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Help those on the ground in Syria and Turkey

Fierce Planet Posted on February 12, 2023 by jnfrFebruary 13, 2023

I’m sure you’ve heard about the massive earthquakes that have hit Syria and Turkey this week, killing more than thirty thousand people and leaving even more without shelter. (gift link)

Members of BTS ARMY have put together this list of organizations on the ground who need donations. I would add World Central Kitchen, which as usual is already working to ensure people get fed.

Please help in whatever way you can, in any amount. US and European currency goes a long way in these areas, so even small donations can mean a lot.

ARMY pls help boost & donate for rescue & recovery efforts in Turkey & Syria. every $ helps #ArmyAssembleForTurkey

TURKEY
-AHBAP https://t.co/6D4eE5dhhW
-AKUT https://t.co/PDamsDZRCk

SYRIA
-Molham https://t.co/En9Daenev2
-SAMS https://t.co/RHGlBCqhi0
-WH https://t.co/2rUPwmumIw pic.twitter.com/4veuk16pP6

— r ⁷ (@epipeny) February 8, 2023

ETA:

A fundraiser was started in ARMY's name! Even if you've already donated to AHBAP, pls do drop some donations again for the BTS ARMY campaign to support Turkey's recovery efforts 👍 Every dollar makes a (18.82 TL) difference.#ArmyJoinForcesforTurkiye💜

🔗https://t.co/PR99P5yrS9 pic.twitter.com/vZ7cBmNJS7

— r ⁷ (@epipeny) February 11, 2023

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Posted in Crisis, International, Meta, Random | Tagged ARMY, bts, crisis, international, syria, turkey

The next threat to abortion rights

Fierce Planet Posted on February 8, 2023 by jnfrFebruary 11, 2023

I’ve pulled together many more articles on the fight over abortion rights as it continues here in the States. Some are quite positive from a pro-choice point of view, as states set themselves up to be abortion sanctuaries. Some showcase the continuing efforts to further force all states to comply with the forced-birth agenda of anti-choice activists.

As I have pointed out before, anti-choice activists continue to look for ways to restrict access to abortion pills in particular, since most abortions these days are medication abortions. Since the postal service is federal, there is no easy way to keep pills from moving through the mail, even into states that have banned them, since the pills have been held to be safe by the FDA for many years.

Then I came across this article by Dahlia Lithwick in Slate, and it seems there is one effort to restrict abortion medication that may pass through a single court, and soon.

Dobbs Was Always Just the Beginning

A single judge could outlaw the abortion pill nationwide. And that’s not even the worst of it.

… less than a year after the fall of Roe, conservative activists are trying to put the issue of abortion access into the hands of a single man for whom no one ever voted: a federal judge in Texas named Matthew Kacsmaryk. In the coming weeks, there is a very real possibility that Kacsmaryk will single-handedly outlaw medication abortion in all 50 states, massively disrupting access to reproductive health care across the entire country. Worse, there is a substantial likelihood that higher courts—including the Supreme Court—will let him get away with it.

…these activists think they have a solution to the pill problem: ban mifepristone, the first drug taken in the two-drug medication abortion protocol approved by the FDA, which ends the pregnancy. Rather than work through their elected representatives or popular votes, they are attempting to do this via a lawsuit seeking a nationwide injunction….

The suit was filed in the remote Amarillo division of the Northern District of Texas. No, there’s no specific connection between Amarillo and abortion pills. The plaintiffs only filed there because they were guaranteed to draw a single judge: Kacsmaryk, whom Donald Trump placed on the bench in 2019….Since his confirmation, he has gained a reputation as perhaps the most lawless jurist in the country….

You can absolutely count on Judge Kacsmaryk to rule that mifepristone can’t be used. It won’t matter that the plaintiffs have no standing to bring this suit since none of them have been personally harmed by these pills. It won’t matter that the pills have been used for decades without trouble, or that the court has no direct authority over the FDA. Once the judge enters an injunction barring the use of mifepristone, the drug will be barred until the case works its way through the upper courts, no doubt landing with the Supremes. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t personally trust this iteration of the Supreme Court to follow law and precedent, not any more.

Anyone needing a medication abortion will then have only one drug available, rather than the two-drug regimen that doctors prefer. It will make medication abortions less certain, more painful, and ensure they take longer to complete.

At the end of all this, I am left with a question. At what point do the blue states simply refuse to comply with these lawless judges and their attempts to force their religious beliefs on all of us? Well, I guess I really have two questions, because if any state decides to go that route you have to ask: what comes next? I have no idea.

ETA: State attorney generals have filed briefs in the case: 22 Democratic AGs arguing against banning mifepristone, 22 Republican AGs arguing in favor.

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Posted in Abortion, Civil Rights, Democrats, Feminism, Health, Legal, Politics, Republicans | Tagged abortion, legal

Now there are tanks

Fierce Planet Posted on January 30, 2023 by jnfrJanuary 30, 2023

Believe me I am aware of how strange it may seem that I, an old-fashioned peace activist who spent years working with Quaker pacifists, stand 100% with Ukraine as it wages a war of self-defense.

My approach to this situation arises from discussions I’ve had with other activists about the nature of pacifist beliefs, and what it means to engage in nonviolent resistance. The discussions back then mostly focused on objections from those of us who were committed to a feminist vision of the future, a vision that definitely included the right of women to defend ourselves from predation.

But I had many Quaker friends who were so committed to pacifism that they would refuse to resist violence against themselves or others if it meant engaging in violent acts themselves, no matter the circumstances in which the violence occurred. They believed deeply in the radical power of love alone, of forgiveness even for those doing them harm, and pledged themselves to remain peaceful to the best of their ability, no matter what violence they encountered.

Many feminists saw that variety of pacifism as complicity in oppression. We believed that, in a world where violence against women was foundational to the culture itself, the right to protect ourselves from violence is as necessary as our commitment to nonviolent actions. The struggle against violence against women was the first resistance movement I ever took part in, and for me the right of self-defense in whatever form must always be part of the strategic equation.

There are clearly moments when allowing yourself to be harmed will inevitably be a component of nonviolent resistance, for example when those in Selma made the conscious choice to continue walking across that bridge. Refusing to respond to violence with violence is a powerful statement and a powerful tool. But it’s a tool that must be chosen freely, and not one that is necessarily useful in every violent situation. War is one of those violent situations where even a person who believes in nonviolent action might find it necessary to violently resist.

Personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to use weapons or violence if I needed them to defend myself from a rapist. And I see Putin and his mercenaries as exactly that, invaders and murderers and yes, literally, rapists. This isn’t the first time they have invaded Ukraine and if we can’t force them to stop I believe they will return to war and murder again and again.

These issues of theory won’t be settled here. But I don’t see any nonviolent way forward that will stop Putin’s bombs and other depredations. I say this in sorrow, but I think it’s clear Putin does not want peace, he wants the subjugation of the Ukrainian people and the utter destruction of their culture. I know there are those (some among my own friends) who believe in negotiating for peace even if it means giving in to some of Putin’s unlawful demands. They want this war to end and for peace to return. But I don’t believe that there will be any sort of lasting peace if we take that path. Putin will not be satiated; he will not be deterred.

Continue reading →

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Posted in International, Military, Politics, Resistance, Ukraine, War | Tagged pacifism, putin, resistance, ukraine, war

Republicans have a new tax plan

Fierce Planet Posted on January 26, 2023 by jnfrJanuary 29, 2023

Let PoliticsGirl tell you about how their plan will make rich oligarchs much richer, while keeping the rest of us poorer and more stressed.

This is the best breakdown of the new 30% tax Republicans are trying to add to every single thing you purchase pic.twitter.com/VM3XeRdcCF

— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) January 26, 2023

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Posted in Economy, Finance, Inequality, Politics, Republicans, Taxes | Tagged oligarchs, republicans, taxes

Respect the Daily Kos Guild, engage with the union

Fierce Planet Posted on January 23, 2023 by jnfrJanuary 26, 2023

Friends and kindred spirits wandering by this site probably have heard of DailyKos, the ur-parent blog of the US progressive sphere. Just last year, DKos (as the place is often known) celebrated the site’s 20th anniversary. Personally, I’ve been a member there for 18 of those years.

I’m not entirely sure who makes up “Daily Kos Management” (DKM) these days, but a number of the workers at the site are represented by the Daily Kos Guild (DKG), a Pacific Media Workers Guild member and certified as the bargaining unit of represented staff.

DKM recently announced layoffs that would affect more than a quarter of the represented workers, and is apparently balking at engaging with DKG, refusing to share financial information or to enter into negotiations around the layoffs themselves. This seems all wrong to me, wrong for any organization, but surely even more so for an org that claims as much progressive space as DKos does.

 

Daily Kos was the first online home for a generation of progressive activists, and has remained critical to the success of the movement. We don't want that to change, and are fighting the #layoffs. Join us. https://t.co/bExky5OZ2b

— Joan McCarter 🌻 (@joanmccarter) January 20, 2023

When I was hired at @dailykos four years ago it was a point of pride that in the entire organizations history there had never been mass layoffs. To gut our activism and content departments feels like destroying the soul of our mission. https://t.co/a8G28HhLMR

— Cara Zelaya (@carazelaya) January 20, 2023

 
Here is a DKos diary on the events. I have no inside knowledge of the financial and labor situation at DKos, but any solution has to include the workers in all decisions made. Please sign the petition mentioned in this diary, and encourage DKM to act in accordance with progressive values.

After all, the point of unions isn’t just to gain higher wages for workers, but to ensure they have power in the decisions that affect their lives and affect the work of the organization.

Daily Kos announces staff layoffs; Daily Kos Guild demands to negotiate

…These proposed layoffs are focused in our Activism and Content departments—responsible for leading campaigns that advance human rights, equity, and justice, and for creating the news you read on Daily Kos. The proposed cut would affect 28% of unionized employees….

DKG calls on Daily Kos Management to:

• enter into and honor good faith negotiations with the DKG about layoffs, and allow DKG to work with management to avoid cuts to personnel;

• be honest and transparent about the organization’s financial status, including an audit of Daily Kos’ finances by CWA financial analysts, and an independent audit;

• keep Daily Kos’ mission, the Daily Kos Community, and our collective activism at the heart of any decision about the organization’s future…

 
ETA: An update from the Guild. Read through to the end to see their positions for the future. I am very happy to hear that DKM intends to negotiate and not simply act without consultation.

Solidarity: An update from Daily Kos Guild before Jan. 24 bargaining

…At our bargaining session last Friday, Daily Kos Guild had approximately 30 DKG members present as observers. Our bargaining committee sat across the table from representatives from DKM—two members of the Daily Kos PeopleOps (Human Resources) team, and the Daily Kos labor legal advisor.

We think it essential to clarify that these are the usual representatives for DKM—and they have been the only representatives we have met at the bargaining table since October 2022. Neither Daily Kos’ president nor founder has been present for a single bargaining session. No other representatives from senior management have attended a meeting….

Our next bargaining session is scheduled for today, Tuesday, Jan. 24, starting at 1:15 PM PT. Until then, our members will continue to examine the documents we received in response to our information request, which unfortunately arrived after deadline and only an hour before our bargaining session began Friday. DKM’s negotiators have stated their intent to negotiate—not declare—the terms of any staff reconfiguration, and we intend to hold them to their word….

We hope that Daily Kos management reads our request and gives it the consideration it deserves. Help us get senior management to the bargaining table so we can work through this together.https://t.co/MvLQ8qbI4n pic.twitter.com/DlLdst9P4f

— Cara Zelaya (@carazelaya) January 24, 2023

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Posted in Democrats, Justice, Labor, Media | Tagged blogs, DKos, labor

Russian war crimes continue

Fierce Planet Posted on January 18, 2023 by jnfrJanuary 18, 2023

There is no question in my mind that Russia has committed and continues to commit war crimes through Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. From the dead bodies strewn in the streets of Bucha and other areas around Kyiv early in the invasion, to the piles of rubble and miles of graves that are all we have left of Mariupol and the people who lived there, to the tortured citizens of recently liberated Kherson, Russia and their mercenary armies have left a trail of agony, rape, and death that is clearly designed to terrorize the Ukrainian people.

It is past time for the U.S. State Department to formally add Russia to our list of official State Sponsors of Terrorism, as discussed in the video below.
 

Merciless terror against civilians in #Ukraine continues unabated. It's past time to declare the Russian Federation a state sponsor of terror. #RussiaIsATerroristState pic.twitter.com/o2kVsxTnOk

— Jessica Berlin (@berlin_bridge) January 15, 2023

That video also lays out at least some of the difficulties of following this path. But it is clear Russia doesn’t intend to stop targeting civilian infrastructure and murdering civilians with bombs. These are war crimes, full stop.
 

Search and rescue operation in Dnipro has been completed:
– 39 people were rescued, including 6 children;
– 44 people died, including 5 children;
– 79 people were injured, including 16 children;
– 47 reported as missing (23 found dead, 4 found alive). pic.twitter.com/hUUmOiuB23

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) January 17, 2023

Putin does not just intend to murder Ukrainians, he has every intention of destroying their culture and their ability to exist as an independent people. (Gift link should get through the paywall for a while.)

As Russians Steal Ukraine’s Art, They Attack Its Identity, Too

Russian forces have looted tens of thousands of pieces, including avant-garde oil paintings and Scythian gold. Experts say it is the biggest art heist since the Nazis in World War II, intended to strip Ukraine of its cultural heritage.

Putin continues to advance his “one people” justification for this attempt to subjugate the Ukrainian people. He has no right to do so, while Ukraine has every right to self-defense. It is imperative that the U.S. and our western allies use every tool at our disposal to resist Putin’s ugly plans.

Adam Silverman over at Balloon Juice continues his daily updates of each day’s battles. His reports are worth keeping up with.

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Posted in International, Politics, Terrorism, Ukraine, War | Tagged putin, ukraine

Rejecting democracy

Fierce Planet Posted on January 11, 2023 by jnfrJanuary 11, 2023

I’ve been watching the attempted insurrection in Brazil, not with much shock, but with some anger. This is, of course, another expression of the right-wing authoritarians who are doing their best to fracture political systems around the world.

They stormed Brazil's National Congress and set fire to the carpet. They attacked presidential offices, rifled through papers and tried to barricade themselves inside. Videos show Jair Bolsonaro's supporters rioting in Brazil’s government offices. https://t.co/dpVKpXYIdo pic.twitter.com/eMDQGA0rpf

— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 9, 2023

Apparently Bolsonaro has been working with Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, and perhaps other Trump-aligned fascist types, which is no surprise.

I am glad to hear that President Lula da Silva responded swiftly, and that it seems most people in Brazil continue to support him.

 


If you want to read a little more, here are some articles I’ve collected.

From Yasha Mounk at The Atlantic
Brazil’s ‘January 6 Moment’ Is a Warning
The threat from authoritarian populists endures.

Heather Cox Richardson
January 8, 2023

David Rothkopf
Brazil Is Just the Latest Victim of the Global Fascism Virus

World leaders condemn Brazil violence as US lawmakers call for Bolsonaro extradition

Come to the ‘war cry party’: How social media helped drive mayhem in Brazil
Researchers detected a surge in aggressive rhetoric from election denialists in far-right channels online ahead of Sunday’s rioting (gift link)

Steve Bannon Cheers on Brazilian ‘Freedom Fighters’ Trying to Recreate Jan. 6

How Trump’s allies stoked Brazil Congress attack

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Posted in International, Legal, Politics, Resistance, Voting | Tagged insurrection, international, politics

State of the World 2023

Fierce Planet Posted on January 6, 2023 by jnfrJanuary 6, 2023

Happening now at The Well: a topic where Jon Lebkowsky, Bruce Sterling, and a very smart cast of dozens consider the state of the world as the new year dawns. So far it’s been a wide-ranging, global discussion about crypto, AI, climate change, health and COVID, and more.

The entire topic is world-readable, though non-members can’t post directly but rather need to send questions or comments by email to the hosts. (Most of the Well is only open to members.)

This is the 22nd iteration of this discussion, and earlier versions can also be found among the topics in the Inkwell.vue conference. While you’re there, you might read through our discussion with Ben Tarnoff from last year, or some of the other interesting topics as well. The hosts of the Inkwell.vue conference mostly hold discussions with writers and artists, with invited guests and random Well members chiming in however they wish.

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Posted in Culture, Education, Geek stuff, International, Media, Meta | Tagged 2023, bruces, jonl, the well

Republicans are a mess

Fierce Planet Posted on January 4, 2023 by jnfrJanuary 4, 2023

But Democrats are doing just fine.

Earlier I mentioned that House Democrats had completed a shift of leadership for their caucus, with Hakeem Jeffries becoming caucus Leader. He was easily voted in by his caucus, and in fact won more votes in the Speaker’s race than poor, miserable Kevin McCarthy, though like McCarthy, Jeffries has no obvious path to taking over as Speaker. I said this version of Congress was going to be a mess, but I have to say the mess is already more spectacular than I ever imagined, and the whole thing completely belongs to the Republicans.

Overall, Democrats in the House seem very happy with Jeffries as Leader, and when I watched this moment and they all stood to applaud him, I admit I started applauding too. I am proud to be a Democrat these days, and I think the Party is doing some good things.

 

The House just broke out into a chant for Rep Jeffries "HAKEEM! HAKEEM!"

Outstanding unity. 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/y8p6aVIElr

— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) January 3, 2023

Over in the Senate, under Democratic administration, the day went smoothly and everyone is ready to get to work. The Party began their new session by electing Patty Murray as the first woman to take the office of Senate President Pro Tempore. The always-competent Murray will preside over sessions of the Senate for the next two years. (I’m very happy Dems didn’t take the route of giving this position to Dianne Feinstein, who has more seniority. Feinstein needs to leave the Senate, IMO, and California deserves better representation.)

I have no idea how Republicans in the House will resolve their leadership issues, but I admit I’m entertained by the spectacle. It’s too bad that the country has so much actual work that needs to be done, and these clowns make it all so much harder.

ETA: Also, there’s this.

That sound you're hearing in the background is that of all those old, white conservatives' heads exploding. pic.twitter.com/guDqz0CIRw

— Al​ ➊ Criswell​ (@Gdad1) January 3, 2023

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Posted in Democrats, Elections, Politics, Republicans | Tagged 118th, Congress

Ringing in 2023

Fierce Planet Posted on December 31, 2022 by jnfrDecember 31, 2022

In Times Square with a very wet but still awesome performance by j-hope of BTS. Happy New Year, friends, and let’s spread more joy in the year ahead!

Starting 2023 with HOPE ☺️💜 What a performance from j-hope in Times Square! @bts_bighit

Keep rockin' with us on ABC! #RockinEve pic.twitter.com/FerfLkwAS8

— New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (@RockinEve) January 1, 2023

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Posted in Culture, Random | Tagged bts, random

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