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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
December 19, 2022
Liberals aren't secretly afraid white supremacist and anti-LGBTQ talking points will "challenge" us
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 19, 2022 6:00AM (EST)
(Salon) On Twitter itself, it practically begs for the "how it started/how it's going" meme: First photo: A screenshot of Tesla CEO Elon Musk claiming, with his purchase of Twitter, that he would turn it into a "digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated." Second photo: Headlines about Musk banning the accounts of journalists for daring to report on some of the shadier moves of the self-appointed champion of "free speech."
After the outcry, Musk tried to justify his actions with a Twitter poll asking if he should reinstate the accounts, clearly hoping his legion of fanboys would tilt the results. Ordinary Twitter users caught wind of it, and voted for reinstatement. Pathetically, Musk tried again with a second poll, only to get the same result. So he reluctantly let most of the journalists back on. He was back at it again Saturday night, banning Washington Post tech columnist Taylor Lorenz for the high crime of asking for comment on a story. Then, in pure chaos mode, he caved again and reinstated her account.
The simplest explanation for Musk's ever-more-hilarious self-contradictory behavior as the new boss of Twitter is that the man is a narcissist and a hypocrite. Like his right wing brethren (no, his politics are not "complicated" ), Musk subscribes to a "free speech for me, but not for thee" philosophy, which of course means he never believed in free speech at all.
But it's worth digging a little deeper, because this entire (extremely entertaining) debacle also helps reveal quite a bit about the right wing mythology around "free speech" that colonized Musk's mind. It goes further than plain old hypocrisy and into the psychology of the right, especially the self-serving tale of their own alleged victimhood.
Behind such right wing culture warrior catchphrases as "cancel culture" and "woke mobs" there is a very false, though very persistent mythology: That liberals pre-emptively reject right wing ideas, especially on "natural" human hierarchies, out of fear. That inside every liberal is a reactionary and bigot, which liberals only keep contained by carefully limiting their exposure to "different" ideas. In this fantasy, ideologies like white supremacy or homophobia are just so damn compelling that to encounter them at all is a sure path to conversion. To keep themselves from giving into temptation, the all-powerful liberal "elite" suppresses these "dangerous" ideas, to protect their own delicate minds from going to the dark side. .....................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/12/19/elon-musks-censorship-spree-exposes-the-fundamental-flaw-in-the-rights-definition-of-free-speech/
Elon Musk's censorship spree exposes the fundamental flaw in the right's definition of "free speech"
Elon Musk's censorship spree exposes the fundamental flaw in the right's definition of "free speech"Liberals aren't secretly afraid white supremacist and anti-LGBTQ talking points will "challenge" us
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 19, 2022 6:00AM (EST)
(Salon) On Twitter itself, it practically begs for the "how it started/how it's going" meme: First photo: A screenshot of Tesla CEO Elon Musk claiming, with his purchase of Twitter, that he would turn it into a "digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated." Second photo: Headlines about Musk banning the accounts of journalists for daring to report on some of the shadier moves of the self-appointed champion of "free speech."
After the outcry, Musk tried to justify his actions with a Twitter poll asking if he should reinstate the accounts, clearly hoping his legion of fanboys would tilt the results. Ordinary Twitter users caught wind of it, and voted for reinstatement. Pathetically, Musk tried again with a second poll, only to get the same result. So he reluctantly let most of the journalists back on. He was back at it again Saturday night, banning Washington Post tech columnist Taylor Lorenz for the high crime of asking for comment on a story. Then, in pure chaos mode, he caved again and reinstated her account.
The simplest explanation for Musk's ever-more-hilarious self-contradictory behavior as the new boss of Twitter is that the man is a narcissist and a hypocrite. Like his right wing brethren (no, his politics are not "complicated" ), Musk subscribes to a "free speech for me, but not for thee" philosophy, which of course means he never believed in free speech at all.
But it's worth digging a little deeper, because this entire (extremely entertaining) debacle also helps reveal quite a bit about the right wing mythology around "free speech" that colonized Musk's mind. It goes further than plain old hypocrisy and into the psychology of the right, especially the self-serving tale of their own alleged victimhood.
Behind such right wing culture warrior catchphrases as "cancel culture" and "woke mobs" there is a very false, though very persistent mythology: That liberals pre-emptively reject right wing ideas, especially on "natural" human hierarchies, out of fear. That inside every liberal is a reactionary and bigot, which liberals only keep contained by carefully limiting their exposure to "different" ideas. In this fantasy, ideologies like white supremacy or homophobia are just so damn compelling that to encounter them at all is a sure path to conversion. To keep themselves from giving into temptation, the all-powerful liberal "elite" suppresses these "dangerous" ideas, to protect their own delicate minds from going to the dark side. .....................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/12/19/elon-musks-censorship-spree-exposes-the-fundamental-flaw-in-the-rights-definition-of-free-speech/
December 19, 2022
When the tree goes up, many cats can't stop batting at the branches and ornaments. Here's how to call a truce
By MARY ELIZABETH WILLIAMS
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 18, 2022 7:30PM (EST)
(Salon) It's the biggest, most chaotic battle of the season. Who will emerge undefeated this year — your cats, or your holiday spirit?
Maybe it's because we are all — human and otherwise — already on our last good nerve this year. In the weeks since Thanksgiving, there has been a marked uptick in the news and on social media around keeping our cats from destroying everything in their paths as we round the final lap of 2022. Suddenly, my Reddit feed is full of images of brightly bedecked trees surrounded by high walled fencing, and defiant-looking kittens triumphantly burrowed in pine branches, broken glass strewn at their furry feet. My friends are sharing stories of their cats trying to eat things they shouldn't eat. In my building, I can hear the wails of neighbors' cats miserably freaking out over a constant stream of doorbells and visitors.
....(snip)....
First, we have to get inside the minds of our cats. Our relationship with felines is embedded in our humanity. Cats have been knocking stuff off our tables and shredding up our belongings since the dawn of civilization, forever asserting their territoriality by behaving, as Salon's Troy Farah recently wrote, "more like demanding roommates than pets." It's safe to assume that five minutes after the first family lit the first menorah or put the first candles in the first tree, a cat showed up to try to burn down the entire village.
....(snip)....
"A Christmas tree has a lot of really interesting outdoor smells," explains Mikel Maria Delgado, PhD, a Sacramento animal behaviorist and cat behavior consultant. "For many cats, it's probably the most interesting thing that they can climb in the house, because not enough people provide their cat climbing structures. So you're competing with something very exciting, smells good, can be climbed, has outdoor odor smells, and is novel."
....(snip)....
Don't underestimate the power of diversion. Says Mikel Maria Delgado, "If you do not provide your cat with things to climb, scratch and play with year-round, then you should start there. If you have a cat tree, that's something that your cat is using on a regular basis, so the holiday tree is not going to be quite as exciting." Then, she says, "There are safety measures that you want to take with a holiday tree. Securing it to the wall is a good one, so your cat doesn't knock it over. Limit the type of decorations that you put on it — nothing breakable, nothing that could injure your cat, keeping in mind things that they might swallow and get sick from eating. Tinsel can be problematic. Strings can be problematic. Cover the bottom of the tree so they can't drink the tree water." ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/12/18/why-your-cat-is-obsessed-with-destroying-your-christmas-tree--and-how-to-make-them-stop/
Why your cat is obsessed with destroying your Christmas tree -- and how to make them stop
Why your cat is obsessed with destroying your Christmas tree — and how to make them stopWhen the tree goes up, many cats can't stop batting at the branches and ornaments. Here's how to call a truce
By MARY ELIZABETH WILLIAMS
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 18, 2022 7:30PM (EST)
(Salon) It's the biggest, most chaotic battle of the season. Who will emerge undefeated this year — your cats, or your holiday spirit?
Maybe it's because we are all — human and otherwise — already on our last good nerve this year. In the weeks since Thanksgiving, there has been a marked uptick in the news and on social media around keeping our cats from destroying everything in their paths as we round the final lap of 2022. Suddenly, my Reddit feed is full of images of brightly bedecked trees surrounded by high walled fencing, and defiant-looking kittens triumphantly burrowed in pine branches, broken glass strewn at their furry feet. My friends are sharing stories of their cats trying to eat things they shouldn't eat. In my building, I can hear the wails of neighbors' cats miserably freaking out over a constant stream of doorbells and visitors.
....(snip)....
First, we have to get inside the minds of our cats. Our relationship with felines is embedded in our humanity. Cats have been knocking stuff off our tables and shredding up our belongings since the dawn of civilization, forever asserting their territoriality by behaving, as Salon's Troy Farah recently wrote, "more like demanding roommates than pets." It's safe to assume that five minutes after the first family lit the first menorah or put the first candles in the first tree, a cat showed up to try to burn down the entire village.
....(snip)....
"A Christmas tree has a lot of really interesting outdoor smells," explains Mikel Maria Delgado, PhD, a Sacramento animal behaviorist and cat behavior consultant. "For many cats, it's probably the most interesting thing that they can climb in the house, because not enough people provide their cat climbing structures. So you're competing with something very exciting, smells good, can be climbed, has outdoor odor smells, and is novel."
....(snip)....
Don't underestimate the power of diversion. Says Mikel Maria Delgado, "If you do not provide your cat with things to climb, scratch and play with year-round, then you should start there. If you have a cat tree, that's something that your cat is using on a regular basis, so the holiday tree is not going to be quite as exciting." Then, she says, "There are safety measures that you want to take with a holiday tree. Securing it to the wall is a good one, so your cat doesn't knock it over. Limit the type of decorations that you put on it — nothing breakable, nothing that could injure your cat, keeping in mind things that they might swallow and get sick from eating. Tinsel can be problematic. Strings can be problematic. Cover the bottom of the tree so they can't drink the tree water." ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/12/18/why-your-cat-is-obsessed-with-destroying-your-christmas-tree--and-how-to-make-them-stop/
December 19, 2022
(Detroit Free Press) Pregnancy Aid Detroit, a clinic in Eastpointe, was the victim of vandalism early Saturday morning, along with a board member's home in Grosse Pointe Woods. The attackers spray-painted abortion-rights messages on the buildings and broke windows on the board member's home, the nonprofit group said.
This attack is similar to other incidents that have occurred in Michigan and across the country since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June and may be connected to a shadowy abortion-rights group called Jane's Revenge.
Nancy Anter, executive director of Pregnancy Aid Detroit, said she learned of the incident Saturday when the board member called to inform her of the vandalism at the board member's home. Anter said she went to the clinic where she found similar abortion-rights messages spray painted on the building. .............(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2022/12/19/eastpointe-pregnancy-clinic-targeted-with-vandalism/69738749007/
Vandals target Eastpointe pregnancy clinic, board member's home
(Detroit Free Press) Pregnancy Aid Detroit, a clinic in Eastpointe, was the victim of vandalism early Saturday morning, along with a board member's home in Grosse Pointe Woods. The attackers spray-painted abortion-rights messages on the buildings and broke windows on the board member's home, the nonprofit group said.
This attack is similar to other incidents that have occurred in Michigan and across the country since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June and may be connected to a shadowy abortion-rights group called Jane's Revenge.
Nancy Anter, executive director of Pregnancy Aid Detroit, said she learned of the incident Saturday when the board member called to inform her of the vandalism at the board member's home. Anter said she went to the clinic where she found similar abortion-rights messages spray painted on the building. .............(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2022/12/19/eastpointe-pregnancy-clinic-targeted-with-vandalism/69738749007/
December 17, 2022
(Chicago Sun-Times) WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Illinois, is leaving Congress next month after 12 years, with his legacy achievement fighting the lies, conspiracy theories and election denial leading to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
In an interview Friday, Kinzinger, 44, made clear he has plenty of options: about how he will earn a living, where he will live and whether he again will seek elected office.
Of his future, Kinzinger — whose main jobs have been military pilot and congressman — said, “The best advice I’ve gotten from people is: Just don’t be in a hurry. Like, take your time, kind of decompress, and figure it out.”
We talked the day after he scorched his Republican colleagues in his farewell address on the House floor, castigating them for going along with ex-President Donald Trump’s “lies and deceit” and slamming Democrats for boosting MAGA Republicans in primaries — making easier rivals but driving out more moderate Republicans.
....(snip)....
On the Jan. 6 Committee: Kinzinger said the committee will post the underlying documents and depositions with its report. He’s concerned that when Republicans take control of the House in January, “The question is, for the new majority coming in, as you know, a lot of this stuff will probably be hosted on government sites. Are they going to take it down? Are they going to leave it up?” ............(more)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/12/16/23513091/adam-kinzinger-exit-interview-liz-cheney-documentary-book-moving-military-public-office-future
Adam Kinzinger exit interview: lauds Liz Cheney, might move away, could again seek office
(Chicago Sun-Times) WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Illinois, is leaving Congress next month after 12 years, with his legacy achievement fighting the lies, conspiracy theories and election denial leading to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
In an interview Friday, Kinzinger, 44, made clear he has plenty of options: about how he will earn a living, where he will live and whether he again will seek elected office.
Of his future, Kinzinger — whose main jobs have been military pilot and congressman — said, “The best advice I’ve gotten from people is: Just don’t be in a hurry. Like, take your time, kind of decompress, and figure it out.”
We talked the day after he scorched his Republican colleagues in his farewell address on the House floor, castigating them for going along with ex-President Donald Trump’s “lies and deceit” and slamming Democrats for boosting MAGA Republicans in primaries — making easier rivals but driving out more moderate Republicans.
....(snip)....
On the Jan. 6 Committee: Kinzinger said the committee will post the underlying documents and depositions with its report. He’s concerned that when Republicans take control of the House in January, “The question is, for the new majority coming in, as you know, a lot of this stuff will probably be hosted on government sites. Are they going to take it down? Are they going to leave it up?” ............(more)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/12/16/23513091/adam-kinzinger-exit-interview-liz-cheney-documentary-book-moving-military-public-office-future
December 17, 2022
Former President Trump raged against polling that suggests Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would beat him in a hypothetical primary match-up.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump referenced a new Wall Street Journal poll which suggested that DeSantis would get 52% of the vote while Trump would get 38%.
"Great polling has just come out on me versus various others, including Biden, but I still have to put up with the same old "stuff" from The Wall Street Journal, which has lost an incalculable amount of influence over the years, and Fox News, whose polls on me have been seriously WRONG from the day I came down the escalator in Trump Tower," Trump wrote on Thursday.
"Same thing happened in 2016, where Fox and the WSJ went out of their way to give me bad coverage and polling and say I couldn't win - UNTIL I WON!" ...........(more)
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/civil-war-looms-republican-party-131156011.html
A 'civil war' looms in the Republican party as Trump rages at polls showing DeSantis is more popular
Former President Trump raged against polling that suggests Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would beat him in a hypothetical primary match-up.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump referenced a new Wall Street Journal poll which suggested that DeSantis would get 52% of the vote while Trump would get 38%.
"Great polling has just come out on me versus various others, including Biden, but I still have to put up with the same old "stuff" from The Wall Street Journal, which has lost an incalculable amount of influence over the years, and Fox News, whose polls on me have been seriously WRONG from the day I came down the escalator in Trump Tower," Trump wrote on Thursday.
"Same thing happened in 2016, where Fox and the WSJ went out of their way to give me bad coverage and polling and say I couldn't win - UNTIL I WON!" ...........(more)
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/civil-war-looms-republican-party-131156011.html
December 17, 2022
A masked gunman fatally shot two teenagers in the head and wounded two others outside a Chicago high school, just minutes after classes had ended for the day.
Gunfire erupted when students were leaving Benito Juarez High School on the southwest side of the city at around 2.30pm on Friday, sending students and staff running for their lives.
Two teenage boys – 15-year-old Brandon Perez and a 14-year-old boy who has not been publicly named – were shot in the head in the attack, Chicago Police said.
They were rushed to nearby Stroger hospital but were pronounced dead from their injuries. ...................(more)
https://news.yahoo.com/masked-gunman-run-fatally-shooting-143035646.html
Masked gunman on the run after fatally shooting 2 teenagers in the head outside Chicago high school
A masked gunman fatally shot two teenagers in the head and wounded two others outside a Chicago high school, just minutes after classes had ended for the day.
Gunfire erupted when students were leaving Benito Juarez High School on the southwest side of the city at around 2.30pm on Friday, sending students and staff running for their lives.
Two teenage boys – 15-year-old Brandon Perez and a 14-year-old boy who has not been publicly named – were shot in the head in the attack, Chicago Police said.
They were rushed to nearby Stroger hospital but were pronounced dead from their injuries. ...................(more)
https://news.yahoo.com/masked-gunman-run-fatally-shooting-143035646.html
December 17, 2022
(Guardian UK) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been accused of bowing to drug industry pressure after releasing new guidelines that doctors say put lives at risk by rowing back on warnings about the dangers of opioid prescribing.
The latest CDC guidelines have caused controversy after dropping specific limits on dosages and lengths of prescribing from a key summary of recommendations used by physicians.
Dr Kenneth Scheppke, Florida’s deputy health secretary, was so disturbed he issued a public statement accusing the CDC of “tossing aside” the limits used in the previous guidelines released six years ago. Scheppke told the Guardian he is concerned that the move could cost lives as the US continues to grapple with the worst drug epidemic in its history, driven by opioids.
“It’s pretty clear to me that they soften some really good, strong recommendations that they had in 2016 warning prescribers against over prescribing these opioids, and I don’t really see a good reason for removing those two warnings,” he said.
“The United States already has the highest per capita opioid prescriptions in the world, and our overdose numbers certainly reflect that. My concern is the apparent softening of the warning to my colleagues across the nation of the dangers of prescribing either for too many days or to a higher dose. That doesn’t really help the pain but raises dramatically the risk of overdose and death.”
Dr Andrew Kolodny, president of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, sees the drug industry’s hand behind the change. Kolodny has testified against opioid makers in legal actions over their part in driving the opioid epidemic by pushing sales with false claims about their safety and effectiveness. .............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/17/cdc-accused-opioid-guidelines-drug-industry-pressure
US health agency accused of bowing to drug industry with new opioid guidance
(Guardian UK) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been accused of bowing to drug industry pressure after releasing new guidelines that doctors say put lives at risk by rowing back on warnings about the dangers of opioid prescribing.
The latest CDC guidelines have caused controversy after dropping specific limits on dosages and lengths of prescribing from a key summary of recommendations used by physicians.
Dr Kenneth Scheppke, Florida’s deputy health secretary, was so disturbed he issued a public statement accusing the CDC of “tossing aside” the limits used in the previous guidelines released six years ago. Scheppke told the Guardian he is concerned that the move could cost lives as the US continues to grapple with the worst drug epidemic in its history, driven by opioids.
“It’s pretty clear to me that they soften some really good, strong recommendations that they had in 2016 warning prescribers against over prescribing these opioids, and I don’t really see a good reason for removing those two warnings,” he said.
“The United States already has the highest per capita opioid prescriptions in the world, and our overdose numbers certainly reflect that. My concern is the apparent softening of the warning to my colleagues across the nation of the dangers of prescribing either for too many days or to a higher dose. That doesn’t really help the pain but raises dramatically the risk of overdose and death.”
Dr Andrew Kolodny, president of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, sees the drug industry’s hand behind the change. Kolodny has testified against opioid makers in legal actions over their part in driving the opioid epidemic by pushing sales with false claims about their safety and effectiveness. .............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/17/cdc-accused-opioid-guidelines-drug-industry-pressure
December 17, 2022
"Groomers," Paul Pelosi and so much more: The most unhinged GOP conspiracy theories of 2022
Deranged beliefs flooded the Republican zone in 2022 — but somehow, voting late on Election Day didn't help them
By AREEBA SHAH
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 17, 2022 6:00AM (EST)
(Salon) Conspiracy theories have been a fixture of American politics for generations, but in the age of Donald Trump and the internet, they have become more dangerous and unhinged than ever. In the past year — quite likely a golden age of conspiracy theory — Republicans have endorsed all kinds of dubious, far-fetched or provably false theories, most based either in denying the validity of election results or embracing the all-encompassing online cult movement QAnon, which is now pretty much the conservative mainstream.
This is not to say that liberals or progressives are incapable of embracing ludicrous theories. Both sides do it! But let's be honest: Republicans have a particular gift for this stuff, which has reached new heights of late with baseless claims that the "deep state" used ballot drop boxes to rig the 2020 election or that electronic voting machines were somehow programmed — by the Chinese government? the Italian military? an incomprehensible cabal linked to the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez? — to defeat Republicans.
These theories have either been debunked entirely or fall into the unfalsifiable category of speculative fiction. But to honor conservatives' unique achievements in this field, Salon created a roundup of the most unhinged Republican conspiracy theories of 2022:
Voting as late as possible on Election Day will "stop the steal"
In the lead-up to the 2022 midterms, a close ally of Republican Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano sought to convince voters to cast their ballots "as late in the day as possible" on Election Day in order to "overwhelm the system" and "stop the steal of 2022".
....(snip)....
The "great replacement" makes it to the mainstream
The "great replacement" theory, which claims that liberal elites are deliberately driving high levels of immigration in order to "replace" white Americans — or even to kill them off — was once confined to the far-right white nationalist fringe. But at this point it has been almost completely normalized within the Republican Party. Fox News' Tucker Carlson had mentioned replacement theories more than 400 times on the air before the deadly mass shooting that killed 10 Black people in a Buffalo supermarket last May. It later became clear that the shooter, a young white man, believed in this hateful fiction and had driven for several hours to stage a violent assault in a predominantly Black neighborhood. ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/12/17/groomers-paul-pelosi-and-so-much-more-the-most-unhinged-conspiracy-theories-of-2022/
"Groomers," Paul Pelosi and so much more: The most unhinged GOP conspiracy theories of 2022
"Groomers," Paul Pelosi and so much more: The most unhinged GOP conspiracy theories of 2022
Deranged beliefs flooded the Republican zone in 2022 — but somehow, voting late on Election Day didn't help them
By AREEBA SHAH
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 17, 2022 6:00AM (EST)
(Salon) Conspiracy theories have been a fixture of American politics for generations, but in the age of Donald Trump and the internet, they have become more dangerous and unhinged than ever. In the past year — quite likely a golden age of conspiracy theory — Republicans have endorsed all kinds of dubious, far-fetched or provably false theories, most based either in denying the validity of election results or embracing the all-encompassing online cult movement QAnon, which is now pretty much the conservative mainstream.
This is not to say that liberals or progressives are incapable of embracing ludicrous theories. Both sides do it! But let's be honest: Republicans have a particular gift for this stuff, which has reached new heights of late with baseless claims that the "deep state" used ballot drop boxes to rig the 2020 election or that electronic voting machines were somehow programmed — by the Chinese government? the Italian military? an incomprehensible cabal linked to the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez? — to defeat Republicans.
These theories have either been debunked entirely or fall into the unfalsifiable category of speculative fiction. But to honor conservatives' unique achievements in this field, Salon created a roundup of the most unhinged Republican conspiracy theories of 2022:
Voting as late as possible on Election Day will "stop the steal"
In the lead-up to the 2022 midterms, a close ally of Republican Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano sought to convince voters to cast their ballots "as late in the day as possible" on Election Day in order to "overwhelm the system" and "stop the steal of 2022".
....(snip)....
The "great replacement" makes it to the mainstream
The "great replacement" theory, which claims that liberal elites are deliberately driving high levels of immigration in order to "replace" white Americans — or even to kill them off — was once confined to the far-right white nationalist fringe. But at this point it has been almost completely normalized within the Republican Party. Fox News' Tucker Carlson had mentioned replacement theories more than 400 times on the air before the deadly mass shooting that killed 10 Black people in a Buffalo supermarket last May. It later became clear that the shooter, a young white man, believed in this hateful fiction and had driven for several hours to stage a violent assault in a predominantly Black neighborhood. ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/12/17/groomers-paul-pelosi-and-so-much-more-the-most-unhinged-conspiracy-theories-of-2022/
December 17, 2022
COVID Chaos Unfolds in China
Chinese leadership abandoned its zero-COVID strategy practically overnight. The consequences promise to be enormous. Rural areas in particular will struggle with the suddenly spiking caseload in the country.
By Christoph Giesen in Beijing
16.12.2022, 18.00 Uhr
(Der Spiegel) She is negative and no longer contagious. Finally, she is allowed to leave the quarantine center – and return to a country that has changed dramatically during the time she was forced to spend in this candy-colored container shelter in northeastern Beijing. The authorities kept her here for nine days, behind a fence festooned with warning signs: "COVID prevention and control. Please do not approach."
Now, Stacy, as she calls herself, is standing in front of the gates of the center, which only just opened a few weeks ago. Someone in the apparatus came up with the idea of calling it "Colorful Community.” While waiting for a taxi, Stacy tells her story.
It was Sunday, December 4, when her mobile phone rang. "The neighborhood committee called me and said I had had contact with a positive case," she says. She had just enough time to quickly pack her things – a toothbrush and some clothes – before boarding the bus. She was tested at the center. It came back positive.
....(snip)....
For almost three years, the Chinese leadership stubbornly pursued its zero-COVID strategy, with the state-controlled media gushing with praise for the "dynamic zero." Almost every day, news outlets in the country made a point of saying that it was only thanks to the wise leadership of state and party leader Xi Jinping that China had been able to defeat the treacherous virus. In the United States and Europe, Chinese media has been fond of pointing out, cases are rampant, and people are dying – but in China, all is well.
China Has Gone from One Extreme to the Other
But the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus is also began spreading in China. And instead of adjusting its strategy to meet the challenge, by launching a new vaccination offensive and preparing the country for a cautious opening as has been done in places like Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, Beijing opted for severity. In Shanghai, 26 million people were forced to spend several weeks isolated in their apartments in April and May. In almost all other Chinese metropolises, residents had to submit to a PCR test every two to three days in order to be permitted to take part in everyday life. ...........(more)
https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/covid-chaos-unfolds-in-china-from-one-extreme-to-the-other-a-f63726ea-18d2-4635-b568-649be214338a
COVID Chaos Unfolds in China
COVID Chaos Unfolds in China
Chinese leadership abandoned its zero-COVID strategy practically overnight. The consequences promise to be enormous. Rural areas in particular will struggle with the suddenly spiking caseload in the country.
By Christoph Giesen in Beijing
16.12.2022, 18.00 Uhr
(Der Spiegel) She is negative and no longer contagious. Finally, she is allowed to leave the quarantine center – and return to a country that has changed dramatically during the time she was forced to spend in this candy-colored container shelter in northeastern Beijing. The authorities kept her here for nine days, behind a fence festooned with warning signs: "COVID prevention and control. Please do not approach."
Now, Stacy, as she calls herself, is standing in front of the gates of the center, which only just opened a few weeks ago. Someone in the apparatus came up with the idea of calling it "Colorful Community.” While waiting for a taxi, Stacy tells her story.
It was Sunday, December 4, when her mobile phone rang. "The neighborhood committee called me and said I had had contact with a positive case," she says. She had just enough time to quickly pack her things – a toothbrush and some clothes – before boarding the bus. She was tested at the center. It came back positive.
....(snip)....
For almost three years, the Chinese leadership stubbornly pursued its zero-COVID strategy, with the state-controlled media gushing with praise for the "dynamic zero." Almost every day, news outlets in the country made a point of saying that it was only thanks to the wise leadership of state and party leader Xi Jinping that China had been able to defeat the treacherous virus. In the United States and Europe, Chinese media has been fond of pointing out, cases are rampant, and people are dying – but in China, all is well.
China Has Gone from One Extreme to the Other
But the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus is also began spreading in China. And instead of adjusting its strategy to meet the challenge, by launching a new vaccination offensive and preparing the country for a cautious opening as has been done in places like Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, Beijing opted for severity. In Shanghai, 26 million people were forced to spend several weeks isolated in their apartments in April and May. In almost all other Chinese metropolises, residents had to submit to a PCR test every two to three days in order to be permitted to take part in everyday life. ...........(more)
https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/covid-chaos-unfolds-in-china-from-one-extreme-to-the-other-a-f63726ea-18d2-4635-b568-649be214338a
December 17, 2022
You snooze, you lose.
Florida cops are searching for two young women who swiped a $25,000 Rolex after a male companion fell asleep during a late-night rendezvous at his condo.
The victim told police he met his two provocatively clothed pals outside a rooftop bar in Fort Lauderdale around 3 a.m. Dec. 4, and got into a conversation.
The three exchanged phone numbers and agreed to meet later that morning. .........(more)
https://nypost.com/2022/12/16/florida-threesome-has-unhappy-ending-for-man-robbed-of-rolex/
Threesome has unhappy ending for Florida man robbed of Rolex
You snooze, you lose.
Florida cops are searching for two young women who swiped a $25,000 Rolex after a male companion fell asleep during a late-night rendezvous at his condo.
The victim told police he met his two provocatively clothed pals outside a rooftop bar in Fort Lauderdale around 3 a.m. Dec. 4, and got into a conversation.
The three exchanged phone numbers and agreed to meet later that morning. .........(more)
https://nypost.com/2022/12/16/florida-threesome-has-unhappy-ending-for-man-robbed-of-rolex/
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