The Last True Fascist

Source: Unpopular Front
by John Ganz

“I will give my critics this: One blind spot in my writing on American fascism is an excessive focus on the paleoconservatives. On the one hand, it makes a lot of sense to focus on the paleocon faction: they represent a tradition that self-consciously goes back to the Nazi-sympathizing America First movment …. But, on the other hand, as many critics of the fascism discourse on the anti-imperialist left and the ‘isolationist’right have complained, don’t the warmongering neoconservatives deserve that analogy more? After all, these people led America down a path of frenzied militarism and a war based on a lie. Didn’t they lead some of the most severe attacks on civil liberties? Aren’t we taking their rhetoric about ‘democracy’ too much at face value when we leave them out of the conversation about fascism?” (06/05/25)

https://www.unpopularfront.news/p/the-last-true-fascist

Thomas L. Knapp

Yes, You Can Join A Union. No, You Don’t Have To Join A Union.

Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp

“‘Sixteen million workers were represented by unions in 2024,’ Jim Miller writes in the San Diego Union-Tribune. ‘However, there were millions more who would have joined a union but couldn’t.’ … There’s nothing to stop you from joining a union, whether you’re employed in a unionized workplace or not. There’s no law against it, and although some unions have their own exclusionary rules — the American Federation of Teachers (Miller’s organization) only offers ‘associate’ membership for students, workers whose employers don’t contract with AFT, etc. —  if a particular union won’t accept your membership application, chances are good that another (for example, Industrial Workers of the World) will. You’re also never required to join a union. Don’t want to be a union member? Don’t take a job in a union workplace. ‘Problem’ solved.” (06/05/25)

https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/19689

Thomas L. Knapp

AOC Endorses Democratic Socialist for NYC Mayor

Source: Common Dreams

“Progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday threw her weight behind democratic socialist state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani in the final weeks of New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, which will take place on June 24. Mamdani has gained ground in the race with his bold proposals such as taxing the rich to fund free buses, a rent freeze, and city-run grocery stores; his engaging social media presence; and his success at fundraising and mobilizing volunteers. Ocasio-Cortez [D-NY] told The New York Times in an interview that she thought Mamdani was the best choice to unite progressive voters to defeat former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who, she said, ‘belongs to the hedge funds.'” (06/05/25)

https://www.commondreams.org/news/aoc-endorses-zohran-mamdani

Steve Trinward

Researchers uncover possible iPhone spyware campaign inside US

Source: Axios

“Researchers published new findings that they fear could be the first evidence of an active spyware campaign targeting iPhones in the U.S. and the European Union. iPhones tied to people in an EU member state’s government, U.S. political campaign, media organizations and an AI company could have all been targeted as part of this operation, according to the report from mobile research company iVerify. iVerify released a report indicating that the hackers may have targeted six iPhones through the ‘Nickname’ feature in iOS, which sends a notification whenever someone’s iCloud photo or name changes. … Apple has fixed the flaw — which was present in iOS versions through 18.1.1 — but disputes that it was ever used to hack devices.” (06/05/25)

https://www.axios.com/2025/06/05/spyware-iphones-apple-iverify

Thomas L. Knapp

What’s Behind the “Woke Right?”

Source: Law & Liberty
by John G Grove

“[T]here are significant problems with pretending ‘woke right’ is an unambiguous category. There is, however, an interesting angle to the discourse that makes it worth pursuing. When applied to the left, ‘woke’ has always evoked something beyond a set of political preferences, aims, or tactics. At its peak, at least, wokeness seemed to cut to the very being of its adherents. It seemed to define entirely their sense of self and their orientation to the social, ethical, and even spiritual order of the world. Thus, it has often appropriately been seen as having a quasi-religious character. … Is there a similar tendency in pockets of the right? To treat their Cause not just as a worthy endeavor, but as existential? To believe that only in their Cause can they find personal meaning and, indeed, salvation? That was, according to the great political theorist Eric Voegelin, a key quality of modern ideology. ” (06/05/25)

https://lawliberty.org/whats-behind-the-woke-right/

Thomas L. Knapp

SCOTUS backs Catholic Charities in tax exemption case

Source: Washington Post

“The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously sided with a Catholic charity in Wisconsin, saying it should have qualified for a tax exemption in a decision that has implications for other religiously-affiliated nonprofits. The justices reversed a decision from the Wisconsin Supreme Court that denied Catholic Charities the same tax exemption that the Catholic Church receives because the group’s social services programs are ‘primarily charitable and secular’ in nature. … the court’s decision could affect how other states and the federal government consider eligibility for similar tax exemptions for religiously connected organizations, including Catholic-affiliated hospitals that employ hundreds of thousands of health-care workers.” (06/05/25)

https://archive.is/0GRB8

Thomas L. Knapp

The Role of Citizen Journalism and Alternative Media in Legal and Political Equality — A Case from Japan

Source: Isonomia Quarterly
by Jason Morgan & Kenji Yoshida

“Equality before the law and equality of political participation are fundamentals of a free and fair society. Given the power of those in positions of governmental and informational authority, however, these two fundamental equalities are among the most easily abused. The fact is that equality before the law and equal access to political processes, including access to information on which political decisions are made, are not naturally-occurring phenomena. Human beings make decisions in political and informational milieux that affect, for well or for ill, how equal we all are before the law and how equally we may participate in politics. Equality before the law and equality of political participation are fundamental, but they are far from guaranteed. To our minds, the best way to ensure equality before the law and equality of political participation is to place no restrictions on public speech.” (06/05/25)

https://isonomiaquarterly.com/archive/volume-3-issue-2/the-role-of-citizen-journalism-and-alternative-media-in-legal-and-political-equality-a-case-from-japan/

Thomas L. Knapp