Daily News Digest October 18, 2016

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Daily News Digest October 18, 2016

Images of the Day:

The Purpose of the Media Monopoly The Nature of the Current Capitalist Crisis Quotes of the Day: 

We sometimes forget this because the US has so seamlessly melded militarism and capitalism, creating “militarized capitalism.” Militarism is, inherently, a bullying force, and independently, capitalism is very much a bully system. So all militarized states, even those not capitalist, are bullies. And the same is true of capitalist states which are not militarist. But when you have a militarized capitalist system, the effects are multiplied. Both the militaristic and capitalist elements of the system create bullying — and the synergy creates super-bullying. That is one of the reasons the US is the most powerful and dangerous bully nation. — How Capitalism Fosters Bullying

Selling nearly a third of the world’s seeds actually means owning a huge portion of the seed stock on the planet. And, Monsanto has spent decades genetically modifying seeds to make them compatible with its chemical pesticides and herbicides, as with Roundup-ready corn. Those are the kinds of chemicals and modifications that can’t be washed off. In the U.S., citizens have been waging major campaigns to try to get GMO products labeled and/or to prevent the use of GMO crops in their communities. These efforts have been attacked by Monsanto and other chemical corporations, which have worked to defeat citizen democracy through subterfuge—as with the deceptive ads that beat back California’s proposition on GMO labeling and with a “preemption” bill in Oregon to trump local ballot measures that passed overwhelmingly in two Oregon counties that banned GMO crops. — With Help From ALEC and Bayer, Monsanto Is Poised to Take Over the Global Food System

Videos of the Day:

For Indigenous Lenca People in Honduras, Rebellion Is a Centuries-Old Story

Tax Breaks for Wealthy Developers Reinforce Segregation in Baltimore

Who are the ‘Superpolluters’?

 Clinton Emails Admit Counterrevolutionary Role of Saudi Arabia in Middle East

 Brazil’s Social Movements Planning General Strike for November

 U.S.

US Russia War: US’ DEFCON Raised To Level 3 – Air Force Ready To Mobilize In 15 Minutes The threat of a US Russia war looms as tensions rise. Reports reveal that the US has elevated its defenses and has raised its Air Force DEFCON level to 3. By Leon TanUS allies are funding Isis – and Hillary Clinton knew all along There is a bizarre discontinuity between what the Obama administration knew about the jihadis and what they would say in public By Patrick Cockburn

 The Real Humanitarian Crisis is Not in Aleppo Why do we hear only of the “humanitarian crisis in Aleppo” and not of the humanitarian crisis everywhere else in Syria where the evil that rules in Washington has unleashed its ISIL mercenaries to slaughter the Syrian people?  Why do we not hear about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen where the US and its Saudi Arabian vassal are slaughtering Yemeni women and children?  Why don’t we hear about the humanitarian crisis in Libya where Washington destroyed a country leaving chaos in its place?  Why don’t we hear about the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, ongoing now for 13 years, or the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan now 15 years old? by Paul Craig Roberts

WikiLeaks Just DUMPED EVERYTHING – This is HUGE – Historic Activity by Wikileaks – Read and Share before it is taken down! By Wayne ThomasThe War Against the First Amendment: Amy Goodman Broadcasts from North Dakota Across from Court Where She Faces Riot Charge Today The original charge against the award-winning journliast was criminal trespass, but due to lack of evidence, State’s Attorney Ladd Erickson filed a new charge by Democracy Now! The War Against the First Amendment II: Filmmaker Faces 45 Years in Prison for Reporting on Dakota Access Protests “They threw the book at Deia for being a journalist.”by Nika Knight, staff writer WikiLeaks Should Be Applauded for Removing the Mask of U.S. Power The latest chapter of WikiLeaks’ courage is exposing the cowardice of the United States political system. By Eric Ortiz Chicago Police Dept Caught Hiding Millions in Stolen Cash in Secret Asset Forfeiture Fund A detailed report released in September 2016 by the Chicago Reader unveiled a secret civil asset forfeiture fund that amounted to nearly $50 million in seized cash which the Chicago Police Department was attempting to keep for themselves. The detailed analysis shows that CPD officials were attempting to pocket 65% of the cash and assets they brought in through civil asset forfeiture. This is policing for profit, and it is no different than highway robbery. By The Free Thought Project Environment:

 Navy Admits to Having Released Chemicals Known to Injure Infants’ Brains For decades, the US Navy, by its own admission, has been conducting war game exercises in US waters using bombs, missiles, sonobuoys (sonar buoys), high explosives, bullets and other materials that contain toxic chemicals — including lead and mercury — that are harmful to both humans and wildlife. By Dahr JamailWith Help From ALEC and Bayer, Monsanto Is Poised to Take Over the Global Food System A massive portion of the planet’s seed stock could soon be in the hands of a single company. According to Vox, if regulators approve the $66 billion deal, the merger would create the largest agribusiness giant in the world, “selling 29 percent of the world’s seeds and 24 percent of its pesticides.” By Jamie Corey Ongoing Big Energy Crisis:

Black Liberation/ Civil Rights:

Police arrest more people for marijuana use than for all violent crimes — combined By Christopher Ingraham Labor:

Teamster Contest Reaches Fever Pitch Local 89 President Fred Zuckerman, the self-described “pissed-off Teamster” who heads the Teamsters United ticket, has been on the front lines of resistance to the givebacks that Hoffa’s crew forced onto UPS workers—and the ones it’s still trying to force onto carhaulers, who voted down a contract offer for the second time this fall. The challengers are buoyed up by a tide of anger over contract concessions, pension attacks, and corruption scandals that implicate high-ranking union leaders. By Alexandra BradburyEconomy:

The Legacy of Veblen in the Age of Post-Industrial Capitalism An important book has just been published from a 2012 conference in Istanbul on Thorstein Veblen: Absentee Ownership and its Discontents, edited by Michael Hudson and Ahmet Öncü. It is published by ISLET and is available on Amazon. The book contains articles by us, Michael Perelman,  and others, with a forward by William M. Dugger. It is available for $35 The Global Financial Crisis since 2008 has left in its wake the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression. Governments and entire national economies have been sacrificed to save the financial sector and its major clients. Bailing out banks, bondholders and Wall Street brokerage houses – the institutions whose mismanagement, over-lending and outright fraud led to the crash – has widened economic polarization and caused fiscal strains. by Michael Hudson – Ahmet Öncü

As WikiLeaks Access to Internet is Severed, New Clinton Email Bombshell EmergesAccording to the above statement from the WikiLeaks Twitter account, a state party has intentionally cut off access to the Internet for Julian Assange, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of WikiLeaks. This happened after the ninth consecutive day of releases of emails from the hacked account of John Podesta, the chair of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign committee. It also comes on the heels of a potentially serious campaign finance problem for the Hillary for America committee, the primary fundraising vehicle for Clinton, according to an email released by WikiLeaks just yesterday. This would be the second time in less than six months that the Clinton campaign’s finances have come under scrutiny. By Pam Martens  and Russ Martens

World:

The Ultimate Logic and Crisis of the ANC Popular Front: South Africa: Apartheid-era tactics reflect the crisis of the government Events over the past week have deepened and accelerated the political crisis. In addition to the relentless student protests for free education, the so-called “war within the government” has intensified. This political turbulence is shaking the country to its foundations. by Ben Morken

Health, Science, Education, and Welfare:

How Capitalism Fosters Bullying What causes bullying in the United States? In Bully Nation, Charles Derber and Yale R. Magrass show how US inequalities of power, militarism and aggressive capitalism make both personal and institutional bullying commonplace. By Mark Karlin Healthcare in the U.S. and Spain