Please go read this post about the USA civil war (past and potential future) by siderea. I'll attempt to summarize the sections.

1. States acting against other states (they did in the past, and they are now)
   "...states inevitably resist the inevitable attempts of oppressor states to dominate the free states. But I'm saying we know where this goes. This ends in bullets."
    
2. minority control over Congress (House in the past, Senate now (okay, and the House))
   "And the problem is that if a slave counts for three-fifths a person for purposes of getting allocated members in the House of Representatives, then a state could buy Representatives in Congress by buying slaves."
    
3. non-negotiable ethical conflict (slavery in the past, abortion and LGBT issues now)
   "This will end in bullets because this is not a conflict of equally plausible moral positions, but a conflict between a polity organized around the legitimacy of subjugating others and peoples who do not care to be subjugated and will not go quietly."
    
4. conflict possible with either thwarted aims (in the past) or successful takeover (still undecided now)
   "The threat model is that a conquering-minded, anti-democractic movement will take over the federal government, and then as they subjugate the states that resist them, send in federal troops."

I find this pattern of history credible for predicting our near future.
Reminder 1: David Brin says that the U.S. civil war never ended, so it might be accurate to say that the long-standing cold war may soon turn hot.
Reminder 2: In this moment, we need an activist/populist/organizer president.  #BernieWouldHaveWon but Biden convinced 2 of the leading candidates to withdraw from the race, so he as the 4th place candidate could take the Presidency.  Now, Biden must immediately become Bernie Sanders or watch the USA lose political ground on his watch.

Edit 2022 July 03: A Rabbi is "looking into an anti-fascism training in Berlin for American activists."  That's our current status.

Moody Monday, when I try my best to pick the single most important crisis of the week for examination. Hoo boy, these times are special.

I'm updating and expanding my previous warning about anti-trans sentiment in some states.  Now, I'm expanding it to the whole queer rainbow.  Get out.  Get out of your repressive states now.  Move somewhere safe.  Personally, I recommend Minnesota (in spite of it being a hybrid status here), but there are others.

The warning signs of escalation are here:

• U.S. Air Force made the unusual statement that it will help LGBTQ personnel, even if it means relocating them from hostile USA domestic areas.
• U.S. military personnel are receiving advice to avoid certain areas of the USA.
• In Texas, a preacher called for the murder of homosexuals. (video)
• In Idaho, Patriot Front neo-fascists were arrested from a U-Haul van they were hiding in while traveling to a gay pride event. (video) Some of them wore a "Reclaim America" shirt or "Victory or Death" cap.
• In Georgia, one of their U.S. Representatives explicitly embraced Christian nationalism. (video) She says Democrats are domestic terrorists, but the data says otherwise.
• In Georgia, a governor candidate (beside a slogan of "Jesus. Guns. Babies.", my thumbnail icon here is so appropriate) suggests she would execute corrupt sheriffs for treason. (video)
• In Tennessee, they're literally burning books.
• In Wyoming, someone set fire to an abortion clinic.
• In New York, the 3rd-ranking Republican in the U.S. House has endorsed a Hitler-approving candidate.
• In Georgia, Florida, and Texas, some people are okay with outright slavery.  Do not trust these people to act with any humanity.

It is not safe for queer folk like me in these territories.  Leave any state where conservatism took over.  See the color coded heat map on page 16 to find a safe place.  The time for cautionary warnings is past.  Follow the advice of the U.S. military.  Get yourself somewhere safe.  Find a way to resist, if you can.  (Be like Wonder Woman.  Be antifa.)  As with the ongoing pandemic, avoid exposure to dangerous situations.  Reduce your risk.

I've seen international threads on Twitter from foreigners baffled by certain aspects of USA policy and politics. I agree, it's nonsensical.

Here are 4 quick ways to learn why it is thus, arranged in order of time commitment.

1. 3 minutes: An unusually coherent thread on Twitter explains the Republican party and the difference between its internal motivations versus external reporting.  Using this principle, you can predict how the Republican party will react to any proposal.
    
2. 3 minutes: A YouTube video about the left-to-right spectrum.
   • It doesn't even explain that Richard Nixon (infamous conservative US President) tested Universal Basic Income, froze costs on rent and food, signed anti-discrimination law, created the Environmental Protection Agency, and more liberal stuff.  That's how far right the Overton window in the USA has shifted during my lifetime.  That former conservative is now essentially too liberal for the current Democratic party.  I've written before about this topic.
    
3. 19 minutes: A YouTube video about the pillars of fascism and how conservative politics directly incorporates its tactics. It reviews the actual broadcast by conservative USA politicians during AmericaFest.  You can rewind to the beginning to see him build the list of topics that he starts discussing at the linked point of the video.  Near the end, he proposes how to change USA politics.  "Rage is the correct response to the way things have been going lately.  The only question now is which side gets to claim and wield it."  As I've been saying for a long time, "Don't bring the anointed candidate" to an electorate hungry for a populist.
    
4. 60 minutes: A YouTube video about conservative humor.  Weird topic, right?  It's excellent, though, which is why it has 1.7 million views.  You need to watch through the end, as he shows examples of "good" conservative humor in stark contrast to what counts for conservative jokes currently.
   • The link I've provided skips the first 20 minutes.  You can scroll back to view it, if you want.  It does help to build the logical argument, but it's painful to watch.  The "humor" widely misses the mark, which is bad for a video about the logical construction of good comedy.

That last item is probably the most insightful of the bunch, but it requires a longer time investment to learn the lesson.  I recommend watching it before even starting on the other 3 points.  Knowing its lesson, so much more in conservative performative politics makes sense.

Our 4th estate of journalism is badly failing our country.  It does not point out these 4 lessons.  They are essential, though, to understand what's happening in the USA, with a pattern repeating globally too.

I had my first dream of 2022 last night.  I won't describe it as I usually do.  The only person in it that I recognized is someone I had a crush on and who died over 3.5 decades ago.  I know I'm stressed out at the many continuing and new crises, but my brain is reaching rather far back to find some kind of reassurance.

Instead, do you remember the famous and reassuring song "Let It Go" from Frozen?  One of the songwriters tweeted a recognition and encouragement to the young girl singing it to other children in a bomb shelter in Ukraine.  Please give a like to that tweet and the original video source on Twitter.  I suppose everyone needs at least a small measure of empathetic peace these days.

Meanwhile, today marks the first day of me burning up lots of accumulated vacation days.  I'm not working for the rest of this month.  I suppose I need to get my house cleared of junk, so it's easier to move soon.  Just in case.  I probably won't do that prep work today though.  I'll probably play some computer games to soothe my own mind, steeling myself for the results of the Minneapolis "2020 Civil Unrest After Action Review" at 1:30pm, then go see what I can do to support the local teachers strike that starts today, besides just signing their petition this morning.

I just don't have any attention/stability to spare for the protests in Florida or the refugees fleeing Texas.  (Remember Texas?)

Good luck, everyone.

The economy isn't just "the invisible hand of the market", where some like to hold their faith. It's the result of many individual choices, yes, but some people and positions make choices with much greater sway than the rest of us.  There's no reason their choices will be good for us peons.

Example 1: You've heard about the global supply chain problem, with material stuck in shipping channels worldwide.  Did you know that President Biden initiated a fine in November of US$100/day/container stuck in waiting?  Lo and behold, the delays started clearing up (free archive). It's almost like somebody enjoyed profiting from scarcities that they implemented. Prices aren't going back down, though, so I guess big business got what they wanted. I'd much rather my government prosecuted crimes, but at least temporarily applicable fines are a tiny improvement to our plutocratic government.

Example 2:  A US Federal Reserve Bank is now providing nutrition advice.  Yes, you read that right.  As commenters to that tweet agree, we're just a step away from plutocrats telling the masses to eat bugs from their back yard because it's a free form of protein.  As Edward Snowden commented, it's hard "to imagine a context in which the Federal Reserve talking about calories is not inherently alarming".  They know people everywhere are struggling.

Example 3:  People self-medicate when they are stressed.  We don't know how high the numbers are, but we do know that an astonishing 100,000 Americans died during the last year due to drug overdoses: "The financial, social, mental health, housing, and other difficulties of the covid-19 pandemic are widely blamed for much of the increase."

Example 4: I've mentioned several times over the years that infrastructure cannibalization precedes collapse.  It happens because individuals find greater worth in raw resources than in the final products and services of the functioning system.  That's how badly the system serves them.  I first noticed it with copper cannibalization.  These days it's catalytic converter thefts, with Minnesota thefts more numerous than the rest of the USA combined.  There's also ransomware directed at hospitals, governments, and industries.  Scalpers are still hoarding video cards. A new thing, though, is people stealing GPS equipment from farms.  The march of infrastructure cannibalization continues.  I figure the last phase of this trend will be frequent kidnappings for ransom.  You'll know we're finally at the last straw when that happens in the USA.

Given how long I've noticed these trends, I really can't explain why the USA economic and political system is still standing.  By my reckoning, we're long past due for a collapse of the whole thing.

Tonight's emergency broadcast chimed on my phone. Lockdown begins at 10pm.  Justifiably outraged civilians continued protesting yesterday, despite the previous lockdown.  Our government cannot think of any better response than more of the same authoritarianism that got us to this point.


Entirely predictable response, of course.  When you don't live in a democracy but do live in an oligarchy, then the way that you achieve policy change is to influence government through business leaders (who value their property). Conservatives, especially after the Citizens United ruling, already celebrate this truth. Liberals are finally beginning to understand it too.

Maybe we can collectively ponder this thought?


I wonder what that famous Boston Tea Party was all about?  I'm pretty sure that somebody destroyed something of capitalist value in a symbolic way.  Or something.

Last night, I drank whiskey, turned off the computer, and watched tv... because all I've got left is anger at continued inaction and status quo.  I'm not even going to lecture anyone about playing nice out there, like I usually do.  I'm tired of repeating the same points endlessly while the corpses continue to pile up.  I'm taking another night off.

The FBI says that the boogaloo boys are coming to Minnesota next week.  The building where I work is nowhere near the state capitol, but it is near the Hennepin County building where many Minneapolis protests (including the Occupy camp long ago) are staged.  As one of the "essential employees" in our building, I've been told to stay at home next week.  An abundance of caution seems reasonable these days.

Three of that group are charged with violence at the George Floyd rally here in Minneapolis last year.  Unlike the ridiculous claims of "antifa" acting in D.C. last week, we definitely had right-wing idiots derailing legitimate protests here.

These domestic terrorists imagine themselves as heroes, fighting for only themselves.  The only thing I think of whenever I hear their name, though, is a bizarre children's show from the 1970s called The Bugaloos and their nemesis named Benita Bizarre (pictured at right).

That show had a ridiculously hippie-happy introduction theme song with characters named I.Q., Harmony, Courage, and Joy.

I'm happy to remember them (like somebody else does, judging by that upload date) whenever I hear the name of those terrible boogaloo boys.

Remember that charming old slogan, "Your Vote Counts"? Ah, those were the halcyon days before we knew how easily corruption could ruin our political systems.

I'm breaking my silence to write this blog post announcing that I actually voted today.  Yay?  The state website said that my mail-in ballot was mailed Friday from 1.5 weeks ago, but it didn't arrive until Monday of this week. I filled it out last night, then today I drove to the nearby post office to drop it in the mailbox. So, technically, I have voted already in the 2020 election. Whether it counts or not, though, is anybody's guess.

I noticed a 10-day mail delay.  Another primary source noted an 18-day delay in mail service.  Luckily, postal employees are doing their part to actively resist the effort to ruin this election, so... hopefully my vote will count?

Which brings us here.  I have already voted, yet this Republican government:

• has impugned the trustworthiness of this election methodology,
• is quickly (and hypocritically) working to pack the Supreme Court which could be called upon to decide the next U.S. President,
• is trying to purge vast numbers of voters from active rolls (and not just Wisconsin) even at this late date, and
• seems ready to support whatever awful thing the President might do on election day.

We're not on the verge.  We were on the verge 10 years ago when I slept outdoors in downtown Minneapolis while protesting at #OccupyMN.  Now, we're already there.


Ugh.  Back to my hidey hole.  Good luck out there.

I think that the USA is nearly done.


In order to use up all of the tomatoes that I got from the volunteer gig on Thursday, I decided to make salsa. I went to my (newly reopened!) Cub Foods grocery store to get the missing ingredients. Across the street from Cub is where they've had massive distribution of food and supplies in recent weeks, pictured here as I left the grocery store on Friday.  Even with this crowd, though, it's not as bad as the stories from New York.

I've heard that black unemployment in my Jordan neighborhood of north Minneapolis approaches 50% this summer. I can't find any sources for this rumor, although it's easy to find that black unemployment throughout Minnesota is 2.5X the white rate. Daily life is bad everywhere, though.


In other local news, the shooters are getting more accurate in my neighborhood. Last night, there was a quadruple shooting about 3 blocks from my house. Normally, it's just bullets flying everywhere, but nobody gets hit, therefore the violence never reaches the local news. Now, though, they managed to hit 4 different people at one incident. I'm certain that it really doesn't help when police carry rifles while riding through Minneapolis on the back of a truck. I'm pretty sure that practice doesn't make anyone feel better except white racists.

I see that conservatives are touting how average income is rising under Trump, even during the covid economic meltdown. It's funny how the average improves when you dump the low-wage jobs, isn't it? Brilliant. Just lovely.

And COVID-19 continues. You can compare countries that together match the USA for population, and their infection rate is minuscule compared to ours.

And it's an election year, and not a single word from Republicans or Democrats gives me any hope at all. The voting logistics are so bad that the National Basketball Association announced plans to help by turning their arenas into polling sites. Seriously. Basketball players have to save the election for us, because our elected officials are bent on either destroying government or sitting idly while it happens.

Republicans keep claiming that Democrats have moved "too far left". As if! The Democrats just removed their previous ban on fossil fuel subsidies from their platform, because like Republicans they couldn't risk upsetting their corporate donors. The Democratic platform of 1960 is so far left that today's DNC looks like the center-right platform that progressives like me keep complaining about!  Democrats are as bad as Republicans now at rejecting the peaceniks.

Too far left?!?!


I've nearly reached the point where we can just let it all burn down. If getting some attention for the bottom quartile of society can happen only when the top 3/4 are dragged down too, then maybe it's about time. Do it now, before someone brings out the real guillotines instead of the fake artistic ones.

There's still time to talk our way through these troubles, but it requires facing some unpleasant truths.  I'm ready.

Remember back before the multiple ongoing and escalating crises when I would post about science stuff?  Like plants communicating with each other, new and greener battery technology, a proposal for a crewed interstellar spacecraft, and even a whole new continental rift opening before our very eyes.  Fun times.  I miss those days.

Meanwhile, I stopped shaving altogether that first week I had to work from home.  I won't shave until I've received a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2.  My beard is growing in nicely now, and it's almost entirely white.  That, plus the extra weight, and now I'm starting to get a serious "santa vibe" from my image.  I mentioned it during a Teams videochat with my coworkers on Monday, and we all got a good laugh.  Someone took a screenshot and sent it to me to use as a new profile photo.  So I am.  I'm even thinking of finding some rose-tinted glasses and maybe a rainbow colored rasta hat, and just go full-blown hippie santa until this is all over with.

So, I'll leave you with today's theme song from Bob Dylan.



Stay safe out there.