Daily News Digest April 23, 2024
Images of the Day:
Louisiana’s Petrochemical Pollution
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! Globaly, With the Current Gaza War, The Right of Assembly is Under Attack! 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:
Cancer Alley:Cancer Alley is the regional nickname given to an 85-mile (137 km) stretch of land[1] along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, in the River Parishes of Louisiana, which contains over 200[2] petrochemical plants and refineries.[3] This area accounts for 25% of the petrochemical production in the United States.[4] Environmentalists consider the region a sacrifice zone where rates of cancer caused by air pollution exceed the federal government‘s own limits of acceptable risk.
Environmental Regulations Based on ‘Economic Feasibly’ to Protect Prfits!: When our nation’s policy-makers decide how to protect human health and the environment, their choices often are influenced by the work of economists at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who assist the Agency in applying sound economic science to important policy decisions. EPA uses economic analysis to meet statutory obligations and Congressional mandates. National decision-makers increasingly request economic information prior to making important regulatory decisions. EPA strives to improve the environment without imposing unreasonable costs on society by grounding its policy proposals in sound economic analysis. Cost-effectiveness and market-based incentives are critical when developing regulations and policies. — Overview of Economic Analysis at the EPA
From these facts about two known carcinogens and one probable carcinogen, common in paints, one can tell that OSHA cannot prevent occupational cancer. Especially in painters who are exposed to over 150 known and suspected carcinogens and over 3000 hazardous substances daily. As you can see people getting cancer is part of the equation; OSHA pel’s are at least ten times higher than NIOSH; therefore, the OSHA “feasible” risk for cancer is at least ten times higher. (In the video Before Their Time (about workers dying of cancer) produced by the Workers Health and Sfaety Centre, Ontario Canada, Peter Infante, Director of Standards for OSHA, stated that NIOSH includes one more cancer per 1000 workers exposed as feasible.) OSHA had tried to correct itself in the 1970s but with no success. Under pressure from below, OSHA administrators during the Carter years estimated that their proposed legislation would produce a 20 percent drop, in cancer rates. But the Democrats and President Carter refused to pass the legislation. Thus Carter, and his replacement, Ronald Reagan, began the slow erosion of workers’ safety guidelines that had been fought for by American workers since the 1930s. Bush Sr. and Clinton followed in this path, and let’s not forget that one of Bush Junior’s first acts, as president was to repeal OSHA-mandated ergonomics guidelines, which would have prevented an estimated 4.6 million cases of muscular-skeletal injuries. …. As a result of what he had seen in his years on the inside, Peter Infante had this to say in 2002: “They’re not interested in protecting workers, they’re protecting industry, so that’s why I left.” (3) In the killing fields of US industry, workers are maimed or killed for nothing – or rather, they are killed and maimed while producing profits for the rich – which is nothing to die for. Environmental destruction, disease, and death are factored into the costs of production with the same calculated callousness as casualties of war are factored into military campaigns. Government ‘safety’ agencies even use terminology similar to that used by the Pentagon. In war, civilians killed and wounded by the military are referred to as ‘collateral damage’. In much the same way, the government sets ‘economically feasible’ levels for workplace injury and death. So, if you get cancer at work or lose a limb to an accident, there’s nothing to worry about – it’s ‘economically feasible’! The most horrifying fact is that 99 percent of these injuries and deaths are preventable with modern-day technology and science. Dangerous and often deadly working conditions and exposure to toxic chemicals affects us all. — The War at the Point of Production: The ‘Killing Fields’ of the United States
Pocasts/Videos of the Day:
Historic Gaza Protests at Columbia U. Enter Day 6; Campus Protests Spread Across Country
“Collective Punishment”: As Gaza Assault Continues, Israel Ramps Up Violence in Occupied West Bank
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
Election Year Spin: (Biden isn’t Advertising America’s Record Oil Boom): Biden’ Plan — No Mention of Petrochemical Plants in Cancer Alley!: Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Stronger Clean Air Standards for Chemical Plants, Lowering Cancer Risk and Advancing Environmental Justice Final rule will reduce the number of people with elevated cancer risk by 96% in communities near plants that emit ethylene oxide and chloroprene, advancing President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative Today, April 9, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule that will significantly reduce toxic air pollution from chemical plants, including ethylene oxide and chloroprene. EPA’s action will advance President Biden’s commitment to environmental justice by slashing more than 6,200 tons of toxic air pollution each year, dramatically reducing the number of people with elevated cancer risk due to toxic air pollution in communities surrounding plants covered by the rule. Once implemented, the rule will reduce both EtO and chloroprene emissions from covered processes and equipment by nearly 80%. A requirement for these facilities to conduct fenceline monitoring for key toxic chemicals is included, and EPA will make the data publicly available to better inform and safeguard nearby communities.
Chris Hedges: Technocapitalism—Bitcoin, Mars, and Dystopia Blockchain, AI, and other technological innovations could be used to improve human flourishing. Instead they’re making the oligarchy richer and more powerful at all of our expense. We are living through an incipient technological revolution. AI, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, commercial space travel, and other innovations are rapidly transforming everything from the workplace to the financial architecture of the global economy. While many of these technologies hold vast potential to benefit the social good, the multinational corporations and financial oligarchy that drive innovation and own its products are solely motivated by private profit. The consequences are unfolding all around us. As technology and the power of the oligarchy advances, the misery and disenfranchisement of the majority grows. We are now in an age of “Space Barons and Techtitans,” and the future they are leading us to is one of even greater exploitation, inequality, and ecological crisis. Loretta Napoleoni, author of Technocapitalism: The Rise of the New Robber Barrons and the Fight for the Common Good, joins The Chris Hedges Report to discuss the technocapitalist present and future described in her book.
The Overlooked Contributors to Climate and Biodiversity Crises: Military Operations and Wars Abstract The military-industrial complex, military operations, and wars are major contributors to exacerbating both climate change and biodiversity crises. However, their environmental impacts are often shadowed due to national security reasons. The current paper aims to go through the devastating impacts of military operations and wars on climate change and biodiversity loss and challenges that hinder the inclusion of military-related activities into environmental crisis mitigation efforts. The information blind spot induced by concerns about national security reasons jeopardizes the efforts to involve the military-industrial complex and military operations in the global climate and biodiversity agendas. Besides that, many challenges in military operations, such as specificity of operational requirements and lifecycles, dependence on fossil fuels, complex supply change, inadequate civilian technologies and innovations, and requirements of structural changes, can hinder emission reduction. Meanwhile, wars and conflicts not only threaten to drain all human and material resources available to tackle environmental problems but also inflict long-lasting destructions, pains, and trauma that can lead to hatred and distrust among nations and parties. With the rising hatred and distrust, global agreement and commitment to address climate change and biodiversity will hardly be achieved. Thus, promoting peace is the humanistic and planetary conscience. … Nations and individuals are compelled to work towards peaceful solutions for conflicts and reconsider the priorities of national and global security. Investing in peace is investing in the health and resilience of our planet’s ecosystems. It is a commitment to future generations, ensuring a world where biodiversity thrives and the impacts of climate change are minimized. Let us, therefore, embrace peace not just as a political ideal but as an ecological necessity vital for preserving our planet and the intricate web of life it sustains.
U.S. Funded Plestinian Genocide:
US House Awards Israel $26 Billion so It can Go on Killing or Wounding a Palestinian Child Every 10 Minutes The US House of Representatives voted $26 billion for Israel on Saturday to reward it for its ongoing war crimes against Palestinians. Some 58 members voted against the measure, including 37 Democrats. It was the House of Representatives’ most decisive vote of confidence in genocide since the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The US national debt is $34.5 trillion, up $2 trillion since last summer, against a gross domestic product of $27 trillion. For the debt to run so far ahead of GDP could cause the US economy to crash. That is, the US Congress does not have $26 billion to give to Israel in the first place.
Environment:
Fund Climate! — Not Genocide! 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’!
Capitalism’s Wars for Oil: When Bodies Start Stacking Up From Climate Change-Related Disasters, Will These Monsters be Held to Account?
War & Genocide on Earth Day U.S. military aggression and imperial ambitions leave a trail of natural destruction — all under the guise of national security, writes Melissa Garriga. On Earth Day prepare for the annual spectacle of U.S. lawmakers donning their environmentalist hats, waxing poetic about their love for the planet while disregarding the devastation their actions wreak. The harsh reality is that alongside their hollow pledges lies a trail of destruction fueled by military aggression and imperial ambitions, all under the guise of national security. Take Gaza, for instance. Its once-fertile farmland now lies barren, its water sources poisoned by conflict and neglect. The grim statistics speak volumes: 97 percent of Gaza’s water is unfit for human consumption, leading to a staggering 26 percent of illnesses, particularly among vulnerable children. Israel’s decades-long colonial settler project and ethnic cleansing of Palestine have caused irrefutable damage to the land, air and water, consequently contributing to the climate crisis.
Black Liberation/Civil Rights:
Evironmental Racism: Every Petrochemical District is a ‘Cancer Alley! Cancer Alley: Cancer Alley (French: Allée du Cancer) is the regional nickname given to an 85-mile (137 km) stretch of land[1] along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, in the River Parishes of Louisiana, which contains over 150 petrochemical plants and refineries.[2] This area accounts for 25% of the petrochemical production in the United States.[3] The region is considered a sacrifice zone.[4] In Cancer Alley, forty-six individuals per one million are at risk of developing cancer, compared with the national average of roughly thirty individuals per one million.[3] The abnormally high cancer risk and concentration of petrochemical operations inspired the “Cancer Alley” moniker.
‘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.
Whether It is Opposition, to Israel’s Palestine Genocide or Global Warming, Worldwide Capitalism is Applying the Iron Heal to Free Speech/or Protests!: genocide,” Hirsi wrote on social media on Thursday morning.
Labor:
Human (Capitalism)-Caused Climate Change will cut Your Paycheck by a Fifth over the Next 26 Years The damaging effects of climate change are set to hit economic growth severely across most countries, said researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).With the climate change that is already locked-in through past and “plausible” future emissions, income will be 19 percent lower on average globally over the next 26 years than in a scenario without climate change, they said in an article in Nature
Economy:
Billionaire-Owned Media Has Gone Full Throttle to Save Fellow Billionaire, Jamie Dimon Billionaire-Owned Media Has Gone Full Throttle to Save Fellow Billionaire, Jamie Dimon The Washington Post Editorial Board appears to have sipped the same kool aid as Bloomberg News. As we’ve frequently reported in the past, Bloomberg News has spent the better part of the last decade attempting to brainwash the public into believing that the head of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, is a respected statesman of Wall Street. (See here, here, and here.) In reality, JPMorgan Chase has admitted to an unprecedented five criminal felony counts with Dimon at the helm and paid fines in the tens of billions of dollars for an additional crime wave that rivals an organized crime family.
World:
George Monbiot: Victimize people who raise a voice in Britain? Then destroy their families? Not in my Name! In combination, these elements ensured that the system remained predisposed to elite rule, even while it pretended the people were in charge. The portcullis excluding us from power has never been properly lifted since the Norman conquest. The relationship between rulers and ruled remains, in effect, a relationship between occupier and occupied. In combination, these elements ensured that the system remained predisposed to elite rule, even while it pretended the people were in charge. The portcullis excluding us from power has never been properly lifted since the Norman conquest. The relationship between rulers and ruled remains, in effect, a relationship between occupier and occupied.
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
The Indisputable Causality: Homelessness as a Byproduct of Capitalism and the Call for Revolutionary Change In an unprecedented analysis of the root causes of homelessness, a constellation of economic research and social theory has converged to deliver a verdict that is no longer open to debate: homelessness is, without question, a direct result of the inherent flaws within the capitalist system. Capitalism, with its relentless pursuit of profit over people, has been conclusively proven to manufacture the very conditions that leave thousands without shelter. The evidence is overwhelming. Capitalism’s intrinsic drive for accumulation leads to the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, while the many are left to compete for the crumbs. This economic disparity creates a chasm where the bottom rung of the socioeconomic ladder is mired in poverty, unable to afford basic necessities. The unemployment, underemployment, and precarious employment that plague capitalist societies disproportionately affect those who find themselves homeless, further entrenching them in a cycle of destitution.