Naomi Klein has excellent articles on ‘end-times fascism’ that are required reading to understand WTH is happening with Christian Nationalists. She points out, as does Sarah, the nihilism & abandonment of a collective future these folks ‘believe in.’ Today, M Gessen referenced Hannah Arendt’s quote that authoritarians need a country with a large geographic mass & willingness to sacrifice large numbers of the population (as in, they don’t care how many their ‘policies’ harm, or worse.) I frequently think of Taylor Swift - a seeming non-sequitur - because of her lyric, “You’re on your own, kid; you always have been.” The ultra-rich (I’m referring to the richest 30-50 individuals in the world) scare me due to their seeming abandonment of both the common good, & Earth itself. When Sarah wrote something about ‘there’s only so much information Americans can bear’ because our hearts are broken, I felt that. We are living with so much unshared/unprocessed grief.
Excellent recommendation, Margot. She has a recent chat w/Jon Stewart that is serious: recommend it (YouTube)
Also, Stewart & Trevor Noah recently discussed many topics, including Trevor’s observations on the broligarchy having grown up in S Africa in families that supported/benefitted from apartheid. It’s no coincidence their w supremacy is prevalent in policies implemented, including in those pushed by S Miller, a kindred spirit.
I shared the YouTube video in a post the other day! Will check out the Noah clips and Naomi Klein. These are topics I’ve been digging into for a while trying to understand the various nefarious factions currently aligned. It’s a lot to process and it is exhausting. These are unprecedented times.
Oh friend: me, too. It is a lot & is exhausting. I think you’ll appreciate the plain talk from the sources I mentioned. They see those nefarious factions & how they align & are willing to talk about it.
Would also recommend some books on effective altruism, particularly “What We Owe the Future” by William MacAskill to provide some key insight into the broligarchy cult. Quite shocking, particularly when you dig into their idea of “longtermism”.
The more I dig into the broligarchs, the more disturbed I become. They are living in an alternate reality, completely disconnected and shockingly self-important.
Another must read: #Hatemonger Journalist @jeanguerrero on S Miller & his influence (even greater in T term 2) on the anti-human policies we see daily.
I just got to your comment on “treat[ing] every state crime seriously” and flashed on Ford pardoning Nixon for Watergate crimes — now clearly a precursor of “let’s pretend this never happened”. Obama did the same by bailing out banks and not having his DOJ prosecute anyone involved in the financial crisis of his era. Then we arrive at Merrick Garland’s slow roll down to not finishing the prosecution of tRump. Hmmm. (There’s clearly much more, but…)
At the time I remember thinking and saying, “negotiate! People need housing! Give them a 50 year mortgage, don’t take their shelter & safety away! HUMANITY.
As do many of your readers, Sarah, I look forward to the monthly Q&A articles. But, I must say that this one is the best of the best. Questions from your readers are astonishingly clear and intensely important; answers from you must take monumental time and you do those answers so well. These articles are always a ''bright'' spot in my day because they tell me that no-one is lying down for these imperial presidency charades from donnie, and that there are numerous 'real' journalists (without credentials) whose questions should become parts of every news opportunity. I just cannot imagine Karoline Levitt's responses; she doesn't have the vocabulary nor the talent to do so.
Thanks! I’m also not trusting of Gavin Newsom and as a former researcher in my job and now a researcher in my private life I hate AI. It helps not to feel alone. Take care this weekend in particular.
For more on the technoligarchy and the Network State agenda, Gil Duran (https://www.thenerdreich.com/) is at the forefront on this, especially as he sees it as a collaborative effort and is always including links and references to other journalists doing good work, making it easier to dig deeper. For the best summary of the situation, which is complex and extensive, one that includes citations to further research, see here: https://www.vcinfodocs.com
Wow. Loved this q&a! Glad to see Newsome stand up, but don't trust him at all. My sis lives in an apartment by the waterfront in Olympia WA. Great blue herons have a large rookery in fir trees right by her place. It's fun to see the parents flying in and out, nest building, egg-laying, and now feeding hungry babies. (Not good to stand directly under the trees, however!)
Sarah, book rec re: the final question and PayPal Mafia. The new book "Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left" by Eoin Higgins is well written and deeply researched. Also, seconding another commenter's suggestion on Gil Duran's Nerd Reich blog and podcast. https://www.thenerdreich.com
I highly recommend the people at 404 media for all things tech. They do a lot of great reporting and I've been following their work for years, from before they went independent. They have a newsletter and a podcast, too.
Thanks for answering. It seems you have the same fear about Newsom as I do. Not surprised by that, but certainly not happy about it.
I won’t pretend it isn’t nice to hear a person in a powerful position finally speak up about the cruelty people are enduring under ICE- stories we should be hearing loudly proclaimed every day - but I don’t trust Newsom’s motives and it is reassuring to see that I am not alone in that.
In regard to the rehirings of federal workers, I saw a meme about a Congressman who drove three hundred miles one way to his home district because the air traffic control staff had been gutted at his district's airport and he didn't want to die in a plane crash. This is related to something a VA psychologist told me when veteran's health care was cut during the time that I knew him: sooner or later, a Senator or Congress person has a close relative who is affected negatively by those cuts and they manage to turn the spigot back on, if only for a little while. On the other hand, I pointed out to my congressional delegation that Musk has their families' data, too, and they have been silent and inactive on that point. If there ever was a time when ordinary Americans benefited from a Senator's desire to help a hurting relative. perhaps those bonds don't exist anymore.
Thanks for this, Sarah. I always look forward to your work. I'm going to keep checking in on the comments to see possible book recommendations re the Paypal mafia.
Check our Gil Duran's "The Nerd Reich" website. His pieces often include book recommendations. He has also started doing engaging and helpful YouTube videos.
I love when I run across a blue heron while canoeing and see it slowly take flight to get away from me only to catch it a minute later around the bend. Then it disdainfully takes flight again for me to see it around another bend and it repeats itself a few more times. Just to tease me.
Thanks for this. Never TL;DR. We have a gorgeous Great Blue Heron in the cove behind our house. Could watch her all day. Such grace and elegance. Spot-on about AI. I teach architecture to grad students and despair what it’s doing to higher ed.
As a native Californian, it hurts to see my home state under siege. I used to support Gavin Newsom, but after finding out his ties, I don’t trust him either. Thankfully people I know in LA are doing ok, but it’s difficult. I was in LA in 1992, when the National Guard was called in. It was hard then. But through it all, the people of LA will not go down without a fight. Californians stick together. SF may pick on LA, LA may pick on SF, and so forth, but as a colleague in LA said, Californians are not to be messed with! I am in Florida, but a proud Californian.
In regards to Trump/Musk, I haven't really considered the rehabilitation angle because I didn't see a pressing need for Musk's reputation to be rejuvenated. Was there one I missed? It doesn't seem like he'd care either way. But what I noticed more was how the timeline played out: Musk always presented his time in the WH as temporary, he announced his upcoming departure on that temporary timeline, and then he departed. Only after he departed did the claws come out, and they came out instantly. What I've believed from the beginning, even though correlation isn't causation blah blah, is that Musk was on a specific assignment from the oligarchy to further erode democracy in a specific way Trump was unsuited for. Indeed Musk did a lot of astonishing, and QUICK, tech bro damage (and immediately upon the new term) the Trump/Bannon/etc brigade couldn't possibly pull off on their own. Not with the same efficiency. The assault on government systems and data, and how quickly and effectively it happened, was what has surprised me the most (Musk getting data on Americans as well as business rivals would have been his reward). How else could two egomaniacs get along like they did for six whole months unless they were under orders to put their egos in neutral? It's hard to imagine Musk sharing such a spotlight, and Trump has never done so his entire life as far as I recall. In his first "term," he immediately fired anyone who started running a close second. Only after this assignment ended, if that's what it was, did these two air their mutual grievances.
Totally agree on Newsom. What makes me most suspicious, among the recent events, is how he just allowed Trump to seize his national guard without publicly declaring his opposition before it happened. I find it hard to believe it was a surprise 100%.
I’m not sure Musk is the one seeking reputational rehab, but others in the fold who benefit from seeming outside of the feud and offering commentary to distance themselves from its worst connotations. Among them: Vance, Thiel, and Bannon. Just guessing based on the coverage and the reaction it spurred…
Thank you for this!
I recommend Carole Caldwalladr for expertise on the broligarchs. She’s here on Substack: https://substack.com/@carolecadwalla
Yes, good call! She paid a high price for her investigations, too.
Indeed she did! She’s still speaking out, thankfully!
Naomi Klein has excellent articles on ‘end-times fascism’ that are required reading to understand WTH is happening with Christian Nationalists. She points out, as does Sarah, the nihilism & abandonment of a collective future these folks ‘believe in.’ Today, M Gessen referenced Hannah Arendt’s quote that authoritarians need a country with a large geographic mass & willingness to sacrifice large numbers of the population (as in, they don’t care how many their ‘policies’ harm, or worse.) I frequently think of Taylor Swift - a seeming non-sequitur - because of her lyric, “You’re on your own, kid; you always have been.” The ultra-rich (I’m referring to the richest 30-50 individuals in the world) scare me due to their seeming abandonment of both the common good, & Earth itself. When Sarah wrote something about ‘there’s only so much information Americans can bear’ because our hearts are broken, I felt that. We are living with so much unshared/unprocessed grief.
Excellent recommendation, Margot. She has a recent chat w/Jon Stewart that is serious: recommend it (YouTube)
Also, Stewart & Trevor Noah recently discussed many topics, including Trevor’s observations on the broligarchy having grown up in S Africa in families that supported/benefitted from apartheid. It’s no coincidence their w supremacy is prevalent in policies implemented, including in those pushed by S Miller, a kindred spirit.
I shared the YouTube video in a post the other day! Will check out the Noah clips and Naomi Klein. These are topics I’ve been digging into for a while trying to understand the various nefarious factions currently aligned. It’s a lot to process and it is exhausting. These are unprecedented times.
Oh friend: me, too. It is a lot & is exhausting. I think you’ll appreciate the plain talk from the sources I mentioned. They see those nefarious factions & how they align & are willing to talk about it.
Would also recommend some books on effective altruism, particularly “What We Owe the Future” by William MacAskill to provide some key insight into the broligarchy cult. Quite shocking, particularly when you dig into their idea of “longtermism”.
The more I dig into the broligarchs, the more disturbed I become. They are living in an alternate reality, completely disconnected and shockingly self-important.
Another must read: #Hatemonger Journalist @jeanguerrero on S Miller & his influence (even greater in T term 2) on the anti-human policies we see daily.
Sorry about the earlier inquiry I just found it!
I see I can “Follow” her, I don’t see, “Subscribe”. I am reading her posts however- Is it just me?
I just got to your comment on “treat[ing] every state crime seriously” and flashed on Ford pardoning Nixon for Watergate crimes — now clearly a precursor of “let’s pretend this never happened”. Obama did the same by bailing out banks and not having his DOJ prosecute anyone involved in the financial crisis of his era. Then we arrive at Merrick Garland’s slow roll down to not finishing the prosecution of tRump. Hmmm. (There’s clearly much more, but…)
At the time I remember thinking and saying, “negotiate! People need housing! Give them a 50 year mortgage, don’t take their shelter & safety away! HUMANITY.
As do many of your readers, Sarah, I look forward to the monthly Q&A articles. But, I must say that this one is the best of the best. Questions from your readers are astonishingly clear and intensely important; answers from you must take monumental time and you do those answers so well. These articles are always a ''bright'' spot in my day because they tell me that no-one is lying down for these imperial presidency charades from donnie, and that there are numerous 'real' journalists (without credentials) whose questions should become parts of every news opportunity. I just cannot imagine Karoline Levitt's responses; she doesn't have the vocabulary nor the talent to do so.
Thank you! And yes I agree the reader questions are excellent. Folks here are really on the ball!
Thanks! I’m also not trusting of Gavin Newsom and as a former researcher in my job and now a researcher in my private life I hate AI. It helps not to feel alone. Take care this weekend in particular.
For financial info, Dave Troy has a white paper I've found helpful (see the bottom of this article https://america2.news/forget-the-budget-battle-the-debt-ceiling-is-the-one-to-watch/)
For more on the technoligarchy and the Network State agenda, Gil Duran (https://www.thenerdreich.com/) is at the forefront on this, especially as he sees it as a collaborative effort and is always including links and references to other journalists doing good work, making it easier to dig deeper. For the best summary of the situation, which is complex and extensive, one that includes citations to further research, see here: https://www.vcinfodocs.com
Wow. Loved this q&a! Glad to see Newsome stand up, but don't trust him at all. My sis lives in an apartment by the waterfront in Olympia WA. Great blue herons have a large rookery in fir trees right by her place. It's fun to see the parents flying in and out, nest building, egg-laying, and now feeding hungry babies. (Not good to stand directly under the trees, however!)
Sarah, book rec re: the final question and PayPal Mafia. The new book "Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left" by Eoin Higgins is well written and deeply researched. Also, seconding another commenter's suggestion on Gil Duran's Nerd Reich blog and podcast. https://www.thenerdreich.com
Thanks! That book looked interesting, I may give it a read
I highly recommend the people at 404 media for all things tech. They do a lot of great reporting and I've been following their work for years, from before they went independent. They have a newsletter and a podcast, too.
Thanks for answering. It seems you have the same fear about Newsom as I do. Not surprised by that, but certainly not happy about it.
I won’t pretend it isn’t nice to hear a person in a powerful position finally speak up about the cruelty people are enduring under ICE- stories we should be hearing loudly proclaimed every day - but I don’t trust Newsom’s motives and it is reassuring to see that I am not alone in that.
In regard to the rehirings of federal workers, I saw a meme about a Congressman who drove three hundred miles one way to his home district because the air traffic control staff had been gutted at his district's airport and he didn't want to die in a plane crash. This is related to something a VA psychologist told me when veteran's health care was cut during the time that I knew him: sooner or later, a Senator or Congress person has a close relative who is affected negatively by those cuts and they manage to turn the spigot back on, if only for a little while. On the other hand, I pointed out to my congressional delegation that Musk has their families' data, too, and they have been silent and inactive on that point. If there ever was a time when ordinary Americans benefited from a Senator's desire to help a hurting relative. perhaps those bonds don't exist anymore.
Thanks for this, Sarah. I always look forward to your work. I'm going to keep checking in on the comments to see possible book recommendations re the Paypal mafia.
Check our Gil Duran's "The Nerd Reich" website. His pieces often include book recommendations. He has also started doing engaging and helpful YouTube videos.
Hey! Thanks Helen. Kind of you.
I love when I run across a blue heron while canoeing and see it slowly take flight to get away from me only to catch it a minute later around the bend. Then it disdainfully takes flight again for me to see it around another bend and it repeats itself a few more times. Just to tease me.
Ha! I do the same with when I’m kayaking but it always seems to happen with egrets. I slowly follow them around the lake.
"You might need somethin' to hold on to
When all the answers, they don't amount to much
Somebody that you can just talk to
And a little of that human touch . . . " -- B. Springsteen
Thank you, Sarah, for once again coming up with answers that provide a much-needed human touch. :)
(You don't need this, but here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85cNRQo1m3A.)
Thanks for this. Never TL;DR. We have a gorgeous Great Blue Heron in the cove behind our house. Could watch her all day. Such grace and elegance. Spot-on about AI. I teach architecture to grad students and despair what it’s doing to higher ed.
As a native Californian, it hurts to see my home state under siege. I used to support Gavin Newsom, but after finding out his ties, I don’t trust him either. Thankfully people I know in LA are doing ok, but it’s difficult. I was in LA in 1992, when the National Guard was called in. It was hard then. But through it all, the people of LA will not go down without a fight. Californians stick together. SF may pick on LA, LA may pick on SF, and so forth, but as a colleague in LA said, Californians are not to be messed with! I am in Florida, but a proud Californian.
For finance, I recommend check out Danielle Nava’s Substack https://substack.com/@daniellenava
Your best set of answers yet, Sarah. Thank you!
In regards to Trump/Musk, I haven't really considered the rehabilitation angle because I didn't see a pressing need for Musk's reputation to be rejuvenated. Was there one I missed? It doesn't seem like he'd care either way. But what I noticed more was how the timeline played out: Musk always presented his time in the WH as temporary, he announced his upcoming departure on that temporary timeline, and then he departed. Only after he departed did the claws come out, and they came out instantly. What I've believed from the beginning, even though correlation isn't causation blah blah, is that Musk was on a specific assignment from the oligarchy to further erode democracy in a specific way Trump was unsuited for. Indeed Musk did a lot of astonishing, and QUICK, tech bro damage (and immediately upon the new term) the Trump/Bannon/etc brigade couldn't possibly pull off on their own. Not with the same efficiency. The assault on government systems and data, and how quickly and effectively it happened, was what has surprised me the most (Musk getting data on Americans as well as business rivals would have been his reward). How else could two egomaniacs get along like they did for six whole months unless they were under orders to put their egos in neutral? It's hard to imagine Musk sharing such a spotlight, and Trump has never done so his entire life as far as I recall. In his first "term," he immediately fired anyone who started running a close second. Only after this assignment ended, if that's what it was, did these two air their mutual grievances.
Totally agree on Newsom. What makes me most suspicious, among the recent events, is how he just allowed Trump to seize his national guard without publicly declaring his opposition before it happened. I find it hard to believe it was a surprise 100%.
I’m not sure Musk is the one seeking reputational rehab, but others in the fold who benefit from seeming outside of the feud and offering commentary to distance themselves from its worst connotations. Among them: Vance, Thiel, and Bannon. Just guessing based on the coverage and the reaction it spurred…