Sakura and Kaede's dad, free migration advocate, Free Software, humanitarian, mapper, sci-fi/computer nerd, musician, citizen of Earth. He/him
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"UBI is great but unrealistic, and unions can make things better now!" Well, yeah. For workers. In wealthy countries. At the expense of the environment. It's like Gavin Newsom. Better than Trump; if you don't mind throwing homeless and trans people under the bus, no need to set your sights higher.
"Universal Basic Income? Why should I pay for someone who isn't working to have a decent life?" 1) Do you hear yourself? 2) Our civilization has occupied the entire planet and left people no choice but to participate. IMO that creates an obligation to provide a basic dignified living to everyone.
Rather than unions, let's advocate for every single human on the planet—worker, union member, or not—to have a Universal Basic Income (UBI) or better yet, a Universal Dignified Income (not just enough to survive, but to have a chance to enjoy a decent life)!
More fundamentally, unions play into what @juliusgoat.bsky.social brilliantly identified as "the vicious lie that life must be earned, and and work is how we must earn it" (a world-changing insight IMO). We can do better as humans than to value, protect, and dignify people only if they work.
Why don't unions help people who aren't workers get better lives, healthcare, etc? Because (surprise!) their mandate is to help their members, not anyone else! It's actually advantageous to a union if non-members don't have healthcare and members do, so most don't advocate for universal healthcare.
Why don't unions protect the environment? Because their mandate is to help members earn more money, not to protect the planet. They advocate for workers to get a better share of corporate profits (good) bit they also advocate for lax environmental regulations so that there are profits to share in!
Why don't unions reduce global inequality? Because their mandate is to protect and help their members, not all of humanity. They usually oppose immigration, which can reduce the bargaining power of their members. Unions often support tariffs and other nationalist trade barriers for the same reason.
Happy Labor Day. Friends and allies, unions are not the solution. Unions reduce inequality inside a country, curb corporate abuses, and protect workers. All good things. However, unions don't reduce global inequality, protect the environment, or help citizens who are not workers. We need UBI. 🧵
If you're 60, 69.1% of all job growth since your birth occurred under Democratic administrations. If you're 45, that number is 74.7%. If you're under 28, the number is 100%. Happy Labor Day.
Cory Doctorow: "I am a Jew who has always believed in Palestinian solidarity... The conflation of opposition to Israel’s system of apartheid with opposition to Jews is a cheap trick... there is a vast, longstanding political opposition to Israeli occupation, settlements, and military policing."
I would sincerely appreciate it if justice-minded readers of SFF would reskeet the below post, I am sincerely trying to fill out this list and right now I have two (2) men on it which, you know, statistically, would track! but I’d be very happy to be wrong about men being terrible, this one time
Peter Watts has commented that Israel is committing a genocide. He might not rise all that much above the level of "quietly reposts a headline" on Gaza but the few comments I've seen from him about it have been unequivocally pro-Palestinian.
I’m working on a fairly quick and dirty list of pro-Palestine speculative fiction authors and so far everyone I can think of or find is female or gender nonconforming. which is great! but uhhhh where are the men
"Asked a German woman why Germany produced so many legendary physicists / mathematicians and her response was basically "'have you considered educating people who aren't rich 😭'" Ken Klippenstein
As a friend recently put it: the venn diagram of people who assured us the gun violence was worth it because we need the guns to protect ourselves against a tyrannical federal government and the people cheering on Trump as he deploys the military to take over American cities is a circle
Here I'm eliding the obvious difference that the US is a hyperpower so US tech companies can say "I don't care about your laws" to weaker countries and expect to get away with it. But it's still gonna be difficult for Mississippi to enforce its laws in, say, Kazakhstan.
I'm pretty sure that many US-based services don't abide by the laws by which Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, and Myanmar seek to regulate them, yet practically speaking they do serve residents of those countries, and I don't see how that's particularly likely to end very, very badly for them.
I hope people read these stories and are encouraged to take their own action: wagingnonviolence.org/2025/08/la-u...
"There is no conservative think tank... proposing to end wildfires by dumping water into the ground 200 miles away. They result from the nation’s 47th president believing something comically incorrect and clinging to it in the face of all evidence to the contrary.” www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
I'm talking about the people—Florida state officials—destroying the rainbows. I consider that those officials are expressing support for and approval of the mass murder of LGBTQ+ people. As you say, the people coloring in the rainbows are representing and supporting the victims.
Yes
Republicanism is arresting wildfire fighters mid-fire fighting because your racism is the most important thing.
Lack of access to lightweight explosives seems to be THE barrier to drone terrorism outside of active war zones. ipso facto, if you’re worried about drone terrorism, you should be channeling as many resources as possible into *explosives control*.
“Trump & MAGA must be removed. Freedom does not come with a perfect rainbow. 🌈” Counterpoint: yes the fuck it does. No one’s free until we’re ALL free.
"Landlords provide housing in much the same way that concert ticket scalpers provide musical entertainment." - Cory Doctorow (paraphrased, can't find the exact quote)
Newsom *smiles* on camera as he personally oversees attacks on unhoused people. Agree to vote for that "lesser of two evils" and we turn our back on the most vulnerable. Lesser evil is still evil. Enough. Insist upon good, and throw no one under the bus. When evil triumphs, we resist it together.
Nope.
Liberals getting excited about Gavin Newsome feels like a person who keeps settling for shitty boyfriends. Like girl, you can do better for yourself - stop thinking you can’t do better. There is a guy out there for you. Look, your bestie New York City found a great guy and she’s had so many bad exs.
An all-timer of the genre where I wonder how not one person involved with arresting these firefighters, at any level of leadership or not, didn't stop and just ask "wait this one's probably not a great idea, right?" [🎁]
Jones: I want to bring theology into this because you have all these people that want to give thoughts and prayers. But I was a minister, and that is a form of theological malpractice—when you pray for something you have the power to change.
"When white people said racial reconciliation, they meant friendship. When Black people said racial reconciliation, we meant justice." Jemar Tisby
From another perspective, they're memorializing the mass shooting, in support of the the shooter rather than his victims
This is an OK piece on how drones could potentially be used for terrorism in the U.S….but the example case cited here, in which Neo-Nazi Skyler Philippi plotted to blow up an energy facility with a drone in 2024, has been, IMO, overblown as an example of a drone terrorism near-miss:
I'd trade the last Star Wars trilogy as well for this sequel
Carrying a little noisemaker and some sparklers around on my adventures this weekend so I'm not caught unprepared.
Goodness, if the President has a serious health problem I certainly hope he follows the expert medical advice of his Secretary of Health and Human Services
"Incidence of stroke has gone up since so many people started getting the Covid vaccine. The vaccine must cause strokes!" Also: "Incidence of drowning has gone up since so many people started putting on life jackets. Life jackets must cause drowning, not the boat hitting an iceberg and sinking!"
I hope we'll see such orders signed by every official with the power to sign them. This isn't radical or even liberal; it's 101, it's like saying the king can't house his soldiers in people's homes.
Peppers ruin a stirfry. In this essay, I will
the reason I know “fiscal conservatism” isn’t real is that most fiscal conservatives, when you explain this to them, are willing to pay extra just so people who don’t “deserve” a benefit don’t get it
Just outlaw guns in blue states that aren't owned by well regulated, government recognized militias. SCOTUS is illegitimate, who cares what they say about it.
TIRED: California governor shitposting on the Internet while sending out 'crime suppression' teams to some *very specific* communities. WIRED: Illinois governor telling incipient fascists, "You come for my people, you come through me." calmatters.org/politics/202...
Tom Clancy's Lorax
FUCK YEAH SCIENCE arstechnica.com/science/2025...
restaurants are a scam. most restaurants secretly have a kitchen in the back that you’re not allowed to see where they prepare all the food
Not getting my hopes up, but it would be nice if someone on the other side of the rekindled American Civil War actually started fighting back
I hope one thing leftists all take away from Mamdani’s campaign though is that it doesn’t matter how chill and wholesome you are, the dinguses are going to smear and trash you in increasingly unhinged ways anyway, so you might as well shoot for the moon and campaign on what makes your heart sing
I’m the furthest thing from a Trump fan. But
Seeing people in the US of States glazing Newsom's dank memes and being all "Gavin slayyyy" is giving Starmer Fever 2024 and, American pals, it's equally embarrassing to witness.
WSJ on Trump using the state to pursue vendettas: "We said this was one of the risks of a second Trump term, and it’s turning out to be worse than we imagined." WSJ not mentioning: "then again, we really like tax cuts, which is why we helped Trump win a second term." www.wsj.com/opinion/john...
I mean, we knew that, but it's still interesting to hear him say it out loud
My kids are in the back seat discussing the differences between a hijab, a flu jab, and a blowjob. I'm not sure what this says about my parenting.
The Raksura books are super fun! Radically alien fantasy species as main characters, and humans depicted as weird, somewhat dangerous and untrustworthy creatures the Raksura sometimes interact with. Great snarky dialogue and a marvellously written unreliable POV for the central character.
Dem leaders *could* have spent the past half decade going in front of cameras saying "trans rights are human rights, disabled people are worth keeping alive, genocide is a crime," etc. Even without a majority. No magic wand needed, just a camera. They didn't. They did the opposite.
The thing about the Cracker Barrel uproar is that it’s a perfect illustration of how these people are in charge of everything, they’re running the entire country and diminishing Dem power at every turn and they are STILL UNHAPPY. Their entire brand is “angry and oppressed” and it always will be.
Black people told y’all that race was the foundation of all of this bullshit. And as usual we were dismissed, condescended to, and told we were wrong. And yet this administration keeps showing us what time it is. Just an observation.
Seems like a problem that most every smart liberal and left wing writer, researcher, analyst, and NGO worker I know is unemployed, grossly underpaid, or in a super unstable job, while a bunch of 20 year old Nazis with the talent and expertise of ass hair are getting paid $300K to post on Twitter.
I kinda don't like sharing this, but it's necessary, because people are still saying things like, "If they go after visas? Tourist visas and student visas and work visas? Then they will destroy the US economy! They don't know that! Mistake!" Dear reader, they do know that. Their plan requires it.
social media has a lot of downsides, but every day I am thankful that I - a random guy who likes Discworld and has politics brainworms - get to use it to talk to so many brilliant people who are smarter than I am it's just neat
And Toby Keith. While watching all of the stuff Kevin Sorbo has acted in since 2015 or so
They love trying it with slavery. You turn your back even for a second and they’re like “black people loved being bought and sold.”
My contention about a hot civil war is that we have been living in one for decades at this point, I would say since 1982, but very slow moving. What do you think all those mass shootings are actually about? Look who is mostly perpetuating them (white males) and what they target (public institutions)
The small boat crisis could be fixed by providing these people with a legal way to enter. Perhaps on, idk, a big boat?
Next USA civil war milestones: Arrest of major opposition officials (governor, congressperson) by regime militia (technically it's already happened but they let them go). Assassination of same by regime militia (as opposed to the stochastic assassination as we saw in Minnesota).
I've spent a lot of time doing humanitarian aid work in countries in various stages of civil war, as well as pre and post. My perception is that the USA is now well into the opening stage of a civil war. It's not yet shooting "hot" war, but it will be soon enough if my experience is any guide.
Very bad sign when masked, unidentified agents of the security state are not just grabbing people off the street but openly identifying with the regime's politics
I’m gonna say armed troops from red states descending on a blue city is just a few inches — or maybe one exchange of gunfire — short of a civil war’s opening stages.
I hate so much that the Dem strategy of "track center right, get more racist, throw marginalized people under the bus, better isn't possible stop asking for things, give us money and expect nothing" has failed for 11 years straight and people STILL act like it's a common sense slam dunk
America is no longer descending into fascism. We are seconds away from impact Military occupation has come to DC. If and when military occupation comes to where you are, there are things that you can do. This article outlines some of them
Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on the standard computer keyboard, I thought I would sail about a little and see the rest of the punctuation available to express my thoughts.
Gavin Newsom and Buttigege both seemingly want to be the American Keir Starmer, and Americans sympathetic to that pitch should glance over at how things are going across the pond
Trump: welcome to America Putin: i consider this Russia Trump: whatever, can I get a picture? Putin: da Trump: such a big fan Putin: ok Trump: let's make a big beautiful ukraine summit deal Putin: no Trump: fine but will you sign the picture Putin: da Trump: I won in 2020 right Putin: *sighs* sure
Speak softly, and carry a footlong.
Great week for people who are like once I saw a black person, therefore it’s time for martial law
If you live in/represent a Blue State, want to gerrymander the FUCK out of your state, support and are willing to fight for a national anti-gerrymandering law you are principled, consistent and doing exactly the right thing.
This is rather well done
I already wear capybara-themed clothing by preference (selfie for proof) and your painting was an obviously necessary addition to my wardrobe
Correction, ordered two t-shirts
Oh fuck yeah ordering that right now if it ships to Canada in my size
Or even—hear me out—just be a nice place for some of us to chat and not necessarily have to grow at all! If people want to join the conversation, cool. If not, also cool.
Fox News hosts are furious that Big Balls and Holly got beat up and people just filmed it instead of intervening. “Who stands there and watches as someone gets attacked?” These same people are perfectly fine with ICE kidnappings.
You're a bigger person than I am
Washington Post: “Is fascism bad? The answer may surprise you” Teen Vogue: “Here are three fun tips you can use this summer to disable an armored personnel carrier”
Hi, I’m a Democratic centrist consultant and if you give me $10 million I will inform you that extremely popular people don’t win elections, what do you need is Amy Kobraclub holding an AR15 and stabbing a homeless trans teen high school swimmer. Running mate Rick Santorum for the swing vote.
“I gleefully helped murder millions of people by destroying USAID and am working to immiserate and impoverish millions of Americans, I simply can’t believe someone might want to kick my ass for that”
I’ve been saying from the start that these little DOGE demons didn’t appear to be factoring in “you will have to walk around in public and no one is paying for your private security” to their evil schemes being ostentatiously and outrageously evil has consequences for one’s public life
As end-of-empire scenarios go it is so much more dignified to get your capital city sacked by the Visigoths than to have a bunch of illiterate rich people in their 70s doing it through a series of incomprehensible tantrums because their brains were defeated by their phones.
this may literally be the one subject on the planet on which everyone is aligned in this way I’m not sure you could get these poll numbers with “the sky is blue” or “two plus two equals four”
the point gets made over and over, but there's an extremely obvious reason the rich complain but don't leave: it doesn't matter how much money you have, you cannot buy Living In New York City in Florida or Texas you can stack a mansion on top of another mansion, but it'll never be the same
caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/08/03/w...
- "It was cold in January!" - Winter is a phenomenon known to science - "We can adapt!" - ok so why aren't you? - "Solutions are expensive!" - drought/flood/heat/sea level rise: not free - "Climate models are imperfect" - yes that's why they're called "models" (still better than making stuff up)
Claim: "Water vapor is a greenhouse gas!" Reality: Yes, and there's more of it in a warmer atmosphere -"CO2 is plant food!" -pretty hard to eat when you're on fire -"Climate has changed before!" -We know, we told you that -"Scientists don't know everything!" - doesn't mean we know *nothing*
Holy shit, they did it. They wrote the headline.
Hey Jake Tapper -- you seeing this?
If the security guard realizes that I'm shoplifting bulk packages of paper towels, I can be outta there before they can stop me. Clean, dry countertops here we come!
The police insist they need astronomical sums of money and complete immunity from any harm they cause in order to be ready to protect us and then half the time they just decide they’d prefer not to?
Most of the internet used to be like this. This is actually the default, it took companies enclosing the internet and adding weird, soul-killing incentives to make people behave the way they do now. In a way, there is truly nothing special about Wikipedia except that it survived longer.
Huh. Well, that may be the longest run of opinions I either agree with or don't have a position on, without a single disagree, that I've ever come across. Actually, scrap the "may be," that's an "is."
Worked out great for Neville Chamberlain iirc 😂