
12 January 2026
US repression of protesters reaches a new level as students are charged with a felony for an occupation on campus and pouring fake blood.
The students hope to use the trial to put Israel on trial for pouring the real blood of tens (or hundreds) of thousands of Palestinians.
US has made every other country less safe
12 January 2026
*With [the would-be emperor's] military action in Venezuela, the US has made every other country less safe.*
*[His] lawless actions in Venezuela demand a resolute response.*
Worst Free-Range kids stories of 2025
12 January 2026
*It's Safe to Look Back! The Worst Free-Range Kids Stories of 2025.*
Saboteur's purges of US military
12 January 2026
General Paul Eaton (retired) says the saboteur's purges of the US military could have dire long-term consequences to the military's reputation and efficiency.
*"There is an active effort to politicize the armed forces," Eaton said. "Once you infect the body, the cure may be very difficult and painful for presidents downstream."*
Eaton compares this to Stalin's purges of the Red Army in the 1930s, which removed nearly all the generals and left the Soviet Union weak and vulnerable, which led Hitler to decide to attack it, and greatly hampered its defense.
Here is background on Eaton.
Failure to condemn US for attacking Venezuela
12 January 2026
International failure to condemn the US for attacking Venezuela is likely to encourage Russia and China to aggression.
Two conflicting strands of American history
12 January 2026
Two conflicting strands of American history, one enlightened side that stands for liberty and one dogmatic and brutal Christian side, have been in conflict since the beginning.
Preparing to help resist threatened US invasion of Greenland
12 January 2026
European NATO members are preparing to help resist a threatened US invasion of Greenland.
One third in US live in areas that could suffer next fire disaster
12 January 2026
*Researchers estimate roughly 115 million people – more than a third of the US population – live in areas that could [suffer] the next fire disaster.*
Resisting spread of urban fires requires removing anything that can burn from a certain zone around each house or structure — up to 5 feet away.
This should be a condition of fire insurance, or even part of the fire code.
America's "leaders" sucking up to saboteur in chief
12 January 2026
Most of America's "leaders" are sucking up to the saboteur in chief, and worst of all are the billionaire "captains of industry".
Saboteur's reckless drilling plan
12 January 2026
"Our analysis shows that [the saboteur's] ridiculously reckless drilling plan could cause thousands of new oil spills, threatening almost every U.S. coast," said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Nobody wants beaches and marine life coated in crude, but that'll be our future if [his] scheme goes forward. Every new drilling project signs us up for decades of problems, and our wildlife and coastal economies will suffer the most."
[This] analysis assumes average spill rates for platforms and pipelines based on 1974-2015 data. It does not include catastrophic events like the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, which released more than 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
Supercharged oil extraction
12 January 2026
*"Everybody loses" if [oil extraction] supercharged in country with largest known oil reserves, critics say.*
This is likely to push civilization over the climate cliff.
Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Greenland in President's sights
12 January 2026
*The US president has been quite clear that Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Greenland are in his sights. We must believe him.*
I would say, we must consider that a serious threat. Any of his threats can be bullshit, but we can't assume it is bullshit.
Massacred Muslims in Delhi
12 January 2026
People unidentified massacred Muslims in Delhi, so Modi's government (Hindu-nationalist) charged Umar Khalid, a leftist political activist who is Muslim, with being behind the massacre. This is a priori implausible, but they have kept him in jail for 5 years while the prosecution drags slowly on.
Senate investigating UnitedHellth
12 January 2026
The Senate is investigating UnitedHellth for cutting costs in nursing homes by resisting sending inmates to hospitals when they needed hospital treatment. It demanded some of the company's internal documents, but UnitedHellth continues to "engage" with the Senate by not providing the demanded documents.
Britain following path of fascism
12 January 2026
Step by step, Britain is following the path of fascism that Orbán imposed on Hungary.
Masked deportation thug murdered Renee Nicole Good
12 January 2026
A masked deportation thug murdered Renee Nicole Good as she tried to drive her parked car away from him. He had nothing remotely like grounds for violence.
Then federal officials told lies to try to excuse the killing.
Outsourcing state services to companies
12 January 2026
Outsourcing state services to companies makes the services unaccountable. That is a disaster directly — but it has a secondary bad effect: ministers have little effective control to convert new policies into changes in actions.
Outsourcing may appear cheaper for the state in a superficial sense, but it is not cheaper for the people that the state is meant to serve, and that ultimately pay for it one way or another. The outsourcing company may charge the state less, but it skimps on maintenance while gouging and screwing the people.
Poor people in poor countries burn plastic for heating
12 January 2026
Poor people in poor countries often burn plastic for heating and cooking. The fumes are toxic — especially for the families who do this, but also generally for the population.
Join an ICE-protest today
11 January 2026
Join an ICE protest today, (Sunday), in your city.
ICE has killed a friendly protester and lied about it, so the Facsists are in full swing with their extreme acts of injustice and oppression.
Urgent: Defeat bill to criminalize protests
10 January 2026
US citizens: call on Congress to defeat Ted Cruz's bill to criminalize. protests.
US citizens: Join with this campaign to address this issue.
To phone your congresscritter about this, the main switchboard is +1-202-224-3121.
Please spread the word.
Urgent: Call on CBS not to slant debate to right wing
10 January 2026
US citizens: call on CBS not to let its magat news director slant debate to the right wing.
US restored part of canceled foreign aid budget
10 January 2026
The US has restored part of the foreign aid budget that had canceled early in 2025.
Toxic dirt in Detroit home demolition sites
10 January 2026
*Hundreds of Detroit home demolition sites may have been filled with toxic dirt.*
Waymo robotaxis blocked emergency vehicles
10 January 2026
Paralyzed Waymo robotaxis stopped together at some intersections in San Francisco blocked emergency vehicles from carrying out their missions.
After a real physical disaster, such as an earthquake, they may have continued blocking emergency vehicles until towed away one by one.
In the midst of a slow-motion fascist disaster, the widespread use of taxis that require every customer to identify perself could lead to the arrest of dissidents and journalists. Uber and Lyft have already partially this sort of harmful effect, but robotaxis will exacerbate it.
Dry "sertão" region of Brazil became dryer
10 January 2026
In one generation, part of the dry "sertão" region of Brazil has become just enough dryer that the inhabitants can't eke out a living there any more.
The sertão is known for a style of music called sertanejo, about which a Brazilian quipped, "Everything has a good side, except a sertanejo record." However, while I don't admire that music, I am sad for the people who lived there and won't be able to live there any more.
Ex-marine leading the Vet Voice Foundation
10 January 2026
An ex-marine is leading the Vet Voice Foundation, which organizes the opposition to criminality and authoritarianism in the US military.
Walgreens bought by "private equity" company
10 January 2026
Walgreens was bought by a "private equity" company through a leveraged buy-out. This fall it imposed a new CEO that started closing many Walgreens stores.
The same CEO previously did the job on Staples, and I noticed the results myself: it seems that all the Staples stores in Boston that could get to by subway train had shut down. I had to find other sources of supplies for writing and printing. I wondered why a company would do that, but now I think I know.
Bully punishes hatred that is not on his side
10 January 2026
The bully punishes people for displaying hatred, when they are not on his side, and promotes them when they are on his side.