The Evening Blues - 1-5-22



eb1pt12


The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Huey "Piano" Smith

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features New Orleans piano player Huey "Piano" Smith. Enjoy!

Huey "Piano" Smith - High Blood Pressure

“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”

-- Frederick Douglass


News and Opinion

Worth a full read. Alarmist? Maybe. The article has some strong points, though. Here are a few excerpts:

The next US civil war is already here – we just refuse to see it

On the eve of the first civil war, the most intelligent, the most informed, the most dedicated people in the United States could not see it coming. ... The United States today is, once again, headed for civil war, and, once again, it cannot bear to face it. The political problems are both structural and immediate, the crisis both longstanding and accelerating. The American political system has become so overwhelmed by anger that even the most basic tasks of government are increasingly impossible.

The legal system grows less legitimate by the day. Trust in government at all levels is in freefall, or, like Congress, with approval ratings hovering around 20%, cannot fall any lower. Right now, elected sheriffs openly promote resistance to federal authority. Right now, militias train and arm themselves in preparation for the fall of the Republic. Right now, doctrines of a radical, unachievable, messianic freedom spread across the internet, on talk radio, on cable television, in the malls. ...

Two things are happening at the same time. Most of the American right have abandoned faith in government as such. Their politics is, increasingly, the politics of the gun. The American left is slower on the uptake, but they are starting to figure out that the system which they give the name of democracy is less deserving of the name every year. An incipient illegitimacy crisis is under way, whoever is elected in 2022, or in 2024. According to a University of Virginia analysis of census projections, by 2040, 30% of the population will control 68% of the Senate. Eight states will contain half the population. The Senate malapportionment gives advantages overwhelmingly to white, non– college educated voters. In the near future, a Democratic candidate could win the popular vote by many millions of votes and still lose. Do the math: the federal system no longer represents the will of the American people.

The right is preparing for a breakdown of law and order, but they are also overtaking the forces of law and order. Hard right organization have now infiltrated so many police forces – the connections number in the hundreds – that they have become unreliable allies in the struggle against domestic terrorism. ...

At this supreme moment of crisis, the left has divided into warring factions completely incapable of confronting the seriousness of the moment. There are liberals who retain an unjustifiable faith that their institutions can save them when it is utterly clear that they cannot. Then there are the woke, educational and political elites dedicated to a discourse of willed impotence. Any institution founded by the woke simply eats itself – see TimesUp, the Women’s March, etc – becoming irrelevant to any but a diminishing cadre of insiders who spend most of their time figuring out how to shred whoever’s left. They render themselves powerless faster than their enemies can. ... The right has recognized what the left has not: that the system is in collapse. The right has a plan: it involves violence and solidarity. They have not abjured even the Oath Keepers. The left, meanwhile, has chosen infighting as their sport. ...

It would be entirely possible for the United States to implement a modern electoral system, to restore the legitimacy of the courts, to reform its police forces, to root out domestic terrorism, to alter its tax code to address inequality, to prepare its cities and its agriculture for the effects of climate change, to regulate and to control the mechanisms of violence. All of these futures are possible. There is one hope, however, that must be rejected outright: the hope that everything will work out by itself, that America will bumble along into better times. It won’t. ... Once again, as before, the hope for America is Americans. But it is time to face what the Americans of the 1850s found so difficult to face: The system is broken, all along the line. The situation is clear and the choice is basic: reinvention or fall.

Bernie Sanders has some New Years thoughts that relate in some ways to the article above.

Our new year’s resolution for 2022: to rise up and fight back

As we begin the year 2022, in these unprecedented times, I know it’s easy to give in to despair. We are facing a raging pandemic with seemingly no end in sight. We are rapidly moving toward oligarchy and while income and wealth inequality grows, millions struggle to obtain the basic necessities of life. We have a dysfunctional healthcare system with more than 84 million uninsured or underinsured and nearly one out of four unable to afford prescription drugs. Climate change is ravaging the planet and systemic racism and other forms of bigotry continue to eat away at the fabric of our society. We have a corrupt political system in which corporate money buys elections and a mainstream media that largely ignores the pain that ordinary people experience.

And, in the midst of all this, Republicans across the country are working overtime trying to undermine democracy by making it harder for people of color, young people and those who oppose them to vote in our next elections. In other words, the challenges we face are enormous and it is easy to understand why many may fall into depression and cynicism. This is a state of mind, however, that we must resist – not only for ourselves but for our kids and future generations. The stakes are just too high. Despair is not an option. We must stand up and fight back.

And here is some very good news. While the corporate-owned media may not be actively reporting it, working people all over the country, with extraordinary courage and determination, are taking on corporate greed, and they are winning. [See article at link for Sanders' listing of worker organizing and strike actions. - js] ...

The struggles that these workers are experiencing are not unique. There are millions of other Americans in exactly the same position – people who have to fight tooth-and-nail against wealthy and powerful corporate interests for decent wages, healthcare, pensions and safe working conditions. And let’s be clear. Class warfare in this country is intensifying. Greed is on the rise. What history has always taught us is that real change never takes place from the top on down. It is always occurs from the bottom on up. That is the history of the labor movement, the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the environmental movement and the gay rights movement. That is the history of every effort that has brought about transformational change in our society.

And that is the struggle we must intensify today. At a time when the demagogues want to divide us up based on the color of our skin, where we were born, our religion or our sexual orientation, we must do exactly the opposite. We must bring people together around a progressive agenda. We must educate, organize and build an unstoppable grassroots movement that helps create the kind of nation we know we can become. One that is based on the principles of justice and compassion, not greed and oligarchy.

[Ok, Bernie. You see what needs to be done, how about getting out of your office and fielding your army? -js]

U.S. Hopes to Build on Iran Nuclear Talk Progress This Week

Nuclear deal talks with Iran in Vienna have shown modest progress and the United States hopes to build on that this week, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Tuesday amid efforts to revive a 2015 agreement. ...

“Sanctions relief and the steps that the United States would take… when it comes to sanctions together with the nuclear steps that Iran would need to take if we were to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA – that’s really at the heart of the negotiations that are ongoing in Vienna right now."

EU’s top diplomat visits Ukraine frontline in show of solidarity

The European Union’s top diplomat is visiting the frontline of Ukraine’s war with Moscow-backed separatists, amid intensifying diplomatic activity in response to Russia’s buildup of troops on the country’s border.

Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, began a two-day trip to Ukraine on Tuesday, before US-Russia talks in Geneva on 10 January and Nato-Russia talks on 12 January. Borrell is meeting Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, during a trip intended to show solidarity with Kyiv, which aspires to join Nato and the EU. ...

In an attempt to defuse tensions, Russian and US officials are to hold talks on 10 January in Geneva, where the US president, Joe Biden, and Putin met last year. ... The EU is anxious not to be sidelined. “We do not want to be, and must not be, spectators that are not involved and over whose heads decisions are made,” Borrell told Die Welt last week, adding this was also the view of the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, with whom he had spoken before Christmas.

Borrell, who has been pushing for more EU military cooperation, said Europe had to be involved in the talks. “European security is our security. It is about us. Two parties, the US and Russia, or Nato and Russia, simply cannot negotiate about this – even if Moscow imagines it that way. We are not in the postwar period. There are some European states that are not Nato allies. There must be no Yalta 2,” he said referring to the second world war meeting of allied powers that accepted Soviet domination of eastern Europe.

Heh.

UK government urged to rescind Tony Blair’s knighthood

More than half a million people have called on the government to rescind the knighthood given to Sir Tony Blair, but Keir Starmer has defended the former prime minister, saying the honour was deserved. The Labour leader said Blair was a worthy recipient of the Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, received in the new year honour’s list.

“I don’t think it’s thorny at all. I think he deserves the honour. Obviously I respect the fact that people have different views,” Starmer told ITV’s Good Morning Britain. “I understand there are strong views on the Iraq war. There were back at the time and there still are, but that does not detract from the fact that Tony Blair was a very successful prime minister of this country and made a huge difference to the lives of millions of people in this country.”

Blair, who led Labour to three election victories, was prime minister during the allied military invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The petition on Change.org was created by Angus Scott, who wrote: “Tony Blair caused irreparable damage to both the constitution of the United Kingdom and to the very fabric of the nation’s society. He was personally responsible for causing the death of countless innocent, civilian lives and servicemen in various conflicts. For this alone he should be held accountable for war crimes.”

The viral petition was not created on the parliamentary website, where petitions have legal standing. Petitions that are signed there by 10,000 people must receive a response from the government, and those signed by more than 100,000 people are considered for debate in parliament.

Tony Blair's Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon says he was told to BURN secret memo that said Iraq war could be illegal in incendiary revelation that will fuel campaign to strip former PM of knighthood

The campaign to strip Tony Blair of his knighthood was boosted last night by devastating allegations from his own defence secretary.

Geoff Hoon says he was ordered by Downing Street to burn a secret memo that said the 2003 invasion of Iraq could be illegal.

When the claim emerged in 2015, Sir Tony said it was 'nonsense'. But Mr Hoon, who was in charge of defence when the war started, insists the allegation was true and he has now given a sensational blow-by-blow account of a No 10 'cover-up'.

He says his principal private secretary was told 'in no uncertain terms' by Jonathan Powell, Sir Tony's chief of staff, that after reading the document he must 'burn it'. Mr Hoon said the MoD mandarin was deeply alarmed by the order – and they defied Downing Street by locking the memo in a safe instead.

More at the link.

Harry Reid's Disastrous Foreign Policy Record Should Not Be Forgotten

The death of former Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid of Nevada has brought forth praise for his parliamentary skills, which helped make possible some critically important legislation, as well as preventing the passage of a number of seriously problematic bills. However, on the foreign policy front, it should be noted that Reid not only failed to challenge dangerous Republican initiatives that violated fundamental principles of international law and human rights, he was often among their most prominent supporters.

As the Senate Assistant Majority Leader in 2002, Reid was prominent among the rightwing minority of Congressional Democrats who supported President George W. Bush’s decision to invade and occupy Iraq. To help win public support for this illegal war, Reid teamed up with the Bush Administration, prominent neoconservatives, and Fox News in making a series of false allegations regarding Iraq’s military capability.

The resolution authorizing the use of military force against Iraq accused that nation, without evidence, of “continuing to possess and develop a significant chemical and biological weapons capability [and] actively seeking a nuclear weapons capability, thereby continuing to threaten the national security interests of the United States.”

When other Democratic Senators tried to limit the war resolution so as not to give President Bush the blank check he was seeking, Reid helped circumvent such efforts by signing on to the White House’s version.

As the Democratic whip, Reid then persuaded a majority of Democratic Senators to vote down a resolution offered by Senator Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan, that would authorize force only if the U.N. Security Council voted to give the United States this authority. They instead supported a Republican-led resolution giving Bush the right to invade even without such legal authorization. (By contrast, a sizable majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives, under the leadership of then-whip Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, voted against the GOP resolution.)

But the alleged weapons of mass destruction were never really the issue. Indeed, Reid continued to support the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, even after it was apparent, as many arms control experts had been arguing all along, that there were no banned weapons, weapons systems, or manufacturing facilities to be found.

China Calls on US and Russia to Reduce Their Nuclear Arsenals

A Chinese arms control official on Tuesday called on the US and Russia to reduce their nuclear arsenals. The comments came a day after the three powers, along with Britain and France, released a joint statement that said a nuclear war must never happen.

Including retired warheads awaiting dismantlement, the US currently has approximately 5,750 nuclear warheads and Russia has about 6,375. China’s arsenal is just a fraction of what the US and Russia possess. Current estimates put Beijing’s nuclear stockpile somewhere around 300 warheads.

Fu Cong, director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s arms control department, said Beijing would join arms control talks with the US and Russia once their stockpiles were at a similar level.

Canada agrees C$40bn deal to reform child welfare for First Nations

A C$40bn agreement-in-principle has been reached in Canada to reform the child welfare system for First Nations people and compensate more than 200,000 individuals and families who suffered because of it. At the heart of the deal is a legacy of discrimination in child welfare systems that saw many children removed from their homes and placed in state care, and others who were denied adequate medical care and social services because of their Indigenous identity.

Half of the C$40bn (US$31bn) is earmarked for reforming a child welfare system deemed discriminatory by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) and federal court. The other half is reserved for payments to First Nations people harmed by the on-reserve and Yukon child welfare systems between 1 April 1991 and 31 March 2022.

First Nations people who experienced delays or denials of medical care and social services between 1991 and 2017 will also receive compensation. “For too long, the Government of Canada did not adequately fund or support the wellness of First Nations families and children,” said Patty Hajdu, minister of Indigenous services, as details of the deal were released on Tuesday. ...

Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, underlined that this was merely a non-binding agreement. “I see it as words on paper,” she said on Tuesday. “Nothing changes in the lives of children today.”

Briahna Joy Gray: Progressives Need To Get OFF Twitter, Hold Dems ACCOUNTABLE For BBB Failure

Pffffftttt!!! Well, it's clear that Biden has no intention of cancelling student debt. It'll be interesting to see if the feckless congressional progressives can relentlessly jaw Biden into doing it.

Jayapal to Biden: 'Grab a Pen' and Cancel Student Debt for All

Two weeks after the White House announced—following intense pressure from economic justice advocates and progressive lawmakers—that the moratorium on federal student loan payments would be extended until May, activists are beginning the new year with renewed calls for President Joe Biden to cancel student debt by executive order.

In a tweet late Monday, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, pointed out that "student debt cancellation is supported by more than 60% of Americans."

While the Biden administration has claimed it is still investigating the president's authority to cancel student loan debt for all 45 million borrowers in the U.S., legal experts say the Higher Education Act of 1965 clearly empowers Biden to direct Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to do so.

Section 432(a) of the law states that the education secretary has the authority to modify loan terms and "enforce, pay, compromise, waive, or release any right, title, claim, lien, or demand, however acquired, including any equity or any right of redemption."

As Common Dreams reported last year, the Debt Collective, a union for student loan debtors, went as far as to draft an executive order for the president ordering Cardona to "cancel all obligations to repay federal student loans," an action which would save an average of nearly $500 per month for borrowers and would boost the gross domestic product by $86 billion to $108 billion per year.

"President Biden, grab a pen and give the people what they want, need, and deserve," said Jayapal in her Monday night tweet.

Why the Squad & Progressives Should FEAR their Base like Republicans w/ Tezlyn Figaro

Video shows police dog severely mauls Uber driver who missed car payments

Newly released video footage appears to show California police officers using a law enforcement dog to severely maul an Uber driver, who fell behind on payments for the car he rented to do his job.

San Ramon police stopped Ali Badr, a 42-year-old Egyptian immigrant, in December 2020 after a rental company reported his vehicle as stolen. In footage obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, police in the Bay Area city can be seen releasing the dog on the unarmed and barefoot driver without warning within seconds of stopping him, even though Badr was not resisting.

The dog clamped down on Badr’s right arm for nearly a minute, mangling him so severely that he required multiple surgeries. In a lawsuit filed last month, Badr, who was never charged, said he was left with “severe physical and psychological injuries” and has not regained full use of his arm and hand since the incident. ...

The case has cast a harsh light not only on the tactics of the police department but on the rental arrangements utilized by rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft.



the horse race



Joe Biden is going to tell the truth about something? Wow, talk about your novelty acts!

Biden to speak ‘truth’ on Capitol attack anniversary as Trump cancels his event

Joe Biden will mark the first anniversary of the deadly assault at the US Capitol this Thursday by honoring the bravery of law enforcement on the scene, and outlining the unfinished work the nation needs to do to strengthen its democracy, the White House said in its first preview of the president’s remarks.

“On Thursday, the president is going to speak to the truth of what happened, not the lies that some have spread since, and the peril it has posed to the rule of law and our system of democratic governance,” the White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday afternoon.

The preview came as Donald Trump announced he was cancelling his own anniversary event, a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that had been scheduled for the evening of 6 January. ... In a statement, Trump said that he was cancelling his conference “in light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media” at Mar-a-Lago, and would address the issue instead at a rally on 15 January.

Trump cancels plan to speak on anniversary of US Capitol siege

Entrepreneurship vs. Socialism: A Hard Choice for Black Voters?



the evening greens


Dam it: beavers head north to the Arctic as tundra continues to heat up

The transformation of the rapidly warming Arctic is being accelerated by a wave of thousands of newcomers that are waddling and paddling northwards: beavers. Scientists who sought to map the spread of beavers in Alaska were astounded to find that the creatures have pushed far north into previously inhospitable territory and are now set to sweep into the furthest northern extremities as the Arctic tundra continues to heat up due to the climate crisis.

“We didn’t know what we would find and ended up being very surprised,” said Ken Tape, an ecologist at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, who co-authored the new research. “There are areas of Alaska that had no evidence of beavers 50 years ago that are now apparently saturated with them,” he said, adding: “It’s just a matter of time before they head even further north. When you consider this is likely happening across the rest of the Arctic in Canada and Russia, that gives you an idea of the scope of this change.” ...

A broader consequence of the arrival of beavers could be the acceleration of the climate change which, in combination with a reduction in fur trapping over the past century, has probably allowed the beavers to push north. Beavers, which do not hibernate, have benefited from shortening winters and the wider availability of vegetation available to feed upon.

The pools that accumulate when beavers dam rivers create localized unfrozen “hotpots” that result in the thawing of permafrost, the always-frozen ground of the Arctic that holds vast amounts of carbon. Scientists warn that a widespread thawing of permafrost could cause global heating to spiral dangerously out of control.

Hawaii Upholds Order Requiring Navy to Drain Fuel Tanks

Hawaii's Department of Health on Monday upheld the governor's order requiring the Navy to drain massive World War II-era fuel tanks after oil leaking from the aging facility contaminated Pearl Harbor's tap water.

Marian Tsuji, the department's deputy director, on Monday said she agreed with the conclusions of an official appointed by the department to review the facts of the case. She said she would adopt the official's proposed findings as final, though would fix a typographical error.

The Navy is reviewing the decision, said Cmdr. Reann Mommsen, a spokesperson for the Navy Office of Information in Washington.

Hawaii law allows parties to appeal such decisions in the court system. David Henkin, an attorney for Earthjustice, which represented the Sierra Club of Hawaii in the case, urged the Navy not to appeal.

“The threat to Oahu’s irreplaceable drinking water supply is far too dire for lawyers’ games. It is time for the Navy finally to do the right thing and promptly comply with the Department of Health’s order to defuel the Red Hill tanks,” he said in a statement.

Californians could face $500 fines for wasting water under new rules

Californians will not be able to water their lawns for 48 hours after rainstorms or let their sprinklers run on to the sidewalk under new, mandatory water saving rules that could result in a fine of up to $500 a day.

The restrictions, adopted by state regulators on Tuesday, come as California continues to struggle under drought conditions, despite a recent wave of heavy rain and snow.

The rules could take effect as soon as the end of the month, though regulators stressed they want to encourage voluntary conservation and that it will be up to local authorities to decide on whether to enforce fines.

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, had previously called for residents to voluntarily reduce water use by 15% compared with last year, but the state has continued to fall short. Between July and November, the state’s water usage went down just 6%.

Among the water uses that will not be allowed under the new rules: outdoor watering that results in excessive runoff into the street and sidewalks; using water for landscaping and irrigation during the 48 hours after storms that bring at least 0.25in (0.63cm) of rain; washing cars with hoses lacking shut-off nozzles; using potable water to wash driveways, sidewalks, buildings and patios and for street cleaning or to fill decorative fountains or lakes.


Also of Interest

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

The Other Drone Casualties: The Whistleblowers Who Tried to Stop It

Meta Censors Anti-Imperialist Speech In Obedience To The US Government

Palestinian Prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash Ends Hunger Strike After Deal With Israel

Schism in US Judaism Deepens

Israel’s Lapid Vows No Negotiations With Palestinians When He Becomes PM

Dank, ancient and quite fantastic: Scotland’s peat bogs breathe again

Kazakhstan fuel protests: Presidential residence on fire in Almaty


A Little Night Music

Huey "Piano" Smith - Rockin' Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie Flu

Huey "Piano" Smith - Don't You Know Yockomo

Huey Smith and his Clowns - Would You Believe It (I´ve Got a Cold)

Huey "Piano" Smith - We Like Birdland

Huey 'Piano' Smith & his Clowns - Every Once In A While

Huey Smith and his Clowns - For Cryin' Out Loud

Huey "Piano" Smith - Don't You Just Know It

Huey "Piano" Smith - Sea Cruise

Huey "Piano" Smith - Little Liza Jane


Share
up
20 users have voted.

Comments

Selection_005_24.png

They didn't care about poor kids not having enough to eat, or being homeless, or their public schools being underfunded.
But if teachers want to unionize, well HOLD ON THERE!

As scores have gone from intolerably bad to exceedingly worse, most of the city’s 330,000 students, 83% of whom are Black or Latino, are at risk of falling into the abyss. At this rate, it is a cold, hard and shameful truth that these students are on track for failure — never acquiring the skills they need to gain entry into either professional jobs, including teaching, or trade-based careers. The result, of course, is a perpetuation of intergenerational poverty.

These are not things we like to say out loud. But decades of experience tell us they are true. To begin changing them, we need to say loudly and clearly — as Democrats, Republicans and independents — that teachers are essential workers, we need them physically present in classrooms, and we will not stand for walkouts.

Teachers are essential workers, but we don't want to pay you like you are essential.
We care about intergenerational poverty, but only as long as we don't have to pay you the wages to stop being poor.

up
18 users have voted.

@gjohnsit @gjohnsit Bloomberg has been very clear about what he is doing. So glad you've posted this gjohnsit!

In the WSJ Michael Bloomberg posted an article "Why I am Backing Charter Schools."

Bloomberg has also announced that he'd be putting $750,000 into establishing https://www.wsj.com/articles/michael-bloomberg-why-im-backing-charter-sc... Charter Schools in NYC.

Eric Adams---the new and apalling Mayor appointed as his Board of Education President a guy who runs/owns a string of "Hybrid Schools."

What is a hybrid school, you may ask.

It is another public money gathering scam funding private schools for profit. The proponents of these scams call Charter Schools "Public" becuase they are free to the kids enrolled.

NOT to the taxpayers. Our tax money goes into the pockets of the wealthy investors. And is kept away from public education.

Under de Blasio, a cap was set at only 360 Charter Schools allowed. So many of them failed that now only 200 something are open.

Bloomberg along with his new puppet Mayor is going to change that.

Money that has been flowing into public education will disappear only to be found again in the pockets of the wealthy.

Flourishing public schools will be forced to "share" space with new Charter Schools. In spaces designated for the Charter, everything will be new and beautiful. Especially the bathrooms. Public school kids in these shared spaces are traumatized as they are forced to understand that they are on the losing side of the divide.

up
17 users have voted.

NYCVG

snoopydawg's picture

@NYCVG

might get theirs canceled too and that wouldn’t be right. But they can steal money meant for public schools and give it to rich kid’s charter schools. Hundreds of public schools for poor and minority families have been closed and money meant for them has gone to charter schools and lots of rich people are getting richer. Just more class early that’s been going on for far too long.

I’m watching Star Trek enterprise and Porthos the beagle contacted a virus on an alien planet. He has to stay in an incubator and half the time he’s a stuffed beagle animal. Guess they couldn’t train him to act lethargic…mine never had trouble acting like that if there’s something that they wanted badly enough. I caught Sam practicing her pathetic dawg look in the mirror. Her new thing is to put her paws in my hand and sit up and look pathetic…can’t I have another treat already? Dawgs I tell ya know how to get to the heart. It rained all day so I’m once again in the dawg house.

up
10 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

joe shikspack's picture

@gjohnsit

bloomie's going to hurt his widdle feet if he keeps stomping them like that.

heh, everybody knows that bloomie has authentic passion for just one thing, and it ain't children. they don't come in green with pictures of dead presidents on them.

up
11 users have voted.
CB's picture

if he believes the propaganda about the Chinese putting a million Uighur's in concentration camps.

But, it is interesting how Daniel Dumbrill uses Chomsky's logic against those eager to censure China w/o looking at their own complicity in failing to even acknowledge human rights abuses closer to home.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUUfLXEpfsk]

In this video I speak about the illogicality of the modern day human rights activist, particularly those funded by the US government. In many of my videos I debunk much of the anti-China narrative being pushed globally, but in this video, I take a step back, use a different approach, and explore the idea of targeting China from the perspective of accepting these narratives at face value.

This video was inspired by DiEM25's Christmas special with Noam Chomsky & Yanis Varoufakis. I'll also address the fact that they seem to accept the narratives against China as truth. Their full video can be found here: https://youtu.be/vxwd51WK3Hc

up
13 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@CB

heh, chomsky passed his sell-by date for many folks when he started shilling for mainstream democrat presidential candidates because of "the danger."

he seems to have acquired a number of mainstream beliefs in his dotage.

up
11 users have voted.

up
14 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@gjohnsit

Remember when Albright told Saddam that "we" didn't give a shit? That was the "official we" of the US; but Kuwait was also a Texaco asset, so look what happened.

Chevron-Texaco owns 1/2 of the Tenghiz oil field and a shitload of other "Kazakh" petro assets. I don't think they will take this sitting down. I wonder if Eric Prince's phone is ringing yet.

be well and have a good one

up
15 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 wonder if erik prince hasn't been there all along.

up
9 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@joe shikspack

considered that.

up
2 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 --

Azazello's picture

@gjohnsit
NPR is reporting that "the Russians" are claiming US involvement.

up
10 users have voted.

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

@Azazello It is like the US was stirring up the so-called Cuban protests.

up
9 users have voted.
CB's picture

@Azazello @Azazello
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmFxF6ulvtQ]
That didn't work out. He sems to have a cold

The Saker is always good for that neck of the woods.

Color revolution in Kazakhastan (open thread)

up
9 users have voted.

@gjohnsit

up
9 users have voted.
CB's picture

up
9 users have voted.
Dawn's Meta's picture

@CB region where Uigars (sp?) are supposedly being held. Those technologies are capable of seeing very small items on the ground.

up
6 users have voted.

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

CB's picture

@Dawn's Meta
(and Tibet) for over 20 years and I can categorically state that these are unfounded.

CB, are there satillite photos of the region where Uigars (sp?) are supposedly being held. Those technologies are capable of seeing very small items on the ground.

Xinjiang offers real-site photos to debunk satellite images ‘evidence’ of ‘detention centers’
2020/11/27

Locations that had been marked as "concentration camps" by some Western media and an Australian institute were found to be administration buildings, nursing homes, logistics centers or schools, as Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Friday offered videos and photos to debunk accusations which used satellite images as "evidences."

For a long time, some Western media and institutes, especially the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), have been keen on using satellite images as "evidence" for their claim of Xinjiang's expanding "concentration centers," a term that has been firmly opposed by Chinese authorities.
...
"This is absurd. As a matter of fact, they [locations marked] are just civil institutions," Eljan Anayt, spokesperson of the Xinjiang regional government, told a press conference in responding to a question from CNN.

"The 'detention center' of Turpan city mentioned in the report is actually a local administrative building; the 'detention center' of Kashi is, in fact, local high school buildings. They are all marked on Google Maps, Baidu Maps, and I have photos of them," the spokesperson said, showing photos of these locations at the press conference.
...
"I want to emphasize that Xinjiang is an open region, and there is no need to learn about it through satellite images. We welcome all foreign friends with objective, unbiased stance to come to Xinjiang and to know a real Xinjiang," the spokesperson said.

China detaining millions of Uyghurs? Serious problems with claims by US-backed NGO and far-right researcher ‘led by God’ against Beijing
Ajit Singh and Max Blumenthal·December 21, 2019

Claims that China has detained millions of Uyghur Muslims are based largely on two studies. A closer look at these papers reveals US government backing, absurdly shoddy methodologies, and a rapture-ready evangelical researcher named Adrian Zenz.
...

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDKEPfLPx4w]
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDptdfYZ5sg]

up
11 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

Ironic to me as we fight with ourselves, the planet continues it climatic chaos declaring war on our species while we are blindly divided. Sadly I think it is purposeful.

Gotta harvest the resources and abuse the people...never considering the harm. Like a smoker addicted to profit willing to destroy the planet's lungs.
amazon_deforestation_20000730_lrg.jpg

In some ways the civil war never left the south. They still fly the battle flag. WTF?

Thanks for the rest of the news and the music!

up
13 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

joe shikspack's picture

@Lookout

heh, yeah, hard to know whether we'll get taken out by nazis, nature or nincompoops with nukes.

interesting times.

have a great evening!

up
7 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@joe shikspack

This is a significant question.

European otter, Lutra lutra, isolated on white

up
4 users have voted.
TheOtherMaven's picture

@mimi

with a side of "poopyhead". A really, really stupid and/or foolish person.

up
5 users have voted.

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

mimi's picture

@TheOtherMaven
like me. Smile

up
1 user has voted.

Thank you joe shikspack! Your editorial note to Bernie was way more polite then my thought bubble. I'm all like, are you kidding Bernie?! You are still telling people to vote blue? OMG! and STFU! The last thing earth needs is another gosh darn political rally, but go ahead. All glory to the hypnotoad.

Hypnotoad Herding Sheep
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDsIlAXWORw width:500]
Futurama Season 3 Episode 12 The Day the Earth Stood Stupid.

Peace and Love

up
11 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@eyo

yeah, i like some of bernie's ideas, but i am damned tired of him talking about a political revolution and then sitting down to twiddle his thumbs while the moment passes.

oh well.

up
10 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

Huey somehow fits today perfectly, especially after the News and Opinion segments, don't need the boat anchors, don't ya just know it. Wink

First pre-rough draft, concept only, mass mailing

=============================================================|
AND the Horse Jackass(tm) they rode in on!! |
=============================================================|

The difference between a Democrat and a "Progressive Democrat" is the difference between Mussolini and Goldwater; Barry was arguably minutely to the left of Benito, but also completely ineffectual. The mainstream Democrats are only pretend ineffectual; they are giving their masters exactly what they want while pretending to intend otherwise.

be well and have a good one

up
11 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

yeah, it's a damned shame that progressives keep flogging people for money. they'd be better off spending it on booze and lottery tickets. at least they would feel better when their "representatives" betray them.

up
10 users have voted.
Dawn's Meta's picture

that I can't use my computer for tomorrow's weekly column.

Working on the whatever I've got. People who are not falling for the get a shot program are not talking to friends if they get sick. People are either in attack mode or in hiding.

Macron is an unbelievable POS. That Klaus Schwab school really programed his students well. I'm glad that the right and left have stood up.

No brick bats: looking at Marine Le Pen, she has a lot to recommend her. Bear with me. She believes in France for the French , which includes a strong social compact (social safety net); I believe she would curtail the deployment of French troops in every US war. Remember Iraq,? The French wouldn't go. Freedom Fries?

Her big drawback is her militancy regarding immigrants. Don't know how willing she is to take a different stance.

up
13 users have voted.

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

@Dawn's Meta
we will come up with something in your stead
thanks for the heads up and good luck with whatever
ails your 'puter. Any volunteers?

up
9 users have voted.
Dawn's Meta's picture

@QMS like it. It's the lung variant.

So it must be Delta.

Thank you for the assist.

Loved the water column from yesterday. And the Look Out mountain river documentary that LO put up.

up
9 users have voted.

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

@Dawn's Meta but it's the perfect three words. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. I am cheering for your immune system and hope you get lots of rest, the more the better. Thanks for the homesteading essays, I read 'em all and dream about the future. cheers

Peace and Love

up
5 users have voted.
Azazello's picture

@Dawn's Meta @Dawn's Meta
Doesn't that imply an anti-immigrant position ?
I thought that was her whole shtick.

up
9 users have voted.

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

Dawn's Meta's picture

@Azazello That's the thing, She has a lot more policies than the immigrant issues. Compared to Macron, she's a peach.

She is so far more responsive than he ever thought of being

We need to get away from the neolib school.

up
9 users have voted.

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

lotlizard's picture

@Dawn's Meta  
because they want immigration laws to be restrictive and actually enforced…

Yet the supposedly progressive position the populists oppose seems to be that anyone from anywhere, along with their entire extended family, should be allowed to settle in those northern European countries with the most generous welfare systems, in unlimited numbers. If you aren‘t for that, you must be a hard-hearted neo-Nazi racist, etc., and are directly responsible for every drowning death that results when human traffickers pack people onto unseaworthy floating objects…

https://www.ekathimerini.com/tag/migration/

up
6 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@Dawn's Meta
and if you happen to eat the peaches pit you get constipation and shitting becomes a nightmare. I mean if you want to shit away in comfort, get away from peaches.

How to eat a peach: First scalp the peaches skin off the fruit, Don't touch the scalp-skin. Then look at the rotten spots inside. Cut them out, then eat the juicy parts for pleaseure. Throw away the pit.

End of peachy stuff.

up
2 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@Dawn's Meta

wow, france's political class must have really hit bottom if marine le pen starts looking like a not as terrible alternative to the completely terrible incumbents.

i hope that you and your computer feel dramatically better soon.

have a good one!

up
11 users have voted.

Guess who?

up
11 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@humphrey

it all sounds entirely plausible. in fact, i'll be shocked if it turns out that our creepy spooks aren't mostly behind the uprising in kazakhstan in ways that go far beyond some cheezy broadcasts.

up
12 users have voted.

@humphrey @humphrey and Maps! Very often the correct answers to why is this happening and why is this happening now questions.

Look at a map before forming an opinion about what is going on in the world and you may be on your way to understanding.

up
4 users have voted.

NYCVG