Baileys Harbor, WI
Joined February 2009
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Andrew Crain retweeted
Muslim Brotherhood historically isn't some bad boogeyman btw. It's silly to treat it like it's the Nazi party. It has long been a mass organization including millions of Egyptians and Muslims elsewhere. Those from its tradition both on to become murderous terrorists and... governing parties in Turkey, Morocco and... Israel!
Andrew Crain retweeted
Netanyahu supporters seem to be taking advantage of @Brett_McGurk’s book and interviews to claim vindication for Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza. But while Brett’s front-row account is valuable, that doesn’t mean it is definitive or its perspectives widely shared—including among former members of the Biden administration.
I would say most of my former colleagues think that President Biden should have put more pressure on Israel to conduct the war differently and end it sooner, and few think that the biggest mistake Biden made was to show daylight with Israel. And even Brett’s account makes clear that hostages were not the top priority for Netanyahu and that when U.S. pressure actually was applied—as after the World Central Kitchen strike—it worked.
Brett tells the story of the Biden phone call after that tragedy, but not the story of how Biden called Netanyahu on July 4, 2024 to press him to conclude the hostage deal after Hamas had finally accepted the basic framework, dropping its demand that Israel commit to a permanent ceasefire before any hostages were released. Netanyahu instead added so many of his own conditions—against the advice of his own security chiefs—that the deal became impossible for another six months, during which nearly 9,000 more Palestinians were killed and more Israeli hostages died, including the six that Hamas executed in August. The Israeli changes included a demand that Israel retain forces along Gaza’s entire border with Egypt, which the IDF had seized only after the original proposal, and a new enforcement mechanism to screen Gazans who were returning home to the north which would have required Israeli troops to remain in central Gaza. Both of those new conditions were dropped in the deal ultimately concluded in January 2025.
Nothing in the book or elsewhere changes the reality that October 7 happened on Netanyahu’s watch; that he prioritized “total victory” and the maintenance of his coalition over a hostage deal or an end of the war; that his conduct of the war and management of its humanitarian consequences catastrophic; that it has left Israel more isolated and insecure; and that it has deeply damaged, perhaps irreparably, Israel’s relationship with the United States—which should have done more to change Israel’s conduct rather than enable it. There was never an easy way forward in Gaza, but no version of the story vindicates Netanyahu.
Andrew Crain retweeted
Fun Fact: More women have credibly accused Donald Trump of sexual assault than non-citizens have voted in federal elections
Andrew Crain retweeted
Hitler and other top Nazis inspect a scale model of a planned triumphal arch in Berlin, circa 1939.
Andrew Crain retweeted
I was given my name by the Iroquois Nation many hundreds of years ago. By 1660 my name was printed on maps by the Europeans as they accepted the Native name which means Beautiful waters.
In 1867 the Canadian government decided to use my name for their providence.
Andrew Crain retweeted
Descendiente directo del emperador Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, fundador de la dinastía Ming.
Ingeniero electricista.
Superó dos purgas maoístas por ser considerado un "derechista".
Racionalizó el sistema tributario chino: creó administraciones fiscales separadas a nivel nacional y local, estandarizó la distribución de la recaudación entre el gobierno central y las provincias, unificó los principales regímenes impositivos internos y reemplazó el laberíntico sistema de impuestos sobre productos y sobre la facturación por un IVA del 17% para la mayoría de los bienes y un impuesto sobre la facturación del 3 al 5% para la mayoría de los servicios.
Devaluó la moneda un 33%, unificando el tipo de cambio al nivel de mercado.
Doblegó la inflación, bajándola del 25% en octubre de 1994 al 8% en diciembre de 1995, mientras mantenía un crecimiento del PIB real de dos dígitos.
Reformó el Banco Popular de China siguiendo la estructura del sistema de la Reserva Federal, tras estudiar la Fed y reunirse en reiteradas ocasiones con Alan Greenspan. Abolió las sucursales provinciales y pasó a un modelo regional, rompiendo así la injerencia de los jefes partidarios provinciales sobre el sistema crediticio.
Mantuvo la paridad fija con el dólar durante la crisis financiera asiática.
Separó el financiamiento del desarrollo de la banca comercial, fundando el Banco de Desarrollo de China, el Banco de Desarrollo Agrícola y el Banco de Exportación e Importación.
Saneó el sistema bancario creando cuatro Sociedades Administradoras de Activos para quitar 1,4 billones de RMB en préstamos improductivos de los balances de los cuatro grandes bancos, preparándolos para cotizar en bolsa.
Impuso restricciones presupuestarias estrictas al resto del sistema financiero, cerrando cientos de empresas financieras de fideicomiso y bancos clandestinos bajo control local, y permitiendo la quiebra de la Guangdong International Trust and Investment Corporation.
Reestructuró, privatizó o liquidó decenas de miles de empresas estatales, despidiendo a 30 millones de trabajadores (alrededor de una cuarta parte de la fuerza laboral estatal) y desmantelando el "cuenco de arroz de hierro", sistema por el cual las empresas públicas garantizaban empleo de por vida, vivienda, salud y educación a los trabajadores.
Escindió los activos más valiosos de las principales empresas estatales y los hizo cotizar en las bolsas de Hong Kong, Nueva York y Shanghái para imponer transparencia y disciplina de mercado.
En conjunto con Jiang Zemin, obligó al Ejército Popular de Liberación, a la Policía Armada y al aparato de seguridad pública a desprenderse de sus imperios comerciales multimillonarios, reduciendo de forma drástica las oportunidades para la corrupción.
Reorganizó el Estado: abolió la vieja administración industrial de estilo soviético, redujo el personal del Consejo de Estado a la mitad, disminuyó sus departamentos de 40 a 29, eliminó los ministerios que gestionaban industrias de forma directa y orientó al Estado hacia un rol regulador en lugar de uno empresarial. En última instancia, eliminó más de un millón de puestos administrativos en todo el aparato del Partido-Estado.
Vendió las viviendas estatales a los inquilinos a precios preferenciales, dando inicio formal al mercado inmobiliario residencial masivo en China.
Inició un programa gigante de inversión en infraestructura.
Impulsó personalmente el ingreso de China a la OMC, asumiendo grandes riesgos políticos en las negociaciones con Estados Unidos y haciendo las concesiones de apertura de mercado que finalmente permitieron el acuerdo bilateral de 1999 y la adhesión de China en 2001.
"Preparen 100 ataúdes: noventa y nueve para los funcionarios corruptos y uno para mí".
Q.E.P.D. Zhu Rongji.
Andrew Crain retweeted
The anger at Democrats for their fecklessness while Trump and Republicans systematically destroy the country is understandable, but it’s worth remembering that in the brief time they had a narrow majority over the past fee years, they actually got a whole lot of important stuff done!
— American Rescue Plan Act (COVID relief, stimulus checks, expanded child tax credit, unemployment aid, state/local funding)
— Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act / Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (roads, bridges, broadband, water, transit, airports)
— CHIPS and Science Act (semiconductor manufacturing subsidies, R&D, tech competitiveness)
— Inflation Reduction Act (climate/clean energy investments and tax credits, Medicare drug price negotiation, ACA subsidy extensions, corporate minimum tax)
— Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (gun background checks for under-21, mental health funding, domestic violence firearm restrictions)
— PACT Act (expanded veterans’ benefits and health care for toxic exposures including burn pits)
— Respect for Marriage Act (codifies federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages)
— Violence Against Women Act reauthorization
— COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act
— Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act
— Juneteenth National Independence Day Act
— Electoral Count Reform Act (updates presidential election certification process, part of omnibus)
— Fiscal Responsibility Act (debt ceiling increase with spending caps)
— Social Security Fairness Act (ends windfall elimination provision and government pension offset for certain public workers)
— Creation of ARPA-H (advanced biomedical research agency)
— MAT Act (expands opioid use disorder treatment access)
You could add:
— The Biden administration also pushed for bipartisan immigration reform and border security legislation, but the effort was blocked by Republicans.
— The administration’s original Build Back Better agenda would have expanded the Child Tax Credit, lowered child care and prescription drug costs, expanded health coverage, funded universal pre-K, invested in affordable housing and clean energy, and more—but was ultimately blocked because of every Republican and a couple Democratic senators who have since been booted from Congress—though portions were later enacted through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Andrew Crain retweeted
No, the opposite my friend. More than 85% of all Covid deaths occurred among the unvaccinated, with many of those deaths sadly before vaccines became available in 2021. But in addition at least 200,000, possibly 300,000 died because they refused vaccines after they were made available. Most of those deaths from vaccine refusal occurred with delta and BA.1 omicron waves in 2021-22
Andrew Crain retweeted
Pope Leo XIV says that the Catholic Church’s teaching on sexual ethics must be less prioritized over “greater, more important issues.”
“We tend to think that when the Church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual. And in reality, I believe there are much greater, more important issues, such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion, that would all take priority before that particular issue.”
Andrew Crain retweeted
It’s that time of the year for my least favorite cultural tradition in our country — grown ass adults uttering this statement:
“LGBTQ people get an entire month but veterans don’t.”
I’m being generous in that sentence construction; it’s typically said with far less grace and humanity.
I’m a veteran. I’m a proud veteran.
I’m also queer and proudly so.
Every June, I celebrate Pride. Every November, I celebrate veterans.
Because veterans do, in fact, have an entire month. It’s November. It is every November. Every November is National Veterans and Military Families Month.
Have I sufficiently made clear the existence of a monthlong observance in honor of our nation’s veterans, particularly to folks who, apparently, are also not aware of the existence of Google?
We’re not done. We’re not close to being done.
Every April is Month of the Military Child.
Every May is National Military Appreciation Month and Month of the Military Caregiver.
We’re still not close to being done.
There are the military branch and component birthdays/observances: Army (June 14th), Army Reserve (April 23rd), Navy (Oct. 13th), Navy Reserve (March 3rd), Air Force (Sept. 18th) Air Force Reserve (April 14th), Marine Corps (Nov. 10th), Marine Corps Reserve (Aug. 29th), Coast Guard (Aug. 4th), Coast Guard Auxiliary (June 23rd), National Guard (Dec. 13th), and Civil Air Patrol (Dec. 1st).
There are the various days specifically honoring military families, caregivers, and surviving loved ones: Gold Star Spouses Day (April 5th), National Military Brats Day (April 30th), Military Spouse Appreciation Day (Friday before Mothers Day), Children of Fallen Patriots Day (May 13th), Gold Star Mother’s Day (last Sunday in September), National Day of the Deployed (Oct. 26th), and—because families carry the greatest burden here, I’ll include it in this section—National POW/MIA Recognition Day (third Friday in September).
Then there are are the days honoring those who earned specific military decorations: National Medal of Honor Day (March 25th), Silver Star Service Banner Day (May 1st), and National Purple Heart Day (Aug. 7th).
And also the days honoring specific groups of veterans and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice: K-9 Veterans Day (March 13th), National Vietnam War Veterans Day (March 29th), National Former POW Recognition Day (April 9th), V-E Day (May 8th), Women Veterans Day (June 12th), National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day (July 27th), National Buffalo Soldiers Day (July 28th), Agent Orange Awareness Day (Aug. 10th), Navajo Code Talkers Day (Aug. 14th), V-J Day (Sept. 2nd), and National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (Dec. 7th).
Outside of those distinct categories, there are some others: Four Chaplins Day (Feb. 3rd), USO Birthday (Feb. 4th), National Salute to Veteran Patients (week of Feb. 12th), Seabee Birthday (March 5th), American Legion Birthday (March 15th), National Rosie the Riveter Day (March 21st), National Hire a Veteran Day (July 25th), Department of Defense Birthday (Aug. 10th), National Airborne Day (Aug. 16th), Veterans of Foreign Wars Day (Sept. 29th), and Wreaths Across America Day (Dec. 18th).
Oh, and Armed Forces Day (May 20th), which falls at the end of Armed Forces Week (which begins on May 13th).
I hope I didn’t miss any? Just kidding!
I did, in fact, intentionally exclude the Big Three, out of curiosity to see how many folks wouldn’t notice: Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Veterans Day (Nov. 11th), and, you know, Independence Day.
At least 120 days on the American calendar are dedicated to honoring our fallen service members, our military, our veterans, and their families.
That’s about a third of the full year.
I think that’s great. I think that’s necessary. Our military, our veterans, and their families deserve that recognition.
I also think that’s ironic given how much our military, our veterans, and their families are left behind in this country when it comes to health care, housing, education, and so many other areas which it seems Donald Trump and the Republican Party willfully ignore and/or intentionally worsen.
Trump and the GOP ignore the fact that we have Active Duty service members and their families who qualify for food stamps — and use them. Because they lack appropriate compensation.
They ignore that military families, for some strange goddamn reason, in the richest country in the world, have to pay partially out-of-pocket for childcare on military bases.
They ignore that there are six million military caregivers in our country—loved ones who directly care for veterans with service-connected disabilities—and struggle to provide necessary support that the VA should be entirely covering — but isn’t.
They ignore that that the VA is ludicrously under-resourced and struggling to provide necessary, lifesaving support for veterans and their families.
They ignore the personal, direct consequences of sending our military into stupid, unnecessary wars—the struggle and incalculable loss experienced by our troops being killed or severely wounded in these wars—because the lives and livelihoods of our service members and their families never rank on the list of priorities for Trump and the Republican Party.
They aggressively pursue a clear agenda—openly set by Trump and Hegseth—to purge officers from the top ranks of our military because they are not white men.
Need I remind on the long history of Trump denigrating our fallen service members?
It is clearly evident that Donald Trump is overseeing the most anti-military presidential administration in American history, and that doesn’t need more than a few moments of good faith reflection to consider. It’s obvious.
Our military, our veterans, and their families are thought by Trump and his cronies to be little more than props in service to his flaming narcissism.
Even their performative antics are openly shameless: “inviting” Active Duty service members to that UFC event being hosted on the White House lawn but refusing to pay for travel and lodging. Oh, and no family members. Oh, and don’t be overweight. Oh, and you have to wear your uniform.
Treated. Like. Props.
Maybe we need a National Lip Service to Military Appreciation Day, recognizing politicians and their supporters who only seem to care about our military, our veterans, and their families when they can their service can be cynically exploited as a cudgel against people that Trump and the GOP hate.
The past 18 months have seen members of the military and veterans who are women, Black, Latino, APPI, and LGBTQ broadly erased from any recognition by the Trump Administration and the Department of Defense specifically. Who doesn’t remember the government website purges touted by Trump and his cronies?
Last year, thousands of transgender service members and their families were kicked out, their lives uprooted, their service cruelly degraded, their characters slandered, all because of a senseless and bigoted policy created to placate anti-trans extremists, signed by a coward who avoided military service.
I’m proud of my service and grateful to all who have served and their families, and there’s plenty of time throughout the year to express that.
June is all for LGBTQ people, veterans and non-veterans alike.
Before you’re eager to offer a ridiculous comparison in recognition between veterans and LGBTQ Americans, I’d encourage at least a tiny bit of effort toward research and understanding regarding our military, our veterans, and their families.
It’s not difficult.
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Link to full essay available here for easier sharing: charlotteclymer.substack.com…
Andrew Crain retweeted
Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in America.
He embodies the broken system we’re running against.
It’s time to come together: The People vs. Ken Paxton
Andrew Crain retweeted
“Calling Trump a fascist incites political violence”
Here’s a compilation of Trump calling his opponents fascists
Andrew Crain retweeted
LGBTQ kids, including transgender and gender nonconforming kids, deserve our love, respect, and support just like any other kid.
I will always be proud to stand with them.
lgbtqnation.com/2026/04/demo…
Andrew Crain retweeted
While our wonderful president was out playing golf all day, the TSA is falling apart, just like our government! Airports a total disaster!