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Reports of protests are overblown. A few incidents around the country, but nothing major.

5 (45.5%)

A few major incidents in capitals, but nothing much in DC.

5 (45.5%)

A major incident in DC, but nothing much around the country.

0 (0%)

More than 10 capitals have major upheavals, but nothing much in DC.

0 (0%)

A major incident in DC plus more than 10 capitals with significant upheavals.

1 (9.1%)

More than half the capitals around the country have problems with protesters, but DC is quiet.

0 (0%)

DC has major problems, while more than half the capitals around the country also have considerable trouble with protesters.

0 (0%)

Huge disruption to the day.

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 9

Voting closed: January 19, 2021, 10:49:21 PM

[josh]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/29/politics/impeachment-trial-witnesses/index.html

More polling numbers on witnesses for the Senate trial of Donald J. Trump.

[barton]

I haven't yet heard how Gaza figures into a Palestinian state or otherwise in the Jared proposal.  But basically, Israel doesn't give a shit about Gaza and Gazans, as long as they can just keep illegally blockading it from land and sea, and keeping it in misery.

And is this still Jared's baby?  There was always talk about Jared working on a major peace plan, Jared being the ME point man, etc. but upon release I didn't hear Jared mentioned.  He's still alive right?

Diddley, the PBS news hour showed a map of the plan - it looks like Gaza is part of the Palestinian state, but will only be connected to the West Bank by some ridiculous tunnel.  (i.e. god forbid they would get an actual land corridor)  Jared was mentioned in that report as still a key designer of this land-grab. 

[barton]

Spot on.  Trump is the Chosen One, indeed!  Question is still - Who did the real choosing?

Very good question, DeeJ, and one I occasionally ask myself. You know that most of the time it isn’t Trump doing the actual choosing, not with his short attention span and his aversion to work and any sort of research or deep attention to detail (Trumppy is the ‘overall’—big picture theorist—“Too many immigrants in this country….etc.”)). His choices for judges have come from some right wing conservative outfit (I forget their name at the moment)....

Federalist Society.  Their agenda is Libertarian. 

[bodiddley]

nobody really backs the Palestinians anymore.

Not what I'm hearing.

Okay, Qatar actually backs the Palestinians and gives them money. 

Iran uses the Palestinian issue to poke Israel, but I don't think they really care except as it affects Iran's power projection and weakens Israel.  Jordan and Lebanon are certainly interested parties concerned with the outcome, but mostly wanting to get rid of Palestinian refugees in their country and not having more of them come.  Syria probably in the same bag as Iran, but mostly their concern is with the East Bank, that is Golan, and Syria is too distracted/weakened by civil war to be much involved.

My impression is that in the Arab world, the Palestinians have largely been dropped.  It used to be an issue used to galvanize the public, and keep them behind the gov'ts in power.  A distraction from domestic issues.  But now domestic upheaval, demands for less corruption and more opportunity and meritocracy has taken hold.

A chunk of the Left in the USofA support the Palestinians, but the Dem establishment is pretty firmly behind Israel, and the GOP is all-in on Israel.  So I guess their lifeline is basically Qatari money and some minority sympathy in the US.

[josh]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/29/politics/read-white-house-letter-john-bolton/index.html

It's not the White House's letter, but the NSC's letter to Bolton's publisher.

And if anything, it supports having the Senate call him as a witness over just providing copies of his book (which was an asinine idea to start with).

[josh]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/28/opinions/senate-republicans-bolton-testimony-impeachment-jennings/index.html

Former Mitch McConnell campaign manager explains why Bolton's testimony won't change anything.

[bambu.]

I wouldn't have signed up for the "moratorium for 4 years on the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank"...then after that, what, more expansion?

[bambu.]

The "Kobe Bryant" chopper was not equipped with terrain-sensor equipment.

What!

[josh]

Donald Trump's impeachment lawyer Alan Dershowitz made a novel and very Trumpian legal argument that the President's personal interest is the national interest when he's up for reelection.

"Novel" is one word for it.

[barton]

Donald Trump's impeachment lawyer Alan Dershowitz made a novel and very Trumpian legal argument that the President's personal interest is the national interest when he's up for reelection.

"Novel" is one word for it.

L'etat, c'est moi. 

[bankshot1]

It was fascinating watching Dershowitz destroy his legal reputation in a 5-minute defense of Trump.

It was a jaw-dropping rational for breaking any law.

[Yankguy1]

nobody really backs the Palestinians anymore.

Not what I'm hearing.

Okay, Qatar actually backs the Palestinians and gives them money. 

Iran uses the Palestinian issue to poke Israel, but I don't think they really care except as it affects Iran's power projection and weakens Israel.  Jordan and Lebanon are certainly interested parties concerned with the outcome, but mostly wanting to get rid of Palestinian refugees in their country and not having more of them come.  Syria probably in the same bag as Iran, but mostly their concern is with the East Bank, that is Golan, and Syria is too distracted/weakened by civil war to be much involved.

My impression is that in the Arab world, the Palestinians have largely been dropped.  It used to be an issue used to galvanize the public, and keep them behind the gov'ts in power.  A distraction from domestic issues.  But now domestic upheaval, demands for less corruption and more opportunity and meritocracy has taken hold.

A chunk of the Left in the USofA support the Palestinians, but the Dem establishment is pretty firmly behind Israel, and the GOP is all-in on Israel.  So I guess their lifeline is basically Qatari money and some minority sympathy in the US.

The Arab world never cared about the Palestinians.

[josh]

https://thebeaverton.com/2020/01/report-outbreak-of-idiocy-spreading-10000-times-faster-than-coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR3O1zR0nszyrvkyeNEbPpPVw3nKPNoQ2SrFIJmExHbbzbj3G0qicy5HfNU

Dershowitz as patient zero.

[josh]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-national-debt-will-rise-to-98-of-gdp-by-2030-cbo-projects-11580238089?mod=hp_lead_pos3&fbclid=IwAR0uWcl0-4Uj4cQfm_f-jjzMAB0OGUOsX7wHl2HRXpzEWcqdOZxlN70JLag

National debt will rise to 98% of GDP by 2030, the CBO projected.

Their numbers are... conservative.

[Yankguy1]

Red got a tax cut.