Wanted

Interesting that the US wanted Shukr too.

I didn't realize that the government had a Rewards for Justice Program run by the State Dept, with rap sheets, wanted posters, and rewards offered for different terroists.

Somehow disturbing.

Hamas leader killed

We shouldn't be surprised. From November 2023: Netanyahu, Gallant say all Hamas members, even outside Gaza, are ‘dead men’.

If history teaches us anything, it is that the leaders of Hamas will be hunted down, even if it takes years. How long did it take the US to find Osama bin Laden?

Will this damage the chances for a ceasefire? I think it will do the opposite.

More Vance

I'm a childless cat lady. I'm not one of the regretful childless people that we see on the news. I have never been keen on having kids, and I mostly find them kind of scary .... they are humanity without the wisdom and restraint of experience.

And anyway, the world has too many people as it is. Really ...



Why do people like Vance (and institutions like the Catholic church) demean the childless, why do they glorify what is basically a replacemnt method that humans share with almost every other creature on the planer?

I think it has to do with being afraid, with wanting to control others.

Pete

Pete Buttigieg was on MSNBC today. He's one of those being considered as a possible vice president for Harris. I think he would be a great choice!

Maya Goren

People keep asking why the IDF is asking Palestinians in Gaza to move from one area of the humanitarian zone to another prior to sending troops in.

The answer is that Hamas has been hiding in the humanitarian zone among civilians, and the IDF has been getting intelligence about where those areas are.

It was intelligence from a terrorist detainee that led the Israeli army to find the bodies of five hostages killed on Oct 7 ... Hamas kidnaps dead people.

Thier bodies were not just inside a tunnel 60 feet under the humanitarian zone, but buried behind a wall of that tunnel. It's likely the families of these people would never have known what happened to their loved ones if that intelligence had not been gathered.

You can read more about the IDF action and the individual deceased hostages here ... Bodies of 5 hostages were found in tunnel in Gaza’s Israeli-designated humanitarian zone

Here's an article in The New York Post about the one female hostage, Maya Goren, a 56 year old teacher and mother of four ... IDF recovers body of kindergarten teacher kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7

Wildfire

This fire is about 90 miles north of where I live. Scary. And sad - all the animals, plants, people's homes burned up. So much terror and suffering :(

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

When I was young, this was my favorite Chicago song: Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?. Here they are, 1973, at Caribou Ranch in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado ...

Gaza Poll

Interestin story from NPR on a polling pf Palestinians, from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, located in Ramallah, in the West Bank.

The Biden administration has opined that most Palestinians in Gaza don't like Hamas and do not support the Oct 7 attack on Israel that started this war. The poll shows the opposite to be true - a majority of those polled support the Oct 7 attack on Israel, and their support for Hamas is actually growing.

It's a long article but here's a bit of it ...

A pollster sheds light on Palestinian attitudes toward the U.S., Israel and Hamas

[...] The results from the latest survey, published on June 12, showed that more than 60% of Palestinians in Gaza reported losing family members in the current war, which has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians. Two-thirds of respondents said they continue to support the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which militants killed 1,200 people and took at least 240 hostages, and 80% believe it put the Palestinian issue at the center of global attention.

About half of those responding to the survey in Gaza said they expected Hamas to win the war with Israel and return to rule the Gaza Strip, while a quarter said they expected Israel to win ....

In the June 12 poll, 40% of Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza said they would prefer Hamas to govern them, followed by Fatah (20%), the Palestinian National Liberation Movement in control of the West Bank and led by Mahmoud Abbas. Eight percent chose others. Support for Hamas over the preceding three months increased by 6%.

Shikaki explains this significant support for Hamas despite the suffering caused by the war: “The support for Hamas comes from various sources, but the most important one is because Palestinians share Hamas' values. They will support Hamas for that, even if Hamas makes wrong moves here or there." ....

JD Vance

As I read the news I see stories asking why JD Vance has such creepy ideas about women and their place in society, from childless cat ladies, to women being forced to stay in violent marriages, to having no exceptions for aboerion.

I have a one word explanation, and it applies not just to JD Vance, but to many of the women-hating nutballs in the MAGA/Trump cult ... Catholicism.

JD Vance is an adult convert to Catholicism (like me) and he is but one of the many conservative Catholics in Trump's orbit, from Supreme Court Justices to extremists like Nick Fuentes

For those not keeping up with church policy, it hasn't changed since I became a Catholic some 30 years ago. Actually, it hasn't changed for centuries.

- Childless cat ladies ... The church believes that a woman's main purpose in life is to birth and raise children ... Pope Francis: not having children is selfish

- Women in destructive marriages ... A divorce is not recognized in the Catholic church, even if your husband is beating the crap out of you. If you have the time and the money, you may be able to get an annulment, which is the church's end-run around its own rules, for cash. But if you are divorced and you remarry, with no annulment, you cannot take communion.

- No exceptions for abortion ... Even if a woman/girl is a rape victim or a victim of incest, they cannot get an abortion. Even if the pregnancy will kill them, women/girls are expected to die rather than get an abortion ... see Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, see this 9 year old's story. If a woman/girl does get an abortion, she is considered a murderer and is automatically excommunicated.

Fortunately, most Catholics pretty much ignore the church's teaching on this stuff, but don't expect any changes in policy from super conservative JD Vance. He will work to make women's lives as small and limited and powerless as possible, cuz that's what his church seems to want.

The speech

The Times of Israel's daily briefing discusses Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to Congress yesterday. Interestingly, they think the main audience for the speech was not meant to be the Americans or the Israelis, but the Saudis. Find out why.

Biden's speech

I just watched Joe Biden's speech from the Oval Office. I'm not ashamed to say it made me cry. I think he has been a really good president and it's a shame that he was not allowed to run again.

When the roof of my decrepit house was in such bad shape that I couldn't get homeowner's insurance, I wrote to my governor to ask for advice. He never even acknowledged that I had written. But when I finally wrote to Biden, he wrote me back an actual letter with all kinds of advice.

Maybe that's why he is a good president - he cares about people, even a nobody like me.

The speech

Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to Congress. He brought along some Israeli soldiers who had fought and been wounded on October 7, as well as the recently rescued hostage, Noa Argamani.

I think he did a good job of reminding people of what is at stake for Israel. A lot of Democrats don't like him, even a lot of Israelis don't, in part because he does not pussyfoot around in making his points.

Maybe I'm wrong, but to me he seems like a guy who ultimately wants to save his country, and I remember his brother, who died saving the hostages in Entebbe.

Some pro-Hamas graffiti outside the Capitol today Kamala Harris condemns pro-Hamas protesters who burned American flag in D.C. ...

Terry Kath

One song by Chicago that I always liked, but didn't even realize was by them, is Make Me Smile, sung by guitarist Terry Kath.

Terry caught my attention both because he was said to be a really good guitarist (Why Jimi Hendrix Called Chicago’s Terry Kath The Best Guitarist In The Universe), and because, sadly, he died at age 31 from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Here is the song, performed at Tanglewood, 1970 ...

Learn more

So what's happening in the Israel/Hamas war?

Most of the news headlines I see seem to have taken sides, like this one from CNN ... Dozens killed and thousands flee as Israel shrinks ‘humanitarian zone’ in Gaza

I wonder where the information about the deaths came from. How may of the dead were Hamas fighters? Why is Israel asking people to move, and attacking in the humanitarian zone? I'd hope peole would want to know more.

Here's The Times of Israel's news briefing for today, which deals withe subject of these attacks, interviewing military correspondent Emmanuel Fabian ...

The park

Chicago, Saturday in the Park, written and sung by keyboardist Robert Lamm, 1973, about NY's Central Park.

Kamala Harris

Now that Joe Biden has officially ended his campaign for president in 2024, the press and elected Democrats ... you know, the ones who hounded him mercilessly to get out of the race ... well, they are all going on and on about what a great president and person Biden has been, about his wonderful legacy. You would think he had died, but I guess it's just that he's now "dead to them".

Their true focus is on who will take Biden's place. Most have endorsed Biden's choice ... Kamala Harris ... but a few prominent Democrats, like Pelosi and Obama, have not done so. Why not?

If Harris does get the nomination, who will she choose as her running mate? My favorite choice would be Mark Kelly. I really like him, and have done so since before he got into politics, when he was an astronaut. I like Josh Shapiro too, but I think Kelly would be more popular with voters.

Harris was my senator and I voted for her in the past in CA. But in a perfect world, I probably wouldn't have chosen her for president. For one thing, I don't think she will be as good a friend to Israel as Biden has been. And she doesn't sem as concerned about the elderly and the poor as someone like Bernie is.

And it still bugs me that the Democratic candidate for presient in 2024 will be someone no voters have voted for, but is instead chosen by the big wigs in the party. Not very democratic.

In studio

Yes, it's going to be all Chicago all the time for a while ... I'm fascinated by Peter Cetera's wonderful teeth :) In studio, 1973, Stronger Every Day.

Chicago

Here is Chicago, doing their song Old Days, 1975 New Year's Eve, sung by Peter Cetera.

Smoke-filled room

- AOC talks aboit the effort to remove Biden (and Harris)

Smoke-filled room ... In U.S. political jargon, a smoke-filled room (sometimes called a smoke-filled back room) is an exclusive, sometimes secret political gathering or round-table-style decision-making process. The phrase is generally used to suggest an inner circle of power brokers, a cabal of the powerful or well-connected acting to make decisions without regard for the will of the larger group.

Elizabeth Warren was on The Weekend today, and the first question she was asked was whether she was with Biden, or was one of those who wanted a different candidate.

Her answer was so disingenuous and passive-aggressive, and an example of what all of the Democrats who want Biden to leave have been doing.

First there's the "oh, Joe Biden has been such a good president, oh his legacy will be great, oh I just really love him". And then there is the lie, oops, I mean misdirection ... Warren says "Biden has a really big decision to make".

She and they know, as well as all of us know, that Biden has already make his decision, and has articulated it a million times, in public ... he is the candidate and he is running.

Then Warren went on to talk up Kamala Harris, the implication being, I guess, that she will support Harris to take Biden's place (she doesn't actually say that, though). And, as AOC has said, if you think the people who want to remove Biden are going to support Kamala Harris, think again - they want to have a whole new ticket, just a couple of months before the election.

But see, Warren and the others of her ilk can't be honest - instead they must flood the zone with poop. If they say "Biden is too old, he's lost it, and if he runs he will drag me down and I may lose my job" ... well, not only will Biden voters hate them, Biden himself will be pissed.

And see, they can't make Biden mad! Because he has a vast majority of the delegates and the only way they can get those delegates is to convince Biden to voluntarily give them over.

So there is this endless campaign, waged in the public view, to convince the voters Biden doesn't really want to be president again, and to convince Biden that he is dragging down the party with his hopeless and selfish attempt to retain power.

God, I hate these people. Because they are lying. And because they are moral cowards. They don't have the decency to be straightforward about what they want and why. And they don't have the decency to honor the millions of votes from millions of Democrats who voted for Joe Biden to be the candidate.

I thought they were all about "democacy" and "the will of the people". Nope, they are about securing their power and their money.

The speech

- The Trump ladies ... God's gift to the plastic surgery and hair dye industries.

Listening to Trump give his "God saved me" part of his speech, watching the adoring and worshipful crowd sucking it all up. The new Messiah. God help us all :(

But oh, there it is, now he's turning back into the Trump we've come to know so well ... the one whose every word is a lie. He says he's happy to be joined by his wonderful wife, the one he has endlessly cheated on. God, please don't let them win ... I can't take more Haunted House Christmas decorations.

I give up. I'll leave it to CNN to point out all the lies ...

Leave Biden alone

I find this just infuriating. Millions of Americans voted in the primary for Joe Biden as our presidential candidate - he got almoost 90% of the vote.

In a democracy, it is the voters who choose their leaders ... not members of the Senate or House, not The New York Times editorial board, not rich donors like Disney, and not the pundits. The voters. And they have spoken.

It is shameful that these same people who are twisting Biden's arm to make him quit have attacked Republicans and Trump for trying to set aside the will of the voters on Janusry 6 - they are trying to do that very same thing. But but but, democracy is in peril, desperate times call for desperate measures, we're doing it for the right reasons (to keep our money, our jobs, our power). Talk about the ends justifying the means.

If Trump wins, after all this Democratic back room harassment, I'll know who to blame.

PS - I won't be voting for Adam Schiff ever again :(

Convention

What a freak show. Republican lawmakers lying their asses off, former rivals of Trump debasing themselves, loud music permeating the room as the audience howls its adulation. And the big chees presiding over it all.

Reminds me of a similar occassion, long long ago in a galaxy far far away ...

Trump

Really disturbing to see the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

Kibbutz Be’eri

Israeli military inquiry says it ‘failed in its mission’ to protect southern kibbutz during October 7 attack

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) internal investigation into the failures to protect the kibbutz of Be’eri on October 7 found that the Israeli military “failed in its mission to protect the residents” and “was not prepared for the extensive infiltration scenario” by Hamas that day, which involved “multiple infiltration points by thousands of terrorists attacking dozens of locations simultaneously.”

Be’eri, located in southern Israel, was one of the hardest hit communities in the October 7 attacks when Hamas militants stormed the kibbutz, killing 101 of its residents, including children. Thirty people were abducted from the kibbutz that day ...

Today on The Times of Israel's daily briefing, they discuss the report on the Be'eri attack ...

Old

Biden did well, I thought, at the press conference tonight. But of course, that will not change the minds of those who want to dump him. That's because, despite all their disclaimers, their real reason for wanting to dump him can not be affected by new events or facts.

Joe Biden is old. And for those who think he's worthless, there can be no coming back from that. There's just no remedy for that. Best he can do is get out of the way.

So these people who dispute the worth of the elderly will not give up until they have poisoned the voters against Biden, and they have a new candidate. That candidate may not be as experienced as Biden, not as smart, not as good a person, not as capable. But that will be ok.

Because he/she won't be old.

The best way to predict the future is to invent it

A quote from the Well-Manicured Man from The X-Files (or was it Lincoln?). The Democratic party movers and shakers are trying to doom Biden's chance to be president again by creating a false narrative that they believe will result in a benefit to themselves.

From New York Magazine ...

George Clooney Is Here to Sink Joe Biden

[...] Before May, Clooney was in lockstep with the Biden campaign, bundling millions for his effort in 2020 — as he did for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (a friend) before him. But two months ago, Amal Clooney, the esteemed human-rights lawyer who happens to be the actor’s wife, sat on a review board that essentially greenlit the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s decision to apply for a warrant to charge Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant with war crimes over the invasion in Gaza. (A recent calculation by The Lancet puts the civilian death toll in Gaza at around 186,000 people, roughly 8 percent of the territory’s population.) As the administration supplying Israel with its munitions to carry out the war, the Biden camp wasn’t thrilled by this action, coming from an international body that the U.S. is not even a party to. White House officials called the decision an “overreach,” while Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly told Republican senator Lindsey Graham he would “welcome working with you” on sanctioning ICC members.

With the prospect of his wife facing sanctions by the U.S. government, the Washington Post reported that Clooney texted Biden fundraiser and adviser Steve Ricchetti to express his concerns — and hinted that his support of the president was not unconditional ...

What bothers me is that famous big donors like Clooney, as well as Democratic politiccal insiders, feel that they have the right to decide who our party's candidate will be. But that has already been decided by the voters. Doesn't that matter to them? It looks like all that matters to them is political favor, money, power, and influence ... for themselves.

The way I feel right now, if they force another candidate on the Democratic party, I just won't vote at all. F*ck them - let's see how they fare under Trump.

George Clooney

Now it's Clooney who wants Biden to step aside, with an op ed in The New York Times.

Clooney used to be a supporter of Biden. Why would he suddenly change his mind? He says it's because the Biden he knew has suddenly changed into someone else .... wait, is this one of those body snatcher scenarios?

Or maybe it's not a coincidence that his wife was instrumental in attributing war crimes to Israel .... Amal Clooney was among the experts who advised on the ICC arrest warrants ... George Clooney called White House to defend his wife a month before NYT Biden take down.

Who knows. But making the choice of who should be president based on an actor's opinion just seems odd anyway.

The whining

There's no way out': Democrats feel powerless as 'elites' fall in line behind Biden

All along, they say, they’ve felt deep concerns about Biden — and fielded reservations from voters, as poll after poll has demonstrated — but have felt powerless to act in the face of a White House and Democratic Party that’s been under Biden’s thumb ....

Even after a disastrous debate performance that was initially met with calls for him to step aside, new revelations from those around the president expressing concerns about his mental acuity and warning signs about future fundraising, one power broker after another is falling in line behind Biden — in some cases after just expressing grave doubts about him.

But by some accounts from Democrats on Tuesday, that backing felt more akin to a death march to November than a rousing backing for a party nominee ...

Right, exactly like a death march. Oh, where's my violin?



These sad-sacks are powerless, not because Biden is being mean to them, but because Biden won fair and square the election to be the Democratic candidate .... the voters have selected him, and these dopes don't have the right to usurp that decision and install their own choice. Did they forget they are Democrats, not Republicans?

To quote Trump ... sad ;)

Josh Green

Josh Green, the governor of Hawaii, gives a really good endorsement for Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate. He was a doctor for many years before entering politics, and he doesn't think Biden's age is a negarive factor.

But the host of Meet the Press Now tried as gard as he could to get Green to say something negative about Biden. Reminds me of when Hilary was running, and the press was always saying, "But but but, the emails!" Now it's "But but but, the debate!" The press, the rich donors, and the pundits have turned what was one bad night into a contrived disaster, and only Trump willl benefit from that.

Bernie

Bernie stands with Joe Biden, supporting him and his policies as some other Democratic senators try to oust Biden. Bernis said "this is not a beauty contest" and "to hell with the billionaire campaign donors" who want to get rid of Biden :) I'm glad to see this ... it's depressing how many Democrats I used to respect are now part of the eat-your-own feeding frenzy over Biden.

Trump and Epstein and teen girls

While Democratic operatives and Democratic down-ballot politicians obsess over how they can get rid of Joe Biden, the person they should be concerned about - Trump - skates along, free of scrutiny ...

Since the American media is too busy with The Frenzy to cover the explosive legal filings in the Epstein/Trump case except on page A43, the UK press steps in:
https://t.co/Rlb3uvSdp4

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) July 6, 2024

Donald Trump’s alleged ‘sexual proclivities’ graphically detailed in new Epstein documents

Graphic details about Donald Trump’s alleged “sexual proclivities” have emerged in the latest round of court documents containing details of late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s associates.

The new documents contain “incendiary claims” about the former president, including accusations that he had sexual relations with “many girls”, made by one of Epstein’s alleged victims, Sarah Ransome.

Mr Trump’s name has appeared a handful of times previously in the documents and, while not accusing him of wrongdoing, appears to illustrate the good relationship he had with the disgraced financier.

In the newly unsealed documents, Ms Ransome testified that her unnamed friend “was one of the many girls that had sexual relations with Donald Trump” – including at Epstein’s New York townhouse ....

But ... we already knew Trump is a rapist and nobody cares, not even his Christian supporters, not even the Republican politicians who pretend to be normal decent people. I would like to look Marco Rubio or Doug Burgum in the face and ask, "what the f*k is wrong with you?". But of course it wouldn't make a difference.

So instead let's make sure to spend every waking moment examining every detail of Biden's debate performance. Again.

Donors, operatives, the press

Watching Meet the Press Now, which was all about Biden and the voters and the donors and what seems to be a manufactured disaster created to dump Biden by those who never wanted him in the first place.

Biden is shown at a rally where the voters are thrilled to see him and are not put off by his performance in the past debate. But, as it turns out, it doesn't really matter who the voters want to be the Democratic candidate. The only people who will actually get to choose are the rich donors.

Powerful Democratic backers to pause donations until Joe Biden steps aside

On Thursday, Abigail Disney – the heir to the Disney family fortune and a major party donor – announced she would withhold donations unless Biden dropped out of the race.

“This is realism, not disrespect,” Disney told CNBC, adding: “If Biden does not step down the Democrats will lose. Of that I am absolutely certain. The consequences for the loss will be genuinely dire.” ...

Oh, well, ok then. Whatever the super rich donors want. The voters and their opinions don't matter, because we in the Democratic party are all about the uber elite choosing our government, not the people?

No!

When Trump is celebrating his victory after the election, I will know who to blame - the "movers and shakers" behind the scenes in the Democratic party.

PS - if you can bear it, you may want to watch George Stephanopoulos interviewing Biden about the debate. I could only watch a bit of it before I got too upset. It was like watching my beloved grampa being interrogated by the Inquisition. I hadn't realized until then that doing badly in a debate was actually a crime :(

111° F

Where I live, it's a hot one, like seven inches from the midday sun.

Here above is Santana, vocals by Rob Thomas, with their song Smooth.

2025

What this project makes me think of is a realization of the storyline of the tv series The Handmaid's Tale. Gay and trans people ... no longer extant. Women ... reproductive slaves. The government ... a right-wing theocracy headed by a dictator. This isn't a joke or an exaggeration. You can look the 2025 project up online. If Trump wins, they have every intention of implementing this.

Ageism

Listening to the White House press briefing yesterday, it's depressing how much the press is fixated on Joe Biden's debate performance. It was one bad night, but the press, along with former behind-the-scenes Democratic operatives and some progressive Democratic lawmakers, seem determined to make sure Trump wins the upcoming election by dooming Biden's campaign.

You would think that only perfect people need apply for the job of president, byt no president is perfect ... Clinton got blow jobs in the Oval office, Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction, Reagan had Iran-Contra, Jimmy Carter lusted in his heart, and then there was Nixon.

And Trump ... how is it that all these reporters and pundits are not calling for the rapist/crook/proto-dictator to get out of the race?

Biden is the best president we have had in a long time. Yes, he is old, but there's nothing necessarily wrong with being old. It actually isn't some kind of moral failure, it's what will happen to all of us if we are lucky. It's possible to still keep all your marbles and be old, but humans aren't robots - even the best of us can stimble. That possibility must be acceptable.

And if worse came to worse sometime down the line in Biden's presidency? That could happen to any president , no matter what his age. That is what vice-presidents are for. And we have a good one, standing ready, just in case.

So, everybody, get off Joe's back and help him beat the effing monster!

Friends

This song is in my head today. Joe Cocker performs on the German tv series Beat-Club in 1968.

The recording of this song was the one that really began his career, with Jimmy Page on guitar, and it reached #1 in the UK that year.

I didn't realize that he had died until I was looking this up. Sad. He is so yoing in this video ... I think he's 24 here.

Noa

Mother of hostage Noa Argamani dies of cancer three weeks after daughter’s rescue

Liora Argamani, the mother of recently rescued hostage Noa Argamani, has died of brain cancer, the Tel Aviv hospital where she was being treated said Tuesday.

Ichilov Hospital said in a statement that Liora “spent her final days alongside her daughter Noa, who returned from captivity, and her close family.” ...

Noa was able to be at her mother's side, not because of some tortured ceasefire agreement with Hamas, but because the IDF rescued her. She had been a prisoner of civilian Gazans in their home, because, you know, what family doesn't want its own slave?

I read the news every morning, and when I see the headlines about the Isreal/Hamas war, it seems like the world is confused about who the victims are.

Hit list

Today the Supreme Court ruled that the president of the United States can have the military kill his political opponentn ... The President Can Now Assassinate You, Officially

This is horrifying, of course, but I think I see a silver lining. Doesn't this mean that Biden, as the current president, can have Trump assassinated before the upcoming election? A few words in the right ears and Bob's your uncle, right?

No worries - Biden would never do this.

But Trump? I bet he's already compiling his "people to whack" list.