Everyone Is Damaged

There is a back and forth between Jodi Dean and Judith Butler over language used by the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee following the Oct.7 attacks, which "contextualized" the slaughter of unarmed Israeli civilians. Butler critiqued the position and I agree with them. Dean felt the Committee deserved more solidarity. There are all the related isues of censorship and free speech but I want to ask does support for Palestinians necessarily imply support for Hamas? And is Hamas deserving of that support. But my real point is that both sides, Palestinians and Israelis, are so incredibly damaged by trauma and psychsocial dysfunction that rational debate will not lead to some "understanding". We have left the age of Habermasian discourse. These are dark times of unreason. By contextualized I mean a recourse to history meant to justify and excuse the violence, eg: decades of violent repression, displacement, targeted killings, etc...Certainly it is important to recognize the history of crimes perpertrated by the apartheid, Zionist ethno-state. And if an armed wing of Hamas had attacked IDF forces they would deserve not just our "understanding" but our full support. But they fucked up and instead indiscriminately killed civilians and that must be condemned. For the moral as well as strategic/tactical failure. Show me a case where terrorism was successful. Yes, Israel is being exposed for what it is. But Gaza is laid to waste and a whole generation murdered and further traumatized. The other point about "support for Hamas" is that they are a conservative, anti-communist Islamist movement. There politics suck and no one on the Left should want to see them in power. They are damaged by decades of oppression and violence and infighting orchestrated by Israel as well as twisted theology. As twisted as the theology espoused by the Zionist settlers and hard-right parties of Israel. The enemy of my enemy is not my friend in this case. Butler asks: "Why can’t we condemn morally heinous acts without losing our powers to think, to know and to judge? Surely we can, and must, do both." She is asking a lot of a world of damaged unreason.

Divestment

The tents remain on many campuses, despite the hurt feelings of a few Jewish students. The demand is divestment, insisting these universities pull all investments out of Israel. The old pocket-book approach. The cynic in me wonders how much this would pressure or hurt Israel but what is more inspiring is the general shift in zeitgeist. Israel enjoyed immunity from any sort of criticism for so long that this could signal real change. The other question is whether students/ youth will link this struggle to others and begin to see the need for system change. I worry that we will see a repeat of Occupy- first the tents, then the floundering over "leadership" and what to do next. They will enter into "discussions" with those in power and be shown the reality of sausage making. Then come the compromises. Of course corporate America does not sit idly by. It takes money to go to an Ivy League school and students have to be thinking of carreers. So these are not idle threats. As Darren Woods, the chief executive of Exxon Mobil, said of campus protests in an interview with CNBC this week: “If that action or those protests reflect the values of the campuses where they’re doing it, we wouldn’t be interested in recruiting students from those campuses.” Meanwhile, the world watches as Rafa is attacked and the U.S. continues to antagonize China and the global temperature continues to rise.

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!