Welcome! "The Evening Blues" is a casual community diary (published Monday - Friday, 8:00 PM Eastern) where we hang out, share and talk about news, music, photography and other things of interest to the community.
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Tonight's music features Fats Waller
Fats Waller - The Joint is Jumpin'
"When Israelis in the occupied territories now claim that they have to defend themselves, they are defending themselves in the sense that any military occupier has to defend itself against the population they are crushing... You can't defend yourself when you're militarily occupying someone else's land. That's not defense. Call it what you like, it's not defense."
-- Noam Chomsky
News and Opinion
Gaza The Silence of a Nation
Obama's kill list policy compels US support for Israeli attacks on Gaza
US policy always lies at the heart of these episodes, because Israeli aggression is possible only due to the unstinting financial, military and diplomatic support of the US. Needless to say, the Obama administration wasted no time expressing its "full-throttled support" for the Israeli attacks. And one can't help but notice the timing of this attack: launched just days after Obama's re-election victory, demanding an answer to the question of whether Obama was told in advance of these attacks and gave his approval.
Ultimately, though, Obama had no choice but to support these attacks, which were designed, in part, to extra-judicially assassinate Hamas military leader Ahmed al-Jabari as he was driving in his car (the IDF then proudly posted the video of its hit on YouTube). How could Obama possibly have done anything else?
Extra-judicial assassination - accompanied by the wanton killing of whatever civilians happen to be near the target, often including children - is a staple of the Obama presidency. That lawless tactic is one of the US president's favorite instruments for projecting force and killing whomever he decides should have their lives ended: all in total secrecy and with no due process or oversight. There is now a virtually complete convergence between US and Israeli aggression, making US criticism of Israel impossible not only for all the usual domestic political reasons, but also out of pure self-interest: for Obama to condemn Israel's rogue behavior would be to condemn himself.
It is vital to recognize that this is a new development. The position of the US government on extra-judicial assassinations long had been consistent with the consensus view of the international community: that it is a savage and lawless weapon to be condemned regardless of claims that it is directed at "terrorists"
Israel Fires 500 Strikes in Gaza, Civilian Toll Grows in Humanitarian Crisis
Israel may be forced to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza
"If you look at the sequence of events, there was a lull between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza up until November the 8th, on November 8th Israel killed a Palestinian child and there was some Palestinian retaliation, they blew up a tunnel injuring an Israeli soldier, and then subsequently they fired on an Israeli jeep, injuring 4 Israeli soldiers, then Israel killed two more Palestinian children and during the funeral of the two children who were killed Israel fired on the tent where the attendees at the funeral were present. Then the conflict escalated until November the 12th when there was a ceasefire negotiated and it seemed as if the ceasefire was taking hold, then Israel used the occasion of the ceasefire to assassinate what you might call the strong man of Gaza and also as the Israeli newspapers pointed out, Mr Jaabari who they killed was Israel’s enforcer in Gaza, those are not my words, they belong to the military correspondent for Hareetz, a leading Israeli newspaper. "
Israeli Negotiator: Hamas Commander Was Assassinated Hours After Receiving Truce Deal From Israel
Torture Survivors Ask the UN: What’s the Point of Having Laws Against Torture if They Don’t Apply to the Powerful?
One thing brings these four men together. Hassan bin Attash, Sami el-Hajj, Muhammed Khan Tumani and Murat Kurnaz—they are all survivors of the systematic torture program the Bush administration authorized and carried out in locations including Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantánamo, and numerous prisons and CIA “black sites” around the world. Between them, they have been beaten, hung from walls or ceilings, deprived of sleep, food and water, and subjected to freezing temperatures and other forms of torture and abuse while held in U.S. custody. None was charged with a crime, two were detained while still minors, and one of them remains at Guantánamo.
This week, in a complaint filed with the United Nations Committee against Torture, they are asking one question: how can the man responsible for ordering these heinous crimes, openly enter a country that has pledged to prosecute all torturers regardless of their position and not face any legal action?
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the Canadian Centre for International Justice (CCIJ) filed the complaint on the men’s behalf.
The country in question is Canada, visited last year by former U.S. President George W. Bush during a paid speaking engagement in Surrey, British Columbia. Bush’s visit drew hundreds in protest, calling for his arrest, and it also provided bin Attash, el-Hajj, Tumani and Kurnaz the opportunity to call on the Canadian government to uphold its legal obligation under the U.N. Convention against Torture, and conduct a criminal investigation against Bush while he was on Canadian soil. ...
Thanks to the Obama administration’s call to look only “forward” – even in the face of torture that demands a proper reckoning – and a court system in the U.S. that has readily closed its doors to torture survivors, the crimes of the Bush era are effectively beyond the reach of justice in the U.S. But the immunity – the impunity – granted to these criminals here should not follow them into other countries, particularly those that are signatories to international laws and treaties against torture.
Walmart Strikers Promise Huge Black Friday Showdown With 1,000 Protests Nationwide
An organization of Walmart workers is planning a series of strikes next week that they hope will paralyze the world's largest retailer on the biggest shopping day of the year.
Employees will stage 1,000 unique protests around the country on Black Friday, a United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) official said on a conference call Thursday afternoon. The events, most of which will take place at Walmart stores, will include walkouts, flash mobs, and "educating" shoppers on the workers' plight.
"We're seeing unprecedented support. In my 20 years of organizing I've never seen this kind of activity," said Dan Schlademan, Director of the UFCW's Making Change at Walmart campaign. "It's going to be a very creative day."
Students Call for Divestment From the Fossil Fuel Industry
In the 1980s, students across the United States pushed their schools to divest from companies that supported apartheid in South Africa. Today, college students are using the same tactic by calling on their universities to divest from fossil fuel companies. This new movement aims to address what South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu calls the human rights issue of our time: global warming. ...
Fossil fuel divestment campaigns now exist at forty-seven colleges and universities nationwide. More campaigns are expected to kick off as 350.org’s Bill McKibben travels to twenty cities across the country in November on his Do the Math tour. The tour, which aims to promote divestment and energize the climate movement, originated from an article published by Rolling Stone last August. McKibben laid out the shocking mathematical reality of the climate crisis: the top 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies own 2,795 gigatons of carbon in their reserves, but if more than 565 of those gigatons are burned, then it will be difficult for the environment to stay under 2 degrees Celsius of warming (the upper limit considered safe by the UN). The battle to prevent the climate crisis is clear: either fossil fuel corporations change their practices soon or more people will find their lives and livelihoods irreversibly and tragically altered.
Red Cross Spends $181,000 On Soho Grand Hotel Rooms For Sandy Relief Workers
The American Red Cross has come under fire for its slow response to certain areas hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, and now critics have a new complaint against the relief organization: It’s paying $181,000 for volunteers to stay at a swanky downtown Manhattan hotel.
The Red Cross, which has raised $131 million in Sandy relief as of Tuesday, recently fired back at critics, calling its disaster response effort “near flawless.” But struggling Sandy survivors allege Red Cross volunteers aren’t visible in their towns, and many have said they don’t understand where the organization's dollars could be going.
The nonprofit revealed to the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that one big-ticket Sandy relief item is hotel stays for volunteers. Since New York City is packed with tourists and facing a housing crisis, the Red Cross has taken 45 rooms at the upscale Soho Grand Hotel –- at a discounted rate -- which will end up costing $181,000, spokeswoman Laura Howe told the Journal.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has also taken three rooms at the Soho Grand since Sandy hit, according to the paper.
How Google is Helping the Gas Lobby Support Fracking
Ads on Google have placed pro-fracking propaganda at the top of Google search results and into the middle of an important discussion on the environmental impacts of fracking. The practice raises important questions about the role of search engines in the new media world.
For more than 17 months, Robert Howarth, an ecology professor at Cornell, has had a Google problem. Howarth is the chief author of an important paper on the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a controversial method of obtaining natural gas. The paper concludes that the practice is not a clean way to extract domestic energy, as many allege, and has an even greater carbon footprint than coal. The paper's conclusions poke holes in some of the most common talking points used by supporters of fracking and made major headlines, including a large and prominently placed article in The New York Times in April 2011. Howarth, along with one of his co-authors, Anthony Ingraffea, and activist actor Mark Ruffalo, were ranked by Time as among the 100 "people who matter" in 2011.
The paper also got the attention of the gas lobby. Most notably, America's Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA). Soon after the paper was released, Howarth and others noticed a disturbing phenomenon on Google. Every time Professor Howarth's name was placed into a Google search engine, the first thing that appeared was an ad from ANGA, devoted strictly to hampering the credibility of Howarth's research. The page was listed as an ad but at a quick glance, it simply looked like the top search result. As of the time of this writing, late October, the ad still displayed that way.
President Obama says climate change to take backseat to economy
Climate change will take a back seat to efforts to boost the economy in the near term, but the issue would return to the agenda in the future, President Barack Obama said Wednesday.
The president, who won an endorsement from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg late in the presidential campaign because of his support for action on greenhouse gases, said his top priority would be to work to avert the “fiscal cliff.”
His comments appeared to thwart hopes from environmental advocates that the White House would push for inclusion of a carbon tax in a broader package to address the “fiscal cliff.” Administration officials have previously said that it’s up to Republicans to propose a carbon tax, which is unlikely.
Blog Posts of Interest
Here are diaries and selected blog posts of interest on DailyKos and other blogs.
What's Happenin'
Leaked Documents Detailing “Grand Bargain” Show It is No Bargain for Americans
Hedge Fund Blackstone Buying $100 Million in Foreclosed Homes Every Week
Germany adopts Jimmy Carter's 1975 energy policy and makes Americans look like morons
Where We Stand
Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!
Hahahahaha GOP Fail : " Most Voters Would Blame GOP if All Bush Tax Cuts Expire"
Petition to Stop Obama's "Grand Bargain"
Stop an Obama "Grand Bargain" - Roots Action petition site
A Little Night Music
Fats Waller - E Flat Blues
Fats Waller - The Darktown Strutters' Ball
Fats Waller - If You're A Viper
Rosetta Howard - If You're A Viper
fats waller - blue because of you
fats waller - your feet's too big
Fats Waller - Handful of Keys
Fats Waller - All That Meat And No Potatoes
Fats Waller - I've Got My Fingers Crossed
Fats Waller - Louisiana Fairytale (better known as the theme song for PBS' 'This Old House')
Fats Waller - Truckin'
Fats Waller - Viper's Drag
Fats Waller - Lulu's Back In Town
Fats Waller & James P. Johnson - piano duet
Fats Waller - Smarty
Fats Waller - Sugar Blues
Fats Waller - Blues
Remember when progressive debate was about our values and not about a "progressive" candidate? Remember when progressive websites championed progressive values and didn't tell progressives to shut up about values so that "progressive" candidates can get elected?
Come to where the debate is not constrained by oaths of fealty to persons or parties.
Come to where the pie is served in a variety of flavors.
"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum." ~ Noam Chomsky
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