The Evening Blues - 1-26-22



eb1pt12


The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: James P. Johnson

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features "The Father of the Stride Piano," James P. Johnson. Enjoy!

Bessie Smith & James P. Johnson - Back Water Blues

"Our foreign policy establishment is writing checks that our ability to tolerate nuclear radiation can’t cash."

-- Caitlin Johnstone


News and Opinion

One of the groups that wants war is aiming to have its wet dream come true:

US finalizing plans to divert gas to Europe if Russia cuts off supply

The US has helped prepare for the diversion of natural gas supplies from around the world to Europe in the event that the flow from Russia is cut, in an effort to blunt Vladimir Putin’s most powerful economic weapon. As fears of an invasion of Ukraine have grown, US officials said on Tuesday that they had been negotiating with global suppliers, and they were now confident that Europe would not suffer from a sudden loss of energy for heating in the middle of winter.

“To ensure Europe is able to make it through the winter and spring we expect to be prepared to ensure alternative supplies covering a significant majority of the potential shortfall,” a senior official said.

The preparation for bulk gas supplies deliveries is part of a campaign by the US and its European allies to show a united and coherent front to Putin in the hope of deterring him from invading Ukraine. Joe Biden said on Tuesday he would consider imposing personal sanctions on the Russian president himself.

If Russia attacked, Biden said, it would be the “largest invasion since World War Two” and would “change the world”.

Boris Johnson hinted that Germany was concerned about the imposition of sanctions against Russia because of its dependence on Russian gas and told MPs diplomatic efforts were being made to persuade Berlin and others to go further.

"Cyberpartisans?" Why does this smell like a western spook op?

‘Cyberpartisans’ hack Belarusian railway to disrupt Russian buildup

Cyber-activists opposed to the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, say they have penetrated the state-run railway’s computer system and threatened to paralyse trains moving Russian troops and artillery to the country for a potential attack on Ukraine.

Their goals include freeing political prisoners, removing Russian soldiers from Belarus and preventing Belarusians from “dying for this meaningless war”, a person involved in the attack told the Guardian.

A member of the “Cyberpartisans” said the hacktivist group had so far encrypted or destroyed internal databases that the Belarusian railways use to control traffic, customs and stations, an action that could cause delays to commercial and non-commercial trains and “indirectly affect Russia troops movement”.

They had so far avoided taking more drastic steps to paralyse trains by downing the signalling and emergency control systems, but said they “might do that in the future if we’re confident innocent people won’t get injured as a result”.

The group has demanded that Belarus cease serving as a staging ground for a buildup of Russian troops and military weaponry, some of it just miles from the Ukrainian border.

France 'fully mobilised' with partners to de-escalate Ukraine crisis, Le Drian says

'Is Pelosi Insane?' Dems Rebuked Over $500 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine

Despite warnings that a dangerous war with Russia could soon be unleashed if diplomatic efforts fail, House Democrats are reportedly looking to bypass typical procedures and fast-track a vote on legislation that would send $500 million in military aid to Ukraine—a move that critics say only adds fuel to the fire.

The Intercept reported Tuesday that "Democrats in the House of Representatives are planning to expedite a massive bill that would dramatically increase U.S. security assistance to Ukraine and lay the groundwork for substantial new sanctions on Russia—hastening a war-friendly posture without opportunity for dissent as concerns over a military invasion abound.

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told members on a caucus call Tuesday that she's looking to skip marking up the bill and move it straight to the House floor, setting up the possibility of a vote as soon as early next week," The Intercept revealed, citing two unnamed congressional sources.

Formally known as the Defending Ukraine Sovereignty Act of 2022, the legislation is co-sponsored by 13 Democrats in the House and 41 in the Senate, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

News of the push for speedy passage of the bill comes just one day after President Joe Biden put 8,500 U.S. troops on standby to deploy to Eastern Europe and as anti-war voices increased their warnings against military action.

One senior Democratic aide told The Intercept that the House leadership's plan to rush a vote on the Ukraine measure "is how the space for nonmilitary options gets slowly closed off in Washington, without any real debate."

If passed, the bill would authorize $500 million in "supplemental emergency security assistance to Ukraine" if Russia invades the country. The legislation would also greenlight $3 million in "international military and education training" for Ukraine and ramp up U.S. sanctions against Russia.

"Is Pelosi insane, fast-tracking massive weapons transfers to Ukraine and ginning up a new war with a nuclear-armed Russia? Don't these Democrats get it?" Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the anti-war group CodePink, told Common Dreams in response to the news of House Democrats' plans. "The American people don't want more war!"

"We can think of a lot better uses of $500 million than weapons to Ukraine that only intensify the conflict and feed the war machine," Benjamin added. "What we desperately need is de-escalation and vigorous diplomacy, including guarantees that Ukraine won't join NATO."

It's unclear how much opposition the attempt to provide Ukraine with more U.S. arms will spark within the Democratic caucus, which has struggled to pass legislation that would confront pressing domestic and global crises, from child poverty to climate change.

No Republican has co-sponsored the Ukraine legislation, which is led by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) in the House and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) in the Senate.

Warren Gunnels, staff director for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), tweeted an anti-war quote from the late rapper Tupac Shakur in response to The Intercept's story on House Democrats' plan.

Sanders is not among the Ukraine bill's Senate co-sponsors.

Even without action from Congress, the U.S. is currently pouring arms into Ukraine, as evidenced by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov's tweet Sunday hailing the arrival of "80 tons of weapons" from "our friends in the USA."

As the New York Times reported Tuesday, the U.S. "has authorized Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to send Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukrainian forces, augmenting the Javelin anti-tank missile deliveries to Ukraine that Britain began this month."

Such developments in recent days have intensified concerns that the U.S. is on the verge of embarking on yet another military intervention that could have devastating human consequences.

Warning against military action and pressing all parties to engage in diplomatic talks, Bridget Moix of the Friends Committee on National Legislation said Tuesday that "war represents a calamitous failure of governments to do their most basic job of keeping their people safe."

"President Joe Biden and members of Congress, expanding NATO any further would constitute an unnecessary provocation as well as an unwise military obligation," she continued. "Taking such expansion off the table would address Russia's primary security concern and reduce the likelihood that U.S. troops will be sent to yet another unwinnable war. Simply by acknowledging this, you could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars."

Lavrov on NATO's Stoltenberg: 'He Has Already Lost Touch with Reality'

UN Officials Warn of 'Record-Shattering Month' for Civilian Deaths in Yemen

As United Nations officials projected Tuesday that the civilian death toll from the Saudi-led coalition's strikes on Yemen will break records this month, Oxfam shared the group's difficulties providing aid in the war-torn country and urged action from the U.N. Security Council.

"People are really struggling. Last night we had more airstrikes. Everyone is frightened," Abdulwasea Mohammed, Oxfam's Yemen advocacy, campaigns, and media manager, said from Sanaa, Yemen's capital.

"Children are traumatized—we tell them don't worry, it's all fine, but they wake up to the sound of massive explosions just like we do," he continued. "Each night we go to bed and just pray we wake up in the morning."

Mohammed explained that "we've lived with war for nearly seven years but the last few days have been the worst and I'm worried about what the next hours will bring."

The recent escalation has forced Oxfam to suspend work in some areas due to safety concerns and restrictions on movement. Fuel shortages and soaring prices also threaten aid deliveries of essentials like food, water, and medicine.

"The violence must end immediately so families can feel safe in their homes, and humanitarian agencies can resume lifesaving work," Mohammed declared. "But we need more than a ceasefire, as in the past these have not led to sustainable peace."

"The U.N. Security Council needs to inject new urgency into talks to ensure an end to the conflict and all sides must agree to prioritize the lives of Yemenis above all else," he said.

Mohammed pointed out that "in recent weeks, the U.N. Security Council has reacted strongly to violence against civilians in other countries emanating from Yemen, but not to widespread attacks taking place in Yemen."

"To fulfill its responsibility to uphold international peace and security," he said, "the council must demonstrate the same concern for Yemenis as it does for others across the region and the world."

U.N. Security Council President Mona Juul of Norway said last week that the global body's members "condemned in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attacks" in United Arab Emirates on January 17 as well as in other sites in Saudi Arabia. The statement did not mention UAE and Saudi actions that harm Yemenis.

MSNBC columnist Trita Parsi on Tuesday highlighted a similar behavior by the U.S., which holds one of the five permanent seats on the council:

When Yemeni Houthi rebels struck Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, killing three people on January 17, the Biden administration strongly condemned what it called "terrorist attacks." It was the 14th time the State Department had condemned the Houthis since President Joe Biden entered the White House.

Yet, days later, when Saudi Arabian airstrikes killed at least 70 civilians in Yemen, including three children, the Biden team only mustered a meek call for all parties to de-escalate. Despite the carnage, Biden sustained his perfect record of never condemning Saudi Arabia for its devastation of Yemen, let alone calling it terrorism.

Given that "the Saudis, the Houthis, and the Emiratis have all been accused of committing war crimes," and "none of them pose a threat to the United States," Parsi argued, "the only justified American involvement would be to help negotiate an end to the conflict."

Let the wild rumpus start: is the US facing a stock market ‘super-bubble’?

The tech sector led US stock markets on a pandemic boom last year. Now markets are whipsawing on fears that the Federal Reserve will end the era of easy money, all while a potential war in Ukraine looms. Some warn of a bigger correction to come on a scale not seen since the dotcom collapse of the late 1990s.

On Monday, US stock markets crashed then rallied. The Dow Jones at one point lost more than 1,000 points before ending up just over 100. Tuesday was more of the same with the Dow losing 800 points only to gain most of it back. Analysts expect more volatile days ahead. The Fed on Wednesday issued its latest update on its plans to raise rates in order to curb inflation, and the world’s largest tech firms are preparing to issue their latest results to investors, who appear to have grown more skeptical about their prospects.

Jeremy Grantham, the British co-founder of Boston-based investment manager GMO, believes the US is now in a “super-bubble” comparable to the dotcom era, the Wall Street crash of 1929, and the housing market madness of 2006. It is not just tech that has blown up, but housing prices, commodities and bond prices. The “wild rumpus” has begun, according to Grantham. It is unlikely to end soon.

US warns of chip shortage risks as companies' supplies shrink

'Strikes Absolutely Work': Kroger Workers Win New Contract

Progressives are celebrating after unionized workers at Denver-area King Soopers grocery stores approved a new three-year contract on Monday following a 10-day strike by more than 8,000 low-wage employees in Colorado.

"Strikes absolutely work," said Kim Cordova, president of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7, which organized the work stoppage. "It shows the company that they can't run without workers."

"It shows that where the real power is is with the people," added Cordova, who was part of a panel convened by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) late Monday. "We're hoping that we set the bar so that other workers in this country follow suit."

Sanders, who expressed support for grocery store workers during the strike in Colorado, said this victory over Kroger—a nationwide chain that owns King Soopers—"proves that when workers stand together they can defeat corporate greed." 

Although details of the new contract have not been shared by UFCW Local 7, the Colorado Sun reported that the deal includes pay raises of more than $5 an hour for some employees, which the union called "the most significant wage increase ever secured by a UFCW local for grocery workers." The contract also creates more full-time employment opportunities and secures better healthcare and pension benefits as well as stronger workplace safety measures.

Alabama coalminers on strike for 10 months vow not to be ‘starved out’

About 1,100 coalminers in Alabama have entered 2022 still on strike, more than 10 months since they walked out back in April last year, making it the longest strike in the US since the Covid-19 pandemic began and the longest in Alabama’s history. Workers started the unfair labor practice strike over claims of bad faith bargaining by Warrior Met Coal over a new union contract. In the previous contract settled in 2016, miners accepted several concessions, including a $6-an-hour pay cut and reductions in health insurance and other benefits as the mines switched employers in the wake of a bankruptcy. ...

Over the past 10 months they have held rallies and extended protests to the Alabama state capitol to criticize the use of public resources for state troopers escorting strikebreaking replacement workers to the mines throughout the strike. Miners have also held rallies in New York City outside the offices of BlackRock Investment Group, the largest shareholder of Warrior Met Coal. As of 2 November, the strike has cost the company $6.9m. ...

Since Warrior Met Coal took over the mines, the company has reported billions of dollars in revenue. A tentative agreement was reached in the first week of the strike, but overwhelmingly rejected by workers, and a new agreement has yet to be reached.

“What they’ve said openly in negotiations is that they’re just going to starve us out. They’ve said … and this on record, that ‘we have the money to pay what you’re asking, we do not have the desire to.’ That’s the kind of company these guys have been working for,” said Haeden Wright, president of the United Mine Workers of America auxiliary for two of the striking locals and the wife of a striking miner. “Through the journey, most of us are still holding out and trying to hold on, but it is hard.”



the horse race



Nina Turner CHALLENGES Shontel Brown In Ohio Dem Primary, Nancy Pelosi SEEKS Reelection

Alabama electoral maps discriminate against Black voters, federal court rules

Alabama Republicans illegally discriminated against Black voters when they drew the state’s seven new congressional districts last year and must quickly redraw the plan, a federal court has ruled. The ruling is hugely consequential, a blunt assessment of the way lawmakers use their power to draw district lines to dilute the influence of Black and other minority voters.

Pending lawsuits in North Carolina and Texas similarly allege that lawmakers illegally drew districts on the basis of race. About a quarter of Alabama’s population is Black but there is only one congressional district in the state where Black voters make up a majority.

Plaintiffs who sued in September argued it was possible to draw a second district where Black voters made up a sizable enough portion to elect the candidate of their choice. A three-judge panel agreed on Monday, saying the state plan probably violated section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. That provision of the law outlaws voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race.

“Black voters have less opportunity than other Alabamians to elect candidates of their choice to Congress,” Stanley Marcus, a judge on the US court of appeals for the 11th circuit, wrote for an unanimous panel. “​​The appropriate remedy is a congressional redistricting plan that includes either an additional majority Black congressional district, or an additional district in which Black voters otherwise have an opportunity to elect a representative of their choice.”

Marcus, who was appointed by Bill Clinton, was joined in the opinion by Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer, both nominated by Donald Trump. The Alabama attorney general, Steve Marshall, a Republican, said the state would appeal to the US supreme court.

She Challenged Manchin, Then Left the Democrats. Here's Why.



the evening greens


Native American tribes reclaim California redwood land for preservation

The descendants of Native American tribes on the northern California coast are reclaiming part of their ancestral homeland, including ancient redwoods that have stood since their forebears walked the land. Save the Redwoods League, a non-profit conservation group, announced Tuesday that it is transferring more than 500 acres (202 hectares) on the Lost Coast to the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council.

The group of 10 tribes that have inhabited the area for thousands of years will be responsible for protecting the land dubbed Tc’ih-Léh-Dûñ, or “Fish Run Place” in the Sinkyone language. Priscilla Hunter, the chair of the Sinkyone Council, said it is fitting they will be caretakers of the land where her people were removed or forced to flee before the forest was largely stripped for timber. ...

The transfer marks a step in the growing Land Back movement to return Indigenous homelands to the descendants of those who lived there for millennia before European settlers arrived. In 2020, the Esselen tribe of northern California regained more than 1,000 acres of its ancestral homeland with a $4.5m deal involving the state and an Oregon conservation group. Such arrangements have become more common in recent years, allowing for the conservation of land and wildlife.

The league first worked with the Sinkyone council when it transferred a 164-acre (66-hectare) plot nearby to the group in 2012. The league recently paid $37m for a scenic five-mile (eight-km) stretch of the rugged and forbidding Lost Coast from a lumber company to protect it from logging and eventually open it up to the public.

Opening access to the public is not a priority on the property being transferred to the tribal group because it is so remote, said Sam Hodder, the president and CEO of the league. But it serves an important puzzle piece wedged between other protected areas.

Oil firms accused of scare tactics after claiming climate lawsuits ‘a threat to US’

US oil firms have been accused of using scare tactics after telling a federal court on Tuesday that lawsuits alleging fossil fuel companies lied about the climate crisis could threaten America’s oil supply. At a closely watched appeals court hearing to decide whether a lawsuit by the city of Baltimore should be heard in state or federal court, an attorney for BP, Exxon, Shell and other energy firms painted the case as a threat to America’s energy independence.

Kannon Shanmugam, representing the industry, told the court that if the city were to succeed in state court, and win billions of dollars in compensation, that could kill offshore drilling. “The relief that Baltimore seeks would deter, if not render entirely impractical, any further production on the outer continental shelf,” he said.

Karen Sokol, a law professor at Loyola University who specialises in climate litigation, called the claim one of a number of “scare tactics” deployed by the oil industry as it fights to move the Baltimore and other cases out of state jurisdictions, where consumer protection and other laws favour the plaintiffs, and in to federal courts where the fossil fuel companies believe they have the advantage.

“It’s a scare tactic, which is telling the courts to back off, we’re a very powerful industry and we’re essential right now to energy security. If you step into this, you’re going to screw everything up,” she said.

Baltimore’s case accuses oil firms of breaching Maryland state consumer protection and other laws by running disinformation campaigns to cover up what they knew about the dangers of burning fossil fuels.

Air and Water Under Threat as SCOTUS Targets Environmental Laws

Environmental advocates and congressional Democrats are raising alarm after the U.S. Supreme Court this week agreed to hear arguments in two cases regarding bedrock regulations designed to protect the quality of the nation's air and water.

The nine justices announced Monday that they plan to hear arguments in the case of an Idaho couple who were blocked from building a home on their land by the Clean Water Act. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Chantell and Michael Sackett's land contained wetlands and the couple needed a federal permit to build.

Represented by the right-wing Pacific Legal Foundation, the Sacketts are calling on the Supreme Court to settle on a narrow definition of "waters of the United States," one that could have profound implications for numerous industries and regulatory policy in the country.

That case is expected to be heard during the Supreme Court session starting in October, but in just over a month the court is also scheduled to hear arguments in West Virginia v. EPA, in which Republican-led states are asking the court to consider whether the EPA has the authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate fossil fuel emissions from coal-fired power plants.

The right wing-dominated court's decision to take up the two cases in the span of just a few months is "the latest indication that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court is stepping in to assess the limits of the nation's bedrock environmental laws—potentially in ways that hamstring President Biden's environmental agenda," wote Maxine Joselow at The Washington Post Tuesday.

"It seems like we have a new conservative supermajority on the court that is much more inclined to do a slash-and-burn expedition through our major environmental laws," Robert Percival, director of the Environmental Law Program at the University of Maryland, told the Post.

Western monarch butterfly count hits five-year high – but the fight isn’t over

The number of western monarch butterflies overwintering in California rebounded to more than 247,000 a year after fewer than 2,000 appeared, but the tally remained far below the millions that were seen in the 1980s, leaders of an annual count said on Tuesday.

The Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count revealed the highest number of butterflies in five years but it is still less than 5% of the 1980s population, said Emma Pelton, senior endangered species biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Pelton said she was ecstatic about the turnabout but cautioned that it did not indicate a recovery of the species.

“It will take multiple more years to understand if this is the beginning of a trend or just a blip,” she said in an online news conference.


Also of Interest

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

Matt Taibbi: Let’s Not Have a War

Speech Is Only Free If Dissenting Voices Get Heard: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

The Neocons' Primary War Tactic: Branding Opponents of U.S. Intervention as Traitors

Eastern Ukraine Separatists Warn Kyiv Preparing Offensive in Donbas

Has the west fallen for Putin’s tricks in Ukraine?

Are Neocons Worried at Pace of US-Russia Talks?

A 'Parthogenetic' Conflict - There Is No Russian Invasion Threat To Ukraine

Russia’s Red Line

Craig Murray: Your Man in the Courtroom — Is There an Exit?

Federal Agency Censors Names of Banks in a Bombshell Study on Wall Street’s Dangerous Derivatives

‘The People of Flint Are Still Suffering’

Navy Making Progress Flushing Contaminated Water at Pearl Harbor as CDC Wants to Hear from Residents

‘Corporate vultures’: how Americans fearing higher water bills are fighting takeovers

Bob Dylan sells entire recorded catalogue to Sony Music Entertainment

"Gangsters of Capitalism": Jonathan Katz on the Parallels Between Jan. 6 and 1934 Anti-FDR Coup Plot

Kamala LEAST POPULAR VP In Modern Times

P. Denise Long: Black Voters Ditching Dems For FAR MORE Than Crim Justice, Voting Rights FAILURES

Robby Soave: Even Liberal MSM Realizes The Fake Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Was FBI ENTRAPMENT


A Little Night Music

James P. Johnson - Improvisation On Pinetop's Boogie Woogie

James P. Johnson - Charleston

James P. Johnson - Arkansas Blues

Ethel Waters & James P Johnson - My Handy Man

James P. Johnson - Blues for Fats

James P. Johnson - You've Got To Be Modernistic

James P. Johnson - Honeysuckle Rose

James P. Johnson - Snowy Morning Blues

James P. Johnson - Harlem Strut

James P. Johnson, Clarence Williams - I've Found A New Baby


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Comments

Good evening, Joe.

It is so lovely to see the Kroger's piece tonight. Just the sort of news that is cheering in this doomy gloomy January evening.

On another, less pleasant topic let me direct you to a Bloomberg post from today. NOT the numbers.

https://www.bloomberg.com/markets/stocks

Look at the color saturation on the gaining and losing numbers.

The Green framed numerals stand out clearly.

The Red is barely visible.

Maybe this is just true on my computer. Look at the page and tell me what you see.Some days the red is not visible at all.

I see propaganda.

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10 users have voted.

NYCVG

@NYCVG

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5 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness for the confirmation.

It helps to have a reality check when doubting what your eyes are telling you.

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5 users have voted.

NYCVG

joe shikspack's picture

@NYCVG

i am also glad to see krogers have to pay up. it's about time.

i'd guess that the way that the way that the bloomberg page is displayed is probably browser dependent. the numbers in the pink and green colored squares are pretty clear for me (i use a firefox browser) - i haven't tried out any others.

have a great evening!

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3 users have voted.

@joe shikspack differing from bright green to a pale pink is startling on my browser.

But then, it's Bloomberg.

Just about every headline they write is framed propaganda.

For example: a dramatic historic percentage drop in stocks or bonds gets a headline that says, "Bonds closed off of todays lows." WINNING. Always talk winning. Reality not welcome here.

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3 users have voted.

NYCVG

mimi's picture

Saying you are too old to work properly in Congress ?

Asking for a friend.

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4 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@mimi

yeah, it probably is an example of age discrimination. individuals as they age do indeed decline, there's no doubt about that, but the rate at which they decline varies wildly among individuals.

i think that it is fair to note that pelosi appears to exhibit some affects that are clearly related to advancing age.

in some occupations, there is a mandatory retirement age (airline pilots, air traffic controllers) - i suppose that one can make a case that neither physical ability nor mental acuity are required to perform the duties of a congressworm as they are for some other occupations.

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6 users have voted.
Pluto's Republic's picture

The old dude had shit for brains before he took office.

The state of the nation is merely another failure of democracy in the US.

Nice opening quote by Caitlin, Joe.

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11 users have voted.

____________________

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

@Pluto's Republic

biden may have hid out in his basement in the run-up to the election, but he was not hiding his obvious deficits. they are no surprise to anyone who paid attention.

we as a nation have failed to exhibit initiative and creativity in dealing with the plague of the bipartisan system that afflicts us. we could choose better than what we are offered by the two parties, but we don't.

sad.

have a good evening!

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6 users have voted.

thanks joe, gets me bopping
tickling those ivories ..
with back-beat blending
the higher twangy-notes
into a head shaking fritz

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6 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@QMS

glad you are digging the tunes. happy head shaking!

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2 users have voted.
Pluto's Republic's picture

...are pouring weapons into the most corrupt nation on earth, Ukraine.

The US superpower Alliance thinks they have finally figured out how to provoke Russia into war. The Deep State assumes that Russia believes that the only way to stop NATO from moving into Ukraine is to seize Kiev. But Russia knows that Ukraine would never be approved for a NATO base, and it certainly has no interest in Kiev or Ukraine. It is happy to let the World Bank continue funding that black hole of corruption. Russia's main concern is the ethnic Russian communities that were attached to Ukraine for pubic utilities, which were destroyed on the Russian side in WWII. The Minsk agreements allows Donbass to operate independently within Ukraine. Ukraine refused to honor the Minsk agreement after signing. The Nazis of Ukraine intend to use their new weapons to exterminate the ethnic Russians of Donbass and keep the land. This leaves Crimea exposed.

The gaslighting about Russia turning off fuel to Europe is particularly telling. There is a level of disgust toward Europe building in the outside world. Diplomacy will hold, but the countries of Europe are clearly cowardly and hapless vassals with no agency or credibility. This has been established for some time.

Russia has no reason to move on either issue: Nato or Donbass. NATO has not started building a base in Ukraine. Donbass has yet to be attacked.

The narrative in the US is designed exclusively for clueless citizens, who have no concept of the outside world. The narratives outside the US show the stark realities, however, no one dare rise up against the US, for it is too soon. The US is thrashing about in its death throes. Its current level of evil in the world is unsustainable. It is bankrupting its domestic population to make a last stand to prove its Supremacy over all the nations of the world.

The US is pushing hard to score this point before the Dollar is deflated and rejected. Without this win, the US believes that world will turn against the worthless dollar, which is overwhelmed by its debt. Nazi Germany was once in the same frame of mind as the US is now. It had to move aggressively forward, or it would implode financially. It was Russia that won WWII. Which is oddly significant to this crisis, today. The US is fighting on the side of the Nazis against the imaginary communists of Russia, who no longer exist in any form. The question at hand is whether the delusional US will implode before it attacks.

My 2 cents.

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12 users have voted.

____________________

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

@Pluto's Republic

The US and the insane asylum that is NATO ...are pouring weapons into the most corrupt nation on earth, Ukraine.

one wonders how long it will be before they are for sale on the global black market.

The US superpower Alliance thinks they have finally figured out how to provoke Russia into war.

yeah, it's a powerful delusion, but the russians don't seem to be cooperating. i guess they'll have to try something else.

a fair analysis, thanks!

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9 users have voted.
lotlizard's picture

@Pluto's Republic  
For the longest time, I thought I was Green / “non-dogmatic alternative German Left” — but somehow no matter who I support, they always turn out to be neolibs on economics and neocons (or pawns of neocons) on foreign policy.

It’s a rigged game — I’m out.

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7 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@lotlizard @lotlizard
so may be to go inside yourself is a possible solution.

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6 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@Pluto's Republic

Here’s a shining example of that. One person tried bringing facts to the group and was called a Putin apologist. Who are they quoting? The dem insiders who were up to their eyeballs in the corruption in Ukraine. None other than Fiona Hill and everyone’s favorite turncoat Vindman. Boy Russia Gate sure did a number on their brains. Strange that just 20 short years ago people saw through the WMDs scam, but now they are falling for it. Sad too. They keep showing maps of where Russia troops are and somehow overlook seeing that most of them are well inside Russia and away from any borders. They also don’t understand that if any country was doing in Mexico what we’re doing in Ukraine we’d be moving our troops closer to the border too in order to protect our citizens living there.

Good comment, Pluto.

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4 users have voted.

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

Pluto's Republic's picture

...which tells a different story entirely:

Ukraine sees tension buildup between the US and Russia as a Big Game.

What are related parties calculating amid massive military buildup regarding Ukraine?

Since November, Kiev and some western countries have accused Russia of assembling heavy troops near the Ukrainian border with a possible intention of "invasion."

Denying any intention to attack any country, Russia said it has the right to mobilize troops within its borders to defend its territory, as NATO's increasing military activities near Russia's borders constitute a threat to Russia's border security.

The tensions grew last week, as the United States sent two batches of military assistance to Ukraine as part of a military package worth 200 million U.S. dollars. Another batch of U.S. defensive aid arrived in Kiev on Tuesday.

In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday the Russian military cannot ignore NATO's increase in military activities as tensions regarding Ukraine have flared up.

In addition to the NATO maneuvers, Ukrainian authorities are massing forces on the line of contact with the two self-proclaimed republics in Donbass, Peskov noted.

The current escalation of tensions was caused by the United States and its NATO allies, who have launched a propaganda campaign full of lies against Russia, he said.

In another development, the United States and Britain on Monday began withdrawing some staff and dependents from their embassies in Ukraine, stoking fears that a conflict is looming.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it considered the U.S. decision "premature and a manifestation of excessive caution."

Ukrainian political analyst Igor Chalenko said the two Western countries have no ample grounds for the move, which is unequivocally regarded in the world as a deterioration in the security situation in the host country.

"Considering that there have been no fundamental changes on the Ukrainian borders over the past year (the concentration of Russian troops has even somewhat decreased), today there is no reason to fully support the corresponding step by Washington and London," said Chalenko.

Speaking at a press conference after an urgent meeting held on Monday by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), Oleksiy Danilov, NSDC's secretary, urged Ukrainians to remain calm, stressing that a full-scale conflict is off the table at the moment.

"We don't see any grounds for allegations of an offensive against our country today. It would be impossible to pull this out, even physically," he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov told local TV channel ICTV that intelligence data showed the Russian military has not created a single strike group.

Following the NSDC meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian authorities together with partners are working toward full de-escalation and progress along the path of a peaceful settlement.

"Everything is under control, there is no reason for panic," he said.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced Monday that some 8,500 U.S. troops have been put on heightened alert for a possible deployment due to escalating tensions on the Russia-Ukraine border, with no decision on formal deployments.

When asked about this possibility, Peskov said Tuesday these claims will not affect the current negotiations on Moscow's security guarantees.

Russia "needs to get the written response from the United States and NATO" to the recent security proposals, he said, hoping that this would happen this week.

However, the White House and U.S. media outlets seemed not to be on the same page with some Ukrainian and Russian officials. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned embassy staff that Russia could soon attack Ukraine during his recent visit to Kiev.

Some Ukrainian experts believed such panic of a possible conflict is artificially fomented. Igor Petrenko, an analyst at the International Center for Advanced Study, said the United States and Russia seem to be raising stakes ahead of possible dialogue between the two sides in the future.

"There is a big game going on between the U.S. and Russia, and Ukraine is just a tool in it," said Ukrainian military expert Oleg Zhdanov.

Many Ukrainian experts believed NATO is unlikely to make concessions on the non-expansion issue, and the only way out is to persuade Kiev to reconsider its intentions to join NATO.

"If Ukraine itself decides to abandon its plans to join NATO, adopting neutral status and decentralization with broad rights for the regions, then the conflict will be settled automatically," said Chalenko.

"The West and the Russian Federation will only have to breathe a sigh of relief and seal this status quo with their guarantees," he added.

.

It seems that Ukraine already knows how to stop the conflict: Withdraw their request to join NATO. (Which would never be approved, in any event.)

Not the breadth of news you'd get from the US Gaslight Media.

China appears unconcerned with the terrorizing game the US is playing in Europe.

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11 users have voted.

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

@Pluto's Republic

ukraine could indeed decide that they don't feel like being pawns, cannon fodder, targets and the scene of the destruction of cities and property.

could be interesting.

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5 users have voted.

@joe shikspack

and I mean that as the opposite of negative, as you are about Ukraine's government coming to their senses, and reading what's been posted here by Pluto's Republic does bring down my fear level.

But Ukraine's government is at least as infested with Nazi mercenary trouble makers as ours is. I hope the government of Ukraine AND its Nazi proxies understand they are as vulnerable to our ruthless use, abuse, and disposal of proxies as Al Qaeda, ISIS, and the Kurdish SDF were. Maybe it's starting to sink in.

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9 users have voted.
Pluto's Republic's picture

@Linda Wood

It suggests the reasoning behind a sane Ukrainian response. They are busy digging their own graves with this NATO nonsense.

The world has been exposed to the outrageous lies of the US. The US seems to think their preposterous lying and crazy narratives are unnoticed by ordinary citizens of the world? They assume their lies and deceit are believed because they are a global power.

US Secretarys of State are widely recognized as psychopaths. On forums around the world, Bliken is frequently mentioned by name. He is considered a liar and a lunatic, and is as detested as Pompeo was, before him. I think it is possible that even the Nazis are appalled by Blinken and are aware that the US will crush them when they become inconvenient.

Interesting premise.

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6 users have voted.

____________________

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

so just a quick howdy and thank you.

Be well and have a good one

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3 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

howdy back at ya!

have a great evening!

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3 users have voted.

antiwork was one of the biggest subs

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5 users have voted.
lotlizard's picture

@gjohnsit  
and they happen to be a non-binary trans person and are now claiming all their critics are guilty of transphobia and brigading?

https://www.reddit.com/r/stupidpol/comments/sd63lb/the_1_post_on_rantiwork/

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5 users have voted.

@lotlizard
The sub discussed this ahead of time and decided that they shouldn't do the interview.
Then the mods did it anyway, totally unprepared, and the Fox News interviewer manipulated it to portray them as lazy idiots.

Then to make it worse, they had a tantrum and started banning everyone who criticized them.

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4 users have voted.