Readings for April 11, 2023

🚔🖕🏼 Proud Boys leader, D.C. officers text exchanges shown at trial 🔗 - Been on a deep dive watching documentaries on the Troubles in Northern Ireland over the last few months, and seeing things like the apparent close ties between the Proud Boys and police reminds me a lot of the collusion between the police and paramilitary groups there.
🛻🍆 The real reason trucks have taken over U.S. roadways 🔗 - They make some fine points, but until I see data telling me otherwise I’m going to instead suggest the real reason accounting for the rise of the massive truck: the shrinking white penis.

Readings for April 7, 2023

🤬 Tennessee statehouse expels Democrats for ~~gun control protest~~ being black and young and angry 🔗 - WTF am I supposed to think about, do about, the display of blatant racism in the expulsion of the two Tennessean representatives? I’m a 50ish progressively-minded white guy from rural Nebraska, surrounded by those who would be almost certainly in support of this obscenity, who has no real power or influence to speak of. I do believe society is tilting away from this evil in the long run, but what can I do to put my seemingly insignificant thumb on the scales to tilt it faster?

📚🚔 Des Moines schools budget sees large increase for security 🔗 - Wow, way to bury the lede! The public school budget in DSM as a whole gets cut to the tune of $12m, while the ’security’ portion of that budget is increased $13m. IOW, $25m less is spent actually educating kids in Des Moines. But at least the policing industry is thrown (another) bone for some more (likely ineffective) toys so they can continue to ignore the gun issue. 🙄
🚔 FBI detains wrong man in mock raid at Boston hotel 🔗 - “…and at one point was pushed into the shower.” Can’t even behave during a training exercise, can ya’ FBI? 🙄
⛪︎ Baltimore Catholic Church sexual abuse: What’s in the Maryland AG’s report 🔗 - Oh, I’m sorry, that’s not a guy in a dress, that’s a cassock. Carry on then… 🤬

🚔🐷 Salt Lake City officers held man accused of jaywalking at gunpoint before tackling, shocking him, bodycam shows 🔗 - And in case you were wondering, yes, of course he was a Black man. And also, yes, of course, paid administrative leave. 🙄 And also, wtf Salt Lake Tribune, spending multiple paragraphs listing out the victim’s criminal history (which had precisely fuckall to do with the excessive force used by these cops) while also having zero indication of looking into said cops’ history of complaints. 🤷🏽‍♂️
Stellantis CEO says there may not be enough raw materials to electrify globe 🔗 - Well then maybe we shouldn’t be trying to ’replace the existing fleet of fossil fuel-powered vehicles with all-electric vehicles’? Perhaps it’s long past time to look at alternatives to the failing system we have now?