‘Interview: Max Blumenthal Speaks Out’

After the Sunday, February 19, 2023 “Rage Against the War Machine” rally, in Washington, D.C., and after returning to her home state Massachusetts, Sabby Sabs’s Sabrina Salvati welcomed guest Max Blumenthal. They discussed not only the rally, and its detractors, but also U.S. president Joe Biden ditching East Palestine, Ohio—with a visit following Norfolk Southern’s toxic train crash—for Ukraine.

Jimmy Carter Enters Hospice

39th United States president Jimmy Carter (D–Georgia) has entered hospice care that he is now having at his home in Plains, Georgia.

Born October 1, 1924, at age 98 Carter has established the historic record for having the longest life span of all previous 45 (or 44 individual) U.S. presidents. He also has the longest record for a life span having followed his exit from the presidency, back in 1981, which so far totals 42 years.

It was three years ago, in 2020, that I took care of my father in the final period of his life. He was also in hospice. I relate to enough of this to understand Carter’s decision to not try to prolong his life.

Respect.

* * * * *

It was reported last week that Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic incumbent and senior U.S. senator from California, will not run for possible re-election in 2024. She was first elected in 1992; the longest woman having served in the upper chamber in United States history; and, frankly, it was expected.

A cruel fate is partly the reason why Feinstein rose to power. It was in San Francisco, California, and on November 27, 1978, as ex-board supervisor Dan White (1946–1985) assassinated mayor George Moscone (1929–1978) and supervisor and LGBT icon Harvey Milk (1930–1978). (I will write about and published this, timed with the 45-year anniversary, this coming November.) This catapulted Feinstein—who ran against Moscone in 1975—to mayor of San Francisco. She was elected to a full term in 1979. After having won re-election in 1983, months after beating back a recall election (brought by the White Panthers)—and she was very popular (winning re-election with 80 percent of the vote following her 1979 win with 53 percent)—Feinstein was in office until 1988. (Given term limits, she could not win again in 1987.) Feinstein was also the 1990 Democratic gubernatorial nominee as Republican Pete Wilson, for which he gave up his U.S. Senate seat, won. (To date, he is the last elected, Republican-affiliated U.S. senator from California.) In 1991, and by the California’s 36th governor, Wilson appointed John Seymour to that his prior seat as Wilson. In the special election on November 3, 1992, as Democratic presidential pickup winner Bill Clinton unseated Republican incumbent George Bush and flipped the state of California, Feinstein unseated Seymour. She won a full-term re-election in 1994 and went on to win re-elections through 2018.

Not one who was particularly progressive, but one who has been very pro-Military Industrial Complex—even with her remarkable history—it has been obvious that, for years, Feinstein needs to go. Turning 90 this coming June 22, and with a remainder of eighteen months, she will finally go. (Everyone does.)

* * * * *

Who will also go, after 2024, is United States senator Debbie Stabenow from my home state Michigan.

Born April 29, 1950, Stabenow became the first woman in the history of Michigan elected to the United States Senate in 2000. While George W. Bush won a Republican pickup of the presidency, Michigan was one of four states which delivered a Democratic pickup of a scheduled U.S. Senate election as Stabenow, then a member of the U.S. House, unseated Republican incumbent Spencer Abraham. (To date, Abraham is the last elected, Republican U.S. senator from Michigan. He was elected with the Republican midterm wave of 1994.)

Stabenow won three more re-elections through 2018. After four terms, and at which point she will be age 74, she is ready to go.

Given its bellwether status, Michigan will be the more vital state in 2024. It is likely the winner of the 2024 United States presidential election will carry this state along with fellow Rust Belt bellwether states Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The White House is nowadays running through these states. And with all three also on the schedule for U.S. Senate—and each currently in the column for the Democratic Party (with Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey and Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin running again)—it is likely the same party will carry all three states for both U.S. President and U.S. Senate.

‘Nowhere’

This coming Sunday, February 19, 2023 is the “Rage Against the War Machine” rally in Washington, D.C.

Not at all unpredictable is that there are numerous, potential participants who will not engage because, as they have stated, they object to some of the other participants who are scheduled for the event.

While it may seem that I should weight in on this matter by offering my two-cents, and I will (but with limits), I simply want to state that this is typical. It is expected. My summary of this is in the form of a response to another individual who, last Thursday, February 9, 2023, wrote and posted the following on Twitter. (An additional, insightful tweet by Caitlin Johnstone follows.)

Tweets

Some insightful tweets over the past few days (in screenshots):

Employee of the Month

 

Last week, an employee from a major pharmaceutical manufacturer and corporation had plenty to say about his employer’s intentions. (I appreciate it.)

Flashback: January 1973

Last year, I wrote and published several blog topics marking some milestone anniversaries. (Numerous occurred during the year 1972.) It turns out, here in January 2023, there are at least three which spring to mind. I mention these 50-year “Flashback: January 1973” anniversaries—and they include some videos—and this will save me from having to write and publish three separate blog topics.

New Orleans Sniper

The first event took place December 31, 1972 (also the date of death of MLB star Roberto Clemente) and covered the first few days until January 7, 1973. It was a sniper in New Orleans, Louisiana who had nothing to lose. Mark Essex (born August 12, 1949) was enlisted in the Navy. He was part of the New York branch of Black Panthers. He became a black nationalist. He targeted white people. Essex went on a rampage—as a sniper—and, over the course of those seven days, shot 21 people; injured 12; murdered 9; and he was killed. Much of this took place at a Howard Johnson’s motel. (Video coverage remembering the anniversary, which has passed, is included above. A 2020 report: See historical photos of 1973 sniper attack at the Downtown Howard Johnson's in New Orleans.)

 

The Loud Family

On January 11, 1973, PBS debuted An American Family. This was a documentary, played out over several parts and for weeks, which was filmed in 1971. It focused on the daily lives of the Loud family: father Bill (1921–2018); mother Pat (1926–2021); and children Lance (1951–2001), Kevin (1953), Grant (1954), Delilah (1955), and Michele (1957). It was a landmark production which also gave viewers a voyeuristic-like glimpse into the lives of this California family, as what would play out in their lives, was filmed for viewers to see. (Numerous viewers were able to relate.) This included the coming out of first-born Lance, at a time when this was considered shocking and upsetting, as he was not at all feeling ashamed but very free. During the course of this doc series, and with their marriage in trouble, Pat informed Bill she wanted a divorce. (I will mention that I have seen some clips from An American Family. As of this blog topic’s publishing date: I have not seen it in its entirety.) Recommended: 50 Years Ago, ‘An American Family’ Rocked the Culture — and the Business of TV.

The Death of LBJ

On January 22, 1973, 36th president of the United States Lyndon Baines Johnson died, at age 64, four years after having left the presidency. (He was born August 27, 1908. Also on this date: The U.S. Supreme Court voted for Roe v. Wade.) One year after the assassination of 35th U.S. president John Kennedy, with the Republican nominee Barry Goldwater (who was deemed too radical), LBJ carried 44 states plus first-time-voting District of Columbia for a total 486 electoral votes. This was the last time a Democrat carried 40 or more states (which is 80 percent of the nation’s states; in this case, 88 percent). While LBJ made history with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Medicare, he also delivered the nation to the losing war in Vietnam. This divided much of the U.S.’s citizens. This undid his presidency. In March 1968, LBJ announced he would not seek a possible second full term. The Republicans won a pickup of the presidency, with Richard Nixon, and ushered in a realigning period with winning seven of the next ten United States presidential election cycles which ran from 1968 to 2004. In the above video is an interview with Johnson near the end of his life. It is interesting. (Bonus “Flashback”: As described by Wikipedia, on January 27, 1973, “U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War ends with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords”.) The related video, above, was Lyndon Johnson’s last interview which occurred just days before his death.

Triple Matés

 

Two videos, above, feature three Matés—father Gabor and sons Daniel and Aaron—which will be the topic of this week’s Progressives Chat.

Recently, Gabor and Daniel spoke of trauma along with the dynamics of the parent-and-child relationship. I think it was very insightful. (The video is titled “Daniel & Gabor Maté: HELLO AGAIN [parents & adult children workshop, Rhinebeck NY, October 2022]”. Gabor also has a daughter and, as he mentions, he has been married to his wife and his children’s mother for 53 years.)

Last Friday [January 13, 2023], Aaron and his fellow Grayone colleague Max Blumenthal interviewed Matt Taibbi about some of the latest with The Twitter Files. (The video is titled “Matt Taibbi on the Twitter files.” Thank you, for having posted it in the Comments section, cathyx!)

Given that the date of this blog topic is one day after what marked 94 years since the birth of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929–April 4, 1968), I am also reminded of something that blends trauma with corrupt and oppressive forces. It has been noted that King received a suggestion from the FBI that he should commit suicide. That should be given more focus and time by people when they talk about what Martin Luther King Jr. Day means to them.

The letter FBI sent to MLK urging him to kill himself