Blogaround

Links not related to the antichrist:

1. We Need to Remember Problems We Solved (May 14, via) "The pesticide DDT caused birds that eat fish that eat bugs to have thin eggshells, and the birds’ nests failed. It took a lot of science and journalism and public outrage, but we banned DDT and the eagles are back."

2. Famine imminent in Gaza if Israel doesn’t lift blockade, hunger monitor warns (May 12, via) "'Families in Gaza are starving while the food they need is sitting at the border,' said Cindy McCain, executive director of the WFP."

3. Quigley's Village Preview - Cooperation Yeah this is the song "Build It" from a Christian children's video series I used to watch 30-some years ago and it's very catchy, I like it.

4. Help spread the word about We Hunted the Mammoth! (May 12) The blog "We Hunted the Mammoth" took a break for a few months but now it's back to regular posting.

5. ‘We tried to save those kids’: Texas doctor watched children die of measles. Now it’s back in Texas (May 14) About a doctor's experience in the 1960's in Chile, treating kids who had measles- and it was so bad. The good news is, we have a vaccine for measles now. Everyone, vaccinate your kids.

6. Texas Bans Being Different Around Children (May 13) From the Onion (parody news site)

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Links related to the antichrist:

1. Capitol Police arrest 26 as Medicaid activists interrupt committee (May 13) "'I think hopefully everyone understands that these demonstrations, these people feel very strongly because they know they’re losing their health care and the cruelty that comes from the Republican proposal,' Pallone said."

2. Georgetown researcher released from immigration detention on federal judge's order (May 14) "Suri, who was never charged with a crime, was detained at the Texas facility for two months, following his arrest by masked federal agents after he returned to his Virginia home on March 17."

3. RFK Jr. says people shouldn't take his medical advice when asked about vaccines at hearing (May 14) Okay first of all, I agree with all the witty people on the internet who said "wow I agree with RFK Jr on something!"

Second of all, what is the mindset behind "don't take advice from me"? It feels like he's trying to create this atmosphere where everyone can have their own opinion on vaccines and/or whatever kind of pseudo-scientific crap is being promoted, and that's fine, there are no right answers, everyone's opinion is equally valid. Uh, that is very much NOT how reality works. Talking about these real scientific facts with an air of 'well we can't possibly know one way or the other' is really harmful.

4. Trump Asks the Supreme Court for a “Catch Me if You Can” System of Justice (May 16) "'Your argument seems to turn our justice system, in my view at least, into a ‘catch me if you can’ kind of regime from the standpoint of the executive, where everybody has to have a lawyer and file a lawsuit in order for the government to stop violating people’s rights,' Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told Solicitor General John Sauer. 'I don’t understand how that is remotely consistent with the rule of law.'"

So the Supreme Court is hearing arguments about the birthright citizenship executive order. But the weird thing is, they're not talking about birthright citizenship itself- the felon's executive order is so blatantly unconstitutional that no one is even trying to discuss that. Instead, the felon's lawyers are making this about whether courts can issue universal injunctions to block an executive order from being applied nationwide. Their argument is that the courts can't do that- they can only say the executive order doesn't apply to the people who are part of the specific case before the court. 

So their argument is, the president can issue illegal unconstitutional orders that apply to everyone, but courts (except the Supreme Court) can't put a stop to those orders which applies to everyone.

5. Justice for Kseniia Petrova (May 16) "I say “political prisoners” because that is precisely what they’ve now become. Petrova, Abrego García, and others are being held for purely political reasons, by or at the request of the U.S. government. It’s not because they’ve committed any actual crimes or are in any way deserving of the treatment they are receiving. Rather, it’s because the administration wants to telegraph strength and cruelty, just like any other fascist regime."

6. SCOTUS, in a 7-2 vote, blocks AEA removals from northern Texas during litigation (May 17) "'Under these circumstances, notice roughly 24 hours before removal, devoid of information about how to exercise due process rights to contest that removal, surely does not pass muster,' the court stated bluntly." Good news.

7. Turning Qatari 747 into Air Force One could cost $1 billion and take years, experts say (May 14) "The Qatari jumbo jet would have to be effectively dismantled, part by part, to ensure there were no listening devices, spyware or other security vulnerabilities that could allow foreign powers to eavesdrop on the president’s plane." Wow this sounds like a terrible idea.

8. The Video of Rumeysa Ozturk Being Detained by ICE Was Publicized By a Community Defense Network (April 30) "The hotline team dispatched “verifiers” in Somerville — people trained to verify hotline calls and social media rumors of ICE’s presence in a given area — who arrived within five minutes. They met with the caller, who was unsure who had taken Ozturk. The volunteers began knocking on doors and talking to neighbors, trying to find out if anyone might have information on what had happened, and also to calm any panic by giving out information about the hotline. A neighbor turned over the video, reportedly captured by a home security camera, that has now been seen by millions."

Also from Teen Vogue: Know Your Rights: Here's How to Defend Immigrants Against the Most Common ICE Tactics and Unconstitutional Actions (March 6) A video series about knowing your rights, and what to do if ICE agents come to your home.

9. Where's Plumpy'Nut? A lifesaving food for malnourished kids is caught up in U.S. cuts (April 25) I heard about "Plumpy'Nut" years ago- I'm glad to find out it's really effective for treating kids with severe malnutrition. Unfortunately, Elon Musk.