Politics
Topic archive / 627 posts
Industrial Revolution → colonialism → climate change → unrest → Brexit kottke.org/16/06/the-indu…
“This was a working-class revolt, but it is not a working-class victory.” newstatesman.com/politics/uk/20…
Independence and freedom are not the same thing.
For a crash course on various facets of the gun debate, see @loisbeckett’s five-part Gun Control @guardian series. theguardian.com/us-news/2016/j…
If you’re committed to understanding American gun violence, I recommend following @loisbeckett’s work. Start here. propublica.org/article/how-th…
First two paragraphs: “Philly did a thing that people outside Philly will notice!” Validation issues much? twitter.com/PhillyInquirer…
“We lack the kind of dedicated, organized effort that could translate [support for stricter gun laws] into policy.” slate.com/articles/news_…
A damning collection of dirty dealings within the international industry serving America’s thriving firearms market. motherjones.com/politics/2016/…
Links: May 2016
A Final Visit With Prince: Rolling Stone’s Lost Cover Story
“All of us need to be able to reach out and just fix stuff. There's nothing that's unforgivable.”
The Contributions of Others: A Session with Jeremy Keith
“I’ve found that on the web, it’s best to assume nothing. That might sound like a scary prospect, but it’s actually quite liberating. Giving up on “pixel-perfect” control doesn’t mean giving up on quality. Quite the opposite: it… See more →
Before and after November, let’s step out of our bubbles, examine the Trump phenomenon, and have an honest dialogue with its participants.
“The hammer of criminal justice is the preferred tool of a society that has run out of ideas.” theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
“Soper kept typing, warning that the government had lost ‘common sense.’” washingtonpost.com/sf/national/20…
Should women be able to vote? Should women be able to speak? Should women be able to breathe? Conundrums. twitter.com/TheAtlantic/st…
The onomatopoeia quality of Trump’s airstair.
“In terms of our liberal democracy and constitutional order, Trump is an extinction-level event.”
A must-read.
The most salient point about Sanders’s electability: his vulnerability to attack is still untested. slate.com/articles/news_…
Interesting read on how the design of social media platforms is inadvertently proliferating the lunatic fringe. fastcoexist.com/3059742/social…
Learn about the misinformation hives known as “crisis pregnancy centers” with @FullFrontalSamB and @pattonoswalt. youtu.be/SY0A6gyyQys
“And [Ted Cruz] meant it. He had to. At the Supreme Court, there were real consequences for institutional nihilism.” slate.com/articles/news_…
This isn’t about partisan polarization, but it does seem to reflect our growing tendency toward knee-jerk opinions. twitter.com/FiveThirtyEigh…
Links: April 2016
Police Body Cameras: What Do You See?
“People are expecting more of body cameras than the technology will deliver,” Professor Stoughton said. “They expect it to be a broad solution for the problem of police-community relations, when in fact it’s just a tool, and like any tool, there’s a limited value to what it can do.”
Inside Operation Trump, the Most Unorthodox Campaign in Political History
Politics require some amount of cynicism and hubris. Trump… See more →
Justin Metz and @pablodelcan knocked this illustration out of the park. nyti.ms/1WhRf1N
“Major change is ALWAYS incremental. Unless you want to have a REAL revolution, with shooting and stuff.” johnhodgman.com/post/143058929…
I’m doing lots of reading on Clinton and Sanders today in advance of Tuesday’s NY primary, but I’d probably rather be reading on Trudeau.
Oddly, the NRA ad preceded a NSFW compilation of threatening phone calls a protester received from Trump supporters. youtu.be/-wdFaFfMO8E
The NRA seems to believe guns are people, and Australia’s 1996 National Firearms Agreement was genocide. youtu.be/FMiNHt13WRw
Whenever a gun lover talks about how cars kill more people than guns, I’m like, “Yep, let’s get rid of cars too.”
“If U.S. roads were a war zone, they would be the most dangerous battlefield [our] military has ever encountered.” theatlantic.com/business/archi…
Politics require some amount of cynicism and hubris. Trump has these in spades, yet he’s still called an “outsider.” nymag.com/daily/intellig…
“[A police body camera is] just a tool, and like any tool, there’s a limited value to what it can do.” nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Links: March 2016
Anonymous BrooklynVegan Comments, Rest in Peace
Glad to see BrooklynVegan taking on its cesspool of a comment section. Rolling my eyes at the inevitable naysayers.
Lupita Nyong’o and Trevor Noah, and Their Meaningful Roles
My mom was like: “Jesus didn’t have his dad, either. You have a stepdad.” People always make it seem like there’s one experience that’s the gold standard to aim for. I didn’t grow up that way.
One of the best things… See more →
A detailed entreaty for ending our disastrous war on drugs. harpers.org/archive/2016/0…
No guns allowed at the RNC. I guess evil-doers will be kept at bay by the event’s sheer magnitude of righteousness. change.org/p/quicken-loan…
More food for thought for Democratic primary voters. Are we still licking our wounds from McGovern’s loss in 1972? rollingstone.com/politics/news/…
It turns out that just two charts about red meat preferences can say a lot about America. washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2…
A Marine major accused of sexual misconduct hopes a reporter will clear his name, and it backfires spectacularly. washingtonpost.com/graphics/local…
I guess that’s one interpretation of what happened. twitter.com/MSNBC/status/7…
ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED READING. Understand Obama’s foreign policy and use it as a benchmark in your 2016 deliberations. theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
“Chrome extensions aren’t even preaching to the choir. They’re preaching to the preacher.” wired.com/2016/03/politi…
Google search data suggests that DIY abortion rates are higher in states with more restrictive abortion laws. nytimes.com/2016/03/06/opi…
Just saw a fascinating presentation from @Adrian_Benepe, former NYC Parks Commissioner now leading The Trust for Public Land (@tpl_org).
This billionaire philanthropist bankrolls his patriotic donations partly by perpetuating an egregious tax loophole. propublica.org/article/how-da…
It’s 5:33am and I’m reading Wikipedia’s synopsis of House of Cards’ Season 3 and how does one go about getting a sleeping pill prescription?
Regarding TRAP laws, how is there even debate about the need for legislators to provide evidence for the efficacy of their proposals?
Today’s major abortion case hinges on 1992’s Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Here’s a primer on that. propublica.org/article/the-mo…
Today, SCOTUS hears Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, possibly the most momentous abortion case in a generation. nytimes.com/2016/03/03/us/…
Links: February 2016
The NYPD Is Kicking People Out of Their Homes, Even If They Haven’t Committed a Crime
“It’s an action about a place. It’s not about people,” says the NYPD, as it evicts innocent people from their homes.
The Lives and Lies of a Professional Impostor
“I think he doesn’t know where the lies stop and the truth starts anymore.”
Everyone Hates Martin Shkreli. Everyone Is Missing the Point
Last fall, Derek Lowe, a chemist and… See more →
The most insightful – and dismally entertaining – read on the Trump phenomenon so far. rollingstone.com/politics/news/…
“We have work requirements for some welfare recipients, maybe it’s time to consider work requirements for senators.” nytimes.com/2016/02/25/opi…
Even if you take the data with a grain of salt, pretty much every word of this is fucking terrifying. nytimes.com/2016/02/25/ups…