Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Susanna Hoffs

 

I love Susanna Hoffs.  She has a unique voice that's instantly recognizable and she can really sing.  Her work with the Bangles is first-rate and her work with Matthew Sweet has produced a lot of great tracks (including "Different Drum").  


I think the Bangles are hugely undervalued.  They are a garage rock band and they produced some real classics including "In Your Room," "Going Down To Liverpool," "James," "Eternal Flame," "Walking Down Your Street," "Manic Monday" and "Walk Like An Egyptian."  Oh! Almost forgot "Hazy Shade Of Winter" which they completely remade.


If you strip the massive drug use out of The Go-Gos, you're left with some poppy music -- most of it forgettable.  The Bangles were a rock band.


Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

 Tuesday, November 10, 2020.  The election continues to dominate the news, we look at some of the third party campaigns and the UN assists the Iraqi government in making more people homeless.



Starting in the US with the presidential election.  Jonathan Cook (ICH) points out:


Unlike the liberals and the Trumpists, many in the US have come to understand that their political system offers nothing but stultifying stagnation for ordinary Americans by design, even if it comes in two, smartly attired flavours.

They see that the Trump camp rages ineffectually against the corporate elite, deluded into believing that a member of that very same elite will serve as their saviour. And they see that the Biden camp represents an ineffectual rainbow coalition of competing social identities, deluded into believing that those divisions will make them stronger, not weaker, in the fight for economic justice. Both of these camps appear resigned to being serially – maybe ritually – disappointed.

Failure does not inspire these camps to seek change, it makes them cling all the more desperately to their failed strategies, to attach themselves even more frantically and fervently to their perceived tribe.

That is why this US election – at a moment when the need for real, systemic change is more urgent, more evident than ever before – produced not just one but two of the worst presidential candidates of all time. We are looking at exactly what happens when a whole society not only stops growing but begins to putrefy.


Also weighing in is Richard D. Wolff (COUNTERPUNCH):


No matter who won, what U.S. politics lacks is real choice. Both major parties function as cheerleaders for capitalism under all circumstances, even when a killer pandemic coincides with a major capitalist crash. Real political choice would require a party that criticizes capitalism and offers a path toward social transition beyond capitalism. Countless polls prove that millions of U.S. citizens want to consider socialist criticisms of capitalism and socialist alternatives to it. The mass of voters for Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and other socialists provided yet more evidence. However, the system allowed and enabled a near-fascistic right wing to take over the GOP and the presidency. At the same time, it aided and abetted the Democrats in excluding a socialist from even running for that presidency. Trump and Biden are long-standing, well-known cheerleaders for capitalism. Sanders was, in contrast, a critic.

A new political party that offered systemic criticisms of capitalism and advocated for a transition to a worker-coop based economic system would bring real choice into U.S. politics. It would place before the electorate a basic question of vital importance: what mix of capitalist and worker-coop organized enterprises do you wish to work for, buy from, and live with in the United States? Voters could thereby genuinely participate in deciding the range of job descriptions from which each of us will become able to choose. Will we mostly have to accept positions as employees whose jobs are designed exclusively by and for employers? Or will all job descriptions include at least two basic tasks: a specific function within an enterprise’s division of labor plus an equal share (alongside all other enterprise workers) of the powers to design and direct the enterprise as a whole?

Any community that wishes to call itself a “democracy” for more than rhetorical, self-promotional reasons should welcome a one-person, one-vote decision-making process governing how work is organized.

Most adults spend most of their lives at work. How that work is organized shapes how their lives are lived and what skills, aptitudes, appetites, and relationships they develop. Their work influences their other social roles as friends, lovers, spouses, and parents. In capitalism, the work experience of the vast majority (employees) is shaped and controlled by a small minority (employers) to secure the latter’s profit, wealth accumulation, and reproduction as the socially dominant minority. In a real democracy, the economy would have to be democratically reorganized. Workplace decisions would be made on the basis of one person, one vote inside each enterprise. Parallel, similarly democratic decision-making would govern residential communities surrounding and interacting with workplaces. Workplace and residential democracies would have significant influences over one another’s decisions. In short, genuine economic democracy would be the necessary partner to political democracy.


Over at WSWS, Genevieve Leigh notes AOC's selling out of the voters in her CNN STATE OF THE UNION appearance and the article at THE NEW YORK TIMES over the weekend and Leigh concludes:

What the 2020 elections and their aftermath have definitively shown is that nothing progressive can be advanced within the framework of the Democratic Party and its so-called “left” representatives such as Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders. A Biden administration will rapidly come into conflict with the working class, fueling a growth of the class struggle and posing the necessity for a mass independent movement fighting for socialism.

There is an immense constituency for socialist politics in the working class in the US and around the world. But the organic striving for an alternative to capitalism must be turned into a conscious movement armed with a revolutionary socialist and internationalist program. This requires the development of a new political leadership in the working class. The central issue is the building of the Socialist Equality Party and its youth organization, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality.


I have no real problem with Genevieve and think she does a great job of documenting AOC's sell out but it is true that, if she believes the last two paragraphs of her own article, she might need to speak with David North and Joseph Kishore at her own magazine.  I don't know how the lunatic conspiracy theories that they were allowed to pimp in the last six weeks prior to the election were supposed to help build the SEP and, in fact, those articles were really designed to scare and frighten people into voting for Joe Biden.


All by itself, that's bad enough; however, when you factor in that Joseph Kishore was the presidential nominee of the WSWS and pretending to run for president, it's even more disgusting.

The world is awful enough.  You don't have to invent fantasies and present them as reality.  If we're around in 2024, there's a very good chance that we will not note the SEP candidate.  That will be due to Joseph Kishore spending the final six weeks of his passive campaign refusing to make a case for himself and the SEP and, instead, offering lunatic fantasies about what Donald Trump might do in an effort to sheep-herd people into voting for Joe Biden.  


I liked Joseph Kishore up until then.  I found him a strong writer and, while I didn't think he'd win the presidency, I hoped he'd build up the SEP.


Instead, he dropped his own campaign to churn out the vote for Joe.  It read like he was scared -- of winning, of advancing the SEP, of breathing.


I don't handle fear well.  And I don't like those who try to campaign on fear.  We called out THE NATION when they pulled that crap about this-is-the-torture-election.  No, not this year, Several election cycles back.


I expected more from Joseph Kishore.  Equally true, prior to the last embarrassing six weeks, he didn't do much of anything.  His campaign site -- such as it was -- just directed you to WSWS where he had commentaries posted.  He was unable to do a video a week.  Or even one a month.  


I don't know why the SEP ran a candidate to begin with if they didn't want to spread the word about the SEP.  Maybe it's not constructive for them to run a candidate at this time and they should just focus on issues?  


They need to look at what they did this election cycle and figure out what they're striving for because Joseph Kishore's campaign was a waste of time and distracted WSWS from very real issues -- even before David North and Joseph Kishore started their End Of Times nonsense.


While we're noting third parties, let's note this from the Green Party:


Greens Also Retain Ballot Status in Washington D.C. As Nationwide Results Continue to Roll In

WASHINGTON — Overcoming immense challenges including “anyone but Trump”, pandemic campaigning conditions, nationwide panic about election integrity and four years of smears from the corporate oligarchy, the Green Party emerged from Election Day with 11 wins in the state of California and Oregon, and achievements elsewhere.

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
November 06, 2020

Contact:
Michael O’Neil, Communications Manager, meo@gp.org
Holly Hart, Co-chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org
Craig Seeman, Co-chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org


Greens across the country are celebrating 26-year-old Emmanuel Estrada’s winning the office of Mayor of Baldwin Park, CA. That makes him, along with Mayor Bruce Delgado in Marina, CA the highest elected Green official in the country.

“We’re going in at the right time to reform the image of the city, to reform the image of City Hall, and we’re in the perfect position to do that,” said Estrada, who took out a second job to finance his campaign.

This week’s Green wins add to 10 electoral victories from earlier in the year.

“We have weathered the storm,” said Green Party National Steering Committee member Hillary Kane. “Since 2016, the two-party power structure accelerated their efforts to exterminate us, to scapegoat us for their own failures and corruption. We have endured and we are already rallying to come back stronger than ever.”

Green victories in races that have been called, so far, include:

  • Emmanuel Estrada, Mayor of Baldwin Park, CA

  • David Grover for City Council of Trinidad, CA (re-elected)

  • Sylvia R. Chavez for City Council (At-Large) of Calipatria, CA

  • Sharron Parra for Hyampom, CA Community Service District

  • Michael Paul Hansen for Humboldt County, CA Community Services District

  • John Abraham “Abe” Powell for Montecito, CA Fire Protection District (re-elected)

  • Randy Marx, Fair Oaks Water District (Sacramento County) (re-elected)

  • Matthew Clark, Granada Community Services District (San Mateo County) (re-elected)

  • Jane Jarlsberg for Joshua Basin Water District, Division 3 in San Bernardino County, CA

  • Josiah Dean for City Council of Dufur, OR (re-elected)

  • Michael Clary for Soil and Water Conservation, Zone 4 in Coos County, OR (re-elected)

In the races of Jake Tonkel for City Council in San Jose, CA and the re-election of Jessica Clayton to the Brick Township, NJ Board of Education, the candidates are awaiting final tabulation of votes.

“Greens are so grateful to our 2020 class of 210 candidates who contested offices at every level of government” said Green Party National Co-Chair Tamar Yager. “We are especially proud of Lisa Savage winning 5% of the vote as the first Green to run in a Ranked Choice Voting Election for US Senate (ME) and Franca Muller Paz for the inspiring ‘Green-Red’ coalition she led in her run for Baltimore City Council, earning 36.6% of the vote,” continued Yager.

“Ann Wilcox’s grassroots campaign for At-Large Member of the Washington DC City Council has renewed ballot access for the DC Statehood Green Party, allowing local Green candidates to remain competitive,” said Kane.

“We are constantly asked why Greens run for citywide and statewide offices, and for president, in lieu of smaller districts,” Kane continued. “In many cases, it’s because we have a candidate with a unique and essential political agenda the Democrats and Republicans will otherwise erase but, just as often, it’s also because rules set up by the duopoly require winning votes for the bigger offices in order to have a ballot line to compete for the local ones,” said Kane.

“2020 has been a rough year for Greens,” said Green Party National Co-Chair Kristin Combs. “It’s been a rough year for the entire country. But the machine that suppresses candidates’ rights and voter choice is breaking down. Almost 1.5 million people in Massachusetts cast ballots in favor of Ranked Choice Voting when many had never heard of it before this year — and the ‘Yes’ campaign team’s grassroots education efforts were severely hampered by COVID-19,” said Combs.

Green leaders also expressed support and appreciation for Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker, the Green Party’s nominees for President and Vice-President.

“Their Eco-Socialist, Left-Unity campaign was desperately needed to offer real solutions for 2020,” said Green Party National Co-Chair Gloria Mattera. “Howie and Angela ran for a Green New Deal. Both Biden and Trump oppose the Green New Deal. They ran for Improved/Expanded Medicare-For-All. Both Biden and Trump reject that. They ran on dismantling the US military empire. Biden and Trump are both war hawks.”

“Now we ask Greens to organize to ensure every vote is counted, which we demand in every election, and organize to win. Spring elections are just around the corner.”

For a list of 2020 Green Party Candidates and Results as They Become Available, visit gp.org/2020_candidates.


Howie Hawkins was the Green Party's presidential candidate.  Ann noted this statement from his campaign:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 7, 2020

For Further Information:
Virginia Rodino, virginia@howiehawkins.us
Robert Smith, robert@howiehawkins.us

Hawkins and Walker React To Trump’s Defeat

We are happy to see Trump go. Good riddance!

This election was a referendum on Trump. Biden was Not-Trump, nothing more. Biden has no solutions for the climate, poverty, racism, and nuclear war.

The Hawkins/Walker campaign thanks our supporters for their donations and campaign work in a difficult year for the Green Party and independent socialists. The media blanked us out. After the Democratic establishment closed ranks to defeat Bernie Sanders, most progressive leaders lined up behind Biden without making any policy demands on him. The Biden administration is now free to ignore them.

We will continue to fight for a Green New Deal, an Economic Bill of Rights including Medicare for All, and a reprioritization of federal spending from militarism to caring for the people and the planet. We will continue organizing toward a major party of the green and socialist left and supporting the election of thousands to local office and, on that foundation, to state legislatures and Congress as we go into the 2020s.

We are running out of time on the climate, declining working-class life expectancies, and the new nuclear arms race. Real solutions can’t wait.

We are determined, not defeated.

###


Ann noted:


Howie ran a real campaign.  And Howie stood for what mattered.


A few years back, it was Howie who came up with the Green New Deal.  And it will be Hoeiw and people like him who introduce the important ideas that influence our future.  People like Joe Biden are just reactionaries, they can't actually lead.


I agree with Ann's call.   I didn't follow the 2000 Green Party campaign -- Ralph Nader was the nominee.  He lost me with his idiotic comments in a ROLLING STONE INTERVIEW -- no, Ralph, problems high heels cause is not the most pressing issue for the feminist movement and statements like that really made me dislike you.  But I did pay attention to the 2004 campaign, the 2008, the 2012, the 2016 and the 2020.


I thought that he and Angela Walker ran one of the best.  Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente (2008 -- I voted for them) might be the only ones to surpass them.  But that's a ''might be.'' 


Howie fought and took stands and he didn't go silent when idiots and CIA-factions attacked him.  I also am very pleased that Greens are finally grasping what Ava and I said back in 2008 -- stop treating Amy Goodman like she's your friend because she's not.  She has never given the Green Party equal time.  This go round, she made that very clear by refusing to have Howie on DEMOCRACY NOW! even once, by refusing to even give a headline at the top of the show to the Green Party's political convention and by mentioning Howie only once, when they allowed a liar to lie about ballot access issues on the show.  Shame on Amy.  And shame on Juan Gonzales as well.  Juan was once a lion, now he's a declawed, cowardly fool.  That moment was as embarrassing but, if I'm honest, Juan really sold out in 2008.  That year started with him calling out Barack -- and Amy keeping him off the show.  Then Juan of the Barack-alognie column came on board and got to be on the show.  Whores got whore.  Et tu, Juan?

Howie ran a very strong campaign.  The biggest problem he had was the passing of Kevin Zeese who kept the campaign fired up.  Dr. Margaret Flowers, his partner, notes the election at DISSIDENT VOICE:


As many people around the country and the world celebrate the media’s announcement of the defeat of President Trump, those who advocate for transformational changes in the political, economic, legal and social systems are talking and writing about the challenges we’ll face under a Biden/Harris administration.

Democracy, literally ‘people power,’ is feared by the wealthy elites. Whether they are represented by Democrats or Republicans, they work to suppress it. Social movements can expect to face significant hurdles under a Biden administration in the next four years. However, if we know what to expect, we can use tactics to get past them and have some victories.

If conditions don’t improve, then there will be greater polarization and conflict within the country. This will give the state more justification for repression. If we succeed, and win victories for the poor and working class while building democracy at the grassroots level, we will be on a path towards the transformation we seek.

When the media called the election on Saturday, there were celebrations by Biden-supporters in the streets. People popped champagne corks and honked their horns. Some people see the election of Biden/Harris as a huge victory and hope it will mean changes that impact their lives positively.

Glenn Greenwald brings things back into perspective in his article comparing the Trump administration to the past two presidencies. Even though Trump was portrayed, especially by liberals, as some sort of monster, Greenwald writes:

There is nothing done by the Trump administration that can be rationally characterized as a radical aberration, some dramatic break, from U.S. tradition. Quite the contrary: none of Trump’s actions and policies are in some new universe of savagery, lawlessness, or radicalism when compared to those who preceded him in power.

Although Trump was very open about it, neoliberalism, militarism, racism and imperialism will continue under a Biden presidency. Biden did not even feign progressivism during the campaign. As Caitlin Johnstone points out in “US Murder Machine Now under Competent Management,” “Trump ran on a platform of scaling back US interventionism, as did Obama, as did even Bush, but Biden did the opposite. He is beginning from a much more hawkish position than he [sic] predecessors right off the bat.” The big question is whether or not Biden will be as competent as Obama was at getting away with it.

During the Obama administration, the peace movement struggled to survive even while Obama militarized Africa, surrounded China, destroyed Libya, increased drone attacks and more. Note that these are countries with majority non-white populations. People were reluctant to criticize the first black president and funding for the peace movement disappeared.

The Black Alliance for Peace and other groups have been working to rebuild an anti-imperialist peace movement over the past four years. In their recent statement, the Black Alliance for Peace reminds us that the situation does not change for colonized and oppressed people no matter who sits in the “white people’s house.”


Kevin Zeese's passing is among the big losses of 2020  


I'm not finding a statement from Gloria La Riva's campaign.  She was the presidential nominee for the Party for Socialism and Liberation.  She had many technical issues beyond her control.  There was a period where GOOGLE was censoring her website -- the standard 'malware' nonsense.  And the last full week of the campaign, she had an important event that had to be called off due to technical issues.  But Gloria ran a strong campaign and was very effective in promoting her ideas and beliefs across the landscape -- a candidate who can speak Spanish and English will always be sought after and Gloria gave some very strong interviews to Spanish language outlets.


While I don't see a statement from Gloria, the Party for Socialism and Liberation issued the following:


More than 70 million people voted to oust Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election. This was not a vote for Joe Biden, a truly uninspiring candidate who only became the nominee when the Democratic Party ruling class establishment united to stop Bernie Sanders from getting the nomination in early March. Nor did the historic voter turnout for Biden signify support for his pro-Wall Street, pro-war positions and his role as an architect of the current system of policing and mass incarceration. 

In the last few minutes, the major corporate-owned media networks all announced that Joe Biden had sufficient electoral college votes to become the next president of the United States. 

It is noteworthy that Fox News, which has been so vociferously cheerleading for Donald Trump during the last four years, also called the election for Biden and dramatically changed the tone of its coverage to be very supportive of Biden and the campaign he ran. 

Donald Trump insists that he will fight on. He argues that he is the true winner of the election and the only reason that he might not be president is because of widespread election fraud. This is not true and as more and more of the mail-in vote arrived in Pennsylvania, Georgia and other states it became crystal clear that Trump in fact had lost the electoral college vote in a very narrow contest that almost exactly replicates the narrow outcome in 2016 but with the margins reversed. 

Trump broke the cardinal rule of U.S. capitalist politics when he denounced the election system as a fraud. Maintaining the image of a peaceful transfer of power between the two ruling class parties for more than a century has been considered a core element of American capitalist governance. The peaceful transfer of power bestows legitimacy upon the system. Every system requires either undiluted brute violence that is routinely dispensed on oppressed classes, or it relies on its legitimacy with a sector of the population which is then, of course, supplemented by the threat of violence and state coercion. “Democracy” is the preferred form of class rule because achieving legitimacy with a significant sector of the working class and intermediate strata makes the system easier to maintain. It avoids the tension and conflict which makes class rule more complicated and unstable.

Trump’s motivation is very narrow and personal. Once out of office, he and his family will be subject to multiple criminal prosecutions and civil legal cases in many states on issues related to tax evasion, financial fraud and other such crimes. If Trump becomes a civilian, he loses his immunities for state-based prosecutions on financial crimes. This will be Trump’s future and he knows it. The ruling class will not sacrifice the legitimacy of its political system to protect Donald Trump in his post-presidency civilian life.  

Trump has spent the last days trying to use ultra-right and fascist mobilizations to stop the vote count. But he has become increasingly isolated. His base of support within the capitalist establishment is crumbling and that will continue. The fact that Fox News and the Wall Street Journal editorial board have turned against him in his quest to condemn the election process is a clear indication that his fate has been sealed. 

The 2020 presidential election was a referendum on Trump. The Democrats did very badly in the rest of the election. They lost seats to the Republicans in the House and they failed to win the Senate. The fact that it was a close election at the presidential level at a time of the biggest healthcare catastrophe and mass unemployment in living memory shows how little the Democratic Party has to offer the masses of people. The Democratic Party ruling class establishment adopted a center-right orientation and refused to embrace the demands for Medicare for All; a cancellation of rents and mortgage payments during the pandemic; canceling student debt; or meaningful policing reforms. Ironically, the same Democratic Party establishment now blames the left for its failures in the down ballot contests during the election.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation has argued since 2016 that Donald Trump is merely a symptom of a larger disease. Late stage capitalism is destroying not only the working class and poor but big sectors of the middle class. As the billionaires get ever richer and more powerful, the level of human suffering inside “the richest country in the world” increases rapidly. The larger disease is capitalism, and the cure is to replace the system that fosters poverty amid plenty and destroys workers as a tiny class of the ultra rich concentrate wealth and power. The solution lies not with the Democratic Party but with the replacement of capitalism by a humane, rational and sustainable social system: socialism. 

The task at hand is to build a mass movement demanding that the Biden White House take immediate emergency measures to eradicate mass unemployment; provide a livable guaranteed income for all of those who have been made jobless; cancel rents, evictions and foreclosures; cancel student debt; and adopt a Medicare for all healthcare system. At the same time, we have to mobilize greater opposition to U.S. militarism and war, which is not even slightly diminished under a government led by Joe Biden.


Jo Jorgensen was the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate.  Jo's campaign issued the following:

A ‘grassroots effort propelled by heart and hard work,’ says Dr. Jo Jorgensen

GREENVILLE, S.C.; November 7, 2020—  The presidential campaign of Libertarian Dr. Jo Jorgensen relied more on volunteers, efficiency, and persuasion than on money to win votes.

With 1,731,055 votes won as of Nov. 7, the Jorgensen campaign spent a modest $1.73 for each vote. The campaign raised and spent approximately $3 million.

The Jorgensen campaign topped the cost-effectiveness of all other Libertarian presidential campaigns. Of the last three runs, former Governor Gary Johnson’s 2012 and 2016 campaigns spent $3.13 and $2.66 per vote, respectively, and former Congressman Bob Barr’s 2008 campaign spent $2.68 per vote.

In contrast, Democrat Joe Biden’s campaign spent $12.50 per vote, which rises to $18.40 per vote when dark money* is included.

In the Democratic primary election, Bernie Sanders spent $28.87 per vote, and Elizabeth Warren spent $50.09. 

“This grassroots campaign was propelled by heart and hard work,” said Jorgensen, “and it was guided by veteran Libertarians who helped make our modest funds go far.”

The Jorgensen campaign recruited at least 9,423 volunteers. The average donation to her campaign was $32.

*According to the Center for Responsive Politics’ analysis at OpenSecrets.org, citing the campaign’s Oct. 14 reports.



We'll probably note Jo again later this week.  But for now, let's note that Jo campaigned with the people, among the people.  Jo wasn't the Hiding Jo (that would be Joe Biden).  She went all over on her campaign bus and held events.  Which is the only way to run a non-fear based campaign.  She attracted actual crowds.  She presented herself well throughout.  Had she been brought on for the debates, I think she might have won one of the two debates -- maybe both.  


Iraq War veteran Adam Kokesh notes a Libertarian victory in this election:

Image



Turning to Iraq where the number of Covid 19 cases has now topped 500,000.



In the face of the pandemic, with the help of the United Nations, the Iraqi government is eager to make more people homeless by closed the camps for the displaced.

BBC NEWS explains:

The rapid closure of displacement camps in Iraq could leave more than 100,000 people without shelter in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and as winter approaches, an aid group has warned.

The government expects them to return to their areas of origin.

But many of those were destroyed during the war against the Islamic State (IS) group and still have not been rebuilt.


Louisa Loveluck (WASHINGTON POST) notes:


Iraq’s Displacement Ministry said in late October that it was moving ahead with closures as part of a program of “safe and voluntary return.” Aid groups and human rights researchers say that in practice, civilians are often ordered to leave their displacement camp on short notice and without clarity on whether it will be possible to return to the areas they came from.

On the journey, some risk being waylaid at checkpoints because of a lack of adequate paperwork or because their names are on lists of alleged Islamic State members or are similar to listed names.

Human rights groups say these lists are often unreliable and based on confessions carried out under torture.

“Closing camps before residents are willing or able to return to their homes does little to end the displacement crisis,” Jan Egeland, secretary general for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said Monday. “On the contrary, it keeps scores of displaced Iraqis trapped in this vicious cycle of displacement, leaving them more vulnerable than ever, especially in the middle of a raging pandemic.”


The following sites updated:






Monday, November 09, 2020

Musical self-destruct?

partisans

 Above is Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "2 Partisans Talking" went up Sunday. I enjoyed that a lot.  It really captures two assholes.


Now I want to note this video.

 



What did you think?  The only thing I hugely disagreed with was the Chicks' supposed comeback.  Their album this year didn't even go gold.  It 'sold' during the first week only -- inflated sales that we've seen with numerous artists.  It was out of the top forty within four weeks.  One good week and that was it.  They're done.  Natalie Maines' politics? I think America could handle them.  Then she came back with this album thinking she could rally hate against her ex-husband and no one wanted it.  She's a train wreck and she was damn lucky her husband stood by her when the world turned against her in 2003.

 

Of course, it should be noted, of 'nipple gate,' Justin Timberlake was given a pass by CBS.  They let him go on the Grammys right after and they didn't ban his songs.  Leslie Moonves then headed CBS and he had Janet's songs pulled off CBS radio stations and banned the play of anything by Janet ever. 

 

I do have a third problem.  Adam Levine's chest.  Honestly, the only reason the clip caught my eye.  In it's freeze frame above, you see him lifting up his shirt.  In the clip itself, we really didn't.  :(  Wah.  


These posts went up Sunday: 

 

 

And thank you to Marica and Ann for carrying on the Stevie Nicks conversation.

Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

 Monday, November 9, 2020.   The press declares Joe Biden the winner of the US presidential election (electoral college will actually decide on December 14th), Donald Trump insists the vote is wrong but keeps begging for money while refusing to detail any wrongs, an Iraqi protester was killed in Basra on Friday and the US media finally discovers what we noted about the displacement camp closing in Iraq -- what we noted over a week ago.



It's a Battle of the Duopoly War Hawks at present.  On Saturday, the press called the election for Joe Biden -- the Democratic Party's War Hawk.  Donald Trump, the sitting president and the War Hawk for the Republican Party, has not taken the call well.  At 7:22 am this morning, the Trump campaign sent out an e-mail entitled "Update on the vote" which is fundraising for the "OFFICIAL ELECTION DEFENSE FUND."  "Fight back now," the e-mail advises, and to fight back, you can contribute $220, $165, $110, $55 or "CONTRIBUTE ANY AMOUNT."  This follows their 6:21 e-mail this morning entitled "For Patriots ONLY" -- anytime caps are used in quotes, that is their use, FYI -- which informed:


The Radical Left is UNHINGED.

President Trump will easily WIN the Presidency of the United States with ONLY LEGAL votes cast, but Election observers are not being allowed to do their jobs. It’s madness.

Every single Patriot from across the Nation must step up RIGHT NOW if we’re going to successfully DEFEND the integrity of this Election. We need YOU to join the Election Defense Task Force.


That second e-mail followed the one entitled "You've never let me down before" which was sent out at 5:14 this morning -- an e-mail that followed the one sent out at 12:18 this morning entitled "Mysterious Ballots."  Sadly, that e-mail just listed amounts to donate and nothing to do with the actual title of the e-mails.  I'm being a little sarcastic here but when a friend told me they were forwarding all this stuff, I thought, "Okay, good.  He's a sitting president, he's saying the count is wrong, let's present whatever his argument is."  But, thus far, the argument boils down to: Send money.  Lots and lots of money.


Among the many e-mails his campaign sent out on Sunday, there was one entitled "STOP COUNTING ILLEGAL BALLOTS" which stated:


We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: THEY DON’T WANT THE TRUTH TO BE EXPOSED.

Joe Biden has NOT been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or any states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.
 

The American People are entitled to an honest Election; that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our Election. 


I can't disagree that the count is not state certified, I can't disagree that Joe has media allies and I can't disagree about the need for "an honest Election"; however, though the e-mail makes plenty of space for you to choose an amount to donate, it fails to explain anything.  


It's crass -- but certainly in keeping with Donald -- to just have his hand out trying to take your money.  Where's the time being taken to explain his argument?  


For all I know, there may be a valid legal argument regarding this election -- there may be several.  But if there are, you make those in every e-mail.  Donald's certainly willing to beg for cash in every e-mail.  Is there a reason that, in the twelve e-mails I've looked over this morning, not one makes a legal argument?  "Illegal ballots" where?  What state?  Why are they illegal?


I don't like Donald but I'm certainly willing to be fair and, if he's telling his side, we'll note it here.  Out of fairness and also because if a sitting president argues that election results are wrong, that's news.  But despite having read multiple ballots, I haven't seen his campaign offer one example of what they think is wrong/illegal/whatever about the vote count.


If he thinks it's wrong, say so.  Say so loudly and publicly.  Don't be a little bitch like John Kerry who went on and on insisting that the 2004 election was stolen but wouldn't say so publicly.  Forgotten that?  One example, Mark Cripsin Miller on the November 4, 2005 broadcast of DEMOCRACY NOW!:


Speaking of John Kerry, I have some news for you. On Friday, this last Friday night, I arranged to meet Senator Kerry at a fundraiser to give him a copy of my book. He told me he now thinks the election was stolen. He said he doesn’t believe that he is the person who can go out front on the issue, because of the sour grapes, you know, question. But he said he believes it was stolen. He says he argues about this with his Democratic colleagues on the Hill. He had just had a big fight with Christopher Dodd about it, because he said, you know, ’There’s this stuff about the voting machines; they’re really questionable.’ And Dodd was angry. 'I don't want to hear about it,’ you know, 'I looked into it. There's nothing there.’


John Kerry betrayed those who voted for him.  If Donald thinks the election was stolen, he owes his voters a fight.  But that requires more than begging for money over and over.


Let's switch topics.  Last week, Cher decided to steal the old torch song "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe" and try to whore the song for Joe Biden.  Why?  She long ago recorded her own Joe Biden song.



"Hey Joe" -- she recorded it for her 1967 album WITH LOVE, CHER.  And it's a much more fitting song for Joe Biden.  "Hey, Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand?"


That's the unasked question, right?


Elect Joe to better the lives of people of color!


That was the claim -- as long as we stuck with people of color in the US only.  Joe's history is one of persecution and targeting people of color around the world.  It was Joe and Barack who overthrew the leadership in Libya.  The result?  Among other things, open markets where slaves were sold -- in the 21st century.   Sarah Abdallah Tweeted about Bully Boy Bush congratulating Joe:


Bush, the destroyer of Afghanistan and Iraq, offers up congratulations to Biden, the destroyer of Libya, Syria, Yemen and Ukraine. How adorable.


Solomon Comissiong (BLACK AGENDA REPORT) in December 2017:


Many of the people who are crying out for the ending of slavery in Libya are the same people that supported the lethal Obama/Clinton tag-team that orchestrated the destruction of what was once the African nation with the highest living standards -- Libya! Many of these folks unconditionally supported BarackObama and Hillary Clinton despite their nefarious actions. Many even made excuses for the bombing of Libya knowing that if George W. Bush or Donald Trump were doing the same, they would be crying bloody murder! The hypocrisy is quite pathetic and beyond reprehensible.

In 2011 the Obama administration bombed Libya into oblivion while using racist and terrorist rebel groups to do their dirty deeds on the ground. These terrorists often targeted Black Africans for rape, torture, and public lynchings, simply because they were seen as allies to Muammar Gaddafi -- who had provided a safe haven for those same Black Africans.

The Obama administration knew all of this. They used the CIA to deliver arms, advice and even cash to terrorist rebels, in an effort to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi and the Libyan Jamahiriya. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton desperately wanted to halt the advancements of Gaddafi and his government.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama lied to the public regarding Muammar Gaddafi and Libya in order to create a “justification” to topple Gaddafi and his government. There was not a shred of credible evidence that he was planning to murder Libyan civilians. However, he was resistant to the United States’ neo-colonial machinations with Africom. And, knowing that the US dollar was rapidly dropping in value, he wanted the US to purchase oil from Libya in the form of gold. He called for a United States of Africa. He also wanted to rid his country of terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda. Muammar Gaddafi and the Libyan Jamahiriya was just the kind of leader (and government) the United States hates and historically loves to overthrow.

Under Gaddafi, Libya also had free education and free healthcare -- things US citizens don’t even have. The nationalized oil reserves, which helped Gaddafi pay for these social programs, has since been exploited by many of the same Western players (NATO) who assisted the US in the savage destruction of Libya.



As Ajamu Baraka noted last week at BLACK AGENDA REPORT:


What is this “new fascism” the latte-left talks about? What is this “existential threat”? For most of us, the threat has always been existential. When colonial Nazism that was inspired by the U.S. Jim Crow South was applied in Europe—with its violence and racism—it was only then that it took on a different moral and political characterization.  

The racist French government launches a domestic terror campaign against Muslims in the country, while bombing Africans in Africa and overthrowing their governments. The European Union gives a human rights award to a political opposition in Venezuela that burns Black people alive because those people are seen as Maduro supporters. Meanwhile, NATO, the military wing of U.S. and European white supremacy, expands into South America to support the Monroe Doctrine that morally justifies U.S. regional domination. But fascism is coming to the U.S., they cry!

For those of us who reside in the colonized spaces of empire, leading with uncritical emotionalism as we confront and attempt to deal with the Trump phenomenon, is a self-indulgent diversion we cannot afford. That is because, for us, the consequences truly are life threatening.

In occupied Palestine, Venezuela, Yemen, the South-side of Chicago, Haiti, the concentration camps for Indigenous peoples called “reservations,” as well as “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana, our survival depends on seeing this violent, barbarian behemoth for what it is. We must have no sentimental delusions about the difference between the governance of either of the two ruling class-dominated parties. 

For us, both parties are ongoing criminal enterprises that are committed to one thing and one thing only: Ultimately serving the interests of the capitalist ruling class—by any means necessary!  


Caitlin Johnstone (ICH) notes, "Liberals are heaving a sigh of relief around the country, not because their actual lives have gotten much worse as a result of Trump’s presidency (they have not), but because it means at long last they’ll stop being psychologically abused by the mass media who’ve been screaming hysterical nonsense in their faces and making them feel crazy."

She also notes David Corn's Tweet that, for the last four years, he only wore black ties because he was in mourning.  Golly, David, what color of tie did you were after you destroyed Gary Webb's career and he took his own life?  You never want to talk about that, do you?  Or get honest about it.


Let's drop back to October 31st:


It's amazing how the western press misreports.  Earlier this week, it was 'concern' for the people in camps -- the displaced in Iraq.  Supposedly, everyone, including the UN was concerned.  I ignored the story because it felt false on the face of it.  And it was.  DAR ADDUSTOUR gives you the truth about this 'concern' that western media left out.  The 'concern' is only that they exist.  The 'concern' doesn't translate into finding homes for the displaced or meeting the needs of the displaced.  What the 'concern' means, DAR ADDUSTOUR reports is that the camp in Baquba, the sole camp for the displaced, will be closed in five weeks.  150 families will be evicted from the camp.  Where are they to go?  No one cares.  Certainly, no one in the western press cares because they couldn't take a moment from acting as a megaphone to tell you what was really going on.  Again, just on the face of it, it was obvious that there was no 'concern' for the displaced.  



This morning, Louisa Loveluck (WASHINGTON POST) Tweets:


The is warning of the consequences of Iraq’s decision to close displacement camps for people unable to return home after the war against ISIS. Some 100,000 rendered homeless as winter draws in. Civilians vulnerable to security forces.


It was obvious when the western media was treating it as good news that it wasn't good news.  Closing displacement camps while the displaced remain displaced?  Only a fool couldn't have seen this would be a problem. 


In other news, AP reports, "Iraqi security forces opened fire during clashes with hundreds of protesters in the southern city of Basra on Friday, killing one demonstrator and wounding several others as tensions flared once again, hospital officials said."  ALJAZEERA identifies Omar Fadhel as the man shot dead for the 'crime' of protesting.  Zeidon Alkinani Tweets:

Southern Iraq’s Basra protests are still active and loud. Influenced by the assassination of its prominent activist, Omar Fadhel. #عمر_فاضل #البصرة
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Amnesty International's Donatella Rovera Tweeted:


Omar Fadhel was killed today in demonstrations in #Basra in southern #Iraq. RIP. He is the latest of 600+ demonstrators killed in #iraqprotests in the past year with absolute impunity. PM ’s promises of accountability & justice have not materialised so far #البصرة
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He was buried on Saturday.  Azhar al-Rubaie Tweeted Saturday:


The funeral of the Martyr Omar Fadhel in Basra protest's Square, he was killed by security forces yesterday.


ASHARQ AL-AWSAT notes, "Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi vowed on Saturday that the government will be unyielding in dealing with any member of the security forces found guilty of using live fire against the Iraqi people."  Yes, he did.  He 'vowed' in a Tweet:


The state will not tolerate any security personnel who disregard orders which explicitly forbid the use of bullets against demonstrators, as happened in Basra. Also, the security services are serious about not allowing offenders to tarnish their image. (1/2)


The alleged killer of Omar Fadhil has been arrested, and he will receive a fair trial. We trust the Iraqi people, the Iraqi Security Forces, and our heroic Army, and together we will overcome these types of challenges. (2/2)


I guess, for some, that passes for bravery.  Equally true, he'd already said publicly -- twice since May, that he wouldn't tolerate security forces killing protesters.  He 'vowed' then too.  Of course, as Omar Fadhil's death demonstrates, that didn't stop the killings.  



Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "2 Partisans Talking" went up Sunday.