The Question Of Decency

Source: The Weekly Dish
by Andrew Sullivan

“Democracy requires decency because it requires mutual respect: to defend others even as we disagree with them, to accept decisions others have made and elections we have lost, to distinguish between robust rhetoric and dehumanizing cruelty, to accept objective truth when it proves us wrong, to maintain a baseline of civility, to accept that we are all in this together. … This is why I reject the shallow accusation that I have ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome.’ It’s too glib, too dismissive. Yes, some have gone overboard in opposing this president …. But the core impulse to reject Trump outright, to see him as uniquely hideous in American political history — as a national, collective disgrace — remains a vitally important one. Because Donald Trump is the most indecent man, by far, to ever hold the presidency.” (11/21/25)

https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-question-of-decency-bc2

India: Trade unions oppose new labour codes, call for demonstrations

Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]

“Ten large Indian trade unions have condemned the government’s rollout on Friday of new labour codes, the biggest such overhaul in decades, as a ‘deceptive fraud’ against workers. The unions, aligned with parties opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanded in a statement late on Friday that the laws be withdrawn before nationwide protests they plan to hold on Wednesday. … Modi’s government implemented the four labour codes, approved by parliament five years ago, as it seeks to simplify work rules, some dating to British colonial rule, and liberalise conditions for investment. It says the changes improve worker protections. While the new rules offer social security and minimum-wage benefits, they also allow companies to hire and fire workers more easily.” (11/22/25)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/22/indian-trade-unions-oppose-new-labour-codes-call-for-demonstrations

Wag the Dog in Venezuela

Source: CounterPunch
by Mel Gurtov

“Analysis of why countries go to war sometimes argues that leaders are motivated by problems at home. They attack another country to divert attention from an economic crisis, an unlawful act, or — as in the Robert De Niro movie, Wag the Dog — a sex scandal. … as Pres. Trump considers what to do with his Caribbean armada and Venezuela’s ‘narco-terrorist’ leader, Nicolas Maduro, we may be witness to another wag-the-dog event: US military pressure on Venezuela that could lead to a direct attack if Maduro doesn’t step down. The case for Trump to be highly motivated to act out of self-interest is strong.” (11/21/25)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/11/21/wag-the-dog-in-venezuela/

Of Speeches and Statecraft

Source: The Realist Review
by James W Carden

“The speeches of John Fitzgerald Kennedy comprise a core component of the Kennedy lore. His inaugural address, with its demand to ‘ask not,’ is perhaps the best known of any presidential inaugural address—ranking alongside Lincoln’s second and FDR’s first. And while the artistry of Kennedy’s inaugural is not in question, the speech has overshadowed more thoughtful efforts by the 35th President to lay out his vision for a more peaceful world. Only eight months into his presidency, Kennedy showed that he was breaking with the Cold War consensus of the prior 15 years. That autumn, in a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York, Kennedy unveiled his program for a ‘general and complete disarmament.'” (11/22/25)

https://therealistreview.substack.com/p/of-speeches-and-statecraft

FL: Homeowner shoots, kills intruder

Source: WPLG 10 News

“A man was shot and killed Saturday evening after deputies say he and three others tried to force their way into a southwest Miami-Dade home. … A preliminary investigation found that four unidentified individuals arrived at the home and attempted to enter by force. The homeowner, who was inside at the time, fired at the group, striking one of the subjects in the upper body, deputies said. … The remaining three individuals fled the scene in an unknown direction.” (11/22/25)

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2025/11/22/homeowner-shoots-kills-intruder-during-attempted-break-in-in-southwest-miami-dade-deputies-say/

Losing access — and losing hope. Congress must protect non-intoxicating hemp

Source: The Hill
by Nicole Hemmenway

“I am one of the millions of Americans who live with chronic pain — it burns, shoots, and sears through my body every single day. I have spent decades trying nearly every treatment modern medicine offers, but one of the few options that has worked for me — and millions of other Americans — has been hemp products. They are non-intoxicating, rigorously tested, and they enable me to function. They help me walk, sleep, show up for my family and lead an organization. Simply live. But now, because of a secretive, backroom deal, Congress is taking them away for no apparent reason. … The bill to reopen the government caps intoxicating THC content in any hemp product at 0.4 milligrams per container — an arbitrary limit that will most likely end the hemp industry. This provision won’t just eliminate hemp products — it will eliminate hope for millions.” (11/22/25)

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5617536-chronic-pain-hemp-congress/

Lindsey Graham’s Metadata Meltdown

Source: International Guild of Professional Anarchists
by Alexander Snitker

“In the never-ending slapstick of the American empire, few characters commit harder to the bit than Senator Lindsey Graham. For decades, the South Carolina warhawk has sold you the surveillance state like it was freedom’s best friend, a little ‘necessary sacrifice’ so Daddy Government can keep you safe. Now that the same machinery has scraped his phone records, he’s shrieking about tyranny, separation of powers, and Watergate-level scandal, clutching the Constitution like a prop he just found backstage. What changed? Nothing about the system. Only the target.” (11/21/25)

https://alexandersnitker.substack.com/p/lindsey-grahams-metadata-meltdown