The bad news is that I am down with a bug (same one I had the other day), but the good news is that it’s not covid (two tests). Further news (good or bad, depending on the reader) is that posting may be light for a couple of days until I’m better. Bear with me; I do my best.
Welcome to Thursday, February 2, 2024, and National Tater Tot Day. Invented in 1953, this comestible, consisting of grated and pressed potatoes, is not bad, though I have a bag in my freezer which has probably been there several years, and must be beyond it’s consume-by date. Variants of this product are found in several countries:
Most important, it’s Groundhog Day! And the news is that Punxsutawny Phil, the groundhog, did not see his shadow, and so predicts an early spring.
It’s also Crêpe Day, Heavenly Hash Day (a dessert described as “a delightful mix of fruits, nuts, marshmallows, and creamy substances like whipped cream or yogurt”), National Change Your Windshield Wipoers Day, Bubble Gum Day, Hedgehog Day, World Ukelele Day, California Kiwifruit Day, World Wetlands Day, Marmot Day, and, in Russia, Victory of the Battle of Stalingrad, which was the bloodiest battle in WWII, with over a million casualities on each side.
In honor or World Ukelele Day, here’s Paul playing a George Harrison song along with a lot of notables, beginning with the uke. I love this version of “Something.” See how many people you can identify. (Clapton chimes in, too.)
Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this by consulting the February 2 Wikipedia page.
There’s a Google Doodle today; click on the screenshot below to go the page honoring writer James Baldwin, (1924-1987), kicking off Black History Month. He was not born or died on February 2, so I’m unsure whether there’s an anniversary, but you should read his 1953 novel,Go Tell It On the Mountain,one of the great works of modern black literature.
Da Nooz:
*In an attempt, in part, to placate his Arab-American constituents (at least it’s interpreted that way by the NYT), Biden has imposed sanctions on Israeli West Bank settlers who have committed violence against Palestinians. (I report the WaPo article, which gives a bit more detail).
President Biden signed an executive order on Thursday that imposes sanctions on four West Bank settlers who have committed violence against Palestinians. The order marks the most significant action Biden has taken against Israelis amid criticism over U.S. backing for Israel’s war in Gaza.
The executive order mirrors sanctions imposed on individuals designated as terrorists, two senior administration officials said on a call with reporters Thursday. It will block the settlers from accessing all U.S. property and assets or from engaging with the American financial system.
The settlers will not be allowed to send money to the United States or have anyone act on their behalf, the officials said. The order also prevents any American from contributing money, goods or services to those sanctioned, the officials said.
The financial sanctions follow an announcement in early December restricting U.S. visas for people believed to have been involved in settler violence, as well as their immediate family members. Neither those restrictions, nor the sanctions announced on Wednesday affect the manyU.S. citizen settlers.
Those sanctioned include individuals whose actions led to the death of a Palestinian civilian, and others who have set buildings on fire, caused property damage, assaulted Palestinian farmers and carried out attacks with stones that caused serious injuries, according to one of the senior officials. The sanctioned settlers have also tried to break into windows and passing vehicles, blocked roads and used other forms of intimidation.
This sounds fair enough to me. But the U.S. can punish the Israeli miscreants even beyond what Israel can do. I understand that these Israelis have been convicted by Israeli courts for their actions, so this isn’t an instance of Biden’s being precipitous. On the other hand, a fair number of Israelis (which includes a few IDF members) were killed in the West Bank by Palestinians in 2023, and others were also subject to violence. (It’s a mess there.) So why isn’t Biden sanctioning the miscreant Palestinians as well as the Jews? If he doesn’t, this is an example of arrant hypocrisy.
*I’m so tired of misleading stuff like this:
Cutting off support to @UNRWA – the primary source of humanitarian aid to 2 million+ Gazans – is unacceptable.
Among an organization of 13,000 UN aid workers, risking the starvation of millions over grave allegations of 12 is indefensible.
The US should restore aid immediately.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 29, 2024
No, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, it’s at least 10% of the UNRWA staff, or 1200 individuals, have ties to terror groups. That’s why 16 member states have cut off funding to the group.
The NY Post simply lists all of AOC’s votes on Israel/Hamas issues since the beginning of November, which includes these:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has taken multiple votes against Israel and antisemitism issues in recent weeks — in defiance of the overwhelming majority of members from her own party, records show.
In just a few shorts weeks, AOC voted against condemning Hamas, against condemning antisemitism on college campuses and against aid to Israel.
On Oct. 25 the House voted to condemn Hamasby an overwhelming margin of 412-10.
See AlsoThe Allure of Latinas: Finding True Connection Abroad - Alo JapanThe Plain Dealer from Cleveland, OhioBut the Bronx socialist along with eight of her far-left Squad members opposed the measure.
On Nov. 2 when the Housepassed a resolutioncondemning support for Hamas and Hezbollah on college campuses. AOC was a no on that too, joining the minority of the chamber in a 396-23 vote.
AOC also voted that same day againstsending $14.3 billion in emergency aidto Israel to help the country fight Hamas — in this case, joining most Democrats in opposition as the cash was decoupled from Ukraine aid.
When Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) was under fire fordefending calls for genocideagainst Jewish people — AOC had her back,voting against a censureof her squad colleague — which 22 other Democrats supported this week.
She also said this on October 9:
“Today is devastating for all those seeking a lasting peace and respect for human rights in Israel and Palestine. I condemn Hamas’ attack in the strongest possible terms. No child and family should ever endure this kind of violence and fear, and this violence will not solve the ongoing oppression and occupation in the region. An immediate ceasefire and de-escalation is urgently needed to save lives.”
Ceasefire? De-escalatoin? Israel hadn’t even retaliated for the October 7 attacks at that time! And what is the “oppression and occupation” in the region? Clearly, her condemnation of Hamas is lip-service and she can’t keep her gob shut about Israel’s actual or potential faults. It’s like expressing condolences to a woman whose husband has died while telling her what a jerk he was.
*Speaking of the “Squad” (see AOC tweet below), Representative Cori Bush is under federal investigation.
The Justice Department is conducting an investigation into whether Representative Cori Bush mishandled campaign funds, including when she hired her romantic partner — who is now her husband — to provide her with security services.
The Office of Congressional Ethics investigated the security arrangement by Ms. Bush, a Democrat from Missouri, last year. The office voted to recommend dismissal of the allegations after concluding that her husband, Cortney Merritts, had performed “bona fide” security work and did not appear to have been overpaid, and that Ms. Bush faced a level of threats that justified the work.
“Since before I was sworn into office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and life,” Ms. Bush said. “As a rank-and-file member of Congress, I am not entitled to personal protection by the House, and instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services. I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services. Any reporting that I have used federal funds for personal security is simply false.”
The House Ethics Committee is also investigating the matter, Ms. Bush said.
. . . .People familiar with the investigation, who spoke about it on the condition of anonymity, said federal prosecutors were asking questions similar to those asked by the congressional investigators about Ms. Bush’s security expenditures and the involvement of Mr. Merritts. The Justice Department inquiry has included subpoenas to members of Ms. Bush’s campaign team.
It was not immediately clear whether the federal investigation is broader than the ethics inquiry, but federal prosecutors have greater investigatory powers than congressional investigators do. Ethics investigations rarely result in discipline against members of Congress.
The Federal Election Commission has determined that lawmakers may use campaign funds to pay for security personnel services against threats arising from the members’ status as officeholders, but the commission has emphasized the money must be used only for “bona fide” security services.
Like everyone, Bush is presumed innocent until proven guilty, so we’ll just have to wait.
*Speaking again of the Squad, Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib were the only two House members to vote against a bill to bar Hamas members, or those involved in the October 7 massacre in Israel, from the U.S.
Only two House lawmakers on Wednesday voted against a measure seeking to ban Hamas terrorists involved in last October’s attack on Israel from ever entering the US —Reps.Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)andCori Bush (D-Mo.).
The No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act, introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), would deem any members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Palestine Liberation Organization or other individuals who participated in or facilitated the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on the Jewish state ineligible to enter the US, even if seeking asylum.
The bill passed the lower chamber 422-2, with Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) voting present and six members not voting.
Tlaib, an outspoken critic of Israel’s war against Hamas and the Biden administration’s support for it, argued that the bill is “redundant” and will be used by Republicans to “incite” hate.
“H.R. 6679 is unnecessary because it is redundant with already existing federal law,” the Michigan Democratsaid in a statement. “It’s just another GOP messaging bill being used to incite anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian, and anti-Muslim hatred that makes communities like ours unsafe.”
Bush, who like Tlaib is a member of the far-left “Squad” of congressional Democrats, echoed her colleague’s opposition to McClintock’s bill.
“I opposed H.R. 6679 because it is a redundant, empty messaging bill Republicans are using to target immigrants and incite anti-Palestinian hate,”she said in a tweet. “Republicans have ZERO credibility on these issues.”
Target immigrants? Not unless they were in Hamas? Does it stoke anti-Islam sentiment? Only anti-Hamas sentiment. Tlaib really is an Islamist, and I hope to Ceiling Cat she loses this fall, but it’s unlikely. I don’t know who the six are that didn’t vote but, mirabile dictu, AOC did vote for this bill (not doing so would hurt her chances to become a Senator).
*Two items in one (h/t Malgorzata): First, instead of going through UNRWA or Hamas (see below), the IDF has decided to distribute humanitarian aid directly to Palestinians so that Hamas doesn’t get the lion’s share of it (especially fuel, which Hamas purloins and uses to run its tunnels. Presumably the aid waiting in Egypt will continue, but
A humanitarian compound constructed and run by the Israeli military (IDF) will be established in the north and center of the Gaza Strip, according to theIsrael Hayomnewspaper.
According to the report, the plan would ensure humanitarian aid reached the civilians in Gaza and not Hamas terrorists, which have been shown to steal directly from the trucks, as well as being part of international agencies such as UNRWA.
The IDF began formulating a plan, following instructions from the Israeli government, according toIsrael Hayom, which added that international bodies may work with the army in distributing the aid directly to the civilians, but the plans may yet change since it is only at the initial stages.
Two members of the Israeli war cabinet, however, have suggested that outside humanitarian aid be temporarily limited so that Hamas won’t control its distribution. (Bolding below is mine.)
War cabinet member Benny Gantz and observer Gadi Eisenkot have suggested temporarily limiting the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip so its distribution will no longer be controlled by Hamas, Israeli television reported Wednesday.
According to Channel 12 news, the two National Unity party ministers believe that limiting the entry of aid for a short amount of time could create pressure for an alternative body to take responsibility for distributing aid among the enclave’s civilians, helping shape conditions in Gaza “the day after” the war.
They also reportedly think that limiting humanitarian assistance to Gaza could increase pressure for the return of the hostages still held by Hamas.
The report said Gantz and Eisenkot raised the matter during unspecified deliberations in recent days, and were given an assessment that Hamas is hijacking over half the aid trucks entering Gaza, with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar putting the figure as high as 60 percent.
The idea that over half the “humanitarian aid” going to Gaza is falling into the hands of Hamas is horrific, but I’m not surprised given the videos I’ve seen of entering aid trucks with armed militants sitting all over them. However, the world has to remember this when they’re calling for more humanitarian aid: such calls must be accompanied by stipulations that the aid must be kept out of the hands of Hamas. Or would the world still call for more aid knowing that more than half of it would fund terrorism?
Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili has a question:
Hili: Who invented the wheel?
A: A mathematician from some cave.
In Polish:
Hili: Kto wymyślił koło?
Ja: Jakiś jaskiniowy matematyk.
And a photo of baby Kulka:
*******************
From Strange, Stupid, or Silly Signs (a wee spelling mistake):
From Bruce. A codpiece, if you don’t know:
From Facebook, though this was a few weeks ago, and may no longer work (cartoonist not given):
Masih speaks extemporaneously about the oppression of women by the Taliban:
“Don’t blur my face! This is what Taliban is doing to us women in Afghanistan”
I prepared my speech for Axel Springer event but as soon as I saw powerful female ministers, policy makers and distinguish activists among the audiences, I decided to talk from my heart.
Please listen… pic.twitter.com/5o1kjp2pUV— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) January 31, 2024
Can this be real? Yes, it is (see here). The person who sent me this suggested it was a sign of dementia, but I think it’s just a clueless attempt to cheer us up.
I know how hard it is some days to sweep the clouds away and get to sunnier days.
Our friend Elmo is right: We have to be there for each other, offer our help to a neighbor in need, and above all else, ask for help when we need it.
Even though it's hard, you're never alone. https://t.co/ffMJekbowo
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 31, 2024
From Blue. I find this infinitely more cheering than I do an Elmo post:
Penguin loves some hugs..🐧😍
📹aquarist_ayrton pic.twitter.com/QRtFwG6KU8
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) January 31, 2024
From Barry, and this too is cheering:
A sunbathing owl at Fuji Kachoen Garden Parkpic.twitter.com/KJUGdCGWWM
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) January 23, 2024
More cheer from Malcolm; a life saved by a very brave man:
The man climbed out of his eighth floor apartment window to catch the helpless three-year-old girl. pic.twitter.com/ZgTRu1KVKa
— NO CONTEXT HUMANS (@HumansNoContext) January 22, 2024
From the Auschwitz Memorial, a man who lasted but a week in the camp (note the bandage):
2 February 1881 | A German Jew, Alfred Lurie, was born in Bresnitz (now Brzeźnica). A merchant.
In #Auschwitz from 5 December 1941.
No. 23724
He perished in the camp a week later. pic.twitter.com/rqJjxye4n0— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) February 2, 2024
Two tweets from Matthew. First, a crow playing, originally posted by Steve Stewart-Williams
Play is not unique to human beings – or even to mammals. Exhibit 163: Crow on a seesaw pic.twitter.com/haavyNY233
— Steve Stewart-Williams (@SteveStuWill) February 1, 2024
. . . and a whole lecture by Matthew on “Genetic Revolutions”. I’ve put the YouTube video below it, but click on “Watch on YouTube”
My talk @DarwinLectures last week is now online. Titled The Genetic Revolutions, it spans tens of thousands of years and takes us into the future. https://t.co/K5s4DV2WfG
— Matthew Cobb (@matthewcobb) February 1, 2024
