Israeli leaflets over Tehran
19 June 2025
Israel "ordered" people to "evacuate" a large part of Tehran, its capital city. It said that it would attack "military infrastructure", but in fact bombs and missiles are falling on civilian markets.
*[The bully] brushes off US intel reports on Iran to align himself with Israel.*
Millions of Iranians hate their government, but that doesn't mean they don't love their country. The attacks by Israel are just the thing to make them unite (at least for the while). Threats from the US will make Iranians hate the US and look for more ways to support Russia.
Hmm, maybe the bully is still trying to serve Putin.
Congressional bid to keep US out of Iran
19 June 2025
A bipartisan resolution in Congress aims to invoke the War Powers Act to stop the bully from adding the US to Israel's attacks on Iran.
Israeli kills at food center, Gaza
19 June 2025
Israeli troops shot 37 Palestinians who were trying to collect some food.
Similar incidents have been happening daily.
(satire) Sen. Padilla had even deadlier opinion that failed to go off
18 June 2025
(satire) *Kristi Noem: Sen. Padilla Had Even Deadlier Opinion That Failed To Go Off.*
How UK could take over water companies
18 June 2025
Explaining how the UK could take over the incompetent and corrupt water companies without giving them to any other companies, and without paying a ransom to anyone.
Wetland in Australia attacked by algae bloom
18 June 2025
An ecologically important protected wetland in Australia has been attacked by a toxic algae bloom, brought about by human-caused global heating and pollution. The bloom is likely to repeat whenever the high temperatures repeat.
Lawful protesters' right to cover faces
18 June 2025
Lawful protesters should be free to cover their faces, and in the US, the Supreme Court has recognized their right to do so.
The article contrasts lawful protest with civil disobedience. However, it is an obvious error to categorized whistleblowing as a kind of civil disobedience. Whistleblowing is not symbolic disobedience, it is direct action.
Beatings, threats and lies dished by Putin forces
18 June 2025
Ukrainian soldier Maksym Butkevych, captured by the Putin forces and recently exchanged, described the beatings, threats and lies dished out by the Putin forces guards during his two years of captivity.
Campaign pressuring Target to support minority groups
18 June 2025
About the campaign pressuring Target to bring back some of support for the minority groups that face unequal treatment by society.
Proposed "My Body, My Data Act"
18 June 2025
The proposed My Body, My Data Act would prohibit "collecting, using, retaining or disclosing information about someone’s reproductive health," except for a "specific request". Because of the words "collecting" and "retaining", this might do some real good. Texas can't use a subpoena retroactively to make a system collect or retain data that it did not collect or did not retain.
It would be crucial to make sure that offer the option of storing the data solely on the device. If the only mode of operation that an app offers is to store the data in some cloudy server, and the user asks the app to do anything with per data, that might create a loophole: asking the app to do anything might be construed as an "explicit request" for the app/server to collect the data and retain it.
Other dark patters or manipulative money saving offers might also be used to manipulate people into making the poisonous "request".
As the Texas example shows, reproductive health data is not the only data that can be used for faith-based repression of abortion, birth control and medicine. Location data can serve the same unjust purpose. The requirements for collecting or retaining location records must be made bulletproof against fanatical officials willing to distort the truth or lie outright.
Test case of using military to crush peaceful protests
18 June 2025
The fascist-in-waiting has prepared for years to create a test case of using the military to crush peaceful protests. Defending democracy will require careful tactics to avoid giving him a bogus excuse which he can then distort.
Israeli government issuing "illegal" orders
18 June 2025
*Israeli government issuing "illegal" orders that must not be obeyed, say IDF intelligence officers.*
Unlike the usual position of Israeli opposition to the war, based on the wish to ransom the Israeli hostages soon, this opposition is based on recognizing the right to life of Palestinians. The "illegal orders" are illegal because they are orders to kill innocent Palestinians, with no military justification — and that makes them war crimes.
And they are being presented by prestigious army officers who back up their criticism with defiance — refusing to obey those illegal orders.
This resistance has the potential to shake the Netanyahu government. I hope so.
Wrecker plans to abolish FEMA
18 June 2025
To ensure Americans get less help in coping with disasters, the wrecker plans to abolish FEMA and take direct White House control over the distribution of aid.
Giving the job to people he has personally appointed will also cause confusion that will surely reduce what really gets done.
Pushing for unified definition of racism
18 June 2025
Organized groups of Muslims in Australia are pressuring for a unified definition of racism (or bigotry), so as to block the push for an unjust criterion for antisemitism.
Bravo! This is an important issue, and they have chosen the right direction for solving it.
Side issue:
The word "racism" means prejudice based on race. A prejudice based on religion, sex, gender, national origin, or caste, is not racism. It is a similar moral issue, and may be equally unjust, but it doesn't fit into the word "racism".
Let's not adopt terminology that builds confusion into the moral foundation of our views. When we want to reject bigotry whether based on race or not, let's use the broader word "bigotry".
Turkey's democracy is fighting for its life
18 June 2025
Orhan Pamuk: *I've never seen such clampdowns in Istanbul. Turkey's democracy is fighting for its life.*
The country's most popular politician has been jailed, to stop him from running for president and perhaps defeating Erdoğan. Other dirty tricks are being used to stop him from running.
Even metro stations, buses and car travel in İstanbul are restricted, as is entry to the city, to make protests difficult.
When we see the bully's thugs beating up members of Congress, we have to wonder whether the federal courts will be able to protect democracy effectively from the bully if he does the sort of things Erdoğan does.
Municipal systems heating homes and water
18 June 2025
Heating homes and water is more efficient when done in Stockholm by municipal systems serving neighborhoods.
CDC official in charge of Covid data resigns
18 June 2025
*CDC official in charge of Covid data resigns ahead of vaccine meeting. … She does not have confidence data will be use[d] to make "evidence-based vaccine policy decisions."*
Resigning from an official position makes no impression on magats. They do not care about the capacity to judge carefully, based on evidence, a question they prefer to judge based on emotion alone, so the government's loss of that capacity does not strike them as significant.
It would be more effective to stay in the position and criticize vociferously whenever magat officials. Eventually they will fire you, and your reproach will win more attention.
California bill for officers who cover face on duty
18 June 2025
*California bill proposes misdemeanor for officers who cover their face on duty.*
I would expect there to be an exception for undercover cops that infiltrate criminal activities. That activity is useful. But it will be a challenge to draw up a rule to distinguish legitimate undercover investigation from anonymous snatches.
UK government seems to have sold soul to nuclear power
17 June 2025
The UK government seems to have sold its soul to nuclear power, and cites arguments based on assuming the habitual problems of nuclear power will inexplicably not happen this time.
Urgent: Support Higher Wages for American Workers Act
17 June 2025
US citizens: phone your senators to support the Higher Wages for American Workers Act, which would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
UK scheme to turn children away from crime
17 June 2025
* A [UK] scheme aiming to turn children arrested for violence away from crime has claimed staggering success, with up to nine out of 10 diverted from further offending, according to a report.*
New rules on betting ads must be considered
17 June 2025
*John Maynard tells Guardian the US must consider new rules on betting ads as operators lobby against federal crackdown.*
Parents allowed children to walk to a store
17 June 2025
North Carolina parents allowed their children to walk to a store. One was killed in an unlikely accident; now they are threatened with many years in jail.
Foreign flags at LA protests
17 June 2025
*[The wrecker] claims [foreign flags at LA protests] signify a "foreign invasion" but experts say they're flown by US citizens proud of their heritage.*
Mainstream media have enabled war on universities
17 June 2025
*The mainstream media [have] enabled [the bully's] war on universities. For the past decade, the US press has fueled a moral panic over leftists on campus while failing to report on the right [wing]'s assault.*
Kenyan thugs appear to have killed Albert Ojwang
17 June 2025
Kenyan thugs appear to have arrested and then killed Albert Ojwang for making accusations against one of the high officials of the thugs. Now that official and some other thugs are being investigated for this.
Deportation thugs lurked next to an elementary school
17 June 2025
Deportation thugs lurked next to an elementary school, apparently using the school children as bait to arrest their parents. One of their cars collided with another vehicle whose driver was then taken away in an ambulance.
RFK Jr fired CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization
17 June 2025
RFK jr has fired everyone on the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and appointed Antivaxxers to it.
Many medical and scientific organizations in the US make a practice of relying on the recommendations of such advisory panels. Now that this one has been rendered incompetent, those organizations may find that institutional inertia stands in the way of recognizing that they are no longer fit for such trust. Those that are prepared to recognize this encounter another problem: who else can they trust instead?
Historical survey on nonviolent activism
17 June 2025
A historical survey concludes that 3.5% of the population, engaged steadily in nonviolent activism to change the government, achieve that goal.
The survey also found that in general nonviolent activism is considerably more effective than armed resistance.
Nine protesters in LA being prosecuted
17 June 2025
Nine protesters in LA are being prosecuted for supposed fights with official thugs, which appears not to have occurred at all.
It is not unusual for official thugs to bear false witness so as to get someone unjustly punished. Solidarity in lying is part of their culture, so when one does it, the rest know they are expected to lie to support it.
I don't have a basis to be certain that all nine of those protesters are victims of lies and that all the accusations are false. What I will say is that we should not trust the word of official thugs about such accusations.
President toying with invoking Insurrection Act
17 June 2025
* Four years after the January 6 attack, the president is toying with invoking the Insurrection Act to respond to a conflict he provoked.*
Some Republicans Opposed Using Troops Against Protests in 2020. Now They’re Marching in Lockstep.
Brazil to auction oil exploration rights
17 June 2025
*Brazil to auction oil exploration rights months before hosting Cop30.*
When Lula was president before, he was a strong champion of curbing global heating. Sad to say, this seems to have changed. Even worse, the change seems to be a world-wide pattern, that governments are dropping most of the efforts they did make to save civilization and nature from global heating.
Texas trying to enforce law which treats fetus or embryo as person
17 June 2025
Texas is trying to enforce its law that treats a fetus or embryo as a person, by murder charges against someone who gave a pregnant woman an abortion drug.
California's special stricter standards on new cars
17 June 2025
The wrecker claims to have abolished California's authorization to impose special stricter standards on new cars.
Should Columbia be called a university?
17 June 2025
After surrendering to political censorship and control, should Columbia be called a university?
Russia and China sabotage of undersea cables
17 June 2025
Russia and China seem to be collaborating on sabotage of undersea cables.
Australian sent back to Australia when he arrived in US
17 June 2025
Australian Alistair Kitchen was sent back to Australia when he arrived in the US. Agents told him the reason for interrogating him was due to his writings about protests against Israel's war crimes in Gaza, which he had witnessed shortly before his 2024 graduation from Columbia university.
Most of what the agents did would have been reasonable and not cruel, if they had done it for a real reason. What was wrong was that they did it to someone based on per nonviolent exercise of constitutional rights. That is totally offensive to the United States and its Constitution.
Steven Donziger: How Greenpeace lost
17 June 2025
*Greenpeace lost — not because it did something wrong but because it was denied a fair trial.*
Urgent: Stop wrecker's authoritarian troop deployment
17 June 2025
US citizens: call on Congress to Stop [the wrecker]'s Authoritarian Troop Deployment.
The line between military and civilian government is among the critical protections for democracy.
(satire) Children born under Biden to be renamed after confederate generals
17 June 2025
(satire) *Trump Orders All Children Born Under Biden To Be Renamed After Confederate Generals.*
Commercial "period tracker" apps
17 June 2025
Commercial "period tracker" apps, which connect to servers, collect users personal data and then store them in the servers for others to obtain.
A bizarre alternative has been proposed: governments would run these apps and store the data in their own servers.
One might wish we could trust those governments not to use that data against the users who entered them — but if the government is taken over by right-wing fanatics, it will use those data in all the nastiest ways — including punishing abortion.
The real solution to this problem is to keep the data encrypted on your own computer. But in order for users to rationally trust it, it needs to be free software, so that no one is in a position to corrupt the program.
Robbery by man claiming to be deportation thug
17 June 2025
A man who said he was a deportation thug tied up a sales clerk and took $1000 in cash.
The article asserts that he was an impostor and not a real deportation thug. Perhaps so — but can anyone verify that? Can we be sure he wasn't an authentic deportation thug?
Deceit and cruelty by deportation thugs
17 June 2025
The deportation thugs are practicing deceit and cruelty — for instance, tricking people into signing papers that accept deportation.
Order on grant applications that talk about DEI
17 June 2025
A federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of the executive order to reject grant applications that talk about DEI or mention the existence of trans people.
Algae in waterways rapidly increasing
17 June 2025
* As the Earth heats up, the amount of algae in our waterways is rapidly increasing, transforming the colour of lakes and killing entire ecosystems.*
Several massive human outputs combine to cause algae blooms, and human economic growth increases all of them.
Big Bad Bill built on falsehoods
17 June 2025
*[The Big Bad Bill] is built on falsehoods about low-income families.*
Poor people don't make bad decisions out of laziness. They do it out of high levels of stress in their lives.
(satire) Executive order reversing all vasectomies
17 June 2025
(Satire) *[Saboteur-in-chief] Issues Executive Order Reversing All Vasectomies.*
Planet roasters labeling methane as "clean energy"
17 June 2025
Orwellian planet roasters are labeling fossil gas (methane) as "clean energy".
Wrecker to label power plant emissions "not significant"
17 June 2025
The wrecker is planning to label US greenhouse emissions from power plants as "not significant", showing his usual disregard for facts, as an excuse to permit increasing them.
How Chicago protects residents from deportation
17 June 2025
What Chicago does to protect its residents from deportation.
I must rebuke the article's author for saying that the bullshitter has *worked to fulfill campaign pledges to carry out mass deportations after promising to remove "millions".* Yes, he said that, but he has no sense of obligation to carry out promises, whether campaign promises or any other kind.
He sticks to this line of attack because he thinks it is an effective strategy for reducing the US to submission. Part of the reason for that is that magats are mad for it. That has a superficial partial resemblance to "carrying out a promise," but they are fundamentally different.