The Weekly Watch

Irate Irony

All week we've watched militarized police brutalizing people protesting police violence. What a failed strategy. Krystal asked Joe Rogan this week why the police were not protecting businesses from looters rather than terrorizing protesters. I suspect some of the looters were agent provocateurs from the police and their mercenaries. Jimmy has a clip which sure indicates that. Additionally we have the irony of absolute economic collapse as the stock market continues to rise, propped up by the Fed pouring money into junk. A debt we're heaping upon the young. Oddly enough as we've reduced the release of CO2 during the pandemic, atmospheric levels are at an all time high. On a personal level, we've got excess garden produce we've been giving away as food banks are running out of food. So swirling ironies abound amid the pandemic. The protest themselves provide an interesting experiment. If there is a second wave of COVID in a couple of weeks we'll know this will be with us until there's a vaccine. Some virologists are suggesting the coronavirus is losing its mojo. The irony here is we have not even done the most basic of research. There is not a single reliable study to determine the number of asymptotics John Campbell explains (21 min video with notes under the fold)

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Today, Sunday, June 7, from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm US Eastern Daylight Time, the World Socialist Web Site and the International Committee of the Fourth International are hosting an online discussion on the political crisis in the United States.
This event will be streamed live throughout the world at https://www.wsws.org/live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIE3sY8nFO8 (4 min)

I'm not a political scientist, and really don't have a strategy to cope with the systemic failure of capitalism and the US imperialism. However, I am a soil scientist, and I know we can restore failed ecosystems. Let's begin today with some system reclamation projects.
If you can regenerate savanna in the Saudi desert, then we can restore the planet.
The Story of Al Baydha: A Regenerative Agriculture in the Saudi Desert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T39QHprz-x8 (20 min)
The final update from Al Baydha Project Co-founder Neal Spackman, 9 years in. How desertification resulted from the loss of an indigenous land management system, and how the land has changed since all inputs to the project were ceased in 2016. Neal moved on from Al Baydha in 2018 and can now be contacted at regenerativeresources.co

Forest systems can also be restored. An Island On the Brink of Collapse Makes a Huge Comeback https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5VcPoGj4DU (15 min)
Off the coast of East Africa in the Zanzibar archipelago, lie the island of Pemba and islet of Kokota. When Mbarouk Mussa Omar visited Kokota a decade ago, it was teetering toward the brink of collapse. Deforestation and climate change had wreaked havoc on the tiny islet. He recognized that his island of Pemba could suffer the same fate and was determined to do something.

Humans can build a healthy ecosystems, but that needs to be the goal, not making more money. The paradigm needs to change and we must transition toward a new way of living in harmony with the natural world and one another. It's that or extinction, and there's not lots of time to debate the change. Well, on to the chaos of the week...

With Covid-19, the very idea of American exceptionalism may have seen its last days. The virus has put the realities of wealth inequality, health insecurity, and poor work conditions under a high-powered microscope. Fading from sight are the days when this country’s engagement with the world could be touted as a triumph of leadership when it came to health, economic sustenance, democratic governance, and stability. Now, we are inside the community of nations in a grim new way — as fellow patients, grievers, and supplicants in search of food and shelter, in search, along with so much of humanity, of a more secure existence.

https://scheerpost.com/2020/05/21/so-long-to-american-exceptionalism/

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Jimmy's from a police family, and he doesn't cut them any slack. He's been covering the abuse of power by the militarized police all week. Here's several to chose from...
NYPD Intentionally Runs Over Protestors In Broad Daylight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJLzOW0eRAo (6 min)
San Jose Cop Brutally Attacks Protestor & Rest Of Cops Join In
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOvTxt_bi20 (7 min)
Cops Aim Straight For Reporters & Shoot Live On Air! w/Chris Hedges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWMkcyC04Mw (12 min)
Compilation Of Maniac Cops Assaulting Women & Peaceful Protestors On Camera!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7rOSiYiRNQ (29 min)
LAPD Runs Over Protestors As News Anchor Ignores It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsXylKHQjnQ (8.5 min)
Fox News Crew Surrounded & Chased By DC Protestors. w/Chris Hedges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYWu6sBDSE8 (9 min)
Are Under Cover Cops Pushing People Into Police Line To Start Riots?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJYOYjxSUWk (5 min)
Corporate News Loves Hong Kong Protestors & Hates American Protesters. w/Chris Hedges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhIefTtBdHc (3.5 min)
Cop To Woman: We’re Gonna Beat The F**k Out Of You”. w/Dylan Ratigan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSMs14zdPbI (21 min)
Cops Take Knee Then Attack Protestors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N05jra4sGN4 (5.5 min)
Trump Gasses Peaceful Protesters For Photo Op
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZD3QJi3xO0 (9 min)
Pat Robertson Turns On Trump Over Protests!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGLXVO7EIYo (4 min)
Minneapolis Police Union Defies Mayor’s Order To Be Less Violent & Continues “Warrior Training” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iim261N9DtI (13 min)
“Cops Are The Primary Source Of Social Control”. w/Chris Hedges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_-JwLLchrc (7 min)
Cops Arrest Store Owners Who Flagged Them Down For Help!?!?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPeuPoXxmfA (6 min)
Homicidal Cops Caught On Police Radio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37ySQsciuZY (2 min)

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George Floyd was the spark that lit the powder keg of systemic frustration. It was all about a fake $20 bill. Was it worth it?
https://scheerpost.com/2020/06/04/a-counterfeit-20-bill/

The catalyst was certainly Brother George Floyd’s public lynching, but the failures of the predatory capitalist economy to provide the satisfaction of the basic needs of food and healthcare and quality education, jobs with a decent wage, at the same time the collapse of your political class, the collapse of your professional class. (video or text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2020/6/1/cornel_west_us_moment_of_reckoning

Dr. Gerald Horne on the George Floyd protests, the black freedom struggle, and Trump’s expansion of the US police state at home and around the world with Aaron Mate' (30 min)
https://thegrayzone.com/2020/06/02/us-police-state-faces-revolt-as-trump...

There's been plenty of debate about looting and the need to stop the destruction around the news cycle this week. I liked Brother Cornel's take...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTJLsAgOlko (3 min)
and Richard Wolff's...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc5xbUvljZM (7 min)

Joe Rogan on George Floyd and about cops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot_TDGuXX7g (12 min)

Joe Rogan on Agent Provocateurs During George Floyd Protests, Mysterious Pallets of Bricks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a59q6tVHyJ4 (19 min)

It is a historical fact ... that law enforcement frequently infiltrates progressive political movements using agent provocateurs who urge others to engage in violence. It is also a historical fact that, more rarely, such provocateurs commit acts of violence themselves.

https://theintercept.com/2020/06/02/history-united-states-government-inf...

Joe Rogan Experience - Krystal & Saagar in a wide ranging conversation about their show and our situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA9Tpf5Uuxs (2.75 hours)
Joe Rogan on Trump’s “Ill-Conceived” Bible Photo-Op
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woHKMPVarsk (4 min)

bible thumpers.png
Trump is real, the Hilter photo was shopped...
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hitler-holding-bible/

It isn't just confined to the US. The police murder of George Floyd sparks mass protests throughout the world
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/06/06/pers-j06.html

Its the Economy
Jimmy also tackled the economic crisis in several interviews.
“The Ruling Elite Has Lost All Legitimacy”. w/Chris Hedges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F94MMb0w6o (43 min)
https://scheerpost.com/2020/06/02/the-treason-of-the-ruling-class/
The Real Looting Of America CNN Won’t Show You. w/Chris Hedges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjSxXpoWoTI (19 min)
Family Of Treasury Official Administering Bailout Profiting In Billions!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBrDDs2xZFI (12 min)

The mega-wealthy have gained hundreds-of-billions of dollars in wealth since the beginning of the pandemic. Their wealth has increased by around 12%. At the same time the people have lost their jobs en masse & were given a measly one-time $1,200 check. Lee Camp opens the show with this illustration of the US's out-of-control inequality problem. The US's ruling class can't decide who its new enemies are but they seem to be triangulating on China, US charges the Chinese corporation Huawei with racketeering, the mainstream media's manufacturing of consent, Fox's direct connection to the White House, & more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4k0t-ZDIlw (10 min)

Max and Stacy look at the looting of our economy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucsKd7rHdOg (16 min)

How the job numbers were faked...
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2020/06/cnbc-makes-up-v-shaped-charts-to-s...

Australia is facing the same type of economic looting...


Julian Assange...
This is a set up. Obviously illegal and immoral, and the MSM is silent, and that speaks volumes.

New reporting from The Grayzone News has uncovered the relationship between the state officials who have spent the last decade persecuting Julian Assange and an intelligence firm they contracted to spy on him and his closes friends. Lee Camp reports.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFnpXrp_hzc (10 min)

Max Blumenthal’s new exposé details how the US surveilled and targeted Assange inside Ecuador’s London embassy, all while working with Trump mega-donor and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson’s security team and a Spanish company that had initially been hired to protect the embassy. Drawing on court testimony and internal documents, Blumenthal reveals how the CIA sabotaged an asylum plan for Assange; installed software that allowed it to directly monitor him; and harassed and monitored Assange’s attorneys, friends, family, and journalist colleagues. (43 min)
https://thegrayzone.com/2020/05/18/exposed-cia-used-sheldon-adelsons-fir...
https://thegrayzone.com/2020/05/14/american-sheldon-adelsons-us-spy-juli...

Assange Update: NEW Details emerge on CIA Spying & UK Prisons failing to protect Inmates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FVUeRSpl8g (10 min)

Assange Case: Intelligence & Military ties to Chief Magistrate & UK Minister
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCAl6ol-Ets (9 min)

Assange too Unwell to Attend Hearing & Police Disrupt Supporters Outside of Courthouse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCCXQuH3G3g (8 min)

Photographs surreptitiously taken inside a British courtroom and provided to The Grayzone show a visibly disoriented Julian Assange confined to a glass cage and unable to communicate with his lawyers.
https://thegrayzone.com/2020/05/29/british-court-assanges-physical-deter...

...we catalogued 150 press freedom violations in the United States in all of 2019. We are currently investigating 280 from just the last week...
Many of the attacks by police against journalists have been targeted.

https://theintercept.com/2020/06/04/journalists-attacked-police-george-f...


Virus update...

There are several vaccines under development some of which are in human trials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48Xh9p7Q6Xs&t=13m15s (2.5 min)
John Campbell

Dr. Seheult discusses five COVID 19 vaccines that have shown some promise in phase 1, 2, and 3 trials. These include an mRNA vaccine (Moderna), an adenovirus antigen (epitope) vaccine (Oxford Vaccine Group), a vaccine developed by Johnson and Johnson, a coronavirus vaccine developed by Merck (that utilizes similar technology for the development of their Ebola vaccine), and another mRNA coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dYWZMx-Lfs (3.5 min)

Is the covid-19 pandemic finally over?
Not quite, cautions Chris. Yes, there are encouraging signs that fatalities are slowing, but there are still a lot of unknowns to address before we breathe a sigh of relief. The fact that lockdowns are ending at the same time thousands are coming into close quarters at protests will tell us in just a few weeks how worried we'll need to be about a resurgence in infections...
Last, the societal trauma and the resulting inequality the official "rescue" efforts are creating are manifesting in the growing social unrest underlying the recent outbreak of protests and riots across the country. We need to keep our eyes on the true villains in this story -- primary among them the Federal Reserve -- rather than fighting each other.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1Hw09ncBfE&t=3m10s
Chris looks at the Italian data suggesting the virus is losing its severity in the first few minutes of the cued link above.

Nobel laureate Michael Levitt has predicted that coronavirus is slowing down and that the recovery will be quicker than expected... After analyzing 78 countries, he stated that "What we need is to control the panic. We're going to be fine.”
"Numbers are still noisy but there are clear signs of slowed growth,” he added.
Pointing out that social distancing was mandatory, he said, “This is not the time to go out drinking with your buddies."
https://www.ibtimes.com/coronavirus-prediction-nobel-laureate-michael-le...

It appears 40% of all US COVID deaths have been in nursing homes.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/06/01/coronaviru...

fall of empire.jpg

So the week was chaotic. As this MoA article suggests, the police and Trump lost the argument and public support. The US empire is in decline.

What has changed is the public image of the U.S. throughout the world. Years of careful branding and propaganda have been put to waste. No U.S. ambassador can now express concerns about police violence in a foreign country without being laughed at.

The mask is off and the total disregard for US citizens' welfare is put on display for the world to see. The impotence of politics is also clearly exposed.

Opposition candidate Joe Biden responded to the issue of institutionalized racism with a dog whistle comment: Joe Biden says '10-15%' of Americans 'are just not very good people'. Well of course not. Some 13% of U.S. citizens are black. Given Biden's racist history - supporting segregation, writing the crime bill, lying about marching with the civil rights movement etc. - it is highly unlikely that he chose that range by chance. There is zero evidence that he would change a thing.

Perhaps the failure of the system and the looting of the public coffers will provide the impetuous for real and meaningful change. We often talk about our homestead as a project that we made happen...it doesn't just evolve. And though it took effort, there was joy in the creativity required. We have to make a better society and it will involve struggle, but in creating new system we may find true equality, happiness and satisfaction.

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Raggedy Ann's picture

I watched the Joe Rogan/Rising video. I was disappointed in Krystal not being able to verbalize anything constructive about the looting, other than to agree they shouldn't be looting and destroying buildings. The fact is that defending the material versus the human is part of the problem. Krystal could have made the point that we need to be MORE concerned about the looting of the wealth of the nation than a bunch of buildings. I realize people lost their businesses, but they will get assistance to rebuild or start something new. America must now get used to the fact that change is upon us. Nothing will ever be the same.

Had a conversation with a cousin visiting from CA, this week. He said he saved to put his kids through college and hates talk of free stuff when everyone else can save like he did. So I said that I'm in favor of free stuff for the people rather than spending money on protecting the rich's interests in the middle east and killing people and enriching the MIC. He said, "I never thought of it that way." It surprised me, yet it didn't. Here is a fellow who, I realize, would NEVER listen to a Bernie Sanders because of the "free stuff" concept. Hopefully, the seed I planted will get watered.

Beautiful day on the docket for the Land of Enchantment. Much work to do all day with lovely lemonade/limeade breaks. Living in the present, living in love.

Have a pleasant day, everyone. Pleasantry

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Lookout's picture

@Raggedy Ann

on Krystal. Brother Cornel and Rick Wolff do better on the looting question. I did think Krystal's point about police protecting buildings rather than assaulting protesters was valid.

The story of your cousin is excellent. We have to speak up and help folks realize the free stuff is going to oligarchs and working people are thrown under the bus. How is it European countries have "free" college, "free" medical care, are paying salaries to everyone on lockdown, and so on? These are good questions to ask the doubters.

Enjoy your beautiful NM day. We've had pretty nice weather too. Haven't even hit 90 degrees and we're one week into June nipping at summer soon. Garden going great guns. Got my old tractor going again and have not come up for air this week.

Thanks for the visit!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

We all watched those images filmed from space of the earth's atmosphere clearing during quarantine. How could CO2 levels be higher now?

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Lookout's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

...mainly dissolved in the oceans. I have not seen the methane data. (just looked it up below) It is potentially the big bomb coming in the near term as the arctic melts.

Check out the Mauna Loa data
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2020/05/very-high-greenhouse-gas-levels...

They had methane data too.

MetOp-1 recorded peak methane levels of 2917 ppb at 469 mb on the afternoon of May 22, 2020.

So, methane levels have been rising much faster than CO₂ since 1750 and there is much potential for an even faster rise in methane levels due to seafloor hydrate releases.

Furthermore, as industrial activity declines in the wake of COVID-19, loss of aerosol masking alone could trigger a rapid rise, as discussed by Guy McPherson in recent papers

https://opastonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/will-covid-19-trigger...
https://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2019/07/most-important-message-ever.html

Like the old poster said, bend over and kiss your ass goodbye.

Good to "see" you this morning, hope you and yours are all doing well!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal and May is the natural seasonal peak for CO2. (The growth rate this year decreased slightly from last year, but statistical noise can explain that.)

You also had BolsoNero burning down the Amazon late last year, which reduces the CO2 uptake.

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Lookout's picture

@SancheLlewellyn

None the less...emissions were reduced.

Daily global CO2 emissions decreased by –17% (–11 to –25% for ±1σ) by early April 2020 compared with the mean 2019 levels, just under half from changes in surface transport. At their peak, emissions in individual countries decreased by –26% on average. The impact on 2020 annual emissions depends on the duration of the confinement, with a low estimate of –4% (–2 to –7%) if prepandemic conditions return by mid-June, and a high estimate of –7% (–3 to –13%) if some restrictions remain worldwide until the end of 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0797-x

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

right now in all those links - a lot look worth checking.

Will throw out a few more for those interested.

Trump was right. About the use of hydroxychloroquine as prophylaxis for COVID-19 by front line workers - this has been the policy in India since late March.

The ICMR in its revised advisory on May 22 recommended use of the HCQ as a preventive medication for COVID-19 for asymptomatic healthcare workers in non-COVID hospitals and frontline staff on surveillance duty in containment zones and paramilitary/police personnel involved in coronavirus related activities. Besides, the drug was also recommended for all asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in containment and treatment of COVID-19 and household contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases.

https://medicaldialogues.in/news/health/covid-19-hcq-can-be-used-as-prev...

source

Yale epidemiologist bucks FDA, Fauci, (Bill Gates') "Expert Committee" to advocate immediate wide-scale use of HCQ as early intervention for symptomatic people - dismisses concerns on side effects as hugely exaggerated

Yale Epidemiologist: Hydroxychloroquine Should Be 'Widely Available And Promoted Immediately' As Standard Treatment

source

It seems like not all black people are that enamored of Black Lives Matter as a legitimate voice of black people and/or their tactic of framing the issue of unwarranted police violence in racial terms.

A look at Soros, BLM, provocateurs and contrary black views from the street and from academia - Robert Barnes:

Are Banned.Video's videos banned? - won't embed for me, but try here

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Lookout's picture

@Blue Republic

Chris at peak prosperity has been suggesting HCQ is an effective treatment prior to or immediately after infection. Most recent study say it is ineffective was administered 4 or more days after infection. This link is cued to his review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llZ1uurWLmA&t=8m30s

I think both the fact the Trump suggested HCQ, plus it is cheap and readily available results in the poor results in the US.

As to the oligarchs control of BLM, how about Amazon and other corporations coming out in support. Sure triggers my suspicion.

Thanks for the visit and the links!

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11 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

ggersh's picture

@Lookout @Lookout sudden the oligarch assholes are w/us....sigh

Thanks for the links LO, I got some homework to do Yahoo

https://fair.org/home/there-i-fixed-it-for-you/

June 5, 2020
There, I Fixed It for You…
Corporate media headlines revised as though they were journalism
Dorothee Benz

Here is one of the many fixes mentioned

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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

Lookout's picture

@ggersh

politically uncorrected or maybe re-corrected.

Thanks I forgot to look at FAIR.org this week.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Pluto's Republic's picture

@Lookout

The now retracted paper halted hydroxychloroquine trials. Studies like this determine how people live or die tomorrow.

The Lancet is one of the oldest and most respected medical journals in the world. Recently, they published an article on Covid patients receiving hydroxychloroquine with a dire conclusion: the drug increases heartbeat irregularities and decreases hospital survival rates. This result was treated as authoritative, and major drug trials were immediately halted – because why treat anyone with an unsafe drug?

Now, that Lancet study has been retracted, withdrawn from the literature entirely, at the request of three of its authors who “can no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources”. Given the seriousness of the topic and the consequences of the paper, this is one of the most consequential retractions in modern history.

.


Covid-19: Lancet retracts paper that halted hydroxychloroquine trials

Published on Fri 5 Jun 2020 03.50 EDT

It is natural to ask how this is possible. How did a paper of such consequence get discarded like a used tissue by some of its authors only days after publication? If the authors don’t trust it now, how did it get published in the first place?

The answer is quite simple. It happened because peer review, the formal process of reviewing scientific work before it is accepted for publication, is not designed to detect anomalous data. It makes no difference if the anomalies are due to inaccuracies, miscalculations, or outright fraud. This is not what peer review is for. While it is the internationally recognised badge of “settled science”, its value is far more complicated.

At its best, peer review is a slow and careful evaluation of new research by appropriate experts. It involves multiple rounds of revision that removes errors, strengthens analyses, and noticeably improves manuscripts.

At its worst, it is merely window dressing that gives the unwarranted appearance of authority, a cursory process which confers no real value, enforces orthodoxy, and overlooks both obvious analytical problems and outright fraud entirely.

.

Blah blah blah.

It was done deliberately.

Lots more at the link.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Lookout's picture

@Pluto's Republic

fake data for lots of reasons. Not too different from the fake employment report this week...
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2020/06/cnbc-makes-up-v-shaped-charts-to-s...

The research that could be easy, for example, random antibody tests to quantify asymptomatic rate, but basic research doesn't pay like vaccine development. Besides if you've already unknowingly had COVID you probably don't need a vaccine, so don't let them know cause it'll hurt the bottom line.

Sad state of health care. Obvious failure.

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11 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Deja's picture

@Pluto's Republic
Except that those agencies are supposed to actually investigate the data, numbers, reports and such for discrepancies. We know that they don't really do that anymore (if they ever did). A look at just aspartame convinced me of that.

Thanks for the link.

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Deja's picture

@Blue Republic @Blue Republic
I tried to explain that the timing of the use of HCQ + zinc was the key on one of Alligator Ed's posts but he replied with some unrelated things regarding neurology. My mistake was to compare the timing of its use to the quick use of the stroke drug that, if administered to stroke victims, within a very small window upon symptoms showing up, can be near miraculous. My bad!

I should have just stuck to run of the mill antivirals like Tamiflu for flu, and, say, valcyclovir for shingles. If those drugs are administered after the small window closes, they do no good. Same with HCQ + zinc. (Iirc the zinc helps the cells absorb the HCQ -- but don't quote me on that.) EDIT: Lookout correctly explains HCQ's working relationship with zinc in his reply to me: "The HCQ acts to usher Zinc into the cell where Zn inhibits viral reproduction."

If HCQ (with or without zinc and/or antibiotics like z-pack) is administered immediately before or after a person has been put on a ventilator, it's too late. By that time, the viral load is too high for HCQ to be of any help.

The media must be getting a commission for selling the other, not as effective (unless newer studies prove the opposite of the early ones -- no better than plecebo) but outrageously expensive drug that starts with R, whose name I cannot recall at the moment. They pushed it hard, to the detriment of their audience. Scumbags!

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Lookout's picture

@Deja

The vaccine developers have dollar signs in their eye too.

The HCQ acts to usher Zinc into the cell where Zn inhibits viral reproduction.

The other inexpensive treatment rarely mentioned is Vitamin C IV once infected.
https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2020/03/25/Hospital-turns-to-hi...

Take care of yourself and be well!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Deja's picture

@Lookout
I added an edit for clarity.

You too be well!

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5 users have voted.

@Blue Republic So I don't think that preoccupation with hydroxychloroquine did squat. (Why would you use a malaria medicine for a respiratory virus? Do you get a colonoscopy for malaria?) BolsoNero in Brazil also mainlines hydroxychloroquine as a "cure," but now their death toll will soon pass the "Herd Immunity" UK for second place and may give us a run for our money. They passed Russia in total cases a week ago. (Russia has a much lower death rate than Brazil, primarily because they have done twenty times as much testing per capita as Brazil. Or India.)

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Dawn's Meta's picture

there was a news report today, saying that many variations of the virus have been found in the US alone. The medical scientists are using the DNA of each one to track the spread and mapping where they find these varieties. There were iirc 23 variants of which 2/3rds died out but that leaves the rest still out there.

How does a vaccine(s?) deal with the varieties? Anyway, my understanding is so rudimentary, that there may be a more basic approach that covers the variations. I've not yet seen these two concepts addressed in the same conversation.

Comprehensive and exhaustive lists today (as always) logically laid out to peruse. Thank you.

Finally, in the forefront of all the disruption we must remember: Police riots are what brought these latest protests to the surface. (Not looting, at least by the rest of us.)

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A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

Lookout's picture

@Dawn's Meta

...and despite the viral variations the variants will all have something like a common sequences in the capsule for example. So a single vaccine COULD be effective against them all.

I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for one. I am going out occasionally, wearing a mask and distancing when I'm around others. I hope it isn't a permanent condition that we must follow from here on out.

I continue to think some sort of low dose exposure for healthy people might be a solution.

More that we don't know than we do know.

Hope all is well with you and yours. Noticed France is doing better as cases decline.

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9 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Dawn's Meta's picture

@Lookout have ceremonial traditions that are deeply embedded. But they have gamely tried to follow the rules. Our weekly fresh markets, are always reasonably priced food, fresh, local. Vegetables and fruits, meats fresh and preserved, cheeses, eggs. It was a great surprise to find that the local fresh markets, which are once a week in each village on a different day sometimes twice, are so much less expensive than box stores. Usually seasonal rather than year around. We look forward to the special chocolates made for the Christmas season or Easter, rather than available all year.

The fresh markets have re-opened, and restaurants especially those with outdoor spaces are now open too. I believe we can get our haircuts and the top up medical insurance is sending reminders for those over 65 to go to our medecin traitent (GP/coordinating doctor) for complete checkups which they will completely cover. They have concerns that people have been avoiding going to see the doctor or hospital for many kinds of new or chronic conditions which may cause an emergency or great requirements for intensive healthcare.

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A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

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Lookout's picture

@Dawn's Meta

Love the European markets with beautiful produce, flowers, and even a variety of things like vinegars.

Much to learn from and adapt to here...including a walking/biking lifestyle.

Thanks for the description!

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8 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Interesting about the soils science background - I certainly try to be nice to "mine".

Likely you are familiar with the classic "Tree Crops" by J. Russell Smith?

Was written originally as an attempt to offer alternative, perennial, sustainable agricultural models to the farming practices especially of the Appalachians and Southeast US that were leading to devastating erosion and depletion of soils there. Right up your region, maybe.

First published 1929, I've got an edition from the 40's that I think incorporates more of his international researches. Love the part about the chestnut forests of Corsica.

Online here:

Tree Crops

A Permanent Agriculture

by

J. Russell Smith, Sc.D.

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9 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@Blue Republic

So thanks for the link!
A Forest Journey was a big influence on me
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/john-perlin/a-forest-journe...

The permaculture movement has also been a big influence.
I just planted a food forest this winter, supplementing our small orchard. (13 min)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCJfSYZqZ0Y]

Planted some American chestnuts a couple of years ago. They are doing well.

Thanks again I look forward to reading "Tree Crops"

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9 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Dawn's Meta's picture

@Blue Republic Pamela Tree. Packed with first hand attempts to work with the land rather than dominate it. They moved slowly at first, but once they started visiting others who are implementing similar visions of farming, growing trees. It is fact-filled but immensely readable. 'The Hidden/Secret Life of Trees' by Peter Wohlleben is a precursor to Pamela Tree, but focuses on how trees communicate and thrive.

My small library is growing about sustainable, regenerative agriculture, Wilding and Re Wilding farming/agriculture; permaculture; urban farming and greening. It's not that there is a lack of models or ideas, it's more getting the word out and breaking the back of Monsanto/Bayer. Pamela Tree and her husband don't need anti biotics or worming medicines as they have incredibly healthy animals.

I never thought how Ivermectin, an anti worm medicine is in the cow pies all over pastures, and essentially gets into the soils and kills beneficial bugs. This doesn't happen where grazing practices and diversity in livestock changes.

Uplifting and can change a landscape in a few short years. Doable.

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10 users have voted.

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

Lookout's picture

@Dawn's Meta

I like the term wilding. Isabella Tree recounts the extraordinary return of biodiversity to what had been a relatively barren conventional farm on the Knepp Estate in Sussex, England. It is about an hour.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvD1DGSS8Aw]

E O Wilson is from Alabama and is working to maintain our diversity. 1 min
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyv3aD4GcOU]

Be well!

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5 users have voted.

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Bisbonian's picture

The virus took off in major metropolitan areas, most notably New York, but was much slower to creep into the little towns far removed from the metropolitan areas. Now that it has finally gotten here, we are poised to have our own "peak", as the rest of the country thinks it's time to "open up". My family has been as isolated as possible, for four months now, all the while thinking this was right around the corner. Now we have a local populace that is tired of distancing, and wearing masks, coupled with a wave of tourists to our quaint little town, wondering why the hell our restaurants and bars are still closed. Even closer to home, a teenager fed up with not seeing her friends, and mouthing right wing virus denials. She is our grand-daughter...oddly enough, several of her friends live with their own grandparents, and the grandmother (single) of one of her friends is now in the hospital. Still the denial continues...it's more important that she is allowed to visit her friends.

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18 users have voted.

"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Lookout's picture

@Bisbonian

Hell I'm sick of it too. Can't hardly remember the last time I was able to play music with friends. I bet you've had the same problem.

Then add the fact that young folks rarely express symptoms and it would be difficult NOT to be in denial.

Folks around here are not wearing masks nor distancing. If there's not a second wave in the next couple of weeks it will speak loudly about the need for isolation.

Take care. My sister works at the B'ham airport and she commented recently that it is getting busier. Hope all is well in that regard with you.

All the best!

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12 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Azazello's picture

@Bisbonian
It's been a while since we've visited your little town. We miss it.
We aren't quite ready to travel yet, no matter what the Governor says.
This was going to be the year I finally break down and buy a cool hat from that place on Main. I hope it's still there when this is over.

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6 users have voted.

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

Bisbonian's picture

@Azazello I think he will. Most shops are not open right now, some will open by appointment to sell you a specific item that you want. The hats, of course being very much custom made, don't lend themselves to that. I drove past his place yesterday, and there was a hand lettered "Closed" sign in the window.

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6 users have voted.

"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Unabashed Liberal's picture

@Bisbonian @Bisbonian @Bisbonian @Bisbonian

down today, because of the heat, so, we're trying out a couple new video streaming services. Had both DVD and streaming Netflix, until about a year ago. Dropped streaming, 'cause most the content didn't interest us. Other day, in the "age of Covid"--started wondering if it's cool to use recycled DVD's; decided, maybe not. So, signed up for a 30-day trial (streaming). Hoping that there's enough content that interests us, so we can switch over. Also, signed up for an Amazon Prime trial, yesterday; actually, more interested in faster shipping than their streaming service. So, will probably keep it, regardless of the quality of the programming.

Won't elaborate, now, but it's worrisome (to me), how many Dem and Repub "No Labelers" were out in force today on Sunday political programs, and, being interviewed on CNN. And, they're being careful to feign sympathy with the current protests--which they most definitely do not support. I say that, because their primary agenda is to dismantle the Social Security and Medicare programs, as we know them. IOW, since they're an organization of fiscal austerians, don't believe that they're looking to provide any meaningful support/relief to the black community (or, anyone, for that matter).

Heh, agree with your sentiment,

The protest themselves provide an interesting experiment. If there is a second wave of COVID in a couple of weeks we'll know this will be with us until there's a vaccine.

Mr M and I sure hope that we'll get a better idea of just how accurate the experts' predictions truly are. Beginning to suspect that there's been a bit of hype/exaggeration in some of their prognostications. Say that, because of their stunningly different reaction to the possibility of a surge in COVID cases, due to all the huge protests. Not that I was supportive of their "open up the economy" cause--I wasn't. Having said that, when a small crowd of conservatives protested in Lansing (MI)--mostly in their vehicles, except a few scattered outside on the statehouse steps--it became a 24/7 diatribe about how they would "undo all the progress that's been made fighting COVID." Now, it's virtually crickets (on that topic).

My point being - the stark difference in the reactions of many of the self-described experts on Cable teevee (regarding the possible effects that a lack of social distancing during the protests) has me beginning to wonder if some, or even much, of the reporting has been hype, or exaggeration--regarding the nature of this pandemic.

For instance, CNN has provided 24/7 daily COVID coverage for months, now. Literally. Now, except for throwing out the figure of 110,000 deaths a couple times a day, Wolf and his cronies barely bring up the topic.

Either way, I suppose we'll continue our strict observance of the CDC guidelines. But, I'm gonna be madder than hell if I find out for sure that the risks/dangers have been greatly exaggerated by the corporatist MSM and their cronies. (not that it'll matter, of course Smile )

Thank you for the aggregation of such much news--it's gotta take a big chunk out of your week.

And, good on you for sharing with the local food banks. Good Who says they're no good people left in this world. Smile

Stay safe.

[Edited: Added two sentences to clarify; deleted 'yikes'; added 'and.' Second edit - corrected typo.]

Mollie

“Revolution is not a one time event.”
~~Audre Lorde

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.”
~~Will Rogers, Actor & Social Commentator

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Lookout's picture

@Unabashed Liberal

Sadly the truth is we have not done the basic research to know the extent of the disease. Last week I posted average yearly deaths for heart attacks, cancer and so on which far far exceed COVID. They revised upward the percentage of death from just nursing homes to 40%. Almost all deaths are people with hypertension, diabetes, obesity, dementia, and so on. If you're healthy you might become ill but are not likely to be serious IM (nonmedical)O. We've over reacted on many levels, and are under reacting in others. For example people are not wearing masks and distancing around here (except at the grocery?).

If we do not see a national and global spike (2nd wave) we'll know the disease is not the threat we imagined. Let's hope!

Have a good week. We're due a cool down 60's in the evenings.

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1 user has voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

magiamma's picture

Thanks for all the links. Saw this and it made me so happy.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kadiagoba/defund-police-black-lives...

Take good care and have a good one.

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9 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

Lookout's picture

@magiamma

The outpouring of support is encouraging.

Ten days after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, several members of the Minneapolis City Council are seeking to get rid of the police department — permanently.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/minneapolis-council-may-disband-police

Disbanding a police department is a radical, but entirely possible, idea. Camden, New Jersey, a historically violent city, disbanded its police department and was able to drive down crime rates.

https://thetylt.com/politics/disband-minneapolis-police

Enjoy your Sunday and have a good one!

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13 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Bisbonian's picture

@Lookout ,disbanded its police department and was able to drive down crime rates."

That's rather telling.

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12 users have voted.

"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Pluto's Republic's picture

@magiamma

You can see the Great Wall of China from the Moon, without a telescope. I'll bet it is a landmark in the guidebook "Aliens Guide to the Universe." Would love to read the caption that accompanies it. I hope it's a bio-hazard warning.

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7 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
magiamma's picture

@Pluto's Republic
Homo sapiens sapiens on this planet. Warning some are dangerous.

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Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

Pluto's Republic's picture

@magiamma

I'd tag it: Evolution Pending.

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5 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Azazello's picture

Here's a couple of things Max and Stacy talk about in the segment linked above (#1549).
They mention Michael Hudson's article FED’s $10 Trillion Defends Assets of the Rich .
Here's a podcast of that article: theAnalysis.news
They also refer to this piece at UnHerd.com, it's a pretty good read: Covid has exposed America as a failed state
Also, this from Rising.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXA6XCzu_fM width:500 height:300]

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7 users have voted.

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

Lookout's picture

@Azazello

theanalysis.news Thanks for the Hudson link from there.

I'm also glad to see most of the Truthdig crowd relocated to sheerpost.com

Unherd has done a good job of balance in the COVID debate.

I'll look forward to the clip on dismantling.

Thanks for your input as always!

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7 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

travelerxxx's picture

@Lookout

I'm also glad to see most of the Truthdig crowd relocated to sheerpost.com

Okay, I'd never heard of that. After some bumping around I realized that it's not "sheerpost" at all. It's: https://scheerpost.com

Thanks for the tip!

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4 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@travelerxxx

sorry about that! It is very similar to truthdig.

all the best!

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3 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Pluto's Republic's picture

Are you looking at that enormous sack of breadcrumbs in your essay as important clues to follow?

Or do you see the entire sack as one big clue?

The mask is off and the total disregard for US citizens' welfare is put on display for the world to see. The impotence of politics is also clearly exposed.

.
Your CO2 observations, of course, are all meta, and contain overarching information from a higher level.

Excellent work. If I thought about that many loose thread in one sitting, my circuits would fry for sure. And my normal is generally in the red zone.

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8 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Lookout's picture

@Pluto's Republic

Stories to choose from and a variety of rabbit holes to chase down according to personal interest.

Each week I kinda choose a loose theme. Irony bit me this week.

So many stories, such little time, too many tragedies.

Being immersed in nature helps. I live in the forest with openings for gardens and so on. Growing living things are healing.

I've lately been thinking of the need to model our systems (political, economic, legal, agricultural, health...) like nature. There is no centralization in nature rather a complex of interacting lifeforms and resources. Life builds upon life. Central governments like ours are destructive rather than constructive like natural systems. That's been the big theme I've been chewing on of late.

Aldo was a big influence of my youth...
https://www.aldoleopold.org/about/the-land-ethic/

Ethics direct all members of a community to treat one another with respect for the mutual benefit of all. A land ethic expands the definition of “community” to include not only humans, but all of the other parts of the Earth, as well: soils, waters, plants, and animals, or what Leopold called “the land.”

“When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

Always good to "see" you. Thanks for the visit!

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10 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Pluto's Republic's picture

@Lookout

I've lately been thinking of the need to model our systems (political, economic, legal, agricultural, health...) like nature. There is no centralization in nature rather a complex of interacting lifeforms and resources.

I'm a One Straw Revolution type, myself.

Sadly, natural things to not scale up to grotesquely over-populated planets. We passed that exit centuries ago. I am ready to retreat, however. If you start a commune, let me know.

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9 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Lookout's picture

@Pluto's Republic

https://onestrawrevolution.net/ The menu option in the corner takes you to several interviews and short films if any one has an interest.

Living with nature not fighting it.

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3 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Anja Geitz's picture

When I attended the general assemblies down at Zuccotti Park during OWS, I felt empowered and never feared for my safety. When my neighbors and I participated in a BLM protest this week at a park next to the sheriff’s headquarters here in the San Gabriel valley, I was feeling uncertain and watched. We started off as a group of about 30 people, but then as the afternoon progressed, our numbers swelled to over 100. There was police presence but they were not in ‘riot gear’. Still, there were a lot of them patrolling us on their motorcycles and on their horses. It was one of those experiences where it was viscerally demonstrated to me what the us vs. them encounter feels like, and it was very unsettling.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

Pluto's Republic's picture

@Anja Geitz

...than in Southern California.

Good on you for being at OWS.

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7 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Lookout's picture

@Anja Geitz

I've felt weird vibes, even fear, from the police at every protest that I've participated in. Today things are worse thanks to the loss of habeus corpus.

The National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Obama on the 31st December 2011 authorises the indefinite detention, without trial or indictement, of any US citizens designated as enemies by the executive.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-suspension-of-habeas-corpus-in-america...

Take care out there!

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6 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

enhydra lutris's picture

be well and have a good one

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3 users have voted.

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 --

Lookout's picture

@enhydra lutris

Have a nice evening and "see" you tomorrow AM.

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2 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

"We all watched those images filmed from space of the earth's atmosphere clearing during quarantine. How could CO2 levels be higher now?"

Human emissions of CO2 are only a fraction of the total natural emissions, from the ocean and other natural sources. We would have to cut our own CO2 emissions by about 4 times more than the pandemic-related slowdown did to see any measurable effect in the global atmosphere. Dr. Roy Spencer (who oversees satellite measurements of global atmospheric temperature for NASA) has written about this:

https://www.drroyspencer.com/2020/05/why-the-current-economic-slowdown-w...

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2 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@out of left field

Enjoyed reading your link.

A massive tree planting, a move to regenerative agriculture, immediate cessation of fossil fuel extraction might save the ecosystem for humans...but probably not. None the less I wish we would try.

Methane release is key to destruction or survival IMO. TPTB suggest it won't happen soon
https://www.seeker.com/earth/climate/heres-what-scientists-know-about-th...
Other scientist suggest otherwise...
"We don’t have to wait 200 or 300 years to get these large releases of permafrost carbon. Within my lifetime, my children’s lifetime, it should be ramping up. It’s already happening but it’s not happening at a really fast rate right now, but within a few decades, it should peak."
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2785/unexpected-future-boost-of-methane-po...

The historical record is underestimation every time.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Cassiodorus's picture

@out of left field is the wrong approach entirely.

https://www.resilience.org/stories/2016-02-11/beyond-paris-avoiding-the-...

At the "Rio summit" of 1992 the idea, universally accepted by capitalist elites (hell, they cleared out a slum to make the conference possible), was to promote an "end-of-pipeline" approach. Everyone else, from the "producers" of fossil fuels to the refiners to the distributors, could do their thing, all they wanted, but it was up to consumers to "cut emissions," and if anything went wrong the consumers would be blamed, or maybe they would shift the blame to other consumers or something like that. The "cutting emissions" approach was therefore a pretext for bullsh*t from the get-go.

A better measurement of climate change mitigation would be reductions in fossil fuel extraction, with the goal being zero extractions worldwide. Since reductions in fossil fuel extraction (outside of coal) have never happened on any serious scale before (outside of minor dips caused by economic recession), they don't make good PR, so the capitalist elites don't use such a measurement.

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7 users have voted.

"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

smiley7's picture

Wonderful Watch and thread, thank you.

Hope you've a good week and be safe out there.

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3 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@smiley7

I've got to pick up some items in Rome GA today. Sometimes a trip to the not so big city is necessary. Life back in the holler.

Sure have been glad to have my old tractor back. I'm a decade older than it, so maybe its a not so old tractor?

All the best. Have a great week and be well!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

smiley7's picture

@Lookout

relatives lived there in childhood. Cool beans, remember to buy salt. Smile

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

to be a reply to Bisbonian. Sorry!

Blush

Mollie

“Revolution is not a one time event.”
~~Audre Lorde

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.”
~~Will Rogers, Actor & Social Commentator

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0 users have voted.

Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.