Daily News Digest December 1, 2016

Daily News Digest Archives

As the Capitalist Robber Barons Steal from the 99% — Only the 1% Voted For Austerity — The 99% Should Decide On Austerity — Not The 1% Who Profit From Austerity!

Daily News Digest December 1, 2016

Image of the Day:

U.S. Iron Heel Mercenaries Trained In Iraq — Come Home to Roost: Blackwater-Linked Private Military Firm Exposed Coordinating Intel for Police at Standing Rock imageoftheday Quotes of the Day:

An economic system centered on the god of money also needs to plunder nature, to plunder nature to sustain the frenetic rhythm of consumption that is inherent to it. Climate change, the loss of bio-diversity, deforestation are already showing their devastating effects in the great cataclysms we witness, and you are the ones who suffer most, the humble, those who live near coasts in precarious dwellings or who are so vulnerable economically that, in face of a natural disaster, lose everything. Brothers and sisters: creation is not a property, which we can dispose of at will; much less so is it the property of a some, of a few: creation is a gift, it is a present, a wonderful gift that God has given us to take care of and to use for the benefit of all, always with respect and gratitude. Perhaps you know that I am preparing an encyclical on Ecology: be sure that your concerns will be present in it. I thank you, I take the opportunity to thank you for the letter I received from the members of the Rural Way, the Federation of Cardboard Dwellers and so many other brothers in this respect. — Pope Francis, World Meeting of Popular Movements

Videos of the Day:

The Resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline Undaunted by Threats of Evictions and Fines

Can Trump’s Gangster Capitalism Manage the Global Economy?

 Standing Rock and New Orleans — The missing link Danger: US Army Corps of Engineers at work

U.S.

The CIA and the Press: When the Washington Post Ran the CIA’s Propaganda Network Last week, the Washington Post published a scurrilous piece by a heretofore obscure technology reporter named Craig Timberg, alleging without the faintest evidence that Russian intelligence was using more than 200 independent new sites to pump out pro-Putin and anti-Clinton propaganda during the election campaign. by Jeffrey St. Clair – Alexander Cockburn cia We Live There, Still, In the Snow Winter has come to Standing Rock with the season’s first blizzard. So has an evacuation order, the rekindling of grievous collective memory, and the exquisite irony of white people once again telling Native people to get off their own land – in the name of concern, yet, for the safety of those living as their ancestors did before them, prayerfully and peaceably except when assaulted by water-cannon, flash-grenade-armed riot police. Friday’s statement that the Corps of Engineers would close the Oceti Sakowin camp Dec. 5 and seek “a peaceful and orderly transition to a safer location” was swiftly followed by the governor’s executive order calling for mandatory evacuation of all campers. By Abby Zimetstandingrock Environment: 

The Arctic Goes Bonkers Recent news out of the Arctic is alarming scientists, as for example the Union of Concerned Scientists discussed further on in this article. This extreme bad news is far-reaching, out of the ordinary, and chilling to the bone. by Robert Hunziker thearticOngoing Big Energy Crisis:

Black Liberation/ Civil Rights:bar Freedom Rider: Black Agenda Report on the Honor Roll The Democrats, through their PropOrNot web site and a compliant corporate media, have targeted BAR and other sites as purveyors of Russian propaganda and partly responsible for Hillary Clinton’s defeat. We’re proud to be on their hit list. Their ludicrous neo-McCarthyism shows the Democrats are not really a party at all, but a “gigantic marketing scheme meant to keep fearful progressives in line.” And the Washington Post is revealed as a lying rag. by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret KimberleybarmargaretOccupy White Owned Land Says EFF’s Malema — and Solidarity with the Cuban People in Wake of Castro’s Death  In the transition to Black majority rule, the African National Congress shelved the Freedom Charter, the guiding document of the South African liberation struggle. The Charter maintained that the nation’s natural resources and land belonged to the people. Julius Malema, of the Economic Freedom Fighters party, has been charged with riotous assembly for calling on Blacks to occupy white-“owned” land. by BAR editor and columnist, Dr. Marsha Adebayobarmarsha The Contradictions of the Trump Phenomenon and the Desperation of the US War Machine Many of the folks tearing their hair out over Donald Trump’s victory were far less alarmed at the Democrats’ role in the unending wars for global domination. For them, war is a sideshow to domestic politics, even when it kills millions. They claim to be anti-racist, but “imperialist war is the truest expression of white supremacy, whether it manifests in the police occupation of Black America or the military occupation of Africa through AFRICOM.” by Danny Haiphongbardanny Barack and Fidel: A Beyond Bizarre Comparison It is laughable — or pitiful — to compare Barack Obama to Fidel Castro. The fundamental truth is: “Barack Obama is the president of imperialism, PERIOD. By necessity he must be a mass murdering, lying, enemy of humanity. It is an unspoken prerequisite for that job. Fidel Castro is the opposite, PERIOD.” That’s why a long line of U.S. presidents has tried to assassinate Castro over 600 times, and committed 1,000 acts of terror against his people. by Netfa Freemanbarnefta Reparations Hypocrisy: God Bless The Liberal That’s Got His OwnAfter two and a quarter centuries, legions of Americans are calling for repair of the U.S. voting system by abolishing the Electoral College. However, white liberals just “lost an election, not hundreds of years of labor, their names, languages, cultures, and customs. But they insist upon repair, a rapid solution to an age-old problem.” There is an even more fundamental structural problem in U.S. society awaiting a fix: reparations for slavery. by Julian Colabarjuliane Twelve Ideas Post-Election from Front Line Organizers Never in living history — not even when Ronald Reagan won the White House — have activists been so visibly distraught. The author has gathered some suggestions for coping with post-election trauma. “We need to stay centered, to foster actual human connection and build a shared commitment to struggle together.” by Bill Quigleybarbill Black-White Earnings Gap Returns to 1950 Levels Gains in Black educational levels have been largely nullified, according to the authors. “The economic benefits that should have come from the substantial gains in education for black men over the past 75 years have been completely undone by the changing economy.” Joblessness is built into the system. “In 1960, 19 percent of black men were not working; in 2014, that number had grown to 35 percent of black men,” including those in prison. by Patrick Bayer and Kerwin Kofi Charlesbarpatrick Biting “Fake News” Satire from The New Yorker Could a drug kingpin be a worse choice for a U.S. cabinet position than the villains we’ve already known? by Ann Garrison barannLabor:

Economy:

Shadow Government Statistics Commentary No. 851shadow Citigroup Whistleblower Charges Should Raise Red Flags at the Fed Two days ago, a former Citigroup employee, Erin Daly, filed a 27-page lawsuit in Federal Court in Manhattan alleging gender discrimination and unlawful termination. On the same day, November 28, Daly simultaneously filed a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging she was retaliated against by Citigroup after she reported “violations of insider trading laws” to lawyers at the bank. It is illegal for U.S. banks to retaliate against whistleblowers. By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: November 30, 2016wallstreetonparademartins

World:

IMT statement on the death of Fidel Castro This is a message in the name of the IMT to friends and comrades in Cuba. On behalf of the International Marxist Tendency we send our most profound sympathy and condolences to the people of Cuba on the death of Fidel Castro, the tireless revolutionary fighter who, together with Che Guevara, led the struggle of the Cuban people against Yankee imperialism and transformed the national liberation struggle into a revolutionary struggle against capitalism. by International Marxist TendencyimtHealth, Science, Education, and Welfare:

History Repeats Itself: Why Acute Financial Stress Is an All-American Story The life spans of middle-aged white men are taking a nose dive. By Dr. Galen Buckwalter

financialstress