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Daily News Digest January 3, 2024

Images of the Day:

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”

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!

Two of My Articles from 2023:

Israel As the United States Imperialist’s Police Force in the Middle East! 10/31/23 Update:Fossil Fuel Corporations Always Profit From Wars in the Middle East! Natural Gas Control is the Reason for Israel’s Genocidal War on Gaza! From 2020 Article: Israel Kicks Off Middle East Gas Exports While Continuing to Deny Palestinians Their Drilling Rights The flow of natural gas from Israel to Jordan and Egypt could be upsetting to many, including Palestinians, who are denied their right to drill and extract gas from the Gaza Marine field – discovered in 1999 off Gaza’s seashores. The field is located a proximity 30 kilometres off the seashore of Gaza, but due to the complexity of the geopolitics of the region and the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, it has laid dormant for nearly 20 years so far since its discovery. The field is estimated to contain one trillion cubic feet of gas and estimated to have a life of 15 years. . . . If Palestinians were to have free access and drilling rights to their fields, this would reduce their reliance on foreign aid and Israeli energy and be self-sufficient in electricity generation in both Gaza and the West Bank. But as long as the political split persists and as long as peace talks between Israel and the PA remain frozen, especially in light of US President Donald Trump’s biased policy towards Tel Aviv, then Palestinians will not be able to develop the gas reserves without political and security clearance from Israel to export the gas. In late 1999, the PA granted an exploration 25-year licence to the BG Group, Consolidated Contractors Limited (CCC), the British Gas Group (BG Group) and the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) to develop and commercialise the Gaza fields. Under international law, every state with a coastline is entitled to an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline, within which the coastal states can enjoy extensive rights in relation to natural resources. But when its it comes to Palestinian rights and their natural resources, then this, sadly, does not apply. . . . Why did Israel provoke a war with Hamas? Behind the Current Gaza War the U.S. Oil Profiteers!: 2O21 Article: Energean Selects Halliburton for Offshore Israel Drilling Campaign Integrated Services Contract To Deliver Five Wells in Eastern Mediterranean Through Halliburton Consulting And Project Management Agribusiness/Factory Farms — Environmental Hazards! CDC Reveals Scary Truth About Factory Farms and Superbugs The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information

Over 90% of the food we eat are Factory Farmed! What are the Costs?
By their very size, they enhace the global warming of the the Earth
Lately, Facory Farms are Responsible for all of the plague of Pandemics. US Capitalism Ignores Its’ Own Science for Two Decades!

From: The United States National Center for Biotechnology Information of the Institue of Health’s Essay Primary Pandemic Prevention: Factory Farms Cause Pandemics!

Quotes of the Day:

My Favorite Quote from 2023: For some days after violence erupted last Saturday I was struck by the absence in the mainstream coverage of any explanation as to why Hamas determined to launch an attack against a power it cannot hope to defeat. Why would the Gaza leadership decide on such a course? I eventually came upon reports indicating that the Netanyahu government had been again provoking Hamas, probably but not certainly with intent, by permitting ultranationalists to enter the grounds of the al–Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, a sacred site for Muslims. Sequence: Hamas warned the Israeli government about such interventions on October 1. This was understood to be a Hamas red line. Three days later dozens of intentionally provocative settlers forced their way into the mosque complex—this while thousands more had been touring the complex since Hamas issued its October 1 warning. So far as I have been able to find, accounts of these events have appeared only in Al Jazeera and other non–Western publications. You will search long and fruitlessly in Western media to discover the “why” of the Hamas offensive, the motive. — Patrick Lawrence: ‘Innocent Israelis’

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

US Congress: ‘We Stand With Genocide’ US Congress: ‘We Stand With Genocide’ U.S. lawmakers, in the last quarter of 2023, approved a series of resolutions smearing pro-Palestine activism as anti-Semitic and giving Israel PR cover for its open-ended killing spree, writes Corinna Barnard. The Biden administration in the last three months of 2023 asked Congress to give Israel an additional $14 billion in military assistance on top of the $3.8 billion the U.S. allots every year; vetoed a ceasefire in Gaza at the U.N.; circumvented Congress to sell weapons to Israel and deployed warships to the waters off Gaza to prevent anyone from interfering with the Israeli regime’s campaign of atrocities there. Congress did not quite match the White House effort to comfort a genocidal Israel. The House approved a $14.3 billion package for the Netanyahu regime, but hinged it on off-setting cuts to the Internal Revenue Service and the bill was blocked in the Senate.

U.S. Funded Palestinian Genocide:

In the Current Epoch, Ecocide and Genocide are Systemic to Capitalism!: 3 More Months of Israel’s Gaza Attack will push Deaths to 50K from Airstrikes, Hunger, Disease Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted: “The war is exacting a very heavy price, but we have no choice but to continue fighting.” This woeful statement underscores Netanyahu’s blinkered determination to exact maximum carnage and an unwillingness to engage in diplomacy. Foremost, this war has forced the most exorbitant price on civilians in Gaza. The death toll, mainly comprising women and children, has exceeded 20,000. According to Middle East Monitor, there are more than 23,000 orphans in Gaza. These astounding figures merely scrape the surface of human suffering. The United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) has warned of a looming famine as starvation permeates the Gaza Strip.

They’re Calling Ethnic Cleansing “Voluntary Migration” Now Violently coercing someone into doing something and ensuring that they’ll die if they don’t do it is the exact opposite of what the word “voluntary” means. Israeli officials are now openly admitting that they’re working on “encouraging” the migration of Palestinians from Gaza, ridiculously claiming that this migration would be “voluntary” despite their having deliberately made the enclave uninhabitable over the last three months.

Environment:

Black Liberation/Civil Rights:

Stop-and-Frisk Policing by Any Other Name Won’t Provide Safety in Philadelphia Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker’s response to gun violence is more policing and the reintroduction of stop-and-frisk. Philadelphia voters elected their first Black woman mayor in November. But will Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker actually improve the lives of Philly’s Black residents?While a political candidate’s race isn’t the most important factor for Black voters, it is a factor. Black representation in political spaces comes with an expectation that the circumstances and concerns of Black people are spoken for at the policymaking table. That Parker is a Black woman leading a city where Black people are a majority simply cannot be ignored.

Labor:

Economy:

World:

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

Cornel West for President Platform:Policy Pillars For A Movement Rooted In Truth, Justice, & Love

Economic Justice

Abolish poverty

Abolish homelessness
Establish federal public banking institutions to fund public infrastructure and green reconstruction
Establish a federal Universal Basic Income commission
Wealth tax on all billionaire holdings and transactions
End all tax loopholes for the oligarchy
National $27 minimum wage with special considerations for specific geographies where $27/hour would not be a family-sustaining wage
Mandatory minimum of six months of fully paid parental leave
Ensuring family-sustaining and living wages for all disability benefits
National Jobs Program to assure full employment to every person
Increased federal support for businesses established as worker-owned cooperatives and other alternative worker models
Right to quality for affordable housing by eliminating coverage gaps
End to Wall Street mass real estate holdings and the marketization of human rights
Break up monopolies, including big tech
Ban corporate stock buybacks
End the use of credit scores for any decisions associated with finance, housing, or employment
Ban stock trading for government officials

Worker Justice

Establish a workers bill of rights that includes the end of right-to-work states
Greater protections for workers who attempt to unionize
Requirement for all non-profit organizations to allow for the unionization of workers and collective bargaining
One year limit on contract negotiations – if the contract is not completed in one year, the demands of the workers will be immediately codified
33% minimum worker representation for all Boards of Directors
Transform Paid Family Leave to mandate a minimum of six-months fully paid time off
End all pay discrepancies based on race, gender identity, disability status, etc.
Establish a federal commission to institute a four-day work week
Review all U.S. trade agreements and cancel any provisions that exploit workers domestically and internationally
National free pre-K childcare

Environmental Justice

Moving beyond the Green New Deal to a global Green Reconstruction initiative
Constitutional right to clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment
Nationalize the fossil fuel industry
Acknowledge and declare a climate emergency
Immediate cessation of all oil and gas leasing projects on federal lands and waters
Federal moratorium on fracking, carbon capture, and direct air capture technologies, geoengineering, and other false climate solutions
Climate reparations and contribute fair share to the global loss and damage fund
Justice for Cancer Alley and other energy and economic sacrifice zones
Cancel the Willow Project, the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and all other harmful and unnecessary projects harming people and planet
Establish a national Risk Bond program for the fossil fuel and mining industries and associated infrastructure
Codify Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for Indigenous people
End water privatization and establish a commission to address and solve the drinking water crises across the nation
Rescind the toxic provisions of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act

Health Justice

Go beyond Medicare for All towards true health justice
Habeas Corpus Healthcare, free healthcare for any and all residents of the United States
Codify abortion rights as a Constitutional mandate
Remove Transgender exclusions/limitations from all healthcare policies
Nationalize the healthcare industry, including the pharmaceutical industry
End medical apartheid and protect/increase rights for people with disabilities
End the war on drugs and associated collateral damage on families and communities
Establish a COVID-19 Commission to deliver justice for populations disproportionately impacted by the pandemic
Convene a federal panel of scientists and experts to study the safety and utilization of vaccines for infectious diseases
Establish a Health Bill of Rights for disabled people to address and dismantle specific healthcare challenges they face

Racial Justice

Reparations to address the unpaid debt to Black U.S. residents
Directive to complete the reparations process and findings within two years so checks can be cut and sent to eligible recipients
Push Congress to pass filibuster-proof budget reconciliation for reparations and Land Back provisions, in line with the Civil Liberties Act of 1988
End mass incarceration and codify voting rights for all incarcerated people and immediately reinstate voting rights for all returning citizens
Address the disproportionate mortality rate for Black pregnancies
Require public review commissions for every police force in the nation
Reinstate Section 4(b) and Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act
Establish a Land Back Commission to explore and address brutal land theft from, attempted genocide of, and broken treaties with Indigenous peoples
Full use of federal forces to investigate and end the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
Codify the Justice for Black Farmers Act for immediate execution

Transformative Justice

Protect free speech, enforce whistleblower protections, and stop the prosecution of those who expose government corruption
Shut down Cop City and plans for similar facilities across the nation
End mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex
Redistribute police funding to unarmed community-led forces
Eliminate crowded prison facilities by developing alternatives to incarceration
Prisoner Bill of Rights that includes a right to humane treatment and humane living conditions for all correctional facilities
Abolish the use of solitary confinement
Investigate and end sentencing discrepancies based on race, ethnicity, and class
Ban the death penalty, life without the possibility of parole, three-strikes laws, mandatory minimums, and sentence enhancement politics
Restore voting rights for people with criminal records, including those who are currently incarcerated
Confiscate all military equipment from civilian police forces
End and prohibit all police training programs by military forces including, but not limited to the Israel Defense Forces

Voter Justice

Make Election Day a National Holiday to increase voter turnout and to foster a transparent and robust voting process
Establish automatic voter registration, same day registration, and the option to use vote-by-mail for all eligible voters
Create a federal Democracy Commission to investigate and eliminate undue ballot access impediments for non-duopoly candidates
Promote Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) across the nation
End lifetime appointments for Supreme Court justices by imposing term limits
Prohibit donations/contributions to any judge at any level of government
Enact national ban on all former elected officials acting or working as lobbyists
Establish term limits for all elected officials nationwide

Education Justice

Center public schools and reduce the need for charter schools
End the nexus of quality education and tax base – there is no reason why a public school in Beverly Hills should be “better” than a public school in Lowndes County, Alabama
Free tuition for all state and community colleges
Minimum wage of $80,000 for all U.S. public school teachers K-12
Dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline by removing police and so-called School Resource Officers from all public schools
Cancel all student loan debt
Reinstate the fair use of race, ethnicity, and class as a factor for admission to secondary schools and universities
Abolish state laws that limit or remove the full and accurate study of U.S. history
Increase federal funding for Historic Black Colleges and Universities and Tribal Colleges and Universities

LGBTQIA+ Justice

End the unwarranted, unnecessary, and dangerous assaults on transgender people
Gender-affirming standards of care for trans people in public life and institutions
Codify an Equal Rights Amendment for LGBTQIA+ U.S. residents
National ban on any and all so-called “Don’t Say Gay” laws and all other anti-LGBTQIA+ laws

Gun Violence Justice

End the gun violence epidemic
National gun registry database for all civilians similar to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act database for hazardous materials
Establish similar requirements for driver licenses to gun ownership
Drastically limit the number of sales at gun shows
National Red Flag Law that expedites the process of gun confiscation from individuals who pose a danger to themselves and communities

Immigration Justice

Massive investment in transforming immigration policies to create a broad legal pathway for residency that centers compassion, morality, dignity, and ethics
End crimes against humanity for migrants and their families – no separation of families, no children in cages
Cut red tape that delays legal pathways to citizenship and permanent residence
Accountability for the U.S. role in exacerbating the migrant crisis
Abolish ICE and demilitarize the southern border
Enforce international and national laws that allow for asylum seekers to enter the country without delay or prejudice

Global Justice

Dismantle the U.S. empire
Slash the bloated U.S. military budget
Disband NATO
Expeditious and responsible closure of global U.S. military bases – AFRICOM, etc.
Global cooperation in lieu of full spectrum dominance
Cease all war funding and weapons to Ukraine and invest in peacemaking
Cease military funding to the State of Israel
End Israeli apartheid of Palestinian people and press the UN to establish a program for Palestinian dignity and liberation
Cease all military support to nations committing war crimes
Truth and Reconciliation Commission for U.S. Intervention in Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia
End the Cuba embargo and normalize relations by removing the nation from the SSOT list
No intervention, military or otherwise in Haiti
Cancel all IMF/World Bank debts for so-called developing nations, especially nations on the African continent
End the global patriarchy and associated violence that oppresses women around the world, and stand in solidarity with global women-led movements such as those in Afghanistan and Iran