Source: Liberal Currents
by Jessica Pishko
“The ‘constitutional sheriffs’ movement relies on the notion that ‘men of action’ can and should determine how the Constitution is interpreted.” (08/10/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/liberty-valance-goes-to-washington/
Source: The Realist Review
by Val Aksilenko
“Artificial intelligence may be among the most valuable gifts the Creator has given humanity. It can help us understand languages, cure diseases, reduce exhausting labor, overcome ignorance, anticipate disasters, restore nature, expose deception, and help hostile peoples understand one another. But perhaps every great gift is also a test. … The peril is not that artificial intelligence will suddenly become malevolent in a human-like sense. The greatest peril is that it will become obedient to human enmity — that we will embed our accumulated fear, hatred, falsehoods, and ambitions within an intelligence that is more powerful and faster than ourselves.” (08/09/26)
https://therealistreview.substack.com/p/the-choice-civilization-or-ai
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (08/10/26)
Source: ABC News
“Timing is everything in comedy and, so it seems, in British politics for a perennial joke candidate who wears a garbage can on his head. Count Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior, has landed in the center of the U.K.’s political universe ahead of a special election Thursday that was derided as a farce long before the ballot was packed with nearly three dozen candidates — many from the silly end of the spectrum. Binface, who has run against prime ministers past and present, was the first to throw his bucket in the ring when Reform UK leader Nigel Farage abruptly quit Parliament and said he would seek reelection to clear his name over financial allegations. … when the major political parties denounced Farage’s move as a political stunt and boycotted the Clacton-on-Sea election in southeastern England, the trash-talking comedian was launched into prime position as default challenger. He has been on a nonstop media blitz since.” (08/10/26)
Source: Free Talk Live
“Feet juice lemonade :: Turd Ferguson calls about nothing worth hearing :: Dave Ridley calls about USexit :: Sarah in NM calls about vitamins but just talks about Texas :: Skeeter calls about secession :: the best, most proper path to freedom :: 2026-08-09 Hosts: Stu, Rich E. Rich, Mark Edge.” (08/09/26)
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“Medical drugs have large fixed costs, the costs of research, development and testing, low marginal cost, the cost of making one more pill. If the company sells the drug at marginal cost everyone to whom it is worth at least the cost of producing the pill gets it but the company never covers the fixed cost; if it keeps doing that it goes out of business. If it sells the drug at a price enough above marginal cost to pay back the initial expenditure many people who value the pill above the cost of producing it do not get it. The solution is price discrimination, selling the drug at a high price to customers who are willing to pay it, at a low price to customers who are not. In practice this usually means selling the drug at a high price in rich countries and a low price in poor countries.” (08/09/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/drugs-for-poor-countries
Source: The Bulwark
by Lauren Egan
“This Tuesday’s gubernatorial primaryt in Wisconsin may seem like the latest chapter of an internecine fight among Democrats over the philosophical direction of the party. And it is that. But there’s much more on the line as well: The fallout from the Wisconsin election could extend nationally, by making it possible for Trump-allied Republicans to screw with the presidential election results in ways they tried, but failed, to do in 2020. On the line is the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s decade-and-a-half-long effort to claw its way back to a unified state government, as well as the opportunity to add more safe Democratic House seats to the next congressional map. Beyond that, however, is another hugely consequential prize: the capacity to ensure that the state’s 2028 presidential election results will be properly certified.” (08/09/26)
Source: SFGate
“Investigators on Monday released the name of the Madison police officer who shot and killed a 38-year-old [b]lack man in July — a shooting that was captured on video and sparked protests that put Wisconsin’s capital city on edge over how authorities treat people of color. Kiel Baitinger-Peterson, a white officer with nearly 11 years’ experience in law enforcement, fired the shots that killed Corey Ruiz on July 22, the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation said in a statement. Baitinger-Peterson was one of four officers who surrounded Ruiz, who was on a bike, in response to calls about someone who was checking out parked cars and an alleged burglary attempt, police said. The shooting sparked days of protests and calls from the [b]lack community for Madison to address racial justice issues. Baitinger-Peterson did not reply to an email seeking comment.” (08/10/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/authorities-id-the-officer-who-fatally-shot-a-22381872.php
Source: Liberal Currents
“The pressure of international competition has driven both mindless militarism and genuine modernization.” (08/09/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/red-in-tooth-and-claw-neon-liberalism-85/
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“They say that the arch of history bends towards progress but as a trans person in the midst of the second decade of the twenty-first century, I find myself torn at the crossroads of an increasingly bewildering age. On the one hand, transgender and gender diverse people in the West have never experienced a greater level of exposure and popular acceptance. On the other hand, these same trans people, my people, have also never faced a greater threat of state sanctioned violence and outright erasure.” (08/09/26)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2026/08/a-transgender-gospel-against-western.html