The Evening Blues - 10-1-24
Hey! Good Evening!
This evening's music features r&b singer Jackie Wilson. Enjoy!
Jackie Wilson - Lonely Teardrops
"Censorship is the tool of those who have the need to hide actualities from themselves and from others."
-- Charles Bukowski
News and Opinion
Coming to a neighborhood near you?
Australian Officials Push Authoritarian Crackdown On Pro-Hezbollah Speech
As Israel begins another invasion of Lebanon, Australian officials from both sides of the imaginary partisan divide have been falling all over themselves to get Australians punished for speech crimes about the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah.
The Australian political-media class have been in an uproar ever since footage surfaced of people waving Hezbollah flags at a protest in Melbourne over the weekend and displaying pictures of the group’s deceased leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israel in a massive airstrike on Friday.
After initially stating that no crime had been committed in these acts of political speech, Victoria police are now saying they have identified six potentially criminal incidents related to the demonstration. These incidents reportedly involve “prohibited symbols” in violation of the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment which was enacted last year.
Needless to say, free nations do not have “prohibited symbols”.
This development follows numerous statements from various Australian leaders denouncing the protests as criminal.
“I expect the police agencies to pursue this,” Victorian premier Jacinta Allan said of the protests, adding, “Bringing grief and pain and division to the streets of Melbourne by displaying these prohibited symbols, is utterly unacceptable.”
Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong took to Twitter to denounce the protesters, saying Australians must not only refrain from supporting Hezbollah but from even giving “any indication of support”.
“We condemn any indication of support for a terrorist organisation such as Hizballah,” Wong tweeted, adding, “It not only threatens national security, but fuels fear and division in our communities.”
Pretty hard to take this supposed 'rejection of terrorism and extremism' seriously when Senator Wong and the Labor government she's part of have never seen fit to condemn the decades of terror inflicted by Israel on the Palestinian (and Lebanese) people. https://t.co/242oHqljQr
— Victorian Socialists (@vic_socialists) September 30, 2024
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke wants to deport any international visitors displaying prohibited symbols in Australia, saying “I won’t hesitate to cancel the visas of visitors to our country who are spreading hate.”
On the other side of the aisle, opposition leader Peter Dutton is on a crusade to get new laws passed to ensure the elimination of banned symbols from public view, saying “enforcement for law is required and if there are laws that need to be passed to make sure that our values are upheld then the Prime Minister should be doing that.”
“Support for a proscribed terrorist organisation has no place on the streets of Melbourne,” tweeted Labor MP Josh Burns. “Anyone breaking counter-terrorism legislation should face the full force of the law.”
“Australians cherish the right to peaceful protest,” tweeted independent MP Zoe Daniels. “However, there is no justification for supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation. Those who were seen doing so on the streets of Melbourne at protests yesterday should be investigated and prosecuted.”
In an article titled “Hezbollah flags at protests shape as test of new hate-symbol laws,” the ABC reports that these legal efforts to stomp out dissenting political speech are made possible by laws which were recently passed with the official intention of targeting Nazi symbols, but which “also cover the symbols of listed terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah.” Which is about as strong an argument on the slippery slope of government censorship as you could possibly ask for.
Hezbollah is listed as a “terrorist organisation” on the say-so of the Australian government, not because of its actions or methods but because it stands in opposition to the US power alliance of which Australia is a part. This arbitrary designation is smeared across any resistance group on earth which opposes the dictates of Washington, and can then be used to suppress the speech of anyone who disagrees with the murderous behavior of the western empire.
And it should here be noted that Australia is the only so-called democracy in the world which has no national charter or bill of rights of any kind. A tremendous amount of faith has been placed in state and federal legislators to simply do the right thing, which has proved foolish and ineffective. Professor George Williams wrote for the Melbourne University Law Review in 2006:
“Australia is now the only democratic nation in the world without a national bill of rights. Some comprehensive form of legal protection for basic rights is otherwise seen as an essential check and balance in democratic governance around the world. Indeed, I can find no example of a democratic nation that has gained a new Constitution or legal system in recent decades that has not included some form of a bill of rights, nor am I aware of any such nation that has done away with a bill of rights once it has been put in place.
“Why then is Australia the exception? The answer lies in our history. Although many think of Australia as a young country, constitutionally speaking, it is one of the oldest in the world. The Australian Constitution remains almost completely as it was when enacted in 1901, while the Constitutions of the Australian states can go back as far as the 1850s. The legal systems and Constitutions of the nation and the Australian colonies (and then states) were conceived at a time when human rights, with the prominent exception of the 1791 United States Bill of Rights, tended not to be protected through a single legal instrument. Certainly, there was then no such law in the United Kingdom, upon whose legal system ours is substantially based. This has changed, especially after World War II and the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but by then Australia’s system of government had been operating for decades.”
If you ever wonder why Australia so often stands out as a freakish anomaly in the western world with its jarring authoritarianism and disregard for human rights, this is why.
The powerful abuse our civil rights because they can. We are pummeled with propaganda in the birthplace of Rupert Murdoch and increasingly forbidden from speaking out against the atrocities of our government and its allies overseas. We are being groomed into mindless, obedient sheep for the empire.
‘It’s a very scary time to be in America’
Israeli military says it is carrying out ‘limited’ ground operation targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon
The Israeli military has begun a “limited, localised and targeted” ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, it has said, as it continued shelling areas close to the border and carrying out airstrikes on the capital, Beirut.
“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] began limited, localised, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon,” the military said in a statement on X early on Tuesday.
“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” it continued, adding: “Operation ‘Northern Arrows’ will continue according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas.” ...
Tuesday’s statement from the IDF followed Israeli media reports that the country’s cabinet had approved the next stage of its operation in Lebanon after a meeting chaired by the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hours earlier, US and other officials also said that Israeli forces appeared to have launched what sources called “limited ground operations” inside southern Lebanon. “This is what they have informed us that they are currently conducting, which are limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border,” the US state department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, told journalists.
Fears Grow over Israeli Ground Invasion as Israel Orders 25 Lebanese Villages to Flee Homes
Boy, I bet Genocide Joe is steamed about this! Pfffffftttt!!!
US looks unable to talk Netanyahu out of planned invasion of Lebanon
Analysis
US looks unable to talk Netanyahu out of planned invasion of Lebanon
Andrew Roth
in JerusalemAn emboldened Israel appears to believe it can safely ignore a lame duck US president and grab the chance to reset the Middle East’s security dynamics
The Biden administration is losing influence over whether Benjamin Netanyahu launches a ground invasion into southern Lebanon or not. For more than a year, Joe Biden and his senior advisers have managed to forestall an Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon in fear of a larger war that could envelop the entire Middle East.
In the days after the 7 October attack, Biden phoned Netanyahu to talk him out of a massive retaliation against Hezbollah, which had begun firing guided rockets against Israeli positions following the Hamas raid.
In April this year, Biden also told Netanyahu that the US would not support Israel in an offensive war against Iran after Tehran launched dozens of loitering munitions, cruise missiles and drones toward Israel.
But on Monday, US outlets reported that Netanyahu’s administration had told White House officials they were planning a limited ground incursion into Lebanon, essentially escalating a conflict with Hezbollah and its backer Iran to a level that Biden and his team have tried desperately to avoid.
The Washington Post reported that Israel was planning a limited campaign – smaller than its 2006 war against Hezbollah – that nonetheless would mark a drastic escalation with Hezbollah and Iran. The New York Times suggested US officials believed they had talked Israel out of a full invasion of Lebanon, but that smaller incursions into southern Lebanon would continue.
Long & difficult Middle East war
'Humanitarian Calamity' Looms as US-Armed Israeli Forces Prepare to Invade Lebanon
Israeli forces appear poised to launch a ground invasion of Lebanon within days following a sustained bombing campaign that has killed more than a thousand people—including dozens of children—and displaced more than a million, heightening fears of a large-scale humanitarian disaster and a wider war that could consumer the entire region.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has already carried out what were described as "limited ground incursions" across the Lebanese border, but a larger invasion could be imminent given the positioning of Israeli troops and rhetoric from top Israeli officials.
"We will use all the means that may be required—your forces, other forces, from the air, from the sea, and on land," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Israeli troops on Monday.
The mayor of a Christian-majority Lebanese village located roughly six miles from the Lebanon-Israel border toldReuters that locals "had received calls apparently from the Israeli army telling them to evacuate the area as soon as possible."
Humanitarian groups have warned that a full-scale ground invasion would be a disaster for the Lebanese people, many of whom have seen their lives upended by Israeli attacks over the past two weeks.
"We are gravely concerned about the possibility of an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon," said Julie Mehigan, Christian Aid's head of Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. "The patterns we're seeing from the attacks of the last few days are reminiscent of what we've seen in Gaza these last few months. Massive displacement and killing of civilians, whole families killed in their homes, and schools converted into shelters. All the while Gaza is continually being bombed from land, air, and sea."
"We are on the precipice of yet another humanitarian calamity in the region," Mehigan added.
The Biden administration, which provided the 2,000-pound bombs that Israel used to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and dozens of civilians in an attack on Beirut late Friday, is reportedly prepared to give Israel approval to move troops into Lebanon as long as the invasion is "limited."
But the Israeli government, headed by far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has repeatedly disregarded the Biden administration's stated conditions. As The New York Times observed Monday, the administration wanted the Israeli military to "eschew major combat operations" in the southern Gaza city of Rafah earlier this year. The IDF went on to launch a massive assault on the city, rendering it uninhabitable.
Akbar Shahid Ahmed, HuffPost's senior diplomatic correspondent, reported Monday that the Biden administration is unlikely to "veto" Israeli plans for a ground invasion of Lebanon and noted he is hearing a "growing sense" that "an Israeli invasion of Lebanon with U.S. backing (based on the idea it will be limited) is coming."
Spoke with several sources in the last ~ hour who did not believe a decision has been made on an Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
But clear all around a US veto is unlikely.
A career US official working on the ME told me Washington's permitting "a nihilistic regional murder spree."
— Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed) September 30, 2024
The possibility of an imminent Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon has heightened concerns of a full-blown regional war with potentially devastating global implications. Hezbollah has pledged to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Nasrallah, and Iran—which has thus far acted with restraint—could also decide to intervene as Lebanon's government works to prevent the military conflict from spiraling.
Craig Mokhiber, a human rights attorney and former director of the New York office of the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, wrote on social media Monday that "as Israel continues its genocide in Palestine, expands its murderous rampage into Lebanon (perhaps even launching a ground invasion to ethnically cleanse the south) the West cheers and arms them, Arab governments sleep, the U.N. looks the other way, the [International Criminal Court] stalls, the Global South offers only symbolic objections, and the world is dragged passively toward WWIII."
Israel's intensifying assault on Lebanon has sparked fresh calls for a halt to U.S. arms transfers to the Israeli military, which relies heavily on American-made weaponry.
Maurice Mitchell, national director of the U.S.-based Working Families Party, said in a statement Monday that Israel's ongoing attacks on Lebanon "mark an extreme escalation that further threatens the stability of the region" and expressed support for an effort led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to block recently approved arms sales.
"Despite the Israeli government's serious escalation in Lebanon and indiscriminate bombings in Gaza and the West Bank, President Biden continues to funnel billions in lethal military aid to the Israeli government without conditions, including $8.7 billion last week," said Mitchell. "This coupled with new reports that the Israeli government violated international law by deliberately blocking humanitarian aid to families in Gaza underscores the urgent need to stop the flow of offensive weapons to the Israeli government.”
Abbas Alawieh, a Lebanese American from Michigan and a co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement, said Monday that "every hour, I get messages from my family in Lebanon, asking when the American-funded bombs will stop."
"Not only is this administration sending more bombs aimed at them and other civilians, they're also helping Netanyahu cover up his crimes," said Alawieh. "It's despicable."
Cpt. Matt Hoh: Is Peace Possible?
US Sending a ‘Few Thousand’ Troops to Middle East To Defend Israel
The Pentagon said Monday that the US is sending a “few thousand” additional troops to the Middle East to bolster security and prepare to defend Israel if needed, The Associated Press has reported.
The deployment will include squadrons of F-15, F-16, F-22, and A-10 fighter jets and the personnel needed to support them. The squadrons were initially set to deploy to the Middle East so that other fighter jets could rotate out, but now they will all stay to increase US air power.
The day before the announcement, President Biden was asked if he would be sending more troops to the Middle East and replied, “No.”
Netanyahu Says Regime Change in Iran Will Happen ‘A Lot Sooner Than People Think’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a warning to Iran on Monday, saying regime change will happen in the country “a lot sooner than people think.” ...
Netanyahu said that Iran’s “puppets” were being eliminated and warned that there’s “nowhere in the Middle East” that Israel cannot reach. “With every passing moment, the regime is bringing you — the noble Persian people — closer to the abyss,” he said.
The warning from Netanyahu comes amid soaring tensions in the Middle East following Israel’s dramatic escalation in Lebanon, which has killed over 1,000 people since September 23, including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and many Lebanese civilians.
Activists say they have proof ministers tried to influence police over Israeli arms firm protests
Internal government documents show that Home Office ministers and staff tried to influence police and prosecutors to crack down on activists targeting the UK factories of an Israeli arms manufacturer, campaigners have claimed. Briefing notes, obtained through freedom of information (FoI) requests by Palestine Action, show details of government meetings, predating the 7 October Hamas attacks and Israel’s response in Gaza, intended to “reassure” Elbit Systems UK, an Israeli arms manufacturer, which is subject to a direct action campaign by the campaign group.
Prosecutions of Palestine Action activists, who say they are trying to protect Palestinian lives and stop war crimes, have led to some convictions, including for burglary and criminal damage, but also acquittals by juries and magistrates despite defendants admitting their actions.
As well as Home Office ministers attending meetings with Elbit Systems representatives, the heavily redacted briefing notes show that one was attended by a director from the Attorney General’s Office said to be representing the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). They also show that Home Office officials contacted the police about Palestine Action.
Tim Crosland, a coordinator of Defend Our Juries, which claims that jurors’ absolute right to acquit a defendant according to their conscience is being eroded by judges placing limits on what defendants can say about their motivations, said: “These disclosures, despite the extensive redaction, are the smoking gun on what has been obvious for a while: the government has been trying to put a stop to juries acquitting those who expose and resist corporate complicity in violations of international law and mass loss of life. “Such political interference is a national scandal that goes right to the top – the corruption of democracy and the rule of law by those with wealth and power.”
A private secretary note dated 2 March 2022 for a meeting between the then home secretary, Priti Patel, and Martin Fausset, the chief executive of Elbit Systems UK, said: “Palestine Action’s criminal activity is for the police to investigate and though they are operationally independent of government meaning we cannot direct their response, my officials have been in contact with the police about PA.”
Mark Rutte takes charge of Nato at a perilous moment for Ukraine
At 9am (0700 GMT) on Tuesday, wreaths will be laid at the granite monument to the men and women who have died fighting under the banner of Nato during the last 75 years. It will be a brief moment of solemnity at the headquarters of the transatlantic alliance in Brussels. Then, after retreating into the cavernous, windowless North Atlantic Council room, Mark Rutte will officially take charge as Nato secretary general.
Rutte, the blunt-speaking liberal who led four Dutch coalition governments over 13 years, takes the reins at a perilous moment for Ukraine, a defining test for the transatlantic alliance. Nato allies recently pledged to bolster long-term support to Ukraine “so it can prevail in its fight for freedom”.
Far from prevailing, Ukraine is facing its third winter fighting Russia’s brutal invasion, while Vladimir Putin’s forces continue to advance in the east of the country.
Top Cuban Diplomat On Threat of US Imperialism from Cuba to Palestine
Gas Price Fixing Scandal Grows as Another US Oil Exec 'Caught Colluding With OPEC'
Consumer advocates demanded congressional hearings on alleged price fixing by oil giants on Monday after the Federal Trade Commission banned an executive from serving on the board of Chevron, saying he had colluded with international representatives to keep oil prices high.
The FTC said it would prohibit John B. Hess, CEO of the Hess Corporation, from serving on Chevron's Board of Directors as part of Chevron's acquisition of the company, citing Hess' public and private communications "with the past and current secretaries general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and an official from Saudi Arabia."
"In these communications, Mr. Hess stressed the importance of oil market stability and inventory management and encouraged these officials to take actions on these issues and speak about them at different events," said the FTC.
The FTC's complaint marks the second time since May that an oil executive has been accused of collusion and price fixing to ensure Americans would continue paying high prices for gas, adding an estimated $500 per year, per vehicle, in fuel costs for the average U.S. household.
Democratic lawmakers have demanded a probe by the Department of Justice into collusion by fossil fuel companies, following the FTC's revelation that Scott Sheffield, founder of Pioneer Natural Resources, communicated with OPEC representatives via text messages, WhatsApp, and in person to encourage high oil prices.
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said that "jail time should seriously be considered," highlighting the financial pain Sheffield's actions added to households already struggling to afford groceries, childcare, and other essentials.
The five largest U.S. oil companies have reported more than $250 billion in profits over the last two years.
"We cannot allow fossil fuel companies to gouge the American public in concert with OPEC while raking in record profits," said Tyson Slocum, director of consumer advocacy group Public Citizen's energy program. "The FTC is lifting the veil on an effort, apparently by multiple U.S. oil companies, to communicate with foreign actors to artificially raise energy prices for American families and around the world. We reiterate the call for Congress to immediately hold hearings to investigate illegal conduct by Big Oil."
Government watchdog Accountable.US described the news as "another Big Oil CEO caught colluding with OPEC."
"Americans who are struggling to make ends meet cannot afford any more price fixing collusion between Big Oil CEOs and foreign countries," said Chris Marshall, a spokesperson for the group. "They should be held accountable to make sure consumers pay a fair price at the pump."
Ports Shut Down from Maine to Texas as 45,000 Dockworkers Launch Strike over Pay & Automation
Georgia judge strikes down state’s abortion ban, allowing care to resume
A Georgia judge on Monday struck down the state’s six-week abortion ban, ruling that the ban is unconstitutional and blocking it from being enforced.
In a 26-page opinion, the Fulton county superior judge Robert McBurney ruled that the state’s abortion laws must revert to what they were before the six-week ban – known as the Life Act – was passed in 2019. The ban was blocked as long as Roe v Wade was the law of the land, but went into effect after the US supreme court overturned Roe in 2022.
“When a fetus growing inside a woman reaches viability, when society can assume care and responsibility for that separate life, then – and only then – may society intervene,” McBurney wrote.
Abortions are now legal in Georgia up until about 22 weeks of pregnancy – the point at which Georgia permitted abortions prior to the Life Act. However, fetal viability tends to occur closer to 24 weeks of pregnancy. Although the Roe line of jurisprudence was supposed to prevent states from banning abortion prior to fetal viability, Georgia and several other states did so anyway even before Roe fell.
Under the six-week ban, providers could not perform abortions if they detected fetal cardiac activity, which emerges at about six weeks into pregnancy. Many women, McBurney wrote, do not even know they are pregnant at six weeks.
"I Pled Guilty to Journalism": WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Speaks Publicly After Prison Release
Harris is ‘underwater in our polling’, Michigan representative says
A Democratic representative in a key battleground Senate race in Michigan told supporters she was concerned about Kamala Harris’s chances in the state’s presidential election.
“I’m not feeling my best right now about where we are on Kamala Harris in a place like Michigan,” Elissa Slotkin said at a fundraiser earlier this month, according to Axios. “We have her underwater in our polling.”
Slotkin did not offer more details on specifics of the data to which she was referring, Axios reported. Without seeing the actual poll, it is difficult to assess its credibility. Candidates will sometimes use internal polls to motivate supporters and urge them not to get complacent.
Mail-in ballots started being sent to Michigan voters on Thursday.
Firefly species may blink out as US seeks to list it as endangered for first time
The US government is seeking to consider a firefly species as endangered for the first time, according to a proposal from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The Bethany Beach firefly, found in coastal Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, is facing increasing dangers to its natural habitat because of climate change-related events. They include sea level rise, which is predicted to affect all sites within the known distribution by the end of the century, and the lowering of groundwater aquifers.
The species is already considered extremely rare and in decline. Bethany Beach fireflies are one of about 170 species of fireflies. It is noted for having a distinctive flash pattern of two green flashes, also called a double-green flash pattern. These insects, which were first discovered in the 1950s, usually emerge in June and July.
The proposal, announced on Monday, is the first time the US government has attempted to protect a firefly under the Endangered Species Act.
In addition to climate change, these fireflies face growing threats from coastal development and light pollution, the latter of which can interfere with the insects’ ability to use their bioluminescent lights to communicate with each other. This particular firefly only flies and flashes at full darkness.
Whistleblower: EPA LYING About East Palestine WATER CONTAMINATION
EPA will withdraw approval of Chevron plastic-based fuels likely to cause cancer
The US Environmental Protection Agency is planning to withdraw and reconsider its approval for Chevron to produce 18 plastic-based fuels, including some that an internal agency assessment found are highly likely to cause cancer. In a recent court filing, the federal agency said it “has substantial concerns” that the approval order “may have been made in error”. The EPA gave a Chevron refinery in Mississippi the green light to make the chemicals in 2022 under a “climate-friendly” initiative intended to boost alternatives to petroleum, as ProPublica and the Guardian reported last year.
An investigation by ProPublica and the Guardian revealed that the EPA had calculated that one of the chemicals intended to serve as jet fuel was expected to cause cancer in one in four people exposed over their lifetime.
The risk from another of the plastic-based chemicals, an additive to marine fuel, was more than 1m times higher than the agency usually considers acceptable – so high that everyone exposed over a lifetime would be expected to develop cancer, according to a document obtained through a public records request. The EPA had failed to note the sky-high cancer risk from the marine fuel additive in the agency’s document approving the chemicals’ production. When ProPublica asked why, the EPA said it had “inadvertently” omitted it.
Although the law requires the agency to address unreasonable risks to health if it identifies them, the EPA’s approval document, known as a consent order, did not include instructions on how the company should mitigate the cancer risks or multiple other health threats posed by the chemicals other than requiring workers to wear gloves. After ProPublica and the Guardian reported on Chevron’s plan to make the chemicals out of discarded plastic, a community group near the refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi, sued the EPA in the US court of appealsfor the District of Columbia Circuit. The group, Cherokee Concerned Citizens, asked the court to invalidate the agency’s approval of the chemicals. Over several months when ProPublica and the Guardian were asking questions about the plastic-based chemicals, the EPA defended its decision to permit Chevron to make them. But in the motion filed on 20 September, the agency said it would reconsider its previous position.
Also of Interest
Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.
Patrick Lawrence: Nasrallah Is Dead But Bibi Hasn’t Won
Why do Biden and Blinken act like Israel's lawyers?
Denial, terror and bravado in Beirut as residents await next Israeli air attack
Hundreds of Greek Cypriots protest role of British bases in Israeli attacks on Gaza
U.S. Government Media Debunks Ukrainian Propaganda Claim
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Speaks at 2024 UN General Assembly
Austria election, Freedom Party wins, Globalists rejected
LtCOL. Karen Kwiatkowski - Truth Bursting at the Seams
A Little Night Music
Jackie Wilson - You'd Better Know It
Jackie Wilson - Stop Doggin' Me Around
Jackie Wilson - I'm Comin' On Back To You
Jackie Wilson - I'll Be Satisfied
Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite
Jackie Wilson - The Way I Am
Jackie Wilson - No Pity (In The Naked City)
Jackie Wilson - Baby Workout
Jackie Wilson - (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher
Comments
nice day for destruction
everyone is turning the corner towards reality. those lie mongers are gonna have a rough time henceforth.
evening kelly...
i'm sure that we'll have plenty more destruction soon. it looks to be the theme of the month.
One of Genocide Joe's puppet masters had this to say.
He left out ‘unprovoked'
"There will be severe consequences for Iran for this attack!"
Hey, Jake. How come there are never severe consequences for Israel when they kill hundreds of thousands civilians, starve millions of Palestinians, invade other countries and bomb whomever and whatever the hell they want? The same question applies to America which does the same damned thing? Jake, your poo stinks!
Biden: On today’s Iran missile attack on Israel. Today at my direction the US military actively supported the defense of Israel. Based on what we know now the attack seems to have been defeated and ineffective. We did great planning for the brazen attack.
The last sentence was delivered with Biden’s usual bravado and hostility. Biden’s poo stinks too.
From the judge and Ritter video.
Ritter: The US navy did not stop the attack.
“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 humphrey...
sounds like a script that they could have written up in advance. probably one that they will repeat in the future.
Blehh! Or in other words…pfffft!
.
And yet Alawieh is encouraging people to vote for Kamala because Orange Man Bad.
Also heard that there are more Lebanese in Detroit than there are Palestinians.
Boy this sums the world yawning while Israel does whatever the hell it wants.
Erdogan is yet again bloviating about what Netanyahu is doing, but he still hasn’t cut the gas to Israel.
“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...
yeah, it seems that people that have been democrats have a hard time not thinking like democrats are brainwashed to, even if they are also of arab lineage. it's hard to believe that those people who were part of the uncommitted movement, after being so shabbily treated by the democrat party corporation are still sort of backdoor urging their constituents to "stop the orange man (by voting blue)."
it's hard to believe that the world community hasn't yet gotten it together to at least create a boycott like they did with south africa. i guess we'll see if they connect with their humanity.
I was young and busy during the South Africa apartheid
Was it as violent and murderous as the Israeli one? And did they attack countries like Israel is doing?
I wonder how many countries have cut all ties with Israel while they are whining about how mean Israel is.
Ritter explained that one reason why Turkey hasn’t cut the gas to Israel is because they want to be seen as a reliable supplier of gas just like the reason why Russia has honored all contracts it made before the war. I wonder how many new contracts Russia will renew though after they expire. It’s still selling diesel to America.
“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 excellent
Larry Johnson and Alistair Crooks. I’ve only listened to half of it and I’ll start over tomorrow because there is so much information for my battled brain to digest. I love interviewers who just let their guests talk.
Anyone catch the judge’s speech from Saturday on our rights? Also excellent. He gets quite steamed during his speech.
Consortium news had the speeches if they’re still up.
“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
Entertainment for the masses.
Doesn't seem like
it drew a big crowd. Certainly no picnic baskets anywhere.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
heh...
i guess that the iranian government wanted to make sure that the average person-on-the-street saw what they were doing, since i presume there was a lot of pressure on them to do it.
Yo, Joe
On your first piece re: the lack of a bill of rights in Austrailia being unique to only that democracy, I'm wondering how the Magna Carta figures in that since they are still part of the British Commonwealth.
Or are they?
And thanks for the EB. You da man.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
evening earthling...
here's an explainer from the australian government on the right to freedom of expression:
Right to freedom of opinion and expression
reading it, one is not filled with confidence, if i may say so.
i haven't read far enough into it to see if the magna carta figures into it, but the article suggests that all rights to free expression are conveyed by human rights conventions that australia is a party to.
Well even countries that have protections for rights
seem to be thinking that they are just suggestions. There should be a penalty for those who refuse to uphold the constitution because they swore an oath to do so. Sadly too many Americans think just like Kerry and are in favor of censorship. Good lord…how did older people become like this?
Too bad the founders didn’t put a clause in that says foreign countries shouldn’t be allowed to make laws in America, but I’m guessing that even if they did our government would just ignore it too. It’s Israel that is getting draconian laws being enforced here and across the pond. I hope I live long enough to see this crap reversed and people who jumped to Israel’s tune removed from office. This timeline is much worse than the McCarthyism era.
“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
Bibi's threats of revenge seem to be handled like water off of
a duck's back.
The cost of Bibi and Blinken's folly seems to be growing!
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/yaf-announce-three-operatio...
heh...
it sounds like the houthis are becoming increasingly effective.
Taibbi’s speech from this weekend
.
He especially took on John Kerry.
Transcript
It ends with this:
“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
wow...
i enjoyed taibbi's speech. i was especially glad to hear him giving props to madison, whose talents i have always admired.
That was a
Thanks, snoopy
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I hope you enjoy the judge’s speech too
I sure did. He too gives props to Madison.
I love his passion for the 1st amendment and glad to see him getting feisty.
“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
LMAO
I’m looking forward to reading Caitlin’s latest.
The Toilet Paper Dome regarding Iran’s attack on Israel. The headline alone….
Iran says that 80% of its missiles hit their target. They actually proved that in April, but for some reason Israel didn’t believe it.
Ritter also said that the Israeli pilots have to keep that in mind because if they fly over to attack Iran there might not be any place for them to land once they get home if Iran bombs all the bases.
Also we have to wonder how many planes flew off air craft carriers today to knock down missiles because they might be running low on fuel because there isn’t a ship in the area that can resupply the fuel. And how many missiles do they have left and might have to leave the area. Stay tuned. This ain’t over.
“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
She has such a way with words
“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
Great speech
Will share with others that will appreciate it.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Shigeru Ishiba Japan's new prime minister
If you don't have time for the video (42 min) this is PM Ishiba's commentary cited in the video-
Shigeru Ishiba on Japan’s New Security Era: The Future of Japan’s Foreign Policy
I'm not sure Ishiba isn't far right, he just has a different approach to making Japan a "normal country" again. How much will he be able to change?
This is an analysis on Ishiba's selection as LDP party leader and prime minister-
Down, but not out
Thanks for the EBs Joe!
語必忠信 行必正直
evening soryang...
i didn't have time to watch the video right now, but i skimmed the first article. it sounds like article 9 will be dead as soon as the politicians can off it. then there was this worrying bit:
this sounds like the death cult is on its way into power in japan, too.
if i read the article correctly, he wants to enshrine this madness into basic law, meaning that it would have to be submitted and passed through the diet.
i wonder if the japanese people will put up with this?
DRINK
.
Hamas started the war and they killed more people than what has been reported the last year.
Thank gawd I’m not a vegetarian. If these 2 take office there will be no more salads.
“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
That was the point I walked out
They could have been debating the best position of Kamasutra and been more informative.
A televised circle jerk.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Great description!
And thanks for the chuckles. The rules were that there would be no fact checking and yet the women kept fact checking Vance. When he called them out on it lots of women piped up and said that he was talking over the women.
Maybe it’s gotten more tweets, but it’s very thin on the Twit. Walz looks like a doofus.
“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
Good evening Joe, thanks for the EBs. To paraphrase Dima,
we have a lot of very interesting updates today. And, they seem to be ushering in yet more interesting times. Thanks ever so much for the news and blues, but I've had enough for one day, I'm gonna go lie down and play some sudoku.
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...
yeah, i know what you mean. i just started putting together news for tomorrow and i'm already tired of it. oh, well, there's more blues tomorrow.
have a good one!
FA….
.
FO….
More videos in the thread.
Wow….I’ve seen lots of the videos, but this is closer up.
“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...
it will be interesting to see what the strikes on nevatim airbase turn out to look like. if they hit planes, hangars or infrastructure that could seriously put bibi's nose out of joint.
With the blackout that the IDF has imposed it is nearly
impossible to get the truth.
These claims cannot be confirmed.
I hope that’s true
I don’t care about the wasted money so much as long as Israel is inhibited in killing more civilians. The dumb fcks that support Israel for some reason can’t see all the hypocrisy that is needed to keep them from seeing that Israel is the bad guy in all this.
Smirkula was asked about Israel’s attacks that caused retribution from Iran and he said that every country has the right to defend itself, BUT….
Link is in Caitlin’s essay. I hope I live long enough to see his smirk wiped off his face.
“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
Probably not true according to Simplicious
What’s the point of half assed attacks if you’re going to give your enemy a heads up? Did Israel warn Iran that they were going to bomb their embassy or bomb in Tehran? Hell no. Like Vanessa Beeley said, she’s been waiting her whole life to see Israel get punished, but…geezus!
“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...
well, if the claims about iran's hypersonic missiles are true - i.e. they cannot be stopped by israel or the u.s. - then i suppose that prior notice is not as big a deal.
i have been seeing reports that mossad hq was hit.
I saw that too
I’m not sure if I saw a video of it happening, but those bombs hit a lot of targets.
My Twit feed was full of Israeli bought congress critters saying that they are praying and standing with Israel. Most of the replies asked them if they were praying for hurricane victims. People are very riled up about the sycophantic congress creeps. And how much money is going out of the country instead of helping people here.
Hey maybe Russia will release satellite photos of the damage done in Israel.
“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
After what they have been going through I can't say that
I blame them.
For information purposes only. But it does seem reasonable.
This is somewhat surprising. Expand the video to see the
participants.
I have no clue if this is simply propaganda or it is true with
regards to Iran's attack?
The rest of the tweet: