James Belcher
@jamesbelcher.bsky.social
Energy, democracy, and energy democracy.
Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Pinned
James Belcher
@jamesbelcher.bsky.social
· Nov 19
Where Do We Go From Here? Featuring Kali Akuno (Audio/podcast version)
YouTube video by Millennials Are Killing Capitalism Live!
youtu.be
"If you're just doing this to get back to voting every two years, but that vote still enables NATO or a genocide, I ain't with that. [At that point,] you might as well go side with the fascists, because that's what you're ultimately enabling."
youtu.be/Pb9WErBIgaY?...
youtu.be/Pb9WErBIgaY?...
Reposted by James Belcher
"If you're not talking about the strike, if you're not talking about the willingness to withhold your labor when things are not going right for working people, then we're not really accomplishing what we need to for working people."
— Sara Nelson, Int'l President of the Assn. of Flight Attendants
— Sara Nelson, Int'l President of the Assn. of Flight Attendants
The power of the strike - Sara Nelson & Richard Wolff
YouTube video by Democracy At Work
youtu.be
February 27, 2025 at 3:51 PM
"If you're not talking about the strike, if you're not talking about the willingness to withhold your labor when things are not going right for working people, then we're not really accomplishing what we need to for working people."
— Sara Nelson, Int'l President of the Assn. of Flight Attendants
— Sara Nelson, Int'l President of the Assn. of Flight Attendants
Reposted by James Belcher
Im in downtown Portland, Oregon at Pioneer Square where a protest has started against the recent news that the Trump Administration kidnapped Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, and brought him back to the US.
January 3, 2026 at 10:49 PM
Im in downtown Portland, Oregon at Pioneer Square where a protest has started against the recent news that the Trump Administration kidnapped Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, and brought him back to the US.
"As long as you go to war, whenever we want you to, you'll have a tankful of petrol every morning!"
Globalisation the Pirate Song
YouTube video by Social Issues in Song
youtu.be
January 3, 2026 at 10:30 PM
"As long as you go to war, whenever we want you to, you'll have a tankful of petrol every morning!"
I think about this Doonesbury strip a lot.
January 3, 2026 at 10:22 PM
I think about this Doonesbury strip a lot.
"In the months leading up to the strikes, Congress repeatedly voted down bills that would have restricted Trump’s ability to carry out today’s attacks. The administration reportedly argued that there was no need for such a law because the administration did not intend to put boots on the ground."
Trump bombs Venezuela, captures Maduro
The surprise operation, which appeared to violate international law, sent shockwaves across Latin America
responsiblestatecraft.org
January 3, 2026 at 9:20 PM
"In the months leading up to the strikes, Congress repeatedly voted down bills that would have restricted Trump’s ability to carry out today’s attacks. The administration reportedly argued that there was no need for such a law because the administration did not intend to put boots on the ground."
"Obama’s drone strikes in Pakistan and Afghanistan a decade ago paved the path of Trump’s arbitrary drone strikes in the Caribbean this year.
"Clinton’s congressionally unauthorized airstrikes on Serbia set a precedent abused by subsequent presidents, including Democrats."
"Clinton’s congressionally unauthorized airstrikes on Serbia set a precedent abused by subsequent presidents, including Democrats."
Washington’s war on Venezuela is an international crime.
But don’t blame it on Trump. Both parties are up to their necks in military industrial corruption and have been for decades.
open.substack.com/pub/shahidbu...
But don’t blame it on Trump. Both parties are up to their necks in military industrial corruption and have been for decades.
open.substack.com/pub/shahidbu...
Yet another war with bipartisan roots
Bombing Venezuela would be bad enough without the revolting complicity of the liberal establishment
open.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 9:09 PM
"Obama’s drone strikes in Pakistan and Afghanistan a decade ago paved the path of Trump’s arbitrary drone strikes in the Caribbean this year.
"Clinton’s congressionally unauthorized airstrikes on Serbia set a precedent abused by subsequent presidents, including Democrats."
"Clinton’s congressionally unauthorized airstrikes on Serbia set a precedent abused by subsequent presidents, including Democrats."
Reposted by James Belcher
We are the world's bad guys.
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/we-are-the...
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/we-are-the...
We Are the Bad Guys
The swaggering threat to global stability is us.
www.hamiltonnolan.com
January 3, 2026 at 4:50 PM
We are the world's bad guys.
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/we-are-the...
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/we-are-the...
Please, tell me more about how renewables are replacing fossil fuels. 🙄
January 3, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Please, tell me more about how renewables are replacing fossil fuels. 🙄
"ExxonMobil will also lobby for US intervention."
[2023]
[2023]
Guyana and Venezuela: The Crisis of Imperialism Currently Unfolding on South America's Caribbean Coast | Black Agenda Report
Despite the reality of US intervention causing inhumane conditions in the region, Venezuela’s push for the annexation of Guyana’s Essequibo region prioritizes its own political objectives, heightening...
www.blackagendareport.com
January 3, 2026 at 7:41 PM
"ExxonMobil will also lobby for US intervention."
[2023]
[2023]
Commercial fusion is right around the corner, as it has been since I was in high school.
Nuclear power ventures heat up around Washington state
Companies are pressing ahead to develop emerging technologies, like fusion reactors and small modular units.
www.opb.org
January 3, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Commercial fusion is right around the corner, as it has been since I was in high school.
Reposted by James Belcher
No War for Oil! US out of Venezuela! Rally today SW 10th and Burnside 3:30 pm
January 3, 2026 at 6:17 PM
No War for Oil! US out of Venezuela! Rally today SW 10th and Burnside 3:30 pm
Reposted by James Belcher
"We're not saving American democracy until a lot more workers walk off the job in huge numbers, which is what it took in 1933 and '34 and '35."
— Jane McAlevey (1964-2024), union organizing legend
— Jane McAlevey (1964-2024), union organizing legend
Jane McAlevey, "A Collective Bargain"
YouTube video by Politics and Prose
www.youtube.com
February 2, 2025 at 6:54 PM
"We're not saving American democracy until a lot more workers walk off the job in huge numbers, which is what it took in 1933 and '34 and '35."
— Jane McAlevey (1964-2024), union organizing legend
— Jane McAlevey (1964-2024), union organizing legend
It's wild how many Dems still think the way to fix ::all this:: is by hectoring people into voting blue no matter who.
January 3, 2026 at 6:24 PM
It's wild how many Dems still think the way to fix ::all this:: is by hectoring people into voting blue no matter who.
The road to Trump was paved blue.
A new report from the grassroots organization RootsAction aims to do what a promised "autopsy" from the Democratic National Committee ultimately did not: publicly reckon with the failures of the Democrats' 2024 presidential campaign.
“The Blue Road to Trump Hell”: Norm Solomon on “How Corporate Democrats Paved the Way for Autocracy”
A new report from the grassroots organization RootsAction aims to do what a promised “autopsy” from the Democratic National Committee ultimately did not: publicly reckon with the failures of the Democ...
www.democracynow.org
January 3, 2026 at 6:02 PM
The road to Trump was paved blue.
The Democratic Party is neither check nor balance. They've proved to be an insufficient bulwark against fascism. They've also proved impervious to reform.
Until the party ditches big donors, this will remain the case.
Until the party ditches big donors, this will remain the case.
My statement on the capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and need for a transition to democracy:
January 3, 2026 at 5:55 PM
The Democratic Party is neither check nor balance. They've proved to be an insufficient bulwark against fascism. They've also proved impervious to reform.
Until the party ditches big donors, this will remain the case.
Until the party ditches big donors, this will remain the case.
Reposted by James Belcher
Can YOU afford a Medical Status Symbol? Find out in Ted Rall's cartoon: rall.com/comic/medica...
Medical Status Symbol
With ACA subsidies expiring and neither party serious about creating a real medical insurance system, healthcare is becoming as much of a luxury status purchase as a Rolex or a Rolls-Royce.
rall.com
December 17, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Can YOU afford a Medical Status Symbol? Find out in Ted Rall's cartoon: rall.com/comic/medica...
People are just making up their own version of degrowth to hate. No, DHS is not promoting degrowth (a set of planned economic moves) when it shows an empty beach after 100M deportations. It's promoting ecofascism. The aim is not effective resource allocation. It's a Thanos snap.
January 3, 2026 at 2:13 AM
People are just making up their own version of degrowth to hate. No, DHS is not promoting degrowth (a set of planned economic moves) when it shows an empty beach after 100M deportations. It's promoting ecofascism. The aim is not effective resource allocation. It's a Thanos snap.
Saturdays with Renee, 11am Eastern
Ask Me Anything! ft You!
YouTube video by Black Liberation Media
www.youtube.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:34 AM
Saturdays with Renee, 11am Eastern
"There’s a chasm between what actually is popular and both what politicians do and what pundits say. The concept of what is 'popular' is either lied about or selectively weaponized to justify policies pursued for other reasons."
Shifting money from police and prisons to systems that meet people's needs are better for safety and, contrary to what you hear in the media, *one of the most popular policies* over decades of polling. Asking why this is hidden from us is important. equalityalec.substack.com/p/convention...
Conventional Wisdom and "Popularity"
And a weird debate I just had.
equalityalec.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:16 AM
"There’s a chasm between what actually is popular and both what politicians do and what pundits say. The concept of what is 'popular' is either lied about or selectively weaponized to justify policies pursued for other reasons."
Reposted by James Belcher
#OtD 2 Jan 1950 the 300 meat porters at Smithfield's market in London launched a "lightning" strike completely shutting down London's meat supply in protest at bosses' refusal to employ one man who did not have the required references. stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9189...
January 2, 2026 at 10:40 AM
#OtD 2 Jan 1950 the 300 meat porters at Smithfield's market in London launched a "lightning" strike completely shutting down London's meat supply in protest at bosses' refusal to employ one man who did not have the required references. stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9189...
A quick primer on a voting method invented in Oregon.
How Does STAR Voting Work?
YouTube video by The Equal Vote Coalition
youtu.be
January 2, 2026 at 6:17 PM
A quick primer on a voting method invented in Oregon.
Alaskan Republicans are trying to put the voting method reform genie back in the bottle.
Another initiative to repeal open primaries and ranked choice voting set to appear on Alaska’s 2026 ballot
A Republican-led effort to repeal Alaska’s voting system has gathered enough signatures to put the question before voters again.
www.adn.com
January 2, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Alaskan Republicans are trying to put the voting method reform genie back in the bottle.
"Real political parties move on people power, mass mobilizations, and the hyper-enthusiasm of the youth. The Democrats and the Republicans run on television ads and professional consultants paid for with bundled money from the fat cats at Goldman Sachs."
— Glen Ford (1949-2021)
— Glen Ford (1949-2021)
The Dems and Repubs are Moneypots, Not Real Political Parties
If the Democrats were a real, mass based party, they would never consider Joe Biden as their nominee because he has no support among the people that energize parties: the youth.
The Quinnipiac poll s
soundcloud.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:32 PM
"Real political parties move on people power, mass mobilizations, and the hyper-enthusiasm of the youth. The Democrats and the Republicans run on television ads and professional consultants paid for with bundled money from the fat cats at Goldman Sachs."
— Glen Ford (1949-2021)
— Glen Ford (1949-2021)
Reposted by James Belcher
Get and read this book right away. 10/10, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, do not delay! @equalityalec.bsky.social is a genius. #Booksky
January 2, 2026 at 3:05 AM
Get and read this book right away. 10/10, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, do not delay! @equalityalec.bsky.social is a genius. #Booksky
“'Do officers get any sort of training … particularly the identification of respiratory distress …?' a grand juror asked Portland Police Bureau Officer Dominic Lovato, a program instructor at PPB’s training division.
“'We do not, no,' Lovato replied."
“'We do not, no,' Lovato replied."
Despite DOJ Intervention, Portland Police are Still Killing People in Mental Health Crisis
Teri Johnson never expected justice. Her brother Damon Lamarr Johnson died in June after being restrained by Portland police for several minutes as they tried to take him into custody for behavioral h...
www.portlandmercury.com
January 2, 2026 at 4:56 PM
“'Do officers get any sort of training … particularly the identification of respiratory distress …?' a grand juror asked Portland Police Bureau Officer Dominic Lovato, a program instructor at PPB’s training division.
“'We do not, no,' Lovato replied."
“'We do not, no,' Lovato replied."