Reading

"A nation can’t be bombed, humiliated and sanctioned, then bombed again, and then told to become a democracy,” writes Ghaith Abdul-Ahad.

The post After Tide of Memoirs From Americans, an Iraqi Journalist Offers Inside Account of War’s Destruction appeared first on The Intercept.

.

In a passage near the crescendo of Book I of The Treatise of Human Nature, David Hume writes, “the intense view of these manifold contradictions and imperfections in human reason has so wrought upon me, and heated my brain, that I am ready to reject all belief and reasoning, and can look upon no opinion […]

"What am I missing in thinking that it’s cruel to make a medicine that people can’t afford?"

Poker machines have destroyed livelihoods and they also deprived up-and-coming bands of a start in pubs and other venues, writes John Longhurst. read now...

Source - Patreon

Source - Patreon

Is Israel going to dodge Bibi’s bullet? Maybe … The Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, called on Saturday night for his government to suspend its contentious plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary, arguing that the turmoil it has unleashed within Israeli society and the military has become a threat to Israel’s national security. “The rift within our society is widening and penetrating the Israel Defense Forces,” Mr. Gallant said in a televised speech. He added: “This is a clear and immediate and tangible danger to the security of the state. I shall not be a party to this.” Mr. Gallant’s announcement set the stage for what is expected to be one of the most dramatic weeks in Israeli history. The far-right governing coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which has a majority of just four seats, is expected to hold a final vote in Parliament early next week on the first step in its overhaul plan: a bill that would give the government greater control over appointments to the Supreme Court.

Citizen journalism on the Ukraine invasion via YouTube is filling a much-needed gap to inform young people, reports Chris Hall.  read now...

This is some chilling stuff from Oklahoma. A minority of state Supreme Court Justices make it clear that there is no constitutional right to life for women — only their fetuses. They say that if the state wants to protect the vessels they’re going to have to write a law demanding it. Otherwise, it doesn’t exist: Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, dozens of reports from red states have told of hospitals withholding care from pregnant patients until they are hemorrhaging or suffering catastrophic infections, lest the doctors be prosecuted for providing an illegal abortion. When confronted with these effects of abortion bans, anti-abortion advocates often blame the doctors for misinterpreting the law. There are exceptions for medical emergencies, they say, and it should be easy enough for a doctor to tell when a patient is in deep enough danger to protect her medical team from possible prison time. This is a mealy-mouthed attempt at misdirection. Health crises are never so predictable and containable; they do not progress in linear fashion, with easy off-ramps at every level of endangerment.

The smart move would be to wait until 2028 Unfortunately, he’s already cast himself as the smart man’s Trump (an oxymoron) and I don’t know if he’d be able to shed it. His donors are already getting antsy: A number of the Florida governor’s donors and allies are worried his recent stumbles suggest he may not be ready for a brutal fight against Donald Trump. Some feel DeSantis needs to accelerate his timeline to run for the GOP presidential nomination and begin directly confronting Trump if he’s to have any chance of thwarting the former president’s momentum. Others believe DeSantis should sidestep Trump altogether and wait until 2028 to run. At a Sunday luncheon following the annual Red Cross ball in Palm Beach, Florida, a group of 16 prominent Republicans, described by one attendee as a mix of DeSantis backers and Trump “skeptics,” discussed misgivings about the governor’s standing for the future if he tussles with the former president. “They liked him — many of them might even support him,” the person who was at the event said of DeSantis.

Another Message Board Post comments on any topic. Civil discussion and no coarse language please. Side discussions and idees fixes to the sandpits, please. I’ve moved my irregular email news from Mailchimp to Substack. You can read it here. You can also follow me on Mastodon here I’m also trying out Substack as a blogging […]

Undisciplined yes, unconventional? Not anymore: Just a week ago, former President Trump’s team was touting his more disciplined approach to campaigning. But now there’s a more familiar Trump: an angry, scorched-earth force on social media, trying to rally his base by casting himself as a victim. Trump’s tirades on Truth Social over his potential indictment in New York were filled with the type of incendiary rhetoric that preceded the Jan. 6 insurrection — and symbolized the colliding forces inside his campaign. Those forces pit a fiery candidate who’s a social media bulldozer when he feels wronged, vs. the more measured, policy focused ex-president his staff has been hoping to show voters. “The Trump campaign team knows the former president’s candidacy has to be more than a stream of consciousness and listing of grievances,” said Ken Spain, an adviser to George W. Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign.

New IPCC report documents a threatening climate-present and a bleak climate-future. Alcoa failing to rehabilitate the lands it has destroyed once mining stops. Shortage of integrity not gas behind our gas problems. IPCC’s climate change synthesis report As a (lapsed) sociologist, I am well accustomed to non-sociologists scornfully saying, ‘I could have told you that Continue reading »

The challenge of 2045 Australia will have access to American nuclear submarines in the early 2030s and by 2045 will have been building its own. But it is not clear what problem will be solved when Australian long-range nuclear submarines are able to traverse the northern Pacific. Nobody seems to have asked these fundamental questions Continue reading »

A war in East Asia provoked by American intransigence would be no less disastrous for Australia than one caused by China’s ambitions. While China’s intentions and plans are inaccessible and should generate prudent caution, the well-researched drivers of America’s strategic policy should also produce grave reservations within the Albanese government. Suggestions of the deeper ideational Continue reading »

Many a joke telling session starts with “Have you heard the one about …?” The latest joke in the ASEAN region is ‘….the one about AUKUS?” The punch line is ’2050” because that’s how long it’s estimated it will take for Australia to actually acquire the proposed nuclear powered submarines from either the US or Continue reading »

How do we end up with an ALP government stupid enough to sign up for the ludicrous AUKUS proposal and the accompanying bogus, China threat scare? Clearly part of the answer has to be the inability to understand Asia. And this is confirmed when we look at the background of most of the people pushing Continue reading »

The acquisition of nuclear-propelled submarines has been enthusiastically embraced by Albanese, Dutton, most of their benches, and their collective military-industrial backing chorus. In considering where the submarines will be based, questions about radiation leaks and accidents have been shunted to a back burner. The historical record on safety of such vessels should compel our government Continue reading »

Use to discuss topics unrelated to recent posts.

The majority of Australians prefer a policy of neutrality and oppose joining US wars under the ANZUS alliance, polling shows. A majority of Australians want Australia to adopt a policy of neutrality when it comes to considering a US war against China, according to the latest polling by the Lowy Institute think tank. The poll, conducted in Continue reading »

Former Australian leader Paul Keating still has fire in his belly, while US President Joe Biden appears to be losing his mind – and when it comes to Aukus and a nuclear submarine deal to counter China, they’re on opposite sides. Most press conferences are about as fun as going to the dentist. But watching Continue reading »

Moscow claims Germany, Denmark, and Sweden are engaged in a U.S.-backed cover-up, as the war to control the narrative — and the evidence — intensifies.

The post Russia Calls for U.N. Investigation of Nord Stream Attack, as Hersh Accuses White House of False Flag appeared first on The Intercept.

An early look at Trump’s speech: