Amazon has deals with 1400 thug departments in the US to facilitate their access to Ring street surveillance cameras.

Amazon does not do face recognition on the video from these cameras, but individuals and thug departments that get copies of the videos could do this using some other system. I think that it should be illegal to install cameras that transmit video over the internet and watch public areas, without a special warrant for a specified place and a specified period of time.

Hugo's Tacos in Los Angeles closed its stores because of repeated harassment by customers who demanded service but refused to wear a mask.

The bully has already trained his supporters to throw off all scruples against lying; they eagerly invent and spread disinformation to attack his enemies.

Following his lead, they have now translated that contempt from the internet to the physical domain. The attitude of mask-rejectors is, "If I cause you to get sick, or even to die, fuck you. If you're not on my side, your life means nothing to me."

Now there has been another plot twist: the bully changed his stance on masks 180 degrees this week.

The governor of Texas, a fervent anti-masker, turned too, making masks mandatory in public places, with two exceptions: religious activities and voting.

That latter exception would be consistent with the theory that Republicans are intentionally spreading coronavirus so that Democrats won't dare vote.

I think that the bully's supporters will be reluctant to change their attitude towards masks 180 degrees overnight. I suspect they will keep on defying the use of masks.

Hong Kong democracy campaigner Nathan Law has left to try to persuade other countries to impose sanctions.

Since China has made that activity a crime, he may never be able to return home.

*Cancellation might feel good, but it's not activism.*

*While denouncing someone can get you high, it ignores human complexity, and is no substitute for the hard work of persuasion.*

*'Greed Is a Danger to Public Health': Progressive Caucus Urges Ban on Big Pharma Coronavirus Price-Gouging.*

If Gilead Sciences' executives are shamelessly greedy, they could drive the price up by reducing production and making rich customers bid for the doses. This would be no less bad than setting a high fixed price.

The effective way to prevent gouging on remdesivir, and make sure it is available when needed, is to allow other companies to compete to produce it. That is what we ought to do.