Jonathan Freedland wonders why did the 1918 Flu disappear from the collective memory so swiftly?

Look around almost any British town or village and you will see a war memorial, usually first built to honour the fallen of 1914 to 1918. But scour this country and the rest of the world, and you will struggle to find more than a couple of markers for the event that, globally and at the time of the war’s end, took many more lives. The first world war killed some 17 million people, but the “Spanish” flu that struck in 1918 infected one in three people on the planet – a total of 500 million – leaving between 50 million and 100 million dead.

There’s this village in France that has a history of taking in people who are fleeing persecution or genocide.

An Austrian man who fled the Nazis with his family during the second world war has bequeathed a large part of his fortune to the French village whose residents hid them from persecution for years.

Eric Schwam, who died aged 90 on 25 December, wrote the surprise gift into his will for Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, located on a remote mountain plateau in south-east France that historically has a large Protestant community known for offering shelter to those in need.

…

Schwam and his family arrived in 1943 and were hidden in a school for the duration of the war, and remained until

It’s Jewish space lasers now.

In November 2018, California was hit with the worst wildfire in the state’s history. At the time, future Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wrote a bizarre Facebook post that echoed QAnon conspiracy theorists and falsely claimed that the real and hidden culprit behind the disaster was a laser from space triggered by some nefarious group of people. 

A LASER from SPACE. Cue ominous theme music.

Greene’s post, which hasn’t previously been reported, is just the latest example to be unearthed of her embracing conspiracy theories about tragedies during her time as a right-wing commentator. In addition to being a QAnon supporter, Greene has pushed conspiracy theories about 9/11, the Parkland and Sandy

No actually let’s not spend months looking at their records.

The Pentagon has suspended the processing of a number of former President Donald Trump’s last-minute appointees to defense advisory boards as the new administration looks to weed out loyalists to the former president.

He shouldn’t have been making last-minute appointments. He should have been packing up.

The move effectively prevents a number of Trump allies, including his 2016 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and deputy campaign manager David Bossie, from actually serving on panels tasked with providing advice to the defense secretary, at least for the time being.

Make it permanent.

The freeze announced on Wednesday pertains only to appointees who have not yet been sworn in or have [not] completed

This is so. weird.

The gun, first of all, but by no means last. The nail polish. The wedding ring. The 45 cap. The…crotch. I didn’t notice at first but the camera is zeroed in on her crotch, and she’s all but pointing at it.

Is it just me or is that some bizarre semiotics?… Read the rest

The fascism (the literal kind) ratchets up by the day.

David, please. We all saw how tough you were when questioned face to face.

Give your keyboard a rest, child. https://t.co/DDnpmkyfIS

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) January 28, 2021

… Read the rest

Labour issued this in 2018, but it’s grabbed people’s attention today.

What does Labour’s Statement on All Women Shortlists, women’s officers, and minimum quotes for women say?

Labour has a proud record of championing equality for women of all backgrounds, including BAME women, LGBT+ women, disabled women and working class women. The use of All Women Shortlists, women’s officers and minimum quotas for women is a key aspect of this.

The Labour Party’s All Women Shortlists are open to all women, including self-identifying trans women. Similarly, women’s officers and minimum quotas for women in the Labour Party are open to all women, including self-identifying trans women.

So actual women can lose places to men who claim to be women. … Read the rest

Pelosi tells the Republicans they shouldn’t be looking fixedly in the other direction when Marjorie Taylor Greene is out there threatening and gun-carrying and threatening some more.

“What I’m concerned about is the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives, who is willing to overlook, ignore those statements,” Pelosi said at her weekly news conference, days after CNN reported Greene repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians — including Pelosi — in 2018 and 2019 before being elected to Congress…

Greene is also facing criticism for a video of her confronting Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg before she was elected to Congress went viral Wednesday. And last week, other students who survived the Parkland, Florida, school shooting and families

The “Feminist” Library’s statement on “transphobia” and accountability:

… we feel it important to note that we come from different political histories as well as cultural and class backgrounds. However, while the Library has historically sought to encompass a wide variety of different perspectives, priorities, politics and stances, a by-product of this has been that we as a collective have failed to present a united and unequivocal stance on certain issues where it has been most needed. 

Like, for instance, whether feminism should stop being about women and be about men who call themselves women instead. Talk about most needed!

We understand that in an increasingly hostile conversation regarding trans inclusion from in the mainstream press and certain sects

Originally a comment by KBPlayer on Round and round we go.

Nicola Sturgeon is in a lot of trouble at the moment, because of an inquiry into how the Scottish government handled the sexual assault allegations against the former First Minister, Alex Salmond, who was cleared of the charges in court. It’s a very murky story, and shows bad mismanagement on her part, or downright conspiracy (which I find very hard to believe though plenty do). The Scottish government has been obstructing this inquiry in any way they can.

Sturgeon likes to appear as the progressive wing of the party and so adopted the transgender cause, which had cross-party support. The trans activists got posts on the National Executive … Read the rest

The Feminist Library, not detectably feminist at all, at least not on Twitter.

The Feminist Library @feministlibrary

Celebrating 45 years of archiving & activism. Community space & library. Trans-inclusive & welcomes visitors of all genders. We’ve moved to a new Peckham home!

Notice anything? No mention of women. No mention of women’s rights. No mention of the struggle for women’s rights. What does “feminism” mean then? Apparently it means being trans-inclusive and welcoming visitors of all genders.

To ram the point home (and I do mean ram), they make a Statement.

A long overdue accountability statement from us reiterating our trans-inclusive stance, our conception of gender & sex and our vision for future of the Feminist Library: https://t.co/5h5Gq6UWX5

—

Installment seven billion something of the same old circular circle.

A clear message from Nicola.

I hope many others follow and pledge their support to trans and nb people.

Hatred packaged or expressed as ‘debate’ is violence. It can never be tolerated. Silence is not an option. But words must also be backed with actions. https://t.co/kp8GIQjq5D

— Jo Grady (@DrJoGrady) January 27, 2021

It’s actually not a clear message from Nicola at all. It’s the same old run-around.

There must be no transphobia!!!

But what are you defining as transphobia?

Trans people must have rights!!!

But nobody disagrees with that so what are you –

There must be no transphobia!!!

Yes, we have differences of opinion on gender recognition reform.

Rinse, repeat.

We are revoking @JoanMcAlpine's invitation to speak at our event on 05.02.21 because we do not believe her views on transgender rights align with our views on equality. This invitation was made due to a vetting and communication error by us and our partner (@SusPartners).

— Teach the Future (@_TeachtheFuture) January 27, 2021

Teach the future to do what it’s told.… Read the rest

Politico reports:

A video of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) confronting David Hogg, a gun control activist and Parkland shooting survivor, years ago surfaced online Wednesday, fueling a new wave of outrage over the Georgia Republican’s history of questioning a dark chapter in Florida that left 17 dead.

Greene, in the video, which was apparently filmed just weeks after the 2018 Parkland shooting, calls Hogg a “coward” because he walks away from her, and complains Hogg was able to meet with senators. “He had 30 appointments where he went around and got to talk to senators. I got to talk to none,” Greene said, adding “Guess what? I’m a gun owner. I’m an American citizen. And I have

Jennifer Barnett tells us what it’s like to be a woman in journalism working for a terrible man, so terrible that she ended up having to quit. She says it’s a common situation and the men stay on and on, because that’s how this works.

I had the plum job. The top of the masthead of one of the most prestigious and respected publications with more than a 150-year-old history. I left because I blew the whistle on my boss for doing something unethical then abusing the staff and undermining the editorial process during which time I was assured he would be fired but instead he was promoted and after threatening me privately in his office, he marginalized me to

Seth Abramson tells us:

Well after dark on January 5, 2021—just 15 hours before an insurrection against the United States government incited by the President of the United States—Nebraska Republican Charles W. Herbster, at the time the National Chairman of the Agriculture and Rural Advisory Committee for the Trump administration, attended a private meeting of Trump family members, Trump administration officials, Trump campaign advisers, January 6 organizers, and at least one member of the United States Senate at Trump International Hotel in Washington.

Abramson says Herbster says those present were Don Junior, Eric, Michael Flynn, Peter Navarro, Corey Lewandowski, David Bossie, Adam Piper, executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association, and Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville. Your basic nightmare … Read the rest

Originally a comment by Screechy Monkey on But the jobs.

Things conservatives say you shouldn’t lose your job for:

1. Being in an industry that causes environmental problems

2. Being a racist, sexist, and/or insurrectionist idiot online

3. Competition from foreign imports during a Democratic administration

4. Not wanting to provide women with birth control.

Things conservatives say you can lose your job for:

1. Having any non-conservative views your employer doesn’t like

2. Trying to organize a union

3. Your employer’s desire to offshore or outsource your job

4. Bain Capital deciding to acquire and “restructure” your employer

5. Using birth control or having an abortion

6. Cheering for the wrong sports team… actually pretty much everything not … Read the rest

So what’s the thinking here, that job-existence overrules all other considerations? That if people have jobs setting fire to California forests they must continue to have those jobs because otherwise it’s ayleetizm?

John Kerry telling middle aged workers he's sending to the unemployment line to learn to code is some real John Kerry stuff https://t.co/BOlpOCKize

— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) January 27, 2021

Of course if The Market closes down jobs that’s a whole other story, nobody cares about those workers, but if it’s a matter of shifting to less destructive forms of energy, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS RUN WILD.… Read the rest

Remember four years ago watching that guy’s executive orders in horror?

Biden yesterday:

President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered the Department of Justice to end its reliance on private prisons and acknowledge the central role government has played in implementing discriminatory housing policies.

In remarks before signing the orders, Biden said the U.S. government needs to change “its whole approach” on the issue of racial equity. He added that the nation is less prosperous and secure because of the scourge of systemic racism.

But it’s also less…all of those things it likes to see itself as. Decent, fair, one of the good ones. Rights-based, egalitarian, justice-seeking.

Biden directed the Department of Housing and Urban Development in a memorandum to

Problem.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians in 2018 and 2019 before being elected to Congress, a CNN KFile review of hundreds of posts and comments from Greene’s Facebook page shows.

Greene, who represents Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, frequently posted far-right extremist and debunked conspiracy theories on her page, including the baseless QAnon conspiracy which casts former President Donald Trump in an imagined battle against a sinister cabal of Democrats and celebrities who abuse children.

In one post, from January 2019, Greene liked a comment that said “a bullet to the head would be quicker” to remove House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In other posts, Greene liked comments about executing FBI agents who,