The Evening Blues - 3-7-23
Hey! Good Evening!
This evening's music features jump blues and r&b singer Roy Brown. Enjoy!
Roy Brown - Good Rockin' Tonight
"I look forward to a great future for America - a future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our purpose."
-- John F. Kennedy
News and Opinion
House Expected to Vote on Syria War Powers Resolution on Wednesday
The House is expected to vote on a War Powers Resolution this Wednesday introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) that would order President Biden to withdraw all US troops from Syria.
Americans can contact their representatives and urge them to support the resolution (H.Con.Res.21). Click here to find your representative, or call the House switchboard operator at (202) 224-3121. ...
The text of H.Con.Res.21 reads: “That, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(c)), Congress directs the President to remove the United States Armed Forces from Syria by not later than the date that is 180 days after the date of the adoption of this concurrent resolution.”
Gaetz initially introduced a resolution that gave the president only 15 days to withdraw from Syria. The second resolution was introduced to gain more support for the effort as the longer timeline makes it more likely that Democrats will vote in favor of the bill.
What did Biden and Scholz decide at their top-secret war summit?
On Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz flew to Washington for a secret, one-hour war summit at the White House. Scholz flew alone, without journalists, and met with US President Joe Biden in private, with no members of his staff present. Neither the Biden administration nor the German government has explained the reason for this extraordinary trip. What agenda required the physical presence of the chancellor, in the most secure building in the world, and without any of his aides present? It is clear that the US government wanted to exclude the possibility of any information regarding the content of the meeting being leaked. ...
Three things are clear. First, NATO as a whole, and American imperialism, have committed their entire credibility to the war in Ukraine. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been thrown into the conflict. Given this level of commitment, a defeat in Ukraine would be viewed as nothing less than a political and strategic catastrophe for the US and NATO.
In January, the US pledged to “liberate” all of Ukrainian territory, and last month, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland pledged to “demilitarize” the Crimean peninsula. The war has acquired an existential character for the US and NATO, which is driving the logic of escalation. Articles have begun to appear in the media floating the necessity of the deployment of ground troops in what is now clearly a NATO war with Russia. Such an action would follow the long US tradition when faced with a military disaster to turn it into a catastrophe through reckless escalation.
Second, the decision to fly Scholz to Washington for the war summit was intended as a warning to Putin that NATO will not be held back in escalating the conflict. The Russian president will certainly interpret the meeting in this way. It also serves to send a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping and any other potential allies of Russia in the conflict.
Third, the American and European working class is being lied to and kept in the dark as to what is being planned, while it is left to the corrupt, state-controlled media to justify whatever action is decided. The widespread opposition to the war is being simply ignored by the US and European governments.
Russia Presses Bakhmut Cauldron, Discusses Further Donbass Offensive; Zelensky Vows Bakhmut Defence
US Helps Ukrainians Prepare for Potential Counteroffensive
The US is helping Ukraine prepare for a potential counteroffensive against Russian forces as the Biden administration wants Kyiv to retake more territory in the coming months.
According to The New York Times, senior US generals at the headquarters of US Army Europe and Africa in Germany hosted Ukrainian military officials for tabletop war games exercises, demonstrating Washington’s intimate involvement in the war.
The drills are meant to help Ukrainian officials strategize what their next move on the battlefield could be. After a wargaming session on Thursday, Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, the supreme allied commander in Europe, said the US would continue to help Ukraine’s “adaptability” and said the US and NATO “can keep going as long as necessary.”
NORD STREAM: ‘PRO-UKRAINIAN GROUP' Blew Up Pipelines In VAGUE New Report
Yemenis sue top US defence contractors for 'aiding war crimes'
A group of Yemeni nationals has filed a lawsuit in the US against defence contractors Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics, accusing them of "aiding and abetting war crimes and extrajudicial killings" by supplying arms to the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen.
The lawsuit, filed in the district court of Washington DC, also names the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed, respectively, as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. ...
"Year after year, the bombs fell - on wedding tents, funeral halls, fishing boats and a school bus - killing thousands of civilians and helping turn Yemen into the world’s worst humanitarian crisis," reads the lawsuit, seen by MEE.
"Weapons supplied by US companies through sales unlawfully approved by US officials, allowed Saudi Arabia and the UAE through the named Defendant officials to pursue an indiscriminate and brutal bombing campaign."
The plaintiffs are seven Yemeni individuals who say they represent the victims of two separate bombings in the country - one for a wedding in 2015 and another for a funeral in 2016. ...
The Yemeni plaintiffs are filing the lawsuit under the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA), a 1991 US law that allows victims of torture to sue for compensation from their tormenters if the accused are in the US. The lawsuit names the Saudi and Emirati crown princes under the Alien Tort Statute, a law that grants federal courts jurisdiction over violations of international law.
Netanyahu Slams IAEA Chief for Saying Attacks on Nuclear Facilities are ‘Outlawed’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday slammed International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi for saying attacks on nuclear facilities are “outlawed.”
Israel has a history of launching covert attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities, and Netanyahu has been threatening to take more overt action. US officials have also said President Biden will keep a military option on the table to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon even though the Pentagon and CIA recently acknowledged Tehran is not seeking a bomb.
Grossi just returned from a visit to Iran, where he secured a pledge for the IAEA to receive more access to Iranian nuclear facilities. When asked about the US and Israeli threats, Grossi said that “any military attack on a nuclear facility is outlawed, is out of the normative structures that we all abide by.”
Economist Joseph Stiglitz on How War, COVID & Climate Crisis Cause Economic Crises Around the World
Under Pressure, Norfolk Southern Agrees to Limited Relocation Plan
Local organizers in East Palestine, Ohio on Monday said their activism has successfully pressured rail company Norfolk Southern to agree to a limited relocation plan for some residents affected by last month's train derailment, but added they have no intention of backing down from their demand for justice for thousands of people in the area who are struggling in the aftermath of the accident.
The company's plan to offer financial assistance to people who live within a one-mile radius of the crash site "is not enough," said River Valley Organizing (RVO), which last week released a list of five demands for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding area.
While calling the proposal a "win," RVO noted people will only be able to relocate temporarily and said the disaster "has had a far-reaching impact."
"We're going to keep pushing until the community gets the help it is owed," said RVO. "We need to stop letting Norfolk Southern put their profits ahead of the people of our community."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which late last month ordered Norfolk Southern to take full financial responsibility for cleaning up contamination from vinyl chloride, a carcinogenic chemical the train was carrying, acknowledged Monday that residents have complained of lingering odors in the town as the company continues to remove thousands of tons of contaminated soil.
"At EPA's request, Norfolk Southern has agreed to provide additional financial assistance to residents of the East Palestine area, including the portions of Pennsylvania within a mile of the derailment site," said the agency. "This assistance may include temporary lodging, travel, food, clothing, and other necessities."
The EPA told RVO and other locals that the company began to remove soil under the train tracks on Saturday and is beginning to mail out notices to people to whom the relocation plan applies.
Residents will be able to use a prepaid debit card funded by Norfolk Southern to pay for their relocation, according to local public radio station WESA, and will also be able to request that a company contracted by the rail operator clean the inside and outside of their homes.
While the company and numerous officials have downplayed the risk the derailment poses to people in the area—saying no alarming discoveries have been made in water and air testing thus far—the Columbiana County Humane Society told the Herald-Star last month that it was compiling reports of animals who became sick after Norfolk Southern began a controlled burn of the vinyl chloride, which can send hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the atmosphere.
Those reports come from up to seven miles from the crash site, said the group.
A lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in mid-February said mass deaths of marine life and other animals have been reported "as far as 20 miles away."
Another grassroots group, United for East Palestine, joined a researcher at Purdue University in conducting a poll last week and found that out of 100 people, more than two dozen who live more than five miles from the crash site have experienced physical symptoms. ...
The relocation plan was announced as Norfolk Southern unveiled a "six-point plan to immediately enhance the safety of its operations," including improving its systems to detect overheated wheel bearings—which the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report likely contributed to the derailment—and supporting "a strong safety culture."
The list of changes the rail company plans on making fall short of those demanded by the Biden administration.
ILLEGAL Spying Program Inside DHS
Georgia cops bringing the war on terrorism back home:
Atlanta police charge 23 with domestic terrorism amid ‘Cop City’ week of action
Atlanta police on Monday charged 23 people with state domestic terrorism charges, a day after officers detained dozens of people following a violent clash at the proposed construction site of what has been dubbed “Cop City” – a $90m police and firefighter training center in a forest near Atlanta.
As a “week of action” against “Cop City” unfolds, the charges amplify alarm from activists and experts that Georgia authorities would rely on charging demonstrators with domestic terrorism as a way to suppress opposition.
To them, the pursuit of such charges – paired with correspondingly strident rhetoric from police and politicians – represents an attempt to redefine largely peaceful environmental activism as dangerous opposition worthy of criminal charges. Six activists were arrested in January and charged under Georgia’s domestic terrorism statute, marking the first time state law had been used this way in the history of environmental movements in the US.
An Atlanta attorney representing some of the activists, Eli Bennett, told the Guardian in January that the state’s statute was “overly vague”, adding that pursuing charges amounted to “trying to turn a political movement into a criminal organization”.
Gingrich decries ‘insane’ Florida bill for register of bloggers critical of DeSantis
A Florida bill that would require bloggers who write about the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, to register with the state proved a step too far even for the godfather of far-right Republicanism, the former US House speaker Newt Gingrich.
“The idea that bloggers criticising a politician should register with the government is insane,” Gingrich wrote on Twitter. “It is an embarrassment that it is a Republican state legislator in Florida who introduced a bill to that effect. He should withdraw it immediately.”
The bill was introduced by Jason Brodeur. It states: “If a blogger posts to a blog about an elected state officer and receives, or will receive, compensation for that post, the blogger must register” with the appropriate state office. The bill defines “elected state officer” as “the governor, the lieutenant governor, a cabinet officer, or any member of the legislature”. As penalty for failure to comply, it posits fines of up to $2,500.
Last week, Brodeur told Florida Politics: “Paid bloggers are lobbyists who write instead of talk. They both are professional electioneers. If lobbyists have to register and report, why shouldn’t paid bloggers?”
Jan 6 Footage Shows Police ESCORT Q-Anon Shaman
1,000 super-emitting methane leaks risk triggering climate tipping points
More than 1,000 “super-emitter” sites gushed the potent greenhouse gas methane into the global atmosphere in 2022, the Guardian can reveal, mostly from oil and gas facilities. The worst single leak spewed the pollution at a rate equivalent to 67m running cars.
Separate data also reveals 55 “methane bombs” around the world – fossil fuel extraction sites where gas leaks alone from future production would release levels of methane equivalent to 30 years of all US greenhouse gas emissions.
Methane emissions cause 25% of global heating today and there has been a “scary” surge since 2007, according to scientists. This acceleration may be the biggest threat to keeping below 1.5C of global heating and seriously risks triggering catastrophic climate tipping points, researchers say.
The two new datasets identify the sites most critical to preventing methane-driven disaster, as tackling leaks from fossil fuel sites is the fastest and cheapest way to slash methane emissions. Some leaks are deliberate, venting the unwanted gas released from underground while drilling for oil into the air, and some are accidental, from badly maintained or poorly regulated equipment.
Fast action would dramatically slow global heating as methane is short-lived in the atmosphere. An emissions cut of 45% by 2030, which the UN says is possible, would prevent 0.3C of temperature rise. Methane emissions therefore present both a grave threat to humanity, but also a golden opportunity to decisively act on the climate crisis.
Meat, dairy and rice production will bust 1.5C climate target, shows study
Emissions from the food system alone will drive the world past 1.5C of global heating, unless high-methane foods are tackled. Climate-heating emissions from food production, dominated by meat, dairy and rice, will by themselves break the key international target of 1.5C if left unchecked, a detailed study has shown.
The analysis estimated that if today’s level of food emissions continued, they would result in at least 0.7C of global heating by the end of the century, on top of the 1C rise already seen. This means emissions from food alone, ignoring the huge impact of fossil fuels, would push the world past the 1.5C limit.
The study showed that 75% of this food-related heating was driven by foods that are high sources of methane, ie those coming from ruminant livestock such as cattle, and rice paddy fields. However, the scientists said the temperature rise could be cut by 55% by cutting meat consumption in rich countries to medically recommended levels, reducing emissions from livestock and their manure, and using renewable energy in the food system.
Previous studies have shown the huge impact of food production on the environment, particularly meat and dairy, but the new study provides estimates of the temperature rises their emissions could cause. These could be a significant underestimate, however, as the study assumed animal product consumption would remain level in the future but it was projected to rise by 70% by 2050. ...
The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, treated each greenhouse gas separately for 94 key types of food, enabling their impact on climate over time to be better understood. Feeding this emissions data into a widely used climate model showed that the continuation of today’s food production would lead to a rise of 0.7C by 2100 if global population growth was low, and a 0.9C rise if population growth was high.
Also of Interest
Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.
China’s Peace Plan for Ukraine
Why Biden Snubbed China’s Ukraine Peace Plan
Advocates Demand Oversight and Accountability for U.S. Arms Trade
America’s Chips War With China: Another Sanctions Backfire Coming?
US community in shock after record methane leak
Groups Sue to Stop Biden From Offering 73 Million Acres to Oil Drillers in Gulf of Mexico
Sphinx-like statue and shrine discovered in southern Egypt
‘He was central to music history’: the forgotten legacy of Leon Russell
California Housing Crisis SWEEPS Nation
France: Trains halted, schools shut as unions fight against pension reform
Trump Rips Republican Party & CPAC Crowd Goes Wild
New Tucker Carlson Jan 6 Footage Causes MSM MELTDOWN Over Capitol Safety
A Little Night Music
Roy Brown - Mighty Mighty Man
Roy Brown - Big Town
Roy Brown - I've Got the Last Laugh Now
Roy Brown - Mr Hound Dog's In Town
Roy Brown - Bootleggin' Baby
Roy Brown - Letter From Home
Roy Brown - Gal from Kokomo
Roy Brown - Cadillac Baby
Roy Brown - Boogie At Midnight
Comments
Moon of Alabama weighs in on the US fantasy of who blew up
the pipelines.
The comments to the article are pretty good.
Edited to ad another video on the subject:
That is predictable
Almost as soon as the finger was pointed at US involvement (Hersh), the spin machine
makes up some half-assed lie to deflect blame. Sure, it was your buddy exlensky that
did the dirty deed. Does anybody believe that? Doesn't matter. They will push it as far
as they can. Maybe dribble in a few factoids to back up their claim. String it out until
it becomes gospel in the media. Doesn't take much anymore.
crock of Scheiße
truth is considered foreign influence, world peace is a threat to national security
It appears as if things will be getting interesting.
https://iz.ru/1480314/2023-03-07/zakharova-prokommentirovala-statiu-nyt-...
English translation
They used unnamed sources
Wasn’t that one of the biggest gripes about Hersh's essay that he used an unnamed source? But oh good golly they sure nailed the culprits.
Yep this evidence sure sounds plausible. Lots of Russia gate sources also did a lot of believing with their stories.
“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt
Let's see .. Biden visits Scholz last week
they agree to blame Ukraine, then this week the news comes out - in lock step - from
Germany and US 'sources' some yacht rented by some Ukraine with generic crew
aboard blew the pipeline. Something smells awfully fishy.
truth is considered foreign influence, world peace is a threat to national security
@humphreyhttps://twitter.com
https://twitter.com/MyLordBebo/status/1633226172531191811
NYCVG
Seems reasonable to me. A unnamed source told me.
evening humphrey...
heh, when i saw this story earlier today i thought that it was a pretty obvious diversion technique in the current information war.
i really liked b's take:
Did the Titanic really sink?
.
I’ve heard stories about this before and unfortunately this one isn’t as detailed as the other one I read that said that no indeed it wasn’t the Titanic that sank, but it’s older sister ship the RMS Olympic that was in need of costly repairs and why not kill 2 birds with one stone? With as many things that we once took for gospel only to find out they weren’t true why wouldn’t this story be a total psyop? After all they got the federal reserve in place either way.
The AP fact checks the story of the RMS Olympic being substituted.
With all the crappy news being reported daily I think this will brighten your day.
Animals are such amazing creatures. Bad day yesterday and when I crawled into bed last night Sam gave me the hug I didn’t know I needed, but I did.
“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt
evening snoopy...
elephants as highway robbers, pretty cool! thanks for the laugh!
Anybody else notice how
whenever the evidence catches up on the blatant lie - I see it more with Covid than with the war, but the pattern's the same - that the government responds with a series of more and more preposterous lies until we give up asking questions?
Also, you think now that the Ukrainian proxies are collapsing that the US and NATO are getting one last use out of them by blaming them for the failure? Or one last excuse for nuking Moscow?
On to Biden since 1973
evening doh...
yep, the government employs some pretty amazing spinners of fact. if we could put these people to work spinning yarn instead of preposterous yarns we'd all be better dressed.
so far, there's not much flesh on the bones of the current "intelligence" that has been shared with us through the
mockingbird, er, times. they are going to have to do a lot better than that if they want to compete with the detail that hersh dropped.Oh good grief
.
But sure it’s the things that we the people rely on that is causing the problem. Just like us using different bins for recycling for recyclable products and non recyclable products, just like me using less water to help refill the lake that no one has a plan to do and not all the real culprits that use excess water. Like Norwegian farmers having to close their farms whilst the big corporate conglomerate farms get to stay in business. I need to drive less but someone can blow up nordstream and no one talks about how much damage that did in methane emissions and massive deaths to marine life. Grrr…. I’ll stop here….
“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt
heh...
if we could rid the planet of super-rich people and militaries, we would suddenly be much closer to meeting our climate needs. we might also be on a more pleasant planet.
Oh my….
Some people in congress are upset with Carlson showing some of the videos from 1/6 that weren’t shown during the Trump was bad hearings.
That’s it, Chuck let’s call for more censorship because another side of the story has come out.
You decide:
Many more videos in the thread.
What should have happened from the beginning is that every news site that requested the videos should have received them and let we the people make up our own minds on what happened. Imagine if Pelosi gave her mouthpieces the videos. Think they wouldn’t have selective edited them? What the videos that Carlson showed were of cops escorting the shaman around and they didn’t seem to act like they wanted him gone. He got 41 months in prison for being there.
“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt
aww...
mitch mcconnell and the mainstream media have a sad because tucker carlson got to do what they did with thousands of hours of video footage - create a narrative.
anybody who refuses to present all of the footage to the public should be called "cherry picking."
That was the blaring headline on Huffpoo this morning
TUCKER CARLSON CHEERY PICKS INSURRECTION VIDEOS AND DOWNPLAYS IT!
Another thing to watch out for is the FTC wanting to look at the decisions for why Musk fired so many people that have left twitter unable to monitor safety issues for groups and the rise of hate speech. Hours earlier I read an article about how some journalist was upset that she’s getting pushback for her lies except she didn’t frame it that way. I wonder if reporting people for abuse just because they didn’t agree with others would be in that category? Lots of people get banned for saying anything that goes against the government agenda.
“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt
heh...
americans have forgotten what free speech means.
Elsewhere the US seems once again to be busy.
Obviously this is a mere coincidence!
https://sputniknews.com/20230307/georgian-president-backs-protesters-in-...
I loved Georgia and Georgians,
Very damn depressing that the US is exerting influence on that country.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
heh...
georgia should be used to being nulanded by now after the many u.s. attempts to suck georgia into nato for nefarious purposes.
it's a damned shame that we can't mind our own business and that we are probably going to get a whole bunch of georgians killed.
Which country started making foreign media register?
It’s good for the pot, but not for the kettle and typical American hubris. America has a sad because they don’t want their NGOs to have to register…boo hoo! I’m getting sick of our hegemonic ways that just keep getting worse by the day.
“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt
More…
Again it’s the hypocrisy. It’s not only okay for us to have the act, but for only the foreign media we don’t like and it’s not okay with the EU even though they have censored RT from airing in any country there. Also here we are again interfering with another country for doing what they see best for them.
Also too Russia is having a good laugh at trying to shift the blame on to Ukraine. You’d think that Germany would protest the attack, but it’s actually brilliant because Ukraine is at war with Russia and who could blame them?
“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt
Even more!
Tell me that wasn't choreographed by the state department.
How convenient that she just happens to be in America
during the protests. Wasn’t it Rice who was in Hungary recently or was that Powell another Obama retread in Biden’s administration. These people have been shaping America’s foreign policies since Cheney got his hands on it. Some even go back to the Reagan days. Remember when Trump pulled Albright's security clearance and we found out that all ex Secretary of State meets with the previous ones to make sure that the plans continue?
Wait till you read the bombshell report on the head of the EU and what her EU values really stand for. I had to quit reading it because of the terror that her family was responsible for. Cruelty for the sake of cruelty. I’ll post it tomorrow.
“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt
This is off topic but you might get a laugh from it.
Good evening Joe, thanks for the evening blues.
I guess this definitely gets the US off the hook for nordstream, because we aren't remotely pro-Ukranian. And, queue zappa, DHS is illegally spying and both the Ds and Rs are up to their eyes in it. Golly.
be well and have a good one
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 --
evening el...
i guess if the american public is dumb enough, the government is off the hook for everything.
it's always time for zappa.
have a great evening!
Don't forget that Russia is not at war with NATO, HAH!
I'm not sure why this didn't make any waves....
After Turkey and Syria suffered a major earthquake and follow on rumbles, countries with a heart started sending in aid. Since Aleppo was the closest city in northern Syria, many of the aid flights go there. Well first, our lovely Congress, including the Quad, voted to continue sanctions on Syria which has caused a major shortage of medicines even before the quake. Last night, Israel cratered the runway making it unusable.
And we wonder why they hate us.
https://thearabposts.com/syria-an-israeli-bombing-shuts-down-the-airport...
This might have something to do with it.
I am certain that this was not part of the discussion.
Thanks!
Dig deep, bring it.
You amaze.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Thank you.
It is a result of me being retired and spending far far too much time on the internet.
Thanks