Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills)

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Diana Ross and Elle King

That's Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Hunter On The Table"and Hunter and the whole Biden family is a big embarrassment. Hope Hunter and his Sugar Bro will be very happy.

Diana Ross is in the news. BBC NEWS reports:

Diana Ross, Queen and Adam Lambert, Duran Duran and Sir Rod Stewart will perform at a star-studded concert to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, Mabel and Eurovision singer Sam Ryder will also appear in front of Buckingham Palace.

The Platinum Party at the Palace will be watched by 22,000 people live and will be broadcast on BBC One on 4 June.

If I were in England, I would be going Sounds like an awesome group of acts. And of course there can be only one closer: the legendary Diana. The report notes:

Ross's performance at the event will kick off a series of live UK gigs, including a slot at the Glastonbury Festival on 26 June.

In a statement, the singer said: "I have had the honour of meeting The Queen many times throughout my life, including when I was with my family. Her Majesty has and continues to be such an incredible inspiration to so many across the world."

Staying with the topic of music, this is a new video from Elle King.

I noted Mary J. Blige being honored at the BILLBOARD awards show ("Mary J Blige ") and some wondered why I didn't note Elle King performing. Did I not like Elle?

I think Elle's pretty awesome and can sing along on the song she performed ("Drunk And I Don't Want To Go Home") anytime it streams. But I'm not a Miranda Lambert fan. I'll note the new video with Dierls Bentley because (a) it's brand new (released today) and (b) because I like him.

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

Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Efforts to punish and terrorize Julian Assange continue, efforts by US President Joe Biden, and muhc more.

US President Joe Biden continues to persecute Julian Assange for the 'crime' of journalism. Julian exposed War Crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. For him to publish the truth about them, Chelsea Maning had to leak the truth to him. The US government tried to destroy Chelsea before she ever arrived in court. She was stripped naked and forced to stay that way in an effort to humiliate her. zthe US government -- Joe was Vice President at this time -- insisted it was for her safety. They were afraid she would kill herself, they insisted, so she couldn't have scrubs. the lapdog media -- looking especially at you fake ass Jane Meyer who pretended to care about theses issues when Bully Boy bush occupied the White House -- played cumb and it was left to us to point out that scrubs don't have to be cloth, they also make paper scrubs.

This was part of an effort to destroy the person they had imprisoned. They will come up with similar excuses to torture Julian should they get their hands on him. XINHUA reports:

Hundreds of people gathered in front of the British Home Office on Tuesday to protest against the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the US, denouncing it as politically motivated and a grave threat to freedom of press.

After Assange waged several rounds of appeal battle spanning months, Britain's Westminster Magistrate's Court issued a formal order in April to extradite him to the US to face espionage charges.

The case is now at the hands of British Home Secretary Priti Patel, who will decide whether to approve the extradition. Assange's legal team can make submissions before Wednesday to Patel explaining why Assange shouldn't be extradited.

On Tuesday, Assange's wife Stella Assange said on Twitter that a representation had been filed to Patel to block his extradition to the US.

Alan Jones n via YAHOO NEWS adds:

A human rights expert is urging the Government not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, warning it would have a “chilling effect” on media freedom.

Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel, who is now considering whether the extradition can go ahead.

The commissioner said the wider human rights implications of extradition had not been adequately considered, adding that the indictment by the US raised important questions about the protection of those that publish classified information in the public interest.

From the Council of Europe website:

In a letter, published today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, called on UK Home Secretary Priti Patel not to extradite Julian Assange.

Writing in view of the impending decision on Mr Assange’s extradition, the Commissioner noted that the wider human rights implications of doing so had not yet been adequately considered in the extradition proceedings. She particularly highlighted that the indictment by the United States against Mr Assange raised important questions about the protection of those that publish classified information in the public interest, including information that exposes human rights violations. She concluded that allowing Mr Assange’s extradition on this basis would have a chilling effect on media freedom, and could ultimately hamper the press in performing its task as purveyor of information and public watchdog in democratic societies.

Joe Biden and the US government cannot be trusted to act in any humane manner. Humane people don't try to terrorize journalists.

The government that repeatedly sees so many prisoners die in custody cannot be trusted. Along with the abuse they aimed at Chelsea Manning, there is the fact that they ran Abu Ghraib in Iraq. Joe Bden was a sitting US senator at the time.

Are we really to trust that Joe won't torture Julian? This is the man who said, when the torture at the US-run prison Abu Ghraib was exposed “probably would have done less damage to our image, and our legitimacy, and our motive had Iraqi prisoners been shot, like Saddam and other despots in that region do.”

That is the voice of someone to trust with another person's life?

Remember that Joe Biden postured and pretended on Abu Ghraidb. And then he turned around, years later after blaiming it on Bully Boy Bush, and put a medal on Bully Boy Bush, made a point to publicly honor him.

We're going to trust that person?

Yesterday, Isaiah posted three THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS comics -- "Amber Under Cross," "Equal Time For Classy Amber" and and "Joe Biden Likes Some White Supremacists." -- here's that last one.

Joe postures and preens and he has no problem with that. He wants to stand in front of the cameras in Buffalo and pretend to care about people of color but he's given over $40 billion to Ukraine ? The racism doesn't matter there?

I had an e-mail saying that I "just think you are so right about Ukraine. You may not be.." I may not be. I am often wrong. I do however make a point to listen to my gut. It's not wrong. Ukraine is a racist government and it's a Nazi government. And it is so wrong for the US government to be supporting this and I can say that and be fine with that. I know in my gut it's true. And I know Ill be slammed for it. I can live with that. I know history is on my side.

Rebecca's "about a 'woke' warrior" was very amusing to read. So the guy who tried to attack an ddestroy me in college is a 'woke warrior' today? Not back in college, of course. I called out his bad writing and his support for the araprtheid regime. I called out his opinion expressed as fact that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

Today, he's a Woke Warrior for the left. I wonder for how long? I kept journalis -- I still do. I have the piece he wrote and I have the letters he got people to write attacking me . I've got a lot written and pasted in those journals.

I have nothing to lose today. I stood up for Mandela, I stood up for equality.

He's the AOC buddy presenting himself as a woke warrior.

I wasn't afraid to call out apartheid and didn't regret it even though it resulted in an organized trashing of me that lasted a full semester.

You think I'm afraid to take an opinion that's unpopular? Nope. It'ss the right opinion. Don't say you support diversity and equality when your actions say you don't. If you support people of color then you should be demanding that US tax dollars stop going to support a racist and homophobic government in Ukraine.

The following sites updated:

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Mary J Blige

That's Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Johnny's Dogs Respond" from Monday night.

And let me also note Mary J. Blige was honored at THE BILLBOARD AWARDS.

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

Tuesday, May 17, 2022. The US falls apart under Joe Biden's watch and he sends billions outside the country, Iraq is hit with another massive sandstorm and much more.

At WSWS, Eric London writes:

In the history of the socialist movement, parties and political figures are defined above all by their attitude to imperialist war.

On June 16, 1918, Socialist Party leader Eugene V. Debs was arrested and jailed for a speech opposing the US government’s involvement in World War I. Speaking to a large crowd in a park in Canton, Ohio, Debs called the war an imperialist war and denounced the Democratic administration of Woodrow Wilson and the capitalist governments of Europe for waging it.

“Every solitary one of these aristocratic conspirators and would-be murderers claims to be an arch-patriot,” Debs declared. “Every one of them insists that the war is being waged to make the world safe for democracy. What humbug! What rot! What false pretense!”

On May 10, every single Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-backed member of Congress voted to approve Joe Biden’s request for $40 billion in military and financial aid for Ukraine.

Bernie Sanders, who once published a recording of himself reading Debs’ Canton speech, voted “yes” for war credits and said, “We should always have a debate, but the problem is that Ukraine is in the middle of a very intense war right now. I think every day counts, and I think we have to respond as strongly and vigorously as we can.”

Ocasio-Cortez, who knows nothing about the history of socialism, voted “yes” too. Hoping that people either would not notice or would quickly forget her vote, she refused to issue as much as a press release or tweet explaining her vote. The other DSA members of congress, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, all voted “yes” as well.

The vote marks a crossing of a political Rubicon. It is an endorsement of the US/NATO war against Russia. It takes money out of the hands of working people confronting inflation and poverty at home and directs it toward death and destruction abroad. It dramatically increases the possibility of a world war between nuclear powers.

While Joe Biden and the Congress send 40 billion more dollars off to Ukraine, the US suffers. Inflation, crumbling infrastructure and now shortages on formula.

Alex Findijs (WsWS) notes:

The severe shortage of baby formula across the United States continues to affect millions of families. Nationwide, there is a 43 percent deficit of infant formula, with some states and metropolitan areas seeing more than 50 percent of normal supply missing from grocery store shelves.

Prices have risen by an average of 18 percent with increasingly common reports of price gouging emerging around the country.

Baby formula is a critical food product for millions of infants. Around three-quarters of all infants in the United States receive formula within their first six months, and many require it as their primary form of nutrition.

The shortage has been developing over the past two years as the pandemic disrupted supply chains, resulting in a roughly 20 percent shortage at the beginning of this year.

The issue was made significantly worse though when Abbott Nutrition was forced to close one of the nation’s largest formula manufacturing plants in Sturgis, Michigan. The plant was shut down in February after a bacterial outbreak in baby food sold by Abbott caused illness in at least four infants, killing two of them.

Abbott issued a voluntary recall of products made at the facility and shut it down as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted an investigation into the outbreak.

The company claims that the strain of bacteria found in the infected infants was not discovered at the plant. However, an FDA investigation conducted from January 31 to March 18 found multiple health issues in the facilities.

It would appear that a US president would have much to do in this country and shouldn't be sending billions off to another land. The world watches as Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan becomes Build Back Never.

We have long been told that there is no money for Medicare For All. The US has now pledged over forty billion dollars to Urkaine.

But there was no money for Medicare For All?

Joe Biden will not guarantee the right of every American to health care but he will fund another useless war that has no real impact on the US and is a territorial issue/tiff that the US should have stayed out of instead of actively encouraging prior to the outbreak and funding non-stop since it began.

Any historical luster that Joe might have gotten for being vice president under Barack is now wiped away for the ages because history will not be kind about Urkaine and its massive racism that's so bad the Peace Corps has to issue warnings to their volunteers, that's so bad that U2's Bono and Edge show up on stage with a Ukraine musician who is flashing racism signs as the cameras snap away.

Is that why the media and Joe are backing Ukraine to begin with? Racism supports racism? Is that why so many in the US media felt it was perfectly natural to say that this battle mattered because the people looked like 'us.' That they were 'blue eyed.' That they were White.

Joe Biden has not just backed a racist regime (one he and Barack installed in 2014), he's sold America's future.

There was over forty billion dollars to spare and it couldn't be used to provide universal health care. At a time when we don't have enough formula in the contry, he's sending over 40 billion to Ukraine.

It's outrageous.

The American epople suffer and Joe blows the money like some sort of gambling addict.

He's not fit to be president. He never was. He's an abject failure who deserves to be a one term president.

He assaulted Tara Reade and other women. One of whom I have referenced here. she loved him and it did not end well --even though she did what he asked (a regret she has to this day). This is well known and was well known when she was crying in the halls of Congress. With Roe appearing to be on its last legs, she's telling people she may go public and it'll be harder to dismiss her because she has witnesses and she has love letters. Better get on the phone, Joe, and try to smooth things over somehow.

Hunter's actions have already exposed you as corrupt. There won't be a lot of sympathy for you if she tells her tale.

He;s destroyed the country. He has healed nothing. He's trying to dismantle Medicare currently and everyones looking away on that. He's not a friend to labor and he never was. He'll gladly take a photo op with labor and then stab them in the back.

He's accomplished nothing but senile old men rarely accomplish much.

He's a crook who refuses to appoint a special counsel as his son is under federal investigation. He lets a new-found 'friend' of his son pay off his son's $2 million dollar debt as he is a sitting presdient and we're not even supposed to notice that. It's outrageous and goes to just how corrupt he is.

Another massive sandstorm has hit Iraq. SIASAT DAILY notes:

Iraq has been hit by its eighth sandstorm since mid-April, leaving hundreds of locals hospitalized and flights delayed, on Monday. The country’s capital Baghdad and southern cities were engulfed by the red haze, thereby reducing visibility to just a few hundred feet.

[. . .]

While dust storms are common in the country, an environment ministry official warned that Iraq could face ‘272 days of dust’ a year in the coming decades due to drought, desertification, and declining rainfall.

Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Johnny's Dogs Respond" and "Hunter On The Table" went up last night. The following sites updated:

Music

Announcing the winner of the 2022 Tiny Desk Contest

2 hours ago

KBLA - Tavis Smiley's talk radio

Futuristic homes for tomorrow’s lifestyle

4 hours ago

World news: Iraq | guardian.co.uk

How the US is failing female veterans suffering illness from toxic burn pits

6 hours ago

Dissident Voice

The British Art of Black Propaganda

6 hours ago

Antiwar.com Original

Why Would US Give a War Guarantee – to Finland?

8 hours ago

Third Estate Sunday Review

TV: THE KIDS IN THE HALL try to return

10 hours ago

Mikey Likes It!

Isaiah and Jacob Crosse

10 hours ago

Ann's Mega Dub

Sitting here today, you have not donated the $7 million, have you

10 hours ago

Oh Boy It Never Ends

DEADLINE has no fact checker and also the weekend box office

10 hours ago

Thomas Friedman is a Great Man

That ugly Bette and that ugly Amber

10 hours ago

Like Maria Said Paz

Isaiah's comic and a talking post

11 hours ago

SICKOFITRADLZ

The liar testifies

11 hours ago

Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills)

A very bad writer at CINEMA BLEND

11 hours ago

Trina's Kitchen

Amber Heard can't stop lying

11 hours ago

Ruth's Report

THE BLACKLIST

11 hours ago

Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude

isaiah, electronic intifada

11 hours ago

Monday, May 16, 2022

A very bad writer at CINEMA BLEND

Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Elderly Celebrity Is As Confused As Joe" went up Saturday night and I posted "Kat's Korner: Freewheelin' Jewel" on Sunday.

On writing, I often marvel over what people get paid to write. Here's an example:

The Magnum P.I. reboot came onto the scene in 2018 and, while it seemed like it was too similar to the original series, it eventually found its footing. Not only did the show have plenty of entertaining action, it also had lovable characters that viewers came to love. It should also be noted that it took place in the same fictional universe as Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver, which allowed for some fun crossovers.

Someone was paid to write that. Grasp that. THis is not a blogger. This is someone paid to write and they write "it also had loveable characters that viewers came to love." Viewers came to love the characters -- isn't the redundant if the characters are loveable?

People are paid to write stuff like that.

I wrote my review that went up Sunday. I'm not a writer but I would have caught the mistake I'm using as an example. And if I had missed it, C.I. would've caught it. That's still the best part about 'writing' for me. I long ago learned to write in scraps and will assemble it after with C.I.'s help. If it weren't for her, I would've stopped about six months in. But she's always looking at my drafts and will say -- this is a good point -- or this needs to stay in -- or this is the heart of the review.

I didn't post after Thursday here. Because I thought the Thursday post was pretty important ("").and I wasn't sure I could do something about music that was. It matters because if someone discovers me through a new review, they hit on the link in the review to see something else and it may or may not be music. If it's music, they'll look around -- and may even find the sidebar where my previous reviews are lsited. If it's another topic, they may not check back.

And if you think I'm being mean about the article I quoted from before? It was published today and it also included this:

The message shows just how much the series means to him. It's honestly sad to think that the May 6 season finale has now become the de facto series finale. With this, one can only hope that the installment doesn't end on too big of a cliffhanger.

Huh?

Today is May 15th. Shouldn't you know, if you're writing about MAGNUM PI on the 15th whether or not the May 6th episode ended on a cliff hanger or not.

And if you don't know and you're paid to write, shouldn't you have some resources? I don't watch the show. But I know how to find out what the last episode -- the May 6th one -- was about, do you? Go to WIKIPEDIA:

Gordon's ex-wife Beth is kidnapped, and the kidnappers want Gordon to kill his ex-partner Whelan who is in prison. Magnum and Higgins help Gordon break Whelan out of prison and discover the blackmailer is Ray Nasano who was also responsible for Gordon's sister Kim's death. They rescue Beth and catch Ray, but Gordon is suspended from HPD. Meanwhile Suzy gives birth to a baby girl. Higgins and Magnum admit their feelings to each other, and kiss.

So that's how the season ended. It would appear that things were wrapped up.

And, yes, it would be cool if Higgins were a man when you read the above; however, on the reboot he is a man.

I'm trying to be nice to the writer and not expose her. But I will note the article was published this afternoon by CINEMA BLEND. Again, a person was paid to write so poory.

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

Monday, May 16, 2022. Stalemates all over Iraq.

October 10th, elections were held in Iraq. The turnout was low n-- the lowest since the US invasion. the US government feared a low turnout which is why they cash-bribed Moqtada al-Sadr . Taking his cash pay out, Moqtada suddenly declared he was all for elections and hat everyone should vote in them and blah blah blah.

All this time later, there's still no government. A political stalemate is what Iraq remains in all this time later -- seven months and counting.

The western press -- especially the US press -- spent the first months after the election insisting that Moqtada was a kingmaker. Moqtada leads a cult. It's dwindled in the last three years. A clear reason would be his leadership has failed to deliver. When the us first invaded in 2003, Sadr City was a slum of Baghdad and, all these years laer, it remains a slum. Between that and attacks on Shi;ite youths, Moqtada has harmed his own image and reputation.

The western press, which barely pays attention to Iraq, was caught unaware and caught trying to push the US State Dept's aims -- without revealing that's what they were. They have been wrong. They were wrong before the election, they remain wrong all these months later.

Ahead of the election, we ntoed that former prime mnister and forever thug Nouri al-Maliki remained a player in the political process. We noted it, the US media ignored it.

Nouri has managed to hold Moqtada in check for months. But, again, you'd never know that to read the US press.

They can't get it right because they can't get honest.

Will they get honest now? Sinan Mahmoud and Robert Tollastand (THE NATIONAL) reports:

Iraq's Federal Supreme Court says Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi's caretaker government has no authority to create legislation to present to parliament, or strike agreements that could influence Iraq's future.

Sunday's ruling throws into doubt government efforts to meet urgent needs during a transitional period, including the passing of a law that Mr Al Kadhimi says is vital to stem a rise in food poverty.

Iraq held elections on October 10, the fifth parliamentary vote for a full-term government since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, in response to one of the core demands of a nationwide, pro-reform protest movement that erupted in 2019.

But since then, political rivals have been at loggerheads over the formation of the new government, delaying ratifying the federal budget.

Now the US press doesn't have to get honest. They can just ignore this news like they've ignored anything factual that's repudiated their non-stop propaganda.

But if you're watching, you should be aware of this.

This echoes decisions the same Court handed down from 2010 through 2012.

And it's not surprising. A government should have been formed by now per the Iraqi Constitution.

Seven months later and the western press has pretended this is normal. And that it's not a problem. Which is why they'll probably ignore the Court's verdict. The Court's verdict proves them to be a liar. And, again, this ruling is not unexpected.

In the fall of 2008, Barack Obama and Joe Biden insisted that they would oppose any SOFA that Bully Boy Bush might push for in the final days of his administration. The majority of Democrats in Congress at the time were on record stating that they would also opposed any such contract.

The first week of November saw Barack elected president. It also saw that promise to oppose any SOFA Bully Boy Bush negotiated disappear from their campaign website.

End the war in ten months!!!!

That was Barack's campaign promise. By accepting the SOFA, they were no longer bound to their promise, they had an out. So their objections to it instantly vanished.

They had been right to object. And there were no fiery editorials denouncing them when they were in the objecting stage.

That's because it is not fair for an outgling administration, in its final days, to saddle an incoming administration with policity promises and goals.

And yet the 'caretaker' prime minister continues to try to force through deals and agreements.

He should have been gone in November.

The paralysis in the government is no excuse to allow him to continue to make policyy and implement long range planning.

There's another stalemate regarding Iraq and, as we've noted, this goes to Joe Biden's lame duck status as a president. You usually are in your second term when you're viewed as a lame duck but Joe's senility makes his lame duck status a lot more obvious in his first term.

KURDISTAN 24 reports:

The Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday received the outgoing US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller and discussed bilateral ties between Erbil and Washington.

Barzani extended his appreciation to Tueller for his efforts in developing relations between the United States and the Kurdistan Region, according to a statement from the prime minister's office. He wished the US diplomat success in his future endeavors.

They discussed the current state of affairs in Iraq and the Middle East as well as bilateral relations between Erbil and Washington, particularly in trade and investment, the statement added.

Alina Romanowski is expected to replace Tueller.

Alina Romanowski. Confirmed March 24th. March 24th. It's May 16th. How is she traveling to Baghdad? By burro? At what point does a functioning US press wake up and stop the propaganda. If it's May and you were confirmed in March, your ass should be in Iraq by now.

Joe noinated the woman in December. And the Senate practiced feet dragging. They waited until March 2rd to hold a hearing on Joe's December 8th nomination. And now that she was confirmed two months ago, she still can't get her ass to Iraq.

The UK ambassador has been working with the UN on attempting to break the poltiical stalemate. The US has no real voice in this because everyone has known for months now that Tueller was leaving.

Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Elderly Celebrity Is As Confused As Joe" and Kat's "Kat's Korner: Freewheelin' Jewel" went up overr this weekend. The following sites updated: