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This evening's music features blues guitarist Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Enjoy!

"A person isn't considered insane if there are a number of people who believe the same way. Insanity isn't supposed to be a communicable disease. If one other person starts to believe him, or maybe two or three, then it's a religion."

-- Robert M. Pirsig

News and Opinion

Aaron Mate, always worth a read:

In unprecedented slaughter of Gaza civilians, US claims Israel is the “victim”

In a news conference this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken lashed out at global criticism of US support for Israel’s mass murder campaign in Gaza. “I hear virtually no one saying, demanding of Hamas that it stop hiding behind civilians, that it lay down its arms, that it surrender. This is over tomorrow if Hamas does that,” Blinken complained. “How can it be that there are no demands made of the aggressor, and only demands made of the victim?” Blinken’s statement is an outright endorsement of state terrorism. Its underlying logic affirms that Israel is free to massacre Palestinian civilians until the armed resistance in their midst offers up a “surrender.”

The chief US diplomat’s indigitation at the supposed absence of any “demands” on Hamas is also based on a false premise. As Blinken is well aware, the multiple UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that his government has vetoed demanded that Hamas grant the unconditional release of all hostages. But because these resolutions also demanded that Israel end its attack on Gaza and allow the unfettered delivery of humanitarian aid, the US has blocked them. Committed to defending Israeli violence at all costs, Blinken is accordingly willing to cast Hamas as the “aggressor” and Israel – an occupying power that has now reportedly murdered a well over 20,000 people in Gaza – as the “victim.”

Even if we were to pretend that history began on Oct. 7th, and forget that the Hamas militants who attacked Israel on that day were caged inside the world’s largest concentration camp under the world’s longest-running military occupation, Blinken’s statement would be just as mendacious. Hamas’ atrocities came in a one-day guerilla operation against Israel. That does not give Israel the right to wage a nearly-three month military campaign that is causing historic levels of carnage and destruction.

With Israel routinely blocking life-saving aid, a new United Nations report finds that more than 500,000 people in Gaza – one-quarter of the entire population – are starving. “It doesn’t get any worse,” says Arif Husain, chief economist for the World Food Program. “I have never seen something at the scale that is happening in Gaza. And at this speed.” ...

According to the newspaper Israel Hayom, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top aide, cabinet member Ron Dermer, has been tasked to “thin” the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip “to a minimum.” A new account in the Washington Post claims that in the days after Oct. 7^th, Netanyahu even personally asked President Biden to pressure Egypt into accepting a massive influx of Palestinian refugees. Aides claims that Biden rebuffed Netanyahu, but evidence suggests otherwise. On Oct. 20^th, the White House submitted a Congressional budget request that included funding for the “potential needs of Gazans fleeing to neighboring countries,” given that the “crisis could well result in displacement across border and higher regional humanitarian needs.” Resistance from Egypt and Jordan has thwarted, for now, Israel’s effort to enlist their help in trying to “thin” out Gaza. Accordingly, the Israeli army is settling for exterminating as many Palestinians as possible, and making the death camp uninhabitable for those who survive.

White House support for Israel’s war on Palestinian civilians goes beyond any act of US barbarism in recent memory. Complicit in mass murder, Biden and his principals are also engaging in unprecedented levels of deceit, from lying about civilian hospitals to pretending that the perpetrator of a genocide is in fact the victim.

Israel widens offensive in central Gaza as Netanyahu refuses to discuss postwar plan

The Israeli military expanded its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to the densely populated urban refugee camps in the central part of the territory as the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was reported to have refused requests from security officials to make plans for control of Gaza after the war with Hamas ends.

Over the last few days, three requests to the prime minister’s office were conveyed on behalf of the directors of the Mossad, the Shin Bet, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff and the defence ministry to arrange a meeting on decisions relating to “the day after” Israel declares it has achieved its goals against the Palestinian militant group in control of the Gaza Strip, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Tuesday night.

All those requests were refused, the network said. “Time is running out and decisions need to be made already about how to act with regard to all the relevant actors inside and outside the Gaza Strip. The Americans want explanations,” it quoted an unnamed security official as saying.

Tuesday’s report comes amid allegations in the Israeli media that Netanyahu and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, have also refused to discuss the long-expected transition from the current “high intensity” stage of fighting to a new phrase focused on the more precise targeting of Hamas’s leaders, as well as a report that Netanyahu did not allow Gallant to hold detailed discussions with the Mossad about a possible hostage release deal.

Netanyahu may wish to postpone such discussions to protect his position as prime minister: his wartime unity government will disband after the conflict ends, and any solution for Gaza that involves Palestinian actors, such as the return of the West Bank’s Palestinian Authority, threatens the stability of his far-right coalition government. A spokesperson for the prime minister’s office said a date for a cabinet discussion on “the day after” had been set a month ago and would take place in the coming days.

Returning to Gaza after kidnapping, torture by Israel

Biden greenlights Israel’s Christmas massacre in Gaza

“I had a long talk with Netanyahu today,” US President Joe Biden said on Friday as he was leaving Washington to spend the Christmas holiday at Camp David. Asked to describe the call, Biden provided only one sentence: “I did not ask for a ceasefire.” In other words, Biden gave the Israeli government his blessing to not just continue, but to intensify the genocide in Gaza over the holiday weekend.

That phone call marked the prelude to a bloodbath. On Christmas Eve, Israel bombed the Maghazi camp, one of the most densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. At least 70 people were murdered. “What is happening at the Maghazi camp is a massacre that is being committed on a crowded residential square,” said Gazan Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra. The relentless bombardment continued on Christmas Day, with hundreds killed, mostly women and children. This mass murder was accompanied by open statements of genocidal intent and the deliberate circulation by the Israeli military of shocking footage of hundreds of detainees huddled naked and blindfolded.

The call between the two old war criminals, Biden and Netanyahu, was not the exception, but the rule. Every major decision taken by Israel is done with the prior knowledge and full support of the United States government. Every new atrocity is preceded by a high-level meeting with Washington, either by phone or through the seemingly endless parade of US officials traveling to Tel Aviv. Israeli troops, paid with billions in US military funding, are dropping American-made bombs from American-made aircraft onto civilian targets designated by American spy planes flying over Gaza, in coordination with American officers.

The Biden administration, which is working to provoke a war in the Middle East targeting Iran, has decided that the “final solution” of the Palestinian question is a vital strategic aim of US domination in the Middle East.

On Monday, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor submitted to the International Criminal Court documentary evidence of dozens of cases of mass summary executions of civilians by the Israeli army. The report referred to what is taking place as “field executions,” “physical liquidations” and “widespread killing operations.” These words recall the infamous Einsatzgruppen of the SS under Nazi Germany, responsible for the rounding up and mass extermination of Jews during the Holocaust. ...

The Biden administration has categorically asserted that there are no “red lines” for the types of crimes it will allow Israel to carry out against the Palestinians. Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked, “Is there a red line for you?” regarding how many people Israel will be allowed to massacre. To this, Blinken replied that the United States is “intent on seeing this through to completion.”

Scott Horton: Why Do Presidents Kill?

Netanyahu Vows to Expand Operations in Gaza, Says War Isn’t Close to Finished

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to expand military operations in Gaza and said the brutal assault on the besieged enclave is not close to being finished.

“We are not stopping. We are continuing to fight, and we will be intensifying the fighting in the coming days, and the fighting will take long and it is not close to concluding,” Netanyahu said on Monday. ...

The comments about increased operations and a long war come after US officials have said they want Israel to wrap up its current phase of operations, which involves constant airstrikes and ground offensives, and transition into more targeted attacks on Hamas leadership. But there’s no indication Israel is listening to the US advice, and the Biden administration continues to provide unconditional military aid.

IDF Soldier Allegedly Stabs Wounded West Bank Airstrike Victim in Ambulance

Israeli troops on Wednesday allegedly stabbed and assaulted wounded Palestinian victims of an Israel Defense Forces drone strike that killed six people in a refugee camp near Tulkarem in the illegally occupied West Bank.

Dr. Radwan Blaibla, head of Tulkarem Medical Syndicate, told Andalou Agency that Israeli troops forcibly stopped and boarded ambulances rushing Palestinians injured in the airstrike on Nur Shams refugee camp to a hospital in Tulkarem.

"One injured was stabbed in his neck by a soldier while in the ambulance, posing danger to his life," Blaibla said. "Two others were forcibly taken out from an ambulance and were subject to kicking and beating by the rifles' buttstocks on their injuries."

The Israeli soldiers allegedly told their victims: "We don't want you to reach the hospital. We will kill you before you get there."

Blaibla called the incident "a flagrant violation of humanitarian law" and urged the international community to hold Israel accountable.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society told Al Jazeera that occupation forces blocked ambulances from transporting airstrike victims to a hospital for at least an hour-and-a-half, during which time multiple people died of their injuries.

Hamas leader Sinwar says its fighters are 'smashing' Israeli army, will not surrender

Hamas fighters are inflicting heavy losses on the Israeli military and will not submit to their conditions, the group's leader in Gaza, Yahya al-Sinwar, said in a message to the group's members outside of the territory. In a letter shared by Al Jazeera Arabic on Monday, Sinwar reassured the Palestinian group's leadership abroad about the armed wing's achievement after two-and-a-half months  of Israeli bombing and ground operations.

He claimed that 5,000 Israeli soldiers and officers have been killed and wounded since the ground operations began in late October. One-third of them, around 1,660, were killed, he said, while the rest have been permanently disabled or seriously wounded. The Israeli military says 156 soldiers have been killed in ground combat so far, and 600 more have been wounded. However, Israeli media outlets have reported a significantly higher number of wounded soldiers, citing discrepancies between figures provided by the army and cases documented by hospitals.

Sinwar added that Palestinian fighters, who are using guerrilla warfare tactics, such as snipers, anti-tank missiles and explosive devices, have completely or partially damaged at least 750 Israeli armoured vehicles, including tanks. "Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades are fighting a fierce and unprecedented battle against the Israeli occupation forces," Al Jazeera reported Sinwar as saying. He added that the brigades are "smashing the Israeli army and will continue to do so", and that they "will not submit to the conditions of the occupation".

Meet Aida Touma-Sliman, Palestinian Knesset Member Suspended for Criticizing War on Gaza

A Times Investigation Tracked Israel’s Use of One of Its Most Destructive Bombs in South Gaza

During the first six weeks of the war in Gaza, Israel routinely used one of its biggest and most destructive bombs in areas it designated safe for civilians, according to an analysis of visual evidence by The New York Times.

The video investigation focuses on the use of 2,000-pound bombs in an area of southern Gaza where Israel had ordered civilians to move for safety. While bombs of that size are used by several Western militaries, munitions experts say they are almost never dropped by U.S. forces in densely populated areas anymore. ...

Ultimately, the investigation identified 208 craters in satellite imagery and drone footage. Because of limited satellite imagery and variations in a bomb’s effects, there are likely to have been many cases that were not captured. But the findings reveal that 2,000-pound bombs posed a pervasive threat to civilians seeking safety across south Gaza.

Biden ADMITS Ukraine CANNOT Win War, Giving Up Territory

US to provide Ukraine with up to $250m in arms and equipment

The US will provide Ukraine with up to $250m in arms and equipment, including air defense munitions and artillery ammunition, the US has announced.

The package of arms includes Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, additional Himars ammunition, javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems as well as artillery and small arms ammunition. It is the Biden administration’s 54th disbursement of military equipment to Ukraine since August 2021.

In a statement, the US Department of Defense (DoD) said: “These capabilities will support Ukraine’s most pressing needs to enable its forces to defend their sovereignty and independence. US leadership is essential to sustaining the coalition efforts of some 50 allies and partners currently supporting Ukraine. Security assistance for Ukraine is a smart investment in our national security.” ...

News of more US military aid to Ukraine comes after Joe Biden announced another $200m military aid package earlier in December amid concerns that the war had reached a stalemate and amid growing Republican opposition to renewing a larger $61bn of aid.

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs: US Foreign Policy is a Corrupt Scam

‘Broken’ US labor laws could hamper union wins for workers, experts warn

Labor experts see more wins ahead in 2024 for US unions after a year of attention-grabbing strikes and surging public support but worry gains may be stymied by the US’s “broken” labor laws.

Strikes by autoworkers, writers, actors and nurses and a threatened strike by UPS workers all led to significant wins in 2023. “The big challenge for labor in 2024 will be to take that momentum and turn it into new organizing and getting first contracts where workers have organized,” said Ken Jacobs, the co-director of the UC Berkeley Labor Center. “That’s going to be a real challenge because labor law in the US is broken.”

Among the big tests that labor faces is whether the United Auto Workers (UAW) will succeed in using the impressive contracts it won with Detroit’s automakers to organize Toyota, Tesla and other non-union auto plants, especially in the anti-union south. Another challenge is whether the Starbucks, Amazon, Trader Joe’s, Apple, Chipotle and REI workers who have unionized over the past two years will finally get first contracts that deliver improved wages and benefits. ...

“Strike activity might not reach the same level next year but it’s still an opportune time to go on strike,” said Johnnie Kallas, director of the ILR Labor Action Tracker, which keeps a tally of strikes across the US. Many labor experts say it’s a favorable time to go on strike because the labor market is tight, public approval for unions is at its highest level in decades, and there’s a vigorously pro-union president in the White House. Moreover, many unions feel emboldened because of unions’ recent record gains, like the raises of more than 25% over four years that the UAW won from GM, Ford and Stellantis, with starting pay rising 68%. ...

A big question for labor in 2024 is whether Starbucks workers, who first unionized two years ago in Buffalo and now have unionized more than 360 Starbucks, will finally get a first contract after their union and the National Labor Relations Board have repeatedly accused the company of failing to bargain in good faith. Union officials complain that Starbucks has refused to negotiate for more than six months and has not put forward any contract proposals in over a year. Starbucks says it’s intent on reaching a contract. Stephanie Luce, a labor studies professor at City University of New York, said that to pressure Starbucks to reach a contract, “we need a major disruption of corporate power”. There are growing calls for a Starbucks boycott; students at Georgetown and UCLA are urging their universities to kick out Starbucks.

Tom Smothers of sibling comedy duo the Smothers Brothers dies at age 86

Tom Smothers, half of the comedy group the Smothers Brothers, has died at the age of 86.

Smothers was described as “not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life”, but as “a one-of-a-kind creative partner”, according to a statement by his brother Dick Smothers on Wednesday shared by the National Comedy Center.

Dick also shared that Tom, who died after a battle with cancer, was at home with his family when he died.

Tom, along with Dick, performed in a folk musical comedy duo, and became known for their controversial political satire. Their variety show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, which ran from 1967 to 1969, was famously pulled by CBS after the two took a stance against the Vietnam war and were in favor of civil rights in their performances.

Although Tom and Dick successfully sued CBS after cancelling their show and proved they did not breach their contract, the program never returned to air.

Uruguay’s green power revolution: rapid shift to wind shows the world how it’s done

It was the 2000s, and fossil fuel prices were rising worldwide. After a period of volatility in the 1980s, the crude oil price per barrel had reached one its lowest points – $20 – at the end of 2001 but then, over the course of six years, it tripled before a new oil shock saw prices surpass those of the 1970s, reaching a record $145 a barrel on 3 July 2008.

Uruguay imports its oil, so it had a problem. Demand for energy in the country had grown by 8.4% the previous year and household energy bills were increasing at a similar rate. The 3.4 million-strong population was becoming restless. Lacking alternatives, President Tabaré Vázquez was forced to buy energy from neighbouring states at higher prices, even though Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay had a mutual aid agreement in case of emergency conditions.

To escape the trap, Vázquez needed rapid solutions. He turned to an unlikely source: Ramón Méndez Galain, a physicist who would transform the country’s energy grid into one of the cleanest in the world. Today, the country has almost phased out fossil fuels in electricity production. Depending on the weather, anything between 90% and 95% of its power comes from renewables. In some years, that number has crept as high as 98%. ...

The country is easily overlooked. However, economically it is a South American success story. Its GDP per capita was £16,420 in 2022, according to the World Bank, the highest on the continent; only a tiny fraction of its population lives in extreme poverty. The country has a burgeoning middle class – accounting for about 60% of the population – and there are high expectations for lifestyle and opportunities. Such demographic change has driven demand for the trappings of a contemporary, 21st-century lifestyle. Homes are fitted with washing machines and dishwashers, and air conditioning units have become commonplace, as have vast flat-screen TVs and connected devices.

All of that requires power. Over the course of about a decade, Uruguay, under the stewardship of Galain, installed about 50 windfarms across the country, decarbonised the grid and bolstered its hydropower. ... Galain says there needed to be a “strong national narrative” to make it work. “I told people this was the best option even if they don’t believe climate change exists. It’s the cheapest and not dependent on crazy fluctuations [in oil prices].” With that narrative, the government set about winning over a sceptical populace. One initial concern was that jobs would be lost in the energy sector. Instead, about 50,000 new jobs were created – a large number in a country with such a small population. The idea of a “just transition”, in which nobody was left behind, became central, and some workers were offered places on retraining schemes to adapt to the new normal.

Also of Interest

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

Patrick Lawrence: The Mess They Made of 2023

2023: The Year Humanity Died

How The Hell Did We Get Here?

US Has Delivered Over 10,000 Tons of Weapons to Israel Since October 7

Netanyahu Says He’s Looking for Countries to ‘Absorb’ Palestinians from Gaza

Lose a limb or risk death? Growing numbers among Gaza’s thousands of war-wounded face hard decisions

Houthis and Saudis Commit to New Ceasefire and Roadmap for Peace

Azerbaijan close to peace agreement with Armenia, officials say

Unions Lead Protests Against Milei's Anti-Worker Decree in Argentina

Scaring Zelensky into a ceasefire

US Demands Rus Asset Seize, Kiev Crisis: Ex PM Tymoshenko: Ukr Needs Plan B; Rus-India Ties Deepen

A Little Night Music

Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Gangster of Love

Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Three Hours Past Midnight

Johnny Guitar Watson - Wait A Minute Baby

Johnny Guitar Watson - Cuttin' In

Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Looking Back

Johnny Guitar Watson - Those Lonely, Lonely Nights (alternate take)

Johnny Guitar Watson - Too Tired

Johnny Guitar Watson - The Eagle Is Back

Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Keep On Lovin' You