Maeve @acrata@anarchism.space

Famous French former Prime Minister Guizot: "What was formerly democracy would now be anarchy; the democratic spirit is now and long will be nothing but the revolutionary spirit". Excellent slogan for the US Republican Party.

Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, #Thailand's first #Transgender MP, and supporter of Democracy, has been thrown out of that nation's legislature by the Constitutional Court. She had first been elected as a member of the Future Forward Party, which was banned by the Constitutional Court, then joined the Moving Forward Party. https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/10/29/thailand-trans-mp-tanwarin-sukkhapisit-loses-seat-parliament-democracy/

Evangelical (by the US definition) Christians (by a very low bar definition) viewing #Trump as 'the imperfect vessel for God's Will'. I regard this as an attempt to place a scriptural veil over the #racism, #homophobia and #misogyny that drives the Christian right https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/11/donald-trump-evangelical-christians-cyrus-king

#Canada, #UK and #US agree that the #Ukraine airliner that crashed in #Iran killing all 76 aboard was shot down by an Iranian missile, possibly in error https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/09/politics/is-iran-ukraine-plane/index.html

#Thailand is moving closer to being listed by the US as a currency manipulator, due to the present trade surplus of $20.05 billion. The surging THB has been moderating over the last few days, trading today at 30.3530 to the USD https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/1831214/thailand-moves-closer-to-us-currency-watchlist

Construction has been completed for #Bangkok's #MRT (light rail) Blue Line loop, trial running of the extension to continue until March https://www.railwaygazette.com/transport-and-mobility-projects/bangkok-blue-line-loop-completed/55482.article

Current Secretary of State #Pompeo says he will not resign and run for the open #Kansas Senate seat, throwing the #gop into disarray, as the default gop candidate is now Kris Kobach, whom everyone in the party hates. The presumed Democrat candidate was a Republican until 2018. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/07/politics/mike-pompeo-kansas-senate-mcconnell/index.html

US House Speaker #Pelosi announces a war powers resolution restricting #Trump's ability to wage war on #Iran. A similar resolution was put forward by Tim Kaine (D-VA) in the Senate. But Trump has defied the Congress so often, why would this time be different https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/pelosi-announces-war-powers-resolution-tensions-iran-escalate-n1111041

#Venezuela announces the election of a new congress leader, displacing Guaido, whom many view as a US asset. The anti- #Maduro block denounces the move as illegal, as a quorum did not exist, calls the election a "parliamentary coup" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics/venezuela-government-announces-new-congress-leader-opposition-denounces-fraud-idUSKBN1Z40J4

#Bangkok enters the list of 50 most expensive world cities, and residents are feeling hard pressed by rising prices. The linked article focuses on accommodation (rent) and transportation costs. Bangkok is choking on auto emissions, so drastically reducing fares on light rail might be in order. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/1829034/folk-in-capital-struggling-to-stay-afloat

100000+ Cambridge Analytica documents released into the wild, documenting the defunct corporation's activities in 68 countries. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/04/cambridge-analytica-data-leak-global-election-manipulation

Chances for restoration of devolved government in N. #Ireland seem dim, as #DUP draws a line in the sand over the Irish Language Act, and Sinn Fein upholds it history in demanding the implementation of the act. The Torygraph accuses Sinn Fein, ofc https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-50978082

#Thailand's Finance minister says that policy makers still have "monetary and fiscal policy space" to reign in the #THB, but for some reason, this is not the time. As a side note, it's almost amusing the US is considering listing Thailand as a currency manipulator, when its attempts to manipulate in favor of the USD have failed. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1828439/policymakers-weigh-baht-options

#Forex analysts predict the value of the #USD will continue to slide, as the blossoming (heh) of trade peace w/ #China makes the "safe-haven" case unconvincing. There are, ofc, some analysts who beg to differ. https://www.straitstimes.com/business/us-currency-expected-to-extend-losses

US #abortion rights: 39 Senators and 168 members of the House join an amicus brief, asking the #SCOTUS to reconsider or to repeal outright Roe v Wade. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/02/politics/read-lawmakers-filing-to-supreme-court-roe-v-wade/index.html

I'll be shifting my #mastodon presence to my account @maeve, so I invite you to follow that account, if you are of a mind to do so.

#Virginia legislators are so confident that the #ERA will pass, they are planning for celebrations. If it does, Va becomes the critical 38th state to do so, but the original law for the ERA imposed a time limit which has expired https://wtop.com/virginia/2020/01/lawmakers-pledge-era-will-pass-in-virginia-then-what/

#Israel PM #Netanyahu asks the #Knesset (the legislature) for a grant of immunity against charges of corruption, saying he plans to lead the country "for many years to come" https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/01/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-immunity-request/index.html

Speculation of an #AOC presidential candidacy at some future date, she does not yet meet the minimum age requirement. A hard row to hoe, in the present state of the Democratic Party https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/27/aoc-president-sanders-089617