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During This Economic Crisis, Capitalism’s Three Point Political Program: 1. Austerity, 2. Scapegoating Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal Immigrants’ for Unemployment, and 3. The Iron Heel.
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 Who Profit From Austerity! Under Austerity, All of the World Will Eventually Be Pauperized, Humbled, and Desecrated Like Greece and Puerto Rico
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Greece Emerges from Economic Crisis with Increased Inequality Greece is “coming out of the crisis with a more polarized society, with an opened gap between the rich and the poor,” says economic scholar John Milios
Is Saudi Arabia Destroying Yemen to Plunder It? As Yemen enters a new era with the killing of longtime ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, professor and author Isa Blumi says financial motives help drive the Saudi-led war
U.S.:
We the Sheeple: the Blind Reading the Blind Shortly after the fall of Communism in the Soviet Union, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Colin Powell, made a candid confession to the Army Times, “I’m running out of demons, I’m running out of villains. I’m down to Castro and Kim Il Sung.” Amid the general bonhomie of the military interview, Powell nicely encapsulated a central truth of empire: it doesn’t want peace. Never did. Imperialism, the monopoly stage of capitalism, is based on conquest. Peace is little more than an aftermath in the imperialist vision. It is the dusty rubble-strewn silence that descends on Aleppo when the jihadists have been bussed out. It is the silent pollution of the Danube when the NATO jets have flown. It is the quiet that settles on the Libyan square once the slave auction has concluded. Peace is an interlude between the birth of avarice and the advent of aggression. Little else. by Jason Hirthler
President Trump’s Jerusalem decision risks uniting the entire Arab world against the US The recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital will make it easier for Tehran to call for all Muslims, Shia and Sunni, to stand together in defense of the Palestinians and the holy sites President Trump and the Israeli government will have foreseen and discounted a Palestinian “day of rage” and protests among Muslims everywhere in the wake of the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and plans to move its embassy there. They assume that this will all blow over because US allies such as the rulers of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt will be satisfied with pro-forma protests, and the Palestinians are too weak to do anything except demonstrate ineffectively. By Patrick Coockburn
Trump’s Jerusalem declaration: the real face of capitalism On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump declared that he would officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This reveals the real nature of the so-called peace talks. In a speech delivered at the White House, Trump said, “I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. “While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering. My announcement today marks the beginning of a new approach to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.” By Hamid Alizadeh
Syrian City’s Survivors Describe Three Years of Siege Under the Islamic State Situated between the two former Islamic State capitals, Raqqa and Mosul, the city of Deir al-Zour, on the banks of the Euphrates River, was a flashpoint in the conflict, yet its residents were overlooked by all the warring parties. As a result, residents suffered at the hands of local war profiteers inside the city while also fending off attacks, infiltrations,and onslaughts from the Islamic State, which sought Deir al-Zour to consolidate its control over the surrounding area. By Nour Samaha
Environment:
The Burning Earth Bears Witness in California Watching the first ten minutes of the “Public” (Petroleum and/or Pentagon?) Broadcasting System (“P”BS)’s NewsHour two nights ago, I was overcome by a sense of the surreal. The first news item was the Insane Clown President’s (ICP) idiotic (if base-pleasing) announcement that the U.S. embassy in Israel will at some point be moved from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. NewsHour host and Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) member Judy Woodruff announced a special segment on this story later in the broadcast. by Paul Street
Ongoing Big Energy Crisis:
Civil Rights/ Black Liberation:
How Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton Contributed to Libya’s Slavery Crisis “The Obama administration bombed Libya into oblivion while using racist and terrorist rebel groups to do their dirty deeds on the ground.” Understandably, it is emotionally painful to witness so many African brothers and sisters being brutally beaten and sold into slavery within present-day Libya. This is yet another important moment for solidarity, Pan-Africanism, Internationalism and general Humanitarianism to be invoked to halt this brutality and saving countless lives. It is also important to note that this tragedy could have been avoided. By Solomon Comissiong
Labor:
Trump Wants You to Tip Restaurant Owners, Not Servers If the Trump administration has its way, the tip you leave your waiter or waitress could end up in the pocket of the restaurant owner instead of the person who served you. This week, Trump’s Labor Department proposed rescinding an Obama-era rule that made the logical point that tips are the property of the servers and cannot be taken by the restaurant owner. The administration’s proposal would allow restaurant owners who pay their wait staff as little as $7.25 per hour to collect all the tips left by patrons and do whatever they want with them—regardless of what diners intended. Restaurant owners could even keep all the tips for themselves, without telling diners. Coming on the heels of the massive tax bills recently passed by the House and Senate, this “reverse Robin Hood” scheme—which will take money out of the pockets of low-wage workers and give it to business owners–is just one more example of “trickle-down” economic policy masquerading as pro-worker reform.By Sharon Block and Christine Owens
Economy:
The Shadow Government Statistics Alternate Unemployment Rate for November 2017 is 21.7%. The seasonally-adjusted SGS Alternate Unemployment Rate reflects current unemployment reporting methodology adjusted for SGS-estimated long-term discouraged workers, who were defined out of official existence in 1994. That estimate is added to the BLS estimate of U-6 unemployment, which includes short-term discouraged workers. The U-3 unemployment rate is the monthly headline number. The U-6 unemployment rate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) broadest unemployment measure, including short-term discouraged and other marginally-attached workers as well as those forced to work part-time because they cannot find full-time employment.
Can You Trust this Stock Market? Warning Signs Grow. Some of the same warning signs that emerged before the 1929 to 1933 market crash, the tech mania crash of 2000, and the epic Wall Street meltdown of 2008 are flashing red. If you have significant amounts of your 401(k) invested in equity mutual funds (that is, those invested in stocks), it’s time to take an objective appraisal of today’s market versus historic benchmarks. By Pam Martens and Russ Martens
Dodd-Frank Rollback Bill: “It’s Christmas for the C-Suite and Crumbs for the Cratchits”Just when you thought the bills coming out of this Congress could not get any more repugnant in their giveaways to the richest Americans, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee proved otherwise yesterday.The hearing to approve Senate Bill S.2155 was so tainted with doublespeak and preposterous assertions that it would beef up consumer protections, while actually slashing them to shreds, that the video of the hearing has just up and disappeared. As of 8:00 a.m. this morning, it’s not on the Senate Banking Committee website. All that we could locate to review what actually went down in this sellout-to-the-rich session was an audio recording at C-SPAN. Curiously, however, there are numerous breaks in this audio where the speaker’s comments are cut off. Typically, these occur when a Democrat is challenging some provision in the bill. C-SPAN notes that the audio “was produced by the U.S. Congress.” By Pam Martens and Russ Martens
World:
Britain: “We are a threat” – Corbyn responds to the bankers Investment banking giant Morgan Stanley recently published a report that warned its clients about the possibility of a general election in 2018 and – in turn – of a Corbyn-led Labour victory. Such an outcome, the bankers described, would be a “worse threat to business than Brexit”. Whilst the ruling class has been drumming up fear and hysteria about Corbyn from day one, this latest statement (unlike many previous attempts) isn’t a complete fabrication. It reflects a real and genuine concern of the capitalists. Corbyn’s response to the Morgan Stanley statement was honest, bold, and inspiring. “When they say we’re a threat, they’re right,” Corbyn asserted in a video on social media made especially in response to the financial firm. “We’re a threat to a damaging and failed system that’s rigged for the few.”
Perpetual World World War Fare and Class War — Where the U.S. isn’t Currently Bombing It is Opening the Door for the Slave and Body Parts Trade:
Health, Science, Education, and Welfare:
