Crash Course: Is that crab you're eating fake?

"Fish fraud" can't be blamed on voting machines none Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgpiAdOsA2K0pUKYUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). none none A massive problem we (probably) can't blame on Trump: Fish fraud! No one's been able to find significant voter fraud in the last election (because there wasn't any) but as Salon's Matthew Rozsa reports, ["fish fraud" is damn near everywhere](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0Q2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDYvZmFrZS1jcmFiLWZpc2gtZnJhdWQvVwNzcGNCCmIB06wDYrSlQphSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~), and we can't stop it. Blue crab from the Chesapeake Bay is a justly famous delicacy not just of the mid-Atlantic region but the entire world, but Dr. Marla Valentine tells Matt "crustacean chicanery" is at work: Blue swimming crabs from the Philippines, an entirely different species, are being imported and misleadingly labeled "blue crab," and then sold cheap, undercutting the genuine article and the livelihood of Delmarva crabbers. Valentine is co-author of a report for Oceana, a nonprofit ocean conservation group, on the prevalence of fraudulent seafood, an issue that goes well beyond economic competition or bamboozling gourmet diners — or even the Subway scandal, when the sandwich chain was exposed as using definitely-not-tuna in its "tuna subs": The problem is what is known as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which increases profits for those in the seafood industry yet tends to be both unsustainable and extremely harmful to the environment. In their report, Oceana discusses how the Caribbean spiny lobster industry in Belize is threatened by illegal fishing; in Mexico's Yucatán peninsula the Maya octopus — which is highly valued by locals in dishes like ceviche — is being fished to the point of overexploitation; and a majority of Peruvian squid fishers lack valid permits, with their catches being offloaded to third-party vessels which then misleadingly label it as having been legally caught. This makes it very difficult to monitor whether long-distance vessels (predominantly from China) are overfishing. Promotion from Funimation [Learn more](~/AASU4wA~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~) Thrilling new episodes! [Learn more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP4RfAWh0dHBzOi8vd3c0NC5hZmZpbml0eS5uZXQvc3Nzd2ViP2Vuaz0zNGU4ZDRiZTA2MDJjZjE4YTExMzM4NzE0NjBkMGUzYTYzM2RjMTljMmU4MTAxNmUyNzIyNTRiNzI0MDJhMzUzNWZjOTE3NGQ2MjFkOGFiM2I4ZWFlZDNmNjRiMGIwZjhjYjY3NDI5ZDQyMWFhNDZkOTEzMzExMjE1OWRlNDY5YzZjOTIyYjc4N2M3OTNlNDVjYWRlYzA3MzU2MDcxMTNmODA2NWY1YzE5ODkzZmE3NjkxYzUxNTBkNDY0MmYxMTc5MGU3ZDYzZGEzYzQ2NTZiMTM4NjRhN2QyNDc2ZjMyN2Y3ZGIzYWI1NzI4MzRmNjM3Y2ViOGM1YjY4YzljOTk5YTRmZjVlOGRjZWZkNzU3YyZjYz1VUyZkPWZ1bmltYXRpb24uY29tJnN1YmlkPWNyYXNoLWNvdXJzZVcDc3BjQgpiAdOsA2K0pUKYUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) none none Before we had Donald Trump and QAnon, America had Robert Welch and the Birchers Standard histories of the American conservative movement, Northeastern University professor [Edward H. Miller tells Salon's Kathryn Joyce](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0RyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDkvYmVmb3JlLXRydW1wLWFsZXgtam9uZXMtYW5kLXFhbm9uLWhvdy1yb2JlcnQtd2VsY2gtY3JlYXRlZC10aGUtcGFyYW5vaWQtZmFyLXJpZ2h0VwNzcGNCCmIB06wDYrSlQphSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~), make right-wing politics seem largely wholesome, like the Beach Boys hits of the early '60s. But those accounts didn't capture "the darkness and the danger of some of the conspiratorial ideas that reverberated throughout the right," Miller says. The real sound of the American far right was more like "death metal," and nobody in that world was more hardcore than Robert Welch, founder of the John Birch Society. For Miller, we literally live today in the world the Birchers made: No. 1, conspiracy theories abound. There are conspiracy theories about vaccines, despite the fact that they are saving lives. You have this belief that the election was rigged, despite all evidence to the contrary. Many of the conspiratorial views far-right media expounds today would be something expressed by Welch back in his heyday. I mean, he doesn't believe Sputnik exists. He believes the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the world came closest to nuclear annihilation, was exaggerated. He believes Vietnam was a phony war run by the Kremlin. He believes that the Korean War was run by the Kremlin. These are the kinds of things we'd hear today. Not necessarily the exact same things, but the unreality of it. But when pressed on whether there's anything Miller admires in Welch's story — the subject of his new book, "[A Conspiratorial Life](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0QpaHR0cHM6Ly9ib29rc2hvcC5vcmcvYS8yNDY0Lzk3ODAyMjY0NDg4NjJXA3NwY0IKYgHTrANitKVCmFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)" — the historian responds that at least the godfather of conspiracy theory wasn't a total hypocrite: I think he sincerely believed. He was not anybody who presented these views for political or monetary gain. ... Today I think the temptation to make money off this is so powerful that many embrace this false reality for monetary gain. Welch wouldn't and didn't do that. It was completely different than something you'd see today, where people promote climate denial when they don't believe it; when they're taking the vaccines and the boosters while telling people it's against their freedoms. I mean, it's unconscionable. Sorry to get emotional, but I don't know how they can sleep at night. none - Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis to Joe Rogan on N-word Spotify flap: [Never apologize, baby](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDgvdHJ1bXAtZGVzYW50aXMtc2F5LWpvZS1yb2dhbi1zaG91bGRudC1hcG9sb2dpemUtZm9yLXVzaW5nLW4td29yZC1yZXBlYXRlZGx5L1cDc3BjQgpiAdOsA2K0pUKYUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). - GOP scammers in Miami may have [switched voter registration](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0RnaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDgvd2VyZS1lbGRlcmx5LWZsb3JpZGEtZGVtb2NyYXRzLXJlLXJlZ2lzdGVyZWQtYXMtd2l0aG91dC10aGVpci1jb25zZW50L1cDc3BjQgpiAdOsA2K0pUKYUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) of elderly Democrats. - Tucker Carlson loves the [Canadian trucker protest](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0R9aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDgvdHVja2VyLWNhcmxzb24tY2FuYWRpYW4tdHJ1Y2tlcnMtcHJvdGVzdGluZy12YWNjaW5lLW1hbmRhdGUtYmVpbmctdHJlYXRlZC1saWtlLXRlcnJvci1ncm91cC9XA3NwY0IKYgHTrANitKVCmFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) — and no, that's not surprising at all. - Is it OK for Helen Mirren to play legendary Israeli leader Golda Meir? [Let's discuss](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0RRaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDcvaGVsZW4tbWlycmVuLWdvbGRhLW1laXItY2FzdGluZy1iYWNrbGFzaC1qZXdpc2gvVwNzcGNCCmIB06wDYrSlQphSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~). - Your house is full of masks: But which work best to [stop the omicron variant](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0RGaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDYvaGVhbHRoY2FyZS1mYWNlbWFza3MtcmVjb21tZW5kYXRpb25zL1cDc3BjQgpiAdOsA2K0pUKYUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)? Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0QgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL25ld3NsZXR0ZXJXA3NwY0IKYgHTrANitKVCmFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) to receive Crash Course. none The GOP's assault on laws, facts and actual reality just won't stop In particularly dire voting-rights news this week, as [Salon's Amanda Marcotte writes](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0R6aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDgvZnJvbS1zY290dXMtdG8tY3JpdGljYWwtcmFjZS10aGVvcnktdGhlcmVzLW5vLWxhdy1vci1mYWN0LXRoZS1mZWVscy1ib3VuZC10by1yZXNwZWN0LW5vdy9XA3NwY0IKYgHTrANitKVCmFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), the Supreme Court "[declined to enforce the 1965 Voting Rights Act](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0RpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wMi8wNy91cy9wb2xpdGljcy9zdXByZW1lLWNvdXJ0LWFsYWJhbWEtcmVkaXN0cmljdGluZy1jb25ncmVzc2lvbmFsLW1hcC5odG1sVwNzcGNCCmIB06wDYrSlQphSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) in response to a plainly racist gerrymander in Alabama, on the grounds that doing so would interfere with the state's control of their elections systems. Yes, even though federal oversight of state election systems is literally what the Voting Rights Act was designed to do." That came within days of another story from Alabama, where "parental rights" groups are reportedly [freaking out over Black History Month](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0SFaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDMvYWxhYmFtYS1zY2hvb2xzLWFjY3VzZWQtb2YtdGVhY2hpbmctY3JpdGljYWwtcmFjZS10aGVvcnktYnktcmVjb2duaXppbmctYmxhY2staGlzdG9yeS1tb250aF9wYXJ0bmVyL1cDc3BjQgpiAdOsA2K0pUKYUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~), "accusing schools of promoting 'critical race theory' by mentioning it or honoring it in any way." These two stories, Amanda writes, are essentially linked, displaying a sentiment that "has now taken root in every corner of the GOP. From the school board to the Supreme Court, Republicans are determined to stomp out anything that stands in the way of white supremacy, from history to the law to democracy itself." Trump's three Supreme Court appointees have shifted the balance so much that Chief Justice John Roberts often votes against them — and loses. They have "transformed SCOTUS into an authoritarian body that will throw out the rule of law to enforce a far-right agenda," Amanda writes. Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett "are throwing their lot in with Trump and the Capitol insurrectionists — if the law will not uphold white supremacy, the law itself is invalid." It's the same impulse underpinning the panic over "critical race theory," a cover story for white conservatives trying to stomp out acknowledgment of the country's racist history and contributions made by Black Americans. Republicans spent months gaslighting the public about this, insisting the attacks on school boards and bans on "critical race theory" were about stopping supposedly "divisive" teachings and "anti-white" racism. But their actions speak otherwise, from these complaints about Black History Month to [efforts to ban books about Martin Luther King Jr.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0R1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDEvMjgvdGhlLWNyaXRpY3Mtd2VyZS1yaWdodC1jcml0aWNhbC1yYWNlLXRoZW9yeS1pcy1qdXN0LWEtY292ZXItZm9yLXNpbGVuY2luZy1lZHVjYXRvcnMvVwNzcGNCCmIB06wDYrSlQphSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) The goal is erasing history, literature and even facts that conflict with a white supremacist ideology. none - L.A. County keeping mask mandate even as other SoCal counties drop it, [Los Angeles Times](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0R_aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGF0aW1lcy5jb20vY2FsaWZvcm5pYS9zdG9yeS8yMDIyLTAyLTA4L2wtYS1jb3VudHkta2VlcGluZy1tYXNrLW1hbmRhdGUtZXZlbi1hcy1vLWMtaW5sYW5kLWVtcGlyZS1kcm9wLWl0LWhlcmVzLXdoeVcDc3BjQgpiAdOsA2K0pUKYUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - Boris Johnson in more hot water after "scurrilous accusation" against Labour leader, [Washington Post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0RYaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3dvcmxkLzIwMjIvMDIvMDgvYm9yaXMtam9obnNvbi1rZWlyLXN0YXJtZXItamltbXktc2F2aWxlL1cDc3BjQgpiAdOsA2K0pUKYUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - Lawyers for ex-Dolphins coach say Texans didn't hire him after filing NFL discrimination suit, [Yahoo Sports](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0RraHR0cHM6Ly9zcG9ydHMueWFob28uY29tL2JyaWFuLWZsb3Jlcy1sYXd5ZXJzLWNsYWltLXRleGFucy1kaWRudC1oaXJlLWhpbS1kdWUtdG8tbmZsLWxhd3N1aXQtMDE0OTEwMDQ4Lmh0bWxXA3NwY0IKYgHTrANitKVCmFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - Is Valve's SteamDeck the "most innovative gaming PC in 20 years"? [PCWorld](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucGN3b3JsZC5jb20vYXJ0aWNsZS82MTI3NDYvdGhlLXN0ZWFtLWRlY2std293cy1wbGF5ZXJzLWluLWl0cy1maXJzdC1oYW5kcy1vbi1zZXNzaW9ucy5odG1sVwNzcGNCCmIB06wDYrSlQphSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - Camilla to be named "Queen Consort" — but what the heck is that anyway? [People](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0Q5aHR0cHM6Ly9wZW9wbGUuY29tL3JveWFscy9xdWVlbi12cy1xdWVlbi1jb25zb3J0LWNhbWlsbGEvVwNzcGNCCmIB06wDYrSlQphSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) none none When fiction "bears witness" to real-life tragedy Kathryn Joyce's remarkable [interview with novelist David Guterson](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0RvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDgvYXV0aG9yLWRhdmlkLWd1dGVyc29uLW9uLXRoZS10cnVlLXN0b3J5LW9mLWFidXNlLWFuZC10aGF0LXNoYXBlZC1oaXMtbmV3LWJvb2svVwNzcGNCCmIB06wDYrSlQphSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) is not "something awful," but it concerns something almost unbearable: The 2011 death of an adopted Ethiopian girl named Hana Williams, who was subjected to unremitting abuse by her fundamentalist adoptive parents in rural Washington state. Kathryn first met Guterson when they both attended the parents' criminal trial. She was there as a reporter and remembers, "At times during the weeks I attended, I found myself spontaneously weeping at traffic lights around the town." Guterson, best known as the author of the bestseller "Snow Falling on Cedars," was there first as a parent — he too has an adopted child from Ethiopia — but by the end of the trial, he says, "I was starting to think about it in writerly terms," and the result was his new novel, "[The Final Case](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0QpaHR0cHM6Ly9ib29rc2hvcC5vcmcvYS8yNDY0Lzk3ODA1MjU1MjEzMjdXA3NwY0IKYgHTrANitKVCmFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)": I went to Ethiopia partly with this idea that there's something I would write about. I started trying to write it as nonfiction, and I found out, after struggling in that vein for quite a while, that I didn't know how to do it. It morphed into a novel and it was kind of stuck in between. ... I began to reflect on the practical and literal possibilities in bearing witness. ... I think it made a difference in this trial. I think just sitting there silently, and making that symbolic statement that you're paying attention, makes a difference. And I think bearing witness is not just a symbolic thing. When Guterson traveled to Ethiopia and met with Hana's birth family, they knew what had happened, but could not really imagine how or why such a thing would occur in the richest and most powerful nation on the planet. Kathryn tells him, "I would be at a loss to answer that question," and Guterson responds: That's probably the first thing I said: that this is completely inexplicable. But I did say, you might have certain assumptions about America and what kind of a country it is. But one thing you might not know is what a deeply religious country America is. And many people in America are deeply religious in a way that makes them prone to raise children in an authoritarian way. That the people that Hana went to were those kind of people, and it went down the road that you can imagine it would go down in a family like that, where authoritarian child rearing is the status quo. Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). Our mailing address: 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, 19801 DE [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmIB06wDYrSlQphSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2022 Crash Course, All rights reserved. [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5jHRP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpiAdOsA2K0pUKYUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)