Carrot or Stick?

Mike Johnson's reversal makes no sense here unless he was bribed big-time or he (or someone he cares about) was threatened with grave physical or financial harm. I have no idea what could turn a person so quickly, but it tells you that it doesn't matter what your intentions are when you first go to Congress. It doesn't matter how strongly you hold to your principles. The system will eat you up and laugh at you.You will dance when they tell you to dance.

Glenn Greenwald:

We interviewed Mike Johnson last year, a couple of months before he became Speaker.

It was the day he grilled FBI Director Christopher Wray on spying and censorship abuses.

Listen to what he told me: only to completely reverse himself and lead renewal of NSA/FBI spying powers:

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Rep. Mike Johnson in 2023: Says the unchecked power of intelligence agencies “keeps us up” at night.

@SpeakerJohnson in 2024: Plots with the Biden administration to ensure these agencies can spy on Americans without a warrant.

What happened?

Continue ReadingCarrot or Stick?

COVID Face Masks and Middle East Politics

Below is a recent photo from Washington University posted on Facebook.

Notice all the participants wearing COVID face masks. The COVID pandemic is long over and more than a year ago, the Cochran study found no evidence that face masks are effective to prevent spread of COVID.

What do these face masks have to do with Middle East politics? Nothing. What do totally unnecessary post-pandemic face masks have to do with tribalism? Everything. The masks serve as badges of in-group membership. They function the same way that fancy suits do for trial lawyers and executives. The same way that buying pre-torn jeans serve for young women or that wearing ashes on foreheads serve as badges of group belonging to Catholics. For more than 100 posts on Ingroup-Outgroup dynamics at this website, click here.

Continue ReadingCOVID Face Masks and Middle East Politics