“Harness Your Hopes” - Pavement (LIVE on Colbert)

Pavement Live on Colbert: "Harness Your Hopes"

Pavements: The Movie (Trailer)(2025)

Malkmus: Mr. Soul

Malkmus: "Harness Your Hopes", "Stairway To Heaven", "Beginning To See The Light"

                                             Malkmus & Spiral Stairs: "Summer Babe"

The Danger Of The American Left Working With Code Pink And Other Groups Compromised by Russian/Chinese/Iranian Funding

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IS BEING ADDED.

Code Pink changed after co-founder Jodie Evans married wealthy, Shanghai-based, PRC asset Roy Singham in 2017. In 2015, Evans demanded "China stop brutal repression of their women's human rights defenders". After marrying Singham, who became a major Code Pink and People's Forum funder, she said the PRC is "a defender of the oppressed and a model for economic growth without slavery or war." Code Pink had also criticized China for their mistreatment of the Uyghurs. After receiving PRC-linked funding from Singham, Evans described the Uyghurs as "terrorists".

New Lines: The Big Business of Uyghur Genocide Denial

 NYT: A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a U.S. Tech Mogul 

Fox News: Top GOP senator calls out Code Pink, The People’s Forum allegedly pushing CCP propaganda in US

New York Post: China-linked tech tycoon Neville Singham has secret group of operatives at Columbia University

NDTV: Neville Roy Singham: Man Accused Of Spreading China Propaganda In India

YouTube: Evans Responds To NYT Piece on Podcast

Everyone must decide who they are willing to work with, and where they draw the line. My long-term goal is revolution. My short-term goal is working with liberals, progressives, radicals, and others to build a better world. I choose to work with The Democratic Party on issues like climate change and Ukraine, while being nonplussed at the Party's extensive links to Wall Street. Despite our opposition to past American foreign policy, we want the US going forward to once again stand for democracy and human rights, and we oppose working with the oppressive governments of Russia, China, and Iran and their proxies, including Code Pink, even when they oppose Western wrong-doing. The opposition of Russia, China, and Iran to US and European wrong-doing is self-serving and insincere, and Western people should not support it.

Some have suggested the sudden source of Singham's massive wealth was financing for his software start-ups from the Chinese government. So it's not a case of a wealthy techie supporting China for unknown reasons. Singham is simply doing the bidding of the people who funded him since the beginning.

This "enemy of my enemy is my friend" thing can only go so far. Westerners who reject the influence of The West on the developing world, but embrace the often malicious activities of Russia, China, and Iran in the developing world, are misguided at best, and certainly inconsistent in their beliefs. This also applies to groups like Uhuru House, who received money from the Russian government, and Westerners who support Wagner-backed coups in Africa.

When Code Pink defended Assad by denying his gas attacks, and attacked Ukraine, they showed their true colors.

There are a lot of people who "used to be good", then suddenly changed, often around 2014, often because of money: Glenn Greenwald, Max Blumenthal, Code Pink, Matt Taibbi, Jimmy Dore, Aaron Mate among them.

Some people think of Code Pink, et al as "tankies", "campist" and "Red/Brown Horseshoe extremists". They often act like Stalinists. We were part of a United Front with Stalinists against the Fascists in Spain's Civil War in the 1930s, but it didn't turn out so well. As George Orwell documented in his 1938 "Homage To Catalonia", his Trotskyist militia was attacked by Stalinists who turned away from fighting the Fascists to attack their supposed allies: liberals, Trotskyists, and Anarchists. Roy Singham is a Stalinist-Maoist, who is also a techie millionaire, who lives in Shanghai, and shares office space and staff, as well as ideology with the CCP. I think it's important for the left to have this conversation NOW, as we enter a period where we need to build a mass movement. What do we do when tankie groups try to join us or exploit us? What do we do when we are offered support from groups who receive funding and direction from the governments of Russia, China, and Iran? Two key points are the need for transparency and objectivity - are these people free to criticize Russia, China, and Iran? Or must they limit their criticisms to the U.S., Europe, and Israel? People like Code Pink and The Grey Zone like to obscure their connections to Russia, China, and Iran, so they lack transparency. They also seem to lack objectivity and they are unable to criticize Russia, China, Iran, or Syria's former dictator Assad. I think it is valuable at this time to work with Liberal Institutions like the Democratic Party and The New York Times in today's battle against Fascism. My ultimate goal is revolution. I am an anarchist. But at this historical moment, we need a broad-based coalition and that means working with Liberals. But I mean to be transparent about those connections and remain objective enough to freely criticize the liberal establishment, the US, Europe, and Israel when they deserve it. But also to encourage them to work for democracy and human rights throughout the world.

Breakthrough News is another disinformation channel promoted by this ilk.

It's true that The New York Times was played by the U.S. government and fed disinformation to make the case for war in Iraq, but they didn't know they were being played and when they found out, they apologized for their error. That's transparency. That's something state media in Russia, China, Iran, and their Western allies, lack. For all its flaws, the NYT remains a valuable source for information about politics and culture. I've been reading it for years. 

 I'm just asking Western leftists to be more critical of groups and individuals who align with the governments of Russia, China, and Iran. That includes Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Besides being compromised by receiving funds from Putin and The Ayatollahs, many of them espouse a cruel Medievalist view of Islam without regard for democracy and human rights. We can support Palestinian rights without supporting Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. I guess I have two personal "red lines" or "red flags", and they are for people who deny Assad gassed civilians in Syria, and those who defend Putin/attack Ukraine, especially those who repeat Putin talking points like the 2014 Maidan Uprising was a "CIA coup" and that Putin's invasion was actually the fault of Ukraine and NATO. These are truly awful people and they will not help our movement.

A good example of this problem emerged at the Rage Against The War Machine" rally in DC in February 19, 2023. Medea Benjamin was pressured not to speak by Code Pink cadre because right-wing transphobe Jackson Hinkle was also scheduled to speak. She went as a spectator anyway

The speakers at "Rage" were a real rogue's gallery of right-wingers and left-wing horseshoes - a veritable Red/Brown Communist/Fascist alliance.

Scott Ritter was scheduled to speak but was pressured to pull out over objections to his status as a sex offender. A number of these speakers targeted the Democratic Party and Ukraine, while soft-pedalling on Trump and Putin. Among them were LaRouchies, Libertarian Party, and the People's Forum. They claimed to be anti-war but declined to criticize Putin for starting the war. Honest people can disagree on Western military support for Ukraine. I am in favor of peace, and condemn Putin's invasion, but at this historical moment, I supported Western military aid to Ukraine because without it, Putin's invasion would have succeeded. At this point, after all the suffering, the world should do everything in its power to bring about peace and territorial integrity. Rather than military force, I had hoped that economic sanctions would force Russia to withdraw their troops from Ukraine. The West did impose sanctions, but millions in Russian gas and oil sales continued, with the help of Iran, China, India, et al.

Paul Larudee, another person who preys on the American left, advocates for Palestinian rights, but also has ties to Iran's Ayatollahs, Hamas, and Syria's ex-dictator Assad.

His "AIPAC" gave $20K to Dennis Kucinich that had to be returned. His Serena Shim awards have "honored" some of the worst agents of disinformation from pro-Putin, pro-PRC, pro-Assad, pro-Ayatollah, pro-Hamas sources.

Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's has received a lot of praise for getting arrested protesting Gaza and Medicaid cuts at an RFK Jr. hearing. I still don't understand why Cohen gave a journalism award to Aaron Mate.

Aaron Mate is a vocal Israel critic and is Canadian of Hungarian Jewish descent, although he obtained a US green card through a sham marriage to an American. He has also denied Assad's gas attacks on Syrian civilians, defended Putin, and attacked Ukraine.

Ben & Jerrys Co-Founder and six others arrested at RFK hearing

Ben Cohen Kissing Up To Tucker Carlson For An Hour; Tucker Likes Ben's Reaction of Aid To Ukraine:

Vijay Prashad has also been named as a superspreader of PRC-approved propaganda.

Also see Tim Pool

Also see Prensa TV

Also see RT

The Biggest Problems With Trump 2.0

There are so many problems with Trump 2.0 and so many bad actors involved. Some have called it a coup, a government takeover from within by billionaire grifter oligarchs in order to destroy the parts of government they hate and exploit the rest for profit. 

This is an attempt to enumerate the worst problems, just to see what we're up against.

Fortunately many have already realized the seriousness of the situation and have turned out in the millions all over the country, protesting, repeatedly, with joy.

1) Deporting immigrants without due process.

2) DOGE cuts of government services and government workers.

3) Damage to the economy caused by tariffs.

4) Abandoning our international leadership on issues like climate change, democracy, human rights, Ukraine, and The Middle East.

5) Appointing anti-vax kook RFK Jr. to HHS during a measles outbreak.

6) Demonizing vulnerable communities, especially immigrant and trans communities, but also targeting people of color, feminists, leftists, and minorities in general.

7) Attacking Institutions - academics, the media, the judiciary, NGOs, especially anyone vocally opposing the Trump/MAGA/DOGE agenda.

Kneecap Court Controversy With Their Pro-Palestine Stance

UPDATE: British authorities announced that Kneecap's Mo Chara would face support of terrorism charges (support for banned groups) for his words and actions at the November 2024 performance in London.

Kneecap ignited some controversy at Coachella 2025 with several highly-charged political statements in support of Palestinian rights, culminating with a screen projection behind them which read: "F--- Israel... Free Palestine". Soon, Sharon Osbourne was calling for their U.S. work visas to be revoked (they have a sold-out U.S. tour scheduled for Fall 2025). A video (see above) from a November 2024 gig in London showed Kneecap's Mo Chara performing with a yellow Hezbollah flag draped around his neck (see above), which he then displayed to the crowd. He stated, "Up Hamas! Up Hezbollah!", and left the stage. British authorities announced they are investigating whether that constituted a crime (support for a banned group). Kneecap subsequently released a statement (see below) clarifying that they did not support Hamas or Hezbollah and that they condemned "all attacks on civilians, always". Nonetheless, some called for them to be removed from the schedule at Glastonbury and other up-coming festivals.

Kneecap is right to support Palestinian rights and compare the Palestinian struggle to the Irish struggle. After all, Ireland has suffered from the exploitation of British imperialism for over 400 years. Ireland is still divided today, with its six NE counties still held by the United Kingdom.

But they were wrong to say, "Up Hamas!, Up Hezbollah!", primarily because these two groups attack civilians as part of their campaign of using political violence to achieve their goals. 

In their statement, Kneecap clarified that they do not support Hamas and Hezbollah and do not support attacks on civilians. They also apologized to the families of two British politicians who had been killed and denied inciting violence against Members of Parliament.

British authorities announced Kneecap was being investigated both for supporting banned terrorist groups and calling for violence ("Kill your MP!") against politicians.

It's good that they clarified the record. We want people to learn from their errors.

But stating these things to begin with were misguided.

It's important to remember these are young artists, not political scientists nor seasoned activists. The desire to say controversial, inflammatory, and hyperbolic pronouncements is part of show business. The actor on stage exaggerates for the benefit of those in the cheap seats. He projects to the back rows. An off-hand statement on-stage should not be given the same weight as a well-written essay. I say as long as they learn from their errors and carry on, they will be fine. They are artists, they have a platform, and they have the right to express themselves on politics or any other issue. They also have a responsibility to their audience to be honest and truthful.

Worth noting that in the November video from the London show, Mo Chara has a yellow Hezbollah flag around his neck, which he then displays to the crowd. Why not a red, black, white, and green Palestinian flag instead? Hezbollah is based in Lebanon, not Israel or Palestine, and is comprised principally of members who are Lebanese, not Palestinian.

The most important lesson to learn is that one can support Palestinian rights without supporting extremist, medievalist groups who attack civilians. Opposing American and Israeli policy does not mean we must then automatically and unquestioningly support their opponents in the region - Hamas, Hezbollah, and their supporters Russia and Iran.

I would ask the Palestine advocates in The West to also speak out on wrongs committed in Ukraine, The U.S., Europe, Russia, China, Iran... indeed anywhere human rights are being violated, not just the cause of the season. The extreme suffering in Gaza provides an urgency to finding a peaceful solution to Israel/Palestine, but it is also urgent that we unite to fight climate change, economic injustice, war, poverty, and the empathy crisis. Right now!

                    Kneecap with Cillian Murphy at the IFTA Awards, Dublin, February 2025

You may also be interested in:

* Art Is Activism: New Fiona Apple Song "Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)" Takes On Pretrial Detention of Women; The Inability To Post Bail Keeps Them In Jail While Still "Presumed Innocent" + Fiona's Cover of Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold"

* Photos from the UC Berkeley Campaign Against Apartheid Protests (1986)                                                                            

* Northern California Protest Photos: Anti-Trump, Anti-Musk, Tesla Takedown, Stand With Ukraine, Hands Off! (February, March, April 2025)                 

* ThisSmallPlanet.com Cool New Music Playlist January - February - March 2025

Art Is Activism: New Fiona Apple Song "Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)" Takes On Pretrial Detention of Women; The Inability To Post Bail Keeps Them In Jail While Still "Presumed Innocent" + Fiona's Cover of Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold"

 

 

Fiona released a statement to accompany the new song, explaining her interest in judicial reform (after spending thousands of hours viewing court proceedings online), especially the plight of women, often mothers with dependent children, often poor women of color, who were remanded to custody, unable to post bail. Although they were still "presumed innocent", they were held in jail in pretrial detention due to their inability to post bail:

Time and time again, I listened as people were taken away and put in jail, for no other reason than that they couldn’t afford to buy their way free. It was particularly hard to hear mothers and caretakers get taken away from the people who depend on them. For the past five years, I have been volunteering with the Free Black Mamas DMV bailout, and I have been lucky to be able to witness the stories of women who fought for and won their freedom with the tireless and loving support of the leadership. I hope that this song, and the images shared with me, can help to show what is at stake when someone is kept in pretrial detention. I give this song in friendship and respect to all who have experienced the pain of pretrial detention and to the women of the group’s leadership who have taught me so much and whom I truly love.

Fiona's recent cover of Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold"

You may also be interested in.....

ThisSmallPlanet.com Cool New Music Playlist Spring 2025 (April, May, June)

and

Photos from the UC Berkeley Campaign Against Apartheid Protests (1986)

                                                                                  and

Northern California Protest Photos: Anti-Trump, Anti-Musk, Tesla Takedown, Stand With Ukraine, Hands Off! (February, March, April 2025)

                                                                                   and

Kneecap Court Controversy With Their Pro-Palestine Stance