Embedded Files
December 3, 2015
Counting the most recent tragedy in California, there have been 351 mass shootings in the US so far in 2015. That's more than one a day. A September article in The Nation noted that "the Second Amendment was never meant to protect an individual’s right to a gun" and tells "how the Supreme Court upended the well-established meaning of the Second Amendment." [The Nation, Sep 23]
A former US military chief discusses how the "US invasion of Iraq spawned ISIL and warns the US is poised to repeat all the same mistakes in Syria that it made in Iraq after 9/11" [Informed Comment, Dec 2]
"Neither airstrikes nor boots on the ground will stop ISIS. We must address the conditions that led to its rise, and that means ending the Syrian civil war and the regional Saudi-Iranian conflict." [The Nation, Nov 16]
Regarding the Syrian Civil War, the "United States...voiced the hope that momentum in talks aimed at hammering out a peace plan to end Syria's nearly five-year civil war could continue, and said the next meeting of major world powers could take place this month in New York." [Reuters, Dec 1]
A small step in the direction of peace was taken Tuesday when "Syrian government officials announced a cease-fire in Homs leading to the evacuation of all rebels from their last remaining bastion in the ravaged city. However, two pro-opposition activists denied that the deal meant rebels would completely abandon the area." [LA Times, Dec 1]
"More than 100 heads of government and 40,000 other attendees will meet on Nov. 30 for the launch of the two-week United Nations conference on climate change in Paris." Time tells us what to know about the conference in its November 29 preview.
Meanwhile, the website COP 21 Paris gives a pessimistic assessment on what will actually be accomplished : "If pledges work perfectly, they make all 2°C scenarios impossible." Limiting the average global surface temperature increase of 2°C (3.6°F) over the pre-industrial average has, since the 1990s, been commonly regarded as an adequate means of avoiding dangerous climate change. Wikipedia
November 10, 2015
The National League for Democracy (NLD), the political party led by 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has swept to an overwheming victory in Myanmar. Suu Kyi is barred from the Presidency but has promised that she will help govern from behind the scenes.
The 20th anniversary of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination at the hands of a Jewish extremist was commemorated in Israel earlier this month. Rabin was murdered to derail Israel's peace negotiations with the Palestinians. One can only wonder how Israeli-Palestinian relations would have developed had the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize winner lived. Here are several cautionary tales on what happens when a great statesman is replaced by right-wing politicians.
Twenty years later, as Rabin is remembered, little hope for peace [Washington Post]
What would have happened if Yitzhak Rabin had lived? [Foreign Policy]
Has slain Israeli peacemaker Yitzhak Rabin been denied his legacy? [Informed Comment]
The Nobel Committee awarded its 2015 Peace Prize to a disparate coalition of Tunisian unionists, employers, lawyers and human rights activists for helping to prevent the Jasmine revolution from descending into chaos like the uprisings in other Arab spring countries. The National Dialogue Quartet was awarded the prize "for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011".
The 8th Amendment Project has been called the "most ambitious effort yet to end the death penalty." Chris Geidner at BuzzFeed describes why they are now taking their work public and how they propose to win.Photo (BuzzFeed) Death penalty opponent holds a sign as she sits on the stairs of St. Francis Xavier College Church during a vigil hours before the scheduled execution of Missouri death row inmate Russell Bucklew on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, in St. Louis. Jeff Roberson / AP
Nearly 18 months after Sierra Leone reported its first Ebola case, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Nov 7 declared that the country has stopped transmission of the disease. Sierra Leone is the second of three worst-affected outbreak countries to bring an end to virus transmission.
October 28, 2015
An op-ed in The Guardian warns the UK government about airstrikes inside Syria, noting that the "preferred 'moderate' forces are a fantasy and that a jihadi victory would be the only outcome if Assad were overthrown – with all the biblical-scale horrors which would flow from that..."
The Nation describes Why Palestinians Need an International Protection Force to ensure that lives are placed above politics, and to defend a besieged population nearing its 50th year under brutal occupation. In a similar vein, on October 27, Amnesty International demanded that Israel stop unlawful killings in occupied Palestinian territory, stating that Israeli forces appeared to have “ripped up the rulebook.”
Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party ended 9+ years of conservative rule in Canada, trouncing incumbent Stephen Harper's Conservatives. The Liberals picked up 54% of the legislative seats to the Conservatives' 29%. Trudeau rides national desire for change to majority government [The Globe and Mail]
The Nation issued a scathing indictment of the US policy in Afghanistan that led to 22 deaths at a Doctors Without Borders hospital on October 3.
FactCheck.org fact checks comments made by the candidates at Wednesday's CNBC Republican Presidential Primary debate, while the Washington Post notes the conservative war on the mainstream media hit a new phase at that GOP debate. This would all be pretty funny if the consequences of a Republican victory in 2016 were not so dire.
October 2, 2015
The civil war in Ukraine has resulted in 8,000 deaths and tens of thousands of refugees. It may be coming to an end. Talks begin in Paris on Friday October 2. Ahead of the talks, the government and the rebels agreed to pull back heavy weapons in a move that 'could signal end of war'.
Connecticut Democrat Jim Himes sent a letter to President Obama signed by 55 House Democrats (including himself) urging President Obama to engage in international talks to try to end the Syrian civil war. A negotiated settlement, the only way to stop the violence, is getting serious attention from world leaders. In speeches at this year's U.N. gathering of world leaders, major powers are increasing calls for multilateral negotiations to end the war in Syria. But Europe and the United States are split on who should be at the table.
Oregon is the latest state to suffer the tragedy of a mass shooting. President Obama addressed the nation once again. A cowardly Congress has not enacted any meaningful national gun control legislation to stop these tragedies or to stop the routine gun violence that makes the US seem more of a chaotic developing nation than the world's only superpower.
As the world community including the US begin implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement, Americans for Peace Now issued a statement to President Obama noting that it was "time to turn back to Israel-Palestine." After undermining Sec. Kerry's efforts at a just solution and continuing to seize Palestinian land for illegal settlements, Netanyahu has lost all credibility as one who can negotiate in good faith. Calling on the UN to grant Palestine full membership and recognition, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threatened to withdraw from the Oslo accords. "They leave us no choice but to insist that we will not remain the only ones committed to the implementation of these agreements, while Israel continuously violates them." Most headlines in the American press following Abbas' speech were "frankly dishonest" and Juan Cole sets the record straight at Informed Comment.
Finally, a couple of items on Pope Francis trip that did not get a lot of coverage:
While in Havana, Pope Francis expressed his strong support for the talks there aimed at ending the 50 plus-year-old Colombian war between the government and FARC, the leftist rebel group. Both sides were encouraged by the Pope's words and, several days later, "Colombia took a major step toward ending its five decades of war...with a historic deal between the government and leftist Farc rebels on issues of justice and reparations to victims of one of the world’s longest-running conflicts, clearing the path for a final peace deal to be signed within months."
In his address to Congress, the Pope called for the end of the death penalty globally. Congress had just given him a standing ovation when he called for respect for human life at every stage. I guess they didn't expect the statement on the death penalty being the followup. The United States is one of the few remaining countries where capital punishment is still used. But as Georgia executed a woman for the first time in 70 years, philly.comheadlines "Francis leaves -- and U.S. flips the death penalty switch back on." Meanwhile Oklahoma struggles with finding the right chemicals to execute a man who may be innocent of the crime for which he was convicted. Capital punishment is cruel and unusual, unnecessary, expensive, and useless as a deterrent. It's time for the US to join the rest of the civilized world and end the death penalty.
Photo: Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP - outside Georgia Diagnostic Prison in Jackson, Ga., Tuesday evening, Sept. 29, 2015, before the execution of Kelly Gissendaner
September 12, 2015
The Syrian Civil War continues with ISIS now the strongest rebel group. As of March, an estimated 220,000 deaths had occurred. The refugees escaping the war are overwhelming both the aid agencies (such as the UNHCR) and the surrounding Middle Eastern countries. In addition to the 5 million refugees, there are 7.6 million internally displaced Syrians. On Wednesday September 9, the president of the European Commission has called on EU member nations to take in 160,000 refugees, outlining a compulsory plan that would see people fleeing conflict resettled across the bloc. The US response to the crisis - Obama's proposal is to accept 10,000 Syrians in the next year - has been described as "pitiable" by Washington Post writer Stephen Stromberg. Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation has joined with MoveOn in calling on the government to take in 65,000 refugees by the end of 2016.
Photo: A paramilitary police officer carries the body of Aylan Kurdi, 3, near the Turkish resort of Bodrum on Sept. 2. (AP Photo/DHA)
The Republican and AIPAC-led effort to scuttle the Iran nuclear agreement came up short when Democrats employed the filibuster to prevent an anti-Iran deal vote to even get to the President's desk. The vote was 58-42. Senate Democrats held ranks Thursday and blocked a resolution disapproving of the Iran nuclear deal, handing President Obama a major political victory. The opposition effort was rife with moments of irony and farce: Mitch McConnell complaining about Democratic obstructionism, Iraq-War-architect Dick Cheney advising how he thought it was a bad deal, former Senator Joe Lieberman (Democrat turned independent after a primary loss) praising Democrat Charles Schumer for his opposition, and foreign policy "experts" Donald Trump and Ted Cruz leading a rally against the agreement. Joe Klein of Time magazine and M. J. Rosenberg at The Nation both note that AIPAC has been badly damaged as a result of its effort and they tell us why that's a very good thing.
It's been 14 years since the tragedy of 9/11. The US's misguided response to those horrific terrorist attacks - particularly our invasion and occupation of Iraq - has had disastrous repercussions to this day. In a re-post of a Tom Englehardt article, The Nation notes that "14 Years After 9/11, the War on Terror Is Accomplishing Everything bin Laden Hoped It Would"
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska became the first Republican to support the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015, legislation drafted to restore the Voting Rights Act gutted by SCOTUS in 2013.
And just when you thought Obamacare was finally safe, another Republican lawsuit making its way through the courts just won a big victory.
September 2, 2015
The philosopher Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over until it's over." However, it now appears that Congress will not be able to kill the Iran Nuclear Agreement. Enough Senators have now declared their support to make it impossible to override the promised Presidential veto of any bill that would continue sanctions. Today Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced her support of the recently negotiated nuclear agreement with Iran today, becoming the 34th vote in favor of the bill, effectively ensuring that the deal will stand. Everything from here on in will be just politics. So the $40 million in lobbyist money went for naught. But the Democrats have some serious soul-searching to do. The presumptive Senate leader to replace the retiring Harry Reid is NY's Sen. Schumer, an opponent of the deal and the first of two Democratic Senators to so far come out against it. Is this really the man we want leading the Senate Democrats? A blogger at the Daily Kos gives us Six Reasons Schumer Should Not Be Leader.
Seventy years ago, on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, committing what was arguably the single biggest terrorist action in history. Reviewing the thinking of the top military leaders of the time, The Nation debunks the myth that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was necessary to end the war: "The War Was Won Before Hiroshima".
Ten years ago Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Louisiana coast, destroying the city of New Orleans. The Washington Post had a great article on one of the heroes of those days: The Man Who Saved 400 Lives
"In a Brave, Powerful Dissent, Justice Breyer Calls for the Abolition of the Death Penalty" [ Slate]
While Europe's politicians flounder in the face of an unprecedented wave of refugees and migrants seeking shelter -- many of them from war-torn Syria -- some individuals have decided to take matters into their own hands. [CNN, "Making refugees welcome: Citizens of Germany, Iceland show the way"]
Gaza was devastated by last summer's Israeli assault and it remains under a land, sea, and air blockade. Humanitarian efforts to relieve the plight of Palestinian refugees are carried out byUNRWA. Now The Nation reports that The Gaza Strip’s Last Safety Net Is in Danger.
August 14, 2015
As the $40 million in anti-Iran nuclear deal lobbyist money makes its way through the media attempting to get Congress to scuttle the historic agreement completed in July, the US has at least taken a step towards normalization of its relations with a country here in our own hemisphere. Today John Kerry reopened the US embassy in Cuba.
As with the Iran deal, US domestic politics, rather than actual US interests, had made any sort of a détente with Cuba hazardous to one's political career.
While travel restrictions are being lifted and diplomatic ties are being re-established, the crippling trade embargo against Cuba is still in place. The Republican Congress stands on this, too, so the remaining months of Obama's administration will be interesting.
Entertaining though the Republican "debate" was, I didn't waste my time watching it on Fox last week. I was watching Jon Stewart Daily Show reruns. After 16 years, Jon bid his farewell to his audience and crew. He had a great bullshit detector, provided insights lacking in mainstream media, and was a thorn in the side of (especially) Fox News. In a tribute to the pundit/comedian, The Daily Beast speaks of "that one time Jon Stewart was wrong." (It's not what you think.)
The Telegraph had a selection of great quotes from another great comedian, Robin Williams.
The circus of the Republican presidential nomination process continues unabated - with Jeb Bush's assertion yesterday on the rise of ISIL. Informed Comment corrects him in a Memo to Jeb Bush: It was W’s Surge that created ISIL, not Hillary .
On the Democratic side, there was some surprising news: Bernie Sanders Surges Past Hillary In N. Hampshire. I'm not sure either the Donald or Bernie will still be there in November 2016. Best of all worlds: the Donald bolts from the Republican Party when he fails to win the nomination and runs as an independent, and Sanders wins the Democratic nomination.
And now for some less cheerful news: Scientists studying starlight can tell you: Our universe is going dark.
July 15, 2015
Ready for a shit storm of nonsense regarding the Iran nuclear agreement? I briefly scanned the morning news shows and it's already beginning. Right-wingers, neocons and other defense hawks have taken to the airwaves to try to sabotage via congressional action this historic diplomatic agreement. Here are a few articles to counterbalance with facts the fear-mongering and hawkishness you'll hear in the coming weeks...
Iran nuclear deal: the key points...Iran has agreed to strict limits on its nuclear programme and extensive monitoring in return for the lifting of sanctions [ The Guardian, July 14]
Now that the agreement is done, critics have switched to attacking Iran's international relations. The negotiations were about lifting sanctions that were imposed because of Iran's nuclear program. Period. Media Refs Should Call Foul on Bogus Arguments Against Iran Deal [ Huffington Post, July 14] Whether they have the guts to do so is another matter.
Saudis oppose the deal because Iran is their primary rival for leadership in the Middle East. And of course, there are the inane bleatings coming from the mouth of Benjamin Netanyahu. No, Mr. Netanyahu, Iran isn’t trying to take over the world & it isn’t ISIL [ Informed Comment, July 13]
The Republicans will go all out in the coming 60 days to scuttle the agreement. They will need help from Democrats to accomplish this and override an Obama veto. Besides the influence of the hard-line Israel lobby, here's another reason Why the Iran Deal Makes Obama's Critics So Angry: The nuclear agreement highlights the limits of American power—something the president’s opponents won’t accept. [ The Atlantic, July 14]
July 10, 2015
Congratulations to the US Women's National Soccer Team for winning the Women's World Cup. Their 5-2 victory over Japan was the most-watched soccer game in US history.
Well, Congress' July 9 deadline for the Iran nuclear agreement has come and gone. So Congress will now get 60 days to "review" the final deal when (and if) it comes. This allows lobbyists and other enemies of a negotiated settlement more time to rally opposition. Secretary Kerry insists the negotiations will not be rushed but that the talks are not open-ended. By themselves, Republicans will not have enough votes to override an Obama veto on further Iran sanctions. They'll need help from Democrats. Foreign Policy introduces us to the "Democrats who could make or break Obama's nuclear deal."
Calling the Greek debt crisis "the Iraq war of finance", Telegraph writer Ambrose Evans-Pritchard opines: "The European Central Bank, the EMU bail-out fund, and the International Monetary Fund, among others, are lashing out in fury against an elected government that refuses to do what it is told. They entirely duck their own responsibility for five years of policy blunders that have led to this impasse." This past Sunday, Greeks resoundingly rejected the austerity measures proposed by the European bankers and the IMF in a referendum called by the country's leftist Prime Minister. Leading economists have warned that austerity has been a failure and are asking Angela Merkel and the European troika to "consider a course correction" that would avoid further disaster and to allow Greece to remain in the Eurozone. Many in Washington, including the Administration, have also asked for debt relief for Greece and it may be having an effect. Brussels is apparently making some concessions and Greece may get some debt relief and stay in the Eurozone after all.
July 8 marked a year since the beginning of last summer's 50-day Israeli assault against Gaza. It was the third such assault against Gaza since December 2008 and the most brutal of the three. Unless the international community holds accountable those responsible for war crimes and takes measures to end the crippling land, sea and air blockade, that assault will not be the last. Or, in the words of Noura Erakat writing in The Nation, " Israel Will Invade Gaza Again—the Only Question Is How Soon." The article gives good background on the conflict and the policies that have led to the World Health Organization's prediction that Gaza will be "unlivable by 2020." The Gaza blockade continues and little has been done to repair the devastation from last summer's assault. Two groups trying to put an end to the misery in Gaza are the Freedom Flotilla , which tries to "break" the Israeli naval blockade with civilian shipments of humanitarian goods (one is currently underway), and Amnesty International. Amnesty has recently put up an interactive online map and database of Israeli attacks on Gaza during the conflict. Using data collected by Al Mezan and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights and witness testimonies collected by Amnesty International, the Gaza Platform documents significant patterns in the Israeli attacks which point to likely war crimes.
At last count there were seventeen declared candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. As a group, the candidates are an astounding testimony to the poverty of good ideas in the Republican Party.. I mean what can you say about the "Donald" entering the race? The Onion has been putting up some " profiles" of the candidates. Here they are for Bobby Jindal, Donald Trump and Jeb Bush. Enjoy.
June 25, 2015
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 for the Administration on the issue of Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies. Had opponents of the ACA been victorious, the case would have initiated an Obamacare "death spiral" as millions would no longer be able to afford health care.
Pope Francis' issued an encyclical. Laudato Si integrates comments on inequality, consumerism and irresponsible development into its call for environmental action. Here are five "radical" takeaways from Francis' letter.
The UN issued its report on the war crimes committed during last summer's Gaza war. The Palestinian Foreign Minister will hand evidence of alleged Israeli crimes to the International Criminal Court but progress in the ICC's examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unlikely for many months.
Nay-sayers on all sides continue to make conclusion of the Iran nuclear negotiations difficult. With significant gaps standing in the way of an Iran nuclear deal, foreign ministers at the seven-nation talks are adding their diplomatic muscle to the negotiations ahead of a June 30 target date for an agreement.
Democratic Senators blocked the FY2016 defense spending bill. The small (perhaps temporary) victory against the military-industrial complex, its Congressional allies, defense hawks and neocons was gained during the budget debate on June 18. A Republican-led effort is trying to give the Pentagon a $38 billion slush fund while slashing domestic spending.
June 17, 2015
The Nebraska legislature joined eighteen other states, D.C., and the rest of the civilized world by voting to override the governor's veto and abolish the death penalty. TIME discusses "why the era of capital punishment is ending" (...in the US, that is. Capital punishment has been abolished for many years in nearly every other country in the world.) TIME misses the mark. The reasons for opposing the death penalty are better and more succinctly stated by a fictional character in a novel by Swedish writer Henning Mankell . A Swedish judge visiting China says to a Chinese security agent, "Only an extremely primitive legal system can ever resort to capital punishment, which seldom if ever has a preventative effect."
American Pharaoh is the first Triple Crown Winner in 37 years. What's more, his jockey and owner are pretty incredible people, too. Meet the man who made history riding American Pharoah to victory, then donated winnings to charity.
In spite of the victories of the far-right in the recent Israeli election and in spite of the continuing gyrations of the US Congress threatening the Iran negotiations and supporting the illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the President and CEO of "Americans for Peace Now" finds Reasons to Hope for peace and justice in the region.
The Nation gets it right in an article titled "Thank You, Edward Snowden: Without You, Congress Would Not Have Ended the NSA’s Bulk Phone Data Collection" In the article published the day after Congress ended the practice, Jon Wiener concludes: " It was always an outrage that Snowden was charged under the Espionage Act, and the actions by Congress and the president this week make the charge even more absurd. Instead of punishing Edward Snowden, Congress and the president ought to be thanking him. And so should the American people, who have just regained some of their liberty and privacy because of his work."
The South Sudan civil war continues and is "relentlessly deteriorating": Amid ‘intensifying’ crisis, UN and European Union mobilize $275 million in aid.
Ukraine peace talks to end the civil war have been ongoing but an end to the conflict is not in sight: New Ukraine peace talks fail to halt escalating clashes.
Ebola has killed at least 11,148 people since March 2014 - nearly all in the west African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. New reports of Ebola cases have been dropping off since early this year and WHO says that the number of confirmed cases now being reported was the lowest since May 2014. Nevertheless, the head of Médecins Sans Frontières believes aid donors missed a golden opportunity at the G7 summit (held in June in Germany) to lay out measures for a far more vigorous response to epidemics such as the Ebola outbreak.
May 16, 2015
Democrats need to take 5 Senate seats from Republicans in 2016 to wrest control of the Senate from the GOP. Dems got a boost recently when former Senator Russ Feingold, a progressive, announced he will run in Wisconsin. He'll try to win back his old seat - lost in the debacle of 2010. [Slate.com, May 14]
Why Obama is bucking Saudis, Israel on Iran: Deal would much strengthen US Security
I don't subscribe to "realpolitik" but this article lays out the pragmatism of the US approach in terms a defense nut can understand. [Informed Comment, May 15]
In the closing days of his re-election campaign, Netanyahu promised to never allow a Palestinian state on his watch. He backtracked after the ensuing international uproar but "the make-up of his new coalition government highlights the hollowness of his post-election backtracking...Arguably the most right-wing, extremist government in Israel's history...[Netanyahu's ruling coalition] consists of five parties [which] between them...either explicitly rule out a Palestinian state, or accept one with conditions that make the likelihood of its establishment, let alone its viability, impossible." [Al Jazeera, May 11] With little chance for progress in the moribund peace process and Obama essentially throwing in the towel on pushing to renew the talks, support for a Palestinian state is growing in Europe as individual countries begin to officially recognize Palestine and parliaments pass non-binding resolutions of support. The latest official recognition came from the Vatican: Palestinians welcome Pope’s Recognition of their State [Informed Comment, May 14] The Vatican became the 136th country to recognize Palestine.
In the UK general elections, Conservatives won a stunning (and un-predicted) straight majority of Parliament's seats (51%). The Scottish Nationalist Party bolted from Labour and won nearly all the seats from Scotland, which is traditionally a Labour stronghold. Besides the Scottish defection, Labour appears to have muddled its message similar to what's happening with the Democrats here in the US: Labour did not lose election because it was too leftwing "Labour lost the election, not because it was too leftwing, but largely because it had a muddled message on austerity and lacked a coherent narrative linking together individually popular policies, according to Len McCluskey, Unite’s general secretary.' [ The Guardian , May 13]
All is not lost on the left, though. A progressive party swept to a landslide victory in one of Canada's most conservative provinces. Social Democracy on the Prairie: Canadians Teach Us How to Beat Austerity [The Nation, May 7]
Remember Ramparts Magazine? It was one of the best muckraking journals of the '60's and early '70's. Ramparts writers and editors went on to found Rolling Stone Magazine and Mother Jones. I ran across this review of a 2009 book about how during its "short, unruly life", it "changed America". [Mother Jones, October 16, 2009]
The Supreme Court could eviscerate the Affordable Care Act by the end of June. Millions of Americans would almost immediately lose their health care subsidies essentially because of a typo and a poor proof-reading job . Here are 5 Things To Know About The Latest Supreme Court Challenge To Health Law [NPR/Kaiser Health News blog, Feb 27]
I'm having a hard time getting enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton's campaign and her (likely) eventual nomination. I know, I know... the Republican alternative will be much, much worse. Michael Moore, though, has offered his candidacy. He presents his funny and, at times, astute platform in The Nation's 150th Anniversary Issue. [The Nation, April 6]
April 2, 2015
A breakthrough in the Iran nuclear negotiations was announced today. "Iran has promised to make drastic cuts to its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief as part of a historic breakthrough in Lausanne on Thursday night that could end a 13-year nuclear standoff. The 'political understanding', announced in the Swiss city’s technical university and accompanied by a list of agreed parameters, followed 18 months of intensive bargaining, culminating in an eight-day period of near continuous talks that went long into the night, and on Wednesday, all the way through the night." The Guardian, Apr 2.
The road to an agreement was not easy with opposition coming from hardliners on all sides. Coverage here in the US has mostly followed the Republican attempts to sabotage the talks and warnings from the lunatic fringe that an agreement with Iran that would not allow Iran's development of nuclear weapons would somehow set off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Wow, there is no end to the stupidity of some of these politicians. Democrats in the pocket of the hardline-Israel lobby (i.e., the ones with all the campaign money) have not been blameless. The Kirk-Menendez bill which would impose new sanctions on Iran has a number of Democratic co-sponsors - including the recently indicted NJ Sen. Menendez.
Here are a few links to other things that have been happening since Netanyahu and Boehner collaborated earlier this month to try to sabotage the Obama administration's negotiations with Iran. Fortunately, they have failed...for now. Never underestimate the forces of division and fear.
+ 47 Republican Senators sent a letter to the leaders of Iran telling them that even if a deal is made to suspend or lessen sanctions in return for removing any possibility of using nuclear energy for weapons, the next President or Congress could change it with a stroke of the pen. The Nation has an article featuring the Daily News cover story condemning the action. Here's the March 10 Daily News cover. LOL, this is definitely not "your father's Daily News", which had a conservative bent back in the day.
+ Of course, hardliners in Iran and right-wingers in the US have a lot on the line politically should an agreement be reached and prove successful. The Guardian lays it out nicely in a March 22 article, "Iran nuclear deal could transform Obama and Rouhani presidencies: Historic agreement would be a monument to the US and Iranian leaders – hence both men are being undermined by their conservative rivals."
+ The Nation carried a March 20 post by William Greider on Israel's nuclear weapons program. Most people know Israel has nuclear weapons (estimates range from 80 to 200) but what is new is that the Pentagon is finally admitting it. Nice intro: "While the Washington press corps obsessed over Hillary Clinton’s e-mails at the State Department, reporters were missing a far more important story about government secrets. After five decades of pretending otherwise, the Pentagon has reluctantly confirmed that Israel does indeed possess nuclear bombs, as well as awesome weapons technology similar to America’s." Keep this in mind as Netanyahu continues his bleating about a non-existent Iranian weapons program.
Next, here's a neat video of an eagle playing soccer in the rain.
Finally, it's not been all good news for the forces of progress and tolerance. The right-wing rode to victories in Israel's national election (Foreign Policy article "Never Trust Netanyahu") and French local elections (BBC summary).
How Netanyahu won: In the closing days of the Israeli election, Netanyahu warned his supporters that Arab turnout would be high and also promised there would never be a Palestinian state while he was in office. This apparently swung the election his way. You have to hand it to him - he knows how to win elections even if it eventually leads to Israel's isolation.
Are the ruling Socialists in France poised for defeat in 2017? Conservatives won more seats than they ever had in the city councils and the far-right picked up numerous council seats. These local elections are considered an early indicator of voter preference ahead of the 2017 national elections but Paris and Lyons, France's two largest cities, did not take part in the elections this past Sunday.
February 22, 2015
I recently finished reading a most amazing sci-fi novel. I hadn't read much Neal Stephenson before, but Anathem has made me an instant fan. An epic about a "planet that is not Earth and a time that is not now". Anathem is a brilliant book by a brilliant author. Philosophy, science, a great sci-fi story with likeable characters, this 2009 novel explores one of the most mind-boggling concepts of modern physics - the multiverse. Here's a link to the SF Site review: https://www.sfsite.com/01b/an288.htm
I'm disappointed that Interstellar only received Oscar nominations in technical categories. It deserved much more. Cinema Blend got it right: "Interstellar Got Robbed, Why It Deserved Way More Oscar Nominations"
Related: Left Bank Cafe Blog post "Comets, Asteroids, and Interstellar Wormholes"
Going to Mars, anyone? "We're one step closer to finding out who could be the first humans to live on another planet. Mars One, the private organization planning to find and train a group of four astronauts to send on a one-way trip to Mars, has reached the third round of its selection process and has narrowed its shortlist down to 100 hopeful candidates." From The Verge article "Meet the 100 people hoping to live and die on Mars"
Greece recently elected a left-wing government opposed to the severe austerity measures imposed on it by the central banks. Austerity (deficit reduction/cuts in government services) has been an unmitigated failure at improving the economic situation in the (mostly) southern debtor nations of Europe. It gives you an inkling of what would have happened here had Republicans controlled Congress the first two years of Obama's first term. Two articles in The Nation explain what it means.
Europe's Ideologues of Austerity Stand in the Way of Reforms
"The austerity inflicted by the 'troika'—the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank—on the debtor nations of southern Europe—Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain ... — has failed disastrously."
How Greece Put an Anti-Austerity, Anti-Capitalist Party in Power
"The troika of the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank...will not let Greece declare bankruptcy, under threat of cutting off Greek banks and causing a total collapse of the nation’s tottering economy...As a result, Greece suffers what Tsipras (the newly elected Greek leader) has repeatedly called a “humanitarian crisis.” A quarter of all Greeks are unemployed; a third live below the poverty line; 300,000 are without electricity. About 800,000 people lack health coverage. Infant mortality shot up 43 percent between 2008 and 2011. And when money is drained from hospitals and schools, where does it go? Simply to pay the interest..."
The furor has been building over John Boehner's collaborating with Netanyahu to speak to Congress behind Obama's back in an attempt to scuttle the Iran nuclear talks and in the process allow Netanyahu to gain some points with the Israeli electorate just before the elections. The ruse may backfire - so far, 25 Democrats have said they will skip the speech and the move has generated opposition among many here in the US and Israel.
Daily Kos: Hilarious Full-Page Ad in NYT Skewers Boehner .
There may actually be some slight hope of unseating Netanyahu in the March Israeli elections. A Likud defeat in March would be a major boost towards achieving a just peace with the Palestinians.
The Washington Post The resourceful Israeli candidate who might end Netanyahu’s reign
"If he wins the upcoming elections, incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu will serve a historic fourth term as prime minister of Israel, earning his sobriquet “King Bibi.” But there is a challenger to the coronation, the underdog of Israeli politics, a scion of rabbinical, military and political aristocracy: the dogged lawyer Isaac Herzog, who might deny his opponent another victory."
The Independent (UK): Poll predicts rise in Arab turnout for Israeli election and opportunities for the centre-left
"Most recent polls show Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party and its challenger, the Labour party-led Zionist Camp list, running virtually neck and neck with 23 or 24 seats each. If the outcome is that close, each could be scrambling to form a coalition in post-election bargaining."
February 6, 2015
We went on a glass bottom boat to a coral reef a few miles out in Key Largo while in Florida. These awesome habitats are now endangered and a symptom of the larger problem facing the world's oceans. "Humans are on the verge of causing unprecedented damage to the oceans and the animals living in them."
Pope Francis declared Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero a martyr. Romero was assassinated by a right-wing death squad in 1980. A civil war broke out in El Salvador after he was killed. The US has a sordid past in Latin America with their support of right wing governments and military dictators. El Salvador was just one of the places where US-trained "anti-insurgents" committed crimes. Liberation theology, which Romero endorsed, questioned the distribution of wealth and came under attack from both the secular and religious right. This history is now pretty much forgotten. "As The New Republic notes today, Romero's murder also has a direct connection to American politics—his assassination was ordered by a death-squad leader named Roberto D’Aubuisson who was widely praised by prominent Republicans during the 1980s."
"When I feed the poor, they call me a saint, but when I ask why the poor are hungry, they call me a communist."
- Dom Helder Camara, a Brazilian Archbishop and contemporary of Archbishop Romero
Reflecting on I.F. Stone's Weekly, a writer in The Nation asks "Why Is There No Massive Antiwar Movement in America?"..."Among the eeriest things about reading Stone’s Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia coverage, 14 years into the next century, is how resonantly familiar so much of what he wrote still seems, how twenty-first-century it all is. It turns out that the national security state hasn’t just been repeating things they’ve done unsuccessfully for the last 13 years, but for the last 60."
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