Welcome! "The Evening Blues" is a casual community diary (published Monday - Friday, 7:00 PM Eastern) where we hang out, share and talk about news, music, photography and other things of interest to the community.
Just about anything goes, but attacks and pie fights are not welcome here. This is a community diary and a friendly, peaceful, supportive place for people to interact.
Everyone who wants to join in peaceful interaction is very welcome here.
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Hey! Good Evening!
Welcome to the first run of a new feature by the DFH community at Daily Kos! This is a test run. Is everybody in? Is everybody in? The ceremony is about to begin! Can you hear me in the back?
Some wag once said that teevee is a medium because it's neither rare nor well done, and they were absolutely right. A couple of weeks ago, I gave up on the teevee evening news. I haven't watched commercial teevee for about 25 years now, but I've continued to watch PBS for its NewsHour. For quite a while now I've been feeling like I get better quality news from internet browsing and I've only been watching the NewsHour to see what it is that better informed "normal people" are hearing from the media.
So, I've decided to make a different use of my time and shift from one medium to another. It turns out that pretty much everything that's available on the teevee is available online anyway and I like the fact that this is a more interactive medium, where folks can "talk back" as well as talking among themselves and challenging media narratives where necessary.
I conceived of "The Evening Blues" as a series that would have some news in it that we can discuss in the comments and commenters are encouraged to bring in their own news items for discussion. I also wanted, since this is the relaxation end of my day to focus more on music and the arts, so there will be content that reflects my love of music, especially blues, folk, rock and assorted roots music. I anticipate that other DFH writers will take some turns at creating diary content for this series, which will broaden the palatte of taste for the content.
Anyway, this is the shakedown run. I hope you like it and return tomorrow for another scoop.
Democracy
Democracy will not come
Today, this year
Nor ever
Through compromise and fear.
I have as much right
As the other fellow has
To stand
On my two feet
And own the land.
I tire so of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I'm dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.
Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.
I live here, too.
I want freedom
Just as you.
--Langston Hughes
News
Chicago Police Face Accusations of Entrapment, Brutality in Crackdown on NATO Protesters
Dozens of anti-NATO protesters have been arrested in Chicago over the past several days, including five men who were jailed on domestic terrorism charges. Three of the men were accused of plotting to attack President Barack Obama’s campaign headquarters, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s home and other targets. Their lawyers say they were entrapped by government informants. The Chicago police have also been criticized by activist groups for using violent force to break up protests and accused of targeting independent media activists who have been streaming the protests live over the internet. On Saturday night, three helping to livestream video of the protests were detained at gunpoint.
Bill Black on The Real News
Eurozone crisis: high-stakes gamble as David Cameron warns Greek voters
PM says Greeks have choice in June election between voting to stay in euro and 'effectively voting to leave'
A second Greek vote next month backing parties opposed to the European Union's bailout package would be a decisive vote to leave the euro for which contingency plans have to be made now, David Cameron warned on Sunday in a dramatic raising of the stakes.
Speaking in Chicago after two days of talks with world leaders on the euro crisis, he said: "We now have to send a very clear message to people in Greece: there is a choice – you can either vote to stay in the euro, with all the commitments you've made, or if you vote another way you're effectively voting to leave." His remarks are in effect an attempt to make next month's vote a referendum on continued membership of the euro.
Cameron indicated that he wanted to make the threat of ejection from the euro credible by showing the Greeks that preparations are being made for their departure, a change of tactics after weeks of mixed messages from the European commission on whether such plans are being laid.
Pepe Escobar writes a great article about NATO's strategy, which sounds like the latest version of "the new world order."
At the Chicago NATO summit it will be crucial to identify the backstage players and their long-term strategy.
Welcome to NATO as Globocop. Forget about the UN. And if you are one of those myriad small NATO partners, beware what you bargained for. Sooner or later the Pentagon and NATO - after all NATO is the European arm of the Pentagon - will want a military base in your country. And the Western industrial-military complex will make a killing selling you all sorts of fancy, pricey and useless weapons.
"No NATO, No War": U.S. Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan Return War Medals at NATO Summit
On Sunday, veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as well as members of Afghans for Peace, led a peace march of thousands of people. Iraq Veterans Against the War held a ceremony where nearly 50 veterans discarded their war medals by hurling them down the street in the direction of the NATO summit.
Scientists find BP Gulf oil and Corexit in Minnesota pelican eggs
Researchers for Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources have found evidence of British Petroleum's lethal oil compunds and the chemical poison Corexit that is still being sprayed throughout the Gulf of Mexico region since the catostrophic 2010 oil leak, in eggs of pelicans nesting in Minnesota. The pelicans migrate there from the Gulf of Mexico. ...
Scientists are looking for Gulf pollutants on a western Minnesota lake, home to North America's largest colony of American White Pelicans, according to Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). "About 34,000 adult pelicans will raise some 17,000 chicks this year on islands in Marsh Lake."
The scientists are most concerned about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that cause cancer and birth defects in animals, including humans, as Gulf coast residents are increasingly suffering since the April 2010 oil event began.
"The other contaminant they're testing for is Corexit, a dispersant used to break up oil slicks on the water that according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency contains cancer-causing chemicals and endocrine disrupting compounds," reported Dan Gunderson for MPR.
Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Warrantless Wiretapping (FISA) Challenge
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a US government challenge to a lawsuit against its electronic surveillance program, which allows authorities to eavesdrop on Americans’ overseas phone calls and emails.
The court agreed to hear the case Clapper vs. Amnesty International, the Barack Obama administration’s petition to the US top court in which it seeks to throw out a suit challenging US government monitoring of Americans’ international communications. ...
The law at issue is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which was passed in the waning days of the George W. Bush administration.
NAACP Endorses Marriage Equality
The board of the NAACP, the “nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization,” endorsed marriage equality at a meeting this afternoon. The move comes 10 days after President Obama announced his support of same-sex marriage.
The NAACP’s move comes as attitudes about gays and lesbians in the African American community are changing rapidly. A recent poll found that 54% of African Americans supported President Obama’s recent decision.
Blog Posts of Interest
Here are diaries and selected blog posts of interest on DailyKos and other blogs.
Why Don't People Tell the Cops to be Non-Violent?
Read this Una Spenser diary. It will do your soul good.
Entrapment of Cleveland 5 and NATO 3 is Nothing New;
Police Entrapment of Nonviolent Movements
Recovery or Collapse?
Trans Beauty Queen Finishes In Top 12
A Little Night Music
Further listening:
i feel so good - magic sam
dr. feelgood - aretha franklin
i feel so good - nick cave
feel so good - jefferson airplane