Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“War is the worst thing in the world. Westerners talk about it like it’s a fucking video game, like ‘hurr durr, we just go in there and achieve our objectives and win,’ when really war means shredding human bodies to bits. Children burning to death in front of their parents. People holding their own guts in their hands as their life slowly slips away. People getting trapped under rubble and dying excruciatingly slow deaths of suffocation or dehydration. People picking up pieces of their beloved family members. Westerners are able to hold this compartmentalized video game mentality about war because war isn’t something that happens to us. We’ve never had bombs dropped on our neighborhoods. We’ve never had the experience of seeing a severed hand on the ground after an explosion and trying to figure out who it belonged to.” (03/03/26)
“This first experiment with government-issued bills of credit presents a natural historical test case for Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), particularly its claims about chartalism and the state’s role in originating money. This took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1690. Given that the US is MMT’s favorite example of a ‘monetary sovereign,’ the first issuance of government paper money in the Western world ought to be significant. Given the claims of MMT and the relatively recent, extant history of colonial America, there is surprisingly little MMT writing that addresses the Massachusetts case (though my research was, of course, limited).” (03/03/26)
“On January 18, former CNN anchor Don Lemon joined a group of protesters as they interrupted a church service in Minneapolis, where the pastor is reportedly an ICE official. Lemon and other protesters were charged with conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom. Immediately, pundits and commentators argued that Lemon’s arrest was an attack on the First Amendment and independent journalism. Yet as the Becket Fund’s Eric Rassbach correctly observed, neither protestors nor the media have First Amendment protection where they ‘invade someone else’s private space to report on the news or proclaim their message.'” (03/03/26)
“Iran’s theocratic dictatorship is murderous and illegitimate and should not last for one more second. Donald Trump’s war on Iran’s theocratic dictatorship is murderous and illegitimate and should not last for one more second. A parallel is not moral equivalence, which is why it’s tricky to articulate all the ways Trump’s war is disastrous. That thousands of Iranians have been killed by their government under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s reign means his death is no cause for tears. But because Trump’s stated objectives are cynical and insincere, his war lacks any legal basis, and his expectations are ignorant of everything history teaches about war’s consequences, we should be disturbed by what follows this initial assault and targeted assassination.” (03/03/26)
“Newly-elected Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger is refusing to cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts to detain and deport unlawfully present immigrants, including those with criminal records. Whether or not one agrees with this policy, Governor Spanberger is under no obligation to help the federal government enforce federal law. … While states may not be commandeered by the federal government, states can be required to comply with generally applicable law — that is, laws that regulate state activities that are otherwise subject to federal regulation, such as employment or the operation of certain functions. States also cannot block federal efforts to enforce federal law directly, such as occurred with Operation Metro Surge.” (03/03/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Stephen Weese
“Recently there have been a lot of memes and social media posts going around that claim that AI (because of its cooling requirements) is using up all of our water. Suggesting that, in fact, the crisis is so bad that we will soon be unable to take showers. Since I work in this field, I can tell from the surface that this is likely exaggerated, and I decided to take a deep look at the numbers, new AI cooling technologies, and what is causing the real global water crisis.” (03/03/26)
“This week, French President Emmanuel Macron put his leadership legacy on the line, by explicitly offering to share the country’s nuclear defenses with key European allies. Speaking at the home port of France’s nuclear missile fleet in Brittany on Monday, Mr. Macron declared plans to increase France’s nuclear warhead stockpile (currently about 290) as well as place some of those in partner countries. His offer marks ‘the most important revision to France’s nuclear doctrine in a generation,’ the Financial Times wrote, calling it ‘indispensable for Europe’s defence.’ Since the days of Charles de Gaulle, who doubted the United States’ commitment to defend Europe from a Soviet nuclear attack, France has held to an independent stance on pursuing its own nuclear weapons development. ‘Would you trade New York for Paris?’ General de Gaulle famously demanded of President John F. Kennedy in 1961.” (03/03/26)
“The U.S. Federal Reserve differs from most government agencies in two important ways. First, the Federal Reserve determines its own operating budget and remits any remaining revenue to the U.S. Treasury. Second, the Federal Reserve has some control over its revenue, since it earns income from issuing money and holding interest-bearing assets. Issuing more money than is consistent with price stability can increase this revenue in the short run. Unlike a private firm, however, no individual or group owns the Federal Reserve’s residual income.” (03/03/26)
“Unfortunately, President Trump listened to the neocons and Benjamin Netanyahu instead of his MAGA base and other voices of caution as he launched a surprise attack on Iran over the weekend. For the second time in nine months, the US Administration used negotiations with Iran as a cover to launch a pre-planned attack.” (03/03/26)
