The Calamity Juke Box Choice of the Day is Gary B.B. Coleman’s version of “The Sky Is Crying.” Calamity chose this because it is one of the saddest songs she could think of . Why, is Calamity sad? Calamity is broken hearted because half of the U.S. Senate doesn’t believe every American citizen should have easy access to the voting booth. Shame on Mitch McConnell.
Stephen Breyer was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1994. Breyer has been a consistent defender of liberal priorities in cases involving abortion, marriage equality, voting rights, and other issues. There’s growing urgency on the left to see Justice Breyer step down from the court to be replaced by a younger liberal justice. This is only possible while Democrats are the majority party in Washington.
In early April, the progressive group Demand Justice ordered a billboard truck to be driven around the Supreme Court building featuring the words “Breyer, retire.” The message was directed at Breyer, one of three remaining Democratic appointees on a court that has become increasingly dominated by conservative justices in recent years. Much of that anxiety is informed by recent history. Liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg did not retire when Democrats controlled the Senate during the Obama administration. Ruth Bader Ginsburg died from cancer at age 87, shortly before the 2020 presidential race. Republicans moved swiftly to fill her seat with Amy Coney Barrett. This cemented a 6-3 conservative majority on the court that legal experts say may soon undo many rulings that defined Ginsburg’s judicial career.
It was like something from a cold war spy novel. A national government, without a great record on human rights, tricks a commercial airliner from another country into landing there, claiming there was a bomb threat. Absurd as it sounds, this is exactly what happened to Roman Protasevich. Protasevich is a Belarusian journalist and dissident critical of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. The critic was taken, with his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, from a Lithuania bound Ryanair flight on May 23rd. Lukashenko was no doubt angered by the reporting of Nexta a news outlet founded by Protasevich and Stepan Putilo that has focused recent coverage on anti-Lukashenko rallies after the disputed election in 2020.
The hijacking event was met with shock around the world. Many news outlets seemingly uncomprehending that such a thing was even possible. As though dogs had suddenly started reciting Shakespeare in Latin. It seemed like a relic from a different age, as though time runs in a neat line, drawing a straight path from then to now. Letting one take comfort in the idea that the badness has past. The sad truth is, history is more a set of ever repeating cycles, with little indication as to when things might come back around. The mentions of the Cold War and Soviet tactics disturbingly apt.
The ongoing digitization of all aspects of modern life should be concerning. Governments world-wide are facing new challenges to keep both business and government secrets private in an increasingly threatening world of cyber criminals, state sponsored terrorists, and cowboy hackers. With increasing online and data usage, government databases have become primary targets for hackers and other cyber terrorists and criminals. Recent events have shaken the U.S. government and citizen confidence. Hackers can compromise data and as Chris Krebs said recently, ransomware attackers are the greatest threat to our digital world. Krebs served as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the United States Department of Homeland Security from November 2018 to November 2020.
Cyber warfare is defined as actions by a nation-state to penetrate another nation’s computers or networks to cause damage or disruption. It may also include non-state actors, such as terrorist groups, private companies, political or ideological extremist groups, criminal organizations, and activists. Cyber attacks have been a cause of concern for years, as the frequency of data breaches has increased along with their complexity and (economic, military, and political) implications, including elections and military catastrophe an ever growing possibility.
An end of an era is approaching. Numerous factions of Israeli political parties have come to an agreement to oust Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu within the next two weeks. The world is holding its breath. Netanyahu and his hard line anti-Palestinian policies have been the face of Israel for at least the last fifteen years. From handsome war hero, to dynamic politician, to accused criminal Bibi has few supporters left. Netanyahu has been clinging desperately to power to also avoid prosecution for multiple corruption charges. Dave has a rant on this situation, just like most others.
https://www.calamitypolitics.com/2019/03/12/benjamin-netanyahu/
"If puppies and kittens don't make you smile, you might consider therapy." D. S. Mitchell 2015.
Self-isolating has forced us to turn even more to telecommunication and social media.
The Major Cause Of Sex Trafficking Is Poverty
Many great charities, here are a couple that I support: Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund, ACLU, and Planned Parenthood.
