# articles

feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#20_February_2022_(Junk_food_ads)
title: Junk food ads
uri: Junk-food-ads
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#20_February_2022_(Junk_food_ads)
content:
 
<p>
  Public transportation in London has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/17/tfl-junk-food-ad-ban-has-helped-londoners-shop-more-healthily-study">banned ads for junk food</a>, and
  it has had a macro effect.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Credit_Suisse)
title: Credit Suisse
uri: 2022-02-22-Credit-Suisse
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Credit_Suisse)
content:
 
<p>
  Joseph Stiglitz: *Credit Suisse has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/21/credit-suisse-secrets-morally-bankrupt-steal-poor-switzerland">allowed the morally bankrupt to
  steal from the poor for too long</a>.*
<p>
  Unlike Stiglitz, I have no sympathy for countries that operate as tax
  havens or provide a service of disguising ill-gotten gains.  No matter
  whether be small, obscure islands such as Nevis or Jersey, or large,
  prominent islands such as Britain or Ireland, or continental countries
  such as the US.  Saying "this is so we don't export addictive drugs"
  is no excuse.

 


title: Bogus Johnson charging for Covid-19 tests
uri: Bogus-Johnson-charging-for-Covid-19-tests
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Bogus_Johnson_charging_for_Covid-19_tests)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Bogus_Johnson_charging_for_Covid-19_tests)

content:
 
<p>
  Bogus Johnson's latest bogus policy is to make it harder for Britons
  who catch Covid-19 to avoid spreading it, by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/boris-johnson-says-free-covid-tests-in-england-will-end-on-1-april">charging them to get tested</a>.
<p>
  He seems to be awfully confident that Covid-19 will continue
  decreasing anyway, but what if that's not so?

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Mountain_Valley_Pipeline)
title: Mountain Valley Pipeline
uri: Mountain-Valley-Pipeline
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Mountain_Valley_Pipeline)
content:
 
<p>
  The Mountain Valley Pipeline never had a valid environmental study,
  and it is too late to make one now since the construction of the pipeline
  has already caused damage to habitats and there is no way to measure
  what they were before.  Thus, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  is obligated to stop construction.
<p>
  But since <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/19/mountain-valley-pipeline-can-never-be-completed-time-everyone-admit-it">it disregarded the law before, can we expect it to obey the
  law now</a>?

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Non-nuclear_deal)
title: Non-nuclear deal
uri: 2022-02-22-Non-nuclear-deal
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Non-nuclear_deal)
content:
 
<p>
  Most of the Republicans in Congress are <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/19/house-gop-opens-new-shameful-chapter-diplomatic-sabotage">trying to sabotage the
  non-nuclear deal with Iran</a>.
  Since convincing Iran not to develop nuclear weapons is important
  for US national security, and reestablishing the deal is the only way
  to achieve that, those Republicans have shown that they are willing
  to harm their country to get power over it.

 


title: Fossil fuel companies cutting employment
uri: Fossil-fuel-companies-cutting-employment
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_companies_cutting_employment)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_companies_cutting_employment)

content:
 
<p>
  Fossil fuel companies have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/19/fossil-fuel-industry-jobs-killer">cut their employment by 30% since 2014</a>.
  They pretend to employ lots of people, but it's not true.
<p>
  Even if that claim were true, it would not be significant.
  It makes no sense to cause the death of hundreds of millions
  to get a hundred thousand jobs now.

 


title: Covid recovery equivalent to one vaccine dose
uri: Covid-recovery-equivalent-to-one-vaccine-dose
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Covid_recovery_equivalent_to_one_vaccine_dose)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Covid_recovery_equivalent_to_one_vaccine_dose)

content:
 
<p>
  Arguing that recovery from Covid-19 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/20/its-time-to-consider-natural-immunity-to-covid-19-as-equal-to-one-shot-of-the-vaccine">should be considered equivalent to
  getting one dose of vaccine</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Indefinite_troops)
title: Indefinite troops
uri: Indefinite-troops
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Indefinite_troops)
content:
 
<p>
  Belarus says that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/20/russian-troops-will-remain-indefinitely-says-belarus-as-fears-rise-of-ukraine-invasion">the Russian soldiers will remain there indefinitely</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Pfizer_Covid-19_treatment_pills)
title: Pfizer Covid-19 treatment pills
uri: Pfizer-Covid-19-treatment-pills
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Pfizer_Covid-19_treatment_pills)
content:
 
<p>
  Pfizer is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/20/covid-treatment-pill-big-pharma-antiviral-drugs">using the new Covid-19 treatment pills</a> to gouge sick people.
  Instead of absolutely banning generic production, it is playing favorites to
  limit generic production which is almost as bad.
<p>
  We should abolish patents in the field of medicine, and fund the costs
  of drug research directly through the state.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Ultimate_owners_of_real_estate)
title: Ultimate owners of real estate
uri: Ultimate-owners-of-real-estate
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Ultimate_owners_of_real_estate)
content:
 
<p>
  The Tories still refuse to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/20/uk-weakening-threat-to-kremlin-by-failing-to-close-property-loophole">determine the ultimate owners of billions of
  dollars worth of real estate owned through front companies by people
  unknown</a>, not even though Russian oligarchs could use thus to evade
  the sanctions they are being threatened with.
<p>
  The UK is right when it criticizes EU countries for allowing
  themselves to be dependent on gas from Russia.  However, trying to
  play "what about you" with this is a distraction.  Both criticisms are
  valid.
<p>
  The principal reason for identifying the real owners has nothing to do
  with the Ukraine crisis.  It is to put an end to using them for <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2015-sep-dec.html#18_December_2015_(UK_leaves_big_tax_evaders_alone)">tax
  evasion</a> or as a channel for hiding the proceeds of crime.
<p>
  Here is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/feb/20/credit-suisse-secrets-leak-unmasks-criminals-fraudsters-corrupt-politicians">an example</a>.
<p>
  The principal reason to stop burning Russia's natural gas is that
  <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-may-aug.html#7_July_2021_(Russian_gas)">it contributes to global heating</a>, which endangers civilization.
<p>
  Even if Russia and NATO made peace tomorrow, Russian planet-roasting
  would remain just as dangerous as US planet-roasting or any other
  country's.
<p>
  Europe has done little to reduce its demand for natural gas because
  <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/19/forget-russia-blame-fossil-fuel-industry-europes-gas-dependency">fossil fuel companies are presenting arguments for going slowly</a>.

 


title: Covid recovery equivilant to one vaccine dose
uri: Covid-recovery-equivilant-to-one-vaccine-dose
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Covid_recovery_equivilant_to_one_vaccine_dose)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Covid_recovery_equivilant_to_one_vaccine_dose)

content:
 
<p>
  Arguing that recovery from Covid-19 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/20/its-time-to-consider-natural-immunity-to-covid-19-as-equal-to-one-shot-of-the-vaccine">should be considered equivalent to
  getting one dose of vaccine</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Hepatitis)
title: Hepatitis
uri: Hepatitis
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#22_February_2022_(Hepatitis)
content:
 
<p>
  For three decades, 1942 to 1972, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/20/dangerous-medicine-the-story-behind-human-experiments-with-hepatitis-review">American scientists intentionally
  infected over a thousand subjects with hepatitis</a> to study what would
  happen.
<p>
  I can't tell from this book review what, if anything, the subjects
  were told about what was going to be done to them.  At one extreme,
  they may have been forced outright.  At the other extreme, they could
  have been offered a good deal given their situations, and asked for
  informed consent -- but the text seems to imply that the experimenters
  did not do that.  What did they do?  This seems to be the crucial
  moral question.

 


title: Urgent: Corporate profits minimum tax
uri: Urgent-Corporate-profits-minimum-tax
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Corporate_profits_minimum_tax)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Corporate_profits_minimum_tax)

content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-congress-pass-a-corporate-profits-minimum-tax-so-that-large-profitable-corporations-dont-pay-0-in-federal-income-tax?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to a corporate profits minimum tax so
that large, profitable corporations don't pay $0 in federal income tax.


 


title: Urgent: Inexpensive prisoners phone calls
uri: Urgent-Inexpensive-prisoners-phone-calls
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Inexpensive_prisoners_phone_calls)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Inexpensive_prisoners_phone_calls)

content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/martha-wright-prison-phone-justice-act/">call on Congress</a> to make prisoners' phone calls inexpensive.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Diverting_rain_water_upstream)
title: Diverting rain water upstream
uri: Diverting-rain-water-upstream
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Diverting_rain_water_upstream)
content:
 
<p>
New South Wales is allowing farmers to divert more rain water
upstream, though <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/21/nsw-government-issuing-of-flood-plain-harvesting-licences-an-act-of-bastardry-crossbenchers-say">this will endanger the wildlife life in downstream
reaches of the rivers</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Five_ways_AI_is_saving_wildlife)
title: Five ways AI is saving wildlife
uri: Five-ways-AI-is-saving-wildlife
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Five_ways_AI_is_saving_wildlife)
content:
 
<p>
*Five ways AI is saving wildlife -– <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/21/five-ways-ai-is-saving-wildlife-from-counting-chimps-to-locating-whales-aoe">from counting chimps to locating whales</a>.*

<p>
Identifying animals and poachers is an important part of a system for
protecting the animals, but won't do anything without the rest of the
system, and there are often political obstacles to doing that.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Melting_statue)
title: Melting statue
uri: Melting-statue
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Melting_statue)
content:
 
<p>
Belgians propose to melt a statue of King Léopold II, and make it into
a statue depicting <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/call-for-brussels-statue-to-be-melted-and-made-into-memorial-for-congo-victims">the suffering caused by his colonial rule over the
Congo</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Woke)
title: Woke
uri: Woke
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Woke)
content:
 
<p>
Progressive politicians must stop <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/21/scared-woke-progressives-stand-culture-wars-labour">being scared of the vague accusation
of "woke"</a>.

<p>
Many right-wing smear words work by being vague.  They seize on an
extreme fringe view which has real flaws, lump it together with other
views which don't partake of those flaws, give one name to all so as
to attack the latter for the flaws of the former.  "Woke" is one example.
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#31_January_2022_(Divisive_concepts_prohibited_in_education_bills)">"Critical race theory" is another</a>.


 


title: Urgent: Recovering America Wildlife Act
uri: Urgent-Recovering-America-Wildlife-Act
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Recovering_America_Wildlife_Act)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Recovering_America_Wildlife_Act)

content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=48666">call on the Senate</a> to pass the Recovering America's
Wildlife Act.

<p>
It would provide funding to every state, territory and the District of
Columbia to proactively conserve more than 12,000 at-risk fish and
wildlife species.

<p>
For saving these endangered species, and hundreds of thousands of
other species, we must urgently reduce greenhouse emissions
in addition to making specific conservation plans.

<p>
To sign <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">without running nonfree JavaScript code</a>
                                                from the web site,
use <a href="https://stallman.org/salsalabs-method.html">the Salsalabs workaround</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Fed_nominees)
title: Urgent: Confirm Fed nominees
uri: Urgent-Confirm-Fed-nominees
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Fed_nominees)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.350.org/letter/feb-22-confirm-fedslate-demsens/">call on senators</a> to confirm Fed nominees Raskin, Cook, and
Brainard.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(War_is_a_racket)
title: War is a racket
uri: War-is-a-racket
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(War_is_a_racket)
content:
 
<p>
General Smedley Butler wrote that <a href="http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article40954.htm">"war is a racket."</a>


 


title: Counterattack Corporate Crime and Control
uri: Counterattack-Corporate-Crime-and-Control
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Counterattack_Corporate_Crime_and_Control)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Counterattack_Corporate_Crime_and_Control)

content:
 
<p>
Ralph Nader: *California <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/20/california-advocates-counterattack-corporate-crime-and-control">Advocates Counterattack Corporate Crime and Control</a>.*

<p>
Nader refers to the bills that are so complex that it is hard to tell
whether they are correct -- followed by customer dis-service
departments designed to make people give up trying.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Sickening_gerrymandering)
title: Sickening gerrymandering
uri: Sickening-gerrymandering
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Sickening_gerrymandering)
content:
 
<p>
*[Indigenous] American tribes sue North Dakota <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/21/native-american-tribes-sue-north-dakota-gerrymandering">over ‘sickening’
gerrymandering</a>.*

<p>
They may have legal grounds available under their treaties that could
fill gaps created for the rest of us by the right-wing Supreme Court.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Engaging_with_planet_roasters)
title: Engaging with planet roasters
uri: Engaging-with-planet-roasters
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Engaging_with_planet_roasters)
content:
 
<p>
The Church of England plans to "engage" with planet roasters <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/21/concern-over-church-of-england-pension-board-fossil-fuel-industry-links">rather than
divest from them</a>.

<p>
People that profit from fossil fuels have found their way into various
councils in institutions that are supposed to serve the public good.
They use the resulting influence to protect their future profits by
blocking moves that would serve the institutions' goals by reducing
greenhouse emissions.

<p>
See the example <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130919043916/http://act.forecastthefacts.org:80/sign/wgbh_koch_petition/">of WGBH and its science programs</a> (David Koch left the board, <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2016-jan-apr.html#5_February_2016_(David_Kochs_baneful_influence_on_NOVA)">but kept influence on NOVA</a> ; he <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2019-may-aug.html#26_August_2019_(Koch_brothers)">died in 2019</a>).

<p>
Experience
           <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2014-nov-feb.html#17_January_2015_(Oil_companies_unable_to_adapt)">shows that "engaging" with oil companies</a>
                                                      means nothing
more than <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2020-jan-apr.html#20_April_2020_(Shells_new_greenwashing_plan)">choosing to believe their greenwashing</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Sea-level_rise)
title: Sea-level rise
uri: 2022-02-23-Sea-level-rise
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Sea-level_rise)
content:
 
<p>
Sea-level rise will raise groundwater in coastal areas, and release
toxic chemicals that people have buried there.  To avoid poisoning
people and animals, we will need <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/21/the-big-idea-how-can-we-adapt-to-life-with-rising-seas">to dig out those areas and convert
the toxins</a>.
   The resulting ponds can be very useful -- for
floating neighborhoods, as in the Netherlands.

<p>
I doubt that poor countries will have the means to do this.  I think
that hundreds of millions of the inhabitants of those regions will
have to struggle to survive.  Some will survive by being terribly
exploited, and the rest will die.  And it is too late to avoid
this by reducing greenhouse emissions now.

<p>
Those peoples can reduce the number of people who suffer those effects
<a href="https://stallman.org/articles/children.html ">by having fewer children</a>.


 


title: Important Covid-19 statistics unreleased
uri: Important-Covid-19-statistics-unreleased
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Important_Covid-19_statistics_unreleased)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Important_Covid-19_statistics_unreleased)

content:
 
<p>
The CDC has kept important Covid-19 statistics unreleased.
For some kinds of data, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220223132602/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/20/health/covid-cdc-data.html">this has gone on for more than a year</a>.

<p>
If adults under 50 don't benefit from booster doses, that's great.
That could free up US vaccine for unvaccinated people in other countries.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Election_monitoring_body)
title: Election monitoring body
uri: Election-monitoring-body
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Election_monitoring_body)
content:
 
<p>
The Tories plan to politicize <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/21/uk-elections-watchdog-warns-bill-threatens-its-independence-electoral-commission">the now-independent election-monitoring
body</a>.

<p>
This, together with <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#11_May_2021_(Voter-ID_law)">their plans for voter suppression</a>,
  indicate their intention to impose their rule through a pretend democracy.



 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(immigration_courts)
title: Immigration courts backlog
uri: Immigration-courts-backlog
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(immigration_courts)
content:
 
<p>
US immigration courts are so understaffed that 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/21/us-immigration-courts-cases-backlog-understaffing">asylum-seekers may not
be notified before their hearings.</a>

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(nz_restriction_lift)
title: New Zealand considers restriction lift
uri: New-Zealand-considers-restriction-lift
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(nz_restriction_lift)
content:
 
<p>
New Zealand will maintain requirements to reduce contagion of Covid-19
until the case rate stabilizes at a new, low level, and 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/new-zealand-will-lift-covid-restrictions-only-when-well-beyond-peak-jacinda-ardern-says">only then
consider removing some of them.</a>
<p>
That is a wise approach.  Furthermore, it would be wise to terminate
measures one by one, and see what effect each one has on the rate
of infections before going on to the next one.
<p>
It is a mistake to decide by counting deaths.  Some percentage of the
people who survive the initial infection will develop permanent
disabilities.  With Omicron, it may still be too early to get such
data, since large numbers of people didn't catch Omicron until around
3 months ago.
<p>
It is important to remember also that a substantial fraction of people
would probably die if they ever catch Covid-19, despite being
vacciated, because they are immunocompromised or have other medical
problems.  To eliminate mask and vaccination requirements for everyone
else would force theat fraction into permanent isolation, along with
any family members who join them in isolation.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Russia_ukraine_camps)
title: Russia creating lists of Ukrainians to be targeted
uri: Russia-creating-lists-of-Ukrainians-to-be-targeted
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Russia_ukraine_camps)
content:
 
<p>
*US claims Russia creating lists of Ukrainians 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/us-claims-russia-creating-lists-of-ukrainians-to-be-killed-or-sent-to-camps-report">"to be killed or sent
to camps."</a>*
<p>
I would not treat this as certain based on the unsupported word of the
US.  But this is what Putin does in Russia, so he will surely do it in
Ukraine too.
<p>
As for dissidents (Russians or Belarusians) in exile in Ukraine, Putin
will surely persecute them if he gets his hands on them.  I doubt he
will hesitate to go as far as his ally, 
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/belarus-moves-jailed-opposition-blogger-protasevich-house-arrest-bbc-2021-06-25/">Lukashenko, has already gone.</a>
<p>
Those dissidents need to flee Ukraine right away.
They can't wait and apply for asylum first -- they must travel by land
and then apply for asylum.  People with Ukrainian passports are
welcome to visit European countries, but those in exile in Ukraine
probably don't have those.  Will Poland let them in?
<p>
Countries facing a guerrilla resistance in an occupied country often
arrest its influential sympathizers. 
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Program">The US did this while occupying
Vietnam.</a>
<p>
and maybe also in Iraq -- I don't remember off-hand.  (We
should not equate a resistance movement with a terrorist campaign.)
<p>
Most recently, India arrested everyone in Kashmir who was in any sense
a leader, immediately after converting it, in effect, 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/05/indias-ruling-party-turning-kashmir-black-hole-critics-claim-fears-widespread">from an Indian
state to an occupied territory.</a>

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(putin_leader)
title: Putin The Authentic Leader of The Republican Party
uri: Putin-The-Authentic-Leader-of-The-Republican-Party
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(putin_leader)
content:
 
<p>
*Vladimir Putin: the 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/20/vladimir-putin-authentic-leader-republican-party">Authentic Leader of the Republican Party.</a>*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(reform_monarchy)
title: Reform goes beyond abolishing the monarchy
uri: Reform-goes-beyond-abolishing-the-monarchy
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(reform_monarchy)
content:
 
<p>
*Real constitutional reform [in the UK] goes 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/20/real-constitutional-reform-goes-beyond-abolishing-the-monarchy">beyond abolishing the monarchy.</a>*
<p>
I don't think the question of whether the UK has a constitutional
monarch or no monarch is very significant at all.  The system of
government is the problem.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(easter_moai_statue)
title: Easter island statue begins journey home
uri: Easter-island-statue-begins-journey-home
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(easter_moai_statue)
content:
 
<p>
Easter Island has over 1000 of its large stone statues, but the inhabitants
resent that a few were moved to 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/22/easter-island-moai-statue-begins-journey-home-150-years-after-removal-to-santiago">other places, such as Santiago, Chile.</a>


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Colombia_abortion)
title: Colombia legalises abortion
uri: Colombia-legalises-abortion
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Colombia_abortion)
content:
 
<p>
Colombia's Supreme Court has 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/22/colombia-legalises-abortion-in-move-celebrated-as-historic-victory-by-campaigners">"decriminalised" abortion.</a>
<p>
This is clearly a great step forward, but the choice of the word
"decriminalised" rather than "legalized" suggests that some step
remains to be taken.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(exploiting_workers)
title: Young worker exploitation
uri: Young-worker-exploitation
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(exploiting_workers)
content:
 
<p>
Republican states are deregulating the use of teenage workers,
allowing employers to make them do dangerous jobs or work so many
hours 
<a href="https://m.usw.org/blog/2022/exploiting-young-workers">that it cuts into their education.</a>
<p>
It's entirely congruent with the Republican philosophy that the wealthy
should be able to pressure everyone else into something close to slavery.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(carbon_court)
title: Court rules against key climate tool
uri: Court-rules-against-key-climate-tool
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(carbon_court)
content:
 
<p>
*Biden administration freezes new oil and gas drilling leases after court
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/21/us/biden-climate-social-cost-of-carbon-court/index.html">rules against key climate tool.</a>*
<p>
That is the right thing to do, after all.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(eu_treaty)
title: Secretive EU Energy Charter Treaty
uri: Secretive-EU-Energy-Charter-Treaty
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(eu_treaty)
content:
 
<p>
Fossil fuel companies are demanding billions of dollars in damages
from countries that are blocking development of new oilfields, or even
cutting down on the use of coal.  They are doing this through a
business-supremacy treaty, the "Energy Charter Treaty", 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/21/european-fossil-fuel-giants-seek-billions-4-countries-under-secretive-treaty">which has an
ISDS clause ("I Sue Democratic States")</a>
<p>
It is hard for the victims of the treaty to cancel it; they would need
to rebel against the global systems for enforcing the payments.
<p>
However, countries could pass laws that recognize that these companies
are engaging in attempted mass murder -- which is the truth -- as well
as any lawyers that represent them in the treaty cases.  Then they
could start a global manhunt to prosecute them.  With luck, this
will cause the treaty to become ineffective.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(biden_challenge)
title: Biden's real challenge
uri: Biden-s-real-challenge
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(biden_challenge)
content:
 
<p>
The main threat to Americans is not from China or Russia -- it is from
plutocracy. 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/21/bidens-real-challenge-not-russia-or-china-poverty-america">And likewise the main threat to Biden's reelection.</a>
<p>
Not only Biden, but most Democrats in Congress too, support plutocracy.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_((Satire)_beijing_stray)
title: (satire) Hundreds of Stray Olympians After End Of Games
uri: (satire)-Hundreds-of-Stray-Olympians-After-End-Of-Games
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_((Satire)_beijing_stray)
content:
 
<p>
(satire) *Beijing Streets Overrun By Hundreds Of Stray 
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/beijing-streets-overrun-by-hundreds-of-stray-olympians-1848558430">Olympians After
End Of Games.*</a>


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_((Satire)_shell_of_self)
title: (satire) Shell Of His Imagined Self
uri: (satire)-Shell-Of-His-Imagined-Self
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_((Satire)_shell_of_self)
content:
 
<p>
(satire) A man realized that *over the years he had become just a 
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/man-shell-of-imagined-self-1848563157">shell of his
imagined self.*</a>

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Ukraine_sovereignty)
title: Putin's small scale invasion of Ukraine
uri: Putin-s-small-scale-invasion-of-Ukraine
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(Ukraine_sovereignty)
content:
 
<p>
Putin has started a small invasion of Ukraine: he has recognized the
independence of the two rebel areas (which he created with Russian
money, arms and soldiers), 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/uk-impose-sanctions-russia-attack-ukraine-sovereignty">and saying he will send soldiers there as
"peacekeepers".</a>
<p>
At one level, this announcement acknowledges a fact he has hitherto
denied: Russian arms and troops are in Donetsk and Luhansk.  At
another level, calling them "peacekeepers" signals that they will
attack.  Putin's approach to truth is like Republicans': he reverses
important truths to show that no one has the power to make him stop
lying.
<p>
Because this is a small invasion as invasions go, it puts NATO in a
quandary.  To disregard it means Putin can seize anything and get away
with it, as long as he does so by small steps.  But because it is so
small, any substantial response is too big, disproportionate.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Plutocratist_Democrats)
title: Plutocratist Democrats
uri: 2022-02-24-Plutocratist-Democrats
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Plutocratist_Democrats)
content:
 
<p>
  Theory: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/22/why-are-democrats-like-biden-still-defending-republican-politicians">plutocratist Democrats treat Republican insurrectionists like
  fellow members of the <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> (and, to some extent, racist)
  elite</a>, even as the Republicans plot to overthrow democracy.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Truck_blockades)
title: Truck blockades
uri: Truck-blockades
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Truck_blockades)
content:
 
<p>
  Canadian cops are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/22/canada-extends-emergency-powers-after-trucker-blockades-ended">ready to end further truck blockades without delay</a>.
  They say they will scrupulously respect the right to protest in other ways,
  and they seem to have done so this time.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Unobtainable_software)
title: Unobtainable software
uri: Unobtainable-software
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Unobtainable_software)
content:
 
<p>
  One of the nasty consequences of nonfree software is that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/feb/22/pushing-buttons-retro-games-nintendo">programs
  become unobtainable at the whim of some company</a>.
<p>
  <a href="https://gnu.org/malware/">Nonfree software</a> means some "owner" officially owns all copies, and
  has power over all who use the program.  That's an injustice in
  itself, and it is the root of many other injustices.
  It even includes power over whether anyone can get a copy,
  as described above.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Wellbeing_over_'law_and_order')
title: Wellbeing over 'law and order'
uri: Wellbeing-over-law-and-order
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Wellbeing_over_'law_and_order')
content:
 
<p>
  Covid-19 has led Australians to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/23/more-australian-voters-say-government-should-prioritise-populations-wellbeing-over-law-and-order-poll-suggests">care more about how the state aids people's wellbeing</a>, and to give lower priority to "law and order".

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Dakota_Access_Pipeline)
title: Dakota Access Pipeline
uri: 2022-02-24-Dakota-Access-Pipeline
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Dakota_Access_Pipeline)
content:
 
<p>
  The Dakota Access pipeline has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/22/us-supreme-court-dakota-access-pipeline">finally lost its fight</a> against the
  court decision requiring a new environmental impact study.  However,
  the pipeline will continue operating until that is done.
<p>
  The company will surely try to delay the actual report.  How many
  years of delay can they arrange?  And if Republicans seize power,
  all they need to do, to keep the pipeline operating forever, is to
  slow down this environmental impact study so that it never reports
  any result.

 


title: George Washington University tracking students and faculty
uri: George-Washington-University-tracking-students-and-faculty
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(George_Washington_University_tracking_students_and_faculty)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(George_Washington_University_tracking_students_and_faculty)

content:
 
<p>
  George Washington University <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/02/22/gw-data-collection-effort-sparks-campus-privacy-concerns">secretly tracked the movements of
  students and faculty</a>, for a statistical study of how the campus
  facilities were used and how people travel around campus.
<p>
  Making a statistical survey would be harmless, if it were impossible
  to recover any individual's data from it.  With this survey,
  extracting data about an individual is possible.  If it tracks people
  by their IP addresses, they should start changing those.  Does the
  system try to stop them?
<p>
  In order for people to trust the university, it needs to show them it
  cannot track them.  Once tracking becomes an option that the
  university can turn on and turn off at will, people will feel they are
  being watched.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Covid-19_research_budget_cut)
title: Covid-19 research budget cut
uri: Covid-19-research-budget-cut
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Covid-19_research_budget_cut)
content:
 
<p>
  The Tories plan to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/covid-cost-cutting-will-put-blinkers-on-our-best-covid-research">cut the budget for research into Covid-19</a>.
<p>
  Apparently, eliminating rules to retard the spread will be an excuse
  to decide that the disease can be ignored by society.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Sanctions)
title: Sanctions
uri: 2022-02-24-Sanctions
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Sanctions)
content:
 
<p>
Arguing that Putin is not worried about sanctions against Russian
oligarchs, but sanctions against the officials that serve him <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/23/obsession-sanctions-oligarchs-putin-hurt-russian-leader-ukraine">would
cause him real trouble</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Control_of_Congress)
title: Control of Congress
uri: Control-of-Congress
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Control_of_Congress)
content:
 
<p>
Robert Reich believes the Democrats can keep control of Congress in this
year's election, <a href="https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-democrats-can-retain-control">if they handle it right</a>.
  I hope so.

<p>
It isn't enough for Democrats to control Congress.  We also need
to replace some <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> Democrats with progressive Democrats.

<p>
Democrats might be able to win support in rural America again if
they make it their target to break up the large landholdings and
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/22/us-politics-rural-america">give land back to the rest of the citizens</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Billing_everything_he_can)
title: Billing everything he can
uri: Billing-everything-he-can
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Billing_everything_he_can)
content:
 
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/doctor-assures-family-of-dying-patient-he-billing-every-1848557319">satire</a>) *Doctor Assures Family Of Dying Patient He Billing Everything He Can.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Increase_in_wildfires)
title: Increase in wildfires
uri: Increase-in-wildfires
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Increase_in_wildfires)
content:
 
<p>
Scientists predict <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/23/climate-crisis-driving-increase-in-wildfires-across-globe-says-report-aoe">a 30% increase in wildfires by 2050</a>.

<p>
The increase won't stop in 2050.  As long as <a href="/glossary.html#global heating">global heating</a> continues,
fires will get worse.  The report says that some of those fires will
be impossible to extinguish with known methods.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Plugging_methane_leaks)
title: Plugging methane leaks
uri: Plugging-methane-leaks
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Plugging_methane_leaks)
content:
 
<p>
*Oil and gas facilities <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/23/oil-and-gas-facilities-could-profit-from-plugging-methane-leaks-iea-says">could profit from plugging methane leaks</a>, IEA says.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Condemning_Putin)
title: Condemning Putin
uri: Condemning-Putin
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Condemning_Putin)
content:
 
<p>
The US would be more convincing when condemning Putin's invasion of Ukraine
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/22/msnbc-host-disastrous-foreign-policy-leaves-us-less-credibility-condemn-russia">if it had not supported occupations and carried out conquests</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Declaration_of_war)
title: Declaration of war
uri: Declaration-of-war
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Declaration_of_war)
content:
 
<p>
Putin announced his intention to seize the whole extent of Luhansk and
Donetsk provinces -- <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/22/likelihood-of-war-escalates-as-putin-promises-to-support-proxy-ukraine-states">far larger than the territory his proxies
actually hold</a>.

<p>
That would require real fighting.  The announcement was a declaration
of real war.

<p>
The province of Donbas includes the important city of Mariupol.
Western experts speculated some weeks ago that Putin would try to
capture it.  Ukraine will surely resist that attack strenuously.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Saving_public_services)
title: Saving public services
uri: Saving-public-services
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Saving_public_services)
content:
 
<p>
*How to save [the UK's] precious public services? <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/22/public-services-windfall-tax-rich-covid-rowan-williams">A windfall tax on
those who got rich from Covid</a>.*

<p>
Coping with Covid-19 is expensive, especially if you're not careful to
spend money wisely.  The UK spent a lot of money, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/23/uk-lost-up-to-16bn-due-to-and-error-in-covid-loans-schemes">much of it
incompetently</a>
  or corruptly.

<p>
In the minds of Tories, like other <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratists</a>, this is an
opportunity to cut the support that keeps penurious people alive.
They have been pushing for more than a decade <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2011-sep-dec.html#4_September_2011_(UK">to undermine</a> and <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2016-jul-oct.html#17_October_2016_(Collapse_of_NHS)">ruin</a>
the <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-sep-dec.html#8_December_2021_(Bill_to_privatize_the_NHS)">National Health Service</a>,
                             and they see success within their grasp.


 


title: Ideal place for dictators and crooks to hide money
uri: Ideal-place-for-dictators-and-crooks-to-hide-money
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Ideal_place_for_dictators_and_crooks_to_hide_money)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Ideal_place_for_dictators_and_crooks_to_hide_money)

content:
 
<p>
Swiss banking secrecy made Switzerland an ideal place for dictators and
crooks to hide money.  A treaty made Switzerland pull back the secrecy
for clients from European countries, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/feb/22/how-swiss-banking-secrecy-global-financial-system-switzerland-tax-elite">but third world embezzlers still take
advantage of it</a>.

<p>
Many other countries <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-jul-oct.html#6_October_2021_(Pandora_papers)">help disguise profits for rich people</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Cancelling_empty_flights)
title: Cancelling empty flights
uri: Cancelling-empty-flights
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Cancelling_empty_flights)
content:
 
<p>
European governments agreed that airlines would not be penalized (with
cancelled departure or arrival slots) if they cancelled empty or
nearly-empty flights.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/22/almost-15000-ghost-flights-left-uk-since-pandemic-began">But airlines flew empty flights anyway</a>.

<p>
From personal experience I know that many fewer flights were scheduled
from the US to Italy flew in April and May, 2020.  And many of those
scheduled were cancelled a few days in advance.

<p>
Is it possible that the "ghost flights" started after May?

<p>
In any case, it is clear that governments ought to demand statistics
about number of paying passengers, and publish them.  The simple wish
of a business to keep something secret should carry very little weight
in the decision about whether to allow it to do so.  Any significant
public interest should be enough to override that wish.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Living_with_Covid)
title: Living with Covid
uri: Living-with-Covid
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#24_February_2022_(Living_with_Covid)
content:
 
<p>
*The [UK's] "living with Covid" strategy fails to provide testing, or address
   the impact of future variants, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/22/johnson-personal-responsibility-living-with-covid-inequality">long Covid and inequality</a>.*

<p>
The US may provide for testing more than the UK does.  But neither one
will do what is necessary to assure Covid-spreading staff are not
handle your order, or preparing your food.  That calls for (1) testing
them so they know they have Covid-19, (2) requiring them to stay home
when sick, and (3) giving them paid sick leave so they can afford to
stay home when sick.



 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Water_melting_on_top_of_ice_cap)
title: Water melting on top of ice cap
uri: Water-melting-on-top-of-ice-cap
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Water_melting_on_top_of_ice_cap)
content:
 
<p>
When water melts on top of the Greenland ice cap, it falls down to the
bottom.  Its gravitational potential energy converts into heat, which
melts more ice at the bottom.  This means the melting <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/22/world/greenland-ice-melting-sea-level-rise-climate-intl-scli-scn/index.html">is faster than
scientists previously recognized</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Excuse_to_assault_retail_workers)
title: Excuse to assault retail workers
uri: Excuse-to-assault-retail-workers
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Excuse_to_assault_retail_workers)
content:
 
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/woman-desperately-seeking-excuse-to-assault-retail-work-1848556638">satire</a>) *Woman Desperately Seeking Excuse To Assault Retail Workers
Now That Mask Mandate Lifted.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Rich_elite_and_government)
title: Rich elite and government
uri: Rich-elite-and-government
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Rich_elite_and_government)
content:
 
<p>
George Monbiot: *What price British democracy <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/23/ultra-rich-tory-party-donors-politics">when a rich elite has
the government’s ear</a>?*

<p>
He invites us to imagine that a foreign power had the control over
the British government that the rich have.

<p>
It's broadly similar with the rich in the US, and the plutocratist
senators (and other officials) they buy.


 


title: Reasons to stop using streaming dis-services
uri: Reasons-to-stop-using-streaming-dis-services
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Reasons_to_stop_using_streaming_dis-services)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Reasons_to_stop_using_streaming_dis-services)

content:
 
<p>
Social and psychological reasons <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/23/music-streaming-cds-spotify">to stop using streaming dis-services</a>.

<p>
This is not just a matter of advantages and disadvantages of two
formats.  CDs are free technology &mdash; you don't need nonfree (and
probably malicious) software which controls your access to their
contents.  Streaming dis-services impose DRM, and jerkmaking contracts
in which users promise to be bad neighbors, and also require them to
identify themselves.

<p>
Out, out, damned Spotify!


 


title: Urgent: Attack on service personnel in airports
uri: Urgent-Attack-on-service-personnel-in-airports
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_Attack_on_service_personnel_in_airports)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_Attack_on_service_personnel_in_airports)

content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.aflcio.org/forms/protect-passenger-service-agents?nowrapper=true">call on Justice Department</a> to take action against people
that attack service personnel in airports.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_no_gas-fueled_trucks)
title: Urgent: no gas-fueled trucks
uri: Urgent-no-gas-fueled-trucks
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_no_gas-fueled_trucks)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=48800">call on the USPS</a> not to buy gas-fueled trucks.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_War_powers_resolution)
title: Urgent: War powers resolution
uri: Urgent-War-powers-resolution
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_War_powers_resolution)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-the-petition-to-congress-pass-a-war-powers-resolution-to-end-us-involvement-in-the-war-in-yemen?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to pass a war powers resolution to end US
involvement in the war in Yemen.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_child_tax_credit)
title: Urgent: child tax credit
uri: Urgent-child-tax-credit
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_child_tax_credit)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://civicshout.com/p/tell-congress-bring-back-the-child-tax-credit">call on Congress</a> to bring back the child tax credit.


 


title: Urgent: no insurrectionists in office
uri: Urgent-no-insurrectionists-in-office
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_no_insurrectionists_in_office)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_no_insurrectionists_in_office)

content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/secretaries-of-state-must-disqualify-all-insurrectionists-from-serving-in-office-including-as-poll-workers-and-election-officials?nowrapper=true">call on Secretaries of State</a> to disqualify all
insurrectionists from serving in office, including as poll workers and
election officials.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Virginia_plant_union)
title: Virginia plant union
uri: Virginia-plant-union
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Virginia_plant_union)
content:
 
<p>
*More than 1,000 Hershey’s workers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/23/hersheys-union-vote-virginia">vote on plan to unionize Virginia plant</a>.*




 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(New_Pun)
title: New Pun
uri: 2022-02-26-New-Pun
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(New_Pun)
content:
 
<p>

<a href="https://stallman.org/puns.html#cracker-to-soup">Converting a Cracker Into a Soup</a>

 


title: A perilous and politicized pandemic response
uri: A-perilous-and-politicized-pandemic-response
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(A_perilous_and_politicized_pandemic_response)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(A_perilous_and_politicized_pandemic_response)

content:
 
<p>

*   "For the one in four people in the U.K. who are clinically vulnerable,
   the current approach appears a perilous and politicized pandemic
   response," <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/21/public-health-experts-warn-against-uks-end-covid-restrictions">wrote more than 2,000 physicians and scientists</a>.*
<p>
London trains and buses <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/23/transport-for-london-drops-rules-on-compulsory-face-masks">no longer require people to wear masks</a>.
<p>
This means considerable danger for clinically vulnerable people who
don't have cars, if they travel anywhere.  And this is for the sake of
a small degree of comfort for the other passengers.

 


title: Stand your ground and kill laws in southern states
uri: Stand-your-ground-and-kill-laws-in-southern-states
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Stand_your_ground_and_kill_laws_in_southern_states)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Stand_your_ground_and_kill_laws_in_southern_states)

content:
 
<p>

When several southern states adopted "stand your ground and kill" laws, 
the rate of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/21/stand-your-ground-laws-linked-11-spike-us-gun-homicides-study">deaths by shooting increased</a> immediately by 16 to 32 percent.
<p>
Curiously, there was no such increase in states elsewhere in the US that
did the same thing.

 


title: Russian oligarchs giving money to Tory Party
uri: Russian-oligarchs-giving-money-to-Tory-Party
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Russian_oligarchs_giving_money_to_Tory_Party)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Russian_oligarchs_giving_money_to_Tory_Party)

content:
 
<p>

Some Russian oligarchs <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/23/oligarchs-funding-tories">give or route money</a> to the Tory Party.

 


title: Russian economy vulnerability to sanctions
uri: Russian-economy-vulnerability-to-sanctions
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Russian_economy_vulnerability_to_sanctions)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Russian_economy_vulnerability_to_sanctions)

content:
 
<p>

Russia's economy is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/23/why-a-swift-economic-victory-against-russia-unlikely-sanctions">hardly vulnerable</a> to economic sanctions.

 


title: Misuse of sexual assault victim DNA
uri: Misuse-of-sexual-assault-victim-DNA
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Misuse_of_sexual_assault_victim_DNA)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Misuse_of_sexual_assault_victim_DNA)

content:
 
<p>

*San Francisco police will stop <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/23/california-san-francisco-police-assault-victim-dna-investigate-crimes">misusing sexual assault victim DNA</a> to
investigate unrelated crimes.*
<p>
It's good of them to adopt this policy, but there are thousands of
cities in the US, as well as county sheriff's departments and
state <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thug</a> departments.  We need to make this a legal requirement.

 


title: 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights
uri: 21st-Century-Economic-Bill-of-Rights
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(21st_Century_Economic_Bill_of_Rights)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(21st_Century_Economic_Bill_of_Rights)

content:
 
<p>

*Proposing a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/23/call-all-progressive-candidates-and-officeholders-embrace-21st-century-economic">21st Century Economic Bill of Rights</a>—a Bill of Rights.*
These are eight rights that enable people to have a decent life.
<p>
In addition to these eight rights to the things that make for a decent life,
people also deserve freedoms.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(More_gas_pipelines)
title: More gas pipelines
uri: More-gas-pipelines
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(More_gas_pipelines)
content:
 
<p>

The world is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/22/global-gas-pipeline-boom-poses-climate-financial-disaster">constructing</a> 44,000 miles of gas pipelines, and planning
76,000 more.
If they are built, the $500 million "investment" will motivate the
owners to do anything whatsoever to keep gas flowing through them,
even though burning that much hydrocarbon would destroy the ecosphere
and civilization.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(The_wrecker_praised_Putin)
title: The wrecker praised Putin
uri: The-wrecker-praised-Putin
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(The_wrecker_praised_Putin)
content:
 
<p>

America's Putin, the wrecker, <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/radio/trump-praises-savvy-putin-says-he-wants-putins-peacekeeping-force-on-us-southern-border/">praised Putin</a> for the brazenness of his
lies about Ukraine.
<p>
This confirms the <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(putin_leader)">article</a> which presented Putin as the model for today's
Republicans.

 


title: Biggest cause for loss of years of life
uri: Biggest-cause-for-loss-of-years-of-life
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Biggest_cause_for_loss_of_years_of_life)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Biggest_cause_for_loss_of_years_of_life)

content:
 
<p>

Guns are now the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/23/us/guns-leading-cause-of-trauma-related-deaths/index.html">biggest cause</a> of loss of years of life, in the US,
surpassing vehicular collisions.
<p>
The states with weaker gun control have more loss of life due to guns.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Clarence_Thomas's_wife)
title: Clarence Thomas's wife
uri: Clarence-Thomas-s-wife
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Clarence_Thomas's_wife)
content:
 
<p>

Clarence Thomas's wife is a right-wing extremist activist who arranges
to bring cases to the Supreme Court, where her husband <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/22/opinions/ginni-thomas-clarence-thomas-supreme-court-filipovic/index.html">votes for her
side</a>.

 


title: Salafi Arabia helping drive up oil prices
uri: Salafi-Arabia-helping-drive-up-oil-prices
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Salafi_Arabia_helping_drive_up_oil_prices)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Salafi_Arabia_helping_drive_up_oil_prices)

content:
 
<p>

Reportedly Salafi Arabia is cooperating with Russia to <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/23/ukraine-russia-gas-prices-saudi-arabia-biden/">drive up oil
prices</a>.

 


title: Labour Party treating business as "partner"
uri: Labour-Party-treating-business-as-partner
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Labour_Party_treating_business_as_partner)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(Labour_Party_treating_business_as_partner)

content:
 
<p>

Starmer declares that the UK Labour Party will treat business as a "partner",
which will put <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/23/starmer-labour-will-partner-with-private-sector-and-take-advantage-of-brexit">non-rich people in second place</a>.
Labour will become the milder <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> version of the Tories,
just as "mainstream" Democrats are the milder <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> version of
the Republican Party before that turned into the right-wing extremist
party.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Good_guy_with_a_gun)
title: Good guy with a gun
uri: Good-guy-with-a-gun
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Good_guy_with_a_gun)
content:
 
<p>
  A progressive "good guy with a gun" <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/23/portland-protest-shooting/">stopped a right-wing gunman</a> who
  attacked volunteers supporting a protest.  When official <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> came,
  they didn't believe the survivors' report and arrested the good guy.
<p>
  It's very rare that a "good guy with a gun" is present when someone
  starts committing murder.  In this case, his presence was not a matter
  of luck.  He was there to protect people at the protest.  The protest
  organizers realized in advance that the violent tone of right-wing
  hatred might inspire someone to shoot protesters, and wisely arranged
  to have some guards.
<p>
  This one even managed to disable the killer without killing him, so he
  will face trial.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Frozen_Conflict)
title: Frozen Conflict
uri: Frozen-Conflict
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Frozen_Conflict)
content:
 
<p>
  Theory: what Putin really wants in Ukraine is to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/23/putin-narrative-ukraine-master-key-crisis-nato-expansionism-frozen-conflict">create a "frozen conflict"
  that would make NATO refuse to admit Ukraine</a>.
<p>
  It makes sense, and it may be part of the truth.  But it can't be the
  whole truth, because (1) Putin had already created frozen conflicts in
  Ukraine, by seizing Crimea and by creating a permanent rebellion in
  parts of Luhansk and Donetsk, and (2) he has announced the intention
  to seize all of Ukraine and impose a government under his control.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Moderna_and_natural_human_genes)
title: Moderna and natural human genes
uri: Moderna-and-natural-human-genes
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Moderna_and_natural_human_genes)
content:
 
<p>
  Moderna <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10542309/Fresh-lab-leak-fears-study-finds-genetic-code-Covids-spike-protein-linked-Moderna-patent.html">patented a short subsequence of a natural human gene</a>.
  Natural genes are not supposed to be patented, but patenting a
  subsequence of one is basically equivalent and should not be allowed
  either.
<p>
  This was noticed because it turns out that SARS-CoV-2 contains that
  same sequence.  How did that happen?  It could be the result if
  genetic engineering, if anyone did that; but it is no proof that the
  virus was engineered, because it could have randomly incorporated that
  sequence as RNA while adapting to a human host.
<p>
  The article is slanted in support of the lab leak theory, and it's not
  impossible, but not proven either.  If it is some day established that
  a lab leak played a role, we could learn important precautions to take
  in genetic engineering of viruses.  However, even if the virus did not
  pass through a lab, we might nonetheless learn some important
  precautions.
<p>
  (satire) Either way, Moderna's patent lawyers will sue the virus,
  and it won't dare reproduce any more in countries with vigorous
  patent enforcement.  Then WIPO will tout this as proof that patenting
  of gene sequences is vitally important for everyone.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Bethany_K_Farber)
title: Bethany K Farber
uri: Bethany-K-Farber
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Bethany_K_Farber)
content:
 
<p>
  Los Angeles thugs <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/23/woman-sues-lapd-wrongful-imprisonment-mistaken-identity">kept Bethany K Farber of California in jail for 13
  days before they figured out she was not Bethany K Farber of Texas</a>.
  They could have determined this in 5 minutes if they had checked the
  most obvious things.
<p>
  The article describes physical mistreatment she experienced in jail
  that are surely suffered by other prisoners as well.  That's something
  that the city must correct.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(The_corrupter's_supporters)
title: The corrupter's supporters
uri: The-corrupter-s-supporters
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(The_corrupter's_supporters)
content:
 
<p>
  The corrupter's supporters, while <a href="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/02/excellent-summary-durham-investigation-date-will-durham-destroy-national-security-state-just-hillary-clinton/">engaged in a coup to impose their
  control permanently over the US, constantly accuse their opponents of
  doing something like that</a>.
<p>
  The corrupter just praised Putin directly.  They use similar methods
  of brash and outrageous lies.  But I wonder now whether they really
  are allies.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Lead_shot)
title: Lead shot
uri: 2022-02-28-Lead-shot
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Lead_shot)
content:
 
<p>
  The UK allows people to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/24/voluntary-uk-ban-on-killing-birds-with-lead-shot-has-had-no-detectable-effect">fire lead shot at birds</a>, and the lead gets
  into other birds and makes them toxic.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Total_lies_and_half-truths)
title: Total lies and half-truths
uri: Total-lies-and-half-truths
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Total_lies_and_half-truths)
content:
 
<p>
  *<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/26/russia-lies-america-half-truths">Russia speaks total lies</a>. That doesn’t diminish America’s half-truths.*
<p>
  However, the article's real point is that a government that speaks half-truths
  can sometimes be your only protection from the total lies.
<p>
  <a href="https://taibbi.substack.com/p/note-to-readers-on-the-invasion-of">Matt Taibbi apologizes</a> for the error that blinded him to how
  horrible a deed Putin would do.
  He had become "so fixated on western misbehavior" that he didn't realize
  that the west's enemies could be worse.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_industry_and_Russia)
title: Fossil fuel industry and Russia
uri: Fossil-fuel-industry-and-Russia
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_industry_and_Russia)
content:
 
<p>
  *US fossil fuel industry <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/us-fossil-fuel-industry-russia-ukraine-drilling">leaps on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to argue for more drilling</a>.*
<p>
  Fossil fuel companies led the US and Europe to become so dependent on
  those fuels that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/26/big-oil-ukraine-russia-putin">we became vulnerable to Putin</a>.  We must not let them
  off the hook.
<p>
  The long-term way to defeat Putin and other petrostate autocrats is by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/25/this-is-how-we-defeat-putin-and-other-petrostate-autocrats">decarbonizing</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Pretext_for_invasion)
title: Pretext for invasion
uri: Pretext-for-invasion
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Pretext_for_invasion)
content:
 
<p>
  *The Russian leader’s pretext for invasion <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/vladimir-putin-ukraine-attack-antisemitism-denazify">recasts Ukraine’s Jewish president as a Nazi and Russian Christians as true victims of the Holocaust</a>.*

 


title: UPS cutting wages while profitable
uri: UPS-cutting-wages-while-profitable
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(UPS_cutting_wages_while_profitable)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(UPS_cutting_wages_while_profitable)

content:
 
<p>
  UPS <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/26/ups-part-time-workers-pay-cuts">is so profitable that it is cutting wages</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(El_Salvador_1989_massacre)
title: El Salvador 1989 massacre
uri: El-Salvador-1989-massacre
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(El_Salvador_1989_massacre)
content:
 
<p>
  *El Salvador’s former president <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/el-salvadors-former-president-charged-over-1989-massacre-of-six-jesuit-priests">charged over 1989 massacre of six
  Jesuit priests</a>.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Russia_and_its_lost_empire)
title: Russia and its lost empire
uri: Russia-and-its-lost-empire
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Russia_and_its_lost_empire)
content:
 
<p>
  *The west has a duty to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/25/ukraine-russia-defeat-military-putin">help defend Ukraine –- and to help Russia
  [adjust to the loss of its empire] by ensuring its defeat</a>.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Antivax_protest_and_conspiracies)
title: Antivax protest and conspiracies
uri: Antivax-protest-and-conspiracies
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Antivax_protest_and_conspiracies)
content:
 
<p>
  The antivax protest at the New Zealand's parliament draws people with
  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/so-many-rabbit-holes-even-in-trusting-new-zealand-protests-show-fringe-beliefs-can-flourish">opposition views that are within the domain of rationality</a>, then
  indoctrinates them into conspiracy ideation.

 


title: Demolitions in the Occupied West Bank
uri: Demolitions-in-the-Occupied-West-Bank
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Demolitions_in_the_Occupied_West_Bank)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Demolitions_in_the_Occupied_West_Bank)

content:
 
<p>
  *Israel Surpasses <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/25/israel-palestine-west-bank-demolitions/">1,000 Demolitions in the Occupied West Bank Since
  Joe Biden Took Office</a>.*

 


title: Banks eliminating branches and ATMs
uri: Banks-eliminating-branches-and-ATMs
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Banks_eliminating_branches_and_ATMs)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Banks_eliminating_branches_and_ATMs)

content:
 
<p>
  Spanish banks have been <a href="https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/02/spanish-pensioners-win-rare-battle-against-the-banks-war-on-cash.html">eliminating branches and ATMs, trying to push
  people to pay digitally and suffer tracking</a>.  Retired people have organized
  and pressured banks to back down.
<p>
  People should do this in other countries, too.  But don't put the
  petition on change.org!  That company requires people to run nonfree
  software to sign.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Russia_and_sanctions)
title: Russia and sanctions
uri: Russia-and-sanctions
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Russia_and_sanctions)
content:
 
<p>
  *Western powers have realised <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/western-powers-have-realised-russia-is-largely-immune-to-sanctions-ukraine-putin">Russia is largely immune to sanctions</a>.*
<p>
  In effect, the warnings of disaster that we heard coming from Biden
  were more exaggeration than I guess they were.  Rather than a
  standard-issue paper tiger, they were more like a tissue-paper tiger.
<p>
  The chance we had to prevent this war were months ago.  Starting then,
  we could have provided Ukraine with the military strength to deter the
  attack.
<p>
  *[Putin] has hardly kept his worldview secret – and now <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/25/putin-west-gave-him-green-light-russia-ukraine">Ukraine is
  paying the price for western leaders who looked the other way</a>.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Biden's_Supreme_Court_nominee)
title: Biden's Supreme Court nominee
uri: Biden-s-Supreme-Court-nominee
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Biden's_Supreme_Court_nominee)
content:
 
<p>
  Progressive politicians are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/feb/25/reaction-biden-supreme-court-pick-ketanji-brown-jackson">endorsing Biden's nominee for the Supreme Court</a>.
<p>
  I had read she was associated with harsh policies in criminal justice,
  but if these politicians don't see them as a grave problem, I'm
  satisfied.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Nuclear_power_reactors)
title: Nuclear power reactors
uri: Nuclear-power-reactors
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Nuclear_power_reactors)
content:
 
<p>
  Ukraine's operating nuclear power reactors could <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/nuclear-meltdown-threat-ukraine-russia-attack">melt down and spew
  radiation</a> if they shut down and lose grid power with which to keep the
  fuel cool.
<p>
  War could force them to shut down even if no army intends to do so.
  But Russian attacks towards the plant could kill the staff or drive
  them away.  If Russian troops seize te plants, and try to force
  the staff to work as prisoners, there is no telling what might happen.
<p>
  It is ominous that Russian troops have seized Chernobyl and imprisoned
  the staff that work there.  The wrecked reactors are not a weapon, and
  provide no service to Ukraine that Putin might threaten to shut off.
  It would have been easy and safe to ignore the place and leave the
  staff alone.
<p>
  I can only imagine that he plans to use the wrecked reactors to do
  something vicious, such as poison Ukraine with radioactive waste.  But
  that doesn't make sense either; I can't see that it would gain him
  anything.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Trying_to_vote)
title: Trying to vote
uri: Trying-to-vote
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Trying_to_vote)
content:
 
<p>
  *Judge orders new trial for US woman <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/25/pamela-moses-new-trial-voting-memphis-judge">sentenced to six years for trying
  to register to vote</a>.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Non-wealthy_buildings)
title: Non-wealthy buildings
uri: Non-wealthy-buildings
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Non-wealthy_buildings)
content:
 
<p>
  Historic England, which until now has preserved the old buildings of
  the wealthy and important, has decided to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/25/the-guardian-view-on-ordinary-histories-often-quite-extraordinary">preserve also some buildings
  where the non-wealthy lived or worked</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Blacklisted_or_fired)
title: Blacklisted or fired
uri: Blacklisted-or-fired
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Blacklisted_or_fired)
content:
 
<p>
  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/prominent-russians-join-protests-against-ukraine-war-amid-1800-arrests-putin">Prominent Russians are denouncing Putin's war</a>, though they know they
  may be blacklisted or fired, while ordinary citizens protest on the
  street knowing they will immediately be dragged away.
<p>
  In these photos of protests around the world, I was moved
  especially by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2022/feb/25/people-rally-worldwide-in-support-of-ukraine-in-pictures">the Russians who condemn Putin's war</a>.
  Please let's not blame Russians for what Putin does -- under his
  contemptuous tyranny, which <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-jan-apr.html#19_January_2021_(Navalny_arrested)">crushes dissent and cites absurd reasons</a>,
  they have no say in what Russia does.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Kyiv_morale)
title: Kyiv morale
uri: Kyiv-morale
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Kyiv_morale)
content:
 
<p>
  President Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian high officials say <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/battle-for-kyiv-people-grieving-already-tragedy-ukraine-invasion">they will
  stay in Kyiv to boost morale for the fight to defend the city</a>.
<p>
  I hope that the vice president and some other officials are safe in
  another country where they can constitute the government in exile if
  Kyiv falls.  That will be important to deny Putin control over
  Ukraine's foreign assets and its embassies.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Sweeden_and_Finland)
title: Sweeden and Finland
uri: Sweeden-and-Finland
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Sweeden_and_Finland)
content:
 
<p>
  Putin <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/kyiv-attack-latest-russia-invasion-ukraine">threatened to attack</a> Sweden and Finland if they join NATO.
<p>
  A week ago he was describing NATO as a threat so powerful that he was
  compelled to attack Ukraine to forestall its joining NATO.  Now he
  treats NATO as so weak that that he can bully countries not to join it
  by threatening war against them.  There is a fundamental contradiction
  here.
<p>
  But what he says is not meant to be valid.  It is all part of
  bullying.

 


title: Urgent: Right Whale Coexistence Act
uri: Urgent-Right-Whale-Coexistence-Act
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Urgent:_Right_Whale_Coexistence_Act)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Urgent:_Right_Whale_Coexistence_Act)

content:
 
<p>

US citizens: phone your congresscritter and senators to support
the Right Whale Coexistence Act.

<p>The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.</p>
<p>If you call, please spread the word!</p>

 


title: Urgent: Defund the Coastal Gaslink pipeline
uri: Urgent-Defund-the-Coastal-Gaslink-pipeline
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Urgent:_Defund_the_Coastal_Gaslink_pipeline)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Urgent:_Defund_the_Coastal_Gaslink_pipeline)

content:
 
<p>

US citizens: call on banks to <a href="https://act.stand.earth/page/37922/petition/1">defund the Coastal Gaslink pipeline</a>.

 


title: Wrecking pipeline construction equipment
uri: Wrecking-pipeline-construction-equipment
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Wrecking_pipeline_construction_equipment)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Wrecking_pipeline_construction_equipment)

content:
 
<p>

Pipeline opponents used axes to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/23/night-attack-controversial-canadian-fracked-gas-pipeline-site">wreck construction equipment</a> being
used to construct a gas pipeline along on Canada's Pacific coast.
<p>a
Intentional destruction of property is a crime.  But is destruction of
equipment for building fossil fuel infrastructure as bad a crime as
building that infrastructure?  We know that that will cause, over a
few decades, the destruction of a far larger amount of property, and
much of that will be to property of ordinary people rather than a
planet-roaster enterprise.
<p>
The people that attacked the work camp avoided attacking humans, but
global heating is already <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-sep-dec.html#27_December_2017_(Fossil_fuel_health_effects)">killing millions</a> of people per
year and will surely kill tens of millions per year in a few decades.
<p>
Thus, I think that the necessity defense applies morally, even if not
legally.
<p>
What disturbs me about this attack is that it is an escalation.  It
may inspire other escalations, in retaliation and/or by right-wing
extremists.  I wish it had not come to this.

 


title: Australian fossil fuel facilities
uri: Australian-fossil-fuel-facilities
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Australian_fossil_fuel_facilities)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Australian_fossil_fuel_facilities)

content:
 
<p>

Australia approves fossil fuel facilities based on estimates of how
much greenhouse gas the facility will emit once operating.  But there
is no <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/24/a-fifth-of-australias-fossil-fuel-facilities-emit-more-greenhouse-gas-than-originally-estimated-report-says">effort to verify</a> it stays within that limit.  Some facilities
emit a lot more.
<p>
It seems that the system has been designed to avoid inconvenience
for planet-roasters.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Freshwater_towards_poles)
title: Freshwater towards poles
uri: Freshwater-towards-poles
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Freshwater_towards_poles)
content:
 
<p>

*   Rising temperatures pushing much <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/24/climate-change-is-intensifying-earths-water-cycle-at-twice-the-predicted-rate-research-shows">more freshwater towards poles</a> than
   climate models previously estimated.*
<p>
This means that predictions of droughts and desertification will need
to be revised upward.
<p>
I wonder how this affects the threat to turn off the ocean currents in the
North Atlantic &mdash; the gulf stream and the conveyor.  That would cause
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-may-aug.html#7_August_2021_(Gulf_Stream)">disaster for coastal countries</a> in that region, including Ireland, Britain
and Scandinavia.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Mining_road_in_Alaska)
title: Mining road in Alaska
uri: Mining-road-in-Alaska
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Mining_road_in_Alaska)
content:
 
<p>

*US government <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/23/biden-alaska-mining-road">halts [the wrecker's] plan</a> to approve mining road in Alaska.*

 


title: Chance to eliminate malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS
uri: Chance-to-eliminate-malaria-tuberculosis-and-AIDS
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Chance_to_eliminate_malaria,_tuberculosis_and_AIDS)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Chance_to_eliminate_malaria,_tuberculosis_and_AIDS)

content:
 
<p>

Humanity has a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/23/increase-funding-or-abandon-hope-of-ending-malaria-tb-and-aids-uk-warned">chance to eliminate</a> malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS, but it will require more money.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Attacks_on_Ukraine)
title: Attacks on Ukraine
uri: Attacks-on-Ukraine
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Attacks_on_Ukraine)
content:
 
<p>

Ukraine says it was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-23-22/h_82bf44af2f01ad57f81c0760c6cb697c">attacked from Russia, Belarus, and the Crimea</a>.
<p>
Many major cities have been attacked.  It is clear that though Putin
sent "peacekeepers" using Luhansk and Donetsk as a pretext, their
mission has no particular relation to those insurrections or to the
provinces they are in.
<p>
Putin said he intends to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine.
Translated through his propaganda system, I think that means he
threatens to remove the current "Nazi" government of Ukraine (never
mind that it's led by a Jew) and impose a puppet government.  Perhaps
with permanent Russian "peacekeepers" to keep it in power.
<p>
That doesn't mean it is what he actually intends to do.  Like his US
protege Trumputin, Putin loves lying, and the more brash and absurd,
the better.

 


title: If Biden declares a climate emergency
uri: If-Biden-declares-a-climate-emergency
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(If_Biden_declares_a_climate_emergency)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(If_Biden_declares_a_climate_emergency)

content:
 
<p>

If Biden declares a climate emergency, he would have the authority to
take important steps to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/new-report-details-exactly-what-biden-could-do-after-declaring-climate-emergency">prevent new fossil fuel development</a> and to
speed construction of renewable energy facilities.

 


title: RNA vaccines for more non-rich countries
uri: RNA-vaccines-for-more-non-rich-countries
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(RNA_vaccines_for_more_non-rich_countries)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(RNA_vaccines_for_more_non-rich_countries)

content:
 
<p>

The WHO has decided to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/game-changer-defying-big-pharma-who-expands-vaccine-tech-sharing">help five more non-rich countries</a> make RNA
vaccines.
<p>
One crucial question I have not seen answered: are these countries allowed
to make vaccines for other countries, or only for their own use?
What are the rules for this?

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Suckering_young_people)
title: Suckering young people
uri: Suckering-young-people
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Suckering_young_people)
content:
 
<p>

"Influencing" is based on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/feb/24/hustle-and-hype-the-truth-about-the-influencer-economy">suckering young people</a> with the idea of
beating everyone else in who can sucker more people in.
<p>
It's similar to multi-level marketing, in that of the many who enter
at the bottom, very few make a success of it.  Most of them become part
of the many that the successful ones exploit.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(UK_system_for_student_loans)
title: UK system for student loans
uri: UK-system-for-student-loans
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(UK_system_for_student_loans)
content:
 
<p>

The UK system for student loans had one good quality: if you didn't
get a good income afterward, you didn't have to pay back all of that.
Now, the Tories think that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/feb/24/students-in-england-to-pay-back-loans-over-40-years-instead-of-30">gives poor people too good a deal</a>.

 


title: Minneapolis thugs convicted of hate crimes
uri: Minneapolis-thugs-convicted-of-hate-crimes
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Minneapolis_thugs_convicted_of_hate_crimes)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Minneapolis_thugs_convicted_of_hate_crimes)

content:
 
<p>

Three Minneapolis <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> who failed to prevent the murder of George Floyd
have been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/24/george-floyd-death-police-officers-guilty-civil-rights">convicted of federal hate crimes</a> for failing to intervene
to prevent Chauvin from killing him and helping to deny him
medical attention during the while.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Elon_Musk_under_investigation)
title: Elon Musk under investigation
uri: Elon-Musk-under-investigation
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Elon_Musk_under_investigation)
content:
 
<p>

*Elon Musk and brother <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/24/elon-musk-brother-under-investigation-insider-trading">under investigation</a> for alleged insider trading.*

 


title: Barring Russia from international payments network
uri: Barring-Russia-from-international-payments-network
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Barring_Russia_from_international_payments_network)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Barring_Russia_from_international_payments_network)

content:
 
<p>

*The UK wants to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/24/what-is-swift-international-payments-network-russia-sanction">bar Russia from the international payments network</a> [Swift] &mdash;
   but others doubt the sanction’s value.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Helping_Ukrainians)
title: Helping Ukrainians
uri: Helping-Ukrainians
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Helping_Ukrainians)
content:
 
<p>

*   It will take years for the consequences of 24 February to play out, but
   there is still much the west can do to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/24/russia-invasion-ukraine-europe-ukrainians">help Ukrainians</a>.*
<p>
I'm glad someone agrees with me that we should have given Ukraine
enough weapons and training to deter Putin from invading.

 


title: Transitioning away from fossil fuel jobs
uri: Transitioning-away-from-fossil-fuel-jobs
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Transitioning_away_from_fossil_fuel_jobs)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Transitioning_away_from_fossil_fuel_jobs)

content:
 
<p>

*Greens unveil $19bn plan to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/25/greens-unveil-19bn-plan-to-subsidise-coal-workers-to-transition-away-from-fossil-fuel-jobs">subsidise coal workers</a> to transition away from
fossil fuel jobs.*
<p>
Oops!  If you offer coal miners that cushy deal, coal mine owners will
demand to be paid to transition away from fossil fuel investments.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Abortion_pills_by_mail)
title: Abortion pills by mail
uri: Abortion-pills-by-mail
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Abortion_pills_by_mail)
content:
 
<p>

During the pandemic, England allowed women to obtain abortion pills by mail
and take them at home.  It's not ideal for women to do this alone,
but it's better than being forced to have a baby.
<p>
The US should <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/24/england-abortion-pill-by-post-scheme-scrapped-september-change-law-covid-pandemic">make sure women can do likewise</a>, in Texas and other
states where Republicans are blocking them from getting the pills.

 


title: UK's goal to send Assange to the US
uri: UK-s-goal-to-send-Assange-to-the-US
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(UK's_goal_to_send_Assange_to_the_US)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(UK's_goal_to_send_Assange_to_the_US)

content:
 
<p>

Ecuador's former foreign minister: the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/24/julian-assange-extradition-uk-alan-duncan/">UK's goal all along</a> was to send
Assange to the US.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Living_with_Putin's_aggression)
title: Living with Putin's aggression
uri: Living-with-Putin-s-aggression
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Living_with_Putin's_aggression)
content:
 
<p>

*As a Russian, I don’t know how to live with the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/24/russian-vladimir-putin-ukraine">shame of Putin’s aggression</a>.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Starving_Florida_manatees)
title: Starving Florida manatees
uri: Starving-Florida-manatees
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Starving_Florida_manatees)
content:
 
<p>

*<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/24/florida-manatees-starving">Massive feeding effort</a> underway to save starving Florida manatees.*
<p>
But Republicans are working hard on eliminating the remaining seagrass
and the remaining manatees.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Belief_that_Facebook_is_doomed)
title: Belief that Facebook is doomed
uri: Belief-that-Facebook-is-doomed
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Belief_that_Facebook_is_doomed)
content:
 
<p>

Cory Doctorow believes that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/24/ive-been-waiting-15-years-for-facebook-to-die-im-more-hopeful-than-ever">Facebook is doomed</a>.
<p>
I hope so, but that will be nothing to celebrate if Facebook is
replaced by another online dis-service that has the same basic
injustices.  These include requiring people to run nonfree software,
collecting data users don't ask it to hold, and promoting whatever
postings tend to cause outrage.
<p>
Don't be a zucker &mdash; don't be <a href="/facebook.html">used by Facebook</a>!
But don't assume that everything else is ok!

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Defectors_at_risk)
title: Defectors at risk
uri: Defectors-at-risk
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Defectors_at_risk)
content:
 
<p>
  *"I'm a dead man walking": ex-Russian spy says <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/im-a-dead-man-walking-ex-russian-spy-says-defectors-in-uk-are-at-risk">defectors in the UK are at risk</a>.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Physically_unable_to_work)
title: Physically unable to work
uri: Physically-unable-to-work
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Physically_unable_to_work)
content:
 
<p>
  Part of the current shortage of workers is because of people who have
  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/pandemic-driven-early-retirement-isnt-silver-lining-ill-health">become physically unable to work</a>.  That could be due to Covid-19 damage.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Decriminalizing_sex_work)
title: Decriminalizing sex work
uri: 2022-02-28-Decriminalizing-sex-work
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Decriminalizing_sex_work)
content:
 
<p>
  New York State is considering <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/sex-work-new-york-decriminalize-safely">two approaches to decriminalizing sex work</a>.
  One would legalize the profession; the other would continue the threat
  to punish everyone involved except the prostitutes themselves.
<p>
  I agree that it is important to protect sex workers from enslavement
  and exploitation.  However, prosecuting customers and answering
  services makes no sense at all.
<p>
  Legalization does not have to imply deregulation -- many other kinds
  of businesses are regulated, and sex businesses can be too.  When
  trafficking becomes frequent in any kind of business, the regulations
  can be designed to catch traffickers.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Nuclear_weapons)
title: Nuclear weapons
uri: 2022-02-28-Nuclear-weapons
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Nuclear_weapons)
content:
 
<p>
Ukraine gave up the nuclear weapons that it inherited when the
Soviet Union broke up.  Putin's invasion is <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/27/ukraine-nuclear-weapons-russia-invasion/">the sort of thing that
will make other countries in the future cling to nuclear weapons</a>.

 


title: The UK plans to prohibit anonymous internet platform use
uri: The-UK-plans-to-prohibit-anonymous-internet-platform-use
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(The_UK_plans_to_prohibit_anonymous_internet_platform_use)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(The_UK_plans_to_prohibit_anonymous_internet_platform_use)

content:
 
<p>
  The UK <a href="https://www.engadget.com/facebook-google-and-other-tech-firms-must-verify-identities-under-proposed-uk-law-112501065.html?src=rss">plans to prohibit anonymous use of many internet platforms</a> --
  in the name of "protecting children", of course.

 


title: Veteran Hershy's workers' union drive
uri: Veteran-Hershy-s-workers-union-drive
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Veteran_Hershy's_workers'_union_drive)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Veteran_Hershy's_workers'_union_drive)

content:
 
<p>
  *Veteran Hershey's Workers <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/veteran-hersheys-workers-lead-union-drive-benefit-new-hires">Lead Union Drive to Benefit New Hires</a>.*

 


title: Ordered the prosecution for sex-change treatments
uri: Ordered-the-prosecution-for-sex-change-treatments
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Ordered_prosecution_for_sex-change_treatments)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Ordered_prosecution_for_sex-change_treatments)

content:
 
<p>
  The governor of Texas has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/texas-das-refuse-comply-abbott-order-criminalize-care-trans-kids">ordered prosecution of anyone (including
  parents) involved in providing sex-change treatments to transgender
  youth</a>.  This attempts to twist a law that Republicans failed to
  actually change.  Some DAs in Texas have said they will refuse to
  comply prosecute.
<p>
  However, those families (and many others) may be persecuted anyway as
  state agencies investigate them, looking for an excuse to take their
  children away.

 


title: Harshness against convicted criminals
uri: Harshness-against-convicted-criminals
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Harshness_against_convicted_criminals)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Harshness_against_convicted_criminals)

content:
 
<p>
  The steady right-wing pressure to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/26/los-angeles-california-prosecutor-reform-agenda-roll-over">maintain maximum harshness against
  convicted criminals seizes on and magnifies any outlying case</a>.
<p>
  Every decision about policies in dealing with crime is a probabilistic
  one.  If you replace policy A with policy B, there will be cases where
  the result of B is better and cases where the result of B is worse.
  Whether B is a change for the better overall depends on the frequency
  of better and worse outcomes.
<p>
  A wave of indignation is not a substitute for a rational evaluation of.
  the results of using policy B, not even in one specific case.  We
  don't know yet whether convict Tubbs will commit more crimes after
  experiencing juvenile hall than she would have committed after a
  sentence in adult prison.  Indeed, the general experience with adult
  prison suggests it often directs prisoners toward a life of crime.
<p>
  If B turns out to give worse results in a identifiable subset
  of cases, that doesn't necessary imply that going back to A is
  the best change.  Maybe some variant B' would be better than
  either A or B in such cases.
<p>
  So I think that Gascon's latest decision was premature.

 


title: Supermarkets cutting workers' pay
uri: Supermarkets-cutting-workers-pay
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Supermarkets_cutting_workers'_pay)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Supermarkets_cutting_workers'_pay)

content:
 
<p>
  US supermarkets are making great profits, but <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/27/grocery-workers-seek-better-pay-chains-reap-huge-profits">finding sneaky ways
  to cut some workers' pay</a>.

 


title: Russian troops expelled from Kharkiv
uri: Russian-troops-expelled-from-Kharkiv
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Russian_troops_expelled_from_Kharkiv)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Russian_troops_expelled_from_Kharkiv)

content:
 
<p>
  Ukraine says that Ukrainian forces <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/kharkiv-fighting-russia-ukraine-invasion">defeated and expelled Russian
  forces from Kharkiv, and that Russian soldiers surrendered in groups</a>.
<p>
  One can't trust announcements from any side in a war, though.
<p>
  Germany will <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/germany-set-up-fund-boost-military-strength-ukraine-putin">give antitank and antiaircraft missiles to Ukraine</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Deterrence_forces)
title: Deterrence forces
uri: Deterrence-forces
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Deterrence_forces)
content:
 
<p>
  Putin announced that he has "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/vladimir-putin-puts-russia-nuclear-deterrence-forces-on-high-alert-ukraine">transferred the deterrence forces of the
  Russian army to a special mode of combat duty</a>."
<p>
  I think that is his way of saying, "I'm a maniac swinging a loaded gun
  around, so do exactly what I say."  But I don't think he is really a
  maniac -- I think this is manipulation.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Putin_and_the_west's_influence)
title: Putin and the west's influence
uri: Putin-and-the-west-s-influence
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Putin_and_the_west's_influence)
content:
 
<p>
  How the west <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/27/putin-now-doing-what-he-accused-america-regime-change">influenced Putin's thinking for the worse</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(The_saboteurs)
title: The saboteurs
uri: The-saboteurs
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(The_saboteurs)
content:
 
<p>
  *If the UK government had <a href="https://www.monbiot.com/2022/02/25/the-saboteurs/">set out to undermine and degrade our
  country, it couldn't have done a better job</a>.*
<p>
  I suspect that, in practice, the difference between "undermine the
  country" and "drive the non-rich into penury" is not very big.

 


title: Global heating and national security
uri: Global-heating-and-national-security
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Global_heating_and_national_security)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Global_heating_and_national_security)

content:
 
<p>
  The International Red Cross warns that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/27/climate-emergency-a-national-security-concern-says-red-cross">global heating is a threat to the national security of every country</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Boiling_water)
title: Boiling water
uri: Boiling-water
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Boiling_water)
content:
 
<p>
  Conjecture: the availability of inexpensive tea made Britons healthier
  in the 19th century because, to drink tea, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/the-guardian-view-on-a-swill-idea-that-history-was-made-in-a-tea-break">they had to boil the water</a>.
<p>
  I speculate that Britons can thank the rebellious American
  colonists for the 1784 decrease in the British tax on tea.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Proctorio)
title: Proctorio
uri: 2022-02-28-Proctorio
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Proctorio)
content:
 
<p>
  Proctorio, the company which makes nonfree software that takes total
  control of a student's computer in the name of preventing cheating,
  is <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/epxqgw/proctorio-is-going-after-digital-rights-groups-that-bash-their-proctoring-software">using legal harassment against organizations that criticized it</a>.
<p>
  Students, please organize and demand that your school stop demanding that you
  run vicious surveillance software.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Nuclear_power_plants)
title: Nuclear power plants
uri: 2022-02-28-Nuclear-power-plants
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Nuclear_power_plants)
content:
 
<p>
  On the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/26/conflict-between-nuclear-powered-nations-chernobyl-now-war-zone">risk of disaster posed by Ukraine's nuclear power plants</a>.

 


title: UK plans to prohibit anonymous internet platform use
uri: UK-plans-to-prohibit-anonymous-internet-platform-use
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(UK_plans_to_prohibit_anonymous_internet_platform_use)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(UK_plans_to_prohibit_anonymous_internet_platform_use)

content:
 
<p>
  The UK <a href="https://www.engadget.com/facebook-google-and-other-tech-firms-must-verify-identities-under-proposed-uk-law-112501065.html?src=rss">plans to prohibit anonymous use of many internet platforms</a> --
  in the name of "protecting children", of course.

 


title: Stop showing Faux News on military bases
uri: Stop-showing-Faux-News-on-military-bases
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Stop_showing_Faux_News_on_military_bases)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Stop_showing_Faux_News_on_military_bases)

content:
 
<p>
  The US military <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/10/its-time-pentagon-pulled-plug-fox-news">must stop showing Faux News, with its insurrectionist
  and antivaxx propaganda, on military bases</a>.

 


title: Republican wants to remove students with Russian nationality
uri: Republican-wants-to-remove-students-with-Russian-nationality
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Republican_wants_to_remove_students_with_Russian_nationality)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Republican_wants_to_remove_students_with_Russian_nationality)

content:
 
<p>
  A Republican congresscritter proposed <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/national-politics/article/Swalwell-proposes-expelling-Russian-students-16947581.php">expelling all students of
  Russian nationality from US universities</a>.
  That would be mindless scapegoating -- exactly what one expects from
  Republicans.  Those students are not serving Putin by going to school
  in the US.
<p>
  I urged countries to <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-may-aug.html#30_June_2021_(Chinese_students_in_Australia)">limit the number of students from China</a>, but that
  is not a matter of trying to hurt Chinese students.  It is because
  China has an organized system of forcing Chinese nationals (and people
  who have relatives in China who can be used as hostages) to act as
  instruments to pressure students, faculty, and the universities
  themselves.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(SWIFT_bank_transfer_system)
title: SWIFT bank transfer system
uri: SWIFT-bank-transfer-system
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(SWIFT_bank_transfer_system)
content:
 
<p>
  The US, UK, Europe and Canada have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/us-uk-europe-and-canada-to-block-russian-access-to-swift">joined to limit Russia's use of the
  SWIFT bank transfer system</a>.
<p>
  *SWIFT action at last <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/swift-action-at-last-brings-meaningful-sanctions-against-putin-regime">brings meaningful sanctions against Putin regime</a>.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Ukrainians_at_barricades)
title: Ukrainians at barricades
uri: Ukrainians-at-barricades
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Ukrainians_at_barricades)
content:
 
<p>
  *Armed with hammers and pistols, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/armed-with-hammers-and-pistols-ukrainians-wait-at-barricades-for-the-russians">Ukrainians wait at barricades for the Russians</a>.*
<p>
  It's not going to be very effective at resistance, if Putin tells the
  Putin army to plow through them.

 


title: Veteral Hershy's workers' union drive
uri: Veteral-Hershy-s-workers-union-drive
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Veteral_Hershy's_workers'_union_drive)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Veteral_Hershy's_workers'_union_drive)

content:
 
<p>
  *Veteran Hershey's Workers <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/veteran-hersheys-workers-lead-union-drive-benefit-new-hires">Lead Union Drive to Benefit New Hires</a>.*

 


title: Ordered rosecution for sex-change treatments
uri: Ordered-rosecution-for-sex-change-treatments
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Ordered_rosecution_for_sex-change_treatments)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Ordered_rosecution_for_sex-change_treatments)

content:
 
<p>
  The governor of Texas has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/texas-das-refuse-comply-abbott-order-criminalize-care-trans-kids">ordered prosecution of anyone (including
  parents) involved in providing sex-change treatments to transgender
  youth</a>.  This attemots to twist a law that Republicans failed to
  actually change.  Some DAs in Texas have said they will refuse to
  comply prosecute.
<p>
  However, those families (and many others) may be persecuted anyway as
  state agencies investigate them, looking for an excuse to take their
  children away.

 


title: Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for violence against trans people
uri: Marjorie-Taylor-Greene-calls-for-violence-against-trans-people
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Marjorie_Taylor_Greene_calls_for_violence_against_trans_people)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Marjorie_Taylor_Greene_calls_for_violence_against_trans_people)

content:
 
<p>
  Republican congressfascist <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/alex-jones/conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-show-rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-calls-violent-physical">openly advocated violence against trans people</a>.

 


title: DeJoy orders gas-powered Postal Service trucks
uri: DeJoy-orders-gas-powered-Postal-Service-trucks
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(DeJoy_orders_gas-powered_Postal_Service_trucks)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(DeJoy_orders_gas-powered_Postal_Service_trucks)

content:
 
<p>
  DeJoy has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/tear-deal-outrage-dejoy-finalizes-plan-buy-gas-guzzling-trucks">finished the procedure for ordering a new fleet of
  gas-powered trucks for the Postal Service</a>.
<p>
  It seems that Biden's new postal commissioners have been confirmed.
  We were told that they would replace DeJoy,  Why has this not happened?

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Propaganda_techniques)
title: Propaganda techniques
uri: Propaganda-techniques
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Propaganda_techniques)
content:
 
<p>
  The Canadian military launched an operation to collect data on activists
  as part of <a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/military-leaders-saw-pandemic-as-unique-opportunity-to-test-propaganda-techniques-on-canadians-forces-report-says">a plan to test propaganda techniques on Canada's public</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_((Satire)_U.S._Shocked_by_Russia)
title: (Satire) U.S. Shocked by Russia
uri: (Satire)-U-S-Shocked-by-Russia
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_((Satire)_U.S._Shocked_by_Russia)
content:
 
<p>
  (satire) *U.S. Shocked Russia Would Invade Another Country After
  <a href="https://www.theonion.com/u-s-shocked-russia-would-invade-another-country-after-1848590786">Seeing How Badly America's Recent Invasions Went</a>.*

 


title: Tories increasing what low-income graduates need to pay
uri: Tories-increasing-what-low-income-graduates-need-to-pay
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Tories_increasing_what_low-income_graduates_need_to_pay)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Tories_increasing_what_low-income_graduates_need_to_pay)

content:
 
<p>
  The Tories are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/feb/24/england-student-loan-changes-will-hit-poor-hardest-official-analysis-finds">planning a massive increase in what graduates with low
  incomes will have to pay for their university education</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(World_domination_by_2030)
title: World domination by 2030
uri: World-domination-by-2030
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(World_domination_by_2030)
content:
 
<p>
  <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/24/planet-brink-china-digging-its-own-grave-and-ours-well">China is pushing for world dominion by 2030</a>, but it is boosting
  greenhouse gas emissions so much that its power is likely to be broken
  by the cost of global heating effects by 2050.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Leftover_pasta_sauce)
title: Leftover pasta sauce
uri: Leftover-pasta-sauce
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Leftover_pasta_sauce)
content:
 
<p>
(satire) *Scotch-Brite Unveils New Scouring Bread For <a href="https://www.theonion.com/scotch-brite-unveils-new-scouring-bread-for-wiping-up-l-1848477950">Wiping Up
Leftover Pasta Sauce On Plate</a>.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_((Satire)_Solitary_Warehouse)
title: (Satire) Solitary Warehouse
uri: (Satire)-Solitary-Warehouse
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_((Satire)_Solitary_Warehouse)
content:
 
<p>
(satire) *Amazon Transfers Insubordinate Employee To Shifts <a href="https://www.theonion.com/amazon-transfers-insubordinate-employee-to-shifts-worki-1848588213">Working In Solitary Warehouse</a>.*

 


title: Hashness against convicted criminals
uri: Hashness-against-convicted-criminals
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Hashness_against_convicted_criminals)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Hashness_against_convicted_criminals)

content:
 
<p>
  The steady right-wing pressure to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/26/los-angeles-california-prosecutor-reform-agenda-roll-over">maintain maximum harshness against
  convicted criminals seizes on and magnifies any outlying case</a>.
<p>
  Every decision about policies in dealing with crime is a probabilistic
  one.  If you replace policy A with policy B, there will be cases where
  the result of B is better and cases where the result of B is worse.
  Whether B is a change for the better overall depends on the frequency
  of better and worse outcomes.
<p>
  A wave of indignation is not a substitute for a rational evaluation of.
  the results of using policy B, not even in one specific case.  We
  don't know yet whether convict Tubbs will commit more crimes after
  experiencing juvenile hall than she would have committed after a
  sentence in adult prison.  Indeed, the general experience with adult
  prison suggests it often directs prisoners toward a life of crime.
<p>
  If B turns out to give worse results in a identifiable subset
  of cases, that doesn't necessary imply that going back to A is
  the best change.  Maybe some variant B' would be better than
  either A or B in such cases.
<p>
  So I think that Gascon's latest decision was premature.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Dubya_lies)
title: Dubya lies
uri: Dubya-lies
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#28_February_2022_(Dubya_lies)
content:
 
<p>
  The lies that Dubya forced into US intelligence reports about Iraq
  caused <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/26/how-george-w-bush-laid-groundwork-putins-invasion-ukraine">a lasting skepticism about US intelligence reports</a>,
  which did harm just now, as people distrusted the reports
  about Putin that we now know were valid.
<p>
  Now US intelligence says that Putin's army is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-25-22/h_c3235e08f974d46a04900efa688e3554">considering taking the
  relatives of Ukrainian soldiers hostage and killing them if the
  soldiers don't surrender</a>.
<p>
  Putin has established a pattern of shocking the world by taking
  barbarity further than people could have believed.  <a href="https://www.stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Sweeden_and_Finland)">Threatening war
  if Sweden and Finland join NATO</a>
  is the latest example.  That doesn't prove he would descend to terrorism,
  but it would fit his pattern.
<p>
  We must not allow him to win victories by threatening barbarity.
  The proper response to such barbarity is, "Wanted dead or alive."
<p>
  However, even if Putin is planning to do that, he has not done it yet.
  There is a big moral difference between "may do X" and "has done X."
  Putin still has the option of <em>not</em> murdering hostages.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Urgent:_reject_new_oil_field)
title: Urgent: reject new oil field
uri: Urgent-reject-new-oil-field
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Urgent:_reject_new_oil_field)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://civicshout.com/p/sign-the-petition-no-arctic-drilling">call on Biden</a> to reject ConocoPhillps's plan to construct
a large oil field near Alaska's Arctic coast.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Urgent:_drug_pricing_reform)
title: Urgent: drug pricing reform
uri: Urgent-drug-pricing-reform
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Urgent:_drug_pricing_reform)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-demand-that-congress-advance-drug-pricing-reform-through-reconciliation?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to advance drug pricing reform through
the budget reconciliation process.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Denouncing_Putin's_war)
title: Denouncing Putin's war
uri: Denouncing-Putin-s-war
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Denouncing_Putin's_war)
content:
 
<p>
An EU representative denounced Putin's war with Ukraine, and his
dishonesty <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/eu-will-provide-weapons-for-ukraine-josep-borrell">both before and since, on behalf of the EU</a>.

<p>
One point calls for a response.

<p>
Putinite weapons have hit civilian targets.  That does not imply that
troops knowingly attacked civilian targets, or that the weapons were
aimed at those targets.  War causes confusion, and fighting often does
unintended damage.  Consider how often troops in any army hit other
troops on the same side, despite having rules designed to prevent
that.  I think we should wait for a clear pattern that goes beyond
possible accidents before accusing Putinite forces of intentionally
attacking civilians.

<p>
We do have grounds to accuse Putin of the principal Nuremberg crime:
aggressive war.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Freedom_and_democracy)
title: Freedom and democracy
uri: Freedom-and-democracy
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Freedom_and_democracy)
content:
 
<p>
As Bogus Johnson talks about supporting freedom and democracy,
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/ukraine-liberal-ideals-boris-johnson-tories-russian-money">the Tories are attacking both of them in the UK</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Privatizing_Medicare)
title: Privatizing Medicare
uri: 2022-03-01-Privatizing-Medicare
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Privatizing_Medicare)
content:
 
<p>
Biden has continued the corrupter's experiment in privatizing Medicare,
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/25/band-aid-tumor-critics-blast-biden-rebrand-trumps-medicare-privatization-scheme">with only cosmetic changes</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Social_networks_resisting)
title: Social networks resisting
uri: Social-networks-resisting
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Social_networks_resisting)
content:
 
<p>
US-based social networks are starting <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/24/social-media-platforms-russia-ukraine-disinformation-00011559">to resist the massive Russian
disinformation wave</a>.

<p>
So Russia <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/93bgq7/russia-will-restrict-access-to-facebook-state-media-reports">is threatening to block them in Russia</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Accepting_parents)
title: Accepting parents
uri: Accepting-parents
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Accepting_parents)
content:
 
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/governor-abbott-warns-children-of-accepting-parents-oft-1848596376">satire</a>) *Governor Abbott [of Texas] Warns Children Of Accepting
Parents Often Grow Up To Become Accepting As Well.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Guns_vanish_into_thin_air)
title: Guns vanish into thin air
uri: Guns-vanish-into-thin-air
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Guns_vanish_into_thin_air)
content:
 
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/russian-soldiers-guns-tanks-vanish-into-thin-air-as-f-1848595481">satire</a>) *Russian Soldiers' Guns, Tanks Vanish Into Thin Air As First
Wave Of Sanctions Takes Effect.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Building_on_flooded_area)
title: Building on flooded area
uri: Building-on-flooded-area
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Building_on_flooded_area)
content:
 
<p>
A new bicycle factory in England will be built in an area that is
occasionally flooded -- on stilts, so that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/feb/25/brompton-bikes-plans-100m-wetland-factory-on-stilts">it won't be shut down
when that happens</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Alternate_elector_effort)
title: Alternate elector effort
uri: Alternate-elector-effort
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Alternate_elector_effort)
content:
 
<p>
*Georgia GOP chair tells January 6 committee that [the wrecker's]
campaign <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/25/politics/georgia-gop-chair-january-6-committee-trump-campaign/index.html">directed alternate elector effort</a>.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Pre-deployed_weapons)
title: Pre-deployed weapons
uri: Pre-deployed-weapons
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Pre-deployed_weapons)
content:
 
<p>
We can think of nuclear power plants as "pre-deployed radiological
weapons".  Just add <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/26/conflict-between-nuclear-powered-nations-chernobyl-now-war-zone">a conventional bomb&hellip;</a>


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Data_collecting)
title: Data collecting
uri: Data-collecting
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Data_collecting)
content:
 
<p>
Here's what data Amazon admits collecting <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/27/the-data-game-what-amazon-knows-about-you-and-how-to-stop-it">from people that do business
with it</a>.

<p>
How to stop it?  That's easy.  First, don't buy from Amazon.  Second,
ask your friends not to give Amazon your name, address, or anything
else.  If that has already happened, that doesn't mean you have to let
it happen again!

<p>
I can testify that it isn't hard, because I do that for _all_ online
stores.  The only exception I make is for prescriptions, since those
have to be in my name.

<p>
The extra level of boycott that I do against Amazon is that, if someone
is going to buy something for me -- either as a gift, or as a favor which
I'm going to reimburse -- I say, "Please do _not_ get it from Amazon!"


 


title: Campaigning against censorship and repression
uri: Campaigning-against-censorship-and-repression
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Campaigning_against_censorship_and_repression)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Campaigning_against_censorship_and_repression)

content:
 
<p>
In Thailand, students <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/the-student-the-penguin-and-the-king-elite-thai-university-roiled-by-dissent">are campaigning intensely against royalist
censorship and repression</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Crumbling_pyramid_of_power)
title: Crumbling pyramid of power
uri: Crumbling-pyramid-of-power
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Crumbling_pyramid_of_power)
content:
 
<p>
Vladimir Sorokin: *Vladimir Putin sits <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/vladimir-putin-russia-ukraine-power">atop a crumbling pyramid of
power</a>.*


 


title: Censoring journalist via imprisonment
uri: Censoring-journalist-via-imprisonment
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Censoring_journalist_via_imprisonment)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Censoring_journalist_via_imprisonment)

content:
 
<p>
An interview with Rana Ayyub, an Indian journalist that Modi's supporters
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/reviled-harassed-abused-narenda-modis-most-trenchant-critic-speaks-out">are trying to censor via imprisonment</a>.



 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(China_social_credit)
title: China purposing AI regulations
uri: China-purposing-AI-regulations
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(China_social_credit)
content:
 
<p>
China is planning to protect individual rights against automated
discrimination that 
<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/china-regulate-ai-world-watching/">companies implement to increase profits.</a>

<p>
I suppose that the official system of discrimination by 
<a href="https://gizmodo.com/your-credit-score-should-be-based-on-your-web-history-1845912592">"social credit score" will continue.</a>

<p>
This illustrates the paradox of China.  The state is powerful enough
to keep companies from oppressing people; but, because it is
nondemocratic and does not respect human rights itself, it does the
oppression itself.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(disruption_platform)
title: Politics of disruption
uri: Politics-of-disruption
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(disruption_platform)
content:
 
<p>
Arguing against "disruption" as a desirable characteristic of business,
and refuting supposed 
<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/disruption-mobility-platforms-politics/">reasons to tolerate being disrupted.</a>

<p>
That argument is valid as far as it goes; but the article, as usual in
business-oriented writing, disregards entirely the danger of tracking
people's movements.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Russian_labor_peace)
title: Labor confederation demands peace in Ukraine
uri: Labor-confederation-demands-peace-in-Ukraine
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Russian_labor_peace)
content:
 
<p>
*Russian Labor Confederation 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/26/russian-labor-confederation-demands-peace-ukraine">Demands Peace in Ukraine.</a>*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Prohibiting_slavery)
title: Historic court documents shed light on abolitionist's legal battle
uri: Historic-court-documents-shed-light-on-abolitionist-s-legal-battle
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Prohibiting_slavery)
content:
 
<p>
Prohibiting slavery in northern states was a gradual process.  A
number of 19th century court decisions shed light on 
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/27/us/sojourner-truth-court-battle-ny-archives/index.html">how free black women sued to win their children out of slavery.</a>

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Russian_vodka_boycotts)
title: Russian vodka boycotts
uri: Russian-vodka-boycotts
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Russian_vodka_boycotts)
content:
 
<p>
Don't trash bottles of vodka without checking their origin -- hardly
any of it 
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/27/business/russian-vodka-boycotts/index.html">comes from Russia nowadays.</a>

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(concealed_covid_loans)
title: Firm's with huge Covid loans will be kept secret
uri: Firm-s-with-huge-Covid-loans-will-be-kept-secret
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(concealed_covid_loans)
content:
 
<p>
The Tories have decided to conceal most of the companies
that got big loans to help them deal with the pandemic.
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/feb/26/names-of-firms-given-huge-covid-loans-will-be-secret">comes from Russia nowadays.</a>

<p>
Many of them committed fraud, but those whose names are secret can't
be investigated to see whether they did so.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Ukraine_russia_conflict)
title: Ukraine's defense mechanism
uri: Ukraine-s-defense-mechanism
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Ukraine_russia_conflict)
content:
 
<p>
If a conquered country has an organized people, it can often use
nonviolent resistance to compel the conqueror to make some
compromises.  In addition, if other enemies continue fighting the
conqueror, this nonviolent resistance can help them defeat the
conqueror so they 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/26/even-without-russias-military-might-ukraine-can-defend-against-invasion">can liberate the conquered country.</a>

<p>
Nonviolent effort to reduce the oppressiveness of an occupation can do
some good.  But the occupation of Norway and Denmark lasted only 5
years.  Ukraine could be occupied for decades.

<p>
I think that the fact that Ukraine is fighting bravely is the reason
why NATO countries have chosen such strong nonviolent actions against
Russia.  If Ukraine had surrendered without a fight, it would never
have stirred up such a response.

<p>
After writing that, I saw that 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/28/vladimir-putin-war-russia-ukraine">Hariri said something similar.</a>

<p>
Now we can say, "Strike a blow against Putin -- decarbonize!"

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(nature_vs_nurture)
title: Big idea about nature vs nurture
uri: Big-idea-about-nature-vs-nurture
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(nature_vs_nurture)
content:
 
<p>
Let's stop trying to figure out what aspects of people's minds are
shaped by genes and which by their environment.  The genes and the
environment work together in such complex ways 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/28/the-big-idea-is-it-time-to-stop-talking-about-nature-versus-nurture">that there is no simple
way to separate them.</a>

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(climate_rightwing_crisis)
title: Right-wing judges on climate issues
uri: Right-wing-judges-on-climate-issues
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(climate_rightwing_crisis)
content:
 
<p>
Laurence H Tribe and Jeremy Lewin: The right-wing majority on the
Supreme Court is prepared to attack 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/28/us-supreme-court-rightwing-climate-crisis">climate defense on ideological grounds.</a>

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Russian_oligarchs)
title: UK tackling dirty money with new laws
uri: UK-tackling-dirty-money-with-new-laws
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Russian_oligarchs)
content:
 
<p>
Putin's invasion has convinced the UK to force hidden owners
of property in the 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/28/russian-oligarchs-in-uk-face-new-laws-tackling-dirty-money">UK to identify themselves.</a>

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Ukraine_bigoil_profit)
title: Big oil profits as Ukrainian people suffer
uri: Big-oil-profits-as-Ukrainian-people-suffer
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Ukraine_bigoil_profit)
content:
 
<p>
The fossil fuel industry should be forced to fund the clean energy
transition, not allowed to make even more money as the 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/27/big-oil-trying-profit-war-ukraine">Ukrainian people suffer.</a>*

<p>
A windfall profits tax is the least step we can take.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Cop26_climate_crisis)
title: Impact of climate crisis worse than predicted
uri: Impact-of-climate-crisis-worse-than-predicted
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#1_March_2022_(Cop26_climate_crisis)
content:
 
<p>
The leader of the Cop26 climate conference says that global heating
effects are 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/28/impact-of-climate-crisis-much-worse-than-predicted-says-alok-sharma">much worse than previously predicted.</a>
<p>
The IPCC *report says human actions are causing dangerous disruption,
and window to 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/28/ipcc-issues-bleakest-warning-yet-impacts-climate-breakdown">secure a livable future is closing.</a>*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Begging_for_blankets)
title: Begging for blankets
uri: Begging-for-blankets
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Begging_for_blankets)
content:
 
<p>
Tories have driven Britons into such poverty that they are begging for
blankets -- <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/01/food-banks-bedding-banks-worst-poverty-gordon-brown">they can't afford heating</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Do_not_privatize_Medicare)
title: Urgent: Do not privatize Medicare
uri: Urgent-Do-not-privatize-Medicare
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Do_not_privatize_Medicare)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/save-medicare-privatization/">call on Biden and HHS Secretary Becerra</a> to end the
project to privatize Medicare.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Climate_action_now)
title: Urgent: Climate action now
uri: Urgent-Climate-action-now
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Climate_action_now)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.greennewdealnetwork.org/survey/ads_ms_GNDN_progam_202202_EA_sotu/">Tell  Biden</a> we need climate action now.


 


title: Urgent: Stop funding anti-abortion politicians
uri: Urgent-Stop-funding-anti-abortion-politicians
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_funding_anti-abortion_politicians)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_funding_anti-abortion_politicians)

content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/Disney_abortionban/">call on Disney</a> to stop funding anti-abortion
politicians.


 


title: Urgent: Confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson
uri: Urgent-Confirm-Ketanji-Brown-Jackson
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Ketanji_Brown_Jackson)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Ketanji_Brown_Jackson)

content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Ketanji-Brown-Jackson/">call on your Senators</a> to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson
right away as a Supreme Court justice.


 


title: Urgent: ban foam cups and boxes made of polystyrene
uri: Urgent-ban-foam-cups-and-boxes-made-of-polystyrene
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_ban_foam_cups_and_boxes_made_of_polystyrene)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_ban_foam_cups_and_boxes_made_of_polystyrene)

content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=48918">call on your state governor</a> to support banning foam cups
and boxes made of polystyrene.

<p>
To sign <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">without running nonfree JavaScript code</a>
                                                from the web site,
use <a href="https://stallman.org/salsalabs-method.html">the Salsalabs workaround</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Protect_mature_trees)
title: Urgent: Protect mature trees
uri: Urgent-Protect-mature-trees
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Protect_mature_trees)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=48832">call on Biden</a> to protect mature trees in national
forests.

<p>
To sign <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">without running nonfree JavaScript code</a>
                                                from the web site,
use <a href="https://stallman.org/salsalabs-method.html">the Salsalabs workaround</a>.


 


title: Urgent: Solidarity with russian anti-war activists
uri: Urgent-Solidarity-with-russian-anti-war-activists
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Solidarity_with_russian_anti-war_activists)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Solidarity_with_russian_anti-war_activists)

content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=14539">pledge solidarity</a> with Russian anti-war
activists against militarism by any country.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Nato_membership)
title: Nato membership
uri: Nato-membership
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Nato_membership)
content:
 
<p>
* People in Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia and Romania
   fear [that] Nato membership <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/01/ukraine-neighbours-nato-lithuania-poland-slovakia-latvia-estonia-romania">may not stop more Russian incursions</a>.*

<p>
On the other hand, those westerners' dependence on Russian gas and oil
is no one's fault except their own.  Decarbonize!


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Wages_negotiations)
title: Wages negotiations
uri: Wages-negotiations
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Wages_negotiations)
content:
 
<p>
California will empower fast food workers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/01/california-fast-food-workers-bill-fast-recovery-act">to negotiate collectively
about wages</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Munich_Philharmonic_sacks_conductor)
title: Munich Philharmonic sacks conductor
uri: Munich-Philharmonic-sacks-conductor
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Munich_Philharmonic_sacks_conductor)
content:
 
<p>
*Munich Philharmonic sacks conductor Valery Gergiev <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/mar/01/munich-philharmonic-sacks-conductor-valery-gergiev-over-failure-to-denounce-putin">over failure to
denounce Putin</a>.*

<p>
We achieve nothing against Putin by scapegoating Russians that state
their support for him.  Cancelling them undermines freedom of opinion
in our own countries.  Gergiev has little influence in the west --
Trumputin is the Putin supporter that we should really be concerned
about.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Deep_drought)
title: Deep drought
uri: Deep-drought
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Deep_drought)
content:
 
<p>
<a href="/glossary.html#global heating">Global heating</a> has caused a deep drought in northern Argentina, 
which resulted in big wildfires <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/01/paraguay-wildfires-ash-cloud">that have covered half of Paraguay
with smoke</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_give_IRS_resources)
title: Urgent: give IRS resources
uri: Urgent-give-IRS-resources
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_give_IRS_resources)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-congress-give-the-irs-the-resources-it-needs-to-serve-taxpayers-and-catch-wealthy-tax-cheats?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to give the IRS the resources it needs
to serve taxpayers and catch wealthy tax cheats.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Protesting_war)
title: Protesting war
uri: Protesting-war
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Protesting_war)
content:
 
<p>
5000 Russians have dared to protest against Putin's war, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/27/over-2100-anti-war-protesters-arrested-russia">knowing they
will be jailed</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Tigray_war)
title: Tigray war
uri: Tigray-war
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#2_March_2022_(Tigray_war)
content:
 
<p>
Tigray is now fighting a local war <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/28/before-they-were-our-brothers-now-i-want-revenge-tigray-conflict-engulfs-neighbouring-state">with the neighboring part of the
Afar region</a>.

<p>
The people there are angry but also say that the hostility of Tigray,
which they used to have close relations with, is confusing when seen from Afar.




 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Urgent:_respect_farmworkers)
title: Urgent: respect farmworkers
uri: Urgent-respect-farmworkers
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Urgent:_respect_farmworkers)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-gov-mills-respect-farmworkers-and-sign-into-law-their-right-to-organize-now?nowrapper=true">call on Maine Gov. Mills</a> to respect farmworkers and sign
the bill that gives them the right to organize.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Urgent:_get_the_world_vaccinated)
title: Urgent: get the world vaccinated
uri: Urgent-get-the-world-vaccinated
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Urgent:_get_the_world_vaccinated)
content:
 
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-on-today-to-help-us-end-covid-now-4?nowrapper=true">call on Biden</a> to get the world vaccinated against
Covid-19.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Treaty_on_plastic_waste)
title: Treaty on plastic waste
uri: Treaty-on-plastic-waste
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Treaty_on_plastic_waste)
content:
 
<p>
*World leaders agree <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/02/world-leaders-agree-draw-up-historic-treaty-plastic-waste">to draw up "historic" treaty on plastic waste</a>.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Denying_Muslims_the_right_to_vote)
title: Denying Muslims the right to vote
uri: Denying-Muslims-the-right-to-vote
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Denying_Muslims_the_right_to_vote)
content:
 
<p>
The Hindu Nationalists of India have reached the point where their elected officials <a href="https://pieterjfriedrich.medium.com/looming-genocide-in-modis-india-threatens-both-muslims-christians-3e01438c87d8">openly demand denying Muslims the right to vote</a>.

<p>
Meanwhile, their supporters commit violence, even going as far as murder.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Exploiting_relationship)
title: Exploiting relationship
uri: Exploiting-relationship
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Exploiting_relationship)
content:
 
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/teen-wondering-whether-boyfriend-even-loves-her-if-he-u-1848563341">satire</a>) *Teen Wondering Whether Boyfriend Even Loves Her If He
Unwilling To Exploit Relationship For TikTok.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Investigating_war_on_terror)
title: Investigating war on terror
uri: Investigating-war-on-terror
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Investigating_war_on_terror)
content:
 
<p>

The Belmarsh Tribunal does more than defend Julian Assange.  It investigates
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/28/war-crime-belmarsh-tribunal-demands-accountability-war-terror">the crimes of the "war on terror"</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Sanctions_and_diplomacy)
title: Sanctions and diplomacy
uri: Sanctions-and-diplomacy
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Sanctions_and_diplomacy)
content:
 
<p>
It won't be easy for sanctions on Russia to convince Putin to make
peace.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/28/sanctions-dont-work-diplomacy-stop-putin-russia-ukraine">Diplomacy might do it</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Blocking_Africans_trying_to_flee)
title: Blocking Africans trying to flee
uri: Blocking-Africans-trying-to-flee
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Blocking_Africans_trying_to_flee)
content:
 
<p>
Nigeria says that Poland <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/28/nigeria-condemns-treatment-africans-trying-to-flee-ukraine-government-poland-discrimination">is blocking Africans trying to flee Ukraine</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Expanding_NATO)
title: Expanding NATO
uri: Expanding-NATO
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Expanding_NATO)
content:
 
<p>
Some predicted many years ago that expanding NATO towards and into the
former Soviet Union could make Russian leaders angry.  To the extent
that they wanted Russia to be a world power, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/28/nato-expansion-war-russia-ukraine">reducing that power would
be galling</a>.
  For this reason, it would arguably have been wiser to hold back some
distance, and leave a buffer zone.

<p>
However, we should not make the mistake of equating the reduction of a
country's international power with attacking or destroying it.  NATO
expansion was not war.  It did not include a military attack.  It did
not damage Russia's land, or its people, its capital, or its economy.
It may have motivated Putin to start wars, but was in no sense grounds
to start wars.


 


title: Small window to mitigate worst effects of global heating
uri: Small-window-to-mitigate-worst-effects-of-global-heating
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Small_window_to_mitigate_worst_effects_of_global_heating)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Small_window_to_mitigate_worst_effects_of_global_heating)

content:
 
<p>
The IPCC says there is only a small window in which <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/28/ipcc-climate-report-grim-hope">to mitigate the
worst effects of global heating</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Bank_sanctions)
title: Bank sanctions
uri: Bank-sanctions
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Bank_sanctions)
content:
 
<p>
Bank sanctions <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/28/the-damage-is-done-russians-face-economic-point-of-no-return">have hit Russia very hard</a>.
  Is there any way for the Russian people to tell Putin to change
course, such that he can hear them?


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Pyrocumulus_clouds)
title: Pyrocumulus clouds
uri: Pyrocumulus-clouds
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Pyrocumulus_clouds)
content:
 
<p>
The pyrocumulus clouds caused by more intense wildfires <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/01/smoke-from-black-summer-bushfires-depleted-ozone-layer-study-finds">deplete the
ozone layer</a>.

<p>
As many problems caused by <a href="/glossary.html#global heating">global heating</a> get bigger, they start to
have important indirect effects that cause new problems.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Failed_climate_leadership)
title: Failed climate leadership
uri: Failed-climate-leadership
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Failed_climate_leadership)
content:
 
<p>
*UN Chief: IPCC Report a '<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/28/un-chief-ipcc-report-damning-indictment-failed-climate-leadership">Damning Indictment of Failed Climate Leadership</a>'.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Letting_families_choose_schools)
title: Letting families choose schools
uri: Letting-families-choose-schools
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Letting_families_choose_schools)
content:
 
<p>
*Letting families in England choose schools hasn’t made things better –- <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/01/england-choose-schools-stressful-national-offer-day-scotland">just
more stressful</a>.*

<p>
*The evidence &hellip; suggests such measures have had
   minimal impact on educational attainment and have worsened class-based
   segregation between schools. Far from giving people a sense of control,
   the process has created a maelstrom of anxiety and disenchantment.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Destroying_slums)
title: Destroying slums
uri: Destroying-slums
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Destroying_slums)
content:
 
<p>
Nigeria is destroying slums in a coastal city, leaving poor people
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/01/we-woke-to-bulldozers-nigeria-slum-clearance-leaves-thousands-homeless">with no possessions and nowhere to go</a>.
  If they try to take anything with them, <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> attack them.



 


title: Urgent: Pardon everyone convicted for possession of marijuana
uri: Urgent-Pardon-everyone-convicted-for-possession-of-marijuana
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Urgent:_Pardon_everyone_convicted_for_possession_of_marijuana)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Urgent:_Pardon_everyone_convicted_for_possession_of_marijuana)

content:
 
<p>

US citizens: call on Biden to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/petition-tell-president-biden-issue-pardons-for-marijuana-offenses">pardon everyone convicted for possession
of marijuana</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Mixed-race_child_who_looks_white)
title: Mixed-race child who looks white
uri: Mixed-race-child-who-looks-white
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Mixed-race_child_who_looks_white)
content:
 
<p>

The mother of a mixed-race child who looks white is suing his school
for telling him to <a href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2021/01/21/las-vegas-charter-school-sued-for-curriculum-covering-race-identity/">think of himself as an "oppressor"</a> because he looks white.
<p>
The article linked to just above displays symbolic bigotry by
capitalizing "black" but not "white".  (To avoid endorsing bigotry,
capitalize both words or neither one.)  I object to bigotry, and
normally I decline to link to articles which promote it.  But I make
exceptions for some articles which give important information about
racism or the fight to eliminate racism.  That article is one of the
exceptions.
<p>
The fact that some would call that boy "black" adds an extra element
of irony to the case, but I don't think it changes the issue at all.
It's wrong to judge people as guilty based on their race.  Whether
guilty for being white or guilty for being black, it's wrong.
<p>
Meanwhile, Republicans are encouraging a confusion between anti-white
bigotry and critical race theory.  Let's look at each one and see the
difference.
<p>
Critical race theory deals with the history of institutions and laws,
and how some of them shaped and perpetuated racism.  It's important to
teach that, and important to learn that, but prejudging individuals is
not part of it.
<p>
Anti-white bigotry seems to be a perversion of anti-racism.  It uses
terms such as "white guilt" and "white debt" and teaches that anyone
who is white ought to spend per whole life in shame.  That isn't
critical race theory, so let's not call it that.
<p>
A system that forces children into debt is oppression, and that
includes "white debt".  To be born indebted is like being born
enslaved.
<p>
When Republicans condemn teaching "critical race theory", and define
that term to include "white debt", that is an instance of their
general political approach: disinformation.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Private_medical_treatment_in_Britain)
title: Private medical treatment in Britain
uri: Private-medical-treatment-in-Britain
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Private_medical_treatment_in_Britain)
content:
 
<p>

The Tories have degraded to the point that 15% of Britons are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/mar/02/private-healthcare-boom-two-tier-system-uk">ready to pay
for private medical treatment</a>.
<p>
Next step: make the NHS so inadequate that anyone who can afford
private treatment will go for that, and the rest will get only
the most basic treatment for the easily cured diseases.
More or less like the US.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Corrupter_trying_to_abolish_NATO)
title: Corrupter trying to abolish NATO
uri: Corrupter-trying-to-abolish-NATO
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Corrupter_trying_to_abolish_NATO)
content:
 
<p>

The corrupter has been <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/28/putins-most-dangerous-fan-donald-j-trump">close friends</a> with Putin since before being
elected, and has been trying to undermine or abolish NATO.
<p>
Rebecca Solnit: *It's time to confront the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/02/time-to-confront-trump-putin-network">Trump-Putin network</a>.*
<p>
I am skeptical of the claim that Wikileaks got the material showing
the dishonesty of Clinton and the Democratic National Convention
towards Sanders from Russian spies.  Assange said that was not so,
and I trust him.
<p>
However, that was just a side point in the article linked to.
<p>
Overall, I think the name "Trumputin" fits what we are dealing with.

 


title: Extremist Republicans spoke at white supremacists' event
uri: Extremist-Republicans-spoke-at-white-supremacists-event
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Extremist_Republicans_spoke_at_white_supremacists'_event)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Extremist_Republicans_spoke_at_white_supremacists'_event)

content:
 
<p>

Two extremist Republicans in Congress have crossed the Republican Party's line
by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/28/politics/republican-reaction-marjorie-taylor-greene/index.html">speaking at a white supremacists' event</a>.  Powerful Republican politicians
are condemning them.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Repression_of_Taiwan)
title: Repression of Taiwan
uri: Repression-of-Taiwan
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Repression_of_Taiwan)
content:
 
<p>

Taiwan became a democracy only in the 1960s.  For decades after World
War II, it was a repressive dictatorship run by the rulers recently
defeated on the mainland.  Taiwan is now beginning to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/28/asia/taiwan-228-democracy-intl-hnk-dst/index.html">examine the repression</a>
of that period.

 


title: Tests of flammable cladding materials
uri: Tests-of-flammable-cladding-materials
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Tests_of_flammable_cladding_materials)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Tests_of_flammable_cladding_materials)

content:
 
<p>

The UK government <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/28/cladding-danger-evidence-15-years-before-grenfell-tower-fire">tested flammable cladding materials</a> 15 years before
the deadly fire of 2017.  Somehow it neglected to take steps to update
the fire code to prohibit use of those materials.
<p>
The UK government under Tory rule has shown a pervasive tendency to
fail in ways that screw individual and let businesses get away with
murder.  This is one example.  Another is the <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#06_August_2014_(Impossible_hoops_of_UK_jobcenters)">privatized "jobcenters"</a>
that default to <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-nov-feb.html#20_February_2018_(View_of_disabled_people)">punishing welfare recipients</a> for any technical
violation of the onerous rules.

 


title: Policies that tend to shorten lifespans
uri: Policies-that-tend-to-shorten-lifespans
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Policies_that_tend_to_shorten_lifespans)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Policies_that_tend_to_shorten_lifespans)

content:
 
<p>

Republican officians promote a long list of policies that tend to
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/03/01/gop-has-become-party-poverty-disease-and-death">shorten Americans' lifespans</a> (especially poor Americans and
disprivileged groups).  It's mostly because they are hand-in-glove with
racists, religious fanatics and greedy billionaires.
<p>
However, when the wrecker was president they got even worse.  Nowadays they
support policies that make America more deadly, because that gives their
followers a chance to enjoy being jerks.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Lukashenko_has_become_Putin's_puppet)
title: Lukashenko has become Putin's puppet
uri: Lukashenko-has-become-Putin-s-puppet
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Lukashenko_has_become_Putin's_puppet)
content:
 
<p>

Lukashenko, who has become Putin's puppet, announced that Belarus would retract
its pledge <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/28/world-racing-toward-cliff-belarus-host-russian-nuclear-weapons">not to have nuclear weapons</a>.
<p>
Doing this publicly is a way to make it act as a threat.  For instance,
he could make vague threats against NATO.
<p>
In addition, next time the Belarusians try to kick out Lukashenko, he
will be able to threaten to nuke Belarus's cities.  But I suppose he
will not actually do that.
<p>
Trumputin <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2019-may-aug.html#4_August_2019_(Intermediate_range_nuclear_missile_treaty)">canceled the IRBM treaty</a>,
with which both the US and Russia
agreed not to station intermediate-range ballistic missiles with
nuclear warheads in Europe.  Would Putin like to reestablish that
treaty?  If so, it would make sense for the US to demand that Belarus
pledge to continue not to have nuclear weapons as part of the treaty.
<p>
Has Putin shown a wish to resume that treaty?  I have to wonder
whether Trumputin canceled it as a favor to Putin &mdash; to give him the
benefit of getting out of that treaty, while dumping on the US the
onus of terminating it.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Torn_between_two_factions)
title: Torn between two factions
uri: Torn-between-two-factions
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Torn_between_two_factions)
content:
 
<p>

Ukraine was torn between two factions, the pro-Russian faction and the
pro-EU faction.  There were a number of Nazis in the latter.  But then
Ukrainians conclusively <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/28/ukraine-maps-tell-different-story-putins-claims">rejected both factions</a>, and the Nazis, by voting
for President Zelenskiy.
<p>
Volodymyr Zelenskiy's surprising career before becoming president of
Ukraine: he was a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/02/a-rehearsal-for-war-volodymyr-zelenskiys-path-from-comic-to-symbol-of-courage">popular comic actor</a>.
<p>
Ronald Reagan, the actor turned president, used his acting skills to
lull Americans into letting the rich take a bigger fraction, and
waiting like a cargo cult for wealth to "trickle down".
<p>
Zelenskiy uses his skills to be the best possible leader for a Ukraine
under invasion.

 


title: Human rights defenders murdered in 2021
uri: Human-rights-defenders-murdered-in-2021
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Human_rights_defenders_murdered_in_2021)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Human_rights_defenders_murdered_in_2021)

content:
 
<p>

Over 350 human rights defenders were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/02/more-human-rights-defenders-murdered-2021-environmental-indigenous-rights-activists">murdered in 2021</a>.

 


title: Bringing Putin to justice over Ukraine
uri: Bringing-Putin-to-justice-over-Ukraine
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Bringing_Putin_to_justice_over_Ukraine)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Bringing_Putin_to_justice_over_Ukraine)

content:
 
<p>

*Could international criminal court <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/02/could-international-criminal-court-bring-putin-to-justice-over-ukraine">bring Putin to justice</a> over Ukraine?*
<p>
Probably not &mdash; it would take a bolt of luck to be able to arrest him.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Sanctions_on_Russian_oligarchs)
title: Sanctions on Russian oligarchs
uri: Sanctions-on-Russian-oligarchs
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Sanctions_on_Russian_oligarchs)
content:
 
<p>

The UK is slowly considering <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/01/roman-abramovich-hastily-selling-uk-properties-mp-claims">imposing sanctions</a> on Russian oligarchs linked
to Putin, giving them time to sell what they own in Russia.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Don't_be_a_Tankie)
title: Don't be a Tankie
uri: Don-t-be-a-Tankie
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Don't_be_a_Tankie)
content:
 
<p>

*Don't Be a Tankie: <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/03/01/ukraine-russia-leftists-tankie/">How the Left Should Respond</a> to Russia's Invasion of
 Ukraine.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Torrential_rains_in_Australia)
title: Torrential rains in Australia
uri: Torrential-rains-in-Australia
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Torrential_rains_in_Australia)
content:
 
<p>

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/02/floods-and-livestock-losses-leave-nsw-and-queensland-farmers-reeling-from-third-disaster-in-three-years">Torrential rains</a> on Australia's east coast have destroyed farms as
well as homes.
<p>
How much more will it take to teach Australians to vote the
planet-roasters out of office?

 


title: ACLU suing to stop Texas Republican officials
uri: ACLU-suing-to-stop-Texas-Republican-officials
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(ACLU_suing_to_stop_Texas_Republican_officials)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(ACLU_suing_to_stop_Texas_Republican_officials)

content:
 
<p>

The ACLU is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/01/lawsuit-aims-to-block-texas-investigating-parents-seeking-care-trans-children">suing to stop Texas Republican officials from persecuting
the parents</a> of transgender children for giving them drugs (that they
requested) to delay puberty or alter their secondary sexual
characteristics.

 


title: Egyptians seen in jail "torture" videos
uri: Egyptians-seen-in-jail-torture-videos
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Egyptians_seen_in_jail_torture_videos)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#3_March_2022_(Egyptians_seen_in_jail_torture_videos)

content:
 
<p>

*Egyptians seen in jail "torture" videos <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/02/egyptians-seen-in-jail-torture-videos-charged-with-spreading-fake-news">charged with spreading fake news</a>.*
<p>
This illustrates how completely Orwellian many repressive governments
have become, including Russia. China, Egypt, Nicaragua and more.
Republicans have <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#8_January_2022_(January_6)">tried some of this in the US</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Excessive_force)
title: Excessive force
uri: Excessive-force
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Excessive_force)
content:
 
<p>
*Former Delaware [<a href="/glossary.html#thug">thug</a>] charged in two excessive force cases after
surveillance video went viral.*  He faces <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/01/us/wilmington-delaware-officer-indicted-excessive-force/index.html">a potential sentence of 13
years in prison</a>.

<p>
I am very gratified to see prosecution of <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> extend to those whose
crimes did not kill anyone.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Biodiversity_loss)
title: Biodiversity loss
uri: 2022-03-04-Biodiversity-loss
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Biodiversity_loss)
content:
 
<p>
*Rich Nations Driving Biodiversity Loss <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/01/rich-nations-driving-biodiversity-loss-called-invest-billions-developing-world">Called to Invest Billions in
Developing World</a>.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Fawlty_towers)
title: Fawlty towers
uri: Fawlty-towers
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Fawlty_towers)
content:
 
<p>
Russian media meet Fawlty Towers -- "<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/2/do-not-call-ukraine-invasion-a-war-russia-tells-media-schools">Don't talk about the war</a>!"


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Goth_phase)
title: Goth phase
uri: Goth-phase
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Goth_phase)
content:
 
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/crows-evolve-new-blond-look-concluding-17-million-year-1848607696">satire</a>) *Crows Evolve New Blond Look Concluding 17-Million-Year Goth
Phase.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Carbon_emission_trading)
title: Carbon emission trading
uri: Carbon-emission-trading
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Carbon_emission_trading)
content:
 
<p>
One of the flaws of "carbon emission trading" is that speculators
enter the trading market.  That is causing volatility now in the EU's
emission trading market -- the price has fallen, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/02/eu-carbon-permit-prices-crash-after-russian-invasion-of-ukraine">so that it is now
cheaper to pollute</a>.

<p>
A carefully-designed carbon tax would avoid this problem.  It has no
room for speculation.  Furthermore, it is possible to make a special
increase the tax if emissions are not declining fast enough.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Confronting_propaganda)
title: Confronting propaganda
uri: Confronting-propaganda
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Confronting_propaganda)
content:
 
<p>
George Monbiot: *We must confront Russian propaganda – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/02/russian-propaganda-anti-imperialist-left-vladimir-putin">even when it
comes from those we respect</a>.*

<p>
*The argument of the Left should be, that in 2003, other governments did
   not put enough pressure on the United States over Iraq. Not that <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/03/02/my-letter-kyiv-anti-imperialist-idiots-west">it is
   necessary to exert less pressure on Russia over Ukraine now</a>.*


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Shipping_cartels)
title: Shipping cartels
uri: Shipping-cartels
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Shipping_cartels)
content:
 
<p>
*Biden Announces "Crackdown" on Profiteering Shipping Cartels <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/03/02/state-union-global-shipping-exports/">to Fight
 Inflation</a>.*


 


title: Encouraging people to go without masks
uri: Encouraging-people-to-go-without-masks
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Encouraging_people_to_go_without_masks)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Encouraging_people_to_go_without_masks)

content:
 
<p>
Biden (and many state and local officials) have yielded to pressure
from fools and assholes, and decided <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/02/white-house-new-covid-strategy-test-to-treat">to encourage people in most of
the US to go without masks</a>.

<p>
As the article says, this policy puts vulnerable people on their own
as increasing numbers of people either say, "It's safe now" (the
fools), or "Fuck you, I won't go to any trouble to avoid giving you a
disease" (the assholes).  There are lots of vulnerable people -- I
read that in the UK <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(A_perilous_and_politicized_pandemic_response)">they amount to 1/4 of the population</a>.
  I have no such figure for the US, but I am one of them.

<p>
The Covid transmission rate in Massachusetts has been going down (I
don't have access to info about other states), but last week it
decreased only 27% -- less than before.  How fast it continues to
decrease will depend on how much we take precautions, including masks
and vaccination.  If many Americans stop using masks, the transmission
rate will decrease more slowly, and may start increasing again.

<p>
Imagine if millions of people got tired of brushing their teeth and
decided to stop worrying about the danger of losing them in a few
years  That's what this seems like to me.

<p>
Biden talked about a "test to treat" system.  In principle that is
good, but how often should you get tested?  If you have to take the
subway to work several days a week, and/or if you are near other
people at work, you could catch Covid-19 any working day.  Should you
get tested on each working day?  Can the system handle that much
testing?  Can you afford whatever it will cost?

<p>
Will low-paid "essential workers" be able to participate in this
system?

<p>
The treatments available are for preventing severe disease that might
lead to death.  I have not heard whether they prevent lasting
disability.  Do we know whether "long Covid" is still a danger, with
Omicron?  I have seen no info on this, and if we don't know it isn't
still a danger we have to presume it is.  Long Covid used to be far
more common than death, and some forms of it are as bad as death in my
estimation.  Fatigue all day?  Mental disorganization?  Losing the
sense of taste and smell and finding all food boring or horrible?

<p>
I have started talking with people I know about the importance of
using N95 masks, and the fact that drug stores are distributing them
gratis in the US.  Efforts to inform the public have not reached most
people.  Now that good masks are available, everyone should switch.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Feeding_salmon)
title: Feeding salmon
uri: Feeding-salmon
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Feeding_salmon)
content:
 
<p>
* Wealthy nations accused of depriving poorer ones of nutrient-rich
   food and wasting mackerel, sardine and anchovy stocks -- <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/02/wild-fish-stocks-squandered-to-feed-farmed-salmon-study-finds">to feed
   farmed salmon</a>.*

<p>
I don't think there is anything wrong <em>in principle</em> in farming
salmon, but we who are wealthier must not starve the poor.

<p>
At the same time, every country has an obligation to stabilize its
population.  If we don't end population growth, it will reduce
everyone to poverty.  Now that we are hitting global resource limits,
no people should imagine that they can have population growth without
taking from other people.  Humanity must back off from these limits,
and <a href="https://stallman.org/articles/children.html">the only human way is by a lot fewer births</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Attacking_nonwhite_refugees)
title: Attacking nonwhite refugees
uri: Attacking-nonwhite-refugees
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Attacking_nonwhite_refugees)
content:
 
<p>
Right-wing Polish racists attacked nonwhite refugees who had fled
Ukraine, and are organizing disinformation falsely accusing refugees
of committing crimes, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/02/people-of-colour-fleeing-ukraine-attacked-by-polish-nationalists">to stir up support for their scapegoating</a>.



 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Putin_forces)
title: Putin forces
uri: Putin-forces
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#4_March_2022_(Putin_forces)
content:
 
<p>
The Russian Army has <a href="https://stallman.org/articles/putin-forces.html">become the Putin Forces</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(ACLU_suing_over_Texas's_persecution)
title: ACLU suing over Texas's persecution
uri: ACLU-suing-over-Texas-s-persecution
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(ACLU_suing_over_Texas's_persecution)
content:
 
<p>
  The ACLU is suing to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/01/aclu-files-suit-over-texas-investigation-parents-trans-child">stop Texas from persecuting parents that enable their transgender children to get puberty-delaying or sex-change medical treatment</a>.
<p>
  I've learned that such treatment is very effective against depression
  and suicide among trans youth.  So I am very much in favor of making
  it available.
<p>
  But I think we need to have an objective way to refer to the
  treatments we are talking about, one that doesn't incorporate a
  built-in stance about them.  I don't like the term "gender-affirming
  treatments" because it tries to twist people's arms to approve of
  them.  I'd rather approve of them by my own free choice.

 


title: AIG stops insuring coal, tar sands, and Arctic drilling
uri: AIG-stops-insuring-coal-tar-sands-and-Arctic-drilling
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(AIG_stops_insuring_coal,_tar_sands,_and_artic_drilling)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(AIG_stops_insuring_coal,_tar_sands,_and_artic_drilling)

content:
 
<p>
  *[Insurance company] AIG to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/01/major-step-forward-aig-stop-insuring-coal-tar-sands-and-arctic-drilling">Stop Insuring Coal, Tar Sands, and Arctic Drilling</a>.*
<p>
  We will still have to fight to get them to stop insuring other gas and oil projects.

 


title: Last independent news source in Russia shut down
uri: Last-independent-news-source-in-Russia-shut-down
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Last_independent_news_source_in_Russia_shut_down)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Last_independent_news_source_in_Russia_shut_down)

content:
 
<p>
  Putin <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/media/journalism-crackdown-russia/index.html">shut down the last independent news source in Russia</a>, and the staff are trying to flee.

 


title: CDC revised guidelines based on one goal
uri: CDC-revised-guidelines-based-on-one-goal
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(CDC_revised_guidelines_based_on_one_goal)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(CDC_revised_guidelines_based_on_one_goal)

content:
 
<p>
  The CDC's revised mask guidelines are based on just one goal:
  <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/health/children-parents-cdc-mask-guidelines-wellness/index.html">to prevent hospitals from getting full</a>.
<p>
  That goal is important, but the CDC has abandoned other important
  goals, such as reducing the total number of people who eventually get
  sick, which is the way to reduce the number who eventually develop
  Long Covid disabilities, and the number who eventually die of the
  disease.

 


title: Calling for a no-first-use nuclear weapon policy
uri: Calling-for-a-no-first-use-nuclear-weapon-policy
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Calling_for_a_no-first-use_nuclear_weapon_policy)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Calling_for_a_no-first-use_nuclear_weapon_policy)

content:
 
<p>
  Calling for the US to adopt a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/03/amid-putins-nuclear-threats-democrats-renew-call-no-first-use-policy">no-first-use policy for nuclear weapons</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Plan_to_end_releasing_microplastics)
title: Plan to end releasing microplastics
uri: Plan-to-end-releasing-microplastics
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Plan_to_end_releasing_microplastics)
content:
 
<p>
  California's plan to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/03/california-new-measures-curb-microplastic-pollution">end the release of microplastics into the environment</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Oath_Keeper_pled_guilty)
title: Oath Keeper pled guilty
uri: Oath-Keeper-pled-guilty
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Oath_Keeper_pled_guilty)
content:
 
<p>
  One of the Oath Keepers <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/politics/oath-keeper-plea-deal-seditious-conspiracy/index.html">pled guilty to seditious conspiracy for 6 Jan 2021</a>.
<p>
  This will include testifying against the others.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Conflict_and_climate_change)
title: Conflict and climate change
uri: Conflict-and-climate-change
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Conflict_and_climate_change)
content:
 
<p>
  *If we are concerned about the situation in Ukraine when both nations
  have access to largely affordable food and water, what is going to
  happen when water becomes scarce and food prices soar? We can answer
  this question <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/03/02/conflict-and-climate-change-new-normal">by looking at our recent past</a>.*
<p>
  The article is blind to one aspect of the issue: that each country
  needs to curb its population growth to avoid making the problem even more
  difficult.

 


title: Vile things Trump did to Zelensky and Ukraine
uri: Vile-things-Trump-did-to-Zelensky-and-Ukraine
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Vile_things_Trump_did_to_Zelensky_and_Ukraine)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Vile_things_Trump_did_to_Zelensky_and_Ukraine)

content:
 
<p>
  *Opinion: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/01/vindman-zelensky-ukraine-putin/">Five vile things Trump did to Zelensky and Ukraine</a> that you forgot about.*

 


title: Cutting Russia from the internet would be a bad idea
uri: Cutting-Russia-from-the-internet-would-be-a-bad-idea
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Cutting_Russia_from_the_internet_would_be_a_bad_idea)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Cutting_Russia_from_the_internet_would_be_a_bad_idea)

content:
 
<p>
  Why <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/ukraine-wants-russia-cut-off-from-core-internet-systems-experts-say-its-a-bad-idea/">it would be a bad idea to cut Russia off from the internet</a>.

 


title: Hydropower dams and the increasing aridity
uri: Hydropower-dams-and-the-increasing-aridity
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Hydropower_dams_and_the_increasing_aridity)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Hydropower_dams_and_the_increasing_aridity)

content:
 
<p>
  Increasing aridity in the US southwest is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/03/us/lake-powell-water-colorado-river-climate/index.html">lowering the water level
  in the lakes behind hydropower dams.  A little lower and those dams
  will cease to generate electricity</a>.
<p>
  People will use fossil fuels instead, thus speeding the development of
  more aridity.

 


title: Kuwaiti princess and partner targeted "on political grounds"
uri: Kuwaiti-princess-and-partner-targeted-on-political-grounds
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Kuwaiti_princess_and_partner_targeted_on_political_grounds)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Kuwaiti_princess_and_partner_targeted_on_political_grounds)

content:
 
<p>
  *Interpol arrest warrant allegedly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/03/interpol-arrest-warrant-allegedly-targeting-kuwaiti-princess-and-partner-on-political-grounds">targeting Kuwaiti princess and
  partner "on political grounds"</a>.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(History_of_economic_warfare)
title: History of "economic warfare"
uri: History-of-economic-warfare
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(History_of_economic_warfare)
content:
 
<p>
  The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/03/russia-west-financial-war-sanctions">history of "economic warfare"</a>, a.k.a. trade sanctions, and what
  they imply.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Border_wall_breached)
title: Border wall breached
uri: Border-wall-breached
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Border_wall_breached)
content:
 
<p>
  People-smugglers find it easy to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/03/trump-border-wall-breached-smugglers">make holes in the bullshitter's
  "impenetrable" wall on the Mexican border</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(War_crime_by_another_name)
title: War crime by another name
uri: War-crime-by-another-name
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(War_crime_by_another_name)
content:
 
<p>
  *The Guardian view on Putin's siege tactics in Ukraine: a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/03/the-guardian-view-on-putins-siege-tactics-in-ukraine-a-war-by-another-name">war crime by
  another name</a>.*

 


title: Calling for a no-first-use nuclear weapon polocy
uri: Calling-for-a-no-first-use-nuclear-weapon-polocy
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Calling_for_a_no-first-use_nuclear_weapon_polocy)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Calling_for_a_no-first-use_nuclear_weapon_polocy)

content:
 
<p>
  Calling for the US to adopt a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/03/amid-putins-nuclear-threats-democrats-renew-call-no-first-use-policy">no-first-use policy for nuclear weapons</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Nuclear_power_plant_attacked)
title: Nuclear power plant attacked
uri: Nuclear-power-plant-attacked
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Nuclear_power_plant_attacked)
content:
 
<p>
  The Putin forces <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/ukraine-nuclear-power-plant-fire-zaporizhzhia-russian-shelling">attacked a Ukrainian nuclear power plant with artillery
  and hit one of the reactor blocks</a>.
  (The shelling started a fire in a building at the site, of no crucial importance.)
<p>
  To reach the plant, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/02/russians-fire-ukraine-civilians-blocking-road-nuclear-plant">soldiers fired at civilians who were blocking the road</a>.
<p>
  By giving the order to do fire on the plant, Putin risked serious
  damage to the plant and releasing radioactive materials.  That would
  have endangered people in a wide area, including Ukrainians, Russians
  who live to the east, and to some extent people in the European
  countries to the west.
<p>
  We have to interpret this as a form of threatening a nuclear attack.
<p>
  This shows a powerful reason not to have nuclear power plants any more.

 


title: Mandatory arbitration contracts prohibited
uri: Mandatory-arbitration-contracts-prohibited
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Mandatory_arbitration_contracts_prohibited)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Mandatory_arbitration_contracts_prohibited)

content:
 
<p>
  The US has <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/03/03/sexual-harassment-forced-arbitration-fair-act/">prohibited mandatory arbitration contracts</a> that require
  workers to deal with sexual harassment or crimes at work through
  arbitration instead of going to court.
<p>
  It is a good first step, but the same needs to be done for other sorts
  of accusations, and for customers as well.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Avenues_of_corruption)
title: Avenues of corruption
uri: Avenues-of-corruption
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Avenues_of_corruption)
content:
 
<p>
  The UK <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/03/dodgy-russian-money-britain-democracy-conservatives-londongrad">must close the avenues of corruption</a> that Russian oligarchs &mdash;
  and other rich people &mdash; have taken advantage of.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Plan_to_end_releasing_microplasics)
title: Plan to end releasing microplasics
uri: Plan-to-end-releasing-microplasics
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Plan_to_end_releasing_microplasics)
content:
 
<p>
  California's plan to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/03/california-new-measures-curb-microplastic-pollution">end the release of microplastics into the environment</a>.


 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Harsher_sentences)
title: Harsher sentences
uri: Harsher-sentences
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Harsher_sentences)
content:
 
<p>
  *In several prominent cases, black people <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/03/voter-fraud-election-crime-sentencing-racial-disparity">got harsher sentences for
  unintentional voting errors than whites who committed fraud</a>.*
<p>
  The article linked to just above displays symbolic bigotry by
  capitalizing "black" but not "white".  (To avoid endorsing bigotry,
  capitalize both words or neither one.)  I object to bigotry, and
  normally I decline to link to articles which promote it.  But I make
  exceptions for some articles which give important information about
  racism or the fight to eliminate racism.  That article is one of the
  exceptions.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Urgent:_Vacant_US_diplomat_offices)
title: Urgent: Vacant US diplomat offices
uri: Urgent-Vacant-US-diplomat-offices
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#5_March_2022_(Urgent:_Vacant_US_diplomat_offices)
content:
 
<p>
  US citizens: call on Senators Schumer and Menendez
  to <a href="https://act.winwithoutwar.org/act/staff_up_state?source=em20220228&t=1006&akid=7600%2E223515%2EfskJNG">take
  up the nominees for 50 vacant offices for US diplomats</a>.

 


title: Urgent: Fire the official that is stubbornly trying to privatize Medicare
uri: Urgent-Fire-the-official-that-is-stubbornly-trying-to-privatize-Medic
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Fire_the_official_that_is_stubbornly_trying_to_privatize_Medicare)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Fire_the_official_that_is_stubbornly_trying_to_privatize_Medicare)

content:
 
<p>
  US citizens: call on Biden to <a href="https://civicshout.com/p/tell-president-biden-fire-medicare-privatizer-liz-fowler?link_id=1">fire the official that is stubbornly trying to privatize Medicare</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Pass_the_College_for_All_Act)
title: Urgent: Pass the College for All Act
uri: Urgent-Pass-the-College-for-All-Act
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Pass_the_College_for_All_Act)
content:
 
<p>
  US citizens: call on Congress to <a href="https://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=14220">Pass the College for All Act</a>.
<p>
  To sign without running <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">nonfree JavaScript code</a> from the web site, use <a href="/salsalabs-method.html">the Salsalabs workaround</a>.

 


title: Urgent: Stop providing weapons to Saudi Arabia
uri: Urgent-Stop-providing-weapons-to-Saudi-Arabia
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_providing_weapons_to_Saudi_Arabia)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_providing_weapons_to_Saudi_Arabia)

content:
 
<p>
  US citizens: call on Congress to <a href="https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6503/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=14428">stop providing weapons to Saudi Arabia</a>.
<p>
  To sign without running <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">nonfree JavaScript code</a> from the web site, use <a href="/salsalabs-method.html">the Salsalabs workaround</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Ukraine_towns_shelled_into_ruins)
title: Ukraine towns shelled into ruins
uri: Ukraine-towns-shelled-into-ruins
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Ukraine_towns_shelled_into_ruins)
content:
 
<p>

Some small towns in Ukraine are being <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/ninety-per-cent-of-houses-are-damaged-thousands-trapped-in-ukraines-small-towns">shelled into ruins</a> by the
<a href="/glossary.html#putinforces">Putin forces</a>.
<p>
They are located near the edge of the rebel areas.  The <a href="/glossary.html#putinforces">Putin forces</a>
have not been able to capture them, as the inhabitants are resisting
furiously.
<p>
In Kharkiv they are constantly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/putin-wants-to-kill-us-totally-ukrainians-hold-firm-under-bombardment">attacking civilian targets</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Money_from_Russian_billionaires)
title: Money from Russian billionaires
uri: Money-from-Russian-billionaires
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Money_from_Russian_billionaires)
content:
 
<p>

Influential Tories have connections to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/mar/04/starmer-calls-on-tories-to-sack-co-chair-ben-elliot">easy money</a> from Russian
billionaires.
<p>
I'm not sure we should call them "oligarchs", since they do not
collectively rule Russia.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Pressure_for_higher_wages)
title: Pressure for higher wages
uri: Pressure-for-higher-wages
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Pressure_for_higher_wages)
content:
 
<p>

Bad news, working Americans &mdash; the "pressure for higher wages" is
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/04/us-jobs-report-february-analysis">decreasing</a>.
<p>
Except that, given the inflation caused when profitable companies with
little competition <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-sep-dec.html#24_December_2021_(Today's_inflation)">raise prices</a> because nothing holds them back,
the so-called "higher wages" really mean "the same wages in real terms."

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Harm_of_alcohol_to_the_brain)
title: Harm of alcohol to the brain
uri: Harm-of-alcohol-to-the-brain
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Harm_of_alcohol_to_the_brain)
content:
 
<p>

A study finds that each additional drink of alcohol, on a given day,
does <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/mar/04/cutting-back-on-final-drink-of-day-could-improve-brain-health">greater harm to the brain</a>.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Risks_of_digital_ID)
title: Risks of digital ID
uri: Risks-of-digital-ID
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Risks_of_digital_ID)
content:
 
<p>

Brett Solomon: *THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT, real-world benefits to having
an accepted and recognized identity. That’s why the concept of
a digital identity is being pursued around the world, from Australia
to India&hellip;  I am nevertheless convinced that digital ID, writ
large, poses one of the <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/digital-ids-are-more-dangerous-than-you-think/">gravest risks</a> to human rights of any
technology that we have encountered. Worse, we are rushing headlong
into a future where new technologies will converge to make this risk
much more severe.*
<p>
In 2015 I proposed that the <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">remedy</a> is to prohibit systems that
systematically collect personal data.
That solution is drastic, but nothing less will do.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Reduction_in_deforestation)
title: Reduction in deforestation
uri: Reduction-in-deforestation
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Reduction_in_deforestation)
content:
 
<p>

Five giant agribusiness companies pledged at Cop26 to reduce deforestation.
A week later they lobbied to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/04/agribusiness-giants-tried-to-thwart-eu-deforestation-plan-after-cop26-pledge">weaken the EU plan</a> to do that.

 


title: Journalists shot at by Russian "death squad"
uri: Journalists-shot-at-by-Russian-death-squad
feed_id:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Journalists_shot_at_by_Russian_death_squad)

url:
https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Journalists_shot_at_by_Russian_death_squad)

content:
 
<p>

*Sky News journalists <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/british-journalists-shot-by-russian-saboteur-death-squad">evacuated</a> after being shot at by Russian "death squad".*
<p>
In the interests of balance, I have to remind people that the Bush
forces did <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2003-sep-dec.html#14%20September%202003%20(newspapers%20shut%20down)">something comparable</a> in 2003 when they fired at the
building that housed the Baghdad office of Al-Jazeera.

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Reversing_seizure_of_Afghan_funds)
title: Reversing seizure of Afghan funds
uri: Reversing-seizure-of-Afghan-funds
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Reversing_seizure_of_Afghan_funds)
content:
 
<p>

*Biden Urged to Prevent 'Catastrophe' by <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/04/biden-urged-prevent-catastrophe-reversing-seizure-afghan-funds">Reversing Seizure of Afghan Funds</a>.*

 


feed_id: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Peace_deal_for_Ukraine_and_Russia)
title: Peace deal for Ukraine and Russia
uri: Peace-deal-for-Ukraine-and-Russia
url: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-jan-apr.html#6_March_2022_(Peace_deal_for_Ukraine_and_Russia)
content:
 
<p>

One <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/04/what-would-ukraine-russia-peace-deal-look-like">proposal</a> for a peace deal for Ukraine and Russia.
<p>
The proposal for referenda in Luhansk and Donetsk presents a
complication.  Which are the territories that these referenda would
decide about?  And who would be allowed to vote in them?
<p>
After Putin seized Crimea, he chased out those who would not bow down
to him, then held a <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2014-mar-jun.html#18_March_2014_(Why_the_election_in_Crimea_is_bogus)">Putinesque bogus election</a>
about whether to approve the seizure.
Naturally, Putin won the election.  That is not a valid way to decide
anything.  These elections have to be honest, and include everyone who
lived in those areas before Putin' supporters made others flee.
<p>
One idea that occurs to me is that Ukraine would not be part of NATO,
but the west could commit to helping to defend Ukraine if it is
attacked.  In practical terms, the difference is that Ukraine would
never be called upon to join in a war unless Ukraine itself were
attacked.

<li id="6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Fire_the_official_that_is_stubbornly_trying_to_privatize_Medicare)">6 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Fire_the_official_that_is_stubbornly_trying_to_privatize_Medicare)">Urgent: Fire the official that is stubbornly trying to privatize Medicare</a>)
<p>
  US citizens: call on Biden to <a href="https://civicshout.com/p/tell-president-biden-fire-medicare-privatizer-liz-fowler?link_id=1">fire the official that is stubbornly trying to privatize Medicare</a>.

<li id="6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Pass_the_College_for_All_Act)">6 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Pass_the_College_for_All_Act)">Urgent: Pass the College for All Act</a>)
<p>
  US citizens: call on Congress to <a href="https://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=14220">Pass the College for All Act</a>.
<p>
  To sign without running <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">nonfree JavaScript code</a> from the web site, use <a href="/salsalabs-method.html">the Salsalabs workaround</a>.

<li id="6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_providing_weapons_to_Saudi_Arabia)">6 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_March_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_providing_weapons_to_Saudi_Arabia)">Urgent: Stop providing weapons to Saudi Arabia</a>)
<p>
  US citizens: call on Congress to <a href="https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6503/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=14428">stop providing weapons to Saudi Arabia</a>.
<p>
  To sign without running <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">nonfree JavaScript code</a> from the web site, use <a href="/salsalabs-method.html">the Salsalabs workaround</a>.

<li id="5_March_2022_(ACLU_suing_over_Texas's_persecution)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(ACLU_suing_over_Texas's_persecution)">ACLU suing over Texas's persecution</a>)
<p>
  The ACLU is suing to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/01/aclu-files-suit-over-texas-investigation-parents-trans-child">stop Texas from persecuting parents that enable their transgender children to get puberty-delaying or sex-change medical treatment</a>.
<p>
  I've learned that such treatment is very effective against depression
  and suicide among trans youth.  So I am very much in favor of making
  it available.
<p>
  But I think we need to have an objective way to refer to the
  treatments we are talking about, one that doesn't incorporate a
  built-in stance about them.  I don't like the term "gender-affirming
  treatments" because it tries to twist people's arms to approve of
  them.  I'd rather approve of them by my own free choice.

<li id="5_March_2022_(AIG_stops_insuring_coal,_tar_sands,_and_artic_drilling)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(AIG_stops_insuring_coal,_tar_sands,_and_artic_drilling)">AIG stops insuring coal, tar sands, and Arctic drilling</a>)
<p>
  *[Insurance company] AIG to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/01/major-step-forward-aig-stop-insuring-coal-tar-sands-and-arctic-drilling">Stop Insuring Coal, Tar Sands, and Arctic Drilling</a>.*
<p>
  We will still have to fight to get them to stop insuring other gas and oil projects.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Last_independent_news_source_in_Russia_shut_down)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Last_independent_news_source_in_Russia_shut_down)">Last independent news source in Russia shut down</a>)
<p>
  Putin <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/media/journalism-crackdown-russia/index.html">shut down the last independent news source in Russia</a>, and the staff are trying to flee.

<li id="5_March_2022_(CDC_revised_guidelines_based_on_one_goal)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(CDC_revised_guidelines_based_on_one_goal)">CDC revised guidelines based on one goal</a>)
<p>
  The CDC's revised mask guidelines are based on just one goal:
  <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/health/children-parents-cdc-mask-guidelines-wellness/index.html">to prevent hospitals from getting full</a>.
<p>
  That goal is important, but the CDC has abandoned other important
  goals, such as reducing the total number of people who eventually get
  sick, which is the way to reduce the number who eventually develop
  Long Covid disabilities, and the number who eventually die of the
  disease.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Oath_Keeper_pled_guilty)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Oath_Keeper_pled_guilty)">Oath Keeper pled guilty</a>)
<p>
  One of the Oath Keepers <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/politics/oath-keeper-plea-deal-seditious-conspiracy/index.html">pled guilty to seditious conspiracy for 6 Jan 2021</a>.
<p>
  This will include testifying against the others.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Conflict_and_climate_change)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Conflict_and_climate_change)">Conflict and climate change</a>)
<p>
  *If we are concerned about the situation in Ukraine when both nations
  have access to largely affordable food and water, what is going to
  happen when water becomes scarce and food prices soar? We can answer
  this question <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/03/02/conflict-and-climate-change-new-normal">by looking at our recent past</a>.*
<p>
  The article is blind to one aspect of the issue: that each country
  needs to curb its population growth to avoid making the problem even more
  difficult.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Vile_things_Trump_did_to_Zelensky_and_Ukraine)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Vile_things_Trump_did_to_Zelensky_and_Ukraine)">Vile things Trump did to Zelensky and Ukraine</a>)
<p>
  *Opinion: <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20220304050807/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/01/vindman-zelensky-ukraine-putin/">Five vile things Trump did to Zelensky and Ukraine</a> that you forgot about.*

<li id="5_March_2022_(Cutting_Russia_from_the_internet_would_be_a_bad_idea)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Cutting_Russia_from_the_internet_would_be_a_bad_idea)">Cutting Russia from the internet would be a bad idea</a>)
<p>
  Why <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/ukraine-wants-russia-cut-off-from-core-internet-systems-experts-say-its-a-bad-idea/">it would be a bad idea to cut Russia off from the internet</a>.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Hydropower_dams_and_the_increasing_aridity)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Hydropower_dams_and_the_increasing_aridity)">Hydropower dams and the increasing aridity</a>)
<p>
  Increasing aridity in the US southwest is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/03/us/lake-powell-water-colorado-river-climate/index.html">lowering the water level
  in the lakes behind hydropower dams.  A little lower and those dams
  will cease to generate electricity</a>.
<p>
  People will use fossil fuels instead, thus speeding the development of
  more aridity.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Kuwaiti_princess_and_partner_targeted_on_political_grounds)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Kuwaiti_princess_and_partner_targeted_on_political_grounds)">Kuwaiti princess and partner targeted "on political grounds"</a>)
<p>
  *Interpol arrest warrant allegedly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/03/interpol-arrest-warrant-allegedly-targeting-kuwaiti-princess-and-partner-on-political-grounds">targeting Kuwaiti princess and
  partner "on political grounds"</a>.*

<li id="5_March_2022_(History_of_economic_warfare)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(History_of_economic_warfare)">History of "economic warfare"</a>)
<p>
  The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/03/russia-west-financial-war-sanctions">history of "economic warfare"</a>, a.k.a. trade sanctions, and what
  they imply.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Border_wall_breached)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Border_wall_breached)">Border wall breached</a>)
<p>
  People-smugglers find it easy to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/03/trump-border-wall-breached-smugglers">make holes in the bullshitter's
  "impenetrable" wall on the Mexican border</a>.

<li id="5_March_2022_(War_crime_by_another_name)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(War_crime_by_another_name)">War crime by another name</a>)
<p>
  *The Guardian view on Putin's siege tactics in Ukraine: a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/03/the-guardian-view-on-putins-siege-tactics-in-ukraine-a-war-by-another-name">war crime by
  another name</a>.*

<li id="5_March_2022_(Calling_for_a_no-first-use_nuclear_weapon_policy)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Calling_for_a_no-first-use_nuclear_weapon_policy)">Calling for a no-first-use nuclear weapon policy</a>)
<p>
  Calling for the US to adopt a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/03/amid-putins-nuclear-threats-democrats-renew-call-no-first-use-policy">no-first-use policy for nuclear weapons</a>.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Nuclear_power_plant_attacked)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Nuclear_power_plant_attacked)">Nuclear power plant attacked</a>)
<p>
  The Putin forces <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/ukraine-nuclear-power-plant-fire-zaporizhzhia-russian-shelling">attacked a Ukrainian nuclear power plant with artillery
  and hit one of the reactor blocks</a>.
  (The shelling started a fire in a building at the site, of no crucial importance.)
<p>
  To reach the plant, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/02/russians-fire-ukraine-civilians-blocking-road-nuclear-plant">soldiers fired at civilians who were blocking the road</a>.
<p>
  By giving the order to fire on the plant, Putin risked serious
  damage to the plant and releasing radioactive materials.  That would
  have endangered people in a wide area, including Ukrainians, Russians
  who live to the east, and to some extent people in the European
  countries to the west.
<p>
  We have to interpret this as a form of threatening a nuclear attack.
<p>
  This shows a powerful reason not to have nuclear power plants anymore.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Mandatory_arbitration_contracts_prohibited)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Mandatory_arbitration_contracts_prohibited)">Mandatory arbitration contracts prohibited</a>)
<p>
  The US has <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/03/03/sexual-harassment-forced-arbitration-fair-act/">prohibited mandatory arbitration contracts</a> that require
  workers to deal with sexual harassment or crimes at work through
  arbitration instead of going to court.
<p>
  It is a good first step, but the same needs to be done for other sorts
  of accusations, and customers as well.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Avenues_of_corruption)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Avenues_of_corruption)">Avenues of corruption</a>)
<p>
  The UK <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/03/dodgy-russian-money-britain-democracy-conservatives-londongrad">must close the avenues of corruption</a> that Russian oligarchs &mdash;
  and other rich people &mdash; have taken advantage of.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Plan_to_end_releasing_microplastics)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Plan_to_end_releasing_microplastics)">Plan to end releasing microplastics</a>)
<p>
  California's plan to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/03/california-new-measures-curb-microplastic-pollution">end the release of microplastics into the environment</a>.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Harsher_sentences)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Harsher_sentences)">Harsher sentences</a>)
<p>
  *In several prominent cases, black people <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/03/voter-fraud-election-crime-sentencing-racial-disparity">got harsher sentences for
  unintentional voting errors than whites who committed fraud</a>.*
<p>
  The article linked to just above displays symbolic bigotry by
  capitalizing "black" but not "white".  (To avoid endorsing bigotry,
  capitalize both words or neither one.)  I object to bigotry, and
  normally I decline to link to articles which promote it.  But I make
  exceptions for some articles which give important information about
  racism or the fight to eliminate racism.  That article is one of the
  exceptions.

<li id="5_March_2022_(Urgent:_Vacant_US_diplomat_offices)">5 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_March_2022_(Urgent:_Vacant_US_diplomat_offices)">Urgent: Vacant US diplomat offices</a>)
<p>
  US citizens: call on Senators Schumer and Menendez
  to <a href="https://act.winwithoutwar.org/act/staff_up_state?source=em20220228&t=1006&akid=7600%2E223515%2EfskJNG">take
  up the nominees for 50 vacant offices for US diplomats</a>.

<li id="4_March_2022_(Putin_forces)">4 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_March_2022_(Putin_forces)">Putin forces</a>)
<p>
The Russian Army has <a href="https://stallman.org/articles/putin-forces.html">become the Putin Forces</a>.

<li id="4_March_2022_(Excessive_force)">4 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_March_2022_(Excessive_force)">Excessive force</a>)
<p>
*Former Delaware [<a href="/glossary.html#thug">thug</a>] charged in two excessive force cases after
surveillance video went viral.*  He faces <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/01/us/wilmington-delaware-officer-indicted-excessive-force/index.html">a potential sentence of 13
years in prison</a>.

<p>
I am very gratified to see prosecution of <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> extend to those whose
crimes did not kill anyone.


<li id="4_March_2022_(Biodiversity_loss)">4 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_March_2022_(Biodiversity_loss)">Biodiversity loss</a>)
<p>
*Rich Nations Driving Biodiversity Loss <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/01/rich-nations-driving-biodiversity-loss-called-invest-billions-developing-world">Called to Invest Billions in
Developing World</a>.*


<li id="4_March_2022_(Fawlty_towers)">4 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_March_2022_(Fawlty_towers)">Fawlty towers</a>)
<p>
Russian media meet Fawlty Towers -- "<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/2/do-not-call-ukraine-invasion-a-war-russia-tells-media-schools">Don't talk about the war</a>!"


<li id="4_March_2022_(Goth_phase)">4 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_March_2022_(Goth_phase)">Goth phase</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/crows-evolve-new-blond-look-concluding-17-million-year-1848607696">satire</a>) *Crows Evolve New Blond Look Concluding 17-Million-Year Goth
Phase.*


<li id="4_March_2022_(Carbon_emission_trading)">4 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_March_2022_(Carbon_emission_trading)">Carbon emission trading</a>)
<p>
One of the flaws of "carbon emission trading" is that speculators
enter the trading market.  That is causing volatility now in the EU's
emission trading market -- the price has fallen, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/02/eu-carbon-permit-prices-crash-after-russian-invasion-of-ukraine">so that it is now
cheaper to pollute</a>.

<p>
A carefully-designed carbon tax would avoid this problem.  It has no
room for speculation.  Furthermore, it is possible to make a special
increase the tax if emissions are not declining fast enough.


<li id="4_March_2022_(Confronting_propaganda)">4 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_March_2022_(Confronting_propaganda)">Confronting propaganda</a>)
<p>
George Monbiot: *We must confront Russian propaganda – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/02/russian-propaganda-anti-imperialist-left-vladimir-putin">even when it
comes from those we respect</a>.*

<p>
*The argument of the Left should be, that in 2003, other governments did
   not put enough pressure on the United States over Iraq. Not that <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/03/02/my-letter-kyiv-anti-imperialist-idiots-west">it is
   necessary to exert less pressure on Russia over Ukraine now</a>.*


<li id="4_March_2022_(Shipping_cartels)">4 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_March_2022_(Shipping_cartels)">Shipping cartels</a>)
<p>
*Biden Announces "Crackdown" on Profiteering Shipping Cartels <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/03/02/state-union-global-shipping-exports/">to Fight
 Inflation</a>.*


<li id="4_March_2022_(Encouraging_people_to_go_without_masks)">4 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_March_2022_(Encouraging_people_to_go_without_masks)">Encouraging people to go without masks</a>)
<p>
Biden (and many state and local officials) have yielded to pressure
from fools and assholes, and decided <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/02/white-house-new-covid-strategy-test-to-treat">to encourage people in most of
the US to go without masks</a>.

<p>
As the article says, this policy puts vulnerable people on their own
as increasing numbers of people either say, "It's safe now" (the
fools), or "Fuck you, I won't go to any trouble to avoid giving you a
disease" (the assholes).  There are lots of vulnerable people -- I
read that in the UK <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#25_February_2022_(A_perilous_and_politicized_pandemic_response)">they amount to 1/4 of the population</a>.
  I have no such figure for the US, but I am one of them.

<p>
The Covid transmission rate in Massachusetts has been going down (I
don't have access to info about other states), but last week it
decreased only 27% -- less than before.  How fast it continues to
decrease will depend on how much we take precautions, including masks
and vaccination.  If many Americans stop using masks, the transmission
rate will decrease more slowly, and may start increasing again.

<p>
Imagine if millions of people got tired of brushing their teeth and
decided to stop worrying about the danger of losing them in a few
years  That's what this seems like to me.

<p>
Biden talked about a "test to treat" system.  In principle that is
good, but how often should you get tested?  If you have to take the
subway to work several days a week, and/or if you are near other
people at work, you could catch Covid-19 any working day.  Should you
get tested on each working day?  Can the system handle that much
testing?  Can you afford whatever it will cost?

<p>
Will low-paid "essential workers" be able to participate in this
system?

<p>
The treatments available are for preventing severe disease that might
lead to death.  I have not heard whether they prevent lasting
disability.  Do we know whether "long Covid" is still a danger, with
Omicron?  I have seen no info on this, and if we don't know it isn't
still a danger we have to presume it is.  Long Covid used to be far
more common than death, and some forms of it are as bad as death in my
estimation.  Fatigue all day?  Mental disorganization?  Losing the
sense of taste and smell and finding all food boring or horrible?

<p>
I have started talking with people I know about the importance of
using N95 masks, and the fact that drug stores are distributing them
gratis in the US.  Efforts to inform the public have not reached most
people.  Now that good masks are available, everyone should switch.


<li id="4_March_2022_(Feeding_salmon)">4 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_March_2022_(Feeding_salmon)">Feeding salmon</a>)
<p>
* Wealthy nations accused of depriving poorer ones of nutrient-rich
   food and wasting mackerel, sardine and anchovy stocks -- <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/02/wild-fish-stocks-squandered-to-feed-farmed-salmon-study-finds">to feed
   farmed salmon</a>.*

<p>
I don't think there is anything wrong <em>in principle</em> in farming
salmon, but we who are wealthier must not starve the poor.

<p>
At the same time, every country has an obligation to stabilize its
population.  If we don't end population growth, it will reduce
everyone to poverty.  Now that we are hitting global resource limits,
no people should imagine that they can have population growth without
taking from other people.  Humanity must back off from these limits,
and <a href="https://stallman.org/articles/children.html">the only human way is by a lot fewer births</a>.


<li id="4_March_2022_(Attacking_nonwhite_refugees)">4 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_March_2022_(Attacking_nonwhite_refugees)">Attacking nonwhite refugees</a>)
<p>
Right-wing Polish racists attacked nonwhite refugees who had fled
Ukraine, and are organizing disinformation falsely accusing refugees
of committing crimes, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/02/people-of-colour-fleeing-ukraine-attacked-by-polish-nationalists">to stir up support for their scapegoating</a>.



<li id="3_March_2022_(Urgent:_Pardon_everyone_convicted_for_possession_of_marijuana)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Urgent:_Pardon_everyone_convicted_for_possession_of_marijuana)">Urgent: Pardon everyone convicted for possession of marijuana</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Biden to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/petition-tell-president-biden-issue-pardons-for-marijuana-offenses">pardon everyone convicted for possession
of marijuana</a>.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Mixed-race_child_who_looks_white)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Mixed-race_child_who_looks_white)">Mixed-race child who looks white</a>)
<p>

The mother of a mixed-race child who looks white is suing his school
for telling him to <a href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2021/01/21/las-vegas-charter-school-sued-for-curriculum-covering-race-identity/">think of himself as an "oppressor"</a> because he looks white.
<p>
The article linked to just above displays symbolic bigotry by
capitalizing "black" but not "white".  (To avoid endorsing bigotry,
capitalize both words or neither one.)  I object to bigotry, and
normally I decline to link to articles which promote it.  But I make
exceptions for some articles which give important information about
racism or the fight to eliminate racism.  That article is one of the
exceptions.
<p>
The fact that some would call that boy "black" adds an extra element
of irony to the case, but I don't think it changes the issue at all.
It's wrong to judge people as guilty based on their race.  Whether
guilty for being white or guilty for being black, it's wrong.
<p>
Meanwhile, Republicans are encouraging a confusion between anti-white
bigotry and critical race theory.  Let's look at each one and see the
difference.
<p>
Critical race theory deals with the history of institutions and laws,
and how some of them shaped and perpetuated racism.  It's important to
teach that, and important to learn that, but prejudging individuals is
not part of it.
<p>
Anti-white bigotry seems to be a perversion of anti-racism.  It uses
terms such as "white guilt" and "white debt" and teaches that anyone
who is white ought to spend per whole life in shame.  That isn't
critical race theory, so let's not call it that.
<p>
A system that forces children into debt is oppression, and that
includes "white debt".  To be born indebted is like being born
enslaved.
<p>
When Republicans condemn teaching "critical race theory", and define
that term to include "white debt", that is an instance of their
general political approach: disinformation.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Private_medical_treatment_in_Britain)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Private_medical_treatment_in_Britain)">Private medical treatment in Britain</a>)
<p>

The Tories have degraded to the point that 15% of Britons are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/mar/02/private-healthcare-boom-two-tier-system-uk">ready to pay
for private medical treatment</a>.
<p>
Next step: make the NHS so inadequate that anyone who can afford
private treatment will go for that, and the rest will get only
the most basic treatment for the easily cured diseases.
More or less like the US.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Corrupter_trying_to_abolish_NATO)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Corrupter_trying_to_abolish_NATO)">Corrupter trying to abolish NATO</a>)
<p>

The corrupter has been <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/28/putins-most-dangerous-fan-donald-j-trump">close friends</a> with Putin since before being
elected, and has been trying to undermine or abolish NATO.
<p>
Rebecca Solnit: *It's time to confront the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/02/time-to-confront-trump-putin-network">Trump-Putin network</a>.*
<p>
I am skeptical of the claim that Wikileaks got the material showing
the dishonesty of Clinton and the Democratic National Convention
towards Sanders from Russian spies.  Assange said that was not so,
and I trust him.
<p>
However, that was just a side point in the article linked to.
<p>
Overall, I think the name "Trumputin" fits what we are dealing with.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Extremist_Republicans_spoke_at_white_supremacists'_event)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Extremist_Republicans_spoke_at_white_supremacists'_event)">Extremist Republicans spoke at white supremacists' event</a>)
<p>

Two extremist Republicans in Congress have crossed the Republican Party's line
by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/28/politics/republican-reaction-marjorie-taylor-greene/index.html">speaking at a white supremacists' event</a>.  Powerful Republican politicians
are condemning them.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Repression_of_Taiwan)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Repression_of_Taiwan)">Repression of Taiwan</a>)
<p>

Taiwan became a democracy only in the 1960s.  For decades after World
War II, it was a repressive dictatorship run by the rulers recently
defeated on the mainland.  Taiwan is now beginning to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/28/asia/taiwan-228-democracy-intl-hnk-dst/index.html">examine the repression</a>
of that period.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Tests_of_flammable_cladding_materials)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Tests_of_flammable_cladding_materials)">Tests of flammable cladding materials</a>)
<p>

The UK government <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/28/cladding-danger-evidence-15-years-before-grenfell-tower-fire">tested flammable cladding materials</a> 15 years before
the deadly fire of 2017.  Somehow it neglected to take steps to update
the fire code to prohibit use of those materials.
<p>
The UK government under Tory rule has shown a pervasive tendency to
fail in ways that screw individual and let businesses get away with
murder.  This is one example.  Another is the <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#06_August_2014_(Impossible_hoops_of_UK_jobcenters)">privatized "jobcenters"</a>
that default to <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-nov-feb.html#20_February_2018_(View_of_disabled_people)">punishing welfare recipients</a> for any technical
violation of the onerous rules.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Policies_that_tend_to_shorten_lifespans)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Policies_that_tend_to_shorten_lifespans)">Policies that tend to shorten lifespans</a>)
<p>

Republican officians promote a long list of policies that tend to
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/03/01/gop-has-become-party-poverty-disease-and-death">shorten Americans' lifespans</a> (especially poor Americans and
disprivileged groups).  It's mostly because they are hand-in-glove with
racists, religious fanatics and greedy billionaires.
<p>
However, when the wrecker was president they got even worse.  Nowadays they
support policies that make America more deadly, because that gives their
followers a chance to enjoy being jerks.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Lukashenko_has_become_Putin's_puppet)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Lukashenko_has_become_Putin's_puppet)">Lukashenko has become Putin's puppet</a>)
<p>

Lukashenko, who has become Putin's puppet, announced that Belarus would retract
its pledge <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/28/world-racing-toward-cliff-belarus-host-russian-nuclear-weapons">not to have nuclear weapons</a>.
<p>
Doing this publicly is a way to make it act as a threat.  For instance,
he could make vague threats against NATO.
<p>
In addition, next time the Belarusians try to kick out Lukashenko, he
will be able to threaten to nuke Belarus's cities.  But I suppose he
will not actually do that.
<p>
Trumputin <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2019-may-aug.html#4_August_2019_(Intermediate_range_nuclear_missile_treaty)">canceled the IRBM treaty</a>,
with which both the US and Russia
agreed not to station intermediate-range ballistic missiles with
nuclear warheads in Europe.  Would Putin like to reestablish that
treaty?  If so, it would make sense for the US to demand that Belarus
pledge to continue not to have nuclear weapons as part of the treaty.
<p>
Has Putin shown a wish to resume that treaty?  I have to wonder
whether Trumputin canceled it as a favor to Putin &mdash; to give him the
benefit of getting out of that treaty, while dumping on the US the
onus of terminating it.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Torn_between_two_factions)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Torn_between_two_factions)">Torn between two factions</a>)
<p>

Ukraine was torn between two factions, the pro-Russian faction and the
pro-EU faction.  There were a number of Nazis in the latter.  But then
Ukrainians conclusively <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/28/ukraine-maps-tell-different-story-putins-claims">rejected both factions</a>, and the Nazis, by voting
for President Zelenskiy.
<p>
Volodymyr Zelenskiy's surprising career before becoming president of
Ukraine: he was a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/02/a-rehearsal-for-war-volodymyr-zelenskiys-path-from-comic-to-symbol-of-courage">popular comic actor</a>.
<p>
Ronald Reagan, the actor turned president, used his acting skills to
lull Americans into letting the rich take a bigger fraction, and
waiting like a cargo cult for wealth to "trickle down".
<p>
Zelenskiy uses his skills to be the best possible leader for a Ukraine
under invasion.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Human_rights_defenders_murdered_in_2021)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Human_rights_defenders_murdered_in_2021)">Human rights defenders murdered in 2021</a>)
<p>

Over 350 human rights defenders were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/02/more-human-rights-defenders-murdered-2021-environmental-indigenous-rights-activists">murdered in 2021</a>.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Bringing_Putin_to_justice_over_Ukraine)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Bringing_Putin_to_justice_over_Ukraine)">Bringing Putin to justice over Ukraine</a>)
<p>

*Could international criminal court <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/02/could-international-criminal-court-bring-putin-to-justice-over-ukraine">bring Putin to justice</a> over Ukraine?*
<p>
Probably not &mdash; it would take a bolt of luck to be able to arrest him.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Sanctions_on_Russian_oligarchs)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Sanctions_on_Russian_oligarchs)">Sanctions on Russian oligarchs</a>)
<p>

The UK is slowly considering <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/01/roman-abramovich-hastily-selling-uk-properties-mp-claims">imposing sanctions</a> on Russian oligarchs linked
to Putin, giving them time to sell what they own in Russia.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Don't_be_a_Tankie)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Don't_be_a_Tankie)">Don't be a Tankie</a>)
<p>

*Don't Be a Tankie: <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/03/01/ukraine-russia-leftists-tankie/">How the Left Should Respond</a> to Russia's Invasion of
 Ukraine.*

<li id="3_March_2022_(Torrential_rains_in_Australia)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Torrential_rains_in_Australia)">Torrential rains in Australia</a>)
<p>

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/02/floods-and-livestock-losses-leave-nsw-and-queensland-farmers-reeling-from-third-disaster-in-three-years">Torrential rains</a> on Australia's east coast have destroyed farms as
well as homes.
<p>
How much more will it take to teach Australians to vote the
planet-roasters out of office?

<li id="3_March_2022_(ACLU_suing_to_stop_Texas_Republican_officials)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(ACLU_suing_to_stop_Texas_Republican_officials)">ACLU suing to stop Texas Republican officials</a>)
<p>

The ACLU is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/01/lawsuit-aims-to-block-texas-investigating-parents-seeking-care-trans-children">suing to stop Texas Republican officials from persecuting
the parents</a> of transgender children for giving them drugs (that they
requested) to delay puberty or alter their secondary sexual
characteristics.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Egyptians_seen_in_jail_torture_videos)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Egyptians_seen_in_jail_torture_videos)">Egyptians seen in jail "torture" videos</a>)
<p>

*Egyptians seen in jail "torture" videos <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/02/egyptians-seen-in-jail-torture-videos-charged-with-spreading-fake-news">charged with spreading fake news</a>.*
<p>
This illustrates how completely Orwellian many repressive governments
have become, including Russia. China, Egypt, Nicaragua and more.
Republicans have <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#8_January_2022_(January_6)">tried some of this in the US</a>.

<li id="3_March_2022_(Urgent:_respect_farmworkers)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Urgent:_respect_farmworkers)">Urgent: respect farmworkers</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-gov-mills-respect-farmworkers-and-sign-into-law-their-right-to-organize-now?nowrapper=true">call on Maine Gov. Mills</a> to respect farmworkers and sign
the bill that gives them the right to organize.


<li id="3_March_2022_(Urgent:_get_the_world_vaccinated)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Urgent:_get_the_world_vaccinated)">Urgent: get the world vaccinated</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-on-today-to-help-us-end-covid-now-4?nowrapper=true">call on Biden</a> to get the world vaccinated against
Covid-19.


<li id="3_March_2022_(Treaty_on_plastic_waste)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Treaty_on_plastic_waste)">Treaty on plastic waste</a>)
<p>
*World leaders agree <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/02/world-leaders-agree-draw-up-historic-treaty-plastic-waste">to draw up "historic" treaty on plastic waste</a>.*


<li id="3_March_2022_(Denying_Muslims_the_right_to_vote)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Denying_Muslims_the_right_to_vote)">Denying Muslims the right to vote</a>)
<p>
The Hindu Nationalists of India have reached the point where their elected officials <a href="https://pieterjfriedrich.medium.com/looming-genocide-in-modis-india-threatens-both-muslims-christians-3e01438c87d8">openly demand denying Muslims the right to vote</a>.

<p>
Meanwhile, their supporters commit violence, even going as far as murder.


<li id="3_March_2022_(Exploiting_relationship)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Exploiting_relationship)">Exploiting relationship</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/teen-wondering-whether-boyfriend-even-loves-her-if-he-u-1848563341">satire</a>) *Teen Wondering Whether Boyfriend Even Loves Her If He
Unwilling To Exploit Relationship For TikTok.*


<li id="3_March_2022_(Investigating_war_on_terror)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Investigating_war_on_terror)">Investigating war on terror</a>)
<p>

The Belmarsh Tribunal does more than defend Julian Assange.  It investigates
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/28/war-crime-belmarsh-tribunal-demands-accountability-war-terror">the crimes of the "war on terror"</a>.


<li id="3_March_2022_(Sanctions_and_diplomacy)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Sanctions_and_diplomacy)">Sanctions and diplomacy</a>)
<p>
It won't be easy for sanctions on Russia to convince Putin to make
peace.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/28/sanctions-dont-work-diplomacy-stop-putin-russia-ukraine">Diplomacy might do it</a>.


<li id="3_March_2022_(Blocking_Africans_trying_to_flee)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Blocking_Africans_trying_to_flee)">Blocking Africans trying to flee</a>)
<p>
Nigeria says that Poland <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/28/nigeria-condemns-treatment-africans-trying-to-flee-ukraine-government-poland-discrimination">is blocking Africans trying to flee Ukraine</a>.


<li id="3_March_2022_(Expanding_NATO)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Expanding_NATO)">Expanding NATO</a>)
<p>
Some predicted many years ago that expanding NATO towards and into the
former Soviet Union could make Russian leaders angry.  To the extent
that they wanted Russia to be a world power, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/28/nato-expansion-war-russia-ukraine">reducing that power would
be galling</a>.
  For this reason, it would arguably have been wiser to hold back some
distance, and leave a buffer zone.

<p>
However, we should not make the mistake of equating the reduction of a
country's international power with attacking or destroying it.  NATO
expansion was not war.  It did not include a military attack.  It did
not damage Russia's land, or its people, its capital, or its economy.
It may have motivated Putin to start wars, but was in no sense grounds
to start wars.


<li id="3_March_2022_(Small_window_to_mitigate_worst_effects_of_global_heating)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Small_window_to_mitigate_worst_effects_of_global_heating)">Small window to mitigate worst effects of global heating</a>)
<p>
The IPCC says there is only a small window in which <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/28/ipcc-climate-report-grim-hope">to mitigate the
worst effects of global heating</a>.


<li id="3_March_2022_(Bank_sanctions)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Bank_sanctions)">Bank sanctions</a>)
<p>
Bank sanctions <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/28/the-damage-is-done-russians-face-economic-point-of-no-return">have hit Russia very hard</a>.
  Is there any way for the Russian people to tell Putin to change
course, such that he can hear them?


<li id="3_March_2022_(Pyrocumulus_clouds)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Pyrocumulus_clouds)">Pyrocumulus clouds</a>)
<p>
The pyrocumulus clouds caused by more intense wildfires <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/01/smoke-from-black-summer-bushfires-depleted-ozone-layer-study-finds">deplete the
ozone layer</a>.

<p>
As many problems caused by <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a> get bigger, they start to
have important indirect effects that cause new problems.


<li id="3_March_2022_(Failed_climate_leadership)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Failed_climate_leadership)">Failed climate leadership</a>)
<p>
*UN Chief: IPCC Report a '<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/28/un-chief-ipcc-report-damning-indictment-failed-climate-leadership">Damning Indictment of Failed Climate Leadership</a>'.*


<li id="3_March_2022_(Letting_families_choose_schools)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Letting_families_choose_schools)">Letting families choose schools</a>)
<p>
*Letting families in England choose schools hasn’t made things better –- <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/01/england-choose-schools-stressful-national-offer-day-scotland">just
more stressful</a>.*

<p>
*The evidence &hellip; suggests such measures have had
   minimal impact on educational attainment and have worsened class-based
   segregation between schools. Far from giving people a sense of control,
   the process has created a maelstrom of anxiety and disenchantment.*


<li id="3_March_2022_(Destroying_slums)">3 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_March_2022_(Destroying_slums)">Destroying slums</a>)
<p>
Nigeria is destroying slums in a coastal city, leaving poor people
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/01/we-woke-to-bulldozers-nigeria-slum-clearance-leaves-thousands-homeless">with no possessions and nowhere to go</a>.
  If they try to take anything with them, <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> attack them.



<li id="2_March_2022_(Begging_for_blankets)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Begging_for_blankets)">Begging for blankets</a>)
<p>
Tories have driven Britons into such poverty that they are begging for
blankets -- <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/01/food-banks-bedding-banks-worst-poverty-gordon-brown">they can't afford heating</a>.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Do_not_privatize_Medicare)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Do_not_privatize_Medicare)">Urgent: Do not privatize Medicare</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/save-medicare-privatization/">call on Biden and HHS Secretary Becerra</a> to end the
project to privatize Medicare.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Climate_action_now)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Climate_action_now)">Urgent: Climate action now</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.greennewdealnetwork.org/survey/ads_ms_GNDN_progam_202202_EA_sotu/">Tell  Biden</a> we need climate action now.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_funding_anti-abortion_politicians)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_funding_anti-abortion_politicians)">Urgent: Stop funding anti-abortion politicians</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/Disney_abortionban/">call on Disney</a> to stop funding anti-abortion
politicians.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Ketanji_Brown_Jackson)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Ketanji_Brown_Jackson)">Urgent: Confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Ketanji-Brown-Jackson/">call on your Senators</a> to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson
right away as a Supreme Court justice.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Urgent:_ban_foam_cups_and_boxes_made_of_polystyrene)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_ban_foam_cups_and_boxes_made_of_polystyrene)">Urgent: ban foam cups and boxes made of polystyrene</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=48918">call on your state governor</a> to support banning foam cups
and boxes made of polystyrene.

<p>
To sign <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">without running nonfree JavaScript code</a>
                                                from the web site,
use <a href="https://stallman.org/salsalabs-method.html">the Salsalabs workaround</a>.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Protect_mature_trees)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Protect_mature_trees)">Urgent: Protect mature trees</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=48832">call on Biden</a> to protect mature trees in national
forests.

<p>
To sign <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">without running nonfree JavaScript code</a>
                                                from the web site,
use <a href="https://stallman.org/salsalabs-method.html">the Salsalabs workaround</a>.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Solidarity_with_russian_anti-war_activists)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_Solidarity_with_russian_anti-war_activists)">Urgent: Solidarity with russian anti-war activists</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=14539">pledge solidarity</a> with Russian anti-war
activists against militarism by any country.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Nato_membership)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Nato_membership)">Nato membership</a>)
<p>
* People in Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia and Romania
   fear [that] Nato membership <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/01/ukraine-neighbours-nato-lithuania-poland-slovakia-latvia-estonia-romania">may not stop more Russian incursions</a>.*

<p>
On the other hand, those westerners' dependence on Russian gas and oil
is no one's fault except their own.  Decarbonize!


<li id="2_March_2022_(Wages_negotiations)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Wages_negotiations)">Wages negotiations</a>)
<p>
California will empower fast food workers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/01/california-fast-food-workers-bill-fast-recovery-act">to negotiate collectively
about wages</a>.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Munich_Philharmonic_sacks_conductor)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Munich_Philharmonic_sacks_conductor)">Munich Philharmonic sacks conductor</a>)
<p>
*Munich Philharmonic sacks conductor Valery Gergiev <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/mar/01/munich-philharmonic-sacks-conductor-valery-gergiev-over-failure-to-denounce-putin">over failure to
denounce Putin</a>.*

<p>
We achieve nothing against Putin by scapegoating Russians that state
their support for him.  Cancelling them undermines freedom of opinion
in our own countries.  Gergiev has little influence in the west --
Trumputin is the Putin supporter that we should really be concerned
about.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Deep_drought)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Deep_drought)">Deep drought</a>)
<p>
<a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">Global heating</a> has caused a deep drought in northern Argentina, 
which resulted in big wildfires <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/01/paraguay-wildfires-ash-cloud">that have covered half of Paraguay
with smoke</a>.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Urgent:_give_IRS_resources)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Urgent:_give_IRS_resources)">Urgent: give IRS resources</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-congress-give-the-irs-the-resources-it-needs-to-serve-taxpayers-and-catch-wealthy-tax-cheats?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to give the IRS the resources it needs
to serve taxpayers and catch wealthy tax cheats.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Protesting_war)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Protesting_war)">Protesting war</a>)
<p>
5000 Russians have dared to protest against Putin's war, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/27/over-2100-anti-war-protesters-arrested-russia">knowing they
will be jailed</a>.


<li id="2_March_2022_(Tigray_war)">2 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_March_2022_(Tigray_war)">Tigray war</a>)
<p>
Tigray is now fighting a local war <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/28/before-they-were-our-brothers-now-i-want-revenge-tigray-conflict-engulfs-neighbouring-state">with the neighboring part of the
Afar region</a>.

<p>
The people there are angry but also say that the hostility of Tigray,
which they used to have close relations with, is confusing when seen from Afar.




<li id="1_March_2022_(China_social_credit)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(China_social_credit)">China purposing AI regulations</a>)
<p>
China is planning to protect individual rights against automated
discrimination that 
<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/china-regulate-ai-world-watching/">companies implement to increase profits.</a>

<p>
I suppose that the official system of discrimination by 
<a href="https://gizmodo.com/your-credit-score-should-be-based-on-your-web-history-1845912592">"social credit score" will continue.</a>

<p>
This illustrates the paradox of China.  The state is powerful enough
to keep companies from oppressing people; but, because it is
nondemocratic and does not respect human rights itself, it does the
oppression itself.

<li id="1_March_2022_(disruption_platform)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(disruption_platform)">Politics of disruption</a>)
<p>
Arguing against "disruption" as a desirable characteristic of business,
and refuting supposed 
<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/disruption-mobility-platforms-politics/">reasons to tolerate being disrupted.</a>

<p>
That argument is valid as far as it goes; but the article, as usual in
business-oriented writing, disregards entirely the danger of tracking
people's movements.


<li id="1_March_2022_(Russian_labor_peace)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Russian_labor_peace)">Labor confederation demands peace in Ukraine</a>)
<p>
*Russian Labor Confederation 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/26/russian-labor-confederation-demands-peace-ukraine">Demands Peace in Ukraine.</a>*


<li id="1_March_2022_(Prohibiting_slavery)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Prohibiting_slavery)">Historic court documents shed light on abolitionist's legal battle</a>)
<p>
Prohibiting slavery in northern states was a gradual process.  A
number of 19th century court decisions shed light on 
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/27/us/sojourner-truth-court-battle-ny-archives/index.html">how free black women sued to win their children out of slavery.</a>

<li id="1_March_2022_(Russian_vodka_boycotts)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Russian_vodka_boycotts)">Russian vodka boycotts</a>)
<p>
Don't trash bottles of vodka without checking their origin -- hardly
any of it 
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/27/business/russian-vodka-boycotts/index.html">comes from Russia nowadays.</a>

<li id="1_March_2022_(concealed_covid_loans)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(concealed_covid_loans)">Firm's with huge Covid loans will be kept secret</a>)
<p>
The Tories have decided to conceal most of the companies
that got big loans to 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/feb/26/names-of-firms-given-huge-covid-loans-will-be-secret">help them deal with the pandemic</a>

<p>
Many of them committed fraud, but those whose names are secret can't
be investigated to see whether they did so.

<li id="1_March_2022_(Ukraine_russia_conflict)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Ukraine_russia_conflict)">Ukraine's defense mechanism</a>)
<p>
If a conquered country has an organized people, it can often use
nonviolent resistance to compel the conqueror to make some
compromises.  In addition, if other enemies continue fighting the
conqueror, this nonviolent resistance can help them defeat the
conqueror so they 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/26/even-without-russias-military-might-ukraine-can-defend-against-invasion">can liberate the conquered country.</a>

<p>
Nonviolent effort to reduce the oppressiveness of an occupation can do
some good.  But the occupation of Norway and Denmark lasted only 5
years.  Ukraine could be occupied for decades.

<p>
I think that the fact that Ukraine is fighting bravely is the reason
why NATO countries have chosen such strong nonviolent actions against
Russia.  If Ukraine had surrendered without a fight, it would never
have stirred up such a response.

<p>
After writing that, I saw that 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/28/vladimir-putin-war-russia-ukraine">Hariri said something similar.</a>

<p>
Now we can say, "Strike a blow against Putin -- decarbonize!"

<li id="1_March_2022_(nature_vs_nurture)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(nature_vs_nurture)">Big idea about nature vs nurture</a>)
<p>
Let's stop trying to figure out what aspects of people's minds are
shaped by genes and which by their environment.  The genes and the
environment work together in such complex ways 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/28/the-big-idea-is-it-time-to-stop-talking-about-nature-versus-nurture">that there is no simple
way to separate them.</a>

<li id="1_March_2022_(climate_rightwing_crisis)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(climate_rightwing_crisis)">Right-wing judges on climate issues</a>)
<p>
Laurence H Tribe and Jeremy Lewin: The right-wing majority on the
Supreme Court is prepared to attack 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/28/us-supreme-court-rightwing-climate-crisis">climate defense on ideological grounds.</a>

<li id="1_March_2022_(Russian_oligarchs)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Russian_oligarchs)">UK tackling dirty money with new laws</a>)
<p>
Putin's invasion has convinced the UK to force hidden owners
of property in the 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/28/russian-oligarchs-in-uk-face-new-laws-tackling-dirty-money">UK to identify themselves.</a>

<li id="1_March_2022_(Ukraine_bigoil_profit)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Ukraine_bigoil_profit)">Big oil profits as Ukrainian people suffer</a>)
<p>
The fossil fuel industry should be forced to fund the clean energy
transition, not allowed to make even more money as the 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/27/big-oil-trying-profit-war-ukraine">Ukrainian people suffer.</a>*

<p>
A windfall profits tax is the least step we can take.

<li id="1_March_2022_(Cop26_climate_crisis)"> 1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Cop26_climate_crisis)">Impact of climate crisis worse than predicted</a>)
<p>
The leader of the Cop26 climate conference says that <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a>
effects are 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/28/impact-of-climate-crisis-much-worse-than-predicted-says-alok-sharma">much worse than previously predicted.</a>
<p>
The IPCC *report says human actions are causing dangerous disruption,
and window to 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/28/ipcc-issues-bleakest-warning-yet-impacts-climate-breakdown">secure a livable future is closing.</a>*


<li id="1_March_2022_(Urgent:_reject_new_oil_field)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Urgent:_reject_new_oil_field)">Urgent: reject new oil field</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://civicshout.com/p/sign-the-petition-no-arctic-drilling">call on Biden</a> to reject ConocoPhillps's plan to construct
a large oil field near Alaska's Arctic coast.


<li id="1_March_2022_(Urgent:_drug_pricing_reform)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Urgent:_drug_pricing_reform)">Urgent: drug pricing reform</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-demand-that-congress-advance-drug-pricing-reform-through-reconciliation?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to advance drug pricing reform through
the budget reconciliation process.


<li id="1_March_2022_(Denouncing_Putin's_war)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Denouncing_Putin's_war)">Denouncing Putin's war</a>)
<p>
An EU representative denounced Putin's war with Ukraine, and his
dishonesty <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/eu-will-provide-weapons-for-ukraine-josep-borrell">both before and since, on behalf of the EU</a>.

<p>
One point calls for a response.

<p>
Putinite weapons have hit civilian targets.  That does not imply that
troops knowingly attacked civilian targets, or that the weapons were
aimed at those targets.  War causes confusion, and fighting often does
unintended damage.  Consider how often troops in any army hit other
troops on the same side, despite having rules designed to prevent
that.  I think we should wait for a clear pattern that goes beyond
possible accidents before accusing Putinite forces of intentionally
attacking civilians.

<p>
We do have grounds to accuse Putin of the principal Nuremberg crime:
aggressive war.


<li id="1_March_2022_(Freedom_and_democracy)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Freedom_and_democracy)">Freedom and democracy</a>)
<p>
As Bogus Johnson talks about supporting freedom and democracy,
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/ukraine-liberal-ideals-boris-johnson-tories-russian-money">the Tories are attacking both of them in the UK</a>.


<li id="1_March_2022_(Privatizing_Medicare)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Privatizing_Medicare)">Privatizing Medicare</a>)
<p>
Biden has continued the corrupter's experiment in privatizing Medicare,
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/25/band-aid-tumor-critics-blast-biden-rebrand-trumps-medicare-privatization-scheme">with only cosmetic changes</a>.


<li id="1_March_2022_(Social_networks_resisting)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Social_networks_resisting)">Social networks resisting</a>)
<p>
US-based social networks are starting <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/24/social-media-platforms-russia-ukraine-disinformation-00011559">to resist the massive Russian
disinformation wave</a>.

<p>
So Russia <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/93bgq7/russia-will-restrict-access-to-facebook-state-media-reports">is threatening to block them in Russia</a>.


<li id="1_March_2022_(Accepting_parents)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Accepting_parents)">Accepting parents</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/governor-abbott-warns-children-of-accepting-parents-oft-1848596376">satire</a>) *Governor Abbott [of Texas] Warns Children Of Accepting
Parents Often Grow Up To Become Accepting As Well.*


<li id="1_March_2022_(Guns_vanish_into_thin_air)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Guns_vanish_into_thin_air)">Guns vanish into thin air</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/russian-soldiers-guns-tanks-vanish-into-thin-air-as-f-1848595481">satire</a>) *Russian Soldiers' Guns, Tanks Vanish Into Thin Air As First
Wave Of Sanctions Takes Effect.*


<li id="1_March_2022_(Building_on_flooded_area)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Building_on_flooded_area)">Building on flooded area</a>)
<p>
A new bicycle factory in England will be built in an area that is
occasionally flooded -- on stilts, so that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/feb/25/brompton-bikes-plans-100m-wetland-factory-on-stilts">it won't be shut down
when that happens</a>.


<li id="1_March_2022_(Alternate_elector_effort)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Alternate_elector_effort)">Alternate elector effort</a>)
<p>
*Georgia GOP chair tells January 6 committee that [the wrecker's]
campaign <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/25/politics/georgia-gop-chair-january-6-committee-trump-campaign/index.html">directed alternate elector effort</a>.*


<li id="1_March_2022_(Pre-deployed_weapons)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Pre-deployed_weapons)">Pre-deployed weapons</a>)
<p>
We can think of nuclear power plants as "pre-deployed radiological
weapons".  Just add <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/26/conflict-between-nuclear-powered-nations-chernobyl-now-war-zone">a conventional bomb&hellip;</a>


<li id="1_March_2022_(Data_collecting)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Data_collecting)">Data collecting</a>)
<p>
Here's what data Amazon admits collecting <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/27/the-data-game-what-amazon-knows-about-you-and-how-to-stop-it">from people that do business
with it</a>.

<p>
How to stop it?  That's easy.  First, don't buy from Amazon.  Second,
ask your friends not to give Amazon your name, address, or anything
else.  If that has already happened, that doesn't mean you have to let
it happen again!

<p>
I can testify that it isn't hard, because I do that for <Em>all</Em> online
stores.  The only exception I make is for prescriptions, since those
have to be in my name.

<p>
The extra level of boycott that I do against Amazon is that, if someone
is going to buy something for me -- either as a gift, or as a favor which
I'm going to reimburse -- I say, "Please do <Em>not</Em> get it from Amazon!"


<li id="1_March_2022_(Campaigning_against_censorship_and_repression)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Campaigning_against_censorship_and_repression)">Campaigning against censorship and repression</a>)
<p>
In Thailand, students <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/the-student-the-penguin-and-the-king-elite-thai-university-roiled-by-dissent">are campaigning intensely against royalist
censorship and repression</a>.


<li id="1_March_2022_(Crumbling_pyramid_of_power)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Crumbling_pyramid_of_power)">Crumbling pyramid of power</a>)
<p>
Vladimir Sorokin: *Vladimir Putin sits <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/vladimir-putin-russia-ukraine-power">atop a crumbling pyramid of
power</a>.*


<li id="1_March_2022_(Censoring_journalist_via_imprisonment)">1 March 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_March_2022_(Censoring_journalist_via_imprisonment)">Censoring journalist via imprisonment</a>)
<p>
An interview with Rana Ayyub, an Indian journalist that Modi's supporters
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/reviled-harassed-abused-narenda-modis-most-trenchant-critic-speaks-out">are trying to censor via imprisonment</a>.



<li id="28_February_2022_(Defectors_at_risk)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Defectors_at_risk)">Defectors at risk</a>)
<p>
  *"I'm a dead man walking": ex-Russian spy says <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/im-a-dead-man-walking-ex-russian-spy-says-defectors-in-uk-are-at-risk">defectors in the UK are at risk</a>.*

<li id="28_February_2022_(Physically_unable_to_work)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Physically_unable_to_work)">Physically unable to work</a>)
<p>
  Part of the current shortage of workers is because of people who have
  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/pandemic-driven-early-retirement-isnt-silver-lining-ill-health">become physically unable to work</a>.  That could be due to Covid-19 damage.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Decriminalizing_sex_work)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Decriminalizing_sex_work)">Decriminalizing sex work</a>)
<p>
  New York State is considering <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/sex-work-new-york-decriminalize-safely">two approaches to decriminalizing sex work</a>.
  One would legalize the profession; the other would continue the threat
  to punish everyone involved except the prostitutes themselves.
<p>
  I agree that it is important to protect sex workers from enslavement
  and exploitation.  However, prosecuting customers and answering
  services makes no sense at all.
<p>
  Legalization does not have to imply deregulation -- many other kinds
  of businesses are regulated, and sex businesses can be too.  When
  trafficking becomes frequent in any kind of business, the regulations
  can be designed to catch traffickers.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Nuclear_weapons)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Nuclear_weapons)">Nuclear weapons</a>)
<p>
Ukraine gave up the nuclear weapons that it inherited when the
Soviet Union broke up.  Putin's invasion is <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/27/ukraine-nuclear-weapons-russia-invasion/">the sort of thing that
will make other countries in the future cling to nuclear weapons</a>.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Supermarkets_cutting_workers'_pay)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Supermarkets_cutting_workers'_pay)">Supermarkets cutting workers' pay</a>)
<p>
  US supermarkets are making great profits but <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/27/grocery-workers-seek-better-pay-chains-reap-huge-profits">finding sneaky ways
  to cut some workers' pay</a>.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Russian_troops_expelled_from_Kharkiv)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Russian_troops_expelled_from_Kharkiv)">Russian troops expelled from Kharkiv</a>)
<p>
  Ukraine says that Ukrainian forces <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/kharkiv-fighting-russia-ukraine-invasion">defeated and expelled Russian
  forces from Kharkiv and that Russian soldiers surrendered in groups</a>.
<p>
  One can't trust announcements from any side in a war, though.
<p>
  Germany will <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/germany-set-up-fund-boost-military-strength-ukraine-putin">give antitank and antiaircraft missiles to Ukraine</a>.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Deterrence_forces)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Deterrence_forces)">Deterrence forces</a>)
<p>
  Putin announced that he has "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/vladimir-putin-puts-russia-nuclear-deterrence-forces-on-high-alert-ukraine">transferred the deterrence forces of the
  Russian army to a special mode of combat duty</a>."
<p>
  I think that is his way of saying, "I'm a maniac swinging a loaded gun
  around, so do exactly what I say."  But I don't think he is really a
  maniac -- I think this is manipulation.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Putin_and_the_west's_influence)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Putin_and_the_west's_influence)">Putin and the west's influence</a>)
<p>
  How the west <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/27/putin-now-doing-what-he-accused-america-regime-change">influenced Putin's thinking for the worse</a>.

<li id="28_February_2022_(The_saboteurs)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(The_saboteurs)">The saboteurs</a>)
<p>
  *If the UK government had <a href="https://www.monbiot.com/2022/02/25/the-saboteurs/">set out to undermine and degrade our
  country, it couldn't have done a better job</a>.*
<p>
  I suspect that, in practice, the difference between "undermine the
  country" and "drive the non-rich into penury" is not very big.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Global_heating_and_national_security)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Global_heating_and_national_security)">Global heating and national security</a>)
<p>
  The International Red Cross warns that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/27/climate-emergency-a-national-security-concern-says-red-cross">global heating is a threat to the national security of every country</a>.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Boiling_water)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Boiling_water)">Boiling water</a>)
<p>
  Conjecture: the availability of inexpensive tea made Britons healthier
  in the 19th century because, to drink tea, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/27/the-guardian-view-on-a-swill-idea-that-history-was-made-in-a-tea-break">they had to boil the water</a>.
<p>
  I speculate that Britons can thank the rebellious American
  colonists for the 1784 decrease in the British tax on tea.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Proctorio)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Proctorio)">Proctorio</a>)
<p>
  Proctorio, the company which makes nonfree software that takes total
  control of a student's computer in the name of preventing cheating,
  is <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/epxqgw/proctorio-is-going-after-digital-rights-groups-that-bash-their-proctoring-software">using legal harassment against organizations that criticized it</a>.
<p>
  Students, please organize and demand that your school stop demanding that you
  run vicious surveillance software.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Nuclear_power_plants)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Nuclear_power_plants)">Nuclear power plants</a>)
<p>
  On the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/26/conflict-between-nuclear-powered-nations-chernobyl-now-war-zone">risk of disaster posed by Ukraine's nuclear power plants</a>.

<li id="28_February_2022_(The_UK_plans_to_prohibit_anonymous_internet_platform_use)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(The_UK_plans_to_prohibit_anonymous_internet_platform_use)">The UK plans to prohibit anonymous internet platform use</a>)
<p>
  The UK <a href="https://www.engadget.com/facebook-google-and-other-tech-firms-must-verify-identities-under-proposed-uk-law-112501065.html?src=rss">plans to prohibit anonymous use of many internet platforms</a> --
  in the name of "protecting children", of course.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Stop_showing_Faux_News_on_military_bases)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Stop_showing_Faux_News_on_military_bases)">Stop showing Faux News on military bases</a>)
<p>
  The US military <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/10/its-time-pentagon-pulled-plug-fox-news">must stop showing Faux News, with its insurrectionist
  and anti-vax propaganda, on military bases</a>.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Republican_wants_to_remove_students_with_Russian_nationality)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Republican_wants_to_remove_students_with_Russian_nationality)">Republican wants to remove students with Russian nationality</a>)
<p>
  A Republican congresscritter proposed <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/national-politics/article/Swalwell-proposes-expelling-Russian-students-16947581.php">expelling all students of
  Russian nationality from US universities</a>.
  That would be mindless scapegoating -- exactly what one expects from
  Republicans.  Those students are not serving Putin by going to school
  in the US.
<p>
  I urged countries to <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-may-aug.html#30_June_2021_(Chinese_students_in_Australia)">limit the number of students from China</a>, but that
  is not a matter of trying to hurt Chinese students.  It is because
  China has an organized system of forcing Chinese nationals (and people
  who have relatives in China who can be used as hostages) to act as
  instruments to pressure students, faculty, and the universities
  themselves.

<li id="28_February_2022_(SWIFT_bank_transfer_system)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(SWIFT_bank_transfer_system)">SWIFT bank transfer system</a>)
<p>
  The US, UK, Europe and Canada have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/us-uk-europe-and-canada-to-block-russian-access-to-swift">joined to limit Russia's use of the
  SWIFT bank transfer system</a>.
<p>
  *SWIFT action, at last, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/swift-action-at-last-brings-meaningful-sanctions-against-putin-regime">brings meaningful sanctions against Putin regime</a>.*

<li id="28_February_2022_(Ukrainians_at_barricades)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Ukrainians_at_barricades)">Ukrainians at barricades</a>)
<p>
  *Armed with hammers and pistols, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/armed-with-hammers-and-pistols-ukrainians-wait-at-barricades-for-the-russians">Ukrainians wait at barricades for the Russians</a>.*
<p>
  It's not going to be very effective at resistance if Putin tells the
  Putin army to plow through them.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Veteran_Hershy's_workers'_union_drive)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Veteran_Hershy's_workers'_union_drive)">Veteran Hershy's workers' union drive</a>)
<p>
  *Veteran Hershey's Workers <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/veteran-hersheys-workers-lead-union-drive-benefit-new-hires">Lead Union Drive to Benefit New Hires</a>.*

<li id="28_February_2022_(Ordered_prosecution_for_sex-change_treatments)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Ordered_prosecution_for_sex-change_treatments)">Ordered the prosecution for sex-change treatments</a>)
<p>
  The governor of Texas has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/texas-das-refuse-comply-abbott-order-criminalize-care-trans-kids">ordered prosecution of anyone (including
  parents) involved in providing sex-change treatments to transgender
  youth</a>.  This attempts to twist a law that Republicans failed to
  actually change.  Some DAs in Texas have said they will refuse to
  comply prosecute.
<p>
  However, those families (and many others) may be persecuted anyway as
  state agencies investigate them, looking for an excuse to take their
  children away.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Marjorie_Taylor_Greene_calls_for_violence_against_trans_people)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Marjorie_Taylor_Greene_calls_for_violence_against_trans_people)">Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for violence against trans people</a>)
<p>
  Republican congress-fascist <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/alex-jones/conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-show-rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-calls-violent-physical">openly advocated violence against trans people</a>.

<li id="28_February_2022_(DeJoy_orders_gas-powered_Postal_Service_trucks)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(DeJoy_orders_gas-powered_Postal_Service_trucks)">DeJoy orders gas-powered Postal Service trucks</a>)
<p>
  DeJoy has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/tear-deal-outrage-dejoy-finalizes-plan-buy-gas-guzzling-trucks">finished the procedure for ordering a new fleet of
  gas-powered trucks for the Postal Service</a>.
<p>
  It seems that Biden's new postal commissioners have been confirmed.
  We were told that they would replace DeJoy,  Why has this not happened?

<li id="28_February_2022_(Propaganda_techniques)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Propaganda_techniques)">Propaganda techniques</a>)
<p>
  The Canadian military launched an operation to collect data on activists
  as part of <a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/military-leaders-saw-pandemic-as-unique-opportunity-to-test-propaganda-techniques-on-canadians-forces-report-says">a plan to test propaganda techniques on Canada's public</a>.

<li id="28_February_2022_((Satire)_U.S._Shocked_by_Russia)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_((Satire)_U.S._Shocked_by_Russia)">(Satire) U.S. Shocked by Russia</a>)
<p>
  (satire) *U.S. Shocked Russia Would Invade Another Country After
  <a href="https://www.theonion.com/u-s-shocked-russia-would-invade-another-country-after-1848590786">Seeing How Badly America's Recent Invasions Went</a>.*

<li id="28_February_2022_(Tories_increasing_what_low-income_graduates_need_to_pay)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Tories_increasing_what_low-income_graduates_need_to_pay)">Tories increasing what low-income graduates need to pay</a>)
<p>
  The Tories are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/feb/24/england-student-loan-changes-will-hit-poor-hardest-official-analysis-finds">planning a massive increase in what graduates with low
  incomes will have to pay for their university education</a>.

<li id="28_February_2022_(World_domination_by_2030)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(World_domination_by_2030)">World domination by 2030</a>)
<p>
  <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/24/planet-brink-china-digging-its-own-grave-and-ours-well">China is pushing for world dominion by 2030</a>, but it is boosting
  greenhouse gas emissions so much that its power is likely to be broken
  by the cost of <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a> effects by 2050.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Leftover_pasta_sauce)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Leftover_pasta_sauce)">Leftover pasta sauce</a>)
<p>
(satire) *Scotch-Brite Unveils New Scouring Bread For <a href="https://www.theonion.com/scotch-brite-unveils-new-scouring-bread-for-wiping-up-l-1848477950">Wiping Up
Leftover Pasta Sauce On Plate</a>.*

<li id="28_February_2022_((Satire)_Solitary_Warehouse)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_((Satire)_Solitary_Warehouse)">(Satire) Solitary Warehouse</a>)
<p>
(satire) *Amazon Transfers Insubordinate Employee To Shifts <a href="https://www.theonion.com/amazon-transfers-insubordinate-employee-to-shifts-worki-1848588213">Working In Solitary Warehouse</a>.*

<li id="28_February_2022_(Harshness_against_convicted_criminals)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Harshness_against_convicted_criminals)">Harshness against convicted criminals</a>)
<p>
  The steady right-wing pressure to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/26/los-angeles-california-prosecutor-reform-agenda-roll-over">maintain maximum harshness against
  convicted criminals seizes on and magnifies any outlying case</a>.
<p>
  Every decision about policies in dealing with crime is a probabilistic
  one.  If you replace policy A with policy B, there will be cases where
  the result of B is better and cases where the result of B is worse.
  Whether B is a change for the better overall depends on the frequency
  of better and worse outcomes.
<p>
  A wave of indignation is not a substitute for a rational evaluation of
  the results of using policy B, not even in one specific case.  We
  don't know yet whether convict Tubbs will commit more crimes after
  experiencing juvenile hall than she would have committed after a
  sentence in adult prison.  Indeed, the general experience with adult
  prison suggests it often directs prisoners toward a life of crime.
<p>
  If B turns out to give worse results in an identifiable subset
  of cases, that doesn't necessarily imply that going back to A is
  the best change.  Maybe some variant B would be better than
  either A or B in such cases.
<p>
  So I think that Gascon's latest decision was premature.

<li id="28_February_2022_(Dubya_lies)">28 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_February_2022_(Dubya_lies)">Dubya lies</a>)
<p>
  The lies that <a href="/glossary.html#dubya">Dubya</a> forced into US intelligence reports about Iraq
  caused <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/26/how-george-w-bush-laid-groundwork-putins-invasion-ukraine">a lasting skepticism about US intelligence reports</a>,
  which did harm just now, as people distrusted the reports
  about Putin that we now know were valid.
<p>
  Now US intelligence says that Putin's army is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-25-22/h_c3235e08f974d46a04900efa688e3554">considering taking the
  relatives of Ukrainian soldiers hostage and killing them if the
  soldiers don't surrender</a>.
<p>
  Putin has established a pattern of shocking the world by taking
  barbarity further than people could have believed.  <a href="https://www.stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#27_February_2022_(Sweeden_and_Finland)">Threatening war
  if Sweden and Finland join NATO</a>
  is the latest example.  That doesn't prove he would descend to terrorism,
  but it would fit his pattern.
<p>
  We must not allow him to win victories by threatening barbarity.
  The proper response to such barbarity is, "Wanted dead or alive."
<p>
  However, even if Putin is planning to do that, he has not done it yet.
  There is a big moral difference between "may do X" and "has done X."
  Putin still has the option of <em>not</em> murdering hostages.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Total_lies_and_half-truths)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Total_lies_and_half-truths)">Total lies and half-truths</a>)
<p>
  *<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/26/russia-lies-america-half-truths">Russia speaks total lies</a>. That doesn’t diminish America’s half-truths.*
<p>
  However, the article's real point is that a government that speaks half-truths
  can sometimes be your only protection from the total lies.
<p>
  <a href="https://taibbi.substack.com/p/note-to-readers-on-the-invasion-of">Matt Taibbi apologizes</a> for the error that blinded him to how
  horrible a deed Putin would do.
  He had become "so fixated on western misbehavior" that he didn't realize
  that the west's enemies could be worse.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_industry_and_Russia)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_industry_and_Russia)">Fossil fuel industry and Russia</a>)
<p>
  *US fossil fuel industry <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/us-fossil-fuel-industry-russia-ukraine-drilling">leaps on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to argue for more drilling</a>.*
<p>
  Fossil fuel companies led the US and Europe to become so dependent on
  those fuels that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/26/big-oil-ukraine-russia-putin">we became vulnerable to Putin</a>.  We must not let them
  off the hook.
<p>
  The long-term way to defeat Putin and other petrostate autocrats is by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/25/this-is-how-we-defeat-putin-and-other-petrostate-autocrats">decarbonizing</a>.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Pretext_for_invasion)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Pretext_for_invasion)">Pretext for invasion</a>)
<p>
  *The Russian leader’s pretext for invasion <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/vladimir-putin-ukraine-attack-antisemitism-denazify">recasts Ukraine’s Jewish president as a Nazi and Russian Christians as true victims of the Holocaust</a>.*

<li id="27_February_2022_(UPS_cutting_wages_while_profitable)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(UPS_cutting_wages_while_profitable)">UPS cutting wages while profitable</a>)
<p>
  UPS <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/26/ups-part-time-workers-pay-cuts">is so profitable that it is cutting wages</a>.

<li id="27_February_2022_(El_Salvador_1989_massacre)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(El_Salvador_1989_massacre)">El Salvador 1989 massacre</a>)
<p>
  *El Salvador’s former president <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/el-salvadors-former-president-charged-over-1989-massacre-of-six-jesuit-priests">charged over 1989 massacre of six
  Jesuit priests</a>.*

<li id="27_February_2022_(Russia_and_its_lost_empire)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Russia_and_its_lost_empire)">Russia and its lost empire</a>)
<p>
  *The west has a duty to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/25/ukraine-russia-defeat-military-putin">help defend Ukraine –- and to help Russia
  [adjust to the loss of its empire] by ensuring its defeat</a>.*

<li id="27_February_2022_(Antivax_protest_and_conspiracies)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Antivax_protest_and_conspiracies)">Antivax protest and conspiracies</a>)
<p>
  The antivax protest at New Zealand's parliament draws people with
  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/so-many-rabbit-holes-even-in-trusting-new-zealand-protests-show-fringe-beliefs-can-flourish">opposition views that are within the domain of rationality</a>, then
  indoctrinates them into conspiracy ideation.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Demolitions_in_the_Occupied_West_Bank)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Demolitions_in_the_Occupied_West_Bank)">Demolitions in the Occupied West Bank</a>)
<p>
  *Israel Surpasses <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/25/israel-palestine-west-bank-demolitions/">1,000 Demolitions in the Occupied West Bank Since
  Joe Biden Took Office</a>.*

<li id="27_February_2022_(Banks_eliminating_branches_and_ATMs)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Banks_eliminating_branches_and_ATMs)">Banks eliminating branches and ATMs</a>)
<p>
  Spanish banks have been <a href="https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/02/spanish-pensioners-win-rare-battle-against-the-banks-war-on-cash.html">eliminating branches and ATMs, trying to push
  people to pay digitally and suffer tracking</a>.  Retired people have organized
  and pressured banks to back down.
<p>
  People should do this in other countries, too.  But don't put the
  petition on change.org!  That company requires people to run nonfree
  software to sign.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Russia_and_sanctions)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Russia_and_sanctions)">Russia and sanctions</a>)
<p>
  *Western powers have realised <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/western-powers-have-realised-russia-is-largely-immune-to-sanctions-ukraine-putin">Russia is largely immune to sanctions</a>.*
<p>
  In effect, the warnings of disaster that we heard coming from Biden
  were more exaggeration than I guess they were.  Rather than a
  standard-issue paper tiger, they were more like a tissue-paper tiger.
<p>
  The chance we had to prevent this war was months ago.  Starting then,
  we could have provided Ukraine with the military strength to deter the
  attack.
<p>
  *[Putin] has hardly kept his worldview secret – and now <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/25/putin-west-gave-him-green-light-russia-ukraine">Ukraine is
  paying the price for western leaders who looked the other way</a>.*

<li id="27_February_2022_(Biden's_Supreme_Court_nominee)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Biden's_Supreme_Court_nominee)">Biden's Supreme Court nominee</a>)
<p>
  Progressive politicians are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/feb/25/reaction-biden-supreme-court-pick-ketanji-brown-jackson">endorsing Biden's nominee for the Supreme Court</a>.
<p>
  I had read she was associated with harsh policies in criminal justice,
  but if these politicians don't see them as a grave problem, I'm
  satisfied.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Nuclear_power_reactors)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Nuclear_power_reactors)">Nuclear power reactors</a>)
<p>
  Ukraine's operating nuclear power reactors could <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/nuclear-meltdown-threat-ukraine-russia-attack">meltdown and spew
  radiation</a> if they shut down and lose grid power with which to keep the
  fuel cool.
<p>
  War could force them to shut down even if no army intends to do so.
  But Russian attacks towards the plant could kill the staff or drive
  them away.  If Russian troops seize the plants and try to force
  the staff to work as prisoners, there is no telling what might happen.
<p>
  It is ominous that Russian troops have seized Chernobyl and imprisoned
  the staff that work there.  The wrecked reactors are not a weapon and
  provide no service to Ukraine that Putin might threaten to shut off.
  It would have been easy and safe to ignore the place and leave the
  staff alone.
<p>
  I can only imagine that he plans to use the wrecked reactors to do
  something vicious, such as poison Ukraine with radioactive waste.  But
  that doesn't make sense either; I can't see that it would gain him
  anything.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Trying_to_vote)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Trying_to_vote)">Trying to vote</a>)
<p>
  *Judge orders new trial for US woman <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/25/pamela-moses-new-trial-voting-memphis-judge">sentenced to six years for trying
  to register to vote</a>.*

<li id="27_February_2022_(Non-wealthy_buildings)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Non-wealthy_buildings)">Non-wealthy buildings</a>)
<p>
  Historic England, which until now has preserved the old buildings of
  the wealthy and important, has decided to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/25/the-guardian-view-on-ordinary-histories-often-quite-extraordinary">preserve also some buildings
  where the non-wealthy lived or worked</a>.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Blacklisted_or_fired)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Blacklisted_or_fired)">Blacklisted or fired</a>)
<p>
  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/prominent-russians-join-protests-against-ukraine-war-amid-1800-arrests-putin">Prominent Russians are denouncing Putin's war</a>, though they know they
  may be blacklisted or fired, while ordinary citizens protest on the
  street knowing they will immediately be dragged away.
<p>
  In these photos of protests around the world, I was moved
  especially by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2022/feb/25/people-rally-worldwide-in-support-of-ukraine-in-pictures">the Russians who condemn Putin's war</a>.
  Please let's not blame Russians for what Putin does -- under his
  contemptuous tyranny, which <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-jan-apr.html#19_January_2021_(Navalny_arrested)">crushes dissent and cites absurd reasons</a>,
  they have no say in what Russia does.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Kyiv_morale)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Kyiv_morale)">Kyiv morale</a>)
<p>
  President Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian high officials say <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/battle-for-kyiv-people-grieving-already-tragedy-ukraine-invasion">they will
  stay in Kyiv to boost morale for the fight to defend the city</a>.
<p>
  I hope that the vice president and some other officials are safe in
  another country where they can constitute the government in exile if
  Kyiv falls.  That will be important to deny Putin control over
  Ukraine's foreign assets and its embassies.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Sweeden_and_Finland)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Sweeden_and_Finland)">Sweeden and Finland</a>)
<p>
  Putin <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/kyiv-attack-latest-russia-invasion-ukraine">threatened to attack</a> Sweden and Finland if they join NATO.
<p>
  A week ago he was describing NATO as a threat so powerful that he was
  compelled to attack Ukraine to forestall its joining NATO.  Now he
  treats NATO as so weak that he can <a href="/glossary.html#bully">bully</a> countries not to join it
  by threatening war against them.  There is a fundamental contradiction
  here.
<p>
  But what he says is not meant to be valid.  It is all part of
  bullying.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Lead_shot)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Lead_shot)">Lead shot</a>)
<p>
  The UK allows people to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/24/voluntary-uk-ban-on-killing-birds-with-lead-shot-has-had-no-detectable-effect">fire lead shot at birds</a>, and the lead gets
  into other birds and makes them toxic.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Urgent:_Right_Whale_Coexistence_Act)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Urgent:_Right_Whale_Coexistence_Act)">Urgent: Right Whale Coexistence Act</a>)
<p>

US citizens: phone your congresscritter and senators to support
the Right Whale Coexistence Act.

<p>The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.</p>
<p>If you call, please spread the word!</p>

<li id="27_February_2022_(Urgent:_Defund_the_Coastal_Gaslink_pipeline)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Urgent:_Defund_the_Coastal_Gaslink_pipeline)">Urgent: Defund the Coastal Gaslink pipeline</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on banks to <a href="https://act.stand.earth/page/37922/petition/1">defund the Coastal Gaslink pipeline</a>.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Wrecking_pipeline_construction_equipment)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Wrecking_pipeline_construction_equipment)">Wrecking pipeline construction equipment</a>)
<p>

Pipeline opponents used axes to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/23/night-attack-controversial-canadian-fracked-gas-pipeline-site">wreck construction equipment</a> being
used to construct a gas pipeline along Canada's Pacific coast.
<p>Intentional destruction of property is a crime.  But is the destruction of
equipment for building fossil fuel infrastructure as bad a crime as
building that infrastructure?  We know that that will cause, over a
few decades, the destruction of a far larger amount of property, and
much of that will be to property of ordinary people rather than a
planet-roaster enterprise.
<p>
The people that attacked the work camp avoided attacking humans, but
global heating is already <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-sep-dec.html#27_December_2017_(Fossil_fuel_health_effects)">killing millions</a> of people per
year and will surely kill tens of millions per year in a few decades.
<p>
Thus, I think that the necessity defense applies morally, even if not
legally.
<p>
What disturbs me about this attack is that it is an escalation.  It
may inspire other escalations, in retaliation and/or by right-wing
extremists.  I wish it had not come to this.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Australian_fossil_fuel_facilities)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Australian_fossil_fuel_facilities)">Australian fossil fuel facilities</a>)
<p>

Australia approves fossil fuel facilities based on estimates of how
much greenhouse gas the facility will emit once operating.  But there
is no <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/24/a-fifth-of-australias-fossil-fuel-facilities-emit-more-greenhouse-gas-than-originally-estimated-report-says">effort to verify</a> it stays within that limit.  Some facilities
emit a lot more.
<p>
It seems that the system has been designed to avoid inconvenience
for planet-roasters.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Freshwater_towards_poles)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Freshwater_towards_poles)">Freshwater towards poles</a>)
<p>

*   Rising temperatures pushing much <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/24/climate-change-is-intensifying-earths-water-cycle-at-twice-the-predicted-rate-research-shows">more freshwater towards poles</a> than
   climate models previously estimated.*
<p>
This means that predictions of droughts and desertification will need
to be revised upward.
<p>
I wonder how this affects the threat to turn off the ocean currents in the
North Atlantic &mdash; the gulf stream and the conveyor.  That would cause
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-may-aug.html#7_August_2021_(Gulf_Stream)">disaster for coastal countries</a> in that region, including Ireland, Britain
and Scandinavia.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Mining_road_in_Alaska)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Mining_road_in_Alaska)">Mining road in Alaska</a>)
<p>

*US government <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/23/biden-alaska-mining-road">halts [the wrecker's] plan</a> to approve mining road in Alaska.*

<li id="27_February_2022_(Chance_to_eliminate_malaria,_tuberculosis_and_AIDS)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Chance_to_eliminate_malaria,_tuberculosis_and_AIDS)">Chance to eliminate malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS</a>)
<p>

Humanity has a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/23/increase-funding-or-abandon-hope-of-ending-malaria-tb-and-aids-uk-warned">chance to eliminate</a> malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS, but it will require more money.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Attacks_on_Ukraine)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Attacks_on_Ukraine)">Attacks on Ukraine</a>)
<p>

Ukraine says it was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-23-22/h_82bf44af2f01ad57f81c0760c6cb697c">attacked from Russia, Belarus, and the Crimea</a>.
<p>
Many major cities have been attacked.  It is clear that though Putin
sent "peacekeepers" using Luhansk and Donetsk as a pretext, their
mission has no particular relation to those insurrections or to the
provinces they are in.
<p>
Putin said he intends to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine.
Translated through his propaganda system, I think that means he
threatens to remove the current "Nazi" government of Ukraine (never
mind that it's led by a Jew) and impose a puppet government.  Perhaps
with permanent Russian "peacekeepers" to keep it in power.
<p>
That doesn't mean it is what he actually intends to do.  Like his US
protege Trumputin, Putin loves lying, and the more brash and absurd,
the better.

<li id="27_February_2022_(If_Biden_declares_a_climate_emergency)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(If_Biden_declares_a_climate_emergency)">If Biden declares a climate emergency</a>)
<p>

If Biden declares a climate emergency, he would have the authority to
take important steps to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/new-report-details-exactly-what-biden-could-do-after-declaring-climate-emergency">prevent new fossil fuel development</a> and to
speed the construction of renewable energy facilities.

<li id="27_February_2022_(RNA_vaccines_for_more_non-rich_countries)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(RNA_vaccines_for_more_non-rich_countries)">RNA vaccines for more non-rich countries</a>)
<p>

The WHO has decided to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/23/game-changer-defying-big-pharma-who-expands-vaccine-tech-sharing">help five more non-rich countries</a> make RNA
vaccines.
<p>
One crucial question I have not seen answered: are these countries allowed
to make vaccines for other countries, or only for their own use?
What are the rules for this?

<li id="27_February_2022_(Suckering_young_people)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Suckering_young_people)">Suckering young people</a>)
<p>

"Influencing" is based on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/feb/24/hustle-and-hype-the-truth-about-the-influencer-economy">suckering young people</a> with the idea of
beating everyone else in who can sucker more people in.
<p>
It's similar to multi-level marketing, in that of the many who enter
at the bottom, very few make a success of it.  Most of them become part
of the many that the successful ones exploit.

<li id="27_February_2022_(UK_system_for_student_loans)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(UK_system_for_student_loans)">UK system for student loans</a>)
<p>

The UK system for student loans had one good quality: if you didn't
get a good income afterwards, you didn't have to pay back all of that.
Now, the Tories think that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/feb/24/students-in-england-to-pay-back-loans-over-40-years-instead-of-30">gives poor people too good a deal</a>.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Minneapolis_thugs_convicted_of_hate_crimes)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Minneapolis_thugs_convicted_of_hate_crimes)">Minneapolis thugs convicted of hate crimes</a>)
<p>

Three Minneapolis <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> who failed to prevent the murder of George Floyd
have been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/24/george-floyd-death-police-officers-guilty-civil-rights">convicted of federal hate crimes</a> for failing to intervene
to prevent Chauvin from killing him and helping to deny him
medical attention during the while.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Elon_Musk_under_investigation)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Elon_Musk_under_investigation)">Elon Musk under investigation</a>)
<p>

*Elon Musk and brother <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/24/elon-musk-brother-under-investigation-insider-trading">under investigation</a> for alleged insider trading.*

<li id="27_February_2022_(Barring_Russia_from_international_payments_network)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Barring_Russia_from_international_payments_network)">Barring Russia from international payments network</a>)
<p>

*The UK wants to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/24/what-is-swift-international-payments-network-russia-sanction">bar Russia from the international payments network</a> [Swift] &mdash;
   but others doubt the sanction’s value.*

<li id="27_February_2022_(Helping_Ukrainians)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Helping_Ukrainians)">Helping Ukrainians</a>)
<p>

*   It will take years for the consequences of 24 February to play out, but
   there is still much the west can do to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/24/russia-invasion-ukraine-europe-ukrainians">help Ukrainians</a>.*
<p>
I'm glad someone agrees with me that we should have given Ukraine
enough weapons and training to deter Putin from invading.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Transitioning_away_from_fossil_fuel_jobs)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Transitioning_away_from_fossil_fuel_jobs)">Transitioning away from fossil fuel jobs</a>)
<p>

*Greens unveil a $19bn plan to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/25/greens-unveil-19bn-plan-to-subsidise-coal-workers-to-transition-away-from-fossil-fuel-jobs">subsidise coal workers</a> to transition away from
fossil fuel jobs.*
<p>
Oops!  If you offer coal miners that cushy deal, coal mine owners will
demand to be paid to transition away from fossil fuel investments.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Abortion_pills_by_mail)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Abortion_pills_by_mail)">Abortion pills by mail</a>)
<p>

During the pandemic, England allowed women to obtain abortion pills by mail
and take them at home.  It's not ideal for women to do this alone,
but it's better than being forced to have a baby.
<p>
The US should <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/24/england-abortion-pill-by-post-scheme-scrapped-september-change-law-covid-pandemic">make sure women can do likewise</a>, in Texas and other
states where Republicans are blocking them from getting the pills.

<li id="27_February_2022_(UK's_goal_to_send_Assange_to_the_US)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(UK's_goal_to_send_Assange_to_the_US)">UK's goal to send Assange to the US</a>)
<p>

Ecuador's former foreign minister: the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/24/julian-assange-extradition-uk-alan-duncan/">UK's goal all along</a> was to send
Assange to the US.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Living_with_Putin's_aggression)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Living_with_Putin's_aggression)">Living with Putin's aggression</a>)
<p>

*As a Russian, I don’t know how to live with the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/24/russian-vladimir-putin-ukraine">shame of Putin’s aggression</a>.*

<li id="27_February_2022_(Starving_Florida_manatees)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Starving_Florida_manatees)">Starving Florida manatees</a>)
<p>

*<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/24/florida-manatees-starving">Massive feeding effort</a> underway to save starving Florida manatees.*
<p>
But Republicans are working hard on eliminating the remaining seagrass
and the remaining manatees.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Belief_that_Facebook_is_doomed)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Belief_that_Facebook_is_doomed)">Belief that Facebook is doomed</a>)
<p>

Cory Doctorow believes that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/24/ive-been-waiting-15-years-for-facebook-to-die-im-more-hopeful-than-ever">Facebook is doomed</a>.
<p>
I hope so, but that will be nothing to celebrate if Facebook is
replaced by another online dis-service that has the same basic
injustices.  These include requiring people to run nonfree software,
collecting data users don't ask it to hold, and promoting whatever
postings tend to cause outrage.
<p>
Don't be a zucker &mdash; don't be <a href="/facebook.html">used by Facebook</a>!
But don't assume that everything else is ok!

<li id="27_February_2022_(Good_guy_with_a_gun)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Good_guy_with_a_gun)">Good guy with a gun</a>)
<p>
  A progressive "good guy with a gun" <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/23/portland-protest-shooting/">stopped a right-wing gunman</a> who
  attacked volunteers supporting a protest.  When official <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> came,
  they didn't believe the survivors' report and arrested the good guy.
<p>
  It's very rare that a "good guy with a gun" is present when someone
  starts committing murder.  In this case, his presence was not a matter
  of luck.  He was there to protect people at the protest.  The protest
  organizers realized in advance that the violent tone of right-wing
  hatred might inspire someone to shoot protesters, and wisely arranged
  to have some guards.
<p>
  This one even managed to disable the killer without killing him, so he
  will face trial.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Frozen_Conflict)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Frozen_Conflict)">Frozen Conflict</a>)
<p>
  Theory: what Putin really wants in Ukraine is to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/23/putin-narrative-ukraine-master-key-crisis-nato-expansionism-frozen-conflict">create a "frozen conflict"
  that would make NATO refuse to admit Ukraine</a>.
<p>
  It makes sense, and it may be part of the truth.  But it can't be the
  whole truth, because (1) Putin had already created frozen conflicts in
  Ukraine, by seizing the Crimea and by creating a permanent rebellion in
  parts of Luhansk and Donetsk, and (2) he has announced the intention
  to seize all of Ukraine and impose a government under his control.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Moderna_and_natural_human_genes)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Moderna_and_natural_human_genes)">Moderna and natural human genes</a>)
<p>
  Moderna <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10542309/Fresh-lab-leak-fears-study-finds-genetic-code-Covids-spike-protein-linked-Moderna-patent.html">patented a short subsequence of a natural human gene</a>.
  Natural genes are not supposed to be patented, but patenting a
  subsequence of one is basically equivalent and should not be allowed
  either.
<p>
  This was noticed because it turns out that SARS-CoV-2 contains that
  same sequence.  How did that happen?  It could be the result of
  genetic engineering if anyone did that, but it is no proof that the
  virus was engineered because it could have randomly incorporated that
  sequence as RNA while adapting to a human host.
<p>
  The article is slanted in support of the lab leak theory, and it's not
  impossible, but not proven either.  If it is someday established that
  a lab leak played a role, we could learn important precautions to take
  in the genetic engineering of viruses.  However, even if the virus did not
  pass through a lab, we might nonetheless learn some important
  precautions.
<p>
  (satire) Either way, Moderna's patent lawyers will sue the virus,
  and it won't dare reproduce any more in countries with vigorous
  patent enforcement.  Then WIPO will tout this as proof that patenting
  of gene sequences is vitally important for everyone.

<li id="27_February_2022_(Bethany_K_Farber)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(Bethany_K_Farber)">Bethany K Farber</a>)
<p>
  Los Angeles thugs <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/23/woman-sues-lapd-wrongful-imprisonment-mistaken-identity">kept Bethany K Farber of California in jail for 13
  days before they figured out she was not Bethany K Farber of Texas</a>.
  They could have determined this in 5 minutes if they had checked the
  most obvious things.
<p>
  The article describes the physical mistreatment she experienced in jail
  that are surely suffered by other prisoners as well.  That's something
  that the city must correct.

<li id="27_February_2022_(The_corrupter's_supporters)">27 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_February_2022_(The_corrupter's_supporters)">The corrupter's supporters</a>)
<p>
  The corrupter's supporters, while <a href="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/02/excellent-summary-durham-investigation-date-will-durham-destroy-national-security-state-just-hillary-clinton/">engaged in a coup to impose their
  control permanently over the US, constantly accuse their opponents of
  doing something like that</a>.
<p>
  The corrupter just praised Putin directly.  They use similar methods
  of brash and outrageous lies.  But I wonder now whether they really
  are allies.

<li id="25_February_2022_(New_Pun)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(New_Pun)">New Pun</a>)
<p>

<a href="https://stallman.org/puns.html#cracker-to-soup">Converting a Cracker Into a Soup</a>

<li id="25_February_2022_(A_perilous_and_politicized_pandemic_response)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(A_perilous_and_politicized_pandemic_response)">A perilous and politicized pandemic response</a>)
<p>

*   "For the one in four people in the U.K. who are clinically vulnerable,
   the current approach appears a perilous and politicized pandemic
   response," <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/21/public-health-experts-warn-against-uks-end-covid-restrictions">wrote more than 2,000 physicians and scientists</a>.*
<p>
London trains and buses <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/23/transport-for-london-drops-rules-on-compulsory-face-masks">no longer require people to wear masks</a>.
<p>
This means considerable danger for clinically vulnerable people who
don't have cars, if they travel anywhere.  And this is for the sake of
a small degree of comfort for the other passengers.

<li id="25_February_2022_(Stand_your_ground_and_kill_laws_in_southern_states)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Stand_your_ground_and_kill_laws_in_southern_states)">Stand your ground and kill laws in southern states</a>)
<p>

When several southern states adopted "stand your ground and kill" laws, 
the rate of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/21/stand-your-ground-laws-linked-11-spike-us-gun-homicides-study">deaths by shooting increased</a> immediately by 16 to 32 percent.
<p>
Curiously, there was no such increase in states elsewhere in the US that
did the same thing.

<li id="25_February_2022_(Russian_oligarchs_giving_money_to_Tory_Party)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Russian_oligarchs_giving_money_to_Tory_Party)">Russian oligarchs giving money to Tory Party</a>)
<p>

Some Russian oligarchs <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/23/oligarchs-funding-tories">give or route money</a> to the Tory Party.

<li id="25_February_2022_(Russian_economy_vulnerability_to_sanctions)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Russian_economy_vulnerability_to_sanctions)">Russian economy vulnerability to sanctions</a>)
<p>

Russia's economy is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/23/why-a-swift-economic-victory-against-russia-unlikely-sanctions">hardly vulnerable</a> to economic sanctions.

<li id="25_February_2022_(Misuse_of_sexual_assault_victim_DNA)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Misuse_of_sexual_assault_victim_DNA)">Misuse of sexual assault victim DNA</a>)
<p>

*San Francisco police will stop <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/23/california-san-francisco-police-assault-victim-dna-investigate-crimes">misusing sexual assault victim DNA</a> to
investigate unrelated crimes.*
<p>
It's good of them to adopt this policy, but there are thousands of
cities in the US, as well as county sheriff's departments and
state <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thug</a> departments.  We need to make this a legal requirement.

<li id="25_February_2022_(21st_Century_Economic_Bill_of_Rights)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(21st_Century_Economic_Bill_of_Rights)">21st Century Economic Bill of Rights</a>)
<p>

*Proposing a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/23/call-all-progressive-candidates-and-officeholders-embrace-21st-century-economic">21st Century Economic Bill of Rights</a>—a Bill of Rights.*
These are eight rights that enable people to have a decent life.
<p>
In addition to these eight rights to the things that make for a decent life,
people also deserve freedoms.

<li id="25_February_2022_(More_gas_pipelines)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(More_gas_pipelines)">More gas pipelines</a>)
<p>

The world is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/22/global-gas-pipeline-boom-poses-climate-financial-disaster">constructing</a> 44,000 miles of gas pipelines, and planning
76,000 more.
If they are built, the $500 million "investment" will motivate the
owners to do anything whatsoever to keep gas flowing through them,
even though burning that much hydrocarbon would destroy the ecosphere
and civilization.

<li id="25_February_2022_(The_wrecker_praised_Putin)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(The_wrecker_praised_Putin)">The wrecker praised Putin</a>)
<p>

America's Putin, the wrecker, <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/radio/trump-praises-savvy-putin-says-he-wants-putins-peacekeeping-force-on-us-southern-border/">praised Putin</a> for the brazenness of his
lies about Ukraine.
<p>
This confirms the <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#23_February_2022_(putin_leader)">article</a> which presented Putin as the model for today's
Republicans.

<li id="25_February_2022_(Biggest_cause_for_loss_of_years_of_life)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Biggest_cause_for_loss_of_years_of_life)">Biggest cause for loss of years of life</a>)
<p>

Guns are now the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/23/us/guns-leading-cause-of-trauma-related-deaths/index.html">biggest cause</a> of loss of years of life, in the US,
surpassing vehicular collisions.
<p>
The states with weaker gun control have more loss of life due to guns.

<li id="25_February_2022_(Clarence_Thomas's_wife)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Clarence_Thomas's_wife)">Clarence Thomas's wife</a>)
<p>

Clarence Thomas's wife is a right-wing extremist activist who arranges
to bring cases to the Supreme Court, where her husband <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/22/opinions/ginni-thomas-clarence-thomas-supreme-court-filipovic/index.html">votes for her
side</a>.

<li id="25_February_2022_(Salafi_Arabia_helping_drive_up_oil_prices)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Salafi_Arabia_helping_drive_up_oil_prices)">Salafi Arabia helping drive up oil prices</a>)
<p>

Reportedly Salafi Arabia is cooperating with Russia to <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/23/ukraine-russia-gas-prices-saudi-arabia-biden/">drive up oil
prices</a>.

<li id="25_February_2022_(Labour_Party_treating_business_as_partner)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Labour_Party_treating_business_as_partner)">Labour Party treating business as "partner"</a>)
<p>

Starmer declares that the UK Labour Party will treat business as a "partner",
which will put <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/23/starmer-labour-will-partner-with-private-sector-and-take-advantage-of-brexit">non-rich people in second place</a>.
Labour will become the milder <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> version of the Tories,
just as "mainstream" Democrats are the milder <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> version of
the Republican Party before that turned into the right-wing extremist
party.

<li id="25_February_2022_(Water_melting_on_top_of_ice_cap)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Water_melting_on_top_of_ice_cap)">Water melting on top of ice cap</a>)
<p>
When water melts on top of the Greenland ice cap, it falls down to the
bottom.  Its gravitational potential energy converts into heat, which
melts more ice at the bottom.  This means the melting <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/22/world/greenland-ice-melting-sea-level-rise-climate-intl-scli-scn/index.html">is faster than
scientists previously recognized</a>.


<li id="25_February_2022_(Excuse_to_assault_retail_workers)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Excuse_to_assault_retail_workers)">Excuse to assault retail workers</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/woman-desperately-seeking-excuse-to-assault-retail-work-1848556638">satire</a>) *Woman Desperately Seeking Excuse To Assault Retail Workers
Now That Mask Mandate Lifted.*


<li id="25_February_2022_(Rich_elite_and_government)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Rich_elite_and_government)">Rich elite and government</a>)
<p>
George Monbiot: *What price British democracy <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/23/ultra-rich-tory-party-donors-politics">when a rich elite has
the government’s ear</a>?*

<p>
He invites us to imagine that a foreign power had the control over
the British government that the rich have.

<p>
It's broadly similar with the rich in the US, and the <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a>
senators (and other officials) they buy.


<li id="25_February_2022_(Reasons_to_stop_using_streaming_dis-services)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Reasons_to_stop_using_streaming_dis-services)">Reasons to stop using streaming dis-services</a>)
<p>
Social and psychological reasons <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/23/music-streaming-cds-spotify">to stop using streaming dis-services</a>.

<p>
This is not just a matter of advantages and disadvantages of two
formats.  CDs are free technology &mdash; you don't need nonfree (and
probably malicious) software which controls your access to their
contents.  Streaming dis-services impose DRM, and jerkmaking contracts
in which users promise to be bad neighbors, and also require them to
identify themselves.

<p>
Out, out, damned Spotify!


<li id="25_February_2022_(Urgent:_Attack_on_service_personnel_in_airports)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_Attack_on_service_personnel_in_airports)">Urgent: Attack on service personnel in airports</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.aflcio.org/forms/protect-passenger-service-agents?nowrapper=true">call on Justice Department</a> to take action against people
that attack service personnel in airports.


<li id="25_February_2022_(Urgent:_no_gas-fueled_trucks)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_no_gas-fueled_trucks)">Urgent: no gas-fueled trucks</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=48800">call on the USPS</a> not to buy gas-fueled trucks.


<li id="25_February_2022_(Urgent:_War_powers_resolution)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_War_powers_resolution)">Urgent: War powers resolution</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-the-petition-to-congress-pass-a-war-powers-resolution-to-end-us-involvement-in-the-war-in-yemen?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to pass a war powers resolution to end US
involvement in the war in Yemen.


<li id="25_February_2022_(Urgent:_child_tax_credit)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_child_tax_credit)">Urgent: child tax credit</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://civicshout.com/p/tell-congress-bring-back-the-child-tax-credit">call on Congress</a> to bring back the child tax credit.


<li id="25_February_2022_(Urgent:_no_insurrectionists_in_office)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Urgent:_no_insurrectionists_in_office)">Urgent: no insurrectionists in office</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/secretaries-of-state-must-disqualify-all-insurrectionists-from-serving-in-office-including-as-poll-workers-and-election-officials?nowrapper=true">call on Secretaries of State</a> to disqualify all
insurrectionists from serving in office, including as poll workers and
election officials.


<li id="25_February_2022_(Virginia_plant_union)">25 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_February_2022_(Virginia_plant_union)">Virginia plant union</a>)
<p>
*More than 1,000 Hershey’s workers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/23/hersheys-union-vote-virginia">vote on plan to unionize Virginia plant</a>.*




<li id="24_February_2022_(Sanctions)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Sanctions)">Sanctions</a>)
<p>
Arguing that Putin is not worried about sanctions against Russian
oligarchs, but sanctions against the officials that serve him <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/23/obsession-sanctions-oligarchs-putin-hurt-russian-leader-ukraine">would
cause him real trouble</a>.


<li id="24_February_2022_(Control_of_Congress)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Control_of_Congress)">Control of Congress</a>)
<p>
Robert Reich believes the Democrats can keep control of Congress in this
year's election, <a href="https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-democrats-can-retain-control">if they handle it right</a>.
  I hope so.

<p>
It isn't enough for Democrats to control Congress.  We also need
to replace some <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> Democrats with progressive Democrats.

<p>
Democrats might be able to win support in rural America again if
they make it their target to break up the large landholdings and
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/22/us-politics-rural-america">give land back to the rest of the citizens</a>.


<li id="24_February_2022_(Billing_everything_he_can)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Billing_everything_he_can)">Billing everything he can</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/doctor-assures-family-of-dying-patient-he-billing-every-1848557319">satire</a>) *Doctor Assures Family Of Dying Patient He Billing Everything He Can.*


<li id="24_February_2022_(Increase_in_wildfires)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Increase_in_wildfires)">Increase in wildfires</a>)
<p>
Scientists predict <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/23/climate-crisis-driving-increase-in-wildfires-across-globe-says-report-aoe">a 30% increase in wildfires by 2050</a>.

<p>
The increase won't stop in 2050.  As long as <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a> continues,
fires will get worse.  The report says that some of those fires will
be impossible to extinguish with known methods.


<li id="24_February_2022_(Plugging_methane_leaks)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Plugging_methane_leaks)">Plugging methane leaks</a>)
<p>
*Oil and gas facilities <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/23/oil-and-gas-facilities-could-profit-from-plugging-methane-leaks-iea-says">could profit from plugging methane leaks</a>, IEA says.*


<li id="24_February_2022_(Condemning_Putin)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Condemning_Putin)">Condemning Putin</a>)
<p>
The US would be more convincing when condemning Putin's invasion of Ukraine
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/22/msnbc-host-disastrous-foreign-policy-leaves-us-less-credibility-condemn-russia">if it had not supported occupations and carried out conquests</a>.


<li id="24_February_2022_(Declaration_of_war)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Declaration_of_war)">Declaration of war</a>)
<p>
Putin announced his intention to seize the whole extent of Luhansk and
Donetsk provinces -- <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/22/likelihood-of-war-escalates-as-putin-promises-to-support-proxy-ukraine-states">far larger than the territory his proxies
actually hold</a>.

<p>
That would require real fighting.  The announcement was a declaration
of real war.

<p>
The province of Donbas includes the important city of Mariupol.
Western experts speculated some weeks ago that Putin would try to
capture it.  Ukraine will surely resist that attack strenuously.


<li id="24_February_2022_(Saving_public_services)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Saving_public_services)">Saving public services</a>)
<p>
*How to save [the UK's] precious public services? <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/22/public-services-windfall-tax-rich-covid-rowan-williams">A windfall tax on
those who got rich from Covid</a>.*

<p>
Coping with Covid-19 is expensive, especially if you're not careful to
spend money wisely.  The UK spent a lot of money, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/23/uk-lost-up-to-16bn-due-to-and-error-in-covid-loans-schemes">much of it
incompetently</a>
  or corruptly.

<p>
In the minds of Tories, like other <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratists</a>, this is an
opportunity to cut the support that keeps penurious people alive.
They have been pushing for more than a decade <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2011-sep-dec.html#4_September_2011_(UK's_National_Health_Service)">to undermine</a> and <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2016-jul-oct.html#17_October_2016_(Collapse_of_NHS)">ruin</a>
the <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-sep-dec.html#8_December_2021_(Bill_to_privatize_the_NHS)">National Health Service</a>,
                             and they see success within their grasp.


<li id="24_February_2022_(Ideal_place_for_dictators_and_crooks_to_hide_money)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Ideal_place_for_dictators_and_crooks_to_hide_money)">Ideal place for dictators and crooks to hide money</a>)
<p>
Swiss banking secrecy made Switzerland an ideal place for dictators and
crooks to hide money.  A treaty made Switzerland pull back the secrecy
for clients from European countries, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/feb/22/how-swiss-banking-secrecy-global-financial-system-switzerland-tax-elite">but third world embezzlers still take
advantage of it</a>.

<p>
Many other countries <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-jul-oct.html#6_October_2021_(Pandora_papers)">help disguise profits for rich people</a>.


<li id="24_February_2022_(Cancelling_empty_flights)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Cancelling_empty_flights)">Cancelling empty flights</a>)
<p>
European governments agreed that airlines would not be penalized (with
cancelled departure or arrival slots) if they cancelled empty or
nearly-empty flights.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/22/almost-15000-ghost-flights-left-uk-since-pandemic-began">But airlines flew empty flights anyway</a>.

<p>
From personal experience I know that many fewer flights were scheduled
from the US to Italy flew in April and May, 2020.  And many of those
scheduled were cancelled a few days in advance.

<p>
Is it possible that the "ghost flights" started after May?

<p>
In any case, it is clear that governments ought to demand statistics
about number of paying passengers, and publish them.  The simple wish
of a business to keep something secret should carry very little weight
in the decision about whether to allow it to do so.  Any significant
public interest should be enough to override that wish.


<li id="24_February_2022_(Living_with_Covid)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Living_with_Covid)">Living with Covid</a>)
<p>
*The [UK's] "living with Covid" strategy fails to provide testing, or address
   the impact of future variants, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/22/johnson-personal-responsibility-living-with-covid-inequality">long Covid and inequality</a>.*

<p>
The US may provide for testing more than the UK does.  But neither one
will do what is necessary to assure Covid-spreading staff are not
handle your order, or preparing your food.  That calls for (1) testing
them so they know they have Covid-19, (2) requiring them to stay home
when sick, and (3) giving them paid sick leave so they can afford to
stay home when sick.



<li id="24_February_2022_(Plutocratist_Democrats)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Plutocratist_Democrats)">Plutocratist Democrats</a>)
<p>
  Theory: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/22/why-are-democrats-like-biden-still-defending-republican-politicians">plutocratist Democrats treat Republican insurrectionists like
  fellow members</a> of the <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> (and, to some extent, racist)
  elite, even as the Republicans plot to overthrow democracy.

<li id="24_February_2022_(Truck_blockades)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Truck_blockades)">Truck blockades</a>)
<p>
  Canadian cops are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/22/canada-extends-emergency-powers-after-trucker-blockades-ended">ready to end further truck blockades without delay</a>.
  They say they will scrupulously respect the right to protest in other ways,
  and they seem to have done so this time.

<li id="24_February_2022_(Unobtainable_software)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Unobtainable_software)">Unobtainable software</a>)
<p>
  One of the nasty consequences of nonfree software is that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/feb/22/pushing-buttons-retro-games-nintendo">programs
  become unobtainable at the whim of some company</a>.
<p>
  <a href="https://gnu.org/malware/">Nonfree software</a> means some "owner" officially owns all copies, and
  has power over all who use the program.  That's an injustice in
  itself, and it is the root of many other injustices.
  It even includes power over whether anyone can get a copy,
  as described above.

<li id="24_February_2022_(Wellbeing_over_'law_and_order')">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Wellbeing_over_'law_and_order')">Wellbeing over 'law and order'</a>)
<p>
  Covid-19 has led Australians to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/23/more-australian-voters-say-government-should-prioritise-populations-wellbeing-over-law-and-order-poll-suggests">care more about how the state aids people's wellbeing</a>, and to give lower priority to "law and order".

<li id="24_February_2022_(Dakota_Access_Pipeline)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Dakota_Access_Pipeline)">Dakota Access Pipeline</a>)
<p>
  The Dakota Access pipeline has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/22/us-supreme-court-dakota-access-pipeline">finally lost its fight</a> against the
  court decision requiring a new environmental impact study.  However,
  the pipeline will continue operating until that is done.
<p>
  The company will surely try to delay the actual report.  How many
  years of delay can they arrange?  And if Republicans seize power,
  all they need to do, to keep the pipeline operating forever, is to
  slow down this environmental impact study so that it never reports
  any result.

<li id="24_February_2022_(George_Washington_University_tracking_students_and_faculty)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(George_Washington_University_tracking_students_and_faculty)">George Washington University tracking students and faculty</a>)
<p>
  George Washington University <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/02/22/gw-data-collection-effort-sparks-campus-privacy-concerns">secretly tracked the movements of
  students and faculty</a>, for a statistical study of how the campus
  facilities were used and how people travel around campus.
<p>
  Making a statistical survey would be harmless, if it were impossible
  to recover any individual's data from it.  With this survey,
  extracting data about an individual is possible.  If it tracks people
  by their IP addresses, they should start changing those.  Does the
  system try to stop them?
<p>
  In order for people to trust the university, it needs to show them it
  cannot track them.  Once tracking becomes an option that the
  university can turn on and turn off at will, people will feel they are
  being watched.

<li id="24_February_2022_(Covid-19_research_budget_cut)">24 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_February_2022_(Covid-19_research_budget_cut)">Covid-19 research budget cut</a>)
<p>
  The Tories plan to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/covid-cost-cutting-will-put-blinkers-on-our-best-covid-research">cut the budget for research into Covid-19</a>.
<p>
  Apparently, eliminating rules to retard the spread will be an excuse
  to decide that the disease can be ignored by society.

<li id="23_February_2022_(immigration_courts)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(immigration_courts)">Immigration courts backlog</a>)
<p>
US immigration courts are so understaffed that 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/21/us-immigration-courts-cases-backlog-understaffing">asylum-seekers may not
be notified before their hearings.</a>

<li id="23_February_2022_(nz_restriction_lift)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(nz_restriction_lift)">New Zealand considers restriction lift</a>)
<p>
New Zealand will maintain requirements to reduce contagion of Covid-19
until the case rate stabilizes at a new, low level, and 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/new-zealand-will-lift-covid-restrictions-only-when-well-beyond-peak-jacinda-ardern-says">only then
consider removing some of them.</a>
<p>
That is a wise approach.  Furthermore, it would be wise to terminate
measures one by one, and see what effect each one has on the rate
of infections before going on to the next one.
<p>
It is a mistake to decide by counting deaths.  Some percentage of the
people who survive the initial infection will develop permanent
disabilities.  With Omicron, it may still be too early to get such
data, since large numbers of people didn't catch Omicron until around
3 months ago.
<p>
It is important to remember also that a substantial fraction of people
would probably die if they ever catch Covid-19, despite being
vaccinated, because they are immunocompromised or have other medical
problems.  To eliminate mask and vaccination requirements for everyone
else would force that fraction into permanent isolation, along with
any family members who join them in isolation.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Russia_ukraine_camps)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Russia_ukraine_camps)">Russia creating lists of Ukrainians to be targeted</a>)
<p>
*US claims Russia creating lists of Ukrainians 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/us-claims-russia-creating-lists-of-ukrainians-to-be-killed-or-sent-to-camps-report">"to be killed or sent
to camps."</a>*
<p>
I would not treat this as certain based on the unsupported word of the
US.  But this is what Putin does in Russia, so he will surely do it in
Ukraine too.
<p>
As for dissidents (Russians or Belarusians) in exile in Ukraine, Putin
will surely persecute them if he gets his hands on them.  I doubt he
will hesitate to go as far as his ally, 
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/belarus-moves-jailed-opposition-blogger-protasevich-house-arrest-bbc-2021-06-25/">Lukashenko, has already gone.</a>
<p>
Those dissidents need to flee Ukraine right away.
They can't wait and apply for asylum first -- they must travel by land
and then apply for asylum.  People with Ukrainian passports are
welcome to visit European countries, but those in exile in Ukraine
probably don't have those.  Will Poland let them in?
<p>
Countries facing a guerrilla resistance in an occupied country often
arrest its influential sympathizers. 
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Program">The US did this while occupying
Vietnam.</a>
<p>
and maybe also in Iraq -- I don't remember off-hand.  (We
should not equate a resistance movement with a terrorist campaign.)
<p>
Most recently, India arrested everyone in Kashmir who was in any sense
a leader, immediately after converting it, in effect, 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/05/indias-ruling-party-turning-kashmir-black-hole-critics-claim-fears-widespread">from an Indian
state to an occupied territory.</a>

<li id="23_February_2022_(putin_leader)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(putin_leader)">Putin The Authentic Leader of The Republican Party</a>)
<p>
*Vladimir Putin: the 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/20/vladimir-putin-authentic-leader-republican-party">Authentic Leader of the Republican Party.</a>*

<li id="23_February_2022_(reform_monarchy)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(reform_monarchy)">Reform goes beyond abolishing the monarchy</a>)
<p>
*Real constitutional reform [in the UK] goes 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/20/real-constitutional-reform-goes-beyond-abolishing-the-monarchy">beyond abolishing the monarchy.</a>*
<p>
I don't think the question of whether the UK has a constitutional
monarch or no monarch is very significant at all.  The system of
government is the problem.

<li id="23_February_2022_(easter_moai_statue)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(easter_moai_statue)">Easter island statue begins journey home</a>)
<p>
Easter Island has over 1000 of its large stone statues, but the inhabitants
resent that a few were moved to 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/22/easter-island-moai-statue-begins-journey-home-150-years-after-removal-to-santiago">other places, such as Santiago, Chile.</a>


<li id="23_February_2022_(Colombia_abortion)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Colombia_abortion)">Colombia legalizes abortion</a>)
<p>
Colombia's Supreme Court has 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/22/colombia-legalises-abortion-in-move-celebrated-as-historic-victory-by-campaigners">"decriminalized" abortion.</a>
<p>
This is clearly a great step forward, but the choice of the word
"decriminalized" rather than "legalized" suggests that some step
remains to be taken.

<li id="23_February_2022_(exploiting_workers)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(exploiting_workers)">Young worker exploitation</a>)
<p>
Republican states are deregulating the use of teenage workers,
allowing employers to make them do dangerous jobs or work so many
hours 
<a href="https://m.usw.org/blog/2022/exploiting-young-workers">that it cuts into their education.</a>
<p>
It's entirely congruent with the Republican philosophy that the wealthy
should be able to pressure everyone else into something close to slavery.

<li id="23_February_2022_(carbon_court)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(carbon_court)">Court rules against key climate tool</a>)
<p>
*Biden administration freezes new oil and gas drilling leases after court
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/21/us/biden-climate-social-cost-of-carbon-court/index.html">rules against key climate tool.</a>*
<p>
That is the right thing to do, after all.

<li id="23_February_2022_(eu_treaty)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(eu_treaty)">Secretive EU Energy Charter Treaty</a>)
<p>
Fossil fuel companies are demanding billions of dollars in damages
from countries that are blocking development of new oilfields, or even
cutting down on the use of coal.  They are doing this through a
business-supremacy treaty, the "Energy Charter Treaty", 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/21/european-fossil-fuel-giants-seek-billions-4-countries-under-secretive-treaty">which has an
ISDS clause ("I Sue Democratic States")</a>
<p>
It is hard for the victims of the treaty to cancel it; they would need
to rebel against the global systems for enforcing the payments.
<p>
However, countries could pass laws that recognize that these companies
are engaging in attempted mass murder -- which is the truth -- as well
as any lawyers that represent them in the treaty cases.  Then they
could start a global manhunt to prosecute them.  With luck, this
will cause the treaty to become ineffective.

<li id="23_February_2022_(biden_challenge)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(biden_challenge)">Biden's real challenge</a>)
<p>
The main threat to Americans is not from China or Russia -- it is from
plutocracy. 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/21/bidens-real-challenge-not-russia-or-china-poverty-america">And likewise the main threat to Biden's reelection.</a>
<p>
Not only Biden, but most Democrats in Congress too, support plutocracy.

<li id="23_February_2022_((Satire)_beijing_stray)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_((Satire)_beijing_stray)">(satire) Hundreds of Stray Olympians After End Of Games</a>)
<p>
(satire) *Beijing Streets Overrun By Hundreds Of Stray 
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/beijing-streets-overrun-by-hundreds-of-stray-olympians-1848558430">Olympians After
End Of Games.*</a>


<li id="23_February_2022_((Satire)_shell_of_self)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_((Satire)_shell_of_self)">(satire) Shell Of His Imagined Self</a>)
<p>
(satire) A man realized that *over the years he had become just a 
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/man-shell-of-imagined-self-1848563157">shell of his
imagined self.*</a>

<li id="23_February_2022_(Ukraine_sovereignty)"> 23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Ukraine_sovereignty)">Putin's small scale invasion of Ukraine</a>)
<p>
Putin has started a small invasion of Ukraine: he has recognized the
independence of the two rebel areas (which he created with Russian
money, arms and soldiers), 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/uk-impose-sanctions-russia-attack-ukraine-sovereignty">and saying he will send soldiers there as
"peacekeepers".</a>
<p>
At one level, this announcement acknowledges a fact he has hitherto
denied: Russian arms and troops are in Donetsk and Luhansk.  At
another level, calling them "peacekeepers" signals that they will
attack.  Putin's approach to truth is like Republicans': he reverses
important truths to show that no one has the power to make him stop
lying.
<p>
Because this is a small invasion as invasions go, it puts NATO in a
quandary.  To disregard it means Putin can seize anything and get away
with it, as long as he does so by small steps.  But because it is so
small, any substantial response is too big, disproportionate.

<li id="23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Corporate_profits_minimum_tax)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Corporate_profits_minimum_tax)">Urgent: Corporate profits minimum tax</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-congress-pass-a-corporate-profits-minimum-tax-so-that-large-profitable-corporations-dont-pay-0-in-federal-income-tax?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to a corporate profits minimum tax so
that large, profitable corporations don't pay $0 in federal income tax.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Inexpensive_prisoners_phone_calls)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Inexpensive_prisoners_phone_calls)">Urgent: Inexpensive prisoners phone calls</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/martha-wright-prison-phone-justice-act/">call on Congress</a> to make prisoners' phone calls inexpensive.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Diverting_rain_water_upstream)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Diverting_rain_water_upstream)">Diverting rain water upstream</a>)
<p>
New South Wales is allowing farmers to divert more rain water
upstream, though <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/21/nsw-government-issuing-of-flood-plain-harvesting-licences-an-act-of-bastardry-crossbenchers-say">this will endanger the wildlife life in downstream
reaches of the rivers</a>.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Five_ways_AI_is_saving_wildlife)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Five_ways_AI_is_saving_wildlife)">Five ways AI is saving wildlife</a>)
<p>
*Five ways AI is saving wildlife -– <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/21/five-ways-ai-is-saving-wildlife-from-counting-chimps-to-locating-whales-aoe">from counting chimps to locating whales</a>.*

<p>
Identifying animals and poachers is an important part of a system for
protecting the animals, but won't do anything without the rest of the
system, and there are often political obstacles to doing that.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Melting_statue)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Melting_statue)">Melting statue</a>)
<p>
Belgians propose to melt a statue of King Léopold II, and make it into
a statue depicting <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/call-for-brussels-statue-to-be-melted-and-made-into-memorial-for-congo-victims">the suffering caused by his colonial rule over the
Congo</a>.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Woke)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Woke)">Woke</a>)
<p>
Progressive politicians must stop <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/21/scared-woke-progressives-stand-culture-wars-labour">being scared of the vague accusation
of "woke"</a>.

<p>
Many right-wing smear words work by being vague.  They seize on an
extreme fringe view which has real flaws, lump it together with other
views which don't partake of those flaws, give one name to all so as
to attack the latter for the flaws of the former.  "Woke" is one example.
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#31_January_2022_(Divisive_concepts_prohibited_in_education_bills)">"Critical race theory" is another</a>.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Recovering_America_Wildlife_Act)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Recovering_America_Wildlife_Act)">Urgent: Recovering America Wildlife Act</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=48666">call on the Senate</a> to pass the Recovering America's
Wildlife Act.

<p>
It would provide funding to every state, territory and the District of
Columbia to proactively conserve more than 12,000 at-risk fish and
wildlife species.

<p>
For saving these endangered species, and hundreds of thousands of
other species, we must urgently reduce greenhouse emissions
in addition to making specific conservation plans.

<p>
To sign <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">without running nonfree JavaScript code</a>
                                                from the web site,
use <a href="https://stallman.org/salsalabs-method.html">the Salsalabs workaround</a>.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Fed_nominees)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Fed_nominees)">Urgent: Confirm Fed nominees</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.350.org/letter/feb-22-confirm-fedslate-demsens/">call on senators</a> to confirm Fed nominees Raskin, Cook, and
Brainard.


<li id="23_February_2022_(War_is_a_racket)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(War_is_a_racket)">War is a racket</a>)
<p>
General Smedley Butler wrote that <a href="http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article40954.htm">"war is a racket."</a>


<li id="23_February_2022_(Counterattack_Corporate_Crime_and_Control)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Counterattack_Corporate_Crime_and_Control)">Counterattack Corporate Crime and Control</a>)
<p>
Ralph Nader: *California <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/20/california-advocates-counterattack-corporate-crime-and-control">Advocates Counterattack Corporate Crime and Control</a>.*

<p>
Nader refers to the bills that are so complex that it is hard to tell
whether they are correct -- followed by customer dis-service
departments designed to make people give up trying.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Sickening_gerrymandering)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Sickening_gerrymandering)">Sickening gerrymandering</a>)
<p>
*[Indigenous] American tribes sue North Dakota <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/21/native-american-tribes-sue-north-dakota-gerrymandering">over ‘sickening’
gerrymandering</a>.*

<p>
They may have legal grounds available under their treaties that could
fill gaps created for the rest of us by the right-wing Supreme Court.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Engaging_with_planet_roasters)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Engaging_with_planet_roasters)">Engaging with planet roasters</a>)
<p>
The Church of England plans to "engage" with planet roasters <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/21/concern-over-church-of-england-pension-board-fossil-fuel-industry-links">rather than
divest from them</a>.

<p>
People that profit from fossil fuels have found their way into various
councils in institutions that are supposed to serve the public good.
They use the resulting influence to protect their future profits by
blocking moves that would serve the institutions' goals by reducing
greenhouse emissions.

<p>
See the example <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130919043916/http://act.forecastthefacts.org:80/sign/wgbh_koch_petition/">of WGBH and its science programs</a> (David Koch left the board, <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2016-jan-apr.html#5_February_2016_(David_Kochs_baneful_influence_on_NOVA)">but kept influence on NOVA</a> ; he <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2019-may-aug.html#26_August_2019_(Koch_brothers)">died in 2019</a>).

<p>
Experience
           <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2014-nov-feb.html#17_January_2015_(Oil_companies_unable_to_adapt)">shows that "engaging" with oil companies</a>
                                                      means nothing
more than <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2020-jan-apr.html#20_April_2020_(Shells_new_greenwashing_plan)">choosing to believe their greenwashing</a>.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Sea-level_rise)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Sea-level_rise)">Sea-level rise</a>)
<p>
Sea-level rise will raise groundwater in coastal areas, and release
toxic chemicals that people have buried there.  To avoid poisoning
people and animals, we will need <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/21/the-big-idea-how-can-we-adapt-to-life-with-rising-seas">to dig out those areas and convert
the toxins</a>.
   The resulting ponds can be very useful -- for
floating neighborhoods, as in the Netherlands.

<p>
I doubt that poor countries will have the means to do this.  I think
that hundreds of millions of the inhabitants of those regions will
have to struggle to survive.  Some will survive by being terribly
exploited, and the rest will die.  And it is too late to avoid
this by reducing greenhouse emissions now.

<p>
Those peoples can reduce the number of people who suffer those effects
<a href="https://stallman.org/articles/children.html ">by having fewer children</a>.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Important_Covid-19_statistics_unreleased)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Important_Covid-19_statistics_unreleased)">Important Covid-19 statistics unreleased</a>)
<p>
The CDC has kept important Covid-19 statistics unreleased.
For some kinds of data, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220223132602/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/20/health/covid-cdc-data.html">this has gone on for more than a year</a>.

<p>
If adults under 50 don't benefit from booster doses, that's great.
That could free up US vaccine for unvaccinated people in other countries.


<li id="23_February_2022_(Election_monitoring_body)">23 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_February_2022_(Election_monitoring_body)">Election monitoring body</a>)
<p>
The Tories plan to politicize <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/21/uk-elections-watchdog-warns-bill-threatens-its-independence-electoral-commission">the now-independent election-monitoring
body</a>.

<p>
This, together with <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#11_May_2021_(Voter-ID_law)">their plans for voter suppression</a>,
  indicate their intention to impose their rule through a pretend democracy.



<li id="22_February_2022_(Credit_Suisse)">22 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_February_2022_(Credit_Suisse)">Credit Suisse</a>)
<p>
  Joseph Stiglitz: *Credit Suisse has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/21/credit-suisse-secrets-morally-bankrupt-steal-poor-switzerland">allowed the morally bankrupt to
  steal from the poor for too long</a>.*
<p>
  Unlike Stiglitz, I have no sympathy for countries that operate as tax
  havens or provide a service of disguising ill-gotten gains.  No matter
  whether be small, obscure islands such as Nevis or Jersey, or large,
  prominent islands such as Britain or Ireland, or continental countries
  such as the US.  Saying "this is so we don't export addictive drugs"
  is no excuse.

<li id="22_February_2022_(Bogus_Johnson_charging_for_Covid-19_tests)">22 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_February_2022_(Bogus_Johnson_charging_for_Covid-19_tests)">Bogus Johnson charging for Covid-19 tests</a>)
<p>
  Bogus Johnson's latest bogus policy is to make it harder for Britons
  who catch Covid-19 to avoid spreading it, by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/boris-johnson-says-free-covid-tests-in-england-will-end-on-1-april">charging them to get tested</a>.
<p>
  He seems to be awfully confident that Covid-19 will continue
  decreasing anyway, but what if that's not so?

<li id="22_February_2022_(Mountain_Valley_Pipeline)">22 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_February_2022_(Mountain_Valley_Pipeline)">Mountain Valley Pipeline</a>)
<p>
  The Mountain Valley Pipeline never had a valid environmental study,
  and it is too late to make one now since the construction of the pipeline
  has already caused damage to habitats and there is no way to measure
  what they were before.  Thus, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  is obligated to stop construction.
<p>
  But since <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/19/mountain-valley-pipeline-can-never-be-completed-time-everyone-admit-it">it disregarded the law before, can we expect it to obey the
  law now</a>?

<li id="22_February_2022_(Non-nuclear_deal)">22 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_February_2022_(Non-nuclear_deal)">Non-nuclear deal</a>)
<p>
  Most of the Republicans in Congress are <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/19/house-gop-opens-new-shameful-chapter-diplomatic-sabotage">trying to sabotage the
  non-nuclear deal with Iran</a>.
  Since convincing Iran not to develop nuclear weapons is important
  for US national security, and reestablishing the deal is the only way
  to achieve that, those Republicans have shown that they are willing
  to harm their country to get power over it.

<li id="22_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_companies_cutting_employment)">22 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_companies_cutting_employment)">Fossil fuel companies cutting employment</a>)
<p>
  Fossil fuel companies have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/19/fossil-fuel-industry-jobs-killer">cut their employment by 30% since 2014</a>.
  They pretend to employ lots of people, but it's not true.
<p>
  Even if that claim were true, it would not be significant.
  It makes no sense to cause the death of hundreds of millions
  to get a hundred thousand jobs now.

<li id="22_February_2022_(Indefinite_troops)">22 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_February_2022_(Indefinite_troops)">Indefinite troops</a>)
<p>
  Belarus says that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/20/russian-troops-will-remain-indefinitely-says-belarus-as-fears-rise-of-ukraine-invasion">the Russian soldiers will remain there indefinitely</a>.

<li id="22_February_2022_(Pfizer_Covid-19_treatment_pills)">22 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_February_2022_(Pfizer_Covid-19_treatment_pills)">Pfizer Covid-19 treatment pills</a>)
<p>
  Pfizer is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/20/covid-treatment-pill-big-pharma-antiviral-drugs">using the new Covid-19 treatment pills</a> to gouge sick people.
  Instead of absolutely banning generic production, it is playing favorites to
  limit generic production which is almost as bad.
<p>
  We should abolish patents in the field of medicine, and fund the costs
  of drug research directly through the state.

<li id="22_February_2022_(Ultimate_owners_of_real_estate)">22 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_February_2022_(Ultimate_owners_of_real_estate)">Ultimate owners of real estate</a>)
<p>
  The Tories still refuse to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/20/uk-weakening-threat-to-kremlin-by-failing-to-close-property-loophole">determine the ultimate owners of billions of
  dollars worth of real estate owned through front companies by people
  unknown</a>, not even though Russian oligarchs could use this to evade
  the sanctions they are being threatened with.
<p>
  The UK is right when it criticizes EU countries for allowing
  themselves to be dependent on gas from Russia.  However, trying to
  play "what about you" with this is a distraction.  Both criticisms are
  valid.
<p>
  The principal reason for identifying the real owners has nothing to do
  with the Ukraine crisis.  It is to put an end to using them for <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2015-sep-dec.html#18_December_2015_(UK_leaves_big_tax_evaders_alone)">tax
  evasion</a> or as a channel for hiding the proceeds of crime.
<p>
  Here is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/feb/20/credit-suisse-secrets-leak-unmasks-criminals-fraudsters-corrupt-politicians">an example</a>.
<p>
  The principal reason to stop burning Russia's natural gas is that
  <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-may-aug.html#7_July_2021_(Russian_gas)">it contributes to global heating</a>, which endangers civilization.
<p>
  Even if Russia and NATO made peace tomorrow, Russian planet-roasting
  would remain just as dangerous as US planet-roasting or any other
  country's.
<p>
  Europe has done little to reduce its demand for natural gas because
  <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/19/forget-russia-blame-fossil-fuel-industry-europes-gas-dependency">fossil fuel companies are presenting arguments for going slowly</a>.

<li id="22_February_2022_(Covid_recovery_equivalent_to_one_vaccine_dose)">22 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_February_2022_(Covid_recovery_equivalent_to_one_vaccine_dose)">Covid recovery equivalent to one vaccine dose</a>)
<p>
  Arguing that recovery from Covid-19 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/20/its-time-to-consider-natural-immunity-to-covid-19-as-equal-to-one-shot-of-the-vaccine">should be considered equivalent to
  getting one dose of vaccine</a>.

<li id="22_February_2022_(Hepatitis)">22 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_February_2022_(Hepatitis)">Hepatitis</a>)
<p>
  For three decades, 1942 to 1972, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/20/dangerous-medicine-the-story-behind-human-experiments-with-hepatitis-review">American scientists intentionally
  infected over a thousand subjects with hepatitis</a> to study what would
  happen.
<p>
  I can't tell from this book review what, if anything, the subjects
  were told about what was going to be done to them.  At one extreme,
  they may have been forced outright.  At the other extreme, they could
  have been offered a good deal given their situations, and asked for
  informed consent -- but the text seems to imply that the experimenters
  did not do that.  What did they do?  This seems to be the crucial
  moral question.

<li id="21_February_2022_(Britain_and_the_Kremlin)">21 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_February_2022_(Britain_and_the_Kremlin)">Britain and the Kremlin</a>)
<p>
  *To begin unravelling the Kremlin’s tendrils from Britain, the
  government [i.e., the Tory Party] must <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/20/will-the-tories-hand-back-russian-cash-as-putin-threatens-war">return millions in political donations</a>.*
<p>
  The royal family <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/20/fixer-tells-of-meeting-with-prince-charless-aide-to-discuss-saudi-honour">sells "honors" for large sums of money</a>,
  but this is not considered a bribe, because it is a centuries-old
  tradition and in the past was not hidden.

<li id="21_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_companies_in_Parliament)">21 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_companies_in_Parliament)">Fossil fuel companies in Parliament</a>)
<p>
  Fossil fuel companies in the UK <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/20/lobbyists-for-oil-and-gas-companies-shell-bp-exxonmobil">secretly provide personnel to help run some committees of Parliament</a>.
  In some cases they serve as the contact point for the committee,
  which gives them tremendous power.
<p>
  This arrangement is outright corruption, and ought to be prohibited absolutely.

<li id="21_February_2022_(US_encouraging_people_to_stop_wearing_masks)">21 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_February_2022_(US_encouraging_people_to_stop_wearing_masks)">US encouraging people to stop wearing masks</a>)
<p>
  The US is making a mistake by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/20/us-covid-coronavirus-mask-mandates-warning-experts">encouraging people to stop wearing masks now</a>. There are still many new cases.
<p>
  The only way it would be wise to stop insisting people wear masks
  indoors or close to other people is if protecting oneself with an N95
  mask is so reliable that one no longer needs to be concerned about
  whether the people around one are wearing masks themselves.

<li id="21_February_2022_(X-Mode)">21 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_February_2022_(X-Mode)">X-Mode</a>)
<p>
  The data broker X-Mode bought <a href="https://themarkup.org/privacy/2022/01/27/gay-bi-dating-app-muslim-prayer-apps-sold-data-on-peoples-location-to-a-controversial-data-broker">location data about 20,000 people
    collected by around 100 different malicious apps</a>.
<p>
  This shows how much it has become true that you must expect all
  non-libre programs to mistreat their users.  There are surely a few
  exceptions, but that's no reason to allow this level of mistreatment
  to continue.
<p>
  The way to stop it reliably is to get rid of nonfree software.

<li id="21_February_2022_(Arrested_for_stealing_diapers)">21 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_February_2022_(Arrested_for_stealing_diapers)">Arrested for stealing diapers</a>)
<p>
  The New York City thug department <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/18/aoc-denounces-nypd-bragging-about-arrests-over-stolen-diapers">boasted of arresting 23 people for stealing diapers</a>.  The average amount each stole was around 80
  dollars' worth -- which is not a large amount nowadays.  It looks
  like these people were stealing due to desperate poverty.

<li id="21_February_2022_(National_Guard_at_polling_places)">21 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_February_2022_(National_Guard_at_polling_places)">National Guard at polling places</a>)
<p>
  Nevada Republicans have proposed to scare away voters from
  disprivileged groups by <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/18/nevada-dems-sound-alarm-over-single-most-vicious-suppression-attempt-yet-gop">stationing National Guard troops around polling places</a>,
  as well as more ordinary methods of rigging the election.

<li id="21_February_2022_(Jewish_National_Fund)">21 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_February_2022_(Jewish_National_Fund)">Jewish National Fund</a>)
<p>
  The <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/18/we-need-talk-about-jewish-national-fund">Jewish National Fund</a> was established to acquire land in Palestine
  for Jews to settle.  Initially, with Turkey and then Britain ruling
  the area, it did this by buying land from its owners.  But under
  Israel's rule, it can fabricate excuses to cheat.

<li id="21_February_2022_(Ukrainian_resistance)">21 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_February_2022_(Ukrainian_resistance)">Ukrainian resistance</a>)
<p>
NATO is planning <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/19/west-plans-to-arm-resistance-if-russian-forces-occupy-ukraine">how to arm the Ukrainian resistance</a> if Russia attacks.

<li id="21_February_2022_(Japanese-American_internment_camp_survivors)">21 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_February_2022_(Japanese-American_internment_camp_survivors)">Japanese-American internment camp survivors</a>)
<p>
  As the few survivors of the internment of the Japanese die, we
  Americans <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/19/japanese-american-internment-camps">must not forget the lessons we ought to learn from that wrong</a>.

<li id="21_February_2022_(Thugs_attack_Black_Lives_Matter_protesters)">21 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_February_2022_(Thugs_attack_Black_Lives_Matter_protesters)">Thugs attack Black Lives Matter protesters</a>)
<p>
  19 Austin <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> have been charged with aggravated assault with a
  deadly weapon for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/19/austin-texas-police-officers-indicted-2020-protests">attacking Black Lives Matter protesters</a>.
<p>
  "Beanbag round" is a euphemism for a bag containing lead balls such as
  might be fired with a shotgun.  In fact, a shotgun is the way to fire
  it.

<li id="21_February_2022_(Urgent:_Drop_Fox_(Faux)_News)">21 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_February_2022_(Urgent:_Drop_Fox_(Faux)_News)">Urgent: Drop Fox (Faux) News</a>)
<p>US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/deplatform-fox-join-robert-reich-and-demand-cable-companies-including-comcast-charter-and-att-take-dangerous-disinformation-off-the-air-now?nowrapper=true&referrer=group-democracy-for-america&source=group-democracy-for-america">call on US TV cable companies to drop Fox (Faux) News</a>.</p>
<p>I prefer another form of this campaign which I've seen proposed before: to ask those cable companies to drop Fox from the basic minimum package.  That way, customers would still be able to get <a href="/glossary.html#faux">Faux News</a> if they request it and pay extra for it.  But I support either one.</p>

<li id="20_February_2022_(Abortion_Support_Network)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Abortion_Support_Network)">Abortion Support Network</a>)
<p>
  The Abortion Support Network <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/19/the-abortion-travel-agents-some-women-know-what-they-need-others-just-say-help-europe-margaret-atwood">helps women travel to another country where they can get abortions</a>. Even in Europe, this is necessary.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Pentagon_permits_vaccine_exemptions)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Pentagon_permits_vaccine_exemptions)">Pentagon permits vaccine exemptions</a>)
<p>
  Some twisted logic has convinced the Pentagon to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/16/politics/air-force-officer-vaccine-mandate/index.html">permit exemptions from vaccine requirements because of people's religion</a>.
<p>
  The idea of a "religious exemption" from public health requirements is
  absurd.  Your religion, whatever it may be, does not entitle you to
  violate public health precautions and put other people in danger.
<p>
  There is no telling how far these "religious exemption" will go after
  this.  Suppose your religion says that fire is an act of the fire god
  and people must not resist divine will.  Does that entitle you to a
  religious exemption to the building codes?
  

<li id="20_February_2022_((Satire)_Shooting_self_in_foot)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_((Satire)_Shooting_self_in_foot)">(Satire) Shooting self in foot</a>)
<p>
  (satire) *Biden <a href="https://www.theonion.com/biden-shoots-self-in-foot-in-hopes-of-getting-discharge-1848517279">Shoots Self In Foot</a> In Hopes Of Getting Discharged
  From Presidency.*

<li id="20_February_2022_(55_million_Covid-19_vaccine_doses)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(55_million_Covid-19_vaccine_doses)">55 million Covid-19 vaccine doses</a>)
<p>
  The EU is about to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/16/shameful-eu-set-trash-more-vaccine-doses-it-has-donated-africa">discard 55 million Covid-19 vaccine doses because they will be too old to use</a>.
  If governments had paid attention to vaccination of Africans,
  they could surely have sent some tens of millions of doses there while
  time remained to use them.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Nixon's_treason)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Nixon's_treason)">Nixon's treason</a>)
<p>
  President Lyndon Johnson's secret phone call recordings show that
  <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/16/politics/lyndon-b-johnson-secret-audio-origseriesfilms/index.html">Nixon, as a candidate, sabotaged peace negotiations with Vietnam</a>.
  Johnson considered this treason, and I agree.
<p>
  I've read that Reagan similarly sabotaged peace negotiations with Iran
  to defeat Carter's reelection.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Rigged_maps)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Rigged_maps)">Rigged maps</a>)
<p>
  *Just <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/17/just-6-us-house-seats-expected-be-competitive-thanks-rigged-maps">6% of US House Seats Expected to Be Competitive</a> Thanks to Rigged Maps.*
<p>
  The other 94% will be foregone conclusions.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Covid-19_Death_Rate)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Covid-19_Death_Rate)">Covid-19 Death Rate</a>)
<p>
  The <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/17/who-says-covid-still-killing-far-far-too-many-pharma-hoards-vaccine-tech">rate of deaths from Covid is increasing, world-wide</a>, even though
  fewer new cases are being recorded.
  This suggests that perhaps the rate of new cases is actually increasing too,
  but governments don't notice because they are doing fewer tests.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Retaliation_against_union_voters)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Retaliation_against_union_voters)">Retaliation against union voters</a>)
<p>
  A secret recording shows <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/17/leaked-audio-exposes-amazons-anti-union-scare-tactics">Amazon's threat of illegal retaliation against workers</a> that vote for a union.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Prosecutors_against_the_death_penalty)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Prosecutors_against_the_death_penalty)">Prosecutors against the death penalty</a>)
<p>
  Over 50 US prosecutors have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/17/55-us-prosecutors-join-inexorable-conclusion-death-penalty-must-end">signed a petition against the death penalty</a>.
<p>
  I support their stand, and <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2006-sep-dec.html#17%20December%202006%20(Executing%20prisoners%20in%20Florida)">I've stated my reasons before</a>.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Abolishing_poverty_wages)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Abolishing_poverty_wages)">Abolishing poverty wages</a>)
<p>
  A campaign pushes for <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/17/inside-campaign-abolish-poverty-wages-25-states-2026">initiative petitions to eliminate poverty wages</a>,
  especially for workers that currently depend on tips.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Abortion_rights)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Abortion_rights)">Abortion rights</a>)
<p>
*It's Time to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/17/its-time-get-loud-abortion-rights">Get Loud on Abortion Rights</a>.*

<li id="20_February_2022_(Ivermectin_has_no_benefits_compared_to_a_placebo)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Ivermectin_has_no_benefits_compared_to_a_placebo)">Ivermectin has no benefits compared to a placebo</a>)
<p>
  A controlled study of somewhat vulnerable patients with Covid-19
  found that giving patents Ivermectin <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/18/health/ivermectin-severe-covid-19/index.html">gave them no benefit</a> compared
  with a placebo, and sometimes it caused side effects.
<p>
  The article does not say whether the study was blinded.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Ottawa's_right-wing_occupation_ended)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Ottawa's_right-wing_occupation_ended)">Ottawa's right-wing occupation ended</a>)
<p>
  Canada has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/18/hundreds-police-make-arrests-ottawa-end-anti-government-siege">ended the right-wing occupation of central Ottawa</a>.
  Right-wing fanatics were involved in organizing the occupations,
  and at least a few brought guns.
<p>
  It is interesting to compare this with Occupy Wall Street, which went
  on for a long time, but stayed in a park rather than using trucks to
  block streets for weeks.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Junk_food_ads)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Junk_food_ads)">Junk food ads</a>)
<p>
  Public transportation in London has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/17/tfl-junk-food-ad-ban-has-helped-londoners-shop-more-healthily-study">banned ads for junk food</a>, and
  it has had a macro effect.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Urgent:_Block_enormous_planned_Willow_oil_field)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Urgent:_Block_enormous_planned_Willow_oil_field)">Urgent: Block enormous planned "Willow" oil field</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on the Bureau of Land management to <a href="https://act.defenders.org/page/38141/action/1">block the enormous
planned "Willow" oil field</a>.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Urgent:_Legal_memo_about_power_to_cancel_student_debt)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Urgent:_Legal_memo_about_power_to_cancel_student_debt)">Urgent: Legal memo about power to cancel student debt</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Biden to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-to-president-biden-release-the-memo-and-cancel-student-debt">release the legal memo</a> advising him
about his power to cancel federal student debt.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Urgent:_Call_on_Starbucks_to_halt_its_union-busting_tactics)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Urgent:_Call_on_Starbucks_to_halt_its_union-busting_tactics)">Urgent: Call on Starbucks to halt its union-busting tactics</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Starbucks to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-to-starbucks-halt-all-union-busting-tactics">halt its union-busting tactics</a>.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Urgent:_Oppose_state-level_restrictions_on_the_right_to_protest)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Urgent:_Oppose_state-level_restrictions_on_the_right_to_protest)">Urgent: Oppose state-level restrictions on the right to protest</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on the Department of Justice to <a href="https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/demand_DOJ_defends_protest/">oppose state-level
restrictions</a> on the right to protest.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Urgent:_Regulate_emissions_of_heavy-duty_trucks)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Urgent:_Regulate_emissions_of_heavy-duty_trucks)">Urgent: Regulate emissions of heavy-duty trucks</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Biden to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-now-electrify-heavy-duty-trucks">regulate the emissions of heavy-duty trucks</a>
more strictly.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Spike_in_child_poverty)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Spike_in_child_poverty)">Spike in child poverty</a>)
<p>

*Sanders Blasts GOP, Manchin Over <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/18/morally-obscene-sanders-blasts-gop-manchin-over-41-spike-child-poverty">41% Spike</a> in
 Child Poverty.*

<li id="20_February_2022_(Social_democracy_is_possible_and_effective)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Social_democracy_is_possible_and_effective)">Social democracy is possible and effective</a>)
<p>

The way the US treats members of the military demonstrates that
social democracy is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/18/american-social-democracy-possible">possible and effective</a> in the US.
<p>
All we need is to offer these benefits and services to the rest of
the population.

<li id="20_February_2022_(African_countries_to_make_mRNA_vaccines)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(African_countries_to_make_mRNA_vaccines)">African countries to make mRNA vaccines</a>)
<p>

*Six African countries to begin <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/18/six-african-countries-to-begin-making-mrna-vaccines-as-part-of-who-scheme">making mRNA vaccines</a> as part of WHO scheme.*

<li id="20_February_2022_(Coal-fired_power_plant_used_to_mine_bitcoin)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Coal-fired_power_plant_used_to_mine_bitcoin)">Coal-fired power plant used to mine bitcoin</a>)
<p>

A bitcoin mining company bought a coal-fired power plant that was
about to be shut down permanently, and are keeping it running much more
than before, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/18/bitcoin-miners-revive-fossil-fuel-plant-co2-emissions-soared">releasing lots of CO2</a>.
<p>
We must not allow such a heavily polluting industry to continue
unless they make it cleaner.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Journalist_threatened_to_hand_over_30_year_old_interviews)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Journalist_threatened_to_hand_over_30_year_old_interviews)">Journalist threatened to hand over 30 year old interviews</a>)
<p>

30 years ago. journalist Chris Mullin interviewed real Irish
terrorists confidentially as part of an effort to exonerate people
falsely convicted of a terrorist bombing.  (They were in fact exonerated.)
<p>
Now he faces the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/18/british-police-hounding-journalist-sources-chris-mullin-birmingham-six">threat of jail</a> if he does not hand over those
interviews.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Limits_on_private_equity_purchase)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Limits_on_private_equity_purchase)">Limits on "private equity" purchase</a>)
<p>

The SEC proposes to put <a href="https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/02/sec-set-to-lower-massive-boom-on-private-equity-industry.html">firm limits</a> on "private equity" purchase and
trashing of profitable companies.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Gator_companies)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Gator_companies)">"Gator" companies</a>)
<p>

<a href="https://prospect.org/power/rollups-gators-defining-the-merchant-makeover/">"Gators"</a> are companies that buy many small manufacturers that sell on Amazon.
<p>
The gator is better placed to stand up to Amazon's bullying than a
small manufacturer, but the result is a second layer of oligopoly.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Uber_and_Lyft_incur_losses)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Uber_and_Lyft_incur_losses)">Uber and Lyft incur losses</a>)
<p>

Uber and Lyft <a href="https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/02/hubert-horan-can-uber-ever-deliver-part-twenty-nine-despite-massive-price-increases-uber-losses-top-31-billion.html">lost billions</a> in 2021 despite raising prices.
<p>
I hope they won't be able to keep this up much longer.
Their surveillance systems must be eliminated.
Then we only need to make sure that we can use taxis without
identifying ourselves.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Cryptocurrencies_are_insecure_and_wasteful)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Cryptocurrencies_are_insecure_and_wasteful)">Cryptocurrencies are insecure and wasteful</a>)
<p>

Arguing that there are fundamental reasons why today's
cryptocurrencies are <a href="https://blog.dshr.org/2022/02/ee380-talk.html">insecure and wasteful</a>, and they cannot yield the
benefits people hope to get from them.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Internet_making_people_better_informed)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Internet_making_people_better_informed)">Internet making people better informed</a>)
<p>

Arguing that the internet has <a href="https://www.slowboring.com/p/misinformation-myth">succeeded in making most people better
informed</a>, overall, and that the growing problems are due to increased
polarization rather than simple ignorance.
<p>
One specific claim is a confusion.  He claims that Republicans are
becoming less right-wing overall, and cites a few policy areas.  He
might be right about them; but Republicans have become far more
right-wing in the areas of banning abortions, supporting fossil fuels,
crushing immigrants, attacking elections, defending and imposing
racism, and undermining constitutional government.

<li id="20_February_2022_(Unclear_wording_on_vaccination_report)">20 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_February_2022_(Unclear_wording_on_vaccination_report)">Unclear wording on vaccination report</a>)
<p>

One news site's unclear redaction of another site's story about some
scientific research produced unclear wording, which appeared to report
that vaccination increased the amount of virus patients would
transmit.  Antivaxxers trump-eted this editorial mistake as <a href="https://thedispatch.com/p/how-misinformation-starts">supposed
"proof"</a> that vaccination could backfire.
<p>
This article compares the two stories and shows what the researchers
actually reported.
<p>
In effect, right-wing conspiritorialists play a million parallel games
of Telephone, and each time one yields words that seem to endorse their
cause, they play it for all they can get.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Biden_permits)"> 19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Biden_permits)">Biden Issues More Gas and Oil Drilling Permits</a>)
<p>
*Biden Issues More Gas and Oil Drilling Permits [in his first year]
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/16/biden-issues-more-gas-and-oil-drilling-permits-trump-his-first-year">Than [the wrecker did] in His First Year.</a>*

<li id="19_February_2022_(Cali_pesticides_ban)"> 19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Cali_pesticides_ban)">California considering neonics ban</a>)
<p>
California is considering a ban on 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/16/protect-web-life-california-proposal-would-ban-bee-killing-neonics">neonicotinoid pesticides.</a>

<li id="19_February_2022_(Pipeline_methane_leak)"> 19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Pipeline_methane_leak)">A Louisiana pipeline is leaking tons of methane</a>)
<p>
Some pipeline in Louisiana is leaking 100 tons of methane per hour,
but the 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/16/monstrous-methane-plume-seen-space-highlights-invisible-fracking-dangers">pipeline owners all say "It's not our pipeline!"</a>

<li id="19_February_2022_(pre_k_study)"> 19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(pre_k_study)">Tennessee pre-kindergarten study</a>)
<p>
Tennessee established gratis "pre-kindergarten" school for a number of
poor children, and chose by a lottery which children got in.  A study
found out that the children who were not admitted to the
pre-kindergarten were doing better, a few years later, 
<a href="https://letgrow.org/shocking-pre-k-study/">than the children who
the children who had gone through the pre-kindergarten.</a>

<li id="19_February_2022_(affordable_housing_crisis)"> 19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(affordable_housing_crisis)">Affordable housing crisis</a>)
<p>
Suggestions for how to encourage rapid construction of 
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/16/perspectives/affordable-housing-crisis/index.html">more low-income
housing.</a>
<p>
I have two more suggestions:
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Eliminate zoning limits on density of residential housing.
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/31/california-housing-crisis-bill-failure-debate">Zoning creates scarcity,</a>
and with millions of homeowners looking
for a way to sell their homes for a higher price, they will always
find (or create) a way.
<p>
Without the artificial scarcity, construction will bring housing
prices down.  We will also be able to limit urban sprawl
and make mass transit more efficient.
</li>
<li>
<p>
Forbid corporations to own residential buildings with four or less
units.  An individual owner of many residences for rent will someday
get old, and perhaps infirm, and eventually die.  Some of per
properties will get sold, and might be bought by a new homeowner.  By
contrast, the corporations that make rental housing their business
will never sell.
</ul>

<li id="19_February_2022_(trump_classified)"> 19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(trump_classified)">Trump improperly took away classified material</a>)
<p>
*[The corrupter] improperly took away classified material, 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/18/donald-trump-classified-material-national-archives">National
Archives says.</a>*
<p>


<li id="19_February_2022_(ny_removing_homeless)"> 19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(ny_removing_homeless)">New York City removing homeless from subway</a>)
<p>
*New York City will begin removing 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/18/new-york-city-removing-homeless-from-subways-at-night">homeless people from subways at night.*</a>
<p>
The mayor said that this will not involve arresting them, but what
will actually happen to them?  Where will they be able to go?  That's
the crucial moral question which will determine whether making them leave
the subway is acceptable.

<li id="19_February_2022_(ukraine_moscow_pretext)"> 19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(ukraine_moscow_pretext)">Russian proxy pretext invasion</a>)
<p>
The Russian proxy separatists in eastern Ukraine are increasing their
artillery attacks against neighboring areas, while spreading
disinformation 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/18/pro-russian-separatist-order-mass-evacuation-eastern-ukraine-fear-moscow-seeking-create-pretext-invasion">claiming that Ukraine is attacking them.</a>
<p>
They also claim that schools outside their zone, in areas controlled
by the Ukrainian state, were bombarded by the Ukrainian state.
<p>
A few weeks ago, the US warned that Putin was preparing to do
something like this.

<li id="19_February_2022_(US_grabbed_Venezuelan_diplomat_off_plane)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(US_grabbed_Venezuelan_diplomat_off_plane)">US grabbed Venezuelan diplomat off plane</a>)
<p>
The US grabbed Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab off of a plane (with the
help of Cabo Verde) and has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/15/it-cant-be-illegal-help-people-us-persecution-alex-saab">imprisoned him and brought charges against
him</a>.
<p>
This reminds me of what Belarus did to the dissident, <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#25_May_2021_(Choking_independent_reporting)">Roman Protasevich</a>.
<p>
Saab stated in US court that he was also <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/16/maduro-ally-alex-saab-venezuela-bribes-miami-court-filing">working with the DEA as an
informer all the time</a>.
<p>
If he presents evidence of this, it means the US violated diplomatic
immunity to arrest its own informant.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Charges_dropped_against_San_Francisco_rape_victim)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Charges_dropped_against_San_Francisco_rape_victim)">Charges dropped against San Francisco rape victim</a>)
<p>

*San Francisco DA <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/16/chesa-boudin-san-francisco-da-drops-charges-rape-kit-dna">drops charges against woman</a> whose rape kit DNA
linked her to a property crime.*
<p>
It is more important to encourage people to report grave crimes
than to prosecute them for minor offenses.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Hiding_wealth_in_the_UK)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Hiding_wealth_in_the_UK)">Hiding wealth in the UK</a>)
<p>

When Theresa May was prime minister, her staff pressured another minister
to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/15/no-10-pressure-money-laundering-measures-lord-faulks">cancel plans for new systems to stop rich crooks from hiding their wealth
in the UK</a>.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Major_oil_companies_greenwashing)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Major_oil_companies_greenwashing)">Major oil companies greenwashing</a>)
<p>

Major oil companies' environmental claims are greenwashing &mdash; a study
finds that they are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/16/oil-firms-climate-claims-are-greenwashing-study-concludes">increasing their spending on extracting more
fossil fuels</a>.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Banks_investing_in_cryptocurrencies)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Banks_investing_in_cryptocurrencies)">Banks investing in cryptocurrencies</a>)
<p>

As banks start investing in cryptocurrencies, they <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/16/crypto-assets-market-global-financial-stability-board-report">create a risk of
financial crises</a>.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Ryan_Zinke_lied_to_ethics_official)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Ryan_Zinke_lied_to_ethics_official)">Ryan Zinke lied to ethics official</a>)
<p>

*[Interior Secretary] Ryan Zinke <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/16/ryan-zinke-trump-interior-secretary-misused-position-watchdog">lied to agency ethics official</a> about
his involvement with foundation to advance project in his Montana home
town.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Habitat_destruction_in_New_South_Wales)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Habitat_destruction_in_New_South_Wales)">Habitat destruction in New South Wales</a>)
<p>

New South Wales, a state in Australia, has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/17/land-clearing-in-nsw-triples-over-past-decade-state-of-the-environment-2021-report-reveals">accelerated the destruction
of habitats</a> for native species.
<p>
This is been a highly contested political issue, and the greedy bastards
have been winning.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Opinions_on_female_genital_mutilation_in_Mali)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Opinions_on_female_genital_mutilation_in_Mali)">Opinions on female genital mutilation in Mali</a>)
<p>

Local campaigns in Mali are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/16/how-10-radios-and-taxi-bikes-are-helping-to-end-the-mutilation-of-girls-fgm">changing social opinion about female
genital mutilation</a>.
<p>
Men are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/16/fgm-men-must-be-involved-in-the-fight-against-girls-being-cut-violation-of-human-rights">joining the campaign</a>.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Paying_for_Covid_tests_in_the_UK)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Paying_for_Covid_tests_in_the_UK)">Paying for Covid tests in the UK</a>)
<p>

The UK plans to teach people not to worry about Covid by making them
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/16/scaling-back-free-covid-tests-could-hinder-uk-if-new-variant-strikes-say-health-chiefs">pay to get reliably tested</a>.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Complaint_against_universities_investing_in_fossil_fuels)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Complaint_against_universities_investing_in_fossil_fuels)">Complaint against universities investing in fossil fuels</a>)
<p>

*Students' [legal] complaint <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/16/us-universities-fossil-fuel-divestment-students-legal-complaint">argues it's illegal for US universities to invest
in fossil fuels</a>.*

<li id="19_February_2022_(Cost_to_stop_new_coal_and_gas_facilities_being_exaggerated)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Cost_to_stop_new_coal_and_gas_facilities_being_exaggerated)">Cost to stop new coal and gas facilities being exaggerated</a>)
<p>

Australian planet-roaster business interests have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/17/how-much-would-a-coal-and-gas-project-moratorium-really-cost-nsw-and-queensland">published an
exaggerated estimate</a> of what it would cost to stop opening new
extraction facilities for coal and gas.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Subsidies_that_harm_environment)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Subsidies_that_harm_environment)">Subsidies that harm environment</a>)
<p>

*World spends <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/17/world-spends-18tn-a-year-on-subsidies-that-harm-environment-study-finds-aoe">$1.8tn a year on subsidies</a> that harm environment, study finds.*
<p>
Fossil fuel subsidies make up 1/3 of that total.  Other large parts
come from deforestation, pumping fossil water out of aquifers that
will take ages to refill, and pollution.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Accusations_of_racism_and_deception_against_far-right_French_candidate)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Accusations_of_racism_and_deception_against_far-right_French_candidate)">Accusations of racism and deception against far-right French candidate</a>)
<p>

The campaign of Zemmour, the far-right French candidate for president,
is found to be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/17/french-reporter-infiltrates-campaign-of-far-right-presidential-candidate-eric-zemnour-france">racist and deceptive</a>, accuses someone who infiltrated it.
<p>
Right-wing extremists see nothing wrong with racism or lying,
so we should expect them to do those things.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Systemic_use_of_violence_during_Indonesian_war_of_independence)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Systemic_use_of_violence_during_Indonesian_war_of_independence)">Systemic use of violence during Indonesian war of independence</a>)
<p>

* The Dutch state <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/17/dutch-state-condoned-extreme-violence-in-indonesian-war-inquiry-concludes">condoned and concealed</a> a systematic use of extreme
   violence such as extrajudicial executions and torture during the
   1945-9 Indonesian war of independence.*

<li id="19_February_2022_(Police_stop_brawl)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Police_stop_brawl)">Police stop brawl</a>)
<p>

*Police stop brawl by letting white youth <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/17/new-jersey-brawling-teenagers-black-white">sit on sofa as black teen is
handcuffed</a>.*
<p>
The article linked to just above displays symbolic bigotry by
capitalizing "black" but not "white".  (To avoid endorsing bigotry,
capitalize both words or neither one.)  I object to bigotry, and
normally I decline to link to articles which promote it.  But I make
exceptions for some articles which give important information about
racism or the fight to eliminate racism.  That article is one of the
exceptions.
<p>
I corrected this bigotry in the title when I cited it.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Excess_death_during_pandemic)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Excess_death_during_pandemic)">Excess death during pandemic</a>)
<p>

*US has suffered more than <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/17/us-excess-deaths-pandemic-cdc">1m excess deaths</a> during pandemic, CDC finds.*
<p>
This exceeds the 900,000 deaths explicitly attributed to Covid-19.
Some of them are people who did not catch Covid-19, but died due
to the conditions of the pandemic &mdash; for instance, because hospitals
had no capacity to treat them for other conditions such as cancer.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Funding_Canada's_Freedom_Convoy)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Funding_Canada's_Freedom_Convoy)">Funding Canada's "Freedom Convoy"</a>)
<p>

*Oath Keepers, Anti-Democracy Activists,
 and Others on the Far Right Are <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/17/freedom-convoy-givesendgo-canada-oath-keepers-funding/">Funding Canada's "Freedom Convoy"</a>.*

<li id="19_February_2022_(Dangerous_power_of_big_Wall_Street_investment_companies)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Dangerous_power_of_big_Wall_Street_investment_companies)">Dangerous power of big Wall Street investment companies</a>)
<p>

Bernie Sanders describes the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2022/02/17/chairman-sanders-senate-budget-committee-hearing-wall-street-greed-and-growing">dangerous power</a> that big Wall Street
investment companies have over all areas of business.
Also the way "private equity" investors buy up businesses people
depend on, and destroy them.
<p>
We need to prohibit those operations &mdash; I believe they were illegal
until the 1980s and that it was Reagan that authorized them &mdash; but today's <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> legislators won't help.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Elon_Musk_comparing_Trudeau_to_Hitler)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Elon_Musk_comparing_Trudeau_to_Hitler)">Elon Musk comparing Trudeau to Hitler</a>)
<p>
  Elon Musk has endorsed the mad right-wing exaggeration of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/17/elon-musk-criticised-for-comparing-justin-trudeau-to-adolf-hitler-tweet-auschwitz">comparing Trudeau to Hitler.</a>
<p>
  Exaggerations like this enable right-wing extremists to vaunt their
  contempt for sense and truth, to shamelessly equate requiring
  life-saving measures is the moral equivalent of murder.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Voting_by_mail)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Voting_by_mail)">Voting by mail</a>)
<p>
  The new Texas obstacles to voting by mail have been extremely effective.  In the county that includes Houston, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/15/gop-law-blamed-nearly-40-mail-ballots-rejected-houston-area">almost 40% of mailed-in ballots were missing what was necessary</a>.
<p>
  That doesn't count the people who didn't vote because they were no
  longer allowed to vote by mail and their responsibilities didn't let
  them go to vote on a Tuesday.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Four-day_work_weeks)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Four-day_work_weeks)">Four-day work weeks</a>)
<p>
  *Belgian Workers <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/15/belgian-workers-win-right-request-four-day-week">Win Right to Request Four-Day Week</a>.*
  This right may depend on having a union contract in place which
  authorizes working 10 hours per day on each of the four working days.
  I am not sure.

<li id="19_February_2022_(UK_thugs_and_Black_Lives_Matter_activist_group)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(UK_thugs_and_Black_Lives_Matter_activist_group)">UK thugs and Black Lives Matter activist group</a>)
<p>
UK thugs <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/15/swansea-black-lives-matter-british-blm-group-closes-down-after-police-infiltration-attempt">destroyed a Black Lives Matter activist group</a> by trying to recruit one of its supporters as an informer.  She showed other members what was happening, and the rest got scared of persecution and the group collapsed.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Advertisements_for_political_violence)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Advertisements_for_political_violence)">Advertisements for political violence</a>)
<p>
  Some Republican candidates are <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/15/republicans-sink-new-shameful-low-guns">using advertisements to encourage political violence</a>.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Unsolved_murders)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Unsolved_murders)">Unsolved murders</a>)
<p>
  The US passed a law in 2008 to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/15/american-reckoning-film-shines-light-civil-rights-era-cold-cases">investigate unsolved murders of civil
  rights activists in the 1960s</a>, but the effort has not produced one
  single indictment.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Global_heating_and_Australian_ecosystems)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Global_heating_and_Australian_ecosystems)">Global heating and Australian ecosystems</a>)
<p>
  Global heating is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/15/flourishing-plants-antarctica-seen-possible-climate-tipping-point">changing Australian ecosystems</a>: more plants, fewer fur seals.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Sea_level)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Sea_level)">Sea level</a>)
<p>
  Sea-level rise is accelerating: <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/15/wake-call-noaa-predicts-one-foot-sea-level-rise-2050">scientists expect another foot by 2050</a>, if we don't rapidly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Gun_control)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Gun_control)">Gun control</a>)
<p>
  US states with stricter gun control have <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/20/us/everytown-weak-gun-laws-high-gun-deaths-study/index.html">lower rates of killings with guns</a>.
<p>
  The states with weak regulations have more than three times the
  gun killings per capita as states with strong gun control.

<li id="19_February_2022_('Net-zero'_banks_still_fund_coal_mining)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_('Net-zero'_banks_still_fund_coal_mining)">'Net-zero' banks still fund coal mining</a>)
<p>
*Major banks pledging "net zero" are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/15/business/energy-finance-climate-banks-coal-intl/index.html">pouring money into [coal mining]</a>.*

<li id="19_February_2022_(Undermining_religious_freedom)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Undermining_religious_freedom)">Undermining religious freedom</a>)
<p>
  <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/15/opinions/tennessee-adoption-struggle-religious-freedom-graves-fitzsimmons-siddiqi/index.html">Republicans are undermining religious freedom for Americans</a> by
  subcontracting state services to religious organizations that refuse
  to serve people who don't meet their religious characteristics.
<p>
  This extends a long-standing practice in which <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2016-may-aug.html#9_May_2016_(Hospitals_following_rules_imposed_by_Catholic_Church_put_womens_lives_in_danger)">state-supported
  hospitals that are owned by religious organizations refuse to cooperate
    with abortion</a>.
<p>
  All levels of government should take a strict stand: when state-funded
  and state-licenses services are not allowed to impose any religious
  criteria on who they serve or what services they provide.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Immigration_prison)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Immigration_prison)">Immigration prison</a>)
<p>
  Australia keeps refugees in immigration prison <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/16/australia-holding-people-in-immigration-detention-for-record-689-days-on-average-report-finds">for almost two years</a>
  <em>on the average</em>. A few have been in immigration prison for ten years.

<li id="19_February_2022_(Urgent:_Challenge_Senator_Sinema)">19 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_February_2022_(Urgent:_Challenge_Senator_Sinema)">Urgent: Challenge Senator Sinema</a>)
<p>
  US citizens: call for <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-now-we-need-to-replace-sinema-with-another-democrat-2?nowrapper=true&referrer=&source=email-firstname-default-friend-you-have-a-few-options">a Democratic primary challenge to Senator Sinema</a>, to replace her with someone that won't support the filibuster.
<p>
  Alas, the chance to do this will not happen until 2024.

<li id="18_February_2022_(Urgent:_Reduce_throw-away_plastic)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Urgent:_Reduce_throw-away_plastic)">Urgent: Reduce throw-away plastic</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://uspirg.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=48728">call on Whole Foods</a> to set an example by reducing use of
throw-away plastic.


<li id="18_February_2022_(Urgent:_Not_legitimate_political_discourse)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Urgent:_Not_legitimate_political_discourse)">Urgent: Not legitimate political discourse</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.pfaw.org/sign/tell-rnc-chair-not-legitimate-political-discourse/">Tell the Republican National Committee</a> that violent
insurrection is not "Legitimate Political Discourse."

<p>
I don't post petitions that only vent feelings.  They should have a
chance of influencing outcomes.  The RNC will not heed our complaints
about Republicans' betrayal of the US Constitution's letter and spirit,
but some Republicans may, and some may reject the Republican Party
over this.


<li id="18_February_2022_(Urgent:_close_the_gap_in_inheritance_tax)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Urgent:_close_the_gap_in_inheritance_tax)">Urgent: close the gap in inheritance tax</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-congress-stop-americas-wealthiest-family-dynasties-from-dodging-trillions-of-dollars-in-estate-and-gift-taxes-2?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to close the gaps in inheritance tax
that billionaires use to pass on billions to their heirs.


<li id="18_February_2022_(Urgent:_End_Child_Poverty_Act)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Urgent:_End_Child_Poverty_Act)">Urgent: End Child Poverty Act</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/become-a-grassroots-co-signer-of-the-end-child-poverty-act-today?nowrapper=true">support</a> the End Child Poverty Act.


<li id="18_February_2022_(Urgent:_EARN-IT_Act)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Urgent:_EARN-IT_Act)">Urgent: EARN-IT Act</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/earn-it-act-feb-2022">oppose</a> the anti-encryption "EARN-IT" Act.


<li id="18_February_2022_(Urgent:_Ban_no-knock_warrants)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Urgent:_Ban_no-knock_warrants)">Urgent: Ban no-knock warrants</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-congress-end-the-violence-of-no-knock-warrants?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to ban "no-knock" warrants.  They are a recipe
for great damage.


<li id="18_February_2022_(Ukraine_situation)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Ukraine_situation)">Ukraine situation</a>)
<p>
Greg Palast's take <a href="https://www.gregpalast.com/7-facts-about-ukraine/">on the Ukraine situation</a>.


<li id="18_February_2022_(Escaped_pet_parrots)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Escaped_pet_parrots)">Escaped pet parrots</a>)
<p>
Escaped pet parrots in New Zealand, mostly brought from Australia, may
breed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/16/escaped-pet-parrots-pose-real-problem-to-native-new-zealand-birds">and increase the threat to many endangered native birds</a>.

<p>
Releasing a pet into the wild is a bad idea.
If that species lives wild in your area, it may not matter.
But if it doesn't. At best that pet will die.  At worst
it will destroy the ecosystem.


<li id="18_February_2022_(War_on_pain_sufferers)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(War_on_pain_sufferers)">War on pain sufferers</a>)
<p>
The CDC is considering relaxing the harshest aspect of the war on pain
sufferers, which denied people strong painkillers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/15/us-could-loosen-opioids-guidelines-cdc">when they were suffering
from excruciating acute medical problems</a>.


<li id="18_February_2022_(Urgent:_4th_Amendment_Is_Not_for_Sale_Act)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Urgent:_4th_Amendment_Is_Not_for_Sale_Act)">Urgent: 4th Amendment Is Not for Sale Act</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/sign-petition-tell-congress-pass-4th-amendment-not-sale-act/">call on Congress</a> to pass the 4th Amendment Is Not for
Sale Act,
  to stop "security" agencies from illegally snooping on Americans
without warrants.


<li id="18_February_2022_(Urgent:_fire_DeJoy)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Urgent:_fire_DeJoy)">Urgent: fire DeJoy</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.democracyforamerica.com/sign/Fire_DeJoy_2022/?t=1001">call on the USPS Board of Governors</a> to fire DeJoy.

<p>
Why haven't they done so?  What's going on here?


<li id="18_February_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_selling_neonicotinoids)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_selling_neonicotinoids)">Urgent: Stop selling neonicotinoids</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=48729">call on Amazon</a> to stop selling neonicotinoids.


<li id="18_February_2022_(Reform_of_police)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Reform_of_police)">Reform of police</a>)
<p>
*The fall of Cressida Dick [ex-commissioner of the London <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thug</a>
department] gives us the opportunity <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/15/cressida-dick-reform-britains-police-trust-policing-anti-racist">to truly reform Britain's
police</a>.*

<p>
Curing a pervasive problem of attitude in an organization will tend to
stir up resentment.  A person whose general approach is to try to be popular
with the staff is likely to turn away from tackling the problem.


<li id="18_February_2022_(Equity_firms_funding_dirty_energy)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(Equity_firms_funding_dirty_energy)">Equity firms funding dirty energy</a>)
<p>
*The US private equity firms <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/15/us-private-equity-firms-funding-dirty-energy-projects">funding dirty energy projects</a>.*


<li id="18_February_2022_(More_prison_years_for_Navalny)">18 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_February_2022_(More_prison_years_for_Navalny)">More prison years for Navalny</a>)
<p>
Putin seems to be planning <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/15/alexei-navalny-faces-10-more-years-prison-focus-ukraine-crisis-russia">to add 10 more years to Alexei Navalny's
sentence</a>.

<p>
Court rulings like this in Russia are as arbitrary as they were in the
Soviet Union.  But that should be no surprise.

<p>
What horrifies me is that there is no way to prevent megacorporations
such as Chevron <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#9_February_2022_(Persecution)">from doing this to people in the US</a>.



<li id="16_February_2022_(Four-day_work_week)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Four-day_work_week)">Four-day work week</a>)
<p>
  *Belgium to give workers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/feb/15/belgium-to-give-workers-right-to-request-four-day-week">right to request four-day week</a>.*

<li id="16_February_2022_(False_theft_accusations)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(False_theft_accusations)">False theft accusations</a>)
<p>
  The UK post office <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/15/post-office-scandal-workers-computer-system">falsely accused 700 employees of theft</a>, and ruined
  their lives, based on a computer system known to be faulty.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Remington_Arms_agreed_to_pay)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Remington_Arms_agreed_to_pay)">Remington Arms agreed to pay</a>)
<p>
  The relatives of students shot in Sandy Hook got Remington Arms to
  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/15/sandy-hook-families-settlement-gun-manufacturer-remington">agree to pay to settle a lawsuit</a>  The company was potentially liable
  because it marketed the rifle based on the possibility of killing
  people with it.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Sentenced_for_protesting)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Sentenced_for_protesting)">Sentenced for protesting</a>)
<p>
  Cuba has sentenced people to as much as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/15/cuba-protesters-sentenced-20-years-anti-government-july">20 years in prison for
  protesting</a>.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Illegally_noisy_vehicles)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Illegally_noisy_vehicles)">Illegally noisy vehicles</a>)
<p>
  Paris is installing systems to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/15/noise-radar-in-paris-will-catch-raucous-cars-and-motorbikes">detect illegally noisy vehicles</a> and identify
  their license plate numbers so as to give them tickets.
<p>
  I think it is basically legitimate to do this, provided that the
  system recognizes the vehicle's license plate number only when it has
  detected a violation.  It is <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">wrong ever to track vehicles without a
  specific cause</a>.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Online_dating_platforms)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Online_dating_platforms)">Online dating platforms</a>)
<p>
  Online dating platforms are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/feb/13/how-online-dating-has-changed-the-way-we-fall-in-love">screwing up the way people choose who they
  will date</a>.  Some reject a priori anyone they meet outside of a dating
  platform.
<p>
  These platforms collect lots of personal data, and I wouldn't reveal my
  identity to any of them.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Obstacles_for_abortion_drugs)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Obstacles_for_abortion_drugs)">Obstacles for abortion drugs</a>)
<p>
  Republicans are <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/13/gop-curbing-access-medication-abortions-across-south">legislating obstacles to obtaining and using abortion drugs</a>.
<p>
  Can the federal government permit these drugs to be mailed from another state?

<li id="16_February_2022_(Right-wing_and_anti-vax_bridge-blocking_protest)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Right-wing_and_anti-vax_bridge-blocking_protest)">Right-wing and anti-vax bridge-blocking protest</a>)
<p>
  Canadian police shut down the Canadian right-wing & antivax
  bridge-blocking protest gently, with no violence.  Once <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/13/arrests-us-canada-border-finally-bring-end-anti-vax-blockade">they announced
  they would tow the trucks and arrest the drivers</a>, most drivers left.
<p>
  Future protests will be allowed, but not blocking the road.
<p>
  It surprised me how long officials permitted the protest to continue
  as long as they did.  They have not acted against <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/15/ottawa-truck-convoy-protesters-unfazed-by-emergencies-act">the occupation of Ottawa</a>
  but say they will do it soon.

<li id="16_February_2022_((Satire)_Vagrants)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_((Satire)_Vagrants)">(Satire) Vagrants</a>)
<p>
  (satire) *Los Angeles Bulldozes SoFi Stadium After Reports That
  <a href="https://www.theonion.com/super-bowl-los-angeles-bulldozes-sofi-stadium-1848523627">Thousands Of Vagrants Convening There</a>.*

<li id="16_February_2022_(Major_league_sports_teams)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Major_league_sports_teams)">Major league sports teams</a>)
<p>
  Major league sports teams are <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/13/super-bowl-sunday-can-nfl-be-more-playground-billionaires">a machine billionaires to extract money from
  the state</a>.  Allowing others to invest in them would not change much.
<p>
  My idea for a remedy is to prohibit any sort of public subsidy or tax
  incentives for the teams or the stadiums they will use.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Anti-Valentine's_Day_movement)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Anti-Valentine's_Day_movement)">Anti-Valentine's Day movement</a>)
<p>
  The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/feb/14/its-very-commercialised-the-people-who-dont-buy-in-to-valentines-day">anti-Valentine’s Day movement</a> is catching on in Britain.
<p>
  Can we get it going in the US?  Let's fight the commercial pressure to
  make us feel an obligation to buy gifts for various people just
  because it is such-and-such day.
<p>
  To keep this on track, we must resist attempts to distort it into
  another excuse for obligatory spending.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Western_US_Megadrought)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Western_US_Megadrought)">Western US Megadrought</a>)
<p>
  *Climate Crisis Has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/14/climate-crisis-has-made-western-us-megadrought-worst-1200-years">Made Western US Megadrought Worst in 1,200 Years</a>.*
<p>
  The other droughts during that time period include those that wiped
  out ancient towns in Arizona and New Mexico.  Those towns were never
  reoccupied.
<p>
  Los Angeles County is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/14/us/west-megadrought-climate-wastewater-recycling/index.html">investing in recycling wastewater, and plans to
  get 70% of its water locally</a> (local rain and recycling, I suppose) by
  2035.
<p>
  That will help provide drinking water, but won't do much for
  California farms or California forests.  I fear they cannot survive if
  we don't stop <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a>.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Thug_dismissed)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Thug_dismissed)">Thug dismissed</a>)
<p>
  A commander in the London <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thug</a> department, who drew up the policy for
  repression of drugs, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/14/senior-met-commander-julian-bennett-faces-sack-allegedly-taking-illegal-drugs">faces dismissal for taking marijuana and two psychedelic
  drugs</a> while on vacation outside the UK.
<p>
  When a person's conduct conflicts with a rule, at least one has to be
  wrong.  When the person has publicly defended the rule, at least one
  aspect of per conduct must be wrong.  But which one?
<p>
  Don't assume blindly that it was right to repress drugs and wrong to
  try them.  These drugs are not addictive and there should be lawful
  ways to get them and try them.  I think the commander's wrong was to
  participate actively in repression of these drugs.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Net-zero_goals)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Net-zero_goals)">Net-zero goals</a>)
<p>
  *The largest 25 European banks -— all purportedly committed to
  "net-zero" goals -- have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/14/net-zero-europes-top-banks-have-pumped-400-billion-oil-and-gas-2016">provided more than $400 billion in
  financing to 50 corporations</a> expanding oil and gas production since
  2016, with no signs of slowing down.*

<li id="16_February_2022_(CIA_mass_surveillance)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(CIA_mass_surveillance)">CIA mass surveillance</a>)
<p>
  *We Need Answers About the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/14/we-need-answers-about-unconstitutional-mass-surveillance-cia">Unconstitutional Mass Surveillance of the CIA</a>.*
  And Congress must put an end to it.
<p>
  Sad to say, Congress is rushing to do the exact opposite, with the "EARN It"
  act that would prohibit services from offering end-to-end encryption.

<li id="16_February_2022_((Satire)_Intelligent_Amazon_supercomputer)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_((Satire)_Intelligent_Amazon_supercomputer)">(Satire) Intelligent Amazon supercomputer</a>)
<p>
  (satire) *Artificially Intelligent Amazon <a href="https://www.theonion.com/artificially-intelligent-amazon-supercomputer-stuck-in-1848476527">Supercomputer Stuck In Dead-End Retail Job</a>.*

<li id="16_February_2022_(Centralizing_network_communication)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Centralizing_network_communication)">Centralizing network communication</a>)
<p>
  Cambodia plans to extend total repression of opposition views onto the
  internet by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/14/fears-cambodia-is-rolling-out-china-style-great-firewall-to-curb-online-freedom">centralizing network communication</a>.
<p>
  <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-sep-dec.html#24_September_2017_(Censorship_in_China)">China</a> is not the only country to have done this -- <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-jan-apr.html#6_April_2017_(Russia_wants_to_follow_China)">Russia</a> has done it too.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Disinformation_connections)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Disinformation_connections)">Disinformation connections</a>)
<p>
  A nexus of trumpery is <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/14/covid-disinformation-americas-frontline-doctors-project-veritas/">a connection between Covid-19 disinformation</a>,
  profit from ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, and the wrecker's
  claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Robot_dogs)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Robot_dogs)">Robot dogs</a>)
<p>
  The Department of Harshness and Sadism (DHS) is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/14/us-government-deploying-robot-dogs-to-mexico-border">studying the use of
  walking robots</a> to patrol the border with Mexico.
  They like to call these robots "dogs", but they have no actual
  relationship or resemblance to dogs, so that is PR.
<p>
  The robots being evaluated now are not armed, but since the US is in
  favor of deploying armed robots, that would tend to follow.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Urgent:_Postal_Service_Reform_Act)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Urgent:_Postal_Service_Reform_Act)">Urgent: Postal Service Reform Act</a>)
<p>
  US citizens: call on the Senate to pass <a href="https://act.aflcio.org/forms/hr3076?nowrapper=true&referrer=&source=email-postal-service-reform-act">H.R. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act</a>.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Urgent:_Expand_the_Supreme_Court)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Urgent:_Expand_the_Supreme_Court)">Urgent: Expand the Supreme Court</a>)
<p>
  US citizens: call on Congress to <a href="https://civicshout.com/p/tell-congress-expand-the-supreme-court-2?link_id=0&can_id=8b24519448cbedadde1c8a966f94caad&source=email-sign-the-petition-expand-the-supreme-court-to-save-voting-rights-2&email_referrer=email_1439611&email_subject=sign-the-petition-expand-the-supreme-court">expand the Supreme Court</a>.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Urgent:_Houthis)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Urgent:_Houthis)">Urgent: Houthis</a>)
<p>
  US citizens: call on Biden <a href="https://act.winwithoutwar.org/act/biden_houthi_designation?source=em20220210&t=1006&akid=7570%2E223515%2EsgHdBa">not to designate the Houthis as terrorists</a>.
<p>
  The US should not support <a href="/glossary.html#salafi">Salafi Arabia</a> and the UAE (two repressive and cruel states) in this war.

<li id="16_February_2022_(Urgent:_Edelman's_oil,_gas,_and_coal_clients)">16 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#16_February_2022_(Urgent:_Edelman's_oil,_gas,_and_coal_clients)">Urgent: Edelman's oil, gas, and coal clients</a>)
<p>
US citizens: call on the PR agency Edelman to <a href="https://act.350.org/signup/edelman-petition-feb-22/?source=em20220209-1-30&akid=187527%2E1151744%2EAQyyvA">drop its oil, gas, and coal clients</a>.

<li id="15_February_2022_(UK_climate_activists)">15 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_February_2022_(UK_climate_activists)">UK climate activists</a>)
<p>
  UK climate activists are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/14/just-stop-oil-activist-direct-action-against-uk-oil-infrastructure-target-petrol-stations-depots-refineries">planning direct action against oil facilities</a>.

<li id="15_February_2022_(Speaking_against_Hindutva)">15 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_February_2022_(Speaking_against_Hindutva)">Speaking against Hindutva</a>)
<p>
  *From politicians to academics, Americans who speak against Hindutva <a href="http://twocircles.net/2022feb14/445026.html">face harsh backlash, protests, and violent threats</a>.*
<p>
  The threats appear to be organized by powerful right-wing organizations
  in India.

<li id="15_February_2022_(Anti-vax_roadblock_donations)">15 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_February_2022_(Anti-vax_roadblock_donations)">Anti-vax roadblock donations</a>)
<p>
  More than half the money visibly donated to the anti-vax roadblocks in
  Canada <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/14/foreign-money-funding-extremism-in-canada-says-hacker">came from Americans</a>.  A little over 1/3 came from Canadians.
<p>
  In effect, these money-transfer sites have become a system for
  destabilizing Canada.  It would be wise to prevent their use for this
  purpose.
<p>
  I suspect that American right-wing billionaires are providing money
  secretly to be used to pay their parking tickets.
<p>
  If the protesters are being supported by rich foreigners, it enables
  right-wing protesters to disregard fines the way megacorporations do.
  In both cases, this calls for increasing fines until they are
  too much to ignore.

<li id="15_February_2022_(Rivers_polluted_by_medicines)">15 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_February_2022_(Rivers_polluted_by_medicines)">Rivers polluted by medicines</a>)
<p>
  Rivers around the world are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/14/drugs-have-dangerously-polluted-the-worlds-rivers-scientists-warn">polluted by medicines, including antibiotics</a>.
  In some cases the concentration is enough to be dangerous to
  wildlife.  The antibiotics can breed bacteria for resistance, and that
  can kill humans later.

<li id="15_February_2022_(Afghanistan's_7_billion_dollars)">15 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_February_2022_(Afghanistan's_7_billion_dollars)">Afghanistan's 7 billion dollars</a>)
<p>
  Several arguments why <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/14/the-guardian-view-on-a-kabul-heist-snatching-money-from-the-starving">Afghanistan's 7 billion dollars</a> should go to
  help Afghanistan begin trading again, and not be given to anyone else.
<p>
  The argument that "this money belongs to the government of
  Afghanistan" is weak, since that government ceased to exist.  But the
  other arguments are sufficient without that one.  I think using some
  of that money for immediate relief to Afghanistan is acceptable.

<li id="15_February_2022_(Ivermectin_and_other_drugs)">15 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_February_2022_(Ivermectin_and_other_drugs)">Ivermectin and other drugs</a>)
<p>
  Prison thugs in Arkansas <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/14/arkansas-prison-covid-19-ivermectin-experiment-minorities-medical-abuse">gave ivermectin in large doses (and other
  drugs)</a> to several prisoners without asking them, or even telling them.
  They started having serious symptoms that are not typical for
  Covid-19.
<p>
  The article doesn't say what the other drugs were.  Each one was an
  experiment without consent, and several others might also have been
  dangerous for all we know.
  
<li id="14_February_2022_(Oligarchic_economics_and_racist,_nationalist_populism)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Oligarchic_economics_and_racist,_nationalist_populism)">Oligarchic economics and racist, nationalist populism</a>)
<p>

*Beware of this deadly mix: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/13/us-republicans-oligarchs-economics-nationalism">oligarchic economics and racist,
nationalist populism</a>.*
<p>
The US has not reached the oligarchic stage, but oligarchy implies
plutocracy (which already exists in the US).
<p>
Plutocracy makes political improvements on the most important issues
very hard, and that might explain why people turn to twisted forms of
faith that attack various scapegoats (immigrants, Muslims, Jews,
blacks, vaccine companies, witches, &hellip;).

<li id="14_February_2022_(Methane_increase_since_2007)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Methane_increase_since_2007)">Methane increase since 2007</a>)
<p>

Methane emissions have increased substantially since 2007.  Before that, they
were declining.  Scientists worry that this may due to a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/09/scientists-fear-soaring-methane-levels-show-climate-feedback-loop-has-arrived">positive feedback
loop</a> in which rising temperatures are releasing buried methane.
<p>
If that's true, we may be in for a catastrophic release of methane
and <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a> of much more than 2C.

<li id="14_February_2022_(College_student_studying_critical_race_theory)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(College_student_studying_critical_race_theory)">College student studying critical race theory</a>)
<p>

A white Republican college student is studying critical race theory
in the University of Mississippi, and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/11/us/mississippi-critical-race-theory-law-class/index.html">defends the subject</a>.

<li id="14_February_2022_(Pine-borer_beetles)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Pine-borer_beetles)">Pine-borer beetles</a>)
<p>

Global heating has facilitated a plague of pine-borer beetles that are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/12/us/lumber-prices-climate-change-beetles-weir/index.html">killing
millions of trees in Canada</a>.  The cost of lumber has gone up.

<li id="14_February_2022_(Protests_against_repression_of_protests)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Protests_against_repression_of_protests)">Protests against repression of protests</a>)
<p>

Protesters against the UK bill to repress protests are being charged
with rioting, which indicates the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/12/kill-the-bill-surge-in-bristol-riot-charges-prompts-alarm-over-civil-liberties">intention to give them long prison
sentences</a>.
<p>
The charges refer to protests in which the <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> violently attacked
protesters, and some protesters fought back.

<li id="14_February_2022_(Election_boards_in_Georgia)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Election_boards_in_Georgia)">Election boards in Georgia</a>)
<p>

In Georgia, each county has its election board, which is locally
elected.  The state is <a href="https://www.gregpalast.com/the-new-vote-fixing-game-in-georgia/">removing Democrats from election boards
and appointing Republicans</a> to replace them.
<p>
The Republicans on the board will be in a position to kick lots
of black voters off the voter list.

<li id="14_February_2022_(The_wrecker_and_the_National_Archive)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(The_wrecker_and_the_National_Archive)">The wrecker and the National Archive</a>)
<p>
  The corrupter, while president, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/11/politics/trump-mar-a-lago-documents-archives/index.html">tried to destroy many of the records
  of his conversations</a>, rather than hand them over to the National
  Archive as the law requires.  He may still be holding on to them.
<p>
  Some wondered if he was doing this out of madness, but I suspect it
  was a lifelong habit of silencing critics by being over the top.

<li id="14_February_2022_(Supreme_Court_justice)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Supreme_Court_justice)">Supreme Court justice</a>)
<p>
  Biden should appoint a Supreme Court justice with experience representing
  <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/11/biden-should-nominate-justice-beholden-people-not-corporate-power-thats-ketanji">people with no particular power</a>.

<li id="14_February_2022_((Satire)_MAGA_cultural_revolution)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_((Satire)_MAGA_cultural_revolution)">(Satire) MAGA cultural revolution</a>)
<p>
(satire) *The coming <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/11/terrifying-world-2025">MAGA cultural revolution</a>?*

<li id="14_February_2022_((Satire)_Turbo_lever)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_((Satire)_Turbo_lever)">(Satire) Turbo lever</a>)
<p>
  (satire) *Inflation Jumps 7.5% Before Janet Yellen Realizes <a href="https://www.theonion.com/inflation-jumps-7-5-before-janet-yellen-realizes-she-l-1848517868">She
  Leaning Against "Turbo" Lever</a>.*

<li id="14_February_2022_(Bankrupt_student_debtors)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Bankrupt_student_debtors)">Bankrupt student debtors</a>)
<p>
  Biden should have federal agencies <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/11/coalition-urges-biden-admin-stop-fighting-student-debtors-bankruptcy-court">completely stop arguing in court</a>
  against bankrupt student debtors that seek to escape their student
  loan debt.
<p>
  <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-jul-oct.html#21_October_2021_(Urgent:_cancel_student_debt)">Biden promised to cancel most of these debts</a>, and has not done so.
  Instead, his officials are doing the exact opposite.

<li id="14_February_2022_(Stadium_without_subsidy)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Stadium_without_subsidy)">Stadium without subsidy</a>)
<p>
  The new Los Angeles football stadium sets an example by <a href="https://reason.com/2022/02/11/the-super-bowl-will-be-played-in-the-most-expensive-stadium-ever-built-taxpayer-didnt-pay-a-dime/?utm_medium=email">having been built
  with no government subsidy</a>.
<p>
  The government should <a href="https://stallman.org/articles/why-we-need-a-state.html">use its funds to do things that the public needs</a>,
  not to <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2014-mar-jun.html#31_March_2014_(Detroit_to_spend_hundreds_of_millions_on_new_sports_arena)">subsidize rich sports team owners</a>.

<li id="14_February_2022_((Satire)_Moved_to_different_universe)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_((Satire)_Moved_to_different_universe)">(Satire) Moved to different universe</a>)
<p>
  (satire) *Pope Quietly Moves God To Different Universe After Deity
  <a href="https://www.theonion.com/pope-quietly-moves-god-to-different-universe-after-deit-1848518930">Caught Molesting Altar Boy</a>.*

<li id="14_February_2022_(ADL_and_apartheid)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(ADL_and_apartheid)">ADL and apartheid</a>)
<p>
*   The ADL didn't utter a word of concern about the painstakingly detailed
   descriptions of Israel's apartheid system, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/11/pushing-back-adls-criticism-amnestys-classification-apartheid-israel">nor an ounce of
   self-reflection about the organization's own unequivocal support for
   Israel's unjust and discriminatory system</a>.*


<li id="14_February_2022_(Central_bank_needs_funds_to_buy_food)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Central_bank_needs_funds_to_buy_food)">Central bank needs funds to buy food</a>)
<p>
The Afghan central bank needs some funds <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/11/what-we-must-do-afghanistan">so that people in Afghanistan
can buy food</a>.


<li id="14_February_2022_(Starbucks_and_unions)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Starbucks_and_unions)">Starbucks and unions</a>)
<p>
70 Starbucks stores <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/feb/11/starbucks-union-organizing-drives-across-us">are now trying to unionize</a>.


<li id="14_February_2022_(Extreme_weather_events_and_voting_green)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Extreme_weather_events_and_voting_green)">Extreme weather events and voting green</a>)
<p>
*Europeans more likely to vote green <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/feb/12/europeans-more-likely-to-vote-green-after-extreme-weather-events">after extreme weather events</a>.*


<li id="14_February_2022_(Failed_hate_crime)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Failed_hate_crime)">Failed hate crime</a>)
<p>
A father and son team decided to murder a black FedEx driver, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/11/dmonterrio-gibson-black-fedex-driver-shot-white-men-ahmaud-arbery">but he
survived to tell what they did</a>.


<li id="14_February_2022_(Law_to_protect_vaquita_porpoises)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Law_to_protect_vaquita_porpoises)">Law to protect vaquita porpoises</a>)
<p>
7 or 8 vaquita porpoises remain alive.  Mexico agreed to ban the gill
nets that kill them, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/11/tiny-vaquita-numbers-less-than-10-can-they-be-saved">but has not bothered to enforce the law</a>.


<li id="14_February_2022_(Ending_corruption_and_bigotry)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Ending_corruption_and_bigotry)">Ending corruption and bigotry</a>)
<p>
London's mayor says he is determined <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/12/sadiq-khan-i-recall-the-bad-old-days-of-the-metropolitan-police-never-again">to end the corruption and bigotry
in the London thug department</a>.

<p>
However, he supported the commissioner who failed to do this,
and continued his support until the last moment.


<li id="14_February_2022_(Re-erect_status_to_topple_it_once_a_year)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Re-erect_status_to_topple_it_once_a_year)">Re-erect status to topple it once a year</a>)
<p>
*Why not re-erect the statue of Edward Colston <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/12/why-not-reerect-statue-edward-colston-and-topple-once-a-year">and topple it once a year</a>?*

<p>
I like the idea of such a ceremony, but I wonder if there could be a
target more important and better known than Colston.  No one outside
Bristol had heard of Colston in recent times until his statue was
knocked down.


<li id="14_February_2022_(Hot_prisons)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Hot_prisons)">Hot prisons</a>)
<p>
Some Texas prisons are hot enough to make people swelter while sitting
down.  People with certain medical conditions <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/07/prisons-texas-heat-air-conditioning-climate-crisis/">can die of it</a>.

<p>
Many Florida prisons are vulnerable to flooding during storms.
Sometimes flooding makes sewage rise inside the cells.  <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/12/prison-climate-crisis-flood/">People can
catch diseases that way</a>.


<li id="14_February_2022_(Stopping_Clearview_AI)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Stopping_Clearview_AI)">Stopping Clearview AI</a>)
<p>
Four progressive federal lawmakers have called for government agencies
to stop using Clearview AI facial recognition, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/09/democrats-urge-federal-agencies-abandon-use-facial-recognition">citing the dangers of
the use of that technology</a>.

<p>
I'm proud to have voted for Ayanna Pressley and Ed Markey, but this is
just a first step.  Activities such as Clearview AI's business <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">ought
to be illegal, pure and simple</a>.


<li id="14_February_2022_(Third-party_trackers)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Third-party_trackers)">Third-party trackers</a>)
<p>
Youtube and TikTok host third-party trackers, meaning that other companies
(or other entries) track users and keep dossiers <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/08/tiktok-shares-your-data-more-than-any-other-social-media-app-study.html">about what those users
watch and do in Youtube and TikTok</a>.


<li id="14_February_2022_(Suing_fossil_fuel_authorizing)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Suing_fossil_fuel_authorizing)">Suing fossil fuel authorizing</a>)
<p>
A group of young people in Virginia have sued the state for authorizing
fossil fuel infrastructure <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/09/13-youth-file-vital-constitutional-climate-lawsuit-against-virginia">that is expected to damage their health
and shorten their lives</a>.


<li id="14_February_2022_(Resist_bank_mergers)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Resist_bank_mergers)">Resist bank mergers</a>)
<p>
Calling on the Securities and Exchange Commission <a href="https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/02/occupy-the-sec-to-doj-act-on-congressional-mandate-quit-rubber-stamping-bank-mergers.html">to start resisting
bank mergers</a>.


<li id="14_February_2022_(If_a_cryptocurrency_exchange_goes_bankrupt)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(If_a_cryptocurrency_exchange_goes_bankrupt)">If a cryptocurrency exchange goes bankrupt</a>)
<p>
A legal analysis of what would happen if a cryptocurrency exchange in
the US goes bankrupt: customers would probably lose all their
"deposits", because the exchange is not a bank <a href="https://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2022/02/what-happens-if-a-cryptocurrency-exchange-files-for-bankruptcy.html">and the coins are not
really a "deposit."</a>


<li id="14_February_2022_(Yanis_Varoufakis_on_cryptocurrencies)">14 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_February_2022_(Yanis_Varoufakis_on_cryptocurrencies)">Yanis Varoufakis on cryptocurrencies</a>)
<p>
An interview with Yanis Varoufakis, in which he rejects the idea
that cryptocurrencies <a href="https://the-crypto-syllabus.com/yanis-varoufakis-on-techno-feudalism/">can reduce the injustice of an oppressive
oligarchic economic system</a>.

<p>
He describes today's economy as techno-feudalist rather than
capitalist, because markets play less of a role than before.
(Capitalism, as he defines it, is based on extracting money from most
people through markets, whereas feudalism is based on extracting money
from most people outside of markets.)

<p>
One point he misses in his advocacy of central bank digital currencies
to dis-intermediate the commercial banks is the surveillance impact
and how dangerous that is.  I pay for all the goods I buy in cash, and
I would not switch to identifying myself for a central bank digital
currency just to screw a private bank.

<p>
Varoufakis endorses out-and-out socialism, in which there would
no longer be private business.  I am not in favor of that radical
leap into the unknown -- it could easily make things much worse.
However, I find his insights valid and important regardless
of that specific disagreement.



<li id="13_February_2022_(US_supply_chains)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(US_supply_chains)">US supply chains</a>)
<p>
After deregulation and mergers, the remaining US railroads became very
profitable by cutting employment, skimping on workers' safety, gouging
customers with fees, and maximizing efficiency with just-in-time operations.
They spent more on stock buybacks than on operating the line.
<p>
Covid taught them that <a href="https://prospect.org/economy/how-americas-supply-chains-got-railroaded/">just-in-time streamlining is a dangerous mistake
whenever something starts to go wrong</a>.
<p>
It's the frequent mistake of US industry -- optimizing the usual case
and assuming nothing will go wrong.
<p>
We don't need price regulation if we make more competition.  And we
won't need more regulation to improve the treatment of railroad workers
if we help workers make strong unions.

<li id="13_February_2022_(Private_equity_wreckers)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Private_equity_wreckers)">Private equity wreckers</a>)
<p>
Government loans are <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/when-private-equity-becomes-your-landlord">helping "private equity" wreckers buy up rental
housing and screw the tenants</a>.

<li id="13_February_2022_(EV_charging_network)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(EV_charging_network)">EV charging network</a>)
<p>
*Biden administration plans to spend <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/11/biden-administration-plans-to-spend-5bn-to-build-ev-charging-network-across-us">$5bn to build EV charging network across
    US</a>.*
<p>
  That is basically a good plan, but if they are not careful, it will
  impose an unjust surveillance system.  Most commercial charging
  stations accept only credit-card payment.  The government should
  require these chargers accept cash payment given on the premises.
<p>
  Also they should not be put in places that charge for parking, unless
  it is possible to pay cash to park and the parking lot does not track
  who does so.

<li id="13_February_2022_(New_York_evictions)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(New_York_evictions)">New York evictions</a>)
<p>
Interviews with five desperate New Yorkers who <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/feb/09/rent-strike-new-york-evictions">lost their income
    and can't pay rent</a>.
<p>
  The accusation that the NYC Housing Authority is letting public housing
run down to create an excuse to privatize it is horrible corruption.
It would be interesting to pressure the new mayor about this and see
if he is on the people's side.

<li id="13_February_2022_(Urgent:_Immigration_prison_contracts)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Urgent:_Immigration_prison_contracts)">Urgent: Immigration prison contracts</a>)
<p>
US citizens: call on the US government to <a href="https://action.aclu.org/send-message/shut-down-ice-detention-machine">stop signing contracts for
new immigration prisons</a>.

<li id="13_February_2022_(Urgent:_Pepsico_funding_anti-abortion_candidates_and_parties)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Urgent:_Pepsico_funding_anti-abortion_candidates_and_parties)">Urgent: Pepsico funding anti-abortion candidates and parties</a>)
<p>
US citizens: call on Pepsico to <a href="https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/Pepsi_abortionban/">stop funding antiabortion candidates
and parties</a>.

<li id="13_February_2022_(Urgent:_The_corrupter's_next_coup_attempt)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Urgent:_The_corrupter's_next_coup_attempt)">Urgent: The corrupter's next coup attempt</a>)
<p>
US citizens: call on all government officials to be ready to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-the-petition-trump-attempted-a-coup-on-january-6-he-will-try-again-2?nowrapper=true&referrer=group-takeitbackorg&source=group-takeitbackorg">defeat
the corrupter's next coup attempt</a>.

<li id="13_February_2022_(IRS_published_information)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(IRS_published_information)">IRS published information</a>)
<p>

The IRS used to publish information on the 400 highest-income taxpayers
each year.  The corrupter <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/09/we-must-reinstate-irs-report-richest-400-americans-trump-axed">stopped it</a>.  Biden should restart it.

<li id="13_February_2022_((satire)_AI-Controlled_bulletproof_grizzly_bears)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_((satire)_AI-Controlled_bulletproof_grizzly_bears)">(satire) AI-Controlled bulletproof grizzly bears</a>)
<p>

(satire) *Tech Leaders Justify Project To <a href="https://www.theonion.com/tech-leaders-justify-project-to-create-army-of-ai-contr-1848402815">Create Army Of AI-Controlled
Bulletproof Grizzly Bears</a> As Inevitable Part Of Progress.*

<li id="13_February_2022_(Republicans_knocking_out_Democratic_officials_with_recall_elections)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Republicans_knocking_out_Democratic_officials_with_recall_elections)">Republicans knocking out Democratic officials with recall elections</a>)
<p>

Republicans are using recall elections to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/10/californias-recall-reform-now-anti-democratic-weapon-captured-right">knock out popular Democratic
officials</a>, hoping Democrats won't have money to campaign, and that most voters
(who elected the Democrats) won't notice there is an election outside the
usual schedule.

<li id="13_February_2022_(Bullying_South_Africa_out_of_reverse-engineering_vaccine)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Bullying_South_Africa_out_of_reverse-engineering_vaccine)">Bullying South Africa out of reverse-engineering vaccine</a>)
<p>

A German organization connected with BioNTech and Pfizer is trying to
bully South Africa into <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/10/documents-expose-pharma-effort-kill-africas-covid-vaccine-project">abandoning its effort to reverse-engineer the
Moderna vaccine</a> and manufacture vaccines there.
<p>
The article digresses onto the topic of patents, but that's
a different issue.  It is purely an issue of legal threats;
morally, there <a href="media/1dcfd209.45_1_stallman.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/law/students/publications/llj/pdfs/45_1_stallman.pdf">should not be patents in the field of medicine</a>.

<li id="13_February_2022_(Norway_develops_new_oil_fields)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Norway_develops_new_oil_fields)">Norway develops new oil fields</a>)
<p>

Norway talks a good game of climate defense leadership, but it continues
to develop <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/10/norway-claims-be-climate-leader-its-mirage">large new oil fields</a> that can cause global disaster.

<li id="13_February_2022_(Government_pays_to_watch_Faux_News)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Government_pays_to_watch_Faux_News)">Government pays to watch Faux News</a>)
<p>

The US government <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/10/its-time-pentagon-pulled-plug-fox-news">pays to watch Faux News</a> in the Pentagon and other
military facilities. It should cut that off.

<li id="13_February_2022_((satire)_Existing_IP_TBD)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_((satire)_Existing_IP_TBD)">(satire) Existing IP TBD</a>)
<p>

(satire) *Hollywood Studios <a href="https://www.theonion.com/hollywood-studios-locked-in-massive-bidding-war-for-scr-1848494334">Locked In Massive Bidding War For
Screenplay</a> Entitled "Existing IP TBD."*

<li id="13_February_2022_(Premature_end_of_school_mask_mandates)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Premature_end_of_school_mask_mandates)">Premature end of school mask mandates</a>)
<p>

*Public Health Experts Warn Against <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/10/public-health-experts-warn-against-premature-end-school-mask-mandates">Premature End of School Mask Mandates</a>.*

<li id="13_February_2022_(Cop_shot_gun_when_intending_to_tase)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Cop_shot_gun_when_intending_to_tase)">Cop shot gun when intending to tase</a>)
<p>

Last July, there was another case of a cop who <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/10/us/hollywood-florida-police-lawsuit-man-shot/index.html">shot someone with a gun
while intending to tase him</a>.

<li id="13_February_2022_(Progressive_program_for_a_livable_society)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Progressive_program_for_a_livable_society)">Progressive program for a livable society</a>)
<p>

The 21st Century Bill of Rights states the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/10/progressives-call-democrats-endorse-21st-century-economic-bill-rights">progressive program
for a livable society</a>.

<li id="13_February_2022_((satire)_'Don't_Say_Gay'_bill)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_((satire)_'Don't_Say_Gay'_bill)">(satire) 'Don't Say Gay' bill</a>)
<p>

(satire) *Florida Bullies Concerned ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Would Make It
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/florida-bullies-concerned-don-t-say-gay-bill-would-ma-1848517001">Tougher To Identify LGBTQ Students</a> To Torment.*

<li id="13_February_2022_(CIA_secretly_collecting_private_information_in_bulk)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(CIA_secretly_collecting_private_information_in_bulk)">CIA secretly collecting private information in bulk</a>)
<p>

*   The CIA has been secretly [and illegally] <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/11/declassified-documents-reveal-cia-collecting-information-americans">collecting
   Americans’ private information in bulk</a>.*
<p>
This information comes from senators who are not allowed to state any more
details, because the details are secret.

<li id="13_February_2022_(Saving_the_endangered_koala)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Saving_the_endangered_koala)">Saving the endangered koala</a>)
<p>

*We know how to save the endangered koala &mdash; it starts with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/12/we-know-how-to-save-the-endangered-koala-it-starts-with-protecting-habitat">protecting habitat</a>.*

<li id="13_February_2022_(Democrat_Gary_Chambers_shows_his_courage)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Democrat_Gary_Chambers_shows_his_courage)">Democrat Gary Chambers shows his courage</a>)
<p>

Democrat Gary Chambers, running for US Senate in Louisiana, showed his
courage by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/11/gary-chambers-louisiana-senate-candidate-confederate-flag">burning the Confederate flag in an campaign ad</a>.
<p>
In another ad, he smoked pot, to criticize the unjust effect of US
drug laws.  I wish I knew what he advocates for drug policy.

<li id="13_February_2022_(AI_for_identification_and_monitoring_in_surveillance_cameras)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(AI_for_identification_and_monitoring_in_surveillance_cameras)">AI for identification and monitoring in surveillance cameras</a>)
<p>

A new operating system for surveillance cameras makes it easy to sell
proprietary add-on modules for additional kinds of <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/11/surveillance-video-ai-bosch-azena/">AI for identification
and monitoring</a>.
<p>
In theory, this changes nothing about what sorts of video surveillance
people and companies can do.  In practice, it makes enforcement (by
law, or by social pressure) of any rules whatsoever more difficult.

<li id="13_February_2022_(Afghanistan's_7_billion_dollars_in_assets)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Afghanistan's_7_billion_dollars_in_assets)">Afghanistan's 7 billion dollars in assets</a>)
<p>

Biden has asked court to take Afghanistan's 7 billion dollars in
assets deposited in the US, give <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/11/biden-7bn-frozen-afghan-reserves-taliban">half to humanitarian aid to Afghanistan,
and half to relatives of victims of the September 2001 attacks</a>.
<p>
This plan to provide aid to Afghans might be a good idea, if it avoids
frittering away a substantial fraction on middlemen and if it gets
into operation fast enough to save people from starvation.  But I see
no justification for giving half to the American victims of an attack
carried out by a group of foreigners just because a few of its leaders
were hiding in Afghanistan.  It should all go to Afghans who need it.

<li id="13_February_2022_(A_farm's_beef_contaminated_with_PFAS)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(A_farm's_beef_contaminated_with_PFAS)">A farm's beef contaminated with PFAS</a>)
<p>

A Michigan farm's beef is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/11/michigan-beef-dangerous-levels-forever-chemicals">heavily contaminated with PFAS</a>.
<p>
The article does not say whether any action will be taken against selling
beef from that farm.

<li id="13_February_2022_(QAnon_steered_far-right_candidates_toward_secretary_of_state_contests)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(QAnon_steered_far-right_candidates_toward_secretary_of_state_contests)">QAnon steered far-right candidates toward secretary of state contests</a>)
<p>

*   As part of a calculated assault on democracy, QAnon <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/11/qanon-donald-trump-big-lie-elections-swing-states">steered far-right
   candidates toward secretary of state contests</a>.*

<li id="13_February_2022_(Bill_against_NDAs_stopping_testimonies_against_sexual_harassment)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Bill_against_NDAs_stopping_testimonies_against_sexual_harassment)">Bill against NDAs stopping testimonies against sexual harassment</a>)
<p>

Congress has passed a bill to stop nondisclosure agreements from being
used to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/10/us-congress-sexual-harassment-me-too">block workers from testifying about sexual harassment</a>.
<p>
Nondisclosure agreements magnify the power of the wealthy and powerful.

<li id="13_February_2022_(English_North_Sea_coast_life_dead)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(English_North_Sea_coast_life_dead)">English North Sea coast life dead</a>)
<p>
  Off one part of the English North Sea coast, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/10/my-heart-is-broken-death-of-marine-life-is-devastating-englands-fishing-industry">the usual sea life has died</a>.
  Everything is gone.  Seals and seabirds, too.
<p>
  It is not clear what the cause is, but some suspect dredging a river has
  released industrial toxins from the sediment.

<li id="13_February_2022_(Texas's_power_grid)">13 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_February_2022_(Texas's_power_grid)">Texas's power grid</a>)
<p>
A year ago, Texas's power grid delivered far insufficient electricity because
many gas-fueled power plants failed.  If Texas had more home solar power,
it would have avoided the problem.

<li id="12_February_2022_(DeJoy_gaming_EPA_standards_quirk)">12 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_February_2022_(DeJoy_gaming_EPA_standards_quirk)">DeJoy gaming EPA standards quirk</a>)
<p>
  DeJoy is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/09/supervillain-stuff-dejoy-accused-exploiting-loophole-buy-gas-trucks">gaming a quirk in EPA standards for fuel efficiency</a>
  to excuse buying gas-powered trucks instead of electric ones.

<li id="12_February_2022_(Urgent:_Fight_against_censoring_and_banning_books)">12 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_February_2022_(Urgent:_Fight_against_censoring_and_banning_books)">Urgent: Fight against censoring and banning books</a>)
<p>
US citizens: call on Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to use that
department's power to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-education-secretary-miguel-cardona-use-your-power-to-fight-against-efforts-to-censor-and-ban-books-now?nowrapper=true&amp;referrer=group-democracy-for-america&amp;source=group-democracy-for-america">fight against efforts to censor and ban books</a>.

<li id="12_February_2022_(Urgent:_Censorship_of_'uncomfortable'_moral_issues)">12 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_February_2022_(Urgent:_Censorship_of_'uncomfortable'_moral_issues)">Urgent: Censorship of 'uncomfortable' moral issues</a>)
<p>
US citizens: ask your state representative to oppose laws to impose
<a href="https://act.pfaw.org/letter/all-state-lawmakers-protect-freedom-learn/?utm_source=aa&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=freedomtolearn&amp;t=1009&amp;akid=24499%2E660322%2ETu1AqS">censorship of "uncomfortable" moral issues</a>, especially in US history.

<li id="12_February_2022_(Deported_migrants_suffered_abuse)">12 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_February_2022_(Deported_migrants_suffered_abuse)">Deported migrants suffered abuse</a>)
<p>
  *A Human Rights Watch report found Cameroonian asylum-seekers forcibly
  flown back home <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/10/african-migrants-deported-trump-administration-suffered-abuse">suffered imprisonment, torture and rape</a>.*
<p>
  The wrecker seems to have instructed the deportation <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> to disregard
  the asylum-seekers' rights.  It ought to be a crime for government
  issues to force people to waive their rights.
<p>
  All managers who accepted these orders should be dismissed for doing
  so.  People inclined to obey illegal orders and then plead "I was
  only obeying orders" are not fit to work in positions where they can
  send people to be tortured.

<li id="12_February_2022_(Target_teaching_how_to_spot_unionizing)">12 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_February_2022_(Target_teaching_how_to_spot_unionizing)">Target teaching how to spot unionizing</a>)
<p>
Target is teaching store managers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/10/target-directs-managers-prevent-workers-from-unionizing">how to recognize signs workers might be
organizing</a>.
If they detect any, they will work with expensive consultants to
quash the attempt.

<li id="12_February_2022_(Weaponized_felony_charges)">12 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_February_2022_(Weaponized_felony_charges)">Weaponized felony charges</a>)
<p>
*How <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/10/felony-charges-pipeline-protesters-line-3">felony charges are weaponized</a> against pipeline protesters.*

<li id="12_February_2022_(Right-wing_extremists)">12 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_February_2022_(Right-wing_extremists)">Right-wing extremists</a>)
<p>
  British right-wing extremists <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/10/boris-johnson-savile-slur-far-right-conspiracy">fabricate and circulated many false
  accusations</a>.  Once in a while, the Tories adopt one and spread it
  further.
<p>
  Meanwhile, in Australia the right-wing government hints that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/10/peter-dutton-has-plumbed-new-and-dangerous-depths-by-suggesting-china-is-backing-labor">Labor
  is allied with China</a>.
<p>
  Labor is opposition in some details, but not so you'd notice on the
  biggest issues.

<li id="12_February_2022_(Lifting_mask_mandates)">12 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_February_2022_(Lifting_mask_mandates)">Lifting mask mandates</a>)
<p>
Some US states are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/09/us-mask-mandates-covid-omicron-democrats-cdc">lifting mask mandates while Covid transmission
remains high</a>.  This will increase transmission to avoid some
inconvenience.

<li id="11_February_2022_(Arresting_then_murdering_villagers)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Arresting_then_murdering_villagers)">Arresting then murdering villagers</a>)
<p>
Burmese soldiers entered a village and arrested whoever they could
catch.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/10/myanmar-watches-a-mothers-grief-as-junta-soldiers-claim-another-victim">Then murdered them</a>.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Anti-mine_protesters_arrested)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Anti-mine_protesters_arrested)">Anti-mine protesters arrested</a>)
<p>
Anti-mine protesters in Honduras have been convicted of "criminal damage"
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/09/honduras-environmentalists-guilty-crimes-mining-company">after spending 2.5 years in jail awaiting trial</a>.

<p>
It is not clear what the "damage" refers to, since the prosecutors
never said, but the mine polluted the region's water supply and made
people sick.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Miscarriages_prosecuted_as_abortions)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Miscarriages_prosecuted_as_abortions)">Miscarriages prosecuted as abortions</a>)
<p>
In El Salvador, women who have miscarriages can be prosecuted for
(allegedly) having an abortion.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/09/el-salvador-woman-freed-abortion-law-10-years">They can be imprisoned for decades</a>.

<p>
A human rights organization has succeeded in freeing many of them
because their trials were bogus.  But little can be done for anyone
who really had an abortion.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Forbidden_to_harass_journalists)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Forbidden_to_harass_journalists)">Forbidden to harass journalists</a>)
<p>
After a settlement agreement, Minnesota thugs <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/09/us/minnesota-settlement-police-journalists-protests/index.html">are now forbidden to
harass journalists</a>.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Urgent:_pardon_possession_of_marijuana)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Urgent:_pardon_possession_of_marijuana)">Urgent: pardon possession of marijuana</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/petition-tell-president-biden-issue-pardons-for-marijuana-offenses?nowrapper=true">call on Biden</a> to pardon everyone convicted for possession
of marijuana.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Urgent:_investigate_the_corrupter)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Urgent:_investigate_the_corrupter)">Urgent: investigate the corrupter</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/hold-donald-trump-accountable-for-his-document-destruction?nowrapper=true">call on the Department of Justice</a> to investigate the corrupter
for violating the Presidential Records Act.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Minsk_agreement)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Minsk_agreement)">Minsk agreement</a>)
<p>
The hastily-written Minsk agreement is either a framework for peace
between Ukraine and Russia, or a framework for Russia to mess with
Ukraine permanently, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/09/europe/minsk-agreement-ukraine-russia-explainer-intl/index.html">depending on how some vague provisions are
interpreted</a>.

<p>
If it is clarified, perhaps it would be acceptable for Ukraine to agree
not to join NATO as long as Russia follows the treaty provisions.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Communications_satellites)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Communications_satellites)">Communications satellites</a>)
<p>
NASA is having doubts about <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/feb/10/nasa-fears-spacex-plan-for-30000-satellites-could-hamper-space-missions">whether to permit SpaceX to launch 30,000
additional communications satellites</a>.
   They might spoil astronomical observations and block launches into
all but the lowest orbits.

<p>
There is no mention of the risk of creating more space junk.
Perhaps there is a reason that is not a danger here.  If
so, can anyone tell me why?


<li id="11_February_2022_(Rights_abuses_for_head_of_police)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Rights_abuses_for_head_of_police)">Rights abuses for head of police</a>)
<p>
*General accused of rights abuses <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/09/general-accused-of-rights-abuses-made-ugandan-head-of-police">made Ugandan head of police</a>.*


<li id="11_February_2022_(Opportunity_to_overturn_climate_policies)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Opportunity_to_overturn_climate_policies)">Opportunity to overturn climate policies</a>)
<p>
Bogus Johnson's weakness in the Tory Party is giving planet-roaster
Tories <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/09/campaigners-fear-net-zero-could-be-a-casualty-of-boris-johnsons-weakness">an opportunity to overturn the agreed-on climate defense policies</a>.

<p>
Weak as they are (for instance, by talking about "net emissions", which
implies treating "offsets" as if they were real), they are a first step.
Cancelling them will make things worse.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Influencers)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Influencers)">Influencers</a>)
<p>
Influencers are amazingly bland.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/09/influencers-online-social-justice-branding">The blander, the more successful</a>.

<p>
If a celebrity is someone famous for being famous, an influencer is
someone famous for having nothing to be famous for.

<p>
Since I don't use these antisocial networks, I have never actually seen
an influencer at work.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Other_responses_to_terrorist_attacks)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Other_responses_to_terrorist_attacks)">Other responses to terrorist attacks</a>)
<p>
A report studies the various ways that the US could have responded
to the September 2001 terrorist attacks, other than by war,
<a href="https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/papers/2022/BeyondWarParadigm">which could have done more good and less harm</a>.

<p>
It should be noted that the US actually won the war in Afghanistan:
the Taliban <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-may-aug.html#23_August_2021_(Unconditional_surrender)">offered complete surrender before the end of 2001</a>.
  The Bush regime inexplicably preferred to continue the war.

<p>
The US could also have secured the stated goals diplomatically without
a war.  The Taliban offered in the summer of 2001 <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-may-aug.html#23_August_2021_(Unconditional_surrender)">to kick out
al-Qa'ida</a>.

<p>
Apparently, <a href="/glossary.html#dubya">Dubya</a> wanted that war for other reasons and,
having got an excuse, was not going to let it go.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Container_ships_sinking)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Container_ships_sinking)">Container ships sinking</a>)
<p>
When container ships sink, likely a few containers contain plastic that
will release endocrine disruptors that can cause ecological disaster
for sea life, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/09/cargo-ship-disasters-are-oil-spills-of-our-time-because-of-health-risk-from-plastic">also for land animals higher up the food chain
that will eat the sea life</a>.

<p>
That includes humans.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Big_Pharma_corruption)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Big_Pharma_corruption)">Big Pharma corruption</a>)
<p>
Big Pharma companies' corruption of drug regulation and marketing
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/09/covid-vaccines-lifesavers-big-pharma-mistrust">includes opioids</a>
   -- and it's not limited to Purdue Pharma.


<li id="11_February_2022_(Imprisoning_climate_activists)">11 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_February_2022_(Imprisoning_climate_activists)">Imprisoning climate activists</a>)
<p>
Vietnam is imprisoning climate activists on multi-year sentences,
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/09/award-winning-vietnamese-environmentalist-arrested-as-rights-groups-fear-clamp-down">ostensibly because of tax issues</a>.

<p>
Vietnam is trying to sell more coal.




<li id="10_February_2022_(Ladder_to_climb_down)">10 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_February_2022_(Ladder_to_climb_down)">Ladder to climb down</a>)
<p>
*   Instead of ramping up the threats, western nations <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/09/conflict-mediator-ukraine-vladimir-putin">should be offering
   Vladimir Putin a ladder to climb down</a>.*

<p>
This is made more difficult by his practice of saying, "You need to
offer me a way to climb down from the incipient tantrum that I've
talked myself into.  To do that, start by giving me the concessions I
have demanded."


<li id="10_February_2022_(Walkout_over_Christian_revival)">10 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_February_2022_(Walkout_over_Christian_revival)">Walkout over Christian revival</a>)
<p>
*West Virginia students <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/09/west-virginia-huntington-high-school-walkout-christian-revival">to stage walkout over Christian revival at
 high school</a>.*

<p>
I'm heartened that there are students in the school who recognize that proselytizing in a public school is intolerable.


<li id="10_February_2022_(Declining_bee_population)">10 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_February_2022_(Declining_bee_population)">Declining bee population</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/declining-bee-population-linked-to-increase-in-bees-po-1848449586">satire</a>) *Declining Bee Population Linked To Increase In Bees'
Pornography [use].*

<p>
Using porn works, like other works of authorship, does not use them
up.  They remain and can be used by many other humans, or bees.
So please <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Consume">do not call this "consuming" them</a>.


<li id="10_February_2022_(Long_Covid_and_heart_diseases)">10 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_February_2022_(Long_Covid_and_heart_diseases)">Long Covid and heart diseases</a>)
<p>
Patients who had Covid-19, even if they were not hospitalized for it,
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/08/covid-survivors-higher-long-term-risk-cardiovascular-damage-study">have an elevated probability of heart disease a year later</a>.
  This is on form or aspect of "long Covid".

<p>
This demonstrates the importance of protecting people from catching
Covid-19 at all, to the extent this is possible.


<li id="10_February_2022_(Stop_selling_fossil_fuel_leases)">10 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_February_2022_(Stop_selling_fossil_fuel_leases)">Stop selling fossil fuel leases</a>)
<p>
A campaign calls on the Interior Department <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/08/climate-coalition-calls-biden-cease-all-gulf-mexico-drilling-operations">stop selling fossil fuel
leases</a>.


<li id="10_February_2022_(Local_Martian_Engineers)">10 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_February_2022_(Local_Martian_Engineers)">Local Martian Engineers</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/nasa-slammed-for-selecting-u-s-company-to-build-rocket-1848501286">satire</a>) *NASA Slammed For Selecting U.S. Company To Build Rocket On
Mars Rather Than Local Martian Engineers.*


<li id="10_February_2022_(Firing_workers_for_union_drive)">10 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_February_2022_(Firing_workers_for_union_drive)">Firing workers for union drive</a>)
<p>
Starbucks has fired workers <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/08/they-are-firing-entire-committee-memphis-workers-say-starbucks-targeting-union">participating in the union drive in a
store in Memphis</a>.
  The fired workers were 7 in number, out of a total of 21 workers at a
that store.


<li id="10_February_2022_(Carbon_offsets)">10 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_February_2022_(Carbon_offsets)">Carbon offsets</a>)
<p>
Michael Mann debunks the fossil fools' arguments <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/08/climate-expert-debunks-big-oils-lies-about-carbon-capture-nature-based-solutions">for carbon capture
and for planting trees as "carbon offsets"</a>.


<li id="10_February_2022_(Co-op_apartment_buildings)">10 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_February_2022_(Co-op_apartment_buildings)">Co-op apartment buildings</a>)
<p>
Co-op apartment buildings in New York have the effect of enabling racism.
The co-op directors can reject blacks -- or reject short people -- <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/feb/08/new-york-housing-co-ops-apartments-discrimination">and
it is hard to stop them</a>.



<li id="9_February_2022_(Terror_designation_for_Yemen_Houthis)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Terror_designation_for_Yemen_Houthis)">Terror designation for Yemen Houthis</a>)
<p>

*White House Discusses <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/08/yemen-terrorist-group-houthis-uae/">Reinstating [the saboteur in chief]'s Terror
 Designation</a> for Yemen’s Houthis.*
<p>
This would mean increasing support for a war that has no
justification.  The US should cease its support for the UAE's (and
<a href="/glossary.html#salafi">Salafi Arabia</a>'s) intervention in Yemen.

<li id="9_February_2022_(Trying_to_spread_prosperity_with_tech_sector)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Trying_to_spread_prosperity_with_tech_sector)">Trying to spread prosperity with tech sector</a>)
<p>

The Tories propose to spread "prosperity" (for a fraction of society)
from London to the rest of the country by investing in the tech sector.
One city tried this, and the result was that a fraction became wealthy
and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/08/manchester-levelling-up-doesnt-work-gentrification">city only gentrified</a>.
<p>
It's a repackaging of the same old trickle-down.

<li id="9_February_2022_(Banned_hijabs_in_school)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Banned_hijabs_in_school)">Banned hijabs in school</a>)
<p>

The Indian state of Karnatika has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/08/schools-shut-in-india-as-protests-grow-over-headscarf-ban">banned wearing hijabs</a> in high school,
supported by the ruling Hinduist party.
<p>
Oppressing non-Hindu Indians is that party's central goal,
It can be seen especially against <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2010-jul-oct.html#15%20August%202010%20(Pro-independence%20protestors%20killed%20in%20Kashmir)">Muslims in Kashmir</a>
and all Muslim Indians that <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-may-aug.html#25_July_2021_(Tax_raids)">can't prove their Indian ancestry</a>.
However, it also <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#11_September_2014_(Hindu_fanatics)">targets Christians</a>.
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#12_March_2021_(Surveillance_and_censorship_on_the_internet)">Imprisonment of people that criticize the government</a>
is also included.

<li id="9_February_2022_(Lack_of_decarbonization_plan_in_California)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Lack_of_decarbonization_plan_in_California)">Lack of decarbonization plan in California</a>)
<p>

California never adopted a detailed decarbonization plan to limit global
heating to 1.5C.  And it looks like <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/07/california-backsliding-its-plan-reach-zero-carbon-emissions-mid-century">losing the courage to make one</a>.

<li id="9_February_2022_(Exaggeration_and_distortion)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Exaggeration_and_distortion)">Exaggeration and distortion</a>)
<p>

The climate pledges of 25 giant corporations are <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/07/study-exposes-how-worlds-biggest-corporations-embellish-climate-progress">more exaggeration
and distortion than reality</a>.

<li id="9_February_2022_(Unprecedented_economic_transition)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Unprecedented_economic_transition)">Unprecedented economic transition</a>)
<p>

Joseph Stiglitz: *Although it is anyone's guess what will happen next
   with inflation, the data show that there is no reason to react
   rashly with large across-the-board interest-rate hikes. The economy
   is working through an unprecedented transition that could
   ultimately be a boon for workers; but <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/07/across-board-rate-hike-fed-cure-worse-disease">only if policymakers let the
   process play out</a>.*
<p>
We <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-sep-dec.html#1_December_2021_(Urgent:_Vote_no_on_Jerome_Powell's_confirmation)">objected when Biden reappointed Powell</a> as head of the Federal
Reserve because we knew Powell was likely to do things like this.
Now, instead of letting Powell be Biden's shield, we must blame Biden for
choosing the course that the Federal Reserve is now implementing.

<li id="9_February_2022_(The_pollution_paradox)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(The_pollution_paradox)">The pollution paradox</a>)
<p>

*The pollution paradox. The paradox
   proposes that the most antisocial commercial interests have the
   greatest incentive to buy political favor, otherwise they would be
   regulated out of existence. So politics <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/09/costs-going-green-tories-energy-bills-environmental-levies-tax">comes to be dominated by them</a>.*
<p>
The result is that the UK allows fossil fuel companies to cheat the public
even as they prepare an early death for many of the public.

<li id="9_February_2022_(Pakistani_Islamist_terrorists)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Pakistani_Islamist_terrorists)">Pakistani Islamist terrorists</a>)
<p>

The Taliban are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/09/we-are-happy-to-fight-deadly-tension-on-the-afghanistan-pakistan-border-taliban">hosting Pakistani Islamist terrorist groups</a>
that attack Pakistan.

<li id="9_February_2022_(UK_anti-porn_law)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(UK_anti-porn_law)">UK anti-porn law</a>)
<p>

The new UK anti-porn law may require British users of Twitter and
Reddit to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/09/reddit-and-twitter-users-face-age-checks-under-uk-porn-law-plans">identify themselves using government photo id</a>.

<li id="9_February_2022_(Deportation_from_Turkey)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Deportation_from_Turkey)">Deportation from Turkey</a>)
<p>

*Iranian refugees face deportation from Turkey for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/09/iranian-refugees-face-deportation-from-turkey-for-attending-demonstration">attending demonstration</a>.*

<li id="9_February_2022_(Sanders_proposition_on_Ukraine)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Sanders_proposition_on_Ukraine)">Sanders proposition on Ukraine</a>)
<p>
Sanders proposes a direction <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/08/we-must-do-everything-possible-avoid-enormously-destructive-war-ukraine">for negotiations with Russia over the
Ukraine crisis</a>.

<p>
I more or less agree with Sanders, but there is a complication he
doesn't address.

<p>
Normally the deal we would propose is, "Russia won't invade Ukraine
and NATO will not invite Ukraine to join.  Everything else stays the
way it is now."

<p>
That is not acceptable because the current situation includes a
Russian-sponsored guerrilla rebellion in eastern Ukraine, as well as
its occupation of territory that Russia seized (the Crimea).  A real
peace would have to resolve these two conflicts.  An agreement that
lets them continue would not be peace.

<p>
It's not hard to envision a fair peace for eastern Ukraine -- though
negotiating agreement would be a challenge.  It is less obvious for
the Crimea.  But here is an idea.

<p>
The UN will hold a referendum among the people who lived in the Crimea
before 2014.  If they vote for Russia, the Crimea will remain Russian.
If they vote for Ukraine, the Crimea will return to Ukraine, but not
immediately.

<p>
Rather, Russia will have 5 years to build a replacement naval base in
Russian territory.  As it replaces each existing Crimea naval facility
and shifts naval operations to the replacement facility, it will sell
the existing Crimea facility to NATO.  The purchase price will pay the
cost to Russia of building the replacement facility.

<p>
The point is to make it painless and costless for Russia to move.
In emotional terms, it won't be a loss for Russia to move its fleet,
because NATO will be paying for the move.


<li id="9_February_2022_(Meat_and_dairy_output)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Meat_and_dairy_output)">Meat and dairy output</a>)
<p>
*Cut meat and dairy output by a third to save climate, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/08/cut-meat-and-dairy-by-a-third-to-save-climate-british-farmers-told">British farmers
 told</a>.*

<p>
Dairy production is more efficient than meat production -- it would be better
to reduce the meat production more so as to maintain the dairy production.


<li id="9_February_2022_(Persecution)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Persecution)">Persecution</a>)
<p>
Erin Brockovich explains Chevron's persecution of Steven Donziger, the
lawyer for the Ecuadorias <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/08/chevron-amazon-ecuador-steven-donziger-erin-brockovich">who sued Chevron/Texaco for polluting their
water</a>.

<p>
What enables Chevron to get away with using the US legal system as a
club to bash people who get in its way is that it has far too much
money.  We could fix this by chopping it into 100 companies, each much
smaller than Chevron is now, and then taxing them a lot more.


<li id="9_February_2022_(Blacklist_companies_that_divest_from_fossil_fuels)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Blacklist_companies_that_divest_from_fossil_fuels)">Blacklist companies that divest from fossil fuels</a>)
<p>
ALEC is pushing right-wing state governments <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/08/rightwing-lobby-alec-blacklist-companies-boycott-oil-industry">to blacklist companies that
divest from fossil fuels or boycott fossil fuel companies</a>.

<p>
They are step by step declaring war on civilization's survival.


<li id="9_February_2022_(Keeping_international_terrorists_out)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Keeping_international_terrorists_out)">Keeping international terrorists out</a>)
<p>
The Taliban have arrested people trying to cross the border into
Afghanistan <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/08/two-suspected-british-islamic-state-recruits-seized-by-taliban-at-afghanistan-border">and accused them of being terrorist recruits for PISSI</a>.

<p>
It seems the Taliban are sincerely trying to keep international
terrorists out of Afghanistan.


<li id="9_February_2022_(Anti-vax_and_anti-government_organizations)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Anti-vax_and_anti-government_organizations)">Anti-vax and anti-government organizations</a>)
<p>
* Ottawa’s occupation was a result <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/08/canada-ottawa-trucker-protest-extremist-qanon-neo-nazi">of unrivaled coordination between
 anti-vax and anti-government organizations</a>.*


<li id="9_February_2022_(Cuban_Missile_Crisis_teachings)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Cuban_Missile_Crisis_teachings)">Cuban Missile Crisis teachings</a>)
<p>
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1963 suggests <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/07/what-cuban-missile-crisis-can-teach-us-about-ending-hostility-ukraine">ways for de-escalating the
Ukraine crisis of today</a>.


<li id="9_February_2022_(Young_people_climate_lawsuit)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Young_people_climate_lawsuit)">Young people climate lawsuit</a>)
<p>
The Montana young people's climate lawsuit <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/07/montana-plaintiffs-announce-first-childrens-climate-trial-us-history">will proceed to trial</a>.


<li id="9_February_2022_(Pivot_to_good_presidency)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Pivot_to_good_presidency)">Pivot to good presidency</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/biden-administration-considering-pivot-to-good-presiden-1848443425">satire</a>) *Biden Administration Considering Pivot To Good Presidency.*


<li id="9_February_2022_(Inflation)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Inflation)">Inflation</a>)
<p>
The UK establishment responds to inflation, not mostly caused by pay
raises, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/07/bank-of-england-wage-restraint-cost-of-living-governor">takes it as an excuse to prevent pay raises</a>.

<p>
This as millions of UK workers have become newly poor and cannot
afford food even with some government support.


<li id="9_February_2022_(Movement_against_attacking_Iraq)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Movement_against_attacking_Iraq)">Movement against attacking Iraq</a>)
<p>
The movement against attacking Iraq was very strong, at the start.
This is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/07/antiwar-movement-could-not-end-war">a look at how and why it faded away</a>.


<li id="9_February_2022_(Maps_biased_against_Black_voters)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Maps_biased_against_Black_voters)">Maps biased against Black voters</a>)
<p>
*Supreme court lets Alabama use maps <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/07/supreme-court-lets-alabama-use-maps-decried-as-biased-against-black-voters">decried as biased against Black
 voters</a>.*

<p>
It may be planning <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/08/voting-rights-act-supreme-court-alabama/">to approve them permanently, too</a>.


<li id="9_February_2022_(US_Oligarchs)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(US_Oligarchs)">US Oligarchs</a>)
<p>
*The Dynastic Wealth of US Oligarchs <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/07/dynastic-wealth-us-oligarchs-threat-democracy">Is a Threat to Democracy</a>.*


<li id="9_February_2022_(Law_to_reduce_damages_for_injuries)">9 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#9_February_2022_(Law_to_reduce_damages_for_injuries)">Law to reduce damages for injuries</a>)
<p>
ALEC is pushing a state law (in every state) <a href="https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2022/02/07/alecs-new-push-protect-corporations-damage-claims/">that would reduce how
much damages people get when suing for injuries</a>.

<p>
The lack of a national medical system in the US, combined with the
general poverty wages, means that many people who are injured have
medical bills they cannot pay.  They are desperate to sue someone for
damages to cover those bills.  Of course, this practice creates a
mindset which induces most injured people to sue for exaggerated sums,
even if they are not broke.

<p>
The way to fix the underlying problem is to establish a national
medical system and to raise wages, which includes promoting unions,
and welfare benefits.

<p>
Then it would be time to adopt measures that tend to bring injury
damages closer to the level of actual harms.




<li id="8_February_2022_(Telescope_and_religion)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Telescope_and_religion)">Telescope and religion</a>)
<p>
Which is more important: a telescope that could expand human knowledge
of the universe, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/08/hawaii-elders-awaiting-trial-for-protesting-worlds-largest-telescope-mauna-kea">or one of the thousands of religions that some humans
follow</a>?

<p>
We all have our emotional attachments to this or that, but an
emotional attachment is not enough reason to stop the telescope.  There
are few places where that telescope could be built and be effective.


<li id="8_February_2022_(Pardons_for_insurrectionists)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Pardons_for_insurrectionists)">Pardons for insurrectionists</a>)
<p>
*[The corrupter]'s promising pardons for insurrectionists and calling
for protests if indicted <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/07/donald-trump-incendiary-speech-texas-legal-troubles-experts">could help make a case for obstruction of
justice</a>.*


<li id="8_February_2022_(Dog_population)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Dog_population)">Dog population</a>)
<p>
Europe's dog population is growing to the point that their urine and excrement are overfertilizing nature reserves, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/07/dog-pee-and-poo-harming-nature-reserves-study">screwing up the ecosystems</a>.


<li id="8_February_2022_(Excluding_insurrectionists_from_public_office)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Excluding_insurrectionists_from_public_office)">Excluding insurrectionists from public office</a>)
<p>
Addressing moral concerns about enforcing the Constitution's rule
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/07/madison-cawthorn-backed-the-capitol-attack-will-he-be-barred-from-office">that insurrectionists are excluded from public office</a>.


<li id="8_February_2022_(Federal_workers_unions)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Federal_workers_unions)">Federal workers unions</a>)
<p>
Biden has made an executive order <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/07/biden-union-labor-white-house-organizing">to make it easier for federal workers
to unionize</a>.


<li id="8_February_2022_(Gig_drivers_unions)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Gig_drivers_unions)">Gig drivers unions</a>)
<p>
Gig drivers in New York City <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/07/rideshare-delivery-app-workers-fight-to-unionize">are trying to unionize</a>.

<p>
I hope they succeed, but that would not eliminate the injustices that
<a href="https://stallman.org/food-delivery.html">these companies</a> do <em><a href="https://stallman.org/uber.html">to their customers</a></em>,
  so I will still absolutely refuse to use them.


<li id="8_February_2022_(Supporting_claim_on_islands)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Supporting_claim_on_islands)">Supporting claim on islands</a>)
<p>
China has supported Argentina's <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/07/truss-says-falklands-part-of-british-family-after-china-supports-argentinas-claim">claim to the Falkland Islands</a>.

<p>
In 1982, when Argentina <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/16/mario-sandoval-france-approves-extradition-argentina-over-students-disappearance">was ruled by murderous generals</a>,
  supported by the US,
  they sent troops to seize the Falkland Islands, very much against
the wishes of the British-descended people who lived there.  The UK
sent a fleet to liberate them.

<p>
The generals had used nationalism as a tool to distract the Argentine
people from their crimes, but after losing the war, they couldn't hold
on and Argentina became a democracy.

<p>
China's motive for taking a side in this dispute is surely to win
Argentina's support in the new cold war.  However, comparing the
Falkland Islands to Taiwan is morally accurate.  China wants to do to
Taiwan the same thing that the Argentine generals did to the Falkland
Islands: conquer and permanently rule an unwilling people.


<li id="8_February_2022_(Chemical_industry_greenhouse_gas_emissions)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Chemical_industry_greenhouse_gas_emissions)">Chemical industry greenhouse gas emissions</a>)
<p>
The chemical industry needs a complete overhaul <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/06/its-time-overhaul-chemical-industry">to reduce its
substantial greenhouse gas emissions</a>,
   to reduce its vulnerability to
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#6_February_2022_(Plants_operating_under_obsolete_safety_standards)">local disasters</a>,
  and to reduce the air pollution that can poison people
  <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#7_February_2022_(Toxic_BPA_levels)">or interfere with children's development</a>.


<li id="8_February_2022_(Manchin)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Manchin)">Manchin</a>)
<p>
Manchin has come up with another insincere "reason" <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/06/joe-manchin-gives-new-reason-why-he-torpedoed-bbb">to reject the
Build Back Better (relief) bill</a>.

<p>
He is learning the Republican way of speaking: as long as you don't
contradict yourself within one sentence, people will accept it.


<li id="8_February_2022_(Playing_dolls)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Playing_dolls)">Playing dolls</a>)
<p>
*Playing with dolls helps children <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/06/playing-dolls-helps-children-talk-about-how-others-feel-study">talk about how others feel</a>, says study.*

<p>
I wonder whether the expectation and encouragement in our society for
girls to play with dolls explains why women tend to develop better
empathy and understanding of social interactions than men.  I wonder
if that is part of the cause of that expectation and encouragement.


<li id="8_February_2022_(Falling_short_on_carbon_cut_promises)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Falling_short_on_carbon_cut_promises)">Falling short on carbon cut promises</a>)
<p>
*Amazon, Ikea, Nestlé and others <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/06/amazon-ikea-nestle-biggest-carbon-net-zero-claims">will fall [short] of promise to cut carbon
   by 100%</a>, says NewClimate Institute.*


<li id="8_February_2022_(Death_cultists_exporting)">8 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_February_2022_(Death_cultists_exporting)">Death cultists exporting</a>)
<p>
Thousands of Covid death cultists have occupied Ottawa, blocking all
activity in the city.  The police say they cannot deal with so many.
Only a small fraction of truck drivers in Canada support this protest,
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/07/ottawa-declares-state-of-emergency-as-canada-trucker-protest-paralyses-city">but the rest are not assembled to show they disagree</a>.

<p>
These Canadians have adopted the gang-of-bullies attitude of the
Republicans in the US.  The Canadian government must not be
intimidated by them.



<li id="7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Quash_subterfuges_to_evade_the_laws_on_payday_lending)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Quash_subterfuges_to_evade_the_laws_on_payday_lending)">Urgent: Quash subterfuges to evade the laws on payday lending</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on the FDIC to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-the-fdic-stop-the-growing-threat-of-rent-a-bank-schemes-now">quash subterfuges to evade the laws
on payday lending</a>.
<p>
Payday lending is a form of exploitation to which workers become
vulnerable because they don't get paid enough.  We need to cure the
disease as well as prevent this symptom.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Urgent:_End_the_wrecker's_Medicare_privatization_scheme)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Urgent:_End_the_wrecker's_Medicare_privatization_scheme)">Urgent: End the wrecker's Medicare privatization scheme</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Biden to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-president-biden-end-donald-trumps-medicare-privatization-scheme">end the wrecker's Medicare privatization scheme</a>.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Require_gun_owners_to_carry_liability_insurance)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Require_gun_owners_to_carry_liability_insurance)">Urgent: Require gun owners to carry liability insurance</a>)
<p>

US residents: call on US cities to require gun owners to <a href="https://civicshout.com/p/require-gun-owners-to-carry-liability-insurance">carry
liability insurance</a>.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Challenge_state_laws_that_repress_protests)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Challenge_state_laws_that_repress_protests)">Urgent: Challenge state laws that repress protests</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on the DOJ to <a href="https://act.freepress.net/go/51817">challenge the new state laws that
repress protests</a>. Some of these laws even encourage killing of protesters.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Farming_under_stress)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Farming_under_stress)">Farming under stress</a>)
<p>

Farming is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/05/farms-breaking-point-worldwide">under great stress</a> globally, due to unsustainable farming
and <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a> effects.
Ultimately, overpopulation is an <a href="https://stallman.org/puns.html#apocalypse">important factor</a>.

<li id="7_February_2022_(US_workers_to_get_the_shaft)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(US_workers_to_get_the_shaft)">US workers to get the shaft</a>)
<p>

*The Federal Reserve Is About to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/05/federal-reserve-about-give-us-workers-shaft">Give US Workers the Shaft</a>.*
<p>
Real wages of US workers are decreasing, but the Republican head of
the Federal Reserve blames wage increases for today's inflation.  That
shows which side he's on, and that has been obvious all along, which
is why I supported the campaign calling on Biden not to renominate
him.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Causing_disturbance_on_an_airplane)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Causing_disturbance_on_an_airplane)">Causing disturbance on an airplane</a>)
<p>

Proposing that for people convicted of causing a disturbance on an
airplane should <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/delta-ceo-unruly-passenger-no-fly-list/index.html">not be allowed to fly as passengers on commercial
flights</a>. I am in favor of this: the punishment fits the crime and should
help to deter it.
<p>
The current US "no-fly" list is unjust because it is a <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2013-jan-apr.html#28_March_2013_(No-Fly_List)">secret punishment
imposed without trial</a>.
This proposed punishment would be part of a sentence for a criminal
conviction &mdash; thus, not sharing that particular injustice at all.
<p>
Rather than lumping this sentence together with the unjust arbitrary
punishment that has existed for 20 years, we should contrast them
as much as possible.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Sanctions_waiver_for_Iran)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Sanctions_waiver_for_Iran)">Sanctions waiver for Iran</a>)
<p>

Biden has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/04/politics/iran-civil-nuclear-waiver-restored/index.html">restored a sanctions waiver for Iran</a>, which had been
cancelled by the wrecker.
<p>
He should have done this a year ago, to get the best chance of
restoring the non-nuclear deal that the wrecker destroyed.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Solving_public_school_staffing_crisis)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Solving_public_school_staffing_crisis)">Solving public school staffing crisis</a>)
<p>

*Economists Say <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/04/economists-say-raise-pay-solve-public-school-staffing-crisis">Raise Pay to Solve Public School Staffing Crisis</a>.*

<li id="7_February_2022_(Ways_microplastics_can_harm_animals)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Ways_microplastics_can_harm_animals)">Ways microplastics can harm animals</a>)
<p>

Every animal ingests substantial quantities of microplastics,
including humans.  Scientists have discovered <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/06/australians-ingest-a-credit-cards-worth-of-plastic-a-week-so-whats-it-doing-to-us">many ways they can
harm animals</a>.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Kashmiri_news_site_editor_arrested)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Kashmiri_news_site_editor_arrested)">Kashmiri news site editor arrested</a>)
<p>

The editor of a Kashmiri news site, The Kashmir Walla, has been
arrested and charged with nasty-sounding crimes that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/06/editor-arrested-in-kashmir-as-press-crackdown-escalates">probably stand
for "journalism" and "criticizing the government</a>."
<p>
Although the universal repression imposed after Kashmir's government was
abolished has been reduced, repression of the press is increasing.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Toxic_BPA_levels)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Toxic_BPA_levels)">Toxic BPA levels</a>)
<p>

*Americans exposed to toxic BPA at levels <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/06/americans-exposed-toxic-bpa-fda-study">far above what EU considers safe</a>.*
Research has found anatomically visible effects on developing brains
in some mammals from extremely low levels of Bisphenol A.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Outlaw_of_office_romance)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Outlaw_of_office_romance)">Outlaw of office romance</a>)
<p>

*Sure, let’s be wary of abuse of power, but <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/06/little-can-top-the-frisson-of-an-office-romance-so-lets-not-rush-to-outlaw-them">do we really want to outlaw office romance?</a>*
<p>
If the claim is valid that the real reasons for firing Zucker <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#5_February_2022_(cnn_toobin)">had to
do with his work</a>, perhaps CNN's board would have overlooked his romance if he
had done his job well.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Spell_of_disinformation)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Spell_of_disinformation)">Spell of disinformation</a>)
<p>

It's not easy for a scientist's knowledge and careful reasoning to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/06/instead-of-debunking-anti-vax-myths-question-time-gave-them-platform">win
a debate</a> (conducted like a political debate) against the invincible
ignorance of someone under the spell of disinformation.
<p>
This is why science doesn't use that method to reach conclusions.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Butterfly_sanctuary)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Butterfly_sanctuary)">Butterfly sanctuary</a>)
<p>

*Texas butterfly sanctuary <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/06/texas-butterfly-sanctuary-far-right-threats">forced to close</a> after far-right threats.*
<p>
Each time these bullies force someone to bow down, they tout it as
proof of their strength, and use that to recruit more bullies so they
can do something more aggressive.  Having forced the sanctuary to
close, next they will vandalize any facilities, then burn them down.
<p>
The FBI should set a trap so as to arrest whoever tries.

<li id="7_February_2022_(Holocaust_research)"> 7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Holocaust_research)">Most don't know about Holocaust facts</a>)
<p>
Most Americans don't know even the most basic facts 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/02/whoopi-goldberg-holocaust-americans-research">about the Holocaust</a>
<p>
(the Nazis' systematic campaign to murder all the Jews they could get
their hands on).
<p>
If they don't know what was so evil about Nazis, that is likely to
make them more susceptible to recruitment by today's Nazi sympathizers
and neo-Nazi organizations, including the Republican Party.
<p>
When Whoopi Goldberg said that the Holocaust "was not about race,"
she was using the modern American conception of race. 
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/entertainment/whoopi-goldberg-the-view-holocaust-race-cec/index.html">By that conception,
most Jews are white, although a few belong to other racial groups.</a>
<p>
Those who rebuked her cited the Nazis' conception of race, which was
different -- they described Jews collectively as a "race."  Going by
their definition of "race," the Holocaust was indeed about "race."
<p>
I don't think this disagreement was about morality, only the semantics
of the word "race."  Can we give Goldberg a break?
<p>
*Whoopi was Wrong [that is, mistaken] and 
<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/2/2/2078293/-Whoopi-was-Wrong-and-Wronged?_=2022-02-02T16:13:57.000-08:00">Wronged [that is, unjustly
punished].</a>*


<li id="7_February_2022_(koala_pledge)"> 7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(koala_pledge)">Koala pledge</a>)
<p>
Australia is letting its native animals be wiped out by the effects of
business.  It pledges funds to protect koalas, because everyone finds
them so cute, 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/06/a-drop-in-the-ocean-governments-50m-koala-pledge-wont-tackle-root-cause-of-decline">but has not made a plan that can achieve this.</a>
<p>
The main threat to koalas is habitat destruction, due to human
activity either directly (cutting down native forests) or indirectly
(human-intensified fires that destroy entire forests). Unless
Australia makes a plan to end habitat destruction, koalas and many
other species will be extinct soon.

<li id="7_February_2022_(iowa_camera_bill)"> 7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(iowa_camera_bill)">Iowa bill to require cameras in school</a>)
<p>
Iowa is considering a bill to require a camera in every public school
classroom to monitor the 
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/iowa-bill-require-cameras-public-school-classrooms-rcna14789">teachers and ensure no forbidden education
occurs.</a>
<p>
It is not clear from the details in this article whether the cameras
would allow visual monitoring of the students, but if it contains
a microphone it would surely allow listening to all the students.
This would tear up their privacy.
<p>
The article linked to just above displays symbolic bigotry by
capitalizing "black" but not "white".  (To avoid endorsing bigotry,
capitalize both words or neither one.)  I object to bigotry, and
normally I decline to link to articles which promote it.  But I make
exceptions for some articles which give important information about
racism or the fight to eliminate racism.  That article is one of the
exceptions.

<li id="7_February_2022_(appeals_court_pipeline)"> 7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(appeals_court_pipeline)">Federal court deals blow to pipeline</a>)
<p>
A US appeals court has blocked finishing the 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/03/federal-court-deals-blow-noxious-fracked-gas-mountain-valley-pipeline">Mountain Valley Pipeline</a>
<p>
On the grounds that the Fish and Wildlife Service failed to properly
evaluate its impact on some endangered species.
<p>
This pipeline 
<a href="https://grist.org/article/mountain-valley-pipeline-and-indigenous-land/">was the object of protests.</a>
This is not a final decision, as there remain two stages of appeal.
<p>
I support protecting endangered species, and the most important
way to do that is to slow the 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/18/scientists-decry-human-indifference-probable-sixth-mass-extinction">mass extinction that is now starting.</a>
<p>
The main cause of that mass extinction is extracting fossil fuels,
and that means we must stop projects such as oil pipelines that will
create more costs sunk in future extraction.



<li id="7_February_2022_(data_surveillance_media)"> 7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(data_surveillance_media)">How Major Media Outlets Profit From Your Data</a>)
<p>
*How CNN, the New York Times, and Other Major Media Outlets [profit from] 
<a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/01/surveillance-data-collection-ads-news-media/">Your Data and Lobby Against Regulation.</a>*
<p>
I object to using the word "monetize" to mean "profit from".

<li id="7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Supreme_Court_Ethics_Act)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Supreme_Court_Ethics_Act)">Urgent: Supreme Court Ethics Act</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.pfaw.org/sign/supreme-court-ethics-act/">call on Congress</a> to Support the Supreme Court Ethics
Act.


<li id="7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_campaign_contributions_from_Big_Oil)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_campaign_contributions_from_Big_Oil)">Urgent: Stop campaign contributions from Big Oil</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.350.org/signup/exxon-greenwashing-contribution-pledge/">call on congresscritters</a> to stop taking campaign contributions
from Big Oil.



<li id="7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_supporting_Spotify)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Stop_supporting_Spotify)">Urgent: Stop supporting Spotify</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/spotify_podcasts_advertisers/">call on advertisers</a> to stop supporting Spotify.

<p>
The companies that advertise in Spotify include Zoom, Tushy, Athletic
Greens, MasterClass, Reebok, McDonald's, Jose Cuervo, Coca-Cola, GAP,
Old Navy, Fiat, Taco Bell, LinkedIn, Two Men and a Truck, Condé Nast,
Yahoo, Chuze Fitness, and Pepsico.


<li id="7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Protecting_Our_Democracy_Act)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Urgent:_Protecting_Our_Democracy_Act)">Urgent: Protecting Our Democracy Act</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-the-senate-dont-let-donald-trump-topple-our-democracy?nowrapper=true">call on the Senate</a> to pass the Protecting Our Democracy Act.

<p>
This would make it harder for Republicans (or anyone else) to monkey
with the mechanics of US elections.


<li id="7_February_2022_(State_censorship)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(State_censorship)">State censorship</a>)
<p>
The UK culture minister advocates state censorship on the grounds that
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/05/nadine-dorries-proposes-law-to-rein-in-streamers-after-shocking-jimmy-carr-joke">it could be used to prohibit a joke, transmitted on Netflix, that
insulted Gypsies</a>.

<p>
Meanwhile, the same government is pushing a law <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#15_January_2022_(UK_general_repression_bill)">to jail British Gypsies
if they spend the night in an unapproved place</a>.

<p>
Censorship is an offense against human rights.  We must tolerate expression
of opinions and beliefs that we condemn, or we will make a repressive society
like what China has become.


<li id="7_February_2022_(Repeated_vaccine_booster_shots)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Repeated_vaccine_booster_shots)">Repeated vaccine booster shots</a>)
<p>
EU medical authorities suspect that frequent repeated Covid-19 vaccine
booster shots <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-11/repeat-booster-shots-risk-overloading-immune-system-ema-says">might overstrain the immune system and cause other
immune problems</a>.

<p>
We simply don't know.  Scientists will observe what happens, when there is
time for it to happen.


<li id="7_February_2022_(Acknowledging_apartheid)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Acknowledging_apartheid)">Acknowledging apartheid</a>)
<p>
Many former Israeli ministers, and nonpolitical leaders, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/05/amnesty-israel-apartheid-israeli-politicians-agree">acknowledged
that Israel already was, or was becoming, an apartheid state</a>.


<li id="7_February_2022_(Replication_of_Moderna_vaccine)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Replication_of_Moderna_vaccine)">Replication of Moderna vaccine</a>)
<p>
*South African Scientists <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/04/major-breakthrough-south-african-scientists-replicate-moderna-vaccine">Replicate Moderna Vaccine</a>.*

<p>
Now the question is, will Moderna sue them if they manufacture that
vaccine?


<li id="7_February_2022_(High_quality_fake_video)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(High_quality_fake_video)">High quality fake video</a>)
<p>
The US claims that Russia is planning to make a high quality fake video
showing a Ukrainian attack of some sort.  <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/04/i-remember-wmds-iraq-reporter-calls-out-us-official-russian-intel-claims">But it has no proof to offer</a>.

<p>
I am not surprised there is no proof.  For something like this, it
would be hard to get any.

<p>
I agree that we can't be sure the claimed US intelligence is honest.
If the US were presenting the accusation as a reason to preemptively
attack Russia, the analogy with the invasion of Iraq would be valid.

<p>
However, the US does not propose to attack Russia.  Quite the
contrary, it doesn't even commit to help Ukraine defend itself if
Russia attacks.  So the purported analogy is just an insignificant
coincidence.

<p>
I am not sure what purpose the US has in making this claim.  If the
claim is honest, perhaps the aim is that the world disbelieve the
Russian phony video footage, if such footage appears.  If it is not
honest, I can't see any point in it.


<li id="7_February_2022_(Reciting_questions)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Reciting_questions)">Reciting questions</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/kavanaugh-gorsuch-recite-questions-in-perfect-unison-a-1848477024">satire</a>) *Kavanaugh, Gorsuch Recite Questions In Perfect Unison After
Accidentally Memorizing Same Lines From Federalist Society Script.*


<li id="7_February_2022_(Unionization)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Unionization)">Unionization</a>)
<p>
As the workers of the Bessemer warehouse vote on unionization for the
second time, Amazon <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/04/failure-pass-pro-act-makes-amazon-union-vote-alabama-even-harder-says-sanders">is still trying to bully them and surveil them</a>.


<li id="7_February_2022_(Defending_climate)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Defending_climate)">Defending climate</a>)
<p>
10 executive actions Biden should carry out <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/04/groups-give-biden-10-executive-actions-put-people-over-fossil-fuels">to defend Earth's climate</a>.


<li id="7_February_2022_(Moderna)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Moderna)">Moderna</a>)
<p>
The Moderna vaccine <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/04/health/moderna-cdc-vaccine-advisers/index.html">has received regular approval</a>.


<li id="7_February_2022_(Union_at_Congress)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Union_at_Congress)">Union at Congress</a>)
<p>
The staff of Congress are trying to form a union, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/04/progressive-lawmakers-back-union-push-hill-staffers">and progressive
members of Congress support it</a>.


<li id="7_February_2022_(Cover_up)">7 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#7_February_2022_(Cover_up)">Cover up</a>)
<p>
The UK's housing ministry took only two days after the fatal housing
fire (caused by flammable materials) <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/03/housing-ministry-started-rebuttal-operation-two-days-after-grenfell-fire">to start covering up its
responsibility</a>.



<li id="6_February_2022_(Amir_Locke's_apartment)">6 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_February_2022_(Amir_Locke's_apartment)">Amir Locke's apartment</a>)
<p>
  What I read yesterday suggested that the apartment where Amir Locke
  was killed was not his own.  This article, which is newer, said <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/06/amir-locke-police-shooting-hundreds-protest-minneapolis">it was
  his home</a>.
<p>
  If that is the case, it is fishy that the <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> didn't know whose                                                                                                                                    apartment it was.

<li id="6_February_2022_((satire)_Primed_to_sign_free_agents)">6 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_February_2022_((satire)_Primed_to_sign_free_agents)">(satire) Primed to sign free agents</a>)
<p>

(satire) *Washington Commanders <a href="https://www.theonion.com/washington-commanders-primed-to-sign-free-agents-after-1848475958">Primed To Sign Free Agents</a> After
Receiving $30 Billion From Defense Budget.*

<li id="6_February_2022_(Movement_in_South_Korea)">6 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_February_2022_(Movement_in_South_Korea)">Movement in South Korea</a>)
<p>

A growing movement in South Korea is made up of young people who have
decided <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/05/happy-alone-the-young-south-koreans-embracing-single-life">not to marry or have children</a>.
<p>
What I don't understand is why they feel this obligatorily includes
not having dates or lovers, and habitually eating alone.

<li id="6_February_2022_(Rejected_Republican_gerrymandering_attempt)">6 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_February_2022_(Rejected_Republican_gerrymandering_attempt)">Rejected Republican gerrymandering attempt</a>)
<p>

North Carolina's supreme court <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/04/north-carolina-supreme-court-redistricting-maps">rejected the Republican gerrymandering
attempt</a>.


<li id="6_February_2022_(UK_bill_to_check_all_postings)">6 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_February_2022_(UK_bill_to_check_all_postings)">UK bill to check all postings</a>)
<p>

The UK is considering a bill that would require communications
platforms to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/04/sending-threatening-posts-among-offences-in-revised-online-safety-bill">check all postings to make sure they are not prohibited</a>
before letting anyone see them.
<p>
These prohibited kinds of messages are very nasty, and I think posting
them is a crime already.  However, checking for those messages would
require either an enormous staff or a very reliable AI.  There are
platforms which, if this law applies, would be closed.  Wikipedia is
one example.  Any free software project with an unmoderated
development discussion list is another.
<p>
Perhaps the law excludes them.

<li id="6_February_2022_(Legitimate_political_discourse)">6 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_February_2022_(Legitimate_political_discourse)">"Legitimate political discourse"</a>)
<p>

The Republican National Committee declared that the violent attack on
the Capitol was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/04/republicans-capitol-attack-legitimate-political-discourse-cheney-kinzinger-pence">"legitimate political discourse"</a>.
<p>
Does this mean that attacking a meeting of the RNC in a similar way
would be "legitimate political discourse"?
<p>
Pence stated that the idea that he could have personally overturned
the US election <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/04/mike-pence-rebukes-donald-trump-election-claims-florida">was wrong</a>, and the idea he should have done so was
"un-American".
<p>
I agree he should have done this long ago.  However, I think we should
recognize this as "better late than never".  After decades of loyalty
to an organization, it is difficult and painful to recognize that it
has been perverted into the enemy of principles it used to stand for.
Most Republicans abandon those principles instead.

<li id="6_February_2022_(Amir_Locke)">6 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_February_2022_(Amir_Locke)">Amir Locke</a>)
<p>
  Minneapolis <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> burst into a home in which a black man, Amir Locke,
  was sleeping with a pistol that he lawfully owned.  As he began to wake up,
  the thugs saw he had a gun and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/04/us/minneapolis-police-shooting-no-knock-warrant-amir-locke/index.html">shot him immediately to death</a>.
<p>
  I wonder if a white man in the same circumstances would have gone
  unscathed.  It is possible, because unconscious racism is very common.
  Maybe a white man would have been allowed to drop his gun.
<p>
  In effect, the decision to mount a no-knock raid is a decision to risk
  killing anyone on the premises, based on anxiety.
<p>
  Is it possible for the first two <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> that enter in such a raid to
  wear armor that will protect them from bullets, so that they don't
  need to rush the decision of whether to shoot someone?
<p>
  It isn't directly relevant, but I wonder why Locke was sleeping with a
  gun in someone else's house.  Was he afraid someone was trying to kill
  him?
<p>
  <a href="https://www.stallman.org/archives/2021-nov-feb.html#6_February_2022_(Amir_Locke's_apartment)">Maybe the apartment was in fact his</a>.

<li id="6_February_2022_(2020_Election)">6 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_February_2022_(2020_Election)">2020 Election</a>)
<p>
  Reportedly, some of the corrupter's staff <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/02/03/trump-allies-reportedly-wanted-to-use-nsa-data-to-overturn-2020-election-memo-shows/">made a plan to get data from
  the NSA</a> and try to "prove" there was foreign interference in the vote counting
  of the 2020 election.

<li id="6_February_2022_(Urgent:_Supreme_Court_Justice)">6 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_February_2022_(Urgent:_Supreme_Court_Justice)">Urgent: Supreme Court Justice</a>)
<p>
  US citizens: call on Biden and Congress to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-the-petition-justice-breyers-replacement-must-defend-democracy?nowrapper=true&referrer=&source=email-petition-justice-breyers-replacement-2">choose a Supreme Court justice who  will defend Democracy</a>.
<p>
  The Capitol Switchboard number is <a href="tel:12022243121">202-224-3121</a>.

<li id="6_February_2022_(Plants_operating_under_obsolete_safety_standards)">6 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_February_2022_(Plants_operating_under_obsolete_safety_standards)">Plants operating under obsolete safety standards</a>)
<p>
  The US has allowed a dangerous fertilizer plant to keep operating for
  decades without even a fire alarm system.  Now <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/04/north-carolina-fertilizer-plant-fire-explosion-evacuation">a fire started there and
  it is only luck that the plant did not explode</a>.
<p>
  How many other dangerous plants are allowed to keep operating under
  obsolete safety standards?

<li id="6_February_2022_(Murder_of_captives)">6 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_February_2022_(Murder_of_captives)">Murder of captives</a>)
<p>
  Two Australian soldiers have testified they saw a particular
  ex-soldier <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/04/serving-australian-sas-soldier-tells-court-ben-roberts-smith-brs-ordered-shooting-of-unarmed-afghan-man">order the murder of captives</a>
  on two different occasions.

<li id="5_February_2022_(Amazon_union)"> 5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Amazon_union)">Amazon treats workers poorly</a>)
<p>
Amazon treats warehouse workers so badly 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/04/amazon-chews-through-the-average-worker-in-eight-months-they-need-a-union">that on the average they
leave after 8 months.</a>

<li id="5_February_2022_(Iceland_whaling)"> 5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Iceland_whaling)">Iceland to end whaling in 2024</a>)
<p>
Iceland will end 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/04/iceland-to-end-whaling-in-2024-demand-dwindles">its whaling in 2024.</a>

<li id="5_February_2022_(eu_pesticides)"> 5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(eu_pesticides)">EU to reduce use of synthetic pesticides</a>)
<p>
The EU plans to reduce use of synthetic pesticides by 50%.
One of the means under consideration is 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/04/eu-plans-to-ban-use-of-synthetic-pesticides-in-parks">to ban using them in parks.</a>

<li id="5_February_2022_(trump_voting_machines)"> 5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(trump_voting_machines)">Trump reviewed draft order</a>)
<p>
*Revealed: [the wrecker] reviewed draft order 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/04/trump-draft-order-voting-machines-white-house-meeting">that authorized voting
machines to be seized.</a>*
<p>
Indeed, he had long discussions about the details with his advisors.
But ultimately he was convinced that the plan had a problem.

<li id="5_February_2022_(gaslight_playbook)"> 5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(gaslight_playbook)">Evade, gaslight, attack</a>)
<p>
*Evade, gaslight, attack: this is the playbook of a corrupt company,
not a government.* The article 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/04/gaslight-playbook-corrupt-company-government-sociopath">compares Tory government with an
organization determined to shield a criminal.</a>

<li id="5_February_2022_(robotic_patrol_dog)"> 5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(robotic_patrol_dog)">U.S. tests robotic patrol dogs</a>)
<p>
The U.S. border <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> plan to test patrols by 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/04/us-tests-of-robotic-patrol-dogs-on-mexican-border-prompt-outcry">robots on the border
with Mexico.</a>
<p>
A robot patroller can be programmed to be gentle and nonviolent.
Or it can be programmed to kill or disappear anyone "unauthorized".
It could even be programmed to flip from one to the other on command
in an instant.
<p>
My conclusion is that there is good reason to be frightened of robot
patrollers, because you can't start to predict what it will do to you
20 seconds from now.




<li id="5_February_2022_(School_teachers_burned_out)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(School_teachers_burned_out)">School teachers burned out</a>)
<p>

US school teachers are increasingly <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/01/five-alarm-crisis-teachers-union-warns-pandemic-burnout-destroying-schools">burned out and stressed</a>, and
half plan to retire sooner than before.
<p>
Part of this comes from the shortage of teachers.  To fix it requires
paying teachers higher salaries <em>and</em> hiring more teachers.
<p>
I worry that the plutocrats will hand most US children over to robot teachers
that will snoop on them for Big Tech.  They won't learn a lot that way,
but <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratists</a> may prefer if most Americans don't learn much.

<li id="5_February_2022_(Apartheid_on_Palestinians)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Apartheid_on_Palestinians)">Apartheid on Palestinians</a>)
<p>

Amnesty International has presented the specific reasons for its conclusion
that Israel imposes a system of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/01/new-amnesty-report-outlines-true-extent-israeli-apartheid-regime">apartheid on Palestinians</a>.
<p>
A US court ruled that making a government contractor commit not to
boycott Israeli companies would <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/01/anti-bds-law-texas-violates-free-speech-rights-federal-judge-rules">violate its freedom of speech</a>.

<li id="5_February_2022_(Cheapest_way_to_reduce_greenhouse_emissions)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Cheapest_way_to_reduce_greenhouse_emissions)">Cheapest way to reduce greenhouse emissions</a>)
<p>

The cheapest way to reduce greenhouse emissions over the next few
decades is to cancel expensive highway construction projects that will
increase car travel.  Adah Crandall is <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/88gmex/what-can-one-teenager-do-about-climate-change-adah-crandall-will-find-out">campaigning to stop one near
her school</a> &mdash; not in the name of "Not in my backyard", but in the name
of "Not in my planet."

<li id="5_February_2022_(Obstacles_Xiomara_Castro_faces)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Obstacles_Xiomara_Castro_faces)">Obstacles Xiomara Castro faces</a>)
<p>

Xiomara Castro faces <a href="https://jacobinmag.com/2022/01/honduras-president-xiomara-castro-inauguration-left-challenges">huge obstacles to her program for Honduras</a>, some
of them from the US.

<li id="5_February_2022_(Biden_to_nominate_black_woman_as_Supreme_Court_justice)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Biden_to_nominate_black_woman_as_Supreme_Court_justice)">Biden to nominate black woman as Supreme Court justice</a>)
<p>

Biden says he will <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/01/biden-urged-nominate-scotus-justice-side-working-people">nominate a black woman as Supreme Court justice</a>.
<a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">Plutocratist</a> Democrat Rep. Clyburn has proposed a plutocratist
Democrat judge, who happens to be a black woman.
<p>
The last time a president promised to appoint a black justice to the
US Supreme Court, we got rigidly right-wing Clarence Thomas.  When a
president promised to appoint a woman, we got extreme right-wing Amy
Barrett.  Let's reject these distractions of judging race and sex, and
focus on what matters: is the nominee progressive or <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a>?

<li id="5_February_2022_(Jesse_Jackson_on_defending_voting_rights)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Jesse_Jackson_on_defending_voting_rights)">Jesse Jackson on defending voting rights</a>)
<p>

Jesse Jackson: *Time for the DOJ to Get Much <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/02/time-doj-get-much-more-aggressive-voting-rights">More Aggressive on
[defending] Voting Rights</a>.*

<li id="5_February_2022_(Brown_University_planned_new_institute)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Brown_University_planned_new_institute)">Brown University planned new institute</a>)
<p>

Brown University faculty <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/02/brown-university-faculty-reject-push-koch-funded-scholarship">voted not to approve</a> a planned new institute,
which could be a path for Koch's right-wing funding to influence the
university.

<li id="5_February_2022_(Oil_drilling_in_protected_indigenous_territory)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Oil_drilling_in_protected_indigenous_territory)">Oil drilling in protected indigenous territory</a>)
<p>

Ecuador's constitutional court <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/02/major-victory-indigenous-peoples-ecuadorian-court-rejects-drilling-protected-area">rejected President Moreno's effort</a> to
permit oil drilling in a protected indigenous territory.
<p>
This is a victory for civilization, whose survival depends on keeping
that oil in the ground, as well as for the inhabitants of that region,
who might be poisoned by local pollution.
<p>
President Lenín Moreno is the one who <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2018-sep-dec.html#18_December_2018_(Leaving_the_Ecuadorian_embassy)">forced Julian Assange into
British captivity</a>.
Among his first acts after being elected was
to make a surprise military deal with the US.

<li id="5_February_2022_(Means_test_on_Child_tax_credit)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Means_test_on_Child_tax_credit)">"Means test" on Child tax credit</a>)
<p>

Putting a "means test" on the Child Tax Credit is a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/03/means-testing-will-ruin-expanded-child-tax-credit">tool to ruin it</a> &mdash;
an excuse to exclude some poor people or make it inadequate.

<li id="5_February_2022_(Money_stolen_from_the_working_class)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Money_stolen_from_the_working_class)">Money stolen from the working class</a>)
<p>

*In a Single Year, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/03/single-year-178-trillion-was-stolen-working-class">$1.78 Trillion Was Stolen</a> From the Working Class*,
and that's only in the US.

<li id="5_February_2022_(J_K_Rowling_cancelled_by_right_and_left)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(J_K_Rowling_cancelled_by_right_and_left)">J K Rowling cancelled by right and left</a>)
<p>

J K Rowling has now been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/04/book-burning-harry-potter-twilight-us-pastor-tennessee">cancelled from the right</a> and from the left.
<p>
That makes three cancellations so far, the first being my boycott of
Harry Potter.  After she sued her own readers, and ordered them not to
read the books they had bought, I said it's ok to read her books but you
<a href="/harry-potter.html">should not buy them</a>.

<li id="5_February_2022_(Stopping_viruses_jumping_to_humans)">5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Stopping_viruses_jumping_to_humans)">Stopping viruses jumping to humans</a>)
<p>

*Protecting wildlife to stop viruses jumping to humans would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/04/failure-to-prevent-pandemics-at-source-is-greatest-folly-say-scientists">save far
more than it costs</a>, analysis shows.*

<li id="5_February_2022_(extreme_weather_plans)"> 5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(extreme_weather_plans)">Immediate cost of today's climate mayhem</a>)
<p>
The immediate cost of today's <a href="/glossary.html#climate">climate mayhem</a> in Washington State has
created a move to take funds away from 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/03/pacific-north-west-extreme-weather-plans">preventing it from getting
worse.</a>
<p>
That's a death spiral!


<li id="5_February_2022_(Global_heating)"> 5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(Global_heating)">Humans are changing fire</a>)
<p>
<a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">Global heating</a> is not the only way humans are changing fire.  Fire
suppression and deforestation are equally important.  Less of the
Earth is burning now than in the past, but the 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/03/a-deranged-pyroscape-how-fires-across-the-world-have-grown-weirder">fires destroy forests
now, and their smoke poisons millions.</a>

<li id="5_February_2022_(cnn_toobin)"> 5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(cnn_toobin)">Media trust plummeting</a>)
<p>
The head of CNN ostensibly resigned because his vice president was
discovered to be his lover, but arguably that was just an excuse, to
avoid talking about the things that were really damaging, 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/03/why-is-trust-in-media-plummeting-just-look-at-whats-happening-at-cnn">as well as
decreasing viewer numbers.</a>
<p>
The article attacks Jeffrey Toobin with 
<a href="https://www.stallman.org/articles/toobin.html">weasel words</a>
<p>
that will be taken to mean A but, when challenged, will be defended as
meaning B.  I have no opinion of Toobin's journalism since I have not
read or seen it, but this is the wrong way to criticize anyone.

<li id="5_February_2022_(snowden_nsa)"> 5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(snowden_nsa)">Snowden slams NSA's impunity</a>)
<p>
Snowden reminds us that the NSA suffers no penalty after being found
to have failed to follow precautions that were designed to reduce how
often it looks in 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/01/snowden-slams-ongoing-impunity-nsas-domestic-spying">its surveillance data and finds information about
Americans.</a>

<li id="5_February_2022_(pandemic_profiteering)"> 5 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_February_2022_(pandemic_profiteering)">Companies making high profits</a>)
<p>
US food companies and fossil fuel companies have raised prices while
making high profits -- they didn't need to, 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/01/data-highlights-egregious-pandemic-profiteering-us-food-and-oil-giants">but they could get away
with it.</a>
<p>
Starbucks is a clear example: profits up 31%,
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/02/starbucks-profits-soar-31-its-raising-prices-anyway">but it plans to raise prices.</a>


<li id="4_February_2022_(Leader_of_PISSI)">4 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_February_2022_(Leader_of_PISSI)">Leader of PISSI</a>)
<p>
The US raided the house of the leader of PISSI, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/03/biden-us-isis-leader-raid-qurayshi">who killed himself to
avoid capture</a>.

<p>
He used a large bomb that destroyed the upper floor of the house, and
killed his own family.

<p>
Killing the leader will not cripple the organization.
Guerrilla movements <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2011-may-aug.html#29_August_2011_(Another_al_Qa'ida_Leader)">can always find new leaders</a>.


<li id="4_February_2022_(Fear_of_the_unmasked)">4 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_February_2022_(Fear_of_the_unmasked)">Fear of the unmasked</a>)
<p>
People who don't dare risk getting Covid-19 describe what it is like
to be frightened to leave their homes, knowing that in stores and
transport <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/02/i-dont-want-to-die-the-shielders-who-fear-the-end-of-covid-restrictions">many refuse to protect them by wearing masks</a>.


<li id="4_February_2022_(Havana_Syndrome)">4 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_February_2022_(Havana_Syndrome)">Havana Syndrome</a>)
<p>
Most people who think they have Havana Syndrome have various problems
and misattribute them, but the original victims may have been injured
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/02/havana-syndrome-concealable-devices-cia-report">by "pulsed electromagnetic energy", or maybe ultrasound</a>.

<p>
It should be possible to build detectors for the various frequency bands
that are suspected.  I wonder if they have done so.


<li id="4_February_2022_(Going_very_slowly_through_a_stop)">4 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_February_2022_(Going_very_slowly_through_a_stop)">Going very slowly through a stop</a>)
<p>
Tesla programmed its cars to go very slowly through a stop sign rather
than completely stop, in very limited circumstances, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/01/cars/tesla-fsd-stop-sign/index.html">much as many
drivers do</a>.
  This is regarded as "unsafe", but given the special conditions
required for the car to do it, I think that officials are exaggerating
that danger.

<p>
I know of two real reasons why the Tesla car is unsafe.

<p>
The "full self-driving" feature is unsafe because it's based on the
pretense that the driver will pay full attention to the driving all
the time, just as one does while actually driving.  Lots of drivers
will say they will do so, then not do it.

<p>
The computer systems are not safe for drivers because they contain
nonfree software, <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">and that is always an injustice to the user</a>.


<li id="4_February_2022_(Squeezing_budgets_out_of_poor_people)">4 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#4_February_2022_(Squeezing_budgets_out_of_poor_people)">Squeezing budgets out of poor people</a>)
<p>
Over and over we find US cities that squeeze their budgets out of poor
people <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/01/opinions/end-policing-for-profit-alabama-nelson-jones/index.html">by fining them over and over while threatening them with jail</a>.

<p>
It's easier to do this than <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#21_January_2022_(Tax_us)">to make the rich pay fair taxes</a>.
  Which is why we need to defeat their power.



<li id="3_February_2022_((Satire)_mi_controlled_demo)"> 3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_((Satire)_mi_controlled_demo)">(satire) *Mississippi Undergoes Controlled Demolition</a>)
<p>
(satire) *Mississippi Undergoes Controlled Demolition To Make Way For 
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/mississippi-undergoes-controlled-demolition-to-make-way-1848401889">New High-End Luxury U.S. Territory.</a>*

<li id="3_February_2022_(Urgent:_Sale_of_oil_leases_in_Gulf_of_Mexico)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Urgent:_Sale_of_oil_leases_in_Gulf_of_Mexico)">Urgent: Sale of oil leases in Gulf of Mexico</a>)
<p>

US citizens: Call the Department of Interior at <a href="tel:(1)(866-834-8040)"> 866-834-8040</a> and urge
Secretary Haaland to accept the court's cancellation of the sale of
oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico.
<p>If you call, please spread the word!</p>

<li id="3_February_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Biden's_nominees_to_Federal_Reserve_Board)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Biden's_nominees_to_Federal_Reserve_Board)">Urgent: Confirm Biden's nominees to Federal Reserve Board</a>)
<p>

US citizens: phone your senators and <a href="https://act.350.org/call/sen-confirm-fed-nominees">urge them to confirm Biden's
nominees</a> to the Federal Reserve Board.

<p>The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.</p>
<p>If you call, please spread the word!</p>

<li id="3_February_2022_(Urgent:_Restore_non-nuclear_deal_with_Iran)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Urgent:_Restore_non-nuclear_deal_with_Iran)">Urgent: Restore non-nuclear deal with Iran</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Congress to <a href="https://act.winwithoutwar.org/act/congress_diplomacy_iran">support diplomacy to restore the
non-nuclear deal with Iran</a>.

<li id="3_February_2022_(Culture_of_the_London_thugs)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Culture_of_the_London_thugs)">Culture of the London thugs</a>)
<p>

Bigotry and hatred are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/01/revealing-the-rot-police-misogyny-runs-deeper-still">part of the culture</a> of the London thugs:
the leadership doesn't support police officers that try to stop it.

<li id="3_February_2022_(Covid_vaccine_hesitancy)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Covid_vaccine_hesitancy)">Covid vaccine hesitancy</a>)
<p>

*Covid vaccine hesitancy could be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/01/covid-vaccine-hesitancy-could-be-linked-childhood-trauma-research">linked to childhood trauma</a>, research finds.*
<p>
Our society produces trauma for lots of children.

<li id="3_February_2022_(Oilfield_in_the_North_Sea)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Oilfield_in_the_North_Sea)">Oilfield in the North Sea</a>)
<p>

The UK approved a new <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/01/north-sea-abigail-oil-field-plan-approved-despite-climate-goals">oilfield in the North Sea</a>, claiming that this does not
conflict with its greenhouse gas targets.
<p>
I don't know if it is possible to prove that they conflict.  Perhaps if the UK
never does anything like this again, and pushes hard to reduce emissions
in all other ways, it can still achieve those targets, plus the additional
reductions necessary because those <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-sep-dec.html#7_November_2021_(Extinction_rebellion_cop26)">targets are inadequate</a>.
<p>
But anyone who wishes to achieve a target needs to set out as <a href="/glossary.html#perse">perse</a>
intends to go on.  "Just one more dose and <em>then</em> I'll quit forever"
is an ill-auspicious way to start.

<li id="3_February_2022_(High_temperatures_devastating_seas)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(High_temperatures_devastating_seas)">High temperatures devastating seas</a>)
<p>

*   Formerly rare high temperatures now <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/01/extreme-heat-oceans-passed-point-of-no-return-high-temperatures-wildlife-seas">covering half of seas</a> and
   devastating wildlife, study shows.*
<p>
*   Almost no corals on the planet will escape <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/01/all-coral-will-suffer-severe-bleaching-when-global-heating-hits-15c-study-finds">severe bleaching</a> once global
   heating reaches 1.5C, according to a new study of the world's reefs.*

<li id="3_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_donations_to_Australian_political_parties)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Fossil_fuel_donations_to_Australian_political_parties)">Fossil fuel donations to Australian political parties</a>)
<p>

Australia's three major parties <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/02/more-money-than-ever-gas-companies-made-almost-1m-in-donations-to-labor-and-liberals">received large donations</a> from fossil fuel companies.

<li id="3_February_2022_(Leonard_Peltier_has_Covid-19)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Leonard_Peltier_has_Covid-19)">Leonard Peltier has Covid-19</a>)
<p>

Leonard Peltier has caught Covid-19.  It is time to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/02/leonard-peltier-is-americas-longest-held-indigenous-prisoner-he-should-be-freed">free him from prison</a>. There was little reason to believe he was guilty in the first place.

<li id="3_February_2022_(Beek_fertility_doctor)"> 3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Beek_fertility_doctor)">Netherlands fertility doctor father to 21 children</a>)
<p>
Jos Beek was an artificial insemination doctor.  He told women he
would give them sperm from anonymous donors.  Anonymous to them,
that is.
<p>
Years later it was discovered that the 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/02/netherlands-fertility-doctor-jos-beek-father-21-children">sperm was donated by Jos Beek.</a>
<p>
People seem to be vexed with this, but I don't understand their complaint.
Didn't he do exactly what he said he would do?
<p>
If you agreed to have a child with sperm from someone unknown, who
could be anyone, why would it be objectionable to find later that it
was one particular man?

<li id="3_February_2022_(Norway_new_pronoun)"> 3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Norway_new_pronoun)">New gender-neutral pronoun likely to enter Norwegian dictionaries</a>)
<p>
Norway plans to adopt a new 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/02/new-gender-neutral-pronoun-norwegian-dictionaries-hen-official-language">gender-neutral singular third-person
pronoun, "hen".</a>
<p>
Bravo, Norway.  This would address the need for a good way to refer to
a person of unspecified gender without causing the damage of making it
hard to tell singular from plural.
<p>
I suggest that Norwegians state their appreciation of this plan.

<li id="3_February_2022_(Bank_of_America_ppp)"> 3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Bank_of_America_ppp)">Bank of America refusing to forgive some PPP loans</a>)
<p>
Bank of America is arbitrarily refusing to 
<a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/02/02/bank-of-america-ppp-loans-small-businesses/">forgive part of some small
business PPP loans.</a>
<p>
The bank refuses to accept the application for loan forgiveness unless
the business enters the lower figure that Bank of America says it is
willing to forgive.  Businesses can't appeal the refusal unless they
enter the application with the smaller amount.  But the owners
are afraid that entering that smaller amount would be presented
as accepting the bank's refusal.
<p>
This kind of thing can happen because the US has a few very large
banks that are "too big to fail".  We should prohibit the operation of
any such bank until it splits itself up into many small pieces, each
small enough that we wouldn't hesitate to give it a sentence that
would wipe it out.

<li id="3_February_2022_(levelling_up_agenda_exposed)"> 3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(levelling_up_agenda_exposed)">Levelling up funding inequality exposed</a>)
<p>
The Tories say they will spend funds on raising the economic level of
poor areas -- 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2022/feb/02/levelling-up-funding-inequality-exposed-by-guardian-research">but the specific plan gives more funds to some wealthy
areas.</a>

<li id="3_February_2022_(Flowers_arriving_early_climate)"> 3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Flowers_arriving_early_climate)">Flowers arriving earlier as climate heats up</a>)
<p>
Plants in the UK now flower several weeks 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/02/flowers-arriving-month-early-uk-climate-heats-up-bloom-insects-birds">earlier than they did in 1986.</a>
<p>
This means that <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a> is discombobulating ecosystems
in a way that could wipe out some species.

<li id="3_February_2022_((Satire)_FTC_Google_merger)"> 3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_((Satire)_FTC_Google_merger)">(satire) FTC Questions Merger</a>)
<p>
(satire) *FTC Questions 
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/ftc-questions-merger-of-google-with-u-s-government-1848400850"> Merger Of Google With U.S. Government.</a>*

<li id="3_February_2022_(Scotland_save_wild_salmon)"> 3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Scotland_save_wild_salmon)">Scotland plans to plant millions of trees to help salmon survive</a>)
<p>
Scotland plans to plant millions of trees near rivers to 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/02/scotland-save-wild-salmon-planting-millions-trees-rivers">cool them and help salmon survive in them.</a>
<p>
It can work for a while, but eventually <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a> will overwhelm
the cooling that the trees are capable of.  Scotland must give priority
to the long term.

<li id="3_February_2022_(Urgent:_Next_rally_for_Julian_Assange)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Urgent:_Next_rally_for_Julian_Assange)">Urgent: Next rally for Julian Assange</a>)
<p>
The next Boston rally for Julian Assange will be on the Boston Common
near Park St Station, at 1pm on Feb 7.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Green_investments)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Green_investments)">Green investments</a>)
<p>
*EU includes gas and nuclear <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/02/eu-guidebook-taxonomy-green-investments-gas-nuclear-included">in guidebook for "green" investments</a>.*


<li id="3_February_2022_(Unusual_rains)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Unusual_rains)">Unusual rains</a>)
<p>
Unusual rains have flooded all the railroads and truck roads from
eastern Australia to western Australia, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/02/flooding-cuts-off-railway-supply-routes-to-northern-australia">and they are likely to be out
for weeks</a>.

<p>
I wonder what role <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a> played in causing these rains.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Thugs_bantering_with_violent_hate)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Thugs_bantering_with_violent_hate)">Thugs bantering with violent hate</a>)
<p>
A group of 19 London <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> was found to be "bantering" with violent
hate: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/01/met-officers-joked-raping-women-police-watchdog-racist">racist, misogynist, and antisemitic</a>.

<p>
Sometimes they threatened other cops (that expressed disapproval of
this hate) with violence if they exposed the practice.

<p>
If it were only 19 <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> in all London that indulged in hate, it
would be a small problem -- but there are surely many more.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Urgent:_No_office_for_insurrectionists)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Urgent:_No_office_for_insurrectionists)">Urgent: No office for insurrectionists</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-if-you-agree-january-6-insurrectionists-must-be-banned-from-running-for-office?nowrapper=true">affirm</a> that the January 6 insurrectionists must be banned
from running for office.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Warrantless_search_power)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Warrantless_search_power)">Warrantless search power</a>)
<p>
The NSA has been using its warrantless search power while disregarding
the rules <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/politics/nsa-watchdog-concerns-searches-american-communications/index.html">that are meant to protect Americans from being snooped on</a>.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Withdrawal_of_single-payer_medicine_bill)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Withdrawal_of_single-payer_medicine_bill)">Withdrawal of single-payer medicine bill</a>)
<p>
The author of California's single-payer medicine bill withdrew it,
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/31/progressives-vow-fight-hell-california-single-payer-bill-withdrawn">just before it was scheduled for a vote</a>.

<p>
He said this was because the bill would have been defeated -- but the
point is to make its opponents go on record against it, and be held
accountable.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Anonymized_data)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Anonymized_data)">Anonymized data</a>)
<p>
The Crisis Text Line gives "anonymized" data about callers, and what
they said, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/28/suicide-hotline-silicon-valley-privacy-debates-00002617">to an AI company to analyze</a>.

<p>
What can be learned about individuals from this "anonymized" data?
We must not assume it is zero, or that none of them can be
identified from it.  If they want this to be trusted, they
had better let investigators make simulated help calls, see what
data they record from it, and try to deanonymize it.  And then they
should make a commitment never to include more data than that in the future.

<p>
The issue of bogus consent is always significant:
"you agreed to the fine print" is not a valid excuse.
We should establish by law strict rules for what any
such organization can do with personal data, strict enough
that you can take for granted any approved organization
won't abuse your personal data.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Vaccination_rate)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Vaccination_rate)">Vaccination rate</a>)
<p>
If the US had had the vaccination rate of some European countries
(around 80%), it would have had <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/31/us-wouldve-halved-winter-covid-hospitalizations-if-it-matched-europes-vax-rate">half as many Covid hospitalizations
this winter</a>.

<p>
I expect that would mean half as many deaths; that would be around 30,000
Americans who would not have died.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Conviction_of_murderous_officers)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Conviction_of_murderous_officers)">Conviction of murderous officers</a>)
<p>
Guatemala has convicted some of the murderous officers and
paramilitaries who carried out mass murder, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/31/guatemalas-long-quest-justice">but right-wing
politicians with old military ties want to release them all</a>.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Failure_to_tackle_dirty_money)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Failure_to_tackle_dirty_money)">Failure to tackle dirty money</a>)
<p>
*Britain's failure to tackle Russian dirty money <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/01/ukraine-russia-vladimir-putin-boris-johnson-dirty-money">has enabled Putin’s
aggression</a>.*

<p>
British <a href="/glossary.html#bankster">banksters</a> serve Russian oligarchs because it is very
profitable to do so.

<p>
To cease that service is something that the UK needs to do for its own
future honesty, even more than as a sanction against Putin.  But
honesty is not the Tories' priority.


<li id="3_February_2022_(2_years_jailed_awaiting_trial)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(2_years_jailed_awaiting_trial)">2 years jailed awaiting trial</a>)
<p>
Two Chinese dissidents have been jailed for two years awaiting "trial"
for planning dissent, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/01/this-is-not-justice-chinese-activists-held-for-two-years-await-trial">which will surely be followed by long "sentences"</a>.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Imprisonment_of_refugees)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Imprisonment_of_refugees)">Imprisonment of refugees</a>)
<p>
In 1940, Britain imprisoned all German and Austrian refugees,
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/01/when-britain-imprisoned-refugees-second-world-war-internment-camps">even the dissidents that Hitler had imprisoned</a>.

<p>
Most were released later that year; it wasn't as bad as what the US
did to the Japanese-Americans.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Decarbonization)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Decarbonization)">Decarbonization</a>)
<p>
Decarbonization has become <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/01/labor-pledges-extra-funding-for-snowy-hydro-power-plant-to-make-it-run-on-green-hydrogen">an important election issue in Australia</a>.

<p>
Generating hydrogen from renewably generated electricity, then burning
it for electricity later, is a form of energy storage.  Australia
needs more energy storage capacity; the question is whether this
method is cheaper than alternatives, such as charging batteries and
pumping water uphill.


<li id="3_February_2022_(Photographing_protests,_then_funerals)">3 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_February_2022_(Photographing_protests,_then_funerals)">Photographing protests, then funerals</a>)
<p>
*I photographed Myanmar’s protesters one day –- <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/01/photojournalist-myanmar-military-attacks-protesters-mandalay-funerals">and their funerals the next</a>.*




<li id="2_February_2022_(Paying_wild_crows_to_collect_cigarette_butts)">2 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_February_2022_(Paying_wild_crows_to_collect_cigarette_butts)">Paying wild crows to collect cigarette butts</a>)
<p>
A city in Sweden is paying wild crows to collect cigarette butts off
the street and hand them in.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/01/swedish-crows-pick-up-cigarette-butts-litter">They get paid in food</a>.

<p>
The article mentions New Caledonian crows, which are native to New Caledonia,
not Sweden.  Has this project released New Caledonian crows into the wild
in Sweden?  That kind of action can do ecological harm.


<li id="2_February_2022_(Defense_of_filibuster)">2 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_February_2022_(Defense_of_filibuster)">Defense of filibuster</a>)
<p>
Sinema marketed her defense of the filibuster <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/feb/01/kyrsten-sinema-courted-republican-fossil-fuel-donors-filibuster-stance">directly to rich
Republicans</a>.


<li id="2_February_2022_(Silent_strike)">2 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_February_2022_(Silent_strike)">Silent strike</a>)
<p>
The "silent strike" to protest the coup in Burma <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/feb/01/silent-strike-empties-streets-in-myanmar-on-anniversary-of-coup">showed almost complete
participation</a>
  despite threats by the military to punish participants.


<li id="2_February_2022_(Schemes_to_seize_voting_machines)">2 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_February_2022_(Schemes_to_seize_voting_machines)">Schemes to seize voting machines</a>)
<p>
<a href="/glossary.html#cheater">The cheater</a> explored, in 2020, several schemes to seize voting
machines <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/01/trump-giuliani-voting-machines-election-report">with a view to denying the actual votes</a>.
  He had Giuliani ask on his behalf.


<li id="2_February_2022_(Drug_prices_hike)">2 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_February_2022_(Drug_prices_hike)">Drug prices hike</a>)
<p>
*While Lobbying to Kill Build Back Better, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/31/while-lobbying-kill-build-back-better-pharma-hikes-costs-866-drugs">Pharma Hikes Costs of 866 Drugs</a>.*


<li id="2_February_2022_(Peace-ravaged_country)">2 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_February_2022_(Peace-ravaged_country)">Peace-ravaged country</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/u-s-sends-military-advisors-to-peace-ravaged-country-1848355643">satire</a>) *U.S. Sends Military Advisors To Peace-Ravaged Country.*


<li id="2_February_2022_(Digital_avatar_of_glacier)">2 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_February_2022_(Digital_avatar_of_glacier)">Digital avatar of glacier</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/crypto-executives-assuage-environmental-concerns-by-unv-1848353130">satire</a>) *Crypto[-Currency] Executives Assuage Environmental Concerns By
Unveiling Digital Avatar Of Glacier.*


<li id="2_February_2022_(Methane_leaks)">2 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_February_2022_(Methane_leaks)">Methane leaks</a>)
<p>
*Biden administration to offer $1.2 billion <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/politics/biden-administration-methane-leaks-action-climate/index.html">for states to clean up
planet-warming methane leaks</a>.*


<li id="2_February_2022_(Long_prison_terms_for_protesters)">2 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_February_2022_(Long_prison_terms_for_protesters)">Long prison terms for protesters</a>)
<p>
Cuba is sentencing last summer's protesters to long prison terms,
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/americas/cuba-protesters-mass-trials-intl-latam/index.html">in some cases after beating them up</a>.

<p>
I have to note that US <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> sometimes engage in similar violence against 
protesters,
            and protesters can face long prison sentences for charges
that are disproportionate to any harm they did, if they did any harm.


<li id="2_February_2022_(Seeking_to_unionize)">2 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_February_2022_(Seeking_to_unionize)">Seeking to unionize</a>)
<p>
50 Starbucks stores' employees <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/31/our-movement-only-growing-workers-over-50-starbucks-seeking-unions">are now seeking to unionize</a>.

<p>
There are thousands of Starbucks stores in the US.  If each store has
to unionize separately, that will be a lot of trouble.  Furthermore,
if each store's workers need to negotiate separately, they won't have
the strength of their numbers.  I hope they can form a single body.


<li id="1_February_2022_(Urgent:_Block_bank_mergers)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Urgent:_Block_bank_mergers)">Urgent: Block bank mergers</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on the US government to block bank mergers that lead
to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-federal-regulators-stop-bank-mergers-until-guidelines-are-strengthened-to-protect-consumers-and-communities">insufficient local competition</a>.

<li id="1_February_2022_(Urgent:_Take_action_against_bait-and-switch_salaries_in_job_advertisements)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Urgent:_Take_action_against_bait-and-switch_salaries_in_job_advertisements)">Urgent: Take action against bait-and-switch salaries in job advertisements</a>)
<p>


US citizens: call on the Federal Trade Commission to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/watch-and-sign-on-to-tell-the-ftc-stop-fake-pay-rate-scams-now">take action against bait-and-switch salaries</a> in job advertisements.

<li id="1_February_2022_(Urgent:_Coalition_to_protect_workers'_rights)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Urgent:_Coalition_to_protect_workers'_rights)">Urgent: Coalition to protect workers' rights</a>)
<p>

In Massachusetts, support the <a href="https://noprop22ma.com/">Coalition to Protect Workers’ Rights</a>,
which is campaigning against Lyft's ballot initiative whose
purpose is to permit Lyft (and Uber, and other companies) to
deny their gig workers the rights of employees.

<li id="1_February_2022_(Unvaccinated_medical_workers_interacting_with_patients)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Unvaccinated_medical_workers_interacting_with_patients)">Unvaccinated medical workers interacting with patients</a>)
<p>

A few percent of antivaxxers have pressured the UK into allowing unvaccinated
medical workers to stay on the job and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/31/ministers-plan-to-scrap-vaccine-mandate-for-nhs-staff-in-england">interact with patients</a>.
<p>
This is dangerous for the patients, as well as for their coworkers.
The system could compensate for this weakness by testing all the workers
frequently &mdash; perhaps every other day.

<li id="1_February_2022_(Donating_half_of_existing_vaccine_production_to_poor_countries)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Donating_half_of_existing_vaccine_production_to_poor_countries)">Donating half of existing vaccine production to poor countries</a>)
<p>

Modelling suggests that donating half of existing vaccine production
to poor countries would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/01/world-better-protected-against-covid-if-rich-nations-donated-50-of-vaccines-to-low-income-countries">protect the world (as a whole) faster</a> from Covid-19,
as it would reduce the development of new variants,
some of which will surely be dangerous.
<p>
The question does not need to be asked if we <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-jul-oct.html#26_September_2021_(Vaccine_apartheid)">eliminate the artificial obstacles</a>
to producing vaccines much faster.
Or, for example, if the new American <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2020-jul-oct.html#6_August_2020_(Researchers_have_released_a_free(libre)_recipe_for_a_possible_Covid-19_vaccine)">libre vaccine</a>
or the <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-sep-dec.html#24_November_2021_(Cuba's_Covid-19_vaccines)">Cuban vaccine</a>
does the job.

<li id="1_February_2022_(Trials_given_a_wrong_result)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Trials_given_a_wrong_result)">Trials given a wrong result</a>)
<p>

2800 American convicts have been exonerated in the past 30 years,
after trials that gave a mistaken wrong result.  Worse, it many cases
it was not an innocent mistake &mdash; these trials were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jan/31/david-rudolf-american-injustice-interview">deliberately
undermined</a>.
<p>
All of these wrong convictions could have been avoided if the
prosecutors and judges had respected the rights of the suspects.
<p>
The convictions that have been overturned were surely just a fraction
of the total.
<p>
How significant is it, whether those that undermined a trial did so
because they wanted to frame someone, or because they had jumped to
the conclusion that the suspect was guilty?
<p>
Morally, it makes a difference, because the framer has crossed an
additional moral line.  However, when there is a tendency to jump to
the conclusion that people of a certain group are guilty &mdash; as there
is with blacks &mdash; the result is systemic injustice even if none of the
<a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> involved believes perself to be framing someone innocent.

<li id="1_February_2022_(Tennessee_thug_using_excessive_force)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Tennessee_thug_using_excessive_force)">Tennessee thug using excessive force</a>)
<p>

A Tennessee thug has been found guilty of <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtn/pr/former-tennessee-law-enforcement-officer-convicted-federal-civil-rights-offenses">using excessive force against
people</a> as he was arresting them.
<p>
There is no implication that it was wrong to arrest them; that is not
the issue at hand.

<li id="1_February_2022_(Israeli_cops_use_Pegasus_to_track_enemies)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Israeli_cops_use_Pegasus_to_track_enemies)">Israeli cops use Pegasus to track enemies</a>)
<p>

Israeli cops allegedly use Pegasus spyware to <a href="https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-privacy/report-claims-israeli-police-used-pegasus-spyware-against-citizens-tracked-netanyahu-opponents-former-government-employees/">track Netanyahu's personal
enemies</a>, as well as others.

<li id="1_February_2022_(The_wrecker_is_threatening_prosecutors_investigating_him)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(The_wrecker_is_threatening_prosecutors_investigating_him)">The wrecker is threatening prosecutors investigating him</a>)
<p>

The wrecker is threatening to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/politics/donald-trump-capitol-riot-pardons-2024-republicans/index.html">launch his followers against the
prosecutors investigating him</a>.
He did not explicitly tell them to do it with violence, but they won't
be slow to think of that.
<p>
A couple of those prosecutors happen to be
black, and the <a href="/glossary.html#bully">bully</a> took that as an opportunity to spread bigotry.
<p>
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/31/critics-say-trump-threat-unleash-supporters-us-cities-should-ring-alarm-bells">More information</a>.

<li id="1_February_2022_(Soft_on_those_refusing_to_testify)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Soft_on_those_refusing_to_testify)">Soft on those refusing to testify</a>)
<p>

The House investigation of the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/opinions/house-january-6-select-committee-actions-honig/index.html">strangely
soft on most of the people who have refused to testify</a>.

<li id="1_February_2022_(Homeowner_generated_solar_energy)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Homeowner_generated_solar_energy)">Homeowner generated solar energy</a>)
<p>

A US appeals court ruled that when electric utilities cut what they
pay homeowners for their solar energy, this can constitute <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/31/ruling-rooftop-solar-called-game-changer-clean-energy">unfair
competition</a>.
<p>
That decision can be very important for reducing the US carbon footprint
if it isn't reversed by right-wing judges.

<li id="1_February_2022_(Rare_tree_species)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Rare_tree_species)">Rare tree species</a>)
<p>

Statistical techniques suggest that there are probably 9.000 species
of trees that are unknown to science, and around <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/31/global-count-estimates-earth-has-73000-tree-species-bletchley-park-good-turing-frequency-estimation">3,000 of them are
rare</a>.
<p>
Some of them may never have been recognized by any human being.

<li id="1_February_2022_(Russia_in_NATO)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Russia_in_NATO)">Russia in NATO</a>)
<p>
To admit a post-Putin democratic Russia to NATO <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/31/putin-russia-eastern-europe-ukraine">could make sense</a>.

<p>
Indeed, under those circumstances, Russia might replace the US as the
mainstay of NATO, if the US has fallen under Putin-like Republicans.


<li id="1_February_2022_(Endemic_covid)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Endemic_covid)">Endemic covid</a>)
<p>
*Covid becoming endemic doesn’t mean it will be mild – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/01/covid-becoming-endemic-doesnt-mean-it-will-be-mild-or-that-there-wont-be-new-variants">or that there won’t be
new variants</a>.*
  It might become like the Polio virus, which most patients didn't even notice,
except for the small fraction that it crippled.

<p>
Thus, "endemic" does not imply "we don't need precautions
against its spread."  Not if we are wise, that is.
 

<li id="1_February_2022_(Arrest_of_protesters)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Arrest_of_protesters)">Arrest of protesters</a>)
<p>
The Burmese military government threatens to arrest people <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/31/myanmars-junta-threatens-protesters-planning-coup-anniversary-action">who participate
in a planned silent protest</a>.
  Some shop owners have been arrested for saying they will close their shops
in sympathy.


<li id="1_February_2022_(Contradictions)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Contradictions)">Contradictions</a>)
<p>
The bullshitter seems not to have noticed, when he said that Pence
"could have overturned the election", <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/31/donald-trump-mike-pence-overturn-election">that he admitted he lost it</a>.

<p>
Recently he said he might pardon the Jan 6 attackers if he were
president again.  Didn't he tell us that the attackers were supporters
of the Antifa (anti-fascist) movement?  Why would be want to pardon
them?


<li id="1_February_2022_(Urgent:_Dominant_tech_platforms_and_payment)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Urgent:_Dominant_tech_platforms_and_payment)">Urgent: Dominant tech platforms and payment</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/cfpb/">call on regulators</a> to ban ownership of payment systems by
the dominant tech platforms.

<p>
The main digital payment systems are unjust for two reasons: they
require users to run nonfree Javascript code to use them, and they
require users to identify themselves.  If they were owned by
megacompanies, that would be an additional injustice.  Preventing that
would be good, but would not make them acceptable to use.


<li id="1_February_2022_(State_on_fire)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(State_on_fire)">State on fire</a>)
<p>
*Where to build in a state on fire? California housing projects <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/31/housing-developments-fire-prone-california-wildlands-legal-challenges">face
growing challenges</a>.*


<li id="1_February_2022_(Oil_spill)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Oil_spill)">Oil spill</a>)
<p>
An oil spill from a broken pipeline in the Ecuadorian Amazon <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/30/disaster-burst-pipeline-sprays-crude-oil-ecuadorian-amazon">has
polluted a river that provides drinking water to almost 30,000 people</a>.


<li id="1_February_2022_(Celebrating_world_instability)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Celebrating_world_instability)">Celebrating world instability</a>)
<p>
The CEOs of Lockheed and Raytheon -- two major US military contractors
-- <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/30/defense-contractor-ceos-applaud-deteriorating-global-security">celebrated increasing world instability as good for their business</a>.


<li id="1_February_2022_(Prosecution_of_military_rulers)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Prosecution_of_military_rulers)">Prosecution of military rulers</a>)
<p>
A Burmese dissident calls for prosecution of the military rulers in
the International Criminal Court, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/30/people-burma-demand-accountability-2021-military-coup">and a cut-off of arms sales</a>.

<p>
Does anyone know which countries still sell arms to the Burmese
military government?


<li id="1_February_2022_(Making_up_for_disinformation)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Making_up_for_disinformation)">Making up for disinformation</a>)
<p>
Spotify said it will point users at valid Covid-19 information
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/31/spotify-to-direct-listeners-to-correct-covid-information-after-joe-rogan-controversy">to make up for some of Joe Rogan's disinformation</a>.


<li id="1_February_2022_(Urgent:_Fund_IRS_adequately)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Urgent:_Fund_IRS_adequately)">Urgent: Fund IRS adequately</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-congress-give-the-irs-the-resources-it-needs-to-serve-taxpayers-and-catch-wealthy-tax-cheats?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to fund the IRS adequately, so it can
provide service to taxpayers and catch rich cheaters.



<li id="1_February_2022_(Employee_and_contractors)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Employee_and_contractors)">Employee and contractors</a>)
<p>
The National Labor Relations Board is considering whether falsely
labeling an employee as an independent contractor <a href="https://prospect.org/labor/nlrb-looks-at-independent-contractor-scam/">should be considered
a violation of federal law</a>.

This could make a big difference for gig workers in the US.


<li id="1_February_2022_(Near-monopoly_on_hospital_beds)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Near-monopoly_on_hospital_beds)">Near-monopoly on hospital beds</a>)
<p>
The US has a near-monopoly on hospital beds.  A competitor has
recently sued, alleging that the monopolist <a href="https://prospect.org/power/rollups-theres-a-hospital-bed-monopoly/">uses secret, illegal
contracts to maintain its market power</a>.


<li id="1_February_2022_(Murdered_associate_of_previous_government)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Murdered_associate_of_previous_government)">Murdered associate of previous government</a>)
<p>
More than 100 people in Afghanistan who were formerly associated with
the previous government, or with foreign armies, whom the Taliban says
it had no grudge against, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/31/afghanistan-more-than-100-believed-killed-despite-taliban-amnesty-offer-says-un">have been murdered</a>.

<p>
To me, this suggests that the Taliban are not disciplined enough for a
policy to be effective.  The leadership can announce an amnesty but
that doesn't mean all supporters will obey it.

<p>
I don't see any solution except to offer asylum to all those who may
be next, along with whatever they need in order to get out.


<li id="1_February_2022_(Intimidation_of_journalists)">1 February 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_February_2022_(Intimidation_of_journalists)">Intimidation of journalists</a>)
<p>
China intensely intimidates foreign journalists -- almost any aspect of life
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/31/foreign-journalists-china-intimidation-survey">can be perverted into harassment, a threat, or an attack</a>.

<p>
One common kind of threat is a bogus lawsuit, which can be used as an
excuse to stop you from leaving China.  If you're lucky, you're just
forced to leave China in a hurry.

<p>
China can arrange a pizzagate against anyone at any time.





<li id="31_January_2022_(Freedom_of_speech)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Freedom_of_speech)">Freedom of speech</a>)
<p>
*Freedom of speech was too hard won <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/30/freedom-of-speech-hard-won-cavalier-now-about-censorship">to be cavalier now about censorship</a>.*


<li id="31_January_2022_(Pardon_to_Capitol_rioters)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Pardon_to_Capitol_rioters)">Pardon to Capitol rioters</a>)
<p>
*Nixon aide: [the corrupter's] pardon promise for Capitol rioters <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/30/trump-pardon-promise-capitol-rioters-dictators-john-dean-nixon">is "stuff of dictators"</a>.*


<li id="31_January_2022_(Absurd_excuses)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Absurd_excuses)">Absurd excuses</a>)
<p>
A long list of absurd excuses Tories make <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/30/note-to-boris-johnson-sad-apologists-stop-treating-the-public-as-if-they-are-fools">to excuse Bogus Johnson's
contempt for the public</a>.


<li id="31_January_2022_(Whistleblower_tortured)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Whistleblower_tortured)">Whistleblower tortured</a>)
<p>
The whistleblower who reported abuse and underpayment of workers by
Foxconn, making Amazon products, was tortured by China.  Now he
demands that Amazon and Foxconn <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/30/alexa-factory-whistleblower-i-was-tortured-and-jailed-now-amazon-should-apologise">pressure China to clear his name</a>.


<li id="31_January_2022_(Drought_and_famine)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Drought_and_famine)">Drought and famine</a>)
<p>
Several regions of Ethiopia <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/30/we-pray-for-rain-ethiopia-faces-catastrophic-hunger-as-cattle-perish-in-severe-drought">are suffering from drought, with famine on
the way</a>.

<p>
This is in addition to Tigray, <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#15_January_2022_(Getting_food_into_Tigray)">which suffers from civil war and blockage
of food and medical aid</a>.


<li id="31_January_2022_(Punishing_prescribing_quack_remedies)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Punishing_prescribing_quack_remedies)">Punishing prescribing quack remedies</a>)
<p>
Republicans are passing state laws so medical boards <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/30/republican-lawmakers-ivermectin-hydroxychloroquine-covid-treatment">can't punish doctors
for prescribing quack remedies for Covid-19</a>.


<li id="31_January_2022_(Record_profits_and_losing_ground)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Record_profits_and_losing_ground)">Record profits and losing ground</a>)
<p>
*Corporations have record profits. Most workers are losing ground. So
<a href="https://robertreich.substack.com/p/share-the-profits">why not create incentives for corporations to profit-share</a>?*



<li id="31_January_2022_(Overhaul_of_Civilian_Harm_Policies)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Overhaul_of_Civilian_Harm_Policies)">Overhaul of Civilian Harm Policies</a>)
<p>
*ACLU Demands <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/28/aclu-demands-truly-systemic-overhaul-us-civilian-harm-policies">'Truly Systemic Overhaul' of US [Military's] Civilian
 Harm Policies</a>.*


<li id="31_January_2022_(Concrete_truck_drivers_on_strike)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Concrete_truck_drivers_on_strike)">Concrete truck drivers on strike</a>)
<p>
Concrete truck drivers in Seattle have been on strike for months.  The
contract they rejected would have meant <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/28/ongoing-seattle-strike-concrete-workers-face-against-corporate-greed-and-face">a decrease in wages once they
are adjusted for inflation</a>.


<li id="31_January_2022_(ICU_applicants)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(ICU_applicants)">ICU applicants</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/elite-selective-hospital-only-accepts-9-of-icu-applica-1848434531">satire</a>) *Elite Selective Hospital Only Accepts 9% Of ICU Applicants.*
  Be sure to apply to several hospitals, including a nonprestigious
"safety" hospital.

<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/jesus-christ-starts-rival-eternal-paradise-after-family-1848364179">satire</a>) Paradises are competing for elite souls, too:
*Jesus Christ Starts Rival Eternal Paradise After Family Rift.*

<p>
Can you choose Valhalla, or Tlalocan, if that's where your spirit leads you?


<li id="31_January_2022_(Generic_vaccine_production)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Generic_vaccine_production)">Generic vaccine production</a>)
<p>
300 scientists signed a letter to Bogus Johnson calling on him to
support allowing generic vaccine production world-wide, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/28/320-scientists-suspend-vaccine-patents-prevent-future-variants">as the way to
end the evolution of new variants</a>.

<p>
Bogus Johnson doesn't care about anything but staying in power, but
it may influence other politicians.


<li id="31_January_2022_(Pushing_hard_to_keep_filibuster)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Pushing_hard_to_keep_filibuster)">Pushing hard to keep filibuster</a>)
<p>
Greedy corporations push hard to keep the filibuster in place in the
US Senate. The US Chamber of Commerce admits it, but mainstream media
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/28/why-greedy-corporations-love-filibuster">generally try to distract attention from it</a>.


<li id="31_January_2022_(Books_for_prisoners)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Books_for_prisoners)">Books for prisoners</a>)
<p>
*Why Is It So Hard for [many US prisoners] <a href="https://www.theroot.com/why-is-it-so-hard-for-incarcerated-people-to-get-access-1848407386">to Get Access to the
Books They Need And Want</a>?*


<li id="31_January_2022_(Journalists_freedom_of_movement)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Journalists_freedom_of_movement)">Journalists freedom of movement</a>)
<p>
RSF: members of the European Parliament called on Israel <a href="https://rsf.org/en/news/meps-demand-israel-ensure-palestinian-journalists-freedom-movement">to respect
Palestinian journalists' freedom of movement</a>.



<li id="31_January_2022_(Thugs_and_fentanyl)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Thugs_and_fentanyl)">Thugs and fentanyl</a>)
<p>
  US thugs <a href="https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/27/extraordinary-popular-delusions/#onshore-havana-syndrome">believe that the touch of someone overdosing on fentanyl is
  deadly</a>, and based on this, put them in prison for threatening thugs'
  lives.

<li id="31_January_2022_(Arizona_Republicans_proposal_for_rejecting_election_results)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Arizona_Republicans_proposal_for_rejecting_election_results)">Arizona Republicans proposal for rejecting election results</a>)
<p>
  Arizona Republicans propose to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/28/politics/arizona-john-fillmore-gop-election-results-bill/index.html">authorize the state legislature to
  reject election results and order a new election</a>.
<p>
  The bill would also require counting all the ballots in 24 hours.
  That is an invitation to confusion and errors, which could provide
  a pretext to reject election results.

<li id="31_January_2022_(Torching_village_after_village)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Torching_village_after_village)">Torching village after village</a>)
<p>
*Myanmar's junta <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/29/myanmars-junta-torching-village-after-village-in-bid-to-quell-opposition">torching "village after village" in bid to quell opposition</a>.*

<li id="31_January_2022_(Superyacht)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Superyacht)">Superyacht</a>)
<p>
  New superyachts
  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/29/superyacht-sales-surge-prompts-fresh-calls-for-curbs-on-their-emissions">emit as much CO2 as 1500 cars, and almost 1000 are being made per year</a>.
  I urge countries to prohibit them from entering harbors except in an
  emergency.

<li id="31_January_2022_(Georgia_voter_suppression)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Georgia_voter_suppression)">Georgia voter suppression</a>)
<p>
  New Georgia voter suppression rules for mail-in ballots would, if
  applied in 2020, have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/28/analysis-finds-staggering-rise-voter-suppression-after-gop-restrictions-georgia">stopped almost 70,000 people from voting by mail</a>.
  That's far more than enough to change the outcome.

<li id="31_January_2022_(Civilian_casualties)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Civilian_casualties)">Civilian casualties</a>)
<p>
  If Biden is serious about <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/01/29/military-innocent-civilian-casualties/">reducing civilian casualties from US war
  operations</a>, the Pentagon should do more than study the problem.

<li id="31_January_2022_(Thai_monarchy)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Thai_monarchy)">Thai monarchy</a>)
<p>
Reverence for the Thai monarchy is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/29/our-culture-has-changed-young-thais-boycott-graduation-ceremonies">fading away among young people</a>.

<li id="31_January_2022_(Divisive_concepts_prohibited_in_education_bills)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Divisive_concepts_prohibited_in_education_bills)">Divisive concepts prohibited in education bills</a>)
<p>
  Many Republican education
  bills <a href="https://theusfreespeechunion.substack.com/p/knaves-or-fools">prohibit
  teaching a list of "divisive concepts" that are supposedly related
  to Critical Race Theory</a>. This article presents a list of the
  "divisive concepts", and it seems to me that (1) all of them are bad
  things to teach in school, and (2) they have little in common with
  <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-jul-oct.html#13_October_2021_(Critical_race_theory)">Critical Race Theory</a>.
<p>
  The article goes on to explain that many of these prohibitions are
  likely to be unconstitutional due to various specific conflicts with
  US legal precedents about freedom of speech.

<li id="31_January_2022_(Alaska_climate_case_rejected)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Alaska_climate_case_rejected)">Alaska climate case rejected</a>)
<p>
Alaska's Supreme Court <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/28/not-over-alaska-supreme-court-rejects-youth-climate-case">killed the young people's climate damages case</a>.

<li id="31_January_2022_(Everybody_knows_that)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Everybody_knows_that)">Everybody knows that</a>)
<p>
  Ways that the phrase "Everybody knows that" is <a href="https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/BNfL58ijGawgpkh9b/everybody-knows">used to cut off discussion
  and put people down</a>.
<p>
  The comments show that there are valid situations to claim that
  "everyone knows that".  Sometimes everyone does know X, but not
  everyone knows that everyone does know X.

<li id="31_January_2022_(Fracking_Democrats_join_lobby_group)">31 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#31_January_2022_(Fracking_Democrats_join_lobby_group)">Fracking Democrats join lobby group</a>)
<p>
  Two fracking former Democratic senators <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/27/utterly-shameless-former-democratic-senators-join-fossil-fuel-lobby-group">joined a lobby group for fracking</a>.
<p>
  Frack off, <a href="/glossary.html#planet">planet roasters</a>!

<li id="30_January_2022_(Urgent:_Ban_members_of_congress_from_buying%2Fselling_stocks)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Urgent:_Ban_members_of_congress_from_buying%2Fselling_stocks)">Urgent: Ban members of congress from buying/selling stocks</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Congress to <a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/stock-trading-ban-congress/">ban members of Congress from buying
and selling stocks while in office</a>.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Urgent:_Call_Pepsico_to_stop_funding_antiabortion_candidates)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Urgent:_Call_Pepsico_to_stop_funding_antiabortion_candidates)">Urgent: Call Pepsico to stop funding antiabortion candidates</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Pepsico to <a href="https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/Pepsi_abortionban/">stop funding antiabortion candidates
and parties</a>.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Urgent:_Urge_Biden_to_send_N95_masks_to_Americans)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Urgent:_Urge_Biden_to_send_N95_masks_to_Americans)">Urgent: Urge Biden to send N95 masks to Americans</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Biden and Congress to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-congress-and-president-biden-use-your-power-to-distribute-n95-masks-to-all-americans">send Americans N95 masks
regularly on a continuing basis</a>.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Urgent:_Pass_Get_Foreign_Money_Out_of_US_Elections_Act)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Urgent:_Pass_Get_Foreign_Money_Out_of_US_Elections_Act)">Urgent: Pass Get Foreign Money Out of US Elections Act</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Congress to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-congress-get-foreign-money-out-of-us-elections-close-the-citizens-united-loophole">pass the Get Foreign Money Out of
U.S. Elections Act</a>, to stop foreign owners of US corporations from
donating to US election campaigns.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Rebuilding_of_bookshop_in_Gaza)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Rebuilding_of_bookshop_in_Gaza)">Rebuilding of bookshop in Gaza</a>)
<p>

Donors have provided <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jan/28/gaza-samir-mansour-bookshop-reopening-after-global-campaign">funds to rebuild the bookshop in Gaza</a> that
Israeli bombers destroyed, and books for it to sell.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Manchin_represents_billionaires)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Manchin_represents_billionaires)">Manchin represents billionaires</a>)
<p>

It is now quite clear that Manchin <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/28/joe-manchin-republican-donor-donation">represents billionaires in the Senate</a>.
One billionaire supporter publicly announced his reasons for
opposing the Build Back Better bill, and it is totally bogus &mdash; he
called it "Socialism," which is already a big exaggeration, but what
he attacks is an extreme form of Communism that no country ever
practiced.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Judge_blocks_Gulf_of_Mexico_drilling_leases)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Judge_blocks_Gulf_of_Mexico_drilling_leases)">Judge blocks Gulf of Mexico drilling leases</a>)
<p>

*US judge <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/28/gulf-of-mexico-oil-gas-drilling-leases-judge-blocks-climate-biden">blocks sale of Gulf of Mexico drilling leases</a> over climate
 concerns.*
<p>
I suppose the Supreme Court will actually decide the case, months from now,
and I expect the worst.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Proposal_to_charge_unvaccinated_patients_for_Covid_treatment)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Proposal_to_charge_unvaccinated_patients_for_Covid_treatment)">Proposal to charge unvaccinated patients for Covid treatment</a>)
<p>

A French hospital official proposed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/28/outrage-as-paris-hospitals-chief-raises-idea-of-charging-unvaccinated-patients">charging unvaccinated patients for
Covid-19 treatment</a>.
<p>
The basic idea that those who go unvaccinated should bear the burden
they impose on society is valid, but charging patients is the wrong
way to implement it.  It is <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2012-may-aug.html#12_July_2012_(Urgent:_Support_medicare_for_all)">wrong to charge patients for medical
treatment</a>.  (The US medical system is so bad because it is based on
charging patients.)
<p>
It is better to punish people directly for refusing vaccination &mdash;
whether they catch Covid-19 or not.
<p>
Also, if hospital facilities are full and it is impossible to treat
all the patients at that time, vaccinated patients should have
priority.
<p>
That situation won't arise if we are careful in precautions to prevent
the spread of the disease, so we should all practice them.  The main
precautions are vaccination, isolation when sick, not spending time
close to other people, and wearing good masks.  The good masks &mdash;
FFP2, or even better N95 with its tight head straps &mdash; will give you
substantial protection.
<p>
We must make sure that all workers have paid sick leave available,
so that they can afford to stay home when sick.

<li id="30_January_2022_(North_America_has_lost_a_fourth_of_its_birds)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(North_America_has_lost_a_fourth_of_its_birds)">North America has lost a fourth of its birds</a>)
<p>

*   In the past half century, North America has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/28/birds-are-remarkable-and-beautiful-animals-and-theyre-disappearing-from-our-world">lost a fourth of its birds</a>.
   Earth is now a coalmine, and every wild bird is a canary.*
<p>
However, it is a mistake to make too much of the fact that birds are
remotely descended from dinosaurs (they split off about 100 million
years ago).  After all, birds are also <a href="/articles/birds-dinosaurs-fish.html">descended from fish</a>, around 300
million years ago.
Neither of these facts causes a hawk to closely resemble a
velociraptor, or a tuna.

<li id="30_January_2022_(UK_Environment_Agency_threatens_to_fire_staff)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(UK_Environment_Agency_threatens_to_fire_staff)">UK Environment Agency threatens to fire staff</a>)
<p>

The UK's Environment Agency <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/29/it-is-desperate-how-environment-agency-staff-were-silenced-as-pollution-worsened">threatened to fire staff</a> if they talked with each other about how the agency was neglecting its mission to protect
waterways.
<p>
The US Environmental Protection Agency has a history of <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-nov-feb.html#12_February_2018_(Reduced_EPA_enforcement)">systematic dereliction</a>
of duty, going back decades.
The corrupter intentionally made it more corrupt, to the point that I
called it the Environmental Poisoning Agency.

<li id="30_January_2022_(CIA_torture_of_Zayn_al-Abidin)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(CIA_torture_of_Zayn_al-Abidin)">CIA torture of Zayn al-Abidin</a>)
<p>

The CIA tortured Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn ("Abu Zubaydah")
around 20 years ago to experiment with torture techniques.  To keep
the torture secret, the US government decided to keep him
incommunicado for life.  Now there is movement towards <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/29/the-cia-lied-to-justify-torturing-one-prisoner-after-911-20-years-later-his-story-is-still-shrouded-in-secrecy">ending the
cruel secrecy</a>.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Neil_Young_and_Joni_Mitchell_boycott_Spotify)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Neil_Young_and_Joni_Mitchell_boycott_Spotify)">Neil Young and Joni Mitchell boycott Spotify</a>)
<p>

Neil Young and Joni Mitchell are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/29/joni-mitchell-joins-neil-young-in-demanding-spotify-remove-her-music">boycotting Spotify</a> because of its support
for Joe Rogan with his Covid misinformation.
<p>
I disapprove of his misinformation, but I have been boycotting Spotify
for unjust treatment of its customers, so I have no way to boycott it
harder.

The latest thing for star musicians is to sell their song catalogs to
Big Music. Those that do so won't have the option of joining in
a boycott like this one.

<li id="30_January_2022_(If_Tory_legislation_is_left_unchallenged)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(If_Tory_legislation_is_left_unchallenged)">If Tory legislation is left unchallenged</a>)
<p>

*   If Tory legislation is left unchallenged, it won’t just be the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/29/as-the-tide-of-populism-recedes-is-it-taking-our-civil-liberties-with-it">right to protest that ordinary Britons will lose</a>.*

<li id="30_January_2022_(Fort_Bragg)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Fort_Bragg)">Fort Bragg</a>)
<p>

"Fort Bragg", California, was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global/2022/jan/29/california-city-to-retain-confederate-generals-name-after-year-of-debate">named after General Bragg</a> when he
was in the US Army, before the Civil War.
<p>
He was not a traitor then, but he became one subsequently.  In my
opinion, the name should be changed.  Will it be possible to convince
the people of the town to change it?

<li id="30_January_2022_(REI_workers_trying_to_unionize)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(REI_workers_trying_to_unionize)">REI workers trying to unionize</a>)
<p>

REI is a cooperative &mdash; of customers, not of workers.  Some
of its workers are trying to unionize, and the <a href="https://jacobinmag.com/2022/01/rei-progressive-company-union-election-nlrb-retail-workers">company is opposed</a>.
<p>
More <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5qdjx/unionizing-rei-workers-want-their-progressive-employer-to-pay-a-living-wage">info</a>.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Private_voter-suppression_in_Chile)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Private_voter-suppression_in_Chile)">Private voter-suppression in Chile</a>)
<p>

Private voter-suppression in Chile: private bus companies stopped
their service on election day to <a href="https://jacobinmag.com/2022/01/transit-neoliberalism-presidential-election-boric-kast">stop non-rich people from getting to
polling places</a>.
<p>
I have a feeling that some cities had closed the polling places
in working-class neighborhoods, as a first blow.

<li id="30_January_2022_(China's_altered_ending_of_Fight_Club)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(China's_altered_ending_of_Fight_Club)">China's altered ending of Fight Club</a>)
<p>

Chuck Palahniuk says that China's altered ending of the film, Fight Club,
makes it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/27/fight-club-author-chuck-palahniuk-praises-chinese-cut-super-wonderful">closer to the ending of his book</a>.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Make_GOP_vote_on_popular_policies)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Make_GOP_vote_on_popular_policies)">Make GOP vote on popular policies</a>)
<p>

*'No More Hiding': Sanders Says <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/27/no-more-hiding-sanders-says-make-gop-vote-popular-policies">Make GOP Vote on Popular Policies</a>.*
<p>
I've made this suggestion <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#7_June_2021_(Compromise_infrastructure_bill)">here</a>.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Crop_insurance_payments)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Crop_insurance_payments)">Crop insurance payments</a>)
<p>

US crop insurance payments have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/27/climate-cant-wait-us-crop-losses-have-more-tripled-1995">increased since 1995 by a factor of 5</a>.
The cause is <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a>, and that means it will get a lot worse
in the next 25 years.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Car_travel_over_public_transit)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Car_travel_over_public_transit)">Car travel over public transit</a>)
<p>

When the US prioritizes car travel over public transit, it
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/27/new-report-shows-how-us-transportation-system-fuels-inequality">systematically hurts the poor</a>.
<p>
The article linked to just above displays symbolic bigotry by
capitalizing "black" but not "white".  (To avoid endorsing bigotry,
capitalize both words or neither one.)  I object to bigotry, and
normally I decline to link to articles which promote it.  But I make
exceptions for some articles which are important enough.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Not_benefiting_from_the_strong_economy)">30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Not_benefiting_from_the_strong_economy)">Not benefiting from the strong economy</a>)
<p>

American workers are not benefiting from the "strong economy", but it
is not because of inflation &mdash; it's <a href="https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-starbucks-dilemma">because they are not unionized</a>.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Fukushima_cancer_lawsuit)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Fukushima_cancer_lawsuit)">Cancer patients sue TEPCO over Fukushima disaster</a>)
<p>
Six Japanese who lived near Fukushima and developed thyroid cancer since
are suing 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/27/cancer-patients-file-landmark-suit-over-fukushima-disaster">TEPCO, the plant's operator, for damages.</a>
<p>
Thyroid cancer is one of the common consequences of fallout from
nuclear fission

<li id="30_January_2022_(King_crabs_british_waters)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(King_crabs_british_waters)">King crabs invade British waters.</a>)
<p>
King crabs have invaded British waters. They have wiped out the
native fisheries of Norway, 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/28/king-crabs-invade-uk-waters-threatening-native-species">and may now do the same to Britain.</a>


<li id="30_January_2022_(Eu_farm_antibiotics_ban)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Eu_farm_antibiotics_ban)">Europe is reducing amount of antibiotics fed to farm animals.</a>)
<p>
Europe is making good progress on reducing the amount of antibiotics 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/28/uk-risks-falling-behind-on-reducing-farm-antibiotics-after-eu-ban">routinely fed to farm animals.</a>
<p>
I suspect it is even more important to restrict <em>which</em> antibiotics
are given routinely to animals -- never give them the ones that are
still fairly likely to cure humans' diseases.

<li id="30_January_2022_(Hungary_pegasus_lawsuit)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Hungary_pegasus_lawsuit)">Journalists targeted with Pegasus softwre to sue state</a>)
<p>
Hungarian journalists will sue Hungary and the company that made the
Pegasus spyware, 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/28/hungarian-journalists-targeted-with-pegasus-spyware-to-sue-state">which was apparently used to snoop on them.</a>



<li id="30_January_2022_(Biden_memo_debt)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Biden_memo_debt)">Biden secret memo on student debt authority</a>)
<p>
Biden got a secret memo about the extent of his authority to cancel
student debt, and 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/26/80-dems-tell-biden-release-secret-memo-student-debt-authority">he refuses to reveal what it says.</a>
<p>
The suspicion is that it says he can cancel a lot of debt,
but he has made some deal by which he will not do it.

<li id="30_January_2022_((Satire)_police_unsolved_crimes)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_((Satire)_police_unsolved_crimes)">(satire) Police Flip Through Unsolved Crimes</a>)
<p>
(satire) *Police Flip Through Unsolved Crimes To See What Else 
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/police-flip-through-unsolved-crimes-to-see-what-else-th-1848424844">They
Can Pin On Mentally Disabled Man.</a>*


<li id="30_January_2022_(Biden_egypt_armsale)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Biden_egypt_armsale)">Biden approves arms sale to Egypt despite rights abuse</a>)
<p>
The US is withholding part of an arms sale to Egypt on grounds that 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/26/despite-rights-abuses-biden-approves-25-billion-arms-sale-egypt">Egypt violates human rights.</a>
<p>
Part of the sale is going through -- radar systems and transport
aircraft -- but those, while useful in a war, won't actually shoot
anyone.
<p>
This might be an effective way to tell al-Sisi that it is time to
start respecting human rights, without being so nasty that he will run
off bitterly angry.

<li id="30_January_2022_((Satire)_biden_supremecourt_nominee)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_((Satire)_biden_supremecourt_nominee)">(Satire) Biden Meets With Senate Democrats</a>)
<p>
(satire) *Biden Meets With Senate Democrats To Discuss Breaking Up
Supreme Court 
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/biden-meets-with-senate-democrats-to-discuss-breaking-u-1848434601">Nominee And Confirming Her In Parts.</a>*


<li id="30_January_2022_(Biden_vaccine_recipes)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Biden_vaccine_recipes)">Progressives demand Biden to force pharma to share vaccine recipes</a>)
<p>
Progressives in Congress demanded that Biden compel vaccine companies to share
their 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/27/progressives-biden-force-pharma-share-vaccine-recipes-globally">secret methods with other countries for generic production.</a>

<li id="30_January_2022_((Satire)_lies_police)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_((Satire)_lies_police)">(satire) Lies All Police Are Legally Allowed To Tell You</a>)
<p>
(satire) *Lies All Police Officers 
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/lies-all-police-officers-are-legally-allowed-to-tell-yo-1848429896">Are Legally Allowed To Tell You.</a>*


<li id="30_January_2022_(Stove_methane_leak)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Stove_methane_leak)">Gas stoves even worse than previously thought</a>)
<p>
Gas stoves leak methane all the time, even when turned off.  The total leakage
is 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/27/gas-stoves-even-worse-climate-health-previously-thought">enough to be worth shutting off.</a>


<li id="30_January_2022_(Paley_cancellation)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Paley_cancellation)">What the cancellation of Nina Paley, teaches about cancellation</a>)
<p>
What the cancellation of Nina Paley, brilliant animator, 
<a href="https://theusfreespeechunion.substack.com/p/prisoners-of-our-own-action-resend">teaches about
cancellation.</a>

<li id="30_January_2022_(Dishonest_sources)"> 30 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#30_January_2022_(Dishonest_sources)">Knowing the rules about often-dishonest sources</a>)
<p>
Knowing the rules that often-dishonest sources follow in their lies
can enable you to determine that certain specific 
<a href="https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/bounded-distrust">statements from them
are probably true.</a>


<li id="29_January_2022_(Urgent:_Year_of_executive_actions)">29 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#29_January_2022_(Urgent:_Year_of_executive_actions)">Urgent: Year of executive actions</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Biden to make this year the year of Executive
 Actions &mdash; with <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-president-biden-make-this-year-the-year-of-executive-actionsar-of-executive-actions">several suggestions</a>.

<li id="29_January_2022_(Early_death_if_living_near_frack_wells)">29 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#29_January_2022_(Early_death_if_living_near_frack_wells)">Early death if living near frack wells</a>)
<p>

A study found that people in the US are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/27/people-living-closer-us-oil-and-gas-wells-higher-risk-dying-prematurely-study">more likely to die early</a>
if they live near frack wells.  Downwind of them is even worse.
<p>
The study controlled for socioeconomic, environmental and
demographic factors, so it's not that these wells are built where poor
people live, or that the wells drive down housing prices and poor
people have to move near them.
<p>
Other medical problems are also more likely near frack wells.
<p>
Basically, frack is a dangerous drug.

<li id="29_January_2022_(Republican_gerrymandering_in_Nashville)">29 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#29_January_2022_(Republican_gerrymandering_in_Nashville)">Republican gerrymandering in Nashville</a>)
<p>

Republican gerrymandering split the Democrats of
Nashville among <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/27/republicans-just-wiped-out-a-democratic-district-heres-how">three congressional districts</a>, each of which has a
majority of Republicans from outside the city.
<p>
Nashville's current representative, a Democrat, has no chance of
winning any of those three districts.
<p>
There is a <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-sep-dec.html#25_October_2017_(Gerrymandering)">mathematical system</a> which finds the fairest possible
division of districts, which can be implemented by computer.
Some states use that method to produce an unbiased electoral system.
But Republicans aim to rig elections, not to make them fair.

<li id="29_January_2022_(Skyhorse_publishing_publishes_cancelled_authors)">29 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#29_January_2022_(Skyhorse_publishing_publishes_cancelled_authors)">Skyhorse publishing publishes cancelled authors</a>)
<p>

Skyhorse Publishing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jan/27/tony-lyons-skyhorse-publisher-cancelled-books">publishes books whose authors have been cancelled</a>
(and which are likely to sell many copies).

<li id="29_January_2022_(Nazi_hate)">29 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#29_January_2022_(Nazi_hate)">Nazi hate</a>)
<p>

The principal target of Nazi hatred was the Jews, but they had hate <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/27/black-people-were-hitlers-victims-too-that-must-not-be-forgotten">left
over for several other groups</a>.

<li id="29_January_2022_(NYC_families_investigated_for_neglect)">29 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#29_January_2022_(NYC_families_investigated_for_neglect)">NYC families investigated for neglect</a>)
<p>

2400 families in New York City have been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/27/covid-kids-school-reported-for-neglect">investigated for "neglecting"</a>
their children by keeping them away from school and the risk of Covid-19.

<li id="29_January_2022_(Deadly_heat_in_Phoenix,_Arizona)">29 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#29_January_2022_(Deadly_heat_in_Phoenix,_Arizona)">Deadly heat in Phoenix, Arizona</a>)
<p>

The heat in Phoenix, Arizona, is becoming more deadly.  The city is
considering <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/27/phoenix-arizona-hottest-city-cooling-technologies">long-term changes to reduce its heat-island effect</a>.

<li id="29_January_2022_(As_concepts_creep,_freedoms_retreat)">29 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#29_January_2022_(As_concepts_creep,_freedoms_retreat)">As concepts creep, freedoms retreat</a>)
<p>
Russell Blackford: <a href="https://secularhumanism.org/2021/10/as-concepts-creep-freedoms-retreat/">*As Concepts Creep, Freedoms Retreat.*</a>
<p>
For instance, many antiracists stretch the concept of "harming people"
to include disagreeing with their views, or <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2019-may-aug.html#14_June_2019_(George_Washington_murals)">showing an action that they
condemn</a>.
<p>
Republicans are stretching it even further when they stretch "critical
race theory" to include <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-may-aug.html#14_July_2021_(Critical_race_theory)">blanket condemnation of whites</a>, and then ban
them both. And when they ban books such as Maus on the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/27/opinions/maus-ban-holocaust-teaching-spiegelman-perry/index.html">basis of minor details</a>.

<li id="29_January_2022_(Taliban_must_respect_women_and_children's_rights)">29 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#29_January_2022_(Taliban_must_respect_women_and_children's_rights)">Taliban must respect women and children's rights</a>)
<p>

*Taliban <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/26/taliban-must-respect-rights-of-women-and-children-says-un-head">must respect rights of women and children</a>, says UN head.*
<p>
He also called for powers to unblock humanitarian aid.

<li id="29_January_2022_(Maintaining_Saudi_jets)">29 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#29_January_2022_(Maintaining_Saudi_jets)">Maintaining Saudi jets</a>)
<p>

*Dems Demand Biden <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/26/dems-demand-biden-stop-maintaining-saudi-jets-causing-untold-suffering-yemen">Stop Maintaining Saudi Jets</a> Causing 'Untold
Suffering' in Yemen.*
<p>
I wonder which countries the US plans to get extra gas for Europe from,
whether they include the UAE or <a href="/glossary.html#salafi">Salafi Arabia</a>.

<li id="28_January_2022_(Bahraini_dissident_extradited)"> 28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Bahraini_dissident_extradited)">Bahraini dissident extradited</a>)
<p> 
*Serbia extradites 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/25/serbia-extradites-bahraini-dissident-in-cooperation-with-interpol">Bahraini dissident in cooperation with Interpol.</a>*
<p>
This was in despite of an order from the European Court of Human Rights.

<li id="28_January_2022_(Palestinian_man_autopsy)"> 28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Palestinian_man_autopsy)">Palestinian man detained and neglected</a>)
<p> 
Israeli soldiers arrested an old Palestinian man, tied him up and
gagged him, and blindfolded him so tightly that it injured his eyes.
Soldiers saw him "fall asleep", 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/26/man-78-died-of-stress-induced-heart-attack-after-israeli-detention-says-autopsy">so they cut the zip ties, then left
him lying on the ground.</a>
<p>
He was dying, or perhaps dead already, but the soldiers didn't check.

<li id="28_January_2022_(Us_27th_least_corrupt)"> 28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Us_27th_least_corrupt)">US is 27th least corrupt country in the world</a>)
<p>
*The US is only the 27th least corrupt country in the world.* 
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/25/politics/us-corruption-perception-index-trump/index.html">Tied with Chile.</a>


<li id="28_January_2022_((Satire)_McConnell_Blocks_Justice)"> 28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_((Satire)_McConnell_Blocks_Justice)">(satire) McConnell Blocks Justice</a>)
<p>
(satire) *Mitch McConnell Blocks 
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/mitch-mcconnell-blocks-justice-stephen-breyer-from-reti-1848427236">Justice Stephen Breyer From Retiring.</a>*


<li id="28_January_2022_(bogus_job_claim_fossil_fuel)"> 28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(bogus_job_claim_fossil_fuel)">Bogus fossil fuel job creation claim</a>)
<p>
Don't believe the fossil fools when they claim that US needs the
employment they provide.  They employ much fewer than what they claim,
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/26/new-analysis-exposes-bogus-job-creation-claims-fossil-fuel-industry">and the number decreasing pretty fast.</a>
<p>
Investment in renewable energy would support far more jobs, and help
civilization keep going.

<li id="28_January_2022_(childrens_assault_rifles)"> 28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(childrens_assault_rifles)">Children's version of an assault rifle</a>)
<p>
Parents can now buy their children a 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/26/gun-maker-slammed-childrens-assault-rifles-based-ar-15">child's version of the AR-15 rifle.</a>
<p>
It shoots real bullets that can really kill.

<li id="28_January_2022_(petroleum_pull_out_myanmar)"> 28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(petroleum_pull_out_myanmar)">Major oil companies pulled out of Burma</a>)
<p>
Several major oil companies have 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/27/woodside-petroleum-to-pull-out-of-myanmar-one-year-on-from-military-coup">pulled out of Burma.</a>
<p>
I the past, this would be a blow to the military rulers.  Now I
suspect that China will gladly replace them in supporting the Burmese
rulers.
<p>
I'm afraid that Western leverage to discourage atrocious behavior
through economic sanctions is gone: China is always there to compete.
<p>
China may not always win this competition, but human rights are sure
to lose.


<li id="28_January_2022_(poland_protests_abortion_death)"> 28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(poland_protests_abortion_death)">Young mother denied an abortion</a>)
<p>
A Polish woman carrying two fetuses needed an abortion to save her
life, because one of them had died.  The other fetus still lived, and
doctors feared prosecution if they aborted the dead one, so they
waited.  The other fetus died, and they did the abortion, but 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/27/protests-flare-across-poland-after-death-of-young-mother-denied-an-abortion">during
that time her condition had deteriorated, leading to her death.</a>
<p>
Now her death has become a cause to mobilize Polish women for
abortion rights.
<p>
I've read that the Catholic Church initially decided to oppose
abortion, in the 19th century, on the grounds that the fetus might be
male, and males (even mere fetuses) were of higher value than any
female.


<li id="28_January_2022_(reforms_curb_corp_power)"> 28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(reforms_curb_corp_power)">Report says several industries are distorting Australia's democracy</a>)
<p>
*New report from Human Rights Law Centre says fossil fuel, gambling and tobacco industries are 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/28/extensive-reforms-needed-to-curb-corporate-power-in-australian-politics-human-rights-group-says">distorting Australia's democracy.</a>*

<li id="28_January_2022_(dozen_ways_older_population)"> 28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(dozen_ways_older_population)">Dozen ways a smaller, older population might be awesome</a>)
<p>
*A dozen ways a smaller, older 
<a href="https://secularhumanism.org/2021/10/a-dozen-ways-a-smaller-older-population-might-be-awesome/">population might be awesome.</a>*



<li id="28_January_2022_(Eu_city_house_prices)"> 28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Eu_city_house_prices)">Study finds investors driving up house prices</a>)
<p>
*Large investors drive up house prices 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/27/large-investors-drive-up-house-prices-in-europes-cities-study-finds">in Europe’s cities, study finds.</a>*



<li id="28_January_2022_(Using_Covid)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Using_Covid)">Using Covid</a>)
<p>
*Governments around the world <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/25/governments-around-the-world-used-covid-to-erode-human-rights-report">used Covid to erode human rights</a>.*


<li id="28_January_2022_(Giving_up_on_funding)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Giving_up_on_funding)">Giving up on funding</a>)
<p>
*Dutch university gives up Chinese funding <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/25/dutch-university-gives-up-chinese-funding-due-to-impartiality-concerns">due to impartiality concerns</a>.*

<p>
The funding was, effectively, a bribe to deny Chinese repression,


<li id="28_January_2022_(Reparations)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Reparations)">Reparations</a>)
<p>
*Reparations to the Caribbean could break the cycle of corruption –
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/25/reparations-caribbean-cycle-of-corruption-china">and China’s grip</a>.*


<li id="28_January_2022_(Ukraine_and_neutrality)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Ukraine_and_neutrality)">Ukraine and neutrality</a>)
<p>
Arguing that NATO can afford <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/24/how-us-and-nato-could-settle-dispute-over-ukraine-without-war">to commit not to bring Ukraine into NATO</a>.

<p>
I think committing to Ukraine's neutrality could be a good path if it
does includes an end to Putin's military destabilization of Eastern
Ukraine.  A commitment by Ukraine to respect the rights of
Russian-speaking Ukrainians would make it even better.


<li id="28_January_2022_(Short-term_convenience)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Short-term_convenience)">Short-term convenience</a>)
<p>
Xi declared short-term convenience for Chinese <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/26/xi-jinping-warns-chinas-low-carbon-ambitions-must-not-interfere-with-normal-life">higher priority than
the survival of civilization</a>.

<p>
Meanwhile, in the US, the plutocrats have a veto, and they consider
their profit higher priority than the survival of civilization.


<li id="28_January_2022_(Condemning_medically_vulnerable_people)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Condemning_medically_vulnerable_people)">Condemning medically vulnerable people</a>)
<p>
The UK, by telling people not to bother with masks, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/26/disabled-people-plan-b-restrictions">has condemned
medically vulnerable people to prison in their homes</a> -- in isolation.
  This could last for years.  It could last for their whole lives.


<li id="28_January_2022_(Teaching_not_to_use_misogynist_swear_words)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Teaching_not_to_use_misogynist_swear_words)">Teaching not to use misogynist swear words</a>)
<p>
A man in India is trying to teach people <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/26/cut-the-cussing-the-indian-man-on-a-mission-to-end-sexist-swearing">not to swear at people using
misogynist words</a>.

<p>
I agree with the man's goal.  I don't like attacking people based on
their race or sex, and I never do that, because I don't associate rage
or frustration with demographic groups.  I fortunately escaped being
taught that bad habit.

<p>
However, the law that prohibits all swear words (misogynist or not) is
unjust -- fucking evil censorship.


<li id="28_January_2022_(Carbon_offsetting)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Carbon_offsetting)">Carbon offsetting</a>)
<p>
George Monbiot: *Carbon offsetting is not warding off environmental
collapse –- <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/26/carbon-offsetting-environmental-collapse-carbon-land-grab">it's accelerating it</a>.*

<p>
I've expected this <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2007-jan-apr.html#22%20January%202007%20(Carbon%20offsetting%20is%20ineffective)">for years</a>.


<li id="28_January_2022_(Two_doses_of_vaccine)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Two_doses_of_vaccine)">Two doses of vaccine</a>)
<p>
A survey of patients found that two doses of vaccine greatly reduces
the chances a person <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/26/coronavirus-vaccines-may-reduce-risk-of-long-covid-ons-study-finds">will have symptoms 12 weeks after infection with
Covid-19</a>.

<p>
More studies are needed to track the development of long Covid more carefully,
and control better for variables such as which variant the patients had.


<li id="28_January_2022_(Taking_someone_citizenship)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Taking_someone_citizenship)">Taking someone citizenship</a>)
<p>
A UK court ruled it was illegal to take away someone's citizenship
without informing her, and on those grounds <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/26/uk-unlawfully-stripped-woman-of-citizenship-without-telling-her-court">ruled her citizenship
was restored</a>.

<p>
The UK government is already working to change the law to give itself
permission to toy with people in that way.  But, even with notification,
exile is an unjust punishment -- even if it is the result of a fair trial.

<p>
Without a trial, no punishment is legitimate.


<li id="28_January_2022_(Smaller_attacks)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Smaller_attacks)">Smaller attacks</a>)
<p>
Discussion about various smaller attacks <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/26/focused-russian-attack-on-ukraine-seen-as-more-likely-than-full-scale-invasion">that Putin could launch
against Ukraine</a>.


<li id="28_January_2022_(Saving_dogs_rather_than_people)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Saving_dogs_rather_than_people)">Saving dogs rather than people</a>)
<p>
There is evidence that Bogus Johnson <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/26/emails-suggest-boris-johnson-authorised-afghanistan-animal-rescue-despite-denials">directly authorized saving dogs
instead of Afghan human beings</a>.


<li id="28_January_2022_(Investigation_of_Republicans)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Investigation_of_Republicans)">Investigation of Republicans</a>)
<p>
*US prosecutors investigate Republicans <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/26/fake-trump-electors-us-investigation-doj">who sent fake Trump electors
to Congress</a>.*


<li id="28_January_2022_(Justice_retiring)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(Justice_retiring)">Justice retiring</a>)
<p>
Justice Breyer has agreed to retire, rather than hang on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/jan/26/stephen-breyer-retires-supreme-court-biden-pick-justice">and probably
be replaced by Republicans with a right-wing extremist</a>.


<li id="28_January_2022_(End_to_fossil_fuel_extraction_inside_city)">28 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#28_January_2022_(End_to_fossil_fuel_extraction_inside_city)">End to fossil fuel extraction inside city</a>)
<p>
Los Angeles has decided, in principle, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/26/los-angeles-vote-phase-out-oil-and-gas-drilling">to put an end to fossil fuel extraction 
inside the city</a>.




<li id="27_January_2022_(Liability_insurance_for_gun_carriers)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Liability_insurance_for_gun_carriers)">Liability insurance for gun carriers</a>)
<p>
San Jose, California, passed a law <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/26/california-san-jose-gun-owners-liability-insurance">to require gun owners to carry
liability insurance</a>.

<p>
The big question is whether the Supreme Court will rule that this conflicts
with the Second Amendment.


<li id="27_January_2022_(Surprise_plant_inspections)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Surprise_plant_inspections)">Surprise plant inspections</a>)
<p>
*US to hold surprise plant inspections <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/26/cancer-alley-epa-plant-inspections-pollution">targeting [air] pollution in
Louisiana's Cancer Alley</a>.*


<li id="27_January_2022_(PFAS)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(PFAS)">PFAS</a>)
<p>
*Nearly 75% of water-resistant products <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/26/water-resistant-products-toxic-pfas-study">contain toxic PFAS</a>, study
 finds.*


<li id="27_January_2022_(Regrow_of_leg_in_frogs)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Regrow_of_leg_in_frogs)">Regrow of leg in frogs</a>)
<p>
Special drugs <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jan/26/frog-regrows-amputated-leg-after-being-given-drug-treatment">enable frogs to regrow an amputated leg</a>.


<li id="27_January_2022_(Generic_Covid-19_treatment)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Generic_Covid-19_treatment)">Generic Covid-19 treatment</a>)
<p>
Pfizer is cooperating on generic manufacturing of its Covid-19 treatment,
Paxlovid &mdash; but dragging its feet.  It should do everything it can
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/24/advocacy-group-urges-pfizer-combat-paxlovid-inequality">to get production up to the level the world needs</a>.


<li id="27_January_2022_(Defending_voting_rights)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Defending_voting_rights)">Defending voting rights</a>)
<p>
Jesse Jackson: there are things Biden can do to defend voting right
against some attacks, but what we need most <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/25/voting-rights-will-be-dead-without-street-heat">is to mobilize large
numbers of people in the street</a>.


<li id="27_January_2022_(Thugs_killings)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Thugs_killings)">Thugs killings</a>)
<p>
US thugs <a href="https://boingboing.net/2022/01/24/u-s-cops-killed-at-least-1134-people-last-year.html">killed 1,134 people (or more) in 2021</a>.

<p>
In 2020, they killed 1,021.  Reportedly a disproportionate share of
the increase was due to more killing of blacks.


<li id="27_January_2022_(New_Covid-19_variant)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(New_Covid-19_variant)">New Covid-19 variant</a>)
<p>
A new Covid-19 variant, named BA.2, <a href="https://www.cityam.com/new-covid-variant-is-spreading-like-wildfire-in-scandinavia-ba-2-stealth-mutation-now-half-of-all-coronavirus-cases-in-denmark-and-rapidly-pushing-omicron-aside/">is spreading fast in several
countries</a>.

<p>
In its basic behavior, it resembles Omicron: it spreads fast and its symptoms
tend to be mild.


<li id="27_January_2022_(Olympics_boycott)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Olympics_boycott)">Olympics boycott</a>)
<p>
A call for athletes to boycott the Olympics in China in solidarity
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/25/a-genocide-against-our-people-australian-uyghur-leader-calls-for-athlete-boycott-of-beijing-winter-olympics">with the Uyghurs that China is imprisoning and brainwashing</a>.

<p>
It is not easy to convince thousands of athletes to stay away from the most
important contest of their lives.  The best chance of success is if groups
of athletes make the decision together.


<li id="27_January_2022_(Mask_mandate_in_schools)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Mask_mandate_in_schools)">Mask mandate in schools</a>)
<p>
*Virginia Schools <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/24/virginia-schools-sue-youngkin-mandate-making-masks-optional">Sue Youngkin Mandate Making Masks Optional</a>.*

<p>
Some parents might want to tell their children not to wear masks in school.
That would be foolish of them, but they might.

<p>
Other parents might want to tell their children to stay safe in school,
by not hanging out with dangerous unmasked and unvaccinated people.

<p>
It is impossible to give both kinds of parents their way.  So which 
is more important?  The ones who want to keep their children safe.


<li id="27_January_2022_(Department_of_Homeland_Security)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Department_of_Homeland_Security)">Department of Homeland Security</a>)
<p>
The Department of Homeland Security has an ingrained blindness to the
danger of right-wing extremists, partly because it contains ingrained
right-wing extremists, and it has little to restrain it from obeying
orders <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/25/what-if-department-homeland-security-was-aimed-nation-it-was-created-protect">to go after dissidents that the president labels as dangerous</a>.

<p>
I've called it various things, including <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-nov-feb.html#9_January_2018_(Voter_suppression)">the Department of Homeland
Suppression</a>
            and <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2011-sep-dec.html#04_September_2011_(DHS_mobile_scanners)">the Department of Harm and Sickness</a>.


<li id="27_January_2022_(Nutritional_Supplements)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Nutritional_Supplements)">Nutritional Supplements</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/tom-brady-rips-into-his-nutritional-supplements-for-let-1848419517">satire</a>) *Tom Brady Rips Into His Nutritional Supplements For Letting
Him Down In Big Game.*


<li id="27_January_2022_(Poor_children)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Poor_children)">Poor children</a>)
<p>
A study of 1000 children whose parents were poor gave substantial
funds to half the parents, and <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/25/ctc-ends-study-says-monthly-payments-boost-baby-brain-activity">found that the children showed improved
brain function</a>.

<p>
This was, presumably, the result of using the additional income
to correct problems in the families' lives.


<li id="27_January_2022_(Covax)">27 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#27_January_2022_(Covax)">Covax</a>)
<p>
The "Covax" campaign, which was supposed to provide Covid vaccines to
non-rich countries, has achieved only half its 2021 target, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/25/covax-out-cash-inadequacy-vaccine-charity-model-further-exposed">and has
run out of funds</a>.

<p>
The people of those countries, and indirectly the rest of us, will
remain vulnerable until we vaccinate everyone with an up-to-date
vaccine.

<p>
We have to hope that the virus has not started developing new variants
to frequently to ever catch up.



<li id="26_January_2022_(Urgent:_End_all_U.S._involvement_in_war_in_Yemen)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Urgent:_End_all_U.S._involvement_in_war_in_Yemen)">Urgent: End all U.S. involvement in war in Yemen</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Biden to <a href="https://act.winwithoutwar.org/act/biden_end_yemen_involvement">end all U.S. involvement in [the war
 in] Yemen</a>.

<li id="26_January_2022_(Backlash_against_right-wing_extremist_Christians)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Backlash_against_right-wing_extremist_Christians)">Backlash against right-wing extremist Christians</a>)
<p>

Backlash against right-wing extremist Christians seems to have
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/25/the-backlash-against-rightwing-evangelicals-is-reshaping-american-politics-and-faith">encouraged many Americans to drop religion</a>.
<p>
A counter-backlash is making "evangelical" more equivalent to
"right-wing extremist" and eliminating internal resistance against
ever-more-extreme behavior.

<li id="26_January_2022_(Buying_things_in_metaverse)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Buying_things_in_metaverse)">Buying things in metaverse</a>)
<p>

The "metaverse" is *<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/25/ive-seen-the-metaverse-and-i-dont-want-it">another place to spend money on things</a>, except in
   this place the empty promise that buying stuff will make you happy
   is left even more exposed by the fact that the things in question
   do not physically exist.*
<p>
The article informs us that Facebook is thinking about ways to track
and profile people in its metaverse even more than they are tracked in
the physical world.

<li id="26_January_2022_(Stores_alter_internet_prices)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Stores_alter_internet_prices)">Stores alter internet prices</a>)
<p>

Many large store chains <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/target-tracking-location-changing-prices_l_603fd12bc5b6ff75ac410a38">alter their internet prices</a> in surprising ways
based on tracking the customer.

<li id="26_January_2022_(Today's_pervasive_surveillance_systems)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Today's_pervasive_surveillance_systems)">Today's pervasive surveillance systems</a>)
<p>

Today's pervasive surveillance systems would quickly <a href="https://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/257976-superhero-secret-identities-arent-possible-with-todays-computing-technologies/fulltext">expose the secret identities of superheroes</a>, if they really existed.
<p>
They can expose your secrets, too, and make you vulnerable to repression.

<li id="26_January_2022_(Scale_of_lost_schooling)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Scale_of_lost_schooling)">Scale of lost schooling</a>)
<p>

*UN data reveals <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/25/un-data-reveals-nearly-insurmountable-scale-of-lost-schooling-due-to-covid">"nearly insurmountable" scale</a> of lost schooling due to Covid.*
<p>
I hazard a guess that the amount of schooling lost over the past few
decades due to IMF "structural reform" policies that made countries
charge money for elementary school greatly exceeded was was lost due
to Covid.

<li id="26_January_2022_(ISP_choice_in_apartments)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(ISP_choice_in_apartments)">ISP choice in apartments</a>)
<p>

*FCC chair plans to <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/01/fcc-chair-plans-crackdown-on-isp-landlord-deals-that-prevent-competition/">block exclusive deals</a> that limit ISP choice in
 apartments.*

<li id="26_January_2022_((satire)_Law_named_after_him)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_((satire)_Law_named_after_him)">(satire) Law named after him</a>)
<p>

(satire) *Man Hoping His Death Fucked Up Enough That He Gets <a href="https://www.theonion.com/man-hoping-his-death-fucked-up-enough-that-he-gets-law-1848402329">Law Named
After Him</a>.*

<li id="26_January_2022_('Fighting_takeovers'_of_public_water_systems)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_('Fighting_takeovers'_of_public_water_systems)">'Fighting takeovers' of public water systems</a>)
<p>
*How Americans <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/25/corporate-vultures-americans-fearing-higher-water-bills-fight-takeovers">fearing higher water bills are fighting takeovers</a>* of
their public water systems.

<li id="26_January_2022_(Hacking_railroad)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Hacking_railroad)">Hacking railroad</a>)
<p>
Belarus hackers cracked Belarusian railroad computers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/25/cyberpartisans-hack-belarusian-railway-to-disrupt-russian-buildup">to interfere
with Russian troop trains</a>.
  They say they can crash the signaling and emergency control systems
and may do that later.

<p>
The specific activity they are doing, breaking security on systems,
is called "cracking", but I refer to them as "hackers" because they
seem to have the hacker spirit.

<p>
They say they are using ransomware, but not demanding money &mdash;
instead, they demand freeing political prisoners.
 

<li id="26_January_2022_(Paramilitaries_convicted_of_rape)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Paramilitaries_convicted_of_rape)">Paramilitaries convicted of rape</a>)
<p>
Government-sponsored Guatamalan paramilitaries have been convicted of
raping Maya women <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/25/guatemala-victory-in-court-for-indigenous-women-raped-during-civil-war">as an act of political violence during the civil war</a>.

<p>
One of the victims demands return of the remains of her parents &mdash; the
paramilitaries took them away and they were never seen again.

<p>
The civil war in Guatamala was organized by the US government.


<li id="26_January_2022_(Asylum_and_families)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Asylum_and_families)">Asylum and families</a>)
<p>
The UK plans to change the asylum rules so that refugees granted asylum <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/24/new-rules-could-prevent-thousands-of-refugees-from-joining-close-family-in-uk">can
no longer bring their families</a>.


<li id="26_January_2022_(Stakeholder_capitalism)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Stakeholder_capitalism)">Stakeholder capitalism</a>)
<p>
"Stakeholder capitalism", like trickledown economics, tries to
convince us that truly wise capitalists would naturally make life
better for the non-rich.  There is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/23/woke-capitalism-new-trickle-down-economics">no sign that this really happens</a>.


<li id="26_January_2022_(Earth_end)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Earth_end)">Earth end</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/leaked-documents-confirm-exxonmobil-has-known-exactly-w-1848355647">satire</a>) *Leaked Documents Confirm ExxonMobil Has Known Exactly Which
Day Earth Ends Since The 1970s.*


<li id="26_January_2022_(Equivalent_value)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Equivalent_value)">Equivalent value</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/biden-vows-that-if-russia-invades-ukraine-u-s-will-in-1848401421">satire</a>) *Biden Vows That If Russia Invades Ukraine, U.S. Will Invade
One Country Of Equivalent Value.*


<li id="26_January_2022_(Pragmatic_extremist)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Pragmatic_extremist)">Pragmatic extremist</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/pragmatic-extremist-stresses-importance-of-assassinatin-1848235413">satire</a>) *Pragmatic Extremist Stresses Importance Of Assassinating
Local Politicians.*


<li id="26_January_2022_(Plan_to_reduce_gun_crime)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Plan_to_reduce_gun_crime)">Plan to reduce gun crime</a>)
<p>
The new mayor of New York City <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/24/us/nypd-eric-adams-gun-violence/index.html">has a plan to reduce gun crime</a>.

I can imagine that "targeted, precision policing" of 30 precincts is
(1) not very different from <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2020-jan-apr.html#6_February_2020_(Precogs_fail)">"predictive policing"</a>
                                                  and (2) not a big
change from what's already done.

<p>
I can also imagine that "spot checks" and bus and train stations will
not be very different from "stop and search", and that most of the
arrests they make will be for drug possession.  Though they may
succeed in dissuading non-car-owners from New Jersey to come into New
York City with weapons.

<p>
What other things will the reported "new technology" do, besides
identify people with illegal guns?'


<li id="26_January_2022_(Statue_attacked)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Statue_attacked)">Statue attacked</a>)
<p>
Unidentified individuals <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/24/puerto-rico-statue-spanish-king-juan-ponce-de-leon">attacked the statue of Juan Ponce de León in
San Juan, Puerto Rico</a>.

<p>
Ponce de León became successful by enslaving Tainos in Hispaniola, and 
his main achievement was to extend such slavery to Puerto Rico.  I think
his statue is a good candidate for official removal.


<li id="26_January_2022_(Banning_teacher_to_speak_about_gender_and_queer)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Banning_teacher_to_speak_about_gender_and_queer)">Banning teacher to speak about gender and queer</a>)
<p>
Florida Republicans seek to ban teachers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/24/florida-republican-committee-dont-say-gay-bill">from talking about the topics
of queer sexual orientation or gender identity in class</a>.

<p>
This is premised on the supposition that parents have a right to
dictate their children's sexual orientation and gender identity &mdash; but
they can't do that.


<li id="26_January_2022_(Voluntary_funding_of_WHO)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Voluntary_funding_of_WHO)">Voluntary funding of WHO</a>)
<p>
The head of WHO says that it is weakened by depending on voluntary
funding from donor countries &mdash; that gives them <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/24/world-health-organization-funding-who-director-general">too much control
over what WHO tries to do</a>.

<p>
It also lets them specifically control what WHO does not do &mdash; for
instance, <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#25_May_2021_(WHO_plenary_meeting)">allow Taiwan to participate</a>.

<p>
He also warns us not to assume that Omicron is the last big wave
of Covid-19.  There are plenty of people catching the disease and
giving it a chance to mutate.


<li id="26_January_2022_(Murder_crisis)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Murder_crisis)">Murder crisis</a>)
<p>
*Third Mexican journalist killed this year <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/24/mexico-third-journalist-killed-this-year">as press corps faces murder crisis</a>.*


<li id="26_January_2022_(Deceptive_suggestions_from_Google)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Deceptive_suggestions_from_Google)">Deceptive suggestions from Google</a>)
<p>
Google is being sued for "deceptive" suggestions that users can
disconnect themselves from old location data <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/24/google-sued-privacy-texas-district-of-columbia">simply by making a new
account and changing settings</a>.


<li id="26_January_2022_(Slow_inundation)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Slow_inundation)">Slow inundation</a>)
<p>
A museum exhibit teaches people about slow inundation, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/jan/24/climate-crisis-floodzone-anastasia-samoylova-exhibition">what has
happened and what's coming</a>.


<li id="26_January_2022_(Antimuslimism)">26 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#26_January_2022_(Antimuslimism)">Antimuslimism</a>)
<p>
Antimuslimism is pervasive in the Tory Party: when instances pop up,
there is a brief furor, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/24/ugly-truth-tory-islamophobia-nusrat-ghani-anti-muslim">but no one is punished</a>.

<p>
This makes an interesting contrast with how Corbyn was drummed out of
the Labour Party, not for being antisemitic (he never showed any sign
of that), but merely for not stretching that term to punish critics
of Israel's occupation of Palestine.

<p>
I don't think either one is mainly about disapproval of bigotry.
I think plutocratism is at work in both cases.



<li id="25_January_2022_('Free-range_kids'_laws)">25 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_January_2022_('Free-range_kids'_laws)">'Free-range kids' laws</a>)
<p>
  Three more US states are considering <a href="https://www.freerangekids.com/three-states-about-to-introduce-free-range-parenting-bills/">"free-range kids" laws</a>,
  intended to free parents of the burden of supervising their children nonstop, 24/7.

<li id="25_January_2022_(Putin_and_Ukraine)">25 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_January_2022_(Putin_and_Ukraine)">Putin and Ukraine</a>)
<p>
  An analyst believes <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/24/rising-costs-of-ukraine-gamble-could-force-russias-hand">Putin is coming to realize he can't grab anything
  from Ukraine by bombastic threats</a>.
  He thinks Putin will turn to war.  That would be undesirable.
<p>
  It suggests to me that the US should try to help Putin save face if he
  does not attack.

<li id="25_January_2022_(Julian_Assange_may_get_to_appeal_extradition)">25 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_January_2022_(Julian_Assange_may_get_to_appeal_extradition)">Julian Assange may get to appeal extradition</a>)
<p>
  Julian Assange <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jan/24/julian-assange-wins-first-stage-of-attempt-to-appeal-against-extradition">may get a chance to appeal the extradition decision to
  the UK Supreme Court</a>.
<p>
  This means there is a chance to reverse the disastrous general
  decision to extradite journalists for "espionage" changes, as well as
  the cruel decision to subject Assange to brainwashing prison
  conditions for at least a few more years.

<li id="25_January_2022_(Newt_Gingrich's_warning)">25 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_January_2022_(Newt_Gingrich's_warning)">Newt Gingrich's warning</a>)
<p>
  Newt Gingrich warned us that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/24/newt-gingrich-capitol-attack-committee-jail">if Republicans take over Congress next fall,
  they will invent excuses to jail the people who are now investigating
  the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol</a>.
<p>
  In other words, they will institute arbitrary rule, as we see in
  Russia and China, where the rulers invent crimes to accuse opponents of.

<li id="25_January_2022_(Cairo_police_torture)">25 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_January_2022_(Cairo_police_torture)">Cairo police torture</a>)
<p>
  *Prisoner’s secret filming appears to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/24/cairo-egypt-police-station-secret-filming-appears-to-show-torture">show torture in Cairo police
  station</a>.*
<p>
  The only surprise is that we get something like proof of this.
  The prisoners accused specific <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> by name.

<li id="25_January_2022_(Long_Covid)">25 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_January_2022_(Long_Covid)">Long Covid</a>)
<p>
  Almost 1% of the population of Britain has had <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/24/long-covid-nearly-2m-days-lost-in-nhs-staff-absences-in-england">long Covid disabilities</a>
  for at least a year.  Around 2% have them now.
<p>
  People who oppose practicing and requiring precautions against spread
  are imposing on everyone a fate worse than death.

<li id="25_January_2022_(Dealing_with_hostage_takers_and_murderers)">25 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_January_2022_(Dealing_with_hostage_takers_and_murderers)">Dealing with hostage takers and murderers</a>)
<p>
  <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/23/us/secure-community-network-jewish-security/index.html">Training on how to deal with hostage-takers and murderers</a> was very effective
  in thwarting the attack on the synagogue in Texas.

<li id="25_January_2022_(Economic_warfare)">25 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#25_January_2022_(Economic_warfare)">Economic warfare</a>)
<p>
  Biden is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/23/politics/us-gas-production-strategy-russia-ukraine-invasion/index.html">planning economic warfare that will really hurt Russia</a>: to stimulate world gas extraction so Europe won't buy from Russia any more.
<p>
  Its other short-term effect will be to push the world closer to global
  heating disaster.  And it may not be easy to shut off the increased
  flow of gas after a few years.
<p>
  If the threat dissuades Putin from attacking, perhaps the increase will not
  have to occur.

<li id="24_January_2022_(Urgent:_Protect_election_workers_from_Republican_threats)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Urgent:_Protect_election_workers_from_Republican_threats)">Urgent: Protect election workers from Republican threats</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on the Senate to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-the-petition-protect-this-countrys-election-workers">protect election workers from
Republican threats</a>.

<p>The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.</p>
<p>If you call, please spread the word</p>

<li id="24_January_2022_(1987_Reformation_of_political_debates)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(1987_Reformation_of_political_debates)">1987 Reformation of political debates</a>)
<p>

Presidential debates were reformed in 1987 so as to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/21/authoritarian-rnc-renounces-corporate-debate-system-it-helped-create">exclude parties
other than Republican and Democratic</a>.
<p>
I knew this, of course, when I suggested that the <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#14_January_2022_(Refusing_to_debate)">Democratic candidate
debate the candidates of the secondary parties</a>.
This would be better for the Democratic Party than to ignominiously
allow the Republicans to cancel the debates.  It would make the
Republican Party suffer the brunt of its refusal.

<li id="24_January_2022_((satire)_NFL-Military_partnership)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_((satire)_NFL-Military_partnership)">(satire) NFL-Military partnership</a>)
<p>

(satire) *New NFL-Military Partnership Sends <a href="https://www.theonion.com/new-nfl-military-partnership-sends-first-1-000-fans-to-1848392989">First 1,000 Fans To Stand
For National Anthem Off To War</a>.*

<li id="24_January_2022_(Lasting_harm_to_sense_of_smell)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Lasting_harm_to_sense_of_smell)">Lasting harm to sense of smell</a>)
<p>

*Half of first-wave Covid cases may have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/23/nearly-half-of-first-wave-covid-cases-may-suffer-lasting-harm-to-sense-of-smell">lasting harm to sense of smell</a>.* This can make food taste bad.  It terrifies me.
<p>
I don't think it is known yet how Omicron today compares to those results.

<li id="24_January_2022_(Phony_teams_of_electors)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Phony_teams_of_electors)">Phony teams of electors</a>)
<p>

Real Republican officials supported the wrecker's plan to send <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/19/opinions/2020-election-phony-electors-democracy-alexander/index.html">phony
teams of electors</a> to present themselves as the winners of their state'
presidential elections.
<p>
Why does the US have such a bizarre system for determining the result
of the presidential election?  Why have so many elected officials play
a role?
<p>
I have a hypothesis.  I think the people who designed that system
wanted all the officials to play a part so that they would feel a
loyalty to the eventual results.  They thought this would increase
respect for the process and its result.  It must never have occurred
to them that some of those officials would make a conscious plan to
cheat.  They expected dispute, not sedition.

<li id="24_January_2022_(Civic_engagement_in_UK)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Civic_engagement_in_UK)">Civic engagement in UK</a>)
<p>

*Faster internet speeds linked to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/23/internet-access-decline-civic-engagement-uk">lower civic engagement in UK</a>.*
<p>
It seems that increasing speed of web access reduces involvement in
political parties, trade unions and volunteering.

<li id="24_January_2022_(Reselling_luxury_assets)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Reselling_luxury_assets)">Reselling luxury assets</a>)
<p>

Very Rich People Can Now Make Millions More By <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/22/billionaire-side-hustle-neoliberalism-created">Reselling luxury assets
to each other</a>.
<p>
It is true that this money tends to come from other very rich people.
It may not have the effect of increasing the squeezing of the poor.

<li id="24_January_2022_(Accepting_pain_for_goals)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Accepting_pain_for_goals)">Accepting pain for goals</a>)
<p>

People want to be happy, but will <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/23/hedonism-is-overrated-to-make-the-best-of-life-there-must-be-pain-says-yale-professor">accept pain for goals they want</a>.
Interestingly, one of the goals many accept to suffer for is to have a
meaningful life.
<p>
Most of my life has been sad, but the Free Software Movement has made
it meaningful.

<li id="24_January_2022_(Florida_electric_companies_slowing_solar)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Florida_electric_companies_slowing_solar)">Florida electric companies slowing solar</a>)
<p>

Florida is the latest target of the electric companies' <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/23/politics/florida-solar-industry/index.html">campaign to slow the installation of home solar panels</a> by cutting the incentives.
<p>
Survival of civilization is something we all need.  If the rapid increase
of solar power systems requires improvements in the electric grid, the state
should pay for that as it pays for other necessary forms of defense.

<li id="24_January_2022_(UK_propaganda_leaflets)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(UK_propaganda_leaflets)">UK propaganda leaflets</a>)
<p>
The UK <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/23/uks-propaganda-leaflets-inspired-1960s-massacre-of-indonesian-communists">contributed to the propaganda for the 1965-66 massacre in Indonesia</a>.

<li id="24_January_2022_(Britons_exiled)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Britons_exiled)">Britons exiled</a>)
<p>
  The UK has exiled at least 464 Britons by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/21/hundreds-stripped-british-citizenship-last-15-years-study-finds">cutting off their citizenship,
  since it gave itself the power to do this easily</a>.
<p>
  Whatever a person has done, exile is an unacceptable punishment.
  Furthermore, any punishment is unjust if it is imposed without
  a proper, fair trial.

<li id="24_January_2022_((Satire)_Stratocaster)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_((Satire)_Stratocaster)">(Satire) Stratocaster</a>)
<p>
(satire) *Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame <a href="https://www.theonion.com/rock-roll-hall-of-fame-under-pressure-to-return-loote-1848385651">Under Pressure To Return Looted
Ancient Mesopotamian Stratocaster</a>.*

<li id="24_January_2022_(Judge_Rearden)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Judge_Rearden)">Judge Rearden</a>)
<p>
  Biden is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/21/atrocious-biden-renominates-chevron-lawyer-first-chosen-trump">giving plutocratist Judge Rearden a second chance to be
  confirmed permanently as a federal judge</a>.
<p>
  Rearden has carried out Chevron's persecution of Steven Donziger, as Biden
  surely knows.
<p>
  I hope there is a campaign to defeat Rearden.

<li id="24_January_2022_(US_bombed_a_big_dam)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(US_bombed_a_big_dam)">US bombed a big dam</a>)
<p>
  The US <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/21/us-risked-killing-thousands-bombing-syria-dam-no-strike-list">bombed a big dam in Syria and caused its equipment to fail</a>.
  Only an emergency truce between all the sides fighting in Syria,
  including Turkey, made it possible to repair the dam.
<p>
  The rogue targeting unit, Task Force 9, ordered the bomb run,
  disregarding standing orders not to bomb that dam.

<li id="24_January_2022_(Minimum_wage_for_federal_workers)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Minimum_wage_for_federal_workers)">Minimum wage for federal workers</a>)
<p>
  Biden gave help to a substantial fraction of poor people in the US
  by <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/21/biden-praised-15-minimum-wage-hike-all-federal-workers">raising the minimum wage for federal workers</a>.
<p>
  We need to raise it generally, but that would require help from
  Manchin and Sinema.

<li id="24_January_2022_(Detained_for_indirect_insult)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Detained_for_indirect_insult)">Detained for indirect insult</a>)
<p>
  *Turkey: prominent journalist <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/23/turkey-prominent-journalist-detained-for-insulting-president-erdogan">detained for [indirectly] insulting
  president Erdoğan</a>.*
<p>
  The journalist was talking about an ox.  It was Erdoğan who asserted that
  he was the ox.

<li id="24_January_2022_(Christian_adoption_agency)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Christian_adoption_agency)">Christian adoption agency</a>)
<p>
*Tennessee Jewish couple <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/22/tennessee-jewish-couple-sues-state-christian-adoption-agency-denies-them-services">sues state after Christian adoption agency denies
them services</a>.*

<li id="24_January_2022_(Campaign_to_rig_elections)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Campaign_to_rig_elections)">Campaign to rig elections</a>)
<p>
Republican officials who are willing to condemn the wrecker <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/22/republicans-voting-rights-trump">are nonetheless
supporting the campaign to rig future elections</a>.


<li id="24_January_2022_(Restoring_ecosystems)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Restoring_ecosystems)">Restoring ecosystems</a>)
<p>
A large project aims to restore <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/22/finland-restoring-river-ecosystems-rewilding">the ecosystems of Finland's rivers and
forests</a>.
  Finland converted its forests into tree plantations and its rivers
into conveyors for logs.


<li id="24_January_2022_(Vulnerable_population)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Vulnerable_population)">Vulnerable population</a>)
<p>
7% of the population of England consists of people who for medical
reasons are especially vulnerable to Covid-19.  The elimination of
anti-contagion precautions <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/22/more-people-will-die-fears-clinically-vulnerable-england-axes-plan-b">makes them choose between grave danger
and the equivalent of prison</a>.

<p>
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/22/shielders-say-lifting-of-england-plan-b-covid-restrictions-complete-nightmare">More</a>.


<li id="24_January_2022_(Blackmail)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Blackmail)">Blackmail</a>)
<p>
*About a dozen Tory MPs said to have accused party whips of blackmail.*
The aim of the blackmail <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/22/about-a-dozen-tory-mps-said-to-have-accused-party-whips-of-blackmail">was to make them vote to keep Bogus Johnson as
prime minister</a>.


<li id="24_January_2022_(Overestimation_of_income)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Overestimation_of_income)">Overestimation of income</a>)
<p>
Rich people overestimate the income of most Americans, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/22/the-super-rich-live-on-a-different-planet-their-thoughts-on-us-salaries-prove-it">and underestimate
what they need to pay for housing</a>.


<li id="24_January_2022_(Retaliating_to_nuclear_attack)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Retaliating_to_nuclear_attack)">Retaliating to nuclear attack</a>)
<p>
Daniel Ellsberg argues that <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/21/nuclear-annihilation-and-other-topics-talk-whistleblower-daniel-ellsberg">it would make no strategic sense to
retaliate for a large nuclear attack</a>.


<li id="24_January_2022_(Make_electric_cars_catch_on_fast)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Make_electric_cars_catch_on_fast)">Make electric cars catch on fast</a>)
<p>
Norway demonstrated the way to make electric cars catch on fast: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/22/how-do-we-make-the-move-to-electric-cars-happen-ask-norway">with
lots of financial incentives</a>.

<p>
Watch out for the efforts to eliminate one financial incentive to reduce
fossil fuel consumption &mdash; <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/oct/15/uk-public-warms-to-road-pricing-fuel-duty-replacement-considered">by replacing the fuel tax with "road pricing"</a>.


<li id="24_January_2022_(Uber_for_nurses)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Uber_for_nurses)">Uber for nurses</a>)
<p>
The brilliant new idea for our plutocratist medical system <a href="https://jacobinmag.com/2022/01/nurses-travel-apps-uber-flexibility-lean-production">is an Uber
for nurses</a>.

<p>
Imagine getting treated by a nurse that has no sick pay and therefore
desperately needs to work even when sick.  In principle, it is not
much different from eating a sandwich made by a cook that has no sick
pay and therefore desperately needs to work even when sick.  Both are
plutocracy at work and we should not allow them to occur.  But we need
to make it safe to go to a clinic.

<p>
At least the nurse will wear a mask.


<li id="24_January_2022_(Annexation)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Annexation)">Annexation</a>)
<p>
*[The wrecker] recognized the wholesale annexation of one country by
 another. If Biden lets that stand, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/22/bidens-continuation-trumps-western-sahara-policy-deeply-troubling">the global implications are deeply
 troubling</a>.*


<li id="24_January_2022_(Withdrawing_from_gas_project)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Withdrawing_from_gas_project)">Withdrawing from gas project</a>)
<p>
*Chevron and Total withdraw from Myanmar gas project* and say <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/21/chevron-and-total-withdraw-from-myanmar-gas-project">it is
because of the junta's oppressive rule</a>.


<li id="24_January_2022_(Climate_disinformation)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Climate_disinformation)">Climate disinformation</a>)
<p>
*Oil industry board members <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/21/oil-industry-board-members-to-testify-congress-climate-disinformation">to testify to Congress on climate
 disinformation</a>.*


<li id="24_January_2022_(Intimidating_journalists)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Intimidating_journalists)">Intimidating journalists</a>)
<p>
*Oligarchs from authoritarian countries <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jan/21/oligarchs-use-london-law-firms-to-intimidate-journalists-mps-say">use London law firms to
intimidate journalists</a>, MPs say.*


<li id="24_January_2022_(Bombing_of_prison)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Bombing_of_prison)">Bombing of prison</a>)
<p>
The UAE bombed a prison in Yemen, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/21/airstrike-yemen-prison-leaves-many-dead-or-wounded">killing 100 people and wounding
hundreds more</a>.

<p>
Prisoners are not combatants.


<li id="24_January_2022_(Unvaccinated_seniors)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Unvaccinated_seniors)">Unvaccinated seniors</a>)
<p>
*Unvaccinated seniors 49 times more likely to be hospitalized <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/21/cdc-covid-vaccine-hospitals-americans">than those with
boosters</a> – CDC.*


<li id="24_January_2022_(Making_the_military_seize_voting_machines)">24 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#24_January_2022_(Making_the_military_seize_voting_machines)">Making the military seize voting machines</a>)
<p>
The corrupter's inner circle wrote an executive order in December 2020
directing the US military <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/21/donald-trump-voting-machines-draft-executive-order">to seize the voting machines that had been
used in swing states</a>.

<p>
This appears to have been intended to give the impression that the
election had been stolen, using the "We made smoke, so you know there
was fire" principle.


<li id="23_January_2022_(Urgent:_Program_of_distributing_N95_masks)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Urgent:_Program_of_distributing_N95_masks)">Urgent: Program of distributing N95 masks</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Congress to fund a continuing program of <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-congress-and-president-biden-use-your-power-to-distribute-n95-masks-to-all-americans">distributing
N95 masks</a> to Americans that want to use them.

<p>The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.</p>
<p>If you call, please spread the word!</p>

<li id="23_January_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Lisa_Cook_and_Sarah_Bloom_Raskin_to_Federal_Reserve)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Lisa_Cook_and_Sarah_Bloom_Raskin_to_Federal_Reserve)">Urgent: Confirm Lisa Cook and Sarah Bloom Raskin to Federal Reserve</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on your senators to <a href="https://act.350.org/letter/jan-22-confirm-cook-raskin-senate/">confirm Lisa Cook and Sarah
 Bloom Raskin</a> to the Federal Reserve.

<p>The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.</p>
<p>If you call, please spread the word!</p>

<li id="23_January_2022_(Urgent:_Call_on_Biden_not_to_recruit_fossil_fuel_executives)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Urgent:_Call_on_Biden_not_to_recruit_fossil_fuel_executives)">Urgent: Call on Biden not to recruit fossil fuel executives</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Biden <a href="https://act.350.org/signup/fossil-fuel-execs-jan-2022-petition/">not to recruit fossil fuel
executives</a> for White House activities.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Whistle_blown_on_UK_Environment_Agency)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Whistle_blown_on_UK_Environment_Agency)">Whistle blown on UK Environment Agency</a>)
<p>

*Staff <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/20/environment-agency-cuts-staff-blow-whistle">blow whistle on [UK] Environment Agency</a> that "no longer deters
 polluters."*
<p>
This does not surprise me.  The Tory Party is the all-out plutocracy
party.  Its policy on <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2019-may-aug.html#16_July_2019_(Fossil_fuel_facilities)">pollution by businesses</a> is, "Full speed ahead."
We've seen the EPA in the US quietly <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-may-aug.html#28_August_2021_(Risk_assessments_for_dangerous_chemicals)">yield to business pressure</a> under
past administrations, Republican and Democrat,
and then the corrupter <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-sep-dec.html#21_December_2017_(EPA_coal_ash_program)">converted it into the Environmental Poisoning Agency</a>.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Reports_of_conflict_of_masks_in_court_are_untrue)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Reports_of_conflict_of_masks_in_court_are_untrue)">Reports of conflict of masks in court are untrue</a>)
<p>

Justices Sotomayor, Gorsuch and Roberts say that the reports of a
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/19/politics/gorsuch-sotomayor-masks-covid-supreme-court/index.html">conflict over whether to wear masks in court sessions are untrue</a>.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Special_election_thugs)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Special_election_thugs)">Special election thugs</a>)
<p>

With Governor DeSantis's <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/19/politics/ron-desantis-pushes-election-police-force/index.html">new special election thugs</a>, it will require a hero
to locally oversee an honest election.

<li id="23_January_2022_(County_in_Georgia)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(County_in_Georgia)">County in Georgia</a>)
<p>

A Republican-dominated county in Georgia is considering closing all
but one of the voting places.  The result would be to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/19/politics/poll-closures-rural-lincoln-county-georgia/index.html">stop poor people
from voting</a>, because it would be too far to go.
<p>
In principle, they could vote by mail, but Republicans are also imposing new
rules on that.
<p>
Republicans claim this won't stop poor people from voting, but given
how Republicans endorse lying, I don't believe a word of it.  There is
no other reason for them to do these things except voter suppression,
so they will surely get around to that.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Tracked_using_Apple_airtags)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Tracked_using_Apple_airtags)">Tracked using Apple airtags</a>)
<p>

Many people are calling the cops to report that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/20/apple-airtags-stalking-complaints-technology">they are being tracked
using Apple airtags</a>.
<p>
The systems to inform people that they are being tracked with airtags
are available only to people that carry an iMonster or an Android
phone.  However, to use those devices as protection from tracking is
perverse, because they are tracking devices themselves.  The phone
network <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2018-jul-oct.html#4_July_2018_(LocationSmart_phone_tracking)">records its locations</a> and stores that data for months.
<p>
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2016-sep-dec.html#9_November_2016_(Phone_WiFi_tracking)">IMSI-catcher devices</a> (used by thugs
at protests to identify protesters) track them locally, too.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Living_with_Covid_ethically_and_responsibly)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Living_with_Covid_ethically_and_responsibly)">Living with Covid ethically and responsibly</a>)
<p>

*It is easy to say that we [in the UK] must learn to live with
   Covid.  But to do so ethically and responsibly means <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/20/the-guardian-view-on-dropping-covid-restrictions-follow-the-scandal">focusing on the
   welfare of all</a> &mdash; not the political survival of the prime minister.*

<li id="23_January_2022_(FTC_summaries_of_web_site_terms_and_conditions)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(FTC_summaries_of_web_site_terms_and_conditions)">FTC summaries of web site terms and conditions</a>)
<p>

Congress is considering a possible law to have the FTC write <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20220113/11382448276/new-tldr-bill-requires-companies-provide-synopsis-overlong-predatory-terms-service.shtml">official summaries of terms and conditions of web sites</a>.
<p>
This could be a step in the right direction, but not enough to make
them acceptable.  For any kind of service that is widely used, the
state should regulate the allowable conditions, not merely summarize
the conditions that the business chooses.
<p>
This is not to mention the many nasty aspects to what the dis-services
actually do.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Conclusion_on_Havana_Syndrome)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Conclusion_on_Havana_Syndrome)">Conclusion on Havana Syndrome</a>)
<p>

The CIA concluded that the "Havana syndrome" is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/20/havana-syndrome-cia-report-foreign-power">mainly a mirage</a>
constructed out of various unrelated illnesses that people happened to
develop.  However, a few of the cases call for further investigation.

<li id="23_January_2022_(UK_schools_teaching_about_alcohol)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(UK_schools_teaching_about_alcohol)">UK schools teaching about alcohol</a>)
<p>

UK schools teach about the effects of drinking alcohol <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/20/uk-pupils-taught-about-alcohol-with-misleading-industry-funded-resources">using texts
sponsored by the alcoholic beverage companies</a>.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Gene-edited_crops)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Gene-edited_crops)">Gene-edited crops</a>)
<p>

The UK will allow experiments with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jan/20/uk-moves-closer-to-allowing-gene-editing-of-crops-by-allowing-more-research">planting gene-edited crops</a>.
<p>
I see no reason why this should be totally forbidden, but each case
needs to be checked with care.  Almost any wild plant or animal
species has the potential to become a dangerous invasive species if it
gets to the wrong place, and a gene-edited variety has this no less
than a wild variety.  Varieties designed to kill "pests" could become
threats to wild species, even very plentiful ones.  (<a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2020-sep-dec.html#18_December_2020_(Wiping_out_monarch_butterflies)">Pesticides have
driven monarch butterflies close to extinction</a>.)
<p>
In addition, gene-edited varieties could carry <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2013-may-aug.html#15_May_2013_(Supreme_Court_rules_for_Monsanto_against_farmer)">patent pollution</a> that
endangers poor farmers and the independence of family farms.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Massachusetts_right_to_repair_law)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Massachusetts_right_to_repair_law)">Massachusetts "right to repair" law</a>)
<p>

Massachusetts is <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/01/massachusetts-connected-car-right-to-repair-law-still-on-hold/">considering proposed changes</a> for its "right to
repair" law for cars.
<p>
I think H400 is a step forward &mdash; the additional requirements are
worth the delay &mdash; but more is needed.  The law should also require
that each new car offer a physical switch to turn off all radio
transmission from the car (except when the user asks for an emergency
call) and a physical switch to turn off all recording of location data
(no matter how it is obtained or computed) and of any data from which
locations could be inferred (such as by recording directions of motion
or turns made).
<p>
I'm going to talk with my state lawmakers about this.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Union_membership_fell_in_2021)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Union_membership_fell_in_2021)">Union membership fell in 2021</a>)
<p>

Despite the increased fighting spirit of US unions, the fraction of
workers that belong to unions <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/20/fetterman-calls-fall-union-membership-national-disgrace">fell substantially in 2021</a>.

<li id="23_January_2022_(US_climate_defense)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(US_climate_defense)">US climate defense</a>)
<p>

The US is not doing as much for climate defense as most European countries,
and it's <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/20/how-are-us-and-other-countries-doing-fighting-climate-change">too little, too late</a> &mdash; but at least it's a start.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Drunk_with_feeling_of_importance)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Drunk_with_feeling_of_importance)">Drunk with feeling of importance</a>)
<p>

Robert Reich theorizes that Manchin and Sinema are <a href="https://robertreich.substack.com/p/ego">drunk with the
feeling of importance</a> that they get from being able to block whatever
Biden tries to do.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Retail_and_restaurant_workers_in_the_US)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Retail_and_restaurant_workers_in_the_US)">Retail and restaurant workers in the US</a>)
<p>

Millions of American retail and restaurant workers are in such a
squeeze that they <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/20/economy/paid-sick-leave-covid-retail-restaurant-workers/index.html">can't call in sick</a>, even if they have Covid-19.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Aid_for_struggling_personal_stock_portfolio)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Aid_for_struggling_personal_stock_portfolio)">Aid for struggling personal stock portfolio</a>)
<p>

(satire) *Nancy Pelosi Introduces Landmark Legislation To <a href="https://www.theonion.com/nancy-pelosi-introduces-landmark-legislation-to-provide-1848393259">Provide Aid
For Struggling Personal Stock Portfolio</a>.*

<li id="23_January_2022_(American_Innovation_and_Choice_Online_Act)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(American_Innovation_and_Choice_Online_Act)">American Innovation and Choice Online Act</a>)
<p>

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/20/senate-panel-approves-antitrust-bill-rein-big-tech">American Innovation and
Choice Online Act</a>, intended to curb the power of big tech platforms.

<li id="23_January_2022_(Calls_on_PR_industry_to_drop_fossil_fuel_clients)">23 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Calls_on_PR_industry_to_drop_fossil_fuel_clients)">Calls on PR industry to drop fossil fuel clients</a>)
<p>
*[450 scientists] called on public relations and advertising
   agencies to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/19/450-climate-scientists-demand-pr-industry-drop-fossil-fuel-clients">no longer work with fossil fuel clients</a>.*

<li id="22_January_2022_((Satire)_Rough_patch_in_orbit)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_((Satire)_Rough_patch_in_orbit)">(Satire) Rough patch in orbit</a>)
<p>
  (satire) *Oxygen Masks Drop From Nation's
     Ceilings After <a href="https://www.theonion.com/oxygen-masks-drop-from-nation-s-ceilings-after-earth-hi-1848385822">Earth Hits Rough Patch In Orbit</a>.*

<li id="21_January_2022_(Right-wing_Covid-spreaders_boycott_Carhartt)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Right-wing_Covid-spreaders_boycott_Carhartt)">Right-wing Covid-spreaders boycott Carhartt</a>)
<p>

Right-wing Covid-spreaders are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/20/carhartt-vaccine-mandate-backlash-conservative">boycotting the work clothes company
Carhartt for maintaining a vaccination requirement</a> for its workers.
<p>
Covid-19 is their biological weapon, and any organization that
tries to resist it, they will try to make it give up.  They have a
grip on our government such that it is powerless to help us resist.

<li id="22_January_2022_(Puerto_Rico_debt)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(Puerto_Rico_debt)">Puerto Rico debt</a>)
<p>
  A plan to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/19/critics-warn-puerto-rico-debt-plan-will-lead-more-austerity">cancel most of Puerto Rico's debt will leave enough debt
  to crush it</a>.

<li id="22_January_2022_(Phase_out_fossil_fuels_on_public_land)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(Phase_out_fossil_fuels_on_public_land)">Phase out fossil fuels on public land</a>)
<p>
  *360+ Climate Groups to Biden: <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/19/360-climate-groups-biden-phase-out-fossil-fuels-public-lands">Phase Out Fossil Fuels on Public Lands</a>.*
<p>
  I wish I knew what reasons for this he has in his head.  Maybe he can't face
  the challenge of trying to lead the US into making the sacrifice necessary
  for the survival of the US (and the rest of the world too) -- but that's
  the job, and if he won't do it, no one else can.

<li id="22_January_2022_(Senator_Cruz)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(Senator_Cruz)">Senator Cruz</a>)
<p>
  Senator Cruz has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/19/ted-cruzs-pro-corruption-case-gets-supreme-court-review">invented a new form of campaign corruption in order
  to undermine campaign finance laws</a>.

<li id="22_January_2022_((Satire)_Apple_Acquires_Apple)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_((Satire)_Apple_Acquires_Apple)">(Satire) Apple Acquires Apple</a>)
<p>
  (satire) *Apple <a href="https://www.theonion.com/apple-acquires-apple-in-historic-3-trillion-deal-1848385874">Acquires Apple In Historic $3 Trillion Deal</a>.*

<li id="22_January_2022_(N95_masks_nationwide)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(N95_masks_nationwide)">N95 masks nationwide</a>)
<p>
  Biden announced a plan to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/19/catching-progressives-biden-provides-n95s-nationwide">provide N95 masks to everyone in the US</a>.
<p>
  He should have done this a year ago, but now is much better than never.

<li id="22_January_2022_(Papua_New_Guinea_abolishes_death_penalty)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(Papua_New_Guinea_abolishes_death_penalty)">Papua New Guinea abolishes death penalty</a>)
<p>
  Papua New Guinea has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/21/papua-new-guinea-repeals-death-penalty-30-years-after-reintroduction">abolished the death penalty</a>.

<li id="22_January_2022_(Smoking)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(Smoking)">Smoking</a>)
<p>
  Smoking <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/21/children-of-the-90s-smoking-body-fat">makes your descendants (for three generations at least) likely
  to be fatter</a>.
  What is amazing is that the effect depends in a complex way on details.

<li id="22_January_2022_(Ola_Bini)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(Ola_Bini)">Ola Bini</a>)
<p>
  Ola Bini has been <a href="https://peoplesdispatch.org/2022/01/18/after-recurrent-delays-trial-of-software-developer-and-activist-ola-bini-set-to-begin/">stuck in Ecuador for two years, awaiting trial on
  apparently bogus charges under a process including illegal actions by
  the state</a>.  How he will go on trial.
<p>
  One must suspect that Ecuador is doing this to serve the US, just as it
  expelled Assange from the embassy to serve the US.

<li id="22_January_2022_(America_and_authoritarianism)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(America_and_authoritarianism)">America and authoritarianism</a>)
<p>
*America must <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/19/america-biden-trump-authoritarinism">take steps now to avoid a slide into authoritarianism</a>.*

<li id="21_January_2022_(Lyft_donated_money_to_buy_ballot_initiative)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Lyft_donated_money_to_buy_ballot_initiative)">Lyft donated money to buy ballot initiative</a>)
<p>

Lyft has donated 14 million dollars to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/19/lyft-makes-largest-donation-massachusetts-history-keep-drivers-down">buy a ballot initiative</a> to deny
Lyft's drivers the rights of employees.

<li id="22_January_2022_(Basic_COVID_protections_for_call_center_workers)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(Basic_COVID_protections_for_call_center_workers)">Basic COVID protections for call center workers</a>)
<p>

*Medicare and ACA Call Center Workers <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3vbev/medicare-and-aca-call-center-workers-demand-basic-covid-protections">Demand Basic COVID Protections</a>.*

<li id="22_January_2022_(No_agreement_in_non-nuclear_deal_with_Iran)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(No_agreement_in_non-nuclear_deal_with_Iran)">No agreement in non-nuclear deal with Iran</a>)
<p>

The talks to restore the non-nuclear deal with Iran have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/17/iran-nuclear-talks-deadlock-risks-dangerous-vacuum">reached no agreement</a>,
and soon they will end.

<li id="22_January_2022_(Google_Analytics_illegal_in_EU)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(Google_Analytics_illegal_in_EU)">Google Analytics illegal in EU</a>)
<p>

Google Analytics <a href="https://tutanota.com/blog/posts/google-analytics/">declared illegal in the EU</a>.
<p>
Bravo!  But what we really need is to stop Google (and other companies)
from <em>collecting</em> the sort of data that <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">makes people vulnerable</a>.

<li id="22_January_2022_(Experience_with_cancellation)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(Experience_with_cancellation)">Experience with cancellation</a>)
<p>

Kate Clanchy, Richard Dawkins and Priyamvada Gopal write about <a href="https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/society-and-culture/ostracised-disinvited-rescinded-what-its-like-to-get-cancelled">their
experiences with cancellation</a>.
<p>
In ASCII form, the page doesn't say whose writing starts where, but I
think that Kate Clanchy's part starts with "I have no doubt that the
critic," Richard Dawkins's part starts with "A university is a
Socratic haven of free thought," and Priyamvada Gopal's part starts
with "Let me be upfront."
<p>
I read the first part of Clanchy's book to see what the offense was
about.  She described physical and cultural traits of the various
demographic groups of children she taught, mentioning differences that
made an impression on her &mdash; but her only wish was to teach them all,
not to judge them, and they appreciated that.
<p>
Maybe I understand how some people could look at that writing with a
particular squint and see bigotry.  What Clanchy wrote is not bigotry,
but it has some superficial resemblance to certain expressions of
bigotry.  A racist might mention some of those same group
characteristics as a build-up for a racist sneer at those children,
and at their adult relatives.  That would be real bigotry.
<p>
The error those cancellers made was to hype themselves into a
hairtrigger state in which they look at something that superficially
resembles bigotry, declare it to be real bigotry, and explode into
hatred.
<p>
Clanchy warns that cancellation will someday drive someone to suicide.
Sad to say, this has already happened.  <a href="https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/comedy/dave-chappelle-the-closer-transcript/">David Chappelle tells</a>
how his friend, trans comedienne Daphne Dwarman, was cancelled for
supporting him, and killed herself from the pain.  I would expect
there are dozens more such instances.
<p>
I love Dawkins's point about the extreme contrast between progressive
acceptance of transgenderism and condemnation of transracialism.  The
physical difference between the sexes is fundamental to reproduction;
the physical difference between human racial groups is a matter of
minor details that only occasionally have a substantial direct effect
on living.  In both cases we surround those physical differences with
socially constructed roles.  So why not let people identify as
whatever racial groups they choose?  Or invent new ones?
<p>
What about the right-wing cancellationism that Priyamvada Gopal
reports?  It operates using state power and financial influence.
Left-wing cancellationism does not have state power or financial
influence to work with, so it operates using hate mobs.  They are both
harmful to freedom of thought, but they look very different.

<li id="22_January_2022_(Manchin_and_Sinema_help_sink_voting_rights)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(Manchin_and_Sinema_help_sink_voting_rights)">Manchin and Sinema help sink voting rights</a>)
<p>

*Amid 'Slow-Motion Coup,' Manchin and Sinema Help GOP <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/20/amid-slow-motion-coup-manchin-and-sinema-help-gop-sink-voting-rights">Sink Voting Rights</a>.*

<li id="22_January_2022_((satire)_Parking_lot_corrals)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_((satire)_Parking_lot_corrals)">(satire) Parking lot corrals</a>)
<p>

(satire) *Frustrated Hospital Worker <a href="https://www.theonion.com/frustrated-hospital-worker-rounds-up-gurneys-patients-f-1848235712">Rounds Up Gurneys Patients Failed
To Put in Parking Lot Corrals</a>.*

<li id="22_January_2022_(Orlando_area_public_health_director_suspended)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(Orlando_area_public_health_director_suspended)">Orlando area public health director suspended</a>)
<p>

Florida Republicans suspended the Orlando area director of public health
for <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/19/us/orange-county-florida-health-director-email-leave/index.html">encouraging the staff to show their support for public health</a>.
<p>
Public health goes against the Disease Spreader Party's politics.

<li id="22_January_2022_(New_malicious_hardware)">22 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#22_January_2022_(New_malicious_hardware)">New malicious hardware</a>)
<p>

A <a href="https://www.servethehome.com/lenovo-vendor-locking-ryzen-based-systems-with-amd-psb/">new form of malicious hardware</a>: CPUs with circuits that won't allow
it to work if moved to some other brand of computer.
<p>
Does this have an effect on software freedom?  I don't see that it does,
but it is nasty in any case.

<li id="21_January_2022_(Crows)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Crows)">Crows</a>)
<p>
*   More than a thousand crows roost in Sunnyvale every night, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/20/crows-california-sunnyvale-palo-">ruffling
   locals’ feathers with caws and droppings</a>.*
  At least they do it with good caws.

<p>
Can Buffy slay crows?


<li id="21_January_2022_(Deep-water_coral_reefs)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Deep-water_coral_reefs)">Deep-water coral reefs</a>)
<p>
Some deep-water coral reefs <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/20/like-a-work-of-art-rare-stretch-of-pristine-coral-reef-discovered-off-tahiti-age-of-extinction">seem to be safe from world-wide coral
damage</a>.

<p>
What I wonder is, can all the coral species that live in shallow reefs
also live in deep reefs?


<li id="21_January_2022_(Sanctioning_and_aiding)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Sanctioning_and_aiding)">Sanctioning and aiding</a>)
<p>
*   Keynes argued that aiding our allies <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/20/keynes-warned-the-world-against-using-economic-sanctions-his-alternative-is-worth-considering">is more effective
   than sanctioning our foes</a>.*

<p>
Sanctions are not very effective, so I suppose this is true.

<p>
The difficulty about aiding allies is that it costs money.
Governments that are prostrate from having lowered taxes on the rich
are not in a position to do this very much &mdash; and likewise <a href="https://stallman.org/articles/why-we-need-a-state.html">the
other good things they ought to do</a>.


<li id="21_January_2022_(Misleading_banks_and_tax_officials)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Misleading_banks_and_tax_officials)">Misleading banks and tax officials</a>)
<p>
*New York attorney general <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/19/new-york-attorney-general-alleges-donald-trump-firm-misled-banks-tax-officials">alleges Trump firm misled banks and tax officials</a>.*

<p>
Questioning the wrecker himself for a civil suit might be a mistake, since it
would require giving him immunity from prosecution, and that would be most
unfortunate.


<li id="21_January_2022_(Eliminating_rules)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Eliminating_rules)">Eliminating rules</a>)
<p>
The Tories have given in to right-wing pressure by saying that they
will soon eliminate all the rules to reduce spread of Covid-19.
Teachers and medical personnel <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/19/sajid-javids-axing-of-all-covid-restrictions-draws-warnings-from-nhs">say this is absurd</a>.

<p>
This will allow people to "live normally", if they can ignore the
danger from all the unmasked Covid-infected people they pass by.  They
will all catch and spread Covid-19 from time to time.  Each time, it
might kill them, or give them long Covid disabilities.

<p>
For the people who are "vulnerable", which is a large fraction of the
US population, it will be extremely dangerous to come near other
people, since many will be doing little or nothing to avoid transmitting the
virus.  Using public transit will be dangerous, so those who don't
have cars will be stuck at home.


<li id="21_January_2022_(Anarchist_cookbook)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Anarchist_cookbook)">Anarchist cookbook</a>)
<p>
UK censorship: jail sentence <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/jan/19/terrorism-convict-ordered-read-classics-jailed-sentence-overturned-ben-john">for possessing a copy of The Anarchist's
Cookbook</a>.

<p>
Nazism is despicable, and the Anarchist's Cookbook explains how to
make some explosives &mdash; but merely possessing a copy of a book must
never be criminalized.  That is just one small step away from
thoughtcrime.


<li id="21_January_2022_(Encouraging_vaccine)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Encouraging_vaccine)">Encouraging vaccine</a>)
<p>
*Florida health official put on leave <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/19/florida-health-official-leave-encouraging-staff-covid-vaccine">after encouraging staff to get Covid
vaccine</a>.*


<li id="21_January_2022_(Blasphemous_WhatsApp_activity)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Blasphemous_WhatsApp_activity)">Blasphemous WhatsApp activity</a>)
<p>
*Woman sentenced to death in Pakistan <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/19/pakistan-woman-aneeqa-ateeq-sentenced-to-death-blasphemous-whatsapp-messages">over "blasphemous" WhatsApp
 activity</a>.*

<p>
Unusually, the target this time is a Muslim who claims to be
religious.  But morally that makes no difference.  It is vicious to
punish anyone for "blasphemy" against any religion, and it demonstrates the
danger of giving religion any more power than any other opinion.


<li id="21_January_2022_(Antibiotic-resistant_bacteria)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Antibiotic-resistant_bacteria)">Antibiotic-resistant bacteria</a>)
<p>
*[Antibiotic-resistant bacteria] now <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/20/antimicrobial-resistance-antibiotic-resistant-bacterial-infections-deaths-lancet-study">a leading cause of death
 worldwide</a>, study finds.*

<p>
Scientists have warned us for years that we need to put an end to
overuse of antibiotics, or they will cease to work and that will kill
lots of people.  The reason we did not do so is that <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-jan-apr.html#29_January_2021_(Livestock_antibiotic_overuse)">it would have reduced
the profits of Big Ag</a>.
  It's not the farmer workers that get more pay, nor the owners of
small farms that sell their crops to Big Ag.  It's the giant
distributor/processors that get the money.


<li id="21_January_2022_(Government_documents)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Government_documents)">Government documents</a>)
<p>
*Supreme Court rejects [the bullshitter's] bid <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/19/us-capitol-riot-trump-documents-national-archives">to shield [official
government] documents from January 6 panel</a>.*


<li id="21_January_2022_(Prescribed_burn_turning_into_wildfire)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Prescribed_burn_turning_into_wildfire)">Prescribed burn turning into wildfire</a>)
<p>
A prescribed burn in Texas got out of control <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/19/weather/texas-rolling-pines-wildfire/index.html">and now needs to be
treated as a wildfire</a>.

<p>
The US does not do enough prescribed burns, and that insufficiency
makes fires more dangerous when they eventually happen.  But part of
the reason for the insufficiency is that they are risky.  <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">Global heating</a>
makes them more risky.


<li id="21_January_2022_(Urgent:_Postal_Service_Reform_Act)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Urgent:_Postal_Service_Reform_Act)">Urgent: Postal Service Reform Act</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-to-congress-pass-the-postal-service-reform-act-to-restore-the-usps?nowrapper=true">call on Congress</a> to pass the Postal Service Reform Act.


<li id="21_January_2022_(Tax_us)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Tax_us)">Tax us</a>)
<p>
*   More than 100 members of the global super-rich called on Wednesday for
   governments around the world to "tax us now" <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jan/19/millionaires-call-on-governments-worldwide-to-tax-us-now">to help pay for the
   pandemic response and tackle the gulf between rich and poor</a>.*


<li id="21_January_2022_(Book_club)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Book_club)">Book club</a>)
<p>
Teenagers in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, have responded to Republican
book-banners <a href="https://pennsylvanianewstoday.com/teens-appear-in-the-newly-created-kutztown-banned-book-club/304939/">by starting a book club for reading banned books</a>.


<li id="21_January_2022_(Toxic_corporate_culture)">21 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#21_January_2022_(Toxic_corporate_culture)">Toxic corporate culture</a>)
<p>
A study from the MIT business school found that America's "toxic
corporate culture" is <a href="https://boingboing.net/2022/01/14/americas-toxic-corporate-culture-driving-the-great-resignation.html">one of the main factors that motivated
many workers to quit their jobs last year</a>.



<li id="20_January_2022_(Oil_companies_greenwashing)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Oil_companies_greenwashing)">Oil companies greenwashing</a>)
<p>
  Exxon (and other oil companies) are <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/18/exxon-net-zero-plan-called-greenwashing-climate-liar">trying to distract us by committing
  to to eliminate the greenhouse emissions from their own operations</a>.
<p>
  Those emissions are nothing compared with the emissions generated
  when their customers burn the oil or gas that Exxon sells them.
  That is the real problem.

<li id="20_January_2022_(Students_demanding_for_proper_Covid_protection)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Students_demanding_for_proper_Covid_protection)">Students demanding for proper Covid protection</a>)
<p>
  Students in many US cities <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/18/school-strikes-covid-safety-omicron-oakland">have demanded proper Covid protection
  or they will refuse to go to school</a>.

<li id="20_January_2022_(Targeted_advertising)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Targeted_advertising)">Targeted advertising</a>)
<p>
  A bill in the US Congress would try to <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/akv7nz/law-to-ban-surveillance-advertising">prohibit targeted advertising
  based on certain personal characteristics, such as Google does</a>.
  For instance, it would be forbidden to target an ad to "gay men".
<p>
  Would the bill also forbid targeting an ad to a complicated criterion,
  which Google chose to correlate well with being a gay man?  I think
  that's what Google actually does.

<li id="20_January_2022_(Annual_wealth_tax)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Annual_wealth_tax)">Annual wealth tax</a>)
<p>
  *An annual wealth tax targeting the world's millionaires and
  billionaires would <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/18/tax-global-mega-rich-could-help-lift-23-billion-out-poverty">raise enough revenue to lift 2.3 billion people
  out of poverty, provide universal healthcare to the people of low-
  and middle-income nations, and produce enough coronavirus vaccines to
  meet global demand</a>.*

<li id="20_January_2022_(Denialism_as_free_speech)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Denialism_as_free_speech)">Denialism as free speech</a>)
<p>
Exxon is suing the California officials who brought suit against Exxon <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/18/exxon-texas-courts-critics-climate-crimes">for
deceitfully denying its part in global heating</a>.

<p>
The argument based on the First Amendment is absurd.  Indeed, the
First Amendment covers claiming that burning oil does not cause global
heating.  It is not a crime to make that claim.  But that is not an
excuse, if making that claim was part of a scheme to damage other
people and they sue.

<p>
It worries me greatly that judges are reportedly giving credence to
that argument.


<li id="20_January_2022_(Dumped_fishing_gear)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Dumped_fishing_gear)">Dumped fishing gear</a>)
<p>
*Dumped fishing gear is killing marine life. Yet <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/19/dumped-fishing-gear-killing-marine-life-governments-care-scottish-trawlerman-nets">no governments seem
 to care</a>.*

<p>
I don't recall seeing a proposal to pass US laws to curb this
practice.  It is easy to think of ways to do it.  Which way would be
best, I wouldn't propose to say with my lack of experience.


<li id="20_January_2022_(Expanding_nation_parks)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Expanding_nation_parks)">Expanding nation parks</a>)
<p>
* Expanding national parks <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/19/expanding-national-parks-not-enough-to-protect-nature-say-scientists-aoe">not enough to protect nature</a>, say scientists.
   "Urgent": coordinated action to tackle overconsumption, farming
subsidies and the climate crisis also needed to halt biodiversity loss.*


<li id="20_January_2022_(Evicted_family)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Evicted_family)">Evicted family</a>)
<p>
Israel evicted <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/19/israeli-police-evict-palestinian-family-from-sheikh-jarrah-home">one more Palestinian family from Sheikh Jarrah</a>.
  There is always some good project as an excuse, but the net result
if to kick out Arab residents, because the plan is to convert the
neighborhood.

<p>
Israel annexed Sheikh Jarrah to Jerusalem.  It was not part of
Jerusalem at all before 1967.


<li id="20_January_2022_(Burying_toxic_waste)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Burying_toxic_waste)">Burying toxic waste</a>)
<p>
*How a Powerful Company Convinced Georgia <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/how-a-powerful-company-convinced-georgia-to-let-it-bury-toxic-waste-in-groundwater">to Let It Bury Toxic Waste
in Groundwater</a>.*


<li id="20_January_2022_(Parking_tracking)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Parking_tracking)">Parking tracking</a>)
<p>
In the UK, computer systems <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/jan/17/why-was-i-fined-90-for-charging-my-electric-car-at-lidl">track parking in stores' parking lots</a>.

<p>
Even if the store decides not to act like an ass, it is still wrong to
track people.  But London is planning to make it even more complete,
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/16/char-siu-pork-golden-hake-recipes-lunar-new-year">by charging owners of fossil fuel cars a fee for each trip made</a>.

<p>
I am in favor of charging fossil fuel cars a bigger fee to operate,
but if the purpose is reducing emissions, there is no reason to care
<em>where</em> the car travelled, not even whether it was in London or not.


<li id="20_January_2022_(Global_solidarity)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Global_solidarity)">Global solidarity</a>)
<p>
UN Secretary General Guterres pointed out that, to cope with global
heating, global pandemic, global debt, and global inequality, 
we need global solidarity.  "If we leave anyone
behind, in the end, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/17/un-chief-urges-global-solidarity-covid-climate-and-debt-relief">we leave everyone behind</a>."


<li id="20_January_2022_(Rejection_of_anti-protest_measures)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Rejection_of_anti-protest_measures)">Rejection of anti-protest measures</a>)
<p>
The UK's House of Lords rejected <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/18/curbs-on-noisy-protests-may-return-to-commons-after-lords-defeat">the repressive anti-protest measures
in the Tories' latest repression bill</a>.

<p>
That does not mean they are dead.  If the Tories are stubborn enough
and have no defectors, they can eventually push this through.


<li id="20_January_2022_(Military_and_economic_power)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Military_and_economic_power)">Military and economic power</a>)
<p>
China and Russia are increasing their military and economic power
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/18/epochal-decline-american-global-power">while that of the US is crumbling</a>.

<p>
Many of us have hoped to see the weaker parts of the world overcome US
imperialism and violence, for the sake of justice and human rights.
Now it seems that the US may lose its power, but not in a way that
benefits human rights for anyone weak.

<p>
China and Russia have become vicious mad dictatorships.  Different, of
course &mdash; the Chinese Communist Party cares to some extent about the
well-being of Chinese and China, whereas Putin and his barons are more
short-term greedy &mdash; but they both vaunt their contempt for human
rights to discourage anyone who might thing of trying to defend them.
Each has rehabilitated the mass-murderers that ruled them in the past
(Mao and Stalin).

<p>
Against them, the only bastion in the world is the United States,
whose evil aspects are quite familiar to us, and which teeters on the
edge of falling into a dictatorship as mad and vicious as China and
Russia already are.


<li id="20_January_2022_(Next_mass_extinction)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Next_mass_extinction)">Next mass extinction</a>)
<p>
The next mass extinction, the first to be caused by humans, is slowly
accelerating, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/18/scientists-decry-human-indifference-probable-sixth-mass-extinction">but most people hardly pay attention</a>.
  The IUCN Red List of threatened species covers only 5% of the species we
have identified, and many more species are extinct already than it mentions.


<li id="20_January_2022_(Eyes_off_the_ball)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Eyes_off_the_ball)">Eyes off the ball</a>)
<p>
*America <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/18/opinions/america-iran-russia-ukraine-nuclear-andelman/index.html">has taken its eyes off the ball on Iran</a>.*
    The US has not tried offered enough to get a return to the
non-nuclear deal with Iran.  The unfortunate consequences could be unending.


<li id="20_January_2022_(Anti-mask_Justice)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Anti-mask_Justice)">Anti-mask Justice</a>)
<p>
To avoid being infected by anti-mask Justice Gorsuch,
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/18/politics/neil-gorsuch-mask-sotomayor-supreme-court/index.html">Justice Sotomayor never attends Supreme Court sessions in person</a>.
<p>
This has been <a class="titlelink" href="#23_January_2022_(Reports_of_conflict_of_masks_in_court_are_untrue)">denied by the justices
involved</a>

<li id="20_January_2022_(Urgent:_Voting_rights_bill)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Urgent:_Voting_rights_bill)">Urgent: Voting rights bill</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/18/dems-urged-hold-senate-floor-long-it-takes">phone your Democratic senators at 833-346-1256</a> and call on
them to hold a prolonged debate on the voting rights bill, as pressure
on senators Manchin and Sinema.


<li id="20_January_2022_(Air_strike_at_oil_installation)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Air_strike_at_oil_installation)">Air strike at oil installation</a>)
<p>
The Houthis launched an air strike at an oil installation in the UAE.
This <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/18/saudis-hit-back-with-deadly-airstrikes-in-yemen-after-houthis-uae-drone-attack">has inspired peculiar outrage</a>.

<p>
<a href="/glossary.html#salafi">Salafi Arabia</a> and the UAE have attacked the Houthis in Yemen for
years, on the ground and from the air, attacking all sorts of targets
including homes.  Why in the world would people feel outrage when
the Houthis retaliate in kind?

<p>
Both <a href="/glossary.html#salafi">Salafi Arabia</a> and UAE are ruled by murderous despots.
The acting king of Salafia Arabia, Crown Prince Bone Saw,
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2018-sep-dec.html#26_October_2018_(Khashoggi_admission)">arranged the murder of Jamal Khashoggi</a>.
                                         One of the nobles
of the UAE <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#19_January_2022_(Torture_complaint_against_president_of_Interpol)">has just been formally accused of torture</a>.

<p>
The Houthis are probably not much better, but I see no reason
to judge it by a stricter standard than the other two.


<li id="20_January_2022_(Annoying_dissident)">20 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#20_January_2022_(Annoying_dissident)">Annoying dissident</a>)
<p>
China arrested a long-time annoying dissident on charges <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/18/chinese-activist-yang-maodong-told-he-could-not-visit-dying-wife-is-re-arrested">of pleading to
be allowed to join his dying wife in the US</a>.
  He was charged with suspicion of intending to annoy the state.




<li id="19_January_2022_(Torture_complaint_against_president_of_Interpol)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(Torture_complaint_against_president_of_Interpol)">Torture complaint against president of Interpol</a>)
<p>
*Torture complaint filed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/18/torture-complaint-filed-against-new-president-of-interpol">against new president of Interpol</a>.*
  It has been filed with a French court on the occasion of his visit
to Interpol headquarters in France, on behalf of two people who were
tortured in the UAE.


<li id="19_January_2022_(Police_and_crime_bill)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(Police_and_crime_bill)">Police and crime bill</a>)
<p>
*I study crowds &mdash; that’s why I know <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/18/study-crowds-police-crime-bill-less-safe-priti-patel">the [UK's] police and crime bill
will make us less safe</a>.*

<p>
*   The irony is that the repressive power of the police, supposedly the
   means of stopping violence, is actually the source of most violence
   in crowd events &mdash; either directly (the police inflict far more violence
   than is inflicted upon them) or indirectly (the repression of
   protesters' rights inflames previously peaceable crowds).*


<li id="19_January_2022_(Global_level_of_chemical_pollution)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(Global_level_of_chemical_pollution)">Global level of chemical pollution</a>)
<p>
Some scientists assert that the global level of chemical pollution <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/18/chemical-pollution-has-passed-safe-limit-for-humanity-say-scientists">threatens
to destabilize global ecosystems</a>.

<p>
This threat would be on top of that of <a href="/glossary.html#climate">climate mayhem</a>, which is
already destabilizing global ecosystems.


<li id="19_January_2022_(Dissidents_living_overseas)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(Dissidents_living_overseas)">Dissidents living overseas</a>)
<p>
China has got its hands <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/18/china-forced-2500-fugitives-back-from-overseas-during-pandemic-report-finds">on 2500 dissidents who were living overseas</a>.

<p>
In some cases this was done by kidnapping.  In some cases, China used Interpol.
Some returned "voluntarily" after China used their relatives as hostages.

<p>
Sometimes ordinary extradition sufficed, since China does not hesitate to
fabricate accusations of nonpolitical "crimes".

<p>
The US <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2004-mar-jun.html#18%20May%202004%20(US-sponsored%20Torture)">has used relatives as hostages to try to make people spy for the US</a>.


<li id="19_January_2022_(Bipartisanship)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(Bipartisanship)">Bipartisanship</a>)
<p>
*Another 'Big Lie' Corporatists Like to Tell: <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/17/another-big-lie-corporatists-tell-bipartisanship-will-lead-progress">Bipartisanship Will Lead to
Progress</a>.*

<p>
I prefer the term "plutocracy" to "corporatocracy", because the
crucial thing about that bad system is that the rich wield the power.
Their use of corporations to do so is a detail of methods.

<p>
Bipartisanship existed in the US when both the major parties in the US
were working for the rich.  To the extent that Democrats worked for
working people, or disprivileged racial groups, that broke the
bipartisanship.

<p>
We are seeing a dangerous outbreak of bipartisanship right now:
various congresscritters claim that the Biden administration has
implemented the No Surprises Act &mdash; which is meant to prevent
shocking, unexpectedly high medical bills &mdash; <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/17/lawmakers-seek-weaken-ban-surprise-medical-bills">in an excessively
effective fashion</a>.
  They say the law was not supposed to work so effectively.

<p>
One of them, Richard Neale, was reelected in 2020 by means of dirty
tricks against his opponent.


<li id="19_January_2022_(Hiring_more_thugs)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(Hiring_more_thugs)">Hiring more thugs</a>)
<p>
New York's new mayor, an ex-<a href="/glossary.html#thug">thug</a> himself, has seized on a small
increase in street crime <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/1/16/2075060/-Do-We-Really-Need-More-Police">as an excuse to hire a lot more thugs</a>.

<p>
The article proposes better ways to spend that money on reducing
low-level crime, without increasing repression.

<p>
The most destructive crimes in the US are committed by powerful
companies, <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#18_January_2022_(Time_for_Corporate_Crime_Database)">and can't be stopped at the level of city governments</a>.



<li id="19_January_2022_(Placebo_effect)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(Placebo_effect)">Placebo effect</a>)
<p>
  Most "negative reactions" to some Covid-19 vaccines are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jan/18/nocebo-effect-two-thirds-of-covid-jab-reactions-not-caused-by-vaccine-study-suggests">not caused by
  the vaccine itself; they result are caused by the negative form of the
  placebo effect</a>.

<li id="19_January_2022_(Pegasus_spyware)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(Pegasus_spyware)">Pegasus spyware</a>)
<p>
  *Investigation alleges Israeli police <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/jan/18/israeli-citizens-targeted-by-police-using-pegasus-spyware-report-claims">carried out phone intercepts
  [using Pegasus spyware] without court supervision or monitoring of
  how data was used</a>.*
<p>
  Pegasus was used to <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/01/18/pegasus-spyware-nso-group-women-activists-journalists/">snoop on dozens of journalists and human rights
  activists in Bahrain and Jordan</a>.

<li id="19_January_2022_(Australia_immigration_copies_travelers'_phone_contents)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(Australia_immigration_copies_travelers'_phone_contents)">Australia immigration copies travelers' phone contents</a>)
<p>
  Australia's immigration agency <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/18/returning-travellers-made-to-hand-over-phones-and-passcodes-to-australian-border-force">takes travelers' phones and copies
  their contents</a>,
  much as the US does.
<p>
  People who are concerned about this danger don't bring phones when
  they travel.  They get a phone in the destination country and leave it
  there when they depart it.

<li id="19_January_2022_((Satire)_Smart_home_security_camera)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_((Satire)_Smart_home_security_camera)">(Satire) Smart home security camera</a>)
<p>
  (satire) *Smart Home Security Camera <a href="https://www.theonion.com/smart-home-security-camera-conspires-with-burglars-in-e-1848233907">Conspires With Burglars In
  Exchange For Half The Loot</a>.*

<li id="19_January_2022_(Dr._King)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(Dr._King)">Dr. King</a>)
<p>
  Sanders: *As We Honor Dr. King, We <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/17/we-honor-dr-king-we-must-remember-what-he-truly-stood">Must Remember What He Truly Stood For</a>.*
<p>
  Some people cite King to attack the Liberals of the day, but none of these
  ideas was outside the range of what American Liberals supported.

<li id="19_January_2022_(Populism)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(Populism)">Populism</a>)
<p>
  *In an era of right-wing populism, we <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/18/in-an-era-of-rightwing-populism-we-cannot-destroy-democracy-in-order-to-save-it">cannot destroy democracy in order to save it</a>.*

<li id="19_January_2022_(UK_government_aims_to_stop_end-to-end_encryption)">19 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#19_January_2022_(UK_government_aims_to_stop_end-to-end_encryption)">UK government aims to stop end-to-end encryption</a>)
<p>
  The UK government is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/18/campaign-aims-to-stop-facebook-encryption-plans-over-child-abuse-fears">campaigning against end-to-end encryption, presenting this
  as a way to prevent "child sexual abuse"</a>.
<p>
  My understanding is that real sexual abuse of real children is usually
  carried out by relatives and friends of the family.  The abusers don't
  use the internet either to carry out that abuse or to meet the
  children.
<p>
  Some points in the article suggest that the word "child" is being
  misapplied to adolescents.  What adolescents need is help navigating
  the area of sex, showing them how to avoid bad trysts and
  relationships and find good ones.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Americans_accustomed_to_being_walled_off)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Americans_accustomed_to_being_walled_off)">Americans accustomed to being walled off</a>)
<p>

An anthropologist says many Americans have become <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global/2022/jan/16/look-around-you-why-increasingly-polarized">accustomed to
walling themselves off from their surroundings</a> &mdash; that could be why
they wanted a wall against Mexico.

<li id="18_January_2022_(UK_removed_a_man's_citizenship)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(UK_removed_a_man's_citizenship)">UK removed a man's citizenship</a>)
<p>

The UK took away a man's citizenship, claiming that was OK because in
theory he could apply Bangladeshi citizenship.  But in fact he
couldn't, so the UK had to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/16/british-man-made-stateless-by-home-office-has-citizenship-reinstated">restore his citizenship</a>.
<p>
Meanwhile, his youngest daughter, born while he was exiled, is still
denied British citizenship, perhaps forever.
<p>
He was never told any reason for his five-year exile, and never
accused of a crime.

<li id="18_January_2022_(North_Korean_defectors_face_poverty)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(North_Korean_defectors_face_poverty)">North Korean defectors face poverty</a>)
<p>

North Korean defectors in South Korea <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/16/second-thoughts-what-makes-north-korean-defectors-want-to-go-back">face a life of poverty</a> (despite
government aid) and loneliness.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Report_suggests_Russia_could_conquer_Ukraine)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Report_suggests_Russia_could_conquer_Ukraine)">Report suggests Russia could conquer Ukraine</a>)
<p>

A review of the military situation in Ukraine suggests that Russia
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/10/what-would-be-russia-military-options-in-ukraine-invasion">could probably conquer Ukraine</a>, but could not occupy it for long.
<p>
Russia might attack through Belarus.  Or it might try to capture only
parts of Eastern Ukraine.
<p>
I am skeptical of the idea of deterring that attack by threatening
economic sanctions, because that approach has <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-jan-apr.html#14_February_2021_(Economic_Warfare)">almost never succeeded</a>
in changing a country's policies.

<p>
This suggests to me that the US and NATO should announce a commitment
to defend Ukraine from an overt invasion by Russia, and move divisions
into Poland (if Poland agrees) near the frontiers with Ukraine and
Belarus.
<p>
If Russia attacks Ukraine through Belarus, it would be legitimate and
easy to send NATO troops into Belarus to fight the Russian troops
there.  This would probably spark an uprising, as it would offer an
opportunity to overthrow Lukashenko.  The Belarusian army would be
unable to suppress an uprising while facing invading forces.  Its
units might even accept the invitation to change sides, or remain in
their bases doing nothing.
<p>
That won't happen, because in that situation, Lukashenko would tell
Putin he doesn't want Belarus to be involved.  Without Belarus, Putin
would hesitate to launch a full-scale invasion.  He might engage in
destabilization, but Ukraine does not need NATO troops to deal with
that.

<p>
Biden has chosen a weak posture by ruling out military deterrence.
That makes war more attractive to Putin and thus more likely.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Women_protested_in_Kabul)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Women_protested_in_Kabul)">Women protested in Kabul</a>)
<p>

20 women protested in Kabul, standing on a street and chanting
"equality and justice" with signs.  Taliban thugs came and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/16/taliban-forces-pepper-spray-women-rights-protesters-kabul">shot them
with pepper spray</a>.
<p>
Even racist American <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> probably wouldn't attack 20 Black Lives Matter
supporters with pepper spray.
<p>
The Taliban <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> stole the phone from a bystander who was making a
video.  American <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> often do that sort of thing.  It is despicable
in either country: if you know your action will look like cruelty,
don't do it!

<li id="18_January_2022_(Strife_that_killed_over_200_people_in_Kazakhstan)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Strife_that_killed_over_200_people_in_Kazakhstan)">Strife that killed over 200 people in Kazakhstan</a>)
<p>

The strife that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/16/kazakhstan-authorities-raise-death-toll-from-unrest-to-225">killed over 200 people in Kazakhstan</a>
seems to have been a power struggle between Nazarbayev, the retired ruler, and the
new <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/16/where-is-kazakhstans-former-longtime-leader-nursultan-nazarbayev">president Tokayev</a>, who was supposed to preserve the power of
Nazarbayev's family.
<p>
Maybe the truck drivers' protests were organized by Tokayev's
supporters.  Or maybe they were real popular protests, and Tokayev
hijacked them for his own ends.  I don't know how we can find out.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Biden_administration's_lousy_job_protecting_from_Covid-19)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Biden_administration's_lousy_job_protecting_from_Covid-19)">Biden administration's lousy job protecting from Covid-19</a>)
<p>

The Biden administration has done a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/15/omicron-covid-joe-biden-administration">lousy job of protecting the US
from Covid-19</a>.  It relied on vaccines alone, without enough effort to
use other methods, such as masks that effectively protect the wearer
(as well as others), distancing, and testing.
<p>
Much of the problem was due to intentional obstruction by the
disease-spreader party, and some of it was surely a matter of bowing
to powerful plutocratic forces.  But if Biden had pushed visibly for a
better response, he would be able to blame those enemies for the
failure.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Corporate_Polluters_want_us_distracted)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Corporate_Polluters_want_us_distracted)">Corporate Polluters want us distracted</a>)
<p>

*Corporate Polluters <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/15/rest-important-corporate-polluters-want-us-stay-distracted">Want Us to Stay Distracted</a>.*

<li id="18_January_2022_(Reasons_OAS_Secretary-General_must_go)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Reasons_OAS_Secretary-General_must_go)">Reasons OAS Secretary-General must go</a>)
<p>

*<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/15/10-reasons-oas-secretary-general-must-go">10 Reasons</a> the OAS Secretary-General Must Go.*

<li id="18_January_2022_(Time_for_Corporate_Crime_Database)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Time_for_Corporate_Crime_Database)">Time for Corporate Crime Database</a>)
<p>

Ralph Nader: *Time for Attorney General Garland to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/15/time-ag-garland-create-corporate-crime-database">Create Corporate
Crime Database</a>.*

<li id="18_January_2022_(New_year's_resolutions_for_NPR)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(New_year's_resolutions_for_NPR)">New year's resolutions for NPR</a>)
<p>

Ralph Nader: <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/15/eight-new-years-resolutions-npr-consider-now">Eight New Year's Resolutions</a> for NPR to Consider Now.
<p>
I would add: stop running commercials!  I <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2015-may-aug.html#25_May_2015_(NPR)">stopped donating</a> to my local
NPR when I heard commercials on it &mdash; not messages of thanks for a
donation, but messages that companies paid it to read &mdash; and I also
greatly reduced my listening to it.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Spoof_interview_fooled_people)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Spoof_interview_fooled_people)">Spoof interview fooled people</a>)
<p>

A spoof interview with a spoof member of the UK parliament <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/jan/15/rosie-holt-the-satirist-whose-tory-mp-video-had-so-many-fooled">fooled
people</a> &mdash; it seemed normal for members of parliament to make absurd
excuses.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Huntington_Beach_oil_spill)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Huntington_Beach_oil_spill)">Huntington Beach oil spill</a>)
<p>

There is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/06/huntington-beach-oil-spill-may-permanently-endanger-birds">no way to clean up the oil that spilled on Huntington Beach</a>
last year, and it may continue harming seabirds and marine animals for a
long time.

<li id="18_January_2022_(More_volcanic_eruptions_and_tsunamis)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(More_volcanic_eruptions_and_tsunamis)">More volcanic eruptions and tsunamis</a>)
<p>

As <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a> melts icecaps, the added weight of the ocean will cause
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/16/tongas-volcanic-tsunami-foreshadows-effects-glacier-melt-co2">more volcanic eruptions and tsunamis</a>.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Israel_forcing_Palestinians_out_of_Sheikh_Jarrah)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Israel_forcing_Palestinians_out_of_Sheikh_Jarrah)">Israel forcing Palestinians out of Sheikh Jarrah</a>)
<p>

Israel is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/17/israel-police-standoff-palestinians-sheikh-jarrah-eviction-jerusalem">trying to force Palestinians out of Sheikh Jarrah</a>,
where many families have lived since before 1967.  One man says
he will set himself on fire rather than leave.
<p>
More <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2020-sep-dec.html#13_December_2020_(Israel's_calculated_ethnic_cleansing_of_Palestinians)">about Sheikh Jarrah and how this relates to things</a>.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Why_it_is_important_to_protect_yourself_from_Omicron)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Why_it_is_important_to_protect_yourself_from_Omicron)">Why it is important to protect yourself from Omicron</a>)
<p>

Why it is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/16/no-intention-of-getting-infected-understanding-omicrons-severity">very important to protect yourself from catching Omicron</a>.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Rivers_polluted_without_consequence)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Rivers_polluted_without_consequence)">Rivers polluted without consequence</a>)
<p>

*This is what "cutting red tape" gets you: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/17/cutting-red-tape-rivers-polluted-england-water-regulators">rivers polluted without
 consequence</a>.*
<p>
Our safety depends on enforcement of safety regulations;
that's one of the many missions for which <a href="/articles/why-we-need-the-state.html">we need the state</a>.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Long_hours_for_NHS_doctors)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Long_hours_for_NHS_doctors)">Long hours for NHS doctors</a>)
<p>

The UK's NHS doctors are working such long hours that they are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/17/sleep-deprived-nhs-doctors-realised-my-error-when-patient-collapsed">losing
track of their actions</a> while treating patients.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Obscuring_party_donations)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Obscuring_party_donations)">Obscuring party donations</a>)
<p>

*As long as party donations can be obscured, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/17/party-donations-british-politics-funding-pandora-amendments-elections-bill">British politics will not be clean</a>.*

<li id="18_January_2022_(Kashmir's_independent_press_club_shut_down)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Kashmir's_independent_press_club_shut_down)">Kashmir's independent press club shut down</a>)
<p>

India has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/17/kashmir-independent-press-club-shut-down-in-media-crackdown">shut down Kashmir's independent press club</a>.

<li id="18_January_2022_(Suppressing_all_languages)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Suppressing_all_languages)">Suppressing all languages</a>)
<p>
China is firmly suppressing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/16/chinese-dialects-in-decline-as-government-enforces-mandarin">all languages other than Mandarin</a>.
  Not only the languages of non-Chinese peoples, such as Tibetan and
Uyghur, are under attack: even the other Chinese languages, such as
Shanghainese and Cantonese, are being eliminated in China.

<p>
This reminds me of what the US and Canada did to indigenous languages
&mdash; and, with the Uyghur, China is using even more cruelty
                                                          than the US
  and Canada
           used.

<p>
The other Chinese languages are traditionally called "Chinese
dialects" in English, but that is a misnomer.  They are not dialects
of Mandarin; they are far too different for that.

<p>
Cantonese will survive among people of Chinese origin in countries to
the south, such as Vietnam and Singapore.


<li id="18_January_2022_(Calling_for_genocide)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Calling_for_genocide)">Calling for genocide</a>)
<p>
Some of India's Hindu extremists are calling for genocide of Muslims,
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/14/asia/india-hindu-extremist-groups-intl-hnk-dst/index.html">with tacit support from the ruling Hindu-extremist party</a>.

<p>
Some of them call for genocide against Christians.  Hindu extremists
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#1_January_2022_(Persecution_of_India's_Christians)">are persecuting Christians already</a>.
  Surely they won't
spare Buddhists.


<li id="18_January_2022_(Concentrating_wealth)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Concentrating_wealth)">Concentrating wealth</a>)
<p>
Just 0.01% of bitcoin holders control 27% of the existing bitcoin.
Thus, bitcoin <a href="https://www.maxim.com/news/bitcoins-top-one-percent-controls-vast-majority-of-crypto-wealth/">is basically a system for concentrating wealth</a>.


<li id="18_January_2022_(Students_on_strike)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Students_on_strike)">Students on strike</a>)
<p>
Students in some US cities are going on strike, demanding <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgdaqw/students-are-doing-what-adults-wont-in-the-fight-against-omicron">either
protective masks and testing, or remote education</a>.

<p>
I understand their wish for remote education, for safety.
Unfortunately, the way US schools normally do remote education
is a threat to their freedom.  Schools should not ask students
<a href="https://gnu.org/education/edu-schools.html">to run a nonfree program or give data to an online dis-service</a>.


<li id="18_January_2022_(Blocking_voting_rights_bills)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Blocking_voting_rights_bills)">Blocking voting rights bills</a>)
<p>
Manchin and Sinema say they will block the voting rights bills, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/13/manchin-joins-sinema-destroying-democratic-hopes-pass-voting-rights">by
refusing to vote an exception to the filibuster for them</a>.

<p>
I heard that Schumer plans to have a floor vote on this question on
Wednesday, to put them on the spot.


<li id="18_January_2022_(Special_drawing_rights)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Special_drawing_rights)">Special drawing rights</a>)
<p>
The IMF should reallocate its "special drawing rights" to help poor
countries <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/14/heres-how-to-repay-developing-nations-for-colonialism-and-fight-the-climate-crisis">make up for the harm done by slavery and colonialism</a>.

<p>
I see one flaw in the article: it talks about "solutions" for the
climate crisis in a way that seems shifty.  Does this refer to efforts
to reduce and stop <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a>, which is treating the disease, or
does it refer to assuaging some of the immediate symptoms for the
short term?  The former will help save civilization and nature; the
latter will only help delay some of the damage for a few decades.

<p>
We must insist on this distinction so we can focus on the long term.


<li id="18_January_2022_(Cyber-attacks_on_government_web_sites)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Cyber-attacks_on_government_web_sites)">Cyber-attacks on government web sites</a>)
<p>
Russia is apparently <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/14/ukraine-massive-cyber-attack-government-websites-suspected-russian-hackers">making cyber-attacks against Ukrainian government
web sites</a>.


<li id="18_January_2022_(What_more_could_Novak_Djokovic_have_done?)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(What_more_could_Novak_Djokovic_have_done?)">What more could Novak Djokovic have done?</a>)
<p>
*What more could Novak Djokovic have done? <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/14/what-more-could-novak-djokovic-have-done-get-vaccinated-isolate-and-get-the-facts-right">Get vaccinated, isolate and
get the facts right</a>.*

<p>
The Australian government should get its policies straight, and avoid
confusion in its decisions, but there's no reason to give anyone
permission to enter who is unvaccinated by choice.


<li id="18_January_2022_(Vaccination_for_public_transit_usage)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Vaccination_for_public_transit_usage)">Vaccination for public transit usage</a>)
<p>
The Philippines will require vaccination <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/14/philippines-accused-of-being-anti-poor-with-public-transport-ban-on-covid-unvaccinated">as a condition for using
public transit</a>.

<p>
The article does not state whether poor people can easily get
vaccinated gratis.  If they cannot, that puts them in danger;
furthermore, this requirement amounts to discrimination.

<p>
However, if everyone can get vaccinated, that is their solution:
to get vaccinated.

<p>
The policy properly offers exemptions for those who, for medical
reasons, cannot be vaccinated.


<li id="18_January_2022_(Antisocial_media_posts_leading_to_Jan_6)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Antisocial_media_posts_leading_to_Jan_6)">Antisocial media posts leading to Jan 6</a>)
<p>
The Jan 6 attack investigation committee will investigate how various
antisocial media companies handled postings leading up to the attack,
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/13/capitol-attack-subpoena-google-facebook-twitter">and how they interpreted and enforced their rules</a>.


<li id="18_January_2022_(Filibuster)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Filibuster)">Filibuster</a>)
<p>
*Timeline of Filibuster Helps Explain <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/12/timeline-filibuster-helps-explain-why-so-many-say-it-now-needs-go">Why So Many Say It Now Needs to Go</a>.*

<p>
For decades, the filibuster has been extremely convenient for
right-wing forces to block legislation to reduce racism.

<p>
If Republicans succeed in imposing minority rule, the remaining Senate
Democrats might find it useful &mdash; but the Republicans would surely
eliminate it immediately if it got in their way.  Most Republicans
believe victory overrides any and all principles; the few who do not,
don't have any principles against imposed minority rule.


<li id="18_January_2022_(Overthrow_of_democracy)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Overthrow_of_democracy)">Overthrow of democracy</a>)
<p>
*The [possible] Overthrow of American Democracy: <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/12/overthrow-american-democracy-scorecard-trumps-next-coup">A Scorecard for [the
 corrupter]'s Next Coup</a>.*


<li id="18_January_2022_(Cultural_bigotry)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Cultural_bigotry)">Cultural bigotry</a>)
<p>
The triumphal march of cultural bigotry advances ever onward: there is
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/12/helen-mirren-golda-meir-maureen-lipman-david-baddiel-row-jews-bojack-horseman">a movement to allow only Jews to play parts that are Jewish</a>.

<p>
There are many intersecting subsets of Americans (for instance) who
have a certain aspect of their culture in common.  New Yorkers tend to
have much in common, and so do Texans.  But not all New Yorkers are
similar, nor all Texans, nor are all Jews.  With equal validity,
casting directors could be compelled to classify parts and actors into
lots of small pigeonholes.

<p>
Here's a part for a white Midwestern Evangelical Christian.  There's
one for an Irish Protestant.  And that one, for a Texan Evangelical
from Austin.  Another role is someone from Dallas.  Yet another, from
a rural area near the Mexican border.  These cultures are not the
same.

<p>
Here's a part for Hasidic Jew of Polish background, from Brooklyn.
That part likewise, calls for a Jew of Polish extraction, but
Orthodox.  There's a part for a mostly assimilated not-very-religious
Jew from a New Jersey suburb, who went to a prestigious university,
like per parents.  And another for one who went to a community
college.  These cultures are not the same either.  Which of those
differences are the most important?

<p>
Who should be allowed to play a transsexual Nazi Eskimo (as suggested in
"Can't Watch This", by Weird Al Yankovic)?  Or a neo-Nazi playwright
(as in The Producers)?  Should those roles be limited to actors who
are real American Nazis?

<p>
Productions won't carry this to the point where it makes casting
impossible.  But those are not morally significant questions &mdash; only
variations among groups of people.  If it is ok to ignore most of
these divisions, then it is ok to consider only the ones that are
important for good performance of any particular role.  Along with
everything else that is important for a good performance.

<p>
If gentiles are forbidden to play Jewish parts, gentile actors will
demand, for fairness, that Jews be forbidden to play gentile parts.
Here are some Jewish actors who have been very successful playing
non-Jewish parts, and might have been barred by cultural bigotry.

<p>
Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas, Robert Downey Jr, Douglas Fairbanks Jr,<br>
Mira Furlan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Kate Hudson, Harvey Keitel, Hedy Lamarr,<br>
Peter Lorre, Leonard Nimoy, Sean Penn, Rhea Jo Perlman, William Shatner, Eli Wallach,<br>
all three stooges.


<li id="18_January_2022_(New_pun)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(New_pun)">New pun</a>)
<p>
<a href="https://stallman.org/puns.html#dash-of-feelings">A dash of feelings</a>.


<li id="18_January_2022_(Prisoners_hunger_strike)">18 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#18_January_2022_(Prisoners_hunger_strike)">Prisoners hunger strike</a>)
<p>
200 prisoners in New York City's Riker's Island jail are on hunger strike
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/13/200-inmates-hunger-strike-over-inhumane-rikers-island">to condemn the dangerous conditions that they are subjected to</a>.



<li id="17_January_2022_(Urgent:_Require_corporations_to_publish_the_amount_of_their_greenhouse_emissions)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Urgent:_Require_corporations_to_publish_the_amount_of_their_greenhouse_emissions)">Urgent: Require corporations to publish the amount of their greenhouse emissions</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on the SEC to require large corporations to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-sec-wall-street-should-not-be-able-to-hide-its-climate-destruction">publish
the amount of their greenhouse gas emissions</a>.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Pass_H.3453%2FS.2304_in_Massachusetts)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Pass_H.3453%2FS.2304_in_Massachusetts)">Pass H.3453/S.2304 in Massachusetts</a>)
<p>

Citizens of Massachusetts: call on your state legislators to pass
 H.3453/S.2304, to <a href="https://action.aclu.org/send-message/tell-lawmakers-end-debt-based-drivers-license-suspensions-0">stop jailing people and suspending their driving
 licenses over debt</a>.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Future_corruption_probes)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Future_corruption_probes)">Future corruption probes</a>)
<p>

(satire) *[New York City mayor] Eric Adams Appoints Deputy Patsy For
<a href="https://www.theonion.com/eric-adams-appoints-deputy-patsy-for-all-future-corrupt-1848348850">All Future Corruption Probes</a>.*

<li id="17_January_2022_((satire)_1-Second_workout)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_((satire)_1-Second_workout)">(satire) 1-Second workout</a>)
<p>

(satire) *The Onion's <a href="https://www.theonion.com/the-onion-s-1-second-workout-1848348930">1-Second Workout</a>.*

<li id="17_January_2022_(Canada's_national_childcare_system)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Canada's_national_childcare_system)">Canada's national childcare system</a>)
<p>

Last year Canada set up a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/13/after-decades-delay-canadas-national-child-care-plan-proves-strong-public-systems">national childcare system</a> for all parents
that need it.  It is a big success.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Senator_Sinema_pretends_to_support_voting_rights)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Senator_Sinema_pretends_to_support_voting_rights)">Senator Sinema pretends to support voting rights</a>)
<p>

Senator Sinema <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/13/shame-her-sinema-sparks-fury-choosing-filibuster-over-democracy">pretends to support voting rights</a>, but she doesn't
really support them much if she would drop them to protect the
filibuster.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Council_for_environmental_quality)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Council_for_environmental_quality)">Council for environmental quality</a>)
<p>

Two of the main officials of the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/13/environmental-justice-advocates-raise-alarm-after-amid-white-house-exits">Council for Environmental Quality
have recently quit</a>.
<p>
One can guess that they feel it is impossible to achieved what they
hoped to do, a year ago.  They may be disappointed with Biden.  Or
they may be disappointed with Sinema and Manchin's defeat of Biden's
climate defense legislation.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Doctors_protested_Spotify)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Doctors_protested_Spotify)">Doctors protested Spotify</a>)
<p>

Many doctors <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/13/menace-public-health-270-doctors-denounce-covid-misinformation-joe-rogan">protested Spotify</a> for letting Joe Rogan distribute
vaccine disinformation.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Contract_tracing_to_investigate_a_crime)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Contract_tracing_to_investigate_a_crime)">Contract tracing to investigate a crime</a>)
<p>

Germany's contact tracing organization rebuked German thugs for <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20220118063854/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/13/german-covid-contact-tracing-app-luca/">using
contact tracing data to investigate a crime</a>.
<p>
The contact tracer said that the system is designed to deny the <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a>
access to the data, and speculated the <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> fabricated a fake Covid
contact to get access.
<p>
It is extremely short-sighted for <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> to do this.  The benefit of
finding one criminal is not worth the cost of undermining trust in
the state.

<li id="17_January_2022_((satire)_China_invented_English_language)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_((satire)_China_invented_English_language)">(satire) China invented English language</a>)
<p>

(satire) *Newly Uncovered Manuscript Reveals <a href="https://www.theonion.com/newly-uncovered-manuscript-reveals-china-invented-engli-1848234404">China Invented English
Language 700 Years Before Western World</a>.*

<li id="17_January_2022_(How_Oath_Keepers_plotted_an_armed_coup)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(How_Oath_Keepers_plotted_an_armed_coup)">How Oath Keepers plotted an armed coup</a>)
<p>

*Guns, ammo … even a boat: how Oath Keepers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/14/oath-keepers-leader-charges-armed-plot-us-capitol-attack">plotted an armed coup</a>.*

<li id="17_January_2022_(US_claims_Russia_planning_'false-flag'_operation)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(US_claims_Russia_planning_'false-flag'_operation)">US claims Russia planning 'false-flag' operation</a>)
<p>

*US claims Russia <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/14/us-russia-false-flag-ukraine-attack-claim">planning ‘false-flag’ operation</a> to justify Ukraine
 invasion.*
<p>
Putin's seizure of Crimea was a kind of false-flag operation, carried
out by Russian soldiers disguised as something other than Russian
soldiers.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Dramatic_form_of_tragedy)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Dramatic_form_of_tragedy)">Dramatic form of tragedy</a>)
<p>

*   <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/15/tragedy-pandemics-climate-crisis-algorithms-tech-drama">Pandemics, the climate crisis and the algorithms used by tech giants</a>
   feel too amorphous to squeeze into the dramatic form [of tragedy].*

<li id="17_January_2022_(Global_heating_linked_to_premature_birth)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Global_heating_linked_to_premature_birth)">Global heating linked to premature birth</a>)
<p>

*Global heating <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/15/global-heating-linked-early-birth-damage-babies-health">linked to [premature] birth and damage to babies' health</a>,
scientists find.* Also to obesity.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Tough_luck_if_you_get_Covid_at_work)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Tough_luck_if_you_get_Covid_at_work)">Tough luck if you get Covid at work</a>)
<p>

*The US supreme court to Americans: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/14/the-us-supreme-court-to-americans-tough-luck-if-you-get-covid-at-work">tough luck if you get Covid at work</a>.*

<li id="17_January_2022_(Extinction_Rebellion_activists_cleared)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Extinction_Rebellion_activists_cleared)">Extinction Rebellion activists cleared</a>)
<p>

*Extinction Rebellion activists <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/14/extinction-rebellion-activists-cleared-london-rush-hour-2019">cleared over London rush hour disruption</a>.*
<p>
It looks like the British public understand what is really at stake
when the same authorities that disregard the climate danger
prosecute those who try to wake people up.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Letting_climate_disaster_build)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Letting_climate_disaster_build)">Letting climate disaster build</a>)
<p>

Powell, the Republican that Biden continued as head of the Federal
Reserve, is <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/01/15/federal-reserve-climate-jerome-powell/">willing to let climate disaster build up</a> for fear of the
pain of making changes to prevent it.
<p>
That's like an idiot who won't get dental treatment for a cavity or
won't get tested for cancer.  The longer you let these things go,
the worse they get.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Tigray_running_out_of_insulin)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Tigray_running_out_of_insulin)">Tigray running out of insulin</a>)
<p>

Tigray is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/15/medics-in-tigray-plead-with-ethiopia-for-insulin-airlift-as-supplies-run-out">running out of insulin</a>, as no supplies have reached that
region in months.
<p>
Tigray's government says that Ethiopia is blockading Tigray.
Ethiopia's government says that Tigrayan forces are attacking aid
trucks.  The latter is a priori implausible, so I think that a
blockade is the real cause.
<p>
It is easy for the Ethiopian government to block supply from Ethiopia.
Why can't supplies be brought in from Sudan?  Is it possible to
air-drop medicine?

<li id="17_January_2022_(Oil_spill_poisoned_seaweed_farms)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Oil_spill_poisoned_seaweed_farms)">Oil spill poisoned seaweed farms</a>)
<p>

In 2009, a giant oil spill poisoned seaweed farms of East Timor and
Indonesia.  The company that let it happen has resisted in court, and
the people's whose farms are still poisoned <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/16/very-hard-life-now-12-years-after-the-montara-oil-spill-indonesians-are-still-fighting-to-be-heard">have received no compensation</a>.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Objecting_to_meetings_to_allow_generic_vaccines)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Objecting_to_meetings_to_allow_generic_vaccines)">Objecting to meetings to allow generic vaccines</a>)
<p>

The EU objects to holding a meeting of the WTO to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/11/eu-says-premature-have-urgent-wto-meeting-covid-19">consider allowing
generic vaccines</a> while the pandemic is going on.
<p>
I'm surprised they aren't ashamed of making such a transparently bogus
excuse.

<li id="17_January_2022_((satire)_Pig_rib_transplant)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_((satire)_Pig_rib_transplant)">(satire) Pig rib transplant</a>)
<p>

(satire) *Breakthrough Procedure Allows Surgeons To <a href="https://www.theonion.com/breakthrough-procedure-allows-surgeons-to-transplant-pi-1848340063">Transplant Pig Rib
Directly Into Human Mouth</a>.*

<li id="17_January_2022_(Loss_of_US_social_cohesion)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Loss_of_US_social_cohesion)">Loss of US social cohesion</a>)
<p>

The US is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/12/social-cohesion-vital-and-were-losing-it">losing the social cohesion that is needed for any country to
thrive</a>.  What could possibly get it back?
<p>
It is cute to describe political camps as "tribes", but when one of
the camps aims to abolish democracy, spread disease and surrender the
climate battle, letting that camp "win" for a while would allow them
to create even bigger and broader deadly strife.

<li id="17_January_2022_(Urgent:_Disinfo_Defense_League)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Urgent:_Disinfo_Defense_League)">Urgent: Disinfo Defense League</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.freepress.net/sign/adopt_ddl_policy_platform">support</a> the Disinfo Defense League platform.


<li id="17_January_2022_(Look_out_for_bullets)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Look_out_for_bullets)">Look out for bullets</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/lapd-cautions-residents-to-look-out-for-dozens-of-bulle-1848354091">satire</a>) *LAPD Cautions Residents To Look Out For Dozens Of Bullets
Officers Sent Ricocheting Around City.*


<li id="17_January_2022_(Congress_and_stocks)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Congress_and_stocks)">Congress and stocks</a>)
<p>
Senators Ossoff and Kelly have proposed a bill to prohibit
members of Congress (and their families) <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/13/ossoff-unveils-bill-ban-stock-trading-lawmakers-immediate-family">from buying and selling stocks</a>.

<p>
A Republican <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/13/politics/lawmakers-jon-ossoff-josh-hawley-ban-stocks-trading-office/index.html">proposed something similar</a>.


<li id="17_January_2022_(Worsening_climate_crisis)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Worsening_climate_crisis)">Worsening climate crisis</a>)
<p>
*Big Bank, Corporate Destruction of Forests <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/13/big-bank-corporate-destruction-forests-worsening-climate-crisis-report">Worsening Climate Crisis</a>.*


<li id="17_January_2022_(Tool_for_repression)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Tool_for_repression)">Tool for repression</a>)
<p>
Human rights defenders warn that a new treaty to combat "cybercrime"
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/13/human-rights-groups-warn-un-cybercrime-treaty-must-avoid-chilling-effect">could become a tool for repression of dissent</a>.

<li id="17_January_2022_(One_day_off_each_week)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(One_day_off_each_week)">One day off each week</a>)
<p>
Frito-Lay employees ended a strike when the company agreed <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/24/frito-lay-employees-end-20-day-strike-after-new-agreement-is-reached/">to give each worker
at least one day off in each week</a>.

<p>
How is it that any business operating in the US is allowed to deny
that to any worker?  I thought that US law required a lot more than
that.  But apparently not.  What's the origin of this problem?


<li id="17_January_2022_(Ballot_drop-off_boxes)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Ballot_drop-off_boxes)">Ballot drop-off boxes</a>)
<p>
A Wisconsin court reinterpreted state law <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/14/wisconsin-judge-rules-ballot-drop-boxes-unlawful">to prohibit ballot drop-off
boxes</a>.
  Those who could overrule this decision are Republicans, and won't do so.


<li id="17_January_2022_(Electricity_consumption)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Electricity_consumption)">Electricity consumption</a>)
<p>
Electricity consumption grew 7% last year, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/14/energy/iea-electricity-climate/index.html">and renewable generation
grew only 6%</a>.
  Thus, fossil fuel consumption for generating electricity increased too.
This is going in the wrong direction.


<li id="17_January_2022_(Mail-in_ballots)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Mail-in_ballots)">Mail-in ballots</a>)
<p>
New bureaucratic requirements in Texas <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/14/politics/texas-mail-in-ballot-application-rejections/index.html">are causing rejection of many
applications for mail-in ballots</a>.

<p>
In some counties, the rejection rate is 50%.  In other places, it is
less but it is substantial.


<li id="17_January_2022_(Sale_of_coal_leases)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Sale_of_coal_leases)">Sale of coal leases</a>)
<p>
Biden <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/14/appalling-outrage-biden-prolongs-trump-coal-policy">allows continued sale of coal leases</a>.
  This caused a 14% increase in coal consumption in 2021 alone.


<li id="17_January_2022_(Vasectomies)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Vasectomies)">Vasectomies</a>)
<p>
Increasing numbers of young men are having vasectomies because they
recognize that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/12/more-people-is-the-last-thing-this-planet-needs-the-men-getting-vasectomies-to-save-the-world">it's not good to have children in a world headed into
climate disaster</a>.

<p>
It's not good for the children, <a href="https://stallman.org/#apocalypse">and it's not good for the rest of the
world</a>.


<li id="17_January_2022_(Safe_to_return)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Safe_to_return)">Safe to return</a>)
<p>
The UK government is telling Afghan and Yemeni refugees <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/13/home-office-tells-afghan-and-yemeni-asylum-seekers-they-can-return-safely">that their home
countries are safe to return to</a>.

<p>
In the case of the specific Afghan refugee, it could well be true that
the Taliban have no specific interest in bothering him.  But
Afghanistan is a violent, dangerous place, and <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-jul-oct.html#30_October_2021_(Famine_afghan_hunger_winter)">is facing hunger because
of sanctions</a>.
  As for Yemen, that is still a war zone, facing hunger  because
of sanctions and combat.


<li id="17_January_2022_(Kroger)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Kroger)">Kroger</a>)
<p>
8000 workers in Kroger supermarkets near Denver <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/13/kroger-workers-strike-over-wages">are on strike</a>.

<p>
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/12/more-8000-kroger-grocery-workers-strike-colorado">More info</a>.

<p>
The big supermarket conglomerates nowadays use many different brands.
Wikipedia <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroger#Chains">lists the names Kroger stores use</a>.
  These stores are labeled "King Sooper".


<li id="17_January_2022_(Negotiation)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Negotiation)">Negotiation</a>)
<p>
Negotiation between the US and Russia has failed.  Putin demands that
NATO <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/13/what-has-been-achieved-after-three-rounds-of-talks-on-ukraine">make major concessions or he will attack</a>.

<p>
Putin would be more likely to forego war if Ukraine were more strongly
defended.  The US should have made sure to strengthen Ukraine enough
to deter war; there was no danger in doing that.

<p>
Threatening sanctions never had much chance of success.  Indeed,
sanctions have usually failed to change other countries' foreign
policy.
                                         They often hurt the people of
the targeted country, but its dictator generally doesn't care about
them.

<p>
The sanction that would worry Putin is to refuse to buy Russia's gas,
but Europe hasn't got the courage to do it.  Indeed, Russia is cutting
its gas sales to Europe <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jan/12/russia-europe-gas-crisis-international-energy-agency-boss">to provoke distress there and make European
leaders timid</a>.
  The courageous response for Europe would be to boost construction
of renewable generation facilities, while meanwhile using temporary
measures to help people get along with less gas.

<p>
It would have been wiser all along <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2016-jul-oct.html#18_July_2016_(NATO)">for the US not to try to extend NATO to
Ukraine and Georgia</a>.
  But the way Putin has shaped this confrontation, to agree to the
demand now would be an abject surrender.


<li id="17_January_2022_(Cruelty_of_Islamic_law)">17 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#17_January_2022_(Cruelty_of_Islamic_law)">Cruelty of Islamic law</a>)
<p>
The bloodthirsty cruelty of Islamic law <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/13/indonesian-woman-flogged-100-times-for-adultery-man-gets-15-lashes">was on public display in Aceh</a>.
  Nearly all the Islamic states deny religious freedom to their inhabitants
by punishing blasphemy and by prohibiting Muslims from converting to
any other belief.


<li id="15_January_2022_(Urgent:_Fix_the_filibuster_and_pass_the_John_R._Lewis_Act)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Urgent:_Fix_the_filibuster_and_pass_the_John_R._Lewis_Act)">Urgent: Fix the filibuster and pass the John R. Lewis Act</a>)
<p>

US citizens: Phone your senators at 1-833-497-4273 to urge them to fix
the <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#3_January_2022_(Schumer)">filibuster</a> and pass the <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-sep-dec.html#12_December_2021_(Urgent:_Freedom_to_Vote_Act)">Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act</a>.  It is
the combination of the two voting rights laws that progressives
have campaigned for for several years.

<li id="15_January_2022_(Urgent:_Paid_sick_leave_for_Red_Lobster_employees)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Urgent:_Paid_sick_leave_for_Red_Lobster_employees)">Urgent: Paid sick leave for Red Lobster employees</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Red Lobster to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-now-red-lobster-should-offer-paid-sick-leave-to-its-employees">offer paid sick leave</a> to its employees, and thus protect customers' health.

<li id="15_January_2022_(Urgent:_No_slumlords_on_NYC_Mayor_Adams_transition_team!)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Urgent:_No_slumlords_on_NYC_Mayor_Adams_transition_team!)">Urgent: No slumlords on NYC Mayor Adams transition team!</a>)
<p>

US citizens: tell NYC Mayor Adams: <a href="https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/NYC_fire_transition">No slumlords on your transition team!</a>

<li id="15_January_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Lael_Brainard_to_the_Federal_Reserve)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Urgent:_Confirm_Lael_Brainard_to_the_Federal_Reserve)">Urgent: Confirm Lael Brainard to the Federal Reserve</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on senators to <a href="https://act.350.org/letter/jan-22-confirm-brainard-senate/">confirm Lael Brainard to the Federal
Reserve</a>.

<p>The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.</p>
<p>If you call, please spread the word!</p>

<li id="15_January_2022_(Getting_food_into_Tigray)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Getting_food_into_Tigray)">Getting food into Tigray</a>)
<p>

The UN says it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/13/warning-fuel-and-food-stocks-hellish-tigray-reels-from-airstrikes">can't get enough food into Tigray</a> to keep people alive,
nor the fuel to transport that food.  The supplies of food have been
insufficient since July.
<p>
Can anyone find reports that explain what is really going on in that war?

<li id="15_January_2022_(Assad's_torturer_commander_convicted)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Assad's_torturer_commander_convicted)">Assad's torturer commander convicted</a>)
<p>

One of Assad's torturer commanders has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/13/jailing-former-syrian-secret-police-officer-anwar-raslan-germany-first-step-justice">convicted in Germany of
overseeing the torture of 4,000 prisoners</a>.  Some of them testified
in his trial.

<li id="15_January_2022_(Pegasus_used_to_spy_on_journalists)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Pegasus_used_to_spy_on_journalists)">Pegasus used to spy on journalists</a>)
<p>

Someone used Pegasus spyware to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/jan/13/pegasus-spyware-target-journalists-activists-el-salvador">spy on 35 journalists in El Salvador</a>. Based on the fact that they were investigating accusations against
the tyrannical president, we can suspect this was done behalf of the
government or the president.

<li id="15_January_2022_(UK_general_repression_bill)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(UK_general_repression_bill)">UK general repression bill</a>)
<p>

The UK general repression bill plans <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/12/uk-authoritarianism-minority-policing-bill-roma-gypsy-traveller">intense repression of Gypsies</a>.
Their vehicles could be confiscated on suspicion and their children
taken away. The UK already has laws to punish homeless people for
sleeping on the street, or in an unoccupied home.
<p>
All this just as Britain is facing a critical shortage of housing.

<li id="15_January_2022_(Animals_that_disperse_seeds)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Animals_that_disperse_seeds)">Animals that disperse seeds</a>)
<p>

As the animals that disperse seeds shift habitats in response to
global heating, the plants they used to disperse tend to be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/13/plants-at-risk-of-extinction-as-climate-crisis-disrupts-animal-migration">left
without a way to shift</a>. That reduces their range, so that all sorts of random local accidents can
wipe them out.

<li id="15_January_2022_(Leader_of_the_Oath_Keepers_charged)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Leader_of_the_Oath_Keepers_charged)">Leader of the Oath Keepers charged</a>)
<p>

The leader of the Oath Keepers has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/13/oath-keepers-capitol-attack-us">charged with seditious conspiracy</a>
for the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, along with other members.

<li id="15_January_2022_(Repair_and_protect_Australian_beaches)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Repair_and_protect_Australian_beaches)">Repair and protect Australian beaches</a>)
<p>

Some Australians call for public works to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/14/we-are-custodians-the-fights-to-save-australias-eroding-beaches">repair beaches and protect them</a>.
This would be worth doing if not for <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a>.  Two or more
meters of sea level rise in this century will overwhelm these local
efforts.
<p>
If they want to preserve today's beaches, they have to start by preserving
today's sea level, and that calls for climate defense.  Strange that this
article doesn't say a word about this.

<li id="15_January_2022_(Rescuing_US_elections_from_Republican_Rigging)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Rescuing_US_elections_from_Republican_Rigging)">Rescuing US elections from Republican Rigging</a>)
<p>

Sinema seems to have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/13/kyrsten-sinema-democrats-filibuster-voting-rights">killed all hope</a> to rescue US elections from
Republican rigging.

<li id="15_January_2022_((satire)_Pamphlet_on_probabilistic_thinking)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_((satire)_Pamphlet_on_probabilistic_thinking)">(satire) Pamphlet on probabilistic thinking</a>)
<p>

(satire) *CDC Announces Plan To Send Every U.S. Household <a href="https://www.theonion.com/cdc-announces-plan-to-send-every-u-s-household-pamphle-1848354068">Pamphlet On
Probabilistic Thinking</a>.*
<p>
When it comes to preventing Covid-19, the CDC should give people clear
and simple recommendations. But these pamphlets could be useful
to help people recognize and reject disinformation.

<li id="15_January_2022_(GOP_partisan_Gerrymandering)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(GOP_partisan_Gerrymandering)">GOP partisan Gerrymandering</a>)
<p>

*Ohio Supreme Court <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/12/victory-ohio-supreme-court-strikes-down-gop-partisan-gerrymandering">Strikes Down GOP Partisan Gerrymandering</a>.*

<li id="15_January_2022_(Report_debunks_Manchin's_inflation_argument)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Report_debunks_Manchin's_inflation_argument)">Report debunks Manchin's inflation argument</a>)
<p>

*Report <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/12/report-debunks-manchins-inflation-argument-against-build-back-better">Debunks Manchin's Inflation Argument</a> Against Build Back Better.*

<li id="15_January_2022_(Plutocratist_Democrats)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Plutocratist_Democrats)">Plutocratist Democrats</a>)
<p>

When <a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> Democrats defeat progressive programs, the next
thing they do is pretend that the programs failed because they went
"too far left."  This is supposed to be a reason to vote for
<a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> Democrats.  Polls show that large majorities of Americans
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-sep-dec.html#28_November_2021_(Popularity)">support the main progressive policy programs</a>.
<p>
Now they are <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/12/progressives-clinton-other-centrists-back-election-advice">pushing for Clinton to run again</a> for president.
<p>
I will back Sanders if he runs.

<li id="15_January_2022_(N95_masks_for_all)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(N95_masks_for_all)">N95 masks for all</a>)
<p>

*Biden Under Fire for <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/12/biden-under-fire-resisting-calls-distribute-n95-masks-all">Resisting Calls to Distribute N95 Masks to All</a>.*

<li id="15_January_2022_(Burmese_army_fighting_with_rebels)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(Burmese_army_fighting_with_rebels)">Burmese army fighting with rebels</a>)
<p>

The Burmese army is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/14/burmese-flee-bombardment-as-junta-makes-example-of-city-of-loikaw">fighting heavily</a> with rebels in the city of Loikaw.
Most of the inhabitants (perhaps over 100,000) have fled.

<li id="15_January_2022_(140m_people_fell_into_poverty_during_pandemic)">15 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#15_January_2022_(140m_people_fell_into_poverty_during_pandemic)">140m people fell into poverty during pandemic</a>)
<p>

Since the start of the pandemic, *while wealthiest got richer, 140m
   people <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/14/covid-created-20-new-pandemic-billionaires-in-asia-says-oxfam">fell into poverty</a> as jobs were lost, wiping out years of
   gains for poorest.*

<li id="14_January_2022_(Global_heating)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Global_heating)">Global heating</a>)
<p>
Here's an article that tries to convince us that what's
really bad about global heating is that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/13/inaction-global-warming-racism-climate-breakdown-people-of-colour">it treats disprivileged
groups worse than privileged groups</a>.
<p>
Sure, unfairness is wrong.  But if most people in every group are going
to be killed -- plus over half the other living species -- isn't that
much worse?
<p>
If, in that killing of billions, an equal fraction were going to be
killed in every ethnic or racial group, that would not make it ok.

<li id="14_January_2022_(NYC_fire)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(NYC_fire)">NYC fire</a>)
<p>
NYC's new mayor, in regard to the recent fire, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/13/why-is-new-york-citys-mayor-blaming-tenants-for-the-deadliest-fire-in-decades">downplays the owner's
failure to maintain and operate the building safely, and focuses on
the tenants' dangerous methods for coping with those flaws</a>.
<p>
It's generally better to fix the system than to try to teach many
individuals to work perfectly within the existing flawed system.  At one
level, that's the reason to require central heating.  At another,
that's the reason for building codes.  At another, that's the reason
for progressive politics.

<li id="14_January_2022_(Blood_donation_crisis)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Blood_donation_crisis)">Blood donation crisis</a>)
<p>
Blood donations in the US are down, due to the spread of Covid-19, and
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/13/blood-donation-crisis-us-red-cross">supplies of some blood types are running dangerously low</a>.
<p>
Soon, injured people may start dying because there is no blood available
to give them transfusions.

<li id="14_January_2022_(Election_process)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Election_process)">Election process</a>)
<p>
*Trump loyalists <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/13/trump-loyalists-secretary-of-state-candidates">form alliance in bid to take over election process in
key states</a>.*

<li id="14_January_2022_(Campaign_against_teachers)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Campaign_against_teachers)">Campaign against teachers</a>)
<p>
Republican fanatics are now leading a blacklisting campaign <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/13/our-job-is-to-present-the-truth-the-texas-principal-caught-in-a-critical-race-theory-firestorm">against teachers
that explain racism in American history</a>.


<li id="14_January_2022_(Vaccination_mandate)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Vaccination_mandate)">Vaccination mandate</a>)
<p>
The right-wing justices on the US Supreme Court <a href="media/6fa2049e.2021-11-05.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/laws-regs/federalregister/2021-11-05.pdf">rejected OSHA's
vaccination mandate for medium and large businesses</a>.
  With this ruling they began to support the Republican Party's strategy
to incapacitate the US with disease, and blame the consequences on Democrats.


<li id="14_January_2022_(ICBMs)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(ICBMs)">ICBMs</a>)
<p>
Calling for the elimination of ICBMs, to eliminate the hurry to launch 
a nuclear attack <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/12/avert-global-nuclear-holocaust-us-groups-demand-abolition-icbms">because one seems possibly to be on its way</a>.


<li id="14_January_2022_(Filibuster)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Filibuster)">Filibuster</a>)
<p>
*What would the Supreme Court's "originalists" think of the filibuster?<br/>
If they were honest, <a href="https://robertreich.substack.com/p/originalists-filibuster">they'd find it unconstitutional</a>.*


<li id="14_January_2022_(Shot_dead_for_no_reason)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Shot_dead_for_no_reason)">Shot dead for no reason</a>)
<p>
An Israeli writes about his long friendship with his Palestinian Aseel
friend, who worked for peace, and was shot dead for no reason by
Israeli thugs <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/jan/13/peace-middle-east-friend-summer-camp-israel">while standing unarmed in the middle of a nonviolent
rally</a>.


<li id="14_January_2022_(Real_adventures)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Real_adventures)">Real adventures</a>)
<p>
Covid-19 has transformed commercial sea cruises <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/12/cruise-covid-cases-ship-industry">into real adventures</a>!
  (I'd rather stay home.)


<li id="14_January_2022_(Wealth_tax)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Wealth_tax)">Wealth tax</a>)
<p>
As the rich show off their wealth, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/13/super-rich-spend-2m-on-whisky-wealth-tax-pandemic">they show we need to impose
a wealth tax</a>.


<li id="14_January_2022_(Refusing_to_debate)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Refusing_to_debate)">Refusing to debate</a>)
<p>
The Republican Party <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/13/republican-party-signals-plans-withdraw-presidential-debates">will refuse to debate Democrats for the
presidency</a>.

<p>
Democrats should invite the Green Party and the <a href="https://stallman.org/antiglossary.html#libertarian">"Libertarian"</a>
   Party to the debate, so that the Republicans
will miss out on the chance rather than cancel it.


<li id="14_January_2022_(Felon_disenfranchisement)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Felon_disenfranchisement)">Felon disenfranchisement</a>)
<p>
*Mississippi: felon disenfranchisement <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/13/mississippi-felon-disenfranchisement-is-a-racist-labyrinth-worthy-of-kafka">is a racist labyrinth worthy of
 Kafka</a>.*

<p>
The people who set up that system chose a set of felonies to trigger
disenfranchisement, not because they were the worst of felonies, but
because they were likely to disenfranchise blacks.


<li id="14_January_2022_(Coup_consequences)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Coup_consequences)">Coup consequences</a>)
<p>
If the wrecker captures the presidency through a coup, <a href="https://snyder.substack.com/p/a-dream-of-power-an-awakening-to">the US could
fall apart in chaos</a>.



<li id="14_January_2022_(Urgent:_Regulate_methane_emissions)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Urgent:_Regulate_methane_emissions)">Urgent: Regulate methane emissions</a>)
<p>

US citizens: push the EPA to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-the-petition-demand-the-epa-limit-methane-the-oil-gas-industry-super-pollutant">regulate methane emissions</a>.

<li id="14_January_2022_(Cost_increase_for_Medicare)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Cost_increase_for_Medicare)">Cost increase for Medicare</a>)
<p>

The department of HHS is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/10/good-news-seniors-becerra-orders-medicare-reassess-premium-hike">pushing back on a cost increase for Medicare</a>
that would be needed to pay for an exorbitantly expensive drug that
might prevent Alzheimer's disease.
<p>
The approval of that drug <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#30_June_2021_(Questionable_Alzheimers_Drug)">may have been a mistake</a>, and some corrupt
influence is suspected.

<li id="14_January_2022_(Complaint_against_Rep._Cawthorn)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Complaint_against_Rep._Cawthorn)">Complaint against Rep. Cawthorn</a>)
<p>

The complaint against Rep. Cawthorn requires him to demonstrate he is
eligible to run for the House of Representatives &mdash; <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/10/citing-blatant-acts-insurrection-nc-voters-petition-bar-cawthorn-seeking-reelection">specifically, that he
was not involved in the Jan 6 insurrection</a>.

<li id="14_January_2022_(Rejecting_applicants_for_being_poor)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Rejecting_applicants_for_being_poor)">Rejecting applicants for being poor</a>)
<p>

Several prestigious US universities are being sued for <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/10/antitrust-suit-alleges-16-elite-universities-colluded-limit-financial-aid">illegally rejecting
applicants specifically for being poor</a>.
<p>
A special law allows universities to collaborate (rather than compete) on how
much financial aid they offer, but only with the condition that they don't
consider need for financial aid as a criterion for admissions.
<p>
All in all, other countries do a much better job of keeping the cost
of higher education down.

<li id="14_January_2022_(Refusing_Covid-19_precautions)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Refusing_Covid-19_precautions)">Refusing Covid-19 precautions</a>)
<p>

People who refuse the basic precautions against the spread of Covid-19
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/12/anti-vaxxers-should-face-penalties-for-their-selfish-choices">endanger people who get badly sick or injured in any way</a>.

<li id="14_January_2022_(Effectiveness_of_lockdowns_in_Britain)">14 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#14_January_2022_(Effectiveness_of_lockdowns_in_Britain)">Effectiveness of lockdowns in Britain</a>)
<p>

The lockdowns in Britain whose purpose was to reduce cases of Covid-19
were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jan/12/pandemic-brought-dramatic-fall-in-english-hospital-admissions-for-childhood-infections">effective for that</a>.  They also prevented nearly all of the expected hospitalizations of children for flu, meningitis, tonsillitis, and
bronchiolitis: over 70,000 cases in all.

<li id="13_January_2022_(Coal-ash_ponds)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Coal-ash_ponds)">Coal-ash ponds</a>)
<p>
*EPA begins <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/11/politics/biden-epa-coal-ash-ponds-enforcement-climate/index.html">enforcement on clean up of toxic coal-ash ponds</a>.*

<li id="13_January_2022_(Argentina)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Argentina)">Argentina</a>)
<p>
  Argentina's new center-left government is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/11/argentinas-economic-success-face-covid-19">doing surprisingly well
  at climbing out of the economic hole that the previous right-wing government
  and the IMF contrived to put it into</a>.

<li id="13_January_2022_((Satire)_No_Past)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_((Satire)_No_Past)">(Satire) No Past</a>)
<p>
  (satire) *Man Horrified After <a href="https://www.theonion.com/man-horrified-after-genealogy-test-confirms-he-has-no-p-1848234419">Genealogy Test Confirms He Has No Past</a>.*

<li id="13_January_2022_(Texas_schools_blocking_sites_that_help_queer_students)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Texas_schools_blocking_sites_that_help_queer_students)">Texas schools blocking sites that help queer students</a>)
<p>
  Texas schools are <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/11/queer-teens-texas-school-are-reaching-crisis-point">blocking internet access to sites that help
  queer students avoid suicide, and cope with hatred</a>.

<li id="13_January_2022_(Antichrist)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Antichrist)">Antichrist</a>)
<p>
  Arguing that <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/11/yes-donald-trump-antichrist">the corruptor really is <em>an</em> antichrist</a>.
  That statement doesn't make any supernatural claims.

<li id="13_January_2022_((Satire)_Gates_Philanthropy)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_((Satire)_Gates_Philanthropy)">(Satire) Gates Philanthropy</a>)
<p>
  (satire) *Gates Foundation Sues Thousands Of Charities For <a href="https://www.theonion.com/gates-foundation-sues-thousands-of-charities-for-infrin-1848339956">Infringing
    On Trademark Concept Of Philanthropy</a>.*
<p>
  The Gates Foundation's announcement fell into a common confusion
  by equating trademarks with patents.  This sort of confusion turns
  almost any statement into conceptual garbage.
<p>
  See <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html">https://gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html</a> and
  <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/komongistan.html">https://gnu.org/philosophy/komongistan.html</a>.

<li id="13_January_2022_(Amazon_Unionization)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Amazon_Unionization)">Amazon Unionization</a>)
<p>
  Workers at an Amazon warehouse will <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/11/alabama-amazon-workers-win-new-vote-unionize">get a new vote on unionization</a>.

<li id="13_January_2022_(Pie-in-the-sky_net-zero_climate_strategy)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Pie-in-the-sky_net-zero_climate_strategy)">Pie-in-the-sky net-zero climate strategy</a>)
<p>
*UK government sued over <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/12/net-zero-climate-strategy-uk-government-sued">"pie-in-the-sky" net-zero climate strategy</a>.*

<li id="13_January_2022_(Child_Tax_Credit)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Child_Tax_Credit)">Child Tax Credit</a>)
<p>
  93% of the children in West Virginia were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/12/west-virginians-child-tax-credits-manchin">supported last year by the
  Child Tax Credit</a>.  Senator Manchin of West Virginia says he couldn't
  possibly justify continuing that support to the people of his state.

<li id="13_January_2022_(Interrogation_official)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Interrogation_official)">Interrogation official</a>)
<p>
One of Assad's interrogation officials fled from Syria and described the
system which tortured people to get information, which he participated
in as a supervisor.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/12/german-court-expected-to-accuse-assad-regime-in-syria-of-torture">Now he is on trial for his role in the system</a>.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Filling_hospitals)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Filling_hospitals)">Filling hospitals</a>)
<p>
Covid-19 is again filling US hospitals in many states.  In addition,
with so many medical workers sick with Covid-19, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/11/us-covid-hospitalizations-record-number-cases">it is hard for the
hospitals to treat so many the patients</a>.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Rebuilding_flammable_residences)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Rebuilding_flammable_residences)">Rebuilding flammable residences</a>)
<p>
A Tory minister has promised that the UK government will pay for
rebuilding the flammable construction of residences in Britain.
But this is no legal commitment, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/11/victory-families-dangerous-cladding-scandal-michael-gove">just a personal promise</a>.
  He could be replaced as minister with the promise unkept.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Pushing_millions_into_penury)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Pushing_millions_into_penury)">Pushing millions into penury</a>)
<p>
The UK is going to push millions into penury <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/11/energy-price-crisis-tory-britain-ed-miliband">with rising prices for
fossil fuel</a>.
  Labour has joined the push for a windfall profits tax, such as the US
adopted in the oil shortage of the 1970s.

<p>
The Tories have adopted plans to reduce use of fossil fuels, but they
have cancelled them before it was time to spend money.  That's because
"more for the rich" is its priority.

<p>
Labour's plan is not particularly bold.  It is an adequate plan, and
much better than none at all.  However, we won't see any bold plans
from Labour now that <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-jul-oct.html#1_October_2021_(Labour_Party's_purges)">it has kicked out Corbyn and his supporters</a>.
  It has decided against boldness.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Speed_of_carbon_cuts)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Speed_of_carbon_cuts)">Speed of carbon cuts</a>)
<p>
*German climate minister says speed of carbon cuts needs to be trebled*
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/11/germany-must-pull-together-to-achieve-climate-targets-says-green-minister">to achieve the country's targets</a>.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Tax_those_who_refuse_vaccination)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Tax_those_who_refuse_vaccination)">Tax those who refuse vaccination</a>)
<p>
Quebec plans to tax those who refuse Covid-19 vaccination, on the grounds
that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/11/quebec-health-tax-unvaccinated-coronavirus">they are choosing to impose costs on the NHS</a>.

<p>
Vaccination is so important that this is justified.  However, it would
be wrong to extend that to much actions that don't put others in danger;
that would lead to a pervasively repressive society.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Anger_on_Bogus_Johnson)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Anger_on_Bogus_Johnson)">Anger on Bogus Johnson</a>)
<p>
Bogus Johnson's decision to invite officials and friends to a party
at his office, disregarding the strict rules that said no one else
in Britain could have such a party, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/11/the-partys-over-now-boris-johnsons-career-should-be-too">have focused anger at him</a>.

<p>
Planet-roaster Tories want to seize the opportunity to replace him
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/11/boris-johnson-climate-action-net-zero-conservative-party">with someone who will officially cancel Britain's climate commitments</a>.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Half_population_infected)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Half_population_infected)">Half population infected</a>)
<p>
WHO Europe forecasts that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/11/omicron-europe-tidal-wave-who">half the population of Europe will be
infected with Omicron soon</a>.

<p>
The article presents recommendations, including mandating high-quality
masks, priorities for vaccination, and others.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Writer_charged_over_critical_tweets)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Writer_charged_over_critical_tweets)">Writer charged over critical tweets</a>)
<p>
*Ugandan writer <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/11/ugandan-writer-charged-over-tweets-critical-of-president-museveni">charged over tweets critical of President Museveni</a>.*

<p>
So many countries are repressive to those who criticize the rulers.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Covid_and_global_heating)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Covid_and_global_heating)">Covid and global heating</a>)
<p>
*Covid has undermined <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/11/covid-has-undermined-fight-against-global-heating-says-wef">fight against global heating</a>, says WEF.*


<li id="13_January_2022_(Coping_with_climate_mayhem)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Coping_with_climate_mayhem)">Coping with climate mayhem</a>)
<p>
*Cuba Shows <a href="https://jacobinmag.com/2022/01/cuba-climate-change-tarea-vida-environment">How to Take Action [to cope with climate mayhem]</a>.

<p>
The more important climate action is to reduce the amount of global
heating.  As we do more of that, we spare every region lots of work
coping with <a href="/glossary.html#climate">climate mayhem</a>, because there will be less climate mayhem
to cope with.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Oath_to_defend_the_constitution)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Oath_to_defend_the_constitution)">Oath to defend the constitution</a>)
<p>
*Voters move to block [the corrupter's] ally Madison Cawthorn from
re-election,* citing the constitutional amendment barring candidates
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/11/madison-cawthorn-trump-republican-north-carolina-voters">that have taken the oath to defend the constitution and violated it</a>.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Last_years)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Last_years)">Last years</a>)
<p>
The last seven years <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/10/world/2021-global-climate-5th-warmest-copernicus/index.html">were the seven hottest since records began</a>.

<p>
The last three years <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/11/world/oceans-warmest-on-record-2021-climate/index.html">set records for the heat of the oceans</a>.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Concealing_background)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Concealing_background)">Concealing background</a>)
<p>
Prejudice against Dalits is so powerful in India that those Dalits who make it
into middle-class society <a href="https://restofworld.org/2022/caste-harassment-india-dalit-social-media/?utm-source=sharing">work desperately to conceal their background</a>.
  They could be shunned, fired, even murdered.


<li id="13_January_2022_(Small_killer_robots)">13 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#13_January_2022_(Small_killer_robots)">Small killer robots</a>)
<p>
Small killer robots are feasible now &mdash; especially if they find their
target by the IMSI and IMEI codes <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/10/killer-robots-and-laws-we-need-stop-them">in the transmissions from a portable
phone</a>.

<p>
It is possible to prevent their use in war, with a treaty.
But I think that criminal gangs will use them for assassination.




<li id="12_January_2022_(Urgent:_FCC)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Urgent:_FCC)">Urgent: FCC</a>)
<p>
From Free Press: US citizens, please phone Senator Maria Cantwell at
(202) 224-3441 and call on her to hold the vote to confirm Gigi Sohn
in the FCC before the end of January.  If no one answers, please leave
a message.


<li id="12_January_2022_(Climate-based_disasters)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Climate-based_disasters)">Climate-based disasters</a>)
<p>
Climate-based disasters in 2021 <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/10/weather/2021-us-billion-dollar-disasters-climate-noaa/index.html">cost the US $145 billion last year</a>.

<p>
This is going to get a lot worse over the next few decades, until we
stabilize the greenhouse gas levels.


<li id="12_January_2022_(White-supremacist_murderers_sentenced_to_life_in_prison)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(White-supremacist_murderers_sentenced_to_life_in_prison)">White-supremacist murderers sentenced to life in prison</a>)
<p>
Ahmaud Arbery's murderers <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/10/opinions/ahmaud-arbery-killers-sentencing-justice-tisby/index.html">were sentenced to life in prison</a>.

<p>
I think this is justice.  However, for the goal of eliminating white
supremacism, it is just a small step.


<li id="12_January_2022_(Major_course_correction_needed)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Major_course_correction_needed)">Major course correction needed</a>)
<p>
*Sanders Says Democrats Need 'Major Course Correction' to Prevent GOP
Takeover.  "In too many ways the Democratic Party has turned its back
on the working class," <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/10/sanders-says-democrats-need-major-course-correction-prevent-gop-takeover">argues the Vermont senator</a>.*


<li id="12_January_2022_(Climate_mayhem)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Climate_mayhem)">Climate mayhem</a>)
<p>
<a href="/glossary.html#climate">Climate mayhem</a> is wiping out the terns and puffins that lived on the
islands of Maine.  The water there <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/10/climate-crisis-clawing-back-progress-we-made-save-puffins">is now too hot for the fish that used
to live there</a>.

<p>
*How the speed of [global heating] <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/jan/11/climate-change-insect-world-global-heating-species">is unbalancing the insect world</a>.*


<li id="12_January_2022_(Regain_sense_of_control)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Regain_sense_of_control)">Regain sense of control</a>)
<p>
(<a href="https://www.theonion.com/man-tries-to-regain-sense-of-control-in-chaotic-univers-1848234425">satire</a>) *Man Tries To Regain Sense Of Control In Chaotic Universe By
Learning To Juggle.*


<li id="12_January_2022_(Veto_on_bill_permitting_to_unionize)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Veto_on_bill_permitting_to_unionize)">Veto on bill permitting to unionize</a>)
<p>
Governors from the Democratic Party have vetoed bills in California and Maine
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/10/absolute-disgrace-maines-democratic-gov-kills-bill-allow-farmworkers-unionize">that would have permitted farm workers to unionize</a>.


<li id="12_January_2022_(ISP_data_collection)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(ISP_data_collection)">ISP data collection</a>)
<p>
The FTC has investigated <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/10/ftc-staff-report-finds-many-internet-service-providers-collect">what personal data ISPs collect from their customers</a>.
  However it is thinking in terms of regulating how ISPs can <em>use</em> that data,
rather than whether they can collect it.  In general, <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">that choice is the ineffective choice</a>.

<p>
If you can find a way to tell the FTC, "Limit the data ISPs can
<em>collect</em>!", that would be useful to do &mdash; and I would be glad to post
here the way to reach that agency, if it does not require running
nonfree Javascript code.


<li id="12_January_2022_(Non_exclusive_racial_groups)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Non_exclusive_racial_groups)">Non exclusive racial groups</a>)
<p>
Proposing to unite the racial groups in a society <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2022/jan/11/in-todays-new-zealand-its-not-about-being-just-maori-or-pakeha-everyone-must-belong">by defining them
as not exclusive of each other</a>.
  The article proposes this specifically for the case of New Zealand,
but it could be applicable elsewhere.


<li id="12_January_2022_(Jail_for_criticizing_policies)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Jail_for_criticizing_policies)">Jail for criticizing policies</a>)
<p>
The Taliban have jailed a professor <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/10/calls-for-release-of-kabul-university-professor-detained-by-taliban">for criticizing their policies</a>.


<li id="12_January_2022_(Opposition_win)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Opposition_win)">Opposition win</a>)
<p>
An opposition candidate <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/10/venezuelan-opposition-defeats-maduro-candidate-hugo-chavez-home-state-barinas">defeated one of Maduro's lieutenants in an
election for Congress</a>.

<p>
The article doesn't say which opposition position the winner supports
&mdash; was it the "surrender to the US" golpista opposition of Guaidó, or
was it the honest-government opposition?  I wish I could find out.


<li id="12_January_2022_(Defusing_the_climate_emergency)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Defusing_the_climate_emergency)">Defusing the climate emergency</a>)
<p>
*Defusing the climate emergency <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/10/democracy-big-lie-climate-crisis">requires defusing threats to American
democracy</a>.*

<p>
This is because the Republican support for plutocracy goes so far you
would expect it only in satirical exaggeration.  Surely <em>real</em> plutocrats
would not be so absurdly greedy!


<li id="12_January_2022_(New_political_powers_for_army)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(New_political_powers_for_army)">New political powers for army</a>)
<p>
*Bolsonaro Gave Brazil's Army New [Political] Powers. The Generals
 <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/01/10/brazil-military-power-jair-bolsonaro/">Won't Give Them Up Easily</a>.*


<li id="12_January_2022_(Europol_forced_to_delete_personal_data)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Europol_forced_to_delete_personal_data)">Europol forced to delete personal data</a>)
<p>
<!-- Possibly misspelled: Europol -->
   vast store of personal data that it has been found to have amassed
   unlawfully <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/10/a-data-black-hole-europol-ordered-to-delete-vast-store-of-personal-data">by the bloc’s data protection watchdog</a>.*

<p>
To defend democracy <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">requires anonymity</a>.
                                         So the next challenge is to
limit what data that agency, and other "security" agencies, can
collect in the first place.  Also what data businesses can collect.


<li id="12_January_2022_(Laws_helping_overturn_elections)">12 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#12_January_2022_(Laws_helping_overturn_elections)">Laws helping overturn elections</a>)
<p>
Republicans are passing state laws to give themselves excuses
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/09/politics/gop-election-voting-rights-battleground-states/index.html">to arbitrarily overturn elections for partisan motives</a>.

<p>
Their planned elimination of democracy, followed by repression, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/10/republicans-election-democracy-seven-ways-trump">could
be lawful in a superficial sense</a>.
  However, it would result in a blatantly undemocratic, thus blatantly
illegitimate government.

<p>
No one knows how to make an institution that can adapt to all possible
future situations without falling into a trap that perverts it into
something worthless.  But I did not expect to see that during my
lifetime.

<p>
The United States had never implemented democracy and human rights
fully and properly; there have been struggles over this through its
whole history.  But at least it provided a framework for that
struggle, within which progress and victory were possible.  If that is
lost, where will it be possible to imagine victory?  We may have a
world in which all the pressing struggles are between one disgusting
illegitimate regime and another.  Will it be worth fighting for the US
to prevent China's world domination if the US has become almost as
repressive as China?

<p>
In that, in which the demand for democracy and
human rights is seen as a distraction, one that people are permitted
to talk about with some nostalgia only because that talk can have no
consequences.  In a few decades, what is now the United States
may be split into dozens of little absolutist regimes that fight
over whatever fragments of technology can still be used, and people
will hardly remember what human rights once meant.


<li id="11_January_2022_(Having_fewer_children)">11 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_January_2022_(Having_fewer_children)">Having fewer children</a>)
<p>
Now even in CNN: arguing that people should save the planet <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/09/opinions/pope-wrong-about-having-children-currie/index.html">by having
fewer children</a>.

<p>
It's good to reproduce bugs, to fix them.  It's good to reproduce
works of art, to share them.  But we need to have a lot less
reproducing of human beings, in every part of the world,
to greatly reduce the load we put on nature.


<li id="11_January_2022_(Takeover_by_business)">11 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_January_2022_(Takeover_by_business)">Takeover by business</a>)
<p>
Ralph Nader calls for a ten-year plan to reverse the takeover of the
US by business, including the idea <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/08/think-big-overcome-losing-big-corporatism">that businesses deserve rights as
much as human beings</a>.

<p>
That takeover is <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-nov-feb.html#8_January_2022_(Homer_Simpson's_working_class_lifestyle)">why working people can't live like Homer Simpson</a>.


<li id="11_January_2022_(Sending_refugees_home)">11 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_January_2022_(Sending_refugees_home)">Sending refugees home</a>)
<p>
The UK has ordered a Syrian refugee to return to Syria.  He fears he will
be jailed for leaving <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/09/home-office-tells-syrian-asylum-seeker-he-can-return-safely">rather than be conscripted to fight in Assad's army</a>.


<li id="11_January_2022_(Urgent_:_postal_banking)">11 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_January_2022_(Urgent_:_postal_banking)">Urgent : postal banking</a>)
<p>
US citizens: phone your congresscritter and ask per to fund a pilot program for
postal banking in the 2022 appropriations bill.


<li id="11_January_2022_(Activist_released_from_prison)">11 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_January_2022_(Activist_released_from_prison)">Activist released from prison</a>)
<p>
Palestinian-Egyptian activist Ramy Shaath <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/08/our-fight-not-over-egyptian-palestinian-rights-activist-ramy-shaath-freed-after-900">has been released from prison
and sent into exile in France</a>.

<p>
There are multiple injustices here.  Imprisoning someone for political
organizing is one.  Arbitrarily labeling a person as "terrorist" with
no proof is another.  Arbitrarily labeling an organization as
"terrorist" is another.  Taking away someone's citizenship is another.

<p>
Alas, some of these injustices are often carried out by the US as well.

<p>
The Muslim Brotherhood's political position is also unjust, because it
advocates denying equal rights to non-Muslims.  Most "Muslim" countries
commit this injustice; indeed, Egypt already does so.


<li id="11_January_2022_(Abortion_pills)">11 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_January_2022_(Abortion_pills)">Abortion pills</a>)
<p>
Republican-ruled US states are putting up <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/08/politics/south-dakota-medication-abortions/index.html">arbitrary obstacles to interfere
with obtaining and using abortion pills</a>.

<p>
The US must allow people to get these pills without a prescription, by
mail, so that women in Republican-ruled states can get them.  To fail
to do this is to put their health in danger three times &mdash; first from
pregnancy, then from childbirth, and ultimately from the
responsibility for raising a child, which drives many destitute
Americans to dangerous measures.


<li id="11_January_2022_(Unionization)">11 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_January_2022_(Unionization)">Unionization</a>)
<p>
The editors of the New York Times support unionization;
the business side <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/09/new-york-times-company-liberals-unions">is trying to oppose unionization</a>.

<p>
The article errs in presenting this as hypocrisy, because it can also
be understood as respect for editorial independence.  It is a good
thing that the business management does not order the editors to
desist from supporting unions to avoid putting the business's own
practices in a bad light.  We can criticize the business for opposing
union organizing, but to do so presuming that the business and the
editorial office are supposed to agree is to work against editorial
independence.

<p>
Old joke: how do you tell the difference between a labor organizer and
a chemist?  By their pronunciations of "unionized."


<li id="11_January_2022_(Flammable_cladding)">11 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_January_2022_(Flammable_cladding)">Flammable cladding</a>)
<p>
The UK has yielded to evident moral obligation and will pay <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/09/gove-must-spend-billions-more-end-building-fire-safety-crisis">to replace
the flammable cladding in all the buildings that have it</a>.
  Previously the Tories planned to do this only for the taller
buildings.  I never saw a justification for making that distinction,
and I can't see one.

<p>
This is the right way to handle that issue.

<p>
However, there are buildings that were built with other dangerous
features, and they raise the same issue.

<p>
If the builders skimped on satisfying building codes, the
builders should pay.


<li id="11_January_2022_(Urgent:_Electoral_Count_Act)">11 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_January_2022_(Urgent:_Electoral_Count_Act)">Urgent: Electoral Count Act</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/electoral-count-act-jan-6/?t=1001&akid=28776%2E96703%2E8utvFJ">call on Congress</a> to reform the Electoral Count Act in
order to close a loophole the wrecker tried to use for the coup.

<p>
But Congress <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/06/its-trap-advocates-warn-against-mcconnell-backed-election-reform-gambit">should watch out for this pitfall</a>.

<li id="11_January_2022_(New_Pun)">11 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#11_January_2022_(New_Pun)">New Pun</a>)
<p>
<a href="https://stallman.org/puns.html#talkative-fruit">Which fruits are the most talkative</a>?

<li id="10_January_2022_(Culture_change)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Culture_change)">Culture change</a>)
<p>
*Only a culture change <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/09/only-a-culture-change-can-end-this-state-of-climate-inaction">can end this state of climate inaction</a>.*
  But it's hard to achieve such change.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Pretext_for_war)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Pretext_for_war)">Pretext for war</a>)
<p>
Talks this week could reveal whether Putin wants a pretext for a war
with Ukraine, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/09/loving-and-giving-try-volunteer-work">or is only trying to bluff his way to another conquest</a>.

<p>
In general, buffer zones between empires make for peace.  I think NATO
should be willing to agree with Russia not to admit Ukraine, if Russia
makes a comparable concession, which should include pulling the plug
on the rebellion it has supported inside Ukraine.  However, Russia
should have to pay heavy reparations for taking Crimea.  Russia should
move its Black Sea fleet to a base further east, not close to Ukraine,
and at least demilitarize Crimea.

<p>
A zone on both sides of Ukraine's border with Russia (and its ally,
Belarus) in which no armored vehicles or missile launchers can be
deployed could also be a good idea for preventing future violence.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Guantanamo_prisoners)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Guantanamo_prisoners)">Guantanamo prisoners</a>)
<p>
* One-third of former prisoners [of Guantanamo] sent to third
   countries lack legal status &mdash; <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/09/guantanamo-resettled-no-legal-status">unable to work or travel, at risk
   of human rights abuses</a>.*


<li id="10_January_2022_(Reunion)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Reunion)">Reunion</a>)
<p>
Some outspoken citizens of the breakaway Turkish portion of Cyprus
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/09/rising-anger-with-turkey-drives-calls-for-reunification-in-crisis-hit-northern-cyprus">want some sort of reunion with the main, Greek part of Cyprus</a>.
  Some of them have been blocked arbitrarily from flying to Istanbul,
which is the only way to fly out of the Turkish portion.

<p>
People with these views are planning to boycott the next election.
I wonder why.  It could be that Turkey rigs the elections.  Or it could
be that the majority support the current alliance with Turkey.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Urgent:_Judiciary_Act_of_2021)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Urgent:_Judiciary_Act_of_2021)">Urgent: Judiciary Act of 2021</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-demand-president-biden-and-congress-pass-the-judiciary-act-of-2021-to-expand-the-supreme-court-2?nowrapper=true">call on Biden and Congress</a> to pass the Judiciary Act of
2021, to expand the Supreme Court.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Reducing_carbon_emissions)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Reducing_carbon_emissions)">Reducing carbon emissions</a>)
<p>
In both poor countries and rich countries, the wealthier people must do
the most to reduce their carbon emissions.  This <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/07/we-cant-address-the-climate-crisis-unless-we-also-take-on-global-inequality">has implications for policies</a>.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Speculation_on_Omicron)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Speculation_on_Omicron)">Speculation on Omicron</a>)
<p>
A speculation: Omicron may have evolved in someone who has an HIV infection
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/11/why-uncontrolled-hiv-may-be-behind-the-emergence-of-omicron">and was not given the drugs to control the infection</a>.

<p>
If we treated everyone that has an HIV infection, that disease would
no longer be transmitted.  It would eventually disappear.  And
perhaps, in the mean time, we would avoid new, dangerous variants of
Covid-19.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Ex-smoker_on_making_tobacco_illegal)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Ex-smoker_on_making_tobacco_illegal)">Ex-smoker on making tobacco illegal</a>)
<p>
An ex-smoker <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/11/new-zealand-tobacco-criminalise-smoking-illegal-substances-use">argues against New Zealand's plan to make it illegal to
buy tobacco</a>.

<p>
I never intentionally smoked tobacco, because I saw from my
grandfather when I was 9 years old that tobacco means death.
I wish that tobacco would cease to exist.  But making it a crime
is a foolish reaction to the problem.

<p>
I apply this principle to nonfree software also.  It is unjust and
nasty, and should not exist.  But we should not make nonfree software
as such illegal.

<p>
I do think <a href="https://gnu.org/malware/">we should make malicious functionalities illegal</a>.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Protests_as_factions_fight_opportunity)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Protests_as_factions_fight_opportunity)">Protests as factions fight opportunity</a>)
<p>
The initially peaceful protests in Kazakhstan <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/08/as-order-is-restored-in-kazakhstan-its-future-is-murkier-than-ever">may have been seized as
an opportunity for political factions to fight</a>.

<p>
It won't be easy to get to the bottom of this.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Recording_all_class_sessions)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Recording_all_class_sessions)">Recording all class sessions</a>)
<p>
Florida proposes to authorize public schools <a href="https://newsdaytonabeach.com/stories/proposal-could-lead-to-cameras-in-classrooms,10859">to record all class sessions,
video and audio</a>.

<p>
The stated purpose is to investigate accusations that a teacher either
abused or neglected a child.  This could perhaps be acceptable, if we
could trust that the cameras won't be used for other purposes, either
with or without the school's authorization.  But I expect that Florida
will use them for other purposes &mdash; for instance, to punish teachers
that teach about racism and sexism as factual matters, and the history
of unjust systems.

<p>
Meanwhile, companies may wangle permission to "make education better"
by feeding the videos to AI programs.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Worse_than_the_satire)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Worse_than_the_satire)">Worse than the satire</a>)
<p>
Climate defense activists say the reality of their fight <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/08/take-it-climate-scientists-dont-look-damning-not-nearly-damning-enough">is worse than
the satire, Don't Look Up</a>.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Undersea_cables)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Undersea_cables)">Undersea cables</a>)
<p>
A UK military official warns that Russia <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/08/uk-military-chief-warns-of-russian-threat-to-vital-undersea-cables">might start damaging or
tapping undersea cables</a>.

<p>
The US did this for years during the cold war &mdash; see Blind Man's
Bluff, by Sontag and Drew.  Maybe it still does.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Urgent:_exception_to_the_filibuster)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Urgent:_exception_to_the_filibuster)">Urgent: exception to the filibuster</a>)
<p>
US citizens: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-to-the-us-senate-do-everything-you-can-to-protect-our-freedom-to-vote?nowrapper=true">call on the Senate</a> to make an exception to the filibuster
for voting rights and fair elections.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Universal_medical_care_system)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Universal_medical_care_system)">Universal medical care system</a>)
<p>
California is considering <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/07/caravans-across-california-set-hit-road-states-single-payer-bill-advances">a universal medical care system</a>.
  This could be a great step forward.

<p>
Of the three funding methods proposed, a payroll tax is 
a bad choice, because it creates an incentive to have fewer
employees in the jurisdiction.  We would be better off if we
replaced all payroll taxes with other taxes.

<p>
A gross receipts tax with a fixed tax rate has drawbacks too:
businesses could easily pass that along to customers, as they do
with sales tax.  That's why I've proposed a gross receipts tax
<a href="https://stallman.org/articles/progressive-tax-on-business-gross-income.html">with a tax rate that is higher for large companies</a>.


<li id="10_January_2022_(Covid_and_food_shortages)">10 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#10_January_2022_(Covid_and_food_shortages)">Covid and food shortages</a>)
<p>
Covid's spread is causing food shortages in two Australian states:
*  "Critical" or "essential" workers who are asymptomatic no longer
   required to self-isolate <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/09/nsw-allows-close-contacts-of-covid-cases-to-work-as-state-faces-food-shortages">if job is essential for growing, manufacturing
   or transporting food</a>.*



<li id="8_January_2022_(Urgent:_Electoral_Count_Act)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Urgent:_Electoral_Count_Act)">Urgent: Electoral Count Act</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Congress to <a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/electoral-count-act-jan-6/">reform the Electoral Count Act</a> in
order to close a loophole the wrecker tried to use for the coup.

<p>The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.</p>
<p>If you call, please spread the word!</p>

<li id="8_January_2022_(Urgent:_Investigate_congressional_supporters_of_Jan_6_insurrection)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Urgent:_Investigate_congressional_supporters_of_Jan_6_insurrection)">Urgent: Investigate congressional supporters of Jan 6 insurrection</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on Congress to <a href="https://act.winwithoutwar.org/act/jan6_accountability">investigate the members that supported
 the Jan 6 insurrection</a>.

<p>The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.</p>
  <p>If you call, please spread the word!</p>

<li id="8_January_2022_(Tennis_star_in_quarantine)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Tennis_star_in_quarantine)">Tennis star in quarantine</a>)
<p>

Australia <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/01/07/novak-djokovic-australia-refugees/">put a tennis star in quarantine</a> for arriving unvaccinated.
They put him in a former hotel which is also an immigration prison;
some refugees have been in that prison for up to 9 years.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Homer_Simpson's_working_class_lifestyle)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Homer_Simpson's_working_class_lifestyle)">Homer Simpson's working class lifestyle</a>)
<p>

Why Americans today <a href="https://invidio.us/watch?v=Fp2Ey0H7OUE">can't hope to match Homer Simpson's working-class
lifestyle</a>.
<p>
When that satirical family was conceived of, in the mid 1980s, the
<a href="/glossary.html#plutocratist">plutocratist</a> campaign was already running, but the changes were only
partial and the results were only beginning to sink in.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Ukrainian_who_condemned_Russia's_seizure_of_Crimea)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Ukrainian_who_condemned_Russia's_seizure_of_Crimea)">Ukrainian who condemned Russia's seizure of Crimea</a>)
<p>

Putin has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/07/arrested-ukrainian-opera-director-vows-to-fight-putin-oppression-yevhen-lavrenchuk-italy">used Interpol to get Italy to arrest a Ukrainian</a> who condemned
Russia's seizure of Crimea.
<p>
An accusation of "financial crimes" by Russia is like an accusation of
"espionage" by the US.  There are real tax cheaters, and there are
real spies, but when the charges are aimed at a political target, 
you should not let them manipulate you.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Sharjeel_Imam_imprisoned_on_falsified_charges)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Sharjeel_Imam_imprisoned_on_falsified_charges)">Sharjeel Imam imprisoned on falsified charges</a>)
<p>

Nonviolent Indian dissident (and software developer) Sharjeel Imam is
<a href="https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/sharjeel-imam-iit-bombay-jnu-and-everything-in-between/">imprisoned on falsified charges</a> of encouraging violence.
<p>
The activists of the BJP and <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2020-mar-jun.html#2_May_2020_(Violence_in_control)">RSS</a> 
do daily what he was falsely accused of, and get no pushback from
the state.
<p>
I regret to say that the article talks on various occasions of developing
nonfree software, as if that were perfectly legitimate.  However, that
is also no justification for imprisoning Sharjeel, or others.  We need
to <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">put an end to development of nonfree software</a>,
but imprisoning the people who do it would be going too far.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Downloading_private_photos_of_murder_victims)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Downloading_private_photos_of_murder_victims)">Downloading private photos of murder victims</a>)
<p>

In another Gostak and Doshes case, a police department worker in the
UK has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/07/staffordshire-police-worker-jailed-for-storing-and-postmortem-images">sent to prison for downloading private photos of murder
victims</a>.
<p>
It may be that his having copies undermined security by increasing the
chance that some cracker would get them and release them.  That could
justify firing him for laxity in security (and fixing the security
hole he used).  But that's not what the judge rebuked him for.  The
court said his conduct was "insulting" &mdash; and that makes no sense to
me.
<p>
I can't see how a private act, which communicates nothing to anyone,
can insult anyone.  And even if it did, freedom of speech includes the
right to insult people.
<p>
Punishing privately expressed insults is one small step away from
thoughtcrime.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Medicare_coverage_for_sick_children)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Medicare_coverage_for_sick_children)">Medicare coverage for sick children</a>)
<p>

An emergency declaration gives sick children in the US coverage from medicare.
If Biden does not extend it, it will <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/07/if-biden-doesnt-act-quickly-millions-could-lose-medicaid-omicron-surges">expire in a week</a>.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Planned_Parenthood_clinic_in_Tennessee)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Planned_Parenthood_clinic_in_Tennessee)">Planned Parenthood clinic in Tennessee</a>)
<p>

Arsonists <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/07/fire-destroyed-tennessee-planned-parenthood-clinic-was-intentional-criminal-act">destroyed a Planned Parenthood clinic</a> in Tennessee.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Funding_from_oil_giant_to_jail_water_protectors)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Funding_from_oil_giant_to_jail_water_protectors)">Funding from oil giant to jail water protectors</a>)
<p>

*Prosecutor <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/06/prosecutor-sought-funding-oil-giant-enbridge-jail-line-3-water-protectors-report">Sought Funding From Oil Giant Enbridge</a> to Jail Line 3 Water
Protectors.*
<p>
In effect, the "justice" system  of Minnesota is acting like a contractor
for big business.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Oppressive_national_policing_tactic)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Oppressive_national_policing_tactic)">Oppressive national policing tactic</a>)
<p>

The UK <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> set up a "counterterrorism" project to investigate and
persecute protesters.  A review panel said it was "increasingly being
used as an intimidatory and oppressive national policing tactic."
Then some secretive officials <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/06/police-cornish-g7-activists-report-withdrawn-project-servator">decided to "withdraw" the report</a>.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Exxon_bribed_Nusultan_Nazarbayev)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Exxon_bribed_Nusultan_Nazarbayev)">Exxon bribed Nusultan Nazarbayev</a>)
<p>

Greg Palast reports on how <a href="https://www.gregpalast.com/?p=28750">Exxon bribed Nursultan Nazarbayev</a>, and an
individual pleaded guilty, but was then let go by the judge.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Manchin_rejected_compromise_Build_Back_Better_bill)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Manchin_rejected_compromise_Build_Back_Better_bill)">Manchin rejected "compromise" Build Back Better bill</a>)
<p>

Manchin has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/08/joe-manchin-build-back-better-biden">rejected a "compromise" shrunken version of the Build Back
Better relief bill</a>, which he had previously proposed.
<p>
I think he has been toying with the progressives all along.
<p>
The most important bills are the voting rights bills.
If he supports those, at least the suffering will be temporary.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Bill_for_homelessness)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Bill_for_homelessness)">Bill for homelessness</a>)
<p>

*The <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20220106020627/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/29/opinion/debt-homelessness.html">Bill for My Homelessness Was $54,000</a>.*

<li id="8_January_2022_(Labor_protections_for_Uber_drivers)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Labor_protections_for_Uber_drivers)">Labor protections for Uber drivers</a>)
<p>
*Uber CEO Admits <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/01/07/uber-drivers-labor-protections-dara-khosrowshahi-european-union/">Company Can Afford Labor Protections for Drivers</a>.*

<li id="8_January_2022_(Stop_and_search)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Stop_and_search)">Stop and search</a>)
<p>
*I'm a [British] police officer, and I fear <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/07/police-officer-stop-and-search-powers-public-trust">increased powers of stop
and search will undermine public trust</a>.*

<li id="8_January_2022_(High_temperature_records_beat)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(High_temperature_records_beat)">High temperature records beat</a>)
<p>
  *More than 400 weather stations around the world <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/07/heat-records-broken-all-around-the-world-in-2021-says-climatologist">beat their all-time
  highest temperature records in 2021</a>.*

<li id="8_January_2022_(History_of_blacks_in_Britain)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(History_of_blacks_in_Britain)">History of blacks in Britain</a>)
<p>
A new collection of lessons about the history of blacks in Britain is
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/07/ive-felt-quite-proud-the-diverse-curriculum-inspiring-school-pupils">designed to be sprinkled into the rest of the curriculum</a>, like an
added ingredient.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Pakistan's_first_female_judge_nominated)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Pakistan's_first_female_judge_nominated)">Pakistan's first female judge nominated</a>)
<p>
*First female judge <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/07/first-female-judge-nominated-for-pakistans-supreme-court">nominated for Pakistan’s supreme court</a>.*

<li id="8_January_2022_(Federal_flood_insurance)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Federal_flood_insurance)">Federal flood insurance</a>)
<p>
  A demand for reform of US federal flood insurance is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/07/flood-survivors-congress-overhaul-insurance-policy">a model of
  wisdom in that it considers the well-being of society as well as
  that of people whose homes have been flooded</a>.
  It calls for measures that will do good in the long term --
  to warn about housing in flood plains, and move housing to safer,
  higher ground.

<li id="8_January_2022_(China's_top_facial_recognition_firm_sanctioned)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(China's_top_facial_recognition_firm_sanctioned)">China's top facial recognition firm sanctioned</a>)
<p>
  *US <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/06/china-sensetime-facial-recognition-uyghur-surveillance-us-sanctions">sanctioned China's top facial recognition firm over Uyghur concerns</a>.*
<p>
  Punishing companies that participate in repression in China is the
  right thing to do -- but even more important is to restrict face
  recognition in the US.  And restrict <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">systematic capture of face images,
  which is the basis of face tracking surveillance</a>.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Assault_on_American_democracy)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Assault_on_American_democracy)">Assault on American democracy</a>)
<p>
*Assault on American democracy has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/07/assault-on-american-democracy-has-gained-pace-since-us-capitol-attack">gained pace since US Capitol
 attack* (a year ago)</a>.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Monsanto_proprietary_software)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Monsanto_proprietary_software)">Monsanto proprietary software</a>)
<p>
Monsanto developed some proprietary software to collect and analyze
farmers' data about their own farms.  I expect this would be used as
part of a system which, by its design, would subject farmers to Monsanto's power.
<p>
A researcher who is a Chinese citizen and worked with Monsanto took a
copy of this program <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/07/china-scientist-pleads-guilty-to-stealing-trade-secret-from-monsanto">with the intention to send it to some
organization in China</a>, that would very likely use it in a way that
subjects farmers in China, and maybe elsewhere, to that organization's
power.
<p>
We should not get distracted by focusing on Monsanto's interests.
Nonfree software is the wrong solution for any computing need.

<li id="8_January_2022_(High_Arctic)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(High_Arctic)">High Arctic</a>)
<p>
  Lightning, and thunderstorms, are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/05/world/lightning-increased-north-pole-arctic-2021-climate/index.html">increasing substantially in the high
  Arctic, a reflection of global heating</a>.
<p>
  Lightning is also increasing in parts of North America, and that tends
  to increase the amount of wildfire in the areas that are also becoming
  increasingly arid.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Google_intimidation)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Google_intimidation)">Google intimidation</a>)
<p>
  Google is trying to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/05/warren-jayapal-demand-google-stop-trying-bully-doj-antitrust-official">intimidate the newly appointed head of the FTC's
  antitrust division</a>.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Kazakhstan_fighting)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Kazakhstan_fighting)">Kazakhstan fighting</a>)
<p>
  Fighting has broken out in Almaty, Kazakhstan, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/06/asia/kazakhstan-fuel-protests-thursday-intl/index.html">between opposition and
  government suppression forces supported by Russian troops</a>.
  Both sides have become quite violent.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Sensibilities_of_some_people)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Sensibilities_of_some_people)">Sensibilities of some people</a>)
<p>
  Some Tories demand to impose much higher penalties for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/06/minister-grant-shapps-crackdown-court-colston-four-statue">pulling down a
  statue, or even a wreath, on the ground that the act offends the
  sensibilities of some people</a>.
<p>
  If the main significance of an act is how it offends someone's
  sensibilities, that means it should be treated as an expression of an
  idea, rather than anything else.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Burundi's_first_prime_minister)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Burundi's_first_prime_minister)">Burundi's first prime minister</a>)
<p>
  Archival documents show that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/05/new-evidence-of-belgian-complicity-in-1961-killing-of-burundian-pm">Belgium arranged the murder of Burundi's first
  prime minister</a>, in 1961.
<p>
  A Belgian state investigation confirmed this in 1962, but the state
  concealed it.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Climate-related_ads)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Climate-related_ads)">Climate-related ads</a>)
<p>
*One in five ads served on search results for 78 climate-related terms
   <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/05/fossil-fuel-firms-among-biggest-spenders-on-google-ads-that-look-like-search-results">placed by firms with interests in fossil fuels</a>.*

<li id="8_January_2022_(Insurrection)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Insurrection)">Insurrection</a>)
<p>
  *<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/05/trump-capitol-attack-democracy-election-insurrection-index">More than 1,000 Americans in positions of public trust acted as
  accomplices in Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election
  result</a>, participating in the violent insurrection at the US Capitol on
  6 January or spreading the “big lie” that the vote count had been
  rigged.*
<p>
  Rebecca Solnit: *Republicans are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/06/republicans-power-and-lies-mob-6-january-congress-truth">laying a path back to power – and
  paving it with lies</a>.*

<li id="8_January_2022_(War_on_Drugs)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(War_on_Drugs)">War on Drugs</a>)
<p>
  The War on Drugs <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/05/war-drugs-has-failed-when-disease-becomes-crime">comes from a lie that Nixon's campaign used to demonize
  leftist political movements: anti-war Liberals and the Black Power movement</a>.
  Ehrlichman, one of his officials, later admitted this.
<p>
  Those who campaign for this drug-addicted war fight tooth and nail
  against measures such as pill-testing and safe injection spaces, that
  would prevent most of the war's civilian casualties, because those
  measures would supposedly "legitimize" the drugs.  Then they cite the
  casualties, that continue because they prevent these measures, as the
  reason to prohibit them.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Forced_labour_gloves)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Forced_labour_gloves)">Forced labour gloves</a>)
<p>
*The UK government is facing legal action over its decision to keep
using a Malaysian company accused of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/06/uk-faces-legal-action-for-approving-firm-accused-of-using-forced-labour-as-ppe-supplier">using forced labour as a supplier
of [disposable medical gloves]</a>.*

<li id="8_January_2022_(Hedgehog_MRSA)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Hedgehog_MRSA)">Hedgehog MRSA</a>)
<p>
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jan/06/hedgehogs-had-mrsa-superbug-long-before-antibiotics-use-research-finds">Antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus aureus evolved on hedgehogs</a>, which are host
to a fungus that makes the antibiotic.
<p>
If cows got the resistant bacteria from hedgehogs, it is still
possible that these bacteria spread in cows because the cows were fed
that antibiotic.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Kazakhstan)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Kazakhstan)">Kazakhstan</a>)
<p>
The protests in Kazakhstan were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/06/the-guardian-view-on-kazakhstans-unrest-danger-ahead">triggered by an increase in tax on
    fossil fuels</a>.
<p>
  Keeping fossil fuel as cheap as it now is will destroy civilization.
  Nazarbayev may be corrupt power, but on this one issue, what his
  opponents demand is destruction for everyone.
<p>
  The recommended way to tax fossil fuels more is to return the tax
  money to the poor people, so that they won't be worse off overall.  I
  would guess that Nazarbayev didn't do that.  Perhaps that is worth a
  try.
<p>
  Meanwhile, the government has obtained Russian military aid
  for repressing the opposition.
<p>
  After repressing a protest in 2011, Nazarbayev <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/06/how-tony-blair-advised-former-kazakh-ruler-after-2011-uprising">paid Tony B'liar 13
  million dollars for advice about hypocritical ways to talk about it</a>.

<li id="8_January_2022_(Journalists_repressed)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Journalists_repressed)">Journalists repressed</a>)
<p>
Many of the island states in the Pacific Ocean <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2022/jan/07/i-had-death-threats-for-my-reporting-many-journalists-in-the-pacific-face-huge-dangers">repress journalists whose
writing rocks the boat for the wealthy</a>.

<li id="8_January_2022_(January_6)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(January_6)">January 6</a>)
<p>
*Behind the insurrection of January 6 was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/06/capitol-attack-coup-attempt-trump-far-right-republicans">a coup plot that was months in
the making, and which involved a dastardly cast of characters</a>.*

<li id="8_January_2022_(Suburbs_and_wildfires)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Suburbs_and_wildfires)">Suburbs and wildfires</a>)
<p>
*‘Urban fire storm’: suburban sprawl <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/06/urban-fire-storm-suburban-sprawl-wildfires-colorado">raising risk of destructive wildfires</a>.*

<li id="8_January_2022_(Moderna_ruthless_profit_making)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Moderna_ruthless_profit_making)">Moderna ruthless profit making</a>)
<p>
*Volunteer Quits Moderna Vaccine Trial Over "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/04/volunteer-quits-moderna-vaccine-trial-over-ruthless-corporate-profit-making">Ruthless Corporate
 Profit-Making</a>."*

<li id="8_January_2022_(Food_Not_Bombs)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Food_Not_Bombs)">Food Not Bombs</a>)
<p>
*Fort Lauderdale <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/05/after-7-years-anti-war-group-fed-hungry-wins-fight-fort-lauderdale">sued Food Not Bombs for feeding homeless people --
 and Food Not Bombs has won</a>!*

<li id="8_January_2022_(Urgent:_Tongass_National_Forest)">8 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#8_January_2022_(Urgent:_Tongass_National_Forest)">Urgent: Tongass National Forest</a>)
<p>
US citizens: call for <a href="https://act.defenders.org/page/37089/action/1?supporter.appealCode=3WDE2204A1XX1&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=engagingnetworks&amp;utm_campaign=010522_TongassA2D_Nondonor&amp;u">restoration of the roadless rule for the Tongass National Forest</a>.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Urgent:_Include_billionaire_income_tax_in_Build_Back_Better_bill.)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Urgent:_Include_billionaire_income_tax_in_Build_Back_Better_bill.)">Urgent: Include billionaire income tax in Build Back Better bill.</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on the Senate to <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/demand-the-us-senate-tax-billionaire-wealth-by-including-the-billionaires-income-tax-in-the-build-back-better-act">include the billionaire income tax</a>
in the Build Back Better bill.

<p>The Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.</p>
<p>If you call, please spread the word!</p>

<li id="6_January_2022_(Australia's_medical_system_collapsing)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Australia's_medical_system_collapsing)">Australia's medical system collapsing</a>)
<p>

Australia's medical system is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/05/the-foundations-of-our-healthcare-system-have-been-washed-away">collapsing under the assault of Covid-19</a>.

The government did not prepare for what would happen.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Reducing_greenhouse-generating_practices)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Reducing_greenhouse-generating_practices)">Reducing greenhouse-generating practices</a>)
<p>

How leading the public to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/03/shifting-wasteful-consumption">reduce greenhouse-generating practices</a> is
related to changing the social systems that pressure or compel people
to do those things.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Talon_Anvil)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Talon_Anvil)">Talon Anvil</a>)
<p>

A secret US bomb targeting unit, "Talon Anvil," systematically <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20220116034627/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/12/us/civilian-deaths-war-isis.html">twisted
or disregarded the official targeting rules</a> that were designed to
protect civilians in the war against <a href="/glossary.html#pissi">PISSI</a>.
The result was to kill a lot of civilians.
<p>
The personnel in the unit went so far as to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/13/stomach-wrenching-report-reveals-secret-us-strike-commands-high-civilian-death-toll">discourage taking reconnaissance photos after a bombing</a>, as a cover-up.
<p>
There is no military reason today to keep any of this secret; however,
the general resistance to releasing any military secrets is an
excellent shield against prosecuting anyone or learning anything.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Smashing_7,000_stores)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Smashing_7,000_stores)">Smashing 7,000 stores</a>)
<p>

Bangladesh's campaign of hatred against Rohingya has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/05/thousands-of-rohingya-shops-demolished-in-bangladesh-leaving-refugees-desperate">extended to
smashing 7,000 stores</a> set up where they have settled.
<p>
Considering this in human terms, it is reprehensible hatred.
<p>
Considering this in a longer term, the vice made of <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a> and
population growth is squeezing Bangladesh.  Unless we shut them off,
their pressure will, I expect, crush tens of millions to death.  Some
of them will die having given up, but some will die in fights over who
will, and who won't, survive till the next day.
<p>
Not that I see anything unusual about Bangladeshis and Rohingya.  On
the contrary, this is what I expect to see everywhere, sooner or
later.

<li id="6_January_2022_((satire)_Secret_underground_tunnels)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_((satire)_Secret_underground_tunnels)">(satire) Secret underground tunnels</a>)
<p>

(satire) *City Announces <a href="https://www.theonion.com/city-announces-construction-of-20-new-miles-of-secret-u-1848254045">Construction Of 20 New Miles Of Secret
Underground Tunnels</a> For Vloggers To Explore.*

<li id="6_January_2022_(The_other_drone_casualties)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(The_other_drone_casualties)">The other drone casualties</a>)
<p>

*The Other Drone Casualties: <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/04/other-drone-casualties-whistleblowers-who-tried-stop-it">The Whistleblowers Who Tried to Stop It</a>.*
<p>
After a decade of killing civilians by drone, and covering up the
facts and the causes, the only person in prison for this is
whistleblower Daniel Hale, who exposed it.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Reporting_on_death_of_Harry_Reid)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Reporting_on_death_of_Harry_Reid)">Reporting on death of Harry Reid</a>)
<p>

The reporting on the death of Senator Harry Reid should not fail to note
that <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/04/harry-reids-disastrous-foreign-policy-record-should-not-be-forgotten">he pushed hard for the conquest and occupation of Iraq</a>.

<li id="6_January_2022_(NYC_bank_staff)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(NYC_bank_staff)">NYC bank staff</a>)
<p>

Mayor Adams of NYC <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/04/economy/eric-adams-covid-banks/index.html">implored banks to make their staff work in their
offices, and risk infection</a>, so that they will pay for services like
transport, food, and more.
<p>
The wise thing to do is what the UK did a year ago: give companies
money to pay the salaries of workers whose work was temporarily not
necessary. This saves the workers and the employers from financial disaster without
making anyone take unnecessary medical risks.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Sore-losers_to_violent_terrorists)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Sore-losers_to_violent_terrorists)">Sore-losers to violent terrorists</a>)
<p>

*From Sore-Losers to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/04/sore-losers-violent-terrorists">Violent Terrorists</a>?*
Republicans now place Americans in physical danger by threatening to kill
rather than accept they lost.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Subsidies_to_independent_meat-processing_companies)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Subsidies_to_independent_meat-processing_companies)">Subsidies to independent meat-processing companies</a>)
<p>

Biden is moving to provide <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/04/house-progressives-hail-biden-moves-combat-meat-industry-price-gouging">federal subsidies to independent
meat-processing companies</a>.  This is to reduce the power of the big
four companies.
<p>
I agree with that goal, but this method is the expensive way, because
it is based on exerting the influence of added government spending.
It would be more efficient to break up the big four companies,
or <a href="https://stallman.org/articles/progressive-tax-on-business-gross-income.html">pressure them with taxes</a>.
<p>
Meanwhile, reducing the retail price of meat would have a harmful effect:
encouraging more production of meat &mdash; bad for people who eat too much meat,
and bad for the climate.  It would be better to add a tax, so that the
reduction in big four income goes into things that are better for society.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Donations_to_coup-supporting_Republicans)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Donations_to_coup-supporting_Republicans)">Donations to coup-supporting Republicans</a>)
<p>

Chevron, ExxonMobil, Merck, Pfizer, FedEx and UPS are <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/03/major-corporations-have-broken-promises-and-funded-seditionists-jan-6-reports-reveal">donating to
coup-supporting Republicans in Congress</a>.  Other companies and trade
organizations, too.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Possible_cause_of_long_covid)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Possible_cause_of_long_covid)">Possible cause of long covid</a>)
<p>

Long Covid <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/05/long-covid-research-microclots">may be caused by microclots</a>.  Medicine to dissolve them
may help some patients.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Edward_Colston_statue_topplers_acquitted)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Edward_Colston_statue_topplers_acquitted)">Edward Colston statue topplers acquitted</a>)
<p>

The protesters who toppled the statue of Edward Colston have been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/05/four-cleared-of-toppling-edward-colston-statute">acquitted
of criminal charges</a> for doing so.
<p>
I support the removal of Colston's statue.  Slave trading was the most
impactful thing he did in his life; his local philanthropy, using part
of the profit he got from slave trading, cannot compensate for the
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-may-aug.html#16_August_2017_(Urgent:_Pressure_officials_to_remove_statues)">wrong of the slave trading itself</a>.
<p>
Many other famous people are similar cases and we could well reach the
same conclusions about them.  They include Bill Gates and Steve Jobs,
whose main "contribution" to the world was software that subjugates
users.
<p>
But there are also cases where the balance goes the other way: people
who did important good that is worth commemorating, but also
participated in some widespread practice or widespread view that we
condemn today.  How should we judge them?  I think we should weigh the
importance of the good and the bad they did, and commemorate them on
that basis.  For instance, Thomas Jefferson gave crucial impetus to
separation of church and state &mdash; a vital liberty now under threat in
the US.  He also owned slaves, but he was not a champion of slavery.
We must commemorate his signal contribution to freedom without forgetting
what he did against freedom.
<p>
What about when the bad and the good are of the same order, as in the
case of Woodrow Wilson?
I <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2020-jul-oct.html#6_July_2020_(Woodrow_Wilson)">suggested
a statue</a> which shows him with two sides, the good side and the
evil side.
<p>
The Tories want to punish the toppling of a statue with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/jan/06/colston-four-acquittal-raises-doubts-about-10-year-jail-term-proposal">10 years in
prison</a>.  This is draconian when compared with the small physical
damage that usually results.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Emissions_trading)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Emissions_trading)">Emissions trading</a>)
<p>

California's system of emissions trading is having <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/05/californias-cap-and-trade-system-proves-limits-market-based-climate-action">much less than the
predicted effect</a>.
<p>
This example illustrates why the emissions-trading approach is
inadequate, which is also why fossil fuel businesses prefer it to
other, more effective approaches.  If they can't deny the danger, and
they can't delay countermeasures, their next effort is to arrange
countermeasures into less effective approaches.

<li id="6_January_2022_(OSHA_Covid-19_safety_standard)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(OSHA_Covid-19_safety_standard)">OSHA Covid-19 safety standard</a>)
<p>

*AFL-CIO, Nurses Unions <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/05/afl-cio-nurses-unions-demand-permanent-osha-covid-19-safety-standard">Demand Permanent OSHA Covid-19 Safety Standard</a>.*

<li id="6_January_2022_(Section_3_of_the_14th_amendment)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Section_3_of_the_14th_amendment)">Section 3 of the 14th amendment</a>)
<p>

*Section 3 of the 14th amendment disqualifies from public office any
individual who has taken an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and
then engages in insurrection or rebellion against the United States,
or gives aid or comfort to those who have,*
<p>
Thus, state election officials have the duty to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/05/campaign-aims-bar-all-jan-6-insurrectionists-including-trump-future-public-office">exclude candidates who
have done that</a>.
<p>
We can't expect Republican officials to do their duty &mdash; so what is plan B?

<li id="6_January_2022_(Cause_of_canceled_flights)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Cause_of_canceled_flights)">Cause of canceled flights</a>)
<p>

US airlines dismissed thousands of employees this fall.  When they had
to cancel a lot of flights in the past couple of weeks, that's <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/05/business/holiday-flight-cancellations-blame/index.html">part of
the cause</a>.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Data_privacy_law)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Data_privacy_law)">Data privacy law</a>)
<p>

*Congress Could <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/04/congress-could-help-prevent-another-jan-6-data-privacy-law-say-campaigners">Help Prevent Another Jan. 6 With Data Privacy Law</a>, Say
Campaigners.*
<p>
It could stop Facebook from magnifying disinformation.

<li id="6_January_2022_(Fear_of_Democracy_working)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Fear_of_Democracy_working)">Fear of Democracy working</a>)
<p>

*McConnell Openly Admits His Very Real Fear Is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/04/mcconnell-openly-admits-his-very-real-fear-american-democracy-actually-working">American Democracy Actually
Working</a>.*

<li id="6_January_2022_(Hisham_Abu_Hawash_Ends_Hunger_Strike)">6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Hisham_Abu_Hawash_Ends_Hunger_Strike)">Hisham Abu Hawash Ends Hunger Strike</a>)
<p>

*Palestinian Prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/04/palestinian-prisoner-hisham-abu-hawash-ends-hunger-strike-after-deal-israel">Ends Hunger Strike</a> After Deal With
Israel* to end his imprisonment without trial.
<p>
Imprisonment without trial is vicious and vile, whether it is done by
Israel, China, the US, or any other country.

<li id="6_January_2022_(threat_far_right_militia)"> 6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(threat_far_right_militia)">Government taking threat of far-right militias seriously</a>)
<p>
*The government is finally taking the threat of far-right militia groups
seriously. 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/05/capitol-attack-january-6-democracy-america-trump">But the larger threat are the Republican legislators who
continue to recklessly undermine democracy.</a>*

<li id="6_January_2022_(Biden_manchin_bbb)"> 6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Biden_manchin_bbb)">Biden needs to stand up to Manchin</a>)
<p>
*Joe Biden needs to stand up and 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/05/joe-biden-manchin-build-back-better">fight Manchin like our lives depend on it.</a>*

<li id="6_January_2022_(Murray_prison_saughton)"> 6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Murray_prison_saughton)">Murray explains the details of the prison he is in</a>)
<p>
Craig Murray explains the peculiar physical and social characteristics
of the 
<a href="https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2022/01/your-man-in-saughton-jail-part-1/">prison he is in, and the causes of them.</a>

<li id="6_January_2022_(Saudi_arabia_deported_tigrayans)"> 6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Saudi_arabia_deported_tigrayans)">Thousands of Tigrayans deported by Saudi Arabia</a>)
<p>
Saudi Arabia has deported thousands of Tigrayans to Ethiopia, 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/05/tigrayans-abused-deported-by-saudis-forcibly-disappeared-in-ethiopia-human-rights-watch-report">where
the government imprisons them incommunicado.</a>

<li id="6_January_2022_(Vaccine_taking_part_society)"> 6 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#6_January_2022_(Vaccine_taking_part_society)">Vaccination as the price for taking part in society</a>)
<p>
*Vaccination as the 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/05/vaccination-as-the-price-for-taking-part-in-society">price for taking part in society.</a>*
<p>
I think the word "price" is not quite right here, because it implies
that society could arbitrarily decide what "price" to charge.  I think
that the role of vaccination in the situation is that of a
self-evident prerequisite.

<li id="5_January_2022_(afghan_economy_us_sanctions)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(afghan_economy_us_sanctions)">Afghanistan's economic collapse</a>)
<p>*Humanitarian Exemptions to Crushing U.S. Sanctions 
<a href="https://theintercept.com/2021/12/28/afghanistan-economy-collapse-us-sanctions">Do Little to
 Prevent Collapse of Afghanistan’s Economy.</a>*

<li id="5_January_2022_(dating_apps_sick_world)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(dating_apps_sick_world)">Dating application's strange isolated experience</a>)
<p>
 Dating apps have created a sick world in which people are mortified by
the idea of going out with 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/28/dating-apps-sexual-revolution-single-people"> anyone they have friends in common with.</a>
<p>
When asking for a date with someone you barely know, and have no
social relationships in common with, whatever you say will inevitably
be strained.  You'll be publicly shamed for that -- but it's
unreasonable to demand anything else under those circumstances,
<p>
Besides which, you're probably dealing with a user of Facebook, who
has learned to think of life as an image to be "curated" rather than a
reality.

<li id="5_January_2022_(Big_pharma_price_increase)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(Big_pharma_price_increase)">Big pharma's price increases</a>)
<p>Big Pharma raised the price of 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/03/enough-enough-outrage-big-pharma-hikes-prices-442-drugs">440 drugs at the start of the year.</a>
<p>
The companies were making big profits already, but they saw the
opportunity to make even more, because of 
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/12/21/whats-driving-higher-prices-unchecked-corporate-power">the lack of competition.
Partly (for the generic drugs) that is caused by failure to block
mergers.</a>
<p>
Partly it's because of too much patent power.  The power of patent holders has been increased in many ways, when companies argue, "If we don't make even more profits than now, we won't have enough incentive to bother."
<p>
I advocate 
<a href="media/1dcfd209.45_1_stallman.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/law/students/publications/llj/pdfs/45_1_stallman.pdf">abolishing patents entirely.</a>


<li id="5_January_2022_(Canadian_academic_warns)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(Canadian_academic_warns)">Academic warns of violent conflict</a>)
<p>A Canadian academic who studies violent conflict warns that Canada may
soon
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/03/calling-trump-just-warm-act-professor-warns-democratic-collapse-us">have to deal with a large and powerful fascist neighbor.</a>


<li id="5_January_2022_(Save_local_newspaper)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(Save_local_newspaper)">Systems proposed to subsidize local newspapers</a>)
<p>Comparing two proposed 
<a href="https://cepr.net/plans-to-save-the-local-newspaper/">systems to subsidize local newspapers.</a>

<li id="5_January_2022_(Damaged_fukushima_reactors)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(Damaged_fukushima_reactors)">Fukushima reactors cleanup looks doubtful</a>)
<p>The decommissioning of the damaged Fukushima reactors 
<a href="https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14503708">was planned for 30 years,
but it is running into problems.</a>
<p>
By 2040, <a href="/glossary.html#global%20heating">global heating</a> disasters may undermine the ability to
continue the cleanup.  The site may be abandoned in whatever state it
is in, and containment of wastes on the site may crumble.


<li id="5_January_2022_(Sudan_protest_anti_coup)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(Sudan_protest_anti_coup)">Sudanese Prime Minister has resigned</a>)
<p>
Sudan's premier has resigned 
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/02/world/sudan-protest-killed-anti-coup-security-forces/index.html">in order to avoid legitimizing military rule.</a>

<li id="5_January_2022_(Capitol_attack_panel)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(Capitol_attack_panel)">Trump allies seek to run out clock</a>)
<p>
*Capitol attack panel in race against time as 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/04/capitol-attack-panel-race-against-time">Trump allies seek to run
out clock.</a>*

<li id="5_January_2022_(Biden_insulin_price)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(Biden_insulin_price)">Proposed limit on price of insulin doesn't help</a>)
<p>Biden's proposed limit on the price of insulin 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/04/insulin-copay-biden-build-back-better">doesn't help everyone
that needs to take insulin.</a>

<li id="5_January_2022_(male_surgeon_study)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(male_surgeon_study)">Outcomes from male surgeon study</a>)
<p>
In the UK, female patients have worse <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/04/women-more-likely-die-operation-male-surgeon-study">outcomes from surgery when the
surgeon is male.</a>

<li id="5_January_2022_(covid_china_toll)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(covid_china_toll)">The toll of reporting on Covid in China</a>)
<p>
*Detained, missing, close to death: the toll of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/04/detained-missing-close-to-death-toll-reporting-covid-china">reporting on Covid in China.</a>*

<li id="5_January_2022_(peaceful_protest_newsworthy)">5 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#5_January_2022_(peaceful_protest_newsworthy)">Peaceful protests should be newsworthy</a>)
<p>Protesters are compelled to cause some sort of disruption
because the 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/04/peaceful-protest-should-be-newsworthy-too"> mainstream media have learned to ignore other forms of protest.</a>




<li id="3_January_2022_(Tongan_fisheries_observer)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Tongan_fisheries_observer)">Tongan fisheries observer</a>)
<p>
China and Tonga are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/04/its-a-mystery-for-us-the-puzzling-death-at-sea-of-a-tongan-fisheries-observer">covering up the cause of death of a "fisheries observer"</a>
whose job was to verify that a Chinese fishing boat did not catch more than
its allowed limit of fish.

<li id="3_January_2022_(Brazil_greenhouse_gas_emissions)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Brazil_greenhouse_gas_emissions)">Brazil greenhouse gas emissions</a>)
<p>
*Destruction of trees, grasses and other plants in world's largest
savanna is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/03/brazil-deforestation-cerrado-scientists-alarm">a major source of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions</a>.*
This adds to the emissions of destroying the Amazon forest.
<p>
Brazil under Bolsonaro has <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#20_April_2021_(Deforestation_in_Brazil)">hardly tried to enforce its laws against
deforestation</a>.  He has stated contempt for the goal.

<li id="3_January_2022_(Nuclear_war_cannot_be_won)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Nuclear_war_cannot_be_won)">Nuclear war cannot be won</a>)
<p>
*US, Russia, China, the UK and France who are permanent members of the
UN security council agree "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/03/five-nations-pledge-avoid-nuclear-war">nuclear war cannot be won</a>".*

<li id="3_January_2022_(Schumer)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Schumer)">Schumer</a>)
<p>
Schumer will lead an attempt to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/03/schumer-senate-democracy-voting-rights-election">set aside the filibuster and pass voting
rights reform</a>.
<p>
This is a wave of public pressure aimed at Manchin and Sinema.
I hope it succeeds.
<p>
The right-wing majority on the Supreme Court is likely to override anything
that interferes with Republican efforts to rig the next election.
I believe that replacing that majority needs to go with voting rights laws.

<li id="3_January_2022_(Prosecutors_going_easy_on_fascists)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Prosecutors_going_easy_on_fascists)">Prosecutors going easy on fascists</a>)
<p>
US prosecutors <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/01/03/capitol-riot-january-6-proud-boys-fbi/">go easier on violent fascists than on relatives of
violent Islamist</a>.

<li id="3_January_2022_(Land_to_protect_for_wildlife)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Land_to_protect_for_wildlife)">Land to protect for wildlife</a>)
<p>
Some indigenous groups in the US accept <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/03/original-caretakers-indigenous-groups-team-up-with-conservationists-to-protect-swaths-of-us">gifts of land to protect for
wildlife</a>.

<li id="3_January_2022_(Yemeni_rebels_seize_UAE_ship)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Yemeni_rebels_seize_UAE_ship)">Yemeni rebels seize UAE ship</a>)
<p>
  Houthis <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/03/yemeni-rebels-seize-uae-ship-in-red-sea-after-upsurge-in-violence">seized a UAE freighter in the Red Sea off Yemen</a>.
<p>
I don't see any reason to be shocked at this.  <a href="/glossary.html#salafi">Salafi Arabia</a> and the UAE
are allies of the US, but <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#2_March_2021_(No_personal_sanctions_on_Prince_Bone_Saw)">hardly deserve our moral support -- and they started
the war by invading Yemen</a>.

<li id="3_January_2022_(UK_police_state)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(UK_police_state)">UK police state</a>)
<p>
*The UK is in danger of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/03/uk-police-state-democracy-insulate-britain-conservatives-crime-bill">becoming a police state cosplaying as a democracy</a>.*

<li id="3_January_2022_(Eric_Adams)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Eric_Adams)">Eric Adams</a>)
<p>
The new mayor of New York City plans to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/03/eric-adams-new-york-mayor-progressive-politics">hold more defendants in jail
before trial, and start keeping them in inhumane solitary confinement</a>.
<p>
Some fear he is going to support real estate developers rather than
try to house the many homeless people of the city.  I worry about this
too.  However, I think it is acceptable to house people in hotel rooms
even if that isn't entirely in accord with residential rules.
That is better than being on the street.

<li id="3_January_2022_(Gas_and_nuclear_labeled_green)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Gas_and_nuclear_labeled_green)">Gas and nuclear labeled green</a>)
<p>
*Fury as EU moves ahead with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/03/fury-eu-moves-ahead-plans-label-gas-nuclear-green">plans to label gas and nuclear as "green."</a>*
<p>
I am surprised the <a href="/glossary.html#planet">planet roasters</a> dare to be so blatant as to continue
pushing the "bridge fuel" excuse.
<p>
Nuclear power is a somewhat different idea.  Nuclear power does not
release greenhouse gases.  But it is so expensive that whatever we
spend on that will hold back decarbonization.

<li id="3_January_2022_(Aducanumab)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Aducanumab)">Aducanumab</a>)
<p>
The FDA approved the drug <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#30_June_2021_(Questionable_Alzheimers_Drug)">aducanumab despite having no solid evidence
that it does what it claims to do</a>.
Now Medicade is considering whether to
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/01/doctors-urge-medicare-deny-coverage-alzheimers-drug-unproven-efficacy-and-safety">cover the drug at an exorbitant price</a>.  If it does, every person with
Medicare drug coverage would face considerable additional cost.
<p>
If Medicare could negotiate a price to buy this drug in bulk, it might
get a reasonable price.  <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-sep-dec.html#10_November_2021(Drug_pricing_manchin_sinema)">It can't do so because of a law passed by
plutocratistic officials</a>.
<p>
However, giving millions of people a drug on the grounds that it
<em>might</em> prevent a disease for some of them seems like getting ahead of
the game.

<li id="3_January_2022_(Sudan_Prime_Minister_resigns)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Sudan_Prime_Minister_resigns)">Sudan Prime Minister resigns</a>)
<p>
*Sudan's prime minister <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/02/sudans-prime-minister-resigns-as-pro-democracy-protests-violently-repressed">resigns as pro-democracy protests violently repressed</a>.*

<li id="3_January_2022_(Intimidation_for_opinions)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Intimidation_for_opinions)">Intimidation for opinions</a>)
<p>
UK thugs tried to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/02/policing-sex-and-gender-debate-worrying-freedom-of-expression">intimidate a person for expressing opinions that some
might find offensive</a>.
<p>
It is proper to record any expression of racist ideas <em>by cops</em>,
because cops have a privileged legal status and a duty to protect all
people regardless of their race.  A racist cop is doing the job wrong.
<p>
But this practice must not be extended to people with no special
state-granted authority.

<li id="3_January_2022_(Lula)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Lula)">Lula</a>)
<p>
Since the judge Sergio Moro was caught in collusion, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/01/02/lula-brazil-2022-election-sergio-moro/">Lula is now free
and untainted, and polls suggest he will return as president in the
election this year</a>.
<p>
Hooray for Lula!

<li id="3_January_2022_(Oxfam)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Oxfam)">Oxfam</a>)
<p>
India has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/02/oxfam-says-its-work-in-india-is-imperilled-by-ban-on-foreign-funding">cut off foreign donations to Oxfam India</a>.

<li id="3_January_2022_(Tyler_Stovall)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Tyler_Stovall)">Tyler Stovall</a>)
<p>
Reviewing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/02/race-class-freedom-liberty-and-work-of-historian-tyler-stovall">Tyler Stovall's work on the history of the concepts of
freedom and race</a>.
<p>
Nowadays, the conflict between "property above all" and "liberty above
all" still exists, but I doubt anyone who advocates racism can manage
to think seriously about the meaning of liberty.  Spewing foolish
slogans would be their choice today.

<li id="3_January_2022_(Blackberry_phone_servers)">3 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#3_January_2022_(Blackberry_phone_servers)">Blackberry phone servers</a>)
<p>
The legacy company that made Blackberry phones is about to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/01/tech/blackberry-end-of-life/index.html">kill them off
by shutting down the server they are tethered to</a>.
<p>
Since few of those phones remain in use, I think it is legitimate to
want to save money by not running a server for them.  However, it is
not right to stop people from modifying the phones' software so they
can talk to some other server -- or modifying the Blackberry server code
to give them something else to talk to.

<li id="2_January_2022_(Flash_fire_near_Denver)">2 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_January_2022_(Flash_fire_near_Denver)">Flash fire near Denver</a>)
<p>

A flash fire started in a town near Denver and wind quickly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/31/colorado-wildfires-thousands-evacuate-blazes-destroy-homes">drove it through
580 houses</a>, so fast that firefighters could do nothing to stop it.
<p>
This was partly due to a severe drought.  In 20 years, the area will probably
have an even worse drought.

<li id="2_January_2022_(Secret_Guantanamos_in_Yemen)">2 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_January_2022_(Secret_Guantanamos_in_Yemen)">Secret Guantanamos in Yemen</a>)
<p>

The UAE runs <a href="https://theintercept.com/2021/12/31/uae-yemen-prisons-disappeared/">secret Guantanamos in Yemen</a>.  It has disappeared and
tortured hundreds of people.

<li id="2_January_2022_(Photos_without_permission)">2 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_January_2022_(Photos_without_permission)">Photos without permission</a>)
<p>

A campaign seeks to demonize the idea of taking a photo of a woman on
a public street <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/30/citroen-pulls-egypt-ad-accused-of-promoting-harassment-of-women">without asking for her permission first</a>.
As is common, the campaign operates by insisting that its position
is already generally accepted, and only "creeps" would disagree.
<p>
The campaign demands this right only for women and says nothing about
whether men should have it too.  If it stands for gender bias, it is
clearly wrong.
<p>
But what if this right applies equally to everyone, regardless of
gender?  Then it would not be prima facie unjust.  Would it be a
change for the better?
<p>
If this right applies to use of machines that systematically take
photos of everyone, we could insist that people stop their Amazon
"ring" surveillance cameras from taking our pictures as we walk down
the street.  Likewise for <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">other surveillance cameras</a>.
<p>
It would also prohibit "dashcams" mounted on vehicles that
continuously record the scene in front.  These cameras can be a form
of surveillance, and perhaps their use should be regulated, but
prohibiting them entirely seems to be going too far.
<p>
If the <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thug</a> that murdered George Floyd had had this right, he could
have ordered the witnesses to stop making video recordings of what he
was doing to Floyd.  <a href="/glossary.html#thug">Thugs</a> would just love to have that power.
Indeed, they often threaten, attack or frame people that record what
they are doing.  In Spain they got the right-wing government to
<a href="https://www.stallman.org/archives/2015-may-aug.html#14_July_2015_(Spain_Government_Goes_Full_Police_State)">criminalize it</a>.
<p>
However, it would be legitimate to exclude <a href="/glossary.html#thug">thugs</a> from this right -- to
declare that, because of their special legal powers, they are not
entitled to the same rights of privacy that most people deserve.
<p>
However, I cannot willingly give up the right of everyone to take
photos of scenes in public.  Every scene in a city or park is likely
to have people in it, even if they are not the reason you take the
photo.  Probably some are so far that you couldn't possibly ask them
for permission, or recognize them with the naked eye, though may you
could recognize them by scene enhancement on a photo.  There may also
be dozens who are much closer, You could hardly take a photo of a
monument, a building, a sculpture or a cityscape if you had to get
permission from everyone in the scene.

<li id="2_January_2022_(Wrecker's_head_of_the_FDIC)">2 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_January_2022_(Wrecker's_head_of_the_FDIC)">Wrecker's head of the FDIC</a>)
<p>

The resignation of the wrecker's head of the FDIC will enable the organization
to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/31/victory-democracy-and-blow-trumpism-fdic-chair-resigns">limit mergers between big banks</a>.

<li id="2_January_2022_((satire)_Diamond-Encrusted_Trepanation_Drill)">2 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_January_2022_((satire)_Diamond-Encrusted_Trepanation_Drill)">(satire) Diamond-Encrusted Trepanation Drill</a>)
<p>

(satire) *Gwyneth Paltrow Touts New <a href="https://www.theonion.com/gwyneth-paltrow-touts-new-diamond-encrusted-trepanation-1848253669">Diamond-Encrusted Trepanation
Drill</a>, Drainage Bucket On Website.*

<li id="2_January_2022_((satire)_Post-apocalypse_music_box)">2 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_January_2022_((satire)_Post-apocalypse_music_box)">(satire) Post-apocalypse music box</a>)
<p>

(satire) *Artist Crafting Music Box Hopes It <a href="https://www.theonion.com/artist-crafting-music-box-hopes-it-delights-at-least-on-1848196641">Delights At Least One
Child</a> In Post-Apocalypse.*

<li id="2_January_2022_(German_nuclear_power_plants)">2 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_January_2022_(German_nuclear_power_plants)">German nuclear power plants</a>)
<p>

Germany will shut down three nuclear power plants and <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/31/germany-one-step-closer-nuclear-free-future-three-six-power-plants-go-offline">replace them with
renewable generation</a>.
<p>
This is good, but it should also replace a substantial amount of
fossil fuel consumption with renewable generation at the same time, so
it can tell Putin "buzz off".

<li id="2_January_2022_(UK's_National_Health_Service_run_by_former_bankers)">2 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_January_2022_(UK's_National_Health_Service_run_by_former_bankers)">UK's National Health Service run by former bankers</a>)
<p>

*Why Is the UK's National Health Service Being <a href="https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2021/12/why-is-the-uks-national-health-service-being-run-by-former-investment-bankers.html">Run by Former Bankers</a>?*
<p>
There's no one like a banker for screwing non-rich people
and redirecting funds to the rich.
<p>
The Tories have been bleeding the NHS for a decade, and it's almost
ready to fall down dead.

<li id="2_January_2022_(Mother_Teresa_charity)">2 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_January_2022_(Mother_Teresa_charity)">Mother Teresa charity</a>)
<p>

*India <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/dec/28/india-bans-mother-teresa-charity-from-receiving-funds-from-abroad">bans Mother Teresa charity from receiving funds from abroad</a>.*
 This is probably a part of the increasing <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2017-jan-apr.html#22_January_2017_(Religious_persecution_in_India)">repression of Christians</a>.
<p>
Let's not presume that Mother Teresa set a standard of goodness.
I read that her organization didn't bother to offer medical treatment
to dying poor people &mdash; it gave them only "spiritual" aid.
<p>
However, any government that lays charges of "hurting religious
sentiments of <em>believers in XYZ religion</em>" is viciously repressive,
regardless of which religion XYZ is, or what else may be good or bad
about those who are accused.

<li id="2_January_2022_(Coast_protection_measures)">2 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_January_2022_(Coast_protection_measures)">Coast protection measures</a>)
<p>

All <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/01/sands-slip-england-crumbling-coasts-erosion-rising-sea-levels">coast protection measures are temporary</a>.  Eventually the sea
overwhelms them &mdash; and projected sea-level rise keeps rising.

<li id="2_January_2022_(New_Covid-19_cases_in_the_US)">2 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#2_January_2022_(New_Covid-19_cases_in_the_US)">New Covid-19 cases in the US</a>)
<p>

With the US having more than half a new million cases of Covid-19 each
day, US officials are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/01/us-covid-case-counts-omicron">starting to think it doesn't matter how many
new cases there are</a>.
<p>
What I would like to know is, what fraction of people in my city or my
neighborhood are contagious now.  You can roughly estimate that from
the rate of new cases.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Urgent:_Force_private_equity_big_businesses_to_pay_back_Covid-19_bailout_money)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Urgent:_Force_private_equity_big_businesses_to_pay_back_Covid-19_bailout_money)">Urgent: Force private equity big businesses to pay back Covid-19 bailout money</a>)
<p>

US citizens: call on the Small Business Administration: <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-the-sba-hold-wall-street-accountable-by-forcing-private-equity-big-businesses-to-pay-back-covid-relief-money-now">force private
equity big businesses to pay back Covid-19 bailout money now</a>.

<li id="1_January_2022_(CDC_warns_about_cost_of_Covid-19_treatment)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(CDC_warns_about_cost_of_Covid-19_treatment)">CDC warns about cost of Covid-19 treatment</a>)
<p>

The CDC, to encourage vaccination, warns that a stay in a US hospital
for Covid-19 treatment <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/28/cdcs-covid-19-vaccine-push-threatens-americans-exorbitant-hospital-bills">could cost thousands of dollars</a>.
This to motivate people to get vaccinated and avoid the need for
hospital treatment.
<p>
Some progressives condemned this ad campaign.  One said that the
government is "boasting" about the crushing expense of the US medical
system &mdash; but that is false.  To cite painful facts does not excuse
them.
<p>
Progressives should not object when the CDC acknowledges that medical
treatment in the US can have crushing costs.  Instead, progressives
should take advantage of the CDC's help (reminding Americans about how
bad the current system is) for the campaign for a national medical
system, also known as <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#19_March_2021_(Medicare_for_All)">"Medicare for all"</a>.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Persecution_of_India's_Christians)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Persecution_of_India's_Christians)">Persecution of India's Christians</a>)
<p>

*Arrests, Beatings and Secret Prayers: Inside the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20211229174956/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/22/world/asia/india-christians-attacked.html">Persecution of India's
Christians</a>.*
<p>
Muslims remain the main target of Hindu-supremacists, with fanatics
<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20211231184923/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/24/world/asia/hindu-extremists-india-muslims.html">calling for murdering Muslims</a>,
and the government saying nothing to discourage them &mdash; perhaps encouraged
by the <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-jan-apr.html#11_January_2021_(Incitement_of_violence)">example of the wrecker in the US</a>.
<p>
A few years ago the Hindu-supremacist government of India <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-jan-apr.html#19_January_2021_(Killer_venerated)">adopted a
pair of laws</a> that make it easy to declare Muslims non-citizens and
exile them.
<p>
Nowadays, all religions other than Hindu are now targets.  Buddhists
have faced persecution, especially when <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2014-sep-dec.html#11_September_2014_(Hindu_fanatics)">Dalits want to convert to
Buddhism</a> as a rejection of Hinduism's oppression of them &mdash; following <a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2015-jan-apr.html#18_March_2015_(Dr_Ambedkar)">Dr Ambedkar's</a> lead.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Real_time_censorship_of_testimony)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Real_time_censorship_of_testimony)">Real time censorship of testimony</a>)
<p>

Guantanamo prison is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/30/anti-democratic-and-cowardly-us-building-new-secret-courtroom-guantanamo">building a new court room</a> designed for real time
censorship of testimony.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Autonomous_weapon_systems)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Autonomous_weapon_systems)">Autonomous weapon systems</a>)
<p>

A UN meeting <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/12/30/humanitys-final-arms-race-un-fails-agree-killer-robot-ban">failed to agree on banning autonomous weapon systems</a>, and
meanwhile it's possible they are already being used.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Number_of_threatened_species)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Number_of_threatened_species)">Number of threatened species</a>)
<p>

The number of recorded threatened species has jumped from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/30/within-decade-planets-natural-world-facing-largest-mass-extinction-event-dinosaurs">17,000 in 2010
to 42,000 today</a>. By 2040 it may be hundreds of thousands.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Protesters_camping_out_near_Biden's_home)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Protesters_camping_out_near_Biden's_home)">Protesters camping out near Biden's home</a>)
<p>

Protesters camping out near Biden's home <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/30/near-presidents-delaware-home-encampment-calls-biden-declare-climate-emergency">call on him to declare a
climate emergency</a>.
<p>
He definitely must do something more.  What, concretely, would a
"climate emergency" do?  Would it have legal consequences (as it did
in British courts), or would it be a no-op?

<li id="1_January_2022_(It's_a_Wonderful_Life_related_to_US_politics)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(It's_a_Wonderful_Life_related_to_US_politics)">"It's a Wonderful Life" related to US politics</a>)
<p>

Robert Reich <a href="https://robertreich.substack.com/p/wonderful-life">relates the movie It's A Wonderful Life to US politics</a>,
which seems to have been its purpose.

<li id="1_January_2022_((satire)_Decreasing_stigma_against_homeless)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_((satire)_Decreasing_stigma_against_homeless)">(satire) Decreasing stigma against homeless</a>)
<p>

(satire) *New Initiative <a href="https://www.theonion.com/new-initiative-decreases-stigma-against-homeless-by-mak-1848194890">Decreases Stigma Against Homeless</a> By Making
Majority Of People Homeless.*
<p>
It would decrease inequality, too.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Hurricanes_striking_coasts_further_north)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Hurricanes_striking_coasts_further_north)">Hurricanes striking coasts further north</a>)
<p>

Global heating will enable hurricanes to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/29/ocean-heating-century-could-create-hurricane-conditions-unseen-3-million-years-study">form, and strike the coast</a>, farther north than they could ever do during the past few centuries.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Fines_against_businesses_fail)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Fines_against_businesses_fail)">Fines against businesses fail</a>)
<p>

Fines against businesses fail to deter destruction or poisoning of
natural systems.  We should <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/12/29/killing-nature-must-be-treated-crime-par-genocide-and-war-crimes">prosecute and imprison the individual
culprits</a>.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Colorado_trucker's_sentence)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Colorado_trucker's_sentence)">Colorado trucker's sentence</a>)
<p>

*Colorado trucker’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/30/colorado-trucker-given-110-years-has-sentenced-reduced-after-outcry">110-year sentence reduced to 10 years after
 outcry</a>.*
<p>
It is not clear to me that his losing control of the truck deserves to
be punished at all.  He didn't decide to lose control; he tried to
regain control, and failed.
<p>
Is it just to punish people for being the instrument of misfortune?
Does it make society safer?  I don't think so.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Anti-vaxxers_in_the_UK)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Anti-vaxxers_in_the_UK)">Anti-vaxxers in the UK</a>)
<p>

Anti-vaxxers in the UK are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/31/uk-governments-covid-advisers-enduring-tidal-waves-of-abuse">launching harassment and violent threats</a>
against scientists who advise the government about public health, and
their relatives and associates.

<li id="1_January_2022_(France_ban_of_plastic_fruit_containers)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(France_ban_of_plastic_fruit_containers)">France ban of plastic fruit containers</a>)
<p>

France has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/31/thats-a-wrap-french-plastic-packaging-ban-for-fruit-and-veg-begins">banned selling many fruits and vegetables in a plastic containers</a>.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Western_obituaries_for_Desmond_Tutu)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Western_obituaries_for_Desmond_Tutu)">Western obituaries for Desmond Tutu</a>)
<p>

The western obituaries for Desmond Tutu generally don't mention that he
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/12/31/tutus-courage-israeli-apartheid-played-down-american-media">compared the Israeli occupation of Palestine to the apartheid</a> that he
knew from South Africa.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Warm_winters_fatal_for_UK's_endangered_species)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Warm_winters_fatal_for_UK's_endangered_species)">Warm winters fatal for UK's endangered species</a>)
<p>

*Warm winter <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/31/warm-winter-fatal-for-uk-endangered-species-bats-butterflies-hedgehogs">could prove fatal for UK’s endangered species</a>.*
The warmth causes species to miss out on the relationships that they
need to other species, and thus discoordinates ecosystems.
<p>
If they make it through this year, I doubt they will make it through winter
in 2050.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Uber_drivers_in_San_Francisco)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Uber_drivers_in_San_Francisco)">Uber drivers in San Francisco</a>)
<p>

Many Uber drivers who work in San Francisco can't afford to live there,
so they live in another city and stay in San Francisco for a few days,
sleeping in their cars between work shifts.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/dec/31/an-afghan-refugee-commuted-hours-for-his-uber-job-then-he-was-shot-in-his-car">One of them was murdered</a>.
What responsibility does Uber have in the matter? 
<p>
Uber does wrong to all its drivers by paying them so little and by
<a href="https://stallman.org/archives/2021-mar-jun.html#30_June_2021_(Corruption_to_stop_unionizing)">stopping them from organizing a union</a> that can demand better working
conditions. Uber is totally responsible for that.
<p>
They also suffer from the political pressure of many well-off citizens
who demand to <a href="https://stallman.org/archives//2021-jul-oct.html#1_October_2021_(Artificial_limits_on_housing_density)">keep housing density low</a>, even though the result is to
drive millions into poverty. Uber is not responsible for that, but it is responsible for the low pay
and bad working conditions.
<p>
(Don't forget that Uber mistreats its customers too, by <a href="/uber.html">making them identify themselves and run nonfree software</a>.  This is why I refuse ever to be a customer
of Uber &mdash; I won't even get into an Uber car.)
<p>
But is Uber responsible for the murder of one of its drivers?  I don't
see the connection.

<li id="1_January_2022_(US_not_cooperating_with_renouncement_of_citizenship)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(US_not_cooperating_with_renouncement_of_citizenship)">US not cooperating with renouncement of citizenship</a>)
<p>

Many US citizens need to renounce their citizenship &mdash; often to avoid
paying US taxes as well as the taxes of the country they live in,
sometimes in order to become a citizen of that country.  But the US is
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/31/americans-seeking-renounce-citizenship-stuck">not cooperating with the process</a>, and that blocks them all.

<li id="1_January_2022_(German_government_eliminated_retention_of_telecommunications_metadata)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(German_government_eliminated_retention_of_telecommunications_metadata)">German government eliminated retention of telecommunications metadata</a>)
<p>

The new German government plans to <a href="https://tutanota.com/blog/posts/data-retention-germany/">eliminate retention of telecommunications
metadata</a>, in the absence of a specific reason.

<li id="1_January_2022_(Recommended_isolation_time_for_Delta)">1 January 2022 (<a class="titlelink" href="#1_January_2022_(Recommended_isolation_time_for_Delta)">Recommended isolation time for Delta</a>)
<p>

Delta has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/12/30/after-cdc-change-it-lobbied-delta-slashes-paid-sick-leave-workers-covid">jumped on the CDC's truncation of the recommended isolation
time</a>, and gone even further.
<p>
Some workers will be sick enough that they shouldn't or can't work
after 5 days.  Indeed, some of them may stay sick for weeks.

 


