Who’s ready to go hang out in virtual reality? Deadline reports that there’s a series adaptation of Tad Williams’ four-book Otherland series in the works—and it has a pretty impressive roster of SFF-experienced folks behind the scenes. The Wheel of Time executive producer Mike Weber and Platige Image‚ the studio behind The Witcher‚ are among those developing Williams’ “epic cyberpunk-fantasy adventure.” It’s interesting that this is the Tad Williams work in development‚ and not his Memory‚ Sorrow‚ and Thorn trilogy‚ which Samuel Chapman described as “the natural successor to Game of Thrones.” But we are in a fantasy boom‚ and given that the Otherland books bridge fantasy and technology‚ perhaps this seems like the practical next big thing‚ a crossing point between Westworld and Westeros. Here is the (very long!) synopsis of City of Golden Shadow‚ the first Otherland book: Otherland. Surrounded by secrecy‚ it is home to the wildest dreams and darkest nightmares. Incredible amounts of money have been lavished on it. The best minds of two generations have labored to build it. And somehow‚ bit by bit‚ it is claiming the Earth’s most valuable resource—its children. Only a few have become aware of the danger. Fewer still are willing or able to take up the challenge of this perilous and seductive realm. But every age has its heroes‚ and unusual times call for unusual champions: Renie Sulaweyo‚ a teacher and the backbone of her family‚ proud of her African heritage‚ has fought all her life simply to get by. She has never wanted to be a hero. But when her young brother is struck down by a bizarre and mysterious illness‚ Renie swears to save him. When people around her begin to die‚ she realizes she has stumbled onto something she is not meant to know‚ a terrifying secret from which there is no turning back. !Xabbu is a Bushman‚ come to the city to learn skills which may save the spirit of his tribe. With the heart of a poet and the soul of a shaman‚ he will journey with Renie on this quest into the very heart of darkness. Paul Jonas is lost‚ seemingly adrift in space and time. As he flees from the bloody battlefields of World War I to a castle in the sky‚ and onward to lands beyond imagining‚ he must not only evade his terrifying pursuers‚ but solve the terrible riddle of his own identity. Fourteen-year-old Orlando is also the invincible barbarian Thargorm‚ but only in his imagination. However‚ youth and frailty are not enough to get you excused from saving the world. And Mister Sellars‚ a strange old man on a military base‚ a prisoner of both the government and his own body‚ may be the greatest mystery of all. Is he part of The Grail Brotherhood? Does he oppose them? Or‚ as he sits like a spider at the center of a vast web‚ does he have ambitions of his own? The answers will only be found in Otherland. Weber told Deadline‚ “I believe Tad has written the definitive work on the conflict between the human experience and technological advancements. He depicts a not-so-distant future where the choice between living in the real or the virtual world becomes a choice between life or death. The prescient themes and fantastic characters give Otherland all the foundations of a next-level sci-fi drama series adaptation.” The producers are “in the process of interviewing writers/showrunners‚” so presumably there will be more news on Otherland soon.  

There’s something inherently creepy about Santa: he’s always watching‚ even when you can’t see him. He has the power to make definitive judgment calls on whether someone has been “naughty” or “nice‚” then punish or reward them accordingly. He sneaks into people’s houses while they’re sleeping. It’s not that big of a leap from “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” to “there’s a stranger in my house and I’m terrified.” In Jo Gibson’s Slay Bells (1994) and D.E. Athkins’ Secret Santa (2001)‚ groups of young adults find themselves trapped with murderous Santas and instead of telling him what they want for Christmas‚ they instead have to make the case for why he shouldn’t kill them all.  In Slay Bells‚ a group of college students are spending their holiday break working at the brand new Crossroads Mall in rural Minnesota. Rather than being located in a populated area‚ the developers chose to situate the mall equidistant from three nearby towns: Prairie Falls‚ Portersville‚ and Two Rivers. While this (presumably) makes for easy access to a greater number of shoppers‚ it also means that the mall itself is geographically isolated‚ not particularly close to anything else at all. They’re still expecting a great turnout for the mall’s festive grand opening‚ complete with Santa‚ prancing elves‚ a giant tree‚ complimentary gifts for all the children‚ and a grand prize drawing for a pair of zippy snowmobiles … until the blizzard of the century blows in‚ cutting Crossroads Mall off from the outside world. There are dozens of employees readying for the mall’s opening day and just a handful of four wheel drive vehicles capable of conquering the snow‚ and once people have been matched up with appropriate transportation to get them home‚ a handful of college students are stranded in the mall‚ battening the hatches and waiting out the storm. But there are worse places to be stuck‚ right? There’s food and water‚ heat‚ protection from the elements‚ even entertainment in the movie theatre and a bunch of beds to choose from in the furniture store.  But there’s also one very angry Santa and he knows who’s been good and who’s been bad. This Santa has a very personal vendetta against the mall and its developers‚ which stands on land that had once been his family’s farm. He is initially bitter and heartbroken‚ but as he listens to the lyrics of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” playing over the mall’s loudspeaker‚ he finds himself thinking that “He’d never really noticed it before‚ but the Santa in the song was vengeful. The first line was a warning. You better watch out. It sent a clear message to everyone who listened. Santa would get you if you weren’t good” (364‚ emphasis original). When the snowstorm comes‚ Santa finds himself in the mall with several people that‚ by his subjective estimation‚ have been very naughty‚ and he has the chance to make them pay.  The trapped students are an interesting group‚ with lots of complicated dynamics and contentious shared histories. Nice girl Diana has a crush on Jay‚ but Jay’s ex-girlfriend Heather—who dumped him when he lost the starting quarterback spot on the football team—wants him back too‚ now that Jay’s recovered‚ regained his starting position‚ and is Mr. Popular again. Jay is Diana’s roommate Cindy’s older brother and while Cindy has a tough girl vibe‚ she’s really a kitten-rescuing softie.  Larry is Jay’s best friend and roommate‚ and while he’s a pretty nice guy‚ he has a mean competitive streak. Dave’s dad owns the Crossroads Pub and has told them to help themselves. Hal’s a quiet loner and Sue’s main motivations are directing the elf prancing line and pining for her boyfriend Ronnie‚ who she thinks just might propose this Christmas (though to be fair‚ since she dies first‚ there’s not much time for other motivation or characterization to develop). They all know each other from school and their overlapping social circles‚ but a wild card is thrown into the mix with the arrival of the local newstation’s camera operator Paul‚ who was there shooting a segment about the mall’s grand opening‚ left with the news station team‚ then came back through the snow because he thinks their snowbound story will make for good television … and because he has a crush on Cindy.  Things start out pretty holly and jolly‚ with some laughs and beers at the Crossroads Pub. But Sue got a mysterious present from Santa under the mall’s massive Christmas tree‚ telling her that “You better watch out; you better not cry” (382‚ emphasis original). And Sue really doesn’t have much of a chance to cry at all when she wanders out into the snowstorm to see if Ronnie’s coming to get her‚ and Santa pushes a heavy planter off of an overhang and right onto Sue’s head. Throughout the book‚ Gibson gives readers glimpses of Santa’s perspective and motivations‚ and it turns out that Sue’s unforgivable crime was canvassing local residents to solicit donations for a children’s play area at the mall. Grandpa made a pledge to pay installments‚ forgot about it‚ and the debt ended up in collections‚ which certainly didn’t help the farm’s precarious financial position. Sue hasn’t even been intentionally “naughty”: as Santa muses‚ “She was totally oblivious to the bad things she’d done‚ but that didn’t matter. The net result was the same. She’d cheated him out of money that should have been his‚ and it had gone to the very mall that had robbed him of his land” (377-8). The others’ transgressions include being rude to his grandmother‚ being dismissive of his grandmother’s prize-winning strawberry jam recipe‚ sabotaging his grandfather’s fishing tackle to win a competition‚ and asking his grandmother to donate pies for a fundraiser and then selling the pies for an insultingly low price. He’s also pretty mad at the fountain‚ which is all that remains of the now-dammed up stream where he and his grandfather used to fish‚ but you can’t get revenge on a fountain—or a mall‚ for that matter—so he has to settle for picking the others off one by one.  Santa’s got plenty of time though‚ because they end up stuck in the mall for several days. This raises some thought-provoking questions about the accessibility of the mall‚ the local emergency support services‚ and why no one ever came back in one of those four wheel drives to get any of them (or even check on them to make sure they’re okay)‚ but that’s neither here nor there. They do their best to have a good time: they drink in the pub‚ check out the selections at the movie theater‚ hit up the bowling alley‚ and dress up in fancy clothes from one of the expensive boutiques and have dinner at the mall’s nicest restaurant (which is easy to do because all of the entrees are frozen and just need heated up‚ a questionable gourmet standard). There’s plenty of flirting and romantic intrigue. It kind of puts a damper on the fun when people keep getting murdered though. Dave gets electrocuted‚ Larry gets stabbed by a shard of shattered plate glass window‚ Heather plummets to her death in a sabotaged elevator. While the first few murders are staged as accidents‚ the trapped group eventually comes to the conclusion that the murderer must be one of them‚ and‚ in all likelihood‚ someone they’ve known for years and never suspected capable of such violence‚ though new guy Paul frequently makes his way toward the top of the suspect list (what do they really know about him anyway?) and it’s always possible that someone else either hid when the mall closed or wandered in from the storm.  When Hal is revealed as the secret Santa‚ it turns out that the others knew that his grandparents had previously owned the land and that Hal hates the mall‚ which has remained a completely overlooked and undiscussed motive despite multiple conversations about who might be doing this and why. It also turns out that the grand prize snowmobiles in the middle of the mall have been gassed up and ready to go this whole time‚ which at least two of the characters knew about and simply forgot‚ even when escape began to to look like a life-or-death proposition. All things considered‚ it’s a wonder that so many of them survived for as long as they did. When Hal’s secret is discovered‚ he starts shooting at everyone‚ then falls to his death by leaning on a railing he loosened to facilitate the next “accident‚” as the conveniently romantically-paired survivors (Diana and Jay‚ Cindy and Paul) flee to safety.  In D.E. Athkins’ Secret Santa‚ the characters find themselves in another fish-in-a-barrel type situation‚ though in this case they are on a private island off the coast of Georgia rather than in a snowbound Minnesota mall. Memorably named mean girl Djuna Dufarge throws a wild and emotionally traumatizing holiday party every year: super exclusive guest list‚ always several days long and in an isolated location from which there is no escape‚ and with the extra added pressure of bringing several Secret Santa gifts without knowing who the recipient will be until you get there. And despite all of these horrific downsides‚ Djuna’s classmates are desperate to be invited.  Like Slay Bells‚ the guest list here is small‚ exclusive‚ and complicated: aside from Djuna herself‚ there’s Djuna’s best friend Barnett‚ a stoic and potentially traumatized Goth girl sidekick who never gets the backstory she deserves. Djuna’s ex-boyfriend Jeremy is invited‚ along with his perky new cheerleader girlfriend Kip. New girl Cleo and flirty boy-next-door Grant score invites‚ along with Pammi‚ who pretends she’s a boy-crazy airhead but is secretly brilliant (though still boy-crazy). Barnett’s ex-boyfriend Neal is invited‚ suggesting that even Djuna’s best friend isn’t exempted from her emotional manipulation and abuse; Cleo also has a strong emotional reaction to Neal‚ who reminds her of her abusive ex-boyfriend Dan. The group is rounded out by the people who maintain the house and island: two handsome‚ mysterious young men named Tuck and Teddy‚ and the housekeeper Mrs. West‚ who is Teddy’s stepmother and Tuck’s aunt. Their family used to own the island before they sold it to Djuna’s family‚ which seems to be a source of sublimated tension‚ complicated by the fact that Djuna‚ Tuck‚ and Teddy grew up together on the island and have been companions (if not exactly friends) for almost their entire lives.  There are plenty of dangers to contend with on the island‚ including sheer cliff faces‚ tunnels that fill with water when the high tide comes in‚ and hostile weather conditions when a storm blows in‚ making it impossible for them to leave the island. There’s maybe a pirate-dog ghost that howls in the night and Grant is oddly preoccupied with whether or not there are sharks‚ even though it’s too cold to swim and no one goes anywhere near the water. Barnett somehow cuts her hand on a Christmas tree ornament rigged with a razorblade. They draw their Secret Santa names and when the first mysterious gift is bestowed‚ Kip gets a dismembered cheerleader doll‚ floating in an odd and disgusting mix of mystery goo and dead bird. Fa la la la la.  Secret Santa is full of unexplored nooks and crannies. There’s a lot more going on with Barnett than meets the eye‚ but Athkins doesn’t give us many clues as to what that might be. Ditto with Cleo’s back story‚ including where she came from‚ how she’s settling in in her new hometown (bizarre Christmas party aside)‚ and her relationship with Dan‚ which is alluded to several times in her responses to Neal‚ but rarely directly addressed. Grant seems nice enough‚ but is also mysterious and perhaps a bit of a lothario‚ though we never see enough of him to know for sure. Jeremy and Kip seem to like each other and Jeremy says he’s over Djuna‚ but on more than one occasion‚ when something goes awry‚ Jeremy and Kip aren’t in the same place at the same time. Kip maybe has mysterious psychic powers‚ though when Kip has a premonition-related fainting spell‚ the others shrug it off‚ with Djuna saying “She gets like this … Everyone knows about Kip” (82).  Barnett disappears one night and between her being nowhere in the house‚ the door locked from the inside‚ and the storm raging outside‚ the others fear the worst. Since Neal is the top suspect in Barnett-related foul play‚ he is confined to his room with one of his peers assigned to watch him at all times: first Grant‚ then Pammi. When Neal and Pammi disappear‚ Djuna is forced to admit that she and Barnett had been playing a joke on the others‚ with Barnett planning to hide in the boat house until they were all good and freaked out. But now Barnett is actually missing too‚ along with Neal and Pammi. The lights go out‚ the group splits up‚ and mayhem (of course) ensues.  Djuna tells Cleo and Kip that they need to trust her and follow Djuna out into the darkness and then down into a creepy cave‚ with the high tide coming in and no way out once Djuna pulls the ladder‚ insisting that this is the “one place where I know you’ll be safe” (130). The cave is already occupied‚ as they explore an even darker offshoot from the main cave and find Barnett‚ Neal‚ and Pammi. After unsuccessfully searching for the others‚ Djuna joins them in the cave and when Teddy follows her‚ she pegs him as the culprit behind everything‚ telling the others “There’s your Psycho Santa … Twisted little Teddy. Never right since his daddy died. Blames me for it‚ don’t you‚ Teddy?” (142). Teddy’s father died after rescuing six-year-old Djuna from the cave‚ only to be killed himself when some of the earth fell in. While Teddy admits that he holds Djuna responsible for his father’s death and “I guess I always will” (143)‚ he denies having anything to do with the horrors taking place on the island. And he’s telling the truth.  Much like Slay Bells’ Hal attempts to get revenge for the wrongs committed against his grandparents‚ Mrs. West blames Djuna for her husband’s death‚ the family’s loss of the island‚ and the life of happiness‚ travel‚ and leisure that she believes should have been theirs‚ if only Djuna’s family hadn’t come along and ruined everything. As Mrs. West looks down into the cave at Djuna and her friends‚ she asks Djuna “what did I have after that?” (145). Other than catering to Djuna’s family’s needs‚ Mrs. West has nothing and therefore‚ nothing to lose. When she offers Teddy the chance to climb the ladder to safety‚ however‚ Teddy yanks on the ladder‚ causing his stepmother to fall and giving the others the chance to scramble to safety before the tide comes in. Teddy chooses to do what is right rather than get vengeance for his father’s death or buy into his stepmother’s dream of punishing Djuna‚ and they all make it home for Christmas (except for Mrs. West‚ who’s headed for jail).  With scary Santas lurking about‚ here are a few holiday survival tips: Always have an escape route and avoid holiday plans and parties that will leave you stranded‚ with no way out. Whenever possible‚ avoid spending the holidays with someone who may want to kill you. Be extra careful when opening gifts from anonymous gifters: it could be a song lyric or a dismembered doll‚ but either way‚ it probably won’t be good. Lock the doors‚ block the chimneys‚ and be good for goodness sake. Alissa Burger is an associate professor at Culver-Stockton College in Canton‚ Missouri. She writes about horror‚ queer representation in literature and popular culture‚ graphic novels‚ and Stephen King. She loves yoga‚ cats‚ and cheese.

The abrupt twists and turns of the narrative of the last three movies in Star Wars’ The Skywalker Saga (The Force Awakens‚ The Last Jedi‚ and The Rise of Skywalker) saw Kylo Ren (fka Ben Solo) take a turn toward the light. According to Adam Driver‚ however‚ that arc was not what was laid out to him when he signed up to play the character. Driver was recently a guest on the podcast‚ The Rich Eisen Show (via Entertainment Weekly)‚ where he shared that Kylo was meant to start out as “the most confused and vulnerable‚ and by the end of the three movies‚ he would be the most committed to the dark side.” That grimmer arc was originally shared with him by J.J. Abrams‚ who directed the first film and stepped in to direct the third film when director Colin Trevorrow left after creative differences. “I had an overall arc in mind that [Abrams] wanted to do‚ which‚ you know‚ then changed‚” Driver said. “His idea was that [Kylo’s] journey was almost the opposite of Vader. Where Vader starts the most confident and the most committed to the dark side and then by the last movie he’s the most vulnerable and weak—he wanted to start with the opposite.” The shift happened with the direction Rian Johnson took in The Last Jedi (a.k.a. the best film in that trilogy)‚ which Driver said “still tracked with the character.” Driver kept Abrams’ original guidance in mind‚ however‚ and focused on that even when things changed. “[The Rise of Skywalker] changed into being about them and the dyad and things like that—and kind of evolving into Ben Solo‚” Driver added. “That was never a part of it. He was Ben Solo from the beginning‚ but it was never a version where we’d actually see Ben Solo when I first signed up.” All things Star Wars are now available to stream on Disney+.

To say I consumed this book isn’t accurate—instead‚ this book consumed me. I read it from cover to cover onboard a flight that raced the sunset; outside the window‚ the light of the world kept pushing back against the inevitable‚ encroaching dark. Within the pages of their newest novel‚ Ava Reid has written several brilliant‚ haunted individuals‚ adrift and seeking answers‚ all of which can only be found in a home built for darkness. This is a story about stories—who tells them‚ and who they’re about; if the tellers are telling the truth‚ and if the subjects can ever have power over the tellers. And what power lies within the reader’s hands? When you are witness to a beautiful lie‚ do you have an obligation to find the truth? Reid grapples with these questions of art and artistry‚ legacy and literature‚ love and power‚ abuse and survival‚ and so much more in their dazzling novel‚ A Study in Drowning. Effy Sayre is a young student in the college for architecture‚ as the university doesn’t allow women to enroll in their literary program. Belittled by many of the students around her‚ mostly male‚ haunted by visions of a character from her favorite book Angharad‚ and desperate to escape both‚ Effy believes she’s found it when she enters and wins a contest to redesign the ancestral home of Emrys Myrddin‚ the beloved and mysterious author of Angharad. Arriving at Hiraeth Manor‚ she can’t help but notice all the danger that abounds and riddles with no answers: There are no mirrors within this home; the sea threatens at the edge of the storm-wracked cliffs; Emrys’ son looks at her with a hunger that makes her stomach turn; and there is another student within the Manor. An academic rival who is determined to prove that Emrys Myrddin was a fraud‚ Preston Héloury becomes a splinter beneath Effy’s very heart. But as the two grow close‚ despite their best intentions‚ they begin to unravel the true mystery of Myrddin and Angharad‚ the truths of Effy’s childhood and her haunting visions‚ and the decrepit foundation upon which the Manor‚ and Myrddin’s life‚ was built. Buy it Now Whether it’s before‚ during‚ or after reading this excellent novel‚ I urge you‚ dear reader‚ to read this essay from Reid. I think you would find a lot in there to admire on its own‚ but having read it prior to reading A Study in Drowning‚ it gave me the proper scaffolding to embrace the book Reid put their whole heart into‚ their experiences acting as a foundation that only added to my own experience of this novel. More than that‚ it is a tremendous and vulnerable essay of Reid’s mental health history and journey‚ and the ways in which they shaped A Study in Drowning. As I read this novel‚ I found myself reflecting back on the essay they had written‚ which only made me appreciate the book more: A Study in Drowning‚ like all great art‚ becomes a time capsule for who we used to be‚ a story that‚ in the now‚ may be the very mirror another might need to see and find themselves in. And Reid holds nothing back‚ examining with brutal beauty how a young woman might contort herself‚ round and round‚ to keep herself safe from a world designed to make her feel lesser than‚ ashamed‚ hurt‚ and as small as possible. And‚ as a character towards the end of the novel aptly says‚ Reid stakes that that’s nothing to be ashamed of; in a story so centered around the idea of heroism‚ Reid asserts that in such a world‚ simply surviving‚ making one’s way through the horror and terror in a single piece‚ is absolutely enough. It casts the entire novel in a really incredible light‚ that even when Effy is at her lowest‚ when no one believes her and forces magical‚ mundane‚ and institutional threaten her in every conceivable way‚ even then‚ she picks herself up and keeps pushing. Forward‚ onward. Effy‚ at the end of everything‚ saves herself and it is beautiful. Along the way‚ Reid delivers in every possible fashion. Atmospheric‚ gothic prose‚ sentences of shadow and mist abutting against the glamour and pine of fae malice‚ pages dripping with the brine and salt of seawater and history. Amidst these landscapes‚ they give us a tender and honest slow-burn relationship between Effy and Preston‚ these two hungry young academics so eager for truth‚ each hoping to bring the other into their own worlds of warmth and wonder. And throughout it all‚ the building menace and tension as it all comes crashing together in a crescendo that had me holding my breath at 30‚000 feet. Ava Reid has quickly become an author whose every work I will read‚ no matter what. I know when I open a book they wrote‚ I will find everything I want as a reader‚ and in A Study in Drowning‚ they have once again delivered. From the prose to the characters‚ from the world to the mood‚ from page to page‚ I found only delight‚ joy‚ and an eagerness to see how it would all come together. If you’re looking for a good starting point for Ava Reid’s work‚ I couldn’t recommend A Study in Drowning highly enough. Then‚ once you’ve been blown away‚ go and read the rest of their work‚ too! A Study in Drowning is published by HarperTeen. Martin Cahill is a writer living in Queens who works as the Marketing and Publicity Manager for Erewhon Books. He has fiction work forthcoming in 2021 at Serial Box‚ as well as Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Fireside Fiction. Martin has also written book reviews and essays for Book Riot‚ Strange Horizons‚ and the Barnes and Noble SF&;F Blog. Follow him online at @mcflycahill90 and his new Substack newsletter‚ Weathervane‚ for thoughts on books‚ gaming‚ and other wonderfully nerdy whatnots.

Statue erected as symbol of unified nation being removed by Communists Biden administration

Nihilism is the religion of the Left. Anarchy is now at the core of the new Democratic Party. If the Left wished radically to alter the demography of the U.S.‚ it could have expanded legal immigration through legislation or the courts. Instead‚ it simply erased the border and dynamited federal immigration law. By fiat‚ nihilists ended the wall‚ and stopped detaining and deporting illegal aliens altogether. Or was it worse than that when candidate Joe Biden in September 2019 urged would-be illegal aliens to “surge” the border? As a result‚ through laxity and entitlement incentives‚ 8 million illegal entrants have swarmed the southern border under the Biden administration. They are swamping border towns‚ bankrupting big-city budgets‚ and infuriating even Democratic constituencies. The same nihilism applies to crime. In the old days liberals gave light sentences to criminals or reduced bail. But today leftist prosecutors do not even seek bail. They hardly prosecute theft or random assaults. Criminals are arrested and released the same day. Is the nihilist plan to destroy the entire body of American jurisprudence‚ and to ensure “equity” in being victimized? Is the woke idea that all Americans—inclusive of diverse Beverly Hills elites‚ Hollywood celebrities‚ or members of Congress alike—must share victim equity‚ and thus experience firsthand street robbery‚ car-jacking‚ smash-and-grab‚ and home invasion? The United States can produce annually more natural gas and oil than any nation on earth. It once pioneered nuclear power. It has vast coal reserves and sophisticated hydroelectric plants. The old idea was to use these unmatched resources to transition gradually to other cleaner fuels such as hydrogen‚ fusion power‚ solar‚ and wind. That way consumers would still enjoy affordable energy. And the United States could remain independent of coercion by the oil-producing Middle East. But that was not the nihilist way. Instead‚ the Left deliberately cut back on pipelines‚ new energy leases‚ and fracking. It bragged of an upcoming ban on fossil fuels. In drought-stricken‚ energy-short California‚ the state is blowing up‚ not building new dams. Is the nihilist agenda to punish with bankruptcy the energy-using middle class? Is the hope that Americans will have to beg the Saudis‚ Iranians‚ Venezuelans‚ and Russians to pump more of the hated goo for our benefit so we would not have to dirty ourselves helping ourselves? When Biden entered office in January 2021 the U.S. was naturally rebounding from more than a year of COVID-19-enforced lockdowns. Overtaxed supply chains were still fragile. Pent-up demand was soaring. Consumers were flush with government cash. Trillions of dollars had been printed and infused into the economy to ward off a feared recession. All economists advised not to increase the deficit‚ spike further consumer demand‚ and expand entitlements. Instead the Left did just the opposite. Four-trillion dollars were printed and distributed. In no time‚ Americans‚ recovering from COVID-19‚ next experienced the worst‚ but entirely preventable‚ inflation in 40 years. Three years later prices on staples remain 30%-40% higher than when Biden took office. Mortgage rates tripled. Abroad the nihilism is even more inexplicable and terrifying. All nations suffer military setbacks. But none in memory have shamefully hightailed out of a theater as we did from Afghanistan. Few countries could even imagine discarding billions of dollars of weapons and hardware into the hands of the terrorist Taliban‚ or abandoning a $1 billion new embassy‚ and a huge‚ remodeled air base. Why did the administration simply allow a huge Chinese spy balloon to float and photograph leisurely over the continental U.S.? Naive countries might endure two or three attacks on their overseas bases without serious retaliation. But how could the U.S. military permit 135 rocket barrages by Iranian-supplied terrorists on American soldiers without a major and sustained response? Is the point to humiliate our own troops? To destroy what is left of U.S. deterrence? Popular culture is especially captive to leftist nihilism. It is not enough to object to a statue or artwork. Instead‚ without deliberation or public input‚ they must be defaced or destroyed‚ all the better stealthily and by night. After the massacres of Oct. 7—but well before Israel had even responded to the barbaric invasion—thousands of students swarmed their elite universities cheering on the violence. And what so exhilarated them? The nihilist‚ ghoulish beheading‚ torture‚ mutilation‚ mass rape‚ dismemberment‚ and necrophilia of unarmed‚ civilian Israeli elderly‚ women‚ children‚ and infants. In sum‚ we are witnessing an epidemic of leftist nihilism similar to the 16th-century European mad wave of iconoclastic destruction of religious art. Or is the better parallel the suicidal insanity that Mao Zedong unleashed during his cultural revolution of the 1960s? The old politics of Right versus Left‚ and Republican opposed to Democrat have now given way to a new existential struggle: Americans must choose between civilization—or its destroyers. (C)2023 Tribune Content Agency‚ LLC. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.  Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Americans Must Choose Between Civilization—or Its Destroyers appeared first on The Daily Signal.

What if some of the antagonism around labor unions in the United States could be reduced by eliminating laws that force workers and unions alike to do things against their will? That’s what the Worker’s Choice Act‚ introduced Wednesday by Rep. Eric Burlison‚ R-Mo.‚ would do. Current law forces workers in unionized workplaces to be represented by a union even if they do not join the union and it forces unions to represent workers who do not pay union fees. The Worker’s Choice Act would allow workers who do not to pay union fees to choose their own representation‚ and it would free unions from having to represent so-called “free riders” who do not pay union fees. Under the Worker’s Choice Act‚ employees who live in the 26 “right-to-work” states that do not require workers to pay union fees as a condition of employment would no longer be forced to accept union representation that they do not want. Instead‚ they could negotiate directly with their employer‚ or choose their own outside representation.This change would apply to the 4.2 million workers in right-to-work states who are currently represented by unions. Among them‚ nearly 800‚000 currently non-paying workers would no longer be represented by unions unless they chose to begin paying for representation. The proposed law would not change anything for the 11.8 million workers in unionized workplaces in forced unionism states where the law requires workers to pay for union representation even if they do not join the union.  This freedom from union representation would be particularly helpful to workers who do not believe the union represents their interests. They may think this for any number of reasons. A worker may want to be compensated and promoted based on her performance instead of the union’s rigid seniority-based system; a worker may feel ignored and ostracized by the union that is supposed to represent him; a worker may have caregiving duties that could be alleviated through a different schedule than the union dictates; and a young worker struggling to start a family and buy a home might be better served by bigger paychecks rather than the union’s Cadillac benefits plan. Yet the bill does not only help workers. It would also free unions of their “free-rider” problem. No longer would unions have to represent workers who don’t pay for representation. This would enable unions to focus their efforts on the interests of their paying members. Without the costs of representing non-paying members‚ unions could lower their fees for those who want union representation. Moreover‚ some unions’ membership may even increase as non-members may choose to become dues-paying members to maintain their representation. Workers’ voices cannot truly be heard if workers are prevented from speaking for themselves and prevented from choosing who gets to speak for them. A 2016 Heritage Foundation analysis found that 94% of workers represented by unions did not vote for their representation. Ending forced representation would benefit workers and unions alike by freeing workers to choose their representation and freeing unions to focus their time and resources only on workers who want and are willing to pay for their representation. An upshot of this shift could be growth in alternative types of labor organizations that allow more workers to band together and benefit from their shared interests and pursuits. For example‚ as more workers are pursuing independent work that allows them to be their own bosses‚ professional organizations like the Association of Independent Doctors and the Freelancer’s Union can provide a collective voice and pooled resources to offer lower-cost products and services such as insurance‚ education‚ and advocacy. Labor unions could also offer more targeted representation services that allow individuals to represent themselves‚ in order to appeal to more workers. For example‚ the Major League Baseball Players Association sets minimum salary requirements and provides individual representation services but also allows individuals to negotiate their compensation directly with their employer. Exclusive representation muffles the voices and denies the rights of at least a minority of workers‚ and imposes undue burdens on unions. Prioritizing workers’ choices and reducing government barriers to work pursuits are crucial to elevating workers’ voices‚ improving their well-being‚ and expanding their opportunities. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post By Ending Forced Representation‚ New Proposal in Congress Could Benefit Workers and Unions Alike appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. On Thursday‚ the US House of Representatives passed a funding bill for next year’s defense expenditures‚ which controversially incorporates a short-term extension of certain surveillance authority. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House‚ passing with a vote of 310 to 118. This count far exceeded the two-thirds majority needed for approval. Following its passage‚ the bill is now headed to the White House‚ where it awaits President Joe Biden’s signature to become law. The temporary extension in question belongs to the surveillance capabilities under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)‚ which was slated to expire at year’s end and have now been renewed through April 2024. Utah GOP Senator Mike Lee led a robust effort to axe this extension‚ despite facing defeat. Notably‚ a group of thirty-five senators‚ featuring Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul‚ rallied behind him. However‚ the movement fell short of the forty-one votes needed to successfully exclude the provision. A warrantless surveillance mechanism provided for by Section 702 targets non-Americans overseas‚ a point of sensitive debate because the provision has‚ despite failed promises from the likes of the FBI to stop‚ caused surveillance of US citizens. Two improvement proposals for these mandates were put forth by Republican members but were subsequently withdrawn by House Speaker Mike Johnson amid significant intra-GOP conflicts over the issue. Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie expressed his dissatisfaction with the inclusion of the FISA extension in bill. The post Congress Extends Mass Surveillance Program appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

James Bennet: The NY Times Has Gone from Liberal Bias to Illiberal Bias

Israeli Defense Minister to Biden Aide: We'll Take All the Time We Need to Destroy Hamas