Putin and Catalonia

Thomas Riggins

Anything that weakens NATO and the UE and splits the unity of the ruling capitalist group in the West -- such as secessionist movements, rogue political parties on the left (not the fascist groups) should be encouraged because it discomforts the number one imperialist world alliance headed by the U.S. Turnabout is fair play and Russia is still smarting from the US/NATO break up of Yugoslavia and Serbia and its coup in Ukraine against the legally elected president because he wouldn't break friendly relations with Russia and become a EU puppet. The Russian bourgeoisie is infinitely weaker than the transnational monopoly capitalist bourgeoisie which controls the globalized world economy and is headed by the US financial capitalists and their allies and can be used as an unwitting Trojan Horse by the left. El País, by the way, is a mouthpiece for the monopoly capitalists and no friend of the real left as are most Social Democrats and Center or Center/Left alliances: "The paper has criticized figures such as Che Guevara and his idea of armed struggle.More recently, it has also shown its clear opposition to the popular leftist movement in Spain Podemos.El País has also been critical of the so-called "populist left" in Latin America. In April 2002, it termed the failed coup in Venezuela as a "coup against a tyrant", accusing Hugo Chávez of authoritarianism and of eliminating the separation of powers.[46] The paper criticized Chávez again regarding the Venezuelan constitutional referendum of 2007, accusing him of holding the referendum without the least "minimal guarantees", of restricting the actions of the National Electoral Council, and of tampering with the electoral roll.[47] The Venezuelan government, through the Ministry of Popular Power for Communication and Information, considers El País to be one of the Spanish newspapers most critical of the left-wing governments of Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Bolivia."-Wikipedia

Putin encourages independence movement via envoy to Catalonia

Dimitri Medoyev, from partially recognized republic of South Ossetia, arrived this week in Barcelona for meetings with business figures

ELPAIS.COM

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Bugs' Fate is Our Fate

"Bugs" may not be our favorite animals but we are part of the same web of life and the bugs are telling us something about our fate as well. Birds eat bugs and so we have another article: "Global BIRD POPULATIONS Face Dramatic Decline In Coming ...
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/..." and" World's OCEANS in 'shocking' decline - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13796479
Jun 19, 2011 · World's oceans in 'shocking' decline. ... they warn that ocean life is "at ... the environmental changes are much more rapid," Professor Rogers told BBC News." "And World WILDLIFE populations halved in 40 years - told BBC News
www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29418983
World wildlife populations halved in 40 ... of FISH populations if we are to have an accurate picture of the rate of population decline for species in that ..." And Decline of Earth's PLANT LIFE threatens human life
www.peoplesworld.org/article/decline-of-earth-s-plant...
A recent scientific study comparing the role of plants in the sustainability of life on Earth and the current rapid destruction of such life has convinced many ..." ECT., etc. 

Planet Earth is suffering a sickness unto death and we humans (specifically our capitalist world order) is responsible for this environmental disaster due to human caused climate change. Our response? We install a President who is a climate denier and who puts climate deniers in charge of every agency and department of government designed to protect the environment -- Trump is an existential threat to the existence of the entire human race -- but not as an individual but as a representative of the economic and political forces of U.S. and ultimately trans national financial (monopoly) capitalism. Our solution -- to fritter around trying to figure out which corporate Democrat with which to replace him (smell the coffee: all the Democrats are corporate since, whatever their domestic views, they all support the military industrial complex, military expansion and NATO [even Bernie!] and fighting the fossil fuel industry and international capital is all sound and fury, signifying nothing: our last best hope is the new rebirth of the international Communist and workers movement, the leftward change going on in China, and the growth, small as it is -- but growing -- of socialist consciousness in the U.S. -- and this should be the major thrust of the CP since the DSA will only lead people down a blind alley -- it's do or die folks.

More than 75 percent decrease in total flying insect biomass over 27 years across Germany: Changes in weather, land use, habitat do not explain overall decline

SCIENCEDAILY.COM

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Ex oriente lux

Thomas Riggins

"In his speech, Mr. Xi referred repeatedly to social tensions unleashed by economic inequality, pollution and inadequate access to health care, schools and housing." The real test for President Xi is how he solves these problems -- the solution to which is the true test of a committment to socialism. We have been told socialism is good in theory but doesn't work in practice, well China may be the last chance to make it work in practice so let's root for him. The West had ended up with Trump and the future of humanity appears to be doom and gloom -- it's time once again for ex Oriente lux.

Xi Jinping Opens China’s Party Congress, His Hold Tighter Than Ever

Warning of deep and complicated changes but describing the outlook as “extremely bright,” the president is set to make himself the indispensable man.

NYTIMES.COM

Inside the DPRK via The New York Times

Thomas Riggins

"The North Koreans insist that the U.S. make the first move and drop its sanctions and “hostile attitude” — which won’t happen." Well, this is what should happen. The world's greatest military power and most aggressive country, which doesn't hesitate to overthrow governments and invade countries to further its own interests, is threatening to wipe out a small country with a population smaller than Texas, has caused this crisis by constantly threatening and provoking the North Koreans with joint military games with South Korea, publicly announcing a first strike nuclear policy, and stationing its armed forces in adjacent countries for the purpose of imperialist control of the Pacific region under the guise of "defense." War or peace is our hands and we should make the first moves and drop our hostile attitude and work to have normal diplomatic relations with the DPRK. (Mr. Kristof's first two recommendations for solving the crisis are good but the four additional recommendations are part and parcel of the hostile and unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of another country which the U.S. thinks it has the right to do. Let the U.S. mind its own business and let the North Koreans deal with their internal affairs themselves.)

Opinion | Inside North Korea, and Feeling the Drums of War

A visit to the reclusive country reveals the perilous moment we’re in.

NYTIMES.COM

Trumpty Dumpty After Charlottesville

Trumpty Dumpty sat in his bower,

Trumpty Dumpty fell out of his tower,

And all of Fox News and the President's men

Couldn't put Trumpty Dumpty together again.

Russia-gate and the Democrats (Robert Parry's View)

Thomas Riggins

We can thank the Clintoncrat leadership in the DP and Congress as well as the GOP for the war rhetoric or worse surrounding the DPRK"s defense program. I hope the elements on the left that still mourn for the HRC gang will abandon their support for US imperialism (objectively if not subjectively) and get back to supporting working class internationalism. HRC was a necessary evil in the fight to prevent Trump's victory, now she is an unnecessary evil and we should acknowledge the fact and get on with the fight against Trump.

Russia-gate's Fatally Flawed Logic

Exclusive: By pushing the Russia-gate “scandal” and neutering President Trump’s ability to conduct diplomacy, Democrats and Congress have encouraged his war-making side on North Korea, writes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry There was always…

CONSORTIUMNEWS.COM

Russia worst off without the USSR by Thomas Riggins

This article indicates that the decline of Russia, despite its resurgent military, is entirely due to the fall of the Soviet Union and abolishment of Soviet socialism based on central planning (which allowed Russia to rise from a semi-feudal backwards peasant country to a major industrialized world power) and its replacement by a capitalist economic system manipulated by oligarchs. The NYT, of course, doesn't put it quite that way, but it's there if you read between the lines (it's the unconscious subtext).

Russia’s Villages, and Their Way of Life, Are ‘Melting Away’

Contrary to President Vladimir V. Putin’s claims of population growth, rural areas — long considered the wellspring of Russian culture and identity — are dying.

NYTIMES.COM

Cold War Games

Thomas Riggins

Just substitute USA for Russia, CIA for KGB and other relevent substitutions and this article could be a Russian oped about the US and its attempts to interfer and subvert the Russian government. This is what the cold war was all about and it really is not in Russia's interests to start it up again but it seems that both military and political forces in the USA that benefited and profited from the cold war would like to restart it. The Russians are reacting to our pokes and pushes, they are not deliberately trying to antagonize us. (New York Times Comments)

Opinion | The Russians Were Involved. But It Wasn’t About Collusion.

Russian intelligence was probably behind Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with Kremlin-linked people last year, and they meant for it to be discovered.

NYTIMES.COM

Free Speech and Richard Dawkins by Thomas Riggins

Considering all the different views people have it seems impossible not to express religious and political views that might "hurt people." Richard Dawkins has said some incredibility stupid things about Islam and Moslems but should he be banned from giving a talk on evolution, or science, or atheism when he is internationally recognized as a scholar in these fields? 

The station's general manager says “We believe that it is our free speech right not to participate with anyone who uses hateful or hurtful language against a community that is already under attack.” So he cancelled Dawkins' talk. His comment amounts to "We believe in free speech as long as we agree with it." Well we couldn't use "hurtful" language against the Nazi movement since it's a community being attacked.
Granted that as a scientist Dawkins should not get carried away with his emotions and make really dumb unscientific pronouncements about Islam but pointing them out should be sufficient remedy without attacking free speech rights.
Examples: Nobody calling himself a "rationalist" would make this stupid Dawkins tweet: "I think Islam is the greatest force for evil in the world today. I've said so, often and loudly." There is no such thing "Islam" tout court -- there are Sunni's, and Shites, and Alawites, and Sufi's, etc., and many permutations of all the above -- saints and sinners just like any other group of humans. Such a general tweet is just foolish ("evil" isn't even a useful term for a rationalist).
" In 2015, he wondered whether Ahmed Mohamed — the boy in Texas who was suspended after bringing a homemade clock to school that officials said resembled a bomb — wanted to get arrested given that the episode led to an invitation to the White House and crowdfunding." Dawkins must think the young man has prescience.
Just like the rest of us Dawkins says stupid things and doesn't always let logic and science overrule his emotions. As a "passionate rationalist" we can hope he will be more rational and less passionate but even if he isn't he shouldn't be censored and have his talks canceled by hypocrites.

Richard Dawkins Event Canceled Over Past Comments About Islam

A Berkeley radio station canceled an event promoting Mr. Dawkins’s new book, citing past comments and tweets that it said had “hurt people.”

NYTIMES.COM

Conspiracy or After Dinner Chit-Chat

Thomas Riggins 

Undisclosed? They sat and talked in full few of the people at the dinner. This article is so slanted it looks like the liberal version of a report by Bill Riley. Look at this ridiculous comment the NYT reproduces from one of its hearsay sources who wasn't even there: “We have the worst relationship as a country right now with Russia that we have in decades, and yet we have these two leaders that, for reasons that do not make sense and have not been explained to anyone’s satisfaction, are hellbent on adoring each other,” Mr. Bremmer said. “You can take everything that’s been given to us, and it doesn’t add up.” Really? 1. It makes perfect sense to try and improve the "worse relationship" so Trump's initiating a one on one talk at a dinner is a positive development. The idea that he was lured into this by Putin (expressed elsewhere in the article) is laughable -- he went over to talk with him on his own. 2. Nothing either of them has done indicates that Putin is "hellbent on adoring" Trump (or vice versa). This is just propagandist hyperbole more suited to the NY Post but becoming more frequent these days in the NYT as well. What doesn't add up is the nonsense passing as "news" concerning Russia and Putin in the mainstream media. There are millions of our fellow citizens completely ignorant of anything going on outside of their own backyards, their occasional contact with the press should alleviate not reinforce this ignorance. They should especially check out, online, The People's World (while occasionally succumbing to this meme it provides a much more realistic portrayal of realty than the mainstream corporate reality).

Trump and Putin Held a Second, Undisclosed, Private Conversation

There is no official American record of the prolonged discussion between the two presidents on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit meeting.

NYTIMES.COM