The Evening Blues - 11-27-24
Hey! Good Evening!
This evening's music features blues singer and washboard player Washboard Sam. Enjoy!
Washboard Sam - My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
“Above all, while defending our own vital interests, nuclear powers must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war. To adopt that kind of course in the nuclear age would be evidence only of the bankruptcy of our policy — or of a collective death-wish for the world.”
-- John F. Kennedy
News and Opinion
European powers plan ground intervention into Ukraine targeting Russia
Defying mass popular opposition to a military escalation threatening total war with Russia, London and Paris are planning a large-scale ground intervention in Ukraine. These plans, discussed behind the backs of the population, not only threaten to provoke a nuclear war between Europe and Russia, they entail deep attacks on the working class to finance the build-up of European military forces. Yesterday, in an article titled “Discussions over sending European troops to Ukraine reignited,” the French daily Le Monde reported: “Paris and London are not ruling out leading a military coalition in Ukraine.” It cited a British military source and wrote: “Discussions are underway between the UK and France on defense cooperation, particularly with a view to creating a hard core of allies in Europe, focused on Ukraine and wider European security.”
This followed high-level talks between London and Paris after Ukraine launched long-range strikes on Russia with British Storm Shadow missiles. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told the BBC that France had authorized Ukraine to fire French SCALP missiles at Russia in “self-defense,” though he refused to say whether SCALP missiles had been used to bomb Russia. Asked if France would send its army to Ukraine, Barrot said: “We do not discard any option.” Barrot demanded European countries massively increase defense spending. “Of course we will have to spend more if we want to do more, and I think that we have to face these new challenges.”
These plans make clear that the NATO imperialist powers are dragging the world into a Third World War. Even if it does not immediately provoke a nuclear war with Russia, it will also trigger a bitter confrontation with the European working class. President Emmanuel Macron financed his last major increase to France’s military budget last year by slashing pensions. He imposed these cuts by decree, without a parliamentary vote, ordering riot police to assault mass strikes and protests, ultimately relying on France’s corrupt union bureaucracies to call off the struggle. Finding billions of pounds and euros needed to prepare the British, French and other European militaries for an armed stand-off against Russia in Ukraine would require further deep social attacks on European workers. ...
Elie Tenenbaum, a strategist at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) think tank, told Le Monde France is also considering “other models.” This meant, Le Monde wrote, plans “to send conventional troops to Ukraine, in the event of a ceasefire agreement, to guarantee the country’s security and Russia’s compliance with the ceasefire.” These troops, he said, would be “positioned in eastern Ukraine,” on the border with Russia.
Such plans face overwhelming popular opposition, above all in the working class. Earlier this year, a Eurasia Group poll found that 91 percent of Americans and 89 percent of Western Europeans oppose a NATO ground intervention into Ukraine. Nonetheless, the European imperialist powers are proceeding precisely with such plans.
Prof. John Mearsheimer : Ignore Putin at Your Peril
White House Confirms It Authorized ATACMS Strikes on Russian Territory
The White House confirmed for the first time on Monday that it authorized Ukraine to launch US-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) into Russia, an escalation Russia has made clear risks nuclear war.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US “did change the guidance” for Ukraine to allow ATACMS strikes on Russian territory, including in the Kursk Oblast, where Russia is gradually pushing out an invading Ukrainian force.
“They are able to use ATACMS to defend themselves, you know, in an immediate-need basis. And right now, you know, understandably, that’s taking place in and around Kursk, in the Kursk Oblast,” Kirby said.
Russia Confirms Kursk ATACMS Strikes, Promises Retaliation, NATO Splits; Fico Plans Moscow Trip
Power cuts in Ukraine after Russia’s biggest drone attack yet
Russia launched its biggest ever drone attack on Ukraine on Monday night and Tuesday morning, sending a reported 188 drones into the country against various targets, resulting in power cuts in part of western Ukraine and damage to residential buildings outside Kyiv.
Russian forces are pushing hard along the frontline in the east of the country, amid uncertainty as to how the dynamics of the war might change once Donald Trump takes office in January. Russia also vowed “retaliatory actions” for fresh Ukrainian strikes on military targets inside Russia that used long-range missiles sent by the US.
Ukraine’s air force said 76 of the drones had been shot down overnight, as air defences struggled to cope with the massed attacks that have become common in recent weeks. “Unfortunately, there were hits to critical infrastructure facilities, and private and apartment buildings were damaged in several regions due to the massive drone attack,” the air force said in a statement.
The governor of the western Ternopil region, Vyacheslav Nehoda, said on television that about 70% of the region was without power. “The consequences are bad because the facility was significantly affected and this will have impact on the power supply of the entire region for a long time,” he said. Several buildings were damaged around Kyiv, but there were no casualties reported.
Also on Tuesday, a court in the Russian city of Kursk confirmed that a British citizen had been captured and arrested by Russian authorities, the first official confirmation of news that broke over the weekend when interrogation videos appeared on Russian Telegram channels.
Max Blumenthal : Is Netanyahu Trustworthy?
Joe Biden announces ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah
Israel and Hezbollah have agreed a highly anticipated ceasefire to the 14-month-old war in Lebanon in what Joe Biden called a “historic” moment as he announced the deal from the White House. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had endorsed an imminent ceasefire in the country’s war with the Lebanese group after his full cabinet approved the deal on Tuesday evening despite opposition from his far-right allies.
In televised remarks after the Israeli security cabinet met to vote on the proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, Netanyahu said he was ready to implement the deal, but added that Israel would retain “complete military freedom of action” in the event of an infringement by Hezbollah. “We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to any violation. Together, we will continue until victory,” Netanyahu said.
In remarks from the White House Rose Garden, Biden said: “Under the deal reached today, effective at 4am tomorrow, local time, the fighting across the Lebanese Israeli border will end.”
“This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities. What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed, I emphasize, will not be allowed to threaten the security of Israel again,” he said. “Today’s announcement is a critical step… and so I applaud the courageous decision made by the leaders of Lebanon and Israel to end the violence,” he continued. “It reminds us that peace is possible. Say that again, peace is possible.”
Biden said that US troops would not be committed to the border between Israel and Lebanon, but that “we, along with France and others, will provide the necessary assistance to make sure this deal is implemented fully and effectively.”
How Lebanon’s Sacrifices for Gaza Will Be Remembered w/ Ghadi Francis & Rania Khalek
Just hours before a highly anticipated, but not yet finalized, ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, Israeli fighter jets carried out a series of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs.
A residential building in the densely populated district of Noueiri, Basta, was… pic.twitter.com/aM2e3b8NMO
— | The Public Source (@ThePublicSource) November 26, 2024
"Fragile" Ceasefire Begins in Lebanon After Israel Launched More Devastating Attacks
"Israel Wants Wars": Gideon Levy on Lebanon Ceasefire, Gaza & Gov't Sanctions Against Haaretz
Israel and Hezbollah trade attacks just hours before agreed ceasefire
Both sides appeared intent on trading attacks in the final hours before an agreed 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah comes into force.
Israeli airstrikes continued to pound Beirut even as Biden announced the ceasefire deal late on Tuesday. Israel’s military issued more evacuation warnings for Beirut’s southern suburbs through the night. Several airstrikes were reported in Beirut. ...
Hezbollah said it launched drones at “sensitive military targets” in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening, after deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut and as news of a ceasefire deal was announced.
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 10 people in central Beirut on Tuesday, Lebanon’s health ministry said. At least seven people were killed and 37 others injured after Israel launched attacks on 20 targets on the Lebanese capital in just 120 seconds, it said.
WaPo: When Israeli Leaders Commit War Crimes, They Can Prosecute Themselves
Predictably, Israel and its allies condemned the International Criminal Court for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Washington Post, 11/21/24). A press release from the court (11/21/24) accused the Israeli leaders of “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024.” These consisted of “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare,” “the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts” and “the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population.”
In addition to the US, Israel’s primary source of military and diplomatic support, Israel also received backing from Hungary and Argentina, two nations run by far-right leaders who seek to undo democratic liberalism (Al Jazeera, 11/21/24).
There were also the expected cries of foul play in right-wing US media. The Wall Street Journal editorial board (11/21/24) said Israel was merely acting in self-defense because “Hamas started the war on October 7 by sending death squads into Israel.”
“The charge of deliberate starvation is absurd,” the Journal snarled, noting that “Israel has facilitated the transfer of more than 57,000 aid trucks”—in other words, about one-fourth of what Gaza’s 2 million people would have needed to meet their basic needs (NPR, 2/21/24).
Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz wrote in the Journal (11/24/24) that he was “putting together a legal dream team” to defend Israel’s leaders, as if to present Netanyahu as a sort of global stage version of O.J. Simpson. If you want to gauge the seriousness of Dershowitz’s announcement, consider that the “dream team” will reportedly include Andrew Cuomo, the disgraced ex-governor of New York (New York Post, 11/25/24).
Fellow Murdoch paper the New York Post (11/21/24) called the ICC charges “false.” “International Kangaroo Court is more like it,” its editorial board mocked, “and one more reminder why the United States should never recognize the ICC.”
“ICC Unleashes Chaos, Antisemitism” read a headline from an op-ed in the Unification Church–owned Washington Times (11/22/24).
While it’s not surprising to see right-wing outlets waving away the atrocities in Gaza, it is striking to see the Washington Post—a vehicle for the establishment center whose slogan is “democracy dies in darkness”—not only condemning the warrants, but arguing that the court should stick to prosecuting enemy states of the United States.
In a brutally honest way, the paper’s editorial board (11/24/24) declared that Israel must be held apart from other regimes who do terrible things, arguing that rules needn’t apply to the West and its allies, since they have the “means [and] mechanisms to investigate themselves.”
The board complained that the international justice system singled out Israel for “selective prosecution” while ignoring rogue regimes:
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons and waged a bloody campaign of ethnic cleansing in his brutal suppression of an uprising that has killed half a million people, many of them civilians. In Myanmar, military dictator Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and his army have been responsible for bombing civilian villages in its war against the long-persecuted Rohingya minority. And in Sudan, a new potential genocide threatens the Darfur region’s Black Masalit people at the hands of Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is known as Hemedti, and his Rapid Support Forces.
This is a gross oversimplification to the point of deception. In each of the cases the Post names, neither perpetrator nor victim are from countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, which means that it is extremely difficult for the ICC to claim jurisdiction over them. (Palestine, in contrast, is a signatory to the treaty that established the ICC, which is why the court has jurisdiction over that case.)
In the case of Sudan, the court did manage to prosecute pro-Sudanese government militia commander Ali Kushayb (ICC, 4/5/22) and indict former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir (Guardian, 2/11/20) for atrocities committed in Darfur. This was possible because the ICC may also claim jurisdiction when a case is referred to it by the UN Security Council. (The court’s prosecutor has spoken to the legal complexities of confronting the current crisis—ICC, 8/6/24.)
An innovative legal approach involving cross-border claims from Bangladesh has allowed an ICC investigation of Myanmar’s genocide against the Rohingya to proceed, albeit very slowly (CNN, 7/7/23). A similar approach might work with the Syria case (Guardian, 2/16/22), but no member state has referred the case to the court (Atlantic Council, 9/26/24), in contrast to the Israel case.
A more apt comparison would be Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine: Russia, like Israel, is not a party to the ICC, while Ukraine, like Palestine, is. And the ICC has indeed, as the Post quietly acknowledges later in the piece, issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The legal complexities here are manifold, but the Post doesn’t bother to grapple with them, suggesting that it’s the Post more than the ICC that’s guilty of selective prosecution.
The Post went on:
The ICC is putting the elected leaders of a democratic country with its own independent judiciary in the same category as dictators and authoritarians who kill with impunity. Israel went to war in response to the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 Israelis dead and another 250 taken hostage, around 100 of whom still remain captive. The ICC’s arrest warrant for one of the authors of that massacre, Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, who was probably killed in an Israeli airstrike months ago, looks more like false equivalence than genuine balance.
In fact, the court had sought a warrant for Hamas leader and October 7 attack planner Yahya Sinwar (CNN, 5/20/24), but the Israeli military killed him before the justice system could catch up with him (AP, 10/18/24). If the court had not prosecuted Hamas officials, then the Post and others would accuse it of singling out Israel. When the court does go after Hamas officials, the Post claims it’s political theater. The court can’t win.
The Post then offered some “to be sures.” Yes, “far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed and maimed”; yes, Israel “has fallen short” on allowing in humanitarian aid. But it is the next part where one wonders if the Post board has left the earthly realm for another reality, in which Israel will be held accountable by—wait for it—itself:
Israel needs to be held accountable for its military conduct in Gaza. After the conflict’s end—which is long overdue—there will no doubt be Israeli judicial, parliamentary and military commissions of inquiry. Israel’s vibrant, independent media will do its own investigations. Some Israeli reserve soldiers have already been arrested over accusations of abuse against Palestinian detainees. More investigations will follow. The ICC is supposed to become involved when countries have no means or mechanisms to investigate themselves. That is not the case in Israel.
Has the Post been living under a rock? The biggest story in Israel before last year’s Hamas attack that instigated the attack on Gaza was Netanyahu’s attack on the independence of the judiciary (AP, 9/11/23), and Israel’s right-wing government is continuing this effort (Economist, 9/19/24).
As for the so-called free press, the government has moved to boycott the country’s main liberal newspaper, Haaretz (11/24/24), pulling government advertising and advising ministries to end communication with reporters. Israel has also banned Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera (5/6/24), and at least 130 journalists have been killed during Israel’s military campaigns against Gaza and Lebanon (FAIR.org, 5/1/24; Committee to Protect Journalists, 11/25/24). Military censorship of the media has also increased, the Israeli magazine 972 (5/20/24) found.
Meanwhile, there are isolated examples of the Israeli government prosecuting soldiers, but experts believe that most military crimes have gone and will go unpunished (ProPublica, 5/8/24; Al Jazeera, 7/6/24). “Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over the last five years have been indicted in less than 1% of the hundreds of complaints against them,” AP (12/22/22) reported.
When an Israeli court acquitted a border police officer who killed an autistic Palestinian man (BBC, 7/6/23), the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem (6/25/20) said that even the original investigation into the killing was “merely a fig leaf to silence criticism until the public outrage and media attention die down.” It added that, on the whole, “the investigation system works behind the scenes to whitewash the violence and ensure impunity for those responsible.”
Moreover, these investigations are largely of the “bad apple” variety, singling out extreme behavior of lower-ranking members of the military. Does the Post seriously expect Israel to hold accountable those at the top who are prosecuting the war?
Right-wing lawmakers are working to further block investigations, Human Rights Watch (7/31/24) said, a situation that builds an increased sense of impunity, as 972 (8/1/24) noted.
This doesn’t sound like a healthy parliamentary system with democratic guardrails, but a warrior state spiraling into authoritarianism. The Washington Post, too, seems to be moving away from liberalism and a rules-based system, and more toward defending Israel at all costs.
US Starts Talks on Deal To Ramp Up Troop Deployments to Fiji
The US and Fiji have begun talks on a military pact meant to ramp up US troop deployments to the Pacific island nation as part of the US’s buildup in the region that’s aimed at China.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the plans to negotiate a Status of Forces Agreement while visiting Fiji on Saturday. “The SOFA will enable us to deploy and redeploy forces in support of Fiji and help us train with the Fijians on a very routine basis. I look forward to routine rotations, training rotations — where possible — to be conducted,” Austin said.
Austin insisted the idea of establishing “permanent” US bases was not being discussed, although the US has a constant military presence in many countries where it technically doesn’t have a permanent presence.
Bolsonaro allies nearly launched military coup in 2022, police report says
Brazil came within a whisker of a far-right military coup and the assassination of a supreme court judge just days before President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took power in January 2023, a federal police report has claimed. The report about the alleged plot to help the rightwing populist Jair Bolsonaro cling to power was made public on Tuesday, and paints a chilling portrait of how close one of the world’s largest democracies came to being plunged back into authoritarian rule.
The 884-page document describes a complex, three-year conspiracy that investigators believe was designed to pave the way for a military power grab by using social media to disseminate false claims of electoral fraud that plotters hoped would justify such an intervention in the public eye.
Police claim that plot was supposed to reach “its zenith” on 15 December 2022 – a fortnight before Lula was due to be sworn in after narrowly beating Bolsonaro in October’s presidential election. Conspirators, including several senior military figures, allegedly hoped that on that day Bolsonaro would sign a “coup decree” which would in effect allow a military takeover.
On 16 December 2022, “after the consummation of the coup d’état”, the report claims two close Bolsonaro allies – the former defence minister Gen Walter Braga Netto and the former minister of institutional security Gen Augusto Heleno – were to be placed in charge of a “crisis management” cabinet.
The federal police report – which the Guardian has reviewed – claims the only reason Bolsonaro did not sign that decree blocking the transfer of power was because the plotters had failed to secure sufficient support from Brazil’s military top brass.
Trump's MASSIVE Tariffs SPOOK Justin Trudeau; Mexico VOWS Defiance
Mexico president vows to retaliate with own tariffs against Trump’s tax threat
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has rebuked Donald Trump’s threat to impose steep tariffs on Mexico, arguing the plan would do nothing to halt the flow of migrants or drugs bound for the US border, and vowing that Mexico would hit back with tariffs of its own. “One tariff would be followed by another in response, and so on until we put at risk common businesses,” Sheinbaum said, warning that tariffs would cause inflation and job losses in both countries. “What sense is there?” ...
It is unclear if the president-elect’s proposal would even be legal or possible, given that the three countries share a free trade agreement known as the USMCA that was negotiated during his previous term in the White House.
But as analysts pointed out, Trump has never been one to abide by the rules. ... Even if they are legally questionable, the tariffs could provide Trump with a quick win upon taking office in January, said Viri Ríos, a Mexican public policy expert. “I don’t rule out that he would implement them temporarily to give a result to his electoral base, which would be happy to see that Donald Trump is being consistent with his campaign promises,” she said. “But from that to this being a long term strategy, it seems to me that it would not be good for the United States itself.”
Mexico is the United States’s top trade partner as of September, representing 15.8% of total trade. According to Ríos, a 25% tariff on Mexican goods would cost the US economy $125bn over 10 years, while costing its GDP between 0.5 and 0.74%. With such steep tariffs, US companies importing Mexican goods would undoubtedly have to raise their prices. “The main victim will be the American consumer, because at the end of the day, tariffs are more or less reflected in prices,” said Moy.
That could end up costing Trump politically, given the role consumer prices played in his election win.
Trudeau calls emergency meeting over Trump’s Canada tariff threat
Justin Trudeau has called an emergency meeting with provincial premiers across Canada after the US president-elect, Donald Trump, threatened a 25% tariff on the United States’ northern neighbour. Trump posted on social media that he would “sign all necessary documents” to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% tariff on all goods products coming into the United States, adding the levy would remain in place until “such time as drugs, in particular fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!”
The Canadian prime minister said on Tuesday he had held a “good” conversation with Trump shortly after the social media post, working to tamp down fears of an immense economic hit to Canada. He did not say if Canada would impose retaliatory tariffs, as it did during a previous round of trade hostilities during Trump’s first presidency.
Given the United States, Canada and Mexico renegotiated a trade pact in 2018 and have deeply intertwined supply chains, a levy of 25% would prove devastating to Canada’s economy. The United States remains Canada’s biggest trading partner, with nearly C$600bn in goods exported to the US last year.
Canadian ministers reacted with measured skepticism over the key claims made by Trump on immigration and drug trafficking. While a small but growing number of migrants are using Canada as a way into the US, far more people enter through Mexico. Canada’s immigration minister, Marc Miller, likened the 23,000 interceptions by US officials at the northern border last year to a “significant weekend at the Mexico border”, where 1,530,523 “encounters” were recorded last year.
When it comes to the movement of fentanyl across the continent, so little enters the US through its northern border that the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) does not even mention Canada in a report from 2020, instead citing Mexico, China and India.
Trump border chief threatens jail for Denver mayor amid deportation dispute
Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s hardline incoming border czar, has threatened to put the mayor of Denver in jail after the latter said he was willing to risk incarceration to resist the president-elect’s migrant mass deportation plan.
The threat was issued against Mike Johnston, a Democrat, who said he was not afraid of being jailed and encouraged people to protest against mass round-ups of immigrants in their cities and communities.
Johnston’s remarks came after Trump focused during the presidential election campaign on the Denver suburb of Aurora, which he said had become “a war zone” where apartment buildings had been taken over by Venezuelan gang members.
Asked to respond by Fox News’s Sean Hannity, Homan said: “Me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing; he’s willing to go to jail. I’m willing to put him in jail.”
Kamala Harris CALLED Out for Weird, Rambling Video to Supporters: 'Who Let Her Post This?'
Backroom deals and betrayal: how Cop29’s late $300bn deal left nobody happy
Early on Sunday morning, ministers and high-ranking officials from nearly 200 countries gathered in Baku’s Olympic stadium to witness the drama of fossil fuel wealth battling with science, which says that continuing to burn oil, gas and coal will bring havoc and destruction to the planet if temperatures are not limited to a rise of 1.5C above preindustrial levels. Most observers would say that science lost.
“[The goal of limiting global heating to] 1.5C was at the ICU. It feels like that bed just broke,” said Juan Carlos Monterrey, Panama’s climate envoy, standing outside the hall in which the final meeting of the Cop29 climate summit had just ended. “This very low level of finance … means death and misery for our countries.” At stake in Baku was the money needed to help poor countries shift to a low-carbon economy and adapt their infrastructure to the impacts of extreme weather. About $1.3tn (£1tn) a year will be needed by 2035 for countries to achieve this, and for the world to stay within the 1.5C limit.
A deal on how to get some way to reaching that target was struck in that hall, but it was one so hedged, loose and half-hearted that many cried betrayal. Representatives of the least developed countries (LDCs) negotiating bloc said: “[We are] outraged and deeply hurt by the outcome of Cop29. Once again, the countries most responsible for the climate crisis have failed us. This is not just a failure. It’s a betrayal.”
Only $300bn of the promised total will come directly from the budgets of developed countries and public finance institutions, such as the World Bank. The great majority of that money should be in the form of grants and low-interest loans, but loose wording means even that commitment is hedged – the cash could come from “a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral and alternative sources”.
The remainder of the $1.3tn will have to come largely from private sector investment in developing countries, with an unspecified amount also supposed to come from potential new levies on shipping, frequent flyers, oil and gas and other sources. The latter have yet to be agreed, however, and could be difficult to achieve in practice.
Also of Interest
Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.
Nuclear war warning as FEMA issues urgent guidance on finding shelter to survive a blast
Craig Murray: Death in the Bekaa Valley
Israeli Snipers ‘Shoot Palestinians for Sport’
Netanyahu's Ethnic Cleansing Is on Display for All to See
Washington Post Calls For Selective (Non-)Prosecution Of War Crimes
Illinois Students Who Protested Gaza Genocide Are Facing Felony Mob Charges
Joe Lauria: A History of Humiliation
Britain's Kursk Invasion Backfires
Explaining Ukraine To Your Uncle: The Causes of the War
US lawmakers urge Biden to pardon Assange to send ‘clear message’ on media freedom
Pakistani security forces raid supporters of Imran Khan after unrest in Islamabad
Trump’s Inflation-Stoking 25% Mexico and Canada Tariff Scheme
Cities Cut Red Tape To Turn Unused Office Buildings Into Housing
Israel-Hezbollah CEASEFIRE Just A 'Tactical Pause;' Permanent Peace UNLIKELY
Canadians Want OUT OF Ukraine & NATO!
A Little Night Music
Washboard Sam - Minding My Own Business
Washboard Sam ~ Gonna Hit The Highway
Washboard Sam - Back Door
Washboard Sam - Soap and Water Blues
Washboard Sam ~ She Belongs To The Devil
Washboard Sam - Diggin' My Potatoes
Washboard Sam ~ Phantom Black Snake
Washboard Sam ~ Who Pumped the Wind in My Doughnut
Washboard Sam ~ Flying Crow Blues
Washboard Sam - River Hip Mama
Comments
Good evening Joe, et. al. Thnks for the EBs, Joe.
It appears that pretty much as soon as the Lebanon cease-fire was proclaimed the Syrian "civil war" flared up again with all those assorted terrorist group on the attack. Curiouser and Curiouser. That one is well beyond Genocide Joe's ability to envision but possibly Blinkin or the CIA.
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 --
Somewhat related:
I am not quite sure if Genocide Joe's teleprompter told him to say this.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-administration-planning-680-million-161...
evening el...
it appears that genocide joe and his owners will not be satisfied until the whole middle east is on fire, and they're not willing to wait until climate change accomplishes the task.
Also Too.
Puppet master Blinken and the 6 stooges speak with one voice with regards to the ceasefire.
https://apnews.com/article/italy-g7-ukraine-gaza-israel-87c0ce76ef6f4106...
You may notice that Josep Borrell is also in the image buut he is also a stooge.
evening humphrey...
yep, think of all the weaponry that could be directed to ukraine if israel wasn't using so much ...
Let’s play Telephone
.
Simplicious on how the media hypes things up.
Swell of 'WWIII' Red Herrings Aims to Drown Out Mounting Russian Success
A timely example: WSWS
People will believe this even though there are no links to where the information came from. Bad form and something WSWS rarely does.
In other words they too are fear mongering just like the corporate media does.
Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons!
But did he? Let’s see what he said:
Kinda reach to say that he threatened to use nukes. Ain’t it? I saw no mention of him saying that.
Many people just read the headlines and don’t bother reading the article. So how many people are freaking out about nuclear war on the horizon because the media told them to? Do people think that the globalists are going to allow the world to blow up after all their hard work getting control of it?
Or they don’t read the full article because they either get bored or their minds just skip ahead. I used to be guilty of skipping ahead until I read an article how much is missed when we do. Know I’ve trained myself not to do it. Next time you read something see if you skip ahead.
I got a bug in my craw about this and I had to squish it.
Thanks for the news and blues and hope you have a happy T-Day!
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
evening snoopy...
heh, well, the media may be hyping things up, but there's probably a deeper truth underneath it. if the neocons continue to push putin, he will at some point resort to unpleasant means to make them stop.
putin is playing the game masterfully and has used the behavior of the u.s. neocons to remind the world that the u.s. is a global bully, not their friend and has thus far used the outrageous antics of the u.s. and its proxies against them on the world stage. it may turn out that if putin plays the game really well, there will be no need to resort to heavy weaponry. economic and political weapons may do the job.
I bet he's thoroughly familiar with the Foundation Trilogy
(even if in Russian translation). Am thinking specifically of the Not-War between the Foundation and Korell, which had become completely dependent on the Foundation for all its technology. No fighting, just a total embargo, and Korell had to sue for peace on the Foundation's terms....
Somebody else who should be familiar with this is one Xi Jinping.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
So...do YOU, present company, trust FEMA?
I'm not sure (without having read it yet) what to make of that first Also of Interest.
Is it any better than this?
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!
evening moonbat...
good lord, no.
i remember the reagan administrations instructions for surviving a nuclear attack:
I bet she wrote this speech herself
But seriously was anyone concerned about their power being misplaced?
Dammit…now Sam is walking around saying that I can’t take her power! Ahh well that’s better than her walking around shouting FJB! It was getting tiresome.
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
heh...
i can't decide which dem candidate was the least charismatic, kamala, walter mondale or michael dukakis.
Hmm….
Hard to choose. I was gonna say Dan Quayle…. But my choice would be Biden if he ran again… He had a hard time getting through his speech at the Turkey pardon. Yay..only 1-1/2 months left…hopefully we survive.
Israel got its wish.
The anti free speech against Israel is making its way through congress as is the anti speech for anti genocide organizations. I’m hoping that both get to the Supreme Court and it rules against them.
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
heh...
heh, i guess we're now "the united states of you can't say that."
I will use that
Netanyahu said one of the reasons why he signed the peace agreement is so he can go after Iran. I’d love to see Hezbollah say screw the agreement and once Israel is engaged they fire rockets into Israel along with Yemen and Iraq. Iraq said that they have no intention to stop attacking Israel.
Besides the deal has shades of Minsk. Stop the war just long enough to restock their weapons. Bibi admitted that.
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
if the courts are the final arbitrators of justice
.
we are definitely screwed
just us does not include
you and me
question everything
I will so
enjoy reminding many, many people of that video in Four years’ time, Gawd willin’ and the creek don’t rise…
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Mr. Becker does us all a disservice with that photoshop.
The original was bad enough standing alone and the fakery simply makes the critics seem somewhat disreputable.
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 --
Many in the west are estatic that the ruble has weakened with
regards to the dollar. Putin does not seem to be concerned.
Shitlibs are cheering this
They are so focused on bad things happening to Russia that if a Russian trips they throw a party.
And anyone who dies in Russia under suspicious circumstances they blame Putin for it.
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
these aggressive types
.
.
do tend to project their bad countenance on others
perhaps as a cover for their misdeeds?
slander the 'other' to make themselves seem clean
do not buy it
question everything
I dunno
but today one of them wrote an essay saying that they are the party of love and acceptance. Good thing my mouth was empty of liquid… I’ve seen many of them saying that they are kicking friends and family out of their holiday gatherings because they voted for Trump. Only one reason why they did that…because they hated them for their trans and other pro life stances.
They reject that people voted for T because of the economy…
Party of love…lol. Read the wreck list some time.
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
Hi bluesters
Hi Joe
So what does this COP stand for? I thought it was something about climate, silly me. Conference of Polluters? Coal, Oil, & Plastic? Oh, I got it now, C**ts on Parade?
Thanks for the news and blues Joe!
happy trails all!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
evening dystopian...
like all conferences of bureaucrats, it's just a vehicle for powerful people to avoid doing what they don't want to do while giving the appearance of giving a damn.
The world has gone insane over Russia Russia Russia
.
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
heh...
i guess they want everywhere to be free of mines except for russia.
Larry on the ceasefire
.
https://sonar21.com/israel-claims-victory-over-hezbollah-while-us-allows...
Wasn’t it weird how Kamala kept saying that she and Joe were working 24/7 on a ceasefire while their lackeys at the UN were vetoing every ceasefire agreement that came up? How come the media never called them on it?
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
This might have had something to do with Bibi begging for a
ceasefire to save face.
heh...
perhaps a reading of arthur conan doyle's, "the adventure of the silver blaze" (sometimes called by people "the dog that didn't bark") is in order.
Yep…
The dawgs bark while the caravan rolls on. I’m surprised by how many journalists spent years in journalism school only to grow up to be stenographers for the state. I wonder if they have any shame when they take dictation from the people they sold out to?
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
Evening joe and bluesters
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you are all satiated and recovering happily.
Thank you all, for all that is satisfying here.
Radiohead sucks
The BBC found this too:
Radiohead singer confronts Gaza protester at Australian gig
"You want to piss on everybody's night?" No, Thom and Jonny, your bffs in Israel have already done that. The horse left that barn.
“The loyal Left cannot act decisively. Their devotion to the system is a built-in kill switch limiting dissent.” - Richard Moser