CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE 101
RE: "Ask a Militia Patriot Occupying a Federal Bird Sanctuary" [New Column!, Jan 6], our new advice column by Ross "Thunderbuck" Johnson, American Patriot.
Okay, cute... but please tell me the difference between these assholes and the ones you really loved during Occupy?
posted by frankieb
There is really only one material difference. It isn't the demographics or the nature of the cause, as that is immaterial. The line between appropriate civil disobedience and inappropriate civil disobedience is pretty clearly crossed when the group is toting assault rifles and putting snipers in towers.
posted by Demondog
THAT'S ALL, FOLKS
RE: "Suffering Through The Revenant" [Film, Jan 6], our review of the latest film from Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Comparisons to Looney Tunes? There was nothing comical about any of this, and never once did I feel like the director was using tricks. It's so sad that we are so inundated and saturated with irony and self-involvement that people can't enjoy a masterpiece. People want to feel smart, and they hate it when a movie comes along that makes them feel anything other than smug.
posted by montywolfe
DRIVING DEBATE
RE: "Portlanders Just Showed Up for a Homeless Resident Who Wants to Be a Cabbie" [Blogtown, Jan 8], about a successful crowdfunding campaign to help a homeless man pay the fees required to become a licensed taxi driver in Portland.
With all the fees and barriers imposed by the city that strangle competition and hinder employees from hiring more people, I would think you guys would be celebrating the ride-sharing model. But that wouldn't fit neatly into the state-worshipping narrative.
posted by Spindles
Spindles, my understanding is that the non-ridesharing model offers certain little protections like workers' comp, unemployment, health insurance, and other whimsical stuff championed by the labor movement.
posted by Margot Black
Whatever Uber and Lyft are doing, it ain't ride-sharing. It's carpetbagging, and if you believe otherwise, you're allowing yourself to be lied to. The only thing Uber and Lyft drivers are sharing is risks for their [corporations]. It isn't so much a ride-sharing model as it's a "be a cab driver for next to no additional cost but all the additional risk."
posted by Samuel John Klein
LANDLORDS VS. RENTERS
RE: "Update: Activists Might Won't Rally Tomorrow: 73-Year-Old Man Can Stay in His Home" [Blogtown, Jan 7], about a proposed rally over a no-cause eviction issued to a man who'd lived in his apartment for more than three decades.
The relationship between landlords and renters is not symmetric, which is why renters need extra protections. Housing is a human right, and our laws and practices need to reflect that.
posted by Chris Bergsten
WORD ON THE STREET
RE: "Day Storage for the Homeless: Coming Next Week Beneath the Steel Bridge" [Blogtown, Jan 7], about the city's experiment with offering secure storage for the homeless population.
It is important to involve the houseless as much as possible in these pilot projects.... The storage of belongings is great, but the timeline should be extended, and the hours of operation should be all day and not just a few hours. You have to listen to people who are on the street. This is a tiny step in the right direction.
posted by LONEVET2008
SMART INVESTMENT
RE: "If You Win Saturday's Powerball Jackpot, Here's What You Could Buy with $800M" [Blogtown, Jan 8], which listed things lottery winners could buy with all that money—like 6,466,000 lap dances at Mary's Club.
I'd buy the Mercury and shut it down.
posted by Totalitariland
God bless you, Totalitariland, for thinking you'd need anywhere near $800 million to buy the Mercury. As thanks, we're giving you two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater. Save your money for a post-movie lap dance at Mary's.
