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During This Economic Crisis, Capitalism’s Three Point Political Program: Austerity, Scapegoat Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal’ Immigrants for Unemployment, and 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 1% Who Profit From Austerity! Under Austerity, All of the World Will Eventually Be Pauperized, Humbled, and Desecrated Like Greece and Puerto Rico.
Images of the Day:
Quotes of the Day:
“The single most powerful person on the planet mocking some of the most vulnerable people on the planet.” — “This stuff always plays in the press like bad manners or a confounding lapse of presidential decorum but he’s the actual literal boss of the actual literal goons hunting people down and throwing them into prison camps right now.” —Tom Scocca —‘Sickening’: Trump Mocks Asylum-Seekers Fleeing Violence at Michigan Rally
What a farce and distraction this whole exercise turned out to be! Mueller’s assigned subject was Trump. So, does this prosecutor demand to interview Trump, to subpoena Trump? No. Does this special investigator conclude with any legal recommendations at all? No. He just wants to be forgotten as he slinks away into deliberate silence (unless he is made to testify before the House Judiciary Committee). Really, what should we have expected from someone who, as FBI Director, testified before Congress as part of the Bush/Cheney regime, pushing for the criminal invasion of Iraq in 2003? . . . Enough of lying Trump’s slimy bigotry and his snarling, hateful, bullying speech always directed at the powerless. Enough of his destructive impact on millions of children imitating his coarseness toward siblings and parents who, when admonished, blurt out that the President says this and does that. That daily acidic intrusion into family life—a cultural time bomb—has yet to properly interest the media. Cheating Donald J. Trump has gotten away with everything in his failed businesses and his Electoral College-caused Presidency. In so doing, he has taught us much about ourselves, how much we tolerate with chronic indifference to the flaying of the rule of law, and the principles of decency, helpfulness, peace, and justice. He has taught us about the costs of not doing our political homework, of staying home civically and electorally. He has taught us that if we do not look ourselves into the mirror, the three horsemen of fascism, lawless plutocracy, and oligarchy will run our beloved country into the ground, if not over the fiscal cliff. — Ralph Nader: Americans Should Be Demanding Trump’s Resignation
Enough of lying Trump’s slimy bigotry and his snarling, hateful, bullying speech always directed at the powerless. Enough of his destructive impact on millions of children imitating his coarseness toward siblings and parents who, when admonished, blurt out that the President says this and does that. That daily acidic intrusion into family life—a cultural time bomb—has yet to properly interest the media. Cheating Donald J. Trump has gotten away with everything in his failed businesses and his Electoral College-caused Presidency. In so doing, he has taught us much about ourselves, how much we tolerate with chronic indifference to the flaying of the rule of law, and the principles of decency, helpfulness, peace, and justice. He has taught us about the costs of not doing our political homework, of staying home civically and electorally. He has taught us that if we do not look ourselves into the mirror, the three horsemen of fascism, lawless plutocracy, and oligarchy will run our beloved country into the ground, if not over the fiscal cliff. — Robert Reich: The Real Trump Scandal Was Never Collusion
Videos of the Day:
U.S.:
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 Cuban Nationalization of US Property in 1960: the Historical and Global ContextIn moving toward at least partial implementation of Title III of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, the Trump administration has resurrected the issue of Cuban nationalization of U.S. properties in Cuba in 1960. . . . The Agrarian Reform Law was emitted by the (Cuban) Revolutionary Government on May 17, 1959. The Law set the maximum quantity of land per proprietor at 406 hectares. It recognized the constitutional right of the proprietors to compensation, and it put the value of the compensation at what owners had declared in tax reports. It established payment in the form of “Agrarian Reform Bonds,” which were to accumulate at an annual interest of no more than 4.5%, and they would be redeemable in twenty years. The Agrarian Reform Law struck at the heart of the economic relation between Cuba and the United States, and it defined the anti-neocolonial character of the Revolution. The U.S. government immediately launched an ideological campaign against the Cuban Revolutionary Government, invoking the phantom of communism. On March 17, 1960, the Eisenhower Administrated initiated the planning of a U.S.-backed military invasion carried out by Cuban counterrevolutionaries based in Miami. On July 2, 1960, the U.S. Congress authorized the President to amend the U.S.-Cuba sugar quota; and on July 6, President Dwight Eisenhower reduced the U.S. sugar purchase to 23% below the quota, seeking to provoke economic difficulties in Cuba. Following the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion of April 17, 1961, the U.S. government turned to an embargo on trade with Cuba and to support of terrorist activities on the island, supporting counterrevolutionary terrorist organizations based in Miami. The goal of U.S. policy was what we today call regime change, seeking to reestablish a government subordinate to U.S. interests, in accordance with the requirements of the neocolonial world order. By Charles Mckelvey
. . . If you go back to the record of the Constitutional Convention, which took place in 1787, almost immediately after the end of the war, you see that they are already moving in another direction. James Madison — who was the main framer, and one of the Founding Fathers who was most libertarian — makes it very clear that the new constitutional system must be designed so as to ensure that the government will, in his words, “protect the minority of the opulent against the majority” and bar the way to anything like agrarian reform. The determination was made that America could not allow functioning democracy, since people would use their political power to attack the wealth of the minority of the opulent. Therefore, Madison argues, the country should be placed in the hands of the wealthier set of men, as he put it. . . .
To this day, we have a government and state apparatus that is designed to “protect the minority of the opulent against the majority” — there is no Democracy! It has been endemic to this society to expand westward which included the genocide of the Native Americans.
The Supreme Cout has always been the deciders and admenders of the constitution.The Supreme Court is composed of Judges, who have proven their loyalty to the 1% , and therefore have been appointed by the President of the United States.
One should not have been suprised by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United Decision Holding: Political spending is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment, and the government may not keep corporations or unions from spending money to support or denounce individual candidates in elections. Thus, the Constitution became a codification of government of the 1%, by the 1%, and for the1%!
Pelosi and McConnell Are Inching Us Closer to Nuclear War When Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell teamed up to invite NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to address a joint session of Congress, they had every reason to expect the April 3 speech to be a big hit with U.S. media and political elites. The establishment is eager to affirm the sanctity of support for the transatlantic military alliance.Huge reverence for NATO is matched by how dangerous NATO has become. NATO’s continual expansion — all the way to Russia’s borders — has significantly increased the chances that the world’s two nuclear superpowers will get into direct military conflict. By Norman Solomon
Environment:
Portrait of a Planet on The Verge Of Climate Catastrophe
Britain: The banks and climate change: don’t divest – nationalise! British left-wing organisation Momentum has launched a national campaign calling on banks to divest from fossil fuel corporations. And the Labour Party has launched its own call for a Green New Deal. This highlights the need for public ownership of the monopolies. This weekend (30/31) Momentum will be organising over 40 protests outside branches of Barclays bank nationwide. They have launched this initiative to pressure Barclays to stop funding the fossil fuel industry. As they explain, “Rather than digging more coal mines, drilling more oil fields and building more pipelines, we need to radically transform our energy infrastructure and build a green economy for the many. By Dan Morley
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April 2017 executive order reversed Obama protections
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Green groups celebrate, justice department declines comment
European arliament votes to ban single-use plastics Vote by MEPs paves way for law to come into force by 2021 across EU buds, straws and stirrers as part of a sweeping law against plastic waste that despoils beaches and pollutes oceans. The vote by MEPs paves the way for a ban on single-use plastics to come into force by 2021 in all EU member states. The UK would have to follow the rules if it took part in and extended the Brexit transition period because of delays in finding a new arrangement with the EU. By Jennifer Rankin
Cavity two-thirds the size of Manhattan discovered under Antarctic glacier Disintegration of rapidly melting Thwaites ice mass could threaten coastal communities worldwide Scientists have discovered a giant cavity at the bottom of a disintegrating glacier in Antarctica, sparking concerns that the ice sheet is melting more rapidly than expected. Researchers working as part of a Nasa-led study found the cavern, which they said was 300 metres tall and two-thirds the size of Manhattan, at the bottom of the massive Thwaites glacier. By Lisa Cox
Australian researchers find huge lakes beneath largest east Antarctic glacier Scientists say research will help predict how glaciers’ melting will affect oceans Australian researchers have discovered huge underwater lakes beneath the largest glacier in East Antarctica. The lakes were detected by scientists setting off small explosives 2m below the surface of the Totten glacier and listening to the reflected sound.The Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist Dr Ben Galton-Fenzi said the research was critical to helping scientists predict how the melting of Antarctic glaciers would change the world’s oceans.East Antarctica glacial stronghold melting as seas warm The Totten glacier is 30km wide and up to two kilometres thick, and has the potential to raise sea levels by seven metres. By Lisa Cox
According to the U.S. Geological Survey3, if all of the ice caps melted, it is estimated that sea level could rise more than 80 meters or 262 feet. The potential catastrophic results of global warming and the threat to humanity’s future should become an immediate concern. Table 1. Estimated potential maximum sea-level rise from the total melting of present-day glaciers.
The Coldest Spot on Earth, Melting Global warming is a fact of life that haunts society with consequences that hit hard, exponentially, but where nobody lives. It is happening hyper fast, and it’s downright scary as major ecosystems of the planet turn upside down in nasty fashion. But none of the ecosystems has the punch of East Antarctica. Its clout is humongous with a couple hundred feet of fresh water contained in ice. When it rumbles, scientists pay attention.But none of the ecosystems has the punch of East Antarctica. Its clout is humongous with a couple hundred feet of fresh water contained in ice. When it rumbles, scientists pay attention By Robert Hunziker
Civil Rights/Black Liberation:
Environmental Justice and the Petrochemical Industry Environmental Justice is a movement to ensure that environmental risks and benefits, typically associated with industrial emissions, are spread fairly. The movement arose out of concerns that industrial pollution was heavily concentrated in poor communities and communities of color. These populations have higher rates of diseases that can be exacerbated by airborne pollution —like asthma and heart disease.
Labor:
From ‘Too Radical’ to Spreading Nationwide: Maryland Becomes 6th State to Pass $15 Minimum Wage“We’re not done. Next we will pass a national $15 minimum wage,” said Sen. Bernie SandersIn the latest major victory for the Fight for $15 movement, Maryland on Thursday became the sixth state to pass $15 minimum wage legislation after lawmakers overrode the veto of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. By Jake Johnson
Trump-Appointed Board Proposes Major Blow to Air and Rail UnionsA more general reason why anti-labor forces are eager to target these industries: their unionization percentages are higher than other sectors. Flight attendants played a crucial role in forcing an end to the government shutdown. Now the survival of their unions is being quietly threatened by Trump appointees on the National Mediation Board (NMB), an independent agency that was established in 1934 to resolve labor-management disputes in the airline and railroad industries.Michael Arria
Economy:
Is Wall Street Putting Lipstick on IPO Pigs (or Unicorns)? According to Bloomberg LLP data crunched by the Financial Times, there are more than 300 companies preparing to launch their first ever publicly traded shares known as an Initial Public Offering or IPO in the U.S.. Many of these companies have never seen a dime of profits — a harbinger of bad things to come for investors, if history is any guide. The IPO stampede seems more motivated by venture capitalists wanting to lock in profits, before another stock market meltdown, like that which occurred in December, than a sincere effort on the part of Wall Street investment banks to bring companies with solid prospects for survival to help boost American jobs and the U.S. economy. A unicorn is a private company valued at more than $1 billion and there will be a number. By Pam Martens
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Reporting-Quality Issues Mount With Shutdown Catch-Up Data
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Fourth-Quarter 2018 GDP Growth Slowed Sharply, With Further Downside Adjustments Pending in July 26th Benchmarking
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Industrial Production Benchmark Revision Patterns Suggested Still-Slower Fourth-Quarter and Near-Contraction First-Quarter Activity
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Contracting First- and Second-Quarter 2019 GDP Activity Likely Follows
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Housing Sector Remains In Deep Recession,
Despite Government-Shutdown Disrupted Headline Numbers
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S. Economy Continues to Weaken More Sharply and Quickly
Than Widely Acknowledged, Signaling a Formal Recession Triggered by Overly Aggressive FOMC Tightening and Rate Hikes of the Last Year or So
Reporting-Quality Issues Mount With Shutdown Catch-Up Data
-
Fourth-Quarter 2018 GDP Growth Slowed Sharply, With Further Downside Adjustments Pending in July 26th Benchmarking
-
Industrial Production Benchmark Revision Patterns Suggested Still-Slower Fourth-Quarter and Near-Contraction First-Quarter Activity
-
Contracting First- and Second-Quarter 2019 GDP Activity Likely Follows
-
Housing Sector Remains In Deep Recession,
Despite Government-Shutdown Disrupted Headline Numbers
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S. Economy Continues to Weaken More Sharply and Quickly Than Widely acknowledged, Signaling a Formal Recession Triggered by Overly Aggressive FOMC Tightening and Rate Hikes of the Last Year or So
World:
The Algerian Revolution: A new victory, a new step in the path to the final victory!The gang’s plan is to sacrifice the sick president and replace him with one of the pillars of the very same system. They aim to give the illusion of change so that nothing changes. This manoeuvre is worthy of all the contempt with which the masses received it on the streets. Even the liberals, reformers and many other symbols of the old regime tried to distance themselves from the proposal as it would be political suicide. But in spite of everything, this concession is a new partial victory achieved by the revolutionary movement. The ruling gang did not make this concession happily, or in response to the demands of the liberals in parliament and air-conditioned rooms, but were forced to do so out of fear of the popular movement in the streets and strikes in the workplace and universities. This alone is another great lesson, which will raise the confidence and consciousness of the masses. By Anas Rahimi
Wars for oil— Recent History Lesson —Oil Israel and the United States and Middle East Conflicts — It’s the Oil! — It’s always about the oil! I wonder who will getting the drilling rights?:
Pathological Deceit: The NYT Inverts Reality on Venezuela’s Cuban DoctorsVA’s Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz examine a recent New York times article about the role of Cuban doctors in Venezuela. After debunking Washington’s lies about the burning of “humanitarian aid” trucks on the Venezuelan/Colombian border (more than two weeks after being scooped by independent journalists), the New York Times quickly reverted to form in an article by Nicholas Casey headlined “‘It is Unspeakable’: How Maduro Used Cuban Doctors to Coerce Voters” (3/17/19). By Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz – FAIR
Health, 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 ‘govern’, pass universal healthcare for themselves, but they cannot spend even one trillion dollars for universal health for those who are ‘governed’! This is what is considered, by the powers the to be, a democracy and part of the democratic way. — Roland Sheppard, Let The People Vote on Healthcare!
How the Federal Government Undermines Prison Education Aron Kinzel Grew Up poor in Toledo, Ohio, and from an early age, he was pulled into a life of crime. He didn’t know his father, and his mother’s partners encouraged him to break into houses, sell drugs, and engage in various forms of violence. “I just grew up around a lot of bullshit,” he says. “I was really groomed to be a professional criminal.”. . . And he agrees that returning Pell Grant opportunities to incarcerated students is important. “You can see the change in people. That’s awesome to s
e. It’s more fulfilling than locking someone up — of course, we’re always going to need to lock some people up,” he said. “But what are we doing to prepare society for that individual to return?” It’s not as though people in prison don’t have any skills, he notes, but it’s a matter of trading those for more productive skills. “I’ve got other skills I can use: robbing, stealing, violence. So, if you don’t teach me new skills, I’m still going to survive. It’s just, what skills do you want me using?” Jordan Smith
Rhode Island: Under Pressure, Gov. Raimondo Will Donate Sackler MoneyThe Providence Journal published 20 articles about Governor Gina Raimondo and Sackler contributions to her campaign. It was only $12,500, nothing in the world of hedge fund managers, Raimondo’s former occupation. The publicity finally got to her, and she announced she was donating the money somewhere..Sackler owns Purdue Pharma, major manufacturer of OxyContin, the highly addictive opioid responsible for more than 200,000 deaths. There are more than 1,600 lawsuits against Purdue and the Sacklers, whose net worth exceeds $14 Billion. Sackler is a major funder of charter schools and charter advocacy groups, such as Achievement First, ConnCAN and 50CAN. By Diane Ravitch
Shadow Government Statistics Bullet Edition Number Five March 30, 2019