Recently, there has been a series of successful teachers strikes. A teachers strike, in a reality, is in a political fight with the Government of Chicago and the Democratic Party. Behind the scenes, this also a fight against their International Union’s policy of ‘partnership with the boss’ and ‘partnership’ with the Democratic Party.
A newly elected local leadership has been immerging, which understands that their struggle is a social struggle. (Teachers’ Movements Gain Community Support by Centering Social Justice)And this new leadership has been reaching out to the needs, of not just their membership, but a fight of the whole working class — of all workers and oppressed minorities to defend quality public education. The above photo demonstrates the mass response of the working class of Chicago. It also demonstrates the political power of the unions in the streets, when they fight for the interests of the entire working class!
The Capitalist Class (The 1%) fearing an educated Working Class (Most of the 99%), has been constantly attacking the gains made by the CIO for Public Education as part of the fight to end child labor.
In the final analysis, the teacher strikes can only be extended, by starting the formation of a working class party in opposition to the poliical parties the the 1%— the Republicrats!
Republicrates
The teacher union does not have great economic power, but it has the potential to build political and social power to defeat the ruling capitalist class. For they have the ability to contact and reach out to the entire working class through their daily connection to every working class and oppressed nationality students, throughout the nation!
Capitalism Does Not, and Never Has, Worked for the Masses! In Its Death Agony, Capitalism Is Traveling About The World, Under Their Austerity Program, Like The Four Horsemen of the The Apocalypse, Spreading War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. The very future of Humanity Is Now At stake!
If the Teachers Unions extend the current social education, to a political education of the whole working class, they have the potential to call for and build an Anti Austerity National Congress National Congress of the Whole Working Class to form a Working Class Party of all workers and oppresses minorities — the 99% majority!
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.
There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda or brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological methods. And this seems to be the final revolution”. – Aldous Huxley, The Ultimate Revolution
“Trump just doesn’t seem to get the idea that there is an island that is a commonwealth of the U.S., that their people are American citizens, and that he should take action to help them in their time of need. Mayor Cruz speculated that he could be smarting from
the bankruptcy of his golf course on the island.”— John Funiciello, Irrational President to WithholdFurther Aid for Puerto Rico?
Trump Dumps Nearly 1M People From Food StampsTrump administration toughens work requirements for people struggling the most—and 48% are white men. Chuck Collins from IPS discusses the implications
‘Obscene’ Bipartisan Applause for NATO in CongressNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress fanning the fire of a ‘Russian threat.’ Peter Kuznick says it is an ‘obscene bipartisan spectacle applauding war’; Pietro Shakarian discusses the self-serving NATO expansion and the hyperbolic Russia threat narrative
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!
Mass Manufacturers of Slander and Lies The U.S. has nothing to offer Africa but guns, drones and an extended half-life for the neocolonial order. “Although Donald Trump has gotten a respite from Mueller, the orchestrated demonization of Russia, China, Venezuela, Syria and ‘socialism’ will remain.” Chastened by the long-awaited Mueller report — or at least what we’ve learned about the two-year probe into “Russiagate” from Attorney General William Barr — the U.S. corporate media have been forced to partially abandon their ludicrous claim of “collusion” between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Or maybe the hysteria-makers were finally exhausted by their marathon of lies. But the civil war within the U.S. ruling class will continue to simmer, because it is rooted in real contradictions — primarily, a fear that Trump cannot be depended on to keep up the momentum of President Obama’s global military offensive and thus disrupt the rise of China and its strategic ally, Russia. The Lords of Capital are painfully aware that U.S. imperialism has been drained of whatever “soft” power it once had in the world and left with only two cards to play: multi-theater, unremitting military aggression and full-spectrum weaponization of the dollar. By Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report Executive Editor
Irritating Facts About Korea that Many in the West Would Rather Not Know A huge amount of work in the US as well as in Korea, north and south, went into laying the groundwork for a successful summit in Hanoi, Vietnam at the end of February, but Trump recklessly threw it all away, apparently following the advice of the unelected Chief Advisor and Peace-Wrecking-Ball John Bolton. Possible reasons for the collapse of the summit that have been suggested include that Trump did not prep because he is lazy, that there wasn’t enough time for Korean or American officials to prepare, that the aDemocrats got in the way, and that the meaning of the phrase “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” was not clear. In The Economist we read, “Mr Trump and his aides seem to have concluded that walking away will do less harm to America’s security than showering North Korea with concessions without gaining much in return.” Well, what they call “showering North Korea with concessions” is what peace-loving Americans would call “ending the War and laying the groundwork for reconciliation.” By joseph Essertier
Collusion Hiding in Plain Sight Donald Trump’s suspected “collusion” with Russia in the 2016 elections has been extensively investigated. But almost nothing has been said about his, and Congress members’, open collusion with another nation, Israel, whose pervasive impact on US elections and US policy takes place in plain sight. Despite courageous critiques by Rep Omar and others, few candidates for Congress or members of Congress, including its top leaders, are willing to risk challenging US policy toward Israel or the impact of its American lobbying arm, AIPAC. By Doug Nobel
The U.S.’ Refusal of Entry to Arnold August Is a Dangerous Precedent for All Activists On March 16, 2019, more than 1000 activists from across the U.S. gathered in Washington, DC for the “U.S Hands Off Venezuela!” demonstration. However, Canadian journalist Arnold August was not one of them – earlier in the day he was unjustly denied entry into the United States at U.S. Customs and Immigration in the Montreal Airport. As August explained in a video posted on social media, after asking the U.S. border officials multiple times the reason for his denial of entry, he was told that he was denied entry due to previous arrests in Canada. This was in reference to his arrests at antiwar and labour protests in the 1970’s. By Alison Bodine
Arctic Permafrost No Longer Freezes … Even in WinterGlobal warming is starting to hit hard like there’s no tomorrow, and at current rates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, there may not be a tomorrow, as emissions continue setting new records year-by-year, expected to hit a 62-year record in 2019. So much for the Paris 2015 climate agreement! The most sensitive areas to global warming, (1) the Arctic (almost all of its multi-year ice, or old ice, is gone- already melted), and (2) East Antarctica, the coldest spot in the planet… strangely melting, and (3) Siberian ground that “no longer freezes in winter” are three occurrences that should keep world leaders up late into the night, blankly staring at the ceiling. By Robert Hunziker
A Rare Win for Water Quality Montana’s environment isn’t getting much help from the legislature, but thanks to a lawsuit filed by the Upper Missouri Waterkeeper group, the state is going to have to re-do its 20 year variance on acceptable discharge levels for the nutrients/pollutants nitrogen and phosphorus. Make no mistake, this is a definite win for Montana’s water quality at a time when our rivers and lakes are showing clear signs of stress from too many nutrients.George Ochenski
Why All the Uproar Over the Green New Deal? Same ol’ same ol’ battle: The more things change, the more they stay the same On August 21, 2009, The Wall Street Journal reported that “…many scientists say deep emissions cuts are necessary … to prevent … dangerous consequences of global warming,” and also reported that, “Getting from here to there would require a massive economic shift.” There’s likely been no better summary of the Green New Deal’s basic rationale. By Lance Olsen
Civil Rights/Black Liberation:
Labor:
‘Cheat Working Americans, You’ll Go to Jail’: Warren Unveils Bill to Punish Criminal CEOs“For far too long, CEOs of giant corporations that break the law have been able to walk away, while consumers who are harmed are left picking up the pieces.” “Corporations don’t make decisions, people do, but for far too long, CEOs of giant corporations that break the law have been able to walk away, while consumers who are harmed are left picking up the pieces,” the 2020 Democratic presidential contender said in a statement. By Jake Johnson
Economy:
Yesterday’s New Digest contained an article No risk Banking: Crony Capitalism at the Bank! They are “Getting their money, for nothing, and, their profits, for Free!”: Why Is the Fed Paying So Much Interest to Banks?Which shows profit making through usury, without creating new value. The article below demonstrates what the 50 differed maintenance policy, of capitalism, to bank their profits rather than to fix America’s infratsture that will take 80 years to repair, if they their differed maintenance policy.
47,052 of America’s 616,087 bridges are rated “structurally deficient” and need urgent repairs
The pace of repair in 2018 slowed compared to previous years—with only a 1 percent net reduction of deficient structures.
Americans cross these deficient bridges 178 million times a day.
Average age of a structurally deficient bridge is 62 years, compared to 40 years for non-deficient bridges.
235,020 (38 percent) of U.S. bridges have identified repair needs.
18,842 (1 in 3) Interstate highway bridges have identified repair needs.
There are 47,052 bridges classified as structurally deficient and considered to be in poor condition, accord- ing to a new ARTBA analysis of the recently released U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2018 National Bridge Inventory (NBI) database. If placed end-to-end, they would stretch nearly 1,100 miles—the distance between Chicago and Houston. Cars, trucks and school buses cross these 47,052 compromised structures 178 million times every day, the data show. Although the number of struc turally deficient bridges is down compared to 2017, the pace of improvement has slowed com- pared to the last five years. At this rate, it would take over 80 years to make the significant repairs needed on these structures. Although the number of structurally deficient bridges is down compared to 2017, the pace of improvement has slowed com- pared to the last five years. At this rate, it would take over 80 years to make the significant repairs needed on these structures.
Stealing Democracy in an Age of Kleptocrats There’s something in me that revolts against injustice and wrong. Like the genes that transmit our genetic inheritance, there are intellectual forces – call them Metis assets from the Greek goddess of intelligence Metis — that define us as human beings no less than the biological markers of skin color, height, etc.By Evaggelos Vallianatos
World:
Algeria: Bouteflika downed, now the the system must go! Algerians poured onto the streets in celebration yesterday night, after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced his resignation. This comes after one-and-a-half months of mass protests against his rule. But this alone will not solve anything, and the masses are now calling for the downfall of the whole regime.”This decision, which I take in my soul and conscience, is destined to contribute to the appeasement of the hearts and minds of my compatriots, to allow them to take Algeria towards a better future to which they legitimately aspire (…)” By Hamid Alizadeh
Arreaza Meets Syria’s Assad, Says Venezuelan Right Promotes ‘Violence, Death’ Since its defeat at the National Constituent Assembly election, the Venezuelan right has been organizing violent street acts as a substitute for its lack of popular support, the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister said from Damascus. During a two-day visit to Syria, Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza said Thursday that Juan Guaido’s political party has been promoting violence and death in the Latin American country. At a press conference held in Damascus, the Venezuelan Minister assured that the opposition politician and self-proclaimed “interim president” Juan Guaido belongs to the “most extreme sector of the Venezuelan right”. His party, Voluntad Popular, “has encouraged violence and death” on the streets of Venezuela, Arreaza said.
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!
As Drake University Law Professor, Vinay Harpalani, told me in a recent conversation with me on the topic of education: “As practiced in America today, meritocracy is largely hypocrisy. This hypocrisy is a product of elitism itself: the need to create very stark status differences. We need to think very critically about our notions not only meritocracy, but also of equal opportunity. Perhaps the most effective way to create equal opportunity is to address America’s obsession with status – an obsession which actually values inequality and justifies it under the guise of meritocracy and equal opportunity.”— David A. Love,U.S. Higher Education: A System of Meritocracy That Never Was
Massachusetts: Citizens for Public Schools Calls on State to Stop Bullying Parents Who Want to Opt Out of TestsCitizens for Public Schools issued a statement today calling on the state to stop lying about parents’ right to opt out of state testing: For immediate release, April 3, 2019 Contact: Lisa Guisbond, Executive Director 617-959-2371 (cell) Citizens for Public Schools Calls on MA DESE to Remove Misleading Information on MCAS Participation Immediately With MCAS testing season upon us, Citizens for Public Schools calls on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to immediately delete misinformation on its web site and provide clear, consistent and accurate information to parents who choose to refuse testing for their children and to school officials charged with administering the test. By Diane Ravitch
Quotes of the Day:
