Joe Biden Just Blew It

With a single, colossally bad statement, Joe Biden just unofficially lost the November election. Winning in November with a historically low approval rating is extremely difficult. It’s never been done! But his unwillingness to listen to anyone under the age of 40 dooms his chances. Young Democrats are asking good questions. They are asking why does the US prop-up Israel if all Israel does is keep Palestinians in ghettos. The answer from almost every elected Democrat is ‘shut the fuck up.’

It’s over for Joe. He knows it. At this point, I have to suspect he is simply throwing the election. He has my vote, of course. But he is going to lose. I can see it now.

I know when a president is finished. I saw it, sadly, with Jimmy Carter in the summer of 1980. I saw it again when George H.W. Bush had no answers for the far more charismatic Bill Clinton. I saw it again with Donald Trump, totally losing control of the world in the spring and summer of 2020. And I see it now happening to Joe Biden. He is not winning in November.

Today was the day that Joe Biden blew it. I cannot see him winning the election if he won't even address the needs of people under 40 years old. The youngs are concerned about the environmental catastrophe and they want a change in our relationship with Israel. Today Joe basically condemned them as if they did things far worse than set up tents and protest peacefully. He remembers Los Angeles 1992. He remembers Charlottesville 2017. But no. He condemned his own base of voters today. Joe -or perhaps I should say Brandon- is done.

Israel Has Lost The American Public

We're witnessing something incredible. Something I haven't seen since 1992 with the Rodney King verdict and the start of the Christopher Columbus reckoning. With each week, these protests feel like a watershed moment. They didn't side with Occupy Wall Street 15 years ago, but regular Democratic voters are choosing the BDS movement over Israel. Choosing to side with Israel by default is no longer the morally good position. That is incredible. To the olds in charge, that is horrifying. Kathy Hochul had better call in the National Guard, or else this movement is going to start steering her government.

The protesters have been called terrorist sympathizers, terrorists, anti-semites, and also manipulated by “outside agitators.” Well, if they are terrorists, then this nation has a serious problem as now millions of American adults support the protesters and the BDS movement. This is a sea change. In just 7 months, Israel has lost it’s moral position, it’s status as the ‘good guys’ in this war, and it has lost a lot of core support from the US public. We will see where this goes, but history tells us that once things turn like this, there is no going back. Israel’s existence as a US-backed colonial power is in question.

The Republic Is Doomed

This week has me convinced that Trump is going to win in 406 days. How do I know? Our news media. They reported a surge of migrants crossing the southern border, but didn't point out that the vast majority of them were captured by CBP. Today they are describing Trump's speech in a non-union parts factory as a visit to striking UAW workers. Trump's behavior and past rape is not being covered. His age is not being mentioned. Fascism is coming. There haven’t been moderate Republicans since the Obama administration. Anyone who votes for Donald Trump is a bloodthirsty fascist.

And if, by some miracle, Trump loses, we’re still doomed. 2024 will signal to the world that American democracy no longer functions.

We have already crossed the Rubicon on this. There was no peaceful transfer of power in 2021. There probably won’t be a peaceful transfer of power in 2025.

It’s amazing how some smart people have come around on this. In October 2020, Trump didn’t meet the definition of a fascist. Today he meets and exceeds them. As Trump calls for the executions of people, all he’s lacking now is a military uniform. It’s a good thing he despises the military. He’s just a fascist with a poorer fashion taste. Most fascist dictators put on the dress uniform and medals and call it a day. Trump is happy with his dumb fucking red tie down to his scrotum.

It's The 2020s: Time For Progressives To Go On The Offensive

This is part two of a quick two-part post. It’s about the short term political future of the US in the turbulent, depressing 2020s.

I’m going to keep this brief, as books have been written about how the left should fight back against states pulling right. The solution is to go left. Pull back left. Do not ever surrender.

Okay, but how? While never easy, the strategy is to cut off Democrats that are furthest to the right. If progressives had their way. Democrats like Richie Torres, Henry Cuellar, Adriano Espaillat and Ed Case would be upset by progressives. The needle for the Democratic caucus would edge left, in-step with the culture. The Democratic policymakers who don’t care about women’s rights, or the environmental catastrophe or freedom-destroying red states would be purged from the party.

Locally, progressives need to pull left. Codify abortion rights. Get those marijuana decriminalization laws passed. Raise the state minimum wage. Tax the rich a little more. Make your good state better.

Run for office. Policies will not write themselves. We need progressives to win seats, no matter how minor. Get that school board chair. Get on the city council. Oust that cranky old mayor. Quit your job and run for office. You job sucks anyway and you can probably go back to the private workforce if you have a decent political career.

Policies will beat back the Right. Pointing out their hypocrisy does not work. Shaming them does not work. They don’t give a shit about your feelings, your opinions or your tweets. Get into office and get to work on policy.

Outsmart them. And out-policy them in the halls of government.

They are the minority party. We are the majority party. Let’s act like it.

It's The 2020s: It's Time To Prepare For Authoritarianism

This is part one of a quick two-part post. It’s about the short term political future of the US in the turbulent, depressing 2020s.

In the years ahead, I will always ask questions about why the Republicans chose to burn this republic down. I get their objective since 1980, which was to make this nation comfortable for the rich and miserable for everyone else. But why the autocracy? Why make it miserable for even the affluent?

What did we affluent, college educated liberals do to deserve a crushing autocracy? We went to a gay wedding a few times? We voted for Obama? We said repeatedly that minorities should be treated with respect? Holy shit we're being given the death sentence, here. What was the infraction? If the infraction can't be explained, then the GOP is more evil and destructive than even I ever imagined.

The GOP has long been the party of the rich. Their mission is still to make the rich richer. But now it is intertwined with winning votes over a fierce and angry backlash to a changing culture. No political party in any democracy can change culture. Human culture is always changing. As Professor Sut Jhally frequently lectures, “culture is always up for grabs.” Once something becomes commonplace in culture, it cannot be forcibly removed from a society.

There is one extreme way to suppress culture, however, and that is to suppress the society. A nation can transform from a democracy to an authoritarian state. An autocracy closes itself off from the rest of the world, while forcing propaganda and ideology onto the people in an effort to tame them and reduce dissent. We see it in North Korea, Belarus, Russia, China and Burma.

Now transforming the US into an autocracy would be a steep hill to climb. The GOP would have difficulty selling authoritarianism at the national level. Some people in this country are intelligent, and would not stand for it. But thanks to the multi-layered setup of our republic, the GOP is having much success taking away freedoms at the local level. States are pushing the boundaries of the 14th Amendment, to see how far they can restrict personal liberties in the name of “protecting children.” Leading a backlash against cultural change is also a tactic to motivate Republicans to vote. And they sure are furious, vocal and motivated.

Laws have been passed banning reproductive health clinics within a certain distance of schools. Tennessee will enact a law this July banning any public performance that includes a performer in drag that is vaguely close to children, which is technically everywhere. The next logical step would be for states or localities to ban public Pride events, because they always include men in drag and well as transgender people. This angle of attack -to force queer people out of public life under the boilerplate justification of preventing children from seeing them- is catching on like wildfire, and will eventually be brought before the Federal courts, which are packed with right-wing judges.

The US has been in a measurable state of decline since 1973. The empire is in decline. The prestige of the US is ruined. But most important is what’s happening at the granular, individual level. Liberty and freedom are now under attack by the minority political party. The GOP has decided that it would rather burn down what’s left of the republic than share it with everyone equally in a society that is based on freedom and respect.

The 14th Amendment is under attack. That means that authoritarianism is coming. How will you live with it in the coming decades? Will you fight back? Will you go underground? What is the plan?

Iranian Women Care About Their Futures

Iranian women give a damn about freedom and liberty. I can only conclude that the vast majority American women do not.

Pro Travel Tips For Idiots

Pro tips for Americans traveling abroad:

1. Don't go to authoritarian regimes (Belarus, Russia, North Korea, Hungary, Egypt, etc.)

2. If you must go to an authoritarian regime, respect the local laws. That means if there's a zero-tolerance narcotics policy, you don't have any THC or cannabis on your person or bags. This also applies to free nations with zero-tolerance narcotics policies, like Japan. Yeah. 420 + Japan = prison!

3. As a general rule, you should know and respect the laws of wherever you are. This includes US states that aren't yours or nations that aren't yours.

4. If you are a guest worker in a nation that is about to go to war, check the US State Department guidelines on whether it's safe for you to keep guest working in that country. Remember, being an American makes you liked in some countries, and hated in others (more the latter). Check to see if being a US citizen makes you a target for political imprisonment and an unbalanced prisoner swap.

5. Related to # 4 - A note about American privilege. Being a US citizen is a birthright privilege. It is not a card that gets you out of trouble abroad. If a nation beats people to death who take down propaganda posters, that rule applies to Americans as much as anyone else. Perhaps even more so. Just ask Otto. Oh, Otto! Can you comment? Otto is not available to comment.

It's Who We've Always Been, Jack

Joe Biden likes to say that the US is a compassionate nation that isn’t cruel at baseline. Sure, Jack. I don’t think he believes it when he speaks of the US in positive terms. His optimistic flourishes seem like going through the motions. He knows it. We know it. It’s bullshit.

We’re the nation that beats the shit out of Haitian refugees on our southern border.

And we’re the nation that tells asylum seekers from central America to get lost, but it appears we’re going to let a few Ukrainians and a few Russians cut to the front of the line.

And of course we never offered visas to Syrians, Libyans, Yemeni and other middle eastern refugees desperately trying to escape war. This nation has part time jobs to fill. And we need more people to grow our GDP. But we’re telling the rest of the world to fuck off as we sink into irrelevance. For the most part, we don’t want any refugees.

We're Getting Closer To Irish Unification

With St. Patrick’s Day festivities wrapping up this weekend, I thought it’s a good time to re-post this outstanding article by Paul Maskey, MP for West Belfast, from Jacobin Magazine, July 2021:

Momentum toward Irish unity and self-determination for the people of Ireland is continuing to grow.

The party I represent, Sinn Féin, believes that Irish unity is the only platform on which we can build an Ireland of equals.

In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) was overwhelmingly endorsed by the people of Ireland, north and south. This internationally recognized accord was fully supported by successive US administrations and houses of Congress, Canadian governments, and the European Union, and it was registered at the United Nations. It provides a democratic and peaceful path toward Irish reunification — a pathway denied to previous generations of Irish republicans.

For the first time, Britain’s control of the North of Ireland was conditional on the will of the majority of citizens there.

International support for the peace process has been significant. Irish society has also changed dramatically as a result of that same peace process. In the north of Ireland, Sinn Féin will contest the upcoming Assembly election in May 2022 to return our largest-ever team of representatives.

The significance of this cannot be overstated. On the opening of the northern parliament after the partition of Ireland in 1921, the statelet’s first prime minister declared it “a Protestant parliament for a Protestant people.” The monopoly of power held by political unionism at the time of partition is no longer. The Executive that governs in the north now consists of Sinn Féin, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), and the Alliance Party.

Similarly, a significant realignment has taken place in the twenty-six-county southern state. Sinn Féin has consistently built support and, at the time of writing, is the biggest party south of the border, with thirty-seven TDs (teachta dála, members of the 160-member parliament), five seanadóirí (senators), and an all-Ireland vote tally of nearly 800,000.

Despite this result, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Green Party have coalesced to form a government that omits Sinn Féin. Since this watershed election in February 2020, Sinn Féin, led by Mary Lou McDonald, has provided the most formidable opposition in the history of the State. In fact, Mary Lou is the first woman in the history of the state to lead the official opposition. We are confident that Sinn Féin can lead the next government in Ireland.

Brexit, coupled with the ongoing realignment of politics in Ireland, has resulted in a renewed sense of urgency and optimism around the national question.

The ongoing and developing conversation around Irish unity now needs to move to the next stage: preparation and planning.

For a referendum, there are some key actions that the Irish government needs to progress. Sinn Féin has called on the Dublin government to deliver the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, including guaranteeing the functioning of North-South institutions; the establishment of a joint Oireachtas committee on Irish unity, the setting up of an all-island-inclusive citizens’ assembly to discuss and plan for unity, and the publication of a “White Paper” road map to Irish unity.

We have witnessed the chaos and confusion Brexit has created — and this cannot be countenanced in the Irish unity campaign. We want a referendum in which people know what they are voting for, where they are well informed about what the new constitutional arrangements and the new Ireland might look like. The Irish government must start the process of planning and setting out new arrangements urgently.

The Irish government must become a persuader for a united Ireland. It must honor its constitutional obligation to work toward national reunification, and it must bring the focus of the international community to the unity campaign. The government must secure the referendum on unity in line the commitments of the Good Friday Agreement and let the people have their say.

The British government cannot deny the right of the people to self-determination. The British secretary of state has the discretion to call a unity referendum at any time — and, under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, they are compelled to call one when it appears likely that the majority in the North of Ireland would vote for change.

Sinn Féin believe that time has come and that a date should now be set for the referendum.

A new and united Ireland must be a more prosperous, inclusive, and equal island. The economic outworkings of reunification would have a positive impact on the Irish economy as a whole. The outdated arguments that “we can’t afford it” do not have any basis in reality.

The demand for unity among the Irish people is growing. It is time to plan and allow all of the people to have a say in their constitutional future. It is important, too, that we respect the legitimate concerns of our unionist neighbors and work toward a new constitutional arrangement where everyone’s culture and traditions are respected. We can do it.

The American political system, the Irish American diaspora, and all American citizens supported the Irish peace process, as did the European Union and Canada. A referendum on Irish unity is a core part of the Good Friday Agreement, and it is welcome that the agreement is supported in all its parts by those who strive for peace the world over. I am confident that the international community will continue to support our quest for independence and reunification.

Partition has hampered Ireland’s ability to take its rightful place among the small nations of the earth — and it has been a destructive force in terms of building the nation that the people of Ireland, its diaspora, and its many international supporters wish for it to be.

Unity is the basis on which Ireland can thrive as a country, upon which a new nation can be built — a real republic that is outward-looking, forward-thinking, inclusive of all, and a global leader. The call from Ireland is that it is time for Irish reunification, it is time to plan, and it is time to deliver. Onward to the republic,

An Phoblacht Abú.

Newcastle Are Finally Going To Be Relegated, For Real This Time

After years of close calls, season after season, Newcastle are finally on their way down.

There's actually no shame in going down, considering how much time we’ve had to prepare. This club has been warned repeatedly that this was going to happen. Newcastle has been skirting the relegation zone throughout Steve Bruce's tenure. Now it's unavoidable. Amazingly, this collapse has come just as the sale of the club was finalized. If the sale had to wait until January, would it still be on at this point?

In a way, this is fair to all parties. Previous owner Mike Ashley got his asking price. The new ownership still got a good deal. They thought they were buying into the EPL at a low price. They were mistaken. They were buying into the Championship at a low price. But they will still get richer. Worry not.

This club is going down. I have accepted this already. I suggest we all do. If Newcastle were to earn 35 points starting after the November international break, it would be a historic season save. A surge in points that would be remembered for years. But that's not happening.

What we should be passionate about is the rebuilding of the club and the plan to get it back into the EPL as a strong contender for cups. We won't just come back. We will dominate the lower half of the table and get back into the Europa League.

The next 20 months and beyond are going to be entertaining and very enjoyable compared to the Ashley era. Enjoy it, Lads. We will fall and rise together. Enjoy the ride. Alan Shearer will, despite his slightly intoxicated gaffe, below:.

Trump Made The Demise Of The Palestinians Permanent

I don’t think there was any doubt. But as you can see above, now there is zero doubt. There won’t be a two state solution. There won’t be a one state solution. There is only an Israeli version of apartheid. And any Democrat who dares criticize this is thrown under the bus, and called an anti-semite.

It really shouldn't be necessary to point out that criticizing a nation's government in not synonymous with hating that country's inhabitants. If I criticize Boris Johnson’s crackpot Tory cabinet, does it follow that I'm anti-British?

The Trump-Kushner-Netanyahu scheme above is  to create bantustans, separated from one another in such a way as to make a viable Palestine  impossible.  In other words, apartheid. Joe Biden couldn’t change it back to the way it was 30 years ago even if he tried. It is too late. Donald Trump did get something big done after all. In Israel.

I realize the terms bantustan and apartheid are practically South African copyrights, but I can’t think of better terms to use.

2020: Expect The Worst

While Donald Trump faces a steeper challenge to win his next and final election, I have to assume that he will win again. Incumbents usually win. And while Trump could lose Michigan, North Carolina and even Texas (which would trigger a Democratic landslide), I still have to set my expectations that Trump will win. Because 2020 is already the worst year for the US since 1968. It might be the worst year since the end of the Civil War.

It isn’t yet March, and this transparently criminal president has been given a new, expanded pass by his party to commit any crime he wants. And holy shit did he go straight to work, plotting revenge, trying to extort immunity from my home state, using the DOJ as his personal legal defense firm, and getting all the chances he wants to cheat in his final election.

I have mentally prepared. The Democrats are a mess. They could get Trump’s New York State tax returns in just days. They refuse, for dubious legal and political reasons. I seriously fear that my mind will be permanently damaged by another Trump term. Maybe if I learned another language or read more books, it would help me maintain my cognitive sharpness. But I feel different after three years of Trump, and I don’t think it’s simply aging. He has hurt tens of millions of us.

Just to make sure 2020 is the worst year of my life, there is a distinct possibility that Roe will be effectively overturned by the Supreme Court in June.

Slate is usually the light version of the Washington Post. But this piece by William Saletan last year is impressive. Trump is treacherous.

That’s an excellent case by case account of Trump: his disloyalty to America, the House members, the Senators. I knew flattery would get anyone immediately on his side. Bad enough! But he's thrown American citizens under the bus, consistently, at the expense of refusing to put America and Americans first, which is the opposite of what he sells to voters. He is just plain evil, coupled with stupidity! I have vivid memories of Erdoğan’s goons beating up on Americans in broad daylight just weeks into Trump’s first term. I thought at first that it wasn't really happening! 

How did we end up with him? How dumb and naive are Americans! I often tie his presidency to our public schools. We have certain states like Texas that control the flow of information to students by choosing more than questionable texts. In some areas students are not allowed to ask questions about what are called "certain subjects." Any class that prevents the flow of accurate information to students is one small part of an uninformed electorate.

Trump is a danger to all of us. He still wants to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. Whom is he trying to please by that? Or more to the point, his hatred of Obama is sick. Trump says he operates on which people he should trust? That only means that the worst dictators in the world can wrap him around their fingers, and they have, simply by flattering him. By then, it's too late. Those fascists have him in complete tow. He's been flattered! And his ignorance and blind ego win the day and dominate us all.

The Federal Government Has A Serious Fascist Problem

The Border Patrol obviously has a fascist problem. As is usually the case, this rot spreads from the top, by cynical politicians who know how to mine the treasure trove of grievance, resentment, and scapegoating which is the source of the power of this malign movement. Americans who look upon the horrible mistreatment of the immigrants from Central America as nothing which should concern them, ought to realize that there are many other groups who would be targets of attack and persecution by a fascist government. Socialists, liberals, Democrats, “bleeding heart do-gooders,” ‘Never Trump’ Republicans, intellectuals, experts-in short, anyone or any group which runs afoul the new “truth,” or shows insufficient enthusiasm for the great leader, may find themselves a despised minority, defined by the leaders of the government as enemies of the people. I hope I’m wrong, but the signs are dire. And in any event, the mess Trump has made cannot be cleaned-up by the next congress or Democratic president. Trump has energized fascists who were already in government, and has brought a lot of new fascists into government.

Fuck The USA

Donald Trump is more friendly and warm with Kim than any other world leader at the G20. He doesn’t know what American freedom is. He doesn’t respect the history of the Korean war. He doesn’t respect our allies. It is time for our allies to recall their ambassadors and cut all diplomatic ties with the US. There need to be serious consequences for this betrayal. Today, Donald Trump betrayed every free person on earth. Fuck this. Fuck him. And fuck us.

Trump’s supporters love it when he breaks things, is contrarian, or causes retired generals and pundits to condemn his actions. If he bombed New York, they would praise him. They will love what he did today, but it was an attack on our freedom and an insult to every US citizen. Full stop. And frankly, fuck what they think or like. 

The USA Is Evil

This is evil. Don't look away from evil. See it, confront it, and defeat it

Rikers Island Is A Human Rights Catastrophe

The United States has an ongoing human rights crisis. It has been going on for decades, especially since the 1970s. Almost no one talks about it. Almost no one even questions it. It is the nation's largest jail. It is Rikers Island.

I wish Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch would draw more attention to Rikers. To it's credit, Amnesty has published reports about Rikers before. In 2000, they called out Rikers for the abuse of female prisoners at the hands of male guards. And in this latest round of reports about Rikers, Amnesty has shed light on the torture of teenagers and the high rate of solitary confinement of teen prisoners.

The most recent revelations about Rikers are shocking even for those familiar with how bad it has been over the last 40 years. There have been inmate deaths. Then there were the families who were not told that their relatives had been allowed to die on the city's watch. And then there was the incredible case of Kalief Browder, a high school student who was arrested for allegedly stealing a backpack, and was held at Rikers in a cycle of torture, court appearances, and trial delays for three years.

The mayor has called for a task force. But either he is not serious, or is unable to change RIkers. Very few politicians care, and neither do many New Yorkers. They should. This is a true human rights catastrophe. Rikers is the not only the largest jail in the US, but in terms of human rights abuses, it is easily the worst. The abuse there is done in the names of New York's citizens, and fully funded by the citizens and tourists of this city. And when there is accountability - when prisoners are able to get legal representation and fight for their rights - the city pays in punitive damages, over and over.

The major roadblocks to reform are Albany (as always) and the Department of Corrections, which is a city agency, and touts itself as "New York's Boldest." Their tough guy union leader Norman Seabrook, has been unapologetic, has tried to block investigations of the facility, and has even demanded that his guards and officers receive a new contract with pay raises if they are to cooperate with implementing any reforms.

UPDATE, June 8, 2015: Kalief Browder, the boy who was held for 3 years without charges, committed suicide on June 6, 2015.

Ship Breakers And Ship Takers

Many of us familiar with Newcastle and Sunderland have heard of ship makers and takers before. But I've been waiting many months for a chance to post about activities we almost never see in the news - ship breakers and repossessors.

Over at Slate.com, Jacob Baynham briefly describes a part of the world we never see - the ship breaking scrapyards of Bangladesh and India (one is pictured above).

And then there's Max Hardberger, a former freighter captain who now works as an independent vessel repo man and recovery agent in some of the most dangerous places in the world.  

LA Times: He's His Own Port Authority (.pdf file)

Now if I only had time, maybe I could pen a screenplay that somehow combines these two extraordinary stories.  Maybe a ship recovery agent hired to go to a third world scrapyard to recover a stashed whatzit/muggufin.  But of course his actions attract the attention of criminal organizations and spy agencies. Cat and mouse on the high seas and on multiple continents ensues.

We're Back, Busier, and Behind.

Cadillac grills Cadillac mills...

Happy New Year! Mister Sterling has found a job selling rocks and minerals in a smokey cold store basement. We're going to do our best to keep this blog rolling in 2009. But the frequency of postings will slow down for the time being. So what is there to report today? Let's start with -

A faint hope for justice. I was 16 and at a jesuit high school when this massacre happened. It is good to see Spain continue to lead the world in pursuing justice for human rights.

Goodbye, Queens native, Patrick McGoohan.

Goodbye, great Mexican actor, king of Corinthian leather, Ricardo Montalban.

The House of Lehman will never go back in business, but Bryan Marsal has ambitious plans to limit the time the firm remains in Chapter 11 to 2-3 years, tops. Artwork is being sold and revenues are still coming in. Lehman's debts will be paid one way or another. I just wish we former employees could be included among those who are collecting.

Barry's car in Chicago is a Ford Escape Hybrid. But this is Barry's new Presidential Cadillac DTS. No pimping required.

And, uh, holy crap! Only in New York?

Freedom Officially Dead In Zimbabwe

Freedom and democracy were endangered for years. But a wave of terror, intimidation, rape, and murder have officially shut-down the opposition party, and have made Robert Mugabe stronger than ever. And Mugabe has essentially vowed not to relinquish power until he dies. Claiming that the MDC, the opposing party, is not patriotic and panders to British interests, the 84 year-old Mugabe said this:

Only God, who appointed me, will remove me. Not the MDC, not the British. We will never allow an event like an election [to] reverse our independence....

Mugabe's challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai, and the MDC won more votes by narrow margin in parliamentary elections in March, but fell short of earning 50% of the popular vote required to avoid a runoff. The runoff was scheduled for June 27th. But today Tsvangirai and the MDC stood down amidst intimidation, beatings, and killings by pro-Mugabe gangs. As is frequently the case in dictatorships, Mugabe explained that the months of escalated violence has been committed by the MDC, not by his party or supporters.

Time for a disclaimer as well. I don't think there are any liberal bloggers who defend Mugabe. I say this because I know that Mugabe was once a victim of a white apartheid government when his country was known as Southern Rhodesia. Surely a man who survived white imprisonment and helped lead his nation to independence could be admired 30 years ago. He is also a vocal adversary of the UK and the US - two governments we liberals are always happy to criticize. But by no means does that make him someone to admire.

Since 1980, Mugabe has become quite a monster. And yes, some right-wing blogs, such as Instaputz, have frequently attacked Mugabe. But in this case, the enemy of our enemy is still our enemy.

Same applies to Hugo Chavez. On one hand, he is proving that second-world, resource-rich countries, can compete with the USA in the same hemisphere (like Brazil). Venezuela is a viable, alternative economic partner to African and Asian countries that don't like the USA's prices. But on the other hand, Chavez is still a power-hungry, irrational, democracy-smothering son of a bitch.

And Mugabe is becoming a murderous, dangerous, son of a bitch. His actions threaten not only his country, but to a lesser extent, he threatens the already-fragile prosperity and democracy in Africa as a whole.

Public Health Crisis Roundup

Gloucester, MA: Alleged teen pregnancy 'pact' quadruples the normal number of pregnancies at Gloucester High School. It's a localized public health anomaly that will be sensationalized by the media, and studied by scholars for years.

Japan: The number of domestic suicides topped 33,000 in 2007, the second-highest recorded number since the nation began compiling them. The article correctly points out that Japan does not have the highest suicide rate in the G8. That would be Russia. But as Parag Khanna and others point out, Russia cannot be considered a part of the elite industrialized world, given its shrinking population and increasingly vast, sparsely populated regions. Russia is too big, too corrupt, and is losing too many smart people. But that's another post for another time.