Alan MacLeod at FAIR reminds us that "It’s Media -- Not Bernie Sanders -- That Have an Antisemitism Problem." And the evidence? Some of his supporters criticized Israel, and the candidate hasn't done the proper obeisance to Mr. Netanyahu by renouncing them. Actual anti-Semitism happens all the time -- from people our President calls "very fine people," no less! -- but what good are facts when you can mainline rage? Seriously, they're really going to try this! They're really going to insinuate that the Jewish candidate is TEH REAL ANTI-SEMITEZ!!!! -- and they're going to do it as they're hurling anti-Semitic slurs at the Jewish candidate! And our "liberal" media wonder why they're so hated.
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down two Arizona voting laws -- one banning out-of-precinct voting and the other restricting early absentee ballot collection -- asserting that their "unmistakeabl(e)" intent is racist. Perhaps that sounds a little odd to you, but consider that the state of Arizona loves moving around polling places on a monthly basis, and has closed nearly 70 percent of its polling places in Maricopa County which just-so-happens to be home to a lot of folks of color. Also, guess who files most of the absentee ballots in Arizona? Think the state already doesn't know that? Proponents of these laws bellow about TEH VOTER FRAUDZ!!!!, but guess how much evidence they product to prove it's happening? And do they even hide their racism very well anymore? With all of this, our Supreme Court and its younger-fresher-right-wingers might still take an appeal of the Ninth's decision and say TEH NOTHINGZ TO SEEZ HEREZ!!!!
Amazon is high-fiving itself for paying federal income taxes in 2019, but note well that their effective tax rate went from zero all the way up to 1.2 percent, rather below the 35% tax rate we used to have, and even well below the 21% tax rate we now have. And, er, rather below the 55% rate we had in the 1950s, and which we should bring back. And if Amazon says how will we ever ship packages same-day if we have to pay 55%?, we can just remind them that paying to ship packages same-day is an expense, and only profits get taxed. And you can say something similar when they say how will we ever create jobs? or how will we ever fight climate change? Corporations don't do the right thing freely -- they do it when we force them to do it. (Also, too, Amazon claims to "collect" sales taxes, but it doesn't pay them -- you do. God, they really think we're all stupid.)
It's a long read, but you'll want to attend this article from Michael Kwet at The Intercept arguing that "smart" camera networks may be as ominous a development as facial recognition technology. You know CCTVs, motion sensors, smart phones, and Ring doorbells? Now imagine all of them connected to a police-sponsored network. The apt dystopian thinker (which should be all of us) can easily imagine not being connected to that network comprising probable cause to the enterprising prosecutor. Now imagine artificial intelligence (or AI) being used for things like "behavior recognition" -- given that it can't reasonably tell behaviors like fighting and dancing apart, it's likely no better at its reason for being than facial recognition is, but that doesn't mean governments won't pretend it's TEH BEST SCIENCEZ EVAHZ!!!! in order to get convictions and repress free speech.
Let's not go overboard talking about a "GOP divide" in Georgia now that Rep. Doug Collins intends to primary incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler, herself recently appointed by Gov. Kemp to replace the ailing former Sen. Isakson. Concentrate, rather, on Rep. Collins saying "I’ve still got a lot of work left to do to help this president," as if helping our President is his sole job or, indeed, as if we should care what work he still has to do, since he's merely a humble servant of his district. Note well, also, that when he says "to keep defending this president and working for the people of Georgia," he literally puts the people second, just like they all do. Why, he's as good at the drama as his Personal Lord and Savior, our President.
Finally, Hillary Clinton slams Bernie Sanders for the crime of not doing enough to ensure that "a lot of people highly identified with his campaign" did not "urg(e) people to vote third party" or "urg(e) people not to vote." So she doesn't say he, specifically, did something wrong -- which would be tough, since he did at least three dozen rallies on her behalf in 2016! -- nor does she say people who worked for his campaign did something wrong, but merely "people highly identified with his campaign" (hate to pile on, but "identified" by whom?) did something wrong, and that backtracking tells you all you need to know about why she lost. You know what else tells you all you need to know about why she lost? The way she blithely assumes that Mr. Sanders can just control these "people highly identified with his campaign." Our Glorious Elites assume they can just control everyone -- which makes sense, I suppose, because no one would go along with their programs otherwise.
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