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Owner of Philly restaurant targeted in Palestine protests is official Israeli govt propagandist and Biden ally

https://thegrayzone.com/2023/12/07/philly-restaurant-palestine-protests-israeli…
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 06:32

The Biden White House and top Democrats have denounced Palestine solidarity activists as antisemites for protesting outside an Israeli-owned restaurant in Philly. Its owner happens to be an official Israeli government propagandist with close ties to the Biden White House. If powerful Democrats are to be believed, it was a night of shattered glass in Philadelphia, PA this December 3. Local Palestine solidarity activists calling for a ceasefire in a war that has left 16,000 civilians dead in the besieged […]

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The post Owner of Philly restaurant targeted in Palestine protests is official Israeli govt propagandist and Biden ally appeared first on The Grayzone.

What Is This Dictatorship You Speak Of?

https://digbysblog.net/2023/12/07/what-is-this-dictatorship-you-speak-of/
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 05:30
According to Axios, JD Vance is on the Trump short list for Vice President. For real: According to Fox News, Vance is accusing Kagan of inciting “open rebellion” against the United States, for suggesting in his article, “A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. We should stop pretending,” that Democratic-controlled states might resist federal power under a second Trump term should he move to enact his controversial plans to reshape the federal government to do his bidding. “Resistance could come from the governors of predominantly Democratic states such as California and New York through a form of nullification,” wrote Kagan. “States with Democratic governors and statehouses could refuse to recognize the authority of a tyrannical federal government. That is always an option in our federal system,” he added that this sort of standoff is also possible from Republican-controlled states under a second Biden term. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Vance claimed that this amounts to inciting insurrection.

Climate change terror: Dubai’s COP-out denial conference

https://johnmenadue.com/climate-change-terror-dubais-cop-out-denial-conference/
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 04:58
The issue, betrayed, is nothing more and nothing less than the future of a multitude of species on Earth, including Homo sapiens. As confirmed by the acceleration of climate extremes, consistent with the prediction by Wallace Broecker, the authoritative climate scientist, global climate change is racing beyond tipping points (Figure 1), yet the evidence continues Continue reading »

A different kind of climate movement: the Kaldor Centre Principles on Climate Mobility

https://johnmenadue.com/a-different-kind-of-climate-movement-the-kaldor-centre-…
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 04:56
Every second, someone is displaced by a disaster. Each year, nearly three times as many people are displaced within their own countries by disasters than by conflict – the vast majority in the Asia-Pacific region. Climate change will amplify the problem as worsening cyclones, floods, bushfires, droughts and food insecurity force millions from their homes. Continue reading »

The unflinching cruelty of Henry Kissinger

https://johnmenadue.com/the-unflinching-cruelty-of-henry-kissinger/
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 04:55
Henry Kissinger’s death has brought a flow of predictable judgements: ‘He created some evils – 1973 Chile, for example. But overall he helped end the Cold War.’ And as a beneficiary – the 1971 opening to China, for example – Australians should be grateful. His non-Anglo background and his experience in dealing closely with a Continue reading »

The ALP and NZ’s U-turn on Indigenous affairs

https://johnmenadue.com/the-alp-and-nzs-u-turn-on-indigenous-affairs/
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 04:53
The Voice referendum dominated the national discourse for much of this year. The result was a major setback for the government. Fortunately for Anthony Albanese, his loss was quickly swept from the headlines by events in the Middle East. Then came a thirteenth RBA interest rate hike, the High Court’s decision on indefinite immigration detention, Continue reading »

‘Apocalyptic’ horror in Gaza called ‘total failure of our shared humanity’

https://johnmenadue.com/apocalyptic-horror-in-gaza-called-total-failure-of-our-…
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 04:52
“How is it that these atrocities are beamed across the world for all to witness, and yet so little is done to stop them?” Humanitarian groups and United Nations officials expressed horror Wednesday at the disaster unfolding in Gaza as Israeli forces stormed the largest city in the southern part of the strip, fueling concerns Continue reading »

China, US offer different approaches to achieving lasting peace in Middle East

https://johnmenadue.com/china-us-offer-different-approaches-to-achieving-lastin…
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 04:50
In the aftermath of the Suez Crisis of 1956, the United States replaced Britain and France as the sole hegemon in the Middle East. The Middle East has never achieved lasting peace under US hegemony; and years of war and devastation have plunged many Middle Eastern countries into great economic difficulties. The bloody conflict between Continue reading »

Maura Quint’s Presidential Debate Recaps: The One With the Lady Moderators

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-one-with-the-lady-moderators
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 04:30

2024 REPUBLICAN
4TH GOP PRIMARY DEBATE
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA
DECEMBER 6, 2023

- - -

8:00 PM: The fourth and (hopefully) final primary debate opens by showcasing the GOP’s diversity with moderator Megyn Kelly, a blonde white woman, flanked by not one but two brunette white women. Kelly tells the candidates not to interrupt, to keep their answers brief, and to remember that Santa Claus is canonically white. She also asks the audience to keep their applause to a minimum, noting she can’t imagine there will be much to celebrate from this loser parade anyway.

The GOP Play Date

https://digbysblog.net/2023/12/07/the-gop-play-date/
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 04:00
I watched that stupid also-ran debate last night and honestly, I have nothing much to say about it. They’re calling Haley the “front-runner” which she isn’t and praising Chris Christie for defending her but that’s about it. And everyone acknowledges that DeSantis is weird and Ramaswamy is a complete asshole. A few highlights: And DeSantis is obsessed with “child mutilation” words he used over and over again during the debate I think that about covers it. These debates are pathetic. And yet CNN just announced that they are hosting two more of them in January. No, Trump won’t show up for them either. By the way, according to Morning Joe, the ratings for the Newsom DeSantis debate were higher than for the Trump town hall with Hannity this week. I would guess it’s because a buch of Democrats tuned for the former but Trump has to be pissed anyway.

Leave Nothing On the Table

https://digbysblog.net/2023/12/07/leave-nothing-on-the-table/
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 02:30
Forests and trees Why do left-leaning independents in North Carolina’s bluest precincts turn out less than Democrats in their neighborhoods when independents statewide (including the Trumpiest counties) turn out more? Perhaps because Democrats are policy liberals and campaign conservatives. Taking chances? Not when every damned election is “the most important of our lifetimes.” Throwing the long ball? They are more inclined to fall on it. “Leave it all on the field” remains aspirational. What we’re getting at here is Democrats’ targeting of independents for turnout is too conservative. As Michah L. Sifry (The Connector) in July observed, “The Experience of Grassroots Leaders Working with the Democracy Party” report is sobering. Among the complaints (emphasis mine): Most volunteer leaders see their state Democratic party’s efforts to organize outreach as “too little, too late.” One in four call their party unresponsive. A majority of respondents said the party does a terrible job targeting voters, saying that its lists are far too narrow. That is what I find as well: This is my focus right now.

America’s War for the Greater Middle East (Continued)

https://tomdispatch.com/americas-war-for-the-greater-middle-east-continued/
Created
Fri, 08/12/2023 - 02:02

One way of understanding the ongoing bloodbath pitting Israel against Hamas is to see it as just the latest chapter in an existential struggle dating back to the founding of the Jewish state in 1948. While the appalling scope, destructiveness, and duration of the fighting in Gaza may outstrip previous episodes, this latest go-around serves chiefly to reaffirm the remarkable intractability of the underlying Arab-Israeli conflict.  Although the shape of that war has changed over time, certain constants remain. Neither side, for instance, seems capable of achieving its ultimate political goals through violence. And each side adamantly refuses to concede to the core demands of its adversary. In truth, while the actual fighting may ebb and flow, pause and resume, the... Read more