I assume you got my email addy of "run". a bunch of numbers at hotmail? It goes all the way back to Slate "The Best of the Fray." I am ancient. I am so compromised these days that I start to panic when blood results vary. That is what happens when you drink and shower in tainted water.
The nature or state of the union does concern me. WE have an idiot at the helm who will stop at nothing to secure himself at the expense of all others if need be. His sidekick Mr. Musk is a strange one. Wasn't Goldwater a bit more concerned and sane?
I hope we have the right General in charge of the military who will push back on Pete and Donald. By himself he can not do much.
Hey, Bill. I did get your email, and that was actually the one I have in my contacts and used. I don't know why I said yahoo. I've sent two emails to you at that address from weldon.berger@gmail.com. I wonder if I wound up in your spam, or if I'm getting blocked by hotmail for some reason. I'll try one more time and if that doesn't go through, I'll use an alt.
Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I'm in Hawai'i, so meeting up halfway between here and Arizona probably isn't an option; it's looking like I won't be visiting the mainland again in this life. The other thing was to let you know that your offer to repost stuff at Angry Bear is much appreciated and gratefully accepted, so if you see something you like, please feel free. As always, I'm grateful for your support. And of course I remember run from the fray.
I'd assign Goldwater to the Bircher sphere of influence, but yeah, he wasn't completely unhinged. I think at this point our best hope is paralyzing the government and I would say taking the economy hostage, but we sort of got preempted on that one.
Best to you. I know what waiting on the labs is like.
Demonstrations are all very well but a good, solid election day really does the job. The Florida results were encouraging although not really grabbing the public's attention because the bad guys won (with a greatly diminished margin to be sure). Wisconsin, on the other hand, with its clear rejection of Tump and Musk and the flouting of money in politics, was clear as a Packers win and Lambeau leap. We Bears fans looked away but were grinning as we did so.
Some of the people atop the regime are participants in multi-generational plots to put the government in the hands of Christian nationalists, white supremacists, and billionaires/corporations. Now that they're here, assuming they'll be willing to relinquish control after two years seems unrealistic.
" . . . actions like consumers boycotting companies economically vital to the regime or its oligarchical supporters, which offer the protection of anonymity to participants, as well as general strikes and other non-violent street protests that likewise interfere with the economy and the ability to govern. One of the keys, [Chenoweth] says, is instilling the fear in security forces that their friends and families may be participating in the protests they’ve been ordered to suppress, and one of the keys to engaging enough protestors to instill that fear is non-violence."
I'm suggesting what I said—sustained, non-violent mass protests and ancillary actions engaging 3.5% or more of the population. I'll be heading out to our local Hands Off! gathering in an hour or two. Evidently the turnout in some cities has been quite large, so it's a good start.
I think planning for the midterms is fine so long as it doesn't sap the energy from the protests, but counting on the midterms is folly. Look at what these homicidal clowns have done in fewer than 100 days, and imagine what they can do in the remaining 500-plus days until the midterms, and, again, that's if we even have meaningful midterms.
That's all fine. My wife and I attended our local Hands Off rally today. They've been reported to be large and enthusiastic around the country. I can't help but think the recent election results helped intensify the enthusiasm. Hopefully, the rallies, combined with the concrete results will yield more concrete results. Ultimately, we are all pressing for a concrete result: the removal of power from the hands of these people. In our system, that requires an election, or elections, win or wins. Everything else is performative art.
That Black Belles video gives me hope for rock and roll. It rolled over into this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9FzVhw8_bY, a band that Schad linked to some time back. Maybe I pointed them out to you?
The name rings a bell so you may have pointed them out to me, but i don't remember hearing them before, possibly because I'm old and decrepit. Anyway, that tune and the video are quite compelling.
Weldon:
I assume you got my email addy of "run". a bunch of numbers at hotmail? It goes all the way back to Slate "The Best of the Fray." I am ancient. I am so compromised these days that I start to panic when blood results vary. That is what happens when you drink and shower in tainted water.
The nature or state of the union does concern me. WE have an idiot at the helm who will stop at nothing to secure himself at the expense of all others if need be. His sidekick Mr. Musk is a strange one. Wasn't Goldwater a bit more concerned and sane?
I hope we have the right General in charge of the military who will push back on Pete and Donald. By himself he can not do much.
Hey, Bill. I did get your email, and that was actually the one I have in my contacts and used. I don't know why I said yahoo. I've sent two emails to you at that address from weldon.berger@gmail.com. I wonder if I wound up in your spam, or if I'm getting blocked by hotmail for some reason. I'll try one more time and if that doesn't go through, I'll use an alt.
Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I'm in Hawai'i, so meeting up halfway between here and Arizona probably isn't an option; it's looking like I won't be visiting the mainland again in this life. The other thing was to let you know that your offer to repost stuff at Angry Bear is much appreciated and gratefully accepted, so if you see something you like, please feel free. As always, I'm grateful for your support. And of course I remember run from the fray.
I'd assign Goldwater to the Bircher sphere of influence, but yeah, he wasn't completely unhinged. I think at this point our best hope is paralyzing the government and I would say taking the economy hostage, but we sort of got preempted on that one.
Best to you. I know what waiting on the labs is like.
- wb
Weldon,
Demonstrations are all very well but a good, solid election day really does the job. The Florida results were encouraging although not really grabbing the public's attention because the bad guys won (with a greatly diminished margin to be sure). Wisconsin, on the other hand, with its clear rejection of Tump and Musk and the flouting of money in politics, was clear as a Packers win and Lambeau leap. We Bears fans looked away but were grinning as we did so.
Some of the people atop the regime are participants in multi-generational plots to put the government in the hands of Christian nationalists, white supremacists, and billionaires/corporations. Now that they're here, assuming they'll be willing to relinquish control after two years seems unrealistic.
We'd probably best give it a try before beginning guerrilla warfare.
Come on. I'm explicitly not suggesting guerilla warfare.
What are you suggesting?
" . . . actions like consumers boycotting companies economically vital to the regime or its oligarchical supporters, which offer the protection of anonymity to participants, as well as general strikes and other non-violent street protests that likewise interfere with the economy and the ability to govern. One of the keys, [Chenoweth] says, is instilling the fear in security forces that their friends and families may be participating in the protests they’ve been ordered to suppress, and one of the keys to engaging enough protestors to instill that fear is non-violence."
I'm suggesting what I said—sustained, non-violent mass protests and ancillary actions engaging 3.5% or more of the population. I'll be heading out to our local Hands Off! gathering in an hour or two. Evidently the turnout in some cities has been quite large, so it's a good start.
I think planning for the midterms is fine so long as it doesn't sap the energy from the protests, but counting on the midterms is folly. Look at what these homicidal clowns have done in fewer than 100 days, and imagine what they can do in the remaining 500-plus days until the midterms, and, again, that's if we even have meaningful midterms.
That's all fine. My wife and I attended our local Hands Off rally today. They've been reported to be large and enthusiastic around the country. I can't help but think the recent election results helped intensify the enthusiasm. Hopefully, the rallies, combined with the concrete results will yield more concrete results. Ultimately, we are all pressing for a concrete result: the removal of power from the hands of these people. In our system, that requires an election, or elections, win or wins. Everything else is performative art.
https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909416/is-the-nerd-reich-taking-over-the-government
Thanks, Ken. Excellent read.
That Black Belles video gives me hope for rock and roll. It rolled over into this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9FzVhw8_bY, a band that Schad linked to some time back. Maybe I pointed them out to you?
The name rings a bell so you may have pointed them out to me, but i don't remember hearing them before, possibly because I'm old and decrepit. Anyway, that tune and the video are quite compelling.