That’s really interesting that they don’t take political stances, yet why was it such a necessity for them to go out of their way and deliver their food to IOF troops and support their work? That must have been okayed by corporate because it was on a ton of media outlets. Seems pretty political to me.

Excellent rabbit hole of posts! Thank you, friend!

When you get around to HZD, the DLC Frozen Wilds and Horizon: Forbidden West are highly recommended. I’m halfway through the second and it’s so amazing.

They should have just taken the chance to detain him there, but no one seems to care because there’s too much powerful support for genocide in the West.

I love the point made about grassroots movements already doing good work for the community, and the entities controlling public land won’t allow tax payers to allocate a portion of public lands for planting. There should be a checklist of approved stuff you can plant, managed by the municipality, and that checklist should be available in multiple languages. I understand you shouldn’t just be able to plant whatever (if not food, then no non-native/invasive species), and there shouldn’t be harmful pesticide use to some extent, but given the amount of people living in food apartheids with no access to fresh produce, it seems like the least effort, humane thing to allow.

The industry’s lobby is so pervasive that any regulation will be fought, no matter how small. I don’t know what it’s going to take to face the numerous harms that we have to address when it comes to cars and driving, but if the industry and regulators won’t care about human health and environmental harms, it’s just going to keep being bad.

Hilariously, I have about the same number saved. It’s all kinds of places that I’ve been, want to go to, or just want to keep saved as reference, from all over the world. They just kinda built up over the years and I’m thankful for this thread because I want to make the switch.

This is the way.

Hear hear!

So glad someone other than me is pointing this out!

Moving past feeling “lucky” to be able to pursue my desires in life, I can’t help but feel shame when I reflect on the multitude of reasons why Afghanistan has deteriorated to this state. Yet another tragic victim of foreign invasion and meddling, of which my country is complicit.

I really appreciate your points and this comparison, but the pictures are giving me Attack on Titan vibes lol

Such a good blog post. It covers so much important information in an entertainingly snarky tone.

I’m such a major fan of the FTC and Chair Khan right now. This is spot on.

It’s always disturbing to see the influence that money has on information flow. Kudos to Bianca Graulau for having immense journalistic integrity and not backing down on sharing this story!

This comment isn’t helpful, but I really love Demon’s Tilt. I appreciate this post and the suggestions here!

It surely is a big deal. You’re ignoring the “having to find another place to live” part. When you have no place to go and no plan or agreement in place to be somewhere else, it can feel very isolating and hopeless because you lack stability. If you’re low income, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or disabled, good luck finding a place easily. The article itself even mentions that there was higher competition for rentals nearby after a severe weather catastrophe.

Sure, as a homeowner you have to eat the cost of repairs, and often times you’re required to carry insurance on a property, so there’s some coverage and help there, but you can literally pitch a tent on the land and not be bothered or kicked out because you literally own it. Not so easy for a renter.

The fact that so many international companies have decided to side with a major aggressor during this terrible event in history is one of the most awful things I didn’t expect to witness. We all know that big business and money shapes world politics, but damn… This is straight up horrible. It could be any of us for any reason moving forward.

There is a procedure in place for granting permits to industry like this in every state. In New York, for example, when a potential site is selected, the business must apply for the permit to build and goes through a process of reviewing environmental and human harms in the area based on their operations. They are also required to notify residents and hold public participation events to ensure residents can ask questions about the development. “Good neighbor laws” are sorely needed in Texas, but the state would never allow that cause there’s no money to be made in protecting the people and the planet.

Same, and so many others I know share this sentiment. We’re working on it by advocating for a just, equitable, and overall better world. Keep spreading this message!