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WhiskeyGrinder

WhiskeyGrinder's Journal
WhiskeyGrinder's Journal
August 19, 2017

How Bout This, Tina Fey: Give Us (Black People) the Sheet Cake, and You Go Confront the White Women

http://verysmartbrothas.theroot.com/how-bout-this-tina-fey-give-us-black-people-the-she-1797989932


How ’Bout This, Tina Fey: Give Us (Black People) the Sheet Cake, and You Go Confront the White Women Who Voted for Trump
The term “white privilege” is incorporated so much in the progressive lexicon that it’s become an abstract catchall. In Fey’s case, however—and with white women with similar statuses and politics—it’s helpful to be as literal as possible. Because she is white, Tina Fey possesses the privilege of access. She can go places I just cannot go, can hear conversations I’ll never be within earshot of, and can grab audiences I’d never keep. And not just because she’s a celebrity, but because she’s a white woman, and the type of white people who need to be reached are more likely to listen to her than to me.

Of course, her sheet-caking bit came several hours before Panama Jackson published a piece here, in which he’s considering ending his relationship with his own mother because of her abhorrent views. These are the types of conversations and confrontations white people need to have with other white people (and themselves) if they’re sincere about attempting to combat white supremacy. We (black people) have done enough. We’ll continue to do what we’re doing, but there are limits. Because there are people we’ll just never reach.

So maybe the next time Tina Fey is in the cake-buying mood, she should give the cake to us instead, and then go and talk to the people we can’t. And when she’s done, she can come back and get a slice.
August 10, 2017

Why North Korea Is Planning Long-Range Missile Flight Tests Over Japan and Toward Guam

I've seen a lot of posts expressing surprise and shock that North Korea has developed its missile capabilities "out of the blue" and "without warning," and that the whole thing seems "suspicious" somehow. It's out of the blue only because you have to dig for useful coverage that's often buried in wonky journals that don't translate well to our media of choice, which increasingly seems to be liberal-leaning aggregators.

I found this article interesting and useful; this writer regularly does an excellent job of demystifying North Korea's actions and teasing out the odd logic behind them. There are people out there who analyze this stuff for a living. Find them and read them. It's important to understand how and why things are happening, and not succumb to conspiracies or despair.

http://thediplomat.com/2017/08/why-north-korea-is-planning-long-range-missile-flight-tests-over-japan-and-toward-guam/?utm_content=buffere8bd2&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer



On Thursday morning, hardly 48 hours after U.S. President Donald J. Trump first threatened “fire and fury” for continued threats, North Korea released an unusual statement through its state-run Korean Central News Agency.

(snip)

While Thursday’s statement was certainly unusual, it isn’t entirely out of the blue for North Korea. Analysts had suspected that Pyongyang might seek to conduct a full-range flight test, but it was always unclear if they would one day overfly Japan out of the blue. Now, it seems that Kim Jong-un has chosen to give the Japanese — and the Americans — sufficient notice of its intent.

Importantly, Thursday’s statement hinted at a launch date later this month, should Kim Jong-un give the order. Incidentally, the United States and South Korea will convene their annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian military exercise soon, giving North Korea what it sees as sufficient cause to stage a developmental missile test that will also serve as a show of force.

Unsaid so far in this analysis is the matter of strategic escalation. Make no mistake: a salvo launch of four Hwasong-12 IRBMs within tens of kilometers of Guam would be the single most threatening direct action that North Korea would have ever taken against U.S. territory. That has serious implications for U.S. strategic decision-making, allied reassurance toward Tokyo, and even escalation.

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