So, what's up with the pseudo-Trots of the Socialist Workers Party supporting Zionist genocide?

And, support it they do, per a long string of comments by unhinged SWP entry-ist Cort Greene on this blog post.

Support it they do, per Wiki's page on the SWP, which notes that from Greens on left, they're basically the only party that supports it. Even their Trot cousins at the Socialist Equality Party, while being Xi Jinping tankies and other nuttery, reject Zionism.

WHY, I don't know. This IS a turning. In the 1970s, the SWP was strongly anti-Zionist. That said, per its SEP foes, by the 1980s, it might have been anti-Zionist, or not, but it was also antisemitic. Jack Barnes, called out by the SEP back then, is STILL head of the SWP, and per his linked Wiki page, has led all of the various expulsions within the SWP within the last 50 years. AND, per Louis Proyect, as of 2017, at least, it was BOTH Zionist AND antisemitic. And also, per Proyect and this piece, Jack Barnes has no more than 1,000 or so acolytes including Cort Greene. Also per that piece, the SWP has been, per Cort Greene calling me a fascist, quasi-fascist supporters of US imperialism for at least 20 years.

Think Stalin's various twists and turns over 25 years, double the length and shrink it down to a political group 1/100, nay, 1,1000, if that, as big as the CPSU. It's no wonder the remaining true believers are paranoiacs, even by the standards of left factionalism.

It might be tempting to tie it back to Zionism's roots, namely its roots in Palestine, not Europe, and especially in Poland, but it's not that. It's Jack Barnes.

That said, the rest of that "strongly antisemitic"? The SEP, a bunch of actually doctrinaire actual Trots, is truly nutters itself.

Marxists insist that the temporary strengthening of Zionism is the historical outcome of the catastrophic defeats of the European labor movement that led to the annihilation of six million Jews by the fascists. Without the combined betrayals of Stalinism and Social Democracy which prepared these defeats, the Zionists could never have attained the influence they acquired during the post-World War II period.

That ignores that much of Zionist migration to Mandatory Palestine happened before the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact. It often happened LONG before that. Ben-Gurion? 1906. Jabotinsky, the most racist and virulent of old Zionists? Pre-WWI.

To put it bluntly? Today's Socialist Workers Party is the LaRoucheites of alleged leftist groups.

That said, beyond Zionism being a particular virulent and particular virulent form of nationalism, today's Israel is nowhere near socialist. Zibbutzes are more hasbara than reality. And, the Labor Party? A nothingburger, and as much influenced by the "Third Way" in the last thirty years as many other such parties.

Top blogging of August

As is the norm, these were the most-read posts in the last month, but not necessarily written IN the past month. As is usual, older posts will be noted.

Tenth was last week's Texas Progressives Roundup, which included DPS head Steve McCraw's retirement.

At No. 9? Mocking Scott Ritter bragging about eating burgers with Brainworm Bobby, made more "poignant" because this was just before Wasted Space dropped out.

No. 8? I noted that declining Rio Grande reservoir levels aren't all Mexico's fault, and in the process, took state Extension ag law writer Tiffany Dowell to the woodshed for a bit of apparent Texas exceptionalism.

No. 7? "Capitalism for Capitol Reef! Big Pharma for Big Bend!" mocked the (Eli) Lilly Endowment's $100 million donation to the National Park Foundation.

No. 6? To put it bluntly, "Law Dork" Chris Geidner is Law Dum Fuq with his claims no constitutional amendment is needed to clock out Supreme Court justices. I demolished that. Of course, Kuff promoted this. (Worse, Kuff, in his weekend roundup last week, ran another piece bemoaning aging federal judges that can't be moved off the bench. That's a real hobgoblin of a foolish inconsistency, to riff on Emerson.)

It was throwaway, but at No. 5, a third-party news roundup of last week, which trended because a true nutter from the LaRouchie cult within alleged Communist parties, the Socialist Workers Party, kept commenting and commenting.

No. 4? Originally written last November, and updated since then, most recently in July? Jill Stein remains an investments hypocrite.

No. 3? Indeed, the end of cattle-car boarding will be the end of an era for Southwest Airlines next week. I wondered there if "bags fly free" would go out the door next.

Up in second? My kicking the ass of Shepard Fairey and supporting pro-Palestinian protestors at the DNC.

No. 1? The entire clusterfuck around Jill Stein eventually settling on Butch Ware as her Veep has "Green Party," stereotyped, written all over it. It's part of why I'm a non-Green and will continue to be one until the party gets its act together, and I'm not holding my breath.

Another shoe is about to drop at Southwest

I did not say "THE" other, because I don't know what shoe will drop, but am sure some shoe will.

A month ago, I wrote about how Southwest Airlines announced that, as of the first of the year, it would be getting rid of its traditional "cattle car" boarding. As part of that, and noting it was under "activist" shareholder pressure, I wondered if THE other shoe would drop.

THE other shoe? That would be ending "bags fly free."

Again, we don't know what exactly the fallout will be, but Elliott Investment Management, the biggest pusher, and a vulture capitalist hedge fund to boot, has acquired 10 percent of Southwest stock. Per this story and others, that gives it the right to call a shareholder meeting.

UPDATE, Sept. 13: Part 3 of this series, about a semi-cave by Southwest, is now up.

Elliott's on record as wanting to can Southwest's CEO Robert Jordan, and chairman of the board, Gary Kelly, the former CEO who followed in the steps of the iconic founder, Herb Kelleher. It's proposed a slate of 10 new board candidates. Jones already said he won't resign.

Other than turning over two-thirds of the 15-member board, Elliott hasn't mentioned details, but this is surely part of it.

Other hints, though, per this public Facebook post? Guy notes that Elliott's trustees include a shitload of people from budget airlines. 

Seriously, Southwest Frontier? Southwest Spirit? Oh, it's worse, per WFAA. JetBlue and Ryanair? Fuck that shit, especially if my bags don't fly free. I'm looking on Travelocity first at legacy airlines. American isn't charging me for the air I breathe, at least.

Add in that Elliott's head is a shit-stirrer — a REAL shit-stirrer — and the Sept. 9 meeting will be a headbanger.

Adding to this? Southwest adopted a poison pill defense this summer. It's triggered if any single shareholder hits 12.5 percent, not far away from Elliott's 10 percent. It would give all other shareholders the right to buy stocks at a discount. Specifically:

(A)ll other Southwest shareholders would have the opportunity to buy additional shares equal to their current stake at a 50% discount.

So, "additional" shares, it sounds like, as in a split to water down Elliott's holdings. The poison pill is good for one year.

Elliott is a corporate raider, pure and simple. That said, I don't know how much of a deterrent Southwest's stock-split poison pill might or might not be. We'll soon find out, won't we?

Southwest ain't perfect. A lot of people knew about its pilot scheduling computer system problems long before the Christmas week strandings. It's improved. It still has problems at times, though, and still isn't perfect on flight delays.

Hegar, Paxton, sued over "ESG" Senate Bill 13: thoughts

Kenny Boy and the under-the-radar semi-nutter, Comptroller Glenn Hegar, are being sued for the state's law requiring "divestment" from companies that themselves have divested of fossil fuels. The lawsuit by the American Sustainable Business Council (the Trib, to which I'm not linking, said "Coalition") claims this is viewpoint discrimination and violates both First and Fourteenth Amendments. Also, members of the coalition claim, and rightly, that the economic harms of climate change make this a legitimate business decision. It also claims lack of due process and other reasons for hauling in the Fourteenth Amendment.

Odds of success? Per the old cliché, probably "slim," but yet, definitely more than "none."

First, this is a federal lawsuit, not a state one. Right there, that. increases the odds of success.

Related to that? Contra some BlueAnon that want to paint the Fifth Circuit as a monolith on all wingnut issues, many cases over the past few years have shown it's sympathetic to First Amendment cases.

Second, these are folks with deep pockets. They can and will fight.

Related to this? They want to cut off at the pass similar ideas in other states.

Third, they make sound business decision arguments as well as First and Fourteenth Amendment ones.

So, the likely course?

They win the preliminary injunction request at district. State appeals.

They possibly win at Fifth Circuit. Win or lose, somebody appeals.

IF SCOTUS grants the injunction, Hegar and Paxton are before next year's Lege, asking for follow-up legislation, knowing that this trial is going to take a few years.

The on the merits issue?

I think they can win on lack of due process, on that portion. Assuming the suit's various claims can be considered as severable, the First Amendment angle will be harder to fight. Federal law allows lower governments, I think, some leeway on state investments, and certainly, Texas state law does.

Texas Progressives talk this and that

Off the Kuff dissected another poll about the HISD bond referendum. 

Socratic Gadfly had two environmental posts of note this week. First was "Big Pharma for Big Bend" and he also talked about issues of World Overshoot Day. 

I'm just surprised that Danny Goeb didn't ALREADY have a Texas Senate Leadership PAC. Not like him to miss a trick for grifting and money laundering. Maybe we need to start calling him #DementiaDanny and remind him that old people have a duty to die.

Beyond the sadness of Kenny Boy suing the city of Dallas over the State Fair's gun ban, the most hilarious part is Rethuglican Mayor Eric Johnson's bullshit non-statements. The second funniest is Paxton admitting that gunz are already banned at certain areas of Fair Park — by state law.

Also funny is the strategery fight between Colin's Kids and Beto's Boys over whether Allred shouldn't be visiting all 254 Tex-ass counties and other things. I think Allred (who isn't getting my vote anyway as a genocide supporter) could be higher energy. But, Beto's all-254 two years ago? (Note that Team Beto alums are referring back to his 2018 Senate race as much as 2022 guv.) May have hurt him, and almost certainly cost Dems the Tarrant County Judge seat. The Monthly generally salutes Allred's plan.

The Trib officially hates write-in candidates.

Ammer Qaddumi is officially suing UT-Austin for violation of his civil rights in his arrest as part of the "kettling" of pro-Palestinian protestors. Kuff, as usual, will have nothing about this in his version of the roundup. 

Reminder, vis a vis both the Trib and the Monthly: The Barbed Wire is in business. Here's Olivia Messer's welcome letter. I am curious as to how the Wire will do especially versus the Monthly, as its readers appear to be the target and the Monthly just put in a paywall.

Strangeabbott and the just-retired DPS head Steve McCraw have a hard-on for high tech on the border. And, per the story, it notes the Fifth Circuit just ruled that the geofencing that drives this tech is unconstitutional. Worse yet, from my POV? Tangles was founded in Israel. So, it needs to be boycotted, and we know just how intrusive it can be.

Academy Sports: Top US source for guns for Mexican criminals.

I strongly, STRONGLY oppose a US memorial to World War I unless it includes exposing all the lies behind US entry into the war.

So, the Observer's new executive director, Loren Lynch, worked at The Nation? Will she learn from it and her time there to get the Observer off its purity potty and start a paywall, online ads, or both? Anything else from her remains nothing more than rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Frank Strong finds a cautionary tale for Fort Bend ISD as it pursues a new highly restrictive library book policy. 

Space City Weather answers your questions about summer and storms.  

Your Local Epidemiologist answers your questions about the new COVID vaccine. (TL/DR: Hold out for Novavax.)

Texas 2036 reports on the plans to keep cities from running out of water.  

In the Pink Texas is busy writing postcards for democracy.

Greg bin Laden is once again full of shit

Greg bin Laden, living up to his Obamiac mindset, is full of shit when he claims climate change is not accelerating. I've written about the James Hansen news myself, and climate change Obamiacs like Michael Mann and Katharine Hayhoe are full of shit. I said at that link that I would take Hansen over Mann any time.

Bin Laden, as a #BlueAnon librul, doesn't want to listen to "doomers" because they challenge how much we REALLY have to do on this issue and he doesn't want to hear that. And he IS that, per my old piece about him and "wife" Stephanie Zvan, over Assange, that made both of them go ballistic.

One more lie by Zionist genocidalists refuted as carnage expands to West Bank

Many Democraps, and their Zionist allies in Israel, like to justify the genocide in Gaza by saying "Hamas hates gays." That may or may not be true.

But, what's true? Israel hates gay Palestinians in the West Bank, and even specially targets them. Ryan Grim has the details. It includes "fishing" for gay Palestinians on sites like Grindr. From there, the gay Palestinian person is then threatened with blackmail by Israeli intelligence, trying to "flip" them into informants.

And, per Grim, all this activity in the West Bank has increased since Oct. 7, 2023. Read the whole thing.

Disgusting? Yes.

Surprising? No.

Changing the mind of a single genocide-supporting Democrap? Unlikely.

Jeremy Scahill follows with a detailed look at Israel's new invasion of the West Bank, which already appears to have ethnic cleansing actions.

We'll get Israel hasbara next.

Followed by fake red lines by Genocide Joe and Kamala is a Zionist Cop.

When more people like me talk about this, we'll next get more handwaving, whataboutism and straight attacks by BlueAnon snowflakes on third party and independent candidates.

Reminder: Jill Stein has investments in mutual funds of her choice that invest in defense contractors.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, we've moved from Kamala is a Zionist Cop to Kamala is a Hasbara-Spouting Zionist Cop.

And, that Genocide Joe will keep funding actual terrorists like Netzah Yehuda.

Labor Day: lies about "It's a Wonderful Life" and deconstructing Cort Greene

Per my third-party update last week? I seemed to have lassoed a true-blue Trot, one who still worships at the altar of the moribund Socialist Workers Party — edit: the Zionist genocide supporting moribund Socialist Workers Party — and seemed to be trying to practice "entryism" on me.

Didn't even come close. Part of why, in addition to the lies and nuttery (and recognizing the entryism), was the virulence. Holy fucking shit.

But, after I cut them off from further commenting?

I thought: Let's do teh Google. And found gold on Hucksterman. (Ignoring a Trot helping perpetuate capitalism, of course.)

That post I link is "public," so no confidences broken. Cort's sister-in-law or whomever posts a link to "30 Fascinating Things You Didn't Know About 'It's a Wonderful Life.'"

And, he responds, also public:

A working class movie about Christmas. My favorite quotes from the movie are "Youth is wasted on the wrong people" and "Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. And when he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"

Ooops!

IAWL is NOWHERE NEAR a "working class movie" if you pull back the wizard's green curtain. And, if it is, it's New Deal FDR Democrat working class, not Trot revolution working class.

Here's the reality.

A. It's saccharine, almost "opiate of the masses" saccharine. And, per this Salon piece that inspired my first critique of IAWL, it's that saccharine that's the whole problem.

Also from my first critique, per this other Salon piece? Real working-class Americans would have hated Bedford Falls. Maybe Greene's Trot leadership would have loved it, preaching indoctrination sermons every night, but in reality? Hell no.

THIS quote from that link:

The gauzy Currier-and-Ives veil Capra drapes over Bedford Falls has prevented viewers from grasping what a tiresome and, frankly, toxic environment it is. When Marx penned his immortal words about "the idiocy of rural life," he probably had Bedford Falls in mind.

Nails it.

Per all of that? Capra's deck stacking? Either end the movie 20 minutes earlier with George's suicide or run it an hour longer with middle-class George facing more of that idiocy, and frustration, of rural life. 

Good night, Cort. (And, although it was Indian spammers who led me to moderate comments here, you've certainly added a whole new reason.)