Daily News Digest May 20, 2022
Humanity Will Not be Covid Free, Until the Vaccines, Like the Salk Polio Vaccine, are Free For the Whole World!
Images of the Day:
Another Example Capitalism as a Failed System: World Capilalism Ws 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!
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”, is Still True for Today’s World!
During This Economic Crisis, Capitalism’s Three-Point Political Program: 1.Austerity,2. Scapegoat Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal’ Immigrants for Unemployment, and 3. The Iron Heel! For Decades, Blacks Have Been Subjected to The Iron Heel! Currently, the US Capitalist Class is Divided Over When — Not If, to Apply It to Everyone!
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!
Videos of the Day:
‘I Wouldn’t Even Feed This To My DOG’: The Inhumane Reality of Prison Food
Quotes of the Day:
The ugly truth is that today’s third branch of government has needlessly, dangerously and rather ludicrously become a black-robed autocracy. Bear in mind that these nine individuals are enrobed for life, choose the cases they consider, make up their own rules of ethical conduct, operate almost entirely behind closed doors, can conspire to issue decrees — and the bare majority of only five of them can arbitrarily overrule presidents, congresses, states, other courts, voters… and your own personal life decisions. — Why Should We the People Respect a Court That Subverts the Will of the People?
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 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 th poor and gives to the Rich. Taxthe Rich! — They Can Afford to Pay!
Ahead of House Vote, Analysis Details How Big Oil Price Gouging Rewards Wall Street “Congress has a narrow window of opportunity to stop profiteering at the pump and secure a more stable, sustainable future for all. It’s time to act—before it’s too late.” As congressional lawmakers prepare to vote on a bill aimed at curbing Big Oil profiteering, an analysis published Wednesday by a trio of advocacy groups shows how fossil fuel companies “continue to generously reward their investors while consumers pay sky-high prices.”
Military Spending is not Green!: Is Super-Polluting Pentagon’s Climate Plan Just ‘Military-Grade Greenwash’? Wars, like the one Russia has unleashed on Ukraine, are extreme polluters, and while the army’s plan would significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, experts say it does not do nearly enough.“The Department of Defense, the entity that is the US war machine, is the largest institutional contributor to global warming on planet Earth,” said David Vine, a professor of political anthropology at American University in Washington DC. “And the military does not acknowledge that.
The US War Budget Is Failing Young People Congress should stand up for Generation Z—and those who come after. “America is at its best when we invest in the backbone of our Nation: the hardworking people in every community who make our Nation run,” states President Biden’s budget request. And yet the budget, released at the end of March, includes $813 billion dollars on weapons and war. While the country stares down a pandemic, massive educational debt, a stumbling economy, and urgently needed environmental reform, prioritizing fear-based military spending only speaks to the values of special interest groups—not everyday Americans, and especially not young people.
In Telling Slip, George W. Bush Condemns the ‘Unjustified and Brutal Invasion of Iraq’ “It’s hard to get past the nihilistic evil of killing hundreds of thousands, making millions into refugees, and turning it into stand-up to defuse the awkwardness of your hypocrisy,” responded one journalist. Former President George W. Bush on Wednesday inadvertently condemned “the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq” as he delivered remarks criticizing Russia’s assault on Ukraine.
Environment —Ecosocialism or Ecocied!:
Climate Change Indicators Set Records The most recent seven years are the seven warmest years on record. Four key climate change indicators – greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level rise, ocean heat and ocean acidification – set new records in 2021. The WMO State of the Global Climate in 2021 report confirms that the past seven years have been the warmest seven years on record. 2021 was “only” one of the seven warmest because of a La Niña event at the start and end of the year. This had a temporary cooling effect but did not reverse the overall trend of rising temperatures. The average global temperature in 2021 was about 1.11 (± 0.13) °C above the pre-industrial level.
Social Media Giants Get a Failing Grade on Climate Disinformation The first page of Menlo Park, California’s 2030 Climate Action Plan shows a map predicting which parts of the city will be underwater by the end of the century, flooded by the rising waters of San Francisco Bay. The famed headquarters of Facebook’s parent company Meta appears as an island, the roads leading to 1 Hacker Way erased by a sea of blue. Sea level rise is just one imminent threat for Silicon Valley. Concerns about the upcoming wildfire season are looming over California, with over 95 percent of the state experiencing severe or extreme drought. Climate scientists warn future years may bring wildfire smoke at levels the San Francisco Chronicle calls “practically unbearable.”
Critical Climate Indicators Broke Records in 2021, Says UN World Meteorological Organization says extreme weather wreaked heavy toll on human lives Critical global indicators of the climate crisis broke records in 2021, according to a UN report, from rising oceans to the levels of heat-trapping emissions in the atmosphere. The UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said these were clear signs of humanity’s impact on the planet, which was bringing long-lasting effects. Extreme weather, which the WMO called the day-to-day face of the climate emergency, wreaked a heavy toll on human lives and led to hundreds of billions of dollars in damages, the agency said.
Environmental Advocates Decry Plan to Dump Water From Fukushima Into the Pacific Despite outcry from local leaders and the Japanese public and warnings from environmental campaigners, Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday gave its approval for a plan to discharge contaminated water from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, a move critics say will pose a major threat to marine life.
Civil Rights/Black Liberation:
Black Feminism Insists That We Not Treat the Attack on “Roe” as Isolated Issue The plan to overturn “Roe” occurs in the context of a larger right-wing backlash that is both gendered and racialized. This latest threat to end the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision comes as yet another blow to women in general — and Black and poor women in particular, as well as trans and nonbinary abortion seekers. The recent leaked draft opinion indicating the conservative court plans to overturn Roe occurs in the context of a larger right-wing backlash that is gendered and racialized. It would be politically dangerous and sorely misguided to view Roe in isolation. Black feminist politics insist that we do the opposite. Black women have been the canaries in the coal mine on so many fronts. Low-income people — disproportionately women of color, and even more disproportionately Black women — in large numbers have experienced restricted access to abortion since the passage of the Hyde Amendment in 1976, which prevented the use of federal Medicaid funds for this important health procedure. The erosion of access and attacks on clinics in the south has further made it hard for some of the most vulnerable women to get abortions.
Black Agenda Report May 18, 2022
- Margaret Kimberley Liberals Drive State Censorship Liberals are the force behind censorship efforts. They defend the state and seek to silence anyone who questions its narratives.
- Ajamu Baraka The New White Supremacist Consensus Part Two: Shootings in Buffalo Solidify the Consensus
The latest mass shooter in Buffalo, New York was clearly a racist, and identified with Ukrainian and other neo-Nazis. But white supremacy has a stronger hold on European and U.S. society than is commonly acknowledged. The avowed racist is not the only problem. - Editors, Black Agenda Review REFLECTION: Choosing Ourselves: Black Women and Abortion, Beverly Smith, 1989 A 1989 talk by Black feminist Beverly Smith reminds us that for Black women, the right to abortion can be a woman’s right to life.
- Ann Garrison Contributing Editor Ann Garrison continues
Notes from Ethiopia, Part 4: The TPLF Destruction of Afar
her reporting from the Horn of Africa. She is once again in Ethiopia. - Raymond Nat Turner BAR’s poet in residence pays tribute to Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Camera and Pen
- John Parker Fact Finding Mission to Donbass John Parker is the Socialist Unity Party candidate for U.S. Senate in California on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket. Parker is on a fact-finding trip observing the U.S./NATO proxy war on Donbass and Russia.
- Roberto Sirvent BAR Book Forum: Nick Nesbitt’s Book, “The Price of Slavery” In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book. This week’s featured author is Nick Nesbitt . Nesbitt is Professor of French and Italian at Princeton University. His book is The Price of Slavery: Capitalism and Revolution in the Caribbean
- Black Alliance for Peace The Black Alliance for Peace Calls on Latin American and Caribbean Nations to Boycott the Summit of the Americas The failure of the U.S. to respect the sovereignty of nations in the region and its decision to exclude states from the Summit disqualifies it from being a credible host. The Black Alliance for Peace Haiti and the Americas Committee will provide analysis in their webinar“Defending Our Americas: Building Resistance to Imperialism and Militarism” on Wednesday, May 18 at 7pm ET.
- Safiya Charles “It Tears You Apart Mentally and Physically”: The Health Crisis Afflicting Black Farmers Farming is a stressful occupation. Black farmers face the additional burdens of racism, debt, and displacement.
- Bahman Azad Address to the VII International Seminar for Peace and the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases Corporate media and the US state depict Cuba as an isolated and friendless country. In fact, it is the site of many international gatheringsm where important messages on world affairs are delivered.
- Kim Ives Is the U.S. Covering Up its Role in Moïse’s Murder?
The judge presiding over the trial of an accused killer of Haitian president Jovenel Moise granted the DOJ request to classify certain evidence. The action points to a possible US connection with the killing. - Ali Abunimah German Police Attack Palestine Supporters on Nakba Day The city of Berlin, Germany banned pro-Palestinian protests on Nakba Day, May 15. But solidarity with Palestine could not be stopped.
- Brian Mier ‘Go back to the plantation’ – Curitiba, Brazil Moves to Impeach Black City Councilor The first impeachment process against a city councilor in the 329-year history of Curitiba – the Brazilian city that most cherishes its “European heritage” – is underway, and it has nothing to do with any crime. False charges lodged against Black councilor Renato Freitas are part of Brazil’s racist history.
- Peter Hogart How Global McCarthyism Shaped the World
Military coups are a CIA tool used to control the Global South and ensure U.S. hegemony in many parts of the world. - Jeremy Kuzmarov The Sun Never Sets: Why Is AFRICOM Expanding in Zambia? Why Is AFRICOM Expanding in Zambia? Because of Zambia’s Copper and to Thwart the Chinese.
Labor:
Economy:
Inflation, Interest Rates and Debt Inflation of the prices of goods and services is good or bad news depending on your relation to the means of production. For labour, with no ownership of the means of production and only making a living from selling its power to work, inflation is not good news, because it eats into real incomes by increasing the prices of necessaries.
Shadow Government Statitics Rate Alternate Inflation Charts The CPI chart on the home page reflects our estimate of inflation for today as if it were calculated the same way it was in 1990. The CPI on the Alternate Data Series tab here reflects the CPI as if it were calculated using the methodologies in place in 1980. In general terms, methodological shifts in government reporting have depressed reported inflation, moving the concept of the CPI away from being a measure of the cost of living needed to maintain a constant standard of living.
Fed Chair Powell Says “Markets Are Orderly” and “Functioning.” They’re Not. This past Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell sat for an interview with Wall Street Journal reporter Nick Timiraos as part of the newspaper’s “Future of Everything Festival.” During that interview, Powell told Timiraos that U.S. markets “are orderly, they’re functioning.” The precise exchange went as follows: (Watch it at 24:38 on YouTube video here.) Powell has a law degree, not an economics degree. Thus, his misdiagnosis that inflation would be transitory already makes his judgement suspect. To now suggest that the stock market is “orderly” and “functioning” in the face of a mountain of evidence to the contrary makes Powell look completely out-of-touch with reality.
World:
Political Crisis and the Struggle for the Constituent Assembly in Peru During the first months of Pedro Castillo’s government, his constant concessions to the oligarchic right have become ever clearer. The more Castillo yields, the more the attacks against him intensify. This situation has naturally resulted in discontent and disappointment among Castillo’s base of support. In order to reconcile with the parasitic bourgeoisie, he seems to have forgotten that it was his programme and campaign promises that brought him to the presidency, and not his personality.
Education, Health, 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 they 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 Heslthcare!