The Evening Blues - 5-28-20



eb1pt12


The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Stick McGhee

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features jump blues guitarist and singer Stick McGhee. Enjoy!

Stick McGhee - One Monkey Don't Stop No Show

“There is now the capacity to make tyranny total in America. Only law ensures that we never fall into that abyss — the abyss from which there is no return.”

-- James Bamford


News and Opinion

Hot off the presses - From the Department of Stopped Clocks:


Left-Right Alliance Takes Aim At Surveillance Bill

President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a rare veto threat, promising to reject a renewal of his surveillance authorities if approved by the House of Representatives.


The Senate had previously approved the renewal through 2023, and it had been expected to become law with little controversy. But earlier this month, the Republican-led Senate failed to pass a measure that would limit the FBI’s ability to access web browsing history and other online activity without a warrant by a single vote — a vote that Sen. Bernie Sanders missed. Civil libertarians, led by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., pushed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to allow an up-or-down vote on that amendment, then send it back to the Senate, where it could pass with all senators voting. Pelosi instead told Lofgren to negotiate with Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff, the New York Times reported, and Schiff watered down the legislation. The result drew criticism from the left and right — and Trump’s attention to the fight.

Had Pelosi simply agreed to a simple up-or-down vote on the Senate amendment, it likely would have passed easily, and reauthorization of the broad surveillance authorities, along with some real reforms, would be on their way to becoming law. The House is scheduled to vote late Wednesday evening, and leaders from both the Republican minority and the Congressional Progressive Caucus said they were whipping members to vote no. Even if it passes, Trump has promised to veto it. Trump, of course, has been known to break promises, so Pelosi’s gamble may still pay off.

For the first time in the history of the House, the lower chamber allowed for remote proxy voting, as dozens of members of Congress stayed away from the floor amid the unfolding pandemic. The vote is expected to be close, the result of furious last-minute lobbying by civil libertarians on both the left and right, as well as opposition from Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Trump, progressives, team up to kill Pelosi mass surveillance bill

Bipartisan revolt upends vote to reauthorize FISA

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top Democrats postponed a vote on Wednesday to reauthorize key parts of the federal surveillance program known as FISA, after an 11th hour revolt by Republicans and progressive Democrats.

Democrats have not decided when or if they will take up the bill. The legislation had broad bipartisan support in the Senate, but lost support from GOP lawmakers after sudden resistance from President Donald Trump and the Justice Department.

“We haven’t made that decision,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in an interview late Wednesday as he left Pelosi’s office.

It was clear for much of Wednesday that Democrats lacked the votes, with few, if any, Republicans willing to buck Trump and his veto threat. Without them, the House’s delicate coalition fractured and Democrats found themselves without the support to pass it on their own. The Congressional Progressive Caucus, which has roughly 100 members, formally opposed the bill, virtually guaranteeing that Democrats would need GOP votes. ...

Pelosi and her leadership team sent lawmakers home for the night shortly after 9:30 p.m., after spending much of the day attempting to salvage the bill. As she left the Capitol, Pelosi was noncommittal about the fate of the FISA bill when the House returned on Thursday: “We’ll see.”

Adam Schiff Ripped as 'Biggest Hypocrite in Congress' for Undermining Effort to Curb FBI Spy Powers

Internet privacy group Fight for the Future said Wednesday that House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Adam Schiff—who has called President Donald Trump a "clear and present danger" to democracy—"may be the biggest hypocrite in Congress" after the California Democrat threw a wrench into efforts to curb the Justice Department's powers to surveil U.S. web browsing records without a warrant.

Over the weekend, Schiff and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) hammered out a deal on a compromise privacy amendment to the USA Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2020, a Senate-passed bill that would renew major elements of the FBI's surveillance authority. The amendment was originally welcomed by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a leading privacy advocate in Congress, as a solid safeguard against warrantless internet spying.

But Schiff on Tuesday instead advanced a narrower interpretation of the amendment in a statement to the New York Times just hours before the surveillance reauthorization bill was expected to hit the House floor for a vote.

Schiff's interpretation of the measure, according to the Times, "left open the possibility of interpreting the potential new law as banning only deliberate attempts to collect an American's data, leaving the FBI free to ask for lists of all visitors to websites despite the risk that the list may turn out to incidentally include some Americans."

The California Democrat's comments led Wyden to withdraw his support for the amendment and caused an uproar among privacy advocates, many of whom are publicly urging lawmakers to oppose the amendment and the surveillance bill as a whole.

"House Democrats had an opportunity to enact meaningful protections that would have kept people safe," Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future, said in a statement. "Instead they let Rep. Adam Schiff throw it all away at the last minute."

"Frankly, Schiff may be the biggest hypocrite in Congress," Greer added. "He constantly talks about how the Trump administration is dangerous and authoritarian. And he's right. But time and time again he has done everything in his power to ensure that the Trump administration has essentially limitless domestic surveillance authority that can be weaponized to target immigrants, activists, journalists, and religious minorities."

Fight for the Future urged the House to vote down the USA Freedom Reauthorization Act and "let the Patriot Act's domestic surveillance programs die permanently."

Progressive advocacy group Demand Progress is also urging the House to vote against the legislation unless it includes an amendment by Wyden and Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) that would bar the FBI from surveilling internet browsing records without a warrant.

China and India move troops as border tensions escalate

Tensions between China and India over their Himalayan border have escalated, with China accused of moving thousands of troops into disputed territory and expanding a military airbase in the region. Thousands of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops are reported to have moved into sensitive areas along the eastern Ladakh border, setting up tents and stationing vehicles and heavy machinery in what India considers to be its territory.

In response, the Indian army has moved several battalions from an infantry division usually based in the Ladakh city of Leh to “operational alert areas” along the border, and reinforcement troops have been brought in. The aggressive military posturing follows two skirmishes between the two sides on 5 and 9 May in the border areas of Pangong Lake and North Sikkim in Ladakh, in which more than 100 soldiers from both sides were injured. ...

The high-altitude border has been aggressively contested and heavily militarised since 1962 when China launched an offensive into Indian territory, sparking a short but bloody war. Ashok K Kantha, a former Indian ambassador to China and now director of the Institute of Chinese Studies based in Delhi, said the recent incursions and border aggressions from China were “far from routine occurrences”. ...

China’s actions appear to be a response to India’s construction of roads and airstrips adjacent to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which will improve connectivity and enable easier mobility for Indian troops in the area. Construction has paused during the coronavirus lockdown but is due to resume imminently.

Trump Wants Troops in Afghanistan Home by Election Day. The Pentagon Is Drawing Up Plans.

Senior military officials are set to brief President Trump in the coming days on options for pulling all American troops out of Afghanistan, with one possible timeline for withdrawing forces before the presidential election, according to officials with knowledge of the plans.

The proposal for a complete withdrawal by November reflects an understanding among military commanders that such a timeline may be Mr. Trump’s preferred option. But they plan to propose, and to advocate, a slower withdrawal schedule, officials said.

The move is part of the Pentagon’s attempt to avoid another situation like the one in December 2018 and again in October 2019, when Mr. Trump surprised military officials by ordering the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. Diplomatic chaos and violence followed, and the president subsequently modified each announcement. American troops remain in Syria, although in smaller numbers.

In recent months, Mr. Trump has repeatedly voiced a desire to leave Afghanistan sooner than the timeline laid out in the Feb. 29 peace agreement with the Taliban, which stipulated U.S. troops would leave in 12 to 14 months if the insurgent group met certain conditions.

The Pentagon is expected to try to persuade a commander in chief who has made clear his desire to end America’s involvement in what he has criticized as “endless wars” — and who has regularly surprised the military with his decisions.

Boeing to slash more than 12,000 jobs – with further cuts to come

Boeing is cutting more than 12,000 jobs through layoffs and buyouts as the coronavirus pandemic seizes the travel industry, and more cuts are coming. One of the nation’s biggest manufacturers will lay off 6,770 US employees this week, and an additional 5,520 workers are taking buyout offers to leave voluntarily in the coming weeks.

Air travel within the US tumbled 96% by mid-April, to fewer than 100,000 people on some days. It has recovered slightly. The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 264,843 people at airports on Tuesday, a drop of 89% compared with the same Tuesday a year ago.

Boeing had said it would cut 10% of a workforce that numbered about 160,000. A Boeing spokesperson said Wednesday’s decision represented the largest number of job cuts, but several thousand additional jobs will be eliminated in the next few months.

The layoffs are expected to be concentrated in the Seattle area, home to Boeing’s commercial-airplanes business. The defense and space division is stable and will help blunt the impact of the decline in air travel and demand for passenger jets, the company said.

40 MILLION unemployment claims as ultra-wealthy flee to yachts

US passes 100,000 coronavirus deaths as states relax lockdown measures

The United States has recorded more than 100,000 deaths from Covid-19, moving past a grim milestone even as many states relax mitigation measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. The US has recorded more deaths from the disease than any other country in the pandemic, and almost three times as many as the second-ranking country, Britain, which has recorded more than 37,000 Covid-19 deaths. ...

The United States has increased its testing capacity but has yet to stand up a national plan for the contact tracing of positive cases, a step South Korea took immediately. That country has since recorded 269 deaths from coronavirus. ...

Across Europe, the virus exacted a terrible toll. Eight of the 10 countries with the top per-capita rates of Covid-19 deaths are in Europe; the United States ranks ninth on that list, with about 30 deaths per 100,000 people, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Britain is third, with 55.64 deaths per 100,000.

Health experts warn that the United States can expect millions more Covid-19 cases and a tragic number of deaths to come, unless the virus takes an unprecedented and unforeseen vector. With regional infection rates varying from about 5-20%, most experts believe the virus will continue to churn through the US population until the overall rate of infection is 50-60% – or until a vaccine is widely administered.

CNBC Hosts Have Explosive Fight Over Crisis Coverage!

It’s Official: 100,000 Are Dead of Covid-19 in America, and Their Blood Is on Trump’s Hands

It’s official: Donald Trump now has the blood of 100,000 people on his tiny hands. On Wednesday, the coronavirus death toll in the United States crossed the 100,000 mark, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

One. Hundred. Thousand. ...

It did not have to be this way — because the vast majority of these deaths were preventable.

Don’t believe me? In the United States, the first confirmed case of Covid-19 was on January 20. Three days later, Vietnam confirmed its first case of Covid-19. Today, the death toll in the United States has crossed 100,000. The number of deaths in Vietnam?

Zero.

How about South Korea, which confirmed its first case on the exact same day as the United States?

Less than 300 deaths so far.

According to epidemiologists Britta L. Jewell and Nicholas P. Jewell, “an estimated 90 percent of the cumulative deaths in the United States from Covid-19 … might have been prevented by putting social distancing policies into effect two weeks earlier, on March 2, when there were only 11 deaths in the entire country.”

Ninety. Percent.

Putting those policies into effect even a week earlier, they say, would have resulted in “approximately a 60-percent reduction in deaths.” Think about that: tens of thousands of Americans would be alive today had Trump take action sooner.

Nina Turner REACTS: Minneapolis, Amy Cooper, and what Biden should have said to black America

The Blue Plague and Black Death

The pathogen that kills Black people at two and a half times the rate of whites took the life of 46 year-old George Floyd, this week in Minneapolis. Floyd’s last words were, “I can’t breathe,” much like the desperate utterances of plague victim Eric Garner, struck down in 2014 in New York City. Unlike the still raging Covid-19 virus, which is virulent among Blacks of both sexes, the Blue Plague is especially lethal to Black males of all ages. According to researchers at Rutgers University and the University of Michigan, 1 in every 1,000 black boys and men will be fatally stricken by the Blue Plague at some point in their lifetimes – at ages ranging from 12 year-old Tamir Rice, snuffed out in Cleveland in 2014, to 50 year-old Walter Scott, who fell victim to the pestilence in North Charleston, South Carolina in 2015.

Covid-19 is categorized as a “novel,” or new, virus, having mutated recently from wild animals. But the Blue Plague is a serial killer that dates back to the slave patrols of the pre-Civil War South. Indeed, the first vector of the Blue Plague has been traced back to Charleston, South Carolina, which established a paramilitary force called the City Guard in 1783, primarily to “police” Black slaves – although the term police had not yet been invented. The City Guard helped suppress the Denmark Vesey slave rebellion in 1822 – a success that is believed to have led to the mutation of slave patrols into full-fledged vectors of Black death in cities across the nation, not just the South.

Researchers are hoping to find a vaccine for Covid-19, possibly within the year, but the Blue Plague only grows more deadly over time and enjoys a host of immunities. Although Black people had hoped that the historic expansion in the number of Black elected officials would create political antibodies to limit the spread of the Blue Plague, the opposite has happened. In 2014, just months before Michael Brown’s life was cut short by the Blue Plague, in Ferguson, Missouri, 80 percent of the Congressional Black Caucus voted to continue funneling billions of dollars in military weapons, gear and training to local infestations of the plague, despite ample evidence that such infusions have made the scourge even more toxic to Black life. Four years later, 75 percent of the Black Caucus voted to classify the Blue Plague as a “protected class,” further immunizing the disease from the possibility of cure. The Protect and Serve Act of 2018 was “superfluous, since cops are already the most protected ‘class’ in the nation.” ...

This being an election year, George Floyd’s death by Blue Plague in Minneapolis was widely condemned by the same parties that have encouraged and funded the spread of the fatal contagion. The Democratic mayor of the city fired the four cops involved in crushing Floyd’s neck, and Joe Biden, the presidential candidate who brags that he “wrote” the Plague-proliferating 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, tweeted that “George Floyd deserved better and his family deserves justice. His life mattered.” But Biden and his party’s history as vectors of mass death say otherwise.

“No Justification”: Minneapolis Demands Murder Charges for Police Officer Who Killed George Floyd

The Cop Who Kneeled on George Floyd's Neck Was Involved in at Least 2 Police Shootings

Two of the four Minneapolis cops involved in George Floyd’s fatal arrest Monday — including the one seen in a viral video kneeling on the black man’s neck for several minutes as he repeatedly cried out that he couldn’t breathe — were previously involved in use-of-force incidents.

The two others haven’t been named. All four officers were fired Tuesday, just hours before large protests erupted across the Minnesota city of 425,000. ...

Chauvin worked for the Minneapolis police department for 19 years before his firing on Tuesday, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and had been involved in at least two officer-involved shootings during his tenure.

One of those shootings took place in 2008, and allegedly occurred because a man reached for an officer's gun while Chauvin was responding to a domestic assault call. Chauvin shot the man in the torso, and was placed on administrative leave, according to the Pioneer Press. The other shooting took place two years earlier, when Chauvin and other cops were responding to an alleged stabbing. The person they were pursuing, Wayne Reyes, allegedly aimed a gun at the officers while fleeing the scene. Officers including Chauvin fired at Reyes and killed him.

New Videos Appear to Undermine Police Account That George Floyd 'Resisted' Officers

Videos taken by bystanders show the moments leading up to the deadly arrest of George Floyd — and appear to undermine Minneapolis police’s account that he was uncooperative.

Minneapolis cops said that they were responding to reports of a man suspected of forgery on Monday evening, and encountered 46-year-old Floyd, who appeared “to be under the influence” sitting on top of his car. “He was ordered to step from his car,” the Minneapolis Police Department said in a statement. “After he got out, he physically resisted officers.”

But newly-surfaced videos do not appear to support that account. The first video, taken by a bystander through his windshield, shows several officers apprehending Floyd. But he doesn’t appear to be resisting — just standing next to his car.


The second video was from surveillance cameras belonging to a restaurant owner, who watched the arrest and contends that Floyd was not, as Minneapolis police claimed, resisting arrest. It shows Floyd sitting on the ground, handcuffed. Then a police officer brings him up to standing, and walks him over to the wall. The officer and Floyd appear to exchange words (there’s no sound), and Floyd appears to be anguished. Another officer comes over, and all three walk off camera.


Floyd died soon after having his face pressed against the sidewalk, his nose bleeding, his hands cuffed behind his back, and a police officer’s knee on his neck.



the horse race



Chris Hedges Running For Congress As Green!

California DA launches investigation into Tara Reade testimony

The Monterey County District Attorney’s office has launched an investigation into whether Tara Reade lied on the witness stand while acting as an expert witness. Reade, under the name Alexandra McCabe, for years testified as an expert in domestic violence cases for the California D.A.’s office. Among the issues is whether she lied about her credentials to qualify as an expert. ...

Recent news reports have raised questions about Reade’s testimony under oath, including whether she falsely claimed to have completed her bachelor’s degree, gave false testimony about taking the bar exam and exaggerated her job duties in Biden’s office.

Last week, the school where she testified to completing a bachelor’s degree, Antioch University in Seattle, confirmed to POLITICO that Reade attended for only three academic quarters and did not graduate. The university also denied Reade’s assertion she had a special arrangement with a former chancellor to credit her with an undergraduate degree under a different name.

Seattle University Law School confirmed that Reade, under the name Alexandra McCabe, did graduate from law school. ...

Reade’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, announced Friday he was no longer representing her. Reade could not immediately be reached for comment.

Can this populist take down Dems hand picked candidate to beat McConnell?

Revealed: conservative group fighting to restrict voting tied to powerful dark money network

A powerful new conservative organization fighting to restrict voting in the 2020 presidential election is really just a rebranded group that is part of a dark money network already helping Donald Trump’s unprecedented effort to remake the US federal judiciary, the Guardian and OpenSecrets reveal.

The organization, which calls itself the Honest Elections Project, seemed to emerge out of nowhere a few months ago and started stoking fears about voter fraud. Backed by a dark money group funded by rightwing stalwarts like the Koch brothers and Betsy DeVos’ family, the Honest Elections Project is part of the network that pushed the US supreme court picks Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, and is quickly becoming a juggernaut in the escalating fight over voting rights.

The project announced it was spending $250,000 in advertisements in April, warning against voting by mail and accusing Democrats of cheating. It facilitated letters to election officials in Colorado, Florida and Michigan, using misleading data to accuse jurisdictions of having bloated voter rolls and threatening legal action.

Calling voter suppression a “myth”, it has also been extremely active in the courts, filing briefs in favor of voting restrictions in Nevada, Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin and Minnesota, among other places, at times represented by lawyers from the same firm that represents Trump. By having a hand in both voting litigation and the judges on the federal bench, this network could create a system where conservative donors have an avenue to both oppose voting rights and appoint judges to back that effort.



the evening greens


Federal Judges Rule California Climate Suits Against Big Oil Must Go Forward in State Court

A panel of federal judges on Tuesday ruled that California climate lawsuits aiming to force major fossil fuel companies to pay for their role in causing the environmental crisis must be heard in state courts rather than more industry-friendly federal venues, a decision that was celebrated as a major blow to Big Oil's efforts to evade accountability.

In a unanimous 3-0 ruling, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments from fossil fuel company lawyers that the lawsuits by five California cities and three counties should be heard in federal rather than state court. In a separate ruling Tuesday, the panel unanimously overturned a 2018 district court decision that tossed out climate lawsuits brought by San Francisco and Oakland.

The latter ruling sends the San Francisco and Oakland suits back to the lower court for reconsideration.

The lawsuits by California municipalities seek to compel major oil companies like Chevron, BP, and Exxon Mobil to pay tens of billions of dollars to help cities and counties combat the devastating effects of the climate crisis.

"These lawsuits were filed to protect our residents, workers, and businesses from the harms of climate change knowingly imposed on our communities by the fossil fuel companies," San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker said in a joint statement. "Today's ruling from a unanimous Court of Appeals panel puts us one step closer to that goal."

The Associated Press reported that the rulings "are expected to meet continued challenges that could include a review by a larger Ninth Circuit panel and, eventually, review by the U.S. Supreme Court."

While the lawsuits have a long way to go before reaching a jury, UCLA environmental law professor Ann Carlson told AP that the rulings move plaintiffs closer to discovering what top fossil fuel executives knew and when they knew it and what oil companies did to fund a campaign to dissuade the American public that climate change was happening."

"The oil companies' strategy is to keep the light from shining on their own behavior," said Carlson. "This gets closer to allowing plaintiffs to shine that light."

New Report Details How G20 Nations Spend $77 Billion a Year to Destroy Climate

Even after the world's largest economies adopted the landmark Paris agreement to tackle the climate crisis in late 2015, governments continued to pour $77 billion a year in public finance into propping up the fossil fuel industry, according to a report released Wednesday.

The new report, from Oil Change International and Friends of the Earth (FOE) U.S., focuses on financing for oil, gas, and coal projects from members of the Group of 20 (G20), which comprises governments and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European Union.

Although U.S. President Donald Trump began the one-year withdrawal process for ditching the Paris accord in November 2019 after years of threats, other G20 nations remain committed to the agreement, which aims to keep global temperature rise well below 2°C and further limit it to 1.5°C by 2100.

Despite their public commitments to the Paris agreement, "G20 countries continue to subsidize the fossil fuel industry even as it makes bad business decisions that hurt people and the planet," FOE U.S. senior international policy analyst Kate DeAngelis said in a statement.

"Our planet is hurtling towards climate catastrophe and these countries are pouring gasoline on the fire to the tune of billions," she said. "We must hold G20 governments accountable for their promises to move countries toward clean energy. They have an opportunity to reflect and change their financing so that it supports clean energy solutions that will not exacerbate bad health outcomes and put workers at greater risk."


Trump-Connected Fossil Fuel Companies Permitted to Delay Payments of $56 Million in Pollution Fines During Pandemic

Corporations with close ties to Trump administration officials are among 10 companies being permitted to delay payments of millions of dollars in fines for pollution they caused, according to The Guardian and government watchdog Accountable.US.

The companies had agreed to pay a collective total of $56 million in civil penalties for contributing to pollution in communities across the country, but they were informed in April by the Department of Justice that they can pause their payments during the pandemic.

Ironically, said Accountable.US, which uncovered the arrangement through a FOIA request, the corporations are being granted leniency for contributing to the kinds of pollution which can make the coronavirus more deadly.

"This is exactly the time to make sure support is flowing to the federal, state, and local governments that need a hand with responding to the coronavirus crisis and with the environmental problems that these special interests have caused," Chris Saeger of Accountable.US told The Guardian. "When we're facing a public health crisis that causes respiratory problems, this is a time to be holding companies to a higher standard of air quality, not a lower one." ...

ArcelorMittal, where Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was previously a board member, told Accountable.US that it already paid the fine despite being offered the extension. Attorney General William Barr was a board member at Dominion Energy before joining the Trump administration, and was paid $500,000 by the corporation.

Kevin Kauffman, CEO of K.P. Kauffman, has been a major donor to President Donald Trump, and his company spent $200,000 lobbying the EPA last year.


Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

Intercepted podcast - The Disenfranchiser: Donald Trump’s Attack on Voting Rights and the Threat to Native Sovereignty

John Kiriakou: Michael Flynn & the FBI Setup

How the Fed Bailed Out the Investor Class Without Spending a Cent

Fed Admits Corporate Bond Buying Will Be at Least a 5-Year Debt Bailout

'What Corporate Welfare Is All About': Sanders Condemns Lack of Price Controls on Taxpayer-Funded Remdesivir

Keiser Report | Laundering Feudalism

US Media Failed to Factcheck Sweden’s Herd Immunity Hoax

Catholic diocese in Minnesota to pay sexual abuse victims $22.5m

Video of Minnesota man threatening to call police on black entrepreneurs goes viral

Krystal and Saagar: RIOTS ERUPT after George Floyd's death, how should the system change?

Krystal and Saagar: Tucker Carlson SHOCKS, calls for primarying corporate Republicans


A Little Night Music

Stick McGhee - Travelin' On

Sticks McGhee - Six To Eight

Stick McGhee - Southern Menu

Stick Mcghee - Let's Do It

Stick McGhee - Housewarmin' Boogie

Sticks McGhee - Whiskey, Women and Loaded Dice

Stick McGhee - Venus Blues

Sticks McGhee - Jungle Juice

Sticks McGhee - Things have Changed


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Comments

Unabashed Liberal's picture

just bit the dust, when I went over to page to get the html code for an emoticon. Gotta run, and place the pizza order (that I was talking about, in the comment, of all things). anyhoo, your mention of getting pizza carry-out last evening, gave us the idea--it's been, at least, a couple weeks since we've ordered out, which is unusual.

i had also written a blurb about the individual who headed up the project to provide masks to high-risk folks--the elderly, those with co-morbidities, and, first-line responders. i was getting the code for the "giving a rose" when I lost my entire comment. so, will drop back by later, to complete the thought (again).

'thanks' for this evening's excellent compilation of news and blues, Joe. if he doesn't do anything else, good or decent, hope DT will veto bill(s) expanding surveillance of citizens. heard some Dem lawmaker talking of further restricting free speech on social media, the other day. (didn't recognize the voice, and, he was simply called "Representative"--but, he was a Dem--he was on MSDNC) it's beginning to get scary, imo, that Dems appear to be so eager to curtail freedom of speech rights. as it is, I've already had one of my twitter accounts suspended--for what, I can't imagine. (hadn't even posted a single tweet for months) doesn't really matter, though, since the process to request reinstatement was too intrusive to even bother with.

btw, my 'lower case' typing will probably be inconsistent for a while - takes a bit of getting use to Biggrin if you know what I mean.

have a nice evening, everyone. take care; stay safe.

Mollie

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.”
~~Gilda Radner, Comedienne

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7 users have voted.

Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

joe shikspack's picture

@Unabashed Liberal

mmm ... pizza! enjoy!

it looks like the democrats are very concerned about suppressing speech. my guess is that it is mostly a desire to shut up their critics.

they are a dangerous lot. it is fortuitous that trump and his minions have staked out privacy as a piece of political turf to protect.

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6 users have voted.
gulfgal98's picture

The last two days have weighed heavily upon me as a privileged white American and as an American in general. I could not watch the entire video of the Floyd murder. Even the beginning of it was difficult to watch.

Until police officers are subject to the same laws that apply to civilians and until they are no longer able to hide behind an internal investigation, we will continue to see more police murders of suspects and innocent people. Too many times the police close ranks behind "bad cops" to maintain their brotherhood. It is past time for the relationship of the police to the citizens they are supposed to serve, not murder, to change, especially as to how they relate to citizens of color who are disproportionately murdered via cop.

My anger and my despair is off the Richter Scale tonight. Nina Turner's interview on Rising today captured the righteous anger and frustration of so many blacks in this country today.

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10 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

joe shikspack's picture

@gulfgal98

i keep wondering how many times this pattern has to repeat before people recognize that it is a norm, that a portion of our populace lives in fear and that this pattern needs to be eradicated immediately. we can't continue as a culture this way.

if it's a choice between having police and having vast numbers of our people live in quite reasonable fear for their lives, the cops are going to have to go.

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8 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

killing FISA and with luck the USA Freedom Reauthorization Act. As you have noted, that would almost be worth the past 3 years of incessant screeching bullshit. That "Blue Plague" atricle and language needs much wider circulation, IMO. Gotta love the 9th circuit, on the right side more often than not.

Thanks for the tunes and news.

be well and have a good one.

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9 users have voted.

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 --

joe shikspack's picture

@enhydra lutris

i can hardly believe our good fortune that, like a blind hog finding an acorn, trump has found an aversion to fisa and intrusive deep state spying. i hope that he can stay on task long enough to kill the beast, despite the beast's many champions in government.

yep, glen ford really nailed it with that blue plague article. i hope that a lot of folks will read the whole thing.

have a great evening!

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Azazello's picture

Hedges Ends Short-Lived CD12 Green Party Candidacy; Prohibited By FCC Rules

Chris Hedges announced that he won’t be running for Congress in CD12, after all, after being informed that he is not permitted to run for federal office under FCC rules. Hedges had announced his intentions to run on Wednesday.
The Green Party released the following statement.
Regretfully, Chris Hedges was informed shortly after he made public his decision to run as the Green Party candidate for Congress in the 12th District of New Jersey that under FCC rules he is not permitted to run for federal office. Hedges hosts the Emmy-nominated television show On Contact broadcast nationally on RT America.

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10 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

enhydra lutris's picture

@Azazello
There used to be rules about equal time and such, but those were killed under William Jefferson Reagan Clinton. Sure wish they'd provide more detail.

be well and have a good one.

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9 users have voted.

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 --

@enhydra lutris

leftish need not apply
makes the right
uncomfortable

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7 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@Azazello

damn. isn't it odd that mayor mike bloomberg can run for federal office despite owning a major media outlet, but hedges can't run because he hosts a half-hour show on teevee.

odd.

have a great evening!

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12 users have voted.
GreatLakeSailor's picture

@Azazello

I was really happy Chris Hedges was running. Hopeful even.

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8 users have voted.

Compensated Spokes Model for Big Poor.

mimi's picture

@Azazello
any reason that might have been left hiding somewhere.

The non-violent protestors, do they have reasonable reasons to be non-violent?

“Would you mind being my guinea pig?” Was Hedges used as a guinea pig?

A "guinea pig" is a kind of small, furry animal. At one time, scientists used guinea pigs for laboratory experiments. Today, we use the term "guinea pig" for a person who gets used to test something, like a new drug, product, or process: ... A person can "be" a guinea pig, or you can "use" someone else as a guinea pig.

How smart is a guinea pig?
Guinea pigs are relatively smart animals. Studies prove that they have a sharp memory that they used to remember their path in the wild. As pets guinea pigs are known for their capability to recognize their owners, respond on the call of command, and even perform some amazing tricks.

So, do I have to begin any comment online now with the words 'I don't support violent protests', to avoid being found by the seach-engines of IT-coded robots to fall into the category of 'potential terrorists'? (I believe, in Gerrman they call those 'Gefährder')

I barely can stand reading through any article listed in the eb anymore.

Wished I could cry, but I can't. Do you regret that not one of the many assassination attempts on Hilter was successful? You don't regret that? How can you justify that?

I am pretty kaputt now. I will take another nap.

Nothing for Ungood. I am unarmed. The problem is you may not be unarmed.

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2 users have voted.

just came up in converstion

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4 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@QMS

sounds like a worthy conversation. thanks for the tune.

have a great evening!

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4 users have voted.

@joe shikspack

the worthies
thanks anyways
you're the best

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2 users have voted.
Cassiodorus's picture

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6 users have voted.

"I'm starting to believe that they want Donald Trump to get elected." -- Compton Jay

@Cassiodorus protest, or advocate it, I understand it, lay absolutely no blame on the protesters at all.
If you can't protest cold blooded murder, what is left? More murder?
Does all the allowed and protected violence all the time ALWAYS go to the police?
Fuck that shit.

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6 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

War.
Poverty.
Surveillance.
Racism.
Love for someone is just about all you have left.
I have heard guides describe how families were lined up, kids shot first, then Mom, then the Dad. I saw the place where it happened. Poland. Where the soldiers stood, where the families took those bullets.
They held hands. Their last expression of love was just that touch.
For reasons, I sent this rather awful song to the Love of My life because the lyrics express what I feel.
We can enjoy the the lyrics and the thought, anyway.

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5 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

I am so glad I am white skinned (with all that African genetics, it is a wonder)and so forth, and so on. I won't be killed on sight, just killed later.
omigod, the love of my life is braving the pandemic to come softly to me!

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5 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

CB's picture

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4 users have voted.

@CB I hope for a guilty verdict, and hope he gets to spend quality time with his mostly black inmates when he gets properly introduced to prison.

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4 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981