Ta-Nehisi Coates Addresses Cancel Cukture

By rmrd0000 on Sat, 11/23/2019 - 8:42am |

We are being told of the evils of “cancel culture,” a new scourge that enforces purity, banishes dissent and squelches sober and reasoned debate. But cancel culture is not new. A brief accounting of the illustrious and venerable ranks of blocked and dragged Americans encompasses Sarah Good, Elijah Lovejoy, Ida B. Wells, Dalton Trumbo, Paul Robeson and the Dixie Chicks. What was the Compromise of 1877, which ended Reconstruction, but the cancellation of the black South? What were the detention camps during World War II but the racist muting of Japanese-Americans and their basic rights?

Thus any sober assessment of this history must conclude that the present objections to cancel culture are not so much concerned with the weapon, as the kind of people who now seek to wield it.

Until recently, cancellation flowed exclusively downward, from the powerful to the powerless. But now, in this era of fallen gatekeepers, where anyone with a Twitter handle or Facebook account can be a publisher, banishment has been ostensibly democratized. This development has occasioned much consternation. Scarcely a day goes by without America’s college students being reproached for rejecting poorly rendered sushi or spurning the defenders of statutory rape.

Speaking as one who has felt the hot wrath of Twitter, I am not without sympathy for the morally panicked who fear that the kids are not all right. But it is good to remember that while every generation believes that it invented sex, every preceding generation forgets that it once believed the same thing.
Besides, all cancellations are not created equal. Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Brett Kavanaugh at his Supreme Court confirmation hearings of sexually assault, was inundated with death threats, forced from her home and driven into hiding. Dave Chappelle, accused of transphobia, collected millions from Netflix for a series of stand-up specials and got his feelings hurt.

URL:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/opinion/colin-kaepernick-nfl.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

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From the NYT

The N.F.L. is revered in this country as a paragon of patriotism and chivalry, a sacred trust controlled by some of the wealthiest men and women in America. For the past three years, this sacred trust has executed, with brutal efficiency, the cancellation of Colin Kaepernick. This is curious given the N.F.L.’s moral libertinism; the league has, at various points, been a home for domestic abusers, child abusers and open racists.

And yet it seems Mr. Kaepernick’s sin — refusing to stand for the national anthem — offends the N.F.L.’s suddenly delicate sensibilities. And while the influence of hashtags should not be underestimated, the N.F.L. has a different power at its fingertips: the power of monopoly. Effectively, Mr. Kaepernick’s cancellation bars him from making a living at a skill he has been honing since childhood.

It is true that he has found gainful employment with Nike. But only so much solace can be taken in this given that Mr. Kaepernick’s opponents occupy not just board rooms and owner’s boxes, but the White House. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these N.F.L. owners, when somebody disrespects our flag to, to say, ‘Get that son of a [expletive] off the field right now,’” President Trump said in 2017. The N.F.L. has since dutifully obeyed.

by rmrd0000 on Sat, 11/23/2019 - 8:46am

This is ridiculous propaganda and spin. NFL owners aren't hiring Kaepernick because they believe large numbers of viewers of the game are upset about his behavior and many will stop watching if he's hired. A large number of those, like me, who don't care about kneeling for the anthem or support him don't watch football. The owners care about ratings. If they thought that hiring Kaepernick would bring higher ratings because his supporters would start watching the game he'd be hired in a second.

by ocean-kat on Sat, 11/23/2019 - 12:43pm

I'd suggest that owners like most people may care about more than ratings. If the players start protesting one thing, where does it stop? Also, I suspect some of the owners are suckers for that National Anthem (I'm not much of a flag or German drinking songs kind of guy, so I'm left a bit cold by the whole insulting-the-troops complaint) and being full of themselves might associate with some kind of occasional overblown primordial patriotism.

In any case, there was an unfortunate confluence of factors beyond #TakeAKnee - a season full of injuries didn't help, Kap not getting along with 1 coach and not fitting a second's game style, Kap & SF restructuring his 6-year contract to allow him optimistically to go free agent the following year, etc. I'm under no illusions about the NFL being an enlightened employer, & Kap shouldn't have been either. And then to have attendance, profits & fans' good will threatened - well frankly I don't think many people expressed well enough the awfulness of police brutality towards blacks, and police departments themselves have been able to avoid responsibility for this kind of abusive crime - and I'd guess police lobbying inside sports organizations is pretty high & effective.

Kap's comments about Hillary in 2016 weren't terribly helpful - he basically attacked one of the better known politicians and hero to many, and lost a likely high-placed ally in hs predicament - and undoubtedly turn a large number of people from Kap supporters to largely indifferent about him.

That "Japanese-Americans locked up" as an example of "Cancel Culture" is plain stupid. It was a standard concern about ethnic groups' loyalties during wartime, and there was nothing Japanese-Americans did or said (I can confidently guess) that caused them to be "cancelled" (an dubious word for being put in concentration camps) - they were simply victims of the usual panic and paranoia during wartime. Ta-Nehisi goes in for a whole bunch of historical shotgunning, which only makes his column sloppy, not convincing.

by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 11/23/2019 - 4:08pm

Yes, it's more complex than any one simple reason. Your's is a better analysis. I just gave what I thought was the largest reason because I didn't expect a nuanced conversation from rmrd and didn't want to spend the time creating a nuanced post for him to strawman and trivialize.

by ocean-kat on Sat, 11/23/2019 - 4:15pm

Executives always believe they are rationally weighing all the relevant factors.

Reminds me of the remark by a famous and famously successful exec: " Recruiting key subordinates" he said , "they carefully review whatever measurements are available and solicit appropriate advice.

Then hire a beautiful ivy leaguer."

They do what they feel like doing.

If a kneeling quarterback really annoys a CEO , he'll look at whatever data is available etc. And decide it would be uneconomic to hire him. Because he doesn't want to.

by Flavius on Sat, 11/23/2019 - 11:15pm

Funny stuff aside, 1) many CEOs these days doing radical data/analytics-driven decisions and transformation. Whether that applies to club owners, dunno, but "Money all" did have a big impact on how sports clubs see and use data.

2) acquiring Kap brings a whole political and business soap opera that ball clubs may not want to adopt. Someone explain the upsides that outweigh the risks, especially for a player who was largely injured his last season and now hasn't played in 3 years. Can they pick him up for B-string? And what kind of cash is he looking for? How many years contract? What will that do to corporate endorsements, box seats, all the high price stuff around teams? It's Qualcomm Arena, not San Diego stadium - how does Kap fit the Qualcomm culture and marketing message, to pick just one club & stadium & customer base.

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 11/24/2019 - 4:30am

FWIW I had occasional contacts - at Board meetings - (he never physically attended- just phoned in )with one team CEO. Usually praised because his teams' consistently exceeded expectations given its market size.

Apart from being the source of some good stories he seemed - just normal. Could have been a plumber (I've always liked the line " He's like a plumber when you need a plumber") or a garage owner.

Who knows ? But my sense is , if he could have gotten Kap at his price ,Charlie would have given him the ball.

Another variant on the "beautiful Ivy Leaguer" syndrome.

by Flavius on Sun, 11/24/2019 - 10:03am

Oh, I know the tall clefted-chin types as "the natural" for the boardroom, but still, a bit of Evolution's at play...

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 11/24/2019 - 10:30am

Indeed, after Kaepernick and his camp rejected a take-it-or-leave-it offer from the league last week to audition at its Atlanta franchise’s headquarters Saturday, the quarterback and his crew moved the planned workout to another location, slyly named, later the same day. It was Charles R. Drew High in Riverdale, Ga. The choice was as symbolic for Kaepernick as Childish Gambino’s Jim Crow pose was in “This Is America.”

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled in protest during the national anthem, is trying to get back in the game with an NFL workout held Nov. 16. (Reuters)

Like Kaepernick, Drew was of one profession before he walked away to protest racial injustice. Drew, a Washington, D.C.-born, Dunbar High sports star who studied at Amherst and earned two medical degrees from McGill University in Montreal in the 1930s, revolutionized the collection and storage of blood for transfusions. It was first deployed on a large scale in World War II, saving lives and giving birth to what we know as blood banks.

But when the U.S. military requested Drew segregate black blood, he protested. When the military relented by saying black blood would be used only for black soldiers, Drew resigned.

Drew was his own man.

Three years ago, Kaepernick became his own man, too.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/colin-kaepernick-isnt-bending-to-the-nfl-and-hes-beating-the-league-at-its-own-game/2019/11/19/90c0e288-0b10-11ea-bd9d-c628fd48b3a0_story.html

by rmrd0000 on Sun, 11/24/2019 - 3:09pm

It would be nice to live in a more forgiving world, one where dissenting from groupthink does not invite exile and people’s occasional lapses are not held up as evidence of who they are.

Yes

Perhaps it is shocking for some to see the president of the United States endorse the cancellation of a pro football player, like he endorsed the cancellation of Hillary Clinton (“Lock her up”), and of Ilhan Omar (“Send her back”). But it is precisely this kind of capricious and biased use of institutional power that has birthed the cancel culture practiced by campus protesters and online. But whereas the wrongdoing of elite institutions was once hidden from public view, in the era of Donald Trump it is all there to be seen.

Two wrongs don't make a right, and bullying is a wrong; an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind; bad behavior encourages more bad behavior, copycat syndrome can cause a lot of damage especially when it is the worst human impulses being copied,etc.....

Because Kap is being cancelled, it's fine for everyone on the left to cancel too? We want a Trump type world, is that what we are endorsing here? Right-wing media exaggerating past political correctness police helped get us Trump, so let's exaggerate it ourselves now and see if things get better?

by artappraiser on Mon, 11/25/2019 - 6:49am

There is nothing that can be done to change the opposing side. We can pray for them to change, but change is in their hands. Their hearts have to change. The results of the midterms and the results in Kentucky and Louisiana suggest a change is coming.

Being meek in the face of bullying will not halt the assault. Martin Luther King Jr was the most respectable Negro you could find. The racists wanted him dead. Protests by black people did not create the racists who tried to kill people attempting to cross the Edmund Pettus bridge, the evil was already present. Barack Obama reached across the aisle. He was met by Moscow Mitch saying that Obama should be a one term president and stealing a seat on the Supreme Court. The nine parishioners slaughtered at Mother Emanuel did not create Dylan Roof. The Left is not responsible for the insanity and cult like behavior on the Right.

Regarding Kaepernick specifically, we can agree that business owners can set standards. Laborers are not obligated to meekly agree to those standards. We have child labor laws, 48-hour workweeks, safety standards, etc. because laborers protested. Kaepernick kneeled and this upset the owners. Kaepernick was not obligated to suffer in silence. The NFL settled a lawsuit with Kaepernick. The NFL called Kaepernick to do a try out. Kaepernick did not call the NFL. Note that any NFL team was free to give Kaepernick a workout at their pleasure. Kaepernick did not like an agreement the NFL wanted him to sign, so he did his own workout at Charles Drew High School. He wore a Kunte Kinte t-shirt. Kaepernick realized that he was being played by the NFL, so he played them.

Baseball owners felt they had complete control of.athltes bodies, Players had to accept whatever trade the owners made. Players had no say in the matter. Curt Flood objected. After a long battle, player have free agency. Laborers can fight the owners. Some companies set hairstyle standards that had nothing to do with job performance. Laborers protested. Now hair discrimination is illegal in California, New York City, and Cincinnati. The owners standard is not the last word.

The Republicans are the ones with the power to end Trump world. We see Trump world supporting lies and obstruction of justice. There is nothing we can do about Trump world until Trump-worlders change their hearts. Kaepernick, Liberals, BlackLivesMatter, etc. do not create racists. The racists preceded them.

by rmrd0000 on Mon, 11/25/2019 - 5:27pm

An annoying friend used to interfere with a really enjoyable argument by saying "Define Terms".

"There is nothing that can be done to change the opposing side". Define. Does "opposing side" =s "anyone who voted for Donald in 2016" ?

Then "There is nothing that can be done to change the opposing side" was wrong. This year in Kentucky.

How about " Nothing can be done to change the opposing side if you don't try. "

I like that poster showing a basketball net wth the words "You miss 100% of the shots you don't try".

And you never change an opponent if you don't try.

by Flavius on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 1:51am

The absurdity of "There is nothing that can be done to change the opposing side." followed by an obligatory MLK reference - if that's true, why the fuck did MLK bother? his whole 13-year outreach was a crapshoot relying on whites deciding they wanted to change, nothing he said or stirred up? What a lazy approach to politics, to blogging. "Nothing matters, racists gonna race." Ceding the battlefield and its harder battles leads to defeat, plain and simple. Oh, we can't answer the tough questions, persuade the most recalcitrant? their own damn fault, we done enough. We can rest (and lose) justified.

Kap coming out & attacking Hillary lost him half of the support he could have had. Losing her & her supporters for an actual presidency was a travesty, losing Blacks the totality of the support they could have had for #TakeAKnee. I don't mind him airing his views on a personal political preference - Chappelle made some comments, and I'll still watch & enjoy his comedy - he has a right to speak, and I can take his political thoughts under consdieration. But Kap's?

"Both are proven liars, and it almost seems like they’re trying to debate who's less racist. And at this point, talking with one of my friends, it was, you have to pick the lesser of two evils, but in the end, it’s still evil."

For someone leading a political movement, it was absofuckinglutely irresponsible. Kap kneecapped #TakeAKnee & #BLM right then and there. And then he didn't even fucking vote, even for a 3rd Party candidate he could admire, while millions of blacks were being denied the vote - great example for youth, for marginalized minorities, for movement politics. What an asshat. And now we're supposed to get all wound up in his personal career issues, half of which at a minimum were self-caused are just part of the game (injuries, strategizing contracts vs free-agency, which coach(es) you can work with...).

[also ironic here is corporate giant Nike as the good guy - I'm still watching what happened with Avenatti where the lawyer who took down Trump's lawyer was sidelined, no real questions asked. After watching all the intrigue with Ukraine & DoJ, do we accept that there was no behind-the-scenes setup with Trump's (at the time) biggest enemy? - https://www.usatoday.com/documents/6558560-Reply-Memorandum-of-Law-in-Su...

by PeraclesPlease on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 3:21am

He got some things right and not others. But he took a shot at the net and I respect that.

by Flavius on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 8:47am

Chappelle? He's supposed to be edgy and funny. If he manages #2, anything from #1 is fair game. Like celebrity roast, except it's all of us on the spit.

by PeraclesPlease on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 9:16am

After the Civil Rights Bills passed, the South was lost to the Democrats.

Thurmond was certainly not the only Southern Democrat to switch his party affiliation in the period following the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act – Jesse Helms made the change in 1970; Trent Lott, an aide to a segregationist Democratic congressman, ran for the House as a Republican in 1972; Virginian Mills Goodwn Jr., who The New York Times described as “a pillar of his state’s policy of ‘massive resistance’ to the racial integration of schools” during his years as a Democratic state legislator, was elected governor as a Republican in 1973. But Thurmond was the most prominent and the most influential of the party switchers. Over time, he evolved his rhetoric away from the crude language of his 1948 States Rights Democratic Party presidential run and his Senate filibusters to a more politically palatable critique of “Big Government.” The senator would eventually say that, “If I had been elected president in 1948, history would be vastly different. I believe we would have stemmed the growth of Big Government, which had begun with the New Deal and culminated with the Great Society.”

https://billmoyers.com/2014/07/02/when-the-republicans-really-were-the-party-of-lincoln/

Yep, racists gonna race.

Edit to add:

The kneecapped BLM is working to elect Progressive DAs

https://apnews.com/38325cc86ec447c4a7db66734c4fe79b/St.-Louis-DA-victory-latest-for-Black-Lives-Matter-movement

2nd Edit to add:

Sorry to spoil the ending, but Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

by rmrd0000 on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 10:28pm

The recent elections suggest that people are coming out voice their displeasure.
MLK got laws to change. Many people removed their children from schools to avoid mixing the races.

Tell me your great message to change hearts.

As it stands now we have 35-40% supporting a white nationalist and liar. We have a GOP that is walking in lockstep. We have Republicans supporting Putin over US intelligence agencies and willing to crucify members of the military and diplomats. What is your message to them?

Evangelicals are threatening civil war. Members of Congress and the cabinet are calling Trump the chosen one. Still 35-40 are OK with Trump.

I see Louisiana and Kentucky as people coming out to reject Trump.

Louisiana

Trump had made the runoff election between Edwards and Rispone a test of his own popularity and political prowess heading into the 2020 presidential race. On Saturday, Trump went on Twitter in a vigorous plug for Rispone.

The president’s intense attention motivated not only conservative Republicans, but also powered a surge in anti-Trump and black voter turnout that helped Edwards.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/17/democrats-hold-on-to-louisiana-governors-seat-despite-trump.html

Kentucky

Roughly 56% of all eligible voters cast ballots in the 2016 election, the lowest voter turnout has fallen in two decades.

Since then, however, voter turnout has surged and Democrats have pointed to their party's deep antipathy toward Trump as the reason.

More than half of all voting-aged US citizens cast ballots in the 2018 midterms, up 12 percentage points from the last midterm election, the US Census Bureau's Current Population Survey said earlier this year.

"What we saw last night in KY and around the nation, was that Democratic enthusiasm has not waned. It is bigger than ever. Voters -- especially critical suburban voters -- are turning against the GOP Trump brand," said Kelly Dietrich, founder of the National Democratic Training Committee, an organization that trains people to run for office and work on campaigns. "The Blue Wave of 2020 could be even larger than 2018."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/06/politics/voter-turnout-kentucky-2020/index.html

Voters are rejecting Trump. They are riding the Democrats because the Democrats are anti-Trump.

by rmrd0000 on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 6:57pm

One very big changed heart and mind right here, a few stories down in this section:

http://dagblog.com/link/how-facebook-employee-helped-trump-win-switched-sides-2020-29590

Guy specializes in changing other people's minds, too.

by artappraiser on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 7:42pm

He had an internal change of heart. The Democratic alternative was already there. He rejected the stench of Trump.

by rmrd0000 on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 7:52pm

P.S. Mho, you need to check this social science paper out!

What did you read this morning? Just out, on differences in negativity biases in news selection w/ @sbachleda @FabianNeuner @LGuggen @pat_fournier & Elin Naurin #PolComm @UM_CommStudies @umisrcps @CSDC_CECD https://t.co/q6D1C088gS
— Stuart Soroka (@s_soroka) November 26, 2019

by artappraiser on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 7:46pm

I see the abstract, but would need to fork over $35.95 to get to how the study was done and the conclusions.

by rmrd0000 on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 7:58pm

Yes there are racists . And also people all along the spectrum from liberal to not -yet -racists- but- fixing -to -be .

In "behavioral" language (think Skinner) "aversives" do change behavior.

But so do "reinforcements". .

So I gladly concede kicking a racist in the shins works.

But so does rewarding him . When he actually does the right thing.

Think about Barak having a beer under the tree with Henry Louis Gates and the cop.

Who arrested him for breaking and entering . His own house.

Seemed to work.

Maybe even better.

by Flavius on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 4:01pm

Are you saying black Harvard students have more trust in Cambridge police?

by rmrd0000 on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 7:44pm

I certainly don't know. I expect Henry Gates has a shrewd idea.

But not to miss an opportunity to repeat myself, the beers under a White House tree seemed a more useful tactic than ,say ,Obama's requiring a Federal review of Cambridge police bias.

by Flavius on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 10:40pm

The optics are better, but the distrust remains.

http://feministing.com/2018/04/26/who-gets-to-be-naked-at-harvard-university/

It is interesting that Liberals are told to be civil even in the face of threats of civil war by Evangelicals, Republican Congressmen etc, if things don't go their way. King directly confronted the racists.He lamented about the moderates.

From the Letter From a Birmingham Jail

“First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a ‘more convenient season.’ Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.”

There was a review of the situation

The situation at Gates' home quickly escalated when it shouldn't have, according to the review. The report suggests that Crowley could have more clearly explained what he was doing and why, especially after being shown Gates' license and university ID. For his part, Gates could have used a more respectful tone to address the officer.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/review-of-harvard-professor-arrest-finds-incident-was-avoidable

How many interviews have you seen where Trump supporters are really pressed about "Look her up.", or suggestions of violence at Trump rallies? What action do Trump supporters have to take when it comes to civility with Liberals?

by rmrd0000 on Wed, 11/27/2019 - 7:56am

Interesting quote from King but to win , you need to have the most of : fighters, voters, whatevers.

Reporting to headquarters in some early election , maybe Middlesex County DA, I made a disparaging remark about some group I 'd canvassed :maybe drinkers in front of a bar. Without even looking up from his tally sheet the pol said " They don't weigh 'em, they count 'em".

With a few more "deplorables" Hillary could have spared us this clown.

by Flavius on Wed, 11/27/2019 - 9:52am

Yeah, the groundswell of disenchanted voters who've abandoned Trump and moved to the Dems as Ukraine et al become more obvious. Oh wait, that hasn't happened. The true "deplorables" were never going to vote for her. The angle was to go for those who didn't want Trump's taint, who still had a sense of shame & moral rectitude. But as Adlai Stevenson responded re: "all thinking Americans are with you", that's all good and well but she needed a majority (in swing states).

by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 11/27/2019 - 10:42am

then again, maybe Hillary would've gotten more traction with a #BeBest like platform.
Give people the benefit of the doubt...

Relax and have several seats, Melania, as I proudly present your slogan. #BeBest pic.twitter.com/xQbxUBjFNy
— Randy Rainbow (@RandyRainbow) October 15, 2018

by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 11/27/2019 - 11:21am

In the News

Russia plays weak hand in Palestine
Russia plays weak hand in Palestine

submitted by PeraclesPlease 8 months ago

The intra-Palestinian meeting in Moscow has precedent

Russia's hosted such meetings in the past, most recently Feb 2019

Russia has long lamented the US' "monopolization" of the peace process & tried to carve out a niche for itself: mediating among the disunited Palestinians/2
— Hanna Notte (@HannaNotte) February 29, 2024

Read the article at https://twitter.com/HannaNotte/status/1763116222256701787

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Mother Jones is Reaching out to Alternative Party Voters
Mother Jones is Reaching out to Alternative Party Voters

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Here's what I told them: https://halginsberg.com/vote-for-jill-stein-again/

Read the article at https://halginsberg.com/vote-for-jill-stein-again/

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Controversial Brazil law curbing Indigenous rights comes into force https://t.co/pCoDg05irX
— Gareth Harris (@garethharr) December 28, 2023

Read the article at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/28/brazil-law-indigenous-land-rights-claim-time-marker?CMP=share_btn_tw

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submitted by artappraiser 11 months ago

Location: U.S. Embassy and residential compounds

Events: Heavy gunfire is occuring around the area of the U.S. Embassy and residential compounds adjacent to the Trutier area of Tabarre. All Embassy personnel have been instructed to remain indoors and shelter-in-place until further notice. All others should avoid the area.

Actions to take:

Avoid the area;

Avoid demonstrations and any large gatherings of people;

Do not attempt to drive through roadblocks; and

If you encounter a roadblock, turn around and get to a safe area.

Read the article at https://ht.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-port-au-prince-haiti-december-25-2023/

3 comments

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Pakistan Is Creating the World’s Next Refugee Crisis
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submitted by artappraiser 11 months ago

By The Editorial Board @ Bloomberg.com, December 8, 2023

A mass expulsion of Afghan migrants could destabilize the region and fuel radicalization. The West should pressure Islamabad to change course.

Read the article at https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-12-08/pakistan-s-expulsion-of-afghan-refugees-risks-another-crisis

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Internet shut down in Chad
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submitted by artappraiser 11 months ago

All eyes on #Chad right now
Chad has two internet trunks coming into the country: One from the Red Sea via Sudan; the other from Cameroon. Not possible for the totality of the country's internet network to be shut unless done centrally. A lot of rumors swirling; few facts. https://t.co/N6bDJZ2ixO

Read the article at https://x.com/_hudsonc/status/1732891968709992511?s=20

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[Economy] where Joe's success falls short
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submitted by PeraclesPlease 11 months ago

Read the article at

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BREAKING: Three loss prevention employees in Macy’s across the street from Philadelphia City Hall stabbed, one of them has died from stab wounds, @PhillyPolice sources tell me. Police converged on the store as the three workers were rushed to Jefferson Hospital. pic.twitter.com/4U1eKycL4W

Read the article at https://x.com/KeeleyFox29/status/1731713272942940365?s=20

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Read the article at https://www.huffpost.com/entry/manuel-rocha-ambassador-arrested-cuba_n_656d1e2ae4b028b0f3d07478

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submitted by artappraiser 11 months ago

[Chapter I news is HERE, Oct. 7 til today]

You don’t get it.
It’s not about an UNRWA teacher who held an Israeli kid hostage in his house.
It’s all about how for 75 years you have destroyed the future of generations of Palestinians, including my family.
My cousins in Arab countries are still not citizens - not even the… https://t.co/nv6anubGhc
— George Deek (@GeorgeDeek) December 2, 2023

Note 'Community Notes' attached to UNWRA's statement.

Read the article at https://x.com/GeorgeDeek/status/1731020551328579863?s=20

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Maduro, Under Pressure, Holds Vote to Annex Territory From a Neighbor

submitted by artappraiser 11 months ago

Imperialism for me but not for thee?

It's wild that Venezuela is now holding a vote on whether 2/3 of Guyana actually belongs to them! Analysts suggest that Modoru may want military action to pump up his sinking popularity.

Could we have a war in South America?!?

"The people who live in Essequibo are largely… pic.twitter.com/QvMEjkkgwy

Read the article at https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/03/world/americas/maduro-vote-essequibo-guyana.html

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[Where is the GOP headed?] Divisions leave Florida’s House...
[Where is the GOP headed?] Divisions leave Florida’s House Republicans powerless

submitted by artappraiser 11 months ago

The lack of a cohesive delegation has allowed attention-seeking lawmakers to act on their own.

McCarthy: “You have [Rep. Matt] Gaetz, who belongs in jail…”

Gaetz: “Tough words from a guy who sucker punches people in the back. The only assault I committed was against Kevin’s fragile ego.”https://t.co/LctPuz6Pcf

Read the article at https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/29/divisions-leave-floridas-house-republicans-powerless-00129200

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‘She got so mad at me’: book on the ‘Squad’ details AOC-...
‘She got so mad at me’: book on the ‘Squad’ details AOC-Pelosi clashes

submitted by artappraiser 11 months ago

By Martinn Pengelly in Washington DC for TheGuardian.com, Nov. 30

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells Ryan Grim life in Congress ‘completely transformed’ after Democratic leader stepped down

Read the article at https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/30/squad-book-aoc-nancy-pelosi?CMP=share_btn_tw

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US health insurers Humana, Cigna in talks to merge -source
US health insurers Humana, Cigna in talks to merge -source

submitted by artappraiser 11 months ago

@ Reuters, Nov. 29

Read the article at https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/us-health-insurers-humana-cigna-talks-merge-wsj-2023-11-29/

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Central Africa’s dinosaur regimes and the art of coup-...
Central Africa’s dinosaur regimes and the art of coup-proofing

submitted by artappraiser 11 months ago

"Both the AU and the intl community place more weight on whether elections are held than whether they are free and fair. Sanctions/expulsions occur when there is a coup but not necessarily when elections are rigged or if an “institutional coup” occurs." https://t.co/m9dNimJP0D
— Cameron Hudson (@_hudsonc) November 28, 2023

Read the article at https://africanarguments.org/2023/11/central-africas-dinosaur-regimes-and-the-art-of-coup-proofing/

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