Left Jabs

Imagine spending your twilight years in prison. No, I'm not talking about Donald Trump. I'm not talking about Rudy Giuliani, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, or any of those other miscreants who can reasonably expect to do time sooner or later, assuming they're not singing. I'm talking, rather, about the sixteen Michigan Republicans who are facing old age and eight felony counts at the same time. In 2020, they were all GOP operatives, all gleeful participants in the "stop the steal" drivel when Trump lost Michigan. But then they took it too far. They met in the basement of the Republican party headquarters in Lansing, and they apparently conspired to present themselves as official electors. Which is quite against the law. At roughly ten years per felony, they might just spend the rest of their lives behind bars. All for Donald Trump. The average age of the Lansing Sixteen is 64. None are under 55, two are over 80. They've all been around the block enoug...

It might not be on your radar this week, but I promise you that by next week, if UPS has not settled with the Teamsters Union, you will soon be hearing about little else. It's shaping up to be the biggest, most consequential face-off between labor and management so far this century, and it comes to a head July 31. If these two whales can't reach a deal on a new contract by that date, the Teamsters have already voted to strike on August 1. If that happens, a lot of shit will hit a lot of fans. Some people won't get the medicine they need to stay alive. Some won't get their abortion pills until it's too late. Some won't get the parts they need to run a business. Most will experience delays in the delivery of online orders, with consequences that will range from trivial to life-threatening. Tempers will fray, customers will scream, suppliers will sue, and money will be lost all around. Few among us will be unaffected. I won't get into what's at issue ...

The Satanic Temple — TST — is a registered religion.  As such, it enjoys all the legal rights and benefits afforded to organized Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and the various sects and sub-sects with whom it shares favored sections of the tax code. As religions go, TST is not theistic. Its members use satanic imagery as a performative tool, from which they've built a distinct brand of theatrical activism — a clever variation on the principles of civil disobedience — that lets them challenge foolish laws in high-profile ways. Their lawyers draw on the same legal theories and precedents typified by SCOTUS in the Hobby Lobby decision — and they sue, under those precedents, for the same treatment under the law as any other religion. TST is particularly adept at exploiting the media, both to highlight their cause of the moment, and to make vividly clear why church and state are meant to be kept separate. In 2015, the Oklahoma state legislature, in its wisdom, voted to put ...

The Prigozhin mutiny happened less than two weeks ago, yet it's already falling through the memory hole of American consciousness. Between Jack Smith's indictments and the SCOTUS coup, there is little oxygen left for other stories, especially those from halfway around the world, especially when they're as opaque as this one. But the incident is hugely significant, even if nobody seems to know why, and it's certainly not over. When it might be over — or what "over" even means — is anyone's guess. If you're confused, don't worry. So is the rest of the world, including the heads of every Western intelligence service. Divining the real story is almost impossible, mostly because everyone involved is a professional liar. They're all masters of subterfuge and disinformation, and they all live in mortal fear of Putin. Many of them know people who've "fallen" from high windows, so they try not to attract attention. Evgeny Prigozhin...