Hamas Rising in the West Bank

This subject is a bit off topic from what I devote most of my time time to (limited though it is) on this blog, but if you're like me, when you heard that Hamas was about to take over the West Bank, you greeted this news with shudder. I thought to myself "This cannot be good." And it's not.

But I learned more from this short post by MJ Rosenberg about the struggle there than I have in a year watching TV for information on this subject.

Read it,

Dammit, here comes the substance

It will be in bullet form. Here are things which deserve commentary:

• Iraqi oil workers went on strike. They're upset about a new law which would hand over control of the oilfields to private corporations; land they were promised--but never received, new salary increases, and job security. The joke is on them though, because the Iraqi army managed one of its first complete solo victories by surrounding them and forcing their strike to back down. Smell the freedom.
  
  
• Remember Ms. Evelyn Coke? Real nice lady. She was fighting for overtime pay that she should have earned through her employment. Sorry sucka! No overtime for you!
  Hey, it's not like she needed it, right? Or the one million other workers who are impacted by that ruling.
  
  
• And keeping the good news rollin', an Oregon strike by carpenters and drywallers has split the labor movement in Oregon. Good work guys!
  
  
• This next piece is so awful, I'll just quote what Paul Waldman at Tapped has to say about it:
  

  "Since no one else here at TAPPED has discussed the fact that in Iraq we are now arming Sunni militias if they agree to help us fight al-Qaeda, I'll go ahead and say it:

  Given our highly nuanced understanding of all the individuals and groups competing for advantage in Iraq; and given the relatively uncomplicated ethnic, political, and security situation there; and given this administration's excellent track record on predicting the outcome of events; and given how small the possibility is that a move like this might have unintended consequences...

  Why the heck not? After all, what could possibly go wrong?

  On the other hand, CNN just told me that we're not giving them our really top-of-the-line weaponry, just run-of-the-mill guns and stuff. So that should ease your worries."
  
  

  On the other hand, CNN just told me that we're not giving them our really top-of-the-line weaponry, just run-of-the-mill guns and stuff. So that should ease your worries."

See, to me, this just sounds like a buddy comedy movie--I'm just waiting for the hilarity to ensue!

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Why write anything of substance when I can post videos?

That's a great question. Here's my response: Against me! as a new video out for their new album.