Daily News Digest May 14, 2024
Images of the Day:
Bendib: Biden’s Red Line 
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:
Martin Luther King: Our Nation was Born in Genocide
This article examines Malcolm X and his vision of racial justice through application of United Nation’s international human rights provisions and institutions. First, the last year of Malcolm X’s life is examined to focus on the development and progression of his concept of international human rights in the context of his PanAfrican internationalism. Second, this article will examine the history and status of the relevant United Nations human rights provisions and institutions in existence during Malcolm X’s life including: the United Nations Charter, the United Nations Charter Based Institutions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Third, this article analyzes Malcolm X’s draft Genocide Petition. Finally, this article discusses the impact and results of Malcolm X’s Pan-African crusade for international human rights. — Guilty as Charged: Malcolm X and His Vision of Racial Justice For African Americans Through Utilization of the United Nations International Human Rights Provisions and Institutions.
We are talking about the survival of a race of people, that is all that is at stake. We are talking about the survival of black people, nothing else… nothing else… And you must understand that. Now why is it necessary for us to talk about the survival of our people? Many of us feel… many of our generation feel that they’re getting ready to commit genocide against us. Now, many people say that’s a horrible thing to say about anybody. But if it is a horrible thing to say, then we should do as brother Malcolm says: we should examine history. The BIRTH of this nation was conceived in the genocide of the red man…— Stokely Carmichael – Free Huey Rally, 1968
Podcast/Videos of the Day:
Which Way Forward for Palestine Movement? Leaders & Activists to Converge in Detroit 
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
Biden’s Shifting ‘Red Line’ Lets Israel Get Away With Murder Biden threatened Israel with pulling military aid if it invades Rafah, but Israel is attacking anyway. It won’t face consequences so long as Biden remains vague on what amounts to sufficient grounds for suspending military aid.
Israel “Likely” Used U.S.-Supplied Weapons in Violation of International Law. That’s Ok, Though, State Department Says. Antony Blinken’s report identifies “incidents that raise concerns,” but says Israel is not blocking humanitarian aid In a long-awaited report, the State Department lays out numerous suspected international humanitarian violations by Israel in its war on Gaza, yet suggests no changes in policy or consequences. The Biden administration concludes it is likely that Israel used U.S.-supplied weapons in “incidents that raise concerns” about the country’s legal compliance, while crediting Israel for investigating them. The report also concludes Israel is not currently blocking humanitarian aid, despite “deep concerns” about “action and inaction” by the government resulting in aid delivery to Gaza that “remains insufficient.”
US Is Losing In Ukraine. Blame China, Says Blinken At the close of his recent trip to China, on April 26 while still in Beijing, Sec. of State, Anthony Blinken, made an extremely bellicose statement to the press. Blinken’s words marked a new phase in the narrative to prepare the American and European public for more conflict with China. As Caitlin Johnstone has reminded us, “Before they drop the bombs, they drop the narrative.” What, then, is the narrative that Blinken dropped? Blinken alleges that China’s support for Russia accounts for its success in Ukraine. In his statement, Blinken tells us that the US has “serious concern” over “components” from China that are “powering” Russia’s war with Ukraine. He goes on to say that China is the top supplier “of dual use items that Moscow is using to ramp up its industrial base, a defense industrial base…” It is widely accepted that the US is losing its Ukraine proxy war. Blinken now informs us that the US-installed Ukrainian regime is losing because China is aiding Russia. Blaming China is nothing new in the argot of the West, but here it is put to a new use, as an excuse for yet another embarrassing defeat for the US. At the close of his recent trip to China, on April 26 while still in Beijing, Sec. of State, Anthony Blinken, made an extremely bellicose statement to the press. Blinken’s words marked a new phase in the narrative to prepare the American and European public for more conflict with China. As Caitlin Johnstone has reminded us, “Before they drop the bombs, they drop the narrative.” What, then, is the narrative that Blinken dropped?
When Your Rulers Ignore Voters But Are Terrified Of Protesters, That Tells You Something When nobody in power will lift a finger to earn your vote but they’re falling all over themselves trying to stomp out a robust protest movement, that tells you what the powerful are actually afraid of and where you should really be focusing your political energy. Politico reports that the DNC is planning to move the Chicago convention partially online in order to “tamp down demonstrators” against Biden’s genocide in Gaza. The Democratic Party’s apathy toward this election is almost as blatant as its support for police crackdowns on political dissent. When nobody in power will lift a finger to earn your vote but they’re falling all over themselves trying to stomp out a robust protest movement, that tells you what the powerful are actually afraid of and where you should really be focusing your political energy. Your votes don’t matter, but your activism does.
U.S. Funded Plestinian Genocide:
The United States War in Support of Terrorism!: April 2024 Letterfrom the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council: Over 200 days of Israeli Strocities in the Gaza Strip – Letter from the State of Palestine (A/ES-10/990-S/2024/341) It has been over 200 days of unrelenting Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip; over six months of war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the occupying Power; and over half a year of genocide waged by Israel against the Palestinian people in an ongoing Nakba of over seven decades in breach of all legal norms and any measure of human decency. The international community’s failure to ensure accountability has only emboldened Israel’s commission of more crimes in Occupied Palestine with intensifying savagery. Shielding of Israel by the veto in the Security Council has bolstered its belief that it is exceptional, a State above the law. Unrestrained by any consequences, Israel remains in its contempt for the Council’s ceasefire demand, persisting with its siege and bombardments of all areas in Gaza, north to south, and in contempt of the International Court of Justice provisional measures orders, flouting such binding legal obligations with total impunity. And, in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the occupying army and Israeli settler mobs continue to hunt down Palestinian civilians in daily raids on Palestinian villages and towns, terrorizing the entire population. Fanatic and violent settlers also continue to provoke, incite and carry out raids at Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al‑Sharif, dangerously stoking religious tensions. Just days ago, Israeli occupying forces besieged and ravaged the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem for nearly three days, killing 14 Palestinians, injuring 50 others, damaging and destroying homes, forcibly displacing at least 11 families and cutting off 4,000 people from water and electricity. Absent a ceasefire and any form of protection, Israel thus continues inflicting unspeakable traumas on the Palestinian people. Terrified civilians in Gaza, the majority homeless and living in extreme deprivation and distress in United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) shelters and tents, have borne witness to massacres and executions, maiming and torture, detention and disappearances of their loved ones; they have been starved as Israel weaponizes food, threatened by disease as Israel weaponizes water and medicine, disabled as Israel weaponizes medical care to those struck by its bombs and bullets. They are enduring sheer terror.
As the Genocide Nears Completion the Social Democrat ‘Peeps’!:Israel ‘Has Gone to War Against the Entire Palestinian People’: Sanders “Any objective observer knows Israel has broken international law, it has broken American law, and, in my view, Israel should not be receiving another nickle in U.S. military aid,” Sanders said.
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?
Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Week beginning on May 05, 2024: 426.92 ppm Weekly value from 1 year ago: 424.32 ppm Weekly value from 10 years ago: 401.90 ppm Last updated: May 12, 2024 
New Report ‘Ringing the Alarm Bell’ for Climate Advocacy Conflict of Interest F Minus research reveals CO fossil fuel lobbying firms continually fought for and against environmental regulations. In Colorado, fossil fuel interests are vigorously opposing legislative bills meant to clean up the state’s heavily polluted air. That might seem like business as usual, but a new report reveals a more serious dynamic: Statewide, firms lobbying on behalf of oil and gas interests often also represent the very groups the proposed rules are intended to protect. Taken together, four anti-smog bills currently under consideration in the state legislature — SB 165, SB 166, HB 1330, and HB 1339 — would strengthen air quality oversight in Colorado, while subjecting oil and gas polluters to more rigorous controls. That might seem like a top priority for public entities in a state where 80 percent of residents live in a community with unhealthy air, compared with just 39 percent nationwide, according to the American Lung Association. But the report, published today by the nonprofit legislative watchdog F Minus and Brown University’s Climate and Development Lab, found that Colorado counties with the highest levels of air pollution haven’t exactly sprung into action. Instead, several have retained fossil fuel lobbyists to work on their behalf.
The Ultraprocessed Foods Corporations Cram Down Our Children’s Throats UPFs make up two-thirds of the calories consumed by children and teenagers in the United States. About forty-five years ago, at a social gathering, I asked an executive of a Minneapolis-based large food processing company if he fed heavily sugared cereals to his children. He smiled as he shook his head. Smart person. His and other major companies producing what is now called Ultraprocessed Foods (UPFs) had scientists and labs. They knew that ever higher doses of sugars, fats, and salts were being poured into nutritionally stripped foods and deceptively promoted to youngsters on kiddy television. They profitably ignored the serious damage they were causing! These companies’ marketeers succeeded in getting these children, as my mother would say, to turn their tongues against their brains. The children were also shown how to nag their parents into buying junk food and drink. In fact, Madison Avenue advertising firms would give high ratings for ads “with a high nag factor.” It was about 1980 when obesity rates started rising at alarming rates. Now about 30% of adults are obese, another 35% are overweight. Recently, a Goldman Sachs study estimated that by 2028 up to 70 million Americans will be taking the new weight-loss drugs, whose longer-term effects are yet to be known. Their apparent present success in suppressing extra food intake is already worrying the fast-food chains like McDonald’s that thrive on selling huge cheeseburgers.
Black Liberation/Civil Rights:
Martin Luther King & Indigenous Peoples Civil Rights Few know that Dr. Martin Luther King was a great freedom fighter for Native Americans and the horrific mistreatment to them by the U.S. government. King wrote in his 1963 book “Why We Can’t Wait” which outlined the historic injustices inflicted on Native people: “Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. Even before there were large numbers of Negroes on our shores, the scar of racial hatred had already disfigured colonial society. From the sixteenth century forward, blood flowed in battles of racial supremacy. We are perhaps the only nation which tried as a matter of national policy to wipe out its Indigenous population. Moreover, we elevated that tragic experience into a noble crusade. Indeed, even today we have not permitted ourselves to reject or feel remorse for this shameful episode. Our literature, our films, our drama, our folklore all exalt it.” Unfortunately, these words still ring true to this day in so many respects.
My Mother’s Letters Should Belong to Me — Not a Company That Works With Prisons My mom has written me thousands of letters. As an incarcerated person, I don’t own any of them. JPay, the messaging system for incarcerated people, knows more details about my life than some of my closest friends. Most of my 3,966 emails are from my mother: encouraging me in my faith, and in others, chastising my perceived “sly” comments. As her adult child, it’s hard to maintain a line of independence, especially because I’m so dependent on her for support. Our correspondence over the past 22 years (the last four via JPay) “have been as much, or more, for my own sanity, as I hope it has been for yours,” she often says. Despite any of the low points — because there have been some over the last couple of years — there’s an intimate record between my mother and I, captured and stored on JPay. Our love for one another; our calm, fiery, respectful disagreements; and our family’s struggles.
Labor:
Economy:
World:
Why is Britain’s Mental Health oo Incredibly Poor? It’s Because Our Society is Spiralling Backwards Even as neoliberalism destroys our dreams of a better life, politicians tell us ‘there is no alternative’. But there is The news should have stopped us in our tracks. Astonishingly, however, it was scarcely reported here. The latest map of mental wellbeing published by the Global Mind Project reveals that, out of the 71 countries it assessed, the United Kingdom, alongside South Africa, has the highest proportion of people in mental distress – and the second worst overall measure of mental health (we beat only Uzbekistan). Mental wellbeing has plummeted in the UK further than in any comparable nation. How was this not headline news? 
General Strike Brings Argentina to a Halt Over Milei Austerity Program The unions blasted President Javier Milei’s attacks on labor rights, social security, public health and education. Argentina’s primary trade union federation on Thursday held another nationwide general strike, the second called since President Javier Milei, a far-right economist, took office in December and began pursuing sweeping austerity and deregulation. The South American nation’s unions organized the strike “in defense of democracy, labor rights, and the living wage,” according to a statement from the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), the Argentine Workers’ Central Union (CTA), and the Autonomous CTA. “It is a day of resistance and demand,” the groups said, blasting the Milei government’s “brutal” attacks on labor rights, social security, public health, education, science, and “our cultural identity.” The policies of austerity, say opponents, have disproportionately impacted working people and retirees.
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
Beethoven: Man, Composer and Revolutionary This week marks the 200th anniversary of the public premier of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, one of the most astoundingly brilliant musical compositions in history. Despite being functionally deaf by 1824, Beethoven personally conducted the premiere in Vienna, continuing his wild gesticulations after the final note had faded, amidst rapturous applause. The performance and the piece itself, often called the ‘Marseilles of Humanity’, were a defiant rallying cry for freedom and brotherhood in a period of counterrevolutionary reaction. To mark the occasion, we republish ‘Beethoven: man, composer and revolutionary’ by our editor-in-chief, Alan Woods.