収束ゾーンでのライフ: Life in the Convergence Zone

The Washington Post really ran a shit article on their front page, “Most in U.S. back GOP’s anti-trans policies.” The problem, as Parker Malloy points out in great detail, is that the article both misrepresents Republican anti-trans policies and the poll results themselves. Not only is there 70%ish support for anti-discrimination law including trans people generally, but – going to Parker here:

62% of adults support trans kids between the ages of 10 and 14 being able to access gender-affirming counseling/therapy, which is something that the GOP is trying to make illegal.

This is absolutely appalling – and opinion-shaping – coverage by the Washington Post. However, that doesn’t make everything rosy, because the years of hate campaign really is having an effect: Autostraddle also has analysis on the topic here.

Republican Texas have decided to take “rolling coal” statewide, slamming the breaks on renewable energies, erecting a huge fleet of permitting and bureaucratic hurdles on new installations – basically, weaponising the state against renewable energy. Meanwhile, they’re launching a whole series of fossil fuels initiatives, all because fuck, not hack, the planet. Also because they’re owned by fossil fuel companies. Original at Washington Post, a probably-copyright-violating but no-paywall copy here.

45 is still siding with Putin, as you’d expect. I’m just including this to show he hasn’t budged and he’ll get so much support from Musk-enabled Russian, Chinese, and possibly even Iranian propagandists. Authoritarians stick together – unless they find another stooge they like better, of course.

Here’s an update on Musk Twitter from G. Willow Wilson, in the form of a big Mastodon thread, along with commentary on Mastodon from people who prefer Bluesky. But as far as the old birdsite goes itself:

Twitter somehow gets worse week by week–right now it is an unusable swamp of right wing conspiracy theory, wave after wave of racism (there is currently an “invasion” underway at the southern border that must be stopped by lethal force) crypto bros, and bots selling high-follower accounts.

G. Willow Wilson, 2023/5/8 on Mastodon

The New Republic reports from TERF Island on suppression of free speech rights around Chuckie’s coronation: “To Hold a Coronation, Britain Suppressed Free Speech. That’s Insane. The monarchy used to be quaint. As of Saturday, it’s a menace.”

Hilarious, except sad and evil, from Rolling Stone: “Oath Keepers Leader Wants Leniency for Public Service … of Creating the Oath Keepers.” You know. The group that was involved in creating the seditious conspiracy.

Anyway, to the states:

Florida:

Judd Legam has a breakdown on some of the books Republicans are banning in Florida libraries statewide, books Republican DeSantis called “porn.” They are, to put it mildly, not porn.

Republican DeSantis’s conspiracy-theorist anti-vaccination surgeon general, known for modifying studies that disproved his anti-vaccination conspiracy bullshit and publishing his lies as fact, was just confirmed for a second term by the Republican Florida Senate on a strict party line vote.

Texas:

I’m just gonna paste in the subhead here: In response to school shootings, a new bill in Texas would require public schools to install “bleeding stations” and train kids as young as third grade in trauma care.

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.