Tag: Pres. Biden

Things Breaking For Biden?

For over a year the outlook on the economy has been dire for Biden who is looking for re-election in November….the American people have not been happy with the economic landscape but that may be changing…..

President Biden has been dogged for much of the past year by what the Economist calls an “emotional disconnect” on the economy. Growth has been strong, but Americans have remained in a lousy mood about money, thanks largely to high prices across the board. Now, however, a closely watched gauge suggests that might be changing.

  • Key stat: A monthly survey of consumer sentiment by the University of Michigan came in at 79.6 in February, its highest mark since the summer of 2021, reports Quartz. What’s more, the collective increase over the last three months is the biggest in more than three decades, notes the Economist.
  • Vibes: “We do think about vibes, because historically the vibes—consumer sentiment and business sentiment—have been good predictors of consumer spending and business investment,” said Chicago Fed president Austan Goolsbee recently. In the view of Quartz, the Michigan stats suggest the “American vibes recession is over.”
  • Politics: All of which is good news for Biden in theory, reports the New York Times, which talks to economist Neil Dutta. “If sentiment simply hovered at today’s levels, he said the simple historical relationship between consumer confidence readings and incumbent vote share would give Mr. Biden about 49% of the vote,” per the story in January. “But the job market is strong, gas prices are moderate, and the stock market just hit a new record, all of which could drive further improvement.” In fact, sentiment as measured by the Michigan survey ticked up from 79 to 79.6 since he spoke.
  • Then again: It’s an unusual election. “Geopolitics and domestic issues could throw curveballs into this cycle, too,” writes Lora Kelley at the Atlantic. “That consumers seem more upbeat about the economy is certainly not unwelcome news for Biden, but a lot can happen between now and November.”

Great news for all those Biden aficionados (I am not one of them….to me he is teetering old man that needs to be in a rest home)….and those that are afraid that Donald the Orange will get elected for a second term.

But like they say….it is a long way to November and a lot can happen before the day of the vote.

A side note:  Speaking of presidents…..which are the ones with the best rankings?

In honor of Presidents’ Day, the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey polled 154 historians on the subject of presidential rankings—and Donald Trump came in last, again. President Biden, despite his current approval rating sitting at around 37%, came in 14th, the New York Times reports. “Biden’s most important achievements may be that he rescued the presidency from Trump, resumed a more traditional style of presidential leadership, and is gearing up to keep the office out of his predecessor’s hands this fall,” wrote the college professors who conducted the survey. Coming in at No. 1 was Abraham Lincoln, who also topped the same survey in 2015 and 2018, Fox News reports.

  • Abraham Lincoln, 93.87
  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 90.83
  • George Washington, 90.32
  • Teddy Roosevelt, 78.58
  • Thomas Jefferson, 77.53
  • Harry Truman, 75.34
  • Barack Obama, 73.8
  • Dwight Eisenhower, 73.73
  • Lyndon Baines Johnson, 72.86
  • John F. Kennedy, 68.37

Other notable presidents who ranked below Biden include Woodrow Wilson (15th), Ronald Reagan (16th), and Ulysses S. Grant (17th). Bill Clinton finished 12th, George W. Bush 32nd, and Jimmy Carter 22nd. According to the survey, respondents’ political affiliation and ideology did not “make a major difference overall,” with the most notable partisan splits coming for the more recent presidents. Trump is “by far the most polarizing president,” write the historians. His numerical score was 10.92, compared to Biden’s 62.66.

Not my list for I would have put Jefferson and Truman further down the list.

But Washington never had gold sneakers.

Just food for thought.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out

Recently a presidential candidate for 2024, Cornell West, said the Biden might have a LBJ moment…..in case you missed that little piece of brilliance….

Will Biden Have An “LBJ Moment”?

Should he drop out because of his age?

Is Biden too old to be running for president?

For that matter how about Trump?

The age-old question of “how old is too old for a presidential candidate?” has taken on increasing urgency as we barrel toward November with two frontrunners who are getting up there in years. Now, according to a new poll, an “overwhelming majority” of Americans say that the incumbent, President Biden, is too advanced in age to serve a second term, although they don’t consider former President Trump to be a spring chicken, either. Per the latest survey ABC News conducted with Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel, 86% of respondents think the 81-year-old Biden is too old to run the White House again. Compare that with 62% who say Trump, 77, is similarly too old to do the same.

Meanwhile, 59% feel both candidates are too old. ABC notes that its September poll with the Washington Post showed 74% of respondents thought Biden was too old to serve again, while 49% said that about Trump. The current poll was conducted Feb. 9-10 among a random sampling of just over 500 US adults—after a report was issued by special counsel Robert Hur on Biden’s handling of classified documents, which noted that Biden presented himself during questioning as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”

Politico notes that that poll “could be the first sign of the report’s impact on voters’ perception of the president.” Biden’s camp has been pushing back hard on the age question since Hur’s report was released. On Sunday, Mitch Landrieu, the co-chair of Biden’s reelection campaign, called the assertion that Biden is too old to run again “a bucket of BS that’s so deep, your boots will get stuck in it.” So how old is too old? Peter Baker tries to analyze that question for the New York Times, including with a look back at past presidential candidates who faced similar challenges.

But let’s look at Biden more closely…..a couple of beliefs that is….

The release of a special counsel’s report referring to President Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory” has caused hand-wringing among Democrats about the general election. Should the 81-year-old Biden stay in the race? Two opposing views on the subject:

  • He should stay: At Vox, Christian Paz writes that it’s “Biden or bust” for Democrats. “Replacing Biden as the Democratic nominee at this point would be a herculean, if not impossible, task.” The most plausible route would be for Biden to take himself out of the running at the convention in August, but Paz argues the resulting chaos would do more harm than good. VP Kamala Harris polls dreadfully, but bypassing her for somebody else (Gavin Newsom or Gretchen Whitmer maybe) “opens up potential ire from Black voters, without whom Democrats can’t win.” Is the “chaos and disunity” worth it? “The simple answer is no. It’s too late.” Read it here.
  • He should go: In an op-ed at the New York Times, Ross Douthat argues that the best hope for Democrats is if Biden does indeed drop out at the convention and decline to endorse anyone. Yes, “pain would follow”—along with Republican derision—but so would “excitement and spectacle.” And the “proximity of the general election would create stronger incentives for Harris or any other disappointed losers to accept a behind-the-scenes proffer and fall in line if the convention battle doesn’t go their way.” Douthat suggests Biden plan on this strategy, with the bonus that he can abandon it should his political fortunes rise dramatically before the summer. Read it here.
  • On a different point: At Popular Information, Judd Legum accuses the media of creating a “Biden fitness crisis” with a “deluge of negative” coverage, while largely letting Donald Trump off the hook for similar lapses. He compares stories in major outlets, finding that “the perceptions of the two men by the public are shaped by media coverage.” Read it here.

I think both these candidates offer nothing top the American people….I cannot vote for some old fart that only claim to fame in four years was starting more wars than he ended….and then on the other side I cannot vote for a poisonous personality that thrives on hatred and fear.

That leaves me with very limited choices…..but I will do what I must.

Any thoughts on any of these things?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“We Don’t Want A Wider War”

That was the statement made by the National Security Council head….as the Biden gang decides how to react to the attack in Syria that killed 3 American troopers.

Since October, the United States has bombed Iraq and Syria dozens of times, launched five rounds of airstrikes in Yemen, supplied the Israeli government with more than 10,000 tons of military equipment for its devastating assault on the Gaza Strip, and opposed international efforts to secure a cease-fire in the Palestinian enclave.

Yet Biden administration officials continue to insist that the U.S. is not at war in the Middle East, and is not seeking a broader military conflict in the region.

On Monday, amid reports that the U.S. is weighing how to respond to a deadly drone attack on American servicemembers just inside Jordan’s border with Syria—an attack the White House blamed on Iran-backed militia groups—National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in an appearance on NBC‘s “Today Show” that “we don’t want a wider war with Iran.”

“We don’t want a wider war in the region,” said Kirby, “but we gotta do what we have to do.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-middle-east-war

Biden and the gang made up their minds on the answer to the killings by Iranian back bad guys…..

The US has approved a series of strikes in response to the drone attack that killed three service members in Jordan last weekend, CBS News reports, citing US officials—but the plan is to hit Iran-linked facilities in Iraq and Syria, not targets in Iran itself. The officials say the timing of the strikes will depend on the weather because the military wants to have good visibility as a safeguard against inadvertently hitting civilians. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that while the US wants to avoid a “wider conflict” in the Middle East, “we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our interests and our people, and we will respond when we choose, where we choose, and how we choose.”

The Jordan strike, the latest in a series of attacks from Iran-backed militias in the region, also injured dozens of US personnel. Hawks in Congress have called for a strike inside Iran, something Tehran reportedly sees as a “red line.” Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi warned Friday that the US could face a “strong response,” Al Jazeera reports. “We will not start any war but if anyone wants to bully us they will receive a strong response,” Raisi said.

Iran has denied responsibility for the drone attack, which was claimed by a coalition of Iran-backed groups called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. Kataib Hezbollah, one of the groups in the coalition, said Wednesday that it was suspending attacks on US forces. Sources tell Reuters that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have started pulling senior officers from Syria following the deaths of several commanders in Israel strikes.

Bloodthirsty Repubs like Sen. Cotton and idiots like John Bolton keeps pushing for direct attack on Iran (basically to placate the Israelis)….but there is no actionable intel that says Iran did this……

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Thursday admitted the US does not know if Iran was operationally involved in the drone attack in Jordan that killed three American soldiers. On the same day, US officials told CBS News that plans have been approved for strikes against Iranian personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria.

When asked by a reporter how much Iran knew about the Jordan drone attack or if it was operationally involved, Austin said, “You know, we believe that this was done by an element of what is known as the Axis of Resistance, and these are Iranian proxy groups. And how much Iran knew or didn’t know, we — we don’t know, but it really doesn’t matter because Iran sponsors these groups.”

The US has said it believes the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iraqi militias, was responsible for the attack. Kataib Hezbollah announced Tuesday it was suspending attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria, which was the result of pressure from the Iraqi government and Iran, making it clear Tehran does not seek more escalations in the region.

(antiwar.com)

You do not want a wider war and yet you widen it almost daily…..I love War Department doublespeak…..

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden’s New Court

We seem to have as many ‘courts’ as we have individual these days…..there is a new one operating within the Biden admin structure…..the Data Protection Review Court….

At an undetermined date, in an undisclosed location, the Biden administration began operating a secretive new court to protect Europeans’ privacy rights under U.S. law.

Officially known as the Data Protection Review Court, it was authorized in an October 2022 executive order to fix a collision of European and American law that had been blocking the lucrative flow of consumer data between American and European companies for three years.

The court’s eight judges were named last November, including former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Its existence has allowed companies to resume the lucrative transatlantic data trade with the blessing of EU officials.

The details get blurry after that.

The court’s location is a secret, and the Department of Justice will not say if it has taken a case yet, or when it will. Though the court has a clear mandate — ensuring Europeans their privacy rights under U.S. law — its decisions will also be kept a secret, from both the EU residents petitioning the court and the federal agencies tasked with following the law. Plaintiffs are not allowed to appear in person and are represented by a special advocate, appointed by the U.S. attorney general.

And critics worry it will tie the hands of U.S. intelligence agencies with an unusual power: It can make binding decisions on surveillance practices with federal agencies, which won’t be able to challenge those decisions.

“Until there’s some clarity on how that’s going to operate, I think you could expect the intelligence community to be nervous about what it might mean, especially since it’s not even clear what its caseload is going to look like,” said Matthew Waxman, a State Department and National Security Council veteran and chair of the national security law program at Columbia University.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/17/inside-bidens-secret-surveillance-court-00136175

We already have a plethora of ‘secret’ courts….do we really need another?

Just wondering.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Those Damn Open Borders

I am sick of these ‘people’ that keep harping on the Biden policy of open borders…..it is total fantasy.

In reality there is very little difference between Biden’s policies and that of his opponent, Trump, when he was president.

But no one wants to look at the stats it is so much easier to whine about the borders and believe the total manure spread by conservatives and ignorant Dems.

Here is something the conservs and their butt buddies will not tell you….

According to new data published last month, the Biden Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has removed a higher percentage of arrested border crossers in its first two years than the Trump DHS did over its last two years. Moreover, migrants were more likely to be released after a border arrest under President Trump than under President Biden.

In absolute terms, the Biden DHS is removing 3.5 times as many people per month as the Trump DHS did. These figures are important for understanding how each administration has carried out border enforcement

During the Trump administration, DHS made 1.4 million arrests—what it calls “encounters”—in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 (24 months). Of those people arrested, only 47 percent were removed as of December 31, 2021, which includes people arrested by Trump and removed by Biden, and 52 percent were released into the United States.

Under Biden, DHS made over 5 million arrests in its first 26.3 months, and it removed nearly 2.6 million—51 percent—while releasing only 49 percent. In other words, the Trump DHS removed a minority of those arrested while the Biden DHS removed a majority. Biden managed to increase the removal share while also increasing the total removals by a factor of 3.5

https://www.cato.org/blog/new-data-show-migrants-were-more-likely-be-released-trump-biden

But instead of looking at the figures they had rather want you to watch a video of all the detainees with those flimsy blankets and tell us that they all are getting EBT cards and such….it is manure!

“Open Borders’ means that people can just walk in and get a handshake and move on….that is not so….yes they sneak in but they are caught detained and sent packing.

“Open Borders” is just a dog whistle for racists and haters.

You will hear a lot of bullshit from the right wing media and dullard bloggers but there is not much truth in the crap….

Debunking the Top Myths about Immigration in the United States

If that is tool cerebral then how about this one….

https://www.carnegie.org/our-work/article/15-myths-about-immigration-debunked/

Do not listen or believe the rantings of liars, con men and haters.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

More Crappy News For Biden

The numbers are in and Biden is looking pathetic.

The news is he still sliding down in the polls….

An NBC News poll found that President Joe Biden is beginning to struggle with a key demographic. The President’s approval rating is continuing to sag, and young Americans are definitely opposed to his foreign policy, especially support for Israel. 

The poll conducted by NBC from November 10-14 found that Biden’s approval rating has sunk to the lowest level of his presidency, 40%. The sagging approval indicates Americans have grown tired of the current administration. The survey found that if the 2024 election were held today, former President Donald Trump would beat Biden. 

Driving Biden’s poor performance is dissatisfaction with his foreign policy. Only 33% of voters approve of Biden’s foreign policy. While 34% of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of Israel’s onslaught in Gaza. 

Since taking office, Biden has been a staunch war hawk. He has led a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, and he continued Trump’s aggressive policies against China. Additionally, Biden has overseen a massive military surge in the Asia-Pacific that has driven animosities with China and North Korea. 

The President is struggling significantly among young Americans. His approval rating for that group fell to 31% from 46% in September. The decline is likely driven by Biden’s full-throated support for Israel’s war in Gaza. According to the NBC poll, 70% of Americans aged 18-34 disapprove of Biden’s handling of the war.

Overall, only 34% of Americans approve of how Biden has handled the conflict, while 56% disapprove. Washington is shipping weapons to Tel Aviv nearly every day. So far, at least 13,000 Palestinians, including 5,500 children, have been killed by Israel. 

I could not find anything the American people really approved of in Biden.

I know this is just an early snapshot but it does not bode well for the president.

Not looking good…..and then there is Trump….do American really see him doing anything better or making their lives better?

Is it possible that neither one of them will win the 2024 election?

We are now less than one year away from Election Day 2024.  

On the Republican side, three debates have already been held featuring a diverse group of presidential hopefuls. The one person who has been absent has been the favorite in the polls, Donald Trump, declining to participate. Not surprisingly, the number of candidates has continued to dwindle, from eight in the first debate, to seven in the second debate, and to five in the third debate. The number set for the fourth debate on Dec. 6 currently stands at three, with Chris Christie’s campaign on life support hoping to make the stage.  

On the Democrat side, incumbent President Joe Biden is assumed to be running for a second term. Pollsters are focusing on a Biden-Trump rematch, with early polls giving Trump a slight edge in several key battleground states.  

In spite of such political drama, the data suggests that neither Trump nor Biden will be elected president on Nov. 8, 2024. Here’s why.  

Why neither Biden nor Trump will be the next president  

Not my problem for I am supporting neither of them…..my dog can do a better job….and I will look elsewhere….not sure where but I am serious about finding someone that is at least in the same ballpark as my principles…..that may take awhile.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

China/US Deal?

Recently on the West Coast Biden and Xi held a round of meetings…..and I am sure some would like to know if anything was accomplished….

US President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping emerged Wednesday from their first face-to-face meeting in a year vowing to stabilize their fraught relationship and showcasing modest agreements to combat illegal fentanyl and re-establish military communications. But there were still deep differences on economic competition and global security threats, the AP reports. The most assuring takeaway from the meeting for Biden was that if either man had a concern, “we should pick up the phone and call one another and we’ll take the call. That’s important progress,” he said in a news conference following the talks. The two leaders spent four hours together at a bucolic Northern California estate—in meetings, a working lunch and a garden stroll—intent on showing the world that while they are global economic competitors they’re not locked in a winner-take-all faceoff.

The US president told Xi: “I think it’s paramount that you and I understand each other clearly, leader-to-leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunications. We have to ensure competition does not veer into conflict.” Some highlights of what came out of the meeting, which on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference:

  • They reached expected agreements to curb illicit fentanyl production and to reopen military ties, Biden said. Many of the chemicals used to make synthetic fentanyl come from China to cartels that traffic the powerful narcotic into the US, which is facing an overdose crisis.
  • Top military leaders will resume talks, Biden said, an increasingly important move particularly as unsafe or unprofessional incidents between the two nations’ ships and aircraft have spiked.
  • The two leaders had a significant back and forth over Taiwan, with Biden chiding China over its massive military build-up around Taiwan and Xi telling Biden he had no plans to invade the island, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail the private talks. Biden, the official said, declared the US was committed to continuing to help Taiwan defend itself and maintain deterrence against a potential Chinese attack, and also called on China to avoid meddling in the island’s elections next year. The official described the Taiwan portion of the talks as “clear-headed” and “not heated.”
  • Biden also called on Xi to use his influence with Iran to make clear that Tehran, and its proxies, should not take steps that would lead to an expansion of the Israel-Hamas war.
  • According to a statement released by China Central Television, the state broadcaster, Xi was most focused on Taiwan and the US sanctions and restrictions against Chinese products and businesses. Xi said he and Biden also agreed to establish dialogues on artificial intelligence and stressed the urgency for the two countries to cope with the climate crisis, the state broadcaster reported.

Like most of these PR stunts not much was really accomplished….some talk and some agreement, a photo op of leaders shaking hands, the illusion of everything is good, but the major issues will remain unresolved….for now.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden Is Having A Rough Go

With the election just a mere year away…..Pres. Biden is having a tough go….the economy sucks, wars and cash problems and now some of the Dem loyalists are not down with Biden anymore.

This story begins with the all out push by Biden on behalf of Israel.

A Gallup survey released Thursday shows that U.S. President Joe Biden’s approval rating among Democrats has fallen by 11 percentage points this month, a possible indication that his unconditional support for Israel as it carries out massacres in the Gaza Strip is angering part of his base.

In September, 86% of Democrats approved of Biden’s job performance. But between October 2 and October 23, Biden’s approval rating among Democrats has fallen to 75%, according to Gallup—the lowest level of his presidency.

Megan Brenan, a research consultant at Gallup, argued the survey results suggest that “Biden’s immediate and decisive show of support for Israel following the October 7 attacks by Hamas appears to have turned off some in his own party.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-approval-democrats-gaza

I see one of the Obama cronies is mouthing off about Biden’s candidacy…..

After a poll released Sunday from The New York Times and Siena College showed former President Donald Trump beating current President Joe Biden in five of six important battleground states, Democratic strategist David Axelrod suggested that Biden should consider dropping out of the 2024 election.

Axelrod, who was a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama and helped with his 2008 and 2012 campaigns, shared his thoughts on social media Sunday, retweeting the poll that showed Trump overtaking Biden in Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, with Biden maintaining a two-point lead in Wisconsin.

“Only Joe Biden can make this decision,” Axelrod wrote. “If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?”

The polling shows Trump leading by 4 to 10 points in states that Biden won in 2020. Axelrod said that while the numbers were not “‘bed-wetting,'” they would “send tremors of doubt through the party” and were a source of “legitimate concern.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-vs-biden-2024-polls

One of the ‘key’ voter bloc may be those young voters…..and they are not happy with Biden or the Dems for that matter….

The headline on an op-ed at the Times from pollster John Della Volpe of the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School could not be clearer: “Joe Biden Is in Trouble.” Della Volpe’s focus is on how voters ages 18 to 29 are moving away from Biden, most recently because they view the US-backed Israeli response in Gaza as disproportionate. Instead, they’re looking to alternatives such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or Cornel West. Unless Biden wins them back with “bold leadership that prioritizes caring for the most vulnerable, including making real progress toward a state of Palestine side by side with a strong, democratic Israel,” this contingent of voters could sink him in the election.

This election is stacking up as a major clusterf*ck…..and we know what that meands.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden Vs AI

There has been so much written about AI lately….both pro and con….so with an election coming on strong Biden decides to wade into that particular cesspool…..

President Biden on Monday will sign a sweeping executive order to guide the development of artificial intelligence, requiring the industry to develop safety and security standards, introducing new consumer protections, and giving federal agencies an extensive to-do list to oversee the rapidly progressing technology. The order reflects the government’s effort to shape how AI evolves in a way that can maximize its possibilities and contain its perils, per the AP. AI has been a source of deep personal interest for Biden, with its potential to affect the economy and national security. White House chief of staff Jeff Zients recalled Biden giving his staff a directive to move with urgency on the issue, having considered the technology a top priority.

“We can’t move at a normal government pace,” Zients said the Democratic president told him. “We have to move as fast, if not faster than the technology itself.” In Biden’s view, the government was late to address the risks of social media, and now US youth are grappling with related mental-health issues. AI has the positive ability to accelerate cancer research, model the impacts of climate change, boost economic output, and improve government services, among other benefits. But it could also warp basic notions of truth with false images, deepen racial and social inequalities, and provide a tool to scammers and criminals. The order builds on voluntary commitments already made by technology companies.

It’s part of a broader strategy that administration officials say also includes congressional legislation and international diplomacy, a sign of the disruptions already caused by the introduction of new AI tools such as ChatGPT that can generate new text, images, and sounds. Using the Defense Production Act, the order will require leading AI developers to share safety test results and other information with the government. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is to create standards to ensure AI tools are safe and secure before public release. The Department of Commerce is to issue guidance to label and watermark AI-generated content to help differentiate between authentic interactions and those generated by software. The order also touches on matters of privacy, civil rights, consumer protections, scientific research, and worker rights.

Will this do the trick?

I think not.  To me this smells of a campaign ploy….I agree something needs doing but this is not the answer at least from where I am sitting.

This can of worms have been open for too long to find a way to contain them.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden Goes To Israel (Right On Cue)

The news tells us that Biden is making a campaign stop in Israel….he will spend hours on the ground and if you think he is there to seek an end to this devastation I do believe you would be mistaken.

His visit is more about the support and aid that Isr4ael can expect from its benefactor.

My skepticism about a ceasefire plan was reinforced by something I read.

As Israel on Friday bombarded civilians in Gaza and prepared for a ground invasion in response to Hamas’ recent attack, U.S. State Department leadership reportedly instructed officials not to publicly use some terms that would advocate for less violence.

According to HuffPost, which reviewed official emails, “State Department staff wrote that high-level officials do not want press materials to include three specific phrases: ‘de-escalation/cease-fire,’ ‘end to violence/bloodshed,’ and ‘restoring calm.'”

HuffPost noted that “when reached for comment on the directive, a State Department official said they would not comment on internal communications.” However, others were quick to blast the policy as “disgusting,” “maddening,” and “pretty shocking.”

Guardian columnist Moira Donegan called it “a horror and a moral abdication that we, Americans, can never atone for.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-state-department-israel

More disturbing news….this time it is about journalist and the reporting of factual information.

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi confirmed Sunday that he is drafting regulations that will empower him to order police to arrest journalists for factual reporting and target anyone he believes has damaged national morale during Israel’s ongoing war against Gaza.

Haaretzreports that Karhi—a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud Party—is preparing draft emergency regulations titled “Limiting Aid to the Enemy through Communication” which would allow him to direct police to arrest any civilian, remove them from their home, and seize their property if he believes they have disseminated information that might harm national morale or be used as “enemy propaganda.”

The new regulations will apply to the general public as well as local and foreign media professionals—and will be applicable to both truthful and inaccurate reporting.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/shlomo-kahri

Truth as an excuse is silly and smells of 1930.

A ‘democracy’ my ass!

I am sure there will be more that is lacking from your nightly news….I will be watching and reading.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”