“If the continuing incompetence of Congress over passing a budget and reopening the U.S. government doesn’t show the absurdity of unlimited representative republicanism, what could do so? Whether or not to extend COVID-era special subsidies for medical insurance appears to be the main issue, but other issues are undoubtedly involved. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. That’s politics. The problem is that the government has its hands in everything. That means a constituency exists for each thing the government does.” (10/17/25)
“Americans can buy iPhones straight from Apple and sneakers straight from Nike. In fact, in almost every industry, it’s perfectly normal for consumers to buy products directly from manufacturers’ websites and have them shipped right to their doors. But medicines are different. For decades, patients have been forced to run through a gauntlet of middlemen, each of whom piles on fees, to get the treatments they need. The additional costs imposed by these wholesalers, insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, and pharmacies have turned the simple act of filling a prescription into a monthly financial crisis for too many families. Fortunately, that could soon change. A handful of pharmaceutical companies recently started selling medicines directly to patients, shipping the drugs right to their porch or mailbox, so long as they have a doctor’s prescription.” [editor’s note: Cool. Now just get rid of the prescription requirement – TLK] (10/18/25)
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Hein Htet Kyaw
“The term ‘fascism,’ as George Orwell once cautioned, has often been diluted, losing its precise meaning and becoming a generic slur. This has led to its misapplication, where its core ideology is overlooked in favour of its more superficial traits, such as authoritarianism and militarism. While these are certainly present in fascist regimes, they are not the sole defining characteristics. However, there are political groups that are accurately identified as fascist. The Myanmar military dictatorships, including the current junta, stand as a particularly fitting and accurate example of a fascist regime.” (10/17/25)
“The hyperbole surrounding AGI misrepresents the capabilities of current AI systems and distracts attention from the real threats that these systems are creating.” (10/17/25)
“To understand the idiotic trade war with China launched by Donald Trump in his second administration, study the idiotic trade war with China launched by Donald Trump in his first administration.” (10/17/25)
“As ICE wreaks chaos and violence in neighborhoods across Chicago, teams of rapid responders are protecting residents and challenging Trump’s attempted occupation by fighting fear through solidarity.” (10/16/25)
Source: The American Conservative
by Eldar Mamedov
“The threat of Tomahawks is not primarily a military calculation but a diplomatic cudgel intended to ‘get a deal.’ The back-to-back calls with Zelensky serve as a performance of resolve, a signal to the Kremlin that the administration is serious about altering the conflict’s dynamics. But beneath this surface lies a far more dangerous strategic gambit. The Tomahawk debate is no longer merely about enhancing Ukraine’s strike capability; it has become the central chip in a high-stakes game of coercion between Washington and Moscow, one where the specter of nuclear escalation is being deliberately invoked.” (10/17/25)
“Last year, China bought $12.6 billion of soybeans from the United States, around 25 percent of the country’s total crop. This year, the Chinese have halted these purchases in retaliation for President Trump’s tariffs, opting for South American producers instead. China has not ordered a shipment of American soy since May and, last month, it announced that it would be buying no soybeans from the United States this fall. … The administration could just roll back the tariffs which have exacerbated agriculture’s underlying pressures. Congress could assert its power to tax. Instead, having hobbled the country’s farmers, federal government officials are now scrambling to offer them a Band-Aid.” (10/16/25)
“[E]ven in the middle of a ‘government shutdown,’ the State Department apparently has staff and resources available to: 1. Monitor social media for negative opinions about ONE GUY; 2. Determine whether the people expressing those opinions are abroad or in the US; 3. If the latter, determine whether those people are US citizens/residents or visitors; and 4. If the latter, revoke their visas. I can’t help but think we’ve found a good place for Donald Trump to implement those permanent ‘Reductions In Force’ he recently promised as a ‘shutdown’ measure (unfortunately, a federal court has those layoffs on hold via temporary restraining order).” (10/16/25)
“Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, a status unilaterally imposed by Congress in 1917, so that Puerto Ricans could be drafted during World War I. Yet the angry reactions to Bad Bunny’s halftime show reveal how many Americans still see Puerto Ricans as foreigners. The social-media vitriol — mocking his Spanish lyrics or dismissing Puerto Rican culture as ‘un-American’ — serves as a reminder that U.S. citizenship has never quite changed the perception of Puerto Ricans as foreign. U.S. citizenship cannot erase our Puerto Rican nation’s 500-year-old history, culture, and identity. If Americans cannot accept a globally admired artist singing in Spanish on the country’s most-watched broadcast, how can we expect them to treat Puerto Rico as a future state? Puerto Ricans are not considered Americans — not only by mainland Americans but also by Puerto Ricans themselves.” (10/16/25)
