The Evening Blues - 12-12-24



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The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Mike Bloomfield

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features blues-rock guitarist Mike Bloomfield. Enjoy!

Bloomfield / Hammond / Dr. John – Cha Dooky Doo

"Western regime change cheerleaders are partying about Syria as hard as they can right now because they know soon they’re going to have to turn a blind eye to everything that happens in that country for years to come, just like they did with Libya."

-- Caitlin Johnstone


News and Opinion

Netanyahu Hilariously Claims Israel Doesn’t Seek To Intervene In Syria’s Affairs

Benjamin Netanyahu is hilariously saying that Israel has “no intention of interfering in Syria’s internal affairs.”

Only Israel could invade and occupy large stretches of a country, bomb it 480 times in 48 hours, destroy 80 percent of its military defenses, and then claim that it has no intention of interfering in that country’s internal affairs.


Max Blumenthal : Turkey Invades Syria

Assad downfall was planned by US and Israel, claims Iran’s supreme leader

Iran’s supreme leader has claimed the US and Israel acted as the command centre that engineered the downfall of Syria’s former president, Bashar al-Assad, and the ousting of Iran from the country. He also claimed Iranian intelligence had sent warnings to the Assad government about a possible attack for three months and predicted Syrian youth would eventually recapture the country, remarks that are unlikely to make it easier for Iran to build strong relations with the new leaders in Damascus.

Making his first comments since the collapse of a key pillar of Iran’s “axis of resistance”, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a gathering in Tehran: “There should be no doubt that what happened in Syria is the product of a joint American and Zionist plan. Yes, a neighbouring government in Syria plays an obvious role in this regard, and is still playing it – everyone sees this – but the main conspirator, mastermind, and command centre are in America and the Zionist regime. We have evidence. This evidence leaves no room for doubt.”

His reference to a neighbouring government seems to be about Turkey, which played a key role in supporting the opposition forces that fanned out from Idlib in a well-planned military operation that was far more successful than they had ever envisaged.

But Khamenei insisted: “Let everyone know that this situation will not remain as it is. The fact that some people in Damascus celebrate, dance, and violate the homes of others while the Zionist regime bombs Syria, enters their territory with tanks and artillery, is unacceptable. The Syrian youth will undoubtedly stand firm and overcome this situation.”

He also called for the media to be be less negative about Iran, reflecting the fact that in recent days an open and self-critical inquest has been under way in Iran about what went wrong with its strategy in Syria, and its consequences for Iran’s future security, including whether to seek reconciliation with the west or instead build nuclear weapons. There have already been two closed sessions of the parliament to discuss the crisis, one held with the foreign minister and the other with the military.

Brian Berletic: Putin Sets DEVASTATING Trap for NATO, Ukraine Collapses as Syria Explodes

Syria's Mohammed al-Jolani: Terrorist Or "Noble Rebel"?

George Galloway: The Arab world is dead to me

The headchoppers are happy.

Islamist groups from across the world congratulate HTS on victory in Syria

Islamist organisations and militants around the world have congratulated Syrian rebels on their victory over the regime of Bashar al-Assad, ignoring historic ideological differences, sectarian divides and continuing uncertainty around how rigorously the new rulers in Damascus will impose religious strictures and norms.

The almost universal support for the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant faction among Syrian rebels, suggests the group’s fusion of national and religious ideologies will act as a further example for other Islamists. Some senior Islamist activists are already discussing in private the “model” pioneered by the Sunni rebel group.

Many branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, the veteran Islamist movement which seeks to bring government based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law to countries across the Muslim world and has rejected violence, issued jubilant statements celebrating the victory of HTS, crediting the “Syrian people with the overthrow of the Assad regime”.

The Lebanese branch of the Brotherhood congratulated and blessed “the Syrian people for overthrowing their tyrant and achieving the first goals of their revolution”. In Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, the political party that represents the interests of the Muslim Brotherhood in the kingdom, also congratulated the Syrian people, and some of its senior officials expressed support for the HTS and its campaign. ...

In recent days, Hamas congratulated the Syrian people for achieving their “aspirations for freedom and justice” adding that it hoped that post-Assad Syria would continue “its historical and pivotal role in supporting the Palestinian people”. The Iran-backed, Palestinian Islamic Jihad issued an almost identical statement.

Matt Hoh : US Unleashes Anarchy in Syria

After Another US Security Council Veto, UN General Assembly Votes for Gaza Cease-Fire

Following yet another United States veto of a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza, members of the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favor of an "immediate, unconditional, and permanent cease-fire" in the Palestinian enclave, where Israeli forces continued relentless attacks that killed dozens more Palestinians, including numerous children.

The veto by the United States, a permanent Security Council member, came during an emergency special session and was the lone dissenting vote on the 15-member body. It was the fourth time since October 2023 that the Biden administration vetoed a Security Council resolution on a Gaza cease-fire.

"At a time when Hamas is feeling isolated due to the cease-fire in Lebanon, the draft resolution on a cease-fire in Gaza risks sending a dangerous message to Hamas that there's no need to negotiate or release the hostages," Robert Wood, the United States' deputy U.N. ambassador, said ahead of Wednesday's vote.

The 193-member U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) subsequently voted 158-9, with 13 abstentions, for a resolution demanding "an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, to be respected by all parties," and calling for the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" held by Hamas.

The nine countries that opposed the measure are the United States, Israel, Argentina, Czechia, Hungary, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Tonga.

In a separate vote Wednesday, 159 UNGA members voted in favor of a resolution affirming the body's "full support" for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. UNRWA has been the target of diplomatic and financial attacks by Israel and its backers—who have baselessly accused the lifesaving organization of being a terrorist group—and literal attacks by Israeli forces, who have killed more than 250 of the agency's personnel.

Claims of Hamas fighters in Gaza hospitals grossly exaggerated, says senior ICC prosecutor

Claims about the presence of Hamas fighters in hospitals in Gaza under siege by Israel’s military have been “grossly exaggerated”, a top prosecutor at the international criminal court (ICC) has said. Andrew Cayley, who is leading the ICC’s Palestine investigation, questioned the reliability of claims about military activity in Gaza’s hospitals which have been made to justify Israeli attacks on healthcare facilities in the territory.

Speaking at an event last week, Cayley provided a rare glimpse inside the ICC prosecutor office’s investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity by Israeli forces and Palestinian militants. Cayley – who reports directly to the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan – is overseeing the inquiry which was launched in 2021 but accelerated after the Hamas-led 7 October attacks and Israel’s subsequent bombardment of Gaza. ...

ICC prosectors are understood to have reviewed incidents in which hospitals have been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. ... The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has repeatedly justified operations against medical facilities in Gaza with claims that they were being used by Hamas militants.

Cayley said the ICC faced “great difficulty assessing” the level of Hamas militant presence in hospitals “because clearly there are lies being spoken, but that is really something we do need to get to the bottom of as a prosecution office”. He added: “I think that has been grossly exaggerated, but we need to be able to demonstrate very clearly what the level of military presence was, if at all, in these hospitals because I think we’ve been misled about that in the press.”

Cayley indicated that Israeli operations against Gaza’s healthcare facilities would be examined. “Looking at damage to health facilities, destruction of health facilities, we will be coming on to that probably later next year. We’re having to do this in stages simply because of the resources that we have,” he added.

Death feels imminent for 96% of children in Gaza

A new study of children living through the war in Gaza has found that 96% of them feel that their death is imminent and almost half want to die as a result of the trauma they have been through. A needs assessment, carried out by a Gaza-based NGO sponsored by the War Child Alliance charity, also found that 92% of the children in the survey were “not accepting of reality”, 79% suffer from nightmares and 73% exhibit symptoms of aggression.

“This report lays bare that Gaza is one of the most horrifying places in the world to be a child,” Helen Pattinson, chief executive of War Child UK, said. “Alongside the levelling of hospitals, schools and homes, a trail of psychological destruction has caused wounds unseen but no less destructive on children who hold no responsibility for this war.”

The survey questioned parents or caregivers of 504 children from families where at least one child is disabled, injured or unaccompanied. The sample was split between southern and northern Gaza and was complemented by more in-depth interviews. The survey was carried out in June this year, so is likely to understate the accumulated psychological impact of Gaza’s children now, after more than 14 months of Israel’s assault on the territory. ...

“The psychological toll on children was severe, with high levels of stress manifested in symptoms such as fear, anxiety, sleep disturbances, nightmares, nail biting, difficulty concentrating and social withdrawal,” the report said. “Children have witnessed the bombing of their homes and schools, experienced the loss of loved ones, and have been displaced or separated from their families while fleeing for safety.”

ATACMS into Russia. Kursk cauldron KNOCKOUT to Ukraine

Ukraine Fires More US ATACMS Into Russia, Moscow Vows Response

The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had launched another attack on Russian territory with US-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which have a range of up to 190 miles.

Russia’s TASS news agency reported that Ukraine “delivered a strike by six US-made ATACMS long-range ballistic missiles at the military airfield in Taganrog in southern Russia on the morning of December 11.” The report said two missiles were intercepted by air defenses, and the other four were deflected by electronic warfare.

The Russian Defense Ministry said shrapnel from the missiles caused injuries. “There are injuries among the personnel as a result of the fall of missile fragments. There is no destruction while minor damage (shrapnel damage) was caused to two buildings on the airfield’s technical premises, three military motor vehicles and also civilian cars on a parking lot adjacent to the airfield,” the ministry said.

The ministry also vowed there would be a response. “This attack by Western long-range weapons won’t be left unanswered, and corresponding measures will be taken,” it said.

THIS Is How The U.S. Will Start War With Iran!

Despite 100% Pentagon Audit Failure Rate, House Passes $883.7 Billion NDAA

Despite the Pentagon's repeated failures to pass audits and various alarming policies, 81 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted with 200 Republicans on Wednesday to advance a $883.7 billion annual defense package.

The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, unveiled by congressional negotiators this past Saturday, still needs approval from the Senate, which is expected to vote next week. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday that he plans to vote no and spoke out against the military-industrial complex.

The push to pass the NDAA comes as this congressional session winds down and after the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced last month that it had failed yet another audit—which several lawmakers highlighted after the Wednesday vote.

Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairs and co-founders of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, said in a joint statement, "Time and time again, Congress seems to be able to find the funds necessary to line the pockets of defense contractors while neglecting the problems everyday Americans face here at home." ...

Israel—which receives billions of dollars in annual armed aid from the United States—faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court last month issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The NDAA includes over $627 million in provisions for Israel.

Brazil president Lula to undergo second operation after emergency brain surgery

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will undergo another operation to “minimize the risk of future bleeding” his doctors have said, after the emergency operation carried out on Tuesday to contain a brain bleed.

Lula, 79, is expected to undergo the “complementary” procedure on Thursday , his medical team said on Wednesday.

The minimally invasive procedure is called middle meningeal artery embolization and aims to reduce bleeding and prevent the accumulation of blood between the brain and the skull.

“There is a small possibility that in the future, the small arteries of the meninges could still cause minor bleeding,” Lula’s personal doctor, Dr Roberto Kalil Filho told reporters. “So this complementary procedure to the surgical procedure is to minimise the risk of this happening in the future.”

Kalil said that the “relatively simple and low risk”, non-surgery procedure would be carried out on Thursday morning and would take about an hour. Kalil reiterated that the president’s first surgery had been carried out without complications and said that the president’s recovery has been “excellent”.

Emmanuel Macron under pressure to appoint new prime minister this week

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is under pressure to appoint a new prime minister this week after the ousted conservative Michel Barnier warned that any government would face the challenge of public debt and deep divisions in society. Barnier’s government held its last cabinet meeting with Macron on Wednesday after it collapsed in a no-confidence vote last week.

He thanked Macron for the “frank” exchanges they were able to have during his three months at the head of a minority coalition, Le Monde reported. But he warned of “social, territorial and rural divisions” fracturing France and “a feeling of abandonment” felt by many people over justice, education, crime, health and agriculture. Barnier also said France’s financial debt was a “reality” any new government would have to face.

Macron this week gathered leaders from part of the political spectrum – including socialists, centrists and the rightwing Les Républicains – in a move to form what he called a “government of national interest”. Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s leftwing La France Insoumise (LFI) were not invited.

Maud Bregeon, the spokesperson for the outgoing government, said two options were being considered. First was “broadening” the existing alliance between centrists and the right, implying some politicians on the left could join the government. Second would be to make a deal with opposition parties on the left to not back any no-confidence motion – even if they did not take part in government.

United Health

New York police warn US healthcare executives about online ‘hitlist’

The New York police department (NYPD) has warned US healthcare executives of a heightened risk to their lives after identifying an online “hitlist” posted in the wake of last week’s assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.

Corporations have scrambled to give their senior figures added protection against the threat of copycat killings following Thompson’s murder, which has been celebrated in some quarters of social media.

The NYPD’s warning came in a bulletin, which highlighted viral posts publicising the names and salaries of several other health insurance executives. In addition to the social media posts, multiple “wanted” signs featuring corporate chief executives have been posted throughout Manhattan, according to the bulletin, which was first reported by ABC.

The suspect in Thompson’s killing, Luigi Mangione, who has been lionised as a “martyr” on social media – prompting fears that the crime could serve as an inspiration – appeared in a court in Pennsylvania on Tuesday facing charges of second-degree murder. CNN cited two law enforcement officials saying that fingerprints from the assassination scene matched Mangione’s. ...

The NYPD bulletin urged companies to step up security, saying the allegations against Mangione had the “capability to inspire a variety of extremists and grievance-driven malicious actors to violence”.

“WANTED” Posters For Health Insurance Execs All Over NYC!

Caitlin on pitchfork proliferation

People who say violence is never the answer are usually ignoring some massive and hugely consequential forms of systemic violence which gave rise to the violence they’re denouncing. It happened with October 7, and it happened with the health insurance CEO.

Yesterday I asked my Twitter followers to complete the following sentence: “Instead of physically attacking the abusive plutocrats who expand their wealth and power by ruining lives and killing people, ordinary citizens should use the other options that are available to them to address such injustices, such as _________.”

The responses were interesting. I got a lot of angry replies from people saying I was encouraging violence by posing this question, which is actually pretty revealing if you think about it. I didn’t actually encourage violence, I just asked people to list what the alternative options to violence were. If these respondents were aware of options besides violence for dealing with the abuses of wealthy oligarchs, it would never have occurred to them to see my question that way. They themselves see no way to resolve these abuses besides violence; they just think people should submit to continued abuse.

Watching all the widespread support for the CEO’s suspected killer Luigi Mangione reminds me of a 2014 essay by venture capitalist Nick Hanauer titled “The Pitchforks Are Coming For Us Plutocrats” warning what he termed his “fellow zillionaires” that “No society can sustain this kind of rising inequality.”

“The problem isn’t that we have inequality,” Hanauer wrote. “The problem is that inequality is at historically high levels and getting worse every day. Our country is rapidly becoming less a capitalist society and more a feudal society. Unless our policies change dramatically, the middle class will disappear, and we will be back to late 18th-century France. Before the revolution.”

“If we don’t do something to fix the glaring inequities in this economy, the pitchforks are going to come for us,” warned Hanauer. “No society can sustain this kind of rising inequality. In fact, there is no example in human history where wealth accumulated like this and the pitchforks didn’t eventually come out. You show me a highly unequal society, and I will show you a police state. Or an uprising. There are no counterexamples. None. It’s not if, it’s when.”

Hanauer wasn’t speaking out of compassion or altruism but basic self-concern. He wasn’t trying to help the poor, he was trying to avoid meeting his maker at the business end of a guillotine blade.

All the rage and bloodlust directed toward these plutocrats does seem to be approaching the boiling point he warned of. I don’t know how this is going to play out, but I will say we’re at a fascinating point in history.

Mysterious DRONES Flying Over New Jersey! Pentagon DENIES Iranian 'MOTHERSHIP' Claim

FBI director Christopher Wray will resign before Trump takes office

The director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, announced he was stepping down on Wednesday, after Donald Trump said he would fire him and install the firebrand loyalist Kash Patel in his place.

Wray, who the president-elect himself appointed as director during his first presidency after firing Wray’s predecessor James Comey in 2017, announced his decision to staff at the bureau’s Washington headquarters.

“I’ve decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,” he said. “This is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” ...

The news was greeted with elation by Trump, who called it “a great day for America” and said Wray’s departure would end what he has characterised as the “weaponisation” of the US justice system.



the horse race



The Biden parade of excuses continues...

Biden says he was ‘stupid’ not to sign Covid stimulus checks as Trump did

Joe Biden has voiced regret for not following Donald Trump’s example by putting his signature on Covid-19-era economic stimulus cheques sent to Americans during a speech about his record on the economy as he prepares to leave office.

Five weeks after his vice-president, Kamala Harris, lost the presidential election to Trump, the US president suggested on Tuesday that his failure to put his name on the cheques may have contributed to voters blaming his administration for high prices even when the economy was improving.

“Within the first two months of office I signed the American Rescue Plan,” Biden said in a speech at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based thinktank. “And also learned something from Donald Trump – he signed checks for people, $7,400 for people because we passed the plan. I didn’t – stupid.”

Trump was widely criticised after becoming the first president to have his name printed on cheques disbursed by the Internal Revenue Service – America’s federal tax authority – in 2020. The move followed legislation from Congress intended to ease the impact of the economic slowdown that resulted from the first wave of the Covid pandemic.

“I’m sure people will be very happy to get a big, fat, beautiful check and my name is on it,” he said at the time. Anecdotal evidence suggested that he may have been given credit by voters that was denied to Biden for his response to the pandemic.



the evening greens


Dengue fever deaths surge in Caribbean and Americas due to climate crisis

Deaths from dengue fever surged across the Caribbean and the Americas in 2024, health officials said, as warmer weather brought on by the climate crisis enables the mosquitoes that carry the virus to expand their reach. More than 7,700 deaths have been reported in the region so far in 2024, compared with 2,467 deaths in 2023 – an increase of more than 200%.

A record 12.6m suspected cases of the mosquito-transmitted virus have been reported in the region this year – nearly triple the number from last year, the Pan American Health Organization (Paho), the regional office of the World Health Organization in the Americas, said late on Tuesday.

The number of cases in the region, which includes the United States, is the highest reported since record keeping began in 1980, the Paho director, Jarbas Barbosa, said at a news conference.

“This is linked directly to climatic events,” he said, referencing warmer temperatures, droughts and flooding. A fast population growth, unplanned urbanization and poor sanitation have contributed to the rise in dengue.

The virus has surged worldwide since last year and spread to areas previously free of dengue, according to Paho.

EPA bans widely used chemicals linked to cancer before Trump takes office

The US Environmental Protection Agency has banned perc and TCE, toxic chemicals that are widely used in everyday products but strongly linked to cancer and other serious health problems. The move comes after the first Donald Trump administration killed the process to limit the chemicals’ uses, but the bans make it difficult for the second Trump administration to undo the rules.

The chemicals are commonly used in dry cleaning, carpet cleaning, hoof polishes, brake cleaners, adhesives, pepper spray and lubricants. ...

TCE, or trichloroethylene, is linked to male reproductive damage, liver disease, kidney disease, neurological damage and Parkinson’s disease. It has particularly been a problem for those living near air force bases or civilian airports because it is widely employed as an industrial degreaser.

The chemical can percolate into groundwater used as drinking water sources, and officials suspect TCE water contamination is behind multiple cancer clusters, and sickening and killing service members at bases across the US. Many areas with TCE contamination are designated Superfund sites, which is reserved for the nation’s most polluted locations. The EPA found TCE presents an “unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment” in 52 of 54 uses in industrial and consumer products. Still, about 250m lb of the chemical are produced annually and added to consumer products – most of it ends up in water.

Perc, or perchloroethylene, is linked to similar health problems, including kidney disease, liver damage, memory loss and decreased immune function. It’s also thought to cause liver, kidney, brain and testicular cancers. Perc is also used as a degreasing, lubricant and adhesive agent in manufacturing, and has also been widely found in drinking water. It can also emit a gas through soil that poisons the air inside buildings above it.

‘We’re an evolving laboratory’: the island on a quest to be self-sufficient in energy

A vertiginous outcrop with more than 500 volcanoes, El Hierro, the most westerly of the Canary Islands, is less than 12 miles (20km) wide but features elevation differences of more than 1,500 metres. Swept by strong Atlantic winds and pockmarked with volcanic craters, it has spent the past decade harnessing its natural features to create clean electricity – with the goal of being the first island to reach self-sufficiency in energy.

Now, the island is reaching new milestones. Energy generated by wind and water has enabled its 11,000 inhabitants to be completely self-sufficient in electricity for 10,000 hours since its renewables project was established. About 50% of the island’s annual demand is now supplied by renewables. El Hierro is among the only isolated territories in the world to achieve this level of energy self-sufficiency through renewables – shutting off diesel engines and operating without external connection. ...

On El Hierro, there is only one traffic light and no shopping malls. With no direct flights outside the archipelago, it has not been hit by the waves of mass tourism prompting protests across much of Spain. The calm is broken only by the wind coming off the ocean, which is harnessed by five turbines of the Gorona del Viento hydro-wind power plant. The energy they capture supplies electricity, and the excess is used to pump water to an upper reservoir. When there is no wind, the water is released from above and runs down through the turbines to generate electricity. ...

A devastating drought in 1948, which left the island on the brink of collapse, remains etched in the memory of the islanders. Without the money to bring water by ship, they had to plead for help from the central government in Madrid. Since then, the island has worked towards self-sufficiency.

Today, the energy needed for the three desalination plants that supply water to the island is almost entirely produced by the hydro-wind power plant. “Scientists from around the world come to study us and see how they can implement the project in their own territories,” says María Candelaria Sánchez Galán, head of operations at Gorona del Viento. “We are a constantly evolving laboratory.”


Also of Interest

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

Taking the Hit For Stopping Genocide

Assad’s Legacy

A New Low for Netanyahu: He Tells Israelis the Failures of Oct. 7 Will Never Be Investigated

The Collapse of Syria, BRICS, and Wishful Thinking

After U.S. ATACMS Strike On Strategic Target Russia Announces To Retaliate

Murdoch Outlets and Bezos’ WaPo Demand More Sympathy for Health Insurance Execs

ICJ forced to listen to climate victims

Eggs, Car Insurance SKYROCKET Inflation Numbers Ahead Of Trump

DANGEROUS Gov’t Prosecution Of Black Uhuru Movement! w/ Omali Yeshitela

TRUMP wants end to project Ukraine, Zelensky panics


A Little Night Music

Michael Bloomfield – If You See My Baby

Michael Bloomfield – Bad Man

Nick Gravenites & Mike Bloomfield – Georgia Blues

Michael Bloomfield – Next Time You See Me

The Electric Flag – Texas

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Lovin' Cup

Muddy Waters – Walkin' Thru The Park

The Butterfield Blues Band – Two Trains Running

Nick Gravenites & Mike Bloomfield – Swing With It

Bloomfield / Hammond / Dr. John – Sho Bout To Drive Me Wild


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joe shikspack's picture

@humphrey

medhurst does righteous anger pretty well. everything he says there has the ring of truth.

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QMS's picture

read somewhere the day after the election
Kamala's husband filed for divorce? Dunno.
Might partially explain her rehab visit.

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question everything

snoopydawg's picture

@QMS

IMG_6571.jpeg
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The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt

@QMS

Mossad has a large arsenal of dirty tricks and doesn't hesitate to use them.

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joe shikspack's picture

@QMS

i did a quick google and from what i found, it appears that the kamala divorce is still in the realm of internet rumor.

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snoopydawg's picture

.

Medhurst brings up a good point. The UK media is praising Jubilant the leader of HTS, but unlike Richard's support of Palestinians none of the media is being arrested under the terrorism act.

Heh…Jubilant said that he has outgrown his head chopping tendencies and has become a new and better man so maybe Luigi can use it for his defense. He can say that he has outgrown shooting CEO terrorists and he won’t do it again because he has grown up.

Galloway is right. The Silk Road is dead and probably BRICS as well. Iran did absolutely shit about Israel’s murderous ways and now the axis of resistance is DOA. But I think Russia has a lot to answer for by allowing Israel to continually bomb Syria by not letting them use the air defense system.

Israel taking more Syrian territory has sealed the border between Syria and Iraq.

The only players left standing are the Houthis, but even they are afraid to sink American warships. I don’t blame them really, but they, Hezzbollah and Iran blinked when it came to defending Palestine. Iran alone could have put some serious hurt on Israel. And now what? Israel and America are going to turn their eyes on Iran and that will weaken both Russia and China. Then what?

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The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt

joe shikspack's picture

@snoopydawg

it will be interesting to see how things shake out. the way things are now is not likely to be the way that they stay. this does appear to be a big set back for brics, iran, russia, china, etc. - after all, they are trying to build something and the u.s., israel, the eu only want to destroy things and create chaos (a much simpler task). we can only hope that the rest of the world gets a vote and reins in the disgusting activities of the west and israel.

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joe shikspack's picture

@humphrey

funny how the government and shitlibs suddenly discovered that torture is bad.

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snoopydawg's picture

.

From a year ago, but still relevant.

Staggering Towards the Abyss

I am more convinced than ever that the US could NOT establish air superiority against Russia — not in a week; not in a year. Never. It simply could not be done. It would be a logistical power projection challenge well beyond the current capabilities of the United States military.

American air power would prove substantially inferior to the extremely potent and abundantly supplied air defenses fielded by the Russians.

Russia, China, and Iran are engaging in regular joint exercises in the Arabian Sea.

This is not meaningless posturing. These are the actions of countries who intend to engage in mutual defense in the event of an attack on any one of them.

I am increasingly persuaded that, if the US chooses to make direct war against either Russia, China, or Iran, it will result in a war against all three simultaneously.

Netanyahu is saying that he is going to attack Iran soon. I wonder if he’s feeling lucky?

Plus Max and Aaron on questions and rumors

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The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt

soryang's picture

@snoopydawg @snoopydawg

I'm not sure how far the Russia and China really need to "assist each other in their defense" should they come under western assault. Extending their support to Iran is problematic in some respects, particularly for China. The truth is that Russian aerospace has always been their strong point. The US side has consistently over rated their capability in terms of penetration of airspace defended by Russian missiles and aircraft. This goes back all the way to the Korean conflict, and then the Vietnam conflict. Imo all three countries, Russia, China, and Iran, have strategic depth, which limits the impact of shorter range tactical aircraft. By the same token, they have amazing redundancy in terms of the air and rocket forces they can bring to bear. When one considers "throughput" limitations for weapon and aircraft replacement the US appears to have now, I'm not surprised that in various scenarios, resort to strategic bombers and nuclear missiles, the so called tactical nukes, will be a tempting escalation to avoid the consequences of serious losses in the so called "battlespace."

I know what (conventional) tactical weapons I would prefer to use, before risking my manned airpower. I think one would tend to see a tit for tat type exchange such as that we are now observing in Ukraine. However, the ground warfare commitment of any kind should be avoided at all costs. I'm speaking in purely tactical terms. Countries like China, Russia, and even Iran, would absorb ground incursions by the west like a sponge, such incursions, we can ill afford, would prove disastrous. One also has to keep in mind, that air warfare is just not as effective as an isolated vector of military force. It is consistently over rated, except in wars, against third rate powers as in the so called war on terror. Well organized militaries, with combat experience, will exact a heavy price on the manned bomber attacks of yesteryear. And those even where they succeed, will be of limited consequence to ultimate outcomes, unless they go nuclear. imo Just trying to take a realistic and prudent view, based on history and years of study of these matters when I was a youngun.

The Abyss author makes some valid points.

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10 users have voted.

語必忠信 行必正直

joe shikspack's picture

@snoopydawg

it looks like russia, iran and china better get their shit together quickly.

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7 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@joe shikspack

And the bullies be taught a big enough lesson that they quit their damn bullying and stay in their own sandbox.

Butte says that countries need more money for defense so it should come out of social spending. Okay…what the hell are they defending if it’s not people’s lives and their pursuit of happiness, ect? Letting people starve to death or die from the elements…you can see where I’m going with this.

Sam update. We get home from our walk and go in the house…except last week she started just standing there and looking at me..I figured out that she was waiting for an invitation to come inside. So now I have to tell her that she can come in. It’s the look on her face while she is waiting for her invite. Never knew dawgs can do shit eating grins.

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4 users have voted.

The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt

joe shikspack's picture

@snoopydawg

the bullies don't learn lessons. iraq, libya, now syria... they just keep destroying stuff because they can. they won't stop until they are made incapable of projecting power.

militaries having guns is always more important than people having food to the sort of people that run countries.

give sam another scritch for me. Smile

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6 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@joe shikspack

and she has to be invited in the house or she will lose her powers?

I dunno why she suddenly changes the routine. A few weeks ago she decided that she should spend her time in bed. We’d get up, have coffee and cookies and then she would go back to bed. Come home from the walk and make a beeline to the bed. Eat dinner and then go back to bed. That ended last week. I probably should have kept a journal about life with Sam.

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6 users have voted.

The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

Would anyone who watched it mind providing a "Cliff's Notes" summary?

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5 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

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6 users have voted.
Cassiodorus's picture

@humphrey It will no doubt happen again.

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6 users have voted.

“The loyal Left cannot act decisively. Their devotion to the system is a built-in kill switch limiting dissent.” - Richard Moser

joe shikspack's picture

@humphrey

if this sort of thing continues, the pmc might realize just how well-loved and admired they are.

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5 users have voted.

@humphrey

For others there is a happy ending.

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6 users have voted.

seems that the US sanctions are not having much impact.

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6 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@humphrey

sanctions seem to be providing the impetus for china to outstrip what few commercial, manufacturing and technological advantages the u.s. has more rapidly than they might have otherwise. biden's doing a great job of shooting america in the foot.

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6 users have voted.

of Ukraine. Maybe Blinky is trying to insure him self for a soft landing when he is booted out from his genocidal position.

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5 users have voted.

adhering to the Rules Based Order.

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5 users have voted.