The Evening Blues - 4-1-19



eb1pt12


The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Albert Washington

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features soul singer Albert Washington. Enjoy!

Albert Washington - I'm The Man

"The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them."

-- Patrick Henry


News and Opinion

Surprise! (Not)

Khashoggi killers received training in the United States

Several of the Saudi agents who were involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul last year had received training in the United States, the Washington Post reported Saturday.

Post columnist David Ignatius said US and Saudi sources told him that the training occurred before the killing "as part of ongoing liaison" between the US and Saudi Arabia, but that it has since been halted.

The leader of the team that killed Khashoggi was Maher Mutreb, a colonel in the Saudi intelligence service who comes from a "wealthy and respected Saudi family." Mutreb allegedly received training in the US and developed a "friendly" relationship with Khashoggi while they were both working in London.

Ignatius said other members of the 15-person team allegedly also had US training, without elaborating.

Yemen’s Food Prices Soar as Saudi Blockade Limits Imports

Four years into the Saudi War in Yemen, the invasion has turned the poorest country in the Middle East into one constantly on the brink of humanitarian catastrophe. This is in no small part driven by a Saudi naval blockade, which has severely limited food imports.

In the past year, food imports were down some 60% from pre-war levels.
Given that Yemen, before the war, had to import about 90% of its food,
there isn’t exactly a way for locals to get around this lack of imports.

Heh, this is about the UK, but it sure sounds like another country that I'm familiar with, too.

British Foreign Policy in the Middle East: A Secret History of Self Interest

On Tuesday in the British parliament, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry asked an urgent question relating to allegations that British troops have been covertly fighting in Yemen and supporting the Saudi-led coalition. As reported in the Mail on Sunday, five British special forces troops from the elite Special Boat Service (SBS) were injured while “advising” Saudi Arabia on their deadly campaign in Yemen. The commandos were injured in gun fights as part of a top-secret campaign, and other reports have claimed British troops have been killed in such battles. British soldiers from the Special Air Service (SAS) have reportedly been secretly deployed and operate “dressed in Arab clothing.”

Responding to Labour’s questions, Mark Field, a minister in the U.K.’s foreign office, said that he would seek to get to the bottom of these “very serious and well sourced” allegations.

The presence of British soldiers in Yemen, secretly fighting a war that has brought death, famine and destruction to millions of innocent civilians, raises an age-old question: why does British foreign policy in the Middle East support dictatorships, abuse human rights and prioritize Britain’s power status? It’s tempting to say the reasons are simply geopolitics, oil and other commercial interests. But there is a deeper explanation: Britain, far from being a true democracy, is in reality an oligarchy that promotes the interests of a privileged domestic elite. The idea that Westminster is the “mother of all parliaments,” representing a democratic model for the world, is a cultivated myth.

The U.K. has elections every five years, an independent judiciary, freedom of speech and association, and strong laws protecting the equality of all citizens and civil liberties. Yet real power rests in the hands of an elite few who control policy-making institutions and the dominant ideas in society. British foreign policy-making is so centralized that it is akin to an authoritarian regime. A prime minister can send troops into action without even consulting parliament. Britain is currently fighting several covert wars with no parliamentary authorization or debate. ...

While the government is saying it will look into the role the British military is playing in Yemen, the stock response to parliamentary questions on U.K. covert action tends to be: “For reasons of national security, it is the longstanding policy of successive British governments not to comment on intelligence and sensitive operations.” ... Even when asked parliamentary questions on overt foreign policy, ministerial responses tend to be minimalist, and are often misleading or deceitful. Anyone who has made a Freedom of Information request to the government will know that they are routinely denied on the pretext of protecting “national security.”

UN launches investigation after Mail on Sunday exposé reveals British Special Forces are fighting on same side as child soldiers in Yemen civil war

An exclusive report in The Mail on Sunday that British Special Forces have been wounded while fighting on the same side as child soldiers in Yemen has triggered a United Nations investigation. Our devastating expose last week told how Special Boat Service commandos had been wounded during top-secret operations in the conflict that has left millions facing starvation.

The report sparked furious questions in the Commons over Britain’s complicity in its support for Saudi Arabia, which is allied to the Yemeni government fighting rebels backed by Iran in the four-year civil war. ... The MoS report casts doubt over the veracity of the Government’s often-repeated claim that the UK ‘is not a party to the war’. ...

Last Tuesday, Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry asked a Foreign Office Minister whether British Forces are ‘providing support’ to local militia forces in Yemen who send children aged as young as 13 into battle. Mark Field MP responded: ‘We still hold the firm view that we are not a party to the conflict. Clearly we are supportive of Saudi Arabia which has been a long-standing ally. The Mail on Sunday makes some very serious allegations and I am keen we get to the bottom of them.’

MPs also submitted written questions to Ministers about the MoS story. Former Foreign Minister Andrew Mitchell, who has accused the UK Government of being ‘shamefully complicit’ in Saudi Arabia’s role in Yemen, asked: ‘What recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of operations involving British Armed Forces in Yemen in the last six months?’ Defence Minister Mark Lancaster replied: ‘None’.

Four Palestinians killed at border protest; rockets from Gaza Strip hit Israel

Militants fired five rockets from Gaza into Israel early Sunday, the Israeli military said, following a day of Palestinian mass protests along the Israel-Gaza perimeter fence. Four Palestinians, including three teenagers, were shot dead and dozens were wounded by Israeli soldiers. ...

No casualties were reported from the rockets and no Palestinian group claimed responsibility.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians rallied in the Gaza Strip on Saturday to mark the anniversary of their mass protests along the Israeli border.

Most demonstrators kept their distance from the border, though small crowds of activists approached the perimeter fence and threw stones and explosives toward Israeli troops on the other side. The forces fired tear gas and opened fire, killing four Palestinians and wounding 64.

Turkey local elections: Opposition now holds key local power centres

Erdogan claims victory in Turkish local elections but major cities in doubt

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed a decisive victory for his ruling party in local elections viewed as a crucial test of his leadership, even as initial results pointed to wins for the opposition in Istanbul and Ankara. State media reported on Sunday that Erdogan’s Justice and Development party (AKP) had lost control of Ankara to opposition bloc mayoral candidate Mansur Yavas, ending 25 years of AKP dominance.

In Istanbul, main opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu said in the early hours of Monday that he had won by nearly 28,000 votes over AKP candidate and former prime minister Binali Yildirim. But minutes later, the AKP provincial head in Istanbul said Yildirim had won by around 4,000 votes.

Several recounts are expected overnight and on Monday in what should have been routine municipality elections across Turkey which instead morphed into a referendum on Erdogan’s 16-year rule as the country’s economic woes began to bite into his popular support.

The initial results mark the first significant defeat for the ruling AKP since it first took power in 2002. ... AKP took nearly 45% of the votes after 90% of the more than 194,000 ballot boxes were counted, according to state broadcaster TRT. The secular main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, had 30% overall. The pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) managed to regain several seats across the mainly Kurdish southeast of the country, where the government has replaced elected mayors with government-appointed trustees in the past after alleging that the ousted officials had links to the outlawed militant PKK, or Kurdistan Workers’ Party. ...

Erdogan’s time in office has been distinguished by consistently strong economic growth, but last year’s currency crisis officially triggered a recession last month. Inflation is hovering at about 20%, sending the cost of living soaring for working-class AKP voters.

Saudis hacked Amazon chief Jeff Bezos’s phone, says company's security adviser

The security chief for Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon, says the Saudi government had access to Bezos’s phone and gained private information from it. Gavin de Becker, Bezos’s longtime security consultant, said he had concluded his investigation into the publication in January of leaked text messages between Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, a former television anchor whom the US National Enquirer tabloid newspaper said Bezos was dating. ...

“Our investigators and several experts concluded with high confidence that the Saudis had access to Bezos’ phone, and gained private information,” De Becker wrote. “As of today, it is unclear to what degree, if any, AMI was aware of the details.”

De Becker alleged Saudi Arabia has targeted the Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos, following the death last year in Turkey of Jamal Khashoggi, one of its columnists. Khashoggi, a Saudi national, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October. “Some Americans will be surprised to learn that the Saudi government has been very intent on harming Jeff Bezos since last October, when the Post began its relentless coverage of Khashoggi’s murder,” De Becker wrote.

AMI denied De Becker’s claims in a statement on Sunday. ... “The fact of the matter is, it was [Lauren Sanchez’s brother] Michael Sanchez who tipped the National Enquirer off to the affair on 10 September 2018, and over the course of four months provided all of the materials for our investigation.

Independent Reporter Rips Russiagate Peddling Journo's

North Korea says embassy raid in Spain was a 'grave terrorist attack'

A break-in at the North Korean embassy in Spain last month was “a grave terrorist attack”, a representative from North Korea’s foreign ministry said on Sunday in the North’s first official comment on the incident.

The foreign ministry representative also called for an investigation and said North Korea was closely watching rumours that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and an anti-North Korea group were behind the raid.

However, North Korea stopped short of blaming Washington directly for the raid and asked Spanish authorities to conduct the investigation in a responsible manner.

“We will wait for the result in patience,” the North’s state-run KCNA news agency quoted the representative as saying.

U.K. in Crisis: Facing No Deal, Parliament Votes on Brexit After Rejecting May’s Plan for Third Time

Ministers try to force May's hand over Brexit as cabinet rift widens

Theresa May’s government is on the verge of meltdown as cabinet ministers prepare to clash over whether to support plans for a softer Brexit and a possible lengthy delay before leaving the European Union. In a decisive intervention, David Gauke, the justice secretary, said on Sunday that the prime minister would have to accept the possibility of backing a customs union if the measure is supported by parliament this week.

But this was dismissed by Brexiters, including those in cabinet, who have threatened to resign if May accepts a customs union or submits to a delay that goes beyond 22 May. Those threatening to quit were reported to include Penny Mordaunt, the international development secretary, and Chris Grayling, the transport secretary.

It comes as May and her dwindling number of supporters prepare to face a second round of “indicative” votes on alternatives to her deal on Monday.

Concerned by the possibility of cabinet resignations, May is being urged by some ministers to allow a free vote on any customs union proposal. If parliament backs a customs union, ministers believe May will be forced to make a decision that will lead to resignations when the cabinet meets on Tuesday. With 12 days before the UK is due to leave the EU, Gauke said the prime minister would have to “look very closely” if MPs back a customs union in a fresh round of indicative votes. ...

May’s grip on power looks increasingly fragile, with cabinet ministers openly preparing for a leadership challenge. She appears poised to trigger a general election if parliament fails to agree on a way forward that she would then lead.

Article 50 petition to cancel Brexit passes 6m signatures

The petition asking the British government to revoke article 50 and reconsider its plan to exit the European Union passed 6m signatures a day and a half after Britain was meant to have left the European Union.

The number of signatories passed the 5m mark the previous Sunday, making it the most popular petition to have been submitted to the parliament website. The previous highest total of 4,150,260 was for a 2016 petition calling for a second referendum should the initial poll not provide a definitive enough result. ...

Parliament will debate the petition on Monday. The government responded on 26 March that it would not revoke article 50, saying: “We will honour the result of the 2016 referendum and work with parliament to deliver a deal that ensures we leave the European Union.” Since then, Theresa May’s Brexit deal has been rejected by MPs for the third time, this time by 58 votes; the DUP’s deputy leader, Nigel Dodds, said he would rather the UK stayed in the EU than back her withdrawal agreement.

'This Is Not Ok': Sears Condemned for Ending Retirees' Life Insurance After Handing Executives $25 Million in Bonuses

The retail giant Sears came under fire Saturday following reports that the company is ending life insurance benefits for an undisclosed number of its 90,000 retirees—just months after handing executives over $25 million in bonuses.

"It's the last benefit that retirees had," Ron Olbrysh, chair of the National Association of Retired Sears Employees (NARSE), told CBS News. ...

Sears filed for bankruptcy last October, but earlier this year a bankruptcy court approved billionaire Sears chairman Edward Lampert's bid to buy the company through his hedge fund.

Why the Real Migration Crisis Is in Central America, Not at the Southern U.S. Border

Trump Accused of 'Manufacturing' Crisis By Slashing Aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador

In a move that was immediately denounced as "cruel" and counterproductive, the Trump State Department on Saturday confirmed that it is cutting off hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

"Cutting foreign aid to Central America is the absolute last thing the Trump administration should do right now," Vicki Gass, senior policy advisor for Central America and Mexico with Oxfam America, said in a statement. "Not only is it morally wrong, it also counters efforts to address the root causes behind migration."

"Aid cuts would be devastating to the region and would only foster the same instability that is making people flee in the first place," Gass added.

The decision to slash around $500 million in aid to the three Central American nations comes as President Donald Trump is threatening to "close" the U.S.-Mexico border. Critics argued that Trump's aid cuts to El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala will worsen economic hardship in those nations and force more people to flee out of desperation. "This will create more refugees. This is the exact opposite of what we should be doing," tweeted journalist Thor Benson.


Some observers accused the president of manufacturing a crisis at the border for political gain.

Trump’s threats are backfiring and bringing more desperate migrants to the border

The president has championed hard-line immigration policies under the theory that they will deter Central American migrants from coming to the U.S. But instead of deterring migrants, Trump’s tough rhetoric may be doing the opposite: triggering a rush to the border by fueling a sense of “now or never” that has contributed to the highest number of undocumented migrants entering the U.S. in more than a decade.

“The more attention Central American migration gets, the more people start to panic and feel the door to the U.S. is going to close, and they should go now while they still have the chance,” said Stephanie Leutert, director of the Mexico Security Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin.

The cycle is in overdrive.

More than 100,000 undocumented migrants are expected to cross the southern border this month, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, driven by an unprecedented number of parents coming with their children. Overwhelmed, the agency has diverted 750 agents from the major points of entry to the border itself to help with the surge, while acknowledging that the immigration system is at a “breaking point.” ...

On Friday, President Trump threatened on Twitter to “close the southern Border” next week if Mexico “doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States.” Even assuming Trump could close the border — billions of dollars of cross-border trade are at stake — any attempt would likely end up in the courts and drag on for months. Meanwhile, Trump may be inadvertently spurring yet another mass wave of migrants, particularly families.



the horse race



In Leaked Recording, Cory Booker Says He and AIPAC President “Text Message Back and Forth Like Teenagers”

In a closed-door meeting with activists from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Tuesday, presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke about working closely with the organization and his desire to create a “unified voice from Congress” against the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, or BDS. Booker spoke to AIPAC members from New Jersey at the organization’s annual policy conference in Washington, D.C., a gathering of thousands of activists from around the country, culminating in a lobbying effort on Capitol Hill. Booker’s appearance came at a contentious time; last week, the progressive advocacy group MoveOn called on 2020 candidates to skip the conference, and at least five of the Democrats declined to attend.

Booker’s remarks, some of which were first reported by the Jerusalem Post, did not appear on a schedule of on-the-record events for journalists covering the conference. ... AIPAC did not respond to multiple requests for comment. A spokesperson for Booker reviewed a transcript of the audio and confirmed that it matched what was said, but declined to comment further.

Booker began his remarks by thanking AIPAC president Mort Fridman for his “leadership and his friendship,” telling the crowd that he and Fridman “talk often” and “text message back and forth like teenagers.”

[Audio available at The Intercept, click the link above. -js]

Biden denies inappropriate behavior after claim he kissed Nevada lawmaker

Joe Biden, the former US vice-president, has promised to “listen respectfully” to any allegations that he behaved inappropriately towards women. Biden issued a statement on Sunday as a former state lawmaker, who accuses him of kissing her head without consent, said he had displayed a pattern of behaviour that was disqualifying for a presidential candidate.

The former vice-president, who is expected to enter the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, has for years been known to make physical contact with women at political events, sometimes appearing to make them uncomfortable.

Lucy Flores, a former member of the Nevada state assembly, said in an article for The Cut on Friday Biden approached her from behind at a campaign event in November 2014, placed his hands on her shoulders, smelled her hair and slowly planted a kiss on the top of her head. Flores, who at the time was 35 and a candidate for lieutenant governor, described Biden’s actions as “blatantly inappropriate and unnerving”. ...

Biden said in a statement on Sunday he had given “countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort” in his decades on the campaign trail. “And not once – never – did I believe I acted inappropriately. If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention,” Biden said. He conceded that he “may be surprised” by recollections of others involved that differ from his own.

“But we have arrived at an important time when women feel they can and should relate their experiences, and men should pay attention. And I will,” Biden said.

Give People Free Money! Says Andrew Yang

Pete Buttigieg: potential 2020 candidate announces $7m haul in first quarter

Potential Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has raised $7m in the first quarter of the year, he said Monday morning.

The South Bend, Indiana mayor, little known nationally before he launched his presidential exploratory committee, has drawn a recent flurry of media attention with his bid to be the nation’s first openly gay and, at age 37, youngest president.

“This is just a preliminary analysis, but our team’s initial report shows we raised over $7 million dollars in Q1 of this year. We (you) are out-performing expectations at every turn,” Buttigieg said on Twitter early Monday morning.

Official reports on fundraising for the first three months of the year, a period that went through Sunday, are due on 15 April. Buttigieg was the first candidate to release his figures publicly.

Merkley Senate Bill Would Abolish 'Undemocratic' Electoral College

Denouncing what we called the nation's "profoundly unfair" system of electing presidents, Sen. Jeff Merkley on Friday introduced legislation that, along with a number of pro-democracy reforms, would abolish the electoral college.

The proposal, Merkley said, includes a constitutional amendment establishing that the president be elected according to the popular vote.

"The idea of democracy is simple and obvious even to young kids on a playground—whoever gets the most votes should win," the Oregon Democrat said. "But way too often, that’s not how our system of government is working. And we see the results all around us—the privileged and powerful taking care of themselves while most people work longer hours for the same pay at best, while costs keep going up." ...

The package of bills also calls for a commission to give full representation to Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C., and several U.S. territories; expand early voting; and end purges of voter rolls. Merkley is the latest lawmaker to call for an end to the electoral system that was put in place in the 18th century, critics say, to allow states that permitted slavery to sway elections and has been retained in part to ensure that states in the middle of the country are considered equal to those on the coasts, despite population differences.



the evening greens


'Huge Victory for Our Oceans': Trump Effort to Open Arctic to Oil and Gas Drilling Ruled Illegal

Preserving over 120 million acres of federal waters from exploitation by fossil fuel giants, a federal judge ruled late Friday that President Donald Trump's effort to open the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans to oil and gas drilling is illegal.

"President Trump's lawlessness is catching up with him," said Erik Grafe, the lead attorney for Earthjustice who helped argue the case against the Trump administration. "The judge's ruling today shows that the president cannot just trample on the constitution to do the bidding of his cronies in the fossil fuel industry at the expense of our oceans, wildlife, and climate."

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled (pdf) that Trump's April 2017 executive order revoking the Obama administration's ban on drilling in most of the Arctic was "unlawful."

The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision, which applies to 98 percent of the Arctic.

As Alaska Public Media reported: "Gleason’s decision was the second one she released Friday in favor of environmental groups. In a different lawsuit, she rejected a Trump administration effort to facilitate construction of a road through a national wildlife refuge on the Alaska Peninsula."

Gleason's decisions came just over a week after the Trump administration's fossil fuel agenda also hit a roadblock in Wyoming, where a federal judge temporarily blocked fracking on 300,000 acres of public land. "Experts in environmental law estimate that the Trump administration has now lost about 40 environmental cases in federal courts," the New York Times reported.

How Big Tech Helped Big Oil Automate the Climate Crisis

Snubbing Law and Climate, Trump Issues New Permit for Keystone XL

President Donald Trump issued on Friday a new presidential permit to allow for construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.


"This is a ridiculous attempt by Trump to skirt due process to benefit an oil corporation," said 350.org executive director May Boeve in a statement.

The permit states that pipeline company TransCanada has the authority "to construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline facilities at the international border of the United States and Canada at Phillips County, Montana, for the import of oil from Canada to the United States." Trump added that the permit he issued for the pipeline on March 23, 2017 was revoked.

"That permit," as The Hill reported, "was invalidated by a Montana federal judge in November. The ruling is being appealed in the 9th Circuit."

"Separately, a December lawsuit placed an injunction on most pre-construction activities," the outlet added.

"Trump issuing another #KeystoneXL permit to try to get around a court order quashing his first one is like a child going to the second parent when their first parent says no to more ice cream," tweeted David Turnbull, strategic communications director at Oil Change International.

Mutilated dolphins wash up on French coast in record numbers

A record number of dolphins have washed up on France’s Atlantic coast in the last three months, many with devastating injures. Environmental campaigners say 1,100 mutilated dolphins have been found since January, but the real figure could be 10 times higher as many bodies sink without trace. Activists warn the marine slaughter could threaten the extinction of the European dolphin population in the region.

The cause of the deaths is not known but it is thought fishing trawlers catching sea bass off the Atlantic coast may be responsible. Autopsies suggest the dolphins sustain catastrophic injuries attempting to escape nets or when trawler crew attempt to cut them free after they are caught. ...

Lamya Essemlali, the president of the ecology campaign group Sea Shepherd, said the real death toll was probably between 6,500 and 10,000 dolphins a year. She said the animals were being trapped by trawlers working in pairs and dragging a net between them. Sea Shepherd released a video of dolphins caught in trawler nets last month as part of its campaign Operation Dolphin Bycatch. ...

She called on the French government to carry out greater surveillance of trawlers, but said Sea Shepherd’s warnings had so far fallen on deaf ears. Essemlali also blamed public demand for cheap fish.

Ocasio-Cortez says Green New Deal critics are making 'fools of themselves'

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has rounded on her Republican opponents, accusing them of making “total fools of themselves” in criticising her Green New Deal proposals. ... Republicans have claimed that the resolution, which contains no actual legislation, is a socialist manifesto which would cause “genocide”. At a rally this week, Donald Trump called the proposal an “extreme $100tn government takeover” which would mean “no more airplanes, no more cows, one car per family”. The Texas senator Ted Cruz has said the Green New Deal will result in the end of hamburgers.

Such assertions have no basis in fact: the resolution does not call for the elimination of animal agriculture or aviation. The extraordinarily large cost attributed to the plan by Republicans, typically $93tn, is also false.

“We need to save ourselves, period,” she said. “There will be no livable future for generations coming, for any part of the country if we don’t address this issue urgently. Historically speaking we have mobilized our country around war. It doesn’t need to be this way when the greatest existential challenge we face is climate change. We will have to mobilize our entire economy around saving ourselves and taking care of this planet.” Reducing emissions from agriculture “doesn’t mean you end cows”, Ocasio-Cortez said, but rather deploy new farming techniques to cut methane and other planet-warming gases.


Also of Interest

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

Hawks Clamoring to Attack Iran

Prosecuting Israel's Crimes Against the Palestinians

Why Is The Washington Post Inventing "Warming Ties" Between Trump And Moscow?

How Trump’s Border Wall Perpetuates the Legacy of Colonialism on the Rio Grande

There Are Still Democrats Praying For A Deus Ex Mueller Ending

Did Felix Sater’s 20 Years as an Informant Help Land Him at the Center of the Trump-Russia Story?


A Little Night Music

Albert Washington - Loosen These Pains And Let Me Go

Albert Washington - Turn On the Bright Lights

Albert Washington - Somewhere Down The Line

Albert Washington - Doggin' Me Around

Albert Washington - I'm Gonna Pour Me A Drink

Albert Washington - Betty Jane

Albert Washington - A Woman Is a Funny Thing

Albert Washington - Hold Me Baby

Albert Washington - Sad And Lonely

Albert Washington - You're Messing Up My Mind

Albert Washington - Hold Me Baby


Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

mimi's picture

just here to say Thank You for your tireless work ethics. I will have to read tomorrow. Have a good evening.

up
0 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@mimi

sleep well. see you tomorrow.

up
0 users have voted.
JekyllnHyde's picture

up
0 users have voted.

A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma

joe shikspack's picture

@JekyllnHyde

heh. she even kept me busy:

hillbot

up
0 users have voted.
lotlizard's picture

@joe shikspack  

up
0 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@lotlizard

good one!

up
0 users have voted.
ggersh's picture

The Mexican empire on the rise, who knew? -s-

tRumps immigration policy in a FauxNews(shell)

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/04/01/fox-news-3-mexican-countri...

up
0 users have voted.

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

@ggersh
Untranslatable geographic ignorance.

up
0 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@ggersh

heh. considering that it's fox, i'm surprised that the banner didn't read - "trump cuts aid to 3 taco bell nations, stock up on gorditas!"

up
0 users have voted.

Evening Joe and all,
Thanks as usual for all the news and music this evening. Spring is in full swing here in the Hill Country. Have been enjoying the bluebonnets along the roadside on trips into Austin. Hopefully the oak pollen is almost over but the pecan pollen is just beginning.

Making steps forward and thinking of spring as a time of renewal and growing into a new place in my life.

Very sad to read about the problems for the people along the border whose lives are being impacted by the potential building of the wall through their land and culture. From othr things I have read, many people really cannot imagine what this border actually entails. There was a documentary shown at SXSW "River and the Wall" about this very thing. A documentary follows five adventurers as they travel the Rio Grande, assessing the ecological and social impact of a border wall. They travel by kayak, on foot, horseback and mountain bikes. Had two friends who ushered during this documentary and said it is an incredibly powerful presentation about only 1200 miles of the border. It has not been released for public viewing at this time but hope to see it when available.

up
0 users have voted.

Life is what you make it, so make it something worthwhile.

This ain't no dress rehearsal!

snoopydawg's picture

@jakkalbessie

Last I heard there were bulldozers ready to tear it up. As you said people don't really think about what is involved when the government wants to take other people's property for the wall or pipelines or anything else with eminent domain. Bush part two rescinded a lot of the rules for the government doing that, but Obama rolled them back. IIRC bush said that it could only be used if it's for the public would get value from.

Lots of people have fought to keep their lands after a pipeline has been planned to go through their property, but more often than not they lose.

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

joe shikspack's picture

@jakkalbessie

wow, you've got bluebonnets already? heh, ms shikspack's daffodils are just starting to green out and we've got a few blooms on the forsythia. you guys are way ahead of us. but, maybe that's normal. our weather has not yet decided that it is spring, we're still dropping below freezing some nights.

sorry to hear about the pollen, but then again, there is some consolation in that there will be pecans - and when there are pecans, there are pecan pies. mmmmm.

i hope that the renewal process opens doors for you to become the person you want to be and allows you to live a new set of dreams of your own construction.

there seem to be an awful lot of stories out there of people and families whose lives are being disrupted by the immigration/border wall invented crisis idiocy. it just seems to me every time that i read those stories that the milkman of human kindness has been barred from making deliveries in some locations.

up
0 users have voted.

@joe shikspack yes the bluebonnets are in full swing and some say we only have a few weeks left. Guess your spring is much later. Hope to visit sister in Michigan in may and hope the weather will agree.

up
0 users have voted.

Life is what you make it, so make it something worthwhile.

This ain't no dress rehearsal!

dystopian's picture

Great tunes, very good sheet mon. Great vocalist. The Lonnie Mack guitar pieces were really awesome, the horns are great throughout. Great examples of proper R&B.

I propose Cory 'the bootlicker' Booker as a pseudonym. So cute how he 'texts like a teen' with AIPAC. Really endearing isn't it?

Let me shed a tear for the great establishment propagandist and CIA bro Jeff Bezos, being hacked and spied on by the Saudis. There should be a card drive for him, "Happy Karma is a bitch Jeff" or somesuch?

Thanks for the sounds!

up
0 users have voted.

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

joe shikspack's picture

@dystopian

yep, albert washington is one of those talented people who didn't get his full 15 minutes. he did wind up with a record label that recognized talent though, which accounts for his label-mate lonnie mack playing on a lot of his early recordings.

if you are interested in fleshing out your understanding of what sort of guy cory booker is, here's an article that i featured some years ago that has some interesting background info:

The Neocon, The Messiah, and Cory Booker

frankly, i'm not convinced that the saudis pulled off a hack like that. but i suppose that they could afford to buy it. who knows?

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

is in reality an oligarchy that promotes the interests of a privileged domestic elite

.

We can see how much influence our government has in military decisions by what congress and especially McConnell is doing with the other members that want to stop our involvement in Yemen.
Wonder if congress ever followed up with finding out where all our troops are fighting? Remember how upset they were when they found out they were in Nigeria?

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

joe shikspack's picture

@snoopydawg

your point is well taken about most countries being run by a small elite.

Wonder if congress ever followed up with finding out where all our troops are fighting? Remember how upset they were when they found out they were in Nigeria?

the constitutional oversight role ain't what it used to be.

up
0 users have voted.
Azazello's picture

Tulsi Gabbard was in L.A. over the weekend. She stopped by Jimmy Dore's place in Pasadena, here's the result, enjoy.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6DbFUaY30I width:500 height:300]

up
0 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

joe shikspack's picture

@Azazello

good on jimmy dore for calling out the mic's propaganda broadcasts.

thanks for the vid, have a great evening!

up
0 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@Azazello
when it comes to homelessness, unaffordable outrageously high-priced living spaces, regime change wars vs. engagements to fight terrorism. I wished she could be that precise on msm media and put down all those talking-point-hosts-in-pants making noise to have a justification for having a job there for themselves. JImmy Dore was helpful in what he tried to do for her getting her thoughts out straight.

So far, I am for HER (with the arrow pointing to the other side (ie left) than the other HER with the arrow to the right). If I knew how I could encourage Gabbard and support her I would.

Geez, gives me headaches all of it. I really like how Tulsi Gabbard is capable to dissect the fake arguments vs. the true facts. I am sure one of those Veteran related family members she talked about, who would ask her, what the soldiers are doing there in these countries risking their lives for the most idiotic shitty wars there are. My experience is that even a soldier. who opposed the upcoming invasion to the Iraq war (and with it his own deployment into the war zone) openly to his commander, gets you a polite respect from your commander for your view points. Of course they can afford to show that kind of 'respect', because they know whatever opposition a soldier voices, unless he wants to do bunker time and be released dishonorably, he has no chance to make a difference against the MIC.

So, she got that quite clearly dissected and figured out and I am glad about what she said.
So far the only one who understands the Veterans' dilemma. And she is not afraid to show a heart, while using her bright mind.

Thanks Azazello for the video.

up
0 users have voted.
Azazello's picture

@mimi
It seems to me that it was about 10 minutes longer than the above clip.
Maybe they'll release the last 10 minutes later.

up
0 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

lotlizard's picture

https://longreads.com/2019/03/29/on-flooding-drowning-the-culture-in-sam...

Cultural brainwashing through repetition and the elite-controlled corporate-media equivalent of troll armies.

From a commenter over at Naked Capitalism / Water Cooler:

Yes, Virginia … repetition is key im brainwashing.
I was just saying to co-workers that they would be surprised how slim the pickings are for narrative if they go a month and exclude shows with cops as a protagonist, the supernatural, and superheroes.
Just changing the color or gender of the characters isn’t really doing it for me either.

up
0 users have voted.