Accountability post: I had to write a little web scraper in Google AppScript today and ChatGPT was immensely helpful. It still messed up a lot and fortunately this wasn’t mission-critical data, so I could just run and debug at will, but I don’t know where I would have even started without it.
I voted
When Joe Biden stepped down as the Democratic nominee for President, Working Families Party asked all its members to weigh in on whether the party should endorse Kamala Harris. I was one of the 5% who said “no.”
Well, I voted this morning. And yes, I pushed the button for Harris.
Kamala Harris is a member of a Presidential administration that has aided and abetted Palestinian genocide with US tax dollars. As someone who believes in Palestine’s right to exist, who has participated in pro-Palestinian actions and donated to relief efforts, and who just thinks that genocide is bad as a general rule, this makes supporting her difficult.
Here’s the thing, though: I simply don’t see a way in which the situation in Gaza gets better under Trump.
Trump has encouraged Israel’s leadership to “finish the job in Gaza,” while Harris has at least taken meetings with Palestinian, Muslim and Arab groups to hear their concerns. Harris has shown little daylight between her position and that of the Biden administration’s unwavering support of Israel, but there is some. Her calls for pauses and partial ceasefires are not enough, but they are a start.
The further dangers of a second Trump regime are clear:
- A 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court has lead to unimaginable erosion of our rights as citizens and undermining of the administrative state. Trump appointed a full third of the justices currently on the Court. He cannot be allowed to nominate a fourth.
- More women will die as draconian anti-abortion policies, flowing from the Court’s absurd decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, are expanded nationwide.
- Trans people will be further demonized, ostracized and othered (in case you haven’t seen the “Kamala is for they/them” ad on TV ten thousand times in the last month or so).
- Immigrants, no matter their legal status, will not be safe anywhere in America.
- Foundational rights like free speech and birthright citizenship may erode and disappear.
- Our climate’s deterioration will continue to accelerate, unmitigated by the EPA (whose power was gutted by the court’s overturn of the doctrine of Chevron deference) or other policy initiatives.
For all these reasons, and many more, it is imperative that Donald Trump does not become president again.
When The Working Families Party announced their endorsement of Harris, the Party adroitly pointed out that “voting is not a love letter, it’s a chess move.” Voting for Kamala Harris was a move that allows us to continue to fight.
The news of Matthew Sweet’s stroke is devastating. Please join Mike Mills, Peter Buck, Sebastian Steinberg, myself and thousands of others who have been impacted by Sweet’s music in donating to the GoFundMe for his care and recovery.
What I feel bad about, when people are sort of like, “oh yeah everything is terrible. We haven’t made any progress, blah blah blah.” I’m like, “yo, do you have any idea how hard people had to work for people to even notice that black people are being killed by the cops?" Because that was happening for a long time and nobody even knew. Nobody even knew, all right? People had to work hard just to get to that point, and then to get to the point we have at least some duties that should not be in police offices being pulled out and put into other things, some places actually being defunded (have you seen Camden, New Jersey?) Like, that took work, and people who worked very hard and risked their lives to do these things. So I feel like, to sit to just blanketly be like there’s no hope you can’t do anything, you’re kinda, like, crapping a lot of really hard work by a lot of people, buddy.
Thank you to Pam Selle for hosting this conversation, and to David Dylan Thomas for saying this. For various reasons, I really needed to hear it, and I think a lot of other people might, too.
I have never been as enraptured with a piece of software as I currently am with Capacities.
Good Looks live at Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA
Fun band, fun venue, fun times. I think these guys really have something.
And it’s always great to see the homie The Farmer Jones in person.
Good Looks Concert Setlist at Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia on August 11, 2024 | setlist.fm
The Mountain Goats live at Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA
The Mountain Goats might be the best live band currently touring, and I strongly recommend seeing them when they roll through your town if you have the means. John Darnielle is a consumate showman, the band is tight as hell, and the songbook is top-notch.
The Mountain Goats Concert Setlist at Union Transfer, Philadelphia on August 3, 2024 | setlist.fm
Barking On Command: R.E.M.'s Monster Tour
Inspired by this tweet from Matthew Perpetua, pointing out that R.E.M.’s 1995 Monster tour featured a veritable who’s who of contemporaneous alt music, the first half of the playlist is a grab bag of artist who opened for R.E.M. during that international trek, including Sonic Youth, Radiohead, The Cranberries, Grant Lee Buffalo, PJ Harvey, Blur, Oasis, Sleeper and Belly. The second half is a super-sized representation of R.E.M.’s setlists at the time.
(Yes, I know the shows with PJ Harvey opening were cancelled, and that the Blur and Oasis shows were probably more like co-headlining. Shut up and enjoy the playlist.)
Listen on Apple Music, Spotify, or Last.fm.
Once again, we are obliged to ask, “Who’s defunding who?”
The settlement follows a familiar pattern: Delaware police kill someone, their supervisory authorities dispute any wrongdoing, the victims' family file a lawsuit seeking accountability and the litigation ends with a settlement paid by a municipal insurance provider and a gag order about the case for municipal authorities and family members party to the settlement.
It’s likely costs will be passed along to municipal taxpayers through higher insurance premiums, though that is unclear as of now.
What a six-figure lawsuit settlement after 2022 killing by Milford Police doesn’t tell us
Full marks to Xerxes Wilson for speaking plainly and placing this story in the broader context of state-sponsored violence.
It didn't have to be like this
What purpose does this police action serve? Does this type of police violence keep us safe? Do these incidents aid in establishing trust and respect between the armed agents of the state and those they serve? It doesn’t have to be like this indeed.
Another Day, Another Case of Extreme Police Violence - Rob Vanella
PLEASE read REV on yet ANOTHER incidence of state-sponsored police violence in New Castle County.
If you are local, please come to the next meeting of the New Castle County Police Accountability Board on Tuesday, July 16 at 6:00 pm. There are even virtual options if you’re not local!
Good thing Delaware just legalized raw milk!
As of February, at least 165 people were sickened with salmonella infections tied to raw milk products from Raw Farm, of Fresno, California. It is the largest reported salmonella outbreak linked to raw milk in the U.S. in the past decade, according to health officials.
Dozens were sickened with salmonella after drinking raw milk from a California farm | AP News
Today I learned that Phillies reliever (and newly-minted All Star) Matt Strahm has a Youtube channel called Strahm’s Stadium Pulls that features him opening packs of baseball cards, and is extremely wholesome content.
Finished reading: Heavier Than Heaven by Charles R. Cross 📚
I came away respecting Cobain’s artistry more than ever, and understanding the true raw power of Nirvana at their peak in a way I had never appreciated before.
Cross retells the Cobain story in a fresh way, using his unprecedented access to nearly everyone in Cobain’s life and his own experience as a contemporaneous member of the Seattle music scene, to recontextualize the bits we’ve all heard with new sources, new angles, and new insights.
Highly, highly recommended.
Gotta love an establishment that hangs a reproduction of Guernica above the toilet.
I am also dependably engaged from 10am to 4pm, but more likely to have verbal miscues and become fatigued outside of that time range or while traveling abroad, so I really don’t see how this is an issue.
Squarespace’s Events feature has to win the award for “Most Unhinged UI Element, Time Picker.” Behold:
