Jen Sorensen

More E-commerce Chaos

The FCC just approved the test launch of a space mirror-bearing satellite from a company called Reflect Orbital. The plan is to test one mirror this year, and scale up to a "constellation" of 50,000 by 2035. For more background on why space mirrors are a bad idea, I recommend this Scientific American article from last year.

The Dangers of Solar Panels

See this ProPublica article for more info

Rather than having an economy that serves people, we are witnessing an out-of-control system that incentivizes getting humans out of the way.

Name that bellicose babbler!

Last week, Pete Hegseth declared that the war on Iran would be different from previous US military invasions. The Defense Department spokesmodel announced: “The dumb, politically correct wars of the past were the opposite of what we’re doing here. They had vague objectives with restrictive, minimalist rules of engagement. No more.” Now, anyone who remembers the Iraq War knows it was a bloodbath featuring “shock and awe” tactics followed by numerous atrocities against civilians and ghastly revelations of torture. We’ve reached the point where not committing war crimes is being ridiculed as “politically correct.” 

As so many familiar parts of life become shells of their former selves, it's worth remembering what's still decent, human, and real.

More Perfect Union has a short video that provides a decent overview of the real motivations behind the US threats to Greenland: rare earth minerals coveted by the tech industry, a longtime fixation on Greenland by Trump ally Ron Lauder (heir to the Estee Lauder fortune), oil, and the radical libertarian fantasy of creating a "network state" city there.

Mr. and Mrs. P's Holiday Stroll

MurderKorp

As regulations protecting the health and safety of Americans are stripped away, I find myself thinking a lot about the amorality of the marketplace.

To support this work and receive my weekly newsletter with background on each cartoon, please consider joining the Sorensen Subscription Service! Also on Patreon.

The Listeria League

Climate Silence

The COP30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil has been largely overshadowed by the Epstein files, but I thought it was worth reminding ourselves that humans are destroying the planet. Here in the states, it now feels almost taboo to mention the climate crisis. Poll-driven pundits warn Dems not to bring it up because voters don't see it as a top priority, and Democrats have largely stopped talking about it. Even Bill Gates, a longtime funder of climate projects, has issued a widely-criticized memo suggesting a "strategic pivot" to helping poor countries develop rather than reduce carbon emissions, as though these two are mutually exclusive. 

Consumer Reports recently made headlines with a new study showing high levels of lead in many protein powders and shakes.

What does not belong?

Pundit Bro Doom Loop