“By the summer of 2000, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević appeared firmly entrenched in power. A decade earlier, he had risen to prominence by harnessing Serbian nationalism as Yugoslavia began to fracture. Over time, he consolidated control over political institutions and much of the media while leading Serbia through wars, sanctions, and NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign. Yet beneath the surface, public frustration was growing. The economy was struggling, unemployment remained high, and many Serbians had grown weary of international isolation and authoritarian rule. When Milošević changed election rules in July 2000 to allow the presidency to be decided by popular vote, he likely expected another victory. Instead, the move created an opportunity for a united opposition.” (06/08/26)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“We make it so hard for ourselves, this human experience. Like it would be hard enough just being born into mortal bodies that have to experience pain and get sick and deteriorate and die. That alone would be more than enough to deal with. Then on top of all that we go and create these psychological ego structures in our heads that make us miserable for a whole bunch of other reasons that aren’t even real.” (06/08/26)
Source: The American Conservative
by Bill Kauffman
“Say the powers-that-be determine to site something truly noxious == a radioactive waste dump, a halfway house for child molesters, a data center — in your neighborhood. (These almost inevitably will be government projects or enabled by corporate welfare and subsidies to developers.) You protest. Instead of meeting your sincere remonstrations with arguments, you will be sneeringly called a NIMBY — a Not in My Backyard obstructionist. This epithet can be disorienting. Not in My Backyard? Well, yeah—not in my backyard. What’s wrong with caring about my backyard?” (06/08/26)
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Omar Shaban Ismail
“By corralling millions of Palestinians into 30% of the former strip, Netanyahu is making life there untenable. For hardliners, this is all part of the plan.” (06/08/26)
“In the years before 1763, the British Empire—although in theory a unified entity—was really a federation. The central government in London controlled foreign affairs and the imperial post office. It also regulated trade with foreign countries and among units of the empire. But otherwise, the 13 future American states were largely self-governing.” (06/07/26)
“You could almost feel sorry for Joe Biden when he crashed his wife Jill’s debut book talk in New York last week. Standing in the shadows at the 92nd Street Y, and with no microphone in sight, the former president looked lost as he rasped at his wife: ‘Who do you love most in the whole world?’ Up on stage, resplendent in a pastel skirt suit in her starring role alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Jill responds, ‘Whoopi,’ laughs and turns on her stiletto heel. Maybe it was a comedy routine the former first couple had practiced, but it fell flat. There wasn’t much laughter from the audience. Who humiliates her 83-year-old husband in public to try to boost lackluster book sales? ‘Dr.’ Jill Biden, that’s who …” (06/07/26)
“The average parent of a young American child is now a Millennial. They remember growing up with technology, with computer class, with laptops in high school. They have cellphones, use the internet, and may even work in tech or communications. They have concerns about technology but are happy to incorporate it into their family life when it makes sense. However, they are often deeply shocked when they find out that their 4 year-old is about to be given a Chromebook or an iPad upon entry to kindergarten. They think: isn’t that a little young? They discover that this is now common practice. According to 2022 data, 73% of K-2 classrooms have a 1-to-1 device policy. They ask: Who made this decision?” (06/07/26)
“The harsh reality is that while Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender are each specific categories of people who are traditionally Queer, ‘LGBT’ itself is more of a brand than an identity. It is a label used to market these sexual and/or gender minorities to straight people for mainstream consumption. Liberals love it because it’s clean and neat and hyper-specific. Everybody gets a letter and every letter fits into a consumer-friendly box.” (06/07/26)
