Remembering Florida: 1987 Cape Canaveral protest against first-strike missile testing

 

In January of 1987 we organized the largest protest in my organizing career. The event was held at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida and I was working for the Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice.

We called the protest 'Cancel the Countdown!'.

More than 5,000 people turned out to protest the first test launch of the Trident II nuclear missile from the space center. 

Things actually began two weeks before the big rally.

Our 'Peace Pilgrimage to Stop the Trident' began at the Kings Bay Trident submarine base (built by President Jimmy Carter) which is located just over the Florida-Georgia border line. More than 200 people were on the peace walk. The walk was led by John & Martina Linnehan.

Affinity groups were formed on the peace walk as it headed south and just days before the pilgrimage reached Cape Canaveral small teams of activists began sneaking into the launch zone at the Cape. The public goal was to reach the Trident launch area and sit on the pad so the nuclear missile could not be test fired into space.

In the middle of the night people walked south down the beach to the Cape, others waded through the alligator and snake infested swamp, and others still found even more creative ways of getting into the forbidden zone. 

Each day for a week before the scheduled national protest, arrests were reported in front page articles in the local papers about those who had been captured by the military security. Warnings blared in the mainstream media about machine-gun armed military personnel and the dangers of being eaten by alligators. But the alarms did not deter people from their peaceful trek.

We were strongly supported by then national Mobilization for Survival that had its office in New York City. They organized a 'peace train' on Amtrak that began in Boston and headed south to Florida. At each big city they stopped, a news conference was held at the train station, and more people joined the journey to the Cape. Mobe staff helped in many ways to make this a special event.

On the day of the final rally a slew of great speakers and musicians took the stage at our protest area just one mile from the Cape Canaveral (now named) Space Force station gates. 

Among the speakers were Dr. Benjamin Spock (the famous baby doctor and activist), Odetta, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton and more. Peter Yarrow (from Peter, Paul and Mary) sang at a church fundraiser for the protest in Orlando the night before. 

Dr. Benjamin Spock

After the rally was finished we began a slow but deliberate march to the Cape's well-armed front gates. The day before several of us on the organizing team met with the Brevard County Sheriff's Department who told us that a 'counter protest' was planned against us. We agreed that the cops would keep us on one side of the four-lane road and the counter folks on the other side - with police down the middle. But things did not turn out that way.

During our rally we sent our peacekeeper team down to check out the front gate and they reported that the police were on the base side of the closed gate. And standing in front of the gate were beer drinking right-wingers who vowed to block us from entering the base. Many were carrying wooden sticks with signs on them.

As we approached this mad scene at the gate it was difficult to communicate with our peacekeepers on the walkie-talkies because a military chopper was just above our heads and along the river to the left side were air-boats making an additional racket. It was a prescription for a disaster. The police had set us up. 

One of the counter-protesters 'guarding' the front gate. Our numbers swallowed them up as we approached the missile launch base gate.

 

There were maybe 50 of the heavy drinking rightists and over 5,000 of us. As we made our final approach to the gates we paused and our peacekeepers went forward and mingled with the right-wingers. Then the rest of us just overwhelmed them with joy, love and determination to get over the fence. 

 

Among the many Florida Coalition leaders arrested was Bobbie Heinrich from Ft. Myers, Florida who went over the fence. She was a deeply spiritual woman and spent many years in Africa working with tribal people.

Ladders were placed up against the fence and large carpet remnants were slung over to cover the barbed wire. Dr. Spock was the first to climb over then many, many more followed. In the end over 200 of us were arrested either at the Cape base gate or during the previous days as folks attempted to venture into the launch zone. 

As it turns out one woman was able to reach one of the launch towers and picked up the phone and called security to come get her. The local media loved that story.

The reason we felt this protest so important was because the Trident nuclear missiles on submarines are a key element in Pentagon first-strike attack planning. 

It was in those days that I really began to understand that the US was setting in motion a dangerous and provocative program to gain global supremacy by threat of first-strike attack - something both China and Russia have renounced. It is even worse today.

I too climbed over the fence and spent five days in jail for refusing to give my real name - something many people did during that action. I said my name was Joe Nagasaki. (The jailers had never heard of Nagasaki and called me Nag-ass-key.)

My work today is just a continuation of those days back in the 1980's. I keep people like Dr. Spock and Bobbie Heinrich (and many others) close in my heart. 

Bruce  

See more photos from the protest here  

Hungarian Peace Community approves government’s intention to reduce sanctions

By Magyar Békekör Egyesület Hírek  (Budapest)

The Hungarian Community for Peace approves of the Orbán government’s intention to ease and reduce sanctions against Russia, the political association said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The NGO expects that at Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó’s meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, a step will be taken towards normalising relations with Moscow by reducing the sanctions policy, thereby facilitating a peace settlement in Ukraine.

In a letter sent to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on 21 February, the President of the Peace Community considered it necessary for the government to no longer vote for sanctions against Russia, not to consent to the extension of sanctions that have already been voted on, but to start reducing sanctions and normalising bilateral relations with Russia. He asked the Hungarian government to do everything in its power to remove Hungary from the Russian list of countries unfriendly to Russia.

According to the Peace Community, the Western sanctions policy has boomerang back on its masterminds, as their production costs have skyrocketed and the living standards of their people have fallen sensitively due to the rejection of Russian energy sources.

“We would consider it appropriate if the head of Hungarian diplomacy not only defended Hungarian interests in Washington, but also spoke in the interests of those European peace-loving forces who, unlike the Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen, would like to restore normal relations with Russia, because they know that without cooperation with it, the European Union will face further economic degradation,” the statement reads.

According to the Hungarian Community for Peace, economic and financial stability is in the common interest of Hungary and the United States, for which political compromise with Russia is indispensable.

Edited by Magyar Békekör  

In memory of memories....

 

MB and I are heading to Florida for some R & R and visits with folks.

My mind has been drifting back to Florida as we neared the time to head south. Memories of past work across the state brought the idea to share some of the campaigns we organized while I coordinated the Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice between 1983-1998.

So during the next two weeks I'll post some of the photos and stories from those early campaigns to keep space for peace.

I also plan to take in a spring training baseball game while there. (Tickets are getting so expensive these days.)

Bruce

Art by Bill Park (Florida native and one of my best all-time friends)

Does Europe really want war with Russia?

 

The EU-NATO globalists just can't stomach an end to the war in Ukraine. They've long been using Ukraine as a hammer to break up Russia into smaller nations. They want Russian resources.

This is nothing new as Europe has been regularly invading Russia for over 500 years. Sweden attacked Russia about 12 times. Napoleon in France unsuccessfully tried the same as well. Hitler famously attacked the former Soviet Union. Hitler lost the war but about 28 million Soviet citizens (military & civilian) were killed by the Nazi invasion.  (In comparison the US lost less than 500,000 troops in WW2. Still alot but you get the point.)

The European 'leaders' keep wrongly claiming that Russia wants to invade and take over all of Europe. That is pure BS.

The EU globalists (long connected to the Dems in the US) are urging the US to guarantee that Washington will come to their rescue if they get into a losing war with Russia. So far Trump appears not to be interested.

The big question now is how the taxpayers in Europe will respond to this crazy war program of the EU-NATO? Will the people there support massive cuts in social spending and enviro programs? How much longer can the faltering EU economies continue without cheaper Russian gas?

What will come next for Europe?

Bruce  

 

Coalition of the Killing

By Clare Daly (Former member of EU parliament from Ireland)
@ClareDalyIRL

EU leaders have now branded themselves the "Coalition of the Willing," a tribute act to the band of war criminals led by George W. Bush and Tony Blair, who lied to the world, spat on the UN Charter and launched a war of aggression against Iraq that killed a million human beings.  

Yes indeed but which Brits will get richer? 

Increased military spending will make Brits richer – Starmer

Trump's 50% cut in military with Russia & China gives U.S. big advantage

2023 global military spending

Sputnik

President Donald Trump floated offering Russia and China to join the US in slashing their defence budgets in half when speaking to reporters at the White House earlier in February, adding that he hoped to take this up with President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping “when things calm down”.

Washington hopes to drag Moscow and Beijing into “deceptive” 50% military spending cuts, staking on their desire to “avoid appearing disinterested in peace overtures by the US,” geopolitical analyst Brian Berletic told Sputnik.

The proposal is a ruse by Donald Trump aimed at rectifying the “disparity between the bloated US military budget” and the “more efficient ones of Moscow and Beijing,” noted the former US Marine.

"A genuine agreement would not be based on a percentage cut, but an equal reduction in [...] explicitly capabilities the US has used for decades to project power abroad, including its global-spanning network of military bases, its membership in aggressive blocs like NATO, its sea and airlift capabilities, and various types of missiles and drones (both naval and aerial) the US is right now developing to menace nations like Russia and China along, and within their own borders," he said.

Even if the US, Russia, and China were to slash military spending by 50%, proportionately America would "still enjoy greater overall spending than both nations combined, speculated the pundit.

Despite this proposal sounding promising at face value, he added, without further details from the US government’s side, it "appears to be an attempt to provide the US an overwhelming military advantage all while appearing to pursue global peace."

US President Donald Trump proposed that the United States, Russia, and potentially China each reduce their defense budgets by 50%, saying: "One of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia. And I want to say: 'Let's cut our military budget in half.' And we can do that."

Following this proposal, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin indicated Moscow’s openness to negotiations: “We are not against it. The idea is good: the US cuts by 50%, we cut by 50%, and if China wants, they can join later.”

China’s defense spending “is completely out of the need of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and the need of maintaining world peace,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated at a press conference on February 25.

Slow Motion Ethnic Cleansing in Hebron

Photograph Source: Oren Rozen – Own work – CC BY-SA 4.0

Counterpunch

By Ken Jones

“Tell our story!” the man in the checkpoint cage yelled, in English. He and a crowd of Palestinian Muslim men were jammed together waiting to be checked out, one at a time, by an Israeli soldier in a glass booth so they could go into Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque to pray. Such daily and routine humiliation is the hallmark of the Israeli occupation.

I was in Hebron (Al-Khalil) for two weeks recently as part of a Community Peacemaker Team (CPT) delegation. Every day, we accompanied or heard testimony from people living there who were living under the guns of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and the aggressive hostility of the 800 settlers who claim that the city of 200,000 was given to them by their god. Every night, I kept a blog trying to capture one of the many stories we heard of the oppression.

Hebron is in the southern part of the West Bank. It hasn’t gotten the genocidal Gaza treatment that Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams are now getting. But, as someone said to me, “We are waiting our turn.” It may be that the tanks and bombs will come to Hebron too, but at the moment, what is happening there is the decades-long grind of military occupation and settler colonialism.

The stories we heard are gruesome. And everyone has one. Most men have been taken to prison and tortured. It’s common to have your home broken into in the middle of the night by soldiers who yell, beat everyone, and kidnap fathers, sons and daughters, taking them away to unknown locations, with no charges, and for an undetermined time. Entire homes are demolished regularly. Land is stolen. Movement is restricted. Surveillance is constant and pervasive. These stories don’t make the news. They have become too normalized.

Here are a couple of stories that may give a glimpse of what daily life is like in Hebron.

One day, a 20 year old woman told us about her year in prison. She recounted the horribly dirty and crowded conditions, the scarcity and bad quality of the food, the strip searches, the beatings, the constant verbal abuse.

She said the hardest thing that she witnessed was when women from Gaza were brought in. They wore bloody clothes and their hijabs had been stripped away from them. They were given no beds, nothing to clean themselves with. They were given dirty clothes that had been deliberately contaminated with lice. When they went to the bathroom, they were taken by male soldiers.

Then she told us the story of Oct 7, 2024, the one year “memorial” of the Gazan attack on Israelis. An officer entered women’s rooms and gave them 30 seconds to cover themselves before soldiers came in. When the soldiers came, they put zip ties on the women’s hands, blindfolded them, and took them out. They made them lie face down on muddy ground, beat them, cursed hatefully at them, and brought police dogs out to terrorize them. While this was going on, soldiers went into their cells, took all of their clothes, and set off tear gas grenades in their cells. Then they put the women back in their cells.

On another day, an older man who was living in a family home handed down through generations told us of the daily harassment he has been subjected to by settlers living next to his house. Protected by the IOF, they are taking pieces of his land every day. They have poisoned his sheep, stolen his olives, and destroyed over 250 olive trees.

His home is frequently used for family gatherings. During one of these recent gatherings, a large group of settlers burst into the house and started assaulting people. Some of them were dressed as soldiers. There were many injuries, windows were broken, and cars damaged. Then they stopped an ambulance from getting to the house.

When at home in Asheville Ken Jones and friends regularly hold solidarity vigils on bridges. Ken makes the fancy banners as well like this one with lights!

Settlers have attacked his family in the fields and farm with stones, have brandished guns, and beaten them with sticks. They have driven jeeps right into the house, dumped bulldozers full of trash at their front door. Soldiers have tear gassed the inside of their home and flown drones overhead frequently.

The story we heard at the village of Um Al-Khair in the South Hebron Hills is emblematic of what is happening  all over the West Bank. The village consists largely of descendants of refugees from the 1948 Nakba.

Immediately next to the village is a settlement of some 500 Israeli families and nearby, a military base. The teens from the settlement act as front-line vigilantes. They roam around with sticks and pepper spray making life miserable and tense for the people of the village. They have broken into homes and beaten women, damaged the village water pump, and even herded sheep right into village homes.

Whenever the villagers complain to the police about such attacks, the police say they have been told by the settlers that the teens are being attacked by the Palestinians. The police threaten to arrest the villagers if they keep making these calls.

We were walked to a recently demolished house where a couple of young Palestinian men were sitting, looking sadly at the ruins. Three rooms and a water tank were all jumbled up in piles. One of the men told us his 60-year old mother, who owned the house, had been thrown to the ground when she yelled about her house being destroyed. There was nothing the son or mother could do about it. Their family is now crowded in with a next door neighbor. In June, Israel had demolished 10 homes in one morning in the village.

We were told that Israeli law forbids people from rebuilding a demolished home in the same site. There is, in fact, a settler organization in Israel named Regavin that flies drones over newly demolished homes to report to the military any Palestinian attempt to rebuild. Still, the son and villagers are planning to rebuild the home.

Our village guide talked about the trauma of it all, especially for the kids. He said, “It is very hard for us to live in this condition. These people are not neighbors, they don’t care about us at all. They treat their dogs better than they treat us.” He worried about the mental health of his five young daughters and all of his friends living there.

We walked down to the paved road that was put in for the settlement. It was put over a dirt road that had been there since Jordan controlled this territory many years ago. Israel now defined the paved road as the border of the village, beyond which they and their goats and sheep were not allowed to “trespass.” Simple as that, their pasture land was stolen. Soldiers also put a gate at the beginning of the road so that they can close off entry and exit into the village whenever they choose.

We walked past some sapling trees, supplied by the Jewish National Fund, that settlers had just planted right next to villagers’ houses. The obvious purpose of planting the trees was to establish a claim to the land.

We saw the electric lines leading to the settlement. The villagers can’t use that electricity. They have power only from a small number of solar panels. We also saw the now repaired water pump from which they are allowed to draw from only 2 days a week, for a total of 6 hours. We saw the surveillance camera up on a pole overlooking the village. “They are watching us all the time,” our guide said.

We were told about the sounds of gunfire from the military firing range that was put illegally on their land. I imagined how threatening that must be, especially for the children.

All of this pressure in Um Al-Khair is one big systematic slow motion ethnic cleansing campaign, designed to push the villagers off their land. The intention is not just to demolish homes, land rights, and mental health. It’s meant to demolish hope.

But from what I could see, Palestinians will never give up hope. Every story of injustice we heard was told with a spirit of determined resilience and resistance – sumud, as it is called there. No Palestinian we met was planning to leave or submit. Everyone appeared to be carrying on with life, with joy and humor, and with healthy relationships, despite the danger and indignities they were suffering. They refuse to live in fear. As one person said, “That’s what they want, for us to be afraid. They want us to leave. We will not fear and we will stay until this occupation is over.”

As has often happened to me when I visit places that are on the receiving side of U.S.-sponsored violence and oppression, I was struck during this visit by the strong and enviable character of the Palestinians we met. They are not defeated, their spirits are not broken. They are warm, generous, dignified. I always felt safe and cared for around them, even though I, as an American, had no right to expect such treatment. The only times I felt fear and coldness were when I was around Israeli soldiers or settlers. That’s telling.

The stories and voices of Palestinians have always been purposefully suppressed by the powers that be in the U.S. and the West. As has the truth about how Palestinians have been treated for over a hundred years. The genocide in Gaza has burst that bubble of shadows and lies and revealed the ugly truth of the Zionist project all over Palestine. It is a cancer.

Hebron is still a vibrant place, bustling with life. May its countless stories be heard, may its occupation end, may its people be free. And the same for all of Palestine.

~ Ken Jones is a retired educator and activist living in Asheville, North Carolina

UK Space Watch: Space facilitates modern warfare

 

Space Watch UK

🚨 Quietly and without public discussion, the UK is expanding its military space capabilities. But with what mandate? 

🔴 Billions in public money is being spent on military space programs – while urgent social and environmental needs go ignored.

In this video, we show the truth about: 

✅ The UK’s growing military space programme, and its expanding presence across the UK – from Cornwall to Shetland 

✅ The risks of space becoming a battlefield, and escalating competition for space-based dominance 

✅ How UK activists are fighting back – on their doorsteps

Courageous Gazans begin second Ramadan amongst rubble

 

A red-covered table stretching several hundred metres carved a path through mounds of rubble in southern Gaza on Saturday, as families gathered to break their fast during the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.  

Hamas: Netanyahu halting aid 'blatant violation' of ceasefire deal

Hamas's comment comes as the Israeli occupation attempts to extend the first phase of the ceasefire deal to release more Israeli captives while not adding to "Israel's" obligations.

By Al Mayadeen English

Hamas affirmed on Sunday that "Netanyahu's decision to halt humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip is a cheap act of blackmail, a war crime, and a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and prisoner exchange."

The movement called on mediators and the international community to pressure the occupation government to stop its "punitive and unethical measures against more than 2 million people," adding that "Netanyahu's statement regarding the extension of the first phase is a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering negotiations for the second phase.

Earlier on Sunday, "Israel" announced the halting of all humanitarian aid to Gaza and the closing of passages "until further notice," emphasizing that "Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of all hostages, and if Hamas continues to refuse, there will be further consequences."

Hamas emphasized the importance of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement; however, "Israel" announced that it accepted an American proposal to extend the current phase of the ceasefire until mid-April, as negotiations for the second phase failed to produce results. 

Sunday song

 

Interview with Russian expert on Ukraine & global peace negotiations

 

By Regis Tremblay

Alexander Bedritskiy, Director of the Tavria's Centre for Information and Analyses, PhD in Political Studies (based in Crimea), joins me for a wide-ranging discussion on several important topics.

• I would like to highlight a few basic conditions under which the meeting of the Big Three took place in Yalta post WW2. First of all, it was a winners' conference.

• Secondly, the contradictions that objectively existed between them, but were offset by common interests and tasks in the war, would inevitably arise in the future. And the parties understood this perfectly well.

• Thirdly, the conference discussed the principles of a sustainable future world order, many of the elements of which have been preserved, albeit in a low-functioning form, to the present day.

• Fourthly, it is obvious that these were negotiations between people who perfectly understood the value of war and peace. None of the above conditions seem to apply to the current situation. Negotiations, if they take place, will be conducted between the opponents.

• The contradictions between Russia and the West as the main opponent are not limited to Ukraine, and common interests have degraded to almost zero. The views on the future world order are almost diametrically different. For the West, the war is being waged on foreign territory and, despite the obvious economic costs, it does not yet pose a direct military danger.

• Russia's goals: demilitarization, denazification, neutrality...explain each

• The Goals of the USA and West - Strategic defeat of Russia

• We are talking about developing new principles of European security. The Russian position on this issue was formulated and announced in December 2021 in the initiatives to provide security guarantees and in the draft agreement on security measures between Russia and NATO countries. It is quite obvious that the West's refusal to discuss them had a direct impact on the decision to start a military conflict, which means that achieving them is also the goal of ending the conflict.

In summary, we can say that the prospects for finding a compromise and developing sustainable principles for a new world order are not yet visible. Each side is implementing its own project, and their viability will continue to be determined by the course of the confrontation.
____________________________________

BIO: Alexander Bedritskiy – Director of the Tavria's Centre for Information and Analyses, PhD in Political Studies.

Professional interests: US-Russian relations, electoral politics, information warfare.

He has two international certificates of the advanced training program in the field of election management issued by the World Association of Electoral Bodies (A-WEB in Seoul in 2014 and 2018.

From 2005 to the present, he has participated in more than 40 OSCE/ODIHR observation missions in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, the United States of America, and Serbia as a short-term and long-term observer.

In 2003, he participated in PIR-Center's advanced training program on global security issues. Lecturer at PIR-Center Schools on Global Security in 2011 and 2014.

In 2006, as a member of a group of experts, he participated in the program "Nonproliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction", during which he discussed these issues in leading research centers and government agencies of the United States (Washington, San Francisco, Monterrey, New York).

Norwegian media: Cocaine-high Zelensky made a mistake

 

 The biggest diplomatic scandal of all time – on open stage.

By the Editorial Team, however.no (Knut Lindtner, Norway)

Zelensky was in the United States to reach an agreement with Trump on a mineral deal. On Friday morning, Zelensky arrived at the White House dressed as if he were a student. Not dressed as a head of state. Trump noted this even before the two entered the White House.

The minerals agreement was the topic of the meeting and this was most important for Ukraine – not the US, since this would ensure that some American groups would operate in Ukraine, and therefore this would require peace in what is left of Ukraine. The agreement is less important for the US, since this agreement was not only about minerals as such but also about the US getting back some of everything it has given to Ukraine in recent years. Now the minerals agreement is probably on hold, perhaps for a long time, and the biggest loser is Zelensky and Ukraine. Not Trump and the US.

The mineral deal was not really about minerals, but about a way to end the war. All the talk from Trump about the US getting back everything that Joe Biden had given to Ukraine was just a way to put makeup on the pig, so to speak. An embellishment of the obvious: Ukraine has lost the war and this deal was Zelensky's "off ramp" - a way to end the war without losing face, far too much. It is obvious after watching the riot in the Oval Office that this is a fact that Zelensky did not consider for even a single second. One can ask oneself why. - Was it because of a little too much cocaine use? - Was it because of hubris? That Zelensky had started to believe in all the praise of himself, as a war hero and a leader who saves the free world?

The Oval Office session was like nothing the world has ever seen before.

It is common for the sitting president to meet both “friends” and “enemies” in the Oval Office, and the parties deliver some courtesy phrases in honor of the media. This is the norm. We all understand that the courtesy phrases are just that, and such meetings in the Oval Office therefore have no weight. They are simply PR.

Zelensky is probably the only head of state who has ever been in such a session in the Oval Office who has not understood the rules of this play that it all really is. It will cost him dearly.
Unfortunately, it will also cost Ukrainians dearly. They will suffer needlessly because of Zelensky's actions in the White House. There will be no quick end to the war now, more innocent Ukrainians will still be killed, for nothing.

In a video that everyone can see (below), we see that Zelensky could have made it through the press conference if he had kept his mouth shut. But he couldn't. He started talking falsely about history, from 2014 on. Trump and JD Vance let him go on, without interruption. But then Vance took the floor and talked about the forced recruitment that is taking place in Ukraine. Where civilian men are routinely kidnapped on the streets, and sent straight to the front lines. That's when the decline began. For Zelensky. From then on, the race was over and we saw a "dead man walking", only with the difference from a prison, that Zelensky did not understand what prisoners so painfully understand.

Everyone else understood. The Ukrainian ambassador who was present in the Oval Office had a few moments where we saw her realize what a mistake it was to bring Zelensky to the White House. Her body language says it all.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova

Zelensky is apparently so used to and spoiled over time by all the special treatment he has received so far that he no longer understands either his own position or the seriousness of the situation. The fact that Zelensky also seems to be intoxicated and snobbish may also partly explain the reason for the rather peculiar behavior he showed when he started talking in the mouths of and arguing with the two most powerful people in the world. The two men who were willing to give Zelensky a way out of the predicament he and Ukraine are in.

There were supposed to be meetings between the US team and the Ukrainian team after the press conference in the Oval Office, followed by a joint press conference. This was canceled. Zelensky was almost “thrown out” of the White House. A video shows him being escorted to a car by a female White House staffer. No prominent politicians were there to say goodbye. No clearer picture can be sent than this; Zelensky came to the White House to make a deal, and he ruined it, all by himself. Just like a cocaine-high mafia guy who got too confident in himself.

What happened is a political earthquake. The whole world is talking about this now. For Ukrainians, the defeat in the White House means a lot. They will not get the quick end to the war that they hoped for. For Russia, this means nothing. They can continue the war forever. They have already won, so for them, keeping the war going is no more difficult than so-called “left-handed work.”

What will it mean for the US? – Nothing negative. Now they don't have to send a single dollar more to Zelensky. Many Americans are happy about that, since they have enough domestic expenses to spend the money on. Zelensky's actions, where he literally burned the bridge to the US, give Trump free rein to use the new situation that has now arisen to act as the US's golden ticket out of the quagmire that Ukraine has become. Now Trump can stop all aid to Ukraine, and the blame lies with Zelensky, all alone.

The big question is this: What will it mean for Europe? How will the EU and the EEA countries act now? Increase support even more? Or will they start looking for ways to get out of the quagmire? We don't know. But we will of course look at how they now have to make some tough choices: Help end the war now, now that their "big brother" on the other side of the Atlantic has put the brakes on? Or continue to feed a dying horse, in spite of it? As I said, we don't know the answer to this, but we hope that there are adults in the EU who now put personal prestige aside and instead think about ending unnecessary suffering in Ukraine.

In the video, we see Zelensky talking himself into more and more trouble as time goes on. It is not a smart move to interrupt the two most powerful men in the world, the two men he depends on to find a way out of the war. His body language said it all: a drunken man who rolled his eyes, made faces and was basically anything but a “statesman”. Is this the man the EU will support going forward? – For how long?

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs on the UN and Russia

 

Sachs talks alot of sense. He supported Jill Stein for president in the last election.

He was recently interviewed by Tucker Carlson for more than an hour and was very thorough. 

Some in Russia don't trust him because of his time there during the Soviet Union collapse. He was one of the 'Harvard boys' along with the 'Chicago boys' that were sent to Russia to privatize as much of the economy as possible under Yeltsin.

 

I've heard Sachs talk about trying to get western financial support for Russia as they hit the skids after breakup of Soviet Union - he reports the US western allies gave nothing. 

 

I've not heard Sachs say that the privatization of the Russian economy was a bad or good thing. 

 

It was not our place to force privatization and then the defeat of the Communist party (due to Bill Clinton's direct intervention in the 1996 election) but of course this was all part of western goal to dismantle not just the Soviet Union, but also Russia itself.

 

Then Putin came along and stabilized things and saved Russia.

 

Bruce 

 

Z-man runs into a brick wall....

 

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance had a testy exchange with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of reporters during their meeting at the White House, in which Trump called the Ukrainian president "disrespectful" and said "you don't have the cards."

------------------------------------------------------

Fascinating inside view of the White House meeting with Z-man.

My reaction is that Z-man lost his last shot at any real support from Trump after this shit show.

My guess is that the Dems and the Brits told Z-man to go in and start a fight with Trump - hoping it might help pressure the EU globalist leaders to strongly support Ukraine war funding when Z-man comes begging from them.

Quite entertaining actually - gets steamy at times.

Bruce 

Dmitry Medvedev Russian politician now serving as deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia was quick with a comment:

A fierce scolding in the Oval Office.
For the first time, Trump told the cocaine clown the truth to his face: the Kiev regime is gambling with World War III. And the ungrateful swine got a hard slap in the face from the owners of the pigsty. That’s a good thing, but not enough – we must stop military aid to the Nazi machine.

 

Mainstream media: Z kicked out of White House

New York governor orders removal of Palestinian studies positions at Hunter College

Previous protest at Hunter College in New York

 Middle East Eye

A labour union at City University of New York termed the move an 'overreach of authority' and violation of academic freedom

Hunter College was ordered to remove two job postings for Palestinian studies positions by the Democratic governor of New York in the latest targeting of academic freedom in the state.

Hunter College - which makes up one of City University of New York's (Cuny) 25 campuses - advertised it was seeking both humanities and social sciences faculty to take “a critical lens to issues pertaining to Palestine including but not limited to: settler colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid, migration, climate and infrastructure devastation, health, race, gender and sexuality”.

The roles were announced Monday afternoon after they were posted on Cuny’s website, but the posts were removed by mid-week.

In a Bluesky post announcing the roles, sociology professor Heba Gowayed said on Monday, “I am so pleased to announce a Palestinian Studies cluster hire. This is an incredible source of pride for me as a faculty member and one of the many reasons that I feel so lucky to work here.”

She also said she felt like “the luckiest person in academia…Proud of Hunter administration for being a voice for justice in the face of so much horror.”

By the next day, on Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul had taken action to order the postings be removed “to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom”, according to a statement that The New York Post said her office had issued.

The very same day, Cuny chancellor Felix Rodríguez and board of trustees chairperson William C Thompson Jr capitulated and announced they agreed with Hochul’s decision to remove the postings, and the university would continue to “tackle antisemitism”.

In a joint statement, they said: “We find this language divisive, polarizing and inappropriate and strongly agree with Governor Hochul’s direction to remove this posting, which we have ensured Hunter College has since done. CUNY will continue working with the Governor and other stakeholders to tackle antisemitism on our campuses and combat hate in all of its forms.”

By Wednesday, the postings had been taken down. The same day, Gowayed said she was “feeling grief at the dehumanization inherent to all this”.

The Professional Staff Congress, a labour union representing 30,000 faculty and staff at Cuny, hit back at the removal of the postings, calling it “a violation of academic freedom” at Hunter College, in a letter to Hochul and Rodriguez.

“We oppose antisemitism and all forms of hate, but this move is counterproductive. It is an overreach of authority to rule an entire area of academic study out of bounds,” the letter said.

Bombing Gaza's food production

 

The devastation of Palestinian farmland and its humanitarian impact. 

This informative documentary delves into the extensive destruction of farmland in Gaza, exploring the dire consequences for food production and the ongoing humanitarian crisis. 

 Through a serious lens, we highlight the impact of Israeli actions on Palestine's agricultural infrastructure and the long-term economic repercussions for the region, affecting millions. 

And watch the related video:    • Gaza's Water Crisis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRMIj46AWTw&t=0s

Romania Police Arrest Georgescu; SWAT-Style Raids on Private Security

 

As Romanian authorities arrested Calin Georgescu, they also conducted raids against private security he hired; a SWAT-style operation abutting the political prosecution of the populist frontrunner.

ACTIVE MEASURES

Calin Georgescu, the populist frontrunner in Romania's annulled 2024 presidential election, was arrested today while en route to register his candidacy for the upcoming May election.

He has been accused of spreading "disinformation," "anti-Semitism," and improper campaign financing, with charges that carry a prison sentence of 20 years.

Romanian authorities conducted 47 raids across multiple counties.

According to Romanian media outlet G4Media, sources say the raids targeted a private security firm hired by Georgescu. Are they targeting his contractors to take down their real target - Georgescu?

The militarized, SWAT-style raids and arrest of Georgescu come just months after the presidential election he won was canceled over evidence-free allegations of "Russian interference."

Is this what is now meant by "European-style democracy?"  

NATO is building a massive base right on Romania's border with Ukraine, but we're expected to swallow the lie that it's pure coincidence that Cálin Georgescu—who openly opposes this base—lost the election and is now arrested.

Israeli arrogance in Lebanon

 

Iran condemns Israel after its fighter jets fly over Nasrallah’s funeral in Beirut

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned Israel for its deployment of fighter jets over the Lebanese capital Beirut at a low altitude during the funeral ceremony of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday, describing it as "an act of terror."

Araghchi was part of a top Iranian delegation that attended the funeral of Nasrallah along with thousands of mourners.

"I also witnessed, with my own eyes, the violation of Lebanon's sovereignty by Israeli jets that flew close above our heads, in a pitiful attempt to terrify people who gathered only to mourn," Araghchi wrote on his X account.

"If that is not an act of terror, then what is?”

"The violation only emboldened people in the stadium to shout against Israel even stronger and louder. Israelis never learn their lesson," he added.

Nasrallah was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Sept. 27, 2024. 

A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Lebanon since Nov. 27, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah that escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply.

The Israeli army withdrew from southern Lebanese towns last week but maintained a military presence at five border outposts.

Two killed, three injured in Israeli aggression on Janta, east Lebanon

 The Israeli airstrike targeted Janta, in a continuation of "Israel's" ceasefire breaches.

Two people were killed and three others were injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting Lebanon's eastern mountain range, the Health Ministry's Public Health Emergency Operations Center said in a statement. 

Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Bekaa confirmed that an Israeli drone raid targeted the surrounding hilltops of the town of Janta in the eastern range today, Tuesday.

Israeli occupation forces continue to breach the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and "Israel". Israeli troops launched flare bombs over the town of Alma al-Shaab, which caused a fire as one made an impact, according to Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon.

Lebanon calls US to force full Israeli withdrawal

Lebanon's president Joseph Aoun urged a US congressional delegation on February 21 to pressure "Israel" to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon, following "Israel's" partial withdrawal on February 18, occupying 5 strategic points on Lebanon's borders.

Upon its withdrawal, Israeli forces announced that they would "stay in 5 strategic points" along the border in Lebanon so they can "continue to defend our residents and to make sure there's no immediate threat," according to Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani.

The Maariv military correspondent Avi Ashkenazi described the Israeli Occupation Forces' stay in these 5 points as a mistake akin to the mistakes they committed in the past, when "Israel" created two "security belts" that quickly became death traps for Israeli soldiers.

Ashkenazi pointed out that "Israel" bled for 18 years in Lebanon with no real goal, asserting that creating outposts in the positions the IOF left 25 years ago is a mistake, as "many mothers and fathers will be crying," adding that there is no logic behind maintaining the positions in South Lebanon.

"Israel" has violated the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon thousands of times, bombing areas as far as Bekaa, north of the Litani River, and demolishing civilian houses in Lebanese border towns, and even setting homes on fire only 3 days before the February 18 withdrawal deadline.  

Academy Award bound

 

US Release Date: January 3, 2025 

Directors: Ahmed Al-Danaf, Ahmed Hassouna, Alaa Damo, Alaa Islam Ayoub, Aws Al-Banna, Basel El-Maqousi, Bashar Al-Balbisi, Etimad Washah, Hana Eleiwa, Islam Al Zeirei, Karim Satoum, Khamis Masharawi, Mahdi Kreirah, Muhammad Al Sharif, Mustafa Al Nabih, Mustafa Kolab, Neda'a Abu Hassnah, Nidal Damo, Rabab Khamis, Reema Mahmoud, Tamer Nijim, Wissam Moussa 

Synopsis: 22 Palestinian filmmakers living through war capture their lives in Gaza following the attacks on October 7, 2023, revealing stories beyond the headlines. Through a blend of animation, documentary, and fiction, they create a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit. 

This film serves as a remarkable reflection of how art can thrive even in the darkest times, showcasing the enduring spirit and creativity that emerge amid ongoing devastation. 

You can pay to watch this very touching and amazing film online for $6.99 here

Walk thru the woods at Gull Rock

The view from Gull Rock

 

Turkey tracks in the snow

 

Reached our destination at the Tidal Falls Park

 

We've visited our friends Russell and Akemi in Hancock, Maine for a couple days.

On Sunday we joined Russell on the Ellsworth bridge for his weekly peace vigil. Then today we went for a 90 minute walk through the woods from their home at Gull Rock to the Tidal Falls. 

Along the way we ran into a bunch of wild turkey (not the whiskey) tracks in the snow.

They loaned us ice cleats to put under our boots so we'd not slip and fall during the walk.

Russell is an artist and sculptor and Akemi makes beautiful pottery that people come from all over the country to purchase. 

A wonderful day in Maine!

Bruce