HISTORY KNOWS

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1. HISTORY KNOWS

If you read no further in this newsletter, at least read this article. It is superb. "But at the time people don’t realize they’re embarking on a route that will lead to a destruction period. They think they’re right, they’re cheered on by jeering angry mobs, their critics are mocked. This cycle, the one we saw for example from the Treaty of Versaille, to the rise of Hitler, to the Second World War, appears to be happening again. But as with before, most people cannot see it because: 1. They are only looking at the present, not the past or future; 2. They are only looking immediately around them, not at how events connect globally; and 3. Most people don’t read, think, challenge or hear opposing views. What can we do? Well, looking back, probably not much. The liberal intellectuals are in the minority. The people who see that open societies, being nice to other people, not being racist, not fighting wars, is a better way to live, they generally end up losing these fights. They don’t fight dirty." From Huffington Post - History tells us what may happen next with Brexit & Trump

2. IN DEFENSE OF A GOLD STAR FAMILY

"For anyone to compare their ‘sacrifice’ to a Gold Star family member is insulting, foolish and ignorant. Especially someone who has never served himself and has no children serving. Our country has been at war for a decade and a half, and the truth is most Americans have sacrificed nothing. Most of them are smart and grounded enough to admit it.” From WaPo - Trump stirs outrage after he lashes out at the Muslim parents of a dead U.S. soldier

+ The "sacrifice" of creating jobs (is that a sacrifice?) pales in comparison to giving your life in defense of your country. "He [CPT Kahn] said, 'Mom, these are my soldiers, these are my people. I have to take care of them.' He was killed by a car bomber outside the gates of his base. He died trying to save his soldiers and innocent civilians." From WaPo - Ghazala Khan: Trump criticized my silence. He knows nothing about true sacrifice

+ "'This is my country, too,' he [Khizr Khan] said, adding that Trump 'lacks understanding,' that most Muslims are victims of terrorism, not perpetrators — and they condemn it. 'He lacks awareness of these issues. He doesn’t realize there are patriotic Muslim Americans in this country willing to lay their lives for this country. We are a testament to that.'" From WaPo - Khizr Khan responds to the latest from Trump: ‘Typical of a person without a soul’

+ "Let’s be very clear about what Trump is doing here: as ABC wrote, he’s suggesting 'Khan’s wife didn’t speak because she was forbidden to as a Muslim.' This is bullshit. It is flatly, verifiably, false. But that’s almost beside the point." From Vox - Donald Trump’s slander of Captain Humayun Khan’s family is horrifying, even for Trump

3. IT WILL GET WORSE

From NYT - D.N.C. Hack Raises a Frightening Question: What’s Next?

+ From WaPo - FBI probes suspected breach of another Democratic organization by Russian hackers

+ "But it unfolds, still, if not according to Russia’s design, then according to Russia’s will. Trump is now a national security risk, actively rooting for a foreign adversary to tamper with an American election. And very soon, he will start receiving classified briefings on that adversary. Ehhhhhcellent!" From NYT - The Real Plot Against America

+ Zero Days is a fascinating documentary on the Stuxnet virus and potential impacts of cyber warfare

4. UP IN THE AIR

This is nuts. Watch the video. From AP - Skydiver becomes first person to jump and land without chute

+ This is tragic. From WaPo - No survivors after Texas hot air balloon crashes with 16 on board

5. SUMMER, SUMMER, SUMMERTIME

"I got this feeling inside my bones..." or maybe not. "So here we are. Where’s the tune? Don’t say 'Can’t Stop the Feeling!' Don’t say Sia’s 'Cheap Thrills.' Please don’t say Drake’s 'One Dance.' Yes, those hits have each risen to the peak of Billboard’s singles chart this summer, but none of them have risen to the moment. How could they? The moment is a monster, and I feel like it’s turning our listening inside out. Instead of the radio altering how we experience the summer, the summer is altering how we experience the radio. There is no song of the summer; just a summer littered with songs." From WaPo - There is no song of the summer

BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Meet the Designer Behind Cinema’s Most Iconic Movie Titles
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- How many more times can Falluja be "recaptured"?

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