Daily Archives: August 25, 2019

2019-08-25: News Headlines

teleSUR (2019-08-25). 100,000 Rohingyas Rally in Bangladesh to Mark Genocide Day. telesurenglish.net At least 100,000 Rohingya refugees rallied in camps in Bangladesh Sunday, marking two years since the start of a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar that forced more than 730,000 to flee across the border. | RELATED: | 'People Were Hiding': Rohingya Refugees Refuse To Return | Massive crowds gathered in the morning on a hillside for memorial prayers for relatives…

The Diversity Center, Santa Cruz County (2019-08-25). A Community Conversation on Race and Racism. indybay.org Cabrillo College Cafeteria, 901 | Cabrillo College | 6500 Soquel Dr, Aptos…

Staff (2019-08-25). Could Climate Catastrophe Lead to Ecofascism? truthout.org | | White nationalists around the world are appropriating the language of environmentalism. | The white nationalist who allegedly massacred 22 people in El Paso in early August posted a four-page screed on the chatroom 8chan. In it, the shooter blames his attack on the "Hispanic invasion of Texas" and the impending "cultural and ethnic replacement" of whites in America. | The shooter also refers directly to the leng…

Mehdi Hasan (2019-08-24). It's Time to Indict Aung San Suu Kyi for Genocide Against the Rohingya in Myanmar. theintercept.com Aung San Suu Kyi, a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is an essential part of the decimation of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma. She should face trial.

Staff (2019-08-24). Corporate Interests Use Voter Purges To Disenfranchise Citizens. therealnews.com The SCOTUS decision in Shelby County v Holder ruled that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is unconstitutional. Greg Palast talks about how what followed has been the expansion of the very issue that the VRA was implemented to curb…

Staff (2019-08-24). Trump Administration Revives Clause That Kept Nazi-Era Refugees From the US. truthout.org | | During the Nazi era, roughly 300,000 additional Jewish refugees could have gained entry to the U.S. without exceeding the nation's existing quotas. | The primary mechanism that kept them out: the immigration law's "likely to become a public charge" clause. Consular officials with the authority to issue visas denied them to everyone they deemed incapable of supporting themselves in the U.S. | It is not possible to say what happened to these refugees. Some immigrated to other countries th…

Mathew Maavak (2019-08-24). "Child Actorvism" and the Extinction Agenda of Neoliberal Racists. dissidentvoice.org There is no shortage of social justice causes trumpeted by the West‚Ä with a revolving medley of "child actorvists" at the forefront. The logical observer may question whether these endless multi-billion dollar campaigns have had any tangible effect at all, except in serving as a stalking horse for mass-mediated interferences in the affairs of other …

Christopher Petrella, Justin Gomer (2019-08-24). Stop Using Mental Illness to Explain White Supremacy. commondreams.org In August of 2017, white supremacists gathered at a violent "Unite the Right" rally to protest Charlottesville, Virginia's plan to take down a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

ADMIN (2019-08-24). Nebraska Supreme Court upholds law that ignores landowners' property rights, Indigenous sovereignty in flawed decision on Keystone XL pipeline route. nationofchange.org Nebraska landowners and Tribal Nations said they would continue to fight the Trump administration's rubber-stamp approval of a federal permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, after the Nebraska Supreme Court ignored due process rights, property rights, and indigenous sovereignty in a flawed decision on the "Mainline Alternative" route through Nebraska. This new route has undergone no legitimate environmental, property rights or cultural reviews and was approved without any proper notice to landowners and Ponca members along the new route. | WHAT: Telepresser for Media on Nebraska Supreme Court KXL Decisi…

WSWS (2019-08-24). Texas prisoner executed despite debunked forensic evidence pointing to his innocence. wsws.org The US Supreme Court denied Larry Swearingen's appeal for a stay, clearing the way for his execution.

Christian Fuchs (2019-08-24). Henry A. Giroux and the culture of neoliberal fascism. mronline.org HENRY A. GIROUX's book The Terror of the Unforeseen analyzes the conditions that have enabled and led to Donald Trump's rule and the consequences of that rule, that have ushered in an authoritarian version of capitalism. Giroux provides a realistic analysis that holds out the hope that, through collective efforts, change is possible and democracy […] | Source

Staff (2019-08-23). Ruth Bader Ginsburg Treated for Tumor on Pancreas. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has completed radiation therapy for a cancerous tumor on her pancreas and there is no evidence of the disease remaining, the Supreme Court said Friday. | The court said in a statement that a biopsy performed July 31 confirmed a localized malignant tumor. Ginsburg, 86, underwent a three-week course of radiation therapy and as part of her treatment had a bile duct stent placed, it said. The court said Ginsburg "tolerated treatment well" and does not need any additional treatment but will continue to have periodic blood tests and scans. | The tumor was "treated definiti…

Emily Karreman (2019-08-23). What is democracy, and where is it going? peoplesworld.org This question has been hanging over American political discussion for the past three years. Certainly, it's always been a contentious topic in this country, but the 2016 campaign season and election really brought it to the forefront of our collective political consciousness. The dictionary defines democracy as "a government in which the supreme power is …

Paul Street (2019-08-23). Notes on Inauthenticity in a Creeping Fascist Nuthouse. counterpunch.org The reigning corporate Democrats would rather lose to the right, even to a proto-fascistic white nationalist and eco-exterminist right, than lose to the left, even to a mildly progressive social democratic and environmentalist left within their own party. How else explain their insistence on promoting the ridiculous, right-wing arch-corporatist, imperialist, and dementia-plagued right-wing gaffe machine Joke Biden in the long march to the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries? More

Gary Olson (2019-08-23). Whither the Resistance to our Capitalist Overlords? counterpunch.org All efforts to reform the American system is capitulation. — Chris Hedges Without massive resistance to white supremacy and war, the U.S. empire threatens to devour itself alive and will no doubt attempt to take us with it. — Danny Haiphong No serious change, remotely popular sovereignty, no protection and advance of the common good More

splcenter (2019-08-23). Weekend Read: ICE's deliberate cruelty. splcenter.org Five days after taking office, President Trump signed "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States" — an executive order calling for the hiring of thousands of new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the use of state and local police to enforce immigration law.

ACLU (2019-08-23). Will North Carolina's Supreme Court Allow Racism to Remain a Persistent Factor in its Death Penalty? aclu.org North Carolina's Supreme Court will determine whether evidence of racism in capital punishment can be swept under the rug. | In 2009, North Carolina passed the Racial Justice Act (RJA), which allowed defendants to strike the death penalty from their cases if they could show that racial discrimination was a factor in their prosecution. The law came as a response to a series of exonerations of Black people who were falsely convicted of crimes they did not commit by all-white or nearly all-white juries. The legislature took a bold step to address was what suspected to be deeply troubling evidence of racism infe…

commondreams (2019-08-23). Coalition Outraged Over Nebraska Supreme Court Decision and Committed to Fight KXL. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Fight Back (2019-08-23). Activists demand Minnesota divest from border militarization contractor. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – On August 22, immigrant rights and Palestine solidarity activists presented over 1000 signatures of Minnesota residents petitioning the State Board of Investments (SBI) to divest state pension funds from the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems. Elbit sells cluster bombs and weaponized white phosphorus to the Israel Defense Forces, whose indiscriminate use on besieged Gaza has been widely condemned by international organizations. Elbit also manufactures surveillance equipment for the Israeli apartheid wall, and drones used in targeted assassinations of Palestinian political leaders. | Advertisi…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-08-23). Critics Condemn Inclusion of Anti-Semitic, White Nationalist Blog Post in Daily Briefing Sent to Immigration Judges by Trump's DOJ. commondreams.org A nationwide organization of U.S. immigration judges demanded immediate action to ensure that the U.S. Department of Justice operates without xenophobia, racism, and anti-semitism after a DOJ office sent a link to a white nationalist website to the entire immigration court system. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-08-23). Ruth Bader Ginsburg Undergoes Treatment for Pancreatic Tumor—Doctors Say Supreme Court Justice Completely 'Cancer-Free'. commondreams.org "Getting a push notification that starts with the words 'Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg' will get the heart rate ramped up." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2019-08-23). The Fight's Not Over, Say Activists, as Nebraska Supreme Court Approves Keystone XL Route. commondreams.org "If history recalls Nebraska at all, it may remember this as its most regrettable decision." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Ron Jacobs (2019-08-23). Meditation on a Racist Nation. counterpunch.org What You Gonna' Do When the World's on Fire? is a powerful film. Set in a Black neighborhood in the US deep South years after the flooding from hurricane Katrina, the film tells a story of hope and despair, anger and love, and joy and sorrow. Political in the sense that all human experience is More

Mark Waller (2019-08-22). South Africa bans old racist flag as hate speech. peoplesworld.org PRETORIA, South Africa — A landmark Aug. 21 ruling by South Africa's Equality Court has criminalized gratuitous displays of the national flag of the apartheid era. The case was brought before the court by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, backed by the South African Human Rights Commission. The apartheid flag is often displayed by far-right white …

RT (2019-08-22). NYT editor's tweets mocking Jews, Indians amid newspaper's 'anti-racist' drive. rt.com A politics editor at the New York Times faces charges of anti-Semitism and bigotry after a series of old insensitive tweets surfaced online. This comes after a similar scandal with its Washington editor and leaked editorial tapes. | Breitbart News uncovered the tweets in an investigation published on Thursday, detailing a litany of offensive and racially-charged remarks from senior staff editor Tom Wright-Piersanti, who has worked at the Gray Lady for a little over five year…

Dylan Citron and Sofia (2019-08-22). Interview with BDS activist Willie Burnley Jr.: "I can't be okay knowing that the people fighting racism are being labelled racist." liberationnews.org "…something I was not expecting was the kindness, the hospitality, the friendliness…"

Lyn Neeley (2019-08-22). Bolivarian revolution and Black liberation. workers.org Portland's Hands Off Venezuela PDX sponsored a Skype teach-in on Aug. 17 with Dr. Layla Brown-Vincent, an assistant professor of Africana Studies at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, who spoke about the role of racism in Bolivarian Venezuela to a room of 25 Oregonians. She said, "Just as Haiti . . . | Continue reading Bolivarian revolution and Black liberation at Workers.org

RT (2019-08-22). California 'Nazi High' forced to reopen probe after students caught throwing salutes in more videos. rt.com Orange County high school students were caught on film giving Nazi salutes and singing Nazi marching songs, outraging the community after school administrators appeared to be trying to cover it up — until even more videos emerged. | About a dozen members of the Pacifica High School boys' water polo team are seen giving Nazi salutes in a banquet room in the first video, which went public on Monday. One begins to sing an obscure Nazi marching song and a few others join in before the clip ends. | A group of high-school athletes in Southern California reportedly gave a Nazi salute and sang a Nazi song during…

Jud Lounsbury (2019-08-22). Steve King: Confederate Soldiers Died 'Putting an End to' Slavery. progressive.org Thankfully, this Iowan Congressman isn't into creative anachronism.

Hatewatch Staff (2019-08-22). KrisAnne Hall Addresses League of the South Chapter. splcenter.org KrisAnne Hall, a self-described "constitutional attorney" who thinks states have the right to secede, recently addressed a neo-Confederate hate group whose goal is to create what the Civil War did not: a separate Southern nation.

susan_p (2019-08-22). Italy: Conte resigns, coalition with Salvini 'ended'. greenleft.org.au Daniele FulviIssue 1234 Italy rise of the far right League Five Star Movement (M5S)August 22, 2019Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced his resignation on August 20, effectively ending the c…

susan_p (2019-08-22). West Papuans protest following racist attacks in Surabaya. greenleft.org.au self-determination Peter Boyle Susan PriceIssue 1234 | West Papua Indonesian occupation of West PapuaAugust 22, 2019On August 17, Indonesian Independence Day, armed In…

Gary Leupp (2019-08-21). "Based on the Fact She Won't Sell Me Greenland, I'm Staying Home" dissidentvoice.org Denmark, by all reports one of the happiest, most affluent societies on earth, retains a symbolic monarchy for patriotic purposes. One of the Queen's duties is to invite foreign leaders for state visits. So Margrethe II did the politically normal, correct thing and invited the U.S. president. She knew, of course, from her briefings that …

Editor (2019-08-21). In defense of Palestine. workers.org The issue of occupied Palestine once again took center stage in the world press when two women members of the congressional Squad — Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) — were initially denied the right to enter Israel by its fascistic Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Aug. 15, at . . . | Continue reading In defense of Palestine at Workers.org

C. J. Hopkins (2019-08-20). Manufacturing Mass Fascism Hysteria. dissidentvoice.org If the neoliberal ruling classes expect to keep the American masses worked up into a white-eyed hysteria over "fascism" until November 2020, they're going to need to get some better Nazis. The current Nazis are just not going to cut it. They are neither scary nor Nazi enough. OK, the militia ones look kind of …

Emily Apple (2019-08-20). The racist chicken boxes are getting a make-over and it's total genius. thecanary.co As The Canary previously reported, the home office's latest attempt to tackle knife crime through chicken boxes was lambasted for "racial profiling". | Chicken stores are replacing their usual packaging with special boxes. Bearing the hashtag #knifefree, the boxes also feature "real life stories to show people how they can go…

Robert Mackey (2019-08-20). Trump Accuses Most American Jews of "Disloyalty" to Israel, Deploying Anti-Semitic Trope. theintercept.com President Donald Trump revealed again on Tuesday that he subscribes to the anti-Semitic belief that American Jews harbor a secret dual loyalty to Israel.

Brad Bennett (2019-08-20). Maryland teacher incorporates hard lessons about slavery into public school curriculum. splcenter.org At a workshop for teachers about educating children on American slavery, one instructor grew angry and insisted that Thomas Jefferson — who fathered biracial children with an enslaved woman on one of his plantations — was an advocate for racial equality.

Staff (2019-08-20). Portland Rejects Proud Boys & Other Ultra-Right Groups as Trump Tries to Criminalize Antifa. democracynow.org A crowd of white nationalists took to the streets of Portland, Oregon, over the weekend for what they dubbed the "End Domestic Terrorism" rally. But they were outnumbered by a massive response from counterprotesters, who gathered across the city as police escorted members of the Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer and other right-wing groups across one of the city's main bridges. Police arrested 13 people throughout the day and seized weapons but largely avoided "the worst-case scenario" Portland's Mayor Ted Wheeler said the city was prepared for. Portland Police put more than 700 officers on patrol, with more than one co…

Staff (2019-08-20). DHS Was Tracking White Supremacist Terrorists, but Nobody Wanted to Listen. therealnews.com No one listened when the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI sounded the alarm about the rise of white supremacist and far-right domestic terrorism, says former DHS intelligence analyst Daryl Johnson and Greg Huffman of Facing South…

Staff (2019-08-19). Why Corporate Media Doesn't Talk Honestly About Racism. therealnews.com Media conversations about racism are rarely accurate, let alone honest, facilitating the status quo and hindering systemic change. A discussion between Dylan Rodriguez, Eddie Conway, and Jaqueline Luqman…

splcenter (2019-08-19). SPLC, allies sue ICE for ignoring medical, mental health and disability needs of detained immigrants. splcenter.org Faour Abdallah Fraihat, who ran a successful construction business for years in California, is currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

splcenter (2019-08-19). Yes, the FRC and ADF Are Hate Groups. Here's Why! splcenter.org I was in love, about to be married, and never could have imagined that my life would soon be intertwined with an unimaginable amount of hate from strangers who wanted to tear apart everything I held dear.

Staff (2019-08-19). Headlines for August 19, 2019. democracynow.org Bombs Go Off on Afghan Independence Day, Following Wedding Attack That Killed 63, Largest Hong Kong Protest in Weeks Defies Threats, Intimidation by China, Kashmiris Protest Lockdown 2 Weeks After India Scraps Special Status, Gibraltar Releases Iranian Oil Tanker After U.S. Fails to Keep It Under Seizure, Israeli Soldiers Kill 3 People in Gaza, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar to Address Israeli Travel Ban, Far-Right and Anti-Fascist Protesters Take to Portland Streets, Authorities Arrest Men in 3 States After They Threaten Mass Shootings, Prison Guard Who Drove Truck into Jewish Activists Has Resigned, NYPD Judge: P…

splcenter (2019-08-17). SPLC Responds to FRC and ADF's Attack Op-Ed. splcenter.org On August 17, 2019, a former Family Research Council (FRC) staff member, who currently works at the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) — two organizations designated as hate groups by the SPLC — attacked the SPLC in a USA Today OpEd for its hate group designations.

splcenter (2019-08-17). Weekend Read: Slavery shaped America's pathology on race and whiteness. splcenter.org Four hundred years ago this month, the White Lion, a warship commanded by English privateers, docked at Point Comfort in the colony of Virginia.

John McDevitt (2019-08-16). Trump uses Medicaid as weapon against disabled immigrants. liberationnews.org The administration's contempt for disabled people is only matched by its virulent racism and anti-immigrant bigotry.

Hatewatch Staff (2019-08-16). Marjorie Taylor Greene: How an Outspoken MAGA Fan Built a Following in a World of Extremists. splcenter.org Originally a MAGA supporter but now an emerging MAGA star, Marjorie Taylor Greene has deftly leveraged social media and confrontations in public to increase her visibility. Now she's entering politics as a GOP candidate for Georgia's 6th Congressional District.

Staff (2019-08-16). The Great Land Robbery: How Federal Policies Dispossessed Black Americans of Millions of Acres. democracynow.org Over the 20th century, black people in the U.S. were dispossessed of 12 million acres of land. Half of that loss — 6 million acres — occurred over just two decades, from 1950 to 1969, a period largely associated with the civil rights struggle. This mass land dispossession, which affected 98% of black agricultural land owners, is part of the pattern of institutional racism and discrimination that has contributed to the racial wealth gap in the United States. Many of the driving forces behind this land theft were legal and originated in federal policies, as documented by Vann Newkirk, staff writer at Th…

splcenter (2019-08-15). SPLC publishes Opportunity Costs: Unequal Justice in Alabama's Community Corrections Programs. splcenter.org A new investigative report published today by the Southern Poverty Law Center reveals serious flaws in Alabama's community corrections programs, an otherwise promising system for diverting people from the state's prisons.

2019-08-25: Social Media Postees

100,000 Rohingyas Rally in Bangladesh to Mark Genocide Day
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-25
At least 100,000 Rohingya refugees rallied in camps in Bangladesh Sunday, marking two years since the start of a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar that forced more than 730,000 to flee across the border. | RELATED: | 'People Were Hiding': Rohingya Refugees Refuse To Return | Massive crowds gathered in the morning on a hillside for memorial prayers for relatives…
telesurenglish.net/news/100000-Rohingyas-Rally-in-Bangladesh-to-Mark-Genocide-Day-20190825-0006.html

A Community Conversation on Race and Racism
The Diversity Center, Santa Cruz County | indybay.org | 2019-08-25
Cabrillo College Cafeteria, 901 | Cabrillo College | 6500 Soquel Dr, Aptos…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/23/18825631.php

Could Climate Catastrophe Lead to Ecofascism?
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-25
| White nationalists around the world are appropriating the language of environmentalism. | The white nationalist who allegedly massacred 22 people in El Paso in early August posted a four-page screed on the chatroom 8chan. In it, the shooter blames his attack on the "Hispanic invasion of Texas" and the impending "cultural and ethnic replacement" of whites in America. | The shooter also refers directly to the leng…
truthout.org/articles/could-climate-catastrophe-lead-to-ecofascism/

Trump Administration Revives Clause That Kept Nazi-Era Refugees From the US
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-24
| During the Nazi era, roughly 300,000 additional Jewish refugees could have gained entry to the U.S. without exceeding the nation's existing quotas. | The primary mechanism that kept them out: the immigration law's "likely to become a public charge" clause. Consular officials with the authority to issue visas denied them to everyone they deemed incapable of supporting themselves in the U.S. | It is not possible to say what happened to these refugees. Some immigrated to other countries th…
truthout.org/articles/trump-administration-revives-clause-that-kept-nazi-era-refugees-from-the-us/

Henry A. Giroux and the culture of neoliberal fascism
Christian Fuchs | mronline.org | 2019-08-24
HENRY A. GIROUX's book The Terror of the Unforeseen analyzes the conditions that have enabled and led to Donald Trump's rule and the consequences of that rule, that have ushered in an authoritarian version of capitalism. Giroux provides a realistic analysis that holds out the hope that, through collective efforts, change is possible and democracy […] | Source…
mronline.org/2019/08/24/henry-a-giroux-and-the-culture-of-neoliberal-fascism/

Corporate Interests Use Voter Purges To Disenfranchise Citizens
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-24
The SCOTUS decision in Shelby County v Holder ruled that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is unconstitutional. Greg Palast talks about how what followed has been the expansion of the very issue that the VRA was implemented to curb…
therealnews.com/stories/corporate-interests-use-voter-purges-to-disenfranchise-citizens

It's Time to Indict Aung San Suu Kyi for Genocide Against the Rohingya in Myanmar
Mehdi Hasan | theintercept.com | 2019-08-24
Aung San Suu Kyi, a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is an essential part of the decimation of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma. She should face trial.
theintercept.com/2019/08/24/aung-san-suu-kyi-rohingya-genocide/

"Child Actorvism" and the Extinction Agenda of Neoliberal Racists
Mathew Maavak | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-24
There is no shortage of social justice causes trumpeted by the West‚Ä with a revolving medley of "child actorvists" at the forefront. The logical observer may question whether these endless multi-billion dollar campaigns have had any tangible effect at all, except in serving as a stalking horse for mass-mediated interferences in the affairs of other …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/child-actorvism-and-the-extinction-agenda-of-neoliberal-racists/

Stop Using Mental Illness to Explain White Supremacy
Christopher Petrella, Justin Gomer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-24
In August of 2017, white supremacists gathered at a violent "Unite the Right" rally to protest Charlottesville, Virginia's plan to take down a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/24/stop-using-mental-illness-explain-white-supremacy?cd-origin=rss

Texas prisoner executed despite debunked forensic evidence pointing to his innocence
wsws.org | 2019-08-24
The US Supreme Court denied Larry Swearingen's appeal for a stay, clearing the way for his execution.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/24/exec…

Nebraska Supreme Court upholds law that ignores landowners' property rights, Indigenous sovereignty in flawed decision on Keystone XL pipeline route
ADMIN | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-24
Nebraska landowners and Tribal Nations said they would continue to fight the Trump administration's rubber-stamp approval of a federal permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, after the Nebraska Supreme Court ignored due process rights, property rights, and indigenous sovereignty in a flawed decision on the "Mainline Alternative" route through Nebraska. This new route has undergone no legitimate environmental, property rights or cultural reviews and was approved without any proper notice to landowners and Ponca members along the new route. | WHAT: Telepresser for Media on Nebraska Supreme Court KXL Decisi…
nationofchange.org/2019/08/24/nebraska-supreme-court-upholds-law-that-ignores-landowners-property-rights-indigenous-sovereignty-in-flawed-decision-on-keystone-xl-pipeline-route/

Whither the Resistance to our Capitalist Overlords?
Gary Olson | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-23
All efforts to reform the American system is capitulation. — Chris Hedges Without massive resistance to white supremacy and war, the U.S. empire threatens to devour itself alive and will no doubt attempt to take us with it. — Danny Haiphong No serious change, remotely popular sovereignty, no protection and advance of the common good…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/23/whither-the-resistance-to-our-capitalist-overlords/

Weekend Read: ICE's deliberate cruelty
splcenter.org | 2019-08-23
Five days after taking office, President Trump signed "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States" — an executive order calling for the hiring of thousands of new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the use of state and local police to enforce immigration law.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/24/weekend-read-ices-deliberate-cruelty

Will North Carolina's Supreme Court Allow Racism to Remain a Persistent Factor in its Death Penalty?
aclu.org | 2019-08-23
North Carolina's Supreme Court will determine whether evidence of racism in capital punishment can be swept under the rug. | In 2009, North Carolina passed the Racial Justice Act (RJA), which allowed defendants to strike the death penalty from their cases if they could show that racial discrimination was a factor in their prosecution. The law came as a response to a series of exonerations of Black people who were falsely convicted of crimes they did not commit by all-white or nearly all-white juries. The legislature took a bold step to address was what suspected to be deeply troubling evidence of racism infe…
aclu.org/blog/capital-punishment/racial-disparities-and-death-penalty/will-north-carolinas-supreme-court

Notes on Inauthenticity in a Creeping Fascist Nuthouse
Paul Street | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-23
The reigning corporate Democrats would rather lose to the right, even to a proto-fascistic white nationalist and eco-exterminist right, than lose to the left, even to a mildly progressive social democratic and environmentalist left within their own party. How else explain their insistence on promoting the ridiculous, right-wing arch-corporatist, imperialist, and dementia-plagued right-wing gaffe machine Joke Biden in the long march to the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries?
counterpunch.org/2019/08/23/notes-on-inauthenticity-in-a-creeping-fascist-nuthouse/

Meditation on a Racist Nation
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-23
What You Gonna' Do When the World's on Fire? is a powerful film. Set in a Black neighborhood in the US deep South years after the flooding from hurricane Katrina, the film tells a story of hope and despair, anger and love, and joy and sorrow. Political in the sense that all human experience is…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/23/meditation-on-a-racist-nation/

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Treated for Tumor on Pancreas
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-23
WASHINGTON — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has completed radiation therapy for a cancerous tumor on her pancreas and there is no evidence of the disease remaining, the Supreme Court said Friday. | The court said in a statement that a biopsy performed July 31 confirmed a localized malignant tumor. Ginsburg, 86, underwent a three-week course of radiation therapy and as part of her treatment had a bile duct stent placed, it said. The court said Ginsburg "tolerated treatment well" and does not need any additional treatment but will continue to have periodic blood tests and scans. | The tumor was "treated definiti…
truthdig.com/articles/ruth-bader-ginsburg-treated-for-tumor-on-pancreas/

Coalition Outraged Over Nebraska Supreme Court Decision and Committed to Fight KXL
commondreams.org | 2019-08-23
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/23/coalition-outraged-over-nebraska-supreme-court-decision-and-committed-fight-kxl?cd-origin=rss

What is democracy, and where is it going?
Emily Karreman | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-23
This question has been hanging over American political discussion for the past three years. Certainly, it's always been a contentious topic in this country, but the 2016 campaign season and election really brought it to the forefront of our collective political consciousness. The dictionary defines democracy as "a government in which the supreme power is …
peoplesworld.org/article/what-is-democracy-and-where-is-it-going/

Activists demand Minnesota divest from border militarization contractor
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-23
St. Paul, MN – On August 22, immigrant rights and Palestine solidarity activists presented over 1000 signatures of Minnesota residents petitioning the State Board of Investments (SBI) to divest state pension funds from the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems. Elbit sells cluster bombs and weaponized white phosphorus to the Israel Defense Forces, whose indiscriminate use on besieged Gaza has been widely condemned by international organizations. Elbit also manufactures surveillance equipment for the Israeli apartheid wall, and drones used in targeted assassinations of Palestinian political leaders. | Advertisi…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/23/activist…

Critics Condemn Inclusion of Anti-Semitic, White Nationalist Blog Post in Daily Briefing Sent to Immigration Judges by Trump's DOJ
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-23
A nationwide organization of U.S. immigration judges demanded immediate action to ensure that the U.S. Department of Justice operates without xenophobia, racism, and anti-semitism after a DOJ office sent a link to a white nationalist website to the entire immigration court system. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/23/critics-condemn-inclusion-anti-semitic-white-nationalist-blog-post-daily-briefing?cd-origin=rss

The Fight's Not Over, Say Activists, as Nebraska Supreme Court Approves Keystone XL Route
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-23
"If history recalls Nebraska at all, it may remember this as its most regrettable decision." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/23/fights-not-over-say-activists-nebraska-supreme-court-approves-keystone-xl-route?cd-origin=rss

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Undergoes Treatment for Pancreatic Tumor—Doctors Say Supreme Court Justice Completely 'Cancer-Free'
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-23
"Getting a push notification that starts with the words 'Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg' will get the heart rate ramped up." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/23/ruth-bader-ginsburg-undergoes-treatment-pancreatic-tumor-doctors-say-supreme-court?cd-origin=rss

Interview with BDS activist Willie Burnley Jr.: "I can't be okay knowing that the people fighting racism are being labelled racist."
Dylan Citron and Sofia | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-22
"…something I was not expecting was the kindness, the hospitality, the friendliness…"
liberationnews.org/interview-with-bds-activist-willie-burnley-jr-i-cant-be-okay-knowing-that-the-people-fighting-racism-are-being-labelled-racist/

Bolivarian revolution and Black liberation
Lyn Neeley | workers.org | 2019-08-22
Portland's Hands Off Venezuela PDX sponsored a Skype teach-in on Aug. 17 with Dr. Layla Brown-Vincent, an assistant professor of Africana Studies at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, who spoke about the role of racism in Bolivarian Venezuela to a room of 25 Oregonians. She said, "Just as Haiti . . . | Continue reading Bolivarian revolution and Black liberation at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/08/21/bolivarian-revolution-and-black-liberation/

South Africa bans old racist flag as hate speech
Mark Waller | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-22
PRETORIA, South Africa — A landmark Aug. 21 ruling by South Africa's Equality Court has criminalized gratuitous displays of the national flag of the apartheid era. The case was brought before the court by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, backed by the South African Human Rights Commission. The apartheid flag is often displayed by far-right white …
peoplesworld.org/article/south-africa-bans-old-racist-flag-as-hate-speech/

NYT editor's tweets mocking Jews, Indians amid newspaper's 'anti-racist' drive
rt.com | 2019-08-22
A politics editor at the New York Times faces charges of anti-Semitism and bigotry after a series of old insensitive tweets surfaced online. This comes after a similar scandal with its Washington editor and leaked editorial tapes. | Breitbart News uncovered the tweets in an investigation published on Thursday, detailing a litany of offensive and racially-charged remarks from senior staff editor Tom Wright-Piersanti, who has worked at the Gray Lady for a little over five year…
rt.com/usa/467094-nyt-editor-racist-tweets/

KrisAnne Hall Addresses League of the South Chapter
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2019-08-22
KrisAnne Hall, a self-described "constitutional attorney" who thinks states have the right to secede, recently addressed a neo-Confederate hate group whose goal is to create what the Civil War did not: a separate Southern nation.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/08/22/krisanne-hall-addresses-league-south-chapter

Steve King: Confederate Soldiers Died 'Putting an End to' Slavery
Jud Lounsbury | progressive.org | 2019-08-22
Thankfully, this Iowan Congressman isn't into creative anachronism.
progressive.org/dispatches/steve-king-confederate-soldiers-died-ending-slavery-lounsbury-190822/

California 'Nazi High' forced to reopen probe after students caught throwing salutes in more videos
rt.com | 2019-08-22
Orange County high school students were caught on film giving Nazi salutes and singing Nazi marching songs, outraging the community after school administrators appeared to be trying to cover it up — until even more videos emerged. | About a dozen members of the Pacifica High School boys' water polo team are seen giving Nazi salutes in a banquet room in the first video, which went public on Monday. One begins to sing an obscure Nazi marching song and a few others join in before the clip ends. | A group of high-school athletes in Southern California reportedly gave a Nazi salute and sang a Nazi song during…
rt.com/usa/467022-california-students-nazi-salutes/

West Papuans protest following racist attacks in Surabaya
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-22
self-determination Peter Boyle Susan PriceIssue 1234 | West Papua Indonesian occupation of West PapuaAugust 22, 2019On August 17, Indonesian Independence Day, armed In…
greenleft.org.au/content/west-papuans-protest-following-racist-attacks-surabaya

Italy: Conte resigns, coalition with Salvini 'ended'
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-22
Daniele FulviIssue 1234 Italy rise of the far right League Five Star Movement (M5S)August 22, 2019Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced his resignation on August 20, effectively ending the c…
greenleft.org.au/content/italy-conte-resigns-coalition-salvini-ended

In defense of Palestine
Editor | workers.org | 2019-08-21
The issue of occupied Palestine once again took center stage in the world press when two women members of the congressional Squad — Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) — were initially denied the right to enter Israel by its fascistic Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Aug. 15, at . . . | Continue reading In defense of Palestine at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/08/21/in-defense-of-palestine/

"Based on the Fact She Won't Sell Me Greenland, I'm Staying Home"
Gary Leupp | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-21
Denmark, by all reports one of the happiest, most affluent societies on earth, retains a symbolic monarchy for patriotic purposes. One of the Queen's duties is to invite foreign leaders for state visits. So Margrethe II did the politically normal, correct thing and invited the U.S. president. She knew, of course, from her briefings that …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/based-on-the-fact-she-wont-sell-me-greenland-im-staying-home/

Manufacturing Mass Fascism Hysteria
C. J. Hopkins | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-20
If the neoliberal ruling classes expect to keep the American masses worked up into a white-eyed hysteria over "fascism" until November 2020, they're going to need to get some better Nazis. The current Nazis are just not going to cut it. They are neither scary nor Nazi enough. OK, the militia ones look kind of …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/manufacturing-mass-fascism-hysteria/

The racist chicken boxes are getting a make-over and it's total genius
Emily Apple | thecanary.co | 2019-08-20
As The Canary previously reported, the home office's latest attempt to tackle knife crime through chicken boxes was lambasted for "racial profiling". | Chicken stores are replacing their usual packaging with special boxes. Bearing the hashtag #knifefree, the boxes also feature "real life stories to show people how they can go…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/08/20/the-racist-chicken-boxes-are-getting-a-make-over-and-its-total-genius/

Trump Accuses Most American Jews of "Disloyalty" to Israel, Deploying Anti-Semitic Trope
Robert Mackey | theintercept.com | 2019-08-20
President Donald Trump revealed again on Tuesday that he subscribes to the anti-Semitic belief that American Jews harbor a secret dual loyalty to Israel.
theintercept.com/2019/08/20/trump-jews-disloyalty-democratic-anti-semitism/

Maryland teacher incorporates hard lessons about slavery into public school curriculum
Brad Bennett | splcenter.org | 2019-08-20
At a workshop for teachers about educating children on American slavery, one instructor grew angry and insisted that Thomas Jefferson — who fathered biracial children with an enslaved woman on one of his plantations — was an advocate for racial equality.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/20/maryland-teacher-incorporates-hard-lessons-about-slavery-public-school-curriculum

Portland Rejects Proud Boys & Other Ultra-Right Groups as Trump Tries to Criminalize Antifa
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-20
A crowd of white nationalists took to the streets of Portland, Oregon, over the weekend for what they dubbed the "End Domestic Terrorism" rally. But they were outnumbered by a massive response from counterprotesters, who gathered across the city as police escorted members of the Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer and other right-wing groups across one of the city's main bridges. Police arrested 13 people throughout the day and seized weapons but largely avoided "the worst-case scenario" Portland's Mayor Ted Wheeler said the city was prepared for. Portland Police put more than 700 officers on patrol, with more than one co…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/20/portland_…

DHS Was Tracking White Supremacist Terrorists, but Nobody Wanted to Listen
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-20
No one listened when the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI sounded the alarm about the rise of white supremacist and far-right domestic terrorism, says former DHS intelligence analyst Daryl Johnson and Greg Huffman of Facing South…
therealnews.com/stories/dhs-was-tracking-white-supremacist-terrorists-but-nobody-wanted-to-listen

SPLC, allies sue ICE for ignoring medical, mental health and disability needs of detained immigrants
splcenter.org | 2019-08-19
Faour Abdallah Fraihat, who ran a successful construction business for years in California, is currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/19/splc-allies-sue-ice-ignoring-medical-mental-health-and-disability-needs-detained-immigrants

Why Corporate Media Doesn't Talk Honestly About Racism
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-19
Media conversations about racism are rarely accurate, let alone honest, facilitating the status quo and hindering systemic change. A discussion between Dylan Rodriguez, Eddie Conway, and Jaqueline Luqman…
therealnews.com/stories/why-corporate-media-doesnt-talk-honestly-about-racism

Yes, the FRC and ADF Are Hate Groups. Here's Why!
splcenter.org | 2019-08-19
I was in love, about to be married, and never could have imagined that my life would soon be intertwined with an unimaginable amount of hate from strangers who wanted to tear apart everything I held dear.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/19/yes-frc-and-adf-are-hate-groups-heres-why

Weekend Read: Slavery shaped America's pathology on race and whiteness
splcenter.org | 2019-08-17
Four hundred years ago this month, the White Lion, a warship commanded by English privateers, docked at Point Comfort in the colony of Virginia.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/17/weekend-read-slavery-shaped-americas-pathology-race-and-whiteness

SPLC Responds to FRC and ADF's Attack Op-Ed
splcenter.org | 2019-08-17
On August 17, 2019, a former Family Research Council (FRC) staff member, who currently works at the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) — two organizations designated as hate groups by the SPLC — attacked the SPLC in a USA Today OpEd for its hate group designations.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/17/splc-responds-frc-and-adfs-attack-op-ed

Trump uses Medicaid as weapon against disabled immigrants
John McDevitt | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-16
The administration's contempt for disabled people is only matched by its virulent racism and anti-immigrant bigotry.
liberationnews.org/trump-uses-medicaid-as-weapon-against-disabled-immigrants/

Marjorie Taylor Greene: How an Outspoken MAGA Fan Built a Following in a World of Extremists
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2019-08-16
Originally a MAGA supporter but now an emerging MAGA star, Marjorie Taylor Greene has deftly leveraged social media and confrontations in public to increase her visibility. Now she's entering politics as a GOP candidate for Georgia's 6th Congressional District.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/08/16/marjorie-taylor-greene-how-outspoken-maga-fan-built-following-world-extremists

The Great Land Robbery: How Federal Policies Dispossessed Black Americans of Millions of Acres
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-16
Over the 20th century, black people in the U.S. were dispossessed of 12 million acres of land. Half of that loss — 6 million acres — occurred over just two decades, from 1950 to 1969, a period largely associated with the civil rights struggle. This mass land dispossession, which affected 98% of black agricultural land owners, is part of the pattern of institutional racism and discrimination that has contributed to the racial wealth gap in the United States. Many of the driving forces behind this land theft were legal and originated in federal policies, as documented by Vann Newkirk, staff writer at Th…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/16/vann_newk…

SPLC publishes Opportunity Costs: Unequal Justice in Alabama's Community Corrections Programs
splcenter.org | 2019-08-15
A new investigative report published today by the Southern Poverty Law Center reveals serious flaws in Alabama's community corrections programs, an otherwise promising system for diverting people from the state's prisons.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/15/splc-publishes-opportunity-costs-unequal-justice-alabamas-community-corrections-programs

The Challenges of Breastfeeding as a Black Person
aclu.org | 2019-08-15
How our workplaces and healthcare system create barriers to breastfeeding. | The fight to protect individual choices about reproductive care, including breastfeeding, is an ongoing battle. The central lesson of the reproductive justice movement is that choice means little without access. That lesson applies equally to breastfeeding. | Though laws, in the workplace and other contexts, are in place to protect the right to breastfeed, many low-income women and w…
aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/pregnancy-and-parenting-discrimination/challenges-breastfeeding-black-person