Previous letter (04/14/2024): Volunteer orientation Tues 4/16 noon; panel discussion 4/16 6 pm; important updates

Dear friends --

Good afternoon.

First, there is an emergency rally and demonstration today at Senator Heinrich's office, 400 Gold St. SW in Albuquerque (map). Apologies for the late notice but we just learned of this a few hours ago. The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) first sent out the call; various organizations are involved.

The catalyst for this rally is the bombing and invasion of Rafah, which has begun. Most of you are following events in Palestine closely. b at Moon of Alabama blog explains the situation very clearly. We share his perspective, and Caitlin Johnstone's:

We are going to get just as much genocide and war as we don't successfully oppose.

There are other issues involved here, as you know. The President and Congress, as well as many university administrators are using the "anti-Semitism" issue to make devastating de facto and de jure abridgments of First Amendment rights. 

In his excellent column yesterday, Alastair Crooke quotes John Gray: "At bottom, the liberal assault on free speech [on Gaza and Ukraine] is a bid for unchecked power. By shifting the locus of decision from democratic deliberation to legal procedures, the élites aim to insulate [their neoliberal] cultish programmes from contestation and accountability. The politicisation of law – and the hollowing out of politics go hand in hand”.

When you have a chance you might want to listen to yesterday's conversation between Judge Andrew Napolitano and Columbia Professor Jeffrey Sachs on this and related matters. It's terrific per usual from those guys.

Gaza is not the only place where our foreign policy elites have made disastrous, sociopathic decisions. The "escalation ladder" in Ukraine is alive, well, and in use. Please see our Ukraine page for the latest news. Ukraine is by now visibly losing the war. Increasing threats (Macron's are only the most visible; see also Hakeem Jeffries warning of sending U.S. troops) and actions from the West have now reached the point where, yesterday, Russia called for tactical nuclear weapons drills -- a first. 

This is a serious matter. Up to now, I (Greg) have not considered Russia's nuclear warnings to be actual threats. I think this drill, with accompanying warnings, now crosses that line. There are (as far as we know) no U.S. military-to-military contacts with Russia, and the tendency is for U.S. leaders to keep on pretending that Russia is bluffing. Russia is not bluffing. 

Like it or not, there is nothing the U.S. can do at this point to prevent a Russian victory in Ukraine, however Russia defines that. 

What does Russia want? A neutral, largely-demilitarized Ukraine, without neo-Nazis in the government. Is that so hard to accept? Ukraine could have kept its four eastern provinces if the Biden team had been willing to negotiate toward that end in 2021 or 2022.