On January 14 at 9:30 a.m., the Fox News commentator and Army National Guard Major Pete Hegseth is scheduled to be questioned by the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee in a confirmation hearing on President-elect Trump’s nomination for him to be Secretary of Defense.
Three Reasons to Oppose Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense (archived)
Tag: Protests
Personal: Honest update on the Philippines and Indonesia
I’ve been trying to work on my RAND and SeaLight document, but I can’t seem to get into it. I’m still not feeling well, either. For some reason, I can’t format my document on my iPhone the way that I would like, and I still can’t use my iPad for it. This morning, my iPad fell out of its mount and landed on my face. No worries, my ego was hurt more than my nose. To be honest, I’ve about lost all interest in it. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? I feel like that tree. The tree makes a sound, but no one is around to hear it fall. Who has time to worry about details, anyway? I barely do anymore, and I’m unemployed. I’m going to stop now before I have to get the violin out.
Read More »The socialist attitude to the tragedy of Luigi Mangione

The case of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year old who allegedly assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the streets of Manhattan, has become a major public issue in the United States. While many details remain to be explained, the response from different layers of society raises fundamental class questions.
India is losing Bangladesh to China and Pakistan, and it could get worse
India is losing Bangladesh to China and Pakistan, and it could get worse

by Derek J Grossman, RAND
Beijing has further sought to develop numerous Bangladeshi ports, including Chittagong, Mongla, and Sonadia ports, to achieve a maritime presence in the Bay of Bengal. Enhanced access to any or all of these ports could substantially add to Beijing’s “string of pearls” strategy to hem in India in the Indian Ocean.
Read More »
FMC to investigate Spain’s refusal to handle US freight
FMC to investigate Spain’s refusal to handle US freight
Outgoing Federal Maritime Commissioner Carl Bentzel told Seatrade Maritime News that yesterday’s FMC meeting debate and vote ended in agreement that there should be an investigation into whether Spain’s reticence to handle US cargo involved violations of international agreements.
…
Bentzel pointed out that these contracts can be for the carriage of all sorts of cargo, not just weapons, “including humanitarian aid, in support of the Gazan population.”
Previously:
Spain to Block Maersk Ships Bound to Israel After Pressure From Activists
(Primer) A Decade of EDCA: US military bases and its expanding war games in the Philippines

The outright re-establishment of US military bases in the country and its relentless and escalating war games on land, sea, and air are flagrant manifestations of US imperialist domination of the Philippines. This further tightens the grip of US imperialism on the Philippine neocolonial state, especially on the puppet Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
(Primer) A Decade of EDCA: US military bases and its expanding war games in the Philippines
Spain to Block Maersk Ships Bound to Israel After Pressure From Activists
The Spanish government has announced it will block two ships—Denver and Seletar—operated by shipping giant Maersk and carrying military cargo bound for Israel, from docking at the port of Algeciras. This decision comes just days after the Mask off Maersk campaign released a report exposing the company’s regular use of the Spanish port for transferring cargo that enables the ongoing genocide against Palestinians, despite Spain’s stated arms embargo.
Spain to Block Maersk Ships Bound to Israel After Pressure From Activists
What did Lenin have to say about socialism and war?

What did Lenin have to say about socialism and war?
“Socialists have always condemned war between nations as barbarous and brutal. But our attitude towards war is fundamentally different from that of the bourgeois pacifists (supporters and advocates of peace) and of the anarchists. We differ from the former in that we understand the inevitable connection between wars and the class struggle within the country; we understand that war cannot be abolished unless classes are abolished and socialism is created; and we also differ in that we fully regard civil wars, ie, wars waged by the oppressed class against the oppressing class, slaves against slave-owners, serfs against land-owners, and wage-workers against the bourgeoisie, as legitimate, progressive and necessary.”
Related:
Socialism and War (PDF)
Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism (PDF)
April Theses (PDF)
Ukraine does not have enough soldiers to stop Russia (summary)
El País: Ukraine does not have enough soldiers to stop Russia (summary)
The situation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kurakhove [Pokrovsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast] is critical, as they face an alarming shortage of soldiers, which complicates their defensive efforts against Russian advances.
Read More »Turkish protestors demand expulsion of US warship docking in Izmir Port + More
Turkish citizens have taken to the streets in Izmir to demonstrate against the docking of an American warship, expressing solidarity with Palestinians and their opposition to US all-out military support for Israel amid the Gaza genocide.
Turkish protestors demand expulsion of US warship docking in Izmir Port
Related:
Two US Marines Assaulted by Turkish Nationalist Group in Izmir
10 people arrested in attack on 2 US Marines in Turkey
As a safety precaution, U.S. service members ported in Izmir are restricted to their ship, a U.S. official told ABC News on Tuesday.
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