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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. Socialism Means True Democracy — The 99% Will Rule! — Not the Few!
Images of the Day:
Johnson’s Brexit Mess Now a “Constitutional Crisis” Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to undermine parliament and the Brexit process by temporarily suspending parliament, but now a court has ruled that the suspension is unlawful and a constitutional crisis unfolds, says Grace Blakeley
The Amazon Rainforest Fires are Pumping the Co2 Trees Normally Absorb Out Into The AtmosphereAccording to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, there have been around 100,000 wildfires in the entirety of the country so far this year—a 45 percent increase on the same period last year. More than half of these fires (around 53,000) have occurred in the Amazon biome—the highest number in this region since 2010. Fire in the Amazon is used as a technique to clear land, usually for agriculture—the biggest driver of deforestation in the Amazon, alongside mining and other forms of land-grabbing. Farmers and other groups cut down vegetation and then wait for the dry season to ignite the fires. In this sense, humans are the main cause of fire in the Amazon—although natural wildfires do sometimes occur.
“Flim Flam” Biofuels Company Wants to Buy the Largest East Coast Oil Refinery Two months after the explosion, Philadelphia Energy Solutions announced it was opening a formal process to sell the site to a new owner. Some area residents envision the facility, once the largest institutional polluter in the city, transforming into something which generates cleaner energy and creates green jobs. Enter SG Preston. The little-known company has pitched its proposal to convert the site into a biofuels refinery. It is run by a man one mayor has dubbed the “Flim Flam Man,” and the company has never actually opened such a facility. SG Preston has a history of seeking public money to finance projects, and in at least one case never paid back the cash and never opened the plant. Randy LeTang, the founder and CEO of SG Preston, had no energy industry background before incorporating the company in 2013.
Quotes of the Day:
[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals. In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion. — Albert Einstein, Why Socialism?
The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil. We see before us a huge community of producers the members of which are unceasingly striving to deprive each other of the fruits of their collective labor—not by force, but on the whole in faithful compliance with legally established rules. In this respect, it is important to realize that the means of production—that is to say, the entire productive capacity that is needed for producing consumer goods as well as additional capital goods—may legally be, and for the most part are, the private property of individuals.Albert Einstein, Why Socialism?
Over the years I have reported the findings of scientists, engineers, and architects that indicate that the official story is false. I had an open mind for two reasons. One is that having been an engineering student, I could tell the difference from a building falling down from asymmetrical structural damage and a building blowing up. The other is that having been involved in policy issues in Washington for a quarter century I knew that such a humiliating defeat suffered by the world’s only superpower at the hands of a few Muslim terrorists would have brought instant demands from the White House, Congress, and media for investigation into how every aspect of the American national security state failed simultaneously on one morning. Instead, the White House resisted the 9/11 families demands for an investigation for one year and never delivered a forensic investigation. Instead, the country was given a 9/11 Commission Report that was merely the government’s official story of what happened. No heads rolled. No one was fired or even reprimanded. To hold no one accountable for such a massive failure and humiliating defeat is not a believable response, if the official 9/11 story is true. It is much easier for government to deceive people in a democracy where people assume everything is above board than in a dictatorship where they know it is not. —Paul Craig Roberts, When Americans Fell for the 9/11 Deception They Lost Their Country
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 United States takes from the poor and gives to the Rich.
What Does Bolton’s Ouster Mean to Victims of US Imperial Aggression? John Bolton, the hired gun who specializes in warmongering for Republican presidents, has legions of soul mates among Russia-obsessed Democrats. “If Trump tries to make peace with some US ‘enemies’ this election season, he will be opposed by corporate Democrats and their media.” Donald Trump, the highly unpredictable white supremacist blowhard, has unceremoniously fired John Bolton, the totally predictable white supremacist ideologue who became national security advisor 17 months ago. Every sane person on the planet should be glad to see Bolton go. As libertarian Republican Sen. Rand Paul put it: “The threat of war worldwide goes down exponentially with John Bolton out of the White House. I think his advocacy for regime change around the world is a naïve worldview, and I think that the world will be a much better place with new advisers to the president.” By Glen Ford, BAR executive editor
‘Internment Camps for the Homeless’: Housing Advocates Horrified by Trump Push for ‘Crackdown’ on California Homelessness“Further efforts to criminalize or otherwise harm people experiencing homelessness are unconscionable.” Following reports that President Donald Trump is pushing for a “major crackdown” on homelessness in California that could include destroying existing encampments and moving homeless people into government-backed facilities, state lawmakers and progressive housing advocates said the administration’s proposed steps are cruel, politically motivated, and would do nothing to address the very real crisis Trump has exacerbated. By Jake Johnson
USA: John Bolton, or “another one bites the dust”The President added mysteriously: “I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning.” However, Mr Bolton, not to be left behind in the battle of the Tweetosphere, has given his own version of events, insisting that it was he who resigned, and not the President who resigned him. Well, you pays your money and you takes your choice. Either way, it is certain that the two men had one hell of a row last night. It would seem that matters came to a head over Donald Trump’s kind invitation for representatives of the Taliban to come to Washington to participate in (secret) talks over a peace deal in Afghanistan. Coming immediately after a bloody bombing in Kabul, in which, apart from numerous unfortunate Afghans, a US military man was killed, perhaps Donald’s timing was not the best. But that was hardly the reason for Bolton’s ire – or for his subsequent defenestration. By Alan Woods
The Bill of Rights Turns 230: What Do We Have to Show for It? Nothing Good “That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary. There wasn’t even any rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction. There wasn’t even an enemy you could put your finger on.” —Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale It’s been 230 years since James Madison drafted the Bill of Rights—the first ten amendments to the Constitution—as a means of protecting the people against government tyranny, and what do we have to show for it? Nothing good.In America today, the government does whatever it wants, freedom be damned. By John W. Whitehead
Is Killing Peasants Protecting America’s Interests?The war drags on. There is no end in sight. Peace negotiations are thwarted again. Republicans and Democrats alike appear in the press decrying the possibility of the enemy coming to talk peace and staying at Camp David. Personally, I was surprised by the Camp David aspect of the story only because I figured Trump might try and get the Taliban negotiators a floor or two in one of his hotels or resorts. Why go to Camp David if the family Trump can make a few bucks? If Trump properties are good enough for the Chinese and the US Air Force, why not the Taliban, too? By Ron Jacobs
Meet the Latest Predator to Join Trump’s Team For generations, our country has been Mother Nature’s steward, setting aside and protecting important expanses of public lands for posterity. But what if these lands and natural resources suddenly got a “steward” who was a predator, rather than a protector? Meet William Perry Pendley. For more than 40 years, he’s been a fringe political operative and lawyer for a network of loopy, anti-environmental extremists intent on helping corporate predators grab and plunder our national assets for their private profit. By Jim Hightower
Environment:
In the US, there is roughly an estimated one car for every person: each car having 4 tyres and these tyres wear out on average at between 3 to 4 years. A European Commission review reports that between 10-30% of the rubber from each tyre is lost as it wears out over its life and the tyres themselves are scrapped at the rate of an estimated 1.1 tyre, per person each year. This toxic, tyre waste inevitably ends up polluting our rivers, streams and lakes and, of course, also the air that we breathe. And air pollution is known to contribute to heart and lung problems and premature death, also asthma and various cancers particularly in high density traffic areas. Every year in the UK, particulate matter is blamed for an additional 10,000 deaths, due to heart and lung disease. However, even after a century of motor cars with rubber tyres, we are still unaware of the exact health hazards from lost tyre tread. The primary ingredient in tyre rubber is a synthetic polymer called styrene-butadiene and the rubber contains carbon black, and hazardous compounds of lead, sulphurand zinc. All of these constituents are highly dangerous if ingested and the smaller the particles of these organic and inorganic chemicals contained in the lost rubber tyre dust, the more deeply they can penetrate the lungs. The fact that over a million tonnes of tyre waste disappears into the environment every year and nobody knows exactly where, is a very frightening fact. — Where Is the One Million Tonnes of Toxic Tyre Dust and Particulates Discharged into the Environment Each Year in the US and Europe?0
The Flint Disaster is the United States “Chernobyl”!
The Local, City, State, and Federal Government Has Failed Millions of American Citizens by Denying Them Drinking Water and By Exposing Them to Lead and Covering Up the Deadly Legionnaires’ Disease in Flint Michigan. This Citizens of Been Denied Their Rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness By All of the Governments of the United States! Sice Flint, is surounded by fresh water, if is a problem that should have been easily fixed. But ciminal neglect, by these governments, has led to this crisis!
From May through October 2014, according to “Frontline”’s findings, 44 people died from pneumonia in Flint, up 57 percent from the 28 pneumonia deaths recorded during the same period in 2013, exceeding the historical average by a stark amount. Scenes like this show “Flint’s Deadly Water” to be rock-solid example of the caliber of thorough investigative journalism “Frontline” produces. In particularly the transparency displayed in scenes showing its reporting deserves attention for the way it soberly illuminates its fact-gathering methods as well as its findings. This is not a case of a documentary team patting itself on the back for doing their jobs. It’s an instance of independent, expert-verified data in a life-or-death situation that is still revealing the extent of its effects.. It’s not an exaggeration to call this is our version of “Chernobyl,” an ongoing health crisis and environmental disaster whose impact will be felt by the community hardest hit for years to come. — This Is Our “Chernobyl”: Frontline’s “Flint’s Deadly Water” Exposes Shocking Legionnaires’ Cri
Reuters finds 3,810 U.S. areas with lead poisoning double Flint’sSince last year, Reuters has obtained neighborhood-level blood lead testing results for 34 states and the District of Columbia. This data allows the public its first hyper-local look at communities where children tested positive for lead exposure in recent years. While the number of children with high lead levels has plummeted across the U.S. since lead paint and gasoline were phased out in the 1970s and 1980s, many communities remain exposed to the toxic heavy metal, the data show.
Flint’s Deadly Water: A Frontline documentary, drawing from a two-year investigation, uncovers the extent of a deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak during the Flint water crisis — and how officials failed to stop it.
The Courage of Saying No: Children, Rebellion and Greta Thunberg There is something to be said of wariness when it comes to revolutionary voices. As Albert Camus argued in that beautiful tract of illumination and contradiction, The Rebel, “All modern revolutions have ended in the reinforcement of the power of the state.” But he also argued that humankind were the only creatures refusing to be what they are, a permanent self-deluding bunch bound to cause various neuroses. The true rebel, then, is the one who says no, and can maintain credibility even as he risks becoming an ideologue, another dogmatist. By Binoy Kampmark
‘We Must Be Bolder Than Ever’: Labor Federation Representing 30 Million Workers Calls on All Unions to Join Global Climate Strike “We cannot let the vital idealism of this new generation be poisoned by cynicism and doubt. This is our last chance. They are our last chance. We must stand with them.” “Public Services International (PSI)—the global union federation of workers in public services—is calling on our affiliates and unions across the world to do all in our power to support the week of action on climate, including by taking strike action where possible,” Rosa Pavanelli, general secretary of PSI, wrote in an op-ed for Common Dreams on Thursday. “To build the political will needed to change the system, we must be bolder than ever.” By Jake Johnson s
Civil Rights/Black Liberation:
Sent to Me By Email: Mumia: Game Changing Evidence Found: A New Trial on the Horizon! Joe McGill and Ed Rendell, trial prosecutor and DA, respectively, manipulated evidence and framed Mumia Abu-Jamal for first degree murder in 1982. Six boxes of undisclosed case files labeled “Mumia Abu-Jamal” were found in a furniture closet last December by new DA Larry Krasner. Here is the exculpatory “Brady” evidence that was inside:
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A letter from a witness demanding his money.
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Memo after memo to and from Joe McGill tracking the open cases of another key witnessandwritten notes on original files, closely tracking the race of jurors.
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Now we know that for 37 years the District Attorney’s office actively lied. They scrubbed clean every single document production, during multiple appeals, for years. It is cliché and almost predictable: evidence “lost” in a storage closet for 37 years by evil absent-minded hoarders. . . . Noelle Hanrahan, P.I. Prison Radio www.prisonradio.org | info@prisonradio.org | 415-706-5222
Labor:
Economy:
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“Boosted” by Falling Gasoline Prices, August 2019 PPI Gained 0.1% in the Month, 1.8% Year-to-Year
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After Three Years of Gains, 2018 U.S. Real Median Household Income Was Stagnant
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Extreme Income Variance Held in Place, Which Tends to Lead Financial and Economic Crashes Headline 2018 Poverty Rate Declined August Labor Conditions Deteriorated Sharply, in Line With the Unfolding New Recession
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While Headline U.3 Unemployment Held at 3.7%, Broader U.6 and ShadowStats Unemployment Measures Jumped Sharply by 0.2% to 0.3%
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Headline August Payroll gain of 130,000 was 85,000 Net of Revision and Special Factors / Still, the Headline Year-to-Year Payroll Growth of 1.38% Was the Weakest Since Coming Out of the Great Recession
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Government-Shutdown Distorted And Delayed Data Have Begun To Surface; Reporting Delays Artificially Boosted The Headline BenchmarkedGDP
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Subsequent to the Initial Downside GDP Benchmark Revisions, the Shutdown-Delayed September 3rd Annual Benchmark Revisions to Construction Spending Showed Much Weaker Activity Second-Quarter 2018 to Date
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Also Not Yet Reflected in Any Headline Numbers Is the Preliminary, Massive Downside Payroll Employment Benchmark Revision of 501,000 (-501,000)
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Twenty-Percent of Headline Jobs Growth in the Year-Ended March 2019 Just Disappeared GDP and Current FOMC Economic Assumptions Are Overstated As a Result (see Flash Update No. 7)
World:
Jeremy Corbyn has promised to introduce the biggest ever extension to workers’ rights and create a ministry and government agency should he get into government. Announcing his envisaged shake-up of Whitehall departments at the TUC Congress in Brighton, the Labour leader pledged to “put power in the hands of workers” not the “born-to-rule establishment” by establishing a ministry for employment rights and a workers’ protection agency if he secures a Labour majority. A new secretary of state for employment rights would ensure “the voice of working people will be heard at the cabinet table, exactly as it should be”, he said. The workers’ protection agency embedded within the new ministry would enforce rights, standards and protections. It would also give powers to inspect workplaces and bring prosecutions and civil proceedings on behalf of workers. Under the plans, all workers over 16 would be entitled to a statutory “real living wage” of £10 per hour by 2020, while a new civil enforcement system would be established to ensure gender pay commitments were upheld. The Labour leader said: “We have witnessed a deliberate, decades-long transfer of power away from working people. The consequences are stark for all workers, whether members of a trade union or not. Pay is lower than it was a decade ago in real terms.” He told delegates too many employers were flouting existing laws and failing to pay the minimum wage. “We will put a stop to that. We will create a workers’ protection agency with real teeth, including the power to enter workplaces and bring prosecutions on workers’ behalf,” he said. Other changes to workers’ rights would include a ban on unpaid internships and zero-hours contracts, he said.Sectoral collective bargaining would be introduced by establishing a councils of worker and employer representatives to negotiate agreements with minimum terms, conditions and standards for the whole of a particular sector. — Jeremy Corbyn Pledges Biggest Ever Extension of Workers’ Rights
Jeremy Corbyn pledges biggest ever extension of workers’ rightsJeremy Corbyn has claimed a no-deal Brexit would strip away workers’ rights, with the costs borne by working people rather than Boris Johnson and his ‘wealthy friends’. At the TUC conference in Brighton, Corbyn accused Johnson of ‘hijacking’ the 2016 referendum result to the benefit of the rich, and confirmed that Labour would campaign in any future election for a second vote with credible options for leave and remain.
Bojo Johnson’s Magic Carpet Ride Wearing Nigel Farage’s ClothesBoris Johnson (“BoJo”) has been a chancer all his adult life. A privileged upbringing has given him a sense of entitlement and an accompanying carapace of invulnerability– a combination which allows him to take risks without forethought as to their likely outcomes. After all, as his nanny did when he was very young, there will always be someone around him to pick-up the pieces. By Kenneth Surin
Parliament shut down – now let’s build for an election With parliament shut for five weeks, the establishment is preparing a ‘unity government’ to undermine Corbyn. This cannot be allowed to succeed. Labour must force a general election when parliament returns. We must start campaigning now. Parliament has now been shut down for five weeks by an unelected Prime Minister and a hereditary monarch. This scandalous state of affairs is perfectly legal under the constitution. This is what British parliamentary ‘democracy’ looks like. Johnson has bought himself some room for manoeuvre. Already he looks like he might be backtracking and considering putting a border with the EU in the Irish sea, now that he longer needs the DUP to prop up his government. The ruling class will use this time to plot how to regain control over Parliament and the government. Corbyn and Labour must also use this time wisely. We should spend the next five weeks on an election footing, ready to trigger one as soon as parliament returns.
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!
Videos of the Day:
Shadow Government Staistics Daily Update(September 11th to 12th)