Yearly Archives: 2024

OMNI WAR WATCH WEDNESDAYS, #164, FEBRUARY 14, 2024

 in WAR WATCH WEDNESDAYS

NATIONALISM, MILITARISM, WARMAKING, WHITE CHRISTIANITY V. DEMOCRACY, Hitler and Trump v. Democracy      In Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism—and What Comes Next, Bradley Onishi argues that the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was the outcome of years of a subculture’s preparation for war to overthrow the US democracy.  The eleven chapters take us from the rise of White Christian nationalism’s reaction to the social rights revolution of the 1960s to the reactionary insurrection of January 6, 2021.  At the center of the bifurcation of the nation into pro- and anti-democracy, Onishi sees the expanding myth of the […]

OMNI CLIMATE MEMO MONDAYS, #165, FEBRUARY 12, 2024

 in Climate Memo Mondays

https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2024/02/omni-climate-memo-mondays-165-february.html Compiled by Dick Bennett Hi, Dick. It’s Jane Fonda reaching out with an exciting invitation for you!Mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 13th, because we’re turning Galentine’s Day into a Grace and Frankie live reunion celebrating laughter, and friendship benefiting the Jane Fonda Climate PAC’s work to elect climate champions at every level of government.  Get Tickets Being a part of that show with my dear friend Lily Tomlin was one of the great joys in my career, and I hope you can join us for a trip down memory lane. But, oh, it’s so much more than that! Every ticket purchased […]

Tontitown Landfill – NWA Democrat Gazette Letters

 in Current Events

Environmental agency inspires no confidence Feb 3, 2024 In a surprising turn of events, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) finds itself under scrutiny for its controversial enforcement practices at the Eco-Vista landfill in Tontitown. This has led to a statewide audit by the Arkansas Joint Legislative Performace Committee (JPLC). The inquiry aims to examine DEQ’s policies regarding landfill monitoring and enforcement. During a JLPC meeting on Nov. 27, state Reps. Lundstrum and Unger and Tontitown Mayor Angie Russell presented compelling evidence that exposed DEQ’s approach to regulating Eco-Vista. The data they presented raised serious concerns among legislators, prompting an intense interrogation of DEQ Director Caleb Osborne. The […]

Unpaid Wage Case Referrals

 in Current Events

UA Law School has openings to defend unpaid wage claims. Help your friends by sharing! The legal clinic at the Univ. of Arkansas law school is now accepting clients for free legal representation. Please feel free to refer individuals who have had any kinds of problems with their pay. This could include the failure to pay: We usually cannot assist people who are running their own business and did not get paid for their work as a business. How to Refer: If you want to refer a wage case, you can email me directly at abs006@uark.eduto share the information and […]

Tibetan LOSAR at Omni this year

 in Current Events

Sat Feb 17 – 10:00 am-1:00 pm – Omni Center For the first time Omni is pleased to be the site for Geshee Dorjee and the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas to hold the annual Tibetan New Years Celebration Losar. Losar or Tibetan New Year is a widely celebrated holiday among Tibetans that lasts for 15 days. 2024 is the year of the Wood Dragon, and Losar starts on February 10, so this is mid-celebration. If you’re curious about Tibetan culture, religion or the Tibetan Cultural Institute you will enjoy this new experience. For more information contact Geshee at TCIA@artibet.com. […]

GAZA ANTHOLOGY #15 GENOCIDE February 9, 2024

 in Dick's Newsletter 2024

https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2024/02/omni-gaza-anthology-15-genocide.html Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, and Ecology What’s at Stake:  Among several, the US is giving $4 billion a year for arms to a country guilty of genocide. CONTENTS Miko Peled.  Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Since 1948.Chris Hedges.  The Brief Submitted by South Africa to the ICJ.Middle East Monitor.  The Indonesian Brief.Craig Murray.  Genocide in Gaza: Why It had Not Been Referred to the ICJ by Dec. 2023.  Richard Falk.   “In Gaza, the West is enabling the most transparent genocide in human history. “Margaret Kimberley.  “South Africa’s Case At World Court Also Exposes […]

OMNI WAR WATCH WEDNESDAYS, #163, FEBRUARY, 2024

 in WAR WATCH WEDNESDAYS

Compiled by Dick Bennett   https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2024/02/omni-war-watch-wednesdays-163-february.html NORMAN G. FINKELSTEIN.  I Accuse!  HEREWITH A PROOF BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT THAT ICC CHIEF PROSECUTOR FATOU BENSOUDA WHITEWASHED ISRAEL.  OR Books, 2019.  Publisher’s description: “Mr. Finkelstein[‘s]… research is certainly thorough. His characterizations, too, can be brilliant, and he spares nobody…” —The Economist “A compelling examination of a decision that unsettled many international lawyers and a reminder of the extent to which Palestinians have been let down by international institutions.”—Morning Star “One of the world’s most effective critics of Israel… Intense and eloquent.” —Mondoweiss.  This finely-honed indictment by a writer widely acknowledged for his forensic skills […]

OMNI CLIMATE MEMO MONDAYS, #164, FEBRUARY 5, 2024

 in Climate Memo Mondays

Compiled by Dick Bennett https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2024/02/omni-climate-memo-mondays-164-february.html John J. Berger.  Solving the Climate Crisis: Frontline Reports from the Race to Save the Earth.  2023.      From my New Deal perspective (I was born in 1932), one of Berger’s most important chapters is #14, pp. 283ff., “New Laws and Politics,” where he discusses “current barriers to the kind of fair and comprehensive policies that would speed us toward a safe, stable earth and a more just society.”  They especially include the flood of secret money into “super PACs” used to influence elections and legislation permitted by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, and […]