"This is the Voice of Moderation. I wouldn't go so far as to say we've actually SEIZED the radio station . . . "
by liberal japonicus 9-11 happened for us in Japan in the evening and I remember thinking that we depended on things being relatively frictionless: travelling to other countries, trade, almost everything that was not solely local required things to smoothly roll along and because of that, we were screwed because a handful of people could … Read more
by liberal japonicus To return to my 白鲸 (White Whale), I post this interview with Yi-Ling Liu, author of the new book The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet. At the beginning of the interview, Aaron Bastani notes that there is a whole cadre of author/analysts who are have a … Read more
by liberal japonicus From https://abcnews.com/Politics/trumps-image-limited-edition-passports-americas-250th/story?id=132471621 The State Department is releasing a limited-edition U.S. passport to mark America’s 250th anniversary and the document will feature President Donald Trump’s image and signature on the inside cover, a White House official and a source familiar with the move confirmed. The inner page will feature Trump’s portrait over a … Read more
by liberal japonicus Natalie Kitroeff: You’re starting to get into this, but let’s talk about the actual terms of any deal. You said these generals are open to a real give-and-take with the American side. So, what are they willing to offer, and what do they want? Farnaz Fassihi: The most important incentive for Iran, … Read more
by liberal japonicus Some may say it is a false flag, but given that they couldn’t organize a piss up in a brewery, I have my doubts. However, from here: Quite simply, a man who wanted to kill people—many people, maybe me, maybe my colleagues—had checked into the Washington Hilton, just like I had. He … Read more
by liberal japonicus I was listening to this Foreign Policy podcast and I’ve cued it up to the spot, but for those who don’t like to listen, after a long discussion about Iran and the dumpster fire that the whole situation is, the two wonder what will be the future model for Iran and give … Read more
by liberal japonicus In a comment, GftNC posted Luttig’s article about Clarence Thomas’ speech shitting on Jeffersonian ideas and ideals in American history, discussing how this underlines much of the damage that Trump and MAGA are doing to the the country. I’m sure everyone has already read it in the comments, but I pull out … Read more
by liberal japonicus I love having a Sunday listen to the the dulcet tones of Anoosh Chakelian and Will Dunn on the New Statesman podcast, and this week’s was a corker. It’s below the fold, cued up to the story I want to bring your attention to.
by liberal japonicus This NYT article wasn’t behind a paywall and I’ll leave it to all of you to glean whatever kernals of grain and post in the comment. The article had me thinking about the movie The Madness of King George, which is from an Alan Bennett play and tells the story of the … Read more
by liberal japonicus The choices are 1) Thank God! or 2) About fukking time! This is an open thread about the election that we have all been hungry for. (that was my second choice for a title). I highly recommend this Foreign Policy podcast with Adam Tooz, about Hungary. I’ve cued it up to the … Read more