Maslow's Political Blog

Of the handful of books which have changed my life, The Next 100 Years , written in 2009, by George Friedman remains one of my favorites.  Not only do I think it is an extraordinary book, but it is also the only book of which I say I have a favorite chapter (Chapter 3) 1 .  It contains a straightforward observation about computers, from which Friedman draws some extraordinary conclusions. “The computer is based on binary logic… To a computer, everything is a number, from a letter on a screen to a bit of music. Everything is reduced to zeros and ones...  It is a powerful and seductive tool. Yet it operates using a logic that lacks other, more complex, elements of reason. The computer focuses ruthlessly on things that can be represented in numbers. By doing so, it also seduces people into thinking that other aspects of knowledge are either unreal or unimportant. The computer treats reason as an instrument for achieving things, not for contemplating things. It narrows d...

Even if the entirety of the Epstein files are released, it will change nothing. I don't mean because "they" will "win" and avoid justice.  But because, given what has already been released, it's clear there's no evidence of an elite pedophile sex trafficking ring.  There's plenty of embarrassing information, and  evidence of crimes , but nothing pointing to a large conspiracy to unmask. But, boy, do we wish there was!  It would be exciting to live during a time of big change.  The Big Bads of the world are revealed, defeated, and something new arises to take its place.  We get to be in the struggle.  Our names go down in history.  In a decadent time, we finally get something that matters.  Our lives can have BIG meaning, rather than eking out an existence which consists of work, community, and leisure. But work, community, and leisure are the cornerstones of life. Work provides us money, which is needed to live comfortably in society....

In learning about Renee Good's death, I have mostly been surprised at Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who killed her, and his colleague's lack of professionalism.  They are shouting curses, he is handling a phone in one hand and a gun in the other, they leave the scene before any other authorities arrived.  They, of course, are masked, too.  They are full of righteousness - the ends justify their means. I tried to have a discussion with some friends online who were defending Ross.  What I remember now was how much of their argument laid on that righteousness.  Sometimes I'd make a point and I knew it clicked with them because they'd say "I'm not an expert and neither are you" or "you're making assumptions before we know all the facts."  But ultimately it was an avalanche of righteousness. Righteousness is a popular way of talking about things online.  "I may lose followers over this..." "I've been defriended because I think......

OK, a review of my predictions for 2025.  Bold are 2026 comments . Trump: I think Trump's presidency will be a lot like his first: chaotic without many constructive achievements (Tarrifs) . Most achievements will be the undoing of things (Reducing vaccination requirements . Unless you are an undocumented immigrant, your life won't be made worse. If you want to, do what you can to protect the undocumented immigrants you know. Mass deportation is so difficult I don't think it's going to happen. The administration will focus on criminals (as in they've been caught because of non-immigrant laws) and preventing more crossings. The border may become much more dangerous (E.G. more armed guards with more permissive rules of engagement).  If you know someone trying to enter this country, help them do it legally even if that means they have to wait.  You can reach out to your congressperson for help, too - such as the person you know is trying to join the rest of their family...

Man I am so glad 2025 is over so I can now stop doing this.  It was interesting but making these monthly lists was definitely a chore.  It helped me realize, though, how little of the year's news was all that important to my life.  Obviously there are some people for whom much of it was important, but I am not an illegal immigrant in America, a Ukrainian, a Russian soldier, or an Israeli soldier, or a Palestinian.  I'm going to guess that is less than 2% of the world population.  Most of the things that impact me are through higher costs, which is bad for me, but not going to kill or capture me - and certainly not violently. Well, let's wrap this up.  Following through is important.  What were the MAIN things that mattered in December?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. Flu spike !  Getting sick is terrible and affects you directly, and worse if you don't have sick-time to use f...

What were the MAIN things that mattered in November?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. Nothing.  Hope you enjoyed the fall weather and had a great Thanksgiving! Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details. Was and remains  appreciable : The ongoing genocide in Sudan and China. Incidental: Good to know, but of limited use beyond its own topic. Trump's court lossess.  It's good to see the law working as we want.  There are now appeals to the Supreme Court, so it ain't over yet, but the process is, so far, working against Trump. Trump's response to the attack on 2 National Guard members.  I don't think there's a large number of Afghan's trying to come to America, but those that are - and those already here - probably have some connection to the US military, and therefore are in danger as long as they remain in Afghanistan.  We should want locals who supp...

Before we get started, I want to highlight something Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, because as a guy who wants to be known as tough, it's odd.  He's speaking of the suspected drug smugglers we've been killing (murdering?) in the ocean: “These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda,” the defense secretary tweeted on Tuesday, “and they will be treated the same.” Obviously, he's invoking Al-Qaeda because they are a modern classic American enemy. Who likes those guys? Easy sympathy points! But if these narco-terrorists have killed more Americans (putting aside whether that's the best measure of badness) shouldn't our reaction against them be greater? He's got a pundit's mind but he is in a practical job. A qualified Secretary of Defense would have spoken more precisely, not for tough-guy theatrics. OK, now to the main event!  What were the MAIN things that mattered in October?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable atte...

What were the MAIN things that mattered in September?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. September 10th-12th, the time between the assassination of Charlie Kirk and arrest of Tyler Robinson.  When a political assassination happens and the assassin remains free, that's got to take center stage.  A society that ignores  political violence is one that will not survive long.  But now there's nothing to do but wait for the trial. Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details. Tarriffs!  The details depend on your spending.  But whoever you are and whatever you think we all buy things and many of those things involve at least a bit of importing, so those prices will go up.  But also maybe the courts will say something like 'these have never been legal' . Was and remains  appreciable : The ongoing genocide in Sudan and China. Incidental: Good to know...

What were the MAIN things that mattered in August?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. Nothing Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details. Tarriffs!  The details depend on your spending.  But whoever you are and whatever you think we all buy things and many of those things involve at least a bit of importing, so those prices will go up. Was and remains  appreciable : The ongoing genocide in Sudan and China. Incidental: Good to know, but of limited use beyond its own topic. Trump trying to fire Lisa Cook is a major issue if he can do it.  But if he is prevented, then whatever.  But right now we don't know the result.  So it's appreciable because if it happens it'll impact the economy a lot like tarriffs will - we all buy stuff and price changes impact us all.  But given its a legal battle I struggle to see what we can do, and if we can't do anythin...

Another summer month is behind us - I hope you're all getting outside when the weather is enjoyable. So what were the MAIN things that mattered in July?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. Was and remains  major  The One Big Beautiful Bill is now law, and the bill contains a lot of stuff and will affect nearly every American in multiple ways, in particular if you have kids. The floods in Texas earlier this month were horrendous.  The recovery is ongoing, here's a  list of organizations  to donate to. Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details. Was and remains  appreciable : The ongoing genocide in Sudan and China. Tarriffs will probably have major effects on things, but don't ask me how.  But it's always good to stay within whatever your budget is so you can absorb price increases (or just surprise bills). Trump firing the jobs person isn't a huge deal...

The trouble of doing this monthly is sometimes a war starts and ends before my next deadline.  Oh well! Also some of last month's stuff is still relevant, but in some cases changes in importance, so I'm noting that. So what were the MAIN things that mattered in Junel?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. Was  Major  in June, will remain  Major : "Big Beautiful Bill" is on the way to being law.  When I started writing this it's fate was still uncertain, but has since been passed by the House.  So if you're represented by someone who voted for it and are unhappy with the contents  you should complain to your rep and in a few months when opponents rise up to run against them consider supporting them.  Or run yourself! But the bill contains a lot of stuff and will affect nearly every American in multiple ways. Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details...

This month was pretty bland - which is always a good thing given we have the rest of our lives to live.  I also was surprised, with mixed emotion, that Trump went through Memorial Day with the gravitas we'd expect of a President.  I think traditions matter and it's good to have a President who doesn't shit on them. So what were the MAIN things that mattered in May?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. The courts are ruling against Trump pretty consistently.  How will these losses be enforced?  Is there any amount of losses which motivate Republicans in Congress to start abandoning him?  If he ignores them, how can Democrats use that to motivate voters next year to support them? "Big Beautiful Bill" is on the way to being law, and if you don't like the priorities of that bill/budget, reach out to Congress before its too late! Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the de...

I skipped March because I got a new job.  But now we're back! So what were the MAIN things that mattered in April?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. The Trump administration ignoring court orders is a big deal.  Separation of powers only works if each branch of government respects the power of the other two. Impact of tarrifs will make things more expensive and scarcer, which makes things more expensive, which makes money scarcer, etc. Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details. Trump securing a mineral deal from between US and Ukraine would seem to give him an incentive to help Ukraine more (since the deal only works if they maintain control of the territory).  That Trump posts things like "Vladimir, STOP!" on social media, to no effect, makes the US look pretty fucking pathetic. Incidental: Good to know, but of limited use beyond its own topic. Nothing this month Negligible:...

I had a busy weekend topping off a busy month, but I'm hoping to get this out before Trump's speech to Congress (Update: Success!). So what are the MAIN things that mattered in February? What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major:  Very important, will be impactful. The ongoing genocide in Sudan and China. Tariffs on Mexico and Canada, and upcoming counter-tariffs. America's greatest strength is our positive relations with our nearest neighbors. A trade war will disrupt that, and hopefully won't be step one in a multi-step deterioration. That they are  higher than the tariffs on China  is real mud in the eye. Appreciable:  Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details. Nothing, actually. Incidental:  Good to know, but of limited use beyond its own topic. DOGE, unless of course you are or know someone who works in the federal government.  Same with the ongoing ceasefire in Israel/Palestine and the hostages being returned.  The...

January 2025 felt very busy once Trump took over the White House. Lots of executive orders, though most of them are going to need court clarification. So what are the MAIN things that mattered?  What is, and isn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. The ongoing genocide in Sudan and China. Whoever gets confirmed into the cabinet obviously matters. Call your Senators and share your opinion about those nominated. As a personal aside, that RFK says his kids are vaccinated is out of this world. (I can't find any reporting confirminghe actuallysaid this...) The TikTok ban pause. Tariffs used as an effective bargaining chip in the deportation case with Columbia. Sets a helluva precedent!  I also didn't know Presidents have the power to just make tariffs.  Hopefully the courts will weigh in and clarify before he decides to use the threat again. The executive orders regarding funding pauses. Those just affects so many things it probably impa...

Happy New Year!  For the past few months I've been thinking of getting back into political blogging.  What I'd like to write about is simple: What matters and what doesn't.  I see a lot of people worrying over issues that aren't really worth their time.  Thinking over the past year I think I've been correct about what's worth thinking about and what isn't.  And with Trump returning to office... I worry we're going to see a lot more wasted, aimless worry. So this year every month I'll make a post looking at the news topics of that month and evaluating whether I think they're worth our time.  This will also make it easy for me to check myself as the months roll on - will my analysis hold up? I'll be using a system of ranking importance I am calling the MAIN system - a name I chose with the help of ChatGPT (I'm not good at making clever acronyms).  I'm not going to use ChatGPT for anything else on this blog - unless I decide to change ac...

Obviously, this is chock full of spoilers. Also, it's a reaction, not a review. If you haven't seen the movie, it probably won't make a lot of sense. So go see it if you haven't.  Let's be real, any time a movie has a character announce "I'm the spy" has problems.  Any movie that has a character do that, and then kills them almost immediately has serious issues. I really liked The Rise of Skywalker.  It's a lot of fun to watch.  But also, "I am all the Sith" and "I am all the Jedi" is stupid banter.  And Rey kills The Emperor anyway, so why doesn't she... absorb all the souls(?) of the Sith, like he said.  Why can Ben bring back Rey but Rey not bring back Ben?  Wouldn't it be great to have them each revive each other for like 5 minutes, until finally Luke's voice is like OK FINE MAYBE SOMETIMES SOMEONE REALLY IS GONE! In a universe with spaceships, why even have watercraft at all? My main issue must be laid ...

Human sacrifice is one of the most misunderstood cultural activities.  It seems inherently evil, and socially awful.  How is anyone benefited because someone else is murdered, even with that person's consent?  How is murder ever OK, at all? Now, to be clear, I don't mean to discuss mass killings or revenge killings or purge killings.  Just human sacrifice.  And to discuss this properly, we need to change our point of view.  Because, in the modern world, human sacrifice is indeed a ludicrous thing.  Not just awful, but senseless.  It begs the question, "Wait, why was this ever  acceptable?"  But it was.  So here's what we need to do: Imagine... ...living in a much smaller community ...having a religion you and your whole community believe in ...not even understanding the word 'religion.'  What we call religion, you just call "very obvious."  It isn't even "obviously true," because that implies it could be false. ...