Lazy Saturday Reads
Posted: July 26, 2014 Filed under: Barack Obama, Foreign Affairs, Hamas, immigration, Libya, morning reads, Palestine, Real Life Horror, Republican politics, Russia, science, U.S. Politics, Ukraine, We are so F'd | Tags: bad news, Gaza, impeachment, israel, polls, West Bank 38 Comments
Good Morning!!
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting really sick of bad news. I’ve completely stopped watching TV and listening to radio news, because I just can’t take any more details of wars, plane crashes, dead children. If it weren’t for writing these morning posts, I wouldn’t have a clue what’s happening. I get all my news from Google, Twitter, and various blogs, including Sky Dancing. So I’m going to quickly link to the major stories topping Google this morning, and then I’ll post some interesting longer reads that I came across around the ‘net.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
There’s a 12-hour cease fire in Gaza right now. BBC News has extensive coverage, Gaza conflict: 12-hour truce as deaths top 900.
Residents in Gaza are using a 12-hour humanitarian truce to return to their homes, gather essential supplies and search for those trapped in the rubble.
At least 85 bodies have been pulled from the rubble during the truce, a Palestinian health official says.
That raises the Palestinian death toll to 985 since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on 8 July, the spokesman said. Thirty-nine Israelis have died.
International talks on a longer truce have resumed in Paris.
Israel said it would continue to “locate and neutralise” Hamas tunnels during the pause, which began at 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT).
So far 31 tunnels have been discovered, with about half destroyed, Israeli’s military says.
Lots of details and photos at the BBC link.
From AP via The Boston Globe, Gaza Sides Agree to Lull But Truce Efforts Stall.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel-Hamas fighting looked headed for escalation after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry failed Friday to broker a weeklong truce as a first step toward a broader deal and Israel’s defense minister warned Israel might soon expand its Gaza ground operation ‘‘significantly.’’
Hours after the U.S.-led efforts stalled, the two sides agreed to a 12-hour humanitarian cease-fire to begin Saturday. However, the temporary lull was unlikely to change the trajectory of the current hostilities amid ominous signs that the Gaza war is spilling over into the West Bank.
In a ‘‘Day of Rage,’’ Palestinians across the territory, which had been relatively calm for years, staged protests against Israel’s Gaza operation and the rising casualty toll there. In the West Bank, at least six Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, hospital officials said.
The latest diplomatic setbacks, after several days of high-level diplomacy in the region, signaled that both sides are digging in and that the fighting in Gaza is likely to drag on.
An op-ed from Al Jazeera, Israel’s war of disproportionate force on Gaza, by Britain Eaken.
The recent killing of four Palestinian children by an Israeli airstrike while they played soccer on a beach in Gaza should call into question Israel’s claim that it’s waging a war of self-defense. Western journalists who saw the attack witnessed firsthand an ugly reality of life in Gaza — Palestinian civilians are too often caught in the crossfire in this tiny, densely populated and besieged coastal strip.
Early Sunday, an Israeli incursion into the Shujayea neighborhood in Gaza killed at least 60 more Palestinians. Most of the injuries being treated at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital belong to civilians suffering from shrapnel injuries and amputations. More than 100 children have been killed so far and the Palestinian death toll just surpassed 400 with more than 3000 injured.
The UN says more than 70 percent of Palestinian casualties are civilians, a marked increase from previous Israeli assaults.
The toll on civilians has raised United Nations’ concerns of the Israeli use of disproportionate force in Gaza in violation of international humanitarian law. But the use of disproportionate force and the targeting of civilian infrastructure isn’t a new or surprising tactic for Israel. In fact, it’s a primary strategy according to Gabi Siboni, head of the Military and Strategic Affairs program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel. This strategy has a well-documented history in Gaza.
I have no words.
Libya
Yes, there’s still fighting in Libya, and the violence is getting so bad than the U.S. has closed and evacuated its embassy there. NPR reports: U.S. Embassy Compound In Libya Shut Down Amid Fighting.
The U.S. has closed its embassy in Libya and evacuated diplomats amid what is being described as a significant deterioration in security, with rival militant factions battling in the capital, Tripoli.
“Due to the ongoing violence resulting from clashes between Libyan militias in the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, we have temporarily relocated all of our personnel out of Libya,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said.
“Securing our facilities and ensuring the safety of our personnel are top department priorities, and we did not make this decision lightly,” Harf said. “Security has to come first. Regrettably, we had to take this step because the location of our embassy is in very close proximity to intense fighting and ongoing violence between armed Libyan factions.”
In a separate statement, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said: “[All] embassy personnel were relocated, including Marine security guards who were providing security at the embassy during the movement.”
AP via ABC News: US Evacuates Embassy in Libya Amid Clashes.
The United States shut down its embassy in Libya on Saturday and evacuated its diplomats to neighboring Tunisia under U.S. military escort amid a significant deterioration in security in Tripoli as fighting intensified between rival militias, the State Department said….
The evacuation was accompanied by the release of a new State Department travel warning for Libya urging Americans not to go to the country and recommending that those already there leave immediately. “The Libyan government has not been able to adequately build its military and police forces and improve security,” it said. “Many military-grade weapons remain in the hands of private individuals, including antiaircraft weapons that may be used against civilian aviation.” ….
“We are committed to supporting the Libyan people during this challenging time, and are currently exploring options for a permanent return to Tripoli as soon as the security situation on the ground improves. In the interim, staff will operate from Washington and other posts in the region,” Harf said. The evacuated staffers will continue to work on Libya issues in Tunis, elsewhere in North Africa and Washington.
Ukraine
Ukraine is still roiling, but it seems to have receded into the background for the moment. Here are a few headlines just to keep you current.
Fox News: Ukraine crisis: European Union hits Russian intelligence chiefs with sanctions.
WaPo: Russia, Ukraine trade accusations of cross-border shelling.
Bloomberg: U.S. Says Russia Set to Supply New Arms to Ukraine Rebels.
The Economist: The shooting down of an airliner shows how reckless Vladimir Putin’s sponsorship of Ukrainian rebels has been.
From the WaPo editorial board: If the West doesn’t do more for Ukraine now, it might soon be too late.
From the Are You Kidding Me? File
From the LA Times: White House aide says Republicans might impeach Obama over immigration.
Pesident Obama will propose broad-ranging executive action on immigration reform later this summer that could provoke Republicans into trying to impeach him, a senior White House official said Friday.
While details of the immigration plan are still being worked on, it will mark “an important step in the arc of the presidency” that will shape both the substance and politics of immigration policy for years, White House senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer told reporters at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.
That move is certain to “increase the angry reaction from Republicans” who already accuse Obama of exceeding his executive authority, Pfeiffer said, highlighting recent statements by former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in which she backed an impeachment move.
“I would not discount the possibility” that Republicans would seek to impeach Obama, he said, adding that House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has “opened the door to impeachment” by his plans to sue Obama for allegedly exceeding his executive authority.
Is this just an effort by the White House to put the impeachment question out there so Americans can let the GOP what they think about it? The Hill reports: White House taking impeachment seriously.
Senior White House advisers are taking very seriously the possibility that Republicans in Congress will try to impeach President Obama, especially if he takes executive action to slow deportations.
Dan Pfeiffer, a senior adviser to Obama, said Friday that the White House is taking the prospect of impeachment in the GOP-controlled House more seriously than many others in Washington, who see it as unlikely.
Pfeiffer noted that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has a large following among Tea Party conservatives, has called for Obama’s impeachment and a large block of the GOP’s base favors it.
“I saw a poll today that had a huge portion of the Republican Party base saying they supported impeaching the president. A lot of people in this town laugh that off. I would not discount that possibility,” he told reporters Friday at a breakfast sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor.
Pfeiffer said Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) decision to file a lawsuit against Obama over his use of executive actions increased the chance of impeachment proceedings in the future.
A little reality testing from Sean Sullivan at the WaPo: These two numbers show why impeachment talk is trouble for the GOP.
By about 2-1, Americans say they don’t think President Obama should be impeached and removed from office, according to a new CNN/ORC International poll released Friday.
But a majority of Republicans disagree.
That, in a nutshell, is why talk about impeaching the president is nothing but trouble for the GOP heading toward the November midterms.
Sixty-five percent of Americans say Obama should not be impeached, compared to just 33 percent who say he should. Very one-sided. It’s clear that impeachment is a political loser when it comes to the public as a whole.
The “public as a whole” numbers matter because with most of the consequential primaries behind us, Republican candidates in key Senate races — the battle for the Senate is the main midterm event — have to be concerned about playing to broad statewide audiences.
Some (mostly) longer reads
These aren’t all that cheery either, but they are interesting.
This one from the NYT Sunday Magazine is for Dakinikat: Why Do Americans Stink at Math?
Why do people leave their kids in hot cars? How can you forget you’ve got your kid with you? I just don’t get it, and it makes me furious! There’s a long article about these cases at NBC News, Fatal Mistake: What Everyone Should Know About Hot Car Deaths, by Alex Johnson.
This NYT op-ed isn’t a long read, but it’s a useful one: Why the Border Crisis Is a Myth, by Veronica Escobar.
Remember all that talk about how there was going to be some kind of horrible disaster in 2012? Well it turns out that something awful almost happened. From NASA Science News, Near Miss: The Solar Superstorm of July 2012. If you don’t want to wade through the whole article, The Boston Globe has a shorter summary, Apparently Earth ‘Just Missed’ a Solar Superstorm in 2012.
Finally, something entertaining and not depressing, This Is What Happens When You Ask Contemporary Artists To Reimagine Maps Of The World. Check it out!
What stories are you following today? Please post your thoughts and links in the comment thread.
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
grayslady
mablue2
NW Luna
peggysue22
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
I would like more positive, good news naturally. But we must stay informed.
Yup. I’m definitely committed to staying informed. But I’m glad I started the day reading JJ’s cartoon posts.
I stay aware of what is going on but I carefully limit my exposure to bad news these days. A steady drumbeat of bad news is just bad for one’s emotional and physical health. At first, I felt guilty about not keeping myself informed about every horrific thing that was happening in the world. It was as if somehow, I thought if I just knew about all these things, I was helping the world to be a better place.
Then I asked myself, how was getting sick over things I honestly couldn’t do anything about helping anyone? It certainly wasn’t helping me. Hell, I’m already sick enough. So I put limits on the news I expose myself to so I can maintain my health as much as possible. I don’t feel the least bit guilty about that now. In fact, I am better able to help the world, albeit in mostly small ways, if I am not in total despair over the news every day.
My 2 cents. It’s probably worth less.
That’s worth much more than 2 cents, Beata! Yes, there’s too much bad news. Yet this morning the honeybees and bumblebees were filling up on nectar from the lavender plants in my front yard, the yellow Japanese plums are getting riper, more translucent, more golden, and none of my neighbors is using a motor-powered weedwacker. So I enjoy what sustains me, and store that up.
I think you’re right. The constant drumbeat of bad news only serves to make people become hopeless. Hopeless people are less likely to vote or take other actions which might help. It’s almost like a strategy.
No, it’s worth plenty. I do pull back when I feel like this, but at the same time, I need to be aware of the news. Right now I’m having a hard time seeing any good news, and that probably means I’m overwhelmed and need to detach a little.
Your 2 cents means a lot to me. If you quit replying back, I will be extremely disappointed. If you only want to say hello and talk about the weather…..I am in. Take care my friend.
I can feel your disillusionment coming through. I share it.
I have been reading more and more these days since the news is so awful. Tuned in briefly and watched a team of doctors extracting shrapnel from an 8 month old baby while some fool was being interviewed nodding at Israel’s “right” to defend itself. Against a baby?
I understand Israel’s position in needing to defend itself but on the other hand these people are trapped within the confines of this “ghetto” which leads one to remember the pictures from WW2 emerging after the conflict ended showing captured Jews running for their lives against the nazis and question each sides version of “humanity”.
It seems to me that the entire mideast is about to explode pulling the US into the fray along with it. This has been the goal all along.
We have lost so much standing throughout the world after our miserable incursion into Iraq. An unnecessary venture that has cost both blood and treasure along with any credibility we may ever had shared.
The world has indeed become a nasty place. Back to reading.
Same here. Yesterday I started reading a mystery. Don’t ask me why reading about crime and death relieves my stress caused by real life crime and death. I don’t know why. It just does.
Historical mysteries are my favorites. I just finished reading Victoria Thompson’s “Murder on Sisters’ Row”. It’s part of the “Gaslight Mysteries” series set in 19th century New York. The protagonist is a midwife who also solves murders.
I also like reading mysteries — I think it’s the puzzle-solving I like — or historical fiction. Distraction is a useful coping technique.
The book I just started is A Killing in the Hills, by Julia Keller. It takes place in a small town in West Virginia. I lie reading books with a sense of place. I saw this one recommended on NPR books. I’ll let you know if it’s any good. Here’s an interview with Keller.
I’ve been burning through that series of books this summer. Not the toughest mysteries to solve but I love her attention to detail regarding the period and the historical references.
Body Found Under Motel Bed, Police Say It Has Been There At Least 5 Years
Oh Yuck! Now I’ll always check under the bed. 😉
Anyone who has ever had pets knows to look under the bed if there’s a bad smell in a room.
I’m with you, BB – how on Earth do you forget you have a child in the car? Maybe it’s because I’m the oldest of 8 kids (youngest sister 17 years younger than I) and had to be uber responsible about helping keep watch over them. Are people really that distracted or do they actually think that the kid will be alright “just for a few minutes?”
I look at pretty pictures of Nature when I’m overwhelmed by some of the news….
Some good news:
Also at that link, more astute commenting, including this on some corporate PR that backfired:
Thanks for that.
I look forward to an unemployable Nugent!
The middle class, of course, owns all those companies with billions tucked away offshore.
Perfect 🙂
Loved the Cartoons. News junkie here, but have been busy with other events going on. Listening to some smooth bossa nova:
That one never gets old!
I’m kind’ve getting a good laugh from this : http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/07/25/conservative-medias-favorite-economist-caught-d/200213
Steven Moore’s been caught in a really boneheaded mistake. This guy isn’t an economist. He has a stale masters degree in it from George Mason University. I doubt he could pass a basic statistics class or econometrics class or even a junior level macroeconomics class. He’s not an economist. He’s a business writer and propagandist who has no idea what he’s talking about.
David Gregory Is Toast as Chuck Todd and Joe Scarborough Fight For Meet The Press Gig
argh! it just goes from worse to unbelievably worse!
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/07/24/david-gregory-toast-chuck-todd-joe-scarborough-fight-meet-press-gig.html
I wonder if Chuck or Joe can do the funky chicken like Dave? God, I hope not.
He sure has those embarrassing white boy moves
It sounds like MTP is on the way out. Joe Scarborough? Seriously?
From Politicus:
The men have laid it down on MTP, no way would they change the course. If Joe’s in, I’ll be hitting the snooze button like I did with Dancing Dave…………
Thanks Beata – got a good laugh out of that funky chicken.
Instead of DEQ fines, plant sees tax breaks after explosion
http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/money/business/2014/07/25/multi-chem-environmental-fines-plant-blast-lenient-taxes-new-plant/13185065/
That’s upside down from what should have happened.
When a college contracts ‘adjunctivitis,’ it’s the students who lose
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/when-a-college-contracts-adjunctivitis-its-the-students-who-lose/
I have colleagues who are adjuncts and have been teaching in non-tenure track positions for a couple of decades. Wonderful teachers; they win awards for their work, but unjustly, there is no tenure track for them. Meanwhile admin layers stealthily increase.