The Evening Blues - 4-30-21



eb1pt12


The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Albert Collins

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features Texas blues guitarist Albert Collins. Enjoy!

Albert Collins - Frosty

"Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim."

-- Bertrand Russell


News and Opinion

Court Rules That EPA’s Delay “Exposed a Generation of American Children” to Brain-Damaging Pesticide Chlorpyrifos

After 14 years of legal battles, a federal court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to take actions that will likely force the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos off the market. The federal agency has for years been considering mounting evidence that links the pesticide to brain damage in children — including loss of IQ, learning difficulties, ADHD, and autism — but, as the court acknowledged, has repeatedly delayed taking action.

“Rather than ban the pesticide or reduce the tolerances to levels that the EPA could find were reasonably certain to cause no harm, the EPA sought to evade through delay tactics its plain statutory duty,” Judge Jed S. Rakoff wrote in his decision, which was released today by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. “During that time, the EPA’s egregious delay exposed a generation of American children to unsafe levels of chlorpyrifos,” he wrote, and ordered the EPA to issue a final regulation within 60 days.

While Rakoff stopped short of requiring the EPA to immediately ban the pesticide, he gave the agency little choice in how to respond. “The EPA’s obligation is clear: it must modify or revoke chlorpyrifos tolerances and modify or cancel chlorpyrifos registrations,” Rakoff wrote in his ruling in the case, which was filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Pesticide Action Network, United Farm Workers, and other groups.

The decision marks the culmination of a prolonged and bitter legal battle over one of the most widely used and dangerous pesticides in U.S. agriculture. More than 5 million pounds of chlorpyrifos were applied to crops in 2017, according to the most recent data. Exposure to the pesticide through residue on food and drift near fields where it was applied has wreaked devastation on developing children. According to a team of researchers led by Leonardo Trasande, organophosphate pesticides, of which chlorpyrifos is the most widely used, accounted for an estimated $594 billion in societal costs, including added health care and education, between 2001 and 2016.

The EPA was poised to ban chlorpyrifos in 2016, but the Trump EPA changed course the next year without providing any scientific justification for its decision. The reversal, made under EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, has been tied to a $1 million contribution to President Donald Trump’s inaugural fund from Dow Chemical Company, now known as Corteva, which was the primary producer of chlorpyrifos.

Biden administration eyes major rollback in Iran sanctions to revive nuke deal

The Biden administration is considering a near wholesale rollback of some of the most stringent Trump-era sanctions imposed on Iran in a bid to get the Islamic Republic to return to compliance with a landmark 2015 nuclear accord, according to current and former U.S. officials and others familiar with the matter.

As indirect talks continue this week in Vienna to explore the possibility of reviving the nuclear deal, American officials have become increasingly expansive about what they might be prepared to offer Iran, which has been driving a hard line on sanctions relief, demanding that all U.S. penalties be removed, according to these people.)

American officials have refused to discuss which sanctions are being considered for removal. But they have said they are open to lifting any sanctions that are inconsistent with the nuclear deal or that deny Iran the relief it would be entitled to should it return to compliance with the accord. Because of the complex nature of the sanctions architecture, that could include non-nuclear sanctions, such as those tied to terrorism, missile development and human rights. ...

Administration officials deny they will remove all non-nuclear sanctions, but have declined to identify those which they believe Trump improperly imposed on terrorism and other grounds.

Our Warplanes Can Reach Iran, Israeli Minister Warns Amid Nuclear Talks

An Israeli cabinet minister sharpened his country's warnings against what it would deem a bad new nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, saying war with Tehran would be sure to follow. ...

Reiterating Israel's position that it does not consider itself bound by the diplomacy, Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen said: "A bad deal will send the region spiralling into war."

"Anyone seeking short-term benefits should be mindful of the longer-term," he told Reuters. "Israel will not allow Iran to attain nuclear arms. Iran has no immunity anywhere. Our planes can reach everywhere in the Middle East - and certainly Iran."

Iran welcomes Saudi change of tone, sees 'new chapter'

Iran on Thursday welcomed a "change of tone" from Saudi Arabia that could clear the way to a new era of cooperation between the rival regional powers.

The Islamic republic has been "a pioneer on the path to regional cooperation and welcomes the change of tone from Saudi Arabia", said foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Tuesday in a television interview for "a good and special relationship" with Tehran, after sources said the two countries had held secret talks in Baghdad.

Khatibzadeh, in a statement, said that "by adopting constructive stances... the two countries... can enter a new chapter of interaction and cooperation to reach peace, stability and regional development, by overcoming differences".

George Bush Complains About "Misinformation!" -- Not Kidding.

U.S. begins Afghanistan withdrawal, deploys military assets to protect troops

The White House confirmed Thursday that the U.S. military has begun its withdrawal from Afghanistan and proactively deployed additional troops and military equipment to protect forces in the region.

"Potential adversaries should know that if they attack us in our withdrawal, we will defend ourselves, [and] our partners, with all the tools at our disposal," White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling on Air Force One.

"While these actions will initially result in increased forces levels, we remain committed to having all U.S. military personnel out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021," she said, adding that the Biden administration is intent on a "safe and responsible" exit from the war-torn country.

The Pentagon has temporarily provided B-52H Stratofortress aircraft to U.S. Central Command, the combatant command that oversees American operations in the Middle East. A U.S. Navy carrier strike group is also in the region to provide support.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby has previously said that Defense Department leadership will continue to assess the need for additional military capabilities as the departure of U.S. and coalition forces proceeds.

NYT Declares WAR On Twitch Streamers

White House investigating ‘unexplained health incidents’ similar to Havana syndrome

The White House has said it is investigating “unexplained health incidents” after a report that two US officials in the Washington area experienced sudden symptoms similar to the “Havana syndrome” symptoms suffered by American diplomats and spies abroad.

The wave of mysterious brain injuries, beginning in Cuba in 2016, are deemed by the National Academy of Scientists to be most likely the result of some form of directed energy device, and the CIA, state department and Pentagon have all launched investigations.

The wave of mysterious brain injuries, beginning in Cuba in 2016, are deemed by the National Academy of Scientists to be most likely the result of some form of directed energy device, and the CIA, state department and Pentagon have all launched investigations.

CNN reported on Thursday that two possible incidents on US soil are part of the investigation. One took place in November last year near the Ellipse, the large oval lawn on the south side of the White House, in which an official from the national security council suddenly fell sick. The other was in 2019 and involved a White House official walking her dog in a Arlington suburb of Washington. That incident was reported in GQ magazine last year.

Bill Gates Denies Vaccine To Poor Countries

Amazon’s sales up 44% as US economy soars 6.4% in first quarter

Amazon’s sales increased 44% to $108.5bn in the first three months of the year as the company’s pandemic boom continued into 2021. ... Amazon made a profit of $8.1bn for the quarter – $2.7bn a month – beating analysts’ forecasts after a series of better than expected results from tech companies and others.

While Amazon profited throughout the coronavirus downturn, there are now signs that the economic recovery is spreading.

The news came after the commerce department said the US economy took off in the first quarter, soaring 6.4% on an annual basis as rising vaccinations, a massive round of government stimulus and a steady recovery in the jobs market helped reverse some of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The annualized rate suggests the US economy is firmly on the road to recovery. In normal times US gross domestic product (GDP) – the broadest measure of the economy – grows at about 2-2.5% a year, but the pandemic triggered wild swings as the country went into lockdown and businesses shuttered.

Bone Rooms: How Elite Schools and Museums Amassed Black and Native Human Remains Without Consent

After Protests over Unauthorized Use of MOVE Child’s Bones, U. of Pennsylvania & Princeton Apologize

Anti-War Group Releases Activist Guide to End Militarized Policing in US

In an effort to curtail police militarism, anti-war group Win Without War on Thursday released an activist guide titled Stop Militarizing Our Communities: 5 Things You Need to Know About the 1033 Program.

The activist guide was authored by Tanaya Sardesai, a student at Pomona College and a former intern at Win Without War, and centers on the Department of Defense's 1033 program, which is responsible for supplying military weaponry to domestic law enforcement.

"Foreign policy and domestic policy are intertwined," said Sardesai. "Violence committed against communities of color abroad fuels violence against communities of color at home. We must end state violence and knee-jerk militarism, wherever it occurs. Ending the 1033 program is a small but necessary step toward that."

The 1033 program, also referred to as the Law Enforcement Support Office Program, is characterized by Win Without War as a byproduct of colossal U.S. Pentagon budget and a hyper-militarized foreign policy that perpetuates ongoing conflicts around the world.

"Militarism abroad and militarism at home are inseparable," explained the group in a statement. "One of the key ways our endless wars have blown back to exacerbate violence and undermine human security in the United States is through the DoD's 1033 program."

The guide elucidates the correlation between U.S. foreign policy and police militarization and concludes both systems are designed to sustain weapon manufacturers profits, the prison system, and the defense industry—at the expense of the working class and marginalized communities.

According to the guide, the 1033 program provides free military-grade weapons to local police officers and incentivizes their use by contractually requiring the weapons be used within a year or returned to the federal government. There is little oversight required under 1033 contracts and equipment often goes missing or is used improperly without accountability.

Police officers do not receive mandatory federal training under the program, leaving local agencies to train weapon recipients with little guidance.

"This further reinforces the 'us vs. them' mentality that is responsible for such devastation around the world," explains the guide. "A lack of instruction exacerbates these issues by imbuing officers with the confidence to use deadly weapons without training."

Sardesai notes that militarization has also expanded its reach to the U.S. education system, as school districts across the country have received millions of dollars of equipment from the 1033 program, including firearms, utility trucks, and rifles.

In 2017, the Government Accountability Office created a fictitious law enforcement agency and was able to obtain $1,200,000 worth of military gear from the 1033 program, suggesting a grossly inadequate vetting system.

In response to these issues, grassroots organizations are mobilizing around the U.S. to end the 1033 program and small legislative strides are being made.

The FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (pdf) included a provision to provide more oversight of the 1033 program and limit particular weapons from being used by police forces. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (pdf), which the House passed in March 2021, included a section that would limit the 1033 program.

"This must only be the beginning," said Win Without War. "The Senate must act now. President Biden must put a moratorium on the 1033 program."

‘He did not deserve to die’: anger and protest over Andrew Brown’s killing by police

Raising signs, flags and fists, about 200 protesters walked through the streets of Elizabeth City in North Carolina on Wednesday night following a judge’s ruling, which denied the immediate release of police video footage of the killing of Andrew Brown last week. The evening’s march wound its way through the flat streets of the majority Black city of roughly 18,000 in the state’s coastal plain near the Outer Banks.

The crowd blocked off several intersections, chanting “release the tape” and “20 seconds, not enough,” in reference to the short clip of body-camera footage that Brown’s family have been permitted to see. “You’re just making it worse by not being transparent,” said Dustin Sidebottom, 50, an Elizabeth City resident who had been arrested protesting on Tuesday but was back on Wednesday, waving a large Black Lives Matter flag.

Sidebottom said officials’ handling of the Brown case had created a breach of trust that will be extremely difficult to repair. “No matter what he did, he did not deserve to die,” he added.

Attorneys representing Brown’s family argue that full release of the footage is critical to maintaining the integrity of the investigation into his death, and providing some sense of justice. “Government officials need to be held accountable and the only way to hold them accountable is through transparency,” attorney Wayne Kendall said. “We can’t have a free and open society unless we have disclosure of the actions of public officials.”



the horse race



Why a filibuster showdown in the US Senate is unavoidable

As Republicans have pushed more than 360 bills across the country to restrict access to the ballot, the president and Democrats have strongly condemned those efforts, but they’ve been unable to stop them. Even though Democrats control both chambers of Congress in Washington, they can’t pass a sweeping voting rights bill because they don’t have enough votes to get rid of the filibuster, an arcane senate rule that requires 60 votes to advance legislation. A showdown over the filibuster has loomed over the first 100 days of the Biden administration, but during the next 100 days, it’s clear that a showdown over getting rid of the procedure is unavoidable.

Amanda Litman, the executive director of the Run for Something, a group that recruits candidates for state legislative races, told me this week she thinks some Democrats still don’t fully appreciate how dangerous and consequential the GOP’s ongoing efforts are. “This is really an existential crisis. It’s a five-alarm fire. But I’m not sure it’s quite sunk in for members of the United States Senate or the Democratic party writ large,” she told me.

“If the Senate does not kill the filibuster and pass voting rights reforms … Democrats are going to lose control of the House and likely the Senate forever. You don’t put these worms back into a can. You can’t undo this quite easily,” she added. ...

But the window for Democrats to have the most impact with their legislation is rapidly closing. The decennial process of redrawing district lines is set to take place later this year, and a critical portion of the Democratic bill would set new limits to prevent state lawmakers, who have the power to draw the maps, from severely manipulating districts for partisan gain. While it’s probably already too late to set up independent redistricting commissions for this year, Democrats could still pass rules to prevent the most severe partisan manipulation.

Justice Dems' Absurd Gushing Over Biden Shocks The Conscience



the evening greens


Hundreds report abnormal menstruation after being teargassed during Portland protests

More than a thousand people reported lasting health effects after being exposed to teargas during protests in Portland, Oregon, last summer, according to a newly published scientific study. Nearly 900 people reported abnormal menstrual cycles, including intense cramping and increased bleeding, that began or persisted days after their initial exposure to the teargas. Hundreds of others complained of other negative health impacts, including severe headaches, nausea, diarrhea, and mental health concerns.

The new research, based on an online survey of more than 2,200 people, challenges claims that the health consequences of being teargassed are minor and temporary, said Dr Britta Torgrimson-Ojerio, a researcher at Kaiser Permanente Northwest and the lead author of the study.

It is also the first published, peer-reviewed study to confirm a link between teargas and abnormal menstruation, a connection that was widely discussed by American protesters on social media and in news reports last year. Participants in racial justice protests against police violence last summer in Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Rochester and other cities told media outlets that their exposure to teargas had been followed by unexpected bleeding, unusually painful cramps, and other disruptions of their typical menstrual cycles.

The results of the Portland study, including the new link between teargas and menstruation, are an important contribution to the scientific research on teargas, which has primarily been tested on younger men in military and police settings, said Sven-Eric Jordt, a professor of anesthesiology at Duke University.

“At this time, we don’t know how teargas causes these [menstrual] irregularities,” Jordt told the Guardian. “It is possible that pain, stress, dehydration and exertion play a role. Alternatively, teargas degradation products in the human body may have endocrine effects.”

US Senate votes to reinstate methane rules loosened by Trump

Congressional Democrats are moving to reinstate regulations designed to limit potent greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas fields, as part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to tackle climate change.

The Senate approved a resolution Wednesday that would undo an environmental rollback by Donald Trump that relaxed requirements of a 2016 Obama administration rule targeting methane emissions from oil and gas drilling.

The resolution was approved, 52-42. Three Republican senators – Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Rob Portman of Ohio – joined Democrats to approve the measure, which only needed a needed a simple majority under Senate rules.

The legislation now goes to the Democratic-controlled House, where it is expected to win approval.

Indigenous chief to request UN peacekeepers to prevent lobster fight boiling over

After a violent clash over lobster fishing on Canada’s east coast last year, a First Nations chief says he will request United Nations peacekeepers to keep his people safe on the water this summer – predicting tensions will reach a boiling point. When the Sipekne’katik First Nation sought to harvest lobster outside of the fishing season defined by federal authorities, commercial harvesters launched a series of protests that turned physical when traps were removed, harvesters assaulted and lobster pounds vandalized. ...

The Sipekne’katik chief, Mike Sack, said his First Nation is moving forward with plans to again open a self-regulated lobster fishery in Nova Scotia this June in defiance of the commercial season enforced by Canada’s fisheries department. “We’re going to send a letter off to the United Nations and hope that they can come and keep the peace … and just ensure that our people are not mistreated,” Sack said during a press conference last week.

Sipekne’katik first opened its self-regulated lobster fishery in St Mary’s Bay last September, citing their right to support themselves through fishing under a treaty from the 1700s. This right was affirmed in a supreme court of Canada case more than two decades ago and interpreted as a right to fish for a “moderate livelihood”, although that has never been properly defined.

In a statement this March, the fisheries minister, Bernadette Jordan, was supportive of rights to a moderate livelihood fishery, but said all lobster fisheries must operate within the established season, ending in May, for conservation reasons. ...

“Once [Minister Jordan] came out and said no fishing out of season, to me she empowered commercial fisherman. What happened last year, it’s going to be a lot worse,” Sack said. “The biggest thing we’re trying to do is have it so our people can fish and come out of poverty without being in danger,” he said. “The species are the last thing we want to harm, it’s not going to happen, our ancestors wouldn’t be happy with us.”


Also of Interest

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

Biden Lied About Yemen

Watchdog: US Aid to Venezuela Was Used to Push Regime Change

NATO Nations Wage Hidden War in Mali

“A Threshold Crossed”: Israel Is Guilty of Apartheid, Human Rights Watch Says for First Time

Largest Since the Cold War: Massive US-Led War Games Move to the Balkans

Ukrainian ultranationalist lobby flaunts influence over Biden, blocks top Russia expert’s appointment

Energy Dept. warns nuclear waste tank may be leaking in Washington state

Matt Taibbi: Why “Securing Democracy” Will Be Taught in Journalism Schools

New Jersey Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Kept Quiet in State Prisons

Alex Oh: The Strange Case of the SEC Enforcement Chief Who Beat a Hasty Exit After Six Days on the Job

Covid has forced a neoliberal retreat. But state intervention isn’t always progressive

Top Court Rules Germany's Climate Law Inadequate to Protect Future Generations

‘Insanely cheap energy’: how solar power continues to shock the world

Campaigners Welcome Imminent Closure of New York Nuclear Plant

From dust bowl to California drought: a climate scientist on the lessons we still haven’t learned

Stinging wasps are precious, not pointless, say scientists

Washington Post Officially Stops Counting Biden's Lies

David Sirota: Biden Claims Health Care Is A Human Right. His Plans Say Otherwise

Krystal and Saagar: Ultra-Rich Now In SIX FIGURE Bidding War Over Trees

Krystal and Saagar: FBI CAUGHT Spying On Americans Without A Warrant, Again

Rising: James Carville Says 'Wokeness Is A Problem And We All Know It'


A Little Night Music

Albert Collins - My Woman Has A Black Cat Bone

Albert Collins - Cold Cold Feeling

Albert Collins - Avalanche

Albert Collins - I Got A Problem

Albert Collins - Do The Sissy

Albert Collins - Honey Hush

Albert Collins & Rory Gallagher - Funk Jam

Albert Collins - Bending Like A Willow Tree

Albert Collins Live At Montreux 1979


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Comments

ggersh's picture

Dubya worried about misinformation while being interviewed w/out one iota of pushback shows us the obvious, we're fucked.

Stay Safe Everyone

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14 users have voted.

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

joe shikspack's picture

@ggersh

i guess dubya being rehabilitated so that he can complain about misinformation indicates that there are no facts anymore, only narratives.

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9 users have voted.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/30/manchin-does-not-support-dc-sta...

Sen. Joe Manchin on Friday said that he did not support the D.C. statehood bill, a blow to advocates pushing to make it the 51st state after the legislation passed the House last week.

"If Congress wants to make D.C. a state, it should propose a constitutional amendment ... and let the people of America vote," the West Virginia Democrat told Hoppy Kercheval of West Virginia's MetroNews in a radio interview.

Manchin is the first Democratic senator to come out against the D.C. statehood bill, which Republicans are united against, although a small number of Democratic caucus members have not yet publicly backed the bill.

Even though the issue boasts a historic amount of Democratic support in the Senate, it won't succeed without Manchin's support in the closely divided chamber and with the existence of the legislative filibuster, which requires 60 votes to pass the legislation.

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joe shikspack's picture

@humphrey

king manchin is certainly acting like a good republican.

perhaps we ought to start a pool on when he first threatens to change party affiliation and when he finally switches.

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8 users have voted.

@joe shikspack If he was ideologically honest he would, but he'll never have as much power as he does right now being a Democrat. I think another Joe, Lieberman, might have learned this when he went independent.

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5 users have voted.

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

A false flag event causes US to attack Iran - China, who needs Iranian oil, enters.
Biden signs a return to the Iran treaty. Israel attacks. (see above)
A false flag in Syria or the Ukraine gets out of hand.
Biden's policy of obscuring his unwillingness to do anything necessary results in the world becoming uninhabitable.
America gets fed up with Biden and votes Republican - world becomes uninhabitable.
Progressives win huge in 2022 and 2024, refuse to sell out. Right wing coup.
Quisling Democrats block progressives again, America finally revolts. Right wing law and order regime turns America into a police state.
Alternatively things could turn out well:
... Uh... Uh... Well maybe... uh...

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On to Biden since 1973

Pluto's Republic's picture

@doh1304

It seems to me that every scenario on your list is in the process of happening to some degree — except for this one:

Progressives win huge in 2022 and 2024, refuse to sell out.

Has that ever happened?

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
joe shikspack's picture

@doh1304

heh, and you haven't even started on the stupid crap that the people running biden's foreign policy might get us into with russia. or the likelihood of another economic crash brought on by the same people and activities that brought on the last one. or the likelihood of an economic crash brought on by other countries slipping off the noose of u.s. oppression and ending the dollar as a world reserve currency.

well, anyway, the least likely of all, as pluto pointed out, is progressives not selling out.

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enhydra lutris's picture

& blues, Joe.

Love the Bertrand Rrrussell quote -stayed pretty much on top of things, he did.

Good to see the courts get on the epa for chlorpyrifos. No organo phosphates should be on the market unless affirmatively proven to be safe. The same might be said for halocarbons too.

So Israel is threatening to commit unprovoked acts of war, many of which it has already committed, if it doesn't get its way in everything? How the hell are they still in the UN? For that matter, how the hell are we?

It is interesting to see this openly stated:

The results of the Portland study, including the new link between teargas and menstruation, are an important contribution to the scientific research on teargas, which has primarily been tested on younger men in military and police settings, said Sven-Eric Jordt, a professor of anesthesiology at Duke University.

So which is it, are we using untested chemical weapons on the streets, against our own people, or are we testing them on the streets against our own people? Crimes against humanity anybody?

Hanford is certainly no Chernobyl, and hence no big deal and no possible threat of any possible harm to anything or anyone, but we knew that, riiight? Just like Indian Point is not now nor ever has been any kind of threat or risk or the source of any contamination, and the decommissioning will be clean as a whistle and easy-peasy. Uh huh.

And the US uses USAID as a weapon? man,

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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 --

Pluto's Republic's picture

@enhydra lutris

It's obviously not tear gas.

It's a chemical weapon with 'tear gas' characteristics.

Possibly designed to induce passivity through the endocrine system.

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10 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
joe shikspack's picture

@enhydra lutris

So Israel is threatening to commit unprovoked acts of war, many of which it has already committed, if it doesn't get its way in everything? How the hell are they still in the UN? For that matter, how the hell are we?

i am guessing that there is probably no way to avoid israel starting a war with iran. there is nothing that will appease israel short of iranians agreeing to commit mass suicide so as to no longer be offensive to israel.

So which is it, are we using untested chemical weapons on the streets, against our own people, or are we testing them on the streets against our own people?

i would guess the former, because the latter presumes that the powers that be give a damn about the results of said testing.

have a great weekend!

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Pluto's Republic's picture

@joe shikspack

...is clearly the largest evidence-free, psyop-hoax of all time.

The big lie that Iran is developing nuclear weapons — instead of building a nation-wide nuclear energy infrastructure — has provided cover for the greedy, monstrous, power-mad nations that are spreading chaos and destruction across the planet. (If Iran wanted nuclear weapons, they would have taken delivery of them a very long time ago. They can certainly afford them. But, alas, such weapons are reprehensible to their spiritual beliefs and identity.)

One only needs to receive such weapons one time — and they are done. They have their detergent. The power is balanced in the Middle East. But if the overarching goal is to create reliable source of fuel for a national network of nuclear power plants, then one must continuously enrich U-235. It has always been clear what Iran is doing.

iran-fp_1.jpg
.
Smile, mockingbirds. The world is starting to see you for what you really are.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

@Pluto's Republic is how you see it, imho.

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NYCVG

Wow, Joe! That is some headline. Made me sit up straighter in my chair. TY.

Am I confused or isn't the Mighty Triangle supposed to be the USA/Israel/Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia cozy with Iran changes things significantly. Between them they hold significant amounts of the worlds oil.

Please, Caucus 99, fill us in if you can shed light on this development.

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NYCVG

joe shikspack's picture

@NYCVG

yeah, it's very interesting indeed. i can see why the iranians would be interested in peeling off saudi arabia from its new relationship with israel. i can only guess what's in it for the saudis, though i would imagine that a big part of their reason for cozying up to israel is due to u.s. pressure. with the saudis feeling like the u.s. might not be such a good friend after objecting to mohammed bin bone saw's recent headchopping, perhaps they might want to have better relations with the next door neighbor who could wipe them off of the map in a day or less.

anyway, that's my speculation, not based on anything in particular.

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his first record cut in downtown Houston.

The Rhythm Rockers are tight!

love the sax chorus.

thx.

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6 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@irishking

thanks! nice drumming, too. pretty sparse guitar work from collins, but still completely identifiable as him.

have a great weekend!

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mimi's picture

In 2013 I bought the whole set of Pacifica Radio Archives from Democracy Now. At least it gave me the feeling that I can access the content without being dependent on the intertubes.

There should be a project to put the EBs on a similar set of CDs and DVD for us to have and not being dependent on an internet server that can be destroyed. I have no clue about the technology, but I prefer having the files independent of what the intertubes allow me to see and read.

Am I wrong?

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mimi's picture

@mimi
can we have a vault for the EBs?

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5 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@mimi

it sounds like an awful lot of work, let me think about whether there's an easy way to extract the files from the web.

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4 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@joe shikspack
more important things for you do. Thanks for all you do. It is just one of the pipe dreams I have... Smile
Hope you are fine and get enough rest.
It is our labor day here, but all the demonstrations are under lockdown and we will see what happens during the day. Hamburg is under 'high police alert'. Berlin I don't know.

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6 users have voted.
mimi's picture

Merk Zuckerberg gobbles up another big chunk of Hawaii beachfront

The dailybeast doesn't allow me to read their article, unless I support them with money. I have none to give. I guess I can live without them. All I could see is that he bought it from a non-profit for 53 million. I guess the non-profit made a big profit.

yes, he is an asshole, here I said this twice and it gets truer the more often I say it.

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6 users have voted.

@mimi @mimi hi and thanks you made me lol, because I am sitting here saying inside my head "asshole asshole asshole asshole asshole" and then I remembered that movie where the baby says "Aaassssss Hoooooole" for its first words. LOL omg just f'ing kill me now. It's a non-profit CORPORATION. yeah
Here ya go:

Tarpley HittReporterUpdated Apr. 30, 2021 7:55PM ET / Published Apr. 30, 2021 3:31PM ET
3-4 minutes

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan have nearly doubled their controversial land holdings in Hawaii, after buying almost 600 acres on Kauai from a non-profit for $53 million.

The deal, which closed on March 19, according to deeds first reported by Pacific Business News, comprises three parcels, including the remote northern waterfront known as Larsen’s Beach. The road to the beach was not included in the sale, and the public still has access. Zuckerberg’s other Hawaii property also fronts a public beach, but as The Daily Beast has reported, it’s accessible by a single labyrinthine road.

The couple bought the property from a non-profit called Waioli Corporation, dedicated to preserving historic sites and land, which was established by the Wilcoxes, an old Hawaiian missionary family dating back to the 1840s.

Known as the “Lepeuli ahupua’a,” the property houses several “reef, sea, avian, flora and historical collections in their unaltered native habitat,” according to the Waioli Corporation website.

"We know that this land will remain in their trusted hands and that Mark and Priscilla will act as responsible stewards of Lepeuli today and in the future,” Waioli Corp. President Sam Pratt told Pacific Business News in a statement.

But in the past, some Hawaiians have taken issue with Zuckerberg’s stewardship. After the Facebook CEO bought his first Hawaiian estate back in 2015—a 700-acre property also on Kauai—he ran into problems with the many families who owned smaller parcels within the compound. These residents were “kamaaina families,” or Hawaiian descendants who had inherited the land without a formal deed or will.

In response, Zuckerberg filed several lawsuits aimed at evicting the families by forcing them to sell their land at a public auction. He later dropped the lawsuits and apologized with an op-ed in the island’s newspaper. But others later accused him of hiring a local professor named Carlos Andrade to continue the battle on his behalf, using a shell corporation owned by Zuckerberg to file separate lawsuits.

Zuckerberg has denied involvement in Andrade’s lawsuits. A spokesperson told Newsweek at the time, “Mark is not suing native Hawaiians and no one has been forced off of the land. At the beginning of 2017, Mark withdrew as a plaintiff from the process to clear title on the land he purchased in Kauai.”

Still, the legal saga outraged local Hawaiians and onlookers elsewhere. “This is the face of neocolonialism,” University of Hawaii professor Kapua Sproat told The Guardian at the time. A Change.org petition titled “Stop Mark Zuckerberg from Colonizing Kauai,” started last summer, has collected more than one million signatures to date.

In their latest purchase, Chan and Zuckerberg have tried to underscore that they have no current plans for evictions. At present, the land is leased to a ranch called Paradise Ranch.

“Waioli does essential work promoting conservation and cultural preservation and we are mindful of their legacy with regard to this land,” Chan and Zuckerberg said in a statement to The Daily Beast. “We are committed to honoring the current ranching lease to Paradise Ranch and extending the existing agricultural dedication.”

This piece has been updated to include a comment from Chan and Zuckerberg's spokesperson.

Edit: to add the one link I included goes to a Sugar Plantation Museum. yeah
... and now, back to more blood pressure medication.

Peace and Love

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mimi's picture

@eyo @eyo
comment.

I am so fixated on Maui that I assumed he had bought land on Maui. He better stays in Kauai. Jesus, now I recall the whole saga of Zuckerberg byuing the land in Kauai. It was covered here, because I don't read elsewhere. Thanks again.

Well, al I know is that there are certain areas on Kauai that a hiker climbing through the forests there, will get him at to a place, where he can't go any further. Stay away, missiles incoming !!! /s . So, may be one day one of those missiles fire back ?

The Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands (IATA: BKH, ICAO: PHBK, FAA LID: BKH) is a U.S. naval facility and airport located five nautical miles (9 km) northwest of the central business district of Kekaha, in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States.

We like to stay away from (nuclear) missile silos. My son had clean up those silo areas in Malmstron AFB in Montana. That was 2001 to 2002. They are very impressive ...

I think what they have in Kauai is way more secretive.

So, do not forget that Zuckerberg is an asshole first class, now who is asshole second class?

Stay well, and stick around to always educate me with your great comments and research.

More peace and love back.

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@mimi thanks you, I learn from the questions. This one came inside my head because my friend's son is planning to go to Morocco a.s.a.p., but it could take a while to get permission. Maybe not, I don't know. He is in Shitty Dirty Needles Chan Zuckerberg San Francisco with his mom and aunt, attempting to obtain his traveling papers.

Meanwhile, I whipped out handy dandy pocket world atlas to see where he was planning to go with his girlfriend. Over to Casablanca and then train down to Marakesh. And then I go "huh, what's that dashed line between Western Sahara? Oh shit, anyway I learned who the Sahrawi People are from The Atlas of Humanity:

https://www.atlasofhumanity.com/sahrawi

Sahrawi man in Tindouf Refugee Camp, Algeria
Sahrawi man in Tindouf Refugee Camp, Algeria

The Sahrawi, or Saharawi, are the people living in the western part of the Sahara desert which includes Western Sahara (claimed by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and mostly controlled by Morocco), other parts of southern Morocco and the extreme southwest of Algeria. As with most peoples living in the Sahara, the Sahrawi culture is mixed. It shows mainly Arab-Berber characteristics, like the privileged position of women, as well as characteristics common to ethnic groups of the Sahel. Sahrawis are composed of many tribes and are largely speakers of the Hassaniya dialect of Arabic, and some of them still speak Berber in both of Morocco's disputed and non-disputed territories. The Arabic word Sahrawi literally means "Inhabitant of the desert".

What does "the privileged position of women" mean there? I feel dumber than Joe Rogan not knowing about these people before now.


Hello Kitty? mmph
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Follow the link there are more photos over there, bigger more beautiful. Also, more words mostly about war.
FUCK
Morocco: US To Lead War Games After 30-Year Ceasefire With Western Sahara Ends

by Rick Rozoff Posted on April 29, 2021Categories News

The U.S. and NATO and African military allies are now planning this year’s iteration of the annual African Lion war games in Morocco and adjoining countries. The largest military exercise in Africa.

Military planners from U.S. Army Africa/Southern European Task Force were in the Moroccan city of Agadir from January 20-30 to plan the U.S.-led multinational exercise.

African Lion 21, to be held from June 7-18, however, will be occurring under ominous and unprecedented circumstances.

As a trade-off with Morocco for a deal normalizing relations with Israel engineered by the outgoing Donald Trump administration in December, the U.S. now for the first time recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over all of Western Sahara, territory it seized in 1975 (initially with Mauritania, which withdrew its claim in 1979) after colonial owner Spain left it. Washington presided as Mephistopheles in a Faustian pact with Morocco and Israel with the Western Sahara the sacrificial victim. The State Department, Central Intelligence Agency and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) now list all of Western Sahara as part of Morocco.

These Polisario guys blocked a trade route, so of course the US Military will practice wiping them off the face of the planet RSN. Real Soon Now.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Polisario-Front

...
In 1991 the Polisario Front inaugurated a new, more democratic constitution for the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR; declared by the Polisario Front one day after Spanish withdrawal in 1976). In the same year, it accepted a United Nations (UN) peace plan for Western Sahara that provided for a referendum of self-determination. Owing to disputes over voter eligibility, the referendum scheduled for early 1992 was postponed, and a series of UN-sponsored talks between Morocco and the Polisario Front were conducted. Attempts to determine the parameters of the referendum were largely unsuccessful, however, and in 2000 the UN Security Council requested that alternatives to the referendum be considered, a process that remained at an impasse in the early 21st century.
...
Tensions with Morocco escalated in the latter half of 2020 after the Polisario Front began obstructing a key trade route between Morocco and Mauritania. In November, after Morocco launched a military operation to confront the blockade, the Polisario Front announced that it would no longer abide by the 1991 peace plan.

https://www.africom.mil/what-we-do/exercises/african-lion

African Lion 21, conducted by U.S. Africa Command with allies and African partners in Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal and the surrounding seas from June 7-18, seeks to to strengthen U.S. and partner nations capability to promote regional stability and support interoperability.

The African Lion series enhances the interoperability of the U.S., partner nations and regional organizations in order to contain regional instability, conduct peace operations, counter violent extremist organizations, maintain cross-border security and counter transnational threats. The scope of African Lion provides an opportunity for all participating units and nations to enhance readiness by performing their mission essential functions.
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"in order to contain regional instability" WTF? Nothing says containment like becoming a permanently unstable region, eh? How about you leave them alone, the ones who were there before your country was even discovered by a differently corrupted and evil Spaniard? Ya ASS HOLE! christ on a bicycle
Happy May Day!
SOS

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