Daily News Digest June 18, 2024
Images of the Day:
Ted Rall: Ukraine As Performance Art
The Polycrisis of Capitalism in the 21st Century
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”
The Rise of Capitalism was Under the Banner of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity! Now There is Less Liberty, More Inequality, and Less Fraternity of Humanity! Every Day, From Global Warming to Global War There is a New Example of Capitalism in Imperialist Decay!
Capitalism as a Failed System: World Capitalism Has Been Aware of the Comming Catastrophe of Global Warming Over 6 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 Five Horsemen of the the Apocalypse, Spreading Racism, War, Famine, Pestilence, Death, and Misinformation! 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:
The E.U. is as it has long been—an undemocratic institution atop which sit neoliberal ideologues and austerian central bankers, technocrats who take no interest in the democratic process or the wishes of the E.U.’s citizenry. Readers may recall the brutality with which Brussels and Frankfurt had Athenians eating out of garbage cans nine years ago to protect the interests of bond investors holding Greek sovereign debt. That was the E.U. in action, the E.U. that has perverted the worthy vision of its postwar founders. When we look at the polls held June 6–9 across the Continent, we must recognize a certain paradox. The MEPs elected will have little power, as European voters know better than anyone, but it was precisely to protest the corruption of European democracy that these voters delivered so severe a blow to mainstream parties and the Brussels technocrats from whom they are virtually inseparable. — Patrick Lawrence: Europe’s Elections as a Mirror
Podcasts/Videos of the Day:
The Chris Hedges Report: Nero’s Guests I gave this talk in Blackburn, England during a campaign event for my friend Craig Murray who is running for parliament. Like George Galloway, who was recently elected to parliament, Craig’s central campaign issue is the genocide in Gaza. He calls for a permanent ceasefire, the establishment of a full and independent Palestinian state and backs the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against the apartheid state of Israel.
Max Blumenthal: The Washington Post Tries Criminalizing Independent Journalism
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 Social Democracy is not Anti-War!: Can You End NATO’s Wars While Filling its War Coffers? n July 9-12, a NATO Summit will be held in Washington, D.C., to celebrate 75 years of its existence. Presidents and top officials of NATO-member countries are expected to attend and to promote NATO’s war agenda, especially in Ukraine. Weapons dealers are among the event organizers. In response to the official Summit, a Counter Summit is being held over the weekend of July 6-7, organized and endorsed by scores of peace and liberal groups. Its two main slogans are:
- We say yes to peace and no to NATO!
- We favor the abolition of NATO!
Among the Counter Summit organizers are Black Alliance for Peace, Code Pink, U.S. Peace Council, and the International Committee of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). When reviewing the list of Counter Summit organizers, antiwar activists need to ask the following question: Is it possible to stop NATO’s wars and abolish NATO by casting a vote in Congress in support of $61 billion in war funds to fuel the NATO-provoked war in Ukraine? The question arises because of the co-sponsorship of DSA’s International Committee of the Counter Summit. DSA Members of Congress vote to support war funding for Ukraine on April 20, when the U.S. House of Representatives approved the $61 billion war appropriation for Ukraine, DSA’s two Democratic Congresswomen, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Corey Bush, voted unhesitatingly in favor.
Praise the Genocide and Pass the Ammunition!: ‘The Abyss Is Beckoning’: Global Nuke Spending Surged to $2,898 a Second in 2023 Two new reports detail how the world’s nine nuclear-armed countries are spending aggressively to modernize and deploy weapons that could pose an existential threat to civilization. A pair of reports published Monday show that global spending on nuclear arms surged to nearly $3,000 a second last year as nations expanded and modernized their potentially civilization-destroying arsenals of atomic weaponry. The United States, the first and only country to ever use an atomic weapon in war, spent $51.5 billion on its vast nuclear arsenal in 2023—more than every other nuclear-armed country combined, according to an analysis by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The U.S. also accounted for 80% of the $10.7 billion global increase in spending last year compared to 2022.
U.S. Funded Palestinian Genocide:
We’ve Seen This “Antisemitism Crisis On The Left” Script Before It sure is a crazy coincidence how western politicians and media always start urgently telling us about an invisible epidemic of left wing antisemitism every time western military ties to Israel are subjected to widespread public scrutiny. It sure is a crazy coincidence how western politicians and media always start urgently telling us about an invisible epidemic of left wing antisemitism every time western military ties to Israel are subjected to widespread public scrutiny. It’s getting bad, and it will likely get worse. The mass media are filling up with op-eds and cable news segments about how antisemitic leftist anti-genocide protesters are becoming. Instagram progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently hosted two virulent Zionists in a livestream where the three spent their time concern trolling about the rise of antisemitism in left-wing activist circles.
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) Weekly average CO2 at Mauna Loa Week beginning on June 09, 2024: 427.33 ppm., Weekly value from 1 year ago: 424.24 ppm., Weekly value from 10 years ago: 401.73 ppm., Last updated: June 16, 2024.
NOAA: May 2024 was Earth’s Warmest May on Record The globe saw its 12th-consecutive month of record warmth Last month marked a full year of record-high global temperatures, with May 2024 ranking as the warmest May on record.Earth’s ocean temperatures also set a record high for the 14th month in a row, according to data and scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. Climate by the Numbers May 2024 The average global May temperature was 2.12 degrees F (1.18 degrees C) above the 20th-century average of 58.6 degrees F (14.8 degrees C), ranking as the warmest May in NOAA’s 175-year global record. May 2024 marked the 12th-consecutive month of record-high temperatures for the planet.
Extinction Rebellion: Stop the Scramble! This issue: Spanish Rebellion | Stop The Scramble For Africa | Growth Kills! | Dear rebel, Last month was the hottest May on record, marking an entire year of continuous record-breaking global temperatures, and offering yet more evidence that the planet’s weather system is unravelling. While 600,000 people were displaced by unprecedented floods in the south of Brazil, the north of the country was undergoing a record-breaking heatwave. As people died from heatstroke in the 52.3°C air of Delhi, people in the East of India were drowning in the rains of a cyclone. This is the world that fossil fuels have given us, with extreme weather reaping random destruction in nearly every region of the world simultaneously. It is no wonder that climate scientists are in despair.
George Monbiot: Nature Abhors a Vacuum It’s a story of the good, the bad and the absent. There are some strong green policies in Labour’s manifesto. It will greatly increase investment in wind and solar power, block new licences for oil and gas fields, improve rail and bus networks and upgrade 5m homes. It will end the pointless badger cull, take action against polluting water companies and “expand nature-rich habitats”. Unfortunately, these are counteracted by some powerful anti-green policies. Labour intends to sustain oil and gas production “for decades to come”. It says “we need to forge ahead with new roads”, though it doesn’t say why. It will force them through by “slashing red tape”, which means ripping up regulation. It promotes discredited snake oil remedies, such as carbon capture and storage (failed for 25 years) and “sustainable aviation fuels” (don’t exist, never will). The sole purpose of these fantasies is to avoid conflict with powerful interests while creating an impression of action. But what really jump out are the absences. Where is the matching of climate policy to scientific knowledge? Where are the targets for nature restoration? Or for waste reduction? Where are the policies for dietary change or a shift in transport modes? Where is the protection for soil or marine ecosystems? Where is the rescue package for our collapsing regulators, without which environmental law is a dead letter?
Systemic Environmental Racism: ‘We Can’t Wait’: How Black Neighborhoods Are Preparing for the Summer Heat Amid scorching temperatures and a slow federal response, Black communities are taking their well-being into their own hands. … Since the 1960s, the average number of heat waves every year across the country has more than tripled. Nationwide, the issue has led to a 900% increase in heat-related deaths compared to then. Indigenous people and Black people have experienced the worst effects. It kills more people every year than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes — combined. Last month, representatives from the federal Health and Human Services Department declared deaths from heat as the greatest threat to human health as a result of climate change. But the nation’s attempts to address the disparate impacts have largely fallen flat. This summer, the number of people hospitalized and dying due to blistering conditions is only expected to rise. Every region of the country, except Alaska, is forecasted to experience a hotter-than-normal summer. Since the 1960s, the average number of heat waves every year across the country has more than tripled. Nationwide, the issue has led to a 900% increase in heat-related deaths compared to then. Indigenous people and Black people have experienced the worst effects. It kills more people every year than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes — combined. Last month, representatives from the federal Health and Human Services Department declared deaths from heat as the greatest threat to human health as a result of climate change. But the nation’s attempts to address the disparate impacts have largely fallen flat. This summer, the number of people hospitalized and dying due to blistering conditions is only expected to rise. Every region of the country, except Alaska, is forecasted to experience a hotter-than-normal summer.
Black Liberation/Civil Rights:
The Radical King The Radical King includes twenty-three selections, curated and introduced by Dr. Cornel West, that illustrate King’s revolutionary vision, underscoring his identification with the poor, his unapologetic opposition to the Vietnam War, and his crusade against global imperialism “The radical King was a democratic socialist who sided with poor and working people in the class struggle taking place in capitalist societies. . . . The response of the radical King to our catastrophic moment can be put in one word: revolution — a revolution in our priorities, a reevaluation of our values, a reinvigoration of our public life, and a fundamental transformation of our way of thinking and living that promotes a transfer of power from oligarchs and plutocrats to everyday people and ordinary citizens. … Could it be that we know so little of the radical King because such courage defies our market-driven world?” — Cornel West, from the Introduction. Every year, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is celebrated as one of the greatest orators in US history, an ambassador for nonviolence who became perhaps the most recognizable leader of the civil rights movement. But after more than forty years, few people appreciate how truly radical he was. Arranged thematically in four parts, The Radical King includes twenty-three selections, curated and introduced by Dr. Cornel West, that illustrate King’s revolutionary vision, underscoring his identification with the poor, his unapologetic opposition to the Vietnam War, and his crusade against global imperialism. As West writes, “Although much of America did not know the radical King — and too few know today — the FBI and U.S. government did. They called him ‘the most dangerous man in America.’ . . . This book unearths a radical King that we can no longer sanitize.”
Prison Labor in Texas is Modern-Day Slavery Working without pay in Texas prisons is a loophole in the 13th Amendment that the state takes full advantage of. Texas summers are brutal. Temperatures rise to the triple digits, the sun is scorching, and the heat makes the skin sizzle. Working outside in these conditions is perilous. It’s critically advised to stay hydrated, away from the sun, or in the shade if possible. Incarcerated people work in these extreme temperatures daily. While the bosses wearing cowboy hats sit on their horses in the shade drinking cold beverages, chewing tobacco with shotguns in their arms and pistols on their hips, the hoe squad slaves under the sun. In a hoe squad, we line up back to back, each with a garden hoe or “aggie” to plow the fields while picking cotton, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, cabbage, squash, watermelon, cucumbers, okra, and more. We pick and plant the crops, and the prison sells them for profit. We do not get paid.
Labor:
Economy:
Ponzi Scheme: Crypto Cryptocurrency!
US Cryptocurrency as an Offshore Banking Center The Wall Street Journal ran a revealing op-ed today (June 14, 2024) by Paul D. Ryan, “Crypto Could Stave off a U.S. Debt Crisis.” Mr. Ryan, libertarian Republican House Speaker 2015-2019 and now at the right-wing American Enterprise Institute, writes that: “Stablecoins backed by dollars provide demand for U.S. public debt and a way to keep up with China.”
Sullivan & Cromwell’s Legal Work for Sam Bankman-Fried’s Crypto House of Fraud Is Getting a Closer Look in Two Federal Court Cases Last Monday, Robert J. Cleary of law firm Patterson Belknap filed a motion in the bankruptcy proceeding of Sam Bankman-Fried’s collapsed fraud, the FTX crypto exchange, seeking to launch three new investigations into legal work done by Sullivan & Cromwell for Bankman-Fried and FTX prior to the collapse of the fraud.
World:
Education, Health, 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