Ann's Mega Dub

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Howie Responds to the American Jobs Act

Howie Hawkins was the 2020 presidential candidate for the Green Party. Angela Walker was his running mate. I am a Green. One of the things I repeatedly lament is that we tend to get a bump in national presence during a presidential election year and then the other three years we don't really seem able to get traction. I'm talking traction within the national conversation. And that's because we don't really have a follow through.

Howie and Angela are doing weekly conversations online. The election ending didn't mean they went away. They're raising real issues and offering Green perspectives on a weekly basis. Here's the latest that they did Tuesday night.

This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Tuesday, April 6, 2021. Media, media, media . . .

Let's start with media. At the end yesterday's snapshot, I noted that Eric London's appearance on THE CONVO COUCH was bad manner at the very least:

We're going to note Eric London's appearance last week on THE CONVO COUCH.

Fiorella and Craig were smart to have him on and Eric was smart not to pull a Jerry White -- or rather a full Jerry White. Jerry made an ass out of himself -- a point Ann made at WSWS before WSWS pulled her comment -- on THE JIMMY DORE SHOW -- by having a fit over a previous guest. See "The WSWS embraces censorship and derangement (Ava and C.I.)" for the'outrageous' comment that WSWS pulled. Eric didn't have a fit but he wasted everyone's time.

Unlike Eric, I've been on talk shows -- nationally broadcast ones -- and I've never felt the need to say, "Dave, before we get into the new project, let's just have Paull and the band take it down a notch because r just need to go back a moment because the guest in the segment before me said . . ." No one cares. It's rude. it's outrageous. If you're on a talk show to promote something -- film, music, ideology, whatever -- use your time wisely.

I get it, Eric, I do. You and WSWS painted yourself into a corner and don't know how to get out of it. You launched crazy conspiracy nonsense in the fall of 2020 and never let up. You used it -- let's be honest -- to try to steep people into voting for Joe Biden. That's what it was about and that's why your magazine's lousy candidate Joseph Kishore all but closed his presidential campaign over a month before the election.

You need to let it go. It's done too much harm to WSWS. People walked away and some are not going back. "I was wrong" or "What was I thinking" -- two easy phrases to get out of the mess you are currently in.

Two e-mails to the public account insist that if Eric hadn't brought up another topic, people would have thought he agreed with THE CONVO COUCH. No, they wouldn't. That topic was not a part of his segment. If Steve Martin tells a joke or does a bit I don't agree with and I follow him or I don't care for the band that follows and find their music to be offensive due to whomever they're ripping off, I don't have to stop my segment to tell the host just how much I disagree with another segment I was not in.

It wasn't Eric's place. He wanted to lecture Fiorella who was actually on the ground in DC, he wanted to tell her what she saw. I like WSWS but they do that from time to time. Trina took them on -- and she likes them as well -- when they were falsely reporting on her city (Boston) and doing so with no correspondent in Boston. If WSWS wants to be known as the outlet that picks fights whenever they are a guest, they'll quickly find that they won't be invited guests anymore.

WSWS went off the nutty cliff with regards to Donald Trump in the fall of 2020. They have refused to admit that they were wrong. They have used the DC protest and the riot that followed it to argue that they were right. No, they were not right. They're embarrassing themselves.

They should have apologized for that coverage. Instead, they now appear on other programs to attack people who observed first hand what went down. It's nonsense.

Especially the "other programs" aspect.

Does no one get that?

Because if Eric London wants to froth at the mouth over Donald Trump -- who is not in the White House -- he can do so . . . at the WSWS YOUTUE channel. But that would mean actually creating content and goodness knows that they aren't very good about doing that.

They posted a video 2 days ago, 6 days ago, 1 week ago, 1 month ago . . .

Huh?

They have how many correspondents and they can't even do any videos?

If they're that worried about what's on YOUTUBE, they should get off their lazy ass and post content to their YOUTUBE channel.

I tend to post videos here without streaming them and the reason is because I don't want to be Eric London. A writer I enjoy, three weeks ago, repeated a falsehood that had been fact checked and found to be false. I posted the video and didn't feel the need to comment. The video was about more than that one falsehood.

I usually post Glenn Greenwald but I won't be posting his latest interview because there are just too many falsehoods. There's the claim that he was tough on Barack. When, Glenn, when? When you and Jane were going around trying to get him the nomination? Was that when you were hard on him? When he failed to end the Iraq War? Help me out on when you started being hard on Barack -- or even skeptical of him?

I've told you for years he's a sexist. Listen to his comments about Sady Doyle in that interview and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I'm not going to post that video.

I like Glenn and he's an important voice but he's a real struggle with honesty when it comes to him. His blog that he self-describes? It was a pro-war blog, specifically pro-Iraq War. He tends to erase that -- and did in the interview with ZERO BOOKS -- the one I'm talking about above.

Fiorella and Craig's work on the DC incident is well known as is their stance. If it made Eric that uncomfortable, he shouldn't have gone on the show. Just like I won't be posting ZERO BOOKS' interview with Glenn because I made the mistake of listening and there's just too much in there that I know to be false.

As for Noam Chomsky, I don't lie whores and Noam's a whore. Glenn talks about poor Noam. Not poor Noam. Others have been doing "Noam Chomsky admits he was wrong" type reports about Noam admitting he made a mistake in urging people to vote for Joe Biden. I'm not four years old. I have a good memory. Every four years, Noam endorses a Democrat and then, after the election, oops, I was wrong. I'm sick of it. He's a whore. His endorsements go against his body of published work over and over again. I'm sick of it and I'm sick of him.

Jimmy Dore.

Ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris' appearance, we called it out. I forgot to return to it to make a point. Jimmy addressed the appearance yesterday.

Did he talk about The Clinton Foundation? I don't know, I'm asking because I haven't streamed it.

But Kamala should not have appeared at that event.

I have not attacked Kamala, I've not made this a site for Kamala hatred. I know her. Not very fond of her but I try to be fair.

I can't be fair on this.

The Clinton Foundation has had serious problems with transparency.

After she's out of office, if she wants to appear there, fine. But presently she is the Vice President of the United States and she needs to take that role seriously. That includes not allowing yourself to be whored by Bill and Hillary Clinton to prop up their troubled foundation.

Bill left office in disgrace.

That is reality.

The Supreme Court stripped him of his ability to practice law. Al Gore blamed his 2000 loss in part on Bill and Bill's scandals.

There's no need for a sitting Vice President to be whoring for Bill Clinton.

It was cheap, it was tacky and it was embarrassing. It should never happen again.

Peter Grier, reporting for THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR in 2016,

The problem is donors have been asking for stuff. Emails disclosed due to a lawsuit by the conservative group Judicial Watch reveal a number of instances where people who gave money to the foundation used foundation contacts to funnel various requests to Clinton’s State Department staff.

For instance, a wealthy West Coast sports executive asked a Clinton Foundation official for help in getting a visa for a British client, a soccer star denied entry to the US due to criminal charges. The Crown Prince of Bahrain asked a foundation official for help getting a meeting with Clinton.

“Good friend of ours,” noted foundation official Douglas Band when forwarding the request.

At least 85 people from private interests who had donated to the Clinton Foundation met with Clinton while she was secretary of State, according to an Associated Press review of her calendars.

Kamala needs to be above reproach. Rubbing shoulders with Bill at a Clinton Foundation event doesn't allow her to appear that way.

It was bad optics, it was bad in every way possible.

We'll talk about the garbage CNN is offering next time.

ADDED: We'll talk about it now -- 1:41 EST 4/6/21 because a number of you are asking for it including KeShawn who pointed out that Iraq is just a mention in the snapshot without talking about it.

From the CNN article:

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a frequent critic of Biden administration nominees for supporting the Iraq War and other "forever wars," himself wrote in support of the Iraq War prior to becoming a senator in newly uncovered blog posts.

"The question should not be, When do we get to leave? But instead, How are we going to win?" Hawley wrote in one blog post from 2005 about Iraq.

Regardless of whether former President Donald Trump runs again in 2024, Hawley has positioned himself as a potential presidential candidate with a pro-Trump platform that has included largely voting against President Joe Biden's picks. Hawley has attacked Biden's team for being "pro-endless wars," citing past support for the Iraq War, and calling Biden's team "warmongers."

[. . .]

Phillip Letsou, a spokesman for Hawley, said Hawley's views had changed and pointed to his support in the Senate for withdrawing from Afghanistan and opposition to sending additional troops to the Middle East.

"Senator Hawley's views have definitely changed since his school days. If the twenty-year failed experiment in 'neo-conservative' globalism in the Middle East doesn't convince you that nation building doesn't work, nothing will," Letsou told CNN in an email.

It does not appear that Hawley campaigned on opposing Middle East wars prior to his election to the Senate, according to a KFile review of campaign events and interviews.

It's cute the way CNN goes after some and not others. It's cute the way they lie to. Hawley was 22 or 23 when the war started. Pieces that written in 2005, when he was 24 or 25, are big news to CNN. That would be the same CNN that let Joe Biden slide repeatedly over his Iraq War claims -- including his claim to regret his vote -- he doesn't, listen and he'll tell you his regret is that he trusted Bully Boy Bush would get the numbers right, etc. Bully Boy Bush tricked him!!!! Wah!! Wah!!!

Now Joe wasn't a college student when the Iraq War -- that he voted for and supported -- started. He was a grown man who had already been in the Senate for decades. He was on year thirty in the Senate when he voted for the Iraq War.

So there's that.

It's also nonsense because I've yet to see CNN do the opposite -- point out an anti-war critic who changed their mind. The Iraq War is still going on and you can ask Senator Mike Gravel about how one member of Congress can make an impact -- if they choose to do so.

Third, we're talking about CNN which allows Christiane Amanpour to advocate for war on a regular basis.

Fourth, huh????????

Unlike CNN, I was opposed to the Iraq War. I started speaking against it one month before it started. So I don't have any apologizing to do. CNN ignores its own past which allows it to pretend it doesn't owe any apologies.

But we were not all on the same page in the US.

The country turned against the Iraq War in 2006. So Josh's experience tracks with that of the majority of Americans. Does CNN not get that? How stupid are they?

It's hard to believe that this isn't a slam at a member of Congress for being opposed to forever wars. Especially when you consider how little CNN noted the 18th anniversary of the Iraq War just last month.

I don't know if Hawley's for real, I don't know if he isn't. But Josh's actions are not the indictment CNN seems to believe they are. If he rethought his position, he did so while the rest of the country was doing so. (Which is why I don't get why Glenn Greenwald can't cop to what he did in terms of supporting the war at the start.) CNN did a very poor job. It reads like advocacy -- bad advocacy on the part of some idiots who can't take the time to first do the work required -- not like journalism.

The following sites updated:

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Green Party of The United States Black Caucus Celebrating Blackness For Womens History Month

This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Monday, April 5, 2021. Iraq's LGBTQ community remains under attack, the country's prime minister goes begging, the US might have been targeted with a Sunday attack -- all that, Eric London and much more.

It's being called "an attack on human rights," the latest targeting of LGBTQs -- and those assumed to be -- in Iraq. The surprise may be that the attack is taking place in the Kurdistan region and not Baghdad. Specifically, it's taking place in the city of Sulaimai. The American University of Iraq is located in Sulaimai and they describe the city as follows:

The welcoming city of Sulaimani is known as the cultural center of the picturesque Kurdish region of Northern Iraq, offering a variety of historical sites, literary and outdoor activities, cafes, restaurants and recreational parks.

Located in the mountains, Sulaimani offers beautiful, mild weather and many opportunities to hike and picnic with friends and family.

Expats and students living in Sulaimani can find an active social life at the city’s modern cafes, restaurants, amusement parks, new shopping malls and cinemas.The central bazaar, local art galleries and museums offer a glimpse into the history of Sulaimani. A few hours’ drive from Sulaimani, the capital city Erbil offers five-star hotels, cinemas, and shopping malls. Erbil is home to the one of the world’s oldest citadels.

Homophobia does not respect geography or geographical borders. It can -- and, sadly, does -- exist anywhere. Iraq's LGBTQ community is again under attack -- specifically in Sulaimani. The current attacks are rooted in homophobia that's been expressed for over three months on social media with various homophobes insisting that the American University of Iraq- Sulaimani has been promoting gay rights -- specifically that the gender studies department there has been. In late February, Dilan Sirwan (RUDAW) reported:

LGBT+ activists have slammed an “immoral” lawsuit filed against a Sulaimani based LGBT+ organization by a member of the Kurdistan Parliament.

Omar Gulpi, an MP for the Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal) filed a lawsuit against Rasan Organization, a non-profit advocating for LGBT+ rights in the Kurdistan Region, on February 15.

Speaking to Rudaw’s Rozhan Abubakir on Monday, Gulpi described homosexuality as a “violation” of public rights and morals after being asked about the lawsuit filed against Rasan, which “strives to improve the lives of women, youth and LGBT+ in Iraq,” according to its website.

“If this person is familiar with science he would know that homosexuality is a natural thing and even the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it as such,” Sweden-based LGBT+ rights activist and founder of IraQueer Amir Ashour told Rudaw English on Monday.

“I believe that his lawsuit is immoral. Why would he get to decide what is moral or not?” Ashour added.

“What this man is saying is very wrong and does not comply with facts and science at all..homosexuality is not a choice...people are born that way,” LGBT+ activist Zhyar Ali told Abubakir.

LGBT+ individuals have previously spoken to Rudaw of the discrimination and violence they face in both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, from being made homeless to facing death.

Now the region has gone beyond slamming the American University and filing lawsuits, LGBTQs -- and those assumed to be -- are being arrested in Sulaimani.

ESTA MEDIA NETWORK Tweets:

Security forces in Sulaimani launch a campaign to detain LGBT people #Esta #Kurdistan #Iraq #TwitterKurds 

Photo credit: Bzhar Dabagh

2:35 PM · Apr 1, 2021

NRT reports:

More than ten men were taken into custody in Sualimani’s Sarchinar neighborhood on Thursday evening (April 1) in an apparent operation to arrest people perceived to be gay.

Sulaimani Asayish Directorate Brigadier General Pishtiwan Bahadin told an NRT reporter that the Sulaimani Police and Sulaimani Asayish arrested the men in a joint operation between the Asayish and the Sulaimani Police for allegedly “creating chaos and performing immoral acts in public.”

Bahadin added that they will be sent to the court for prosecution.

It was not immediately clear what precise legal charges they may face or if they remained in custody as of Friday.

NRT attempted to contact Sulaimani Police Spokesperson Sarkwat Ahmed multiple times on Friday morning for comment, but did not receive a response by time of publication.

In comments made to a media outlet affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Bahadin appeared to suggest that the operation would not be limited to one night or location, but would be ongoing.

When the arrests began on Friday, Dilan Sirwan (RUDAW) spoke with members of the city's LGBT community:

“Our lives are not safe. Everyone cancelled all their plans last night. Even I was afraid of going out, in fear of being caught at a checkpoint,” LGBT+ activist Zhiar Ali told Rudaw English on Friday.

“The Asayish [security forces] were arresting people based only on suspicion of being homosexual, without even having done anything wrong,” he added.

“I am terrified. I was close to the scene when it was happening and I was wondering how I could get home. Now that I am home, I do not want to go out again,” said another individual who wished to remain anonymous.

The operation has “dehumanized” the community, another person said.

“We speak a genderless language. We seek no harm, we never have. We only wish to exist within society as normal civilians.”

“This act dehumanized us to the limit."

THE NEW ARAB reports:

The recent arrest of "suspected" LGBTQ+ activists in the Iraqi city of Sulaimani is "a crime on human rights", an Iraqi-Kurdish MP said on Sunday.

The arrest of members of the "rainbow community", MP Shadi Nawzad warned, is a violation of "human rights".

"We need to know those arrested were arrested on what basis," Nawzad said, who is also a member of Iraqi-Kurdish parliament's Social Affairs and Protection of Human Rights Committee.

"The arrest of people on charges that they are from the rainbow community is in itself a violation of human rights."

he US Consulate in Erbil Tweeted:

We are watching with concern the events in #Sulaymaniya that seem to be targeting members of the #LGBTI community for arrest.

6:12 AM · Apr 3, 2021

Last week, the US State Dept issued its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and this is from the one on Iraq:

Significant human rights issues included: unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings; forced disappearances; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment; harsh and life-threatening prison and detention center conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; serious restrictions on free expression, the press, and the internet, including violence against journalists, threats of violence, unjustified arrests and prosecutions against journalists, censorship, site blocking, and existence of criminal libel; substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly; legal restrictions on freedom of movement of women; forced returns of internally displaced persons to locations where they faced threats to their lives and freedom; threats of violence against internally displaced persons and returnee populations perceived to have been affiliated with ISIS; widespread official corruption; lack of investigation of and accountability for violence against women; crimes involving violence targeting members of ethnic minority groups; violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex persons; criminalization of consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults; and restrictions on worker rights, including restrictions on formation of independent unions; discrimination in employment of migrants, women, and those with disabilities; and the worst forms of child labor.

On LGBTQs, the report notes:

The penal code criminalizes consensual same-sex conduct if those engaging in the conduct are younger than age 18, while it does not criminalize any same-sex activities among adults. Despite repeated threats and violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals, specifically gay men, the government failed to identify, arrest, or prosecute attackers or to protect targeted individuals.

In May the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned foreign embassies for offending what it called the country’s “norms and values” when the EU mission hoisted the rainbow flag, commonly associated with LGBTI persons, on the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. Several Iraqi leaders from across the political spectrum also condemned the incident, with some calling for the EU mission to be closed. A few days later, media outlets reported that a young gay man was killed in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood, and another in Babil Province, in an apparent backlash against the flag raising.

LGBTI individuals also faced intimidation, threats, violence, and discrimination in the IKR. LGBTI individuals reported they could not live openly in the IKR without fear of violence at the hands of family members, acquaintances, or strangers. Rasan Organization for gender-based violence and LGBT awareness posted a video documentary in September 2019 about the impact of COVID-19 on LGBT individuals in the IKR. LGBTI individuals struggled to be accepted by their family members and the IKR community and disguised their identity from their families due to fear of violence, verbal abuse, and killing.

According to NGOs, Iraqis who experienced severe discrimination, torture, physical injury, and the threat of death on the basis of real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics had no recourse to challenge those actions via courts or government institutions.

Dr. Choman Hardi Tweets:

I stand with LGBTQ community. Stop using   'LGBTQ,' 'pedofilia,' and 'prostitution' interchangeably! LGBTQ rights r human rights

ھاوپشتی کۆمەڵگای ھاوڕەگەزخوازانم. تکایە وشەی ھاوڕەگەزخواز لەگەڵ "منداڵباز"، "لەشفرۆش" و "بەدڕەوشت" تێکەڵ مەکە. مافی ھاوڕەگەزخوازان بەشێکە لە مافی مرۆڤ

5:05 AM · Apr 2, 2021

IraQueer Tweets:

#IraQueer's statement on today's #PoliceCrackdown on the #LGBT+ community in #Slemani

3:16 PM · Apr 1, 2021

Journalist Robert Cole (BBC, REUTERS, etc) Tweets:

How does #Kurdistan, or #Iraq and the wider #MiddleEast  for that matter, hope to become mature democracies if they can't even accept #LGBTQ people and allow them to live in peace? Don't they have enough to worry about sorting out violence and religious discrimination? #nohope

11:00 AM · Apr 2, 2021

Human Rights Watch's Belkis Wille Tweeted:

Awful to see the continued persecution of individuals just because of their perceived sexual orientation. Shame on the Kurdistan Regional Government

Quote Tweet

You have journalists, professors, human rights watch activists and -- and! -- a US Consulate drawing attention to the targeting but not one word in the US press. Who's been caught not doing their job yet again?

The official account of Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed, ruler of the UAE, Tweeted:

It was a pleasure to welcome our brother Mustafa Al-Khadimi, Prime Minister of Iraq to the UAE where he is amongst family. I look forward to our fruitful discussions regarding the prosperity and development of our brotherly nations.

5:19 AM · Apr 4, 2021

MENA reports that Iraq's prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi departed the UAE on Sunday and "Seeing the State's guest and his accompanying delegation off at the Presidential Terminal of Abu Dhabi International Airport, were H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, and a number of officials." Mustafa has been on his begging tour of Arab countries. ARAB NEWS notes, "Al-Kadhimi’s visit to the UAE comes after his trip to Saudi Arabia last week, during which Riyadh said it would increase investments in Iraq by five-fold to $2.67 billion." Vivian Nereim (BLOOMBERG NEWS) also notes the $2.67 billion and adds, "Iraq maintains ties with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, regional rivals who back opposing sides in Middle East conflicts including Yemen. Al-Kadhimi’s first trip abroad as leader last year was to Iran, and U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq to fight Islamic State militants, alongside Iranian-backed Shiite militias." So that's $2.67 billion from Saudi Arabi and, EMIRATES NEWS AGENCY notes, $3 billion from the UAE. A total of $5.67 billion from just two countries. (Later this spring, Mustafa's scheduled to meet with leaders in Jordan and Egypt.)

Meanwhile a Sunday attack in Iraq is being seen as an attack on US interests in Iraq and, as WION points out, this attack comes "just three days ahead of a strategic dialogue with" the US government. AP reports, "Two rockets landed Sunday near an Iraqi air base just north of Baghdad where American trainers are present, causing no casualties or damage, an Iraqi official said." RUDAW notes, "The Katyusha rockets landed outside of the airbase at around 12:15 pm, and did not cause any human or material losses, according the statement released on Telegram. They were reportedly launched from Diyala province's Dojama area." Mychael Schnell (THE HILL) observes, "The last attack on Balad air base, according to Reuters, was on March 15, when at least five rockets landed on the base." Riya Baibhawi (REPUBLIC WORLD) explains, "Amidst rising friction between Baghdad and Washington, assaults have seen a spike. Last month, a similar attack, which involved 10 rockets hitting a base in western Iraq led to the killing of at least one American contractor. In late February, Washington ordered strikes against Iran-aligned militia targets along the Iraq-Syria border." AFP offers, "Sunday’s was the 14th attack against American interests — including troops, the Baghdad embassy or Iraqi supply convoys to foreign forces — since US President Joe Biden took office in January. Two Americans and an Iraqi civilian have been killed in the attacks."

Eric London (WSWS) reports:

On Friday, Politico reported that New York Democratic Congresswoman and Democratic Socialists of America member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez transferred $160,000 in campaign funds to a slate that includes “CIA Democrats”—right-wing congressional Democrats with intelligence and military backgrounds. Politico reported that the contributions were unsolicited and were aimed “to help keep the House majority ahead of a tough cycle.” While Politico only lists Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Carolyn Bourdeaux of Georgia by name, it appears based on the report that Ocasio-Cortez donated $5,000 to each of 32 “frontline” candidates selected by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in high-profile midterm races.

This list of “frontline” candidates includes many prominent CIA Democrats whom the World Socialist Web Site has identified as having been former representatives of the Pentagon and intelligence agencies. In 2018, the WSWS published a three-part series by Patrick Martin detailing efforts by the military-intelligence agencies to flood the Democratic Party with loyal operatives.

Beneficiaries of Ocasio-Cortez’s financial support include Elissa Slotkin (a former CIA agent), Conor Lamb (Marine captain and military prosecutor), Tom Malinowski of New Jersey (an assistant secretary of state under Barack Obama), Abigail Spanberger (CIA operations officer) and Elaine Luria (Navy commander), both of Virginia, Mikie Sherrill (Navy pilot in the Middle East) and Andy Kim (adviser to the US military command, Afghanistan and Iraq director for the National Security Council), both of New Jersey and Jared Golden of Maine (Marine infantryman).

Slotkin and Lamb have indicated they will return the donations for fear their Republican opponents will associate them with Ocasio-Cortez.

Ocasio-Cortez’s financial support for the CIA Democrats is another lesson in the futility of all efforts to transform the capitalist Democratic Party into a vehicle for progressive social reform.

By transferring funds given to her by left-wing supporters into the war chests of the CIA Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez provides an example in financial terms of the fundamental political dynamic of right-wing Democratic Party politics. Far from moving the Democratic Party to the left, figures like Ocasio-Cortez merely trap left-wing social opposition, disarm it, and transform it into political capital for the very establishment they claim to oppose.

Her support for the CIA Democrats undermines her claim to represent opposition to war. She is providing direct political support to individuals responsible for the US-led wars that have devastated broad swaths of the Middle East and killed over one million people in the last two decades alone.

We're going to note Eric London's appearance last week on THE CONVO COUCH.