In rendering Republican gerrymandering asunder, the Ohio Supreme Court demonstrated its understanding of the 14th and 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees every American citizen an equal right.

Anyone could have seen this coming.  The language in the 15th Amendment is completely unambiguous: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

Now, one could say that the electoral college is a colossal breakdown of this principle.  In choosing a U.S. president, the votes of the people in Wyoming (1 electoral vote per 193K popular votes) count almost four times what ours are worth here in California (1 electoral vote per 727K popular votes).

It is for this reason that the days of the electoral college are numbered, or at least, that is the hope of those who value democracy.

 

 

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In this powerful but brief video, a Russian woman, who had been quite active politically, describes how she fled her homeland with her husband and son, immediately after the government announced a crackdown with harsh punishments for all dissidents.

The whole thing is both touching and horrifying, but what hit me the hardest was her asking herself, “What could we have done differently?  I simply don’t know.”

I just hope we Americans don’t wind up asking ourselves that same question.  What would have happened had Trump successfully overturned the 2020 presidential election and installed himself as “president for life,” or whatever role Putin plays in Russia or Xi in China?

It’s terrifying just to think about.

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The Trump phenomenon is unique in many different ways, one of which is the sheer volume of evidence that the former president is a conman.

What should we infer from Trump’s telling us that he is a “stable genius?”

If he were, would he have to claim to be one?

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As shown here, this is about as close to the “good versus evil” narrative as you’re going to find.

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This is certainly the way I see it.

Putin did very well at destroying the United States while Trump was in office.  Now he needs a new tactic.

That seems to be making life tough for the Democrats, so as to, asap, reinstall the team that demolishes American education, democracy, and world-standing.

 

 

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We’d all like to see this change.

And actually, it could happen, not through government, but by donations from the multi-billionaires.

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Here are some sad words from Diana L. Six, a forest entomologist and professor at the University of Montana. Her research focuses primarily on bark beetle ecology and forest adaptation to climate change.

Her issue:  she’s gone from studying life to studying death. (more…)

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I’m not sure I would call this a “major loss,” in that there was no doubt from the very beginning that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine constituted not one but several different war crimes. How this will play out vis-a-vis international justice actions, of course, is anyone’s guess.

Btw, the Court cannot impose the death penalty.  Civilized nations everywhere long ago decided that hanging and the other forms of execution have no place in our world.

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Here’s a motor of the BMW’s 10-cylinder M5; compare to photo of Tesla’s below.

When EVs first came on the scene, many people believed that the sheer simplicity of the concept, and the extremely high efficiency that it gave birth to, would be the motivating force behind the transition from internal combustion engines. (more…)

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It pains me to see America reduced to this level of stupidity.  Of course, you’re free to voice your opinion on any subject at any time.  If that opinion shows that you’re an ignorant and hateful human being, you need to expect rebuke from the rest of us.

It’s really no more complicated than that.

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