Monday, November 7, 2022

And another day to be reminded that inflation is temporary but fascism is permanent so vote Blue comes to a close:

“Some of the Germans who voted for the Nazi Party in 1932 no doubt understood that this might be the last meaningful free election for some time, but most did not...No doubt the Russians who voted in 1990 did not think this would be the last free election in their country’s history, which (thus far) it has been. Any election can be the last, or at least the last in the lifetime of the person casting the vote.” -- Timothy Snyder

Deaths

US: 1,098,303

World: 6,606,336

Cases

US: 99,225,596

World: 637,905,575

Homeland Security Admits It Tried to Manufacture Fake Terrorists for Trump. The Department of Homeland Security launched a failed operation that ensnared hundreds, if not thousands, of U.S. protesters in what new documents show was as a sweeping, power-hungry effort before the 2020 election to bolster President Donald Trump’s spurious claims about a “terrorist organization” he accused his Democratic rivals of supporting...The report describes attempts by top officials to link protesters to an imaginary terrorist plot in an apparent effort to boost Trump’s reelection odds, raising concerns now about the ability of a sitting president to co-opt billions of dollars’ worth of domestic intelligence assets for their own political gain. DHS analysts recounted orders to generate evidence of financial ties between protesters in custody; an effort that, had they not failed, would have seemingly served to legitimize President Trump’s false claims about “Antifa,” an “organization” that even his most loyal intelligence officers failed to drum up proof ever existed. -- Vote every single Republican out of office.

Elon Musk Says the Quiet Part Out Loud, Tells His Minions to Vote GOP. IN A TWEET that shocked absolutely no one, Elon Musk instructed his sycophants to vote Republican in the midterm elections. The man who took over a company and immediately fired its board of directors and half its staff argued to his followers that “shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties.” The call to action comes after Musk tweeted in April, around the time he first teased purchasing the platform, that Twitter should remain “politically neutral” in order to earn “public trust.”

Putin-linked businessman admits to US election meddling. Kremlin-connected entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin admitted Monday that he had interfered in U.S. elections and would continue to do so — confirming for the first time the accusations that he has rejected for years.

Twitter suspends users for imitating Elon Musk in early test of his free speech stance. The comedian Kathy Griffin, YouTube personality Ethan Klein and "Mad Men" actor Rich Sommer each say their Twitter accounts were suspended over the weekend after they impersonated Musk, changing their display names and profile photos to match those of the billionaire. The decisions to lock all three out of their Twitter accounts come as Musk, a self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist," draws intense scrutiny for how he handles speech issues on the platform. He has pledged to make the service a destination for accurate information, but has also suggested he may loosen the platform's rules.

Cesspool or civility? Elon Musk’s Twitter at a crossroads. The discourse was never all that civil on Twitter. The loudest voices have often drowned out softer, more nuanced takes. After all, it’s much easier to rage-tweet at a perceived enemy than to seek common ground, whether the argument is about transgender kids or baseball. In the chaos that has enveloped Twitter the platform — and Twitter the company — since Elon Musk took over, it has become clear this isn’t changing anytime soon. In fact, it’s likely to get much worse before it gets better — if it gets better at all.

Andy Taylor, former Duran Duran guitarist, has stage four prostate cancer. The band made the announcement on Saturday as they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

National Park Service urges visitors not to lick toxic psychedelic toads. The Sonoran Desert toad excretes a toxin through its skin that can make humans sick, though some have sought it out for its potential psychedelic effects.

Last total lunar eclipse for three years arrives Tuesday. The total lunar eclipse will be visible throughout North America in the predawn hours — the farther west, the better — and across Asia, Australia and the rest of the Pacific after sunset. As an extra treat, Uranus will be visible just a finger’s width above the moon, resembling a bright star. Totality will last nearly 1 1/2 hours — from 5:16 a.m. to 6:41 a.m. EST — as Earth passes directly between the moon and sun.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.