Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig

It was nice to escape into a world of music for the holiday weekend last week. However when you get back home the world's the same ole place. Same crazy warmongering, election posturing, climate and environmental destruction, misuse of labor, and so on. What has changed is our weather...from wet and cool to hot and dry. The large waves (loops) in the jet stream bring one extreme or the other for days at a time...floods to droughts and back again. The warming Arctic no longer has the strength (temperature differential) to drive the jet stream like it has all our lives. I hope none of you experienced the violent weather in the mid-west this week. Record numbers of tornadoes you know. My buddies near Dayton managed to avoid the worst of it. Chaos seems to be our future...devastation from fire like hecate experienced, storms as we saw this week, floods, and droughts. Oh baby baby it's a wild world...

Last week's column focused on health beginning with water. This week I've totally refitted my well. The 30 year old pump was pulled and replaced along with the wiring, pipe, tanks and so on. Lot's more pressure and nice clean water. Now I'm completing the well house around the new components. There's always something to do around the homestead.

The world however continues it's course through time and space...

Climate and the environment
A new study by leading scientists has concluded that by 2100, sea levels could rise to a far greater level than previously estimated. Sea level rise of such a magnitude would have devastating consequences for humanity, particularly for the tens of millions of persons who live in low-lying coastal regions.
https://therealnews.com/stories/rising-seas-could-generate-187-million-c...

LONDON, 29 May, 2019 − British scientists have re-asserted an essential reality about global warming: human activity is its cause.
https://climatenewsnetwork.net/global-warming-human-activity-is-the-cause/

The corporations are being pro-active. A new coalition of big environmental groups and big corporations have teamed up to push for what they’re calling “a market-based solution” to the climate crisis. Will they fool the people? Probably.
https://therealnews.com/columns/history-repeats-itself-as-corporations-j...

Since the 2016 protests at Standing Rock, ND, the fossil fuel industry has been pressuring state legislatures to pass laws criminalizing protests against pipeline construction
https://therealnews.com/stories/texas-pipeline-bill-criminalizes-water-p...

Now they are rebranding fracked gas as "freedom" gas. You gotta be kidding...no protests of "freedom" gas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9eF3MxAQG4 (4.4 min)
Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg was even more hyperbolic with his praise for the quintessentially American fuel:
"I am pleased that the Department of Energy is doing what it can to promote an efficient regulatory system that allows for molecules of US freedom to be exported to the world."
https://www.rt.com/business/460598-us-energy-freedom-gas-pipelines/
It ought to be a joke...I guess it is the joke we are living.

There is a much better approach...
“Nature, biodiversity and the planet are not commodities, their value cannot be monetised, nor can it be ignored”
https://socialistproject.ca/2019/05/climate-emergency-manifesto/

Hundreds of climate activists are protesting a Trump Administration proposal to do hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) for oil and gas on over 1.2 million acres of federal public lands in the Central Valley portion of California.
https://therealnews.com/columns/climate-activists-protest-trump-californ...

Last Friday, an estimated 1.5 million young people around the world showed up for their planet in the biggest Youth Climate Strike yet. This week saw huge turnout in Copenhagen, Lisbon, Turin, Rome, Lausanne, Brussels, Paris, Cologne, Madrid, London, Edinburgh, Manchester, and the movement is flourishing outside Europe in a very big way. Students came out in their thousands all through North and South America, from Nunavut and Alaska down to Tierra del Fuego on the southernmost tip of Argentina. That and more interesting news...
https://rebellion.earth/2019/05/30/newsletter-22-get-ready-for-a-civil-s...

XR is developing citizen councils in the UK and hopes the movement will grow...
https://rebellion.earth/2019/05/30/xrs-position-on-local-regional-citize...

Youth activists in the U.S. and around the world are using June 1 as a day of action to support a landmark court case that could affect the climate crisis, holding coordinated press conferences to draw attention to the litigation. The case, Juliana v. United States, was first filed in 2015 by now-college student Kelsey Juliana and 20 other youth plaintiffs. The lawsuit demands the government act to protect the climate and environment for the future by making the right to a stable climate constitutionally protected.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/06/01/youth-activists-holding-coo...

Plastic Is Just as Destructive to the Climate as Oil and Gas. Manufacturers churn out 448 million tons of plastic a year, a large part of which is disposable, intended for packaging products. https://www.truthdig.com/articles/plastic-is-just-as-destructive-to-the-...

Better save some of your garden harvests. Paul Beckwith explains...
Planting of corn, wheat, soy, etc. has been severely delayed by flooding over vast regions of the most productive farmland in the U.S., and what has been planted is not growing well. There is simply too much water on the surface and in the saturated soils. A huge and persistent trough of the jet stream has been stuck over the central US all spring (and last winter) bringing associated low pressure and thus storms with fire hose like precipitation deluged, as well as tornadoes galore. I chat about the clear and present danger of global food shortages and price explosion. Crops aren’t great in Australia, parts of Canada, Europe, Russia, and China due variously to drought, heat, floods, bugs, etc..; most root causes being climate disruption.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-QenYgC8oM (15 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtoJ6VjZWf4 (15 min)

Meanwhile the US does what it does the best...sows aggression and destruction around the world...

Venezuela
...founder of Venezuelanalysis.com, Gregory Wilpert, discusses the recent situation in Venezuela. We begin the interview by surfacing the backgrounds of key American figures driving U.S. policy in Venezuela, analyse the internal politics of the opposition there and find out why they've now opened up for negotiations with the Maduro government. Furthermore we examine in detail how the sanctions are affecting ordinary people in Venezuela and whether there is still a possibility for the U.S. government to intervene militarily.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ThJCs2KLQ (23 min)

The talks in Norway made no progress as the opposition insists Maduro resign.
https://therealnews.com/stories/opposition-demand-for-maduros-resignatio...

Meanwhile Lindsey (go to war) Graham wants to start a war so we don't look weak. What a moron! https://therealnews.com/stories/sen-grahams-call-for-military-interventi...

NYT Parrots US Propaganda on Hezbollah in Venezuela
https://fair.org/home/nyt-parrots-us-propaganda-on-hezbollah-in-venezuela/

Iran
The current unilateral sanctions imposed by the US on Iran is collective punishment on the Iranian people. It violates not only the Iran nuclear agreement that the US had signed and then unilaterally withdrew from, but it also violates international law, human rights, and, of course, US law as well.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-trump-administration-has-already-d...

Without Evidence, John Bolton Blames Iran for Oil Tanker Sabotage
https://www.democracynow.org/2019/5/30/headlines/without_evidence_john_b...

The media is failing us by quoting and promoting those pushing for regime change and/or war and presenting them as, at best, neutral "experts"
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/06/01/how-mainstream-us-media-fa...

Revoltin' Bolton is driving the insanity. Is he the security advisor or acting president?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpGT8KMARQY (10 min)

...you need only look to the Middle East to see a genuine all-American troika of tyranny. I'm thinking about the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the military junta in Egypt, and the colonizing state of Israel—all countries that eschew real democracy and are working together to rain chaos on an already unstable region.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/05/30/real-troika-tyranny-made-u...

Russia is ready to facilitate a non-aggression agreement between Iran and the Arab Gulf states. Meanwhile, Russia has denied reports that it rejected a deal to sell S-400 missile defense systems to Iran. Former Pentagon official Michael Maloof
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHJKFZDASCM (5.5 min)

Russia
Chris Hedges discusses the potential of “War with Russia?” with Stephen F. Cohen, Professor of Russian Studies and History Emeritus at New York University.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wc94DRFCik (28 min)

Cohen and Matt Tiabbi both warn about Brennan...
Brennan has an elaborate history of lying to the public, most infamously about the CIA monitoring computers Senate staff were using to prepare a report on torture. When asked if it were true the CIA spied on congress as it was doing oversight of that agency, Brennan all but covered his heart. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” he told Andrea Mitchell in a panel discussion, shaking his head. “We wouldn’t do that!”
https://taibbi.substack.com/p/the-intelligence-community-needs

Chris discusses Matt's new book "Hate Inc"
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-mass-media-is-poisoning-us-with-hate/

Israel
We can hope the new elections will upset the apple cart, but I wouldn't count on it
https://therealnews.com/stories/netanyahu-government-falls-will-new-elec...

Religious vs secular Israelis are at odds over military service and the government in general. https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-israeli-government-may-be-about-to...

The Palestinians have nothing to lose. Their lives are hell in Gaza...
http://vegetableherbjuicing.com/2019/05/25/inside-gaza-these-are-people-...

There are efforts within Israel to support the Palestinians.
https://truthout.org/articles/anti-occupation-coalition-grows-stronger-d...

The more ‘democratic’ Israel really is, the more shameful the state into which it reduces the Palestinians, other Arabs and in fact, the entire region. Israeli citizens are continuously voting in the governments that are locking millions inside the camps. They are electing those who are igniting wars and military conflicts in various countries of the Middle East. https://en.news-front.info/2019/05/27/it-is-indifference-of-the-israelis...

Tens of thousands of Iranians marking the annual “Quds (Jerusalem) Day” in the Islamic Republic on Friday condemned a planned Middle East peace plan touted by US President Donald Trump as the “deal of the century”.
https://bdnews24.com/world/2019/05/31/iranians-iraqis-march-to-back-pale...

The Impotence of Demoncratic Politics

Backed by donors with deep pockets, and by corporate media, the Democrats hold over the Democratic Party remains nearly as formidable since the midterm election as it had been before. https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/the-small-d-democrats-dilemma/

They are smearing Tulsi...surprise surprise...
First on FOX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COw3l-d1GJg (27 min)
...and on ABC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbxb7jGIRaE (28 min)
She does a good job of holding her own.

Chris Hedges talks to Howie Hawkins, who has sought elected office through the Green Party, about the history of third parties in the US whose platforms are often coopted by the two-party system while being denied participation in televised debates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Holjckd9ZDs (27 min)

Persecution of truth tellers...

Sadly this isn't a new phenomenon.
“This administration describes the press as the opposition party and an enemy of the people. Today, they use the law as a sword, and have shown their willingness to bring the full power of the state against the very institution intended to shield us from such excesses.” Those are the words of Chelsea Manning, speaking to us from jail.
https://www.democracynow.org/2019/5/24/jeremy_scahill_new_indictment_of_...

Jimmy and Stef explain... Why Assange Prosecution Is Complete Bulls**t!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D_5Snzj6-U (16 min)

They continue...CNN Hosts Unclear What Journalism Is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22tkTjBZin8 (6 min)

One more...Chuck Todd Owns Assange Prosecution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVJYWTY6NG0 (15 min)

Unless and until the prosecution of Assange is dismissed, no publication will be safe from the Trump Administration’s vengeance and overreach.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/we-all-share-julian-assanges-fate/

Chris Hedges "Once Trump administration gets Assange, it will go after everyone".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uySVorRTdjk (4 min)
Chris continues...Once judicial precedence set, it won't end with Wikileaks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QFsvOlVeZk (12 min)

...the policy is “Press freedoms for me but not for thee.”
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2019/06/02/uk-foreign-secretary-defends-tor...

George Galloway -Julian Assange told the truth to us, for us, NOT for personal gain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UFh70oQkYY (16 min)
The attorney of WikiLeaks founder and journalist Julian Assange’s has revealed that he was too ill to appear in a video chat for his extradition hearing. Assange has spent the past seven weeks at Belmarsh prison, where his health has continued to deteriorate. The WikiLeaks founder faces extradition to the US over “espionage” charges dating back to 2010. Former UK MP George Galloway https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IeDqPKpzxQ (6 min)

Julian Assange's letter from prison to Gordon Dimmack - May 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es6OT4VsQAo (7 min)

U.N. Special Rapporteur Calls for Julian Assange to Be Freed, Citing “Psychological Torture” “In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution, I have never seen a group of democratic states ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonize and abuse a single individual for such a long time.”
https://www.democracynow.org/2019/5/31/seg_1_julian_assange_please_update

Slavery
This country outlawed the transatlantic slave trade an 1808, but in 1860 the last slave ship set sail for the United States from what is now Benin. The name of the ship was the Clotilda. This tour began when a slave owner and trader and shipbuilder Timothy Meaher wagered thousands of dollars in a bet that he could smuggle enslaved Africans on his fast schooner, the Clotilda, into Alabama and not get caught. Those mostly Dahomean young people were stuffed in that schooner, sold, and the schooner was scuttled so the enslaver could go undetected and still win his bet. The Alabama Historical Commission announced the ship was recently discovered by a maritime archaeologist, buried deep in the mud.
https://therealnews.com/stories/last-slave-ship-found-on-alabama-coast-v...

After the Civil War, the plantation system was updated by creating "Tenant or Share" cropping. Ted Rosengarten wrote Ned Cobb's autobiography about his share cropping experiences and the creation of a share cropper's union in his book "All God's Dangers".
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/19/books/all-gods-dangers-a-forgotten-au...

Max and Stacy discuss modern tenant farming of our minds using new AI techniques
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Iqmdbz4lw (1st 15 min)

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.

To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.

Do you remember the slogan, Pork is Health? It was common in the 60's and 70's. Pigs can be healthy and help your soil and the environment.

More from polyface farms hog production https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2me8g7rbXl8 (7 min)
Using hogs to make compost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52lIMcN55pM (10 min)

Selecting the right breeds improves the growth and production...
We explain why we are choosing to raise heritage breed pigs and livestock on our off grid farm. We take you along as we pasture rotate our livestock using electric hog netting and solar chargers and show you how we are building up pasture land.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRWjciyZzIU (9 min)

Some folks forest graze their pigs (many folks will do so in autumn after acorns and hickory nuts fall). It gives them a delicious flavor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8wvPjV6IAA (11 min)
We're fortunate to have neighbors on the mountain that graze pigs and sell pork, sausage, and bacon. (as well as pastured eggs and grass fed beef).

It is really ironic we degrade people by calling them a pig. Pigs are very bright and loving animals. The producers we know love their pigs, saying they only have one bad day in their life.

...and it is true there's no place like home. Here's hoping you're happy and healthy in your spot. We all have to cope with lifes issues and the world situation, but the one place you do have some control is your home. Make it a place of peace and comfort and enjoy the time we have. Stay aware and find hope where you can. Have a wonderful Sunday!