And not to sound like a mom here, but don't forget to get a good 7-8 hours sleep and eat your veggies and take a break when you need one...I really admire your writing and work ethic, but we all want you to be around a good long time
So I tried to find the number of articles, columns, LTEs, Op-eds editorials and political cartoons published to date by the Toronto Star, but I'm not very computer savvy and CHATgpt was frustrated by a paywall. I can't get mad at CHATgpt...I can't get by it and I'm a subscriber. But my impression is that it has been a steady sort of drumbeat of all that sort of thing.
Quick observation: I used to think American and other political cartoonists often provided much of the best, most accessible, insights into what is happening, but the problem is that there is increasingly less to satirize or send up as it is not at all funny, as in the brown shirts are now not hiding treatment of Jews is not funny. I find myself, perusing American "news" media, wondering WTF are they doing with sports news or fashions or the best way to barbecue a dead chicken, when they are tumbling so fast beneath the heel of a fascist dictatorship made up of a band of people who transcend the ability of the language to properly characterize them. I mean, I know the answer, but it just seems to me it is past the panic point, speaking as always, as a concerned outsider from north (sort of north-east from Detroit) of the border.
And yeah...eat your veggies and get some rest...not too much...you're needed, but needed healthy.
I smiled at your graphic on how to do a restack. You most likely know why. I also shared the link to your essay on my Facebook page - excerpting this . . .
"The public can tolerate uncertainty. They cannot tolerate being played.
We are fighting The Good Fight. Pun intended.
We will not allow GOOD to be erased off this earth."
Thanks, just doing what I can do for "the good fight".
A significant part of Trump’s MO rests in the knowledge that news cycles are short and so is the public’s memory. The only thing keeping Good’s murder in the news is the increased presence of ICE in Minneapolis and, now, another ICE shooting victim (glad ONLY in the leg).
Sarah… yes. That’s the move, isn’t it: do something outrageous, then just wait for the national brain to swipe to the next shiny object while the paperwork settles into “procedure.” And you’re right, the only reason Good keeps bubbling up is because the ICE presence keeps forcing fresh contact with reality, like the story won’t let the city exhale.
And listen that “glad ONLY in the leg” line hit me in the gut because that’s exactly how normalization sneaks in: we start grading state violence on a curve. “At least it wasn’t fatal,” “at least it wasn’t a kid,” “at least it wasn’t on video,” and next thing you know we’re living inside a rolling average of horror. Your comment is basically the whole thesis of why I’m doing this audit in the first place, to keep the memory from being treated like a disposable cup. And just for the record lemme say this is exactly the kind of reader-catch that makes me feel like the paid folks didn’t just tip me for vibes, they tipped me for the work.
Normalization indeed! Again your take is spot on! Every morning these days, I awaken concerned about the daily outrage from the Administration. Sadly, I am often shocked.
MaryAnn… lemme tell u. Thank u. Seriously. That paid sub means more than you know.
And I won’t forget who I’m working for. Not Substack. Not some decadent sponsor trying to sand the edges off. I work For YOU. For the people who read this and feel that “nah…something’s off,” and want receipts instead of vague poetry and vibes..
Sorry if this reply is a little sloppy, I’ve been up way way way too late getting this essay into shape, but MaryAnn your comment just put gas back in the tank. 🙏 now LFG.
You’ve got a lot of data, and some good intel analysis,but it sounds like you’re drowning. You’re on the right track; tuning data into information. Investigate data analysis and data visualization using tools. Actionable Information.
Marti, yeah… youre not wrong here. I am kinda drowning. But weirdly that’s been my internal litmus test lately. In the Army we used to say “if it ain’t raining, you ain’t training,” and my busted journalism version is if I’m not a little underwater, I probably don’t have enough signal yet to make a claim that survives the inevitable pushback.
But I hear you Marti and I’m taking it as a real note, not a drive-by. Because drowning in data and using data are two different religions. I need to turn the mess into something a normal human can see in ten seconds: a clean scorecard, a couple visuals, a repeatable method, then the deep dive for the sickos like me who enjoy receipts.
And the scientist quote that keeps tapping me on the forehead is that Einstein line: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” So… yeah. That’s the next step. The next lesson so to speak. Less ocean. More map.
Thank you for this. Seriously. This is exactly why I value the paid subs, (and yesof course I value free subs for different reasons) because you’re not just clapping, you’re steering.
The composite video clearly contradicts the state's claim. This is a rare case that demands follow-up, and conveniently fills the precious marketing cycle of acceptable breaking stories. This reduces the fluff and uncomfortable realities they need to report for the illusion of credibility.
X - thank you again. You could have stopped (I’m glad you didn’t) at the one sentence that ‘black folks have been trying to prove they did not invite their own death’ forever and now when the shoe is on the other foot it’s a bit disconcerting for some people. It shouldn’t be and I don’t think folks realize just how many lives never even made page ten or even made the paper period much less page one…
I applaud your insistence that we keep this in the headlines. Ice is making the situation a thousand times worse, terrorizing people at random, most of them US citizens it seems. Just random based on the color of their skin, not the worst of the worst which is what puppy killer Noem keeps calling them.
Is this really what trump lovers voted for? I’m sure some will say yes, but truly can they really say this is great?
Also a 21 year old young man shot by "non-lethal" projectile in his eye! Went thru 6 hours of surgery removing pcs of plastic from his eye - he will be blind in that eye - also concussion & other injuries. I'm not sure which city that took place in - didnt see an awful lot of "news" about it.
And not to sound like a mom here, but don't forget to get a good 7-8 hours sleep and eat your veggies and take a break when you need one...I really admire your writing and work ethic, but we all want you to be around a good long time
🙏
So I tried to find the number of articles, columns, LTEs, Op-eds editorials and political cartoons published to date by the Toronto Star, but I'm not very computer savvy and CHATgpt was frustrated by a paywall. I can't get mad at CHATgpt...I can't get by it and I'm a subscriber. But my impression is that it has been a steady sort of drumbeat of all that sort of thing.
Quick observation: I used to think American and other political cartoonists often provided much of the best, most accessible, insights into what is happening, but the problem is that there is increasingly less to satirize or send up as it is not at all funny, as in the brown shirts are now not hiding treatment of Jews is not funny. I find myself, perusing American "news" media, wondering WTF are they doing with sports news or fashions or the best way to barbecue a dead chicken, when they are tumbling so fast beneath the heel of a fascist dictatorship made up of a band of people who transcend the ability of the language to properly characterize them. I mean, I know the answer, but it just seems to me it is past the panic point, speaking as always, as a concerned outsider from north (sort of north-east from Detroit) of the border.
And yeah...eat your veggies and get some rest...not too much...you're needed, but needed healthy.
I smiled at your graphic on how to do a restack. You most likely know why. I also shared the link to your essay on my Facebook page - excerpting this . . .
"The public can tolerate uncertainty. They cannot tolerate being played.
We are fighting The Good Fight. Pun intended.
We will not allow GOOD to be erased off this earth."
Thanks, just doing what I can do for "the good fight".
A significant part of Trump’s MO rests in the knowledge that news cycles are short and so is the public’s memory. The only thing keeping Good’s murder in the news is the increased presence of ICE in Minneapolis and, now, another ICE shooting victim (glad ONLY in the leg).
Sarah… yes. That’s the move, isn’t it: do something outrageous, then just wait for the national brain to swipe to the next shiny object while the paperwork settles into “procedure.” And you’re right, the only reason Good keeps bubbling up is because the ICE presence keeps forcing fresh contact with reality, like the story won’t let the city exhale.
And listen that “glad ONLY in the leg” line hit me in the gut because that’s exactly how normalization sneaks in: we start grading state violence on a curve. “At least it wasn’t fatal,” “at least it wasn’t a kid,” “at least it wasn’t on video,” and next thing you know we’re living inside a rolling average of horror. Your comment is basically the whole thesis of why I’m doing this audit in the first place, to keep the memory from being treated like a disposable cup. And just for the record lemme say this is exactly the kind of reader-catch that makes me feel like the paid folks didn’t just tip me for vibes, they tipped me for the work.
Normalization indeed! Again your take is spot on! Every morning these days, I awaken concerned about the daily outrage from the Administration. Sadly, I am often shocked.
Sadly, "next thing you know we’re living inside a rolling average of horror." That we are.
Thank you. Thank you. This got you a paid subscriber and my deep administration. LFG!
MaryAnn… lemme tell u. Thank u. Seriously. That paid sub means more than you know.
And I won’t forget who I’m working for. Not Substack. Not some decadent sponsor trying to sand the edges off. I work For YOU. For the people who read this and feel that “nah…something’s off,” and want receipts instead of vague poetry and vibes..
Sorry if this reply is a little sloppy, I’ve been up way way way too late getting this essay into shape, but MaryAnn your comment just put gas back in the tank. 🙏 now LFG.
Beautiful piece X. Uncle Roland Martin. My dude. Yall need to do an interview together.
You’ve got a lot of data, and some good intel analysis,but it sounds like you’re drowning. You’re on the right track; tuning data into information. Investigate data analysis and data visualization using tools. Actionable Information.
Marti, yeah… youre not wrong here. I am kinda drowning. But weirdly that’s been my internal litmus test lately. In the Army we used to say “if it ain’t raining, you ain’t training,” and my busted journalism version is if I’m not a little underwater, I probably don’t have enough signal yet to make a claim that survives the inevitable pushback.
But I hear you Marti and I’m taking it as a real note, not a drive-by. Because drowning in data and using data are two different religions. I need to turn the mess into something a normal human can see in ten seconds: a clean scorecard, a couple visuals, a repeatable method, then the deep dive for the sickos like me who enjoy receipts.
And the scientist quote that keeps tapping me on the forehead is that Einstein line: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” So… yeah. That’s the next step. The next lesson so to speak. Less ocean. More map.
Thank you for this. Seriously. This is exactly why I value the paid subs, (and yesof course I value free subs for different reasons) because you’re not just clapping, you’re steering.
Once again, thank you so much, Xplisset! Thank you for your insight and analysis!
And, I should add, your humanity!
The composite video clearly contradicts the state's claim. This is a rare case that demands follow-up, and conveniently fills the precious marketing cycle of acceptable breaking stories. This reduces the fluff and uncomfortable realities they need to report for the illusion of credibility.
X - thank you again. You could have stopped (I’m glad you didn’t) at the one sentence that ‘black folks have been trying to prove they did not invite their own death’ forever and now when the shoe is on the other foot it’s a bit disconcerting for some people. It shouldn’t be and I don’t think folks realize just how many lives never even made page ten or even made the paper period much less page one…
I applaud your insistence that we keep this in the headlines. Ice is making the situation a thousand times worse, terrorizing people at random, most of them US citizens it seems. Just random based on the color of their skin, not the worst of the worst which is what puppy killer Noem keeps calling them.
Is this really what trump lovers voted for? I’m sure some will say yes, but truly can they really say this is great?
Also a 21 year old young man shot by "non-lethal" projectile in his eye! Went thru 6 hours of surgery removing pcs of plastic from his eye - he will be blind in that eye - also concussion & other injuries. I'm not sure which city that took place in - didnt see an awful lot of "news" about it.