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, and 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! 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 Still Leads the World In Coronavirus Cases and Deaths in the World!
The Majority of the World, Despite the Media Monopoly’s Lies, are Opposed to the Palestinian Genocide and Global Warming — The 1% Minority Funds Them! At, this Time in History, Capitalism is Exposing the Fact That it is Opposed to Majority Rule/Democracy!
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:
From: Marjorie Cohn: Students Demanding Divestment: You’re on the Right Side of History “Israel has damaged or destroyed every university in Gaza. But no university president has denounced Israel’s genocide or supported the call for divestment.”:
This reunion comes at an auspicious time, with college campuses erupting all over the country in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Once again, 55 years later, Stanford students are rising up for peace and justice. They have established a “People’s University” encampment and they are demanding that Stanford: (1) explicitly condemn Israel’s genocide and apartheid; (2) call for an immediate ceasefire, and for Israel and Egypt to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza; and (3) immediately divest from the consumer brands identified by the Palestinian BDS National Committee and all firms in Stanford’s investment portfolio that are complicit Israeli war crimes, apartheid and genocide. At this moment in history, there are two related military occupations occurring simultaneously – 5,675 miles apart. One is Israel’s ongoing 57-year occupation of Palestinian territory, which is now taking the form of a full-fledged genocide that has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. The other is at Columbia University, where the administration has asked the New York Police Department to occupy the school until May 17. Both occupations are fueled by the Zionist power structure. Both have weaponized antisemitism to rationalize their brutality. The students at Columbia are demanding that the university end its investments in companies and funds that are profiting from Israel’s war against the Palestinians. They want financial transparency and amnesty for students and faculty involved in the demonstration. Most protesters throughout the country are demanding an immediate ceasefire and divestment from companies with interests in Israel. More than 2,300 people have been arrested or detained on U.S. college campuses. Israel has damaged or destroyed every university in Gaza. But no university president has denounced Israel’s genocide or supported the call for divestment.
The capitalist system, driven at its core by the maximization of profit, regardless of social and ecological costs, is incompatible with a just and sustainable future. Ecosocialism offers a radical alternative that puts social and ecological well-being first. Attuned to the links between the exploitation of labor and the exploitation of the environment, ecosocialism stands against both reformist “market ecology” and “productivist socialism.” By embracing a new model of robustly democratic planning, society can take control of the means of production and its own destiny. Shorter work hours and a focus on authentic needs over consumerism can facilitate the elevation of “being” over “having,” and the achievement of a deeper sense of freedom for all. To realize this vision, however, environmentalists and socialists will need to recognize their common struggle and how that connects with the broader “movement of movements” seeking a Great Transition. Introduction Contemporary capitalist civilization is in crisis. The unlimited accumulation of capital, commodification of everything, ruthless exploitation of labor and nature, and attendant brutal competition undermine the bases of a sustainable future, thereby putting the very survival of the human species at risk. The deep, systemic threat we face demands a deep, systemic change: a Great Transition. In synthesizing the basic tenets of ecology and the Marxist critique of political economy, ecosocialism offers a radical alternative to an unsustainable status quo. Rejecting a capitalist definition of “progress” based on market growth and quantitative expansion (which, as Marx shows, is a destructive progress), it advocates policies founded on non-monetary criteria, such as social needs, individual well-being, and ecological equilibrium. Ecosocialism puts forth a critique of both mainstream “market ecology,” which does not challenge the capitalist system, and “productivist socialism,” which ignores natural limits. — Michael Löwy, Why Ecosocialism: For a Red-Green Future
For almost a year now, the planet has been in uncharted territory. Since June 2023, every consecutive month has been the hottest on record. Antarctic sea ice has been tracking at near-record lows for months. Sea surface temperatures have stayed at record highs since this time last year. And in the midst of this, the world has been gripped by floods, heatwaves, droughts and storms. — Is Climate Change Accelerating After a Record Year of Heat?
As the planet’s average temperature climbs, researchers expect drought to intensify and grow more frequent in many arid regions. More droughts would lead to more soil cracks, which would release more carbon dioxide from soils. This extra carbon dioxide, in turn, contributes to climate change—a chain that comes full circle in a self-accelerating feedback loop. — Cracking Soils Could Accelerate Climate Change
Podcasts’Videos of the Day:
The Chris Hedges Report: Interview with George Galloway – The Walls Are Closing In on the Ability to Dissent I think of Mr. Galloway every time I hear otherwise intelligent people express ambivalence about Israel. He once said, (and I wildly paraphrase): “I no longer want to argue about Zionist behavior because it’s like arguing about the justification for rape or murder. There is none.” This week I thought about that idea often in the context of two very intelligent people whom I admire, and who shall remain nameless.
Glen Greenwald Bernie Mocks the Left’s Vow Not to Vote for Biden Over Israel
Interview: The Walls are Closing In on the Ability to Dissent, Says Cancelled Chris Hedges
Belgian Students Occupy Ghent University Building in Climate and Gaza Protest – Video
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
The War at Home and Abroad: The Main Obstacle to Peace in Gaza? The United States! Now that Biden administration has established that it will not tolerate any criticism of Israel, the siege of Gaza is likely to continue. Violent crackdowns on student protesters across the United States have brought to light an uncomfortable truth that goes unacknowledged by universities, the White House, and the mass media: the United States is an obstacle to peace in Gaza. As Israel has directed an unrelenting military assault against Gaza, the United States has enabled it every step of the way. Among its most significant moves, the United States has provided Israel with offensive weapons, opposed a permanent ceasefire, and cracked down on student protesters.
Paul Street: Genocide Joe Has Lie’n Joe Biden ever done a special nationally televised presidential address on the fascist Christian white nationalist menace stalking the land?
- Did he do one to denounce and counter the forced motherhood Dobbs v Jacksondecision?!
- Did he go on television to talk to the nation about its insane mass shooting and violence epidemics?
- How about one on the climate catastrophe (just the biggest issue of our or any time), which has gotten worse under his administration (during which the US has set new records for the burning of fossil fuels)?
- How about one on the growing risk of nuclear war, which he has significantly escalated with his relentless provocation of Russia and China? Hello?
Of course not. Nope. And yet this very morning the sorry-ass arch-imperialist warmonger Genocide Joe Biden did a nationally televised address in which he falsely painted the wonderful wave of American campus protests against US-backed genocide in Gaza as a “violent,” “antisemitic,” and “chaos”-causing threat to Jewish and other students, to the educational process, and to the “rule of law.” What a lying sack of shit this longtime blood-soaked imperialist is.
Tlaib Says Rafah Invasion Is Directly Connected to Approval of US Military Aid There is nowhere safe in Gaza for displaced people to go, said the representative, echoing humanitarians’ warnings. U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib said Tuesday that the Israeli government’s decision this week to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah was directly connected to American lawmakers’ recent approval of billions of dollars in additional military aid. “It’s no coincidence that immediately after our government sent the Israeli apartheid regime over $14 billion with absolutely no conditions on upholding human rights, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu began a ground invasion of Rafah to continue the genocide of Palestinians — with ammunition and bombs paid for by our tax dollars,” Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American in the U.S. Congress, said in a statement.
Media Scorn Gaza Protesters for Recognizing Corporate Reporters Aren’t Their Friends An emerging complaint the corporate media have against the nationwide—and now international—peace encampments is that many student protesters won’t speak to them. The problem, pundits and reporters say, is that these encampments have designated media spokespeople, and other protesters often keep their mouths shut to the press. Conservative pundit Peggy Noonan (Wall Street Journal, 5/2/24) said of her trip to the Columbia University encampment: I was at Columbia hours before the police came in and liberated Hamilton Hall from its occupiers. Unlike protesters of the past, who were usually eager to share with others what they thought and why, these demonstrators would generally not speak or make eye contact with members of the press, or, as they say, “corporate media.”
U.S. Funded Plestinian Genocide:
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?
Presidential Election Year Environmental ‘Spin’: EPA Passes Regulations For Forever Chemicals: Good News And Bad News Earlier month, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized drinking water standards for a group of substances known as Forever Chemicals. These chemicals include PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHXs, PFBS, and GenX and are generally described as polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS chemicals are present everywhere in the environment, degrade very slowly and posed health risks to people who are exposed to them. They are called forever chemicals because they break down so slowing that they are around for centuries, essentially forever. This new regulation requires that these forever chemicals be added to the substances that EPA requires all public drinking water systems to routinely monitor. Some water companies will start testing for PFAS in drinking water as early as 2027 in 3 years, but these restrictions don’t go into effect until 2029, five years from now. This regulation does not apply to private or individual wells, just to large public water systems. While it’s good news that PFAS chemicals will be restricted in drinking water by 2029, this decision also highlights the slow cumbersome way that chemicals are regulated in this country. Although EPA made clear that there are significant and severe adverse health effects associated with these chemicals, the agency did not restrict their production or use in consumer products, just their presence in drinking water, and not for another 5 years. So, Dupont, 3M as well as other companies will continue to make these chemicals for use in consumer products. Furthermore, this new regulation only applies to 5 of the thousands of different PFAS compounds that have been identified.
Hottest April on Record is ihe 11th Record-Breaking Month an a Row Global temperatures in April 2024 were 1.6°C higher than the average for April during the pre-industrial era Global temperatures last month were the highest ever recorded for the month of April, making this the 11th month in a row to set a record, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The average global surface air temperature during April 2024 was 15.03°C (59.05°F), which is 0.14°C above the previous record for April set in 2016. This means average global temperatures were 1.6°C higher during April 2024 than the average for April between 1850 and 1900, regarded by climate scientists as the pre-industrial benchmark. The global average for the past 12 months is also the highest on record, at 1.6°C above the 1850 to 1900 average.
UN Expert Attacks ‘Exploitative’ World Economy in Fight to Save Planet Outgoing special rapporteur David Boyd says ‘there’s something wrong with our brains that we can’t understand how grave this is’ The race to save the planet is being impeded by a global economy that is contingent on the exploitation of people and nature, according to the UN’s outgoing leading environment and human rights expert.
How Fracking Is Making Some U.S. Communities More Radioactive Than Chernoby A Q&A with DeSmog reporter Justin Nobel about his revelatory new book, Petroleum-238. Of all the things that come to mind when you think of oil and gas fracking, radioactive cancer-causing sludge may not necessarily be at the top of the list. But award-winning investigative DeSmog journalist Justin Nobel is working to change that with his new book Petroleum-238, which exposes an unsettling secret at the heart of the industry (read an excerpt here). Oil and gas companies across the U.S. are producing billions of gallons of radioactive waste each day, and it’s ending up in municipal landfills, local drinking water supplies, and the bloodstreams of industry workers and their families. Shockingly, he found, radiation levels at some oil and gas facilities within small American towns are higher than those at the exclusion zone around the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster
Black Liberation/Civil Rights:
Labor:
Economy:
Cleary Gottlieb – Outside Counsel to Wall Street’s Serially Bailed Out Megabanks – Tarnishes the FDIC Chair in its So-Called “Independent” Report Yesterday, the Big Law firm Cleary Gottlieb released its so-called “independent review” of charges of sexual harassment at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Although no employee is charging Martin Gruenberg, the Chair of the FDIC, with sexual harassment, Cleary Gottlieb seems to go out of its way to paint Gruenberg in a negative light in the report – 108 times in fact.
World:
Like in Israel, US Backing Gives War Criminals Free Rein in Philippines US-backed regimes in the Philippines have committed gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. The ongoing genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) marks a crucial step forward in addressing violations of international humanitarian law and a reaffirmation of the importance of holding states accountable for their actions. It sends a signal not only to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but also to other war criminals — that they cannot simply drop bombs on civilian populations and face no consequences. It is not only Israel, however, where war criminals in power think they can get away with murder. In the Philippines, too, the current administration of Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr. and his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte have committed countless violations of human rights and international laws with impunity.
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