Time For A Change
Are you ready for a blackout? Tomorrow’s shopping boycott needs to have everyone participating who possibly can. Yes, there are limits to how effective it can be. Yes, stores know that it’s coming. The challenge here is that no one thinks it will be that big of a deal. The expectation is that conservatives will take advantage of the semi-empty aisles and make up much of the difference. No one seems to think that the resistance is large enough to wield a dynamic influence on the economy.
We have to prove them wrong. Our future depends on it.
I’m not looking forward to tomorrow for personal reasons. I have an appointment with a new Ears, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist. None of them are close, so we’re looking at a 30-minute drive in each direction. And for what? To tell me what I already know? The biopsy on my thyroid came back benign. Yet, apparently, we have to make sure there aren’t other issues lingering in there. I don’t argue with doctors because they know more about medicine than I do. Still, I expect this trip to be a general waste of time.
I need a change, and perhaps you do as well. We started these morning updates as a way to keep friends advised of the day-to-day challenges of being on chemo. As of next week, I will have been off chemo for a month and while there are still lingering issues, they don’t warrant daily attention.
At the same time, I don’t feel like there are enough people yelling and screaming about everything going on in the world. I’m working on a new format for a new website that will help address that situation. We’re calling it the CLight Courier-Ledger-Tribune-Globe-Times-FreePress-News. The address is probably going to be clight.us, though there is an outside chance that could change. I’ve had the domain for almost a year and never did anything with it. This seems like a good time to do something.
Why the change? Because 1) trying to keep up with the news in one morning summary is inefficient. I feel rushed every day to have something up by 9:00, but then news that trickles in during the day seems like old information by the time I get to it; 2) I feel like a lot of shit is falling between the cracks. I have over 25 tabs open at the moment, most of them for news sources. It takes that many different sites to give me an accurate picture of what’s really going on. Chances are, most people don’t have the time or desire to go check that many different places. We’re going to fix that.
This morning’s headlines are a good example of why a format change is needed.
- Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife and dog were found dead in their New Mexico home. This is the lead story on many newscasts this morning. The 96-year-old actor was an icon of the industry for several decades. Police don’t suspect foul play, but that means we have to wait for the coroner’s report for a cause of death.
- Michelle Trachtenberg, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Harriet the Spy’ star, dies at 39. This one dominated a lot of news yesterday but will fall behind Hackman’s death now. The actor had liver issues for several years prior to her death.
- The Felonious Punk administration says it is cutting 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts. This comes after the Supreme Court paused the judge’s order on Punk’s foreign aid funding. The administration is acting quickly. Punk officials set the stage for large-scale federal worker layoffs in a new memo. Sounds fun, huh? Never mind that doing so can never adequately combat the trillions of dollars in debt the US has. USAID workers will be given 15 minutes to clear their workspaces as the agency gets dismantled. Imagine going to work this morning knowing that order hangs over your head. This is a HUGE story that can’t be handled in one summary.
- The Pentagon ordered a new purge of social media sites to dump diversity, and inclusion mentions by March 5. At the same time, Transgender US service members are to be removed from the military, a Pentagon memo shows. Those are both important stories that deserve a lot of print space.
- High-level EU-US diplomatic talks were called off as transatlantic tensions rose. I don’t think the majority of us understand how frightening this is. Europe, an entire continent, is pissed at the US. Tariffs are the primary reason. This is not going to end well for the US economy. In fact, the U.S. Economy Shows Signs of Strain From Trump’s Tariffs and Spending Cuts. The spending blackout days may become more of a necessity than an act of resistance.
- The Environmental Protection Agency Will Lose 65 Percent of Staff. Three Former E.P.A. Leaders: You’ll Miss It When It’s Gone. Not enough people remember the amber-colored haze that once choked the air of every major city in the country. The EPA is what fixed that problem. Now, it could all come back.
- Gabbard Says More Than 100 Intelligence Officers Fired for Chat Messages. Frighteningly enough, this layoff appears to be well-founded as those chat messages infer a scary amount of sexual abuse.
See how long that list is? I’m not half done yet, either. CNN is reporting that a White House official raised the specter of martial law as a means of keeping Punk in power for a third term or longer. If that doesn’t send a chill straight to your bones, I don’t know what will.
The folks over at Salon are convinced that MAGA Republicans want to strip women of their rights. Conservative women believe complicity will save them. They’re wrong. Complicity saves no one on any of the destructive issues this administration is forcing on the country.
The situation isn’t going to get any better. A critical FDA meeting, the one that determines which strains of flu to attack next fall, was canceled without notice. Pharmaceutical companies need at least six months to prepare enough of the vaccine for fall immunization. They’re leaving us all vulnerable.
Meanwhile, a 10-year-old died from the measles. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday said the outbreak is ‘normal.’ Bullshit. We’ve not seen an outbreak like this in over a decade. Children should not be dying from this disease. Since then, another child has died as well. Oh, and the outbreak is largely the fault of a Texas Mennonite community. But we’re not ready to talk about that just yet, are we? And now, a measles case has been confirmed in Kentucky. How many kids are you willing to lose?
Changing the format to one more aligned with news presentation allows me to more adequately address all these issues. We’ll take on the matters that are too easily swept under the rug and do everything we can to empower the resistance against tyranny.
Yes, this is going to take a lot more of my time. Yes, I may fail. Yes, I’m probably biting off a lot more than I can chew. But I can’t drive and can’t go more than three hours without taking a nap. I’m 64 years old and cranky. This is something I can do to combat the noise without brandishing a weapon in the front yard.
I’m hoping to have the new site up and running by Monday. Again, biting off more than I can chew. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Comment
I like the plan!!