REMINDER: After today, the days start getting longer and the nights start getting shorter.

MORALE AMONG MANY MAGA SUPPORTERS SEEMS LOWER THAN I’D EXPECT GIVEN RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:

I AGREE:

IT WAS A POLITICAL BUBBLE, INFLATED BY (MOSTLY U.S.) TAXPAYER MONEY: The Electric Vehicle Collapse: Wow, That Was Quick!

It was less than three years ago — early 2023 — that I was writing about the then-universal government and industry line that electric vehicles (EVs) would soon be taking over the American car market. In April 2022 the Biden Administration had adopted aggressive vehicle mileage standards intended to be achievable only through rapid transition to EVs. Our “climate leader” states, California and New York, had then adopted regulations in August and September 2022, respectively, mandating a phase-out of sales of combustion vehicles, to culminate in 2035, after which only EVs would be allowed. In a post in January 2023, I linked to the websites of Ford and GM, where they both touted their grand plans for rapid conversion of their companies to the manufacture of mostly or entirely EVs. At that time, Ford was claiming that it would “lead America’s shift to EVs,” and would achieve 50% of its sales in that category by 2030. GM bragged about its “path to an all-electric future” by 2035.

In a post on February 23, 2023, I expressed skepticism.

Well-founded, as it turns out.

WHEN THE OPPOSITION IS TRYING TO ORGANIZE A COUP AGAINST YOU, IT’S IMPORTANT TO PAY THE TROOPS:

IT COULD BE JUST PERSONAL VENDETTA:  Keep An Eye.

I’M DIVIDED ON THIS:  Trump Green‑Lights Marijuana Drug Schedule Change, But Stops Short of Federally Legalizing Weed.

I do believe people have the right to go to h*ll any way they please. OTOH there’s a difference between legalizing a psychoactive substance in times of plenty and well being, and legalizing it when the vast majority of the young feels marginalized and despondent. The second can go really ugly fast. Right. I know. Not a prefect time, ever. And yet–

FROM M. C. A. HOGARTH:  Clays Upon the Sands (The Stone Moon Trilogy).

The treasured anadi who must learn what it means to choose… the mysterious chenji whose magic comes at a terrible price… the jeweler who finds that love requires facing the unknowable future… and the Claw of the empire who discovers that loyalty has limits. Clays Upon the Sands, volume 2 in the Jokka Clays series, collects seven more stories of the Jokka of Ke Bakil, an alien species with two chances to change sexes: female, neuter or male… a species where destiny and biology intertwine in ways both beautiful and heartbreaking. Whether it’s accepting an unwanted Turning, defying an empire’s cruelty, or learning that some truths can only be spoken in the dark, each Jokkad must navigate the complex currents of identity, duty, and desire.

Seven voices. Seven transformations. A world where nothing is certain but change itself. Come explore.

OPEN THREAD: It’s all you.