Back in 2006, I started my first blog, VichyDems, and immediately began using it to organize grassroots opposition to the confirmation of Samuel Alito. Specifically, I (and then others, esp. Bob Fertik) began tracking which Dem senators supported the filibuster against his nomination; which ones were leaning towards selling out and voting for cloture out of a misplaced sense of comity and institutionalism (the 'Vichies"); and which were on the fence. We published game plans, target lists, talking points, and contact info. SIX DAYS after starting the blog, we were getting thousands of views and had inspired tens of thousands of calls urging key senators to support the filibuster.
It failed, of course. The filibuster failed, and Auto was confirmed 75-25. But we definitely got one senator (Clinton) to outright reverse her position, from opposing to supporting the filibuster; persuaded some undecideds; and (so far as I can tell) demonstrated for the first time ever that the Internet could be used for political organizing. (And it launched my political writing career.)
And we were RIGHT, of course. #Alito's treason flag and Dobbs and today's decision upholding racial gerrymandering and etc and etc prove we were right, and every fucking Vichy Dem senator who didn't support the filibuster was wrong.
My posts about Alito back then remain an interesting and relevant read, and include some very familiar names, including Biden: https://vichydems.blogspot.com/2006/01/
My wife and I both filled out our ballots today, and then because we live in Oregon (which is a relatively sane state that has vote by mail and dropbox), I went to the nearby city hall to drop off our ballots, only to realize that there is an 8:00 p.m. cutoff and the box was locked.
When I got home, I had my first panic attack in years. This is the first election I haven't participated in since 1980, and I hadn't realized how much I rely emotionally on the perception of control that voting gives me in a world that's dying and falling apart.
Please, friends: protest and rebel and fight back any way you can. Burn everything down if you need to. But please, please, don't abstain from voting.
We've been like this for twenty minutes at least. I'm not allowed to move my hand, and wouldn't want to; to be so loved and trusted by such a small creature in such a large universe is a miracle to be appreciated moment by moment.
I'm gonna just say it (and from the perspective of a former trial lawyer with 37 years' experience): the posse of GOP slanderers Trump's bringing with him daily, and Trump's defense's failure to finish cross-examination of Michael Cohen today, are partly because they're hoping some #MAGA idiot will kill Cohen before he's left the stand (because under the Sixth Amendment, no jury is allowed to rely on his testimony until his cross is complete).
Yes, I believe they're that evil. Stochastic terrorism is a tool, not an accident.
@msbellows Damn that's dark. I was thinking it was just because they wanted to drive the political persecution narrative for their pro-Trump jurors (if they exist).
Under the Sixth Amendment, the jury isn't allowed to rely on Michael Cohen's testimony until cross-examination is complete. I hope he spends the time between now and Thursday sitting quietly in a reinforced-concrete safe room with an emergency physician and a well-vetted bodyguard.
Yes, a bug dying in #RFK Jr.'s brain is a sexy headline, but to me the bigger story is that he also had severe memory problems due to MERCURY POISONING – 10x the maximum acceptable level – from massively overconsuming tuna and perch –
– despite being an environmental lawyer who should understand how heavy metals get concentrated in predatory fish –
AND THEN! AND THEN!
– urged parents to protect their children from mercury poisoning, not by limiting their' tuna consumption, but by denying them vaccines bECaUse oMG THiMeRoSaL!!!!
What a freaking idiot. What a nimrod. What a waste of privilege.
Today is a good day for anyone whose 2024 bingo card had "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (whose wife was driven to suicide by his dozens of infidelities, which he recorded religiously in a private journal) is popular with the 'powerful, famous male sex abuser' demographic." https://www.thedailybeast.com/kevin-spacey-endorses-loyal-friend-robert-f-kennedy-jr
@msbellows You'd need to clarify that you mean mass murder/disruption of any ethnic/religious group. A lot of people probably think "it's only genocide if it's directed against us" (cf. Russian attitudes to the word "Nazi"—it means anyone anti-Russian, rather than being a specific political ideology that Russians can adhere to).
Erp. This whole concept is scary but arguably unavoidable; the last sentence, however, is terrifyingly naive for someone whose most important job qualification is to be "not naive":
"This F-16 was controlled by artificial intelligence, not a human pilot. And riding in the front seat was Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall... Even though the technology is not fully developed, the service is planning for an AI-enabled fleet of more than 1,000 unmanned warplanes, the first of them operating by 2028....
'The AI-controlled F-16, called Vista, flew Kendall in lightning-fast maneuvers at more than 550 miles an hour that put pressure on his body at five times the force of gravity. It went nearly nose to nose with a second human-piloted F-16 as both aircraft raced within 1,000 feet of each other, twisting and looping to try force their opponent into vulnerable positions.
@msbellows Wager on the “AI” pilot being controlled by a remote human pilot like a drone? Not that they’d tell us, but come on.
Actually, given that US drone pilots are generally operating multiple drones at a time, I wouldn’t be shocked if they’ve been partially AI piloted for a while.
@ShiitakeToast Maybe, but I do believe true computer control is the future of military aviation, at least if dogfighting remains relevant. The big F/A jets go faster and carry bigger payloads than current drones; can respond more quickly than human nervous systems can process; can perform maneuvers that would make human pilots pass out even with g-suits; and can even operate in high-radiation environments. No version of "Top Gun" will persuade military planners to retain human pilots.
I'm at a conference at the federal courthouse, and as I drove here l observed cops (not in riot gear) on every corner surrounding Portland State University (the urban campus downtown), and schoolbuses pulling up in front of the Schnitz and also backing up traffic on the freeway nearby. Looks like they're about to roust the antiwar encampment, and expecting multiple arrests. #Portland#PDX
The scummiest thing we learned from David Pecker's testimony today has nothing to do with Trump.
It's that sometimes the National Enquirer will get dirt on a celebrity, such as an affair, then blackmail them into agreeing to be on the cover or do an interview in exchange for suppressing the story. Gross.
And Justice Thomas is hinting that maybe he buys the bs argument that special counsels are unconstitutional. Fuuuuck these people. Pack the damn Court.
Kavanaugh just called Ford's pardon of Nixon "one of the better decisions in Presidential history" and (a) I consider that statement a per se proof of Kav's mental incapacity so let's impeach and also (b) nice try Brett but I don't think Biden is taking advice from you.