An abandoned panopticon prison in Cuba (source). Being publicly observed, or the knowledge that they may be being observed at any one time, keeps prisoners under control.by Thomas NeuburgerAll regimes with an overriding need to control their populations — including the U.S. and China — depend on public surveillance as a key element in their control mechanism.
Concerns about a marijuana monopoly are not unfounded (source).by Thomas Neuburger"Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."—John Ehrlichman, Chief Domestic Advisor for Richard NixonIn the welter of plans from the welter of Democratic primary candidates, this should not be missed.
Every word a true oneby Thomas NeuburgerAlmost the very definition of corruption is trading money for favors while serving the public interest in public office. Almost, but not quite. There are other definitions, and Zephyr Teachout's "self-serving use of public power for private ends" is still the best.
BERN NOTICE: When You See The Word "Stent" -- Remember Medicare for AllHELLO somebody #MedicareForAll https://t.co/4jpLWv4S8W— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) October 2, 2019
Bagram Air Base in north-central Afghanistan. Note Kandahar, home of Kandahar Air Field, much further south.by Thomas NeuburgerThe U.S. will never leave Afghanistan. Our military is too strong to be driven out by the Taliban, just as U.S.
Krystal Ball: This is the hill that Democratic leaders chose to die on?by Thomas NeuburgerA note about the coming and much-cheered impeachment of Donald Trump. Of course impeachment was always the right thing to do. But having waited so long to do it, and having chosen Joe Biden's integrity as the hill to die on, the decision to impeach Donald Trump now may be a trap for Democrats — in fact, several of them.If so, they did it to themselves.
Tears in the eyes of many at @BernieSanders medical debt town hall in Des Mones [sic]. As attendees tell their stories about ICUs, debt collectors, and coverage denials almost all have said that Sanders is “the only one I can trust” to alleviate their financial emotional burdens pic.twitter.com/rpWWgIXYdU— Cara Korte (@CaraKorte) September 22, 2019
What will happen when these two meet on the debate stage?by Thomas NeuburgerAfter the third Democratic primary debate, Julián Castro was widely criticized for suggesting that Joe Biden might be disturbingly forgetful — "Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago?
Surfing on our waste (source)by Thomas NeuburgerWe recently wrote about the astonishing amount of microplastic — microscopic pieces of ordinary plastic, byproducts of the breakdown of the residue of our trash — in both our environment and our bodies (see "
