The Evening Blues - 1-4-16
Hey! Good Evening!
This evening's music features blues piano player and singer Mercy Dee Walton. Enjoy!
Mercy Dee - Red Light
“I hope that’s not where we’re going, but you know if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around? I’ll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out.”-- Sharron Angle
News and Opinion
Bundy Rancher Militia takes over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters
The Bundy family of Nevada joined with hard-core militiamen Saturday to take over the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, vowing to occupy the remote federal outpost 30 miles southeast of Burns for years.
The occupation came shortly after an estimated 300 marchers — militia and local citizens both — paraded through Burns to protest the prosecution of two Harney County ranchers, Dwight Hammond Jr. and Steven Hammond, who are to report to prison on Monday.
Among the occupiers is Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, and two of his brothers. Militia members at the refuge claimed they had as many as 100 supporters with them. The refuge, federal property managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was closed and unoccupied for the holiday weekend. ...
Ryan Bundy said there were no hostages, but the group is demanding that the Hammonds be released and the federal government relinquish control of the Malheur National Forest.
He said many would be willing to fight — and die, if necessary — to defend what they see as constitutionally protected rights for states, counties and individuals to manage local lands.
"The best possible outcome is that the ranchers that have been kicked out of the area, then they will come back and reclaim their land, and the wildlife refuge will be shut down forever and the federal government will relinquish such control," he said. "What we're doing is not rebellious. What we're doing is in accordance with the Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land."
And people say white privilege doesn't exist. Smh #OregonUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/rvlwaMqmE3
— Bernie Sanders (@BernSanders2016) January 3, 2016
Oregon militia occupying wildlife refuge aims to overthrow government, says sheriff
On the second day of its armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the Bundy militia shifted tactics. From a state of lockdown it moved to a charm offensive, inviting a small media contingent inside its redoubt, with warm smiles and waves.
The local sheriff was not convinced.
“These men came to Harney County claiming to be part of militia groups supporting local ranchers,” Sheriff David Ward said in a statement, “when in reality these men had alternative motives, to attempt to overthrow the county and federal government in hopes to spark a movement across the United States.”
US - Armed far-right militiamen occupy federal wildlife refuge in support of arsonist farmers
Why Aren’t We Calling the Oregon Occupiers 'Terrorists'?
As of Sunday afternoon, The Washington Post called them "occupiers." The New York Times opted for "armed activists" and "militia men." And the Associated Press put the situation this way: "A family previously involved in a showdown with the federal government has occupied a building at a national wildlife refuge in Oregon and is asking militia members to join them."
Not one seemed to lean toward terms such as "insurrection," "revolt," anti-government "insurgents" or, as some on social media were calling them, "terrorists." When a group of unknown size and unknown firepower has taken over any federal building with plans and possibly some equipment to aid a years-long occupation — and when its representative tells reporters that they would prefer to avoid violence but are prepared to die — the kind of almost-uniform delicacy and the limits on the language used to describe the people involved becomes noteworthy itself. ...
You will note that while the group gathered in Oregon is almost assuredly all or nearly all white, that has scarcely been mentioned in any story. You will note that nothing even close to similar can be said about coverage of events in Missouri, Maryland, Illinois or any other place where questions about policing have given way to protests or actual riots.
You will note the extended debate about whether admitted Charleston shooter Dylann Roof's apparently racially motivated shooting spree was an act of terrorism or even violent racism and the comparatively rapid way that more than one news organization began hinting at and then using terms such as Islamic extremism to describe the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif.
The sometimes-coded but increasingly overt ways that some Americans are presumed guilty and violence-prone while others are assumed to be principled and peaceable unless and until provoked — even when actually armed — is remarkable.
Inside Story - Stern message from Saudi Arabia
Soaring Unrest After Saudis Execute Top Shi’ite Cleric
While the United Arab Emirates defended the killings as in keeping with Sharia law, Saudi Arabia’s mass execution of 47, including top Shi’ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, has fueled a new round of international condemnation and riled Shi’ites the world over. ...
In Iran [...] Shi’ite demonstrators marched on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. The situation got out of hand before long, however, and the embassy was set on fire, leading the Saudis to condemn Iran as “terrorists.” ...
Nimr was detained in 2012 for his role in organizing a protest demanding an end to discrimination against the Shi’ite minority in Saudi Arabia. Nimr’s detention was already wildly controversial, and he was reportedly tortured while in custody.
Nimr’s trial centered around charges of “disobeying the ruler” and “inciting sectarian strife,” and the evidence against him was primarily the text of sermons he gave, leading to condemnation from human rights groups. In October of 2014, he was sentenced to death.
As Saudi Arabia Executes Sheikh al-Nimr, Will U.S. Respond by Cutting $50 Billion in Weapons Sales?
Hezbollah slams Saudi execution of Shi'ite cleric, blames U.S. support of Riyadh
Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah condemned the execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, calling it an "assassination" and blaming it on the United States and its allies' support for Riyadh. ...
The "real reason" for the execution was "that Sheikh Nimr... demanded the squandered rights of an oppressed people," Hezbollah said in a statement, apparently referring to Saudi Arabia's Shi'ite minority.
"The Saudi authorities ... put them (the Shi'ites executed) together with terrorist bands and groups which had committed crimes against civilians. Sheikh Nimr resisted oppression with words," the Hezbollah statement said.
It said it held the United States and its allies directly responsible through their support for the Saudi government, and urged the international community and rights groups to condemn the execution.
Cartoon of the Day: Does it Makes Any Sense to Have Saudi Arabia as Head of @UN Human Rights Council? pic.twitter.com/2gWi24RMgO
— Carlos Latuff (@LatuffCartoons) January 3, 2016
The Nation That Executed 47 People In 1 Day Sits On The U.N. Human Rights Council
Saudi Arabia’s announcement Saturday that it executed 47 prisoners, including an influential Shiite cleric, caused protests in Shiite neighborhoods around the world, from Saudi Arabia itself to Bahrain to Kashmir. ...
Death sentences in the country are usually carried out by beheading with a sword.
"Regardless of the crimes allegedly committed, executing prisoners in mass only further stains Saudi Arabia's troubling human rights record," Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East director for Human Rights Watch,told Reuters. The mass execution follows the deadliest year on death row in Saudi Arabia in two decades -- the kingdom executed 158 people in 2015, the highest number since 1995.
Despite the worldwide outrage, Saudi Arabia is unlikely to face rebuke from the world’s top human rights body.
In fact, Saudi Arabia wields significant influence in the United Nations Human Rights Council, where it enjoys the support of world powers including the U.S. and U.K.
While human rights groups voiced alarm at Saudi Arabia’s inclusion in the Human Rights Council, the Gulf nation had powerful supporters, including -- according to Wikileaks -- the U.K. To the further chagrin of human rights groups, Saudi Arabia was selected to chair a key panel of the Council last summer. The five-member “consultative group” helps select the experts who are assigned to examine human rights issues on behalf of the Council.
ISIS vs Saudi Arabia..
Note: Hillary Clinton accepts millions of dollars in donations from Saudi Arabia. pic.twitter.com/8LQSuPglUw
— Nat Shupe (@NatShupe) December 28, 2015
Iranian leader’s website posts controversial image comparing Saudi Arabia to Isis
The Iranian supreme leader’s website has posted a controversial image equating the executions in Saudi Arabia with the practices of the so-called Islamic State. ...
Wow! Iran's supreme leader's website posts this picture, equating Saudi with ISIS. #Nimr @ggreenwald @mehdirhasan pic.twitter.com/AhoLWbTO7A
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) January 2, 2016
The image comes as the Iranian supreme leader renewed his attack on Saudi Arabia over its execution of leading Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr-al Nimr. He said that politicians in the kingdom would face the divine retribution for his death. Sheik Nimr was among 47 people who were executed on Saturday after being convicted of terrorism charges.
“The unjustly spilled blood of this oppressed martyr will no doubt soon show its effect and divine vengeance will befall Saudi politicians,” state TV reported Khamenei as saying on Sunday. It said he described the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a “political error”.
Sunni Nations Rally Behind Saudi Arabia as Row With Iran Intensifies
Saudi Arabia's Sunni allies rallied behind the kingdom on Monday and several joined Riyadh in severing or downgrading diplomatic relations with Tehran, in the wake of a row over the execution of a Shia cleric.
Bahrain and Sudan cut all ties with Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), home to hundreds of thousands of Iranians, downgraded its relations. Saudi Arabia broke off relations on Sunday after a mob stormed its embassy in Tehran, amid outrage that a leading Shia cleric was among 47 people executed by the Sunni Muslim kingdom on Saturday.
On Monday Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced that flights between the two countries would be stopped, ending commercial relations and barring its citizens from travel to the Islamic Republic.
Iran is the world's main Shia Muslim power while Saudi Arabia is a leading Sunni Muslim country, and they back opposing sides in the Syrian and Yemeni conflicts.
Iran has accused Saudi Arabia of using the attack on the embassy as an "excuse" to sever ties and further increase sectarian tensions, after Shia Muslims across the world denounced Saudi Arabia's killing of Shia cleric Nimr al Nimr.
How ISIS Actually Lost Ramadi
Pentagon officials hailed the U.S.-trained Iraqi army this week for retaking much of the western Iraq city of Ramadi from the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
But privately, Defense Department officials tell The Daily Beast the fight for Ramadi was a long slog led not by the army, known as the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), but by an elite counterterrorism force, which itself was only able to beat ISIS with U.S.-led coalition airstrikes. The ISF, which have been the beneficiaries of years of U.S. training and funding, didn’t lead the battle, but served in a support role, pointing out ISIS positions for air attacks and holding the roads that led to the city center where troops Monday flew the Iraqi flag.
It’s one of several ways in which the simplistic narrative of the battle for Ramadi is giving way to a more nuanced story—one that presents both promise and peril as the fight against ISIS continues. For those looking for good news, there was plenty: the emergence of Iraq’s elite fighters, and the apparent absence of the Shia militias which have threatened to turn the ISIS conflict into a sectarian war.
But there was troubling news as well. The Iraqi army’s inability to lead the five-month battle for Ramadi leaves many in the Pentagon dubious of plans to liberate ISIS’s biggest Iraqi stronghold, in Mosul, despite pronouncements from Iraqi political leaders that the operation is on the horizon. The ISF can, at best, carry out the ancillary aspects of war fighting. And the elite counterterrorism unit is not large enough to do the job of liberating—and holding—multiple cities simultaneously.
Erdogan cites Hitler's Germany as example of effective government
Turkey’s president has been pushing for some time for a new presidential system to govern the country, sparring with critics who accuse him of attempting a power grab.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s latest comments in favour of greater executive powers are unlikely to help him bring those critics round. On Friday he was quoted by Turkish media as citing a striking example of an effective presidential system – Germany under Adolf Hitler.
Asked on his return from a visit to Saudi Arabia whether an executive presidential system was possible while maintaining the unitary structure of the state, he said: “There are already examples in the world. You can see it when you look at Hitler’s Germany.
“There are later examples in various other countries,” he told reporters, according to a recording broadcast by the Dogan news agency and reported by Reuters.
When will the FBI stop its oppression of America's mentally ill and differently abled people? What a sick joke the FBI counterterrorism people are.
Pro-ISIS New York ‘Plotter’ a Mentally Ill Panhandler
The family of New Year’s plotter Emanuel Lutchman, arrested by the FBI as a “pro-ISIS” extremist who planned to attack a Rochester bar, say he was mentally ill and easily manipulated, and posed no risk to carry out an attack on his own.
Lutchman was in contact with an FBI informant who convinced him that if he wanted to join ISIS he needed to “prove himself” with a domestic attack. The informant also took him to Walmart to buy knives and ski masks for a potential attack. ...
The complaint against Lutchman for the “plot” also suggests that he was unlikely to pull off any attacks on his own, noting that he told the FBI informant he didn’t have the money to buy a knife, and managed to convince him to take him shopping at Walmart to get some.
Corruption in Ukraine is so bad, a Nigerian prince would be embarrassed
United States Vice President Joe Biden has never been one to hold his tongue. He certainly didn’t in his recent trip to Kiev. In a speech before Ukraine’s Parliament, Biden told legislators that corruption was eating Ukraine “like a cancer,” and warned Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that Ukraine had “one more chance” to confront corruption before the United States cuts off aid. ...
When it comes to Ukrainian corruption, the numbers speak for themselves. Over $12 billion per year disappears from the Ukrainian budget, according to an adviser to Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau. And in its most recent review of global graft, anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International ranked Ukraine 142 out of 174 countries on its Corruption Perceptions Index — below countries such as Uganda, Nicaragua and Nigeria. ...
The worst corruption occurs at the nexus between business oligarchs and government officials. A small number of oligarchs control 70 percent of Ukraine’s economy, and over the years have captured and corrupted Ukraine’s political and judicial institutions. ... Poroshenko is the only one of Ukraine’s 10 richest people to see his net worth actually increase in the past year, and his bank continues to expand while others lose their licenses. One of his industrial companies also won a large shipbuilding contract — a clear conflict of interest with Poroshenko’s role as president. ... Prime Minister Yatsenyuk faces corruption investigations as well. ...
Ukraine has not completely ignored the fight against corruption. Besides the new National Anti-Corruption Bureau and anti-corruption prosecutor, government procurement tenders moved online and major civil service reform just passed. The key drivers of these measures, though, are not government officials or politicians — many of who fight these changes tooth and nail — but leading civil society organizations such as Transparency International and Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center. These reformers demand radical change, and given the billions of dollars stolen each year by powerful people, they are doing so at great personal risk.
Prior to San Bernardino Attack, Many Were Trained to Spot Terrorists; None Did
In mid-November, just weeks before the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11, the Joint Regional Intelligence Center and the sheriffs’ departments of San Bernardino and Riverside counties held the First Annual Inland Terrorism Liaison Officer Conference in Fontana, California. The two-day event — for law enforcement, public officials, and select members of the private sector — included sessions like “Policing Violent Extremism” and “Preventing Lone Wolf Attacks.”
In fact, this part of California’s Inland Empire has become home to a cottage industry of counterterrorism training in recent years aimed at teaching people how to spot would-be terrorists before they attack. By all accounts, those trainings failed to help anyone spot Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the married couple who shot and killed 14 people and injured 22 others at a meeting of San Bernardino County Health Department employees on December 2.
Many of the trainings, which focus on helping attendees identify “behavioral indicators” of potential terrorists, were held at the Ben Clark Training Center in Riverside, California, less than 25 miles from where the attacks took place.
These behavioral indicators have become central to the U.S. counterterrorism prevention strategy, yet critics say they don’t work. ... The trainings are based on flawed theories that just don’t stand up to empirical scrutiny, according to Michael German, a former FBI agent who is currently a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. “The FBI, [National Counter-Terrorism Center], and [Department of Homeland Security] promote these theories despite the fact they have been refuted in numerous academic studies over the past 20 years,” he said.
Amid US Terrorism Fears, Signs Appear of a Rift Between Young Muslim and Black Women
Young Muslim women [...] have been some of the most active participants in recent campus protests demanding racial justice in the US. ... On the frontlines in their campus quads, megaphones poised, every shade of women of color joined hands under the banner of Black Lives Matter. However, in the aftermath of the attacks in San Bernardino and Paris, fault lines of fear began to appear under that banner, most clearly between young Muslim and black women.
Earlier this month, Sihem, a Muslim and an active organizer for Black Lives Matter, found herself in a Michigan university classroom discussion about Syrian refugees. She was enraged that many of her classmates were in favor of hindering or preventing asylum seekers from entering the US — and she was shocked that among those classmates were several black women whom she viewed as allies.
"We need better protection from people who use terrorist tactics," one female black activist sitting beside Sihem said of the Syrian refugees. Was an activist against police brutality in the black community arguing for increased policing of the Muslim community? Sihem wondered.
As a Muslim student activist named Zuleha recently told me, "We saw the violence against the black community as something we should all fight against, that our parents should understand, something that affects all of us…. We expected the black women activists would feel the same in the fight against Islamophobia, but I'm not sure yet that they do."
As suspicion on one side and disappointment on the other threatens the ties between these two groups of women, one problem may be that, for this generation, solidarity was created only through sit-ins and social media. Though both powerful platforms for imagery and statements of resistance, they can't replace the deeper work required to build strong ties and identify a common enemy.
The Betrayal by the Black Elite with Chris Hedges & Cornel West
China halts trading for day after 7% shares plunge triggers 'circuit breaker'
Chinese stock markets tumbled 7% in their opening session of 2016 on Monday as weak factory activity surveys and falls in the yuan added to concerns about the struggling economy, forcing exchanges to suspend trade for the first time.
Early losses quickly snowballed in the afternoon, with trading suspended around 5.30am GMT, about 90 minutes before the regular close.
Selling intensified after a brief 15-minute trading halt early in the afternoon when main indexes had shed 5%, and activity in Shanghai and Shenzhen was halted for the day soon after.
It was the first day that the China markets so-called “circuit breakers”, intended to curb volatility, had been in effect.
Israel Bans Arab-Jewish Romance Novel Because We Can't Have Both Sides Loving Each Other Now Can We?
The Education Ministry of Israel - you know, the People of the Book - has banned an award-winning young adult novel of love between an Israeli translator and a Palestinian artist because it "threatens the separate identity” of Jews. Explaining their disqualification of Dorit Rabinyan’s “Gader Haya” (published in Hebrew as “Hedgerow,” but "Borderlife” in English), officials cited the need to maintain "the identity and the heritage of students in every sector,” worrying that "young people of adolescent age don’t have the systemic view that includes considerations involving maintaining the national-ethnic identity of the people and the significance of miscegenation.” Ministry officials, including one who's boasted he's "killed lots of Arabs in my life and (has) no problem with it,” argued that young readers don't have "the full tools to weigh the decisions" of inter-racial love - Translation: "They're not quite sure yet who to hate" - and that "many parents... would strongly object to having their children study the novel" - Translation: "They're racist, too, so let's go with it."
Well, this will come to nothing. Obama has no desire to prosecute the elites for their crimes. After all, there's the delicate matter of Obama's crimes that the Republicans are politely overlooking. So, nobody is going to stop the corrupt juggernaut of the corporate lackey war criminal thugs.
President Obama catches Netanyahu bribing republican congressmen to change their Iran votes
In an explosive revelation, wiretaps uncovered by the Wall Street Journal reveal that Benjamin Netanyahu reached out to republican congressmen who had been considering voting in favor of the Iran peace deal, asking what they wanted in return for voting against the deal. In the end, not a single republican voted for the deal, meaning that Netanyahu’s bribes succeeded in swaying the ones who had been on the fence. That means that not only is Netanyahu actively working to undermine the sanctity of the United States government, the republican congressmen involved may have committed treason under the Espionage Act.
While it’s not uncommon for members of congress to offer each other political favors in exchange for votes on various bills, it’s an entirely different legal matter when those offers come from a foreign head of state.
Plan B? Green Party Candidate Jill Stein's Message to Bernie Sanders Supporters
From the Blind Hogs finding acorns department:
Trump: Clinton has ruined the world
Donald Trump pointed to Hillary Clinton as the cause of "so many" of the world's current problems in an interview to air Sunday, attacking, among other decisions, the then-New York senator's vote to authorize the invasion of Iraq in 2002. In turn, the Republican presidential candidate laid blame on Clinton for the rise of the Islamic State, the ongoing refugee crisis and regional turmoil in the Middle East.
"As secretary of state. I mean, the entire world has been upset. The entire world, it's a different place. During Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's term, she's done a horrible job," the Republican presidential candidate told CBS's John Dickerson in an interview taped Friday night for "Face the Nation." ...
"And let me tell you something. She has caused death. She has caused tremendous death with incompetent decisions," he said, before referring to the 2002 vote. "I was against the war in Iraq. I wasn't a politician, but I was against the war in Iraq. She voted for the war in Iraq."
Pressed by Dickerson on the claim that Clinton "caused death," Trump referred to Libya and obliquely to the 2012 Benghazi attacks.
Green Party Candidate Jill Stein on Bernie, Hillary & a “Green New Deal”
Ringing in New Year, Sanders Urges Iowans to Make 'Political Revolution' Happen
Ringing in the new year in Des Moines, Iowa, Bernie Sanders told crowds that the state has the power to "lead the political revolution" as his campaign cheered rally turnouts that "seem to be getting larger every day."
The Des Moines Register reports:
Sanders spoke twice on Thursday, as the [Renaissance Des Moines Savery] hotel's ballroom was jam-packed. So after dashing through the skywalk and the hotel's kitchen, he addressed hundreds more supporters in a nearby room.
... The Sanders campaign also released a statement on Thursday at the end of a three-day swing through the state trumpeting the over 34,000 people that have come to Sanders-sponsored campaign events since his White house bid began in April.
"I am very pleased that the turnouts at our meetings have been large and seem to be getting larger every day," Sanders said in a media statement.
"We sense real growing momentum here in Iowa and we think we have a great opportunity to win," he added.
Get Used To Blackouts and Higher Electric Bills As the Climate Changes
Climate change could put at risk thousands of the world's power plants by the middle of the century, leading to outages and forcing countries to find alternative sources of energy, according to a study published on Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Researchers evaluated the likely impact of more frequent and more severe heat waves on 24,515 hydropower and 1,427 thermoelectric power plants around the world. They found that as many as 86 percent of those hydro facilities could see notable cuts in output around mid-century and as many as 74 percent of thermoelectric plants. ...
The findings are the latest to draw attention to the impacts of climate change on power plants and the fact that most governments and utilities have done little to prepare these facilities for a warmer world.
A similar study in Nature Climate Change last year found that drought and extreme heat in the Western United States could reduce average power generation by up to 8.8 percent by mid-century under a ten-year drought scenario. A 2012 Nature Climate Change study projected that power plant capacity during the summer months could drop by as much as 19 percent in Europe and 16 percent in the United States between 2031 and 2060.
US forest service investigates Nestlé bottled water facility in California
The US forest service has begun an environmental review of Nestlé Waters North America’s bottling operations in southern California’s San Bernardino National Forest, according to a newspaper report.
Nestlé was sued in October by environmental and public interest groups who allege the Swiss-based company is operating its Strawberry Canyon facility on a permit that expired in 1988. The groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity said the prolonged drought in California combined with the water bottling operation is affecting wildlife.
Nestlé has applied to renew its permit and can continue to operate while that application is pending.
Forest service spokesman John Heil said recently that his agency has begun reviewing the effects of reissuing the special use permit, the San Bernardino Sun newspaper reported Saturday.
Enormity of Billowing Methane Plume in California 'Cannot Be Overstated'
Porter Ranch leak, spewing methane since October, shows 'gaping vulnerabilities' in oversight
The toxic methane cloud that has been "billowing" for months over an underground natural gas reservoir near the affluent community of Porter Ranch just north of Los Angeles illustrates "gaping vulnerabilities" in oversight and enforcement of greenhouse gas pollution rules, a California newspaper editorial board declared this week.
A pipe leak has been releasing an estimated tens of thousands of kilograms of methane into the air every hour since mid-October, leading environmentalists like Erin Brockovich to declare it "a catastrophe the scale of which has not been seen since the 2010 BP oil spill."
"The enormity of the Aliso Canyon gas leak cannot be overstated," Brockovich wrote earlier this month after visiting Porter Ranch. "Gas is escaping through a ruptured pipe more than 8,000 feet underground, and it shows no sign of stopping. As the pressure from weight on top of the pipe causes the gas to diffuse, it only continues to dissipate across a wider and wider area. According to tests conducted in November by the California Air Resources Board, the leak is spewing 50,000 kilograms of gas per hour—the equivalent to the strength of a volcanic eruption."
Aerial footage released last week by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) provided the first-ever bird's eye view of what the organization called "one of the nation’s largest-ever methane leaks."
[See also: A billowing wake-up call from L.A. on greenhouse gas - js]
Also of Interest
Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.
Jill Stein: We want to be the voice of struggle in 2016
Why Armed Protesters Took Over a U.S. Wildlife Refuge Building
ABC killed journalism Saturday night using this one weird tweet
Rosewood massacre a harrowing tale of racism and the road toward reparations
Many See I.R.S. Fines as More Affordable Than Insurance
Broadband Rates Are Too Damn High
Social Security in an Election Year
I Was Wrong: Big Banks Actually Were Exactly Like Counterfeiters
A Little Night Music
Mercy Dee Walton - Dark Muddy Bottom
Mercy Dee Walton - One Room Country Shack
Mercy Dee Walton - Eighth Wonder Of The World
Mercy Dee - Come Back Maybellene
Mercy Dee Walton - My Woman And The Devil
Mercy Dee Walton - Romp and stomp blues
Mercy Dee Walton - Bird Brain Baby
Mercy Dee Walton - Pauline
Mercy Dee - Five Card Hand
Mercy Dee - Have You Ever Been Out In The Country
Mercy Dee - Stubborn Woman
Mercy Dee And Lady Fox - Get to gettin'
Mercy Dee Walton - Please Understand
Mercy Dee Walton - The Main Event
Mercy Dee - Lonesome cabin blues
Mercy Dee And Lady Fox - Rent Man Blues
Mercy Dee - My Woman Knows the Score
Mercy Dee - Danger Zone
Mercy Dee - Mercy's Shuffle
Comments
Say it Brothers West & Hedges!! And
welcome back, Joe.
I'll be checking back in with the 'Bluesters' later this evening, with a couple of quotes from a Chris Christie townhall.
I figure that folks realize that there are at least 5-6 Republican ultra-fiscal conservative deficit hawks [among the Presidential candidates] who would completely eviscerate the Social Safety net--per Bowles-Simpson's proposal.
Ironically, Donald Trump is the only Republican candidate who says that he won't cut either program. (By no means an endorsement of DT--just passing along their stated stances.) That is, except for Mike Huckabee--but, Huckabee plans to decimate Social Security through a backdoor mechanism, which has been endorsed by some corporatist Democrats--such as the former DLC's co-founder, Al From--which would eliminate the payroll tax, and substitute a VAT Tax, in it's place.
Clearly, that would eventually mean a standard monthly 'stipend' for Social Security beneficiaries, since benefits would no longer be tied to an individual's lifetime earnings. (if this is enacted)
(BTW, the previously passed Medigap insurance 'reforms' begin in 2020, IIRC. Luckily for us, Mr M and I will avoid these cuts, but obviously, some younger folks may not be so fortunate.)
This 'entitlement' reform madness has to end!
Also, heard a 'chilling' prediction on this from USA Today's Washington Bureau Chief, Susan Page, (yesterday) regarding a potential 'GB' being struck between Ryan and PBO. Of course, she spoke in code, and did not utter the phrase 'GB.' But, clearly, that was her reference. I took a couple of notes, so that I could pass along her remarks relatively precisely.
Later . . .
Mollie
elinkarlsson@WordPress
"Every time I lose a dog, he takes a piece of my heart. Every new dog gifts me with a piece of his. Someday, my heart will be total dog, and maybe then I will be just as generous, loving, and forgiving."--Author Unknown
"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."--Japanese Proverb
Postscript: Better yet, I'll see if I can post an excerpt from the program transcript, if it's been made available.
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Say it, Sister Stein, as well ...
I like what she says. She has guts and stamina. And Hi, Joe. Too tired to read now, but I listened to the first video of Jill Stein you posted and I thought, she is ... a sister. Wow. I am getting tribal now. Can I do that? /s
https://www.euronews.com/live
No argument outta me! (on Stein) ;-) I'm having to
take a break to walk the 'B,' and haven't had a chance to listen to Dr Stein--but I will.
Would love to see a ticket of Hedges/Stein, with West in the Cabinet as "Minister Of Social And Economic Justice." (to be created)
'M'
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
afternoon mimi...
me too. she has consistently been on the right side of the issues and has worked really hard, despite the odds, to build a movement based upon those positions. i was pleased to vote for her in the last election and i hope that her campaign this time around will get the attention that her agenda deserves.
afternoon mollie...
it's kind of funny. trump is about the most revolting shitweasel that has run as a rethug in a long time (and that's saying something given the competition!) - however, many of his proposed policies remind one of the late, lamented, "liberal republicans." go figure.
Hedges and West
I really enjoyed this conversation between Chris Hedges and Dr. Cornel West. At the end when Hedges asked West about forgiveness, his answer was beautiful. I feel so fortunate to have met Dr. West and to have seen him speak. He is first and foremost a humanist. Beautiful man.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
afternoon gg...
i appreciate west's position on forgiveness as well. it is what separates him from some people of our acquaintance, who apparently view vast groups of people as immutable and irredeemable.
Sign of the times.
Just got back from an errand where I pulled up behind a truck at a light. On the back window was a bumper sticker that said, "Does that Obama bumper sticker on your bumper make you feel stupid yet?"
On the bumper was another sticker, "Trump for President 2016".
LOL
The irony screams, doesn't it?
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
New term.
The United States of Irony.
Hey, I'll be posting a NYT piece about a 11,000 person survey
(later in the week) that states that,
I'm getting ready to post a partial transcript [here] in a minute, so I figure that I'll post this piece and the link later this week.
Anyhoo, maybe this explains the truck owner's seemingly 'mixed' message.
Mollie
elinkarlsson@WordPress
"Every time I lose a dog, he takes a piece of my heart. Every new dog gifts me with a piece of his. Someday, my heart will be total dog, and maybe then I will be just as generous, loving, and forgiving."--Author Unknown
"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."--Japanese Proverb
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Reporter Susan Page's "GB" Prediction for 2016 from Sunday's
talk show circuit (Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace).
Of course, Susan Page uttered only one of the two components of the "Grand Bargain," for public consumption.
But, as the Bowles-Simpson Fiscal Commission proposal spells out--major tax reform, won't happen without major 'entitlement' reform.
And, the 'offsets' for these vastly lowered taxes for corporations and 'the wealthy,' will have to come from 'entitlements'--especially, from Social Security, and from what's left of Medicare/snark intended (for future beneficiaries/enrollees, since there have already been numerous, and relatively deep, cuts to Medicare/Medigap insurance policies in dribs and drabs, especially since 2010).
Obviously, it's no more than conjecture on Susan Page's part, based partly upon past Presidential/congressional history, and what we know [now] about the Republican Establishment's attitude toward the current Republican Presidential front-runner.
But, IMHO, it sounds like a possible and/or feasible scenario to me, if the Republican Establishment continues to push for a brokered convention, and/or there is a two-track Republican Presidential election--with an Establishment versus Populist/Anti-Establishment candidate--throughout most of the election cycle.
Actually, I think Ryan is far more amenable to corporatist Democrat neoliberal policies than Newt ever was, in the 1990's, anyway. BTW, Newt hails from part of our old stomping grounds (many, many years ago) from north of Atlanta. It's my impression that WJC pushed the collaboration, readily agreeing to the most conservative concessions that Newt demanded. But, in the case of Ryan and PBO--they start from approximately the same place.
This could be a very fascinating year, indeed!
Hey, have a nice evening, Everyone!
Mollie
elinkarlsson@WordPress
"The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind."--Atiśa
"By amending our mistakes, we get wisdom; By defending our faults, we betray an unsound mind."--Hui Neng
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
interesting...
on the other hand, if the election comes down to trump vs. sanders, the powers that be might push for a number of things to get done (including a grand bargain) before the populists come to town.
I would agree; however, according to the 'serious people'
neither of the two legacy parties would ever allow those two candidates to take their party's nomination.
That's 'why' Page is speculating that Repubs could likely anticipate losing in 2016--they would never consider allowing Trump to receive the nomination, which means that they will blow up their own party's hopes of winning (giving the Presidency to FSC, in their minds) before allowing DT to win the nomination.
The same has been said by some talking heads about Senator Sanders. Recently, Mark Murray (NBC News) and Bob Cusack (The Hill) agreed that the Dems would deploy both WJC and PBO to stop Senator Sanders if it becomes necessary. Of course, just today, we saw half of that 'team' deployed to help FSC in New Hampshire.
They are correct that the WH Press Spokesperson (Josh Earnest) has gone on record that PBO reserves the right to endorse a candidate, and campaign for that candidate, this election cycle.
(I know this, because I catch many of the Daily WH Briefings with Earnest, and he has said this when questioned/cornered by WH reporters.)
I suppose, only time will tell. Thankfully, we're probably coming up on the final stretch of this race, although it is said that the Repub contest may drag out until the bitter end, if it is true that the Repub Establishment will run one of their own candidates--regardless of their Party's popular vote.
I'm wondering if poor O'Malley won't drop out soon. IIRC, he isn't going to make it onto Ohio's ballot. He must have been promised 'something,' if he keeps subjecting himself to what appears to be a truly pointless candidacy.
*Sigh*
It would be great to see Senator Sanders upset their apple cart in Iowa (as well as in NH). I think I mentioned that his bumper stickers were the only ones that our family member saw while traveling approximately 350 miles in Iowa, shortly before Christmas.
We're really looking forward to 'votes being cast.' Neither of us are sure that we really trust polls, anymore.
'M'
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
After administrative consultation...
After administrative consultation this comment has been edited.
--The caucus99percent administrators.
Sarcasm btw.
I feel the same way about labeling them terrorists. We wouldn't even have had this conversation before the false flag on 9/11 and the fake War OF Terror. It's sick to me how people want to go down that path when what it does is invite Bush's Crusade here to our land. It's like back in the day when everyone with a different view were called Commies. "Long haired pink commie".
Humans are so fucking predictable.
evening al...
thanks for clarifying, the original comment is kind of bracing.
i'm not sure that "terrorist" is an appropriate term from a number of standpoints for the bundy insurrectionists, though it is also not an appropriate term (which has repercussions in terms of government process) for environmentalists, occupy wall street, quakers or black lives matter. i think the brewhaha about "terrorists" is a matter of consistency of treatment by the government of protest and dissent.
it seems pretty improbable that the government would respond to a group of armed leftists in the same manner that the right-wing insurrectionists are.
the fact that there is significant support in the halls of power for a revolutionary right-wing insurrection is an indication, in my view, that the bush crusade is indeed already here and that the government intends to side with the fascists.
No, but it contributes to the neverending aspect of this
War OF Terror. The longer we acquiesce to these false narratives the bigger the hole we dig.
Besides, it's all so hypocritical. It's like this article, "Who's the Arch-racist, Clinton or Trump?" Clinton has killed hundreds of thousands mostly brown Muslin people, while Trump is mostly words. Who's worse? Sure, if Trump gets his chance he might prove worse, but that's not the case yet.
And the partisan democrats who are the most vociferous against these righties, they're the biggest supporters of Clinton and Obama and their brand of imperialism that kills and displaces millions. So who's worse?
Most people simply aren't thinking man, they're just reacting like the human animals we are.
And one thing we can't forget, there is this thing called "divide and conquer". It's not just a saying or term, it's real. People scoff that it is actually being used, but that's how it works best.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article43828.htm
Excerpt and a good question.
"Who is the arch racist, Hillary or Trump? To answer that, let us ask another question, a simple one. Which is worse: to denigrate some members of a group or religion or race – or to kill them by the millions? And maim more millions and displace even more millions? Which is more “racist”? With that in mind, who is the arch racist, Hillary or The Donald?"
I've said many times, there is no more racist entity on earth than U.S. imperialism.
Killary is the worst of the 2 as of now.
IMHO, the liberals who love mass murder/extrajudicial killings are worse. In the sense that they come across supposedly as compassionate, intelligent etc. It is easy to see through the conservatives atleast. Still remember the awful awful horror show of dick waving &jingoism at Koslandia after the murders of OBL & Ghaddafi.
David Swanson opposed the blood joy dance after OBL death report
This got his tip jar something like 130 HRs on Daily Kos.
Dem party "liberal" militarists and corporatists see themselves as just so much more intelligent and sophisticated than Trump & Co. — in reality they too rule by crude emotion and tribal psychology, as bad as anything on display in the Republican camp.
Very true,
I like to point out (as you guys know) that supporting U.S. imperialism is far worse in my book than most anything they rail against.
I also like to point out that trying not to be hypocritical and to remain consistent in one's views is about the hardest thing we humans can do. It takes effort, introspection and sometimes checking your ego at the door.
clinton vs. trump (who's the racist?) is a false narrative...
they are both creating the death machine.
clinton could not get the death machine going without the support of people like trump who stoke the racist fears of the american people.
to say that trump hasn't had his chance yet ignores the many services he's already performed in creating the culture of fear and loathing that forms the political basis for military action.
Plus, there's Ruby Ridge, Waco, etc.
The government does have a history of attacking right wingers. Look at what they did to the Occupy protesters. And it's different out there in rural Oregon than it is in downtown Chicago, the environment, the culture, the cops are different so that also plays into the reaction. The problem I see with comparing the response to those in Oregon to what response might happen to some blacks taking over a building is the invariable reaction is going to be to take us down to the lowest common denominator. And that's dangerous for everybody.
looking at american history...
it seems to me that ruby ridge and waco are the exception rather than the rule. the us government has repressed left movements (the repression of socialists, communists, anarchists and labor activists for example) historically far more than right movements.
i think that it's fair to point out that there is a difference in the way that the government reacts to the activities of right-wing movements and left wing movements. the government called out the brutal thugs to attack occupy, a group committed to non-violence and peaceful demonstration, yet when violent, knuckle-dragging, heavily armed, right-wing revolutionaries challenge the us government with arms, they back down.
if occupy had been a movement committed to armed insurrection, do you suppose that the government would back down and leave them alone?
the point is not to encourage violence towards the knuckle-draggers. the point is to call out the government for its thuggish behavior.
if a confrontation with armed insurrectionists can be settled without violence, surely the government can allow peaceful protests by groups committed to non-violence to occur without beating the crap out of people.
Al, I get your righteous rage. But why insult pigs? They
are honorable creatures after all.
Signed,
self-appointed animal rights police
Ya, poor pigs. And they've given us bacon.
You're right, I'll reevaluate.
And nice to see ya.
Nice to see ya too Al. Hope we get to see more of you.
Doesnt' appear in the cards,
if I'm going to be censored.
I want to pubicly apologize for that remark.
I wasn't censored, jtc did the right thing. My comment went overboard.
We're lucky to have great administrators. It was my bad and I'll do better.
Thank you Al...
it was a decision that wasn't made lightly. Thank you for being gracious in your acceptance of this matter and for being an adult in the room, that is a rarity on the internet nowadays.
Rock on, brother.
We're in good hands.
Appreciate that.
Keep on rocking in the "free" world man.
Is that right.
heh. What was it, the false flag thing? Perhaps you could tell me what "rule " I broke at least.
Our only rule...
is DBAD, it was decided that calling for the deaths of anyone, even sarcastically, meets that definition.
All right, just to clarify
I wasn't calling for the deaths of anyone. I was saying exactly what is being said by many over at Daily Kos. They're calling for drones to drop bombs on them, to label them as terrorists so the War OF Terror can come down on their heads, and other assorted things. They ARE calling for their deaths, I was sarcastically making that point.
But I can see how it might have been taken the wrong way.
Say LA VEE.
Thanks for the explanation...
as I'm sure you know, sometimes sarcasm doesn't translate well on the internet. As that comment stood, it didn't look good without further explanation. I hope you understand that we couldn't just leave that hanging out there, for anyone to come along and read. Even with a sarcasm disclaimer, many people would be taken aback by a comment like that.
I understand, no sweat.
The fact that I shortly after put up the disclaimer shows I knew it might be taken wrong.
I'll be more careful about that.
as you
seem to be something of a devotee of false flags, I am wondering when you might turn your attention to the Moscow apartment bombings. For which there is far more false-flag evidence than for 9/11. And which washingtonsblog, for instance, clearly and unequivocally, identifies as a false-flag operation.
I shall be interested to read your take.
I've seen that discussion, not delved into it.
Thanks for the links, I'll look them over.
more
where that came from. Those aren't, for instance, the links I would have picked.
Just holler, if you want more. ; )
In brief, the way this false-flag story goes, is that Yeltsin, dying, utterly corrupt, facing prison, and Putin, nobody in the polls, Yeltsin's handpicked-successor, contrived the Moscow apartment bombings to rile up the Russian people. At which they succeeded. Which convinced the people to vote Yeltsin-protege Putin into office. Upon assuming the presidency, Putin immediately, as first act—and this is uncontroverted—pardoned Yeltsin and all his family members for any and all crimes they may have committed. Putin then proceeded to crush, without mercy, taking hundreds of thousands of lives, the "rebellion" in Chechnya. Finally, some years later, freezing the conflict, by bribing the son of a former rebel to take control of Chechnya, over which said son would enjoy free reign, so long as he also, like in the medieval days, kneeled in obeisance, when it was required, to Moscow.
In some precincts, the story also goes that BushCo was so dazzled by how Yeltsin & Putin & Co. had pulled off the false-flag of the Moscow apartment bombings, that they then set about a false-flag of their own: 9/11.
In any event, it's a fascinating rabbit hole, I think, to explore.
Ya, it's deep rabbit hole
complicated by the US agenda in Chechnya and it's support for the Chechnya "rebels" or jihadists. I certainly don't put it past Putin, I'm not one of those who give him much credit for what he's doing and what he stands for. He represents billionaire oligarchs and is just another "one of them" to me, not one to be lauded for his supposed pushback against the American Empire. Globally, we serfs don't need him anymore than we need our plutocratic oligarchy.
But now that you've got me in the rabbit hole, I might as well see where it leads.
there was then,
at the time of the Yeltsin/Putin false-flag Moscow apartment bombings, no US support for the Chechnyan people. As the USSR broke up, the Chechnyans, like the Siberians, were seeking the right to self-determination. That had been granted other portions of the Soviet Union—but it was denied them. Like self-determination has been denied by China to the people of Tibet and Xinjiang.
The United States is not the only one true bat-winged demonic overlord responsible for all and every evil in the world.
It is, as Orwell said: there is Oceania (US), Eastasia (China), Eurasia (Russia). All are utterly corrupt, utterly vile, utterly disgusting. All stamp, with the boot, upon the human face. And all are going, going, gone. Just watch.
Evening Joe
I hope you had a lovely holiday. Great stuff tonight. I want to re-watch the West/Hedges piece again later when the house is quiet so I can fully appreciate it. Even with the distractions, right to the heart of the matter there, good, good good.
I shave my legs with Occam's Razor~
evening triv...
i had a wonderful time, a week off with a couple of celebrations with friends and family is a very satisfying thing. i hope that your holidays were similarly pleasant.
i thought that there was a lot of good stuff in the interview, i intend to give it a second listen to pick up what i missed the first time through.
It was nice, quiet.
For Christmas I had an old friend from school over, she was back in town after a long absence, and horribly enough, the person she was staying with died in October, so, I figured it would be good for both of us, really, and it was. And right before Christmas I sold my first piece of art, so, yes, I would say pretty pleasant.
I shave my legs with Occam's Razor~
congratulations!
glad to hear that your artwork is being appreciated in a way that both acknowledges your talent and puts food on the table.
Congratulations on selling your art
What type of painting or drawing was it? And where did you sell it?
I've had 2 orders for my photos this month, but I need to sell 3-4 orders a month so that I can keep my house.
I was selling at least 2 orders a month before DK 5 took away siglines. I don't feel comfortable putting my siglines in certain diaries because of the topic.
I'm trying to find places to sell them but sites like zibbet take most of the money and after an item is sold it can take up to 45 days to get paid.
Great video of West and Hedges. West should get more attention, but many people are mad at him because he criticized Obama.
Over at the GOS, any criticism of either Obama or Hillary is not accepted.
I wonder how they are going to react if he works with Ryan and pushes the GB on us before he leaves office?
Many people over there have given him a pass on the TPP, which boggles my mind.
And the support for Hillary does the same thing. How can people be so damned blind to what she would/will do if she's elected?
No matter how many times people write about what she's done during her time as SOS, they don't care.
And they also turn a blind eye to what their foundation really is.
Another great Arabs, Joe. Thanks.
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
Thank you snoopydawg!
I do mixed media from monoprints I make then work with on canvas board with acrylics. I actually just posted it on facebook and accepted payment through my paypal. This is the one I sold. A friend has offered to help me set up a site, once I get some more made...I work slow, and I'm way behind now having to put it aside for two weeks due to the holidays. People tell me etsy or artfire, but those sites seem just like my stuff would get lost in a sea of stuff...I don't know. I do believ setting up a facebook page for your art is a good idea though. I just need to get busy.
I shave my legs with Occam's Razor~
Evening Joe & c99%-ers. Happy New Year to you all.
Hope you all had a great Holiday Season.
I take stock every month here at the Blues bar. Now a year has gone by and ISIS hasn't come & got us you see?
Well well well, that didn't take long for the lamestream media to race-bait using the Oregon occupation right? Superb roundup of stories and I enjoyed the proles schooling of ABC via twitter. FAIR.org as always is on top :
http://fair.org/home/how-media-turned-right-wing-willing-to-kill-extremi...
evening funkygal...
i had a great holiday, i hope that yours was similarly pleasant and that you have a happy new year.
thanks for keeping track of the inventory here at the blues bar.
My pleasure Joe :-).
I went out to eat with buddies on both Christmas & New Years. As quiet and low key as I love.
New year's eve - spent alone running errands, doing laundry etc - as scandalous as it can get
Good evening, Joe. Thanks and Happy first Monday
of 2016.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
evening el...
you too! i started the year correctly by taking the first monday off of work.
have a great evening!
i forgot
to work since before Christmas. As a result, people were yelling down my earhole all day, demanding to know where were their projects. I told them the sane people are retiring, and they should too.
Me too, I took the
holidays off. The piles of work, work are immense and I just look and them think better sort this mess out before you get back to some real work. Were not computers supposed to create paperless offices? Eric is the one who gets the clients shouting down his ear hole. I need to shout down my own ear hole and return to the reality of virtual money making.
Yves Smith's lede to this story made me
chuckle - "There is something to be said for how straightforward open kleptocracies are…" :
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2016/01/john-helmer-putins-supper-for-the...
Contra with Amureeka, which is a very "saavy" Kleptocracy. Hey, seems Russia is more open than us. Atleast in this very important aspect.
pretty good...
i really liked this comment:
Hey Joe
The interview with Chris Hedges And Cornell West was fantastic. Thanks. It counteracted a weekend of reading the dkos 'highly conformative' POC who rule the roost and their brainwashed minions. To DEO from your fellow professor Cornell West 'Tenure can kiss my black ass'. Of course I realize I'm a white privileged purist who is not allowed to speak out about black people's struggle as these neoliberal upwardly mobile people who have made the grade own it.
About the Y'all Qaeda that have descended on my state. The back story is way more complicated then what is being written. Don't know the truth about the Harmons but I'm not at all happy with what the Feds are doing with Federal land. Rumors about land disputes abound here. The people of this eastern region of OR maybe conservative RW'ers but they don't seem to like this invasion of the militia anymore then I do. I remember 1996 law evoked by Clinton against eco-terrorists and it sucked. \ Clinton wanted Fed. lands and forests to be open for the decimation of logging old growth. Tree hugging terrorists we're climbing trees and standing their ground. Look at what goes on as far as leasing in our so called public land, Fracking, mining, water nastiness by the likes of Nestle. Doesn't make me happy that these assholes have taken over a wildlife sanctuary but the wholesale leasing scam of our lands to the corporations by the Feds is also alarming.
Welcome back Joe. Yes, I had a great holiday season. Family, loved one, and home were a blessing and a reminder of what is important. Then came the freaking insane cold snow and ice. Hey I thought el nino was going to make it warmer and wetter in the PNW. Instead we have arctic blasts competing with pineapple expresses. We're being assaulted from both poles. Could this be climate change asseverated by that old chestnut el nino? Whatever it is it's damn uncomfortable. Icicle's and black ice abound, but the good news is the temperature is going into the upper 30's after tomorrow. Until then have a good night everyone.
evening shaz...
the bottom line for me, i guess, is that the government is doing a bad job of administering the public lands in behalf of the people. the government is corrupt and in the pocket of corporations.
the insurrectionists want to "fix" the problem by putting the resources into the hands of a mix of sovereign state governments and private corporations - probably mostly private corporations.
the insurrectionists' "fix" seems to me the quickest path to getting our national resources into the hands of the
privatepirate corporations that own the federal government's lackeys. the allegedly "sovereign" state governments are no match for the resources of the corporations big enough to dominate the federal government.it is my feeling that the resources of the united states belong to all of the us people as does the government and it is up to us to force the government to work for us. fighting over ownership of this tree here or that gas well drilling project there is tinkering around the edges when the problem is so obviously the vast corruption of the system.
glad you had a great holiday! for some reason, some guy in the control room flipped a switch and now the weather here is damned cold. it's down in the teens tonight - a far cry from our 70 degree xmas.
No Sale Bundy Boys
Here is one thing that both frightens and saddens me. It is entirely possible that even with National Parks and National Forests aside the majority of Americans have never seen these Federal lands they are trying to steal. Because if they have seen these so called Bureau of land Management lands they would be up in arms themselves at the very suggestion that We (the vast majority of) the people would give up OUR rights to ALL OF OUR LAND.
I don't take it for granted because I've lived around it all my life and know the incredible beauty, the wildlife and landscapes, and the literal treasurers of public land. And know from the beginning rich people and corporations have always wanted to steal it from the rest of us. Just so they can lock it up and use it for their own personal playgrounds and profits.
And they now have state legislatures and some members of congress willing to help these guys steal our federal land.
So we really need to start a DON'T STEAL OUR LAND movement of our own.
Homers24
evening homers...
i absolutely agree with you.
i have over the years had occasion to travel through the west a bunch of times and have been awestruck by the beauty and richness of the land. far too much of it has fallen into the hands of greedy people who care only for money and have no respect for what they are defiling and have no sense of responsibility to put things back the way that they found them.
the
Bundy-slavers' perception of property is diametrically opposed to that of the left.
The Bundy-slavers grasp clingingly to "private" property as selfishly sacred: a man—and it is always a man—can do whatever he wants with his property; if that means putting up a slaughterhouse next to a stream, or a schoolhouse, so be it. That is a "man's" "right."
This retrovert attitude is shared by "libertarians," who may otherwise intersect with the left on civil liberties and/or anti-war issues—like Justin Raimondo, a man who has spent much of his life wrapped in the loving arms of the likes of Ayn Rand, Patrick Buchanan, Ron Paul.
The left traditionally acknowledges that the "rights" of "private" property-holders must always be subsumed in what is of maximum benefit to the whole of the people. In a socialist United States, for instance, and clearly, far more property would be held by the federal government, for the good of the people, than is held now.
In France, at certain times of the year, all property, without exception, is open to those personally hunting certain game birds and animals. This a reaction to centuries of the crabbed rapaciousness of little would-be kings, like the Bundys, the Pauls, the Buchanans, the Raimondos, who fenced off, under penalty of death, their "private" property, swollen with edible flesh, even as the mass of the people were starving.