Margaret Dumont

Just before Bryan Betancur was arraigned, an account belonging to Enrique Tarrio logged in to watch on the livestream.”

it’s unreal how these grown-ass men had no problem destroying untold lives with chatGPT but go crying to a judge when people make fun of them online

a scoundrelly gimbus who makes it hard to make categorical statements about bullying being wrong.

What the U.S. Government Is Dismissing That Could Seed a Bird Flu Pandemic Egg producers suspect bird flu is traveling through the air. After a disastrous Midwestern outbreak early this year, we tested that theory and found that where the wind blew, the virus followed. Vacci...

To combat bird flu spread, other countries have authorized poultry vaccines.

The U.S. hasn’t, amid political and economic pushback.

Without a vaccine, experts say the virus poses an escalating threat: “The minute it transmits to humans, it’s done.”

(Published Nov. 2025)

McGowan: You're saying 46 Americans died, so we should attack this country. Here at home, 68,000 Americans die a year because they don't have health insurance. So, if we're going to spend billions of dollars on something…

How a State Domestic Terrorism Law Has Boosted the White House’s Texas ‘Antifa’ Crackdown This article is part of TPM’s ongoing “Creating the Enemy Within” project,...

How a State Domestic Terrorism Law Has Boosted the White House’s Texas ‘Antifa’ Crackdown talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/tr...

For Trump, Emergency Cash from Congress Means Approval for More War Trump’s war on Iran is illegal. Congress hasn’t authorized it; administration officials...

For Trump, Emergency Cash from Congress Means Approval for More War talkingpointsmemo.com/news/for-tru...

Analysts say US threat of ‘no quarter’ for Iran violates international law Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there would be 'no quarter, no mercy' as US continues to pummel Iran.

Pleased to be quoted alongside Sarah Yager in this piece.

“The basic idea is that it’s both inhumane and counterproductive to execute people who have laid down their arms.”

And an outrageous war crime to even announce you will do so.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/...

Max Fawcett on the Alberta NDP's Refusal to Take Energy Seriously YouTube video by Energi Media

Max Fawcett on the Alberta NDP's Refusal to Take Energy Seriously

UCP-lite isn't going to cut it.

Max discusses @nenshi's leadership.
@abndpcaucus #ableg #abpoli
youtu.be/khTLqGyYpzQ

Texas Private Schools Hire Relatives and Enrich Insiders. Soon They Can Do It With Taxpayer Money. An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state law...

An investigation by ProPublica and @texastribune.org found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state laws had the schools been public.

(Published Aug. 2025)

Anti-ICE protesters accused of being part of antifa found guilty of support for terrorism in Texas Case was seen as major test of the first amendment and whether the US could use broad anti-terrorism statute to prosecute leftwing protesters

Breaking news: A jury convicted people who protested outside an ICE facility in Texas of providing material support to terrorists, and other charges in a closely watched case in which the gov't argued the protesters were "Antifa". www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Sweeping guilty verdicts in the federal Prairieland antifa cases. These cases were an effort by the Trump admin to prosecute anti-fascists as terrorists and further, prosecute dissent. This Texas trial was a test of his power. He won. This laid out the case and stakes: www.ms.now/news/antifa-...

Trump Administration Readies Plans to Dismantle Renowned Science Lab

Pure destruction for no purpose other than revenge and generalized stupidity

Trump Administration Readies Plans to Dismantle Renowned Science Lab www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/c...

Strength In Numbers is looking for smart survey research assistants Note: Not a full-time job, but I will pay you — probably best for a smart undergrad or grad student or side hustle-r

Strength In Numbers is looking for a smart part-time survey research assistant (or a few)
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/strength-i...

ONDP leader Marit Stiles on Doug Ford's proposed FOI changes: "These changes just simply shield Doug Ford and his government from accountability over things like the Greenbelt carve up, all of the preferential treatment that they've been giving to companies."

Trump Removes Sanctions on Russia to Help Oil Flow Amid Iran Conflict

The latest step, and a major one, in the Trump administration’s consistent efforts to keep the Russian army in the field against Ukraine.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/u...

Updated file here:
edmontonjournal.com/news/politic...
#ableg #abpoli

War and Football? What Kind of Sick Mind Thinks That Video Is Cool? The White House’s videos mixing football hits with bombing footage tell us: We have some twisted people running this country.

Savage from @mjtoma.bsky.social on WH's war-as-football-game post:

"For them, justice is exactly the advantage of the stronger; nothing more and nothing less...that’s how people can decide war has no more gravity than a football game...what a sick bunch of people."

newrepublic.com/post/207741/...

Trump’s military excursion, into an abyss The evident fact is that the president is nuts.

As Trump has descended into incoherence, and become nothing more than an assortment of adolescent (and frequently violent) urges, the government has been remade into a tool for the immediate satisfaction of his wants and desires no matter how absurd or nihilistic they may be, as I discuss in PN.

Here @davidrlurie.com outlines Trump's "long-burning desire to turn urban America into a theater of war" and "visceral desire to foment violence between city residents and police," and how that links to his Iran war.

As always the lifeblood of MAGA is sadism.

Over at @atrupar.com's place:

Judge to rule Friday on Alberta teachers efforts to pause back-to-work legislation Teachers are seeking to suspend the government's back-to-work legislation imposed in October, with a ruling expected to come Friday morning.

An Alberta judge has rejected a bid by teachers to suspend the provincial government's back-to-work legislation

"Suspending the Back to School Act will almost certainly create chaos and uncertainty for parties, parents and students,

Background here:
#ableg #abpoli

(1) The accused declared, ordered, or otherwise indicated that there shall be no survivors or surrender accepted; (2) The accused thereby intended to threaten an adversary or to conduct hostilities such that there would be no survivors or surrender accepted; (3) It was foreseeable that circumstances would be such that a practicable and reasonable ability to accept surrender would exist; (4) The accused was in a position of effective command or control over the subordinate forces to which the declaration or order was directed; and (5) The conduct took place in the context of and was associated with hostilities.

✋ Former USG war crimes lawyer here.

Apropos of SecDef's remarks this morning:

Denial of quarter—even the declaration of no quarter—is a war crime.

And recognized as such by the US Government.

From DoD's Manual for Military Commissions.

Hegseth: "We will keep pushing, keep advancing. No quarter, no mercy for our enemies."

No quarter is the refusal to take prisoners and instead just execute everyone. It's been considered a war crime for over a century.

Alberta Landowner Blocks Oil Well Over Unpaid Lease Fees YouTube video by Energi Media

Alberta Landowner Blocks Oil Well Over Unpaid Lease Fees

Mark Dorin explains why he stopped MAGA Energy from entering his property to access their well sites.

He followed the letter of the law. Alberta Energy Regulator did not.
#abpoli #ableg
youtu.be/4_D_DTalj-4

If you're a service member being ordered to prep for deployment for the War in Iran and you have moral and/or ethical misgivings on all this, remember that you have the right to apply for conscientious objector status.

Call the G.I. Rights hotline: 1-877-447-4487

Escalating Hormuz Crisis Raises Specter of Prolonged Closure Hopes for quickly reviving trade through the strait are dimming without U.S. naval escorts as Iran steps up attacks.

This excellent WSJ piece explains that U.S. has not provided naval escorts to tankers because of the risks of Iranian attack on U.S. warships close to Iran's shores. NOTE: All these same concerns would apply to any effort to employ mine clearance platforms in the Gulf.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Well, there it is. Mines laid by small boats.

The Hormuz Minefield In the strait, Iran holds the advantage—and America has no good options.

My latest on the Iranian threat to the Strait of Hormuz in @foreignaffairs.com
www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/hormuz-...

Pentagon Is Moving Additional Marines, Warships to the Middle East The Pentagon is moving additional Marines and warships to the Middle East as Iran steps up its attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, according to three U.S. officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ap...

I have noted previously that if US cannot eliminate shore-based threats to Strait, it might be tempted to insert Marines or SOF on the Iranian coast. WSJ now reporting Pentagon sending an amphibious ready group and Marine expeditionary unit to the region. www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

57/ Iran will not let go of Hormuz Chokehold until it has a survival equation with US & Israel and iron-clad guarantees that it will NEVER be bombed again.

Military experts have been studying Iran's capabilities for decades. Read the 2008 paper from Prof Talmadge. And follow her account here & X