Join Open Primaries' End of Year Review

 

Tomorrow, 17 December 2024 at 3 pm, Open Primaries will hold its last discussion of 2024, reviewing what was accomplished and learned this year.

Description:

 

In 2024, our movement saw 8 open primary initiatives on the 2024 ballot across the country. Millions of voters voted for open primaries, and 2 campaigns garnered enough votes to win (Washington DC & Alaska).

In poll after poll, open primaries consistently get 70%+ of the public’s support but translating that support into votes is not automatic. It takes work -- a lot of work. Both parties oppose us and they’ve become experts at sowing doubt among voters.

Our final Primary Buzz Discussion of the year will be a deep dive into where we are right now as a movement: what’s working? What’s not? How can we effectively grow in 2025 to set us up for success in 2026?

On Tuesday, December 17th at 3pm EST, Open Primaries President John Opdycke will interview Lisa Rice, Juli Lucky, Sarah Smallhouse & Chuck Coughlin. Get ready for an unfiltered conversation on how the open primaries movement fared in 2024. 

Register here: https://openprimaries.org/virtual-discussions-series/

Puberty Blocker Findings Withheld

 

Political interference with science: a paper on puberty blockers is withheld because it doesn't support the researchers' assumptions, and one of the leaders of the research lies about the baseline data in an attempt to cover this up. The link here should go to the relevant part of Dark Horse podcast #249.

https://fstube.net/w/iKubrQfxaj97WuZuQ8rf9V

 

It should come as no surprise that a scientist who would withhold her own findings for political reasons is now being sued for malpractice by Kaya Clementine Breen, a former patient who says her main aim is to “help dismantle the rumor that no one is ever fast-tracked into gender treatments": https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/ucla-student-sues-california-doctors-says-was-fast-tracked-transgender-rcna183815

 

Such political interference with scientific integrity also operates on the level of policy-setting by professional organizations, as was demonstrated by sexologist Dr. James Cantor in his paper "American Academy of Pediatrics and trans- kids: Fact-checking Rafferty (2018)."

 

Actions like Breen's are exactly the right way to confront this issue. Rather than fall back on authoritarian measures like age restrictions, simply require professionals to actually conduct the careful, comprehensive evaluation they were trained to do -- and eliminate any obstacles to accountability such as liability caps and statutes of limitations.

 

 

The Interested Party Behind the Nobelists' Letter

"It should be evident that science, like everything else, has a political economy. And in the case of 'biodefense' — read: biowarfare — the corruption is off the charts." In his latest Substack post, Sam Husseini shows that concern for public health isn't the motive for this letter -- which a critically minded person should already have suspected just based on the fact that many of the signatories' prizes weren't even in medicine or physiology, the only area where their expertise would be relevant to the merits of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s appointment.

In fairness to the signatories, I should point out that their behavior is likely just the product of normal processes of social influence rather than conscious corruption.

https://husseini.substack.com/p/are-75-nobel-prize-winners-all-grifters

Born on this Day: Flamenco Singer José Monje Cruz

 

José Monje Cruz (5 December 1950 – 2 July 1992), better known by his stage name Camarón de la Isla, was a Spanish Romani flamenco singer. Considered one of the all-time greatest flamenco singers, he was noted for his collaborations with Paco de Lucía and Tomatito, and the three of them were of major importance to the revival of flamenco in the second half of the 20th century. Many consider Camarón to be the single most popular and influential flamenco cantaor (singer) of the modern period.

The above information comes from Newgon. In the book Positive Memories we read:

"In 1976 he married a gypsy girl, Dolores Montoya, whom he nicknamed La Chispa (the Spark). He had first met the girl about a decade before and he asked for her hand in marriage when she was only fourteen. Together they had four children. [...] The Reportaje de TV del entierro de Camarón (TV Report on Camerón's funeral) consists of a video about Camerón, his funeral, and La Chispa. In it she says that he was 'a very good person and a very good husband and artist.' [...] La Chispa also used to visit (or still visits) his grave for years after his funeral."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10wxc1Fou9g

Independent Pennsylvanians' December Statewide Meeting Is Coming Up

 

The announcement:

Monday December 9th at 7 pm

2024 in review & What's next in 2025

Our monthly statewide meetings are welcoming and friendly discussions, where we explore and strategize how WE can strengthen the power of Pennsylvania's 1.2 million independents & make our election system fair, open and democratic. 
Let's change the culture of how we do and talk about politics

Register here: https://independentpa.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=63f7d4230a13b61729c735a5f&id=2acf4e9d1d&e=26ba9583aa

 

 

 

Virtual Update on the Campaign to Exonerate Ethel

This important announcement from the Rosenberg Fund for Children:

 

 

This Saturday, December 7th, you're invited to join Rosenberg Fund for Children Founder, Robert Meeropol, and Executive Director, Jennifer Meeropol, for a virtual discussion about the recently relaunched campaign to Exonerate Ethel. This event is hosted by the World Fellowship Center.

Ethel Rosenberg (Robert's mother and Jennifer's grandmother) was accused of spying for the Soviet Union and, in 1953 at the height of the McCarthy era, was executed alongside her husband, Julius. Her sons have worked for decades to prove that their mother never spied, securing the release of hundreds of thousands of pages of previously secret files. The most recent includes a bombshell memo, written by a top U.S. codebreaker who decrypted secret Soviet communications, dated three years before Ethel's execution, confirming that the U.S. government knew she was not a spy; yet the government allowed her execution to go forth anyway knowing her conviction was wrongful.

History must be corrected, Ethel's good name must be cleared, and what happened to her and her family must never be allowed to happen again. This is why Ethel's sons, together with the Rosenberg Fund for Children, have relaunched this campaign to ask Biden to Exonerate Ethel before he leaves office.

 

Program Details

Date: Sat., Dec 7th at 10:30am (eastern) About: Join RFC Founder Robert Meeropol and RFC Executive Director Jenn Meeropol for a virtual program about the ongoing campaign to call on President Biden to exonerate Ethel Rosenberg. This program will have time for Q&A and will conclude with a discussion of lessons learned from intergenerational organizing. This event is free and open to the public. Please register to receive the login information.

Ideological and Political Bias in Psychology

I just acquired this book today. I'm sure it will make fascinating and timely reading.

https://libgen.is/book/index.php?md5=1D358EDAB831FFC5520B17AC1671B514

The Social Function of Sexual Suppression (Quote of the Day)

 

Quote from Wilhelm Reich on the social function of sexual suppression

               https://platypus1917.org/wp-content/uploads/readings/reichwilhelm_fascistpsychology.pdf

Research Shows Scott Lilienfeld Was Right About DEI

Controlled laboratory experiments show that materials used in typical DEI programs strongly increase propensities for prejudice and authoritarianism, in direct contradiction to their stated purpose, as discussed in this recent segment of The Jimmy Dore Show: 

https://fstube.net/w/k2EQCGGmP25Ke8CgMcQziP

This is exactly what Scott Lilienfeld warned about in his paper "Microaggressions: Strong Claims, Inadequate Evidence," which, along with his earlier protests against politicians' pandering to popular prejudice in reaction to the Rind et Al. metanalysis, is what inspired me to nominate him for the Unity 2020 presidential ticket.