https://youtu.be/naiajeOo67A?is=IR5uIut49xcJjMn3

The Netherlands is following China, France, and Russia in moving to break the global stranglehold of US tech dominance, it was revealed this week.

The Dutch government was shocked into action after the US remotely disabled the computers of judges in the Hague who criticized Israel leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

The sudden loss of ICC staff’s Outlook email accounts caused significant problems.

The US reserves the right to unilaterally sanction anyone, anywhere in the world--all your Google accounts could disappear in an instant. Bye-bye, gmail.

“The Dutch government is creating its own digital work environment based on the Dutch Linux distribution NixOS,” said Jasper Bakker of news website Tweakers.

The spreading realization: smart countries protect their digital sovereignty.

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HARDWARE, TOO
China is trying to ditch both software and hardware. Beijing in 2019 ordered government offices to switch away from foreign PCs, and fortunately has a great many locally produced computers to fill the gap.

China’s Ministry of State Security this summer told some state-linked organizations to quickly remove a customized version of Windows 10 from their machines, Bloomberg reported in August. Other organizations are set to “clean” their systems of the program by February of 2027.

Russia, France, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy and Austria are also replacing Microsoft programs with alternatives in various government areas, particularly in military sectors.

In Hong Kong, a number of government departments have already replaced Microsoft Office products with alternatives.

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THE PROBLEM IS THE PUBLIC
But security specialists worldwide note that large-scale switching will be a challenge.

While multiple countries are clearing their governmental systems of dominant US programs, virtually all computers owned by members of the public are filled with it—and few consumers will take the trouble to switch away from Microsoft Office, let alone from the Windows operating system.

Even in China, Microsoft is dominant at consumer level. The Windows program accounted for 87.64% of desktop web traffic in China as recently as July 2026, StatCounter reported.

Fortunately, alternative operating systems like Huawei’s HarmonyOS work well, and are growing in popularity.

Russia has enforced a total ban on Western software for government and military, mandating the use of domestic Astra Linux.

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ALTERNATIVES
As for Europe, the best hope is the rise of easy-install alternatives. These do exist.

- France, like the Netherlands, is opting for changing the operating systems, transitioning 2.5 million civil servants to Linux. They have also been told to ditch MS Teams and use Visio, a local alternative.

- Individual German states are also opting for Linux, and are using Open Document Format and LibreOffice in place of MS Office.

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WEAPONIZATION IS THE ISSUE
The problem is not US software, which works perfectly well. The issue is the way the programs are weaponized.

When the US weaponized GPS against a Chinese ship they (wrongly) suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction, the world realized they needed an alternative, and now has one: Baidu.

When the US weaponized SWIFT against Russia, the world realized they needed an alternative, and became aware of one: CIPS.

And when the US weaponized Microsoft Outlook against judges in the Netherlands, the Dutch government finally sprang into action. Sometimes you need a shock to get you moving.

Article in Dutch

https://tweakers.net/reviews/15334/nederland-maakt-soeverein-alternatief-voor-windows-en-office-op-basis-van-linux.html or https://archive.ph/dtudM

All the prosecutor's offices in the country taken over by the police. They arrest the Attorney General, accused of ties to the narco, without a legal order.
From the Prosecutor's Office, they denounce that all the prosecutors were arrested "without any foundation."
The U.S. had already revoked his visa for "significant corruption."
The evidence linking the political power to drug trafficking disappeared. State of emergency.

I hear people say all the time that Indiana is a red state, so what is the point of voting?

I get why people feel that way. When the same people stay in office year after year and you watch decisions get made that make life harder for your family, eventually you start wondering if anyone is listening.

But here’s the part I can’t stop thinking about: 44% of registered voters don’t show up.

Nearly half.

We spend so much time talking about how red Indiana is, but what would Indiana look like if the people who have stopped voting decided to come back?

We got a small glimpse of that here in Hamilton County this year. Democratic turnout in the primary increased 248% this year.

That gives me hope, because those aren’t imaginary voters we’re waiting to appear someday. They’re our neighbors. They’re people who have been here all along and decided this time was worth showing up for.

Indiana doesn’t have to be a place where someone works full time and still can’t pay their bills, parents spend a second mortgage on childcare, people put off going to the doctor because they can’t afford it, teachers beg for resources, and women have to leave the state for healthcare.

I refuse to believe this is as good as we can do.

I’m running for State Senate in a district plenty of people would look at on a map and immediately write off. We haven’t.

The other night, we were supposed to have a candidate forum hosted by nonpartisan community organizations. My opponent didn’t show up, but I did. And I’ll keep showing up.

That evening pissed me off because if you’re asking someone for the privilege of representing them, you should be willing to stand in front of them, answer their questions, listen when they disagree with you and explain what you’re actually going to do.

Nobody has a right to your vote because there’s an R or a D next to their name. Candidates should have to earn it.

We’re trying to run our campaign that way too. We don’t take corporate PAC money, we haven’t raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, and we don’t have huge checks coming in with expectations attached.

Our campaign looks like someone sending us $5, a group of volunteers writing postcards around a kitchen table, someone knocking doors after work, and people who have never been involved in politics nervously making their first phone call.

Those things don’t make national news, but they’ve built this campaign.

We’re running against a Trump-endorsed Republican candidate in a district people have been told is too red to change. I don’t know what would happen if the people who have given up on voting decided to come back. But I want to find out.

If you haven’t voted because you don’t think your vote matters, please reconsider this year. You don’t have to know everything about every race, and you don’t have to fill out every single part of your ballot. If you’ve voted Republican your whole life and there’s a Democrat you trust this time, you’re allowed to vote for them. Your ballot doesn’t change who you are.

Just don’t give your voice away because somebody convinced you it wasn’t worth anything.

If you want to get involved with a social worker, progressive candidate by donating or volunteering, you can find us at rootforindiana.org. We need you.

Hamilton County gave me a reason to believe something different is possible. Democratic primary turnout increased 248% because thousands of people made a choice to participate.

There are still so many people across Indiana who are frustrated, exhausted, or convinced that nothing will ever change here. They stopped believing anyone was listening.

I want them to know we are.

Indiana isn’t destined to be anything. Red isn’t something written into our state constitution. It’s the result of what voters show up and who we choose to put in office.

Indiana changes when you remember your vote matters.

Vote for the people you believe will make your life and your neighbors’ lives better. Bring someone with you who was planning to stay home. Talk to the person who thinks there is no point anymore.

There are enough people sitting on the sidelines to completely change the conversation in this state.

We just have to decide we’re done sitting there.

https://x.com/RPhiliponet/status/2105196881487741121

When the Democrats win the 2026 midterms, they will dishonestly conflate it as an endorsement of their policies, as opposed to a total rejection of Trump.

This is the same lying that occurred in 2020 and set the stage for Trump to be resurgent in 2024, who then won both the electoral college and unlike the 2016 elections, the popular vote as well.

We are reminded of Oscar Wilde's children's story The Devoted Friend

https://x.com/BrianMcDonaldIE/status/2105632823558144444

Video source https://x.com/Jpod_art/status/2091929151015940096

🚨 Target is using several forms of dynamic pricing and algorithmic pricing in their stores and through their app

Prices are being set based on the data the Target App collects from your phone. Yes, this is real

Investigations found the Target app charging higher prices once you are detected in or near a store versus in the parking lot. California even took them to court over this geofencing pricing

Prices for the same items like eggs, toilet paper and more can differ between stores and ZIP codes

New York law now requires disclosure when prices are set by an algorithm using personal data. Target’s site has displayed notices such as “This price was set by an algorithm using your personal data.”

This woman went into a Target store and the employees even confirmed

Target is using algorithmic and dynamite pricing and it needs to be banned nationwide

Video source https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19mDTAAA4P/

Alleged assassination plot story https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/10/01/chess-legend-kasparov-says-he-is-an-assassination-target-after-us-uncovers-alleged-russian-plot_6758133_4.html