Four years ago

The Republicans want to ask voters if they were better off four years ago, with Trump as president. Well, let's have a little reminder of what was happening in April of 2020. People were dying like flies of COVID and our president was advising us to "inject bleach" ...



So, were we better off back then? No, not so much.

Earth Day

From the Australian Academy of Science ...



Yep, it's Earth Day, Usualy I would post a video of the wonders of nature, trying to inspire people to save what we have left here.

But I don't think that is working, so I'm just going to cut to the unpopular chase ... there are too many people on this planet.

No one wants to hear that and many, especially religious conservatives, would argue the opposite, but it's simply true that there are too many people, and that is what is causing the destruction of other species and their habitats, the proliferation of garbage, and deadly climate change.

It is time we stopped being so selfish, took responsibility for this problem, and did something about it. But of course we won't do any of the above.

The Supreme Court and the homeless

I find it incredible that as a country, we are sending hundreds of truckloads of aid to Gaza every day (and even more before the war) but we are too cruel to help our own citizens who have fallen on hard times. If the Supreme Court makes says it's ok to criminalize homelessness, it will be a moral and actual disaster.

People don't want to believe this, but homelessness can happen to anyone ... anyone ... given enough misfortune. All it can take is a sudden disability, a lost job, a lack of family or friends who can help.

Many think that the homeless are homeless because they have mental problems or because they misuse drugs. But lots of people who are not homeless have mental problems or misuse drugs ... the difference netween the two groups is that one of them does not have enough money for a place to live. Homelessness is caused by not having ehough money to have a dwelling.

Why oh why does the government not look to other countries that have been more sucessful in lowering homelessness, like Finland? I think it is because buried deep in the American psyche is the belief that being poor is a moral failure, that people must pull themselves up by their bootstraps, that helping the poor is a waste of our hard earned money.

Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need

In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. The reason: The country applies the “Housing First” concept. Those affected by homelessness receive a small apartment and counselling – without any preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected thus make their way back into a stable life. And: All this is cheaper than accepting homelessness ...

Possum

It's a beautiful spring day here. The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the baby possum has dropped by for a snack :) ...

Secrets of the Ocotpus

I finally finished reading The Mountain in the Sea. It was pretty good, but not all I hoped for. Still, I did learn a lot about octopuses.

And I see that National Geographic has an special for Earth Day about same: Secrets of the Ocotpus ...

Funding for Ukraine and Israel

Amazing. Political courage and integrity. https://t.co/SMqIzmzGAP

— Barry R McCaffrey (@mccaffreyr3) April 18, 2024

The Republican speaker actually seems, at least in this instance, to be a brave person doing the right thing, despite the threat of losing his job. I'm glad Ukraine and Israel will get the money they need.

Kind of depressed about the number of Democrats who voted against the funding for Israel. I don't understand how being liberal means being on the side of terrorists. And that does seem like what this is about, when you see pro-Palestinain protesters shouting "we are Hamas" and "long live Hamas".

RIP: Dickey Betts

Dickey Betts, co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band, dead at 80

Sad. I did like his guitar playing. Reminds me of the college years. Here are two of their songs I especially liked, showcasing him: Ramblin Man and Jessica (instrumental) ...



- Hofstra University, Long Island, 1972



- Capitol Theatre, New Jersey, 1984

It was serious

The coordinated and massive Iranian attack on Israel was a determined attempt to cause catastrophic losses and destroy F35 fighter aircraft. 120 ballistic missiles had a flight time of 12 minutes. Israel must restore deterrence. This cannot be new normal.

— Barry R McCaffrey (@mccaffreyr3) April 15, 2024

At both the White House press briefing and the State Dept. press briefing a day or two ago, reporters asked multiple times if Iran had sent a message to the US that warned when they were about to launch their attack on Israel. Both John Kirby and Matt Miller denied any such message was sent from Iran to the US.

I think this trope ... Iran didn't really mean to hurt Israel, Iran's attack wasn't serious ... is all about trying to keep Israel from responding militarily (and to quell any sympathy for Israel).

But as retired General Barry McCaffrey wrote above, the attack was real, serious, and it deserves a response.

Will Israel respond?

More commentary about the strike by Iran on Israel from retired Admiral James Stavridis and Chatham House Associate Fellow, Bilal Saab, from Meet the Press Now.

Iran's attack

On @MSNBC with @AlexWitt discussing possible Israeli responses to Iranian attack. pic.twitter.com/RgzPoZ0s4g

— Admiral James Stavridis, USN, Ret. (@stavridisj) April 14, 2024

The Bideb administration can seem so patronizing to Israel ... Biden telling them not to respond to this attack by Iran. For perspective, lets go back to 2020 ...

On 3 January 2020, Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general, was killed by an American drone strike near Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, while travelling to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi ... - Assassination of Qasem Soleimani

Iran responded to the attack, but in no way similarly to the way they have responded to Israel killing their general.

What do we think would have happened if Iran had launched 300+ drones and missiles at the US Eastern Seaboard? Even if we shot them all down, would we still just "take the win" as Biden has advised Netanyahu? Nope.

Are the hostages all dead?

- This is the home of French/Israeli, Nili Margalit, who was taken hostage by Gazan civilians and then sold to Hamas, and later released. See more about her story below.

From The Wall Street Journal: Hamas May Not Have Enough Living Hostages for Cease-Fire Deal

Fears are rising over the fate of the remaining hostages held in Gaza after Hamas said it was unsure whether it could bring forth 40 Israeli civilian captives as part of a U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal, according to officials familiar with the negotiations.

The 40 hostages, including women, children, elderly men, and those in fragile health, would be released under a U.S.-supported plan for a six-week cease-fire in the war in Gaza. In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners ...

More from The Times of Israel: US, Israeli officials fear most hostages held by Hamas are dead

I can't help thinking that if the US had spent any time helping Israel to destroy Hamas instead of only dweeling on the welfare of the Palestinians, the hostages might have been saved by now.

Here is the story in The Daily Mirror about former hostage Nili Margalit, who is giving public talks now, trying to make sure the public doesn't forget about the hostages ...

Israeli nurse abducted on October 7 says she was kidnapped by Palestinian CIVILIANS who joined in the terror attack and sold her to Hamas

An Israeli nurse who was abducted on October 7 has said she was kidnapped by Palestinian civilians who joined the terror attack, before selling her to Hamas.

Nili Margalit, 42, was taken from kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas's onslaught six months ago, which left around 1,200 people dead and saw around 250 Israeli and foreign hostages abducted and dragged back into Gaza.

She was repatriated in a November truce between Israel and Hamas - one of the roughly 90 hostages who have since been freed.

Speaking to French publication Le Point, she recalled her terrifying experience on October 7, which saw her home raided before she was kidnapped ...

1864

Remember when I wrote that the pro-life movement wanted to drag women back to the 1950s? Well, I was wrong - they want to drag us back to 1864. Ah, the good old days, when men were men and women were chattel ...

Old bat

No, not me ;) ...

The Times

On today's Daily Briefing podcast from The Times of Israel: Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman discusses latest in hostage negotiations, why Netanyahu is talking about dates for Rafah operation and how Israel has handled humanitarian aid

If you want to know what the Israeli thinking is on aspects of the Israel/Hamas war, it makes sense to read the Israeli press. I like the English online version of The Times of Israel, founded by David Horovitz.

Octopus

I'm still reading The Mountain in the Sea and learning a lot about octopuses :)

The Pope on gender

Gender-affirming surgery threatens ‘unique dignity’ of a person, Vatican says

The Vatican has issued a strong warning against “gender theory” and said that any “sex-change intervention” risks threatening “the unique dignity” of a person, in a new document signed off and approved by Pope Francis ...

This should come as no surprise, as Francis has often written against what he calls "gender theory". Just to reiterate - he is absolutely not a liberal, as many Catholics would portray him. And I'm not sure how something that is a medical/scientific subject has become so important to religious conservatives like Francis.

Speaking of the science, here's a bit from a past article in the journal Nature ...

Sex redefined

[...] Sex can be much more complicated than it at first seems. According to the simple scenario, the presence or absence of a Y chromosome is what counts: with it, you are male, and without it, you are female. But doctors have long known that some people straddle the boundary — their sex chromosomes say one thing, but their gonads (ovaries or testes) or sexual anatomy say another. Parents of children with these kinds of conditions — known as intersex conditions, or differences or disorders of sex development (DSDs) — often face difficult decisions about whether to bring up their child as a boy or a girl. Some researchers now say that as many as 1 person in 100 has some form of DSD2.

When genetics is taken into consideration, the boundary between the sexes becomes even blurrier. Scientists have identified many of the genes involved in the main forms of DSD, and have uncovered variations in these genes that have subtle effects on a person's anatomical or physiological sex. What's more, new technologies in DNA sequencing and cell biology are revealing that almost everyone is, to varying degrees, a patchwork of genetically distinct cells, some with a sex that might not match that of the rest of their body. Some studies even suggest that the sex of each cell drives its behaviour, through a complicated network of molecular interactions. “I think there's much greater diversity within male or female, and there is certainly an area of overlap where some people can't easily define themselves within the binary structure,” says John Achermann, who studies sex development and endocrinology at University College London's Institute of Child Health ...

Unending

Years ago, when I had more money, I bought the complete 10 seasons of one of my favorite tv shows of all time ... Stargate SG-1 ...

I have just been re-watching it all for the first time since I bought it, and I still love it. I'm in the 10th and final season, on the last episode: Unending ...

The episode begins with the mass suicide of the Asgard race, who try to preserve their legacy by giving all of their accumulated knowledge and technology to the SG-1 team and the crew of the Earth ship Odyssey. When the ship is attacked by Ori warships, Lieutenant-Colonel Samantha Carter creates a time dilation field. The field was programmed so while only fractions of a second had passed outside of the field, It takes fifty years inside the field until a defense against the Ori weapons can be found.

So, Carter and Daniel Jackson and Teal'c and General Landry (Beau Bridges) and Mitchell and Vala (both of the previous SF show Farscape) are stuck on the ship in a time dilation field for 50 years, hoping they can both save all the neat stuff the Asgard gave them for their ship, while also escaping the secons-away evil Ori energy beam that will destroy them. They each deal with it in their own way, but time is not kind to them ...



But the episode and the series end well, and there are then two Stargate movies, and of course the spin-off, Stargate Atlantis, so many more Stargate viewing hours ahead :)

Do as I say ...

... not as I do.

‘Serious failure’: IDF fires 2 top officers over deadly drone strike on Gaza aid convoy

Two senior officers were to be dismissed and several other top commanders in the Israel Defense Forces were formally censured for their involvement in a deadly drone strike against a group of aid workers with the World Central Kitchen organization in the central Gaza Strip earlier this week, the military said Friday ...

Details show there was evidence that Hamas operatives were on/in/around the cars, and the IDF could not make contact with the WCK. Israel has fired the people most responsible for the decision to strike the vehicles.

But still, Blinken says there should be an independent investigation. To find out what?

I can only imagine what an independent investigation of our own accidental civilian casualty events would turn up, but that will never happen (Civilian casualties from U.S. drone strikes).

If a tree ...

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? Yes and no.

Alternatively, if facts are reported in the news but no one pays attention to them, are those facts still part of the relevant narrative? Nope.

Retired Admirial James Stavridis was on Meet the Press Now yesterday, discussing the Israeli deone strike that killed aid workers. He said something that I think will be completelu ignored, but which I had mentioned in my previous post.

When asked how this could have happened, he attributed it to "deeply flawed intelligence" and he added "certainly the United States has had instances of this kind of event" in the past (recent example: US military admits it killed 10 civilians and targeted wrong vehicle in Kabul airstrike.).



The killing of the aid workers was tragic, but an accident ... the Israelis did not intentionally target those aid workers. If you don't think something like this can happen to innocent civilians in an active war zone, you are not paying attention to what "war" means.

But instead of people pointing this out, they give oxygen to the idea that the killing was intentional ... Chef Jose Andres among them.

And President Biden has called the airstrike, even though a mistake, "outrageous" and "unacceptable". Did he also say this about the civillian-killing airstrike that happened in Afghanistan on his watch? Nope. I think he wants to distance himself from Israel to get the votes of Arab/American Democrats. Doesn't seem right.

Outrage?

White House 'outraged' aid workers killed in IDF strike; Biden calls José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen

For context, let's look back a few years ...

Remember when the US was leaving Afghanistan in August of 2021? Do you recall this event? ... US military admits it killed 10 civilians and targeted wrong vehicle in Kabul airstrike.

That drone strike that killed 10 civilians in their vehicle, including 7 children, was deemed an "honest mistske" by the US ... ‘Honest mistake’: US strike that killed Afghan civilians was legal – Pentagon. No one was held accountable.

And, there was no "outrage" from the Biden White House about that.

And this is just one example. The US certainly has caused more than its share of unintended civilian deaths during wars. An example from The New York Times in 2021 ...

Civilian Deaths Mounted as Secret Unit Pounded ISIS

A single top secret American strike cell launched tens of thousands of bombs and missiles against the Islamic State in Syria, but in the process of hammering a vicious enemy, the shadowy force sidestepped safeguards and repeatedly killed civilians, according to multiple current and former military and intelligence officials.

The unit was called Talon Anvil, and it worked in three shifts around the clock between 2014 and 2019, pinpointing targets for the United States’ formidable air power to hit: convoys, car bombs, command centers and squads of enemy fighters.

But people who worked with the strike cell say in the rush to destroy enemies, it circumvented rules imposed to protect noncombatants ...

You can read more about this at the Wikipedia page, Operation Inherent Resolve, under "Casualties" and "Talon Anvil" ... the civilian death counts are horrible.

We don't have a whole lot of high moral ground from which to be "outraged" at Israel.