Images of the Day:

Destroying Homes is Not Self-Defense!

World War I, ‘the war to end all wars’, since then, 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: Austerity, Scapegoat Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal’ Immigrants for Unemployment, andThe 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:

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 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 ford 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

Before 2020 Election Presidential Candidate Biden said climate change posed “an existential threat to humanity” and that in eight to 10 years, the country would “pass the point of no return.” “We have a moral obligation to deal with it,” he said. Moments later, Trump asked Biden, “Would you close down the oil industry?” “Yes. I would transition,” Biden said. “Because the oil industry pollutes, significantly. … Because it has to be replaced by renewable energy.” Biden said the transition would occur “over time, over time. And I’d stop giving to the oil industry. I’d stop giving them federal subsidies.” — Biden Says the U.S. Needs to Move Off Oil to Tackle Climate Change As Trump Attacks The Plan’s Cost, Economic Impact

After the Election! Biden Acts as if There is No Existential Threat To Humanity: Burn Baby Burn!

When Bodies Start Stacking Up From Climate Change-Related Disasters, Will These Monsters Be Held to Account?U.S. Energy Information Administration Washington DC 20585 For Immediate Release August 8, 2023 EIA expects new milestones for U.S. crude oil production amid sustained global petroleum demand and rising prices The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects U.S. crude oil production to surpass 12.9 million barrels per day for the first time in late 2023 and to exceed 13 million barrels per day in early 2024.

United States 2023: Doubters Beware: U.S. Oil Production Is Setting New Records One of my 2023 energy sector predictions was that U.S. oil production would set a new all-time high this year. After record-setting production thus far this year, it would take a collapse along the lines of the huge Covid drop seen in the spring of 2020 for the U.S. to not set a new annual production record for 2023.

U.S. Energy Information Administration Washington DC 20585 For Immediate Release August 8, 2023 EIA expects new milestones for U.S. crude oil production amid sustained global petroleum demand and rising prices The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects U.S. crude oil production to surpass 12.9 million barrels per day for the first time in late 2023 and to exceed 13 million barrels per day in early 2024.

US Natural-Gas Output and Demand to Hit Record Highs in 2023, EIA Says

Biden Admin Sued for Hiding Records on Opposition to Fossil Fuel Phaseout The lawsuit aims to “shed light on the Biden administration’s dumbfounding refusal to align our country’s federal fossil fuel programs with its own climate goals,” said one campaigner. A national conservation group sued the Biden administration on Tuesday for failing to respond to a public records request pertaining to the Interior Department’s dismissal of a petition that called for a phaseout of oil and gas extraction on federal lands and waters. Submitted last year, the petition from more than 360 environmental and Indigenous organizations called on the Interior Department to initiate a rulemaking process aimed at reducing oil and gas production on public lands and waters by 98% by 2035. The department rejected the petition earlier this year, claiming that it “has a robust rulemaking agenda already underway to address the climate crisis and implement reforms to our conventional energy programs” and doesn’t have adequate resources to “undertake the proposed rulemaking at this time.” The administration’s reply came after the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) sued the administration for not responding to the petition for more than a year.

U.S. Funded Palestinian Genocide:

Jeremy Scahill: Biden Must Be Accountable for Cosigning Al-Shifa Hospital Lie Scahill deconstructs the narrative around Gaza’s largest hospital as Israel detains the head of the facility. The Intercept’s Jeremy Scahill deconstructs Israel’s narrative around Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, including unsubstantiated allegations Hamas uses tunnels under the hospital as its command center — tunnels that Israel itself built. “We were told that this was like a Hamas Pentagon,” says Scahill, who describes how the Israeli military’s own evidence disproves its allegations that the hospital was dangerous enough to justify its siege and bombardment. The World Health Organization says Al-Shifa, Gaza’s largest hospital, “is no longer functioning.” The Israeli disinformation campaign against it was a “lethal lie,” says Scahill. We also discuss the status of Palestinian prisoners who are now candidates for release in Israel and Hamas’s ongoing hostage exchange.

National Single Payer, a Health Care Justice Organization in the U.S., Denounces Targeting of Hospitals in the Gaza Strip and U.S. Complicity in Genocide As a national, grassroots, social justice organization that organizes locally in the struggle for national single payer health care in the U.S., united by the common principles that health care is a human right, must be free from corporate profit, and must be achieved through national legislation, the Steering Committee of National Single Payerfeels it is our moral duty to take a stand on what is happening to the hospitals, health care providers, patients, and civilians in Gaza. Our voice is small, and our statement will alienate some, nevertheless, it is our sincere belief that we are witnesses to a time in history when our principled voice must be heard, loud and clear. The October 7 attack by Hamas was preceded by a 16-year occupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel, who maintained strict control over Gaza’s airspace and territorial waters and restricted goods and people from moving in and out of Gaza. The attack, which killed 1,200 in Israel, including 859 civilians and 29 children, took 240 hostages, and injured 5,600, does not exonerate the U.S., its citizens, or social justice organizations from speaking out about the unfolding genocide by Israeli Occupation Forces in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted, to date, in at least 14,854 Palestinian deaths, including over 6,150 children, more than 36,000 injured, and untold number of dead buried under the rubble of their homes. The thousands of tons of explosives that Israel has dropped over 12,000 targets in Gaza are “equivalent to two nuclear bombs,” exceeding the destructive power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Israel’s use of cluster bombs, documented by EuroMed Monitor and banned by the international community, cause explosions inside the body, which leave adults, children, and babies with burns so severe that their skin melts, often resulting in death.

Netanyahu Says He Is ‘Only One Who Will Prevent a Palestinian State’ (And Grab Gaza’s Gas Recourses for Halliburton!— R.S.) “Look Joe Biden: Netanyahu is spitting in your face,” said one critic. “Are you going to keep hugging him in public or are you going to finally end the blank check and hold him accountable for his words and actions?” With his approval ratings in the tank, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly been lobbying members of his Likud party in a bid to keep their support, claiming he is “the only one who will prevent a Palestinian state” in Gaza and the West Bank.

Environment:

One of Many Ways to Begin to End Global Warming: Expose ‘Greenwashing’ — Tax the Polluters 100%!

After World War II Rosa Luxenburg Coined the Slogan: ‘S0cialism or Barbaism’! Now the Slogan Should Be: ‘Ecosocialism or Ecocide’!

Bring Back the Polluters Pay Tax All people deserve to live in a safe and healthy environment, regardless of the level of their wealth or the color of their skin. There are currently 1,388 toxic waste sites in the United States that are so dangerous they have been designated “Superfund” sites by the federal government. Over 72 million people in the U.S. live within three miles of a Superfund site. The contamination at these sites seriously endangers the health of people living nearby, causing higher rates of cancer, birth defects and developmental disabilities. But there’s no money left to clean up the contamination. Originally, big polluting companies paid into a fund that was used to clean up their messes. But in 1995, Congress let the Polluters Pay Tax expire. By 2003, our Superfund was broke. Ever since, cleanup efforts have slowed to a crawl while all of us as taxpayers are left holding the bag. Today, some of the biggest polluting corporations are making billions of dollars per year in profits and paying zero dollars in taxes. As climate change causes more flooding, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, increasing the risk of widespread toxic exposure from these sites, there is no time to waste. Chemical, Oil, Gas and other giant corporate polluters must pay to clean up their messes. Congress must bring back the Polluters Pay Tax.

Michael Roberts Facebook Blog:”As COP28 opens today in Dubai….”Al Jaber and the UAE planned to use the conference to pitch and promote oil and gas deals to foreign governments including China, Brazil, Germany and Egypt.” UN Climate Change found that existing national pledges to cut emissions would mean global emissions in 2030 were 2% below 2019 levels, rather than the 43% cut required to limit global heating to 1.5C.

Just 100 Companies Responsible For 71% Of Global Emissions, Study Says A relatively small number of fossil fuel producers and their investors could hold the key to tackling climate change

How We Got to an Era of De-Civilization Human Beings are not showing off their best abilities of late. They appear to have mostly failed when it comes to climate change. For instance, “By 2100, average temperatures in the U.S. are expected to increase by approximately 8°F or more (4.4°C)” if the current high rate of greenhouse gas emissions is maintained. If “immediate and rapid greenhouse gas reductions” are achieved we can keep the warming down to “approximately 2.5°F (1.4°C).” Given our lack of international institutions with the capability of enforcing agreements and treaties, which do you think is more likely? Actually, we have been coming up short like this for a while. I am going to give you an example that almost no one recognizes. It constituted an opportunity, a window, to transform the planet’s state system and expand its legal code so as to assure relative peace and cooperation into the future. As we will see, nation states actually started down this civilizing road right after World War II. However, they failed to carry through and have landed back in the mire of barbarism and near continuous war. So much for love for our children and concern for their future. Here is the story of this lost opportunity:

Earth’s Warning Systems Are Flashing Bright Red, But Leaders Refuse to Listen Scientists warn the planet will cross the 1.5 degrees threshold this decade, much earlier than the IPCC fears. The trend is clear, and so are the actions needed. Another year and another UN climate change conference. As our ‘world leaders’ prepare for two air-conditioned weeks of wrangling at COP28 in Dubai later this month, forgive us for sounding underwhelmed, despairing, and even cynical about these annual jamborees where actions rarely match promises.

UN Human Rights Experts Express Alarm Over PFAS Pollution In North Carolina Evidence of Chemours-operated plant contaminating region is ‘alleged human rights violations’, say experts appointed by council UN human rights experts express alarm over PFAS pollution in North Carolina Evidence of Chemours-operated plant contaminating region is ‘alleged human rights violations’, say experts appointed by council A new investigation by human rights experts appointed by the United Nations has expressed alarm at evidence of pollution from a North Carolina PFAS manufacturing plant, describing it as “alleged human rights violations and abuses against residents”. The ongoing PFAS crisis in North Carolina has been linked to a Fayetteville Works plant operated by Chemours, a chemical giant that was spun off from DuPont in 2015.

‘A Biodiversity Catastrophe’: How the World Could Look in 2050 – Unless We Act Now The climate crisis, invasive species, overexploitation of resources and pollution could break down crucial ecosystems. We asked experts to lay out the risks and offer some solutions. The climate crisis, invasive species, overexploitation of resources and pollution could break down crucial ecosystems. We asked experts to lay out the risks and offer some solutions The continued destruction of nature across the planet will result in major shocks to food supplies and safe water, the disappearance of unique species and the loss of landscapes central to human culture and leisure by the middle of this century, experts have warned.

Black Liberation/Civil Rights:

A New Mccarthyism Targets Palestine Solidarity – Defend Free Speech! Free speech is under attack. Israel’s imperialist allies are losing the war of public opinion as they struggle to justify the brutal collective punishment of Palestinian men, women and children. In response, they are clamping down on Pro-Palestinian voices to an extent that would make Senator Joseph McCarthy proud. This outrageous censorship and repression has major implications for the class struggle in the future – the labour movement must respond.

Labor:

Economy:

The Apple Credit Card from Goldman Sachs Has Been a Co-Branding Nightmare; Now Apple Wants a Divorce The employee at Apple who was put in charge of conducting due diligence on aligning the Apple credit card brand with Goldman Sachs, needs to be immediately demoted to sorting envelopes in the mail room. It has been a match made in hell, generating headlines in the business press over the billions of dollars Goldman Sachs has lost attempting to ramp up a credit card division from scratch while spawning federal investigations into Goldman’s less than timely handling of credit card customer complaints about fraudulent charges, billing errors, refunds, etc.

World:

There’s a Human Rights Tragedy in Asia, Too Ethnic Armenians have fled a once-thriving democracy in Artsakh after an offensive by the authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan. The continuing horrors of the war in the Middle East properly occupy the world’s attention. But they have obscured another recent human rights tragedy of the highest order. Beginning on Sept. 19, Azerbaijan unleashed a military offensive that routed the inferior forces of Artsakh, an ethnically Armenian region of Azerbaijan that residents claim as an independent autonomous republic commonly known as Nagorno-Karabakh. Virtually entirely Armenian, the region remained a culturally integral part of Armenia after Joseph Stalin ceded it to Soviet Azerbaijan in 1921. It has subsequently been recognized by most governments and the U.N. as part of Azerbaijan.

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, 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

Florida: School Officials Removed for Allowing Trans Girl to Play Girls’ Volleyball The Florida State Education Department applauded the superintendent of schools in Broward County for taking swift and stern action when he learned that a transgender girl was allowed to play on the girls’ volleyball team at Monarch High School. The superintendent received an anonymous tip about the student and reacted by removing the principal, the assistant principal, and members of the athletic staff. When the word got out, students staged a protest by walking out. Following the removal of a Broward County high school principal and four employees in response to “allegations of improper student participation in sports,” Florida education officials on Tuesday said they expect “serious consequences for those responsible” and accused them of violating state law.