The Evening Blues - 11-19-15

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features blues harmonica player James Cotton. Enjoy!

"Rome’s a city for sale and bound to fall as soon as it finds a buyer."

-- Jugurtha

News and Opinion

Obama's drone war a 'recruitment tool' for Isis, say US air force whistleblowers

Four former service members – including three sensor operators – issue plea to rethink current airstrike strategy that has ‘fueled feelings of hatred’ toward US

Four former US air force service members, with more than 20 years of experience between them operating military drones, have written an open letter to Barack Obama warning that the program of targeted killings by unmanned aircraft has become a major driving force for Isis and other terrorist groups.

The group of servicemen have issued an impassioned plea to the Obama administration, calling for a rethink of a military tactic that they say has “fueled the feelings of hatred that ignited terrorism and groups like Isis, while also serving as a fundamental recruitment tool similar to Guantánamo Bay”.

In particular, they argue, the killing of innocent civilians in drone airstrikes has acted as one of the most “devastating driving forces for terrorism and destabilization around the world”. ...

The number of lethal airstrikes has ballooned under Obama’s watch. The Pentagon has plans further to increase the number of daily drone flights by 50% by 2019. ...

One of the four drone operators who signed the letter to Obama, Brandon Bryant, was part of the team that tracked Anwar al-Awlaki by drone for 10 months shortly before he was killed. In an interview with the Guardian, Bryant said that he was not opposed to drone technology per se, which he saw as having beneficial uses.

“We just understand that in its current form the program is being abused, there’s no transparency, and we need to be open to other solutions.”

Bryant said that in his view he had been made to violate his military oath by being assigned to a mission that killed a fellow American. “We were told that al-Awlaki deserved to die, he deserved to be killed as a traitor, but article 3 of section 2 of the US constitution states that even a traitor deserves a fair trial in front of a jury of his peers.”

Paris attacks could delay Guantánamo Bay closure, Obama warns

Barack Obama has warned that his efforts to close the Guantánamo Bay detention centre will run into even more opposition as a result of the Paris terrorist attacks, despite the facility serving as an “enormous recruitment tool” for Islamic State by remaining open.

The White House is due to announce its latest plan to shut the prison when Obama returns from Asia this week, but it is increasingly gloomy about prospects for overcoming Republicans and Democrats in Congress who oppose the notion of relocating a hardcore of detainees to mainland US prisons.

Obama also compared the negative consequences of the political deadlock to parallel congressional efforts to suspend the Syrian refugee programme, which will be voted on in the House of Representatives today, claiming Guantánamo Bay in particular did more harm than good by fuelling terrorism.

“It’s part of how they rationalize and justify their demented, sick perpetration of violence on innocent people,” said the president.

[Wow, that Obama puts out some pretty harsh rhetoric about violence against innocent civilians for a guy whose thousands of drone strikes kill civilians 90% of the time. - js]

Between ISIS and Intervening Powers, Perpetual Conflict is Common Goal

Don't blame me for Isis, says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, has declared his country was not a breeding ground for Isis, blaming the creation of the jihadist organisation on the west.

“I can tell you Daesh doesn’t have the natural incubator, social incubator, within Syria,” he said in a television interview with Italian national broadcaster Rai, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

Jihadists who trained in Syria for the Paris massacres and other attacks had done so due to “the support of the Turks and the Saudis and Qatari, and of course the western policy that supported the terrorists in different ways”, he said.

Isis “didn’t start in Syria, it started in Iraq, and it started before that in Afghanistan”, he said, quoting former British prime minister Tony Blair as saying “the Iraqi war helped create Isis”.

Blair’s “confession is the most important evidence”, Assad said.

Glenn Greenwald: "Shameless" U.S. Officials Exploit Paris Attacks to Defend Spying & Attack Snowden>

Paris terror: Air strikes will have little effect

French aircraft have bombed Raqqa, Isis’s capital, and hit an Isis training camp and a suspected arms depot according to a local monitoring group. But ten French planes dropping 20 bombs are unlikely to achieve very much because targets are concealed, dispersed and difficult to detect.

The limitations on the effectiveness of French military actions are made clear by the failure of the much larger US-led air campaign to contain Isis since air strikes began in August last year. It has caused damage and inflicted casualties on Isis and, on occasion, has led to their defeat in ground battles with the Syrian and Iraqi Kurds. But, despite being vulnerable to air attack, Isis was still able to capture Palmyra in Syria and Ramadi in Iraq in May.

France Wants Grand Coalition Against ISIS, But US Still Seeks to Exclude Russia

Since Friday evening’s attacks, French officials have repeatedly declared their desire to see a “grand coalition” of nations fighting ISIS, with President Hollande saying it’s time to put aside “diverging interests” and unite against ISIS in general.

This comment is pointed squarely at the current divide in the ISIS war, with the US-led coalition fighting one anti-ISIS war, and several other nations fighting ISIS, but being excluded by the US. Russia is the biggest of these nations, and the US seems eager to keep it that way.

Speaking during his visit to the Philippines, President Obama insisted Russia needed to be kept out of their coalition right now, and that the US intends to “wait and see” if Russia gets closer to the US position on a diplomatic settlement at the Vienna talks.

Oil on Fire: Russian jets destroy ISIS refineries, trucks and wells

World unites after IS terror but strikes may backfire

In the wake of the brutal attacks in France and the downing of a Russian passenger jet over Egypt last month, Paris and Moscow are now keen to present themselves as partners -- a potentially major turnaround after nearly two years of deteriorating relations over the Ukraine crisis.

A senior French official told AFP the bloodshed in Paris would spur an international effort that "strikes more intelligently together against Daesh (an alternative name for IS), to hurt Daesh by striking more damaging targets, particularly against financial resources."

He said there would be a focus on oil infrastructure and transport routes that are key to IS funding.

But striking economic targets could drive more locals into the arms of the jihadists, warned analyst Hassan Hassan, while doing little to signficantly degrade the group's capabilities. ...

"People depend on oil for their basic livelihoods. If you deprive them of that, it forces them either to flee and become refugees, or join IS, as they need a source of income," he said.

Expanding air strikes also raises the prospect of killing civilians, multiplying grievances and fuelling support for IS.

Turkey and US to carry out operation to drive Isis out of key Turkish border region

Turkey and the US are to carry out operations aimed at driving out Isis from a militarily important part of Syria’s border region with Turkey. The move is part of the elaborate chess game being played in the area in which the ultimate prize is Aleppo and a decisive victory in the Syrian civil war.

The aim of operation will be to establish an “Isis-free zone” in a 60-mile long area west of the Euphrates through which run the roads from Turkey to Aleppo, the second largest city in Syria.

The US and Turkey will provide air cover as the zone is cleared of Isis fighters by the Free Syrian Army, but no Turkish or American ground troops will be involved. ...

Problems are likely to arise for the US-Turkish accord because Ankara’s definition of a moderate appears to include the extreme Sunni hard-line groups like Ahrar al-Sham that normally fights alongside Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda. At the G20 meeting last weekend President Barack Obama made strong objections to the idea of a “safe zone” in Syria, saying its establishment would require US ground troops to be truly safe. He said “the bulk of deaths that have occurred in Syria, for example, have come about not because of regime bombing, but because of on-the-ground casualties”. ...

Turkey may feel threatened because of the three offensives launched by the Syrian army, with Russian air support, in the north of the country since the start of Russian air strikes on 30 September that could see Mr Assad’s forces take part of the frontier with Turkey north of Latakia.

Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the 'Mastermind' Behind the Paris Attacks, Is Dead

French police have killed the suspected mastermind behind last Friday's Paris terror attacks, the city's prosecutor said in a statement on Thursday. ...

Police originally thought he was in Syria, but their investigations led them to a house in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis. Heavily armed officers stormed the building before dawn on Wednesday morning, triggering a massive firefight and multiple explosions.

Two people were killed in the police raid, including a woman who blew herself up, but French police did not say whether the other person was Abaaoud until today.

"Abdel Hamid Abaaoud has just been formally identified, after comparing fingerprints, as having been killed during the (police) raid," the prosecutor's statement said. "It was the body we had discovered in the building, riddled with bullets."

Signs Point to Unencrypted Communications Between Terror Suspects

News emerging from Paris — as well as evidence from a Belgian ISIS raid in January — suggests that the ISIS terror networks involved were communicating in the clear, and that the data on their smartphones was not encrypted.

European media outlets are reporting that the location of a raid conducted on a suspected safe house Wednesday morning was extracted from a cellphone, apparently belonging to one of the attackers, found in the trash outside the Bataclan concert hall massacre. Le Monde reported that investigators were able to access the data on the phone, including a detailed map of the concert hall and an SMS messaging saying “we’re off; we’re starting.” Police were also able to trace the phone’s movements.

The Telegraph reported that “eyewitness accounts and surveillance of mobile telephone traffic” suggested that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected strategist of both the Paris attack and one that was foiled in Belgium, was staying at the safe house.

Details about the major ISIS terror plot averted 10 months ago in Belgium also indicate that while Abaaoud previously attempted to avoid government surveillance, he did not use encryption.

Glenn Greenwald on "Submissive" Media's Drumbeat for War and Anti-Muslim Scapegoating

From Paris to Boston, Terrorists Were Already Known to Authorities

Whenever a terrorist attack occurs, it never takes long for politicians to begin calling for more surveillance powers. The horrendous attacks in Paris last week, which left more than 120 people dead, are no exception to this rule. In recent days, officials in the United Kingdom and the United States have been among those arguing that more surveillance of Internet communications is necessary to prevent further atrocities.

The case for expanded surveillance of communications, however, is complicated by an analysis of recent terrorist attacks. The Intercept has reviewed 10 high-profile jihadi attacks carried out in Western countries between 2013 and 2015 [click link for the details. - js], and in each case some or all of the perpetrators were already known to the authorities before they executed their plot. In other words, most of the terrorists involved were not ghost operatives who sprang from nowhere to commit their crimes; they were already viewed as a potential threat, yet were not subjected to sufficient scrutiny by authorities under existing counterterrorism powers. Some of those involved in last week’s Paris massacre, for instance, were already known to authorities; at least three of the men appear to have been flagged at different times as having been radicalized, but warning signs were ignored.

In the aftermath of a terrorist atrocity, government officials often seem to talk about surveillance as if it were some sort of panacea, a silver bullet. But what they always fail to explain is how, even with mass surveillance systems already in place in countries like France, the United States, and the United Kingdom, attacks still happen. In reality, it is only possible to watch some of the people some of the time, not all of the people all of the time. Even if you had every single person in the world under constant electronic surveillance, you would still need a human being to analyze the data and assess any threats in a timely fashion. And human resources are limited and fallible. ...

If any lesson can be learned from studying the perpetrators of recent attacks, it is that there needs to be a greater investment in conducting targeted surveillance of known terror suspects and a move away from the constant knee-jerk expansion of dragnet surveillance, which has simply not proven itself to be effective, regardless of the debate about whether it is legal or ethical in the first place.

Overwhelmed NSA Surprised to Discover Its Own Surveillance “Goldmine” on Venezuela’s Oil Executives

A top-secret NSA Document dated 2011, describes how, by “sheer luck,” an analyst was able to access the communications of top officials of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela.

Beyond the issue of spying on a business, the document highlights a significant flaw in mass surveillance programs: how indiscriminate collection can blind rather than illuminate. It also illustrates the technical and bureaucratic ease with which NSA analysts are able to access the digital communications of certain foreign targets.

The document, provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, is a March 23, 2011, article in the NSA’s internal newsletter, SIDtoday. It is written by a signals development analyst who recounts how, in addition to luck, he engaged in a “ton of hard work” to discover that the NSA had obtained access to vast amounts of Petróleos de Venezuela’s internal communications, apparently without anyone at the NSA having previously noticed this surveillance “goldmine.”

That the NSA, unbeknownst to itself, was collecting sensitive communications of top Venezuelan oil officials demonstrates one of the hazards of mass surveillance: The agency collects so much communications data from around the world that it often fails to realize what it has. That is why many surveillance experts contend that mass surveillance makes it harder to detect terrorist plots as compared to an approach of targeted surveillance: An agency that collects billions of communications events daily will fail to understand the significance of what it possesses.

This is a really excellent, well-researched article worth taking a look at. It is a fine reminder that the lunatic fringe of bigoted christianists has long had a home in the Republican party and that today's knuckle-dragging monsters are nothing new.

Anti-Syrian Muslim Refugee Rhetoric Mirrors Calls to Reject Jews During Nazi Era

During the 1930s and early 1940s, the United States resisted accepting large numbers of Jewish refugees escaping the Nazi terror sweeping Europe, in large part because of fearmongering by a small but vocal crowd.

They claimed that the refugees were communist or anarchist infiltrators intent on spreading revolution; that refugees were part of a global Jewish-capitalist conspiracy to take control of the United States from the inside; that the refugees were either Nazis in disguise or under the influence of Nazi agents sent to commit acts of sabotage; and that Jewish refugees were out to steal American jobs.

Many rejected Jews simply because they weren’t Christian.

In recent days, similar arguments are being resurrected to reject Syrian refugees fleeing sectarian terrorists and civil war.

From talk radio to the blogosphere to leading American politicians, anti-Syrian rhetoric claims that refugees are simply ISIS infiltrators; that migrants are Muslim invaders seeking to establish a “global caliphate” and impose Sharia law on America; and that Syrian refugees are lying about escaping violence and are focused instead on abusing the American welfare system.

And in a rehash of history, politicians are arguing that only Christian, not Muslim, refugees from Syria should be welcomed.

Oh looky! Democrats are getting the bigotry fever, too:

Virginia Mayor Cites WWII Japanese Internment Camps as Precedent for Refusing Syrian Refugees

Another Democrat has joined the growing number of Republicans calling for the US to suspend the resettlement of Syrian refugees following a series of deadly foreign terror attacks committed by the Islamic State.

David Bowers, the mayor of Roanoke, Virginia, issued a statement on Wednesday saying that after recent events — including the downing of a Russian airliner that killed all 224 people aboard and the Paris attacks that left 129 dead — he has become "convinced" that it is "imprudent" to "assist in the relocation of Syrian refugees to our part of Virginia."

But the mayor, who announced last week that he won't seek reelection, also went one step further, suggesting that a policy similar to the infamous internment of Japanese Americans during WWII may be applicable to Syrians in the current situation.

"I'm reminded that President Franklin D. Roosevelt felt compelled to sequester Japanese foreign nationals after the bombing of Pearl Harbor," he said, "and it appears that the threat of harm to America from ISIS now is just as real and serious as that from our enemies then." ...

The mayor's remarks come two days after New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan became the first Democrat to split from her party in calling for the US to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees "until intelligence and defense officials can assure that the process for vetting all refugees, including those from Syria, is as strong as possible to ensure the safety of the American people."

Syrian family lucks out, doesn't have to live in crappy state of Indiana, governed by racist scum.

Connecticut welcomes Syrian refugee family after Indiana governor says no

A family of Syrian refugees destined for resettlement in Indiana was denied entry to the state and instead began a new life in Connecticut on Wednesday.

The family of three – a mother, father and their five-year-old son – had been waiting three years to move to Indiana before their placement was changed, a consequence of the growing tensions in the wake of the Paris attacks that Syrian refugees could pose a threat to national security.

The governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, is one of at least 30 governors who have said they do not want to resettle Syrian refugees in their state even though they do not have the authority to refuse to do so. ...

Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy welcomed the family to his state with open arms. “It’s the right thing for us to do to respond to this tragedy,” Malloy said during a press conference on Wednesday. “We have an obligation to the other nations of the world to do our part.”

Can Terrorists Really Infiltrate the Syrian Refugee Program?

Despite the current uproar, the U.S. has been resettling people fleeing war-torn countries for decades without trouble.

If you look solely at the U.S.’s long record of taking in refugees from countries torn apart by war, it’s hard to argue that national security should be a top concern in the debate over Syrian migrants.

In the 14 years since September 11, 2001, the United States has resettled 784,000 refugees from around the world, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute, a D.C. think tank. And within that population, three people have been arrested for activities related to terrorism. None of them were close to executing an attack inside the U.S., and two of the men were caught trying to leave the country to join terrorist groups overseas.

“I think I can count on one hand the number of crimes of any significance that I've heard have been committed by refugees,” said Lavinia Limón, a veteran of refugee work since 1975 and the president of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. “It just hasn’t been an issue.” ...

The coordinated attacks in Paris have fanned fears that terrorists could infiltrate the U.S. by slipping in among the refugees—as might have occurred in the case of one of the Paris attackers.

As U.S. officials and refugee advocates point out, that has never happened in modern history. Not when the U.S. took in tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s. Not when 125,000 Cuban “Marielitos” arrived by boat in 1980. And not in the desperate aftermath of more recent wars in Bosnia, Somalia, or Rwanda. “Those fears have proven unfounded,” said John Sandweg, a former acting director of ICE who previously served as a top lawyer at the Department of Homeland Security.

Keiser Report: Radical Ideas to fix Inequality (ft Varoufakis)

Elizabeth Warren Blasts Tax Plan as 'Giant Wet Kiss' to Corporate America

Denouncing a "rigged" system that favors corporations over middle-class Americans, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in a "must-watch" speech on Wednesday that any reform of the U.S. corporate tax code must force big businesses to "substantially increase" the amount of federal tax they pay. 

She described that "deemed repatriation" plan—which would allow U.S. companies to pay less tax on profits generated abroad if that money is repatriated to the U.S.—as "a giant wet kiss for the tax dodgers who have already parked $2.1 trillion overseas."

"When I look at the details, I see the same rigged game," she said, "a game where Congress hands out billions in benefits to well-connected corporations, while people who really could use a break...are left holding the bag."

Warren pushed back on corporate claims that U.S. taxes are too high, citing a White House study that found companies' contribution to government tax revenue had dropped from $3 out of every $10 in the 1950s to $1 out of every $10 today.

"Only one problem with the over-taxation story: It’s not true," she said. "There is a problem with the corporate tax code, but that isn't it. It's not that taxes are far too high for giant corporations, as the lobbyists claim. No, the problem is that the revenue generated from corporate taxes is far too low."

New York Just Committed $2.6 Billion to Housing the Homeless

After months of headlines bemoaning New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's handling of homelessness on the city streets, the mayor announced on Wednesday a $2.6 billion investment in creating 15,000 new supportive housing units over the next 15 years for the city's most severely-disabled homeless people. 

The project will help transition mentally-ill, disabled, and addicted individuals living on the street into apartment-style homes with health and community services on-site, and is one of the best ways for public officials to help that portion of the homeless population, according to experts.

"These housing units are designed for people with very severe disabilities who have been on the streets a long time, and it's proven to be very very effective at getting people off the streets and into housing that nobody thought could possible be housed," said Steve Berg, the vice president for programs and policy at the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

It's also cost-effective, Berg noted. Individuals with disabilities — particularly mental health problems — who stay on the streets end up causing taxpayers more money in emergency medical and jail costs. Housing them and providing social services can help prevent those costs from accruing.

Hillary Clinton Attacks Bernie Sanders' Plan for Single-Payer Healthcare

Hillary Clinton took aim on Tuesday at Bernie Sanders' plan for a single-payer healthcare system.

She did not mention Sanders by name at a rally at a Dallas community college, instead saying, "One thing we should not do is follow a proposal that has been made by one of my opponents."

"I was actually the only one on that debate stage on Saturday who will commit to raising your wages and not your taxes," Clinton said, referring to the presidential debate. "I can't see how you can be serious about raising incomes if you also want to slap new taxes on them, no matter what the taxes would pay for." 

The Clinton campaign pointed to legislation Sanders introduced in 2013, and said it would mean tax increase on working families; while a strategist for his campaign team said that details for how his current proposal would be funded is delayed until they have a "fully costed analysis," his, and many health experts', position is that a single-payer plan would ultimately reduce inequality and ultimately save taxpayers money by putting healthcare security above corporate profits.

Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon added in a statement Tuesday, "If you are truly concerned about raising incomes for middle-class families, the last thing you should do is cut their take-home pay right off the bat by raising their taxes."

But the Sanders campaign shot back against that framing of the issue. Sanders spokesperson Michael Briggs said Tuesday, "On Medicare for all, the middle class would be far better off because it would save taxpayers money."

"More people would get better care at less cost," he stated.

Briggs added that Clinton supports a system that "props up private insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies which have given so much money to her campaigns."

Hillary Is Already Triangulating Against Liberals

Her new attack on Bernie Sanders’ single-payer health care plan shows her indifference to progressive voters.

The Hillary Clinton presidential campaign has begun using an odd new line of attack against upstart Democratic primary rival Sen. Bernie Sanders: He’s too liberal on taxes and universal health insurance. Why is she doing this? After returning to the position in which she entered the race—as the near-certain nominee—she seems to be setting herself up for the general election. But it’s strange to see her now, after the previously shaky ship has been steadied, attacking a candidate whose supporters she’ll need in any general election campaign over an issue that his supporters care about very deeply. ...

The Clinton campaign is suddenly quite upset about that proposal and wants everyone to know. She has committed to the same (policy-constricting) pledge that President Obama took in 2008 and 2012, ruling out tax increases on individuals making less than $200,000 per year or joint filers making less than $250,000. This neatly positions her camp to say, by contrast, that the bug-eyed socialist Bernie Sanders wants to take all of your money. ...

If Clinton wanted to say that she wouldn’t push for a single-payer system because it’s a political dead-ender right now, or because she’s spotted another legitimate policy flaw with the idea, that would be more acceptable. What she’s doing, instead, is essentially red-baiting about Bernie Sanders’ Wacky Taxes in her dismissal of a policy that, on paper, draws plenty of support among Democratic voters. That’s not good for the single-payer health care movement, which is hoping that some blue states will be able to use ACA waivers to experiment with single-payer in their states but so far are running into trouble thanks to the exact talking point Clinton’s deploying. And it’s not good for American liberalism in general, which is supposed to defend the belief that government funded by taxes can solve problems and improve people’s livelihoods.

Perhaps the Clinton campaign has some horrific polling data that’s leading them to launch this direct assault on Sanders, or it’s just trying to distract everyone from Clinton’s bizarre explanation at Saturday’s debate for her voluminous contributions from Wall Street over the years. But it also seems like Clinton feels like she has the nomination secure and is triangulating ahead of the general election, mortgaging progressive policy in the process. Does that sound familiar?

[Also see Lambert's excellent analysis:

Clinton, Finally Forced to Confront a Single Payer Advocate in Debate, Can’t Win on Policy, Falls Back on Demagoguery and Distortion]

Remembering Joe Hill

Yellowstone proposes controversial slaughter of 1,000 bison

National park authorities want to kill one in five animals to bring population down to target size

Yellowstone National Park is proposing to reduce its celebrated bison herd by 1,000 animals this winter by rounding up those wandering into adjacent Montana and delivering them to Native American tribes for slaughter, officials said on Wednesday.

The longstanding but controversial annual culling is designed to lessen the risk of straying Yellowstone bison infecting cattle herds in Montana with brucellosis, a bacterial disease carried by many bison, also known as buffalo. ...

Brucellosis, which can cause pregnant cows and other animals to miscarry their young, is at the centre of a perennial dispute between Montana ranchers and wildlife advocates over management of Yellowstone’s bison. Ranchers also worry about bison overgrazing lands needed to feed livestock. ...

More than 700 bison were culled last year, most of them captured and turned over to tribes for slaughter but some killed through hunting. Some tribes, such as the Nez Perce in Idaho, support the program while others oppose it.

Jimmy St. Goddard, a spiritual leader of the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana, said the culling, for him, evokes a painful chapter of American history in which US extermination campaigns pushed the massive, hump-backed creatures to the edge of extinction.

“Killing these buffalo is shameful,” he said.

Progress on Killing Coal, But 'Much, Much, Much More Needed'

Campaigners say pledges to curb subsidies and close power plants fall short of 'radical shift' necessary

The world's wealthiest nations appear to be slowly acknowledging the destruction that decades of coal burning has wrought on the environment, though campaigners are warning that pledges to curb subsidies and close power plants still fall substantially short of the "radical shift" necessary to keep global warming beneath the stated goal of 2°C.

UK Energy Secretary Amber Rudd on Wednesday announced that her country would close all coal-fired power plants by 2025, making it first major global economy to commit to such a plan.

That came on the heels of an announcement Tuesday that the 34 member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) agreed to cut back on subsidies to build coal power plants overseas, but not eliminate the financing completely. The OECD claims the move represents a "major step" ahead of the COP21 climate talks "towards aligning export credit policies with climate change objectives."

However, while both developments were seen as significant milestones in the movement to end coal, environmentalists say that neither goes far enough to tackle the polluting legacy and future of coal power. For example, the UK plan calls for an increase in nuclear power and plants fueled by fracked gas, rather than renewable alternatives. 

France Cancels Major Climate March, But Groups Say They Won't Be Silenced

The Prefecture of Police of Paris has reportedly cancelled a march planned for November 29 that organizers expected to draw at least 200,000 people, citing security concerns.

Activists noted that other actions planned worldwide will still move forward.

Nicolas Haeringer, French campaigner for climate advocacy group 350.org, said in response, "The government can prohibit these demonstrations, but our voices will not be silenced. While this makes it difficult to go forward with our original plans, we will still find a way for people in Paris to make the call for climate justice heard, and we encourage everyone around the world to join a Global Climate March and raise their voices louder than ever. There’s never been a greater need."

"While our plans in Paris must change, the movement for climate justice will not slow down. Around the world, marches, demonstrations, and civil disobedience are all planned for the weeks and months ahead. Together, we will continue to stand against violence and hatred with our peace and resolve," Haeringer said. "For people around the world, join the Global Climate March in your community to show your support for climate justice. For those who were planning to travel to Paris, still come and join us, and together we’ll find a way to take action together."

Also of Interest

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

Stopping ISIS: Follow the Money

NYT Editorial Slams “Disgraceful” CIA Exploitation of Paris Attacks, But Submissive Media Role Is Key

The bigger the haystack, the harder the terrorist is to find

Why Does the FBI Keep Arresting Asian-American Scientists?

Canada pledges 'innovative' inquiry into violence against indigenous women

The Department of Homeland Security: the largest police force nobody monitors

Climate change is 'single biggest threat' to polar bear survival

Brazil toxic mudslide devastates local water supply – in pictures

A Little Night Music

James Cotton Blues Band - Born In Missouri

James Cotton - Angel of Mercy / Blues in my Sleep

James Cotton - Mississippi Mud

Muddy Waters & James Cotton - Got My Mojo Working 1966

James Cotton - Just to be with you

James Cotton - Easy Lovin'

James Cotton & Mark Hummel - Don't Start Me To Talkin', She Moves Me + Blow Wind Blow

James Cotton - Dealing With The Devil

James Cotton Band - Ain't Doin Too Bad

James Cotton - Hold Me In Your Arms

James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues

James Cotton - Diggin' My Potatoes

James Cotton, Junior Wells, Billy Branch, Carey Bell - Black Night

James Cotton - Don't start me talking

James Cotton - I Don't Know

The James Cotton Blues Band - Feelin' Good

James Cotton Band - Creeper creeps again

The James Cotton Blues Band - Fallin' Rain

James Cotton - You Got My Nose Open

Taj Mahal + James Cotton - Honky Tonk Woman

James Cotton Blues Band - Full Concert - 06/15/73