the L-R spectrum is a dumb way to orient your thinking about contemporary electoral politics. the people for whom it matters are already placed and not persuadable. swing voters swing and vote based on other things. “moderating” in this sense doesn’t broaden the tent. you have to do something else.

whatever.

frog, meet scorpion.

have we learned anything about the people who’ve been killed in the several US military operations against boats alleged to be operated by “narcoterrorists”?

#enshittification

eventually Europe will have the capability to independently deter Russia. before then, and while the US is like 🤷, there is potentially a temporary window of opportunity, from Russia’s perspective. use it or lose it.

0047

“Ut Res Magis Valeat Quam Pereat which translates to ‘it is better for a thing to have effect than to be destroyed’… This principle underscores…that all laws must be interpreted in such a way that the purposes which inspired them are achieved.” papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

if ben quits too they can rebrand as ampersand. &

you’ve got to admit there’s now an almost eerie peace between Azerbaijan and Albania. fantastic work mr. president.

there is no one more pathetic than one’s murderer.

regardless of whether they ultimately kiss up or stand up to Trump, none of the mergers involving these media companies — Disney, Nextar — should be permitted to go through. even if they do the right thing, they shouldn’t be paid off with more consolidation.

i’m sorry, it sucks. but it is their loss much more than yours.

in these times, “the princess and the pea” becomes a dark parable. very sensitive, very powerful people are maybe not what you want.

(thanks!)

so, insensitive speech is intolerable, but it's just fine to tell people you wouldn't care if they died, if the plane they were on just crashed. i think i'm getting the hang of this.

it's true that discretion over the application of antitrust laws gives a corrupt executive tremendous leverage over big firms. it's also true that if antitrust laws were consistently applied to keep industries diverse+competitive, a corrupt executive cld not so easily exercise control over everyone.

look, you want to be originalist, but Charlie Kirk didn't exist in 1787, so some interpretive license is inevitable.

waiting for the supreme court, which has already insisted to us that money is speech, tell us that broadcast licenses are not.

tbf we haven't showered in a while.