TK - The Korean

Doubly this.

US hegemony depends on the ability to underwrite the security of its allies. Job number one of this underwriting is to avoid insolvency. Israel is a bad debtor who should have been dropped long time ago. Failure to do so is pushing US closer to insolvency.

“Rutherford Statement on Operation Epic Furry” “Furry” highlighted by me http://rutherford.house.gov/media/press-releases/rutherford-statement-operation-epic-furry

Google result showing the presser for Rutherford’s statement on “Operation Epic Furry” was posted 11 hours ago

What a time to be alive

Wars break out in the periphery. The center may get tense, but rarely break out into a war.

The part of the world that is not involved on this war at all is the center of the world right now. In a roundabout way, we are truly entering the Asian century.

Still shaking my head over the dumbass Foreign Affairs article that suggests dropping S Korea as an ally because it may embroil US into an unnecessary war. WE ARE HAVING AN UNNECESSARY WAR RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF A SUPPOSED ALLY WHO'S WORTHLESS YOU FUCKING MORON

Alliance audit is a good idea in principle, but few want to admit that if we were serious about such an audit, Israel would be the first US ally that should be dropped.

If FIFA did, for some reason, regularly give out a Peace Prize, you’d think #1 on the list of criteria for potential winners would be “do not start a war with another nation in the World Cup, directly before the start of the World Cup”

Here's the thing. I'm a big fan of organ meats, but American organ meats are fucking terrible because the cattle are not raised for organ meat consumption. I eat raw cow liver in Korea. I would never do it in the US.

At this point, South Korea's value as a US ally is probably greater than Japan's. But these supposed experts know next to nothing about Korea. I doubt they can name three South Korean cities.

I'm yet to see DC blob generalist to say anything something unstupid about Korea. I don't even expect smart, all I want is unstupid and I'm yet to see it. It's mind-blowing how this could be.

Drunk driving plunges over 80% in a decade in South Korea Drunk driving in Korea appears to have plummeted since the early 2010s, with government data showing Sunday that the 2023 figure has dropped to just one-sixth o

An underreported improvement in life in Korea is the driving. First the pedestrian accident rate plummeted since the 1990s (down over 90%, iirc), and now drunk driving is way down.
m.koreaherald.com/article/1067...

I have long waged a lonely battle against green bottle soju and I finally have people on this team.

My man Kang gets it exactly right.

This basically my mom's side of the family and it's full heroic weirdos. Definitely my people.

Learning Alysa Liu's father had multiple children all through surrogacy with white women makes me re-appreciate something I've always known, which is: some democracy activists are really fucking weird.

I have good news for you. Short track is roller derby on ice.

I wrote at one point that US already had the equivalent of Tiger Parenting which is sports parenting, and turns out the OG Tiger Parents were pretty damn good at applying their skills in their children's sports aptitude as well.

Do not let Brett Kavanaugh's increasingly reactionary politics distract you from the simpler fact that Brett Kavanaugh is a dullard and a shitty writer whose colleagues all (albeit for different reasons) very obviously have nothing but contempt for him

There are so many incredible characters doing this. People who you’d never suspect would be capable of just relentless bravery and determination. People you’d walk past without noticing, but who are literally putting everything on the line to protect their neighbors, still, today, every day.

Not so long ago, Americans used to joke about how Korean democracy is a backwater because it kept jailing its ex presidents. But it's not so funny anymore, is it? Maybe Americans should have jailed a lot more former presidents.

Trump Can’t Steal the Midterms The case for being vigilant without panicking.

Trump can't steal the midterms.

I say that not as a call for complacency, but to right-size worries. Authoritarianism partially exists in our heads. Excessive fear plays into their hands.

Be vigilant but don't panic. Don't grant the regime more power than it actually has.

Me, in @thebulwark.com:

This is interesting. In other words, Minneapolis is producing an overall strengthening of the social contract, including towards the undocumented. That's a stark rebuttal to MAGA theory, which holds that the silent majority agrees that foreign invaders threaten national social cohesion

Biden was the most economically progressive president since LBJ at least, he pursued a full-employment economy at huge political risk, it worked spectacularly.

And what happened is that the entire progressive universe decided that he must not have done any of it, or else he would have been popular

Americans are not complicated or scheming. They are capable of unspeakable cruelty and incomprehensible kindness. This tendency fuels all American public policies and laws.

Obviously there are notable exceptions, but American food is childish. Even ethnic food that takes root in America is made so by becoming childish. Literature, music, movies, they are all simple and carefree and dumb in a way. Not much in the way of angst, grudges, twists and turns.

There is a distinct American culture, but it is more of a meta-culture. It's the persistent tendency to reduce everything to its most childish essence. "Of course you think that, you're 12" meme strikes at a greater truth. Everything about America is childish, in both good ways and bad.

Over on that other site, kpop fans are having the biggest and most brain damaged flame war and it's low key amazing that I'm not seeing any hint of it over here. Truly different demographics.

It's messed up that if you fall on the halfpipe they still give you a score. just let me writhe on the ground in pain instead of telling me I got a 4.75 out of 100

Minnesota’s suburbs are an election battleground. Trump’s immigration surge is unpopular there. A new poll shows suburban residents and independents aligning more with Twin Cities residents in opposing Trump’s crackdown and immigration agents’ tactics.

“Everything he was doing to make America great I was cool with up until he started messing with the immigrants,” said Andre Lewis, 32, who lives in White Bear Lake.

Gotta love the American voter

www.startribune.com/minnesotas-s...

what is with these people and dogs?

Jesus Christ