Pexels - Markus Winkler - Typewriter with a sheet of paper rolled up that reads 'News.' 5 Things: GOP, COVID-19, Physician-assisted death, Facebook & TikTok, & Jan. 6
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5 Things: GOP, COVID-19, Physician-assisted death, Facebook & TikTok, & Jan. 6

JavaElemental ☕

First, read this Twitter thread. Now, read this one.

I need everyone to understand that this looks like hyperbole, but it. is. not. In as much as the GOP/MAGA Cultist movement has a goal, it is this: A “return” to the mythical 1950s they’ve built up in their minds. Straight white men in control and unassailable, women trapped in the home with few or no rights and stuck cranking out babies, LGBTQ+ driven out of public life and criminalized, and anyone not white enough made into second class citizens or banished from the country.

And please recall that not all that long ago, Irish and Italian people weren’t considered “white” in America, so don’t think you’ll be okay just because you’re pale and male, folks.

  1. Talking Points Memo: Loud And Proud: Republicans Take Aim At Whole Constellation Of Privacy Rights – Please pay attention to this. The GOP is taking aim at everything from women’s bodily autonomy to marriage equality to history and more.
  2. Vox: Covid-19 safety doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Here’s how to think about it going forward. – As a general FYI, the Yankee Candle Index (IE, the number of people on Amazon buying Yankee Candles and then leaving angry reviews that the candles have no scent) is creeping back up. This his been a mildly amusing and also accurate indicator of COVID surges.
  3. NPR: Physician-assisted death in Oregon is no longer limited to just state residents – You don’t have to live here to die with dignity anymore.
  4. Washington Post: Facebook paid GOP firm to malign TikTok – Keep this story in mind when you hear about the next “dangerous TikTok challenge” on the evening news.
  5. The Guardian: Revealed: Trump used White House phone for call on January 6 that was not on official log – Yet more evidence showing that the Trump administration was deliberately hiding/destroying proof of their Jan. 6 activities.