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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 Those Who Profit From Austerity! Under Austerity, All of the World Will Eventually Be Pauperized, Humbled, and Desecrated Like Greece and Puerto Rico!
Images of the Day:
The original version of Clause IV, drafted in November 1917 and adopted by the party in 1918, read, in part 4: To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production , distribution and exchange , and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service. This section was widely seen as the Labour Party’s commitment to socialism , even though it is not explicitly mentioned (it is, however, implied by the phrase “common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange”). The Manchester Guardian heralded it as showing “the Birth of a Socialist Party”, stating that: The changes of machinery are not revolutionary, but they are significant. There is now for the first time embodied in the constitution of the party a declaration of political principles, and these principles are definitely Socialistic. … In other words, the Labour party becomes a Socialist party (the decisive phrase is “the common ownership of the means of production”) … Platonic resolutions have been passed before now, both by the Labour party and by the Trade Unions Congress in favour of the Socialistic organisation of society, but they are now for the first time made an integral part of the party constitution. — Labour Party Clause IV (1918)
Videos of the Day:
Climate Change Has Doubled Area Hit By Forest Fires Dr. John Abatzoglou and Dr. LeRoy Westerling explain how a warming earth has exacerbated the impact of forest fires, and how climate action could save lives
Venezuelan Regional Election: Opposition Claims Fraud in Areas They Won The Governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela won 17 out of 23 governor races in Sunday’s regional vote, prompting the opposition to claim fraud once again, without evidence.
As the Rich Get Richer, Public Schools Suffer During a hearing on how to create more equitable funding for public schools in Maryland officials revealed how tax breaks for wealthy developers in Baltimore could threaten future funding
U.S.:
How “Blight” Is Used to Justify Housing Demolition in Detroit In our continuing series on the Detroit housing foreclosure crisis we look closely at the use of the term “Blight” and its usefulness in the process of housing demolition. You’ll want to catch up on the previous strips in the housing miniseries, Scenes From the Foreclosure Crisis: Water, Land and Housing in Michigan; The House on Junction; Occupied Detroit Home Is Threatened by Demolition: House on Junction II; and all of the strips in the water series, listed here
The Real Reasons Trump is Quitting UNESCO At first glance, the decision last week by the Trump administration, followed immediately by Israel, to quit the United Nation’s cultural agency seems strange. Why penalise a body that promotes clean water, literacy, heritage preservation and women’s rights? Washington’s claim that the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) is biased against Israel obscures the real crimes the agency has committed in US eyes. by Jonathan Cook
‘Low As It Gets,’ Says NBA Coach in Searing Takedown of ‘Soulless Coward’ Trump “To lie about how previous presidents responded to the deaths of soldiers” is “beyond the pale,” said San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich by Jake Johnson
Environment:
Ongoing Big Energy Crisis:
Black Liberation/Civil Rights:
Black Misleadership Class Specializes in Groveling: Most Black elected officials and established civic organizations long ago stopped making substantive demands of U.S. rulers. “They have no demands. They can’t step outside the parameters established by the system,” said Omali Yeshitela, chairman of the Black Is Back Coalition, which will hold its 9th annual march on the White House and national conference, November 4 and 5.
Black Philly Officials Refuse to Control Cops: When the Philadelphia City Council refused to consider a proposed bill to make the police accountable to democratically elected neighborhood bodies, the Black Is Back Coalition and its allies held a city-wide conference to demand Black community control of the police. “This is further evidence of the need for the Black community to build dual and contending power over our lives and institutions,” said Coalition activist Diop Olugbala.
Afro-Colombians Defend Collective Land Rights: The Colombian government “has no intention” of making sure that Black and indigenous people’s right to collective land ownership will be protected under the peace agreement with FARC rebels, said Charo Mina-Rojas, of Black Community Process. The government has failed to provide security to Afro-Colombian and indigenous people, even as criminals and paramilitary groups have moved into Black areas, replacing demobilized guerillas.
U.S. Prisoners Need Some Love: In an essay for Prison Radio, Charles Diggs, an inmate at Pennsylvania’s Graterford state prison, said U.S. leaders “need the courage to imagine something different than 1,500 prisons all over the country.”
Leaked ICE Guide Offers Unprecedented View of Agency’s Asset Forfeiture Tactics An internal handbook obtained by The Intercept provides a rare view into the extensive asset seizure operations of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, an office that trains its agents to meticulously appraise the value of property before taking it. By Ryan Devereaux and Spencer Woodman
Labor:
Economy:
Why Have Investigations of Wall Street Disappeared from Corporate Media? Hurricanes, wildfires, the multiple investigations of Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election and the calamity-du-jour in the Trump White House are gobbling up an outsized share of digital and print news pages at corporate media. What’s gone missing is intrepid, in-depth investigations of Wall Street’s latest scam against the public — even at corporate media outlets purporting to focus on Wall Street. . . . The lurking danger for shareholders and investors and U.S. taxpayers is that systemic contagion is once again building up among the handful of mega banks on Wall Street that control an obscene share of the nation’s deposits and assets. Ferreting out that information and bringing it to the front page may not be popular with Wall Street advertisers or their legions of lawyers. But it’s essential to maintaining an engaged, free press. By Pam Martens and Russ Martens
World:
Catalonia ready to rise up Jorge Martin reports on how the arrest of two Catalan officials has reignited the mass movement for independence. The whip of oppression wielded by the Spanish state has driven the masses back into action, the mood is incendiary, and Puigdemont has been left little room for maneuver.
Does the Western Left Have an African Problem? On the left in the West, we tend to critique global situations of state violence which are exacerbated and perpetuated by Western influences, and rightfully so. The left has aptly rallied against US intervention in places like Syria, where US airstrikes have already claimed thousands of civilian casualties. Western leftists have spent decades advocating for the rights and humanity of the Palestinian people against Israel’s illegal settlement of their land, and the violence it perpetuates against Palestinians. Due to its relation to an active socialist project, the inner-workings and uprisings of Venezuela have been an integral part of the left’s anti-imperialist praxis in the last year. We see the Western left prominently supporting the movements, self-determination struggles, anti-interventionisms and basic humanity of several communities in various parts of the world, and these communities certainly deserve much more support than they are currently receiving. However, when will there be room to support African struggles equally on this roster? By Devyn Springer
Health, Science, Education, and Welfare:
The 99% Should Win!
Quote of the Day:
Beyond Taking a Knee: Duane Thomas, Where are You When We Need You? by David Bonner
Lies. Lies, and Damn Lies!: Top Trump Official John Kelly Ordered ICE to Portray Immigrants as Criminals to Justify Raids A directive to immigration officials across the country to try to portray undocumented immigrants swept up in mass raids as criminals came directly from then-Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, The Intercept has learned. By Alice Speri
Trumpcare for Veterans? VA Outsourcing Will Create Healthcare Industry Bonanza by Suzanne Gordon – Ian Hoffmann