Author: policywank

Ceremony, Peter Hook and the Light

This is my favorite song. There isn’t really a good recording of Joy Division doing it. I prefer the March 1981 New Order version to the September 1981 version. This is definitely the my favorite Peter Hook rendition. I’ve seen him live with The Light twice and have also seen damn near every live performance of this song from him or New Order that’s on YouTube. I think the only New Order performance of this that’s on par or maybe a little better is the November 1981 version from the live in New York concert that’s mostly known to people as Taras Shevchenko.

How the Democrats win in 2024

Joe Biden is bad for ratings. That will be a problem for him in subtle ways in 2024. I am not suggesting some stupid conspiracy wherein the media companies decide to help him get re-elected (not counting FoxNews, obviously). But they will chase Trump and hang on his every word because that gets eyeballs.

There are four things the Democrats should do if they want to hold onto the presidency. They must do a minimum of two of them. They need to do all four if they hope to mobilize voters in 2024 the way they did in 2020. If Trump runs again, they’ll need voters mobilized at that level. Those things are:

1. Pass a really substantial covid relief bill. That looks like it’s on track, though they should have done better than this.

2. Substantial student loan debt relief.

3. Pass the John Lewis Voter Rights Act

4. Raise the minimum wage to $15.

If they don’t do at least two of these things, they won’t beat Trump if he runs again. They need to do all four to be sure.

Marcus Flowers Debuts His Campaign With A Hot Commercial

This commercial is pretty hot. I think it’s well targeted to the district. I hope we get a respectful primary campaign that doesn’t leave the eventual nominee handicapped against the Q Lady.

I probably would have built at least the shell of a campaign website before launching. Right now, his twitter account links to an ActBlue donation site.

What Emoluments Clause?

Traitor
Trump reported making more than $1.6 billion while president – CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Donald Trump reported making more than $1.6 billion in outside revenue and income during his four years as President of the United States.

This motherfucker needs to end up in jail. I think that’s about all there is to say about this at this point. He took 399 trips to his own properties in 4 years. How much revenue did the cost of rooms for the secret service, his staff, etc bring in? We know the Pentagon was forcing air force crews to stop and stay at one of his resorts in Scotland. Would we even know it if that was happening elsewhere?

Covid Vaccine Uptake in the Military

Roughly one-third of troops on active duty or in the National Guard have declined to take the vaccine, military officials recently told Congress. In some places, such as Fort Bragg, N.C., the nation’s largest military installation, acceptance rates are below 50 percent.

NY Times
Younger Military Personnel Reject Vaccine, in Warning for Commanders and the Nation
About one-third of the troops have declined to take the vaccine. Many say they worry the vaccines are unsafe or were developed too quickly. Others want a sense of independence, even in uniform.

The Head Trip

I’m really enjoying this. I only discovered Jeff Warren a few weeks or months ago when he started doing a daily meditation on the Calm App, though I’d seen/heard his name before that, I hadn’t checked out any of his stuff. He has a sensibility that I think would appeal to a lot of people who have trouble with all the new age-y woo that goes along with meditation and investigations into consciousness, but that doesn’t denigrate that stuff.. My only small complaint is that the audio book isn’t read by the author, though the guy who does read it is fine.

The Head Trip
Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Few of us realize how many states of consciousness we pass through on a regular basis. In this entertaining guide, Jeff Warren explores 12 distinct, natural states we can experience in a 24-hour day, each offering its own kind of knowledge, insight, and ..…

This Finally Happened

Democratic candidate announces bid for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Congressional seat
Northwest Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene now has an opponent for her re-election bid in 2022. Democrat Holly McCormack announced her candidacy for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District on Wednesday. She runs an insurance agency based in Chattanooga, but says she lives in nearby Ringgol…

I know it seems like we just finished the 2020 election, but I’m honestly a little surprised we didn’t have a Democrat declare for this seat last month. I live in Atlanta. I’m familiar with the specific brand of crazy that exists in north Georgia. Even by those standards, Marjorie Taylor Greene making it to congress was an anomaly. For a Democrat to win, up there, they are going to have to the right mix of “pro-business” and “populism”, two things that should conflict to their core, but…America. I wish her well.

This is terrifying

Atlantic Ocean circulation at weakest in a millennium, say scientists
Decline in system underpinning Gulf Stream could lead to more extreme weather in Europe and higher sea levels on US east coast

Climate scientists have been predicting that this would happen to due to climate change for a long, long time. Reading that it is happening is plain frightening.