Daily News Digest August 5, 2024
Images of the Day:
With Fear For Our Democracy, I Dissent
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”There is No Democracy! When Less Than 1% Control the Wealth, Production, and Price of Everything Produced and Consumed in the World! In the present period of unfettered Capitalism, the pretense of democratic rule does not exist, except in the minds of ‘socialists’ like Bernie Sanders and the Labor Bureaucracy! Capitalists view all struggles as struggles against capitalist rule! Transition demands immediately become revolutionary demands! Therefore, any resistence to the attack of capitalists has to be organized by those that understand this! 
Today, the United States Capitalists are Consolidating Themselves as the Supreme Capitalists! Capitalism’s Gluttony is Demonstrated by It’s Quest for More and More Profits at the Expense of Humanity! 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:
Israel knows very well it cannot win the war it craves. As assiduously as it seeks this war is precisely the extent to which it will seek to draw the U.S. into it. This is what makes the insanely intemperate reception Netanyahu received in Congress on July 24 so dangerous. Finally and more broadly, it is time to recognize that Israel is incapable of serious statecraft because it has no interest in it and does not enjoy, in consequence, healthy, balanced diplomatic relations with other members of the community of nations. If this reality is not at this point self-evident, it will prove in time irrefutable. Instead, in its region Israel relies on brutality or the threat of it in the name of Old Testament revenge. And American protection is key to the apartheid state’s approach to its immediate circumstances. Even if, for instance, some accord is struck between Riyadh and Tel Aviv—and let us not hold our breath—Israel will not have got this done; it couldn’t have. The U.S. will have coerced or bribed—or both—two client states. In the wider world, Israel depends primarily on sympathy-mongering, eternal victimhood, and the manipulation of the guilty consciences of Europeans. Among Americans it adds to this the incessant bribery and barely concealed intimidations of the Israel lobby as applied to a decadent political class that is by turns greedy and petrified. I have for decades considered Palestine the suppurating sore on humanity’s flesh. The cause and the remedy just became more obvious. — Patrick Lawrence: The Murder of Ismail Haniyeh
Podcasts/Vide0s of the Day:
U.S. is Waging Proxy Wars Against Russia and Arabs: Promoting Peace And Stability In The Middle East By Unconditionally Backing Its Worst Aggressor “In reality, the US isn’t vowing to defend the state of Israel, the US is vowing to help Israel attack other countries.” President Biden — if you feel like pretending Biden is still serving as president and still making the decisions in the White House — has pledged to support Israel against any retaliations for its recent assassination spree in Iran and Lebanon which killed high-profile officials from Hamas and Hezbollah. A White House statement asserts that Biden spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and “reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis,” and “discussed efforts to support Israel’s defense against threats, including against ballistic missiles and drones, to include new defensive U.S. military deployments.”
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 : My own Government, I cannot be Silent. ― Martin Luther King Jr.
To this day, we have a government and state apparatus that is designed to “protect the minority of the opulent against the majority.” Democracy for white and wealthy men only! — Roland Sheppard, My Forefathers and The 1%’s Forefathers.
Don’t Believe the Rampant Disinformation Over Israel’s Escalation in Lebanon The US is misrepresenting the strike on Majdal Shams and even the geography and political status of where it took place. Israel has been trading strikes with Hezbollah, the Lebanese political party and armed group, ever since October. So far, the strikes have killed at least 542 people in Lebanon, including 114 civilians and at least 22 soldiers and 25 civilians in northern Israel and Israeli-occupied territory. But one recent back-and-forth has heightened the tension at the border between the two countries, provoking fears that a broader regional war could be on the horizon, even as Israel continues its genocidal campaign in Gaza.
As Venezuela Court Probes Election Results, US Declares Victory for Right-Wing Opposition Venezuela’s foreign ministry hit back at the U.S. State Department, accusing it of spearheading a “coup attempt.” … Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Ministry quickly hit back, saying Friday that it “rejects the serious and ridiculous statements attributed to United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which he pretends to assume the role of the Venezuelan electoral authorities, demonstrating that the U.S. government is leading the coup attempt against Venezuela, promoting a violent agenda against the Venezuelan people and their institutions.” Blinken’s statement accepting the right-wing opposition’s claim of a decisive victory came a day after Maduro asked Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice on Wednesday to audit the presidential
Investigators Wanted to Close an Abusive Ice Facility. Biden’s Administration Extended Its Contract. The hunger-striking immigrants began to chant inside the detention center. “Mr. Biden, help us!” they shouted, according to a federal complaint filed by immigrant advocacy organizations. “Give us freedom!” It was January, and the strikers were detained inside the Winn Correctional Center—an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) jail with a long history of abuse near Winnfield, Louisiana. The detainees had declared a mass hunger strike to protest both conditions inside—including significant abuse, an unsanitary environment, and medical neglect—and ICE’s inaction on their immigration cases. Advocates say about 200 detainees joined in on the protest. “Winn Correctional is no good!” they yelled. “Louisiana is racist!” For years, federal investigators, lawmakers, immigrants, and advocates have called for ICE to shutter the Winn Correctional Center. Despite widespread allegations of abuse, mismanagement, and inhumane conditions, in May, the Biden administration temporarily extended the facility’s contract. And, despite pressure from high-ranking Democratic senators, ICE will likely extend it again for five more years.
US Funded Palestinian Genocide:
Turkey’s Erdogan Denounces Killing of Haniyeh, Blocks Israel at NATO, Boycotts it, and Threatens Intervention The only Middle Eastern country that has taken significant political and administrative actions to protest Israeli war crimes is Turkey. President Tayyip Erdogan denounced the assassination of Hamas Politburo head Ismail Haniyeh at “X,” writing, “I vehemently denounce and anathematize (lanetliyorum) the perfidious assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Hamas Political Bureau, in Tehran. This killing is a vile deed intended to derail the Palestinian Cause, undermine the glorious resistance (şanlı direnişini) in Gaza, and the righteous struggle (haklı mücadelesini) of our Palestinian siblings, undermining their morale and instilling fear among them.” Erdogan called Haniyeh his “dear brother.” Although Israel has called for Turkey’s expulsion from NATO, the latter is far too valuable to the alliance for that to happen. Ankara’s utility was again shown Thursday when Erdogan helped successfully broker the release of American prisoners and dissidents by Russia. In fact, it is the other way around. Tuvan Gumrukcu at Reuters got the scoop that since last October Turkey has blocked the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from cooperating in any way with the Israeli war on Gaza. Israel is not a NATO member and despite its close military and intelligence ties with many European countries and with the US and Canada, it is voiceless when it comes to a strong stance by a NATO member like Turkey. Gumrukcu says “Turkey had vetoed all NATO engagement with Israel since October, including joint meetings and exercises . . .” on the grounds that Israel’s war on civilians and civilian infrastructure directly violated NATO principles.
Knesset Members Joined in Riot to Thwart Questioning of Soldiers Accused of Rape Unrest continues to brew in Israel after a right-wing mob including members of the Knesset broke into two Israeli military bases in an effort to prevent Israeli military police from detaining nine soldiers who were under investigation for gang raping a Palestinian prisoner at the notorious Sde Teiman facility. +972 Magazine’s Oren Ziv, who was at one of the bases reporting on the events, says that the support of Israeli political leaders, including some members of the Knesset who participated in the riots, and the apathy of the military police all indicate that those protesting against the soldiers’ charges are “the face of the state,” expressing what are “mainstream” views in Israeli society. We also speak to Diana Buttu, a Palestinian human rights attorney who has interviewed some of the torture victims and says the extent of their abuse is “appalling.” She calls Sde Teiman a “concentration camp” that the entirety of Israeli society and the international community are “complicit” in.
Environmanet:
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’!
We Must Hold These Monsters to Account!
Fires and Floods This Time!
As the Park Fire Sets Records, These are the Largest Wildfires in California History The Park Fire burning in Northern California continues to grow, but it still would need to more than double in size to eclipse the state’s largest-ever wildfire, the 2020 August Complex Fire. As of Friday, Cal Fire numbers show the Park Fire has burned 399,437 acres. The jump in size from the previous day meant that it moved from the fifth to the fourth largest recorded wildfire in California history, surpassing the 2020 SCU Lightning Complex incident, which saw 396,624 acres burned. For comparison, 399,000 acres is about equal to 623 square miles — more than six times the size of California’s capital, Sacramento.
Antarctica in 2nd Extreme Heat Wave in 3 Years — Temps 50°F Higher Than Normal The heat wave is notable for its timing and duration: It’s hit during Antarctica’s winter and is expected to last. Antarctica is experiencing its second extreme heatwave in the last three years, with temperatures more than 50°F higher than normal, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. The heatwave is notable not just for its intensity but also its timing and duration: It’s hit during Antarctica’s winter and is expected to last. Temperatures of 36°F to 50°F above average are expected to persist up to 10 days, and July temperatures were already well above average before it began. The spiking temperatures were also spread across a large area, covering much of the continent, scientists said. The world has faced exceptionally high temperatures in the last year, with 13 straight monthly heat records and counting, and the poles are warming at roughly twice the rate of the global average. Scientists say the changing conditions around Antarctica have increased the likelihood of higher winter temperatures on the continent.
‘Laced With Toxic Substances’: Utah’s Shrinking Great Salt Lake is Ringing Climate Alarm Bells Study has found the lake’s dried area has released 4.1m tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases For years, scientists and environmental leaders have been raising alarm that the Great Salt Lake is headed toward a catastrophic decline.
US Energy Reform Bill a ‘Wishlist for the Fossil Industry’, Say Environmental Groups Critics say bill is a ‘fossil fuel wolf in clean energy clothing’ that would gut environmental protections
US Forest Service Failing to Protect Old Growth Trees from Logging, Critics Say … Yet, the US Forest Service has not included mature trees in this new plan, which also includes loopholes conservationists say allow ongoing felling of trees that are hundreds of years old. The Forest Service, responsible for 154 national forests and nearly 25m acres (10m hectares) of old growth trees in the US, has also largely declined to conduct required reviews of multiple logging projects amid a stampede of tree cutting that threatens the oldest, richest trees before any new curtailments are imposed.
Black Liberation/Civil Rights:
Labor:
Since June 2009 Americans have lived in the false reality of a recovering economy. Various fake news and manipulated statistics have been used to create this false impression. However, indicators that really count have not supported the false picture and were ignored. For example, it is normal in a recovering or expanding economy for the labor force participation rate to rise as people enter the workforce to take advantage of the job opportunities. During the decade of the long recovery, from June 2009 through July 2024, the labor force participation rate consistently fell from 65.7 to 62.7 percent. —Paul Craig Roberts, The Diminishing American Economy (Updated)
FRED: Labor Force Participation Rate is 62.7%
Economy:
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