The Evening Blues - 12-27-21
Hey! Good Evening!
This evening's music features The King of Soul, Sam Cooke. Enjoy!
Sam Cooke - Bring it on Home to Me
“Every major power has some widely publicized justification for its procurement and stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction, often including a reptilian reminder of the presumed character and cultural defects of potential enemies (as opposed to us stout fellows), or of the intentions of others, but never ourselves, to conquer the world.”
-- Carl Sagan
News and Opinion
“We have no way further to retreat,” says Putin, as NATO escalates military build-up on Russia’s borders
In an extraordinary speech on Tuesday before Russia’s officer corps, the entire Defense Ministry as well as cadets of military schools, President Vladimir Putin made clear that the Russian government is preparing for a potential war with NATO. For much of the speech, Putin highlighted case after case in the past three decades in which the US has bombed countries, in complete disregard of international law and previous agreements. He pointed to Iraq, Libya and Syria and, in particular, the bombing of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Putin also accused the US of supporting ISIS and other Islamist terrorist organizations, including in separatist Islamist movements in Russia’s North Caucasus.
In recent weeks, Putin has made several major public statements, invoking the danger of a “Yugoslavian scenario”—that is, the break-up of the country through a combination of ethnic conflicts, civil wars and imperialist bombardments—repeating itself, on a much larger scale, in Russia. Putin indicated that the Kremlin fears that the US, working together with the government in Kiev, is preparing a military provocation with chemical weapons. Pointing to the situation in Ukraine, where a US- and EU-backed coup in 2014 toppled a pro-Russian government, triggering an ongoing civil war and massive build-up of NATO on Russia’s borders, Putin said that NATO must understand that “We have no way further to retreat,” this is “right before our doorstep.”
Putin warned, “In case of continuation of the rather aggressive line of our Western colleagues, we will respond with adequate military-technical measures, [we] will react harshly to the unfriendly steps.” Yet while stating that any written contracts or agreements with the US and NATO were effectively worthless, he doubled down on the need for NATO to sign just such an agreement with “guarantees” to Russia that it would acknowledge certain “red lines.” Underscoring just how desperate a situation the Kremlin oligarchy sees itself in, Putin cried that the NATO powers must give, “Something, at least something.” ...
The same day that Putin gave his speech, the Biden administration met to discuss new sanctions in the case of a war between Russia and Ukraine, which would hit the Russian economy on a hitherto unprecedented scale. The sanctions now being discussed include the banning of any exports of Apple products, as well as technology that is critical to the aircraft and automobile industry of Russia, two of its largest industrial sectors. Earlier reports by CNN and BBC indicated that the US and EU are also considering cutting off Russia from the SWIFT agreement, the main basis for international financial transfers, which are critical to the operations of Russian banks and companies in the world economy. Such a move is widely described as the “nuclear” option in economic warfare by the imperialist powers and would threaten a near-total collapse of the already fragile and crisis-ridden Russian economy.
Just a few days earlier, the US Congress passed a record war budget of $770 billion, focused on preparing for war against China and Russia.
Iran nuclear talks: Negotiations resume for an eighth round in Vienna
US national security adviser says deadline for Iran talks coming ‘within weeks’
The US deadline to reach an agreement in the nuclear talks with Iran in Vienna will come “within weeks,” America’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Wednesday.
Speaking to the Haaretz daily as he visited Israel, Sullivan said there was “still room for a diplomatic effort” to curb Tehran’s nuclear program, but that the timeframe in which to achieve results was “not long.”
Israel is reportedly concerned that the US may opt for a weaker interim deal with Iran in lieu of a return to the original accord. Asked on the matter, Sullivan said he was not a fan of the term “less for less” given to such a potential agreement, but stressed that any sanctions removal by the US would only come in return for effective limitations on Iran’s nuclear program.
The Walla news site, citing several unnamed senior Israeli officials, reported that Sullivan’s visit had served to assuage some of Israel’s concerns over US positions.
The US administration “is in a better place than we thought” in its thinking on Iran, one official said, and the gaps between Jerusalem and Washington “turned out to be smaller than we’d expected.”
Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald & Chris Hedges on NSA Leaks, Assange & Protecting a Free Internet
Assange Applies For Appeal to UK Supreme Court
Julian Assange’s lawyers on Thursday filed an application to appeal to the U.K. Supreme Court to overturn the decision by two High Court judges to allow his extradition to the United States. The appeal can only go forward if those High Court judges agree that “there is a point of law of general public importance involved in the decision,” according to the 2003 Extradition Act. ...
So at this point it is up to the High Court judges Lord Chief Justice Ian Duncan Burnett and Lord Justice Timothy Holroyde to find that their own judgment raised a point of “law of general public importance” for Assange’s application to appeal to the Supreme Court to go ahead. Moris said that the judges’ decision would not come before the third week of January.
If the High Court refuses, Assange can then apply directly to the Supreme Court.
Buyers remorse in Britain:
One year on, most voters say Brexit has gone badly
More than six out of 10 voters believe Brexit has either gone badly or worse than they expected – a year after the UK left the EU, according to an anniversary poll for the Observer.
The Opinium survey – coming a week after the minister in charge of Brexit, Lord Frost, resigned from Boris Johnson’s government – also found that 42% of people who voted Leave in 2016 had a negative view of how Brexit had turned out so far.
26% of Leave supporters said it had gone worse than they expected, while 16% of those who voted for Brexit said they had expected it to go badly and had been proved right.
Among people who voted Remain, 86% said it had gone badly or worse than they expected. Overall, just 14% of all voters said Brexit had gone better than expected.
New York Times BARRED From Publishing Project Veritas Docs, Calls Ruling THREAT To Press Freedom
New York Times must surrender Project Veritas memos, judge rules
A New York judge has upheld an order preventing the New York Times from publishing documents between conservative group Project Veritas and its lawyer and ruled that the newspaper must immediately relinquish confidential legal memos it obtained. The decision Thursday by state supreme court justice Charles D Wood in Westchester county, released Friday, comes in a defamation lawsuit Project Veritas filed against the Times in 2020.
Months after the lawsuit was filed, the newspaper reported that the justice department was investigating Project Veritas in connection with the theft of a diary belonging to Ashley Biden, the president’s daughter. In that story, the Times quoted the memos, leading Project Veritas to accuse the newspaper of violating attorney-client privilege.
Wood upheld his earlier order preventing the Times from further publishing the memos, and also ruled that the newspaper must turn over physical copies of the documents and destroy electronic versions.
The newspaper reported it would appeal the ruling and seek a stay in the meantime. Publisher AG Sulzberger decried the ruling as an attack of press freedoms and alarming for “anyone concerned about the dangers of government overreach into what the public can and cannot know.” He also said it risked exposing sources.
“In defiance of law settled in the Pentagon Papers case, this judge has barred The Times from publishing information about a prominent and influential organization that was obtained legally in the ordinary course of reporting,” Sulzberger said in a statement reported by the Times that also asserted there was no precedent for Wood’s decision.
Meet New TOO BIG TO FAIL Wall Street Giants
Sanders Counters Manchin's Bogus Inflation Argument Against Build Back Better
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday countered fellow Sen. Joe Manchin's recent Fox News appearance with an op-ed on the right-wing outlet's website aimed at rebutting the West Virginia Democrat's falsehood-laden talking points against the Build Back Better Act.
"Manchin, the Republicans, and corporate America say this bill will add to our national debt and make inflation worse. Not true," wrote Sanders (I-Vt.), the chair of the Senate Budget Committee. "Unlike the bloated military budget that Manchin recently voted for, which adds $778 billion to the deficit this year alone and costs four times more than the Build Back Better Act over a 10-year period, the White House has said this bill is fully paid for" with tax hikes on the wealthy.
Manchin has voted for 11 consecutive military budgets, including the latest version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which the West Virginia Democrat approved without complaining about the price tag.
"And to add insult to injury, this military budget came after we ended the longest war in recent U.S. history and was $25 billion more than what President Biden requested," the Vermont senator continued.
"I should also add that, despite Manchin's 'deep concerns' about the national debt, he voted for $53 billion in corporate welfare that would go to a handful of profitable microchip companies—completely unpaid for," Sanders wrote, a reference to the Senate-passed Endless Frontier Act, which would lavish taxpayer subsidies on U.S. semiconductor firms.
Sanders' Fox News op-ed came days after Manchin—flush with corporate cash—appeared on the network's Sunday program to announce his opposition to the Build Back Better Act, a centerpiece of President Joe Biden's domestic policy agenda.
Top progressive urges Biden to focus on Build Back Better despite Manchin blow
Pramila Jayapal, a leading House progressive, has urged Joe Biden to continue focusing on his Build Back Better social spending legislation and to use executive actions as a way to work around public rejection by a key senator, Joe Manchin.
Writing in the Washington Post, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus said it would soon release a plan for actions including lowering costs, protecting family healthcare and tackling the climate crisis. ...
Manchin, a centrist Democrat from West Virginia, rejected Build Back Better last Sunday. With the Senate split 50-50, his dramatic move seemed to doom the bill. It also threatened to scuttle hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for measures to meet climate goals and prompted Goldman Sachs to lower its forecasts for US economic growth. ...
“Taking executive action will also make clear to those who hinder Build Back Better that the White House and Democrats will deliver for Americans,” Jayapal wrote.
Debunking the #1 MYTH About Medicare for All
Defense seeks dismissal of indictment for Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plot
Defense attorneys want dismissed the indictment against five men accused of plotting to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, because of what they call “egregious overreaching” by federal agents and informants. The government alleges that the men were upset over coronavirus restrictions last year when they conspired to kidnap Whitmer, a Democrat then spoken about as a possible vice-president, even scouting her second home in northern Michigan.
Five people are charged with kidnapping conspiracy and face trial on 8 March in Grand Rapids. They have pleaded not guilty and claim to be victims of entrapment. Federal prosecutors have argued the men were not entrapped. ...
In a 20-page motion filed in court on Saturday night, defense attorneys alleged FBI agents and federal prosecutors invented a conspiracy and entrapped people who could face life in prison.
Los Angeles police kill girl, 14, when firing at suspect in clothing store
The Los Angeles county coroner has identified the 14-year-old girl who was shot and killed by police on Thursday while in the dressing rooms of a department store in North Hollywood. Valentina Orellana-Peralta died after being hit by a bullet which went through the wall of the dressing room at the Burlington Coat Factory store, as police officers responded to a call about an assault.
The officer involved was put on paid leave while the Los Angeles police department prepared to release video evidence and radio calls from an encounter that reportedly happened around 11.45am. Officers reportedly found the suspect in the alleged assault, Daniel Elena Lopez, and fired, killing the 24-year-old. They then discovered a bullet hole in the dressing room wall. The room was “directly behind the suspect and out of the officers’ view”, police said. ...
Choi said that when police entered the store they thought the suspect was armed. No firearm was found on or near him, though officers retrieved a “very heavy lock” which police believe was involved in the assault that left a woman injured. ...
Under California law, a state justice department investigation is required when an “unarmed civilian” is shot and killed by a police officer. ...
Domingo García, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said in a statement: “It is indefensible that trained Los Angeles police officers could open fire in a crowded store at the height of Christmas shopping without first knowing for sure if the suspect was armed.”
'Small Win for Police Accountability' as Kim Potter Found Guilty of Manslaughter in Daunte Wright Killing
After four days of deliberation, a Hennepin County, Minnesota jury on Thursday found former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting Daunte Wright, an unarmed 20-year-old Black father, during an April 11 traffic stop.
"Kim Potter was found GUILTY," Black Lives Matter tweeted following the verdict. "May the spirit of justice in the name of Daunte Wright lead us into the new year."
The ACLU tweeted: "This verdict is still not justice. True justice doesn't come one verdict at a time. Real justice means that these situations do not happen in the first place."
Wright family attorneys Benjamin Crump, Antonio Romanucci, and Jeff Storms, released the following statement regarding the verdict:
The family of Daunte Wright is relieved that the justice system has provided some measure of accountability for the senseless death of their son, brother, father, and friend. From the unnecessary and overreaching tragic traffic stop to the shooting that took his life, that day will remain a traumatic one for this family and yet another example for America of why we desperately need change in policing, training, and protocols.
If we are ever going to restore the confidence of Black and marginalized Americans in law enforcement, we need to have accountability and a commitment to listening and to creating meaningful change. We must now turn our attention to ensuring that Kim Potter receives the strongest and most just sentence possible. It is also imperative that we focus on the conduct of Brooklyn Center and pinpoint its systemic failures that contributed to Daunte's unlawful death.
Potter unsuccessfully argued that she meant to use her Taser, and not her Glock semi-automatic pistol, on Wright during what she described as a "chaotic" encounter. The former 26-year veteran officer could face up to 15 years behind bars and as much as a $30,000 fine. However, CNN reports that since she has no criminal history, state sentencing guidelines recommend a sentence in the six-to-8.5-year range.
Potter's sentencing is scheduled for February 22. The presiding judge in the case, Regina Chu, ordered Potter to be immediately jailed.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) on Apartheid, War, Palestine, Guantánamo, Climate Crisis & More
Anti-apartheid hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies aged 90
Desmond Tutu, the South African cleric and social activist who was a giant of the struggle against apartheid, has died aged 90, prompting tributes from religious leaders, politicians and activists from around the world.
Tutu, described by observers at home and abroad as the moral conscience of the nation, died in Cape Town on Boxing Day, weeks after the death of FW de Klerk, the country’s last white president.
“The passing of archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa. “From the pavements of resistance in South Africa to the pulpits of the world’s great cathedrals and places of worship, and the prestigious setting of the Nobel peace prize ceremony, the Arch distinguished himself as a non-sectarian, inclusive champion of universal human rights.”
Tutu was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the late 1990s and in recent years was hospitalised on several occasions because of infections associated with his treatment. He died peacefully in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to his relatives.
Report Spotlights Massive GOP Push to 'Hijack Elections in This Country'
A detailed analysis published Thursday shines further light on the Republican Party's sprawling assault on voting rights and the democratic process nationwide, an effort that includes legislation that would "politicize, criminalize, and interfere" with elections.
Compiled by the States United Democracy Center, Protect Democracy, and Law Forward, the new report identifies at least 262 bills in 41 states that—if enacted—would "interfere with election administration." More than 30 such measures have become law in 17 Republican-led states.
But the report makes clear that the intensifying Republican attack on democracy reaches far beyond the legislative process. "The nature of the threat," the authors warn, "has metastasized beyond proposing or passing bills."
"As we look toward 2022, we anticipate the anti-democratic strategy will consist of four key pillars: (i) changing the rules to make it easier to undermine the will of the voters; (ii) changing the people who defend our democratic system by sidelining, replacing, or attacking professional election officials; (iii) promoting controversial constitutional theories about our elections to justify partisan takeovers; and (iv) eroding public confidence and trust in elections," the analysis notes. "These four pillars are the foundation for election sabotage, contrary to the will of the voters." ...
The report cites a number of specific examples of the GOP's attempted election subversion, which could have major impacts on the 2022 midterms and beyond. Republicans need to flip just five Democratic-held U.S. House seats to take control of the chamber.
"In Michigan, in eight of the eleven largest counties in the state, county Republican parties have systematically replaced their appointees to county canvassing boards with election deniers who embrace conspiracy theories and lies about the 2020 election," the report observes. "In Pennsylvania, the state legislature threatened to impeach the members of two county election commissions who voted to count timely received mail-in or absentee ballots that lacked a date handwritten by the voter."
"At the Secretary of State level," the report continues, "a number of candidates running in 2022 are campaigning on radical positions that would undercut independent election administration. Indeed, former President Donald Trump has endorsed three candidates for Secretary of State who contend that he won the 2020 presidential election: Mark Finchem in Arizona, Jody Hice in Georgia, and Kristina Karamo in Michigan." ...
In the face of Republicans' coordinated push to suppress the vote in states across the U.S., Senate Democrats have failed to approve legislation that would negate draconian GOP laws and bolster the franchise at the federal level.
This past weekend, the Senate Democratic leadership ignored calls to work through the holidays and adjourned for the year without approving voting rights legislation.
Biden: ‘Let's go Brandon, I agree’
Christmas storms hit California with much-needed snow and rain
A major Christmas storm caused whiteout conditions and closed key highways in the mountains of northern California and Nevada, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days. Rainstorms also continued to hit parts of southern California. The conditions were difficult but welcome developments in a parched state where the Sierra snowpack had been at dangerously low levels after weeks of dry weather.
The state department of water resources reported on Christmas Eve that the snowpack was between 114% and 137% of normal across the Sierra range, with more snow expected. On Friday night into Saturday, 20in of snow fell at Homewood on Lake Tahoe’s west shore. About a foot was reported at Northstar near Truckee and 10in at the Mount Rose ski resort on the southwest edge of Reno. ...
More than 1.8in of rain fell over 24 hours in San Marcos pass in Santa Barbara county, while Rocky Butte in San Luis Obispo county recorded 1.61in, the NWS said. In the San Bernardino Mountains, east of Los Angeles, crews were repairing a section of State Route 18 that washed down a hillside after heavy rain on Thursday. The closure of the major route into the Big Bear ski resort area could last for weeks, officials said.
More at the link:
What the numbers tells us about a catastrophic year of wildfires
2021 proved another disastrous fire year for the American west. Amid a historic drought and record-breaking heatwaves, wildfires that erupted across the US burned close to 7.7m acres. Some broke records that had only recently been set. And while the amount of land burned this year didn’t reach 2020 levels, a troubling new trend emerged: fires are getting harder to fight.
“With the conditions we saw this year and everything leading up to it – historic drought, these prolonged dry, heatwaves – everything together made it a very challenging year,” said Aitor Bidaburu, a wildfire program manager for the US Fire Administration. His biggest takeaway on the blazes “was just the intensity with which they burned”, he says.
The statistics tell the story of a fire season that now stretches far into the year, fires that have grown more ferocious, and climatic conditions that are causing the blazes to behave erratically and dangerously.
Wildfires used to be largely confined to a four-month period but the threats are now felt through the year. By 21 June, close to 29,000 wildfires had already ignited across the US – roughly 4,000 more than average years according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
The threats didn’t subside after the summer and autumn. Blazes burned through Montana and Colorado into December this year and fire weather warnings prompted power safety shutoffs in southern California over the Thanksgiving holiday in late November.
The number of fires that burn each year is trending downward – but the average acreage burnt by the blazes is rising.
In California, roughly 2.6m acres of land went up in flames this year, eclipsing the 5-year-average of 1.4m.
Eight of the top 15 largest wildfires in the golden state occurred in the last two years
Fake Meat Industry Using Mealworms & Maggots for Burgers!
Also of Interest
Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.
How Not to Explain the Ukraine Crisis
What happens when US rejects Putin’s ultimatum?
Suyapa Portillo Villeda on Honduran Election
'This Is a Big Deal': Amazon Settlement With NLRB Could Ease Worker Unionization Efforts
‘A lot of abuse for little pay’: how US farming profits from exploitation and brutality
A year of extreme weather in the American west – in pictures
Hillary CHARGES People To Watch Her CRY
Kim Iversen: Kamala Harris, Charlamagne tha God CRINGE Interview Is Just What Dems Want
A Little Night Music
Sam Cooke - Yeah Man (Sweet Soul Music)
Sam Cooke - Cupid
Sam Cooke - Nothing Can Change This Love
Sam Cooke - It’s Got The Whole World Shakin’
Sam Cooke - Frankie And Johnny
Sam Cooke - Chain Gang
Sam Cooke - Mean Old World
Sam Cooke - Having A Party
Sam Cooke - Another Saturday Night
Sam Cooke - Feel It
Comments
Is the non stop propaganda machine beginning to crumble?
Down with the news
How long is it going to take for the 'major outlets' to figure out we don't buy their crap anymore?
Forever and a day it seems. Crumble? maybe. Disintegrate is more likely. An enigma wrapped
inside a dogma enema. Ewww
evening humphrey...
heh, i would propose an alternate explanation for the sudden dropoff in news consumption.
it would be nice to think that our fellow americans are recognizing that the news is poop and best avoided, but, i tend not to think more of the average americans' perspicacity than p.t. barnum did.
i suspect that the drop off in viewership has to do with trump being pushed off of the media stage and the concurrent drop off in democrat outrage.
Good evening...
Thanks Joe for the news and blues.
Biden was the point man on the Ukrainian coup. He's using it now to force Russia into war. It is difficult to fathom the depth of US stupidity. Just when I think there's no way it can get worse...it does. Let's see the US was defeated by the Taliban...how the hell do they think they can take on Russia AND China. What idiots.
Sure would be nice to hear someone suggest defunding the CIA.
On a personal note, all is well. Had a visit from our niece and her 20 something sons. They filmed our place with their drone. Pretty cool stuff. Had a nice walk about too.
Hope you and yours had a nice Christmas! Wishing us all peace in the new year.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
A bit more concerning the Ukraine.
And don't forget Hunter's ...
Barisma BoD seat for $50,000/month and less said, SoS Kerry's nephew.
All while installing and supporting fascists.
USA. USA.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Don't Look Up
as you recommended yesterday, is terrific. I especially enjoyed Meryl Streep's ditsy Palin/Kamala interpretation of the POTUS. The portrayal of the rot that is our government was all too real.
Jonah Hill's character telling Leo, the scientist, that they believed him now because people who went to the schools that matter (Harvard) --agree with him. Lovely to see that smarmy guy left behind.
NYCVG
I liked the end after the credits
Where Meryl gets her reward.
Film confirmed my "treasure every day" philosophy.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Yes. Leo & his family
and friends around the table was everything you've been talking about.
And that I believe in as I plan and execute my high floor garden.
Schadenfreude delight to see the idiot President's demise.
NYCVG
Yep, a Bronteroc ate her
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
evening lookout...
yeah, i'm with you on the ukraine fiasco. just when you think that biden and company have reached the bottom of the barrel of stoopid, they seem to find greater depths to sink to. it's going to take a lot to unwind this mess that they are creating and i fear that it will not be pretty.
glad to hear that things are going well on the farm and with the family.
christmas went well at chez shikspack the food and the company were all excellent and today we actually got about a half-dozen actual, honest-to-flying spaghetti monster snow flurries (which melted on contact with the ground). it was a nice thought.
have a great evening!
Good book on China"In search of Modern China" by Jonathan Spence
I was saddenned today to read that Jonathan Spence, a well known China historian and the author of one of my favorite books on Chinese history, the excellent "In Search of Modern China" had recentloy died. He has written a great many books on China, but I only own one, the 875 page one.
The area where this book shines is its writing about the last century and the Chinese struggle for independence, both from the (Manchurian) Qing Dynasty and for independence from Western powers which wanted to slice China up like melon and eat her. Much like we do today to many countries. This is really an exceptional work for its giving us an overview of the incredibles struggles and changes that make up the last 120 years and the personalities of those involved. .
China is really in many ways much like the US in the independent and stubborn+ persistent nature of its people. They don't deserve how we are dissing them. The things we see as bad, were responses to being treated badly by us, too much for us to continue them . It doesnt smell right. We need to do better by them. Our two countries are linked by the very large number of very smart and hard working Chinese Americans We owe it to ourselves and them to understand their history better.
evening zed...
yep, the u.s. has treated china and its people (both there and here) abominably over the years and there are still perverse incentives in the u.s. economy to continue the abuse. i suppose that if the u.s. can't become a better people, it at least needs to reorient its priorities. sooner or later, though if the u.s. maintains course, china will beat it at its own game.
Well said, Zed
We are not dissing China because of her past, we are dissing China because she seeks excellence in the present world and because of her open diplomatic range. China reaches for friendship with any country that wants the same, developing close ties, even with countries that the US wants to destroy. We diss her because we feel threatened by her achievements and and successes, and by her generosity toward countries in need. China constantly makes friendly overtures toward the US and proposes ways that we can work together for the benefit of both nations and the world.
The US seeks to cripple China economically through trade wars, tariffs, economic sabotage, blockades against Chinese products and technologies, and pushing China into wartime spending to starve other parts of her economy, which is the state of the economy in the United States.
The US has few allies at the UN. Countries at the UN believe they are witnessing the rise of fascism once more in the world, led by the US.
____________________
The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Good evening, Joe
Thanks for this juicy ediction of Evening Blues.
Yikes---the article on Putin's comments and our new War Budget. Scaring even dubious me. What my own reading tells me is that Russia China et al need us less and less, if at all.
Our sanctions cannot affect them as much as they once did as Russia and China have opened ports and shipping lanes and pipelines to get their exports to where they need them to go.
Of course, 55 missiles pointed on Russia from Ukraine must be pretty concerning to the Russian people.
NYCVG
evening nycvg...
my reading tells me that russia and china by combining (and encouraging others to join them) are slowly but surely defeating the u.s. economically while maintaining what should be a credible military deterrent. that latter part is the problem, however. it appears that the u.s. has just one card it can play that will bring the game to an end before it loses.
putin once said when discussing possible nuclear exchanges something to the effect that he had no use for a world without russia, hence he would loose the arsenal should russia be attacked. it occurs that there are probably very wealthy and powerful people who have no use for a world that the u.s. cannot dominate.
mealworms and maggot burgers
it's the new earth friendly Mac-meal
you want fries with that? Almost potato ..
double size for a few more bucks ..
add in a non-dairy shake to give your gut
a major quake! Gonna be solyent soon.
that should be included in the Congress Cafeteria
as the most healthy burger for Congresscritters to eat.. Will make their mouth silent soon.
https://www.euronews.com/
evening qms...
heh, sometimes the future sounds distinctly unappetizing.
maggots for dinner again?
Don't let your meat loaf ;-)
spoonful of sugar and all that rot
thanks for the EB!
The CIA does (buy their crap) Thats whats happening.
They buy subscriptions, get them hooked on the money, which goes away if they start telling the truth.
Dogs love bugs (to eat)
I dont think I saw a single cicada this time around (brood X)
WTF? Where did they go?
I’m dumbfounded by Americans
All of this is true and yet so many people here blindly support whatever the military does. Our last act while limping out of Afghanistan was to slaughter 10 people including mostly children and the military goons slaughtering people after the bomb went off. Milley said that it was a righteous hit on a terrorist who actually worked for an US aid society. It was also worth it to starve 500,000 Iraqi children because we were tired of Saddam. USA USA and we’re #1. Yeah in mayhem and misery. How can people not see that? Lots of us see through the propaganda. It’s not that hard if you have any empathy and compassion for others.
Case in point. Comment on Biden signing the $770 billion defense bill. Others want it spent here at home.
Umm when will we get that?
SMDH!
I’m getting alerts about a snow squall heading my way. I don’t remember them using that word here before. 50 mile winds kept me awake all night and stuck inside today.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
New Weather Words
are the big thing these days.
We had a "Rain Cyclone" called in NYC last summer. It meant a lttle rain and some wind.
Not that different from "Omicron" and common cold. maybe? IDK. We will all know if this is true soon enough.
Why say 2 inches of rain and a 15 mile an hour wind when you can say Rain Cyclone---or whatever it was called.
NYCVG
Stay warm, dawg.
____________________
The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Thanks Pluto
That looks nice and cozy. I’m sipping a nice cuppa Tang tonight. No fire tho.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
evening snoopy...
even a cursory look at u.s. history shows that we are a warlike, violent and brutal people.
but we are great at rationalizing.
i hope that the weather treats you well and you stay warm, dry and toasty. give sam a scritch for me.
have a great evening!
Pfft…
The squall performed as well as the squad has been. It blew in and was gone before I knew it was here. A dusting of snow was all I got from it. Looks like lake effect and SLC is getting more, but boy I don’t remember a winter from the past with not much of it on the ground. Glad to see that California is getting a lot though and thankful I’m not trying to travel between there and Utah anymore. It was always a gamble how much time I’d spend in Reno. Gamble..heh get it?
I’m in the dawg house for not walking today, but I put my foot down when it’s that windy. The wind chill and the wind is just too uncomfortable.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Good evening Joe, thanks for the Evening Blues.
Dos Mas:
be well and have a good one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
evening el...
great tunes, thanks!
have a great evening!
and there was Sam Cooke's gospel career
as part of the Soul Stirrers
[video:https://youtu.be/xaSmjdWEK9E]
evening shahryar...
thanks for the tune! cooke's gospel stuff is definitely worth a listen.
More on the Mouse that Roared
While the US continues its attempt to provoke a war with China by creating a "Cuban Missile Crisis" by bringing weapons into Taiwan to use against China — Taiwan's diplomatic supporters have been dropping off, one by one. Many Americans do not realize that not all Taiwanese people support the Taiwan government's war-like behavior toward China. Many do business in China and own homes there. Million of Taiwanese vacation in China and send their children school in China.
It's clear that Taiwan cannot defend its own sovereignty and it would swiftly be occupied by a foreign enemy of China. NATO would bring in weapons to threaten China, which had no intention of attacking Taiwan after 70 years of stability and peace. The Taiwanese people have no desire to become pawns in a Cold War for the rest of their lives.
Enter a Former Pawn, Nicaragua
Nicaragua seizes Taiwan's embassy and gives it to China
____________________
The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
evening pluto...
yep, (mainland) china is taiwan's largest trading partner and the economic ties between them could not be broken without severe harm to taiwan's economy. it goes without saying that taiwan, despite the build-up of weapons, is a pipsqueak compared to the prc and would fare poorly in a military conflict.
the u.s. policy of using taiwan as an irritant to the prc is just stupid. perhaps the u.s. ought to offer immediate citizenship to any taiwanese person that wishes to leave the island rather than be part of the prc and then stop acting like fools.
I doubt if its generosity,
I doubt if its generosity, its insurance. They know how we use debt to control countries. They are just trying to protect themselves against us using our own methods.
Chinese dont trust the PRC at all.
The Chinese blogospere is like here where few people trust the government propaganda.
War is one of the most horrible things.
My uncle died on one of the first days of the second world war, and the Cold War he might be said to have died in that.
Not World War One, which is what this poem is about.
But it applies to him, because his life was cut off far too soon. Like so many. He died beneath the waves..
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
To me this says, DON"T BETRAY WHAT WE FOUGHT AND DIED FOR.
Taiwan probably has nuclear weapons, and has had them for a
Very long time. Ask Israel, maybe they know how many.
They have a right to defend themselves.
US officials to attend 2022 Winter Olympics, after all.
The world is so relieved.
____________________
The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Of course, the last time US officials attended games in China
...the Military Games in Wuhan, to be precise — China got slammed with a coronavirus epidemic.
I'm sure that this time, US State Officials will be very carefully observed the entire time.
—
____________________
The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
'staged a farce of not sending a diplomatic'
"We didn’t invite you in the first place!" Ha…
We’ve got big stones for accusing China of human rights abuses after our bloody history and what we’re doing to Julian Assange.
I haven’t watched the Olympics since Utah hosted them way back when. We are trying to get them for 2030 but yeah good luck finding snow then. We used to have ‘the greatest snow on earth' but that’s when we had winter. And when we got it because of the great salt lake. It’s just a puddle compared to back 20 years.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
I skipped the Olympics structures in Beijing.
I am just not into sports anymore. Too many wondrous things to see there besides things built for a sports event.
Now...about Sam Cooke...I can't skip anything. He died way too soon.
His music: I remember the time and the place, and the people, mostly all gone. The man brought a lot of blacks and whites to the same table. At a time when blacks could, for the first time, drink from the same water fountain as we whites, in our courthouse. You know, that place of justice for all.
Gotta go to bed, joe, et al,so have a good one, and thanks for all you do.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981