Daily News Digest March 10, 2023

Daily News Digest Archives

Capitalism is Now a Worldwide Threat to Humanity! It is on the Fast Track to Global Warming and/or Nuclear War Catastrophes!

Images of the Day:

Bendib: Reparations

Latuff:End The Criminal Blockade of Cuba Now!

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!Capitalism as a Failed  System: World Capitalism Has Been Aware of the Comming Catastrophe of Global Warming  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 very future of Humanity Is Now At stake!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:

 

Norfolk Southern’s Policy of  Deferred Maintenance has Evolved to Deliberate Indifference! Under the Law, That Corpoaration Should Be So Charged! 

Deliberate Indifference Law and Legal Definition: Deliberate indifference is the conscious or reckless disregard of the consequences of one’s acts or omissions. It entails something more than negligence, but is satisfied by something less than acts or omissions for the very purpose of causing harm or with knowledge that harm will result!

Videos/Podcasts of the Day:

The EU’s Future in a World of Deep Disorder

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 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. Tax the Rich!  — They Can Afford To Pay! Both Parties Support U.S. Capitalism’s Wars! (The Only War the Democrats Opposed was the Civil War!)

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. — Louis D. Brandeis Quotes

The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government. MLK, Beyond Vietnam  

Israel’s Liberal Supporters Are Taking Their Denial to a New Level Israel has been the fruition of a Zionist dream, but at the same time a real-life nightmare for Palestinian people. This week, when the New York Times featured an opinion piece by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, it harmonized with a crescendo of other recent pleas from prominent American supporters of Israel. Bloomberg warned that Israel’s new governing coalition is trying to give parliament the power to “overrule the nation’s Supreme Court and run roughshod over individual rights, including on matters such as speech and press freedoms, equal rights for minorities and voting rights.” Such a change would, Bloomberg added, undermine Israel’s “strong commitment to freedom.” Strong commitment to freedom? That would sure be news to the more than 5 million Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. 

Meeting Behind Closed Doors to Frack the World!: US Watchdog’s Message to Europe: There Is No Such Thing as ‘Green Fracking’ “This is nothing but corporate greenwashing. The White House is contributing to a cynical marketing scheme to convince people that you can affix a ‘clean’ label to dirty     A leading watchdog on Wednesday responded to a report that Biden administration officials are meeting with industry representatives in a bid to boost exports of deceptively named “green” fracked gas to Europe by dispelling the notion that any fossil fuel could be considered “green”—especially during a worsening climate emergency.     Bloomberg Lawreported Tuesday that the Biden administration, the gas industry, and environmental leaders are discussing federal standards for so-called “green gas” exports.

Rise of the Mercs and a Race to the Bottom the history of mercenary fighters–soldiers for hire who might be disciplined fighters abiding by the rules of engagement or might be plundering freebooters–from ancient Rome to today in Ukraine–is often an ugly, brutal, killers-for-hire story.     For the U.S. armed forces and some of its allies in recent years, most of these contractors fulfilled non-combat roles like providing food services, but the most disturbing trend was companies providing armed contractors in war zones.     What were once called mercenaries were legitimized as ‘private military security contractors’ or, even more vaguely, PMSCs, and almost no one batted an eye, even after such contractors were found to be operating at protest sites like Standing Rock in the United States.     In places like Iraq and Afghanistan, these companies operated in extremely gray areas of the law, rarely seeming accountable to authorities, whether civilian or military.

Critics Deride Norfolk Southern’s Newly Released 6-Point “Safety Plan” Critics say we need robust federal action, not corporate “safety plans” aimed at further reducing the workforce.

As Hunger Surges and Medicaid Cliff Looms, Biden Readies Record Pentagon Budget “We can absolutely afford to alleviate child hunger,” said the Working Families Party. “Priorities are just apparently elsewhere.”

United States Defends Gylphosate!: This Herbicide Is Everywhere. But Should It Be? Glyphosate is linked to the decline of honey bees and everything from cancer, autism and irritable bowel syndrome in humans. When it comes to international bullying, the U.S. has never been shy about throwing its weight around. But sometimes the victims resist. That’s the case with plucky Mexico, which is pushing back hard against American demands that it cancel a planned ban on genetically modified corn and the herbicide glyphosate, used by farmers around the world to control weeds. Washington is insisting there is no scientific basis for the bans, and that they violate the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement on trade.    The official U.S. position is that genetically modified organisms and commonly used herbicides, such as glyphosate, have been scientifically demonstrated to be safe for human consumption. But the science is anything but conclusive. Indeed, with regard to glyphosate, there is mounting evidence pointing in the opposite direction. Dozens of new studies over the past few years strongly suggest that the herbicide, even in the relatively low concentrations that farmers are supposed to use, has demonstrably harmful effects on humans, animals, insects (especially bees; more about that below), microbes and the environment in general. While the evidence that glyphosate can cause cancer in humans is controversial and less definitive, the support for so-called non-cancer effects in humans and other organisms is steadily piling up. This research is validating decades of efforts by governments, local communities and activists who have fought hard to limit or ban its use.

Environment — Ecosocialism of Ecocide!:

WTF: Brain-Eating Amoeba Found In Florida Tap Water Could Florida’s Failing Water Systems Be The Culprit? Listen, when we talk about brain-eating anything, it’s not good. When we talk about brain-eating amoebas in our drinking water, it’s really not good.    If you’re been watching the news in Florida, then you may have heard that a man recently died due to an infection from a brain-eating amoeba.    The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County (that’s on the Gulf Coast side) has confirmed one case of infection from Naegleria fowleri, as a result of doing a sinus rinse with tap water.

Washington State Lawmakers Push Bills to Protect Out-of-State Abortion Seekers The bills seek to combat “creative and aggressive” actions by other states to restrict abortion access. Democratic lawmakers in the Washington state legislature are pushing for the passage of a slew of bills that aim to protect abortion rights, both for state residents and for those traveling from jurisdictions where the procedure has been severely restricted.     The state of Washington is bordered by Oregon — where abortion rights remain intact — and Idaho, which has placed vast restrictions on abortion since the Supreme Court’s overturn of decades-old federal abortion protections last year.

Civil Rights Black Liberation:

Censure of Truth and TheFirst Amendment:‘Rich, White Anti-Housing Men’: ACLU Calls Censure of Los Gatos Commissioner for Using ‘Divisive’ Language Unconstitutional . . . In November, Clark wrote a letter to the state Department of Housing and Community Development about the referendum of the town’s 2040 General Plan, in which she said it was paid for and passed by “rich, white, anti-housing men in our town.”

Black Agenda Report

Environmental Racism:

‘This Is an Emergency’: 1 Million African Americans Live Near Oil, Gas Facilities In some states, 1 in 5 African-American residents lives within a half-mile of an oil or gas production, processing or storage facility, a new study says.     A new analysis concludes what many in African-American communities have long experienced: Low-income, black Americans are disproportionately exposed to toxic air pollution from the fossil fuel industry.     More than 1 million African Americans live within a half-mile of oil and natural gas wells, processing, transmission and storage facilities (not including oil refineries), and 6.7 million live in counties with refineries, potentially exposing them to an elevated risk of cancer due to toxic air emissions, according to the study.

A systematic Review And Meta-Analysis f Haematological Malignancies in Residents Living Near Petrochemical Facilities The petrochemical industry is a major source of hazardous and toxic air pollutants that are recognised to have mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. A wealth of occupational epidemiology literature exists around the petrochemical industry, with adverse haematological effects identified in employees exposed to ‘low’ concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene). Releases from the petrochemical industry are also thought to increase the risk of cancer incidence in fenceline communities. However, this emerging and at times inconclusive evidence base remains fragmented. The present study’s aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies investigating the association between incidences of haematological malignancy and residential exposure to the petrochemical industry. 

What Is Cancer Alley?  Cancer Alley is an 85-mile long area along an industrial stretch of the Mississippi River known for its abundance of petroleum plants and, as the name implies, cancer cases.       The area has 45,000 residents and lies in Southeastern Louisiana, between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.1 Compared to the rest of the state, Cancer Alley has a higher percentage of Black and poor, illiterate residents.2 

US Neighborhoods With More People ff Color Suffer Worse Air Pollution Exclusive: Cutting-edge analysis of fine particulate levels by area reveals shocking disparities: ‘The underlying variable that is most predictive is systemic racism’ The neighborhood where Emprezz Nontzikelelo struggles to breathe the worst air in America was the only part of Bakersfield where Black families like hers were allowed to live when she was growing up.     Still populated by predominantly low-income people of color, the eastern side of Bakersfield lies downwind of the oilwells, freeways and pesticide-choked agricultural fields of California’s Central Valley and backs up to a busy rail yard that ships the valley’s produce around the nation.    As in Bakersfield, across the US people of color are often the ones forced to live with the nation’s worst fine particle air pollution. 

Labor:

For the Working ClassThere Has Been Not Revovery Since the 08 Crash!: “Since June 2009 Americans have lived in the false reality of a recovering economy.  Various fake news and manipulated statistics have been used to create this false impression.  However, indicators that really count have not supported the false picture and were ignored. For example, it is normal in a recovering or expanding economy for the labor force participation rate to rise as people enter the workforce to take advantage of the job opportunities.  During the decade of the long recovery, from June 2009 through Febuary 2023, the labor force participation rate consistently fell from 65.7 to 62.2 percent.” —Paul Craig Roberts, The Diminishing American Economy (Updated) 

FRED: Labor Force Participation Rate is 62.4%

 Economy:

World:

‘It’s Not an Accident, It’s a Crime’: Thousands March for Justice After Greek Train Disaster The deadly collision “has further brought the negligence and corruption of the Greek government under scrutiny, and rightly so,” said DiEM25. But “it was the E.U. and its institutions who forced Greece to sell off public utilities for a pittance.” 

Las Carpetas (The Files) From the 1930s until 1987, the Puerto Rican Police Department in conjunction with the FBI conducted a massive secret surveillance program in Puerto Rico. Its main goal was to suppress any groups or individuals who sought independence from the United States. This program tracked around 150,000 citizens and is one of the longest continuous surveillance projects conducted by the U.S. Government on its own citizens.      Approximately 16,000 extensive dossiers were created by the Puerto Rican Police Department which contained detailed personal information on members of political groups that law enforcement considered “politically subversive.” The resulting archives are known as carpetas, the Spanish word for “files,” and contain letters, photographs, and personal objects that together painted an intimate portrait of the surveilled person’s life.     Though seemingly a secret operation, this surveillance program impacted the lives of those watched in very real ways. Having a file would land you on a blacklist, which made gaining or keeping employment difficult. In 1948, the Ley de La Mordaza or the “Gag Law” was passed, which meant that any mention of Puerto Rican independence, the singing of patriotic songs, or even owning a Puerto Rican flag was criminalized. Although repealed in 1957, this legislation in some ways dealt a mortal blow to the independence movement. Over the following decades, the U.S. Federal Government increasingly allocated funds to disarticulate and suppress the separatist sentiment brewing on the island. Although there were violent revolutionary groups on the island, the pro-independence government surveillance overwhelmingly targeted those seeking peaceful political change.

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 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