The next two weeks, November 1 and 8, 2021, will address electoral matters.
The first week will be timed with the 2021 gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia. They rank as the nation’s Nos. 11 and 12 most-populous states. The two states are often perceived as harbingers for what will come the following year.
The second week will be timed one year out from the scheduled 2022 midterm elections. That topic will, in fact, be published here on Progressives Chat on November 8.
I will weight in electorally with both topics during those weeks.
This week, as we are closing out October 2021 (and a Happy Halloween!, come next Sunday, to anyone who wants the greeting), the timing is right for me to state my position.
“No!”
I will not vote for the Democratic Party.
My answer is “No!” to the Democratic Party.
There are so many reasons—easily understood by Progressives Chat readers and commenters—that there is no need for me to expend any energy. But, I will give this one reason (which is actually reason enough): I will not vote for a political party which rigs its primaries.
There is one more thing to say.
It feels good.
What does not feel good is to say good-bye to another formerly listed Recommendation.
Paul Jay’s theAnalysis.news is no longer included in “Videos.” It was mentioned, a few months ago, by a forum member here that Jay’s position on “Force the Vote” came across as if he didn’t quite understand what that was about—or, perhaps, he did to some extent but was not especially supportive. I missed that period. What I did not miss was the below video.
Paul Jay comes across as yet another Voice on the Left who gives us one more talking-to about how the Republicans are so dangerous and it is only the Democrats who can save us. That we need the Democrats.
“No!”
Replacing theAnalysis.news is economist Richard Wolff.
News from last week of the CIA having plotted against WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange—for possible kidnapping and even assassination—was shocking to some. (It wasn’t to me.)
This is important. And, so, I decided to have this week’s blog topic focus on this recent news. And this is why I have two videos from The Grayzone discussing this at length.
Published to YouTube last Thursday [September 30, 2021], the above videos are described as follows:
‘Inside the CIA plot to kidnap, kill Julian Assange’
As the Biden administration continues to seek the extradition of Julian Assange, new details have emerged about the Trump administration's secret war against Assange and his organization, WikiLeaks. Michael Isikoff of Yahoo News discusses his team's explosive reporting on the CIA plot to surveil, kidnap, and even kill Assange—all overseen by Michael Pompeo.
‘Behind CIA plot to kill Assange, and debunking “Havana Syndrome” propaganda’
Moderate Rebels live: Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton discuss the CIA's plot to assassinate or kidnap WikiLeaks journalist Julian Assange, which was first reported by The Grayzone in 2020. We also address the absurd media propaganda about “Havana Syndrome,” claiming without any evidence whatsoever that Official Enemies of the US government are attacking American spies with microwave energy, or sonic weapons, or ray guns, or... something.
★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
From 40 to 46: Revising ‘Recommendations’
I decided to make some changes to what has been known as Recommendations.
Gone is that word.
Now, on the right-side bar, are Videos and Websites.
(Regulars here at Progressives Chat know they are recommended.)
I moved over twelve sources, which were among formerly listed Recommendations, to what now reads as Websites. They are joined by journalists Matt Taibbi’s and Michael Tracey’s Substack columns.
The previous Recommendations which now reads as Videos have been reshuffled to some extent. Part of the reason is for a convenient segue between the last four listees—Useful Idiots, The Grayzone, Glenn Greenwald, and MintPress News—as they are also the first four listees on Websites. (It’s really about two forms. These four sources are available and recommended in both forms.)
Newly added to Videos is the new version of Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Matt Taibbi. (The latter recently left Rolling Stone, not long after that publication and Halper and Taibbi ended their, say, partnership of their former Useful Idiots. Reshuffling The Katie Halper Show, to appear just before this newer Useful Idiots, makes some sense.)
I have also added to VideosGlenn Greenwald. (Sometime ago I added his Substack column.)
The two remaining Videos additions are: Garland Nixon, who used to co-host the morning-news/discussion program Fault Lines on Sputnik Radio (with a livestream simulcast); and, as he is described by Wikipedia, “comedian, actor, radio host, writer, and activist” Russell Brand, who has been delivering some truly progressive—and well-informed—videos which have Establishment Media pissed at him. (His YouTube channel launched in July. I should have added him sooner. Last week, The Jimmy Dore Show took notice and titled one of its video clips, “Russell Brand ‘Canceled’ For Telling Truth About RussiaGate & Hillary!”)
As of October 4, 2021, the combined total now recommended in Videos and Websites are 46. It would be nice to get their combined total up to 50. And I welcome any suggestions. (No hurry! I know it is also wise to watch for whether there are current listees, worthy of re-evaluation, who may need to go. That did happen, at different points in the year, with several who were previously recommended.)
I think this “Revising ‘Recommendations’” will give this site a more organized and efficient way to list—and to keep track of—which sources are very good, and [mostly] trustworthy, for Progressives Chat.
Since I have made these changes, I think it would be good to include one video from a new addition. It is simply an introduction video. And it is a nice one.
