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Over a Hundred Years Ago. Rosa Luxemburg Raised the Slogan: Socialism or Barbarism! The Slogan for 2021 is Ecosocialism or Ecocide!!!!
Images of the Day:
Kshama SawantAnother Example of Capitalism as a Failed System: World Capilalism Was Aware of the Danger of Cornovavirus Threat Over 5 Years 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 future of Humanity Is Now At stake!The future of Humanity Is Now At stake! 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”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:
“The Declouets are adamant that destruction in Ironton was unnecessary — and they are not alone. Everyone in Ironton I spoke to believes that if the government had built adequate levees to protect them, which they have been fighting for since Hurricane Katrina, the catastrophic flooding in Ironton and Pointe à la Hache, another mostly Black community just south of Ironton, would have been prevented.” — Sandra Steingrabber, re: 10 Days After Hurricane Ida, Historic Black Louisiana Town Contends With Scattered Coffins As Floodwaters Drain from the Streets
Videos of the Day:
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 Reublicrats, who profit from war and the war budget, voted 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! Every ‘Tax. Reform’ From President Kennedy has Been an incrase in taxes from the Poor,the Woking Class, and the Middle Class, to the Rich! —The United States takes from the poor and gives to the Rich. Tax the Rich! — They Can Afford To Pay!
Up to Half of Pentagon Spending Since 9/11 Has Gone to War Profiteers Up to half of the estimated $14 trillion that the Pentagon has spent in the two decades since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan has gone to private military contractors, with corporate behemoths such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, and General Dynamics hoovering up much of the money. That’s according to a new paper (pdf) authored by William Hartung — director of the Arms and Security Program at the Center for International Policy — and released Monday by Brown University’s Costs of War Project.
No Accountability For War On Terror Atrocities Journalists Rozina Ali and Murtaza Hussain discuss the domestic and foreign policy legacy of the last 20 years. The war on terror has killed nearly 1 million people and cost more than $8 trillion, according to a report by Brown University’s Costs of War Project. This week on Intercepted: Journalists Murtaza Hussain and Rozina Ali break down how the 9/11 attacks reshaped U.S. foreign and domestic policies. In the last two decades, the U.S. launched two wars, leading to millions dead and wounded. There was also a rise in unmanned drones killing innocent civilians, the use of widespread domestic and international surveillance, innocent people imprisoned, and perpetual human rights abuses and war crimes. And recently, there was a turning point in the war in Afghanistan, with the Taliban retaking the country. Hussain and Ali walk through the systematic failures across institutions — whether it be the government, military leadership, or the press — and the lack of accountability.The Guantánamo Bay Internment Camp Is an Unresolved Vestige of the American Occupation of Afghanistan The 20-year Conflict Will Not Be Fully Resolved Until the Issue of Prisoners of War Has Been Justly Settled. As the u.s.-led occupation of Afghanistan draws to a close, it is mya hope that fair-minded people will begin to reexamine the history of this long and bloody conflict. There are two especially prominent episodes from the opening stage of the war that deserve renewed attention due to their historical significance as well as their direct relationship to the unresolved issue of the Guantánamo Bay internment camp. During the final week of November 2001, a total of around 5,000 unarmed Taliban prisoners of war were massacred in two closely related incidents near Mazar-e-Sharif. Several dozen survivors were among the earliest detainees sent to Guantánamo Bay. These massacres received widespread media coverage at the time but elicited minimal sympathy from an American public still deeply shaken by September 11. Reporter Robert Young Pelton spoke for many Americans when he said, “We could have wiped out every Talib on earth and no one would have cared.”Environment: Climate Change Is the Symptom, Capitalism Is the Problem Our planet cannot handle an eternal growth model. We live in a finite system and capitalist innovation can only take us so far. Eventually we run out of resources. Climate appears to be the limit. Climate Inaction Has Left Majority of Young People Believing Humanity Is ‘Doomed’ International survey reveals ‘shocking’ rise of eco-anxiety and hopelessness. “If this isn’t a wake up call for world leaders, what is?” International survey reveals ‘shocking’ rise of eco-anxiety and hopelessness. “If this isn’t a wake up call for world leaders, what is?” Amidst a sharp increase in deadly wildfires and flooding, increasingly violent storms, and extreme heat, new research published Tuesday found that refusal by governments to act on the climate emergency is causing a widespread sense of hopelessness and eco-anxiety in teenagers and young adults worldwide.
2,180+ Scientists Worldwide Demand ‘Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty’ “Every fraction of a degree of warming is doing us harm,” said one of the open letter’s signatories. “This means that every day we delay cessation of fossil fuel burning, we come closer to catastrophe.”Environmental Racism Exposed tn the Aftermath of Hurricane Ida: 10 Days After Hurricane Ida, Historic Black Louisiana Town Contends With Scattered Coffins As Floodwaters Drain from the Streets Ironton residents blame environmental racism for Hurricane Ida’s catastrophic damage to their historic Black community. Ten days after Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana as a Category 4 storm, Wilkie Declouet, a former law enforcement officer, and lifelong resident of Ironton, posted photos to social media of coffins and tombs scattered around his neighborhood. Black Liberation/Civil Rights:
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist 20 Years of Post-9/11 AmnesiaMemories of the last 20 years are rarely focused on increased state violence and repression in the post-9/11 world. The damage has largely been forgotten.
Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor Austerity and Mass Murder: An American PastimeThe race to the bottom is an imperative of austerity, which is foundational to the history of state violence in the U.S.
Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist Durban and 9/11: The Implications for a New Politics of Resistance Another twenty-year anniversary is the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) that took place in Durban, South Africa between August 31, and September 8. The George W U.S. wars in foreign countries always comes home.
Editors, The Black Agenda Review ESSAY: Racial Prejudice in Cuba Contemporary conversations about racism in Cuba appear to have forgotten what it was like for Africans on the island republic before the Revolution.
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence For My Friend Keasley (Autumn and E-Crew, 25/22) In my mind—and sometimes sub-vocally—I say his name almost every day.
Don Rojas Historic Africa/CARICOM Summit African and Caribbean heads of government held an historic virtual meeting to strengthen international partnerships and gain true independence from neo-colonial control.
Alan MacLeod Manufacturing Dissent : US Imperialism and the Uses of Racism Against Cuba In Washington’s eyes, the point of funding Black, indigenous, LGBT or other minority groups in enemy countries is not simply to promote tension
Vijay Prashad Rwanda’s Military is the French Proxy on African Soil Over July and August Rwandan soldiers were deployed in Mozambique, purportedly to fight ISIS terrorists.
Erica Caines The Limits of “Lived Experience” The mantra of “lived experience” can be a dangerous cover for reactionary politics.
Labor:
Wages Have not Kept up With Coasts of Living!
The Latest Outrage Over Fed Presidents Trading Stocks Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg Last Tuesday, Mike Derby reported at the Wall Street Journal that the President of the Dallas Fed, Robert Kaplan, had “made multiple million-dollar-plus stock trades in 2020, according to a financial disclosure form provided by his bank.” The individual stocks included shares of Apple, Alphabet (Google), Alibaba, Amazon, Chevron, Delta Airlines, Facebook, General Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Oracle, Tesla and numerous others. Kaplan previously spent more than two decades at Goldman Sachs, one of the largest trading houses on Wall Street, and, apparently, he thinks he still works there. Think about this for a moment. While Fed Chair Jerome Powell is repeatedly testifying to Congress last year that its every monetary move during the pandemic was on behalf of the average American, the Dallas Fed President is making million-dollar bets on big tech stocks the Justice Department is investigating for anti-trust activity. In fact, in October of last year, the Justice Department and 11 state attorneys general sued Google for anti-trust actions.
World:
China and Common Prosperity “ The professed aim of Common Prosperity is to ‘regulate excessively high incomes’ in order to ensure “common prosperity for all”. And it is well known that China has a very high level of inequality of income. Its gini index of income inequality is high by world standards although it has fallen back in recent years.” Back in May the Chinese government set up a special zone to implement ‘common prosperity’ in Zhejiang province, which also happens to be the location of the headquarters of several prominent internet corporations– Alibaba among them. And last month, China’s President Xi Jinping announced plans to spread “common prosperity”, heralding a tough crackdown on wealthy elites – including China’s burgeoning group of technology billionaires. At its August meeting, the Central Finance and Economics Committee, chaired by Xi, confirmed that “Common Prosperity” was “an essential requirement of socialism” and should go together with high quality growth. Over the past fortnight, the tax administration pledged to crack down on tax dodgers and fined Zheng Shuang, one of the country’s most popular actresses, $46m for tax evasion. The Supreme Court declared the 72-hour work weeks common at many private-sector companies to be illegal. And the housing ministry said on Tuesday that it would cap annual residential rent increases at five per cent. And a new layer of officials has been arrested for corruption.
Brazil: Competing Protests On 7 September – Where Next in the Fight Against Bolsonaro? On 7 September, competing demonstrations were held in Brazil, both for and against the Bolsonaro government. We publish two reports from our Brazilian comrades about these protests and what they indicate about the political situation in the country. On the one hand, Bolsonaro’s strength has diminished, and he lacks the confidence of the main part of the bourgeoisie. However, he retains the loyal support of his hardcore base. On the other hand, the diminished scale of the Fora Bolsonaro protests evidence a crisis of reformism, with the left leaders directing all their energies towards the 2022 elections rather than leading the workers in a concerted fight to immediately topple the regime. Only the workers and youth, united in struggle, can bring Bolsonaro down and begin the task of building a socialist alternative that will meaningfully improve their lives. Bolsonaro Out!Norway: Decisive Defeat For Conservatives – Labour Stands at the Crossroads On 13 September, Norway held its parliamentary elections. These elections came at a very significant period in Norwegian politics: They are the first elections since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year. The pandemic revealed the contradictions hidden under the surface. Despite the image that Norway has among the international left as a bastion of socialism, the last decade in Norwegian politics has been marked by increasing cuts, austerity, and privatizations. There are more billionaires than at any point in Norwegian history, and this group has continued to grow, even under the pandemic. Hospitals, kindergartens, welfare services, and so on have all faced fairly significant cuts and privatizations. The pandemic turned these cuts into open gashes and showed the extent to which the right-wing government has crippled the welfare state.
Education, Health, Science, 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!
The Public School Infrastructure Problem: Deteriorating Buildings and Deferred Maintenance The deterioration of public school buildings is more prevalent in large cities that, because of funding shortfalls, have deferred maintenance and require huge sums to bring their buildings up to acceptable standards. Cities such as New York will require approximately $680 million to address the problem of deferred maintenance for needed painting, roofing, and exterior brickwork or tuck-pointing. Jonathan Kozol (1991) has presented stark contrasts in the condition of school facilities and the overall system of school funding in the American public educational system, particularly urban versus suburban schools. To illustrate this point, a study of the public schools in Washington, D.C., indicated that only 10% of the 137 schools in the District of Columbia were in good condition and 75% were in poor condition (DC Voice Ready Schools Project 2007). In this article, the author presents two case studies that grew out of his professional experiences in facility planning and efforts to address the deteriorating condition of urban public school facilities.
The Results Over 50 Years of Differed Maintenance and Budget Cuts to Public Education Infrastructure: Dilapidated Buildings Increase Risk of COVID Transmission as School Year Begins When third-grade teacher Sarah Adkins returned to her classroom at Pennoyer Elementary School in Norridge, Illinois, in August, she knew that she would be facing a slew of challenges — none of them related to curriculum or student achievement. First, it would be hot in the building. Secondly, the water fountains would be inoperable because they’d been turned off to protect against possible lead poisoning, and many of the toilets and sinks in the bathrooms of the 70-year-old building would be broke
Big Pharma Secrets Revealed as Group Uncovers Portion of Pfizer Vaccine Recipe This leaked contract teaches the world more about how to make mRNA vaccines than anything done by rich countries so far.” While combing through a leaked contract published earlier this year by an Italian broadcaster, the U.S.-based consumer advocacy group Public Citizen identified a component of Pfizer-BioNTech’s secretive coronavirus vaccine recipe—a discovery that could help manufacturers around the world replicate the lifesaving shot. The document (pdf) analyzed by Public Citizen is an agreement that the European Commission reached with Pfizer and BioNTech last November to purchase 100 million doses of the companies’ mRNA vaccine, which was developed with the support of government funding and U.S. taxpayer-financed technology.”