Daily News Digest March 12, 2024
Images of the Day:
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”
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: Austerity, Scapegoat Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal’ Immigrants for Unemployment, andThe 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! Globaly, With the Current Gaza War, The Right of Assembly is Under Attack! 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:
From The Revolution Will Not Be Managed: The Manager Class: No one would freely choose to work their entire life to make others rich. Workers vastly outnumber bosses, so why do they tolerate an oppressive social arrangement? In 1977, Barbara and John Ehrenreich challenged the belief that there are only two social classes: a capitalist class who own or direct production; and a working class who are denied control over production and must work for a wage. They identified a middle layer, a professional manager class who are neither capitalists nor workers and also distinct from the traditional middle class of peasants and small-business owners. The role of the manager class is to keep the working class too divided, confused, and unconfident to rebel effectively. On the job, they impose the will of the boss on the worker. In society, they impose the will of the capitalist class on the working class. The manager class serve as a social emulsifier binding the capitalist class and the working class in the social arrangement of capitalism. Without this middle layer, capitalists and workers would battle openly for social control, and victory would go to the working class with their superior numbers and their hands on the wheels of production. Whether members of the manager class are well or poorly paid, respected at work or treated badly, unionized or not, they wield social power over others. This distinguishes them from workers who have no such power. The manager class include:
- workplace supervisors who tell us what to do and when and how to do it
- social gate-keepers who restrict access to medical treatment, medicines, and financial and social support
- police who control where we go and what we do
- psychologists and psychiatrists who insist that we are the problem, not society
- generals who send workers to war
- judges who side with bosses
- union officials who stop workers from fighting for more
- social and political reformers who claim they can make the system work for us
- academics and other ‘experts’ who insist there is no alterative
Pocasts/Videos of the Day:
“Empire’s Laboratory”: How 2004 U.S.-Backed Coup Destabilized Haiti & Led to Current Crisis
Guilty: U.S.-Backed Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández Convicted of Drug Trafficking
“The Trauma Is Immeasurable”: Palestinian Writer Susan Abulhawa on Israeli Violence in Gaza
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 ford 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
Pope Provokes Outrage by Saying Ukraine Should ‘Raise White Flag’ and End War With Russia Francis’s failure to condemn Moscow as aggressor decried as ‘shameful’ and ‘incomprehensible’ The Ukrainian government has responded angrily and vowed never to surrender after Pope Francis said the country should have “the courage to raise the white flag” and negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
U.S. Armed and Funded Palestinian Genocide:
Filmmaker Jonathan Glazer Speaks Out Against Israel’s Hijacking of Holocaust to Justify Gaza War “Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst,” said Jonathan Glazer, director of The Zone of Interest. The 96th annual Academy Awards on Sunday evening were marked by a number of statements—some vocal and some sartorial—in favor of Palestinian rights and against Israel’s occupation and bombardment of Gaza, with filmmaker Jonathan Glazer directly addressing Zionists who have “hijacked” the Holocaust to justify relentless attacks on civilians. The 96th annual Academy Awards on Sunday evening were marked by a number of statements—some vocal and some sartorial—in favor of Palestinian rights and against Israel’s occupation and bombardment of Gaza, with filmmaker Jonathan Glazer directly addressing Zionists who have “hijacked” the Holocaust to justify relentless attacks on civilians. Glazer accepted the award for Best International Feature Film for The Zone of Interest, his film about a Nazi commander who lives with his family just outside the walls of Auschwitz concentration camp, where gunshots and other sounds of the extermination of Jewish prisoners are audible from the commander’s garden. Glazer accepted the award for Best International Feature Film for The Zone of Interest, his film about a Nazi commander who lives with his family just outside the walls of Auschwitz concentration camp, where gunshots and other sounds of the extermination of Jewish prisoners are audible from the commander’s garden.
Gaza Aid and the West: An Honorable Way Out of Complicity in Genocide Does not Exist! Canada is considering the resumption of funding the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), amid the macabre spectacle of humanitarian aid drops and limited delivery, which worked more as traps for Palestinians than a temporary alleviation of hunger. According to Norwegian Foreign Minister, Espen Barthe Eide, more countries might reconsider their decision, if it can be managed in a way that enables governments to save face.
Environment:
Fund Climate! — Not Genocide! 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’!
Capitalism’s Wars for Oil: When Bodies Start Stacking Up From Climate Change-Related Disasters, Will These Monsters be Held to Account?
As the world burns: US Regulators Approve Significantly Scaled Back Climate Disclosure Rule SEC rule will require large businesses to report gas emissions, but some experts say weakened version ‘paves way for greenwashing’ US regulators have voted to require large, publicly traded companies to disclose climate change-related information to investors, though the rule’s scope has been significantly scaled back from the original draft proposal.
Fifth Mass Coral Bleaching Event in Eight Years Hits Great Barrier Reef, Marine Park Authority Confirms Particular concern raised for southern areas of the reef that have not been badly bleached since 2016 with ‘high risk’ of significant coral death The Great Barrier Reef is in the grip of a mass coral bleaching event driven by global heating – the fifth in only eight years – the marine park’s government authority has confirmed.
Film Studio From Oscar-Winning Director Aims to Stir Up ‘Populist Anger’ Over Climate Crisis Yellow Dot Studios produces short-form videos to inform with ‘genuine, righteous anger’ and ‘laugh-out-loud comedy’ The ad opens on a bucolic mountainscape, a lush, ascending piano run playing in the background. Gauzy clips from nostalgic midcentury auto ads fill the screen. “See the USA in your Chevrolet,” 1950s diva Dinah Shore sings. But this isn’t your average car advertisement. Soon, the title track from Singin’ in the Rain begins to play, and scenes of cars burning amid wildfires and filling with water in floods start rolling. The once rollicking music becomes somber. This commercial is the latest production from Oscar-winning director Adam McKay’s climate-focused production company Yellow Dot Studios. Launched last year, the non-profit studio produces short-form videos aiming to push back on climate disinformation.
Black Liberation/Civil Rights:
College Antidiscrimination Suits Over Anti-Israel Speech Aren’t Designed to Win But to Intimidate Cynicism breeds cynicism. Cry wolf enough times and some people will either stop believing wolves exist or they’ll become indifferent to you being mauled by one. And there’s the danger: when you dilate the definition of antisemitism to encompass all censures of Israel, you dilute the power of the antisemitism charge to mobilize people against real manifestations of anti-Jewish hatred. The campus battles over Israel may be receding from the front pages, but the lawfare campaign to suppress criticism of Israel within universities has only just begun. Most recently, a group called Students Against Antisemitism filed an antidiscrimination lawsuit against Columbia University, alleging that its tolerance for anti-Israel activities has created a hostile environment for Jewish students. This comes on the heels of nearly identical lawsuits filed against NYU, UPenn, Berkeley, and Harvard. (According to a recent analysis, at least one federal complaint or lawsuit alleging antisemitism in universities has been filed every day since October 7).
Labor:
Economy:
Imperialism and the Development Myth Book Review: Imperialism and the Development Myth How rich countries dominate in the twenty-first century By Barry Sheppard
Australian Marxist Sam King has provided a much-needed service with this well-researched and documented book on the contemporary imperialism of the rich capitalist countries and their exploitation and domination of the poor capitalist countries. In the present world situation, with the U.S. leading the imperialist countries, claiming that the two main enemies of the U.S. and its allies are Russia and China, it’s important to have a Marxist understanding of the imperialist stage of capitalism in the here and now. There are currents of Marxists who claim that Russia and China are imperialist, and give various levels of support to the U.S. against them. This is dangerous and wrong. One of the myths King explodes is that the poor countries, or at least many of them, are “developing” along a path that will lead them to joining the group of the rich countries. The prime example often given is China. In the United States, this view has often been expressed by comparing China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to that of the U.S. In this comparison, China ranks second to the U.S., “and will soon catch up.” But this comparison does not show what it is trumped up to show. That comparison of GDPs alone doesn’t tell much about how rich or poor a country is can be seen easily by comparing India’s GDP ($3.42 trillion in 2022) to that of Switzerland ($0.82 trillion in 2022) — but to say that one of the world’s poorest countries, India, is four times as rich as one of the world’s richest is silly. GDP per capita, while not a perfect measure, is the best we have. For 2022, that figure is $2,389 for India and $92,101 for Switzerland. The first part of the book examines the polarization of per capita income among countries of the world, illustrated by charts and graphs. These visual aids present a startling picture, with the richest countries grouped way above the poorest grouped together, and a largely empty space in between of a small number of countries. Russia and China are in the top level of the poor countries. Both Russia and China have about 20 percent GDP per capita of that of the United States. There are other poor countries, many very poor, below that. The rich countries are also graduated, with the poorest being Spain, with a GDP per capita at around 45 percent that of the United States. King uses the terminology of First World for the grouping of rich countries and Third World for the poor countries. In the U.S., the division is usually called between the global North and South. The graphs show over time the gap between the rich counties and the poor ones growing, not lessening. ….
FDIC Data Contradicts Fed Chair Powell: Shows Real Estate Problems Have Skyrocketed at Largest U.S. Banks, Not the Smaller Regionals On Sunday, February 4, the CBS program 60 Minutes aired a taped interview with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The actual interview had occurred three days earlier and was conducted by 60 Minutes interviewer Scott Pelley. Two noteworthy things happened in connection with that interview: First, CBS did not indicate above the transcript of the interview that Powell’s comments had been materially shortened in the program that aired on TV; secondly, Powell calls the real estate problem at the largest banks “manageable” while shifting the more serious real estate loan problem to “smaller and regional banks.” Below is what Powell had to say about problem real estate loans at U.S. banks in the 60 Minutes’ interview. The bracketed bold text is what is in the transcript but did not air in the broadcasted program on television. (Scroll to 8 minutes and 20 seconds at this link to listen to the relevant portion of the program that aired.)
World:
Education, 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