On "Labor Day" do not forget Haymarket, May 4, 1886 in Chicago. Much of the rest of the world celebrates International Workers Holiday on May 1st each year. US capitalists refuse to acknowledge the value of workers rising up, so we have today, our unique Labor Day, a celebration of labor I guess, but more precisely perhaps the profit it creates for the owners.
"No one on either side seemed to know what the fuck the point of it all was."
Also true for Trump's presidency in general. The addled buffoon was elected on a platform of racism, sexism, transphobia, and an aimless "revenge against wokeness" MO. He never had any sort of plan for actual leadership in his second term, and his cumulative actions since it started have no discernible point. (So, exactly what most expected.)
My own takeaway is that he's just throwing shit at the wall to see if anything sticks, certainly in part as a combo "throwing red meat to the base" move along with a change-the-subject angle re: Epstein; Trump's cankles, weird bruising & plainly troubled health; "inconvenient" (but entirely true) statistics that counter his propaganda, necessitating spin control; and/or his farcical inability to force a peace between Ukraine & Russia even on day 200 (let alone day one).
There was nothing for the Guard to do in D.C. Or L.A. Also true for Chicago, Baltimore, Philly, and other large urban metros that Trump may target next, and I'm sure it'll have absolutely, positively nothing to do with each of those cities having a white minority population. The most extreme MAGA types approved of his military takeovers, but moderates & independents? (Or anyone vaguely familiar with the Constitution.)
Still, Trump at least thinks the point is "domination," never mind the eyerolls it elicits. He wants to demonstrate his own power, never mind that he always ends up undermining himself. The question now is whether it's possible he could undermine the *planet* by firing Fed governors, artificially cutting interest rates, etc.
I take a small level of comfort in the fact that Trump goon squad is entirely constructed of small, venal, pretty and stupid men and women who wish they were.
These people don’t actually believe in anything aside from their self enrichment and are functionally incapable of constructing the dystopia of their wet dreams.
Then I remember that the same could be said for the majority politicians tasked with opposing them. Le Résistance indeed.
I think more and more often these days that people like Trump who are compelled to climb over whoever and whatever is necessary to declare themselves “at the top” have some part of themselves always whispering along with Louis XIV. “Après moi, le déluge”. No one, they hope, will be left around to take their place in the competition they created themselves.
I took this soulful, well-written meander with you today. Thank you. Where I am, we don't have Labor Day. We have de dag van de arbeid - the Day of Work, May 1st. It is a day on which we do no work.
I was interested to see you characterise Robert Kennedy's appointment as Advocate General, or what you call them, as an act of nepotism. Of course it was. The A G can be anyone (as we are now seeing in graphic horror-film style). And you can find anyone anywhere. But JFK didn't want anyone. He wanted someone he could trust. I reckon if he had not appointed his brother, the question might rightfully be asked: "Why didn't he?" And the fact he needed to trust people is borne out by subsequent events.
It has always struck me that the reason why great paintings find their way into art galleries is that they are great paintings. By great painters, on the whole. But, to find your work hanging in the Portrait Gallery, it doesn't really need to be a great painting. It just needs to be of someone the visitors will have heard of.
When Oliver Cromwell had done with severing the head off his predecessor, the putatively modest Huntingdon man sat - dutifully, why, of course - for his very own portrait. Ah, the preening Puritanical piety of the whole affair! In keeping with widespread practice of the times, instituted by a body of the art world - i.e. artists - that thought it best to pursue a path that would go some way to ensuring their own heads' continued attachment to their shoulders, Samuel Cooper enquired of the subject whether he should do the 17th century equivalent of airspraying the Lord Protector's wart from the work in progress.
In response, Ollie issued a gruff command to the artist: "Paint me warts and all." And that's exactly what Cooper did (https://endlesschain.substack.com/p/christmas-presents). To my mind, that makes the painting (a) less attractive, as well as (b) more attractive, whilst all the while being (c) a source of confusion as I try to reason whether Cromwell acted with such straightforward rightness in the rest of his dealings, few of which were ever painted.
At 4:20 in the afternoon, the AFL has no reportage on protests on its website.
Looking at scattered reports from around the country, it looks like there was either minimal or non-existent official “labor” representation at most protests. (Exception Chicago; still haven’t heard about LA. Here in NYC we don’t believe in celebrating Labor Day on Labor Day. 🙁)
I think May Day Strong is trying its best, but seems apparent most unions are still absent even on “their” day.
People noticing the mustaches is hilarious. It’s the new version of the new mullet that became a young person’s look 5 years ago. I just got back from DC; i may comment at greater length if I find some time. Anyways, this made me laugh
On "Labor Day" do not forget Haymarket, May 4, 1886 in Chicago. Much of the rest of the world celebrates International Workers Holiday on May 1st each year. US capitalists refuse to acknowledge the value of workers rising up, so we have today, our unique Labor Day, a celebration of labor I guess, but more precisely perhaps the profit it creates for the owners.
Chilling 💔
Glad to be an old woman.
History shouldn't be kind to this cretin and his moronic band of grifters😱👊👊👊
"No one on either side seemed to know what the fuck the point of it all was."
Also true for Trump's presidency in general. The addled buffoon was elected on a platform of racism, sexism, transphobia, and an aimless "revenge against wokeness" MO. He never had any sort of plan for actual leadership in his second term, and his cumulative actions since it started have no discernible point. (So, exactly what most expected.)
My own takeaway is that he's just throwing shit at the wall to see if anything sticks, certainly in part as a combo "throwing red meat to the base" move along with a change-the-subject angle re: Epstein; Trump's cankles, weird bruising & plainly troubled health; "inconvenient" (but entirely true) statistics that counter his propaganda, necessitating spin control; and/or his farcical inability to force a peace between Ukraine & Russia even on day 200 (let alone day one).
There was nothing for the Guard to do in D.C. Or L.A. Also true for Chicago, Baltimore, Philly, and other large urban metros that Trump may target next, and I'm sure it'll have absolutely, positively nothing to do with each of those cities having a white minority population. The most extreme MAGA types approved of his military takeovers, but moderates & independents? (Or anyone vaguely familiar with the Constitution.)
Still, Trump at least thinks the point is "domination," never mind the eyerolls it elicits. He wants to demonstrate his own power, never mind that he always ends up undermining himself. The question now is whether it's possible he could undermine the *planet* by firing Fed governors, artificially cutting interest rates, etc.
I take a small level of comfort in the fact that Trump goon squad is entirely constructed of small, venal, pretty and stupid men and women who wish they were.
These people don’t actually believe in anything aside from their self enrichment and are functionally incapable of constructing the dystopia of their wet dreams.
Then I remember that the same could be said for the majority politicians tasked with opposing them. Le Résistance indeed.
"La".
I think more and more often these days that people like Trump who are compelled to climb over whoever and whatever is necessary to declare themselves “at the top” have some part of themselves always whispering along with Louis XIV. “Après moi, le déluge”. No one, they hope, will be left around to take their place in the competition they created themselves.
I took this soulful, well-written meander with you today. Thank you. Where I am, we don't have Labor Day. We have de dag van de arbeid - the Day of Work, May 1st. It is a day on which we do no work.
I was interested to see you characterise Robert Kennedy's appointment as Advocate General, or what you call them, as an act of nepotism. Of course it was. The A G can be anyone (as we are now seeing in graphic horror-film style). And you can find anyone anywhere. But JFK didn't want anyone. He wanted someone he could trust. I reckon if he had not appointed his brother, the question might rightfully be asked: "Why didn't he?" And the fact he needed to trust people is borne out by subsequent events.
It has always struck me that the reason why great paintings find their way into art galleries is that they are great paintings. By great painters, on the whole. But, to find your work hanging in the Portrait Gallery, it doesn't really need to be a great painting. It just needs to be of someone the visitors will have heard of.
When Oliver Cromwell had done with severing the head off his predecessor, the putatively modest Huntingdon man sat - dutifully, why, of course - for his very own portrait. Ah, the preening Puritanical piety of the whole affair! In keeping with widespread practice of the times, instituted by a body of the art world - i.e. artists - that thought it best to pursue a path that would go some way to ensuring their own heads' continued attachment to their shoulders, Samuel Cooper enquired of the subject whether he should do the 17th century equivalent of airspraying the Lord Protector's wart from the work in progress.
In response, Ollie issued a gruff command to the artist: "Paint me warts and all." And that's exactly what Cooper did (https://endlesschain.substack.com/p/christmas-presents). To my mind, that makes the painting (a) less attractive, as well as (b) more attractive, whilst all the while being (c) a source of confusion as I try to reason whether Cromwell acted with such straightforward rightness in the rest of his dealings, few of which were ever painted.
⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
A brilliant validation of “nothing new under the sun “
Symbols are never neutral; they shape collective memory and history itself.
In manipulative hands, they become weapons rather than signs.
The harder question is: how do we tell apart a symbol that liberates from one that enslaves?
At 4:20 in the afternoon, the AFL has no reportage on protests on its website.
Looking at scattered reports from around the country, it looks like there was either minimal or non-existent official “labor” representation at most protests. (Exception Chicago; still haven’t heard about LA. Here in NYC we don’t believe in celebrating Labor Day on Labor Day. 🙁)
I think May Day Strong is trying its best, but seems apparent most unions are still absent even on “their” day.
May Day Strong turned out 500k-1m people yesterday I hear. Gotta just keep it growing.
wonderful - thank you
People noticing the mustaches is hilarious. It’s the new version of the new mullet that became a young person’s look 5 years ago. I just got back from DC; i may comment at greater length if I find some time. Anyways, this made me laugh
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjacobscc/video/7542913560096115981
That final paragraph went craaaazy. Fantastic work.