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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.
Quote of the Day:
Baltimore Police Throw Constitution Out the Window Even when police are in ‘hot pursuit’ of a criminal suspect, they cannot treat a whole neighborhood like criminals.” The Baltimore police department seems to have learned nothing from the civil disturbances that rocked the city after Freddie Gray died in police custody back in 2015. Six cops got off scot-free for killing Gray — which seems to have led the police to conclude that they can treat the Black community as a Constitution-Free Zone, where anything the cops do is legal. By Glen Ford, BAR executive editor
The Ongoing Agony of the Obama-Trump War on the People of Yemen “The people of Yemen’s voices are unheard, drowned out by the noise of Russia-gate, arguments about the meaning of Trump’s latest tweet, and the latest episode of the TV show ‘Scandal.’” “We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation.” (M.L. King, “Beyond Vietnam”) Yemen, the poorest Arab nation on Earth, is the victim of a savage, illegal war waged by the Saudi Arabian monarchy. Armed to the teeth with the most sophisticated weapons in the world manufactured and supplied by the merchants of death in the United States, the Saudis are providing another grotesque example of what happens when a powerful nation with modern weapons is unrestrained by law and basic human decency. By Ajamu Baraka , BAR editor and columnist
Freedom Rider: Obama’s Crimes are Revealed Under Trump “The war against Yemen began in 2015, with a stamp of approval and military assistance from the Obama administration.”Barack Obama was not the lesser evil president. He was always the more effective evil. The ruling classes were in desperate need of a new and attractive face to complete their ugly agenda. George W. Bush and the Republicans were reviled and thus no longer capable of bringing imperialist plots to fruition. They were bad for the brand and were shown the door for use at a later date.By Margaret Kimberley, BAR editor and senior columnist
US War Against Russia Dates Back to the Fear of Soviet Union Russia is one of the largest obstacles in the way of US expansionism, next to China — which should be enough to convince US activists to defend Russia from imperial attack.” US hatred of Russia dates back to the Soviet period. This November marked the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution that produced the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or the Soviet Union for short. The successful socialist revolution in Russia signaled the end of capitalist hegemony and the beginning of an era where workers, peasants, and all property-less people would rule their respective societies free from exploitation. Bolshevism spurred a fierce response from capitalist profiteers everywhere, especially from the emerging US empire. The Soviet Union was immediately invaded by a coalition of imperial powers. These same imperial powers spread anti-communist fervor far and wide as a means to weaken the Soviet menace. By Danny Haiphong , BAR contributor
Following Footsteps of the Founding Fathers… 
Neocolonial Kleptocracy and Clinton Connections “Rwanda remains the poorest country in East Africa, except for Burundi.” On November 18, Rwandan President Paul Kagame inducted eight thieves without borders and one medical doctor into his “National Order of Outstanding Friendship”, presenting them with medals for “exemplary service” to the nation, meaning himself and his ruling party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Kagame is a modern day exemplar of French King Louis XIV’s theory of government: “L’état, c’est moi.” His list of honorees showcases the skill sets that keep any neocolonial kleptocracy in business. Agility with shell companies and offshore accounts is highly valued, and a boundlessly self-righteous sense of entitlement is absolutely required. As with all things Kagame, connection to the Clintons and the Clinton Foundation are an added plus. By Ann Garrison, BAR contributor
“Our Agenda” “Black unbelonging — black Americans as historical outsiders — is at the heart of our Constitution.”When I was asked to contribute to BlackAgendaReport.com, I took seriously the word “agenda” in the site’s title. What should be our agenda now, in 2017, as we face down the ills of American society? These ills are not new to us, of course. And though Trumpism is indeed a threat and an active danger, we as black people have faced much worse. This is not to minimize the loss of black lives at the hands of the American police-state, nor is it to minimize the recent resurgence of Nazism and white mob rage. It is to say that these acts of race hatred, and other techniques of race prejudice, predate Trump and are likely to continue long after he is out of office. Just as the election of Nelson Mandela did not erase inequality and prejudice in South Africa, the election of Barack Obama did not eliminate racism and capitalist injustice here in the United States. All of this means that we must be ever vigilant in protecting our lives and our families, in cultivating resources and education in our communities, and in fighting for equal access to advanced health care and preventive medicine for all, regardless of income. By Rebecka Rutledge Fisher, Ph.D.
The Legend of the Black Mecca: Politics and Class in the Making of Modern Atlanta “Atlanta was deemed the ‘poster child’ for progress in race relations because of the relationships between the city’s Black upper and middle classes and the white business elite.” In recent months, the world has watched as Atlanta—the black Mecca—threatens to elect its first white mayor (seen as a Trump-dog whistler) in decades. Americans marginalized by the vitriol spewed by the nation’s top office holder sit with bated breath to see Atlanta’s next move. One would be remiss in studying black electoral politics and voting behaviors since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 without considering Atlanta. It has been more than 44 years since Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr. became the first black mayor of a southern metropolis in general and Atlanta, Georgia in particular. In some regards, Jackson’s election as a big city mayor in the American South, a region wroth with the wickedness of white supremacy, was arguably the most resounding demonstration for black voting prowess until the election of President Barack Obama in 2008. Jackson’s election marked an era of black mayors in the doted “Black Mecca” that still exists, yet seems to be in jeopardy. By Dr. Maurice J. Hobson
The Fight to End Abusive Behavior Towards Black Women “To bury Black women’s oppression embodied in Black oppression once and for all, we need to transform society.” Sexual assault, domestic violence, and the like represent facets of women’s oppression. Black women get extra doses. Capitalism’s culture continues to connect to dehumanizing women’s bodies, inferior social women’s status, and looking at women as a commodity. By Ken Morgan
Lessons on the Anniversary of the Greensboro Massacre “The city quickly issued a report absolving its police department of any blame.” Thirty-eight years ago, on November 3, 1979, 35 heavily armed members of the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party drove nine vehicles through the city of Greensboro, North Carolina, and opened fire on a multiracial group of demonstrators who were gathering at a Black housing project in preparation for an anti-Klan march. In the most deadly 88 seconds in the history of the city, the KKK and Nazi marauders fired over 1,000 projectiles with shotguns, semi-automatic rifles and pistols, leaving five of the march leaders dead and seven other demonstrators wounded. Most of the victims were associated with the Communist Workers Party (CWP) — a militant, multiracial organization which had been organizing in the South against the Klan. By Flint Taylor
Trump Doubles Down on Sanctions and Regime Change for Venezuela “With encouragement from Florida Senator Marco Rubio and other Republicans, Trump has been trying to help topple the elected government of Venezuela.” On November 3rd President Maduro of Venezuela proposed a meeting with creditors, for November 13th in Caracas, to discuss a restructuring of Venezuelan public debt. On November 8th, the Trump administration reacted by warning US bondholders that attending this meeting could put them in violation of US economic sanctions against Venezuela. Such a violation can be penalized by 30 years in prison and up to $10 million dollars in fines for businesses. By Mark Weisbrot
Forced Anthem Adherence Antithetical to Justice “American military services spent $53 million on marketing and advertising contracts with sports teams between 2012 and 2015.”This history-making black Major League Baseball player called out race prejudice in all sectors of American society including prejudice practiced by U.S. presidents, lawmakers, law enforcers and others. By Linn Washington Jr
Why I Don’t Do Kwaanza I don’t do Kwaanza, I just don’t. I never have, and the very thought of it evokes some difficult memories and feelings for me. It’s not the holiday’s religious trappings or its Afro-syncretic fusion of Jewish menorahs, Swahili words, Kemetic, Christian and other rituals. I understand people do have a perfect human right to adopt or make up the cultural and religious practices that suit them. Rastafarianism , Voudon and Candomblé all borrow from multiple traditions, as does Islam from Judaism and Christianity, and Christianity from Judaism, Greek and Roman sources, and so on. So I have no quarrel whatsoever with those who celebrate and find value in Kwaanza. By Bruce A. Dixon, BAR managing editor
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