“Iran has accelerated its production of near weapons-grade uranium as tensions between Tehran and Washington rise after the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, a report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog seen by The Associated Press on Wednesday showed. The report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said that as of Feb. 8, Iran has 274.8 kilograms (605.8 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%. That’s an increase of 92.5 kilograms (203.9 pounds) since the IAEA’s last report in November. That material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. … Iran’s accelerated production of near weapons-grade uranium puts more pressure on Trump as he’s repeatedly said he’s open to negotiations with the Islamic Republic while also increasingly targeting Iran’s oil sales with sanctions as part of his reimposed ‘maximum pressure’ policy.” (02/26/25)
“For most of us, the image of the first American Thanksgiving is an oddly vivid one: Pilgrims in their Puritanical garb sitting down to a massive feast with their Native American allies. Recently, historians have relished pointing out the severe inaccuracies and contradictions of this common picture …. Yet our idyllic imaginings are more revealing than they are often given credit for. If nothing else, they help to capture the image Puritan settlers had of themselves — a peaceful people journeying to a new world to establish a selfless, god-loving community. At the heart of this vision lay a conception of human liberty as a communal project that disentangles us from our selfish impulses. Our modern age of social media vanity projects and mass reactionary movements could learn a lot from the Puritans’ vision — and from why it ultimately failed.” (02/26/25)
“Taiwan dispatched its army, navy and air force to the sea off its south coast after the Chinese military launched ‘live-fire’ exercises, Taipei’s defence ministry has said. China deployed 32 aircraft around Taiwan as part of a joint combat drill and announced ‘live-fire’ exercises in an area about 40 nautical miles (NM) off the island, the ministry said in a statement. Taiwan’s military responded by sending sea, air and land forces to ‘monitor, alert and respond appropriately.’ … The Chinese Communist Party has never ruled democratic Taiwan, but Beijing has threatened to use force to bring the island under its control.” (02/26/25)
“Recent events in New York City have brought into sharp focus a dangerous misconception in modern democracy: the idea of the irreplaceable leader. No doubt this is behind Trump’s ‘personalization of power’ and also behind the fact that we have a Congressional gerontocracy that clings to office like ancient monarchs, convinced their decades-long reign is somehow essential to democracy itself. While the ethical sense that each of us is singular and irreplaceable is correct, the moment we extend this sentiment to political office, we corrupt the very foundations of democratic governance.” (02/26/25)
“How to Get Eggs for Free!!!” [editor’s note: Spoiler alert … the suggestion is to raise chickens. I’ve raised chickens. Cheaper than buying eggs, but not “free” – TLK] (02/26/5)
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Kevin Carson
“From an anarchist perspective, the idea of using the state bureaucracy to transfer tax revenue to people in the form of a Basic Income sounds eyebrow-raising. As an adherent of Chris Sciabarra’s idea of dialectical libertarianism — the idea that policies should be evaluated in terms of their functionality within larger systems — I think a good case can be made that Basic Income is actually, in functional terms, a net decrease in substantive statism. And that’s even more true of less ambitious proposals like replacing the welfare bureaucracy with a negative income tax. Let’s consider the nature of the current system within which a UBI or negative income tax would be introduced.” (02/26/25)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Former Secret Service agent Clint Hill recently passed away. He was the Secret Service agent who jumped on the back of the JFK limousine after Kennedy had been shot in Dallas in November 1963. He pushed Kennedy’s wife Jacqueline, who had crawled out on the back of the limo, into the back seat. As the limo then proceeded to Parkland Hospital, Hill covered JFK’s body with his own body in an attempt to protect him from any more shots. In the process, Hill was in a position to view the back of the president’s head all the way to Parkland. Why is that significant? Although he apparently didn’t realize it for the rest of his life, Hill unwittingly helped to establish that the assassination of President Kennedy was a regime-change operation …” (02/26/25)
“As President Donald Trump embarks on his promised campaign of ‘retribution’ against his political enemies, there’s little reason to hope that the leadership of the Justice Department will curb his worst impulses — just consider the specious dismissal of the case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. But those willing to do the president’s bidding might have forgotten one important protection built into the justice system: Lawyers are governed by ethical rules regulated by state bar associations and state courts. And those authorities can and do discipline — and even disbar — lawyers who order, assist or engage in unlawful conduct.” (02/26/25)
