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The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Johnny B. Moore

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Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features Chicago blues guitarist Johnny B. Moore. Enjoy!

^{Johnny B. Moore - Lonesome For A Dime}

“We are not an endangered species ourselves yet, but this is not for lack of trying.”

-- Douglas Adams

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News and Opinion

Putin Speaks

Vladimir Putin was “defiant” during his end-of-year press conference last Thursday. The Russian president, who has held these impressive question-and-answer events for the past 20 years, was “bellicose.” He was “threatening.” So we read in the all-the-same-always American press. ...

Putin’s year-end presser, the Kremlin transcription of which is here, follows a series of developments that, in my read, has set in motion a profound shift in East–West relations as these play out along Russia’s border with Europe and across the Eurasian landmass. “Putin wants to restructure the whole security architecture of Europe,” Mary Ilyunshina, CBS News correspondent in Moscow reported. [...] While Putin articulated no such thought, this is a serviceable summary of exactly his intent.

It is difficult to say just when the train of events now playing out between Washington and Moscow began. One can go back to the “civil society” funding the U.S. began sending Ukraine in the early post–Cold War years. But good enough here to mark down Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Sept. 1 summit with President Joe Biden as the occasion that set this recent phase in motion. ...

We now have Russian reports that British mercenaries have joined the forces from NATO members already deployed in Ukraine. The numbers Russia is (unofficially) putting out: 10,000 troops and mercs from NATO members on Ukrainian soil, 4,000 from the U.S. NATO–schmATO, if you see what I mean. The thought in Washington, London and Brussels seems to be, Well, we can’t put Ukrainian membership to paper —that might be a provocation too far — but, the hell with it, we can treat Kiev as more or less a member anyway. ...

The West provoked the Cold War, left its provocations out and blamed Stalin’s Soviet Union for all that followed. The U.S. cultivated the coup in Ukraine seven years ago, left out copious evidence of this, and blamed Russia for reincorporating Crimea to protect its naval base on the Black Sea from the new crazies in Kiev. Same thing once again. This latest crisis over the Ukraine question is the West’s doing, and — forgive the lapse here, please — the bullshitters in Washington are once again selling most of us on the idea that Russia is the aggressor. I am reminded of that wonderful moment amid the earlier phase of the Ukraine crisis when John Kirby, then as now the not-too-bright Pentagon spokesman, complained to Matt Lee, the Associated Press’s able diplomatic correspondent, that Russia was too close to NATO’s eastern borders.

Russian FM: Security talks with US to start after holidays

Talks between Russia and the United States on Moscow’s demand for Western guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine will start immediately after the new year holiday period, Russia’s top diplomat announced Monday.

“It is with the U.S. that we will carry out the main work of negotiations, which will take place immediately after the new year holidays end,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview Monday. The holidays in Russia will last for 10 days, through Jan. 9. ...

Lavrov said last week that, in addition to talks with the U.S., Moscow will start separate talks with NATO on the issue, as well as separate negotiations under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

It is important that “our proposals aren’t wound up in endless discussions, which the West is famous for and which it knows how to do, that there is a result of all these diplomatic efforts,” Lavrov said Monday.

US warships stay in Mediterranean amid Ukraine, Russia fears

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike group to stay in the Mediterranean Sea region rather than move on to the Middle East, amid worries about the buildup of thousands of Russian troops near the Ukraine border.

A defense official said Tuesday that the change in the schedule of the USS Harry S. Truman, and the five American warships accompanying it, reflects the need for a persistent presence in Europe. It is necessary in order to reassure U.S. allies and partners in the region, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military deployment details.

Israeli airstrike sets port of Latakia ablaze, says Syrian media

An Israeli airstrike hit Syria’s Latakia port before dawn on Tuesday, sparking a fire that lit up the Mediterranean seafront in the second such attack on the cargo hub this month, Syrian state media reported. Since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Israel has routinely carried out airstrikes on its neighbour, mostly targeting Syrian government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters.

But it is only the second time it has hit Latakia port, in the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad’s minority Alawite community.

“At around 3:21 am [0121 GMT], the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression with several missiles from the direction of the Mediterranean ... targeting the container yard in Latakia port,” the Syrian state news agency, Sana, cited a military source as saying. The strike caused “significant material damage”, it added.

Asked about the strike, an Israeli army spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on reports in foreign media.” ... So far this year, Israel has targeted Syria nearly 30 times, killing 130 people including five civilians and 125 loyalist fighters, according to SOHR figures. On 7 December it carried out a strike targeting an Iranian arms shipment in Latakia, its first on the port since the start of the civil war.

UN Envoy Warns 'Threat to Civilian Lives Is Increasing' in Yemen

A United Nations special envoy on Tuesday raised alarm about the safety of civilians in war-torn Yemen given escalating violence, including airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition.

"The escalation in recent weeks is among the worst we have seen in Yemen for years and the threat to civilian lives is increasing," said Hans Grundberg, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres' special envoy for Yemen, in a statement.

"Airstrikes on Sanaa have resulted in loss of civilian lives, and damaged civilian infrastructure and residential areas," he added. "The continued offensive on Marib and the continued missile attacks on the governorate are also resulting in civilian casualties, damage to civilian objects, and mass displacement."

The U.N. Development Program projected last month that the death toll for the war in Yemen—including victims of "indirect" causes such as disease and hunger—will reach 377,000 by the end of this year, and an estimated 70% of those killed would be under the age of five.

This is interesting, if you just want to read about it not through Jimmy Dore's lens, the Grayzone has a great, long article about it here.

Leftist YouTubers Co-Opted

Much more at the link:

For Third Year, Committee To Protect Journalists Excludes Assange From Jailed Journalist Index

A record number of journalists are imprisoned throughout the world, according to the annual prison index released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). But that number excludes WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. CPJ, which is based in New York, opposes the United States Justice Department’s prosecution against Assange. However, for the third year, the press freedom organization declined to classify him as a jailed journalist. ...

CPJ was asked for comment on the continued exclusion of Assange from their annual index, and a press person replied, "CPJ has [previously] explained the reason for Mr. Assange's absence from this particular list"—linking to a 2019 post on their website. ... When Assange was first omitted from CPJ’s annual index in 2019, the organization referred reporters with questions to their methodology.

“CPJ defines journalists as people who cover news or comment on public affairs through any media—including in print, in photographs, on radio, on television, and online. We take up cases involving staff journalists, freelancers, stringers, bloggers, and citizen journalists.”

Robert Mahoney, CPJ’s deputy executive director, wrote a post in defense of the decision to exclude Assange. “After extensive research and consideration, CPJ chose not to list Assange as a journalist, in part because his role has just as often been as a source and because WikiLeaks does not generally perform as a news outlet with an editorial process,” Mahoney argued.

2021: How Capitalism Went Wrong

Ryan Grim: Today's Capital STRIKE And Labor Shortage Reveal The AUDACITY Of Big Business

With Abortion Access in Peril, States Move to Protect Reproductive Rights in 2022

As the future of reproductive rights in the United States is threatened by the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing supermajority and a wave of anti-choice laws passed by states across the nation, some Democrat-led states are taking proactive steps to safeguard the right to choose in ways that go above and beyond affirmative legislation. ...

"There is a lot of work to be done in order to shore up abortion rights and access," Elizabeth Nash, a state policy analyst with the pro-choice research group Guttmacher Institute, told the Associated Press.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom, state lawmakers, reproductive healthcare providers, advocacy groups, and others have joined forces in a bid to make the Golden State an abortion refuge in the event of a Roe overturn.

Predicting a wave of hundreds of thousands of people seeking the medical procedure if it is banned elsewhere, Newsom, a Democrat, said earlier this month that "we'll be a sanctuary."

"We are looking at ways to support that inevitability and looking at ways to expand our protections," he added. That means possibly funding travel, lodging, healthcare, and other expenses for people who choose to undergo abortions, according to a recent report from the California Future of Abortion Council, a group launched by the governor.

Vermont, which along with Oregon is the only state to pass laws affirming reproductive rights throughout pregnancy, is aiming to go even further. A proposed amendment to the state constitution—Proposal 5, or the Reproductive Liberty Amendment—easily passed both houses of the Democrat-dominated state Legislature in 2019.

Under Vermont law, lawmakers must approve a constitutional amendment during two successive legislative sessions with an election in between. The state House—which passed the bill by a vote of 106-38 in May 2019—is expected to vote on the measure next month.

Proposal 5 affirms that "the right to reproductive liberty is central to the exercise of personal autonomy and involves decisions people should be able to make free from compulsion of the state," and that "enshrining this right in the constitution is critical to ensuring equal protection and treatment under the law and upholding the right of all people to health, dignity, independence, and freedom."

"In my mind, there should be no question where Vermont stands with regard to its core values and fundamental rights," state Rep. Ann Pugh (D-59) told the Associated Press. "And for those rights and responsibilities and values to be protected more definitively, they need to be enshrined in our state constitution."

Lucy Leriche, Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund's vice president of public affairs, told VT Digger earlier this month that three years ago, many Vermonters questioned the need for a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive rights in one of the nation's most progressive states. And in 2019, Vermont voters approved Act 47, a law which "recognizes an individual's fundamental right to reproductive choice."

However, Leriche noted that laws can be overturned, and with Roe imperiled, she said "the stars are aligned" for action.

"I think there's been a sense of complacency," she said. "I think this is a wake-up call. This is a clarion call to all of us. And I think people are activated and waking up and realizing that this is not something we can take for granted."

"I kind of can't believe that we're here after nearly a half a century of this," Leriche added, "this right being established and reaffirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, that we're actually in a moment where our constitution has been politicized to the point where we are looking at taking away a fundamental right that people have had for nearly a half a century."

While Democrat-led states are taking action to affirm and expand abortion rights, advocates are also pressuring the U.S. Senate to codify Roe at the federal level by passing the House-approved Women's Health Protection Act—even if it requires reforming or abolishing the filibuster.

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DA: No charges for Cuomo from allegations by 2 women

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo won’t face criminal charges stemming from allegations from two women — including a state trooper — that he planted unwanted kisses on their cheeks, a suburban prosecutor said Tuesday. It’s the latest in a series of decisions about whether a raft of sexual assault and harassment claims against Cuomo will end up in criminal court.

Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said that while there was evidence to conclude the conduct the women described did occur, she couldn’t bring criminal cases over it.

“In both instances, my office has determined that, although the allegations and witnesses were credible, and the conduct concerning, we cannot pursue criminal charges due to the statutory requirements of the criminal laws of New York,” Rocah said in a statement.

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Campaigners force Shell to halt oil exploration on South African coast

Shell will be forced to halt oil exploration in vital whale breeding grounds along South Africa’s eastern coastline after a local court blocked the controversial project.

The court order calls for an immediate halt to Shell’s seismic tests which involve blasting sound waves through the relatively untouched Wild Coast marine environment, which is home to whales, dolphins and seals.

The community campaigners behind the legal challenge welcomed the court’s decision as a victory for “voiceless” indigenous groups living near the coast which hold customary rights to undertake small-scale fishing in the area, as well as a cultural and spiritual connection to the ocean.

Lawyers for the groups successfully argued that Shell had failed to meaningfully consult people who would be affected by the seismic survey and also provided evidence of the threat of harm to marine life.

Africa's 'Green wall': circular drought-resistant gardens sprouting in Senegal

Much more at the link:

‘The Fuse Has Been Blown,’ and the Doomsday Glacier Is Coming for Us All

One thing that’s hard to grasp about the climate crisis is that big changes can happen fast. In 2019, I was aboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer, a 308-foot-long scientific research vessel, cruising in front of the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica. One day, we were sailing in clear seas in front of the glacier. The next day, we were surrounded by icebergs the size of aircraft carriers. As we later learned from satellite images, in a matter of 48 hours or so, a mélange of ice about 21 miles wide and 15 miles deep had cracked up and scattered into the sea.

It was a spooky moment. Thwaites Glacier is the size of Florida. It is the cork in the bottle of the entire West Antarctic ice sheet, which contains enough ice to raise sea levels by 10 feet. The mélange that disintegrated was not part of the glacier itself, but a mix of icebergs and sea ice that had cozied up next to it. Still, the idea that it could just fall apart overnight was mind-blowing.

As it turns out, the ice breakup I witnessed was not a freak event. A few weeks ago, scientists participating in the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, a $25 million five-year-long joint research program between the National Science Foundation in the U.S. and the Natural Environment Research Council in the U.K., presented their latest research. They described the discovery of cracks and fissures in the Thwaites eastern ice shelf, predicting that the ice shelf could fracture like a shattered car window in as little as five years. “It won’t scatter out into sea as quickly as what you saw when you were down there,” Erin Pettit, a glaciologist at Oregon State University and one of the lead principal investigators in the ITGC, later told me. “But the basic process is the same. The ice shelf is breaking up and could be gone in less than a decade.”

Given the ongoing war for American democracy and the deadly toll of the Covid pandemic, the loss of an ice shelf on a far-away continent populated by penguins might not seem to be big news. But in fact, the West Antarctic ice sheet is one of the most important tipping points in the Earth’s climate system. If Thwaites Glacier collapses, it opens the door for the rest of the West Antarctic ice sheet to slide into the sea. Globally, 250 million people live within three feet of high tide lines. Ten feet of sea level rise would be a world-bending catastrophe. It’s not only goodbye Miami, but goodbye to virtually every low-lying coastal city in the world. ...

But in the long run, it is not clear that the dynamics of ice sheet collapse that are underway at Thwaites can be stopped. As glaciologist Eric Rignot put it in 2015, in Antarctica, “the fuse has been blown.” Even if we cut carbon emissions to zero tomorrow, warm water will continue to flow beneath the ice sheet for decades, destabilizing the ice and further pushing the glacier toward eventual collapse. This doesn’t means that cutting carbon pollution to zero isn’t an important goal — nothing, in fact, is more important or more urgent. “We may have a small safety margin in Antarctica, but not a large one,” says Alley. Even if the fuse is blown, cutting emissions fast could slow it all down to a millennium-long crack-up that will give us more time to adapt. One way or another, our future is written in ice.

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Also of Interest

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

Refusing To Oppose US Tyranny Is Siding With It: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

US home prices surge 18.4% in October

Egyptian pharaoh’s mummified body gives up its secrets after 3,500 years

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A Little Night Music

Johnny B. Moore - Mean Mistreater Live

Johnny B. Moore - The Things That I Used To Do

Johnny B. Moore - Confusion

Johnny B. Moore - Whiskey Drinkin' Woman

Johnny B. Moore - Fast Talkin' Fannie

Johnny B. Moore - Baby Please Don't Go

Johnny B. Moore - Sittin' Here Thinkin'

Johnny B. Moore - Back Door Friend

Johnny B. Moore - All Night Long

Johnny B Moore - All My Whole Life

Johnny B Moore - Cut You Loose

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