RFK JR. PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN KERFUFFLE—
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| Kennedy |
RFK Jr.
announced last week that he would be running for president of the United States
as an independent, giving a middle finger to the Democratic Party he had called
“home” for decades. It’s too early to tell if his run (and don’t forget Cornel
West’s Green Party bid, as well) will draw more votes from opa Joe Biden
or Donald Trump, if the former president can make time between court fights to
take up the gauntlet. I personally think Kennedy’s campaign will hurt Biden more,
should the senior incompetent incumbent remain in the race as the silly
season of US presidential elections ramps up .
BUT I’d like to focus on something that might be impactful for RFK Jr’s presidential bid, namely the fact that his campaign manger resigned last week, and that’s not a good look for any campaign organization. Iconoclast Dennis Kucinich’s resignation comes as events unfold in Israel, about which RFK Jr expressed his unwavering support of Israel and its response to the atrocious attacks by the Gaza-based Hamas militia. The world responded in shock and horror as videos emerged of Hamas fighters attacking and murdering Israeli civilians and soldiers with a death toll of more that 1400. ANOTHER ELEMENT to the story is how Israeli intelligence services didn’t see this coming. Additionally, IDF (Israeli Defense Force) outposts surrounding the Gazan enclave were undermanned, possibly because of the Yom Kippur holiday. Recriminations and resignations will follow when the fighting dies down.
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| Kucinich |
The attacks began on Saturday, October 7. Kennedy announced on October 9 he would be running as an independent. And Kucinich resigned sometime after Kennedy’s announcement. Did the former congressman resign because he did not agree with Kennedy’s strategy of leaving the Democratic Party? But what choice did Kennedy have, given that party leaders would NEVER make him the nominee. Democratic apparatchiks would rather run Biden, even if they have to stuff his corpse with straw and use a ventriloquist to make him talk.
OR did Kucinich resign because of Kennedy’s uncompromising support for Israel, while the presidential candidate gave little acknowledgment of the Palestinian people’s long-standing and genuine (and United Nations-recognized) grievances?
FOR ME, Kennedy’s black and white pro-Israel stance is a disappointment, when he has other foreign policy positions that would help promote peace and de-escalate tensions around the globe while, at the same time reining in America's rampant militarism. I was surprised, in April, when Kucinich took on the role as Kennedy’s campaign manager, given their differences on this issue. So far, Kucinich has kept mum about his reasons for leaving. Kennedy’s daughter-in-law, Amaryllis Kennedy, will take over running the campaign.
Former Israeli deputy FM, Danny Ayalon, floated the ‘exodus’ idea a week or
so ago, though he also said the international community would supply the
refugees with food and water. One commentator called such thinking on the part
of Ayalon “psychopathic”. I agree. Instead of working to address the
decades-old injustices apartheid Israel has inflicted on Palestinians and by ignoring
numerous UN resolutions to return lands stolen—there’s no other word—by
Israel, especially since the 1967 war, and agreeing to a two-state solution
that would give Palestinians their well-deserved homeland, Ayalon and his ilk would
ethnically cleanse Gaza, instead. And it is important to remember that the bombing of
northern Gaza continues unabated, with the IDF determined to root out Hamas militias.
Three days ago, a Gazan hospital was bombed. Hundreds died. It is unclear if it was
Israeli bombing or a wayward Hamas missile. It’s a clusterfuk
all round. Israeli chickens are coming home to roost.
ONE THING Israel must watch is what Lebanon’s Hezbollah will do if the IDF invades Gaza. Israel thus far has not sent in troops en masse. If they do, Hezbollah has threatened to enter the conflict. Both sides have exchanged sporatic missile fire in recent days. Israel would then be in a difficult two-front war. And Hezbollah is much better armed with many more fighters than Hamas. There is no telling how far the war could escalate if Israel acts rashly in the coming days. What happened October 7 was terrible. What could happen might be orders of magnitude worse.
A COUPLE MORE POINTS:
👉Hamas called their attacks the “Al Aqsa Flood” which references the 2021 attack by Israeli police on Muslim worshipers at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem where hundreds were injured. Ostensibly, they were fighting to avenge what occurred at the Muslim holy site. But was the real purpose of the Hamas attacks in fact to scuttle the growing rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel? If a treaty were ever signed between the two, that would signal the end of any pan-Arab commitment to Palestinian rights and any viable two-state solution. Israel would be free to continue its repressive regime of keeping Palestinians as second-class citizens. And the Palestinian ‘Question’ would fade into the background. If that was Hamas’s purpose for their terrible violence this month, then they have succeeded. Talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel have been called off. “It's clear…that the goal of Hamas and its Iranian backers is to derail the efforts of the wider Arab world to normalize relations with Israel.” (CBC)
👉Riddle me this: What if Netanyahu knew the Hamas attacks were imminent and did nothing to stop them (like President Roosevelt may have not done vis-à-vis Pearl Harbour), hoping he could use the atrocities as a rationale to bomb Gaza “back to the stone age”? Maybe that’s a little too conspiratorial but with a mutt like Netanyahu, who knows?
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| "Little buddy, you are so, so screwed!" |
“But if Ukraine had already been left somewhat nervous by recent events in Washington — with Republicans refusing to include funding for the war-torn country in a 45-day short term spending bill to avert a government shutdown — the United States’ sudden focus on Israel has only fueled fears American aid could slow down soon.” (CNN)
PRESIDENT Zelensky star was already on the wane before the Hamas attacks. His former BFF Poland, is P-Oed with him. A September headline reads: “’Never Insult Poles Again,’ Poland’s prime minister tells Ukraine’s Zelensky.” Ouch! Then he made a surprise visit to the EU Political Community Summit in southern Spain on October 5 (AKA “crashing the party”) where not much happened, it seems. In his recent trip to Romania, he was “snubbed” when he wasn’t allowed to speak before parliament. It might have something to do with cheap Ukrainian grain flooding Romanian markets (which is a Polish complaint, as well.) Bucharest is also concerned that ethnic Romanians in Ukraine are being denied the right to speak and publish in their native language. And at the recent NATO meeting in Brussels, Zelensky was forced to concede that the focus of the alliance was now on Middle East. He wanly tried to suggest that Russia was behind the Hamas attacks to foment chaos, because that’s just what Russian’s do, but that scenario didn’t gain much traction. He was greeted there like a visiting uncle whose wit and wisdom have long since passed their sell-by date—he's someone who is tolerated but not liked. (Zelensky might even have to turn in his Members Only key to the NATO spa facilities.)
AND IN AN EARLIER VISIT to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also in Brussels, the United States’ representative promised him a ‘paltry’ $200M aid package for Ukraine.
“Despite Austin’s [US Secretary of Defense] vow of support for Ukraine, the new package was one of the smallest provided by the United States. While the issue remains contentious in Congress, and with the conflict in Israel only likely to demand more resources, it may yet dwindle further.” CNN
The Russian Foreign Minister characterized the West as being “fed up” with Zelensky:
“The West is increasingly losing patience with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has claimed. The diplomat cited the subdued welcome that the Ukrainian leader recently received on a visit to Romania. Speaking at a meeting with Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, Lavrov argued that ‘everyone is fed up’ with Zelensky, the Russia 1 TV channel reported on Sunday.” [Oct. 15] (Global Village)
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| Bakhmut |
Dang it all, if those Ruskies don't have a point. Poor Zelensky. I almost feel sorry for him.
SO, IN UKRAINE the vaunted Spring/Summer offensive has ground to a halt with little gained and massive casualties. Russia is beginning its own offensive that may be completed after the ground freezes because Ukraine’s rich agricultural lands become a mud bath in spring and autumn when the seasonal rains come. SOME commentators suggest Russia may advance to the Dnipro River, claiming more territory and demanding Ukraine’s unconditional surrender. Others suggest they may advance SW and take the entire coastline, including the historic Russian city of Odesa. Others speculate they may advance further West to the Polish border taking Lviv and potentially Kiev. Baring unforeseen circumstances (Polish troops entering the fray; American or NATO boots on the ground; significant attacks on Crimea or the Russian homeland by drones, missiles, etc.) this show is over. Zelensky needs to capitulate now. If he doesn’t, he is likely to be ousted in the upcoming elections or else by a double tap.
IT WAS A WAR that never would have happened if Western nations had heeded Russian warnings, since the 1990s, around NATO expansion. The Ukraine conflict could have been forestalled if the Minsk Accords had been honoured by Ukraine (and guarantors Germany and France) in 2014 onward. War could have been averted if President Putin’s December 2021 address outlining Russia’s “red lines” had been heard. And the conflict could have been nipped in the bud if the March 2022 peace talks between Russia and Kiev had not been scuppered by Britain and the United States.
A FINAL THOUGHT: What happens to all the weapons supplied to Ukraine that seem to be turning up in odd places around the world, like Africa and Palestine? What happens to the millions of displaced Ukrainians who may never be repatriated to their homeland? Lemme see: Millions of disaffected, angry young men. Military-grade weapons sold on the black market, in Europe and around the world, and perhaps coming to a neighbourhood near you. But…no worries.
FINLAND PIPELINE GO BOOM?—On October 8, an undersea section of the 95 km long “bidirectional" gas pipeline connecting Finland with Estonia's and the Baltic States’ natural gas network was damaged, along with a nearby communication cable by what Finnish President Sauli Niinistö carefully suggested was likely “caused by external activity.” Of course, there was immediate speculation in the Finnish press about Russia paying back Finland for joining NATO earlier this year. Another possibility is that a ship's anchor, dragging the seabed, caused the damage. The investigation is ongoing and it will take several months before the gas line can be repaired.
THE EVENT reminds us how
interconnected we have become, with telecommunication cables, pipelines and the
like criss-crossing the globe. Messing with such links can be seen, in some
instances, as an act of war. Jens Stoltenberg NATO’s bobblehead Secretary
General, said if the damage to the Baltic connector was “proven to be an attack on NATO critical infrastructure…it will be met by a united and determined response from NATO”.
I didn’t
think NATO was in the pipeline business, but it goes to show how “national
interests”, national boundaries, rights of way, geographical commons, “critical
infrastructure”, critical natural resources are
becoming points of contention, globally. We’re beginning to rub up against each
other more and more, and we’ve got to decide whether the friction is
going to lead to explosions, or will we learn to take the heat and start sharing our toys?
THE ONLINE NEWS ACT
UPDATE—I
discussed Bill-11 which became the “Online News Act” in an earlier post, here, and we are aware of the CanCon requirements
for internet content providers (large and small, domestic and foreign), as well as the
additional monies the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission) will
collect from large platforms like Facebook, Google, etc., to support (coddle? confine?
censor? control?) Canadian producers of internet content and legacy media. THEE IS ANOTHER
disturbing aspect to the new Act: Small independent content providers, “User-generated”
content like TikTok videos will be subject to the regulations, if the newly
empowered CRTC decides to step in. In other words, small, independent podcasts
or video-hosting services, alternative-news podcasts and websites, and digital-first creators will be obliged to fill out
a gun registry. Going forward, the CRTC will apply greater scrutiny to these digital sites than is warranted under laws currently on the books. the "Online News Act" is part of a 'tripod' of new laws (two so far and one on the way) that will give authorities greater scope to surveil, censor and ban digital content, especially content that does not conform with accepted orthodoxy, or are simply voices raised to challenge those in power. These are dangerous times, where we may lose our right to speak freely. And if that happens, how can our representative democracy survive? "It's a free country!" No more.
Critics argue the Act is too vague, and that clear limitations of its legal powers are not spelled out.
"Under this archaic system of censorship, government gatekeepers will now have the power to control which videos, posts and other content Canadians can see online," a Conservative webpage on C-11 says.
The public debate has been contentious, with supporters saying the bill will boost the Canadian media and arts sectors, while critics warn that the bill could over-regulate the internet.”
It's not good for anybody to have to guess how laws and regulations will affect them, and be in the position of having to cross you fingers and hope the new regulations are primarily there for big platforms--not small digital creators or user-generated content such as podcasts and online videos.
“The government has insisted that the legislation is not intended to regulate independent content creators…The bill’s broad language it’s unclear what it will do in practice—an aspect of the legislation the Senate has acknowledged.”
[Yet the Senate caved and approved Bill C-11 to be returned to the House and voted on. The Libs had their lackey NDP to ensure the bill passed quickly into law. And the rest will be history. Ed.]
The bill is a controversial
one, with the difficulties of policing the internet for “harmful” content seen
as a difficult row to hoe. Also, again, the language of “harm”
and “hate speech” is vague and open to dangerous misapplication and over-reach, critics
charge. It may interfere with Canadians’ right to freedom of expression. This
bill, the proposed "Online Safety Act", (as it will probably be called), along with the “Online News Act” and the “Online Streaming Act”, will
make Canadians potentially subject to censorship laws that China would die
for! And this one in the works, the "Online Safety Act", is “the main course”,
as one commentator put it, the other two being appetizers. Buckle up!
World Leaders 101: Xi, Putin, Erdoğan, Assad, Orban, Lula, MbS(?), Khan (Pakistan’s imprisoned ex-PM), Modi, Diaz-Canel, Ortega, RFK Jr., Trump (sigh). Those are the handful of world leaders (that I can think of right now) who you might consider to be the adults in the room. There are many lower-profile politicians, civic leaders, academics, civil society activists, watchdogs, wits, gabbers and thinkers, podcasters, alternative news providers and crusty old farts who look to better days, and work, as best they can, to make them happen. But, I’m afraid it’s a rather short list at the moment, and no, Canadian leadership is nowhere to be found.
Cheers, Jake._________________________________________
* To be clear: The Gaza Strip is within Israel. Most Gazans are decedents of Arabs forcibly removed from their homes and villages as Israel came into being in 1948. They are displaced persons within their own land. Palestinians, until Zionist settlers and militias violently took over their region after WWII, called this place Palestine. Jews and Muslim Arabs had always lived there, during the time Palestine was a province of the Ottoman Empire and long before. Zionism, a late 19th Century religious and political movement started by Theodor Herzl, had as its goal the creation of a homeland for Jews from across the world in Palestine. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 made a Jewish homeland in the Levant a desirable political tool for Britain and other world powers to use in geopolitical machinations in the decades following. The Holocaust in Europe and the aftermath of WWII saw European powers use Palestine as a solution to their Jewish refugee crises. Support for the emigration of Jews from Europe to Israel was ramped up after it gained statehood on May 14, 1948.
IT WAS DURING THE ARAB-ISRAELI
WAR of 1948, called the Nakba (“catastrophe”) by Palestinians, that the
mass displacement and dispossession of the indigenous Palestinians began. Hundreds
of thousands were forcibly sent to the Gaza Strip, others lived in the West
Bank, many fled the country, as Jewish setters from around the world came to
live in the Levant state. Throughout the world, the Palestinian diaspora numbers
in the millions. For example, in neighbouring Jordon, today+, there
are over two million Palestinian refugees and their descendants, with several hundred thousand living in
permanent refugee camps. None are allowed to return to their homeland. Which is why, BTW, Gazans
fear if they are forced to flee and live in Egypt’s Sinai, they
will become permanent refugees. Egyptian authorities also see this as a problem because they would be stuck hosting, indefinitely, hundreds of thousands,
perhaps millions of Palestinian refugees. Don’t forget, there are over two
million Palestinians currently living in the Gaza Strip, with the southern half under intense Israeli bombardment. And lest we forget: They have every right to be there. In Israel, many
Arab-Israelis who have gained citizenship live as second-class citizens with fewer legal
and political rights than their Jewish neighbours, with West Bank Palestinians,
notionally ‘governed’ by the Palestinian Authority, having even fewer rights. While the Hamas attacks of October 7 were a war crime, bringing death to so many innocent Israelis, the violence Israel has committed against the Palestinian people--for decades--is, in my opinion, the greater crime because Israel claims the mantle of a 'progressive', modern, democratic nation, one that abides by international law and conventions, but its actions against Palestinians since its foundation belie such a claim. Violence begets violence. It's time to talk real peace.
LASTLY, Palestinians are the “inconvenient people.” Troublesome. Things would go so much easier in
Israel and elsewhere if they would just go away--say, to tent cities in the
Sinai. Today, they are in danger of being disappeared and forgotten altogether.... SOME HAVE CALLED ISRAELI ACTIONS A GENOCIDE.
Sadly, modern-day Israel has become the opposite of what it could be: It is an apartheid state. There are no other words.
+ INTERESTINGLY, Palestinian refugees who fled Israel during and after the Nakba, and who were “legal residents” of Jordon prior to 1954, were able to acquire Jordanian citizenship and legal rights. Refugees arriving after that date can not. It's Jordanian law written in their Constitution. Today, many live there (and elsewhere) in refugee camps, in a state of permanent limbo.
P.S. The 2001 film, Conspiracy (available on YouTube), is a chilling real-time re-enactment of the January 20, 1942, Wannsee, Berlin meeting of high German officials as they discuss ways to best implement the “Final Solution” to the Jewish Question. An example of Hannah Arendt’s the “banality of evil” is never so clear as is found in the actual words of the meeting’s participants.
Fascism hasn't gone away, it's just rebranded.
FREE JULIAN ASSANGE! FREE JULIAN ASSANGE! FREE JULIAN ASSANGE!
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Digital Fuktards: Completely unrelated to today’s "News of the World", but as I was editing this post and trying to insert photos from my computer, I got a prompt and pop-up screen from Google saying I had to “sign in” to my Google account (I thought I was already in there, since I’m using Google's own “Blogger” to post this damn thing. I complied because I had to, otherwise the pop-up prevented me from uploading the photos you see here. So what, you say? Blogger is Google’s property. They make the rules. If they want me to sign in, I should sign in and shut up....
BUT it’s another type of surveillance, isn’t it? Google audits or acquires data about, in this case, my photo choice (I guess). I know their AI algorithm gorilla monitors my posts periodically because I rec'd, some time ago, a "Sensitive Content" BS label to my blog, as well as an email about a 2019 post I'd written. Writing negatively about Israel government policy may be verboten. Who knows.
It's like a veil or screen that's put up between myself and the communication I'm constructing (i.e., this post). There seem to be more and more veils put over us these days by our digital overlords. If they're not careful, they'll smother us....
Q: How long does it take for surveillance to become censorship?
A: How do you know it hasn’t already?
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