#ukraine is gonna have a hell of a bill when this is over

[gusty-wind]

“It does not actually articulate or force the articulation of a strategy for how to end the conflict to begin with. So you basically have a blank check — or a near blank check — for a strategy that’s completely gone off the rails.”

Lee called out his Republican colleagues for sending aid to Ukraine at the expense of America’s own interests.

“By voting yes and passing this bill now, it empowers drug cartels, it dissolves our borders, it spends insane amounts of money that we don’t have on the priorities of foreign countries all at the same time,” he said.

Lee also slammed the bills’ proponents for defeating an effort led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to increase accountability and oversight of the aid to the notoriously corrupt Ukrainian government through appointment of an inspector general.

“These are not choir boys,” Lee said. “These are not Boy Scouts. These are not Girl Scouts. These are people who have really set world records for corruption. It’s an art form over there.”

Vance laid out the arguments from Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for rushing the aid through without further accountability measures.

“The basic argument is that we have to rush resources to Ukraine immediately, or they’re liable to fall to Russian aggression,” he said. “And it’s all basically an argument made under the gun that unless you approve this appropriation of resources and weapons, then you will allow Russia to win. So it’s a kind of moral blackmail.”

Supporters of yet more aid to Ukraine can not admit the reality that the war is not winnable for Ukraine, Vance continued. “They can’t admit that this isn’t going well because if they admitted that, it would cause too much psychological harm, and they’d have to cut bait.”

Johnson added that proponents argue that it is in politicians’ naked political interests to support the aid because “it’s helping build our industrial base, and so it’s creating jobs in your state. And I call that a depraved justification.”

Musk, who noted his contributions to Ukraine’s war efforts, echoed the assessment of the trio of senators that the war is ultimately not winnable and that a peace deal is in their best interests.

Ukraine is “losing people every day,” he said. “And if you’re going to spend lives, it must be for a purpose.”

Musk continued:

There is no way in hell that Putin is going to lose. If he would back off, he would be assassinated. And for those who want regime change in Russia, they should think about: Who is the person that could take out Putin? And is that person likely to be a peacenik? Probably not. They’re probably gonna be even harder, even more hardcore than Putin if they took him out.  Ramaswamy detailed additional “unacceptable” risks to American and global interests from continued “endless funding” of the fighting in Ukraine, arguing that Americans see “daily strengthening of the military alliance between Russia and China, which, when combined, is the single greatest increase for the risk of World War III that we’ve seen in the post-World War II era.”

If the foreign aid passes the Senate, as is expected, the House must still act. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) would likely face a rebellion from members of the Republican conference if he brought the bill to the floor.

Monday night, after the conclusion of the X Space, Johnson seemed to throw cold water on the Senate’s package, echoing earlier statements that Congress must address American border security first.

“In the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters,” a Johnson statement read. “America deserves better than the Senate’s status quo.”

The timing before Monday night’s vote is important, sending the message to any on-the-fence Republican senators that a vote on the unpopular aid package would imperil their political standing for legislation that will not become law.

Some Democrats have insisted they will use all the parliamentary tools at their disposal to bring the bill to the floor, although a path forward for the legislation in the House is unclear.

Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.

[beardedmrbean]

The caretaker cabinet decided: Ukrainian refugees will again be accommodated in state resorts

Bulgaria will continue the program for the accommodation of Ukrainian refugees, and they will again be moved to state resorts. This was stated by Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev at a briefing in the Council of Ministers.

"We have foreseen the necessary places and opportunities for this. A 15-day deadline will be given until the middle of the month for people who are accommodated in hotels to be moved to suitable resorts. Only Bulgaria and two other countries - Cyprus and Ireland provide such protection for unlimited period. On the other hand, we want to make sure that in the coming winter conditions, these citizens will be accommodated in suitable places and will not have to move to harsh climatic conditions," said the minister.

The Minister of Tourism, Ilin Dimitrov, stated that the financial resources allocated by Bulgaria are significant, even compared to the other EU member states. So far, nearly BGN 523 million have been paid, of which BGN 200 million are at the expense of the budget and about BGN 300 million - under European programs and funds, he explained.

"It is important to be aware of our options. We are not leaving anyone on the street, those in need of protection will be accommodated in government resorts and their care will continue. I want to sincerely thank the hoteliers who opened their hotels in the first wave, there were ambiguities, but they nevertheless took this risk," said Dimitrov.

The minister assured that all funds to the hoteliers will be paid, and by the end of this week all undisputed payments that the state has charged until the end of September will be entered. Within 15 days, hoteliers will be able to submit complaints, and each of them will be considered.

"There are three options in which sums may not be paid - if the person has left the hotel, but continues to be registered there, the second is when he/she has started work and has not reported within a month, and the third hypothesis is when a person is accommodated in more than one hotel".

There is also a fourth problem related to meal declarations, which, however, will be solved by software, which is why Ilin Dimitrov called on hoteliers to state the financial differences in the complaints they file.

Earlier in the day:

Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria who are accommodated in hotels are likely to be redirected to state resorts. A similar decision is expected to be taken by the office by the end of the day, according to Bulgarian media "Dnevnik". Today is the deadline for the program under which those fleeing Russia's war in Ukraine can be accommodated in hotels. Read more about it here: The Program for Ukrainian Refugees Ends Today – Protest Tomorrow in Sunny Beach

It will probably be decided that there will be a transition period of about two weeks, after which the Ukrainians will be directed to state resorts. An attempt at such a move was made at the beginning of the summer, but then volunteers, non-governmental organizations and representatives of the Ukrainian community complained about a lack of communication with the state (Kiril Petkov's government was in power back then), clarity about which exact resorts will be used and other similar problems. Subsequently, this program was extended twice, most recently by the Caretaker Cabinet.

"People are very worried again," volunteers who help the residents told "Dnevnik". They again do not have enough clarity about the state's plans, to which resorts will they be redirected, how and when exactly.

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) called on Friday, October 28, for the caretaker government to take a decision to avoid a humanitarian crisis. The organization also claims that there is no awareness campaign among the community, it is not known whether there will be enough places in the state resorts and where exactly they will be.

According to "Dnevnik" information, the opinion of the cabinet is to end accommodation in hotels, which was the only one of its kind in Europe. There is no word on when this will happen, but there is talk of introducing a transition period, which is likely to be around two weeks.

Bulgaria to receive additional European funds for Ukrainian refugees

Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will receive an additional total of 100 million euros for refugees from Ukraine, the European Commission announced today, as quoted by BTA.

States will have these funds to continue to care for refugees and to provide them with food, transport and temporary accommodation. It is planned that the funds will reach civil organizations and local authorities, the commission's announcement states.

The European Commission specifies that it will allocate the funds according to the results achieved, and not according to the actual costs. It adds that another 52 million euros will be provided for accommodation conditions for the refugees, for medical and psychological assistance. It is noted that Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have already received a total of 248 million euros for the same purposes.

A spokesman for the European Commission indicated today that the EU has so far provided 3.1 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine. This amount does not include support provided bilaterally by EU countries.

In response to a question about the possibility of future peace talks, the spokesperson clarified that the EU would support anyone who could influence the achievement of peace. According to him, Russian President Vladimir Putin must stop the war as soon as possible.

The Commission today called on Russia to reconsider its decision and return to the deal to export Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. According to Brussels, Moscow's actions could lead to a deepening of the food crisis. The EU and the UN are coordinating their next decisions on this issue, the spokesman said. He specified that so far 29 million tons of goods have been transported through the so-called corridors of sympathy from and to Ukraine.

[doomedandstoned]

In Conversation with Konvent

~By Shawn Gibson~

Hot on the heels of their new 9-tracker on Napalm Records, Doomed & Stoned caught up with drummer Julie Simonsen of KONVENT to talk about 'Call Down The Sun' (2022) and a whole lot more. At present, the Copenhagen crew are gearing up for a robust spring tour, with Implore, Livløs, (0), and Hiraes joining the bill. Whether you're a dyed in the wool fan already or just a curious lurker, now's your chance to get to know the band a bit deeper.

Thank you once again for taking a few moments to visit with our readers. I hope all of you are well since we last spoke. I would like to say congratulations to Sara Helena Nørregaard for making the Konvent family even bigger! I wish Sara and her new baby great health and happiness!

We will let her know! Very exciting for her!

Please tell me about Sophie filling in for Sara on guitar while you are on tour.

Well we already had the tour planned when Sara announced her pregnancy, so we knew from early on that we needed someone to fill in. We all were aware of Sophie in the Danish metal scene and thought she would be a blast to go on tour with. She’s also been crazy fast to learn the songs and really taking it like a pro.

How are COVID-related restrictions where you are and where you'll be playing shows and fests?

All restrictions in Denmark have been lifted and I think most of Europe is headed in that direction. Our next gig is the Napalm Over Europe tour!

That's exciting! I hear Konvent will be performing at several festivals?

Yes, apart from the Napalm Over Europe tour we will play Dessertfest, Roskilde Festival, Gefle Festival, Inferno Metal Festival, and a bunch of other cool places.

How do you feel about what is going on in Ukraine?

We feel terrible about what’s going on there. Our thoughts and support go out to everyone in Ukraine.

How does this affect you and any touring?

Yes, sadly 1914 had to cancel the tour due to their situation in Ukraine. We hope to get a chance to tour with them again in the future.

Konvent's sophomore LP 'Call Down the Sun' goes even darker than your first and has a strong gravitational pull. Curious about the gear you used to record on this album.

We’ve never been gear nerds, so it’s basically the same gear we recorded 'Puritan Masochism' (2020) on. Both Sara and Heidi play Squier and I play on a four-piece drum set. Sara is very fond of using Engl amps as well. The rest is our producer Lasse’s fancy amps and effects.

"Grains" is one of my favorite tracks off of 'Call Down the Sun.' What is the significance of this particular song to the band?

"Grains" actually mean a lot to us. It was the first song we wrote for the album and we all really like how it came together. We’ve always wanted to use Danish in our lyrics, but have always hesitated. I’m glad we did, and Rikke really did an amazing job with the lyrics.

What is different about this album compared to your prior two releases?

I think the second full-length album is always gonna be hard, because you have to exceed the first one. But I feel confident that 'Call Down the Sun' is Konvent 2.0. We’ve all become more confident experimenting and in general just better musicians. We’re really excited for the world to listen.

Call Down The Sun by Konvent

You go and save the best for last. "Harena" is a seven-minute-thirteen-second saga. It has a great ambiance and I enjoyed staying there.

Yes! "Harena" has really been a song that challenged our comfort zone, but we all ended up loving it. "Harena" is about having hopes and dreams that you want to achieve, but because of insecurities you have to give up.

Do I hear violins?

Yes! Violins and cello. We got Felix Havstad to play both. Very talented and awesome guy.

What are some heavy bands that Konvent is listening to these days?

I know Rikke is probably listening to Cattle Decapitation, as always. And Heidi is listening to Vanhelgd. I listen a lot to Full of Hell and Gulch. We all listen to different stuff!

'Call Down the Sun' is one of my new favorite albums now! Thanks for your time and safe travels on the road.

Thank you for once again interviewing us!

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Jinjer’s Tatiana Shmayluk: “We don’t have any guarantees about our future”

Between riding the success of third album Macro and landing some of their biggest festival spots to date, including a set on Download’s main stage, life was pretty hectic for Jinjer pre-pandemic. Now they’ve got your attention (and with no tours to jump on this year), we got vocalist Tatiana Shmaylyuk to face all of your devilish questions.

What was the metal scene like in Ukraine growing up, and now? Becca England (email)

“I’m not sure… The metal scene is ‘eh’ in Ukraine. There’s a couple of bands that are actually working and that’s it, that’s everything I can tell you.”

Your vocal performances seem to be used a lot for reaction videos. Are these something you watch back and, if so, what do you take from them? Adam Beard (Facebook)

“No, I never watch them. I just don’t see it being genuine because I think every reaction filmed on camera is not the first reaction, it’s a second reaction to our music video or something because they’ve seen it before and then they decided, ‘Oh OK, let me just film how I react again but on camera’, and I just don’t believe it. People do it just for views, as always.”

Hammer: Do the criticisms from these videos bother you or is it something that doesn’t faze you?

“I don’t even know what they talk about! I don’t care if they admire our music or they hate it. I just don’t care. That’s it.”

Who are your musical inspirations? And who are your non-musical inspirations? @ZainaArekat (via Twitter)

“Ah shit, my inspirations… There are many of them, there as many as there are genres that I listen to. Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley… It will take so much time to enumerate all of them.”

What is the biggest challenge of recording a Jinjer album? @ejirorudomakugi (Twitter)

“The biggest challenge is lack of time, schedule, less time when we recorded our Macro album. I wrote a song the day before I had to record it. So yeah, my brain was [blows raspberries] liquid after that, it was horrible and very stressful. Sometimes I come to the studio and I have only half a song ready. That’s the biggest challenge for me, not being prepared and still doing my shit.”

How can young metal bands break through and begin playing bigger slots on festival bills? Hayley Lee Smith (email)

“How to do it? I don’t know! If you know, just let me know. Come on, guys, we still sometimes play at fucking, I don’t know, 3pm? Which is like the earliest that you can play main stage. We are not there yet. We’ve never been in that type of position where we played before headliner or something, or at least I don’t remember that, maybe we did but I don’t remember. At Hell In Heaven Festival in Mexico it happened; a lot of big bands refused to travel to Mexico because of COVID, so that’s why we played as a headliner. I think that’s the greatest thing – when you are 50 years old, you’re gonna occupy all those main slots at festivals.”

Hammer: Speaking of festivals, you’ve just been announced for Hellfest! Even though 2021 is very unpredictable, how are your feelings around that? Are you excited for it?

“I have no idea! Ha ha ha! I really hope so, I’m keeping my fingers crossed and everything. But lately I saw a meme on Instagram that said like, ‘I asked my doctor when this pandemic is over and he said, “How do I know? I’m a doctor, not a politician.”’ So, pfft, who knows?! This year proves to me that we just don’t have any guarantees about our future. You don’t know about tomorrow, so don’t plan anything. That’s basically how I live. I don’t like to plan, but everything that is planned for the band and for every band in this world… I hope it will come true.”

With Europe holding the biggest metal festivals in world, are there any places you would like to see such festivals happen and flourish? @johnapomfret (Twitter)

“I mean, we haven’t yet visited all the festivals in the world, you know? It’s just only in Europe, and one in Mexico, right? I really don’t know what to answer!”

Do you have any favourite venues?  @Sonszn05 (Twitter)

“I remember there are a lot of great, high-end venues in Germany. If it has a huge backstage, a shower maybe, good catering and good equipment.”

You sport a lot of great ink. What was your most recent tattoo? Also, is there a favourite or one of special significance that you can speak to? Vivek Pawar (via Facebook)

“My recent one is my throat tattoo. There are no special meanings to my tattoos at all. Maybe my Amy Winehouse and Frida Kahlo ones…”

Hammer: Which ones hurt the most?

“I think [one of the] most painful was on my feet, a koi fish. That was painful. Also, my belly tattoo; I think that was the most painful tattoo ever. On my stomach, the tattoo artist who worked with me applied so much painkiller cream but it didn’t work. It just didn’t. It was like working for 30 minutes and then it was gone. I was sweating out, making faces, it was horrible and it still needs some touch-ups but I will never go back to that tattoo again. I’m gonna leave it as it is.”

The wife is asking how long it took to master gutturals, she loves how powerful you sound. @Nnefariousjack (Twitter)

“Persistent work, practising, just like in every other sphere of our life. If you want to master something like that then there’s no secret to it. The key is just the part of working, training and practising. That’s it. It’s not a secret!”

Hammer: Was any particular part of learning gutturals that was hard?

“My technique changes from time to time, unfortunately. Like 10 years ago, it was really good. But then some days I forget how to do it and some days I kind of remember how to do it but then it comes out like absolutely different. Everything is fucking hard! I think the hardest thing is screaming.”

What’s your dream collaboration? Aimee Perowne (email)

“Unfortunately, some of the musicians that I want to sing with are dead, but… I would love to sing with Chino Moreno from Deftones or Randy Blythe from Lamb Of God, Joe Duplantier from Gojira. And, oh, Mikael Åkerfeldt from Opeth. He should be in first place.”

Hammer: Are there any non-metal collaborations you would consider?

“Oh, yeah! I think P!nk, and I always wanted to sing with Gwen Stefani, but back when she was in No Doubt. It’s kind of rock and… everything… so I don’t consider it to be metal.”

Hammer: Do you think the metal scene as it is would allow for non-metal collaborations?

“I’m not a big fan of collaborations. You cannot be ‘free’ when you do one, it’s either you invite someone to sing your song, or you are invited to sing their songs. In that song it’s your voice, but it’s your voice being controlled by them, [so] it’s gonna be hard. I don’t like the idea of collaborations unless it’s really, really good and both people are giving their best and own visions to the song. Oh, another singer I would love to collaborate with is Maynard James Keenan from Tool. Passenger with Deftones, with the duet of Chino and Maynard, is perfect. You can recognise every one of them and they sing in their own way. But I don’t like the idea of collaborations in general…”

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Woven Skull

Image Credit: Edel Doherty

In 2008, the core trio that make up Woven Skull began gathering together in the home of two of the members, set deep in the bogs and forests of County Leitrim: an empty, sparse area in the northwest of Ireland known for its myths of shee, tales of lake monsters, and calls of otherworldly beings in the still of the night. Several years experimenting with combinations of instrumentation, kitchen utensils, seashells, footsteps, chimes, recordings of cats purring and frogs mating led to their current sound which combines densely propulsive guitar, distorted mandola and endless cyclical rhythms. Woven Skull strip and scrape what they can out of minimal instrumentation to teeter on the brink of total sonic meltdown creating engulfing, raw primal drones and damaged rock manoeuvres. This sound draws on the influences of the combined backgrounds of the trio with Aonghus (guitar) and Willie (percussion) born and bred in Dublin and Natalia (mandola) born in Ukraine and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Of their most recent LP, Isaac Olson wrote that it was, “More serious than Sun City Girls and more playful than Bardo Pond... a great introduction to your new favorite cult band.”

A selection of sounds that we brought to listen to in the van during our last tour.

Agathe Max—Gypsy In a Church (Greasy Trucker Records)

A Gypsy In A Church by Agathe Max

Agathe Max and I first met when we shared a bill at a Baba Yaga's Hut gig in London. She was with her duo Mésangeand I became completely bewitched by her playing. Live, whether with a band or on her own, Agathe creates a mesh of violin magic mixed through a mastery of pedals. No action seems superfluous. Her violin bow might thump off the neck during a section that is fed into a loop and you wonder if it was maybe an accident only to find that the build up of the rhythm created by that slight thump singularly drives the whole next passage. It is meticulous. The Gypsy in a Churchalbum is Agathe solo and acoustic with two long improvised tracks. It came out on cassette in 2016 on Bristol's Greasy Trucker Records. Side A is recorded in Bristol in St. Thomas's church and Side B is from St. Leonard's in London. The spaces creep into the recordings. It makes good driving music because you get lost in time as the violin bounces around the church walls and suddenly the day has faded, twilight is spilling across the sky and and that night's venue is just around the corner. (Natalia)

Patrick Farmer & David Lacey—Pell-Mell the Prolix (caduc. Recordings)

Pell-Mell the Prolix by Patrick Farmer & David Lacey

A really tightly structured, interruptive and continually surprising concrète-ish composition by this duo of percussionists. Beautiful wood-block and dub segments deserve a mention. I found ‘Pell Mell’ to be more accessible than their earlier recording ‘Pictures of Men’ (equally worth checking out but perhaps more dense and angular in places). Ephemera of personal obsessions lumber up against indistinguishable rumblings, a passage is carved between the figurative and the unknowable. (Aonghus)

Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngazi Family—My Ancestors (Mississippi Records)

When you're stuck in traffic on the M1 between Brighton and any other part of the UK and you start to wonder why in the hell did we come to this country on a bank holiday, it's time to fire up the dashboard kettle, make a press pot of joe and throw on some Classic 'Zamrock' from 1974. This is hard rock coming straight outta Zambia, thankfully made available on vinyl at an affordable price courtesy of Mississippi Recordsin Portland, Oregon. This has become one of my Desert Island records. Sabbath infused riffs dipped in some 13th Floor Elevators psych with an explosiveness that's purely African. Before you know it, three tightly packed lanes of English Midlands holiday makers turns into three lanes with one else around. (Willie)

Tadlaouia—moul el koutchi rouicha et tadlaouia

I like to play the same albums both in the shower and in the van. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe these activities send me into the same zone? This tape gets a lot of listens in both places. I love the melding of Tadlaouia's voice with Mohamed Rouicha's string playing action. I know nothing of Tadlaouia aside from this album but I keep on eye out cause I’d love to hear more. I picked this tape up at a stall stacked floor to ceiling with cassettes. I choose it purely based on the cover. It coulda gone either way but sure, look at that shimmer in her smile. You know it's gonna be gold. (Natalia)

Angharad Davies, Tisha Mukarji & Dimitra Lazaridou-Chatzigoga—Outwash (Another Timbre)

Three super-focused improvisations for violin, piano and zither. Shimmering drones and creaks set against more melodic playing. Moves slowly from one area to another, acoustic instruments sound like electronics and at other times like themselves. Angharad Davies played at the same festival as us a few years back, performing a piece which consisted of her bowing a single tone while gradually unwinding the string accompanied by a really subtle tape element (or that’s what my hazy memory tells me), ruled! (Aonghus)

Miles Davis—On The Corner (Columbia Records)

Raw minimalist soul funk jazz. Totally stripped down. Enough hi-hats and trumpet wah wah pedal to keep you fuzzed out and yer head boppin'. It is such a ballsy record. But then again, Miles could get away with anything. Perfect for a morning drive on tour to get the brain aligned when you don't know what the day will bring. (Willie)

Creedence Clearwater Revival —”Sinister Purpose”

When in a vortex of stalled traffic that makes me feel like my life is melting into nothing in front of me, I like to put Sinister Purposeby Creedence on repeat (though, in fairness, any Creedence will do). Everything always just seems better then. And should the traffic never end and the van never move again, well at least there's Jon Fogarty to sound out our impending demise. (Natalia)

Bob Dylan—Self Portrait (Columbia)

Listen on Spotify

I’ve been listening to ‘Self Portrait’ a lot over the past while. I’m not hugely knowledgeable about Dylan even though I’ve heard a lot of the oeuvre over the years. A cursory google before I wrote this text tells me it’s regarded as one of his worst... not so sure about that. Opens with the sublime “All the Tired Horses”... Dylan himself not singing on it kinda blew me away as an idea for an opener when I first heard the album. Gets into weird country crooning... his version of “Days of 49” is another highlight. Things get patchy and weird but whatever... the “Blue Moon” cover is pretty funny. I’m second-guessing myself having just seen all the negativity surrounding it and started to spin “Blonde on Blonde” just to check... nah... I still think it’s good! (Aonghus)

Samandtheplants—Flaming Liar (Them There)

Flaming Liar by Samandtheplants

A few different names and guises flock from the incredible studio of musician, artist and producer Sam Mcloughlin. This album as samandtheplantsis such an absolute joy that you can have it on repeat for hours and it gets more interesting. Two disc set of almost purely vocals and harmonium. Very lo-fi, raw and total magic. Sam's Lancashire accent coming through and adding a genuine feel to the recordings as real English folk music without it sounding too twee or dated. I'd advise anyone to go looking for Sam Mcloughlin's work, including his sound sculpture work and his N. Racker project. (Willie)

‘Fort Evil Fruit’ Cassette Label

We here at Woven Skull are all big fans of Fort Evil Fruit. Label boss Paul has a keen ear for what's what. It's handy to stock up on all the newest FEF releases before a tour and gradually listen through them while zoning out on the revolving landscape outside the window. One of my favorite things that came out on the label in the last few years was Crevice’s debut album. The trio from Cork all play in a variety of other bands and solo projects, run labels, have radio shows and add to the general awesomeness of Cork City. Roslyn Steer's vocals on Black Box kept swirling around inside my brain for weeks after first hearing this so listener beware! It’s catchy business. (Natalia)

[newagesispage]

                                                                          OCTOBER    2019  

 PAGE RIB

 Stephen King has released yet another: The Institute

*****

Salmon Rushdie has given us Quichotte

*****

October 1: Jimmy Carter is 95!! Go Jimmy

*****

For some new discoveries and theories on the often told tale, check out Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA and the secret history of the 60,s by Tom O’Neill.

*****

Metallica has cancelled their tour.

*****

The Creamery Bridge in Vermont was closed for a time because of a Sasquatch scare.

*****

Days alert: Woo Hoo!! Dr. Rolf is back!! ** Why do they keep using that ‘WET PAINT’ sign all over the town square? A joke?  Really painting the sets and they just leave them up for an inside laugh? ** The Shah/Jen story was good.. it showed what a good actor he really was. He was always so blah! It’s funny that as he left us , we finally get his back story. He even mentioned Norman Bates. ** Stefan is out.  Claire is in.  I loved Dr. Rolf’s “pro life” line. Will many of the young girls get pregnant, ( think Lani, Ciara, Gabi, Sarah, Haley and Kristen) and will all the babies get mixed up and will Days jump a year ahead? Well, that’s the rumor. ** What is up with Hope?

*****

Senator Chuck Grassley is applying for his second bailout since October for the farm he owns. ** $30 billion in welfare has been given to farmers.

*****

This whole vaping scare is not really a surprise. Why do companies have to be so greedy and fill these with nicotine anyway? Why do good flavors have to be taken off the market because parents can’t keep them away from the kids? Can’t we have fun flavored simple mist in a vaping apparatus that has no dangerous chemicals? So many people just need that occasional outlet and something to do when relaxing.

*****

Spy devices were found near the White House. They believe Israelis are responsible.

*****

Word is that around Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr. uses fear in dealing with staff and sends them pictures of his wife in sexual situations.

****

They need to make a biopic about Rickie Lee Jones and it should star Hillary Swank. JS

*****

A CIA source has been pulled from Russia they say because Trump can’t be trusted not to tell Putin who he is. The operative is the agent who confirmed the interference in the 2016 election and has worked there for decades.

*****

Rose McGowan and some of the Me too movers and shakers would like Lisa Bloom to be disbarred after her dealings with Harvey Weinstein.

*****

Mark Sanford is running for President.

*****

Sarah Palin’s husband has filed for divorce.

*****

Stacey Dash was arrested for domestic battery in Florida.

*****

Stranger Things has been renewed for season 4.

*****

Hey.. Robert King.. Glad that U R back!

*****

People from Alabama were calling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in a panic after scary clown 45 included them in the path of Hurricane Dorian. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross threatened to fire meteorologists who contradicted the idiot.

*****

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen got into it with the Pres. She called him a pussy ass bitch.

*****

In the 80’s, 80% of our clothing were made here in the U.S., now it is 3%.

*****

The House Judiciary committee is holding hearings about hush money to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.

*****

Conversion therapy leader, McKrae Game has announced he is gay.

*****

It is odd that we don’t hear more about women who are addicted to crime shows. It is such a thing.

*****

Weight Watchers is not WW. OK.

*****

North Carolina’s political maps have been deemed unconstitutional and must be redrawn.

*****

In Nashville, Rev. Dan Reehil has banned Harry Potter books at the St. Edwards School

*****

Why does Fallon imitate his guests all the time? He is always repeating what they do much like a child would.

*****

Scary Clown’s personal assistant, Madeline Westerhout is out.** John Bolton is out.

*****

$32.50 for a Trump key chain? What?

*****

SNL started off the season with a bang. Woody Harrelson hosted and ended by showing support for Greta Thunberg. The next hosts will be Phoebe Waller- Bridge, David harbor, Kristen Stewart and Eddie Murphy.

*****

A man was chopping down an old diseased tree when a cannonball fell out of it. This particular cannonball in a tree was near a home that was used as a hospital during the first battel of independence, Mo. in the Civil War.

*****

In Kentucky, Mitch McConnell said yes to treasury funds for an aluminum plant backed by a Russian oligarch. He said no to treasury funds for coal miner’s health care and pensions.

*****

Joe Biden pledges to take no fossil fuel money but then attended a fundraiser hosted by Andrew Goldman, founder of Natural Gas Company, Western LNG.** It’s so sad, Biden leads which makes it seem that the people who pay the least attention decide who is going to run this place.** He really has to stop saying, “Look”,  all the time.

*****

The Sept. 12 Dem debate was exciting, I loved the kudos that Biden and then others gave to Beto for his actions in Texas after the shootings.  Other than that Biden seemed to stumble a lot especially with his, “make sure the kids hear words” stuff. O’Rourke seems to have finally hit his stride with, “Hell yes, we’re gonna take your AR-15’s.”  I’m not even sure I agree but I loved so much that he had the guts to say it. I’m in! His only real problem was the color of his tie, it washed him out. Later, Briscoe Cain sent a tweet to Beto: My AR-15 is ready for you.** Yang, as usual was not given enough time but he did calm the others when they wanted to spar. He spoke so clearly and did not sidestep.  He had a great point with the U.S. not starting wars because we are not too good at rebuilding. Case in point: Puerto Rico. He also proposed $100 in democracy dollars so people can participate and give to the candidates they believe in. He seemed to tear up when talking about missing his son’s first day at school.  His salesmen pitch like giveaway was too much though. ** Buttigieg had a good idea with his ‘community rural visas’ to bring immigration everywhere.** Warren and Sanders were straight forward with no real surprises. Gotta thank Bernie for reminding us that he didn’t vote for Bush’s war or Trumps military spending bills and the crowd seemed to love him. Both at the debate and after (like Bari Weiss on Maher’s overtime), people keep calling Bernie ‘President’. Accidents? ** Harris was cool and calm but seemed a bit scripted.  She was the only one to really bring up Trump. ** Protestors had to be cleared as Biden started his final words. They were yelling, “We are DACA recipients. Our lives are at risk.” I’m sure it had to unnerve him as he began to talk of his sad life and his family. The late night comics said that he did a good job but I didn’t think so.** Klobachar told us a lot about herself. I think I learned the most about her. Castro, who I really liked a lot at the first debate, should just get out after this performance. ** Why was Rahm Emanuel there?** The Trump campaign sent a banner flying over Texas  Southern University. ** DeBlasio is out.

*****

By the end of September, Warren is #1 in New Hampshire. She is 2 points behind in the nation and Yang is #4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“We will no longer sell the AR-15 to the public.”- Colt   Thanks Beto!!  A simple candidate has made more positive change than Scary Clown. Stop being so scared Dems, change can happen!

*****

When Warren was on Colbert she said,” Why don’t we just quit now and do a selfie line?  The selfies are the most fun about this. Really? The night before, after her rally she selfied for 4 hours.

*****

Young people will propel the changes in the views of this country. The young demographic thinks differently on guns and climate and the young usually rule eventually. VOTE!!

*****

An intelligence official filed a formal whistle blower complaint against our ruthless Archie Bunker on steroids about his interaction with a foreign leader. It seems that it was a phone call with Ukraine’s Zelinski about the Biden’s but things are still unfolding.  Did he pressure people to work with Guilliani? The transcript is out and Pelosi has started a formal impeachment inquiry. When the WH sent talking points to their republican colleagues to try to calm the waters, they accidently sent them to the Dems too.  The WH also moved the info to a private server as we now know there is even more stuff there. Wouldn’t it be justice if the private server brought him down? ** Blame is flying everywhere. Trump has thrown Barr and Rudy and even Pence into the mess. Rudy tells us that he went to the Ukraine for the state department but they say no! He has been so rude and unhinged on the talk circuit. He has now been subpoened.** Joseph Maguire, acting director of National intelligence was only on the job a few days when he was informed of the whistleblower complaint. He was questioned all day in hearings and was very polite. Both sides could calm down on the snarky.** The Secretary of State is basically holding down 3 jobs.  The WH is quite under staffed  and there is talk that they may bring in outside people to handle the situation but Trump does not want that.  The campaign is where they will really fight, that is where all their money is. ** The ambassador to Ukraine has stepped down.**

*****

Now word is that Trump and Barr tried to get Australian PM Scott Morrison to look into those who were behind the Russia investigation. Pompeo is now getting pulled in too. It is really like the tin foil hat conspiracy guy down the street is running this country.

*****

Never compare your insides to someone else’s outside.  -Thank you Rob Lowe

*****

Hillary and Chelsea are headed out to promote their new book, Gutsy Women. It is impeccable timing but I am sure she is so sick of talking about the big blowhard elephant in the room. It really is time to hear from her again.

*****

Law and Order SVO started its 21st season with a little nod to Gunsmoke. What a great touch.

*****

Has the military really spent $200,000 on Trump’s Scottish resort?

*****

What’s up with the Cleveland Browns? They are winning.

*****

4 feet of snow in September in Montana?

*****

Seth Meyers went too far with his Rudy hate. I am a bit disturbed that Seth, Maher and Colbert get nearly as bold in the other direction as Fox News. Yes, these are evil people running the country and there is enough that they do without calling them out on things that are not your business.  About Rudy marrying a second cousin, Seth said “that’s awful.” Don’t pass your prejudice and judgement on these people like others do on color and religion et al. Cousins can marry, it’s not illegal and how might that make the children of cousins feel?  

*****

Pennsylvania  Senator Michael Folmer was arrested for child porn that was on his computer and has since resigned.  I am sure that if he went on Fox and said nice things about the fearless leader that he could get a job in the White House. It seems to be the way it is done, Fox is the audition.

*****

Robert C. O’Brien is the new National Security Advisor.

*****

The family of John Dillinger do not believe that he is in the grave. A body id buried in Indianapolis but they have asked for an exhumation.

*****

Millions came out on the 20th to ask for action on climate change. Go Greta Thunberg !! Some are spinning it that since she is autistic, she has been abused by her parents by being forced into her activism. I have seen no evidence this. She makes more sense than most leaders on the subject. Fox’s Michael Knowles even called her mentally ill and has since apologized. Thoughts? ** Central America is starving to death because of the impact of climate change. Reports from the Trump administration prove this and aid has been cut off which causes migration.

*****

Trump us jumping into bed with Saudi Arabia who has the 5th largest defense budget in the world. Troops are being sent to Iran.

*****

Doc Martin is here with its 9th season. The dog will fall in love. The Doc and Louisa’s relationship is doing well as their careers are shifting. It all just reminds me how much I want to live in Cornwall.

*****

The biggest grossing tours of all time as of this year are. 1. Ed Sheeran: The Divide 2. U: 360 3. Stones: A Bigger Bang 4. Guns N Roses: Not in this lifetime 5. Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams 6. Roger Waters: The Wall 7. AC/DC: Black Ice 8. Stones: No Filter 9. Bruno Mars: 24K 10. Madonna: Sticky and Sweet

*****

James Corden put Bill Maher in his place. Fat shaming is as wrong as any other. Bullying is never funny. The week after Maher’s rant, Michael Moore went on and had lost some weight. Hmmm.

*****

Hiking with Kevin has the best guests, there is really a cross section of all kinds of people.  A hike seems to break down defenses and the stories are great!!

*****

The North Dakota pipeline spill that was said to be 10 gallons worth was really millions of gallons.

*****

Almost Family is a show about a sperm donor. It is good to see Tim Hutton again.

*****

A woman gets a late night show.. check out A Little Late with Lilly Singh.

*****

Prodigal Son stars Michael Sheen as a serial killer called The Surgeon.

*****

Julian Fellowes will bring us The Gilded Age about 1885 New York.

*****

Some are freaking about all the official stays at Trump properties. The whole thing is a ridiculous mess. Mitch and the boys would be screaming to the heavens if this was a different President. The really sad part is that the crews that are just there to help POTUS and the VP say the stays are so costly that their expenses won’t even cover food. ** Did a Glasgow refueling stop finally tip off the house oversight committee to the far reach of all these expenditures?** They claim there is never anything to hide. Why do they always hide everything?

*****

Demi Moore has a new tell all titled Inside Out that seems full of revelations.

*****

Check out the saga of the Donald J. Trump state park in NY which is really nothing more than a tax write off full of overgrown land and abandoned old buildings.

*****

Check out the Art Bell vault.

*****

Scary Clown was going to meet with the Taliban at Camp David as 9/11 was upon us.** The Taliban says their doors re open.**Word is that the congressional inquiry into 9/11 has 28 redacted pages which showed evidence of the Saudi’s involvement in the attacks.

*****

Scottish courts ruled that Boris Johnson illegally suspended parliament.

*****

From his reaction, Colbert behaves like Letterman in that a guest should dress a certain way. Personally, I like Conan’s casual ways. Now, I like Colbert but he also seems to push people to talk politics when they don’t really want to. Move on!

*****

“We are in a very difficult situation at the moment, especially in the U.S., where all the environmental controls that were put in place, that were just about adequate have been rolled back by the current administration so much that they are being wiped out.” –Mick Jagger

*****

“When you’re 85 years old and you have children and grandchildren, you will leave them nothing if we don’t vote these people out of office in Brazil, in London, in Washington. They are ruining the world.” –Donald Sutherland

*****

Check out the new film, The Burnt Orange Heresy.

*****

Finn Wittrock, Paul Giamatti and Amy Irving will appear in A Mouthful of Air.

*****

“The lungs of the earth are in flames.” – Leo Dicaprio. The Amazon, the world’s most diverse eco system is getting no help from its own leaders and they won’t accept help from the G7. It’s all about building more crap to them. It is as if three fourths of the U.S. was on fire.** Wouldn’t it be a great idea if Jeff Bezos, who has taken flak for not paying taxes and for workers conditions would step up and pledge a huge sum to help save the rainforest that bears its name?? The world needs heroes.

*****

Better Call Saul has wrapped season 5.

*****

Hasbro has bought Death Row Records.

*****

The San Francisco board of supervisors has declared the NRA a terrorist organization.

*****

New SNL cast member Shane Gillis who was in hot water after racist remarks surfaced, has been let go before he ever hit the stage.

*****

Mike Pence claims he was bit by American Pharoah but his trainer is not too sure about that.

*****

Obama Netflix?

*****

Kieran Culkin and Jazz Charton had a little girl that they named Kinsey Sioux.

*****

Dollface on Hulu looks interesting.

*****

In sexual harassment news: Brett Kavanaugh has been hit with other allegations. Not all accusations are coming from the victims.** Placido Domingo has been accused by 20 women of unwanted advances.

*****

The71st Emmys have come and gone. There is a lot to celebrate in television right now with over 500 scripted original shows. Highlights include Norman Lear winning for Live in front of a studio audience: Norman Lears’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons to become the oldest winner ever at 97. Other winners were Leaving Neverland for best doc.  Glow won for stunt coordination. Succession won for their theme and for writing. RuPaul won for reality host and Drag Race won for show. Russian Doll took home cinematoghraphy. Carpool Karaoke : When Corden met McCartney:Live from Liverpool took home a statue. Peter Dinklage won for best supporting actor, Fleabag won big and Game of Thrones took home the top prize.  Other winners were Bill Hader, Patricia Arquette, Ben Whishaw, Billy Porter and Jodie Comer.  SNL with Adam Sandler and Last Week Tonight were winners.  I was so excited to see that Ozark won for Julia Garner and Bateman for directing. Succession won for directing.  I thought  the fashion went wrong with Amy Poehler, and Dascha Polanco. There was awesome fashion with Regina King, Viola Davis, Maya Rudolph, Bob Odenkirk, Billy Porter, Angela Bassett, Michelle Williams, Kerry Washington, Zendaya, Sarah Silverman, Catherine Zeta- Jones, Karamo Brown, Gwyneth Paltro, Catherine O’Hara, Emilia Clarke, Phoebe Waller Bridge and Niecy Nash.** The In memoriam was fucked up when they honored Andre Previn  but showed a very much alive Leonard Slacken. Let me run that part of the show, they are always messing that up. It may not matter much longer because the ratings were so low. It is already a shame that they don’t broadcast the daytime Emmy’s.

*****

R.I.P. Jim Leavelle, Carol Lynley, T Boone Pickens, Daniel Johnston, Robert Frank, Ric Ocasek, Eddie Money, Sander Vanocur , Peter Lindbergh, Robert Haunter, Jacques Chirac , Jose Jose , Bob Esty, Wayne Fitzgerald, Jessye Norman and Cokie Roberts.

[treehugginglibrarian]

“But what about.”

A tale of liberal elitist assholery, what-about-isms, and people just generally failing to ever be satisfied by the internet or each other. Ever. 

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire. We don’t need no water let the motherfucker burn.

At least, if they’re being honest, that’s what a lot of liberals would be saying regarding the recent burning of la Cathedrale de Notre Dame in Paris. Instead, they’re going with a refrain that’s old and familiar among more socially liberal subsets of the online community whenever something that they deem “unimportant” or “less than” is damaged, destroyed, or otherwise harmed.

What-About-Isms! (Weird, because we’re so fucking good at calling out conservatives when they “what-about-ism” us… huh… funny how that works…)

“How are people donating money to this problem when there’s a war in Syria and a famine in Yemen?”

“So glad how many tourists a place gets makes it more important than war, famine, or poverty.”

“If the billionaires can fix this problem, why can’t they fix world hunger? The economic inequality in the world?”

“Really? Flint still doesn’t have drinking water and this is what people are spending their money on?”

And so on. And on. And on. But not really, because liberal what-about-isms are exactly as creative as conservative ones, which means they’re really all just a variation of those four. Come on, guys. If we’re gonna dicks, too, we should at least be more creative at it. 

While I have a read a couple of elegant albeit clearly privileged rants, most of the complaints, memes, and crappy cartoons are being drawn by normal, though well-educated, liberal folks who think they mean well.

You’re not doing “well.” You sound like a bunch of educated, elitist, assholes telling the rest of America (and the world, since many of y’all are lecturing billionaires in France now) what should or should not be important to them, what is or is not worth spending money on, and what individual people should or should not be sad about. You’re also, effectively, telling people what news they should be consuming and what media they should be watching. Which means, not even inadvertently, you’re telling people how they should spend their spare time and, often, their spare change. I’m a librarian and I don’t even pull that shit, because intellectual freedom is sort of important and coercive learning isn’t a particularly useful educational tool.  

Just stop. No seriously. Stop. You’re not helping your cause. You’re not making people more interested in Syria, or Libya, or Lebanon, or Palestine, or Israel, or the Philippines, or the south of Thailand, or Myanmar, or Russia, or Kenya, or South Africa, or Ukraine, or, or, or. See, I can play that game, too. I bet that some of my uber liberal, supposedly well-read friends, can’t tell you what’s going on in some of those countries. What about Guatemala? El Salvador? Ecuador? Mexico, Puerto Rico, Italy, France (aside from their Cathedral), the UK, Northern Ireland specifically, India, Kashmir, Pakistan, or Iraq? Who are the Kurds? Where are the Kurds? What are they up to right now? Are you bored yet? Do you know about the famines in Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia, or only the one in Yemen? Are you tired of being told how ill-informed you are? Do you feel foolish for not knowing what’s going on in every single one of those countries?

Don’t. Don’t feel foolish. You’re human. No human can, or should, know every bad thing that is going on everywhere in the world. It’s not feasible and it’s emotionally exhausting. Those are just the countries I’ve read about in the news during the course of the last six months or so. Some are at war. Some are experiencing internal strife. Some are committing genocide or something that resembles it. Many are just in the midst of famine or suffering poverty so extreme it makes the homelessness crisis in America look non-existent. I am sure there are hundreds of issues the world over besides just these, and I’m sure many of them are as severe or more than the ones I’ve mentioned above. Which means, in many ways, the what-about-isms surrounding the burning of a Cathedral aren’t just elitist, they’re hypocritical.

“How are people donating to this when there’s a war in Syria and a famine in Yemen?”

Okay, but there’s also wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are basically perpetual incursions in the Kashmir region between Pakistan and India. There are effectively genocides going on in various countries in Africa. Depending on how Brexit breaks, violence may well break out in Northern Ireland, again. Russia is occupying parts of Ukraine, still. Venezuela is in such a great state of upheaval, other countries are considering intervention. At least three nations in Africa are in the midst of a horrible famine. Hell, our own state of California just crawled out of a drought that it had been in for years. A drought that led to wildfires that caused the destruction of thousands of homes, many of which still haven’t been rebuilt and likely won’t be rebuilt for decades. And absolutely none of that will matter if we don’t stop climate change and save the fucking bees. But your focus is Syria and Yemen specifically? What makes them important? Why are they special? And why should they be more important and more special than every other conflict or food-oriented crisis on the planet? I can most definitely what-about-ism your what-about-ism until the cows come home, because there’s almost certainly something horrible going on somewhere else that I can toss in your face as being just as important as your bullshit what-about-ism.

“So glad how many tourists a place gets makes it more important than war or famine.”

Not necessarily more important, just more well known. When we threw 59 missiles at an airbase in Syria, it made the front page of one of the newspapers sitting behind the reference desk where I work. Sure, it was in the local newspaper, but it wasn’t deemed interesting enough for front page news. Notre Dame burned and it was on the front page of every fucking paper on the planet the next day. Hell, it’s on the front page of all four papers sitting behind my reference desk today. Three out of four them it is, for the second day, the obvious front page story. Why? Because people know what and where that Cathedral is. Seeing a story about a recognizable object or place is going to make someone pick up the newspaper and read it. Media centers know that, and they plan their layouts accordingly. People will only know about the items and entities that are placed before them for their intellectual consumption. A place having a lot of tourists doesn’t make it inherently more important, but it does make it inherently more well-known, and thus a better story.

Before anyone says “seek out better news sources,” it’s worth considering the fact that better news sources require both access and time. These are not two commodities that everyone has. Money, or a local library, are necessary to make access to things like the New York Times or the Washington Post possible. Things like NPR, the BBC, and PBS are all free access, but they still require broadband or wireless access, via internet or a data plan. The number of people without ready access to the digital world is literally unknown in this country, because it’s not a question that’s ever been asked on a census and the few times the government has tried to do a conclusive count it’s come up stymied. Assuming that the entire country has ready access to any news they want at the touch of a finger is an intensely privileged assumption to make. Don’t believe me? Work a library reference desk for a day and count how many people call for phone numbers because they lack a means by which to look them up. Then tell me again that ready, and immediate, access to “acceptable” news sources is something they’re probably overly concerned about. 

Even for those with ready internet access, financial means, or access to a library, time is still a constraint. We can only consume so much media in a day. We can only fit so much, full stop, in a single day. I know more about what’s up than most people, because I work a job that allows me to read the news while at work. One of my many tasks is literally clipping relevant news articles from the local paper so I am, in effect, paid to stay “in the know.” How are we going to tell a single mother who works insane hours that, after she’s finally gotten her kids to bed, she should be reading up on the crisis in Syria rather than catching up with her friends on Facebook? Her life is not abnormal, which means her lack of insight into the world, existing not because of a lack of caring but because of a lack of time, is not abnormal. How are we going to tell the couple with sick parents and an overdue mortgage that their concern for a Cathedral, the one piece of news they were able to catch up on in between hospice visits and work, speaks to their character?

The fact that so many people are so concerned about a damned church is not cause for alarm, it’s actually cause for a sigh of relief. It means people haven’t completely tuned out. It means people are, in fact, paying attention to what’s going on in other parts of the world. Even people who genuinely lack the time or money to dedicate to “adequate” intellectual pursuits are still, on occasion, tuning in to the rest of the world. Do not discourage that with your snarky elitist “you’re paying attention to the wrong things” bullshit.  

“If the billionaires can fix this problem, why can’t they fix world hunger? The economic inequality in the world?”

First, how do you know what the billionaires are spending their money on? Do you disclose everything you spend your money on? Am I allowed to start approving your philanthropic pursuits and telling you what you can/should donate to? Bill and Melinda Gates all but single-handedly (or rather, single-walletedly) eliminated certain diseases via vaccinations. Oprah is educating young girls in multiple countries. Elon Musk is trying to get us to Mars, for fucks sake. Billionaires, like all humans, are capable of super shitty things. They’re also capable of super awesome things. They’re not capable of fixing all of the problems in the world and, honestly, they shouldn’t be expected to. While billionaires in the United States rarely pay their “fair share” of taxes, those in other countries often do. Which means that the billionaires in France who have pledged (read: started a fierce and ridiculous competition, but whatever) to help rebuild the Cathedral have likely already donated to the French coiffeurs and are now doing what they consider to be “their part” (read: are now competing to prove they’re the best rich Frenchman of them all) to help ensure the government doesn’t have to rebuild a national monument. Because that’s what Notre Dame is.

While it may hold Catholic services, it’s not owned by the Catholic church. Which means the church is, in no way, required to repair it. If France wants to guarantee its maintenance for future generations, it’s not something that can be left to the church. A couple of billionaires are making sure the dent it puts in the available tax base is relatively minimal, even if that’s not necessarily their intent. You don’t have to commend them for it, but I’d recommend not lambasting them for it, since the Cathedral is getting fixed one way or another. The more billionaires “waste” their money on it, the less tax payers will feel it.

But “why” is it getting fixed? Why does it matter? Why can’t they spend the money on something else? It was started in the 1100s. It is one of the oldest, largest, standing examples of French Gothic architecture in the world. Some of the most important events in French history have happened in or at that Cathedral. History is important, as liberals who call for reparations are well aware. Those who do not remember their history are doomed to repeat it, as liberals who scream that we should be punching Nazis cannot have forgotten. There is essentially nothing in our country so important to us, so fundamental to the fabric of our being as a nation, that we would be willing to dedicate millions of dollars to repairing it if it was damaged. Part of this is that we’re a very new nation still. Part of this is that much of our history is tarnished, some horribly so. Much of this is that America, for all its “pride,” lacks an overarching sense of identity.

We are, and have for some time been, quite fractured. By politics, by religion, by skin tone, by the fact that we have always been an imperialist melting pot founded upon a land that we stole from another people. There are few structures or places in this country that hold a significance large enough to all of us that they would be overwhelmingly viewed as worth saving. While France is seeing some internal strife, they are a nation that largely possesses a sense of identity. I can’t really tell you what it means to be American, and I am one. Fuck, I wore our uniform for eight years and I still can’t really tell you what it means to be American. I have never met a French person who couldn’t tell you what it means to be French. That Cathedral lies at the heart of their capital city and, in many ways, at the heart of their nation. The French people would never allow it lie fallow and turn to dust, and it’s pretty deplorable that a country of people who all but lack a unified identity think we have the cultural savvy to dictate to another nation what should become of a structure that is four times older than our entire being. We cannot comprehend why the French would pay millions to fix a church that old, in part because we literally cannot comprehend what it means to have a national history that old. If we could, the donations of billionaires would probably make a lot more sense to us.

“Really? Flint still doesn’t have drinking water and this is what people are spending their money on?”

I live in Cleveland. The lead levels in certain neighborhoods in my city are exponentially higher than those in Flint. If you’re using Flint as an excuse to avoid spending money on other things, you’re showing your own bias and overall lack of knowledge on a topic that is much bigger than the buzzword you’ve turned the city of Flint into. My city is not the only one like this, either. There are dozens (probably hundreds) of cities in this country that have lead levels higher than those in Flint. We just don’t have an exceptionally annoying movie producer named Michael Moore capable of throwing an international temper tantrum about the situation. I’m thrilled that he got the attention that he did and that he forced Flint’s officials to at least admit wrong doing, even if they still haven’t fixed the problem. Pretending that the water in Flint is as bad as it gets, though, is seriously disingenuous and shows just how thoroughly even some of the most obnoxious elitists don’t understand their own talking points. Come on guys. Do your research.

In the end, telling people what they can be upset about isn’t just bad politics, it’s bad interpersonal dialogue. It presumes that the person you’re talking to is incapable of considering multiple major world issues as important at the same time. It presumes that the person you’re accusing of not caring “properly” has access to the same time and resources that you do, and presumes that your own personal international interests are the most important ones out there. Yes, the war in Syria is important. So is the famine in Yemen. But so are five million other things going on right now, and you are not the arbiter of that which is “most” important.

There will come a day when something big, and important, will happen to you. Maybe it’ll be a car accident. Maybe it’ll be a birth. Maybe it’ll be a deployment. Maybe it’ll be an explosion that leaves half a city block leveled. It will be the center point of your existence for as long as you need it to be. Maybe people from outside of your town will care, maybe they won’t. That doesn’t matter, though, because the event in question is important to you. Now imagine how disheartening it would be if you got online and hundreds of thousands of people were discussing the fact that whatever happened in your corner of the planet was irrelevant because of all the other things happening in other parts of the planet. Just as we went back to ignoring Syria a couple weeks after each bombing run, just as we’ve long since forgotten that the war in Iraq ever even happened or that the one in Afghanistan is still on-going, just as we’ve forgotten that Puerto Rico is still rebuilding and that Venezuela is still falling apart, in a couple of weeks we will forget about Notre Dame. And then each of us, as individuals, will be free to go back to our separate corners of the internet and focus on the things that we find important.

Until then, calm down. Get off the net if you have to. Liberals have enough problems without a subsection of our own deciding they’re solely and singularly qualified to determine what major world events are actually worth talking about and giving money to. You don’t know everything. None of us do. So how about if we just don’t act like a bunch of elitist dicks and let people care about whatever the hell they want to care about.

Including the fact that the stain glass windows survived that fucking fire. Props to 13th century artisans.