Reflections from news and commentary of the day
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
⏳Towhee 🌏☮️ on X: "Nuland issues ultimatum to Türkiye: Türkiye must agree to ditch Russia’s S-400 missile defense system. And if Türkiye obeys and "behaves well," maybe Nuland will allow Türkiye back into the F-35 program. This is the US government bullying, domination, abuse that the majority… https://t.co/usEklCEYAt" / X
Fr. Bob's Reflection for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In our Gospel, we read about Jesus speaking in the synagogue at Capernaum.
Capernaum was a small town that suffered greatly. Many people were brutally killed there, as Israel was constantly being invaded. In the minds of the Jews, Capernaum was a place of darkness and death. But Jesus chose Capernaum as the place to launch His campaign.
So He goes into the local synagogue, a teaching institution. Services in a synagogue consisted of prayer, scripture reading and a sermon. There was no music; no singing or sacrifice. The synagogue was a place of instruction. But, there was no permanent preacher or teacher; there was no professional ministry.
More or less, any man could be asked to stand and comment on the scripture reading. That is why Jesus was able to open His teaching ministry in the synagogues. Mark does not tell us a single word Jesus spoke. Instead, he deals with the reaction of His listeners and it seems they were divided.
Most of the people were favorably impressed. Mark says they were spellbound by His teaching, because He taught with authority. All except one man, who rebukes Him. “What have you to do with us? Have you come to destroy us?”
Marks tells us the man is possessed by a demon, an unclean spirit. In those days, this was a common explanation for everything. Today, we would say the man was emotionally disturbed. This man took Jesus seriously, but saw Jesus as a threat to his present way of living.
Sometimes we tend to forget what a disturbing presence Jesus could be. Take a walk through the pages of the New Testament. You will meet plenty of people whose lives were disrupted by His influence. Even before His birth, He drastically changed the plans of Mary and Joseph.
Remember Zacchaeus? He was probably the wealthiest man in Jericho. Until he opened the doors of his home to Jesus. That brief visit cost him most of his fortune. He ended up giving half of his money to the poor and repaying all his fraudulent gains with interest.
The same can be said of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Both had reached the pinnacle of their careers and were wealthy, only to be changed by a meeting with Jesus. Even after His crucifixion, He changed lives.
Saul of Tarsus was killing followers of Christ. He encountered the Lord on the road to Damascus and then became Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles. He spread the Gospel all over the known world.
It is incredible, the kinds of things that Christ has done to people – and continues to do, from Mother Teresa to Martin Luther King, Jr, and the countless others who day in and day out struggle to be His followers.
That man in the synagogue was right. Call him demon-possessed or emotionally unbalanced, but he was aware that involvement with Jesus would change him.
I am not sure if the rest of the crowd knew Jesus would change them. Yes, they were struck by His teaching, but did they take that teaching to heart? Apply it to their own lives?
Do we take His teaching to heart and apply it to our lives? It comes down to the question: Who do you allow to have authority in your life? Do we follow where culture wants to lead us? Or do we follow the One who speaks with authority?
The One who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
Fr. Robert Warren
Yours in Christ,
Spiritual Director
Podesta to replace Kerry as top climate diplomat | The Hill
Podesta to replace Kerry as top climate diplomat | The Hill: White House adviser John Podesta will replace John Kerry as the nation’s lead climate diplomat, the White House announced on Wednesday. “We need to keep meeting the gravity of this moment, and there is no one better than John Podesta to make sure we do,” White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, in a written…
US arms exports hit a record high in 2023
US arms exports hit a record high in 2023: Speaking Security Newsletter | Note n°233 | 30 January 2024
The Best of Books 2023 | Foreign Affairs
The Best of Books 2023 | Foreign Affairs: The very best of the hundreds of books on international politics, economics, and history that were featured in the magazine this year, selected by Foreign Affairs’ editors and book reviewers.
Why America’s Richest Universities Are Protecting Hate-Filled Foreign Students - Tablet Magazine
Why America’s Richest Universities Are Protecting Hate-Filled Foreign Students - Tablet Magazine: Accommodating overseas elites by tolerating antisemitism on U.S. campuses is part of a scheme to turn loss-leader DEI categories into profit centers
Another Fast & Furious Scandal? Mexico Demands Answers As Cartels Acquire US-Military Grade Weapons - Activist Post
Another Fast & Furious Scandal? Mexico Demands Answers As Cartels Acquire US-Military Grade Weapons - Activist Post: Mexico demands an investigation into how belt-fed machine guns, rocket launchers, and grenades are ending up in the hands of cartel members.
Cureus | COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines: Lessons Learned from the Registrational Trials and Global Vaccination Campaign | Article
Cureus | COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines: Lessons Learned from the Registrational Trials and Global Vaccination Campaign | Article
Our understanding of COVID-19 vaccinations and their impact on health and mortality has evolved substantially since the first vaccine rollouts. Published reports from the original randomized phase 3 trials concluded that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could greatly reduce COVID-19 symptoms. In the interim, problems with the methods, execution, and reporting of these pivotal trials have emerged. Re-analysis of the Pfizer trial data identified statistically significant increases in serious adverse events (SAEs) in the vaccine group. Numerous SAEs were identified following the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), including death, cancer, cardiac events, and various autoimmune, hematological, reproductive, and neurological disorders. Furthermore, these products never underwent adequate safety and toxicological testing in accordance with previously established scientific standards. Among the other major topics addressed in this narrative review are the published analyses of serious harms to humans, quality control issues and process-related impurities, mechanisms underlying adverse events (AEs), the immunologic basis for vaccine inefficacy, and concerning mortality trends based on the registrational trial data. The risk-benefit imbalance substantiated by the evidence to date contraindicates further booster injections and suggests that, at a minimum, the mRNA injections should be removed from the childhood immunization program until proper safety and toxicological studies are conducted. Federal agency approval of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines on a blanket-coverage population-wide basis had no support from an honest assessment of all relevant registrational data and commensurate consideration of risks versus benefits. Given the extensive, well-documented SAEs and unacceptably high harm-to-reward ratio, we urge governments to endorse a global moratorium on the modified mRNA products until all relevant questions pertaining to causality, residual DNA, and aberrant protein production are answered.
Houthis save the world: Why New Zealand is on the wrong side of history - Pearls and Irritations
Houthis save the world: Why New Zealand is on the wrong side of history - Pearls and Irritations
FM: John Whitbeck
New Zealand may be physically distant from Palestine and Yemen, but that does not prevent moral clarity in viewing the issues and values at stake there.
The article transmitted below offers principled appreciation for the "champions of human decency", the Houthis.
During the London conference in which I participated on Saturday, a former British ambassador earned healthy applause when he proposed nominating the Houthis for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Yesterday, the new right-wing government of New Zealand joined the governments of the United Kingdom and its three other settler-colonial emanations (Australia, Canada and the United States) in suspending funding of UNRWA (https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/new-zealand-suspends-funding-to-embattled-un-agency-in-gaza), thereby becoming another active participant in the genocide of another indigenous people by another settler-colonial state.
https://johnmenadue.com/houthis-save-the-world
St. John Bosco, a man for (almost) every occasion!
St. John Bosco, a man for (almost) every occasion!: It turns out that there’s a story about St. John Bosco for just about every person and every occasion.
Can BIS Control the Cloud? - by Nicholas Welch - ChinaTalk
Can BIS Control the Cloud? - by Nicholas Welch - ChinaTalk: Commerce just dropped new proposed rules on cloud service providers, because regulating just chip exports wasn't enough.
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Israeli Gov't Press Office Hosts Evangelical Leader Who Calls for Bombing Iran - Israel News - Haaretz.com
Israeli Gov't Press Office Hosts Evangelical Leader Who Calls for Bombing Iran - Israel News - Haaretz.com>
Israeli Gov't Press Office Hosts Evangelical Leader Who Calls for Bombing Iran - Israel News - Haaretz.com
Jan 30, 2024 4:53 pm IST
At a conference for foreign journalists hosted by Israel's official Government Press Office on Monday night, Evangelical Christian leader Mike Evans stated that "Donald Trump was the greatest president in Israel's history," and encouraged the United States to bomb an island crucial to Iran's oil trade in a keynote speech.
"I just communicated a message, that I'm going to share with you, with the President," he paused, "Donald Trump," he continued, to the confusion of the few dozen reporters and media figures in the audience.
Mike Evans with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2019.
Mike Evans with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2019.Credit: Yossi Zamir
"I have a message for our good friend, who will be the Republican nominee, and could well be the next President of the United States: use your platform and your power to mobilize the Republican Party and the American people in supporting the bombing of the Kharg Island. Ninety percent of Iran's crude oil is deposited on that tiny island," he said.
Netanyahu's evangelical love affair isn't helping cratering U.S. support for Israel
Just as America forcefully rejects Trump, Israel doubles down on Trumpism
One in six American Jews say U.S. should be a Christian nation, Pew survey finds
The event, titled "Israel and the Foreign Media in the October 7th War," concerned narratives and the role of media as Israel continues its war with Hamas in Gaza. Other speakers included GPO director Nitzan Chen, Hostage Coordinator Brig. Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch, IDF Spokesperson to the Foreign Media Lt. Col. Richard Hecht and a video address by President Isaac Herzog.
The event also included panels of government spokespeople and veteran reporters, as well as a discussion with family members of hostages and fallen soldiers.
Besides Evans' speech, internal Israeli and U.S. politics were largely absent from the event. In their addresses, both Hirsch and Hecht noted the constructive and crucial role that the current U.S. administration has played in both the hostage release efforts and deterring additional states from entering the war.
"There's no question that Donald Trump was the greatest president, in my opinion, in Israel's history," Evans told the conference. "We needed him then, and we need him now." He added that he was a member of the evangelical team that worked closely with the former president, who he said "maintained astonishing moral clarity," to the bafflement of the reporters, who are likely following Trump's New York fraud case.
Evans said that by the time the U.S. elections occur, Iran will be a nuclear power, and that Hamas' October 7 massacre was a distraction from that "biggest, greatest, existential threat."
The conference took place at Jerusalem's Friends of Zion Museum, whose exhibits stress the role of Christian Zionists in Israel's history. Evans is the organization's founder.
Evans, a controversial figure in the evangelical world, has not held his political views close to his chest. In 2017, he installed dozens of pro-Trump billboards throughout Jerusalem, to the tune of $100,000. He is a vociferous proponent of right-wing Christian Zionism, referring to Jews as "God's chosen people" and founding the Jerusalem Prayer Team.
In 2021, he garnered criticism for comparing the leaders of the short-lived government of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid to "rabid dogs" who want to "crucify" Netanyahu. The statement was seen as divisive in the Christian world, and evangelical leaders shied away from Evans' efforts to prevent Israeli lawmakers from joining the then-fledgling coalition.
For instance, the International Christian Embassy, a pro-Israel NGO in Jerusalem, said in a statement that "the Israeli public right now needs to be hearing that evangelical Christians stand in solidarity with them regardless of who is leading their nation."
It did not mention Evans by name, but was clearly referring to him. Evans later walked back the statement, telling Haaretz that "Bennett is a Zionist. I wish him well."
Nitzan Chen, director of the Government Press Office, who also spoke at the event, told Haaretz that "It goes without saying that we did not know the content of Evans' speech on Monday ahead of time, and his statements express nothing but his own personal opinion, and have no meaning beyond that."
He added that "As part of the GPO's job as the organization responsible for relations between foreign news outlets and the Israeli government, we also have close contact with influencers and media figures from the Christian world. Mike Evans, the founder of the Friends of Zion Museum, who has about 80 million followers in the Christian world, is just one of them. In past years, we held similar conferences with the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, the Museum of Tolerance, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and others, as part of a yearly working plan with the Christian media in Israel and the Christian world in general."
Evans has purported in the past to have 77 million followers, and claims to be the biggest evangelical leader in the world based on that figure. But as Judy Maltz reported in 2021, that number is taken from the number of "likes," real and purchased alike, on his Facebook page for the Jerusalem Prayer Team, which was shut down for ostensibly violating content guidelines that year. In its current iteration, the page has 30 million followers.
[Salon] PRESIDENT BIDEN IS NOT, SADLY, FOLLOWING HIS OWN PRINCIPLES IN THE MIDDLE EAST -
PRESIDENT BIDEN IS NOT, SADLY, FOLLOWING HIS OWN PRINCIPLES IN THE MIDDLE EAST
BY
ALLAN C. BROWNFELD
————————————————————————————————————————-
The policy President Biden is now following in the Middle East is, sadly, contrary to his own oft stated principles and hopes for the future.
Repeatedly, President.Biden has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the world that U.S. policy calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Netanyahu, for his part, says he will never support the creation of a Palestinian state. Instead, he is building Jewish settlements throughout the West Bank, which Israel has occupied in violation of international law for more than 50 years. Members of the Netanyahu government talk of annexing the territory and expelling its indigenous population.
On January 28, a meeting took place in Jerusalem aimed at encouraging the reestablishment of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip. It was attended by nearly a third of the Netanyahu cabinet, including eleven ministers and 15 coalition lawmakers. According to The Times of Israel, “Thousands of attendees from the religious Zionist community attended the conference. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke about ‘encouraging voluntary emigration’ of Palestinians from Gaza, as well as resettling the Strip. Communications Minister Shlomo Kavhi, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, went further, suggesting that the emigration need not be voluntary.”
The Biden administration has been pushing for a reformed Palestinian Authority returning to govern Gaza as part of a broader initiative that would see Saudi Arabia normalize ties with Israel, while Jerusalem would agree to take steps to establish a pathway toward a Palestinian state. Netanyahu, despite receiving billions of dollars of U.S. aid annually, has dismissed both the creation of a Palestinian state and allowing the Palestinian Authority to return to govern Gaza, while refusing to articulate a viable alternative. In recent weeks, Israel has been razing Palestinian homes along the border to create a buffer zone. This has sparked alarm in Washington, which has insisted that there be no reduction in Gaza’s territory after the war.
It seems clear that Israel’s government is doing the opposite of what Washington believes would represent a movement toward genuine peace. Its leaders are increasingly intemperate. Israel’s president Isaac Herzog, described as a “liberal,” says there are no such thing as “uninvolved civilians in Gaza.” Leftist politician Yair Golen says that the Gazans can just “die from starvation, it’s totally legitimate.” (Times of Israel, Jan. 30, 2024).
A statement by a U.S. National SecurityCouncil spokesperson said Washington is “troubled by the recent Jerusalem meeting calling for the mass displacement of Gaza’s Palestinian population.” The White House declared, “We have also been clear, consistent and unequivocal against the enforced relocation of Palestinians outside Gaza.”
Yet, as the Israeli government pursues policies which the Biden administration views as a threat to peace, and as groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch,and the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem characterize Israel’s treatment of Palestinians as. “apartheid,” aid from U.S. taxpayers continues to flow—-with no strings attached. From 1951 to 2022,adjusting for inflation, U.S.aid to Israel totaled $317.9 billion, making it the largest recipient of U.S. aid. At the present time, Israel, a prosperous country, receives $3.8 billion annually. The Congressional Research Service reports that this aid includes numerous provisions that are not available to other recipients. These include aid “as all cash grant transfers, not designated for particular projects, and transferred as a lump sum in the first month of the fiscal year, instead of in installments. Israel is allowed to spend about a quarter of the military aid for the procurement in Israel of defense articles and services…rather than in the U.S.”
To provide massive aid to a prosperous country which is violating international law with a more than fifty year occupation, and which now rejects the call by both the U.S. and the international community to create a Palestinian state, makes little
sense. This blank check for an Israeli government which seems indifferent to both U.S. interests and Palestinian rights is also increasingly unpopular with Jewish Americans.
Writing in the Jewish newspaper The Forward (Jan.19, 2024), Fylan Williams, a Vice President of the liberal Zionist group J Street, notes that, “Netanyahu explicitly rejects a Palestinian state, yet continues to receive U.S. assistance…Expressly rejecting calls by the administration of President Joe Biden for a ‘day after’ approach that sets Palestinian statehood as a goal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that Israel ‘must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River,’ boasting that he ‘blocked the (U.S.) attempt to dictate a reality that would have harmed Israel’s security.’ These comments publicly slammed the door on American and international hopes of resurrecting diplomacy toward a two-state solution.”
In Williams’ view, “Palestinian government officials who engage broadly with the international community are practically, and in some cases legally, bound to recognize Israel’s right to exist—-and notably have done so since the signing of the Oslo Accords thirty years ago.It is long past time for Biden to condition assistance to Israel and be insistent that the recognition must go both ways.”
For U.S. policy to make sense, our aid should only be used in pursuit of policies that serve American interests and world peace. President Biden seems to understand that the creation of a Palestinian state is essential to achieve peace in the region and isolate an adversary such as Iran. Yet he continues to provide massive aid to an Israeli government which intends to annex the illegally occupied West Bank and, in a worst case scenario, expel its indigenous Palestinian residents. 0ur aid dollars and our policy interests seem to contradict one another. It is time to bring them into harmony.
##
————————
Allan C.Brownfeld is a nationally syndicated columnist and is editor of ISSUES, the quarterly journal of the American Council for Judaism (www.acjna.org).
--
Sulaiman Ahmed on X: "BREAKING: UK CONSIDERS RECOGNISING PALESTINE AS A STATE FOR 1ST TIME The UK will give consideration to unilaterally recognising the State of Palestine BEFORE a two state solution. This is a huge moment in British history. The recognition would remove Israel’s veto power over… https://t.co/to0Vd8vByg" / X
Critical Minerals Problems Need a… | The Breakthrough Institute
Critical Minerals Problems Need a… | The Breakthrough Institute: The Breakthrough Institute is an environmental research center based in Berkeley, California. Our research focuses on identifying and promoting…
UPS Announces 12,000 Job Cuts Due to Drop in Package Volume | The Epoch Times
UPS Announces 12,000 Job Cuts Due to Drop in Package Volume | The Epoch Times: UPS is sometimes seen as a bellwether for the worldwide economy.
Elon Musk's Neuralink implants brain chip in first human | Reuters
Elon Musk's Neuralink implants brain chip in first human | Reuters: The first human patient has received an implant from brain-chip startup Neuralink on Sunday and is recovering well, the company's billionaire founder Elon Musk said.
Defense Innovation Board to study foreign partnerships and tech adoption incentives | InsideDefense.com
Defense Innovation Board to study foreign partnerships and tech adoption incentives | InsideDefense.com: Following memos from a senior Pentagon official, the Defense Innovation Board today announced two new studies to optimize innovation with U.S. allies and align incentives for faster acquisition and technology adoption.
U.S advances F-35 deal with Czech Republic | InsideDefense.com
U.S advances F-35 deal with Czech Republic | InsideDefense.com: The Czech Republic today penned a final deal with the Biden administration to buy 24 F-35 fighter aircraft, worth about 150 billion Czech koruna or $6.5 billion.
U.S. weapon sales surge by 56% as Washington looks to build up NATO | InsideDefense.com
U.S. weapon sales surge by 56% as Washington looks to build up NATO | InsideDefense.com: U.S. foreign military sales increased by 56% in fiscal year 2023 for a record-breaking total of $81 billion, a significant boost above the $52 billion reported in FY-22 and coming at a time when NATO is bolstering its defenses against Russia, according to new data from the State Department.
Monday, January 29, 2024
China’s industrial profits set for rebound in 2024, increase as much as 11% due to improved US export outlook | South China Morning Post
China’s industrial profits set for rebound in 2024, increase as much as 11% due to improved US export outlook | South China Morning Post: Profits at China’s largest industrial enterprises fell for a second consecutive year in 2023, but analysts say they could increase by between 7 and 11 per cent this year due to an improved export outlook.
N.S.A. Buys Americans’ Internet Data Without Warrants, Letter Says - The New York Times
N.S.A. Buys Americans’ Internet Data Without Warrants, Letter Says - The New York Times: The disclosure comes amid congressional scrutiny and a Federal Trade Commission crackdown on commercial data brokers.
The Pentagon Tried to Hide That It Bought Americans’ Data Without a Warrant | WIRED
The Pentagon Tried to Hide That It Bought Americans’ Data Without a Warrant | WIRED: US spy agencies purchased Americans’ phone location data and internet metadata without a warrant but only admitted it after a US senator blocked the appointment of a new NSA director.
Red Sea shipping disruptions ripple through Asia-Europe supply chains - Nikkei Asia
Red Sea shipping disruptions ripple through Asia-Europe supply chains - Nikkei Asia: TOKYO -- Political turbulence in the Red Sea is forcing global shippers to make more costly journeys and increasing pressure on companies to review th
Sunday, January 28, 2024
UNRWA chief asks donors to reconsider as Germany joins cascade freezing funds | The Times of Israel
UNRWA chief asks donors to reconsider as Germany joins cascade freezing funds | The Times of Israel: Phillip Lazzarini 'shocked' by 'irresponsible' moves by 9 countries to cut off contributions to Palestinian refugee agency after staffers found to have participated in Oct.7 massacre
Biden Administration Sells Off Crucial US Helium Stockpile | The Daily Caller
Biden Administration Sells Off Crucial US Helium Stockpile | The Daily Caller: The Biden Administration sold off the Federal Helium Reserve on Thursday that accounts for 30% of the nation's helium supply.
China’s Economy: Cassandra vs. Pollyanna | China Books Review
China’s Economy: Cassandra vs. Pollyanna | China Books Review: Some analysts are performing an autopsy on the Chinese economy. Others say it has never had more potential for growth. Who will win in this cage fight of the economists?
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282: The Door Plug Disaster, Explained
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282: The Door Plug Disaster, Explained: If nothing else, this investigation should continue to shed light on a little-understood part of airliner design.
Arctic Permafrost Thaw May Trigger Climate Crisis
Arctic Permafrost Thaw May Trigger Climate Crisis: Layers of methane gas sit trapped below permafrost in Arctic regions, but if they’re released, it could spell trouble for the rest of the world.
Earth’s Forces Are Causing This Massive Plate to Split in Two
Earth’s Forces Are Causing This Massive Plate to Split in Two: Why one of the biggest countries in the world is on the brink of bifurcation.
Saturday, January 27, 2024
(1) Israel's Day of Reckoning - by John J. Mearsheimer
(1) Israel's Day of Reckoning - by John J. Mearsheimer
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its Order yesterday (26 January 2024) on the South African case against Israel involving possible genocide in Gaza.
Predictably, the coverage of the Order in the mainstream media in the West aims to spin the story in ways that are most favorable to Israel, which means minimizing or omitting those elements of the story that make Israel look bad and emphasizing that the ICJ did not order Israel to cease all military operations in Gaza.
Hardly anyone expected the ICJ to rule that Israel would have to stop all military operations in Gaza, since it is at war with Hamas, and the court cannot order Hamas to cease its military operations against Israel. What the ICJ did tell Israel, however, is that it must focus its offensive on Hamas, and not target the civilian population. After all, the genocide charge revolves around what Israel is doing to the civilian population in Gaza, not Hamas.
What really matters in the Order is what it says about Israel committing genocide. How could it be otherwise? Genocide is the crime of all crimes.
The Order clearly states that there is: 1) plausible evidence that Israel has the intent to commit genocide; and 2) there is plausible evidence that Israel is committing genocide.
In response to that dire situation the court ordered Israel to stop committing those acts that appear to be genocidal, and to preserve any evidence that bears on this matter, obviously for the trial ahead.
In short, the ICJ did not make a final decision on the charge of genocide against Israel, but said there is sufficient evidence at this point to believe there is a “real and imminent risk” of genocide, and therefore Israel must fundamentally alter its conduct of the war in Gaza.
I think this is a stunning outcome, especially when you consider the votes among the 17 members of the ICJ.
(1) Toward the Abyss - by Dan Lieberman
(1) Toward the Abyss - by Dan Lieberman
One word characterizes United States foreign policy - counterproductive.
Major U.S. foreign policy decisions after World War II — Vietnam War, Lebanon intrusion, Somalia incursion, Afghan/Soviet War, Afghan occupation, Iraq War, support for Shah of Iran, and Libyan Wars — have been counterproductive, not resolving situations and eventually harming the American people. The one-sided relationship the United States has with Israel is another counterproductive policy that is harmful to the American public
Persistent attention to Israel and its dubious position in the world may seem overkill, except this attention is one of the most important, mortally affecting the U.S. public. Until a complete report of fatal relations with Israel is placed on the desks of U.S. congresspersons and they act positively upon the contents, attention to the issue is incomplete and peril continues. Surveying U.S. policies that favored Israel collects a horrendous list of American fatalities, economic havoc, international terrorism, political misalignment, hatred, and aggression against fortress America.
[Salon] John Whitbeck's remarks to the EMERGENCY LONDON CONFERENCE OF GLOBAL INTELLECTUALS OF CONSCIENCE ON JANUARY 27, 2024 TO STOP GENOCIDE IN GAZA - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail
[Salon] John Whitbeck's remarks to the EMERGENCY LONDON CONFERENCE OF GLOBAL INTELLECTUALS OF CONSCIENCE ON JANUARY 27, 2024 TO STOP GENOCIDE IN GAZA - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail
REMARKS TO THE EMERGENCY CONFERENCE OF GLOBAL INTELLECTUALS OF
CONSCIENCE AGAINST GENOCIDE – LONDON, JANUARY 27, 2024
I recognize that it may seem indecent to suggest that there could be a
silver lining in a genocide. The ongoing genocide is horrific, and every
conceivable effort should be exerted to bring it to a prompt end.
However, concerned people of conscience should also be thinking now
of both creative and practical ways by which the outrage and disgust of
most of mankind could be constructively built upon to advance the
cause of peace with some measure of justice.
The international lawyer and historian John McHugo has recently
written: “Paradoxically, the atrocities of 7 October and their grim
aftermath might bring something like a settlement of the
Israel/Palestine question closer -- if only because they are forcing the
international community to focus its attention on the need to reach a
peace which reflects justice.” I agree.
Before October 7, the Question of Palestine had virtually dropped off
the world’s radar. Most Israelis assumed that the status quo -- a
perpetual occupation and an effective apartheid one-state reality -- was
both sustainable and the best of all possible worlds for them.
The Palestinians still living in Palestine appeared resigned to their fate
and their oppression or incapable of doing anything to change it or
both.
The events which commenced on October 7 have constituted a wake-
up call to the world and have wrought a transformational change,
restoring Palestine to the front and center of the world’s consciousness
and causing people throughout the world who had not previously given
much or any thought to Palestine to become aware of the massive
injustices inflicted on the Palestinian people not just recently but over
the past century.
The manifestations of solidarity with the Palestinian people throughout
the Global South and, particularly among young people and people of
color, even in Western countries have been hugely encouraging, not
just for the Palestinian people but for humanity as a whole.
This transformational change offers opportunities which can and must
be built upon.
I will briefly mention two significant opportunities to build upon this
surge of consciousness and solidarity.
While It was disappointing that the International Court of Justice did
not explicitly order an immediate ceasefire, in all other respects the
court’s near-unanimous decision was highly positive.
Indeed, the court did order Israel to take all measures within its power
to prevent the killing or the causing of serious bodily or mental harm to
Palestinians in Gaza -- an order impossible to comply with without
ceasing fire.
While ICJ orders are binding and non-appealable, it is clear that Israel
will ignore the ICJ’s order, as it has ignored the court’s near-unanimous
2004 opinion on the illegality of the Apartheid Wall and all “binding”
and “non-binding” UN resolutions against it.
However, it will be extremely awkward for the governments of the
United States, the United Kingdom and other Western countries to defy
a “binding” order of the world’s highest judicial authority by continuing
to support, militarily, financially and diplomatically, Israel’s genocidal
assault against the people of Gaza.
Some member of the UN Security Council (most likely Algeria, the new
non-permanent member representing the Arab world since January 1)
should promptly introduce a resolution demanding that all states
comply with the ICJ’s order and not provide any form of support to any
state not complying with the order.
If the United States were to veto such a resolution, it would be
reconfirming that the subservience of its political class to Israeli
domination and control has reduced the United States to the status,
like Israel, of an outlaw, rogue and virtually pariah state.
Even President Biden might hesitate to publicly declare such blatant
contempt for the rule of law.
Whatever choice the U.S. government makes, law-abiding governments
with humane principles, encouraged by their own people, should then
apply sanctions, embargoes and boycotts consistent with the Genocide
Convention’s requirements and the court’s order.
In addition, President Biden and spokespeople for his administration
have been insisting on an almost daily basis that a “two-state solution”
is the only “solution” and one that is very much in the interests of
Israelis, while the European Union and individual European states have
been following the American lead and climbing, at least rhetorically,
aboard the “two-state solution” bandwagon.
The only way to test whether President Biden is now sincere and
serious about actually achieving a “two-state solution” is for the State
of Palestine to apply to the UN Security Council for a status upgrade
from observer state to full member state and thereby to challenge the
U.S. government to demonstrate its sincerity and seriousness by not
vetoing Palestine’s application. -- indeed, better yet, by voting in favor
of the application and itself joining the 139 other states, encompassing
the vast majority of mankind, which have already extended diplomatic
recognition to the State of Palestine.
In the current circumstances and in the context of current American
rhetoric, a decision to veto Palestinian statehood would be an act of
profound self-harm and self-humiliation that would make the United
States look ridiculous.
UN member state status would not be purely symbolic. The occupation
of the entire territory of a UN member state by another UN member
state could not be permitted to continue indefinitely and without
consequences. The writing would be well and truly on the wall.
The Palestinian leadership in Ramallah should seize this unprecedented
but time-sensitive opportunity to transform the current two-state
legality in international law into a two-state reality on the ground.
For more than 100 days, the Palestinian people have been paying an
unimaginably high price to produce transformational change toward
some measure of justice.
All people of conscience should do whatever the
Israel-Hamas Peace Talks Are US Aim With Fresh Hostage Deal - Bloomberg
Israel-Hamas Peace Talks Are US Aim With Fresh Hostage Deal - Bloomberg: The US hopes a fresh hostage deal between Israel and Hamas will create the space for talks to achieve a more lasting regional peace agreement, a State Department official said Friday, offering a longer-term vision for the Biden administration as its negotiators criss-cross the region in search of a breakthrough.
US Is Still World’s Biggest Economy as It Extends Lead Over China - Bloomberg
US Is Still World’s Biggest Economy as It Extends Lead Over China - Bloomberg: The US has pulled further ahead of China in the race for world’s biggest economy, thanks in part to a vibrant American consumer.
US GDP Grew at a 3.3% Rate in Fourth Quarter, Capping Solid 2023 - Bloomberg
US GDP Grew at a 3.3% Rate in Fourth Quarter, Capping Solid 2023 - Bloomberg: The US economy’s fourth-quarter growth trounced forecasts as cooling inflation fueled consumer spending, capping a surprisingly strong year that defied recession calls.
US forces must leave, one way or another: Iraqi MP to Al Mayadeen | Al Mayadeen English
US forces must leave, one way or another: Iraqi MP to Al Mayadeen | Al Mayadeen English: The head of the Iraqi Rights Movement Hussein Mouanes says there will be no sovereignty in Iraq without the expulsion of US forces.
The Huge Pluses and Scary Prospects as AI Takes Hold – DC Journal - InsideSources
The Huge Pluses and Scary Prospects as AI Takes Hold – DC Journal - InsideSources: The article you are about to read may or may not have been written by me. You can try to verify its authorship by calling me on the telephone. The voice
EMERGENCY LONDON CONFERENCE OF GLOBAL INTELLECTUALS OF CONSCIENCE ON JANUARY 27, 2024 TO STOP GENOCIDE IN GAZA | Global Justice in the 21st Century
EMERGENCY LONDON CONFERENCE OF GLOBAL INTELLECTUALS OF CONSCIENCE ON JANUARY 27, 2024 TO STOP GENOCIDE IN GAZA | Global Justice in the 21st Century: [Prefatory Note: Program of London Conference of Conscience and Concern to Stop Genocide held on January 27, and live streamed and recorded for later distribution; it comes the day after the histor…
Friday, January 26, 2024
Opinion | Hasty divorce from China not the right path to US economic resilience | South China Morning Post
Opinion | Hasty divorce from China not the right path to US economic resilience | South China Morning Post: A US House select committee report calling for higher tariffs on Chinese goods underlines the prevailing bipartisan mood in Washington. While it makes sense for the US to broaden its supply base beyond China, the disruptions in the Red Sea have shown that alternative locations must be chosen with care.
Commerce Secretary & Others Discuss AI & Innovation | C-SPAN.org
Commerce Secretary & Others Discuss AI & Innovation | C-SPAN.org: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Stanford University computer scientist Fei-Fei Li discussed artificial intelligence and technological innovation at an event hosted by the Hoover Institution in Washington, DC. They explained the importance of the government partnering with universities and the private sector for research and development, as well as working with foreign allies to establish standards and regulations. Secretary Raimondo also talked about the Biden administration's latest work on AI, such as using the Defense Production Act to know more about large language models and to strengthen national security.
[Salon] The world’s most dangerous man? - ArabDigest.org
[Salon] The world’s most dangerous man? - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail
The world’s most dangerous man?
Summary: in stoutly backing Israel’s PM, the US and the UK are enabling a politician who in his bid for self-preservation is prepared to plunge the Middle East into a catastrophic regional war.
Is Benjamin Netanyahu poised to don the mantle of the world’s most dangerous man? That’s not to deny Vladimir Putin the moniker but with the Ukraine war in a stalemate the Russian president is not an immediate threat to spark a massive regional war. Donald Trump still has a long journey ahead if he is to get back to the White House. Xi Jinping is far too busy with domestic issues caused by a failing Chinese economy. And Kim Jong Un though he keeps up the drumbeat of threats is small beer when compared to the big three of Putin, Trump and Xi.
Which brings us back to Bibi. His determination to continue the Gaza war while denying any possibility of a two-state solution is built solely on his desire to avoid a conviction and jail time for fraud and corruption. He has no qualms or compunction about the staggering death toll in Gaza now above 25000 nor the more than 300 Palestinians killed in the Occupied West Bank by the IDF and settler vigilantes. He has shown little concern for the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza and no remorse whatsoever for his responsibility in the catastrophic security failures that allowed the Hamas attack. Even his eulogy for the 24 IDF soldiers killed in Khan Younis – the biggest single IDF loss over many decades – had the stench of hypocrisy hanging over it.
Small wonder that the rage of the grieving families of the hostages is reaching boiling point. Netanyahu has backed himself into a corner; his coalition partners the fascist ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are more in control of the game than he is. Their dream of a Greater Israel cleansed of Palestinians is, they fervently believe, within striking distance.
What then makes the Israeli prime minister such a threat to global security? It is, in fact, not the man himself with his overweening arrogance and his urgent wish to avoid prison pajamas. It is rather the enablers. The enabler in chief is the US president Joe Biden backed by his loyal Secretary of State Antony Blinken who scuttles from one Middle East capital to another and back to Israel in a weirdly relentless and utterly ineffectual bid to resurrect the Abraham Accords while calling for Israeli restraint in Gaza even as his boss continues to supply the bombs that are delivering genocidal destruction of the Strip and its people.
Thousands of people have demonstrated in Tel Aviv calling for the return of hostages held in Gaza and early elections to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [photo credit: X]
In this perverse Alice in Wonderland world truth is stood on its head, reality denied over and over again. The claim that most of Gaza is pacified is undercut by the evidence in front of us as Khan Younis is pummelled and the IDF suffers significant losses. The claim that the military goes out of its way to protect civilians is daily revealed as a grotesque lie. On 24 January a UN shelter in Khan Younis was hit by Israeli tank fire killing at least 20 civilians, an attack the IDF initially denied but then said it was investigating. Yesterday saw the shelling of civilians lining up for humanitarian aid in Gaza City with a death toll of more than 20 and many dozens wounded. Earlier in the week an unarmed civilian under a white flag was killed on the outskirts of Khan Younis. He was shot just after an ITV camera-journalist had finished interviewing him. The entire sequence is captured on film: the interview, the shooting, the attempt to retrieve the body, the victim's wife rushing forward screaming her grief, the scattering of survivors as the IDF renewed firing on unarmed civilians.
The IDF declared the film had been selectively edited and was an “extension of Hamas propaganda.” When queried in the House of Commons by the SNP on Wednesday Prime Minister Sunak shrugged off the question of whether the shooting constituted a war crime with the now-ritualistic response that “international humanitarian law should be respected and civilians should be protected. I have made that point expressly to Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Foreign Secretary is in the region making exactly the same point.” So, to borrow from Private Eye, that’s alright then.
Lord Cameron in his meeting with Netanyahu again presented the two-state solution which again the Israeli PM will brush aside. In his long political career Netanyahu has always sought to destroy the possibility of a viable Palestinian state but it is only in the past few days that he has so nakedly declared his intentions, perhaps in obeisance to the fascists in his government who will bring him down if he even so much as hints he is succumbing to pressure from Washington.
In the midst of this mad and dangerous inversion of reality, the Huthis have increased their attacks in the Red Sea. So much for US and UK strikes that were supposed to cow them. The Huthis have made their position abundantly clear: in return for a ceasefire in Gaza they will cease the targeting of shipping in the Red Sea. Stripped bare it is a muscular call for de-escalation. The response of the US has been to hit back and reinforce the path of escalation. The UK, bizarrely claiming self-defence, has gone along on two of the raiding parties while steadfastly clinging to the fiction that events in the Red Sea have nothing to do with the Gaza war. Both of those reality-warping positions are supported by the opposition Labour Party and its leader Keir Starmer.
The Huthis are now claiming successful ballistic missile attacks on US Navy vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al Mandab straits, a claim which the Americans have denied. It may indeed be a piece of bombastic Huthi propaganda but on the other hand Biden is well aware of the traction Donald Trump gains every time the US enters into another foreign military engagement. Publicly acknowledging the attack on naval vessels would up the ante substantially and risk further embroiling the US in Netanyahu’s war. That’s an outcome the Israeli PM wants to see but it is one that Biden needs to avoid as it becomes clear that after his rival’s New Hampshire primary win Trump will be the GOP presidential candidate in November.
Meanwhile Israel has conducted strikes on the IRGC in Damascus and Hezbollah in Beirut with Netanyahu talking of a long war on several fronts. Even as the Israelis continue to poke and prod them, the Iranians want to avoid an all-out war. But should Teheran’s patience snap the war that Bibi wants will become reality. So yes that would make him the world’s most dangerous man.
Constitutional Crisis at the Border?
https://www.realclearpolicy.com/2024/01/26/constitutional_crisis_at_the_border_1007685.html?mc_cid=beb6b52731&mc_eid=f66cfc8eb9
Are Houthi attacks doing that much damage to the world economy? | Responsible Statecraft
Are Houthi attacks doing that much damage to the world economy? | Responsible Statecraft
In the past two weeks, the U.S. has carried out at least 10 rounds of airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthis, who have responded with more attacks on Red Sea ships. The Biden administration argues that a “sustained campaign” of strikes is now necessary to protect the continued flow of global trade.
“These assaults, notably the unprecedented use of anti-ship ballistic missiles, have significantly disrupted the free flow of commerce and navigational rights in one of the globe's most critical waterways,” a senior Pentagon official said Monday.
There is some data to support this argument. So far, the Houthis have hijacked one ship and launched at least 34 attacks, none of which have led to casualties or major damage to the vessels. Fully 90% of container ships that would usually travel through the Suez Canal are now going around Africa, according to some analysts.
The disruption also led to a 1.3% drop in global trade in December of last year, and uncertainty about Red Sea shipping has made it all the more difficult to get international aid into Sudan. Even China — not exactly a U.S. ally — has called for de-escalation in the Red Sea to get shipping back on track.
But do the Houthi attacks really pose a major threat to world trade, as the Biden administration claims? If so, is that a good enough reason to risk further escalation by bombing the Houthis when less risky options are still available?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)