The wish by Israeli leaders for Palestinians to be eliminated from their ancient homelands is the very antithesis of Isaiah’s original Zionist vision.
Source: Zionist violence against Palestinians is the antithesis of Judaism – Pearls and Irritations
Depending on who the key stakeholders are, who makes donations to your political party, the decisions follow. In Victoria, it is unions that keep ALP Premier Dan Andrews in power and were therefore top of the list for consultation and action. In NSW, business interests keep the Liberals in power and it was business consulted first and whose needs were prioritised. This is not corruption. It is politics. You reward your backers, but maintain good relationships with diverse interests. It is simply pragmatic. Corruption involves the acquiring of a personal benefit. Corruption was how an eminent retired judge described the carpark and sports rorts that will follow Scott Morrison all the way to the next election. Although no individual minister or MP was personally pocketing a direct financial benefit, using public money to improve prospects with the voters and to try to hold on to power is a form of corruption of the electoral process.
Source: ‘Corruption’ can thrive in a space where weak regulation is parked
Spain’s far-right Vox party began its Madrid election campaign with a rally in the multiracial working-class suburb of Vallecas, prompting clashes with locals. Media responded with a condemnation of the “twin extremisms” — showing how those who defend the poor and marginalized are falsely equated with those who abuse them.
Source: No, Left-Wing Activists Aren’t the Same As Fascist Thugs
As former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes tweeted Tuesday: “Conservative MPs in UK finally standing up to Boris sadly underscores how much conservatives in the US have been cowardly in the face of Trump.”
“Cowardly” might be an understatement. Quivering Republicans have turned the party of Lincoln into a cult of Trump. They are the president’s supine enablers — and history won’t be kind to them.
via Revolt Against Boris Johnson Exposes Republican Complicity in the Cult of Trump
Brett Kavanaugh may or may not be an attempted rapist, but one thing is clear. The Republican senators are according him all the honors of white privilege. That includes a presumption of innocence that statistically speaking, white juries do not accord African-American defendants.
Samuel R. Gross, Maurice Possley, and Klara Stephens have shown that African-Americans show up in cases of exoneration from crimes they did not actually commit at many times the rates of whites. That is, African-Americans are 13% of the US population but they make up a *majority* of persons exonerated when DNA tests are now administered.
*innocent black people are about seven times more likely to be convicted of murder than innocent white people.
The system on average puts African-American defendants in jail for 3 times longer than white defendants.
via If Brett Kavanaugh were African-American, Would he be Going to Jail.”
olddogthoughts 