Skip to content
During This Economic Crisis, Capitalism’s Three Point Political Program: 1. Austerity, 2. Scapegoating Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal Immigrants’ for Unemployment, and 3. The Iron Heel.
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 Who Profit From Austerity! Under Austerity, All of the World Will Eventually Be Pauperized, Humbled, and Desecrated Like Greece and Puerto Rico!
Image of the Day:
The present near hysterical public mental state brought about by a far worse material situation is a clear and dangerous case in point. Visiting a therapist to confront a psychological problem when one is actually suffering a crippling physical disease could become fatal. Social assaults on physical reality covered by language to make them seem personal problems more suited to therapy, meds or individual criminals can mask the need for social transformation to end the illness before it kills far more than individuals but society itself. A failing system is one that benefits fewer and fewer people while costing more and more and making the benefits enormous for the few and the costs almost beyond belief for the many. Thus American capitalism that rewards a tiny % of the population with incredible wealth while increasing numbers descend into poverty with larger numbers in danger of joining them the moment their credit is cut off. People rightfully concerned and demanding change can be herded into seeking criminals – some very likely – but miss the systemic root of the problem and so kept searching for villains and scapegoats when a social disease is what must be cured before the epidemic kills everyone while they’re kept busy lynching doctors, drug sellers and delivery crews. —America’s Trump, Not Trump’s America
Videos of the Day:
How Far Will Trump Go to Kill the Iran Nuclear Deal? The U.S. has re-certified that Iran is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal, but President Trump has imposed new sanctions in an effort to force Iran to pull out. Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, says the move against Iran is a dangerous escalation
Public Defender: Body Camera Shows Cop Planting Drugs While charges were dropped against the suspect, former Baltimore cops say the case should highlight the need to end prohibition
Yemen Needs Aid, But US Aids Saudi-Led War As Yemen’s cholera epidemic deepens the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, fighting and Saudi-led airstrikes prevent international organizations from getting aid to massive numbers of people in desperate need, says Anas Shahari of Save the Children
U.S.:
Cameroonian Troops Tortured and Killed Prisoners at Base Used for U.S. Drone Surveillance Troops in the West African nation of Cameroon have tortured prisoners at a remote military base that is also used by U.S. personnel and private contractors for drone surveillance and training missions. As the U.S. military has fortified the Cameroonian site, known as Salak, and supported the elite local troops based there, the outpost has become the scene of illegal imprisonment, brutal torture, and even killings, according to a new investigation by The Intercept and the Goldsmiths, University of London-based research firm Forensic Architecture, based on extensive research by Amnesty International. By Robert Trafford and Nick Turse
Black Liberation/Civil Rights:
Black Women in the Killing Fields A white woman from Australia was gunned down by militarized police in Minneapolis – part of the collateral damage that flows from the U.S. mass Black incarceration regime. The intended targets are Black women like Charleena Lyles, killed by Seattle cops, last month. “Although Black women and girls make up only 13 percent of the U.S. female population, they account for 33 percent of all women killed by police.” by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
Freedom Rider: Kamala Harris and America’s Oligarchs California’s new senator is actively being vetted as the “next Obama, “ or “Obama 2.0” — a youngish, biracial corporate Democrat and a woman. Democratic honchos are betting that “white people will consider her exotic enough to be acceptable and black voters will rally around her.” The oligarchic George Soros likes Harris, who did him a favor by refusing to indict one of his banks. Most importantly, Harris is all about “form” — not “reform.” by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley
Jay-Z and the Rest of his Class Belong in the Dustbin of History Jay-Z’s album The Story of OJ Simpson confirms his deep loyalty to the capitalist system and profound disdain for the people that buy his records. He is a parasitic preacher of I-gotta-get-mine politics, like other celebrities whose existence does “nothing to alleviate the wealth disparity between White America and Black America.” His lyrical talent is superb, but his social analysis is worse than useless. by BAR contributor Danny Haiphong
The Abandonment: Reflections on James Foreman’s Locking Up Our Own Jay-Z’s album The Story of OJ Simpson confirms his deep loyalty to the capitalist system and profound disdain for the people that buy his records. He is a parasitic preacher of I-gotta-get-mine politics, like other celebrities whose existence does “nothing to alleviate the wealth disparity between White America and Black America.” His lyrical talent is superb, but his social analysis is worse than useless. by Paul Street 
Organizing Pennsylvania’s 197: Cheri Honkala on Frontline Communities Cheri Honkala has always believed in taking direct action on behalf of the poor and dispossessed. A lifelong activist, currently with the Green Party, Honkala has tried to play by the duopoly’s rules. But the rule-makers are the biggest rule-breakers. “I learned about what it means to really run for office in a frontline community that’s run by the Democratic Party, also known as the local mob, and it has not a damn thing to do with Russia.”by Ann Garrison 
50 Years Later, Newark and Detroit Still Feel Tremors from 1967 Rebellions The shock of the two largest Black rebellions of 1967 caused President Lyndon Johnson to assign the Kerner Commission to study race relations in the U.S. However, the commission’s report “was buried by Johnson because it was honest about the effects of white racism and poverty on oppressed Black people.” The rebellions are now sources of pride. “Newark and Detroit are still majority Black and brown cities, and therein lies the power.” by Todd Burroughs
Resurrecting the Radical Pedagogy of the Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party for Self Defense was deeply engaged in “education for liberation.” The party’s Intercommunal Youth Institute served children in East Oakland until 1982. Huey New and Bobby Seale “explicitly insisted upon ‘education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society [and] that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society.’” by Christopher F. Petrella
Mississippi Autoworkers Mobilize Union sentiment is rising at the Nissan auto plant in Canton, Mississippi, where the mostly Black workforce has experienced “increasingly unstable working conditions and general deterioration in benefits and safety protections.” Much of the work is temporary, and “Nissan promotes a ‘mutual cooperation’ approach“ for dealing with employees “without the interference and disruptions that often result from a union.” by Michelle Chen
South African Communist Party is “Pro-Capitalist and Anti-Socialist” The newly-formed South African Federation of Trade Unions rejected an invitation to attend a congress of the South African Communist Party (SACP), which is a stalwart ally of the ruling African National Congress and, until recently, President Jacob Zuma. Trade union leader Zwelinzima Vavi accused the SACP of being as guilty as Zuma of “implementing a neoliberal program that is anti-poor, anti-working class, pro-capitalist and anti-socialist.” by Zwelinzima Vavi
Environment:
Ongoing Big Energy Crisis:
Labor:
Economy:
World:
Al-Warraq and Egypt’s property “mafia” There were violent scenes on Al-Warraq Island in the suburbs of Cairo last Sunday as police attempts to evict residents inevitably resulted in brutal clashes. At least one local man was killed and fifty-six injured. The move to force the island’s inhabitants onto the streets comes after President Sisi said in a June speech, “There are islands in the Nile … according to the law no one should be present on these islands.” This statement bears no regard for the thirty years that this community had inhabited the island or for the failure of any government during that period to provide them with an alternative. By Dejan Kukic
Health, Science, Education, and Welfare:
A Practical Education I teach Humanities at a community college (arts and ideas). The Humanities are out of fashion, considered impractical in a culture that is increasingly anti-intellectual and ahistorical. Colleges are held accountable to teach practical saleable skills which, don’t get me wrong, is reasonable. So, my courses are relegated to a one or two semester requirement instead of the four-year liberal arts degree they used to be. This is an educational penny-wise pound-foolish approach. Despite the ultra-connectivity of our age and immediate access to information, we are an alienated, disconnected and woefully ignorant society (at least Americans are). This is a disconnection from the past, pure and simple. By Kim Codella
Quotes of the Day: