Daily News Digest August 9, 2022
Images of the Day:
Unending Pauperizatio of the Working Class!
Another Example Capitalism as a Failed System: World Capilalism Has Been Aware of the Comming Catastrophe of Global for Over 5 Decades 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!
Quotes of the Day:
This discovery of the fate of millions who, through no fault of their own, had to endure a lifetime of suffering merely because of their color or creed, is a shocking revelation that remains with these children for the rest of their lives. — The Danger of Empathy
While the extent of China’s withdrawal from climate discussions is still not clear, the move threatens to derail the often fragile cooperation between the world’s two largest carbon emitters, with only a few months to go before the crucial UN Cop27 in Egypt this autumn. Experts say there is little hope of avoiding disastrous global heating without strong action by the US and China, which are together responsible for about 40% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. — What Does the US-China Row Mean For Climate Change?
The climate disaster is here, with temperatures soaring across Europe, the US and much of the northern hemisphere – and scorching summers becoming the norm. As scientific predictions become reality, the emergency is becoming palpable, indisputable and widespread, with dramatic weather events reported with an ever-increasing frequency. Such patterns have disastrous, far-reaching effects –for the natural world, global food supplies, health, infrastructure and more. UN chief António Guterres has likened the crisis to ”collective suicide”. The Guardian is one group of people who are trying to avert such a scenario, with daily reporting on the emergency. We are calling on you to support us, to ensure that even more people are made aware of the dangers — and opportunities — of this moment. — Yet More Human Remains Found As Drought Shrinks Lake Mead Reservoir
Videos of the Day:
The Chris Hedges Report Podcast: Combat Veteran and retired Army Colonel Andrew Bacevich and Chris Hedges Dissect the Mythology of War
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!
We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both— Supreme Court Judge Louis D. Brandeis
The Beginning os Pax American!: Why Was Nagasaki Bombed? Battered religious figures stand watch on a hill above a tattered valley. Nagasaki, Japan. September 24, 1945.
Marjorie Cohn: Biden’s Assassination of al-Qaeda Leader Ayman al-Zawahiri Was Illegal President Joe Biden’s assassination of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan was illegal under both U.S. and international law. After the CIA drone strike killed Zawahiri on August 2, Biden declared, “People around the world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined killer.” What we should fear instead is the dangerous precedent set by Biden’s unlawful extrajudicial execution. In addition to being illegal, the killing of Zawahiri also occurred in a moment when the United Nations had already determined that people in the U.S. had little to fear from him. As a United Nations report released in July concluded, “Al Qaeda is not viewed as posing an immediate international threat from its safe haven in Afghanistan because it lacks an external operational capability and does not currently wish to cause the Taliban international difficulty or embarrassment.”
Environment: Ecocide or Ecosocialism!:
L.A. Times Editorial: Climate Change is an Emergency.! Biden Should Use His Executive Powers to do More! Last week’s unexpected Senate deal on a $369-billion climate spending package is bound to ease pressure on President Biden. Days earlier, when it looked like opposition from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin III had killed Biden’s climate agenda, the president vowed to take “strong executive action” if the Senate would not act. Facing increasing calls from activists to break the glass and declare a national climate emergency, Biden said in a speech on July 20 that “climate change is an emergency. And in the coming weeks, I’m going to use the power I have as president to turn these words into formal, official government actions.” That was before the breakthrough with Manchin. With congressional action now looking more likely, will Biden’s promise to confront the climate crisis with presidential proclamations, executive orders and regulatory power go unfulfilled?
Americas Dirty Divide: ‘There are No Safe Levels Of Pollution’: An Interview With Wildfire Researcher Sam Heft-Neal As smoke from wildfires spreads from coast to coast, scientists are looking into how best to protect vulnerable populations As the climate crisis brings drought and dried-out landscapes, wildfires in the US west are spreading smoky air to millions of people, even those who live far from where the fires burn. The problem is becoming so pronounced that some television weather forecasters in California now include “smoke casts” in their reports, displaying models that predict where smoky air from a wildfire will travel days into the future.
Capitalist Forest Thieves: Deforestation and Forest Degradation Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They help people thrive and survive by, for example, purifying water and air and providing people with jobs; some 13.2 million people across the world have a job in the forest sector and another 41 million have a job that is related to the sector. Many animals also rely on forests. Forests are home to more than three-quarters of the world’s life on land. Forests also play a critical role in mitigating climate change because they act as a carbon sink—soaking up carbon dioxide that would otherwise be free in the atmosphere and contribute to ongoing changes in climate patterns. But forests around the world are under threat, jeopardizing these benefits. The threats manifest themselves in the form of deforestation and forest degradation. The main cause of deforestation is agriculture (poorly planned infrastructure is emerging as a big threat too) and the main cause of forest degradation is illegal logging. In 2019, the tropics lost close to 30 soccer fields’ worth of trees every single minute. Deforestation is a particular concern in tropical rain forests because these forests are home to much of the world’s biodiversity. For example, in the Amazon around 17% of the forest has been lost in the last 50 years, mostly due to forest conversion for cattle ranching. Deforestation in this region is particularly rampant near more populated areas, roads and rivers, but even remote areas have been encroached upon when valuable mahogany, gold, and oil are discovered.
Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America’s Woods To stop illegal logging we must understand the poachers Forests are one of the world’s most important biological reserves. They suck about a third of humanity’s carbon emissions out of the atmosphere each year. According to the United Nations, forests also “contain 60,000 different tree species, 80 percent of amphibian species, 75 percent of bird species, and 68 percent of the world’s mammal species.” Despite this importance, tree cover is being lost at an alarming rate, and as Lyndsie Bourgon’s new book details, significant damage to our forests comes from the illegal trade in wood, driven by the poaching of trees. This illegal trade is big business. Bourgon tells us that according to the World Bank, “the global scale of illegal logging generates something between $51 billion and $157 billion annually.” Staggeringly, “thirty percent of the world’s wood trade is illegal.” There’s a very good chance that some of the wood in your house comes from trees that were illegally chopped down, very often from protected areas or endangered species.
Beyond Plastics: How Much Do We Love Life? The world is being choked by plastic waste from huge items to the smallest micro bits. Back in 1967 people were electrified by “The Graduate,” especially the scene of 40+ Anne Bancroft seducing 21-year-old Dustin Hoffman. But there was another iconic moment when one of his parents’ friends definitively pronounces one word to Hoffman that would assure his future business success: “plastics.” A half-century later the world is being choked by plastic waste from huge items to the smallest micro bits, each causing a slow death to our beautiful living system. As I revisited this non-regenerative life cycle of many pieces of plastic lodged in my brain and yours, it suddenly reminded me of something I learned about in the 1970s, the nuclear fuel cycle.
When Extreme Weather Reigns, Disinformation Pours As heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and flooding hit countries worldwide, climate deniers and those obstructing climate action deny or downplay extreme weather’s climate connection. Recent extreme weather across the globe is showing us how rapidly the climate is changing in an increasingly warming world. Heatwaves are scorching Europe, the United States, North Africa, Siberia, and some parts of the Middle East and China. Last month, the worst heatwave ever recorded hit Japan. In Brazil, more than 20,000 people were displaced after heavy rainfall in May triggered floods and landslides. The month before, extreme rainfall and floods in South Africa killed more than 400 people. In Europe, Spain and Portugal are battling wildfires, while Italy is suffering from the worst drought in the past 70 years, with many municipalities rationing water. Last week, the UK Meteorological Office issued its first-ever red warning for extreme heat in England which, according to reports from the Guardian, led to firefighters’ busiest day since the Second World War. On July 19th, the day the temperature in London passed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit.) for the first time in history, the Daily Mail, a leading British tabloid, published an editorial titled “Why can’t the Met Office just tell us the weather, instead of spreading alarm and scolding us with doom-laden lectures?” The author of the article is, as director of the climate science website Carbon Brief, Leo Hickman, noted, a consultant for “companies operating in the energy sector.”
Civil Rights/Black Liberation:
Labor:
Economy:
How to Resist the Empire’s Neoliberal Debt Trap Michael Hudson has become famous in recent years. The Financial Times credited him with forecasting the 2008 financial crash and its aftermath. His “magnum opus,” Super Imperialism, now in its third edition, was the first explanation of how going off the gold standard in 1972 allowed the US to force other nations to pay for its wars, while becoming indebted to US banks and financial institutions. Now, in The Destiny of Civilization: Finance Capitalism, Industrial Capitalism or Socialism, Hudson provides a series of lectures on neoliberalism to Chinese economic planners, meant as a contribution to ongoing Chinese debates about the direction of the super-successful Chinese economy. (This level of trust is shared by few other US economists, notably Jeffrey Sachs and Joseph Stiglitz.) Hudson explains how Washington’s aggressive neoliberalism, bolstered by military force, is backfiring. In one of his many articles in recent months, Hudson says: The US/NATO confrontation with Russia in Ukraine is achieving just the opposite of America’s aim of preventing China, Russia and their allies from acting independently of U.S. control over their trade and investment policy.
Without Any Legislative Powers, the Fed Is Rewriting the Law and Creating a Permanent $500 Billion Bailout Facility for Wall Street The Fed is doing something it’s never been allowed to do in its 109 years of operation. And, it’s doing it without any pushback from Congress. The Fed draws its statutory authority from the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 which created the Fed’s “discount window” for making loans to Fed member banks which are engaged in making loans for “agricultural, industrial or commercial purposes….” The Federal Reserve Act strictly prohibited the Fed from making loans “for the purpose of carrying or trading in stocks, bonds, or other investment securities….” After Wall Street trading casinos blew up the U.S. economy in 1929 and brought on the Great Depression of the 30s, Congress enacted the Glass-Steagall Act in 1933 which established federal deposit insurance for commercial banks and outlawed the merger of those federally-insured banks with Wall Street trading casinos (investment banks and brokerage firms). The Glass-Steagall legislation protected the U.S. banking system for 66 years until its repeal by Congress in 1999. Today, all of the megabanks on Wall Street own both federally-insured banks and sprawling trading firms.
World:
Solving the Hunger Crisis Is the Job of Global Solidarity Even before the war, hunger and malnutrition were on the rise globally, with an unacceptable 823 million people going hungry in 2021. The ongoing war in Ukraine has added fuel to the already precarious poverty, hunger and malnutrition situation. Besides its tragic humanitarian toll, the war is extending human suffering to all corners of the world through widespread disruptions to the planting, harvesting, transport, and export of major agricultural commodities from the Black Sea region. Millions of lives are at stake and the world’s most vulnerable do not have the luxury of time.
British Capitalism’s “Grim New Reality”: Fight Inflation With Expropriation! The latest economic predictions from the Bank of England provide a foreboding warning of the inflation and austerity that lies ahead for the working class in Britain. Only bold socialist policies can combat this capitalist catastrophe. Yesterday’s updated forecasts from the Bank of England have sent shivers down the spines of the ruling class and workers alike. The mood of alarm was quickly reflected on the markets, with pound sterling falling against the dollar and the euro, and also on the frontpages of today’s newspapers. “Britain slides into crisis,” warned the main headline of the Times, a serious mouthpiece of the capitalist class. This was accompanied by a column from the paper’s economic editor, ominously entitled: “Get used to the grim new reality.” Elsewhere, the Daily Express stated that it is “time to batten down the hatches”. Both the Metro and the i, meanwhile, highlighted “the big squeeze” coming for UK households this winter, with interest rates, energy costs, and inflation all rising.
The Taiwan National Question and the Tasks of the Taiwanese Marxists The trip by Speaker of the United States Congress, Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan has placed the Taiwanese national question at the forefront of world politics. Though Taiwan is, de facto, an independent state, the Chinese government has always maintained that the island is part of its territory. Meanwhile, the United States has maintained a deliberately ambiguous stance on the question for decades. Pelosi’s trip is yet another nail in the coffin of this delicate balance which, if upended, could threaten the stability of the whole region. . . . What is to be the fate of Taiwan? Should it declare formal independence, meaning official diplomatic relations with other nations and a membership of international bodies such as the United Nations; or is it set to be reunified with China as a region under the control of the Chinese state? In recent years this question has been posed more and more sharply by the bourgeois forces on each side of the debate inside Taiwan. But as Marxists we refuse to take sides in what, from the point of view of the workers and the poor, is a false dichotomy; a choice between two reactionary camps – US imperialism on one side and China on the other – neither of which offer a real way forward. , , , On a capitalist basis, the Taiwanese national question can only be “solved” in an extremely reactionary way. Its genuine resolution cannot in fact be separated from the perspectives for a revolution in China and East Asia, and Marxists, workers and youth must pay close attention to the nature and development of the situation. This document was written to serve this purpose: to help Marxists understand the dynamics involved in the question and our tasks that derive from them.
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 Healthcare!
98 Million in US Skipped Treatment or Cut Back on Essentials to Pay for Healthcare This Year “People have been making trade-offs to pay for healthcare for years. Inflation has only made things worse as people are also now struggling with the high price of gas, food, and electricity,” said the president of West Health, which conducted the new poll with Gallup. As inflation hit a 40-year high this year, nearly 100 million Americans skipped care or cut back on necessities to cover the rising cost of medical treatment in a nation infamous for its for-profit system, according to polling results released this week.