Daily News Digest December 7, 2023
Images of the Day:
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:
Left Wondering: Why Don’t We Swap Glass For Plastic? Also, what’s the best way to promote reusable shopping bags? Welcome to a new edition of Left Wondering with Joel Stein, our advice column for paid subscribers of The Lever on how to lead an ethical life in an increasingly unethical world. Dear Left Wondering, I have been left wondering for many years why we no longer find beverages, etc. in recyclable glass bottles and jars. Truly recyclable. Doesn’t leach toxins. Is not carcinogenic. Preserves flavors without adding its own. Bonus: The ingredients to make it come from the ocean floor. Glass is sustainable. It was recycled before recycling became a fad. Probably even long before WWII and ration coupons. Cold beverages taste better when served in an old Mason Jar, especially those made by Boyd. Sincerely, Aulder Thandurt
Capitalism’s Crumbling Infrastructure: From Nuclear Power: What Have They Done to the Rain?: A recent study by the New York based Radiation and Public Health Project and published in the Spring 2000 edition of Environmental Epidemiology and Toxicology, examined infant death rates in counties within 50 miles and in the prevailing wind direction of five reactors: “Fort St. Vrain (located near Denver, Colo.), LaCrosse (near LaCrosse, Wis.), Millstone/Haddam Neck (near New London CT), Rancho Seco (near Sacramento, Calif.) and Trojan (near Portland, Ore). In the first two years after the reactors closed, infant death rates of babies living downwind and within 40 miles from the plants fell 15 to 20 percent from the previous two years, compared to an average US decline of just six percent between 1985 and 1996. Since no other nuclear reactor operated within 70 miles of the closed reactors, closing made these areas “nuclear free zones.” The study details the plunges in newly diagnosed leukemia and cancer cases and birth defect deaths in children less than five years old in the four county local areas downwind from Rancho Seco. This marked decline has continued through the first seven years after the June 1989 closing. In contrast, the local infant death rate rose in the two years after Rancho Seco began operations in 1974. (Once the “Gentle Rain” began to fall!) Another article from the Guardian Unlimited in England, dated April 30, 2001, reported the same sad story of wanton death of children who have the misfortune to live downstream from nuclear power plants:” Cancers blamed on nuclear power plant.
Videos of the Day:
Denocracy Now!: Humanitarian Groups Demand Ceasefire as Israel Intensifies Genocidal War on Gaza The Norwegian Refugee Council’s Shaina Low describes the “hectic, chaotic, desperate” conditions on the ground in Gaza.
Carbon Colonialism: Oil-Rich UAE Buys Up Large Swaths of Africa for Carbon Credits to Keep Polluting
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
By this Vote, the Republicrates, have Endorsed the Present Attacks on the Civil Rights of Those who Oppose the Gaza War! 95 Democrats and 216 Republicans Support Resolution Conflating Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism “This extreme and cynical Republican resolution does nothing to combat antisemitism,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar, stressing the importance of “legitimate criticism” of the Israeli government and its war on Gaza. As Israel continued to wage what critics are calling a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, just 13 U.S. House Democrats and one Republican on Tuesday voted against a GOP resolution that conflates anti-Zionism and antisemitism. House Resolution 894 passed with support from 95 Democrats and 216 Republicans, including its sponsors, Reps. David Kustoff (Tenn.) and Max Miller (Ohio), who are both Jewish. Almost as many Democrats—92—voted present. The resolution, which embraces the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s controversial working definition of antisemitism, was widely condemned by progressive and Jewish groups this week ahead of the vote.
We Can Have Either Billionaires or Democracy. Not Both. As we count down toward the 2024 general election, we should expect to hear from media pundits about candidates and their viability, swing states and the electoral college, likely voters and poll results, and much more. Occasionally we may hear about some issues of importance. Most likely, we will hear little about the urgent need for wealth redistribution in the United States. Extreme inequality remains an invisible scourge underlying so much of what ails society and, even when discussed, is touted as an unavoidable and inevitable outcome of our economy. However, there is abundant evidence that wealth inequality is the product of intentional design and the idea that what is good for billionaires is good for society. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Switzerland-based global bank UBS just released its 2023 Billionaire Ambitions report and concluded, “For the first time in nine editions of the report, billionaires have accumulated more wealth through inheritance than entrepreneurship.” Benjamin Cavalli, Head of Strategic Clients at UBS Global Wealth Management said, “This is a theme we expect to see more of over the next 20 years, as more than 1,000 billionaires pass an estimated [$5.2 trillion] to their children.” That’s more than the economy of the entire United Kingdom. It’s more than the economies of Canada and Mexico combined.
Big Oil Stifling Democracy to Keep Burning Fossil Fuels “The multinational $4 trillion fossil fuel industry has not only corrupted citizens’ understanding of the climate crisis but also contributed to the erosion of democracy around the world.” As more people around the world demand an end to the fossil fuel era in the face of a worsening planetary emergency, Big Oil is “undermining democratic functions to stem the tide of climate action,” a report published Tuesday revealed. “Through a wide array of tactics, the multinational $4 trillion fossil fuel industry has not only corrupted citizens’ understanding of the climate crisis but also contributed to the erosion of democracy around the world,” the Center for American Progress (CAP) said in a new analysis.
U.S. Funded Palestinian Genocide:
The Moral Consequences of the War on Gaza The moral high ground, has been lost by Israel in the Gaza onslaught while it attempts to avenge that the slaughter of 15,000 civilians is justified and that there will be no moral consequences. Does this attitude rest on an ancient Biblical story concerning the Amalek people who became the enemy of Israel. “God then commands Saul to destroy the Amalekites by killing man, woman, infant and suckling” This kind of revenge is primitive in the extreme but Netanyahu has been quoted as saying Israel needs an Amalek response, Whether this is metaphorical or not, the bombing of Gaza is a brutal act of wanton destruction on a scale reminiscent of WWII.
‘Apocalyptic’ Conditions in Southern Gaza Blocking Aid, Top UN Official Says Martin Griffiths says continuing offensive has ended any possibility of meaningful humanitarian operations The UN’s top aid official has said the Israeli military campaign in southern Gaza has been just as devastating as in the north, creating “apocalyptic” conditions and ending any possibility of meaningful humanitarian operations. Martin Griffiths, the UN emergency relief coordinator, said he was speaking on behalf of the entire international aid community in saying the continuing offensive had robbed aid workers of any significant means of helping the 2.3 million people of Gaza, other than to call for an immediate end to the fighting.
Amid Israel’s Brutality in Gaza, It’s Time to Commit to Anti-Zionism As Israel devastates Gaza, Jewish anti-Zionists are resisting and insisting that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism. Over the past several years, we’ve witnessed growing calls to label anti-Zionism as antisemitism. Since Hamas’s October 7 attack and Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza, however, Israel advocates have doubled down yet further politically on this cynical accusation. On November 28, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution asserting that “denying Israel’s right to exist is a form of antisemitism.” Now, the House is considering an ever more wrong-headed resolution. Citing the deeply problematic International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, it “clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism.” If ever there was a moment for Jewish anti-Zionists to proudly show up and be counted, this is it. There could not be a more terrifying demonstration of the end game of Zionism than the genocidal violence Israel has been unleashing on Gaza. From the very origins of the concept of Zionism, its raison d’etre was the creation of a Jewish state by acquiring the greatest amount of land with the fewest Palestinians on it. Over the past few weeks, Israeli politicians have been unabashedly honest about these intentions, making it clear that their ultimate end goal is to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its residents — thereby eliminating up to 2.2 million
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’!
Fossil Fuel Follies
Capitalism’s Crumbling Infrastructure!: From Nuclear Power: What Have They Done to the Rain?: In the March 26, 2002, issue of the New York Times in an article titled “U.S. Orders Checks for Corrosion at Nuclear Reactors,” by Matthew I. Wald, states that:” Nuclear reactor operators have been ordered to check their reactor vessels after the discovery that acid in cooling water had eaten a hole nearly all the way through the six-inch-thick lid of a reactor at a plant in Ohio. The corrosion left only a stainless-steel liner less than a half-inch thick to hold in cooling water under more than 2,200 pounds of pressure per square inch.” At the 25-year-old Ohio plant, Davis-Besse, near Toledo, the stainless steel was bent by the pressure and would have broken if corrosion had continued, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where officials were surprised by the discovery. They said they had never seen so much corrosion in a reactor vessel. The commission, which has warned plants for years to watch for any corrosion, has ordered all 68 other plants of similar design—pressurized-water reactors—to check their lids. The commission is particularly worried about a dozen of the oldest plants and ordered them to report by early April whether they were safe enough to keep in service. The commission told these plants to demonstrate that technicians there would have noticed such corrosion in their normal inspections, had it occurred. If the liner had given way in the Ohio reactor, experts say, there would have been an immediate release of thousands of gallons of slightly radioactive and extremely hot water inside the reactor’s containment building. [Possibly leading to a meltdown] … It could be something unique to Davis-Besse,” said Alexander Marion, director of engineering at the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry’s trade association. A goal for the investigation at the plant, he said, would be to find out not only why the corrosion occurred but also why it was not noticed sooner. ‘The plants are getting older and we’re starting to see these kinds of problems,’ Mr. Marion said.
Revealed: Sellafield Nuclear Site has Leak That Could Pose Risk to Public Safety concerns at Europe’s most hazardous plant have caused diplomatic tensions with US, Norway and Ireland Cracks have also developed in the concrete and asphalt skin covering the huge pond containing decades of nuclear sludge, part of a catalogue of safety problems at the site. These concerns have emerged in Nuclear Leaks, a year-long Guardian investigation into problems spanning cyber hacking, radioactive contamination and toxic workplace culture at the vast nuclear dump. Sellafield, a sprawling 6 sq km (2 sq mile) site on the Cumbrian coast employing 11,000 people, stores and treats nuclear waste from weapons programmes and nuclear power generation, and is the largest such facility in Europe.
What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism: A Citizen’s Guide to Capitalism and the Environment There is a growing consensus that the planet is heading toward environmental catastrophe: climate change, ocean acidification, ozone depletion, global freshwater use, loss of biodiversity, and chemical pollution all threaten our future unless we act. What is less clear is how humanity should respond. The contemporary environmental movement is the site of many competing plans and prescriptions, and composed of a diverse set of actors, from militant activists to corporate chief executives. This short, readable book is a sharply argued manifesto for those environmentalists who reject schemes of “green capitalism” or piecemeal reform. Environmental and economic scholars Magdoff and Foster contend that the struggle to reverse ecological degradation requires a firm grasp of economic reality. Going further, they argue that efforts to reform capitalism along environmental lines or rely solely on new technology to avert catastrophe misses the point. The main cause of the looming environmental disaster is the driving logic of the system itself, and those in power—no matter how “green”—are incapable of making the changes that are necessary.
Black Liberation/Civil Rights:
Labor:
Eight Workers t Texas Chemical Plant Hospitalized After Toxic Gas Leak Altivia Chemicals said personnel have contained leak of phosgene as city lifts shelter-in-place order that affected nearby plants Eight people were taken to a hospital for treatment on Monday after a toxic gas leak at Altivia Chemicals’ plant in La Porte, Texas, local officials said.”
Economy:
World:
EU Must Face Legacy of Colonialism and Support Reparations, Say MEPs Draft resolution to European parliament committee is first formal attempt to place reparations for slavery on EU agenda The European Union should urgently address and reverse the lasting impacts of European colonialism and support a reparations programme to rectify continuing injustices, according to a draft resolution to be presented to the European parliament’s development committee. Noting that the EU has made “no concerted efforts to recognise, address and rectify the lasting effects of European colonialism on social and international inequities”, the draft resolution calls for the creation of a permanent EU forum on restorative justice.
‘Social Upheaval’ Shakes Canadian Imperialism in Panama For months, Indigenous activists, trade unions, and youth organizations in Panama have been on the streets, demonstrating against the extension of a massive Canadian-owned mine in the middle of a rainforest. This uprising must be supported and extended by the working class in Canada against our common enemy: the Canadian ruling class. Panama’s ‘Social Upheaval’ Toronto-based mining company Quantum Minerals has been scrambling to maintain its hold of Panama’s wealth, specifically in the massive Cobre Panama mine
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