No I did not have plastic surgery. But you know, when you wander into a hospital, then sometimes you come out looking a little different. It's been known to happen.

Did you know that Plant Butter is margarine!

There's crazy people running all over town
There's a silver band just marching up and down
And the big boys are all spoiling for a fight
I want to see the bright lights tonight

Meet me at the station, don't be late
I need to spend some money and it just won't wait
Take me to the dance and hold me tight
I want to see the bright lights tonight

-- Richard Thompson

Don't Laugh At Me -- Allen Shamblin and Steve Seskin

I'm that kid on every playground
Who's always chosen last
A single teenage mother
Tryin' to overcome my past
You don't have to be my friend
But is it too much to ask

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

I'm the cripple on the corner
You've passed me on the street
And I wouldn't be out here beggin'
If I had enough to eat
And don't think I don't notice
That our eyes don't meet

I lost my wife and little boy when
Someone crossed that yellow line
The day we laid them in the ground
Is the day I lost my mind
And right now I'm down to holdin'
This little cardboard sign, so

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

I'm fat, I'm thin, I'm short, I'm tall
I'm deaf, I'm blind, hey, aren't we all

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

#genocide

Israeli Troops Tell of Indiscriminate Murder of Civilians in Gaza ‘Kill Zone’

https://www.commondreams.org/news/haaretz-israel-war-crimes

Israeli Troops Recount Indiscriminate Murder of Civilians in Gaza 'Kill Zone' | Common Dreams

"We're killing civilians there who are then counted as terrorists," said one Israeli veteran, who added that random slayings have become "a competition between units" to see who can kill more people.

Alabama profits off prisoners who work without pay and deems them "too dangerous" for parole

https://apnews.com/article/prison-to-plate-inmate-labor-investigation-alabama-3b2c7e414c681ba545dc1d0ad30bfaf5

Slavery in Alabama.

Alabama profits off prisoners who work at McDonald’s but deems them too dangerous for parole

No state has a longer, more profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies than Alabama.

Pentagon Admits Number of US Troops in Syria Much Higher Than Previously Disclosed

https://www.commondreams.org/news/pentagon-2000-troops-syria

I ask: Why should we ever believe them?

Pentagon Admits Number of US Troops in Syria Much Higher Than Previously Disclosed | Common Dreams

"How does the Pentagon 'recently learn' that it has more than double the number of U.S. troops in Syria than it claimed to have a day earlier?" asked veteran journalist Jeremy Scahill.

#maker

How To Build a Tube Amplifier

https://robrobinette.com/How_To_Build_a_Tube_Amp.htm

People's March: January 18th, Washington DC

https://www.peoplesmarch.com/

People's March

U.S. Weighs Ban on Chinese-Made Router Used in Government and Millions of American Homes

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/u-s-weighs-ban-on-chinese-made-router-in-millions-of-american-homes/ar-AA1w51es

Uh, aren't all of our routers Made In China?

#freesoftware
#freeculture

Microsoft won't let customers opt out of passkey push

https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/18/microsoft_passkey_push/

"Quick, Coercion ... Give me another name for it!"

"Nudge."

"... OK."

#genocide

‘Doctors Without Borders’ Says Israel’s Assault on Gaza Bears ‘Clear Signs of Ethnic Cleansing’

https://www.commondreams.org/news/msf-report-gaza

Doctors Without Borders Says Israel's Assault on Gaza Bears 'Clear Signs of Ethnic Cleansing' | Common Dreams

"People in Gaza are struggling to survive apocalyptic conditions, but nowhere is safe, no one is spared, and there is no exit from this shattered enclave," said the humanitarian group's secretary-general.

Teamsters Union Launches Largest Strike Against Amazon Yet

https://www.commondreams.org/news/teamsters-amazon-strike

Teamsters Union Launches 'Largest Strike Against Amazon in US History' | Common Dreams

The Teamsters launched "the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history" on Thursday morning to protest the e-commerce giant's unlawful refusal to bargain with organized drivers and warehouse workers.

If Musk Blocking a Key Spending Bill Isn’t Oligarchy, I Don’t Know What Is

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/musk-government-shutdown

It's called Working-Class Freedom!

If Musk Blocking a Key Spending Bill Isn’t Oligarchy, I Don’t Know What Is | Common Dreams

You may not get access to services you depend on just before the holidays because an unelected billionaire shadow president wanted it that way.

#elonald

Elonald Mudump.

Senator Chris Murphy outlines Trump’s plans to undermine Democracy as have already begun

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/chris-murphy-donald-trump-democracy-b2667325.html

Democratic senator says Trump’s plans to undermine democracy have already begun

‘If you have a family at home, are you really going to stand up to Trump if there’s a chance you could end up in jail?’ Chris Murphy asks

No, Brian Thompson Was Not a “Working-Class Hero”

https://jacobin.com/2024/12/thompson-unitedhealthcare-working-class-hero

No, Brian Thompson Wasn’t a “Working-Class Hero”

Commentators like the New York Times’ Bret Stephens have called slain CEO Brian Thompson a “working-class hero.” You don’t have to condone murder to see through that ridiculous claim about a man who was at the helm of a legalized extortion racket.