Daily News Digest August 21, 2023
Images of the Day:
Capitalism is Now a Worldwide Threat to Humanity! It is on the Fast Track to Global Warming and/or Nuclear War Catastrophes!
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”, is Still True for Today’s World!
Capitalism as a Failed System: World Capitalism Has Been Aware of the Comming Catastrophe of Global Warming Over 5 Decades 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 very future of Humanity Is Now At stake!
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!
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 of the Day:
Glyphosate is a Carcinogen Glyphosate is on the Proposition 65 list because it has been identified as a carcinogen. Proposition 65 requires businesses to determine if they must provide a warning about exposure to listed chemicals.
From: Barry Sheppard: Maui Fire Deadliest, Government Failures, Disaster Capitalism. 
Now, residents of Lahaina face a new danger. An article in Common Dreams says that “locals fear wealthy outsiders will dominate and further serve themselves with a multibillion-dollar rebuild after the devastation in the 50th state. “‘Lahaina residents worry that rebuilt homes in their Maui town could slip into the hands of affluent outsiders seeking a tropical haven rather than homegrown residents who give the Hawaiian island it’s spirit and identity,’ the Associated Press wrote on social media Sunday [August 13], sharing new reporting from Hawaii. “Naomi Klein — author of several books including The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism — responded with one word: ‘Again.’ …. “Even before Tuesday’s fire — which was enabled by climate-wrecking fossil fuel companies and land decisions that have diverted water away from the area — ‘a chronic housing shortage and an influx of second-home buyers and wealthy transplants have been replacing residents,’ the AP noted. “Richy Palalay, who had ‘Lahaina Grown’ tattooed on his forearms when he was 16, told the outlet at a shelter on Saturday that ‘I’m more concerned of big land developers coming in and seeing this shared land as an opportunity to rebuild’. “Condos and hotels ‘that we can’t afford, can’t afford to live in — that’s what we’re afraid of,’ said Palalay, who didn’t know whether the house where he rents a room for $1,000 survived th fire, which destroyed the restaurant where he works…. “The AP’s reporting on Sunday sparked warnings from Kanaka Maoli —a term Native Hawaiian use to refer to themselves — as well as campaigners and experts beyond the islands. “Reports suggest 93 people are dead, 1,000 still missing still, and 2,700 structures destroyed said Uahikea Maile, a Kanaka Maoli activist and scholar and assistant professor of Indigenous politics at the University of Toronto St. George in Canada. “The colonial speculation of disaster capitalism is happening right now in Lahaina.’ “Former U.S. National Women’s Soccer League player Mana shim, who is also Kanaka Maoli, wrote on social media: “ ‘This is a major concern that needs our immediate attention. Its awful to have to discuss this before we know how many have lost their lives, but anyone who knows disaster capitalism knows the urgency of protecting our ‘aina from developers and greedy malihini’. “Malihini means foreigners, newcomer, or stranger, while ‘aina is a Hawaiian term for land or earth. “Klein, who coined the term disaster capitalism, said, ‘the way I define disaster capitalism is really straightforward: It describes the way private industries spring up to directly profit from large-scale crises.’ ’’
Podcasts/Videos of the Day:
Alan Woods On World Perspectives: Clear the Decks for Communism!
Environment:
One of Many Ways to Begin to End Global Warming: Expose ‘Greenwashing’ — Tax the Polluters 100%!
After World War II Rosa Luxenburg Coined the Slogan: ‘S0cialism or Barbaism’! Now the Slogan Should Be: ‘Ecosocialism or Ecocide’!
After World War II Rosa Luxenburg Coined the Slogan: ‘S0cialism or Barbaism’! Now the Slogan is Ecoscialism or Ecocide!
Native Hawaiians Are Resisting Land and Water Grabs After Maui Wildfires “Plantation disaster capitalism is, unfortunately, the perfect term for what’s going on,” says Kapuaʻala Sproat. With the death toll from the Maui wildfires at 111 and as many as 1,000 still missing, we speak with Hawaiian law professor Kapuaʻala Sproat about the conditions that made the fires more destructive and what’s yet to come for residents looking to rebuild their lives. Decades of neocolonialism in Hawaii have redirected precious water resources toward golf courses, resorts and other corporate ventures, turning many areas into tinderboxes and leaving little water to fight back against the flames. Now many Hawaiians say there is a power grab underway as real estate interests and other wealthy outsiders look to buy up land and water rights on the cheap as people are still reeling from the loss of their family members, livelihoods and communities. “Plantation disaster capitalism is, unfortunately, the perfect term for what’s going on,” says Sproat, who just published a piece in The Guardian with Naomi Klein. She is professor of law at Ka Huli Ao Native Hawaiian Law Center and co-director of the Native Hawaiian Rights Clinic at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa School of Law. “The plantations, the large landed interests that have had control over not just the land, but really much of Hawaii’s and Maui Komohana’s resources for the last several centuries, are using this opportunity, are using this time of tremendous trauma for the people of Maui, to swoop in and to get past the law.”
Maui-Bound Biden Urged to Back Hawaiian Cases Against Big Oil, Declare Climate Emergency “President Biden should unequivocally voice his support for the people of Maui and Honolulu in their efforts to put fossil fuel companies on trial for their climate deception and make polluters pay,” said one activist. As President Joe Biden prepares to visit Maui next week amid Hawaiian wildfires that have prompted a federal disaster declaration, he faces fresh calls to declare a national climate emergency and support a pair of local lawsuits against the planet-wrecking fossil fuel industry. The lawsuits against Big Oil were filed in 2020 by Oahu’s City and County of Honolulu as well as Maui County—where a fire last week killed at least 111 people, caused over $5 billion in damage, and devastated Lahaina, the former capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Both complaints highlight how rising global temperatures are making fires on the islands worse.
Wealthiest 10% of US Households Responsible for 40% of Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Study “Without policies such as regulations or taxes on very polluting investments, it’s unlikely that wealthy individuals making a lot of money from fossil fuel investments will stop investing in them,” says one economist. The richest tenth of U.S. households are responsible for 40% of all the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, a study published Thursday revealed, underscoring what progressives say is the need for regulations and taxes on carbon-intensive investments. Published in PLOS Climate, the study—which was led by University of Massachusetts, Amherst sustainability scientist Jared Starr—analyzed 30 years of U.S. household income data and the greenhouse gas emissions generated in creating that income.
US Leaders and Big Oil Are Leading the World Toward a Climate Catastrophe By prioritizing fossil fuel production and great power politics over the findings of climate scientists, they are creating a future in which “we’re doomed.” The United States is producing record amounts of oil and natural gas, despite the fact that the ongoing use of these fossil fuels poses an existential threat to the planet. Even today, as the planet faces catastrophic warming, leaders in both the Democratic and Republican Parties keep pushing for more oil and natural gas production, believing that most of the world will continue to rely on these fossil fuels for decades to come.
Entire Canadian City of Yellowknife Ordered to Evacuate as Wildfire Approaches “We’re all tired of the word unprecedented, yet there is no other way to describe this situation in the Northwest Territories,” said a province official. Nearly 22,000 residents of Yellowknife—the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories—and the surrounding area were rushing to flee their homes on Thursday under an evacuation order, as wildfires posed what the province’s environment minister said was a “real threat to the city.”
Biden Admin Tried to Block Landmark Climate Lawsuit as July Heat Scorched US Biden officials asserted that “there is no constitutional right to a stable climate system.” Biden Admin Tried to Block Landmark Climate Lawsuit as July Heat Scorched US As a record-breaking heat wave boiled the world in July, the Biden administration argued that the United States Constitution doesn’t guarantee the right to a liveable planet in a recent court filing, newly unveiled documents show. According to court records obtained this week by The Lever, the Department of Justice asserted that “there is no constitutional right to a stable climate system,” saying that the recognition of a right to a stable climate is “nothing like any fundamental right ever recognized by the Supreme Court.” Officials went on to argue that, because the harmful effects of the climate crisis are so generalized, the Supreme Court could not recognize the rights of individuals facing its impacts. The administration claimed this in a court filing seeking to get a landmark youth climate lawsuit, Juliana v. United States, dismissed. Juliana was filed in 2015 by 21 young plaintiffs seeking to establish a constitutional guarantee to a livable climate. It’s one of the most prominent climate lawsuits in history, and could be monumental for the climate movement if the plaintiffs are successful.
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 Republicrats 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. Tax the Rich! — They Can Afford To Pay! Both Parties Support U.S. Capitalism’s Wars! (The Only War the Democrats Opposed was the Civil War!)
We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both. — Louis D. Brandeis Quotes
The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government. MLK, Beyond Vietnam
A Vote for Trump or Biden is a Vote for Ecocide!
Biden Defends Agribusiness Glyphosate is a Carcinogen: In ‘Assault’ on Mexican Food Sovereignty, US Ramps Up Fight Over GM Corn “U.S. agribusiness exporters, the biotech industry, and their allies in Congress are pushing this case, intent on compelling Mexico to accept U.S. exports without debate,” said one expert. After two-and-a-half months of failed negotiations, the U.S. government on Thursday intensified its effort to quash Mexico’s limits on genetically modified corn imports by calling for the formation of a dispute settlement panel under a North American trade deal. In a 2020 decree backed by agricultural, consumer, environmental, public health, and worker groups, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced plans to phase out genetically modified (GM) corn and the herbicide glyphosate(Carcinogen) by January 2024.
Border Policy — Between Trump and Biden — No ‘Lessor Evils’ — Just ‘Greater Evils’!: Reports Find “Barbaric” and “Negligent” Conditions at ICE Facilities Federal inspection reports detail civil rights abuses at ICE facilities as migration detentions reach three year high. nspection reports written by experts hired by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties found “barbaric” and “negligent” conditions at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers. The more than 1,600 pages of records were obtained by NPR through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit after the federal government — both the Trump and Biden administrations — fought NPR’s legal efforts to obtain the inspection reports. After two years of litigation, a federal judge found that that government had violated FOIA by not providing the records and ordered the government to release the documents.
Civil Rights/Black Liberation:
Junk Science Is Putting Innocent People in Prison The Innocence Project’s Chris Fabricant explains the various ways evidence can be manipulated to look scientifically sound, but is usually not. The perception of certain types of trial evidence as cutting-edge, foolproof, and reminiscent of Hollywood can inadvertently sway juries into assuming the guilt of countless individuals. Techniques such as bite marks, blood splatter analysis, ballistics evidence, and others appear to present irrefutable indications of involvement in criminal activities. However, concealed within this seemingly conclusive cache of evidence lies a substantial amount of what is known as junk science. This is why Chris Fabricant, the director of strategic litigation at the Innocence Project, wrote his latest book, “Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System.”
Labor:
Economy:
Is Industrial Society on the Verge of Collapse? The events of this summer suggest we are already all too close to the edge of the kind of systemic failure experienced so many centuries ago by the Mayans, the ancient Puebloans, and the Viking Greenlanders. In his 2005 bestseller Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, geographer Jared Diamond focused on past civilizations that confronted severe climate shocks, either adapting and surviving or failing to adapt and disintegrating. Among those were the Puebloan culture of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, the ancient Mayan civilization of Mesoamerica, and the Viking settlers of Greenland. Such societies, having achieved great success, imploded when their governing elites failed to adopt new survival mechanisms to face radically changing climate conditions.
Let us consider the latest round of claims being put by mainstream economists (and parroted by some inside China, ie those who were nicely educated in neoclassical, free market economics in American universities). For example, here is the latest view of the Financial Times. “Government policy is largely to blame for the slowdown. Decades of relying on an investment-driven growth model has slowed China’s transition to a consumer-based economy. Poor oversight of the housing market led to an unsustainable lending boom, while political impediments have hamstrung private enterprises. Heavy-handed Covid restrictions have also left deep scars.” So first, let’s blame the Chinese government for the slowing economy – presumably for interfering in business and the capitalist sector. But then claim that “decades of relying an investment-driven growth model” is at fault because what is needed is a “transition to a consumer-based economy”. Really? Have the consumer-based economies of the G7 done better than the awful investment-led Chinese economy in the last two or three decades? Take a look at this graph below. —Michael Roberts,China: Consumption or Investment?
World:
ULEZ Expansion: Green Austerity and the Climate Culture War Capitalist politicians are increasing wrapping-up austerity measures in ‘green’ packaging – provoking a backlash amongst ordinary people, and polarising the working class. In place of this reactionary greenwashing, we need to fight for revolution. Later this month, from 29 August, London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be expanded to cover the entirety of the city. Extending to outer boroughs, 280,000 additional motorists will soon face a £12.50 per day charge to drive within areas newly-covered by the capital’s clean-air scheme. This latest move by London Mayor Sadiq Khan has provoked a considerable backlash. Many leading Labour figures have blamed the ULEZ expansion plans for the party’s recent by-election defeat in Uxbridge.
Health. Welfare, and Education:
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
The Healthcare Monopolies Practice of ‘Understaffing’ Means less Care!: We Need an IRA for Care Work Policymakers have not undertaken successful initiatives to enhance working conditions for care workers or to modernize the sector to better align with the nation’s care needs. The lack of investment in the care sector not only jeopardizes economic growth but also perpetuates a disregard for the significant contributions of care workers—contributions that have gone unnoticed for far too long. The pandemic spotlighted the indispensable role care workers play in upholding the health, well-being, and economic equilibrium of individuals, families, and communities. Amid widespread care center closures, millions of Americans found themselves devoid of care worker support, leading to a marked decrease in labor force participation, especially among women.