The Evening Blues - 12-10-18
Hey! Good Evening!
This evening's music features jump blues and r&b singers Billy Wright and Tommy Brown. Enjoy!
Billy Wright - Hey Little Girl
“The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple enough to believe him was the true founder of civil society. What crimes, wars, murders, what miseries and horrors would the human race have been spared, had some one pulled up the stakes or filled in the ditch and cried out to his fellow men: "Do not listen to this imposter. You are lost if you forget that the fruits of the earth belong to all and the earth to no one!”
-- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
News and Opinion
Senate Set to Vote on Resolution to End US Involvement in Yemen War
This week, the Senate will be holding floor debates on a resolution which challenges the legality of the US war in Yemen under the War Powers Act. The bipartisan bill would require the US to withdraw support for the Saudi-led conflict. The vote is expected some time this week. ...
The State Department has insisted that the administration intends to continue the war, spinning it as part of regional efforts against Iran. This is the Saudi narrative of the war, based on the other side being Shi’ites. Speaking in the United Arab Emirates, State Dept. official Tim Lenderking pushed for the US to continue supporting the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, saying that withdrawing from the war would send “a wrong message.”
[Contact your Senator - Capitol switchboard (202)224-3121 or use this to get contact info]
Trump, in reversal, calls for Pentagon to raise budget request to $750 Billion
President Trump is reportedly calling for the Pentagon to raise its budget request for next year to $750 billion, significantly more than he previously wanted and $12 billion more than top military officials have been pushing for.
I am certain that, at some time in the future, President Xi and I, together with President Putin of Russia, will start talking about a meaningful halt to what has become a major and uncontrollable Arms Race. The U.S. spent 716 Billion Dollars this year. Crazy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2018
Trump in a tweet last week appeared to call the Department of Defense's (DOD) current budget of $716 billion "crazy," and he has been pushing for a 5-percent cut to its budget as he seeks to trim spending across the federal agencies.
Trump reportedly changed his mind after a Tuesday meeting at the White House involving Defense Secretary James Mattis and the chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-Ok.), Politico first reported.
The Largest Conspiracy Theory Peddlers Are MSM And The US State Department
The US State Department has issued a statement accusing the Syrian government of having carried out a false flag chemical weapons attack in northwestern Aleppo with the intent to blame it on the jihadist factions in the region, citing “credible info” that the public has not been permitted to see. Never mind the known fact that there are actual, literal Al Qaeda affiliates who have admitted to using chemical weapons in Aleppo, and who are known to have used chemical weapons throughout Syria even by the State Department’s own admission: the Official Narrative is that only the Syrian government uses chemical weapons, so the chemical weapons usage must necessarily be a false flag staged by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Except they didn’t use the words “false flag”. Despite the accusation being the exact definition of the thing that a false flag attack is, you won’t see the US government using that term, nor will you ever see it used in this instance by any of the authorized mainstream narrative-framing institutions like CNN or Fox News. This is because the term “false flag” is reserved solely for mention when referring to crazy, kooky Kremlin propaganda, as in the insane, unhinged, tinfoil hat belief that terrorists in Syria might possibly have some kind of motive to stage a false flag chemical attack in order to get the US, UK and France to act as their air force in a retaliatory strike against the Syrian government. That kind of false flag would be completely inconceivable to any right-minded empire loyalist, and is forbidden to even think about.
#MSM trying to link the #GiletJaunes protests to #Russia and #Putin.
Only surprising thing is how long it took.https://t.co/0A0p8dnQiq
— OffGuardian (@OffGuardian0) December 8, 2018
At the same time we are seeing a push from the mass media to advance a narrative that the Yellow Vests protests in France are due to Russian influence, with Iraq-raping neocon Max Boot publishing a column today in the Washington Post that is based entirely around the talking point that two trending Russian topics on social media have been “giletsjaune” and “France,” and Bloomberg putting out an article blatantly titled “Pro-Russia Social Media Takes Aim at Macron as Yellow Vests Rage”. Their entire theory is that since there are people in Russia talking about a major event that everyone else in the world is also talking about, the protests against Macron’s unpopular centrist policies are therefore the result of a conspiracy seeded by Russia. But you’ll never hear this theory about a Russian conspiracy referred to as a “conspiracy theory” by the mainstream press. The theory that Russian elites have conspired to infiltrate the highest levels of the US government has been given serious treatment at the top echelons of media and political influence, despite its lacking any discernible evidence whatsoever, but when they talk about these alleged conspiracies they always make a point of using the word “collusion” instead. There is no actual difference between the words collude and conspire when used in this way, but the former is used because a deliberate effort has been made to stigmatize the word “conspiracy” while the word “collude” remains effectively neutral in the public eye.
Some people get annoyed with me for using the term conspiracy theory at all, but I insist that the phrase is itself intrinsically neutral: a theory about a conspiracy. The problem is not the phrase, it is the stigma that has been attached to that phrase by establishment media and establishment politicians; shifting to a different phrase to describe theories about conspiracies would only ensure that that phrase becomes stigmatized in the exact same way by the same sort of campaign. This would only ensure the survival of the tactic of regurgitating a pre-stigmatized label in the war of ideas instead of advancing actual arguments. The fact of the matter is that powerful people do indeed conspire, those conspiracies do indeed need to be talked about, and the largest promulgators of conspiracy theories are not Infowars or RT, but mainstream media and the US State Department.
Those who dismiss an idea by calling it a “conspiracy theory” without providing further argumentation are simply admitting to you that they have no argument.
Russia denies involvement in ‘Yellow Vest’ protest movement
Ah, the media delusions. Surely we all know that the gilet jaunes movement is all about The Donald:
The Paris Agreement isn’t working out so well for Paris. Protests and riots all over France. People do not want to pay large sums of money, much to third world countries (that are questionably run), in order to maybe protect the environment. Chanting “We Want Trump!” Love France.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2018
France’s “yellow vest” protesters brave repression and mass arrests
For the fourth consecutive Saturday, “yellow vest” (gilet jaunes) protestors demonstrated yesterday across France against the rightwing government of Emmanuel Macron. They did so in defiance of ominous threats of state violence and a massive mobilization of security forces. Clearly, the French President’s attempts to end the protests, first by postponing the gas tax hikes that set the movement into motion and then by canceling them outright, failed. The demands being raised—for social equality and against militarism and dictatorship—show that this is a movement directed towards the defense of workers’ interests, not just in France, but also internationally.
Yesterday’s protests paralyzed France and large sections of Belgium. The Minister of the Interior reported that 125,000 “yellow vests” protested in France. In the major cities where demonstrations were organized most shops were closed. On Saturday evening, the Vinci highway network reported “significant disruptions” and slowdowns on over 20 highways, many of them as the result of “yellow vest” protests and barricades. ... The French government hurled hysterical accusations against protesters descending on Paris, accusing them of preparing to “slaughter” (massacre) the “forces of order.” Police viciously attacked and repressed demonstrations in major cities, arresting almost triple the number of protesters as on the previous Saturday, December 1. ...
WSWS reporters interviewed people in Paris. Sylvie, from the Oise region of northern France, said, “Every time that there has been anger, it’s because people can no longer provide for themselves. There is no right; there is no left. The unions have also taken us for a ride. We represent the people. We have the right to live decently, we have the right to be respected by those who are supposed to represent us.” She added, “We are also denouncing the 1 percent who take advantage of the 99 percent; we want it to stop. In fact, it is they who tax us, they are the ones who hold the wealth. It’s modern slavery.”
During a very short press conference on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe stressed that there would be no change in government policy: “Vigilance and mobilization remain in place, because thugs are still at work in Paris and in some provincial towns (...) In order to confront this day, we had to conceive an exceptional plan, with the extensive mobilization of the forces of the law and means to ensure their continuous mobility.” “It is necessary to reestablish our national unity, through dialogue, through work, through regroupment. The President of the Republic [Macron] will speak and propose (...) measures that will allow the French nation to find itself,” he added.
Rising anger among workers and young people in the face of official intransigence is developing into an open confrontation between the working class and the government, and towards a general strike. The main advantage the government enjoys at present is that, in this explosive situation, large masses of workers do not clearly see a revolutionary perspective.
Yellow Vests: Macron to address nation on crisis after new weekend of clashes
Macron takes responsibility for citizens' anger
President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged he's partially responsible for the anger that has fueled weeks of protests in France, an unusual admission for the leader elected last year. In a televised address to the nation, Macron said: "We probably have not been able for a year-and-a-half to bring quick enough and strong enough responses."
Macron also acknowledged he may have given an impression "not to care" about the concerns of ordinary citizens and "might have hurt" some people with his comments. Macron is perceived by many in France as arrogant, for instance telling an unemployed man he could find a job if he "crosses the street" and advising a retiree not to complain. ...
Facing exceptional protests, French President Emmanuel Macron is promising to speed up tax relief for struggling workers and to scrap a tax hike for retirees. ...
Macron addressed France for the first time since anti-tax protests around the country turned into rioting in Paris. Trying to sound gentle and calming, Macron acknowledged "anger and indignation" among members of the public over the cost of living. But he also said "no indulgence" would be given to people behind the protest violence.
I'm searching for a transcript (in english) of Macron's speech, I will post it if I can find it.
Macron addresses ‘Yellow Vests’ crisis (Full statement)
Macron to appeal to French in wake of latest violent protests
Emmanuel Macron is set to address the French people early this week after a fourth weekend of violence on the streets of major cities left the president under intense pressure to prove to protesters his government, accused of being arrogant and out of touch, is listening and to stop further destruction. According to an unnamed Élysée official quoted by Associated Press, Macron will speak from the presidential palace at 8pm on Monday.
As France cleaned up after another day of civil unrest sparked by the gilets jaunes movement against the rising cost of living, the country was counting the cost of what ministers described as a social and economic catastrophe. On Sunday, lorries towed away burned out cars and motorcycles, shops removed boardings from their windows and council workers cleaned up the detritus of rioting and looting.
In Paris, which was worst hit, police had prevented a concentration of violence and destruction around the Champs Élysées, but in doing so dispersed pockets of protesters around the capital causing more widespread chaos and damage. ... French security forces, using armoured vehicles and water cannon, were more mobile and reactive than in previous weeks, but Paris authorities said there had been “much more damage”.
“The sector concerned by the incidents was much larger. With fewer barricades, the protests were more dispersed so many more places were affected by the violence,” Emmanuel Gregoire, a Paris deputy mayor, told France Inter radio. “There was much more damage yesterday than there was a week ago.” Violence also broke out at gilets jaunes demonstrations in Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes, Dijon and Toulouse during a fourth weekend of nationwide protests.
The ministry of the interior said 136,000 people took part in what the gilets jaunes had labelled “Act IV” of their campaign of action, a number similar to the previous week.
Somber Macron hikes minimum wage in hope of calming 'yellow vest' rebellion
Macron gave a somber speech that was pre-recorded during the day in which he apologised to those people he may have offended with his words and said he accepted his part for the anger that has risen in the country. "I may have given the impression that it wasn't my problem, that it wasn't my priority. I may have hurt some of you with my words," said Macron.
Among the concrete measures he announced was a €100 a month rise in the minimum wage (SMIC) from January 2019 and a scrap on taxes and social contributions for overtime hours worked. Macron said firms would not have to foot the bill for the increase in the minimum wage. ...
He also announced that the worse-off pensioners, who had accused Macron of bleeding them dry, would see a cut in social contributions to leave them with more money each month. ... He also asked companies to give an end-of year bonus to their employees, that would not be subject to tax. ...
Macron did however refuse to bring back the fortune tax on the country's most wealthy, which had been the source of much anger. "To reverse would weaken us," said Macron adding that he would continue the fight against tax evasion. ... Many gilets jaunes protesters have demanded the old tax be restored but defending his reform Macron said: "The tax existed for nearly 40 years. Did we live better during this period? The richest left and the standard of living went down," he said.
France's 'Yellow Vest' movement waits for answers
Group led by Thomas Piketty presents plan for ‘a fairer Europe’
A group of progressive Europeans led by the economist and author Thomas Piketty has drawn up a bold new blueprint for a fairer Europe to address the division, disenchantment, inequality and rightwing populism sweeping the continent. The plan, crafted by more than 50 economists, historians and former politicians from half a dozen countries, includes huge levies on multinationals, millionaires and carbon emissions to generate funds to tackle the most urgent issues of the day, including poverty, migration, climate change and the EU’s so-called democratic deficit.
Published as the British parliament is set for a climactic Brexit vote, the “manifesto for the democratisation of Europe” says EU institutions are stuck in “a technocratic impasse” that benefits the rich. “Following Brexit and the election of anti-European governments at the head of several member countries, it is no longer possible to continue as before,” says the document. “We cannot simply wait for the next departures or further dismantling without making fundamental changes to present-day Europe.”
The move underlines the gulf between the preoccupations of the UK and those across the Channel. While the UK is consumed by its tortuous EU exit process, Europe’s pro-EU political forces are concerned with avoiding losses to anti-European populists in next May’s European elections. The left-leaning authors criticise movements dedicated to “hunting down foreigners and refugees”, but also parties espousing what they call “hardcore liberalism and the spread of competition to all”. ...
At the heart of the manifesto is a call for a European assembly that would have a budget of up to €800bn a year, financed by taxing corporate profits more effectively, as well as income and wealth. The EU has been accused of failing to address the manifest unfairness of huge multinationals such as Apple, Google and Amazon channeling profits through member states where taxes are lowest. The budget would be worth 4% of the EU’s GDP – four times the current budget. Funds would be raised from four sources: an extra 15% levy on corporate profits, tax increases on individuals earning more than €100,000, a wealth tax on personal fortunes above €1m, and a tax on carbon emissions.
Half of the proceeds would be returned to member state governments. A quarter would go to research, innovation and education. A fund to better manage migration and a fund to make agriculture and industry greener would also benefit.
Neo-Nazi James Fields convicted of first-degree murder in death of Heather Heyer
James Alex Fields Jr., the young neo-Nazi who plowed his car into a crowd of protesters during the violent Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville last year, was found guilty of first-degree murder on Friday for the death of Heather Heyer. He's now facing up to 20 years in prison. Jurors deliberated for seven hours after the nearly two-week-long trial, which included gut-wrenching testimony from some of the Charlottesville residents who were impacted physically or psychologically Fields’ actions that day.
In addition to the first-degree murder charge, 21-year-old Fields, who drove from Maumee, Ohio, to attend the rally, was convicted of three counts of malicious wounding, three counts of aggravated malicious wounding, and two counts of felonious assault. His sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin Monday. Separately, Fields is also facing 29 counts of federal hate crime charges — including the possibility of the death penalty.
During the trial, prosecutors sought to demonstrate that Fields’ actions were premeditated. In one instance, they used a meme that he’d shared in May 2017 of a car ramming into protesters as evidence of his intent.
Charlottesville has released two Instagram posts James Fields made in May 2017 that will be part of the prosecution's case, one a private message and one a public post. They're both memes of protesters getting run over by cars. pic.twitter.com/wLAwgxRZnR
— Blake Montgomery (@blakersdozen) November 30, 2018
In closing arguments Thursday, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Nina-Alice Antony urged the jury to hone-in on what she believed was the question at the center of the case: “What was in his mind when he flew into the crowd?" She noted that the evidence showed Fields had idled in his vehicle before accelerating into the group of protesters. At that moment, Antony told the jury, he “seized his opportunity to make the Instagram post a reality."
Antisemitic pamphlets found in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting neighborhood
Authorities are investigating the dissemination of antisemitic pamphlets in Pittsburgh neighborhoods, including the one in which a gunman killed 11 people in a synagogue in October.
Police said on Sunday morning the material was found in neighborhoods including Squirrel Hill, where a gunman entered the Tree of Life synagogue on 27 October and killed 11 people in the deadliest attack on Jews in US history.
Trump’s Pick for Attorney General Pushed for Military Strikes on Drug Traffickers, Questioned Asylum Law
President Donald Trump's pick to serve as his next attorney general, William Barr, pushed repeatedly to expand the role of the military to strike drug traffickers during his last stint at the Justice Department, while serving in President George H.W. Bush’s administration. “Oh, yes, using the military in drugs was always under discussion. I personally was of the view it was a national security problem. I personally likened it to terrorism,” Barr recalled during an oral history interview conducted in 2001 with the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. ...
Michael Collins, director of national affairs with the Drug Policy Alliance, condemned the militarization comments. “Barr’s beliefs are incredibly dangerous,” Collins wrote in a comment to The Intercept. “Rather than recycling policy ideas from the early 1990s that have been thoroughly discredited, Barr should use his return to the limelight to apologize for his role in promoting the system of mass incarceration that has decimated communities of color in this country.” Barr has made no effort to conceal his views of aggressive law enforcement. In 1992, Barr signed off on a book titled “The Case for More Incarceration,” writing that the nation must “identify, target, and incapacitate those hardened criminals who commit staggering numbers of violent crimes whenever they are on the streets.”
In the interview, Barr also recalled his experience mobilizing federal military resources to respond to the Los Angeles riots in 1992 and the riots in St. Croix following a hurricane in 1989. In both cases, Barr fondly recalled “quickly looking at the legal books” to establish procedures for deploying the military in a domestic context.
Republicans Are Clinging to Power in Wisconsin. Expect to See More GOP Power Grabs.
On Tuesday, as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker prepared to light the state capitol Christmas tree, protesters gathered in the Capitol rotunda to boo him. The protesters’ jeers were merited. After being soundly defeated in his bid for re-election, Walker and his allies in the state legislature have launched an all-out assault on democracy — a transparent power grab before Democrats take office. In November, Wisconsin voters elected Democrats to all six statewide positions that were up for grabs, including electing Democrat Tony Evers to replace Walker in the governor’s mansion. In response, Republican state lawmakers abruptly called a rare “lame-duck” session last Friday afternoon and introduced a sweeping raft of legislation aimed at neutering Evers’s powers as governor, as well as those of other Democrats elected to lead the state’s executive branch. On Monday night, as Republicans rushed the bills through the Joint Committee on Finance, more than 1,000 protesters gathered outside the state capitol and the hearing room to protest the power grab.
And Wisconsin isn’t the only state where Republicans have been ramping up efforts to negate the will of voters — it’s becoming part of the GOP’s regular playbook. In Michigan, a lame-duck push by the GOP is also seeking to neuter incoming Democratic elected officials. The same thing happened in North Carolina in 2016, when Republicans in the state legislature executed the same lame-duck power grab after voters elected Democrat Roy Cooper as governor. Taken together, the actions of Republicans in these states add up to an unprecedented seizure of power. They are holding entire state governments hostage in order to further oppress people who are struggling to meet their basic needs, while continuing to enrich the Republican donor class. If the U.S. political commentariat saw this happening in another country, they would call it what it is: a coup.
These state-level coups are just a prelude: These sorts of power grabs are sure to affect national races in 2020 — playing a role in the presidential election. Lame-duck moves by Republicans to restrict voting rights, allow dark money in elections, and protect the ill-gotten gains of their long gerrymandering efforts could give a boost to President Donald Trump’s re-election efforts in key swing states.
Trump 'at center of massive fraud against Americans', top Democrat says
New court filings show Donald Trump was “at the center of a massive fraud” against the American people, the incoming chair of the House judiciary committee said on Sunday. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat set to take over the panel in January, said Trump would have committed impeachable offenses if it is proven that he ordered his lawyer to make illegal payments to women to keep quiet about alleged sexual encounters. ...
Another top Democrat, the California representative Adam Schiff, said Trump “could face the very real prospect of jail time”.
Federal prosecutors said in court filings on Friday that Trump directed his then lawyer, Michael Cohen, to commit two felonies: payments made to women who said they had sex with Trump in return for their silence, in an effort to influence the 2016 election. “They would be impeachable offenses,” Nadler said, though he added it would still be a judgment call for lawmakers whether the offenses were important enough to warrant impeachment proceedings, which should only be launched in the gravest circumstances. ...
After Democrats take control of the House, Nadler said, they will aggressively investigate what happened during the campaign.
US and Russia ally with Saudi Arabia to water down climate pledge
The US and Russia have thrown climate talks into disarray by allying with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to water down approval of a landmark report on the need to keep global warming below 1.5C. After a heated two-and-a-half-hour debate on Saturday night, the backwards step by the four major oil producers shocked delegates at the UN climate conference in Katowice as ministers flew in for the final week of high-level discussions.
It has also raised fears among scientists that the US president, Donald Trump, is going from passively withdrawing from climate talks to actively undermining them alongside a coalition of climate deniers.
Two months ago, representatives from the world’s governments hugged after agreeing on the 1.5C report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), commissioned to spell out the dire consequences should that level of warming be exceeded and how it can be avoided. Reaching a global consensus was a painstaking process involving thousands of scientists sifting through years of research and diplomats working through the night to ensure the wording was acceptable to all nations.
But when it was submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on Saturday, the four oil allies – with Saudi Arabia as the most obdurate – rejected a motion to “welcome” the study. Instead, they said it should merely be “noted”, which would make it much easier for governments to ignore. The motion has not yet been able to pass as a result of the lack of consensus. ...
As well as acceptance of the report, there are several other potential fights brewing regarding transparency rules for reporting emissions and proposals for wealthy high emitters to provide financial support to poorer nations struggling to adapt.
Thousands Protest at U.N. Climate Summit in Coal-Heavy Poland, Facing Riot Police & Intimidation
Shell Oil Executive Boasts That His Company Influenced the Paris Agreement
Shell Oil helped write the Paris climate agreement, according to a top Royal Dutch Shell executive. They’re also the world’s ninth-largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions. The executive, Shell’s Chief Climate Change Adviser David Hone, made his comments at the international climate change conference COP 24 on Friday. Hone was candid about just how much of a hand his company — through their involvement with the International Emissions Trading Association — had in writing the Paris agreement.
The agreement is the centerpiece of the conference in Poland, where delegates are trying to draft a rulebook for how to implement it. IETA is a business lobby comprised of corporations including fossil fuel producers that pushes for “market-based climate solutions,” including at United Nations climate talks. To hear him tell it, their involvement has been wildly successful. “We have had a process running for four years for the need of carbon unit trading to be part of the Paris agreement. We can take some credit for the fact that Article 6 [of the Paris agreement] is even there at all,” Hone said at an IETA side event within the Katowice, Poland, conference center. “We put together a straw proposal. Many of the elements of that straw proposal appear in the Paris agreement. We put together another straw proposal for the rulebook, and we saw some of that appear in the text.”
Jesse Bragg, communications director for Corporate Accountability, told me, “In some ways, I’m pretty thankful that Shell was so honest about what many campaigners have been saying for a long time: that the very corporations that created this crisis are at the table and writing the supposed solutions for getting us out of it.” Under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, only state actors can officially negotiate over the text of climate agreements, including the Paris agreement. Unions, civil society groups, and corporations can be observers to that process.
Hone added that he’s been “chatting with some of the delegations” and that the “the [European Union’s] position is not that different from how Shell sees this.”
If Democrats want to seek the truth, they must investigate ExxonMobil
Now that Democrats have won control of the House of Representatives, the days of unchecked conservative power and liberal despair may be waning. ... “We are coming to do something that is very important for our country: a more open Congress with accountability to the public,” California representative Nancy Pelosi, the once and probably future speaker of the House, said on Face the Nation. “We are not doing any investigation for a political purpose, but to seek the truth.”
If Pelosi and House Democrats are sincere about restoring integrity to Congress, uncovering threats to democracy and seeking the truth, they should also investigate a corporation that has done long-term and probably irrevocable damage to our politics and planet: ExxonMobil. Our era is defined by interlocking crises of truth, democracy and ecology. ExxonMobil is a major actor at that intersection. Internal and external documents compiled by InsideClimate News, the Los Angeles Times and researchers at Harvard University reveal that ExxonMobil, the world’s largest fossil fuel corporation, knew as early as 1977 – and potentially as early as the 1950s – that its business activities could wreak havoc on the climate.
In a 1978 memo, one Exxon Research manager wrote: “This may be the kind of opportunity that we are looking for to have Exxon technology, management and leadership resources put into the context of a project aimed at benefiting mankind.” But by the late 1980s, the oil giant had changed its stance. ... Borrowing from big tobacco’s playbook, Exxon and other oil corporations launched public relations campaigns to sow doubt about the science behind climate change. ... A peer-reviewed study of the corporation’s public and private communications by Geoffrey Supran and Naomi Oreskes of Harvard University demonstrates that ExxonMobil actively misled the public about climate science and its implications.
ExxonMobil and the other fossil fuel corporations most responsible for climate change should pay their fair share to address this crisis. But if their continuing lobbying efforts are any indication, they will not. ... Recently, Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined youth climate activists in a sit-in at the Capitol Hill office of Pelosi, demanding House Democrats pursue a Green New Deal. In response, Pelosi has reaffirmed that she will revive the select committee on climate change disbanded by Republicans. For the sake of all of us, House Democrats have a duty to use the authority of that and other committees to investigate Exxon.
In Another Blow to Keystone XL, Judge Rules TransCanada Can't Conduct Pre-Construction Work
Opponents of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline—from indigenous and environmental groups to local farmers and ranchers—celebrated a win in court after a federal judge ruled on Friday that the fossil fuel giant cannot conduct pre-construction work on the pipeline until the full environmental review ordered last month is complete.
"Somehow TransCanada still hasn't gotten the message that Keystone XL is a lost cause," observed Sierra Club senior attorney Doug Hayes. "We've held off construction of this dirty tar sands pipeline for a decade because it would be a bad deal for the American people, and [Friday's] ruling is yet another reminder that it will never be built."
The ruling (pdf) from U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris of Great Falls, Montana followed a November decision which found that the Trump administration ignored "prior factual findings related to climate change" and relied on "outdated information" regarding Keystone XL's threat to endangered species, tribal lands, and regional water resources when issuing a permit for the pipeline.
In a move denounced as "corporate bulling at its worst" by Friends of the Earth legal director Marcie Keever, TransCanada had sought permission to conduct pre-construction work. Morris ruled that Calgary-based company may continue activities such as security efforts and conducting surveys needed to revise the environmental review, but barred all field activities along the proposed route.
"Farmers and ranchers thank the judge for seeing through TransCanada's transparent power grab," added Bold Alliance president Jane Kleeb. "We want our property rights and water protected, yet all the Trump administration cares about is aiding a foreign oil corporation."
Also of Interest
Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.
Trump’s Attack on the Clean Water Act Will Fuel Destructive Pipeline Boom
‘May 1968 was a revolution – now the violence is just frightening’
Far right breakthrough in Andalucía send shockwave through Spanish politics
Ai Weiwei: 'The mood in Germany is like the 1930s'
Jair Bolsonaro Promised to End Corruption in Brazil — Then He Appointed an Extremely Corrupt Cabinet
Dave Lindorff on Pentagon Fraud
How George H.W. Bush Rode a Fake National Security Scandal to the Top of the CIA
Scientists Propose Restoring Forests to Fight Climate Change
A Little Night Music
Tommy Brown - Atlanta Boogie
Tommy Brown & Big Walter Horton - Card Game
Tommy Brown - Double Faced Deacon
Tommy Brown - V-8 Baby
Tommy Brown - Southern Women
Billy Wright - If I Didn't Love You
Billy Wright - Blues For My Baby
Billy Wright - Billy's Boogie Blues
Billy Wright - Let's Be Friends
Billy Wright - Don´t You Want a Man Like Me
Comments
Guday, js, EBers.
FWIW
Heh.
Won't reinstate tax on wealthy.
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
He doesn't get it.
I watched part of his speech and it looked to me like he was doubling down on neoliberalism.
He's a true believer.
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
Does he not get it, or, like BO, is it he just don't cayuh?
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
Well it's just my impression, based on next to nothing,
but I don't think he's as smart as BO. I think he actually believes his own bullshit.
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
I am not opposing your impression.
Just now all the headlines on Google News related to Macron are touting a line that shows Macron as making concessions. I call BS.
This is probably more like it.
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
I am not opposing your impression.
Just now all the headlines on Google News related to Macron are touting a line that shows Macron as making concessions. I call BS.
This is probably more like it.
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
evening do...
of course he's not going to reinstate the tax on the wealthy. those are his masters.
my guess is that the people have two choices from macron and one natural choice. macron will be fine with either the status quo with some window dressing, or, a decrease in taxes for the little people with a slashing of of the social safety net and government services. the other choice the regular folks have is to overthrow the system and redecorate their republic.
Will watch future devs with interest.
SNIP
And it is our struggle, as well imo.
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
Hi, again, DO--as a follow-up to convo (earlier)
while your point's well taken, I guess (for me) there's a relatively bright line between sausage-making, and downright deception, which is what bothers me about Jayapal's approach. IMO, her choosing to take a pass on exposing the destructive proposals in Higgins' Bill, gives him 'cover' when he tries to sell his 'Buy-In' to the public in general--many of whom don't readily know and/or appreciate the complexities of this type of legislation.
For me, this sorta harkens back to the "selling" of the ACA, when Dems chanted the '2' positive talking points, almost non-stop--i.e., community rating (so that folks aren't charged more because of pre-existing conditions), and allowing adult children to stay on their parents' coverage up to age 26--but, they deliberately left out all the extreme negative aspects of the Bill--such as skyrocketing RX prices, premiums, etc.
Honestly, of all of the stakeholders that I'd want to see included in a cast of characters that is tasked with shaping a new Medicare 'Reform' Committee, the last that I would wanted included would be the person and/or Department that oversees the federal budget.
Bottom line, if Jayapal would acknowledge 'what' she doesn't agree with about Higgins' bill, my distrust of her would pretty much fall away. Time will tell, I suppose.
Blue Onyx
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Got it. FWIW I have no skin in for Jayapal.
Would guess, though, that she is happy just to be in a conversation with someone rather than talking to herself as many felt even just a couple of years ago. Great to see the elevation of single payer area in public discussion.
Look forward to learning more from you as you have time!
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
That's cool, DO--hope I didn't sound overly
contentious. Have to admit that I'm feeling more skeptical than usual of the PtB, since I stumbled across some disturbing info, yesterday.
You know those bright shiny new Medicare cards we got (actually, not everyone has one--Mr M's hasn't arrived yet!). Well, I actually fell for the line that they were being issued-- without Social Security numbers--for the "protection of seniors."
Well, it seems that there's more to it than that (naturally). During O's reign, both the ACA legislation, and subsequent spending bills called for more 'high value' reform, and/or 'value-based' programs. This includes new formulas and methods for determining provider pay and "incentives." IOW, it's part of transitioning to more "managed care."
Anyhoo, someone hatched up the idea of employing more "data mining programs" to be put in place by April 2019, in order to gather even more intrusive info on the health care services provided to Medicare beneficiaries.
You might say, these new improved data mining programs are so intrusive, CMS had to remove our Social Security numbers from our Medicare cards, in order to make the tracking acceptable--either legally or morally, or both.
Not sure how much worse this Government can get, when it comes to the treatment of its citizens. Whew!
Blue Onyx
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
While we are on the topic, noticed today that PNHP
has really improved their online organizing tools. Found their talking points for conservatives really interesting. http://pnhp.org/take-action/reaching-out-to-conservatives/
Sample:
Has a list of sponsors and possible future sponsors.
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
More response to your comment.
This includes me. I hope to learn more.
RE: for profit facilities. Just had a same day endoscopy/colonoscopy at a for profit facility. My copay was $250. Now how many of my fellow americans could afford that. I know my brother has never had one, and probably never will because not enough money and no insurance.
Sad thing is we know that at some point in the future bills could eventually be passed, get through both houses, but could easily be like ACA with big holes and problems down the line.
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
Hey, I hope to keep learning, as well. With
all the M4A/Buy In/Single-Payer/ACA info out there--and a good bit of it conflicting--it's definitely not always easy to understand, much less critique, etc.
I'm just grateful that we have this place to put our heads together, and, hopefully, muddle through it all, together.
I hope your Brother can get some health coverage, soon. With all extraordinary wealth in this country, it is criminal that anyone should have to go without it.
Blue Onyx
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Ah, well, we gave a small money contribution for Beto
when he first ran for office. Soon afterward we learned he went on the Israeli junket that many of them do. No mo money for him after that.
Even though Bloomberg has given millions of his money to climate crisis, this post includes list of reasons, if anyone really needed any, never to vote for him:
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
heh...
heh. the problem isn't beto or bloomberg. the problem is this:
Yep.
At least on paper the Green Party looks good. Big ask, though, to get people to consider another possibility.
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
H W Bush got job of CIA director through a manufactured crisis
W Bush got job after crisis in election
Cheney led war effort in mid east
and so forth
let those guys get away with things and they go on and on
there is so much really bad stuff going on, I suspect for most people they will not care what H W Bush did and how he was in the middle of right wing rise. So this is another important story that is lost right before our eyes, namely the exposure of what he did and the consequences. Jeremy Scahill among others have been on this story.
I did not know about the story in Greece and did't pay attention to the 1991 war in Iraq
evening don...
well, after this week, bush the elder's career has been entirely fumigated. he has entered into that state of grace that all war criminal former presidents do, as when nixon was celebrated as a "great statesman."
only nixon could go to china.
ghwbush was a great guy who knew how to get along with others.
oh, and incidentally, there was a huge body count.
French people chanting "We want Trump"
according to his tweet. Would those be the Yellow Vests who had the portable guillotine?
This has some excellent stuff in it, but a favorite comes about 14:23.
Yanis Varoufakis:
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass
evening wd13...
heh, in case there was any doubt:
i'm hoping that varoufakis will have a good effect on sanders.
Self-absorption
Probably blinded Trump from noticing English in the chants and on the police vest as well as the background. He really is not very bright, is he? (note: I was not aware of the video. I just figured it was another of his lies.)
Even if Sanders were to become the perfect candidate (by listening to others and adapting their stances), there are going to be those who will still say, "But . . .." My current leaning is we go with the best we have; I do not need perfect, just some sanity. (That does not mean to stop pushing, though.) Sanders/Gabbard 2020.
You are early today. = ) Thanks for the news.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass
Good that neo Nazi convicted of murder running down Heather
if he ran down a black man would he have been convicted?
if he ran down an old hippie white man would he have been convicted?
the conviction may slow down the group activities, but there is are distributed, leaderless, armed cells and ready to carry out crimes including murder
they don't need any more encouragement from Trump
Trump takes credit for many things, but wants to be able to deny that he stirs up this stuff
heh...
probably. but, the poor fellow might have been dragged through court to defend himself against charges of making a dent in the car.
Flamer in chief
There's lots and lots of well-armed goons out there whose "brain is squirming like a toad". Some organized, some not -- like the terrorist who assassinated the five reporters, er, "enemies of the state", in Annapolis. I've heard a young neighbor talk about running down demonstrators, long before Charlottesville. And now, the world's biggest bully pulpit is winkin and noddin at them.
I hope I'm wrong, but I think we'll see lots more domestic terror.
impeaching
From the essay:
Federal prosecutors said in court filings on Friday that Trump directed his then lawyer, Michael Cohen, to commit two felonies: payments made to women who said they had sex with Trump in return for their silence, in an effort to influence the 2016 election. “They would be impeachable offenses,” Nadler said, though he added it would still be a judgment call for lawmakers whether the offenses were important enough to warrant impeachment proceedings, which should only be launched in the gravest circumstances. ...
It's crazy if they are going to look at impeaching that they would focus on any one thing. They need to include several, many sins including sending troops to the border as part of an election scare. Also abuses of power involving using his office to criticize private companies. The list of abuses would go on and on. Why pick one thing? Russia doesn't even need to come into play.
I didn't always feel this way, but I am sick of him now. Listening to an old podcast, I was reminded about how he criticized the Mayor (of I think, London) on how that mayor was handling a terrorist attack in his city. (The mayor is coincidentally Muslim.) Trump effectively was aiding the terrorists with his rhetoric. Add this to impeachment docs. It is certainly beneath the bare minimum you would want from a prez.
I recall how adamant democratic congresspeople were that they would impeach Bush. Remember that? Hahaha. Wasn't it Conyers who was even giving out a book on his impeachment plans with a donation? What a joke that was. I realize now it was just BS to inflame "the base," keep us angry, and to get out the vote.
When congress began impeachment investigations on Nixon, by the time they were done they compiled a litany of crimes and transgressions. (Nixon resigned before being impeached because he knew he would be impeached.)
evening olinda...
i think that you are right on target. impeachment, like any other contentious issue is just another outrage fundraising opportunity for the duopolists. they are not serious legislators, though they do play them on teevee.
Karma
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
Jean-Jacques Rousseau - what a guy - thanks for the quote
Good evening, Joe and EB lovers, just saying that Ai Weiwei's feeling expressed in the article: 'The mood in Germany is like the 1930s' is haunting but for real.
It feels like there won't be any stable governments left, because the people are fed up and want them gone. Looks like the people will get their wishes. Can't wait for the next crash to come, because crashes are such good meds against the delusional disorder syndrome.
The weather here is awful, grey, dark, rainy, more grey... I miss the sun and light. Oh need some music to forget my blues.
[video:https://youtu.be/rMuTXcf3-6A]
I have nothing to say, so I say nothing.
Just Hi and Bye and have a good evening all.
https://www.euronews.com/live
evening mimi...
the fact that they still exist is evidence of the fact that people want an organization to provide the services that government provides. after all, if there is a revolution, where do social security checks come from, for example? if you think about it, there are lots of services that the government provides that people take for granted, but when they really have to consider things, cause them to wonder if maybe it wouldn't be better to reform the beast.
reform the beast ...
It's not that we don't know we have nothing else we can do but reforming, it's just that we never seem to know and agree upon how.
I am just fallen in a big, black hole and don't know how to get out of it. Hopefully I will have a "Geistesblitz" (flash of genius) real soon.
https://www.euronews.com/live
On another note, I was really glad to hear that
Ocasio-Cortez has some Jewish dna in her body. So, she got everything covered. No problemas.
I don't know why that was important ... there must be something something in it for her to have those roots...
Sigh.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Hola, Joe & Gang! Will be
dropping back by to read your excellent news compilation after we get a bit to eat. This time of the year is always hectic, but even worse, since we're trying to fit in more medical appointments in a short period (because of holiday down time) than usual. Lot of pressure, since we need Mr M to be doing pretty well, so that we can proceed with new pup. (already delayed, once)
Finally reconfigured a Twitter account (though I don't have time to actually Tweet right now
), to support enrolling folks in Original/Traditional Medicare + All RXs (Covered Under Part B) + Medigap Plan 'F.' Just fully subsidize premiums, and extend coverage to all, at birth.
Hey, what's not to like?
Seriously, I'll use a KFF Chart next year, to point out the pitfalls of the 'reforms' that many are pushing. So far, haven't seen a single proposal that doesn't do a lot of 'cost shifting.'
Also, instead of the 'open-ended budget' that Traditional Medicare has (currently), MFA proposals (including Bernie's) would incorporate so-called global budgets. And, it's always problematic when you set a finite budget for any healthcare program, since the obvious happens--the program becomes a 'managed-care' plan. And, of course, that model is a set-up for denial of services, in order to stay within budget parameters.
It's gonna get real nippy (here) this evening; so, Everyone stay warm, and have a nice evening!
Blue Onyx
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Brrrrr. Hey, hope you do get time for that comparison!
PNHP on Global Budgeting
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
I know that PHNP 'endorses' use
of global budgeting. I just disagree!
Again, when you're working with a finite budget, the only recourse you may have to meet that goal, is to deny services.
Notice they say,
That may be factual. My argument is that we should cut the MIC budget to make up the difference (in the national budget), not take a budgetary shortfall out of the hide of Medicare beneficiaries by putting them in a mandatory 'managed care' program. Much less, by rationing medical care/services.
Does it show that I'm no fan of so-called managed care?
Hey, I'll stop now, before I really get on my soapbox.
Seriously, if you read all the charts and tables at PNHP--including the fine print--they admit that there are some negative trade-offs. Think I've posted a link to one of the charts, but, after the first of next year, I'll try to make and post screenshots that better illustrate my point.
Blue Onyx
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Thanks for sharing this and clarifying the downsides.
With you on this:
and, please, don't ever hold back on my account.
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
De nada! Hey, when have I ever 'held back?' :-D EOM
Blue Onyx
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
evening mollie...
best wishes for mr. m - and the pup-to-be!
i got an email this morning from single payer action that i thought might interest you (the information, not the usual and customary request for donations B)) :
Thanks for the link, Joe. I've seen rumblings
about Jayapal, aside from my own dissatisfaction with her because of her 'shielding' the destructive/dangerous parts of Higgins' Buy-In proposal. My 'gut' tells me she might be a player--meaning, I worry that she's a tool of the Dem Establishment, using whatever progressive creds she has, or has had, to pull a fast one. Guess time will tell.
Thanks for the best wishes for Mr M and Pup. We've finally narrowed her name down to several. Now, we'll just have to figure out which one fits her best!
Have a nice evening!
Blue Onyx
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
No words
Anyone see Russians standing behind the police officers who took their helmets off in protest? Or made the fire people turn their backs and then walk away? Unfortunately people will believe that Vlad has a hand in the yellow vests.
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
evening snoopy...
thanks for reminding me, i better go check my woodpile, under my bed and in my closet to make sure that there are no russians hiding there.
I found one under my bed
and took the poor thing into my bed. Can't leave a Russky in the cold. That is inhuman. Us comrades don't let friends drive cars into the demos.
I learned from my mother. Help a Russian to survive and he helps you to do the same. And we know we end up in the sky together.
[video:https://youtu.be/wV1kzblUElY]
https://www.euronews.com/live
What a surprise
Doesn't this group have ties to the Atlantic council? I think so. Or they are being funded by the same money source.
Yeah... Russia is the only ones who attempt to phish people's emails. SMDH!
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
heh...
the atlantic council and the german marshall fund certainly seem to be in the same business. also, there seems to be an incestuous relationship where fellows for gmf show up in the atlantic council's employ. (google german marshall fund atlantic council linked and you get some results that show this.) also, the german marshall fund's "alliance for securing democracy" which foisted that lovely prop or not fiasco on the world seems to have a board member of the atlantic council in their org (scroll down to ana palacio).
my guess is that if one were to do a bit of research, one might find common funders and other links between the organizations.
I believe that we we will see this phrase endlessly repeated:
He paid hush money so what?
He paid hush money in an effort to influence the 2016 election - felony.
He dropped a large wad on threads for his wife - meh
He dropped a large wad on threads for his wife in an effort to influence the 2016 election - arguably a felony on a technicality.
etc. ad infinitum. Really reaching, imho.
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...
yeah, with all of the huffing and puffing that's been going on, i keep thinking that they are going to have a hard time coming up with something really impressive for their "big reveal."
Russians using English language tweets to incite French riots
I think everybody here knew the Russians would be blamed for the French unrest. What got me was that it was obvious that some relied on Hamiton 68. The trending websites, etc, are all in English. Apparently Putin is so magical in his powers that English language tweets, websites, etc. can induce the French to riot.
Since it's an OT, look @ gift I just bought
It's for my zit-popping coworker who actually watches YouTube videos of it being done. Yes, those videos exist, and I've even turned her onto bot fly vids and even bugs being pulled out of ears, due to one crawling into my ear as a child, but she always returns to the zit ones.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Pop it Pal!
I am a little worried about her becoming addicted, though. Not sure what I'll do then. She's a coworker.
The End of the American Dream -- in Cartoon Form!
Apropos of nothing, I happened across this on the intertubes and thought the rest of you might find it amusing too... as well as instructive for those who don't already know this.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mII9NZ8MMVM]
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard