How Biden Could Win

It's possible Biden could sqeek out a win just being "good old Joe" but if he really wanted to win there's two things he could do to make it happen: one, call Israel what it is, an ethno-settler aparthied state. As he did South Africa back in the day. A few American Jews and Germany would freak out but he would spark a youth vote. Most of America couldn't find Israel on a map and could give a shit. Number two is to focus exclusively on climate. Pledge that he will shut off fossil fuels and start cooperating rather than competing with China over de-carbonization. Today I read that the administration has written new rules forcing coal fired power plants to reduced pollution. Yes, in 2024, with CO2 at 420 ppm and global temps setting records monthly, Biden is re-working the rules Obama failed to put in place. Repubs and their Coal masters are crying about lost jobs and "reliability" and hurting the economy and blah blah and so it will head to the Courts. The Doom Loop that is capitalist "democracy", the theater they call "politics". Kurt Vonnegut would say "so it goes". This time around the rule makers are giving the polluters the option of investing in "carbon capture and sequestration" because that is what addicts do. No one is saying anything about using less electricity. About stopping data centers or bitcoin miners because "the Market". Instead we will hear about "state's rights" and keeping the lights on and the noble, salt of the earth, hard working coal miner.

Students on the Rise?

I am wary but is it possible students are ready to mix it up a bit? This whole inquisition bit, dragging university presidents before moron legislators so they can swear fealty to Zionism is so puking America...maybe it's enough to get students back in the streets. Are Jews unsafe on campus or just uncomfortable? Are there real threats or do they just FEEL threatened? The thing these Administrators of Higher Learning don't understand, will never understand, is that the way to handle these Congressional panels is to go full on Trump on them. Call them sad clowns and rant for ten minutes about whatever comes to mind, then storm out. One thing these protestors ( not just students) need to understand is the power of knuckleheads and provacatuers. All you need is for one Nazi or Islamist zealot to start yelling anti-semitic slurs and the press is on it. Or it could be someone who has planted themselves in your midst just to set you up. And policing yourselves at these protests is almost impossible. Meanwhile, no actual reporting from Gaza but lots about the Manhattan courtroom where Trump glowers.If climate justice activists could get half this amount of people in the streets it would be amazing.

Heatin Up

Not that anybody's paying much attention but global temperatures are shattering records. When talking about "industrial policy" the IMF and World Bank are all about "free markets" but will admit that "There are gains, if they are done right and used to address an extraordinary market failure, like the dangers posed by climate change, the I.M.F. says." An extraordinary market failure. Heard that before. Ocean temps are shattering records and bleaching coral reefs. Average land temps are also setting records with the arctic off the charts. And now the antarctic is showing signs of rapid melt. To combat this existential threat, America has Earth Day ( or week or month) where they get good folks to plant trees and pick up trash and plant more trees. Maybe have an art show and a tour of electrified homes. It makes people feel better, which is the whole point. A very confused op-ed in today's New York War Crimes tries to make the point that the USA should try less free market and more industrial planning China style. Of course the IRA and Infrastructure Act are hardly "free market" solutions but whatever. The authors point is that industrial techno-climate innovation will get us out of this mess if we just learn to cooperate a little. What is fascinating is the ideology subtly embedded in the piece, for example: "entrepreneurial dynamism" is what allowed China to "crawl out of poverty". Nothing to do with planning by a one party state? Then there is this history of US "dynamism" post WWII: "America entered the fight late but with industrial power it emerged on top...the era of American dominance began." Nothing to do with a ruined Europe while we went mostly unscathed. (the lesson: always fight in their backyard) Anyway, according to the liberal author, because Xi is embracing "Communist-sounding slogans like ecological civilization", China is "the world's leader in climate friendly technologies". If we don't wish to be left in the capitalist dust, we better start collaborating rather than imposing protectionist policies. Gee whiz, maybe I should buy a Chinese EV and save the planet.

Just Shocked

Piece in the Times says that folks are disappointed that banks who made big climate pledges in Glasgow are not living up to the promises: "The economists found that banks in the alliance did not change the interest rates on loans to firms with high emissions and that the companies that received the loans were not more likely to set decarbonization targets. In fact, all banks acted the same regardless of the methods available to them to reduce emissions," Turns out banks do what banks do and Greta was correct when she termed such voluntary promises "blah blah blah". It also turns out that protestors do what they always do, as well, no matter the record of success. If you oppose something you hold a march and a rally. With a long list of speakers. Get cars to honk. Have an "art build". Pass around petitions. Whether it changes anything or not is beside the point. It's what you've always done so you have to follow the playbook. Doing the same thing and expectiong different results. The only radicals around are this new breed of Republicans. They are turning the playbook of established conservatism on its head with this new isolationism. I truly hate having to agree with J D fucking Vance but his piece in the Times today arguing that Ukrain is a lost cause pretty much reflects my own view. And many other foreign policy analysts. Tomorrow we will see the accusations of Putin enabler and Chamberlain appeasement but the point is these new radicals are thinking outside of the box and gaining supporters.

One Number

Though we are constantly bombarded with data, about the dropping cost of renewables or the number of universities that have divested from fossil fuels, there's really just one number you need to know: 419 ppm. Kind of says it all. No matter how many billions the inflation reduction act wants to throw at carbon capture and sequestration or direct air capture or green hydrogen, those 419 ppm are staying put for a long long time. And that's just the CO2. Methane and nitrous oxide have their own numbers. In other words, the lengthening handle of the "hockey stick" is still straight. Lots of numbers. The Arctic is warming four times faster than other regions. The oceans are trapping 90% of the heat. The growth rate in EV sales had frop[ped from 54% to 29%. Etc etc. I don't need more numbers, thanks. The U.S. response is to attack China for being too productive when it comes to green energy. They need to "curb" their enthusiasm because they have "excess industrial capacity". And here we were being told the "free market" would save us from climate chaos. But now they want "fair trade", that the U.S. needs to be cut some slack for being lame and falling behind in production. It's no fair that China knows how to get stuff done and make bank while we are busy listening to Kanye West and Marjorie Taylor Green. So Janet is asking them to cool it for a while. Does anyone really need more proof that the system is insane?

Yet More Wool

As if to double down on this new industry propaganda push, the NY Times has a piece wondering if we can "engineer our way out of the climate crisis". Question mark. It informs us about direct air capture schemes and possible atmospheric aerosol spraying, about CO2 sequestration and the "economics" of all this absurd bullshit. What the reporters fail to account for is the cost to the biosphere that all this insane new infrastructure entails. Giant metal machines that suck air and process it and pump it. The human energy that goes into building this science fiction. To their credit, the reporters due quote some opposition voices who point out the obvious; that this fantasy has opportunity costs, that it is all eleborate theater to keep fossil fuel profits rolling in. But they leave the readers with a question mark, as if there is a real debate about the validity of this engineering. And of course it is all subsidized by taxpayers and oblivious, naive capitalists like Bill Gates who are willing to buy carbon credits. Hoping to pay for their sins, to repent and be saved. Two days later: Open the Times to yet another article about geoengineering; this time they are reporting on some experiments to blow micro-salt particles into clouds so as to "brighten" them and make them reflect more sunlight back into space. The article makes the same point all the others do; now that it is obvious that there will be no stopping fossil fuels, we need other options. Even if they are insane science fiction. In other words the obvious solution won't be considered. Get used to it. Invest in hazmat suits and ammunition.

More Wool Over Eyes

The fossil fuel cartel held its annual Cera Week gathering in Houston and they are going "green". Yea! No more denying climate change, now they want to help fix it. They will help by taking government money to research "carbon capture and storage". All this important research, which they are happy to undertake, will take a few years of course and in the meantime the oil majors will be investing in more production and exploration. I guess you could say they have us over a barrel! Ha ha. In somber tones they remind us of how much fossil fuel it is going to take to make the "green transition", but not to worry, they are here to help. This should inspire Bill McKibben to write another article, perhaps send out another petition. Meanwhile, environmentalists are celebrating the fact that the Biden administration is strenghtening the Endangered Species Act. Yea! New rules (which Trump reversed) will go into effect until a judge suspends them because ranchers sue. Or oil and gas developers. Or mining companies. Whoever cries out that the rules are costing jobs, profit, a way of life, etc...Expect the Sierra Club to write an article praising Biden and send out a petition. To show your support. Send more cash. You know the drill. If this all sounds like the endless merry-go-round from Hell it's because it is. Everyone believes the regulatory state can reign in the excesses of liberal democratic capitalism. Fareed Zacharia and David Brooks will describe how wonderful the system COULD BE if only. We just need better rules. Better laws. Sure, keep pulling the wool over your own eyes. It's worked so far!

Teaching Both Sides

Indiana just passed legislation requiring schools to promote "intellectual diversity", meaning more conservative ideas, because they believe the Left has captured education. Of course the irony is that the people pushing this are morons who get their ideas from the internets. The other irony is that this is a prime example of cow-towing to "wokeness" police and promoting "diversity, equity and inclusion", the very thing conservatives love to hate. What I would suggest is that students should challenge the teaching of capitalist ideology and demand they also teach principles of socialism. In the name of "intellectual diversity". Students have been indoctrinated in the destructive market ideology since public schooling began. It's time to teach the "other side". And every conservative professor filling his students heads with free market dogma, with "originalist" constitutionalist dogma, with neurological determinist dogma, etc.. will have to now correct their syllabus. Should be interesting.

These Are My Choices?

Just because I favor Palestinian self-determination does that mean I have to support Hamas? This is how Jonathan Neal and other Leftists are framing it and it is classic leftist idiocy, snatching defeat from the hands of victory. Just as public opinion starts to turn in our favor, those unable to imagine nuance subvert it. Why does that have to be my choice? Mainstream liberal opinion is finally coming around to accept the fact Zionism is an illiberal system, and that opposing that oppressive system is not anti-semitic. The one state solution, unthinkable five years ago, is now being discussed in open forums. So what does the Left-left do? Supports Islamist extremists who use human shields and slaughters civilians. The question is: how does this movement for liberation become ecosocialist? YES magazine and other optimists see a great opening, a real movement, but they say the same thing about Occupy and Black Lives Matter (sometimes Standing Rock gets slotted in there). I see them all as lost opportunities and fear Palestine will be the same. I'd love to be wrong. Speaking of anti-semitism, is it ok to find some Jewish people annoying? It is a stereotype that has propelled many a comedy career, I'm thinking Sienfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Woody Allen, etc.. Now, however, even suggesting they are over-sensitive, a bit neurotic, in other words annoying, sends them crying into the arms of Trump and the unhinged Right. As Wainwright puts it: "I'm tired of America."

Death by Data

Data centers and crypto mines are gobbling up electricity faster than the world can produce it. But produce it we will. Having a shortage of electricity is anathema to the project of modernity, the idea of progress. Of course the bright green will want all this extra juice to be produced by "clean renewables", so be prepared for the impacts of all that mining and siting and manufacturing of wind towers and solar panels. For what exactly? Why is so much juice being pored into super-computers? To propel the latest greatest source of accumulated profit, artificial intelligence. The stock market values chip maker Nvidia at 2.2 trillion dollars. All the biggies, Microsoft, Google, Musk, etc. are raking in massive profits off this new "industry". So we will expand the grid, build out gas fired power plants and small nuclear and whatever it takes to feed it. Mining crypto speaks for itself. The point is, when greens say we can produce %100 of our electricity with renewables they have no idea what that number might be in ten years, as demand grows and grows and grows. Once again we come up against the concept of "limits" to growth, a concept Capital and its proponents can not and will not grasp.

Oblivion's Cross

My novel is a precautionary tale of greed and arrogance, where those with too much power make some poor choices while the planet and its inhabitants pay the cost. So when I saw the article in Sunday's Times about geoengineering, I thought awesome, this should boost sales! Jeremy Freeman, executive director of the non-profit research group Carbon Plan writes: "some techno-futurists, like OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, are already normalizing it: “We’re going to have to do something dramatic with climate like geoengineering as a Band-Aid, as a stop gap,” he said in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos." I actually went to the interview on Bloomberg and listened to the "visionary smart people" predict the future. Be very afraid. They are doubling down on techno-acceleration and green capitalism to save the day. Big "breakthroughs". True believers with lots of money and power. The article goes on to say that: "The alternative is clandestine research controlled by corporations or autocratic regimes, lurching toward deployment without knowing — or knowing and not sharing — the true risks." Exactly. Buy the book.

More Juice

Turns out the Big Brains who are supposed to be figuring all this out have miscalculated how much electricity the U.S. will nedd in the coming decades. oops. “Right now everyone’s getting caught flat-footed” by rising demand for electricity, said John Wilson, a vice president at Grid Strategies. Just didn't see it coming, all these new data centers and crypto mines and increased manufacturing. So they will have to biuld many more gas fired plants and keep coal and oil plants running longer than expected. To meet the demand, you see. The growth. If a wave of new gas-fired plants gets approved by state regulators, he said, “it is game over for the Biden administration’s 2035 decarbonization goal.” Turns out Peak demand in the summer is projected to grow by 38,000 megawatts nationwide in the next five years. Like adding another California to the grid. So we see once again that declaring climate goals is a lot like declaring the need for more humanitarian aid to Gaza. Pretty words. The reality is not so pretty as fires burn in the Amazon, as each month sets a new record for high temperature, blah blah blah. In a related article, Brazil has announced it is upping gas and oil production to record levels. “We will not give up that prerogative,” the energy minister said, “because others are not doing their own sacrifice as well.” They look at the hollow promises of rich countries and ask why they should have to lead the effort to de-carbonize.

One State Solution

Watched the documentary film Israelism last night and in the discussion with one of the filmakers following, he suggested America's treatment of the indigenous peoples could serve as an analogy with Israel / Palestine. Those who advocate a secular one state solution ( the South Africa model) would then have to consider one state being shared here in the U.S., rather than our system of semi-autonomous Indian Nations. This gives a new meaning to the Land Back movement. It is not clear which borders those calling for a two-state solution wish to see: 67? 48? If taking land through military conquest is "stealing" you open a real can of worms. If "free Palestine" refers to the 48 Mandate borders, if that is the "stolen" land referred to, then the U.S. should return the whole continent to the indigenous peoples. Other nations should have to return the land taken, though it is unclear how far back such claims might go. On the way in to see the film we listened to an interview with Iyad el Bahgdadi in which he called for one secular democratic state along the lines of South Africa. Of course, Capital wasn't mentioned so It could only be "democracy" with constraints and limits. We could look to Ireland as an example of conflict fueled by religious fanaticism and historical trauma that has resolved but while there are parallels, the analogy is not perfect. None are. The "Israelism" which has infected the U.S. is currently being challenged by a mostly younger cohort but do not expect quick results in terms of a just settlement. Not mentioned in the film are the evangelical Christians who support Zionism. And then there is the whole dismissal of "social justice" by conservatives as a commie plot.

Liberal Dissonance Or Dissociation

"Pull the wool over your own eyes" instructs Bob, the sub-genious. This is the motto for the US "progressive" liberal who is now fretting over the 2024 Presidential election. They bemoan the Supreme Beings decision to stall Trump's trial because "a surprisingly large segment of the electorate has either no idea or slight knowledge of the charges against Trump," according to Thomas Edsal in the NY Times. He (like every liberal) is worried about Trump taking power when the real worry should be that many incredibly stupid people running through the streets of America. How do they imagine a democracy could exist amongst that much ignorance? Paul Krugman, Michelle Cottle, Ezra Klein, and all my progressive friends flail as they try to explain the man's support because in Liberaland, capitalist democracy, like the "arc of history", tends toward justice. It is rational and outcomes depend on reasoned debate and consideration of the "issues". You remember: Kennedy vs Nixon, William Buckley vs Gore Vidal or James Baldwin. Intellectuals with opposing ideas. The "good old days", back when "ideas" had some cache. Having no way to analyze the ways today's capitalism is different from that time's capitalism, liberals can only remain, befuddled, outraged, astounded at the "degradation of discourse". They want to make America great again. Go back to the time before clowns, when serious folks ran things. But that horse left that barn for a reason and if all you can do is moan and wail and pull your hair...The fact is, in capitalist "democracy", everyone is voting for "uncommited".

Against Gorz

Sorry to burst the bubble, but there is no such thing as "non-reformist reforms". Because the revolutionary horizon is so distant, radicals are relying more and more heavily on the promise of "revolutionary reforms" but I think the results of the last decade speak for themselves. It is a convenient illusion that incremental reforms are getting us any closer to a just and sustainable society, much less mode of production. Name one that has furthered revolutionary aims. All reforms to the current system function as affirmations that the system is flexible, adaptable, reformable and therefore the best of all possible systems. At the psychological level, this re-inforces the hegemonic ideology already prevelant throughout all classes. Yes, there are challenges, but the system is resilient and overcomes all barriers. It is in this sense that all reforms are reformist and therefore counter-revolutionary.Sorry Rosa. Sorry Andre. The other big problem with reforms is you have to ask or "demand" them from the government, affirming the illusion that governments are in control of the hegemonic system of production and social reproduction. We are all taught our government is "of the People, by the People, for the People". Sure, we are told by the cultural apparatus, there are some "bad corporations" and "bad lobbyists" trying to subvert this lovely democracy, but reforms can thwart them. Through the so-called "political" process. This is a well-managed distraction from the actual relations of power. Citizen agency is directed toward voting for their representative in government. Toward useless protest such as signing petitions, marching and going to rallys. This reliance on capitalist governments to solve issues is why greenhouse gasses and other pollutants and waste and destructive land-use practices etc. etc. are destroying the biosphere. They can negotiate international agreements all they want, but they can't end capital accumulation. Governments are therefore reduced to "green capitalist" false solutions to maintain GDP growth. Reform the banking system. Reform the regulatory agencies. Reform the judicial system. Reform the schools. This is why liberalism vs conservatism is a false dichotomy; Capital loves it when we are engaged in useless reformist battles, expending all our energy railing against the latest clown politician, the latest threat to our "rights", the latest decision by the Supreme Beings. This is all background noise as Capital does what Capital does. Left wing "non-reformist reforms" theory asserts that as more and more "demands" are met the People realize their power and begin to make radical demands that challenge the rule of Capital. History provides a different story. In reality, as demands are met, people are increasingly satisfied with the status quo. They become defenders of a system which appears willing to compromise and share some wealth or status. But if the People demand too much, expect Capital to go on strike and impose discipline. or start a new round of culture wars. Or real wars.

National Unity

An article in yesterdays Times describes Israeli reservists, just back from the onslaught of Gaza, who want their country to be "unified again". These young soldiers loved serving with those from every political persuasion and were amazd at how killing women and children brought them together and erased the acrimony. You want National Unity? The answer is simple: just stage another attack by "outsiders"! This is a common refrain heard from clueless liberals everywhere you go: we hate this division and polarization, if only something could bring us together as a nation. Getting attacked works every time, guaranteed. So I propose arranging for your country to be attacked by "terrorists" on a regular basis. It doesn't require many casualties, certainly not Trade Tower 9/11 numbers. The problem is, the warm feeling of unity tends to wear off quicker and quicker so you will need increasingly frequent attacks. Freedom isn't free. But nothing is quite as cozy as being brought together as a nation, as a People, as a Volk. Meanwhile, the Biden administration "mourns the loss of innocent life" as Israeli soldiers open fire on people rushing to get food aid in Gaza. African migrants are flying through Bogata to get to Nicaragua, then El Salvador where they will try to make their way north to the U.S. Putin warns us that he has nukes if he needs them. I won't even mention the global warming. None of this ends well.

A Deliberate Cruelty

I just returned from a three week visit to Cuba, that oh0so0dangerous country lying ninety miles off the Florida coast. A country still on America's terrorist watch list (the hypocricy almost too much to bear), a country being purposely strangled by a blockade and trade sanctions, a country filled with struggling people who just want the opportunity to create a decent life. And but for the neighborhood bully, they certainly could. We met lots of warm and generous people who make amazing music and art and who love to sit and chat, to be social, to hang with friends and family and discuss this or that. They have, as a collective, a very small carbon footprint and make do with what little they have; old cars they keep repairing, horses to pull their cart of produce into town, oxen to plow their small plot of red soil. Ways of being we could definitely learn from (but won't). But being slowly strangled means you do what you can to better your condition. For some that means leaving, emigrating to a place where the future holds more promise. Many Cubans have relatives in America, especially Florida, and this means a leg up in their efforts. The U.S. also makes special provisions for those immigrants who can reach our shores, special funding and programs that immigrants from other places do not enjoy. America's little way of further undermining their poor neighbor. Another way people can improve their circumstances is through the tourist economy. To get a hold of U.S. dollars. This economy is a less-than-subtle way to create inequality and division, the hallmark of capitalism. The goal is obvious; to bring down the socialist government and drive a nail through socialist ideology. Still smarting from the humiliation of the Bay of Pigs and the missle crisis, the bully is relentless in his efforts. Astounded that this small island survived the fall of the Soviet Union and persists in its goals and revolutionary values, the bully is patient but deliberate. The population may or nay not desire socialism but they are proud of their country's ability to fight back against imperialist greed and ambition. It is the kind of pride you will only find among the ignorant in America, those ignorant of their country's history and continued naked aggression.

Here It Comes

From today's Wall Street Journal: "Scientists Resort to Once-Unthinkable Solutions To Cool The Planet". I can't access the article but basically they are describing the research and deployment of various geoengineering schemes, now that it is understood there will be no reduction in emissions or the production of fossil fuels. I remember Guy Mc Pherson years ago predicting this would happen; capitalists and their clients in government would stall and stall and pretend to be making progress and there would be all this greeenwashing and "blah,blah, blah" until the day they announced that due to the emergency it was necessary to deploy geoengineering. That day has arrived. In my novel a sinister collaboration of private and state actors results in a disastrous geoengineering deployment, leading to societal collapse. This was my most optimistic scenario. Because the sooner this thing implodes the better; for species losing habitat, for people being oppressed and exploited and annihilated in various parts of the globe, for the very concept of justice. In an essay in VOX, Eric Levitz takes issue with Andreas Malm's call for the use of property destruction, believing we must wait till enough renewable energy production is installed to replace our current use of fossil fuels. Until the "price goes down" or it is "economical" and there need be no sacrifice. Waiting for the Market, waiting for Godot. Levitz's argument echoes that of COP28 president Sultan Al-Jabar, who quipped that those wanting to halt fossil fuel production wish to "take the world back into caves". This from a man who lives in a palace. But decarbonisation is not anti-modern ( though I personally have no problem with de-industrialization and believe Bruno Latour is correct that climate change signals the end of the modern project) and we can live nicely with considerably less stuff. Instead we can expect our skies to turn a sparkly white sooner than later.

There Is No Off Switch

Ezra Klein : "Capitalism is itself a kind of artificial intelligence, and it’s far further along than anything the computer scientists have yet coded. In that sense, it copied OpenAI’s code long ago." Kevin Roose : "Now, the utopians are in the driver’s seat. Full speed ahead. Team Capitalism won. Team Leviathan lost." Even smart people confuse capitalism and Capital. In the ideological/cultural/political matrix that is capitalism, "utopians" could perhaps be "in the driver's seat." But Capital has no driver's seat. No one or group of people steers it. It careens along its own trajectory, guided by its own logic. Capital is in no sense "managed". M > C> M is all you really need to know, the relentless cycling. This Kevin character is worried that government over-reach (Leviathan) will stifle the awesome innovation represented by Open AI. I mean, what could possibly go wrong with an artificial intelligence smarter than the general population and most of their leaders? Liberals are in a tizzy over the state of our "democracy" and Trump's hostile rhetoric toward our allies. Rachael Maddow, Paul Krugman, even Jon Stewart is inspired to jump back into the fray and defend the precious liberal values they hold dear.