Illiberalism
Fig. 1. Photograph by Joachim F. Thurn, August 1991, Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-F089030-0003, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE.
Ishaan Tharoor today writes of Tunisia, the beginning of the Arab Spring, that has ended in dictatorship.[1] It was a speedy transition relative to the other countries I count as illiberal and seems to have reached culmination.
Jennifer Rubin, “Israel has angered its closest supporters,” Washington Post, March 1, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/03/01/reaction-to-israeli-violence/
Ishaan Tharoor, “The West shrugs as a democracy dies,” Washington Post, March 1, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2023/03/01/tunisia-saied-democracy-crackdown/
Pennsylvania
2022 election
Fig. 2. John Fetterman as mayor of Braddock, photograph uncredited and undated, via Next Pittsburgh,[2] fair use.
This is probably the last loose end from Pennsylvania’s election in 2022, as Democrats have consolidated their control of the state House of Representatives[3] and elected a new speaker, Joanna McClinton, who replaces[4] Mark Rozzi, who had been elected in an unexpected show of bipartisanship.[5]
[Joanna McClinton’s] election makes her the first woman and only the second Black person to be speaker in the state’s history. With Kim Ward serving as president pro tempore of the Republican-controlled Senate and Debra Todd chief justice of the state Supreme Court, it’s also the first time Pennsylvania’s legislative and judicial branches have been led exclusively by women.[6]
The state Senate remains in white Christian nationalist hands.
Julia Terruso, “Inside Joanna McClinton’s quick rise to becoming Pennsylvania’s first female speaker of the House,” Philadelphia Inquirer, February 28, 2023, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/joanna-mcclinton-speaker-harrisburg-democrats-pennsylvania-20230228.html
Pittsburgh
Unauthorized violence
Fig. 3. “Ed Gainey poses with CeaseFirePA during the 2020 Women’s March in Downtown Pittsburgh.” Photograph by Megan Gloeckler, undated, via Pittsburgh City Paper,[7] fair use.
Justin Vellucci, “Third man dies, 2 injured in separate McKeesport shootings, authorities say,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, March 1, 2023, https://triblive.com/local/at-least-1-dead-3-injured-in-mckeesport-shootings-authorities-say/
Havana Syndrome
Suffice it to say, a lot of people who have suffered from ‘Havana Syndrome’ are not happy with the latest findings and the evidence is, ahem, ‘classified,’ so they can’t examine or challenge it.[8] That latter point is why I categorically reject ‘classified’ information as evidence. This simply doesn’t conform to the most elementary precepts of how science is done and has been done since the Enlightenment Era.[9]
Shane Harris and John Hudson, “‘Havana syndrome’ not caused by energy weapon or foreign adversary, intelligence review finds,” Washington Post, March 1, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/03/01/havana-syndrome-intelligence-report-weapon/
Work
Fig. 4. Yeah, this is me. The sign says, “If you’re whining about a labor shortage, STOP ignoring my job applications!” And the QR-code leads here. Photograph by author, January 16, 2023.
Jacob Bogage, “Starbucks committed ‘egregious’ violations in battling union, judge rules,” Washington Post, March 1, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/03/01/starbucks-union-ruling-buffalo/
Gilead
Donald Trump
Coup attempt
Fig. 5. “Jake Angeli (Qanon Shaman), seen holding a Qanon sign at the intersection of Bell Rd and 75th Ave in Peoria, Arizona, on 2020 October 15.” Photography by TheUnseen011101 [pseud.], October 15, 2020, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Dylan Byers notes a precedent in Fox Business News’ sacking of Lou Dobbs, suggesting that the Dominion suit may lead to sackings of Sean Hannity, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro, with Fox Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Scott playing the role earlier played by Rebekah Brooks.[10]
From what I’ve seen Hannity has a following whose loyalty at least approaches Donald Trump. If Hannity is indeed sacked, I have to think it’s gonna cost Fox in a way that Dobbs never could.
Dylan Byers, “Will Rupert Make a ‘Blood Sacrifice’?” Puck, March 1, 2023, https://puck.news/will-rupert-make-a-blood-sacrifice/
- [1]Ishaan Tharoor, “The West shrugs as a democracy dies,” Washington Post, March 1, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2023/03/01/tunisia-saied-democracy-crackdown/↩
- [2]Kim Lyons, “Braddock Mayor John Fetterman keeps on truckin’ in his quest for the Senate,” Next Pittsburgh, March 11, 2016, https://nextpittsburgh.com/features/the-challengers-braddock-mayor-john-fetterman-keeps-on-truckin/↩
- [3]Michael DiVittorio, “Democrats sweep all 3 state House special elections, party to control chamber,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, February 7, 2023, https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/democrats-take-large-lead-in-all-three-state-house-special-elections-but-only-mail-in-ballots-counted/↩
- [4]Julia Terruso, “Inside Joanna McClinton’s quick rise to becoming Pennsylvania’s first female speaker of the House,” Philadelphia Inquirer, February 28, 2023, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/joanna-mcclinton-speaker-harrisburg-democrats-pennsylvania-20230228.html↩
- [5]Andrew Seidman and Gillian McGoldrick, “Mark Rozzi, a Democrat-turned-independent, is now speaker of the Pa. House after a surprise vote,” Philadelphia Inquirer, January 3, 2023, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/mark-rozzi-democrat-elected-speaker-pennsylvania-house-20230103.html↩
- [6]Julia Terruso, “Inside Joanna McClinton’s quick rise to becoming Pennsylvania’s first female speaker of the House,” Philadelphia Inquirer, February 28, 2023, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/joanna-mcclinton-speaker-harrisburg-democrats-pennsylvania-20230228.html↩
- [7]Charlie Wolfson, “Neighborhood groups try to curb shootings as Pittsburgh’s mayoral campaign puts political focus on gun violence,” Pittsburgh City Paper, October 20, 2021, https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/neighborhood-groups-try-to-curb-shootings-as-pittsburghs-mayoral-campaign-puts-political-focus-on-gun-violence/Content?oid=20401296↩
- [8]Shane Harris and John Hudson, “‘Havana syndrome’ not caused by energy weapon or foreign adversary, intelligence review finds,” Washington Post, March 1, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/03/01/havana-syndrome-intelligence-report-weapon/↩
- [9]Bruce Mazlish, Uncertain Sciences (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction, 2007).↩
- [10]Dylan Byers, “Will Rupert Make a ‘Blood Sacrifice’?” Puck, March 1, 2023, https://puck.news/will-rupert-make-a-blood-sacrifice/↩