{"id":32503,"date":"2018-05-21T13:04:54","date_gmt":"2018-05-21T20:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=32503"},"modified":"2018-05-21T13:04:54","modified_gmt":"2018-05-21T20:04:54","slug":"open-thread-5-21-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2018\/05\/21\/open-thread-5-21-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread &#8211; 5\/21\/2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><font color=\"#0000ff\">We&#8217;re moving into a couple days of hot weather.&#160; It&#8217;s cool now, but the sun just hit the wall, so I&#8217;ll have to button up and go to AC before long.&#160; I like fresh air so much better.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\"><strong>Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\">Today&#8217;s took me 6:03 (average 7:30).&#160; To do it, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jigzone.com\/puzzles\/2018-05-21-CE2504A965A9\" target=\"_blank\">click here<\/a>.&#160; How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\"><strong>For our secretive Canadian friends<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"0521VictoriaDay\" style=\"border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px\" border=\"0\" alt=\"0521VictoriaDay\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/0521VictoriaDay.jpg\" width=\"650\" height=\"350\" \/><\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\"><strong>Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=C49-nRISMrk\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/msnbcleanforward\/videos\" target=\"_blank\">MSNBC Channel<\/a>): <\/font>The greatest, growing threat to America<\/p>\n<p>&#160;<iframe loading=\"lazy\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/C49-nRISMrk?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe> <\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\">China had no trouble getting around the Republican Reich. All it took was an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/trump-china-zte_us_5af9f701e4b0200bcab7fa66\" target=\"_blank\">investment in a Trump business<\/a> for Trump to switch to &#8216;Make China Great Again.&quot; <strong>RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediamatters.org\/blog\/2018\/05\/16\/trump-obsessed-media-outlets-again-ignore-critical-net-neutrality-news\/220225\" target=\"_blank\">Media Matters<\/a>: <\/font>Today, senators voted on a resolution to undo a 2017 move by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to end net neutrality regulations, but major television and print media outlets have devoted little more than a few mentions to the issue.<\/p>\n<p>This dearth of coverage may stem in part from the distraction of President Donald Trump, as since his election, media outlets have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/the-insane-news-cycle-of-trumps-presidency-in-1-chart-1513305658-b2393db8-4d82-41fc-92c6-acda4f3dd8db.html\" target=\"_blank\">laser-focused<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/criticism\/donald-trump-news-cycle-slow-news-day.php\" target=\"_blank\">his statements and actions<\/a>. Several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2018\/05\/16\/russians-schemed-to-help-trump-senate-intel-591882\" target=\"_blank\">significant<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/in-new-financial-disclosure-trump-reports-apparent-payment-through-his-personal-attorney-to-adult-film-star\/2018\/05\/16\/cf6171f2-592c-11e8-b656-a5f8c2a9295d_story.html\">Trump<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/kremlin-used-nra-to-help-trump-in-2016-says-senate-intelligence-committee\">related<\/a>stories did break today, but it\u2019s nonetheless obvious that media outlets have done little to address their Trump obsession and prioritize the many other issues that matter to Americans.<\/p>\n<p>Net neutrality requires internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast, AT&amp;T, and Verizon to give their users <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/fcc-prepares-to-unveil-plan-to-gut-net-neutrality\/\" target=\"_blank\">equal access<\/a> to all internet content. Upending these rules means that, for a fee, ISPs can prioritize certain websites, allowing them to load more quickly on their users\u2019 devices, and slow down or even block other sites. As Wired\u2019s Klint Finley <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/fcc-prepares-to-unveil-plan-to-gut-net-neutrality\/\" target=\"_blank\">explained<\/a>, \u201cWell-established services from deep-pocketed companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft will likely remain widely available. But net-neutrality advocates argue that smaller companies that don\u2019t have the money to pay for fast lanes could suffer. In other words, protecting net neutrality isn&#8217;t about saving Netflix but about saving the next Netflix.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The FCC, led by Trump-nominated Ajit Pai, decided last year to end net neutrality rules in a move that voters across the political spectrum <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediamatters.org\/video\/2017\/12\/15\/watch-tech-entrepreneur-explain-why-millions-americans-oppose-fccs-rollback-net-neutrality\/218878\">largely<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/the-switch\/wp\/2017\/12\/12\/this-poll-gave-americans-a-detailed-case-for-and-against-the-fccs-net-neutrality-plan-the-reaction-among-republicans-was-striking\/?utm_term=.ec140beb6bb9\" target=\"_blank\">opposed<\/a>. Leading up to the FCC\u2019s vote, though, many media outlets were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediamatters.org\/research\/2017\/12\/13\/Study-Cable-and-broadcast-news-still-largely-ignoring-Thursdays-planned-net-neutrality-rep\/218835\" target=\"_blank\">shockingly<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediamatters.org\/blog\/2017\/12\/14\/net-neutrality-dies-silence-morning-shows-largely-ignore-fccs-vote\/218854\">silent<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediamatters.org\/research\/2017\/11\/28\/Study-Cable-and-broadcast-news-networks-largely-ignore-planned-net-neutrality-repeal\/218657\">on<\/a> the repercussions of upending consumer protections on internet access.<\/p>\n<p>As Democratic senators made a last-ditch effort to salvage net neutrality rules &#8212; which <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/amyklobuchar\/status\/996798865151004674\" target=\"_blank\">passed<\/a> in the Senate &#8212; coverage by many media outlets is still nowhere to be found.<\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\">I did not know the bill had passed. I hope that enough Republicans will side with Democrats in the house to pass it, but I doubt it. <strong>RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alternet.org\/cia-coup-set-stage-conflict-iran\" target=\"_blank\">Alternet<\/a>: <\/font>Before the theocratic government of today&#8217;s Iran, there was the brutal Shah. Before the Shah, the CIA overthrew a pro-Western government that had been democratically elected. Mohammad Mossadegh was the prime minister and his US-backed downfall in 1953 was the spark that set in motion the conflict with Iran today. In this interview, Medea Benjamin sheds light on this seminal incident with Iran. She also explores the nation&#8217;s history and politics.<\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\">Click through for a fascinating read. We need to remember that much of the third world opposition we face today stems directly from right-wing imperialism, <strong>RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#0000ff\"><strong>Cartoon<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/0521Cartoon.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;re moving into a couple days of hot weather.&#160; It&#8217;s cool now, but the sun just hit the wall, so I&#8217;ll have to button up and go to AC before long.&#160; I like fresh air so much better. Jig Zone Puzzle: Today&#8217;s took me 6:03 (average 7:30).&#160; To do it, click here.&#160; How did you <a href='https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2018\/05\/21\/open-thread-5-21-2018\/' class='excerpt-more'>[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-open-thread","category-personal","category-politics","category-35-id","category-3-id","category-5-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32503\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}