I don't even think that arguing "hey, we need one billion immigrants" is necessarily a *BAD* play. "The Haitians are making Ohio better. Here's the factory owner praising how they're better workers than vintage Americans!"
But this whole thing about how we have a massive influx of immigrants and use new and novel ways to get them into communities who don't get a vote on it and then pretend that nothing happened when there are objections is, seriously, going to turn off more people than a full-throated "READ THE STATUE OF LIBERTY POEM AGAIN!!!"
If we could allow for "conspiracy theories" to also cover stuff like "the authorities covering stuff up, obfuscating the truth, and opposing the story of what actually happened coming to light by pushing forward narratives that were not accurate", then we'd find ourselves awash in conspiracies.
Better to narrow it down to the point where it only covers stuff like "covid wasn't a deliberate biological weapon released to harm America, it came from a wet market".
Everybody always thinks that their pet conspiracies are like MKULTRA or Operation Mockingbird but most of them are like the conspiracy theory that says that Covid came from a lab.
One of Leonard Cohen's last poems was titled "What is Coming".
what is coming
ten million people
in the street
cannot stop
what is coming
the American Armed Forces
cannot control
the President
of the United States
and his counselors
cannot conceive
initiate
command
or direct
everything
you do
or refrain from doing
will bring us
to the same place
the place we don't know
your anger against the war
your horror of death
your calm strategies
your bold plans
to rearrange
the middle east
to overthrow the dollar
to establish
the 4th Reich
to live forever
to silence the Jews
to order the cosmos
to tidy up your life
to improve religion
they count for nothing
you have no understanding
of the consequences
of what you do
oh and one more thing
you aren't going to like
what comes after
America
Be careful out there. I've seen a number of people saying "holy cow, I can't believe the files contain (risible claim)!" and a screenshot of a document without naming it.
I've seen a couple of these where it was a document released back in 2023.
One time I even saw a guy claim "document #(number here) says (risible claim)!" and a screenshot of the document and I went to the website and looked up that specific document and, wouldn't you know it, it was all about Cuba and whatnot and had nothing to do with (risible claim).
You're complaining that people were talking about a thing in the open thread that you didn't want to talk about.
You're complaining that someone wrote a post about a thing that you don't want to talk about.
Write a guest post! Spend 750 words explaining how we are deep in Weimar and the Hitler Youth are singing "Tomorrow Belongs To Me" down at the beer garden and people are singing along instead of setting Teslas on fire.
We'll remove any ableist slurs and schedule it up.
Seriously: You have no idea how much power there is behind merely being able to throw 750 words together.
WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is ordering some of its lawyers who handle sensitive national-security matters to urgently review records from the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy that are due to be released on Tuesday, according to an email seen by Reuters.
Christopher Robinson, a National Security Division official, announced that "all" attorneys who work in the Operations Section of the Office of Intelligence are being ordered to review between 400 and 500 documents each, according to a Monday evening email seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
I honestly expected more news stories to be laughing gleefully about how Trump said something to the effect of "promises kept" about the JFK files release and... we still ain't got nothin'.
This is a major L, as the kids say, for Trump! The news should be positively crowing!
Part of holding power accountable is documenting what it says.
We are speeding toward 5PM EDT and, still, nothing's come out except for a bunch of humorous tweets showing typewritten letters allegedly from JFK announcing that he has evidence that will result in the arrest of Hillary Clinton.
On “A Dark Age”
I don't even think that arguing "hey, we need one billion immigrants" is necessarily a *BAD* play. "The Haitians are making Ohio better. Here's the factory owner praising how they're better workers than vintage Americans!"
But this whole thing about how we have a massive influx of immigrants and use new and novel ways to get them into communities who don't get a vote on it and then pretend that nothing happened when there are objections is, seriously, going to turn off more people than a full-throated "READ THE STATUE OF LIBERTY POEM AGAIN!!!"
"
Yeah, maybe that play will work. "Open borders?" you can ask with wide eyes. "But nobody is even pushing for those!"
"
The only thing that the global right seems to agree upon is that "Open Borders" is not a good policy.
Yeah, yeah. "Nobody is arguing for open borders!" but remember this article from just last month? In an Age of Right-Wing Populism, Why Are Denmark’s Liberals Winning?
As it turns out, the answer is that Denmark's Liberals are against Open Borders.
The answer just might be "abandon open borders as a policy".
Which, you'd think, would be easy if nobody is arguing for it.
On “On Jethro Tull”
Tull has come out with three albums in the last three years!!!
The Zealot Gene in 2022, RökFlöte in 2023, and Curious Ruminant came out TWO WEEKS AGO.
Huh.
On “The JFK Files Drop Today (Supposedly)”
If we could allow for "conspiracy theories" to also cover stuff like "the authorities covering stuff up, obfuscating the truth, and opposing the story of what actually happened coming to light by pushing forward narratives that were not accurate", then we'd find ourselves awash in conspiracies.
Better to narrow it down to the point where it only covers stuff like "covid wasn't a deliberate biological weapon released to harm America, it came from a wet market".
"
Everybody always thinks that their pet conspiracies are like MKULTRA or Operation Mockingbird but most of them are like the conspiracy theory that says that Covid came from a lab.
On “Spaghetti on the Wall: Autopens and Out to Lunch Presidents”
Email it to me and I'll submit it under guest posts.
If you don't want to do it that way, email Andrew Donaldson and he'll do it.
On “A Dark Age”
One of Leonard Cohen's last poems was titled "What is Coming".
On “On Jethro Tull”
I sent a link to this essay to my EMF. I did not bother sending one to my JMF.
"
Yeah, my moment for that was "Love Will Tear Us Apart" in the cookie aisle.
"Why are they playing Joy Division?", I asked. Then I got depressed. Then I bought some Fudge Stripes.
"
Ironically enough, today marks the 54th Anniversary of the release of Aqualung.
March 19th, 1971.
On “The JFK Files Drop Today (Supposedly)”
Man, no wonder they wanted to keep this under wraps!
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/17/25”
Misogyny.
Duh.
On “The JFK Files Drop Today (Supposedly)”
Be careful out there. I've seen a number of people saying "holy cow, I can't believe the files contain (risible claim)!" and a screenshot of a document without naming it.
I've seen a couple of these where it was a document released back in 2023.
One time I even saw a guy claim "document #(number here) says (risible claim)!" and a screenshot of the document and I went to the website and looked up that specific document and, wouldn't you know it, it was all about Cuba and whatnot and had nothing to do with (risible claim).
So check and double-check.
"
This one is interesting: President's Intelligence Checklist.
I've heard of these but never seen one before.
On “Spaghetti on the Wall: Autopens and Out to Lunch Presidents”
AND ANOTHER THING!
You're complaining that people were talking about a thing in the open thread that you didn't want to talk about.
You're complaining that someone wrote a post about a thing that you don't want to talk about.
Seriously. Contemplate that.
"
They're approved because they are written.
Write a guest post! Spend 750 words explaining how we are deep in Weimar and the Hitler Youth are singing "Tomorrow Belongs To Me" down at the beer garden and people are singing along instead of setting Teslas on fire.
We'll remove any ableist slurs and schedule it up.
Seriously: You have no idea how much power there is behind merely being able to throw 750 words together.
On “The JFK Files Drop Today (Supposedly)”
Oooh, the Yuri Nosenko file.
He's got a wikipedia page.
"
Project DTLAMPREY. Huh. Never heard of it. It was cover for a fund to help out non-communist teachers.
"
Dang, here they are. Time to open a few at random...
"
I guess that this is part of it: U.S. Justice Department orders national-security lawyers to review JFK documents
Jam tomorrow.
Jam yesterday.
"
I honestly expected more news stories to be laughing gleefully about how Trump said something to the effect of "promises kept" about the JFK files release and... we still ain't got nothin'.
This is a major L, as the kids say, for Trump! The news should be positively crowing!
"
You know, I'm beginning to suspect that there's stuff in there that they actively do not want to become public.
"
5:15 PM Eastern Daylight Saving Time.
No files.
Clank.
"
Part of holding power accountable is documenting what it says.
We are speeding toward 5PM EDT and, still, nothing's come out except for a bunch of humorous tweets showing typewritten letters allegedly from JFK announcing that he has evidence that will result in the arrest of Hillary Clinton.