Shaimaa al-Sabbagh was an Egyptian socialist & activist who was shot to death on January 24th 2015 when police attacked a peaceful protest with tear gas & bird pellets. The protesters were marching to commemorate those many activists killed during the Egyptian uprising of 2011 that ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Many have drawn cynical conclusions from the reversal of the Egyptian uprising. It’s easier to be a cynical smart-ass than it is to sustain hope because the latter doesn’t rely on miracles or deus ex machina solutions but requires diligent commitment. That’s why al-Sabbagh has become a symbol of resistance to Egypt’s military junta–because despite massive repression, she dared defiance. That’s what makes Palestinians & Kashmiris so politically vital–that they dare defiance against what seems all odds.

Isn’t creativity supposed to be capitalism’s vaunted selling point? Is there a problem with the creativity thing developing in haute couture? Has neoliberal degeneration begun to manifest on the runway? Will the fashion world get to Armageddon before the rest of us? And is this how we’ll all be dressed?

(Photo by Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images)

Is any commentary on this photo necessary? Because we are speechless in condemnation of European refugee policies. This is Idomeni, Greece at the border with Macedonia where nighttime temperatures are just above freezing. These refugees–already exhausted, traumatized from loss, afraid for their children, elders, disabled, infirm, & their futures–are still forced to endure inhuman conditions–with miles & months to go before the ordeal ends. Most have no idea where they will end up.

Sixty-million people across the globe on the move fleeing from war, bombing, impoverishment. They present only one option to humanity: solidarity or barbarism.

(Photo by Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)

The killing fields of Yemen–now being democratized by a Saudi-led US-backed alliance of feudal monarchies & military juntas bombing it to smithereens. You can’t tell the difference between Yemen, Syria, & Gaza.

The old saying that ‘politics makes strange bedfellows’ needs to be updated for the neoliberal era, the barbaric phase of capitalism. There’s nothing strange at all that the US & UK are in league with Saudi Arabia, a regime that started the new year with a mass beheading of 47 people on January 2nd & which has been bombing Yemen since March of last year.

Forgive me for not thinking Noam Chomsky a god & daring to disagree with him. Plebeian women have no such rights when even breathing air is an infringement of elite male entitlement. Yeah right! That’ll fly on my wall. If you insult me for criticizing Chomsky because I’m unworthy, imagine what vituperations you’ll unleash. I detest elitism & am not real polite about it. So don’t push your luck if that’s your schtick.

BDS was part of the plot line on “The Good Wife” episode tonight. It was awkwardly presented & somewhat confusing, but the character Diane Lockhart legally defended a student who wrote an article about the boycott of Israel after the school defunded the student newspaper for publishing it. It was surprising they didn’t have the author morph into a terrorist which is how they usually portray Arabs & Muslims on these shows.

There isn’t much info about the politics of lead Good Wife actress Juliana Margulis. Her American parents lived in Israel for a short time & her father-in-law works for the Brookings Institute, but you can’t draw much from that about her. Because her husband is Jewish & Irish, she used to frequently quip that their son would be proficient as a thinker & a drinker. I wrote her a note saying it was great that she acknowledged the intellectual achievements of the Irish but that she shouldn’t disparage Jewish people that way. They had considerable intellectual achievements of their own, just like all other nationalities, & weren’t known for drinking any more than others

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has been keeping a daily count of refugees in the Mediterranean. FRONTEX, the EU policing agency against immigrants & refugees, also keeps a count but admits it’s completely unreliable. On Friday, the UN agency said 50,668 refugees had entered Greece so far this year; today they report 58,547–almost 8,000 people more in two days. The drowning toll is now 309 people, including children.

Now here’s what’s curious: the number of refugees from the north African coast to Italy hasn’t changed in that same time. What’s more curious is that the number has remained steady at only 3,850 people. So little information, so many questions. Like how has FRONTEX stopped the movement of refugees from Africa? Are refugees still drowning on that route? What about the refugee centers on Lampedusa & Malta? What about those trying to cross to Spain from Morocco? Has the Spanish government’s new security law clamping down on democratic rights & on refugees put an end to that movement of refugees?

Yes, it’s regrettably true that Cornel West & Noam Chomsky have both endorsed Bernie Sanders for president. There’s a lot you could say about that but let it suffice to say, shame on them for lacking any sense of political principles when it comes to elections. They both influence a lot of people & are modeling the politics of compromise & corruption.

What about Palestinians? What about immigrants & refugees? What about those US wars? What about standing with those on the receiving end of US treachery even during elections?

Let them not again cry foul, we’ve been fooled, when the new Democrat turns out to be just like the old.