Due to Years of Austerity, Cuts to Public Health Care, And An Anti-Science and Profiteering President, The United States Now Leads the World In Coronavirus Cases and Deaths in the World!
Always Remember: That President Obama, With a Majority Democrat Legislature Supported the Wall Street Bailout and Remember, That he Established, in writing, the United States Capitalist Austerity Program. — The Race to the Bottom/Pauperization of the 99%!
Democracy?: As the Capitalist Robber Barons Steal from the 99%, Only the 1% Voted For Austerity! The 99% Should Decide On Austerity — Not Just The 1% Who, Profit From Austerity!! Under Austerity, All of the World Will Eventually Be Pauperized, Humbled, and Desecrated Like Greece and Puerto Rico.! Socialism Means True Democracy, that the 99% Will Rule, Not the Few!
Quotes 0f the Day:
From my 2002 Review of Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace: In his new book, Gore Vidal makes a scathing attack upon the bipartisan domestic and foreign policies of the US government. The introduction to this book sets its theme, that the bombings of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995 and the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City on September 11, were used, respectively, to justify the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1996 and the current “war on terrorism”.Vidal explains that these bombings were in response to the more than 200 acts of war and (ongoing) worldwide military incursions by the US government since 1945, and the concurrent erosion of the Bill of Rights. Vidal refers to Newton’s theory “that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. . . . The absurdity of bombing Afghanistan, in retaliation for Osama bin Laden’s presence there, was curtly explained by Vidal in a November 24 interview with Reuters: What Osama did is not a war. It can’t be a war because Osama is not a nation. He is a gang. It is like being hit by the Mafia. You don’t declare war on Sicily because the Mafia happen to live in Sicily. You don’t bomb Palermo. You get the international police and you track him down. (And you don’t arrest everyone in New York City who looks Italian.) The following paragraphs exemplify Vidal’s concepts throughout the collection of essays.. . . The damage caused by the September 11 plane bombings is] nothing compared to the knockout blow to our vanishing liberties — the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1996 combined with the recent requests to Congress for additional special powers to wiretap without judicial order; to deport lawful permanent residents, visitors, and un-documented immigrants without due process. . . .
Videos of the Day:
InterceptedPodcast: The Democrats’ Long War on Immigrants Author Harsha Walia discusses the Democratic Party’s fundamental role in shaping the long arc of U.S. border policy. Activist and writer Harsha Walia joins Intercepted to discuss the Democratic Party’s fundamental role in shaping the long arc of U.S. border policy and why the practice of “prevention through deterrence” will continue to incur more suffering and preventable deaths. She also presents an abolitionist view of a world without borders. Walia’s most recent book is “Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism.”United States:
The United States is not a Democracy (A government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly)! Only the 1%, through their ownership of the Reublicrats and who profit from war and the war budget, vote for War and the war budget — A policy, which Gore Vidal called a Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace. — The 99% Should Decide On War — Not Just The 1% Who Profit From War! Under a Democracy, The 99% would have the right to vote on the policy of Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace! The United States takes from the poor and gives to the Rich. Rax the Rich! — They Can Afford To Pay
Biden Is Following a Failed Blueprint for Forever War Bombing Syria and excusing the crimes of the Saudi crown prince won’t bring us any closer to a withdrawal from the Middle East. Last week, the U.S. military bombed a site near al-Hurri, along the Iraqi border inside Syria, where Iranian-backed Iraqi militias were allegedly stationed. Although the U.S. launched its missiles across an international border (and without the approval of Congress), White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki framed the strike as a “defensive” response to a series of rocket attacks that have killed one and wounded several Americans over the past two weeks. The American bombing left “up to a handful dead,” according to one U.S. official who spoke with CNN, and Tehran condemned the assault as “illegal and a violation of Syria’s sovereignty”—a perception gap certain to complicate President Joe Biden’s pronounced plans to reverse Donald Trump’s antagonistic Iran policies and rejoin the nuclear deal. By Danny Sjursen
Trump & Biden’s Secret Bombing Wars Unbeknownst to many Americans, the U.S. military and its allies are engaged in bombing and killing people in other countries on a daily basis. On February 25th, President Biden ordered U.S. air forces to drop seven 500-pound bombs on Iraqi forces in Syria, reportedly killing 22 people. The U.S. airstrike has predictably failed to halt rocket attacks on deeply unpopular U.S. bases in Iraq, which the Iraqi National Assembly passed a resolution to close over a year ago. The Western media reported the U.S. airstrike as an isolated and exceptional incident, and there has been significant blowback from the U.S. public, Congress and the world community, condemning the strikes as illegal and a dangerous escalation of yet another Middle East conflict. By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. DaviesDemocrats Earn Their 1% Stripes: House Rejects Cori Bush’s Amendment on Voting Rights for Incarcerated People House Rejects Cori Bush’s Amendment on Voting Rights for Incarcerated People In a vote that exposed a deep rift among Democrats over how far to push their agenda on racial justice and voting rights, the House on Tuesday rejected an amendment offered by progressive Democrats to a sweeping elections reform package that would have restored voting rights for people who are currently incarcerated in state and federal prisons. The amendment was rejected by a vote of 97-328, indicating uncertainty among moderate Democrats about serious reforms to the criminal legal system as Republicans work to restrict ballot access. By Mike Ludwig
Environment:Antarctic Warming Speed-Up Alarms Researchers By The world’s largest reservoir of snow and ice could be melting faster than ever. Two new studies highlight Antarctic warming. Antarctic warming is accelerating: at least one of the southern continent’s ice shelves has been melting faster than ever. The polar summer of 2019-20 set a new record for temperatures above freezing point over the George VI ice shelf off the Antarctic Peninsula. The finding is ominous: the ice shelves form a natural buttress that slows the rate of glacier flow from the continental bedrock. The faster the glaciers flow into the sea, the higher the hazard of sea level rise. And a second study confirms that this is already happening in West Antarctica: researchers looked at 25 years of satellite observation of 14 glaciers in the Getz sector to find that meltwater is flowing into the Amundsen Sea ever faster. Between 1994 and 2018, these glaciers lost 315 billion tonnes of ice, enough to raise global sea levels by almost 1mm. By Tim Radford
Toxic Tuesdays: 1,4-Dioxane 1,4-dioxane is a clear liquid used in chemical manufacturing for industrial, consumer, and military purposes. During manufacturing or improper waste disposal 1,4-dioxane can be released into the environment. While it breaks down in air and doesn’t stick to soil, 1,4-dioxane is stable in water and can remain there for a long time. It can even accumulate in fish and plants that live in contaminated water. Eating these contaminated foods and drinking contaminated water are common ways people are exposed to 1,4-dioxane. Bathing in contaminated water can also cause 1,4-dioxane to evaporate into the air and be inhaled. Through its use in the manufacturing process, 1,4-dioxane often ends up being present in trace amounts in consumer products such as detergents, shampoos, and cosmetics. 1,4-dioxane present in these products can be absorbed through the skin. Exposure to low levels of 1,4-dioxane can cause mild irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, or skin. Regardless of the route of exposure, high levels can cause kidney and liver damage as well as death. While there is little information about if 1,4-dioxane causes cancer in humans, animal studies have found that long-term exposure results in cancer, especially liver cancer. For this reason, the US Department of Health and Human Services believes that 1,4-dioxane likely causes cancer in humans.
Civil Rights/Black Liberation:
Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist: Freedom Rider: The Minimal Minimum Wage Most Democrats either don’t want a minimum wage increase or are too afraid of bucking their party’s donor class.
Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor: Joe Biden: The Expect Nothing Presidency Biden’s brand of American exceptionalism has run up against the general crisis of the U.S. imperialist order.
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor: Against Big Tech’s Algorithmic Cancel Culture Project Censored Host Mickey Huff predicted that #CancelCulture warriors would be calling stations to complain about his opposition to Big Tech censorship, writes Ann Garrison.
Long Live the Legacy of Lawrence Ferlinghetti! B Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Ferlinghetti might have been
God ‘cause he almost lived forever;
and Jersey Boys—Allen and Amiri—
The Tech Wreck of Zero-Dividend Stocks Arrives on the Wings of Rising Treasury Yields Pull up a chair and get comfy. You’re about to watch the first act in what is likely to be a long-running show called “The Great Tech Wreck of Zero-Dividend Stocks.” The show’s sponsor is rising yields on U.S. Treasury notes which make tech stocks that have ballooned in price (as the Fed held interest rates artificially low) and pay no cash dividends to compete with the rising yields, particularly unattractive. As the chart above indicates, yields on the 5-year and 10-year U.S. Treasury Notes have been rising sharply since early August, with the yield more than tripling on both. The 10-year Note has moved from 0.50 percent since early August to 1.46 percent early this morning. In the same span of time, the yield on the 5-year note has spiked from 0.20 percent to 0.72 percent. By Pam Martens and Russ MartensWorld:
Imperialist Powers Refuse Money To Feed Yemen Six years of war in Yemen have brought the country to the brink of an absolute humanitarian disaster. The Saudi-led alliance, backed by the UK and the US, has imposed tremendous suffering on the Yemeni people. With 16 million suffering hunger and 400,000 children at risk of death from starvation, the situation is getting worse by the day. And the imperialists are unwilling to assist the victims. E.eThe United Nations held a donor conference on Monday. They were hoping to raise $3.85 billion dollars from over 100 national governments to avert widespread famine. In the end they only raised $1.7 billion, $1 billion less than was pledged at the 2019 aid conference. By Niklas Albin Svensson
Education, Health, Science, and Welfare:
The government of the United States can pass laws in a few days to spend tens of trillions of dollars for war and the bailout of Wall Street and the bankers. Yet, those who pass universal healthcare for themselves, but cannot spend even one trillion dollars for universal health for those who are ‘governed’! This is what is considered, by the powers to be, a democracy and part of the democratic way. — Roland Sheppard, Let the People Vote on Healthcare
Drug Lobby Asks Biden to Punish Foreign Countries Pushing For Low-Cost Vaccines Big Pharma is fighting for tight control over Covid-19 vaccine production, limiting availability worldwide while reaping billions. President joe biden’s administration is being asked to punish Hungary, Colombia, Chile, and other countries for seeking to ramp up the production of Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics without express permission from pharmaceutical companies. The sanctions are being urged by the drug industry, which has filed hundreds of pages of documents to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative outlining the alleged threat posed by any effort to challenge “basic intellectual property protections” in the response to the coronavirus pandemic. By Lee FangAmazon Strain Can Reinfect and Has Spread Across Brazil: Study The study reveals that between 25 percent and 61 percent of people who survived the virus could get reinfected as the variant can trick the immune system. A SARS-CoV-2 mutation identified in the Brazilian Amazon can reinfect former COVID-19 patients and is likely spread already across the country since travelers involuntarily transported it via airliners used by some 92,000 people until February, the latest study by the University of São Paulo (USP) and the University of Oxford revealed on Tuesday.
The study indicates that the Amazon variant originated last November in the city of Manaus, one of the hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas. | Photo: Twitter/ @MothershipSG
Another Example Capitalism as a Failed System: World Capilalism Was Aware of the Danger of Cornovavirus Threat Over 4 Years Ago and Did Nothing!: Under Capitalism — Human Lives Don’t Matter Capitalism Does Not, and Never Has, Worked for the Masses! In Its Death Agony, Capitalism Is Traveling About The World Like The Four Horsemen of the The Apocalypse, Spreading Racism, War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. The future of Humanity Is Now At stake!
Since World War I, ‘the war to end all wars’, there have been perpetual wars for perpetual peace, this Laura Gray’s cartoon from the front page of The Militant August 18, 1945, Under the Banner Headline: “There Is No Peace”
During This Economic Crisis, Capitalism’s Three-Point Political Program: 1.Austerity,2. Scapegoat Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal’ Immigrants for Unemployment, and 3. The Iron Heel! For Decades, Blacks Have Been Subjected to The Iron Heel! Currently, the US Capitalist Class is Divided Over When — Not If, to Apply It to Everyone!
United States:
Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace
Democrats Earn Their 1% Stripes: House Rejects Cori Bush’s Amendment on Voting Rights for Incarcerated People House Rejects Cori Bush’s Amendment on Voting Rights for Incarcerated People In a vote that exposed a deep rift among Democrats over how far to push their agenda on racial justice and voting rights, the House on Tuesday rejected an amendment offered by progressive Democrats to a sweeping elections reform package that would have restored voting rights for people who are currently incarcerated in state and federal prisons. The amendment was rejected by a vote of 97-328, indicating uncertainty among moderate Democrats about serious reforms to the criminal legal system as Republicans work to restrict ballot access. By Mike Ludwig
Antarctic Warming Speed-Up Alarms Researchers By The world’s largest reservoir of snow and ice could be melting faster than ever. Two new studies highlight Antarctic warming. Antarctic warming is accelerating: at least one of the southern continent’s ice shelves has been melting faster than ever. The polar summer of 2019-20 set a new record for temperatures above freezing point over the George VI ice shelf off the Antarctic Peninsula. The finding is ominous: the ice shelves form a natural buttress that slows the rate of glacier flow from the continental bedrock. The faster the glaciers flow into the sea, the higher the hazard of sea level rise. And a second study confirms that this is already happening in West Antarctica: researchers looked at 25 years of satellite observation of 14 glaciers in the Getz sector to find that meltwater is flowing into the Amundsen Sea ever faster. Between 1994 and 2018, these glaciers lost 315 billion tonnes of ice, enough to raise global sea levels by almost 1mm. By Tim Radford
The Tech Wreck of Zero-Dividend Stocks Arrives on the Wings of Rising Treasury Yields Pull up a chair and get comfy. You’re about to watch the first act in what is likely to be a long-running show called “The Great Tech Wreck of Zero-Dividend Stocks.” The show’s sponsor is rising yields on U.S. Treasury notes which make tech stocks that have ballooned in price (as the Fed held interest rates artificially low) and pay no cash dividends to compete with the rising yields, particularly unattractive. As the chart above indicates, yields on the 5-year and 10-year U.S. Treasury Notes have been rising sharply since early August, with the yield more than tripling on both. The 10-year Note has moved from 0.50 percent since early August to 1.46 percent early this morning. In the same span of time, the yield on the 5-year note has spiked from 0.20 percent to 0.72 percent. By Pam Martens and Russ Martens
World:
Amazon Strain Can Reinfect and Has Spread Across Brazil: Study The study reveals that between 25 percent and 61 percent of people who survived the virus could get reinfected as the variant can trick the immune system. A SARS-CoV-2 mutation identified in the Brazilian Amazon can reinfect former COVID-19 patients and is likely spread already across the country since travelers involuntarily transported it via airliners used by some 92,000 people until February, the latest study by the University of São Paulo (USP) and the University of Oxford revealed on Tuesday.