Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Truest statement of the week

Not a month after condemning “call out culture,” Barack Obama was once again the prized speaker at an event held by Democratic Party “mega donors”  (Wall Street) in Atlanta, Georgia. Seated next to Obama protégé Stacy Abrams, Obama warned Democratic Party candidates of going too far left in their policy proposals. “The average American doesn’t think we have to tear down the system,” Obama said , adding, “They just don’t want to see crazy stuff. They want to see things a little more fair, they want to see things a little more just. And how we approach that I think will be important.”
Obama’s remarks are just the most recent demonstration of his role as a weapon of counterinsurgency warfare employed by the ruling class to dampen the expectations of workers and oppressed people. His two-term presidency particularly targeted the Black polity. Black America has historically been the most progressive constituency in the United States on the issues of war and economic justice. The ruling class has not forgotten that Black rebellion pressured the formal end of chattel slavery in the American mainland or that Black rebellion overthrew slavery on the island nation of Haiti. Even in the so-called post-slavery period, Black rebellions such as those witnessed in cities across America in the 1960s signaled to the U.S. ruling class that something had to be done to protect the Empire from the transformative aspirations of Black America.

-- Danny Haiphong, "Barack Obama and the Ruling Class Target the Black Vote to Smother Sanders" (BLACK AGENDA REPORT).





Truest statement of the week II

Michael Bloomberg recently announced that he will seek the Democratic Party nomination for president in 2020. Unlike late comers such as Deval Patrick he actually has a chance to win the nomination or to play a role in choosing someone else. His weapon is not in any of his policy provisions but in his bank account. Bloomberg has an estimated net worth of $55 billion, a figure which makes him among the richest people on the planet. Like the old joke about the 900 pound gorilla he can do whatever he wants, including prevent a progressive from getting the nomination. 
Bloomberg says he is “Running for president to stop Donald Trump and rebuild America.” In reality he is running to stop Bernie Sanders because he knows that given a level playing field Sanders would emerge triumphant. Bloomberg’s strategy is to skip the early states and focus on Super Tuesday in March. This plan is a sign that he is more interested in being a spoiler than in actually being president himself. 

-- Margaret Kimberley, "Freedom Rider: Say No to Bloomberg" (BLACK AGENDA REPORT).




A note to our readers

Hey --

Late Wednesday night, happy Thanksgiving.

Let's thank all who participated this edition which includes Dallas and the following:



The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen, Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.


We couldn't finish by Sunday and, due to travel issues, we figured we'd do a special Thanksgiving edition and finish it Wednesday night.

Glen Ford has an important essay on Thanksgiving and the myths around it.  We think it's a solid think piece.  We're focusing, in our edition, on the reality of Thanksgiving in 2019 -- meaning it's food and people -- on it being a non-religious holiday. 


Here's the new content:



Peace,


-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.














Editorial: The protests belong to the Iraqi people

The ongoing protests in Iraq are real and the protesters are to be applauded for their determination and their bravery.

But some have tried to use the protests -- the US government being just one example.

It is certainly one of the most suspicious leaks, delivered by an unknown source and perfectly timed as the US seeks to leverage anti-austerity protests in Iraq against Iran. It is also an insidious leak, strategically placed in an outlet that brands itself as “adversarial.”




Max is right to be suspicious.

Glenn Greenwald's outlet is the Michael Gordon.  Throughout the first ten years of the Iraq War, Michael R. Gordon repeatedly filed one piece after another for THE NEW YORK TIMES about bad, bad, bad Iran and how this or that event is just hideous and awful -- this as the US was actively and publicly at war with the people of Iraq -- and requires the US going into combat against the government of Iran.

Gordo was preaching war.  So sad that Glenn Greenwald's outlet is now doing the same.

To be clear, this wasn't written by Glenn.  It was written by two people -- one an insufferable idiot long called out in media critiques here written by Ava and C.I. (far too many to mention).  But Glenn is the face of THE INTERCEPT and it's become increasingly hard to stomach his excuses or efforts to feign innocence.

THE INTERCEPT is a flea ridden dog, don't pretend fleas and ticks aren't on you as well Glenn.

The protests are real.


Iraq protests: Tear gas canisters 'aimed at protesters' – BBC News



  1. Revolts: ‘Special coverage of 's -led protests


🇮🇶ANTI-Government began in 's and Spread to Cities Across the South of the Country. More than 300 people have been killed in protests in Iraq since they began in early October ✴️Shot in the Face with Tear Gas Canisters✴️





The protesters are real.

The violence used to attack the protesters is very real.

These brave people are risking so much to call for a better life.

Do not harness their strong and brave efforts to pursue your own agenda and to pimp for a war on Iran.






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