Surprise! Disney Lucasfilm's new Chinese Communist Party version of Star Wars is a pungent propaganda fart against running dog capitalism
CoRpoRaTIonZ aRE OUr FRenZ, COmradezzz!
Ignore the inelegance of the translation. But due check out the political messaging, which Disney Lucasfilm is using Star Wars' IP value to push on behalf of its Communist Chinese business partners.

Disney Lucasfilm now creating Chinese language Star Wars stories for Chinese market only; stories will not be translated into English
More, from "Disney Star Wars Is Dumb:"

Now that the CCP's pet gerbil has been placed into the U.S. Presidency, and with the possibility of Bob Iger being appointed as ambassador to China, the propagandist possibilities are endless.
James Waugh, VP of Franchise Content & Strategy for Lucasfilm, says that the author of this story will bring very specific Chinese perspectives to the world building. Though it’s likely that James conflates the perspective of the Chinese people with the perspective of the CCP, which are entirely different and separate.
Chen Yang, the Vice President & Chief Editor of China Literature, claims that this effort will show online literature's "inclusiveness." Amusingly however, we already know that this "inclusive" story will feature an exclusively Chinese sector of the galaxy.

CoRpOrAtIoNz ArE oUr FrEnZ

Podcast: Derek Hunter interviews Dave Reaboi about the endgame for the failed American experiment

Woke Media now complaining that uber-woke Doctor (Karen) Who wasn't woke enough, because black people were among the people who suffered violence on the show
We demand representation! (But nothing bad can ever happen to the characters representing us.)
Some black commenters are shouting back at these idiots, telling them to stop their "quest for supreme wokeness"

Dan "Ben Sasse with an eyepatch" Crenshaw says that Trump's rhetoric is responsible for encouraging violence -- forgetting that he released a video portraying himself as a leader of a team of super-soldiers taking over the government
This is the game they have been playing for 100 years. They did the same thing with Sarah Palin's "target" map. "My rhetoric encouraging 'fighting' is just passionate politics. Your rhetoric encouraging 'fighting' is a literal call to violence." Fuck these people, and fuck Dan Crenshaw.
I mean, it's incredible, right?

Arnold Schwarzenegger grips sword from "Conan" as he delivers seven minute rant calling Trump supporters Nazis

Are you a DIY plumber? Check out this (new to me) tool. [dri]

Behind the scenes at the gender-politics-driven civil war at Lucasfilm

@dockaurG
"Lockdown is a luxury of the rich... luxury of the affluent. Lockdown harms the disadvantaged. We have given up looking after the vulnerable. I cannot understand how ppl cannot be sensitive to these issues. Much of the world does not have that privilege"
-Oxford Prof @SunetraGupta

Someone said: There are only lockdowns for the middle class. For everyone else, it's poor people delivering shit to rich people.

Nikki Haley -- Jeb Bush with a UTI* -- started a presidential PAC today. As expected.

@JesseKellyDC
We’re now 3.5 years away from the DC pundit-class being SHOCKED when Nikki Haley gets 5% of the vote in Iowa.

* Yes, I know, technically speaking, Jeb Bush himself is "Jeb Bush with a UTI."

Juanita Broaddrick
@atensnut

I'm officially an Independent.

Lot of that going 'round.

Whoops! Whoopsie! I had meant to link Ethan van Sciver (and Cecil) for the corporations are our frenz material, but I forgot to. The show's worth listening to. Good stuff to put on while you're on the treadmill or etc.

Like a bad rash...
Drift Compatible Podcast

Steven Kruiser: Squish Republican Turncoats are More Vile Than Democrats

The Republicans who like to go begging for favor from the mainstream media will always tell you that they're driven by conscience and deep principles.
That, my friends, is a trainload of hooey.
They're pathetic emotional midgets who are desperate for attention. If they became full-time Democrats, they'd just be one in a big crowd. If they remain Republican, they've got an easy, albeit brief, attention fix. Whenever their fellow Republicans need them, all they have to do is slip a shiv in their backs and they get a pure hit of New York Times love for a few days.
There have been a few Republicans running for cover since the riot at the Capitol. And by "running for cover: I mean "saying whatever the Democrats want you to say."

I agree, mostly, though I don't agree that their defections and betrayals are always due to the need for validation by the only people that matter, aka rich progressives in the media and corporate and government worlds.
The thing is: If you crave validation from one particular socio-political group, in fact, you identify as part of that socio-political group, period.
Bill Kristol doesn't just suck progressive dick only because he wants progressives to buy him a drink and some breath mints afterwards. He sucks progressive dick because he's attracted to progressives and their dicks.
There are a class of "conservatives" who are always scolding conservatives, always betraying conservatives, always jumping at the chance to "tell conservatives some hard truths." These same "conservatives" also are forever pitching "The Conservative Case for [x] Progressive Policy Position.
The reason they do so is not entirely for career advancement and social blandishments. A lot of it is that, but it's not all that.
A lot of it is and always have been something deeper and strong: Their actual group affiliation and loyalty is to their progressive allies.
Families can squabble, but they're still family. The fake "conservatives" have always been members of the progressive family, just having a family squabble over minor things like what the corporate tax rate should be. That's why they always leap to defend their progressive family members' right to speak -- while gleefully supporting their progressive friends taking your right to speak away from you.
You're just allies of temporary convenience. The left is their actual permanent family.
And blood is thicker than corporate tax rates.
Speaking of Dan "Ben Sasse with an eyepatch" Crenshaw...

Story of a Friend of a Friend:
A guy got sick of FaceBook's bullshit, and posted a preliminary good-bye to his FaceBook "friends." The response was a wall of wailing SJWs claiming that it was only his "White privilege" that allowed him the ability to give up "the struggle against Trump's fascist America" by quitting FaceBook.
Unimpressed by these droning NPC's nonarguments, he nuked the account.
"It's only your White Privilege that lets you leave a Boomer media app that grandparents used to spy on their grandkids (not realizing they're all on IG and Snapchat)." Quitting "the struggle" by quitting FaceBook. Hardy-har-har-har-har.
You stupid subliterate NPCs would starve to death if your TVs and phones weren't always blasting your malformed dum-dum brains with fast food commercials.

Liberal-curious RINO Dan Crenshaw -- Ben Sasse with an eyepatch -- rides to the rescue of fellow neoliberal/neocon Liz Cheney
As Spock said to McCoy, "REMEMBER."

Media-Government-GOPe Complex now blaming suicide of a Capitol Hill Police Officer on The Bad Orange Man

Trump's first impeachment vote fell almost entirely along partisan lines. This time, however, several House Republicans voted to move forward against the president, including Reps:
Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.)
Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)
Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.)
John Katko (R-N.Y.)
Fred Upton (R-Mich.)
Peter Meijer (R-Mich.)
Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.)
Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio)
Tom Rice (R-S.C.)
David Valadao (R-Calif.).
[CBD]

Designer crocs on sale!!!
Now this is finally some good news to get excited about!!!!

Eager target of Chinese Honeytrap operation Eric Swalwell has more thoughts:

@JackPosobiec
Eric Swalwell just said Donald Trump is America's Osama Bin Laden