2020: The Year That Wasn't

 

2020: The Year That Wasn't

Most news programs/podcasts/web sites do a "news roundup" at this point in the year, and this year seems to really lend itself to this tried and true format. We started the year thinking 2020 would be one of "Perfect Vision" (https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2019/12/perfect-vision-2020.html ) and perhaps even the beginnings of a people's revolution, but within three months we found ourselves entangled in the beginnings of a worldwide pandemic instead.

Disease and certain death certainly wasn't on the menu originally for 2020. In spite of the challenges of mask wearing and social distancing, progressives soldiered on and accomplished more than one might think in a year that kept families and lovers apart and shut down whole economies. They even managed to demonstrate how racism still exists in the US, why Black Lives Matter (https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-long-flight-of-jim-crow.html ) and why we must #DefundThePolice (https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/09/why-cities-burn.html ) .

So, without any further ado, welcome to the year that wasn't as observed and documented by the writers of The Revolution Continues. (Click on the links to read the articles mentioned.)

January 2020: This will be the year we finally acknowledge and do something constructive about the climate crisis to prevent major wildfires and other ecological disasters worldwide. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-whole-world-is-burning.html

February 2020: This will be the year the Democratic Party is completely reformed and recognizes the progressive wisdom and brave leadership of Senator Bernie Sanders, allowing him to win the presidential nomination and lead America into a golden age of Medicare For All and no more student loan debt. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/02/2020-year-that-will-shape-future-of.html

March 2020: This will be the year we get our act together as a people and our elected leaders will respect medical experts and pass generous legislation to help every American suffering without access to health care or a job because of the Covid-19 pandemic. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/03/life-down-rabbit-hole.html

April 2020: This will be the year we will free non-violent prisoners suffering under unhealthy conditions in for-profit prisons and overcrowded public ones, as well as openly acknowledge the multitude of sins of the "chosen" DNC nominee. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/04/why-i-adore-joe-biden.html

May 2020: This will be the year we will acknowledge at last that capitalism kills and that those who have billions of dollars in the bank couldn't care less about those whose work they obtain obscene profits from.  https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/05/cannon-fodder-for-capitalism.html

This will also be the year we sit down and seriously contemplate why the rich are so afraid of the word "socialism."  https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/01/why-are-rich-so-scared-of-socialism.html

June 2020: This will be the year that Americans of all social classes will learn to live together in peace and racial harmony--and our policing agencies will demonstrate fair and restorative justice techniques. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/06/this-is-revolution.html

July 2020: This will be the year that a person in uniform will earn the respect of the public by his/her actions. "Protect and serve" won't just always apply to the rich or the oligarchs and their sycophants: https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-only-difference-is-uniform.html

August 2020: This will be the year that "lesser evil" voting becomes a thing of the past, allowing for a more diverse and responsive political system. Also, Americans will come to see who their true adversaries are (and how they make more money in less than one second than the average worker makes in one year). https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/08/winners-and-losers.html

September 2020: This is the year that Americans recognize the signs of fascism in time so we won't be doomed to repeat history endlessly--especially the scary bits modeled by Hitler's Germany. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-history-of-fascism-in-america.html

October 2020: This will be the year that true democracy will be supported and a diversity of opinion and approaches (vocalized primarily by smaller political parties) will be praised and respected by the American electorate. Everyone will be able to vote and feel proud of their vote--not pressured! https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-only-wasted-vote.html

November 2020: This will be the year Americans realize that we must fundamentally change of systems of governance and economics in order to provide a safe and healthy life for all people--and this will be reflected in our voting preferences, not our base fears. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/11/we-have-to-fundamentally-change.html

December 2020: This will be the year that the destructive path of neoliberalism will at last be outed and shunned for the horror that it is, allowing Medicare For All to finally pass among other programs so desperately needed. The "brunch crowd" will be no more in this new America free from classism, racism, sexism and "bubble bias." https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/12/brunch-has-been-suspended-indefinitely.html

There you go--here's the "2020 perfect vision" we all hoped for a bare twelve months ago. At least we know for certain now what we all need to be working toward building in 2021, right?

Until we meet again, we wish a healthy and happy New Year to you and yours from all of us here at The Revolution Continues. Keep your masks on and keep fighting!

***

From Friends of the Earth:

The Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear population is dwindling. Less than 900 bears remain. Now, their habitat is at risk from the oil and gas industries. Take action to protect polar bears from Big Oil.

The Arctic Refuge is one of the most important onshore denning habitats for polar bears in the United States. Mother polar bears with their cubs have become increasingly reliant on denning in this area as sea ice melts due to climate change.

Now, oil and gas seismic testing in the coast plan could irreversibly damage this essential habitat. But the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has downplayed the impacts of seismic exploration and is moving forward with the permitting process. We need your help to stop it.

Take action to protect polar bears from the fossil fuel industry.

Sign Now

Polar bears are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Arctic Refuge is vital to their survival.

Seismic exploration in their habitat could crush bears in their dens or force mother bears to abandon their cubs, leaving the little ones to perish.

Oil drilling in the last remnants of undeveloped coastal habitats in an increasingly warming Arctic could eradicate polar bears from the United States. We need your help to demand the BLM puts the lives of polar bears ahead of Big Oil profits.

Demand the Bureau of Land Management stop seismic testing in the Arctic.

Sign Now

Seismic testing utilizes acoustic waves that search for formations of oil deposits below the surface.

The delicate Arctic ecosystem still carries scars from testing conducted in the area thirty years ago. Modern seismic testing will only be worse. The testing will fill a space the size of South Carolina with a dense grid of crisscrossing tracks -- the equivalent of almost a full trip around the Earth. Thumper trucks, convoys, bulldozers, and tractors will roll over this fragile ecosystem 24 hours a day, 7 days a week -- for months on end!

The only reason for the BLM to go forward with this plan is to benefit the fossil fuel industry. It would harm polar bears, disrupt sensitive ecosystems, and impact local communities. We need your help to stop this plan before the December 30th deadline to comment.

Use your voice. Demand the BLM protect the Arctic’s vulnerable ecosystem.

Sign Now

Standing with you,

Nicole Ghio,
Senior fossil fuels program manager,
Friends of the Earth

  ***

This coming year will be a big one and you can help The Revolution Continues.

Five and a half years on, and we're still fighting, but it's tough. You as a fellow revolutionary can make it easier for the faithful editors/writers to stay on the job by simply sharing some of your pocket change now and then. Use the Paypal link below to donate.

 http://paypal.me/camatthews

Thanks for all you do in making the world a better place. Power to the people!

 

Everybody's Got A Right To Live!

Join us on June 20 for the biggest digital event of the century! The Poor Peoples' Campaign--A National Call for Moral Revival will gather folks from all over to proclaim this is the year we will not forget those who are oppressed, those who are imprisoned unjustly, those who are struggling to simply survive in America 2020. Be there!  june2020.org

What "Kneeling" Offends You More?

Words fail at a time like this. How can one possibly write anything uplifting about another sadistic white cop killing a defenseless black man? So, this week we're sharing a variety of voices, memes and photos taken at a local police accountability rally to highlight the zeitgeist of America 2020. They say a picture paints a thousand words, but can a photo ever provide an adequate explanation of why We the People are being terrorized by overly militarized local police departments? Possibly nothing can, but the wealthiest classes seem to weaponize the cops as fast as they can get their failed banks bailed out by the government. 

For until we scrap the immoral system that helped create these monsters in uniform who murder their fellow citizens in cold blood, we can expect a lot more protests. We can expect more rioting. And scapegoating. And bloodshed. As the song says, it's going to be "a cruel, cruel summer."  And a long one at that.

Warning: If you're easily offended by Colin Kaepernick taking a knee at a football game to protest police brutality, it's guaranteed that you will be offended by some of the following words and images. If you scream "All Lives Matter!" but still don't give a shit about the plight of your brothers and sisters of color, then you're going to be highly offended by the following, because we're fixing to rain on your little racist parade. 

You know what? It's high time you were told to shove your "offense" up the back passage where your head currently resides. You're a part of the problem and not the solution. It's time you woke up to the harsh reality that is America for the majority of its inhabitants. Because any country that has the money and where-with-all to provide numerous armored Humvees and rubber bullets and tear gas to dozens of cities to shoot at peaceful protesters, but somehow doesn't have enough money to provide enough coronavirus testing and establish free health care during a pandemic, isn't "great" by any stretch of the imagination. It's time to burn those MAGAt caps and start working in harmony with your fellow human beings to build a better world.

This peaceful police accountability rally in Toledo, Ohio, would later turn into a short march through downtown streets where riot cops appeared out of nowhere to shoot tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and wooden plugs at protesters. Several were taken to local hospitals for head injuries, cuts and bruises. (first six photos by Adrian M.)

Police watched the proceedings from the top of surrounding buildings while drones buzzed the crowd while they were listening to area BLM activists. Witnesses said snipers were positioned atop the Lucas County courthouse opposite the "Safety Department" (a.k.a. Cop Shop) building as well.

After the rally speeches were over, the crowd started its march around the block, only to be confronted by riot police who tossed tear gas canisters into the marchers to disperse them.

Police drove into the crowd and divided them into smaller groups, scattering the marchers through nearby areas, mostly African-American neighborhoods.

Here's a protester's story about their photo (above):
"That's some serious gear for people marching through a neighborhood. I don't recall this being the standard gear when a bunch of white people showed up fully armed at the Statehouse, do you? And btw, this was taken as they started tear gassing and shooting pellets at everyone, AGAIN. I went to take video right after this photo and they threw tear gas directly at us. Needless to say I didn't get my video."

Protester Josh W. states:

"I began filming right after they were shooting randomly into the crowd. The abrupt end was when my hand holding my phone in front of my face was shot by the officers not even ten feet away. If you’re upset that I was yelling, pleading with the cops to stop, keep in mind I had just been shot three times with wooden/rubber bullets. I had been watching them shoot at people for no reason. I had just watched them shoot my friend in the back of the head with a rubber bullet while she was giving someone first aid and she had to go to the hospital to get ten staples!

I saw one cop car being vandalized by a white guy. Multiple black people stepped in to stop him. Every time anyone got really angry and picked something up to throw because they were being tear gassed and shot at, people stepped in to stop them. The police overreacted and escalated. They shot into the crowd. They shot at children. They shot people with their hands up, shot people in the back at point blank range. They were fully armored and I did not see one cop get hit with anything. None of us were armed or had armor on. They just opened fire with wooden and rubber bullets. They shot tear gas canisters at people. They hit my fiancé in the back with one. They shot people as they ran away."

Protester Sierra W. shares her story:

"I want to bring to light a few things that most likely none of you who just watched the live videos saw. Even if you did, I need to explain the unknown context. Things I experienced with my own eyes about the peaceful protest yesterday here in Toledo.

Around 4pm, the beginning of our March and Protest. We're chanting and walking. The first round of tear gas was thrown. I was far away from it, but people began running. In front of me were two women with their children, one in a stroller. They began running and I ran behind them, we were all just taking precaution and weren't hurt. We come up to the first police officers I had seen, standing their ground. Shields on, behind or near their vehicles, guns drawn. One of the women and I looked at each other with confusion and fear. People behind us are chanting, " HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT". I immediately put my hands out to cover their babies and stand in front of their stroller. "PLEASE DON'T SHOOT US. We are leaving," the woman said. The cop turns to us, gun still drawn. I yell, "They have children!" One of the four officers laugh and say. "Don't worry, I wasn't gonna shoot," as we pass by. That family was Black and we were running. We all worried... the tear gas was unprovoked.

As I make my way around the block to join the rest at the safety building, I notice above the line of officers, on top of the safety building, and behind us, on top of the jail, were 4 snipers- two on each building. At least one, gun drawn, ready to shoot. They had drones flying above us. As the protest went on, we Marched through the streets. We came up to the next blocking of officers. Some people threw water bottles. At this point, I only saw white individuals throwing them. POC immediately bombarded them. "STOP. THIS IS A PEACEFUL PROTEST". Followed immediately by "HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT." The first few police did nothing and let us pass. They looked away as I stared at them and passed with my sign and hands up. Within a mile of that walk tear gas was thrown again. Because we were going to close to their barrier and they wanted us dispersed and in a certain area. Our March split up at this point.

We come around eventually to a halt. Something clearly happened up the street after we split, which was later reported to be vandalism, again by a white individual, to a cop car. They got away as far as I know. Our crowd stopped in front of the waiting officers. We were across the street from them. Probably 40 to 50 feet away. A water bottle was thrown. Protesters yell, again, "STOP. THIS IS A PEACEFUL PROTEST". Followed immediately by "HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT." The police did nothing. We stood there and kept chanting, trying to keep the peace. SWAT pulls around and we begin to disperse afraid of getting tear gassed. The front line protestors stayed, unafraid. Within minutes as SWAT was driving by, they threw off 3-5 rounds of tear gas and multiple wooden bullets. We dispersed and those of us who were far enough away to be unaffected began first aid to help relieve the burn of the tear gas on others. In this same moment a woman, who was peacefully holding her sign across the street, was shot by what was confirmed to be a wooden bullet at her leg. She needed immediate medical attention and couldn't walk. She did absolutely nothing. A group of protesters covered her as she began trying to crawl her way to safety. She got far enough away to meet a fireman who took her to get medical attention. She's okay now but is clearly shaken and didn't understand what she did wrong to get shot.

We began making our way back to the safety building. I was mainly lost from the crowd just finding protesters who might need water or help with relief from tear gas. A few things happen in the duration of this time, but I cannot speak on them as I was not there. At least two more incidents of tear gas. I don't know why. At least one time was reported by other protesters as unprovoked. Eventually the majority of us make our way back to the safety building. The first thing we do is reconvene and let the First Aid stand know what happened so they can begin making runs towards people who need more milk to relieve the tear gas. They also had free snacks and water. The people who didn't break took a knee in front of the line of police officers in front of the safety building. They were also protected by their gear, behind their cop cars, guns ready. We waited for the rest of the protesters to make their way to this spot and we cheered as they arrived.

It was peaceful. The worst that I experienced happen is a few water bottles were thrown and those people were yelled at to stop.

I witnessed it with my own eyes. I don't care what ANYONE says. We were ultimately peaceful. We had the support of our Mayor, Governor and other prominent community leaders to protest. Nothing we did, in my experience with the majority of the crowd deserved for anyone to be tear gassed or shot with rubber and wooden bullets. They feared us, and didn't even try communicating with us. I must ask: what might have happened if they joined us, asked what we wanted from them or took a knee with us. WHY did they tear gas and shoot when we were PEACEFUL.

I can admit some officers did absolutely nothing when this happened. And some of them reacted just from us marching forward past their boundary.

(This is before any rioting began and I left, so I cannot speak to that. But from what others have told me, the riot was induced by a firecracker being set off. At this point some military vehicles of some sort showed up. DeWine stated he would send the National Guard to help support the people. They stood against us. Just for some clarification.) I've never experienced anything like this in my life. I'm disappointed and outraged. If my experience alone doesn't explain why we protest, I don't know what much more can.

Let's not forget the fact that we were there to speak of Justice in the name of our Brother, George Floyd- MURDERED by a police officer. The police believe they have the control. They are taking our tax dollars and using it to tear gas and shoot us for demanding justice for our Black community.

That's all I have to say. PLEASE unfriend me if you cannot understand this. I don't want to argue anymore. My Black Brothers and Sisters are TIRED of explaining themselves. TIRED of living in fear. TIRED of losing their loved ones. I am TIRED of trying to understand and convince those who are ignorant to these facts. We might get tired, but we will still show up and do this work that so clearly needs to be done.

We were peaceful.
It was our constitutional right.
We were peaceful.
We were peaceful.
And WE still were attacked.
We still did not have the support of our police officers.
This is NOT power to the people.
We were peaceful."

Toledo Fire Chief Brian Byrd wrote this touching poem and posted it on Facebook, summing up his feelings as an African-American father:

Last night....
Last night my soul was torn....
Last night, as I do EVERY night, I faced the fact that I was a black man BEFORE becoming a civil servant.
Last night, as I do EVERY night, I faced the fact that I AM a black man WHILE I work as a civil servant.
Last night, as I do EVERY night, I had to face the fact that I WILL BE a black man AFTER I am a civil servant.
Last night...
Last night, I felt the same anger and rage over the very issues being protested...because those same recurring issues affect me, my sons, my family...
Last night, while trying to manage the chaos sparked by the same anger that I FEEL, I have to beg my son to not take part because I see the potential consequences of not only his actions, but the actions of others...as I watched the night unfold.
Last night, I had to balance the responsibility of my duty with praying that I don't see the face of my son looking at me in disappointment because I asked him not to participate...when he knows that I really want to stand beside him with my fist raised...because he knows that I know his pain.

And now a meme for those who are offended by those who shout "Black Lives Matters!"

 

From R.P.: "Anyone who continually tries to cover for the police's racist behavior is pretty much of the same mindset. They believe there are two levels of justice--one for white entitled people and one for everyone else. You can't win arguments with anyone who can't see their white privilege because they are steeped in the systemic racism of the predominant culture that glorifies white oligarchs and demonizes poor people of color."

From an anonymous Facebook post making the rounds:

"Imagine being pressed down onto concrete with a solid 200 lbs sitting directly on your neck. This man begged for his life. This grown man asked for his mom, for water, for mercy once he realized he was slowly being killed. His nose bled and he lost control of his bladder. Yet he remained trapped under the weight of the officer’s knee. In handcuffs crying because he could not breathe. Onlookers tried to intervene only to be threatened with pepper spray. Then he lost consciousness. 

 The weight of that knee stayed firm while a first responder demanded they check for a pulse. They refused. The weight stayed on his neck. Off duty medical personnel begged for the officer to get up. We watched a man being killed. For 10 agonizing minutes. 

Imagine dying that way.

His name is George Floyd. I understand people will dig through everything he’s done wrong in his life. I understand that people will roll their eyes at this. We will see his mug shot and he will become a villain. There is no crime that justifies this punishment. Whether he has a criminal history or mental health issues, there is no justification for this death.

The cop should be charged with murder."

The following is an eye-opening video. It's perfect for refuting the idea that it's only a handful of "bad apple" cops escalating the violence, because in reality there's an orchard full of rotten apples out there.
https://youtu.be/j3DX3SLGB34 

This short video will give you some hope: Flint, Michigan cops laid down their gear and started marching with protesters-- https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/comments/gttn56/cops_in_flint_laid_down_all_their_gear_and_start/

Related articles:

Colin Kaepernick is Paying the Legal Fees for  Protesters in Minneapolis
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/colin-kaepernick-is-paying-the-legal-fees-for-protestors-in-minneapolis/ar-BB14OnN0

Top 6 Reasons Authorities Are Cracking Down Hard on Black Protesters While Treating White Supremacist Reopeners with Kid Gloves
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/63181-top-6-reasons-authorities-are-cracking-down-hard-on-black-protesters-while-treating-white-supremacist-reopeners-with-kid-gloves

Trump's "When The Looting Starts, The Shooting Starts" Is Classic Fascism, Classic Racism
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/63220-trumps-when-the-looting-starts-the-shooting-starts-is-classic-fascism-classic-racism 

A Journalist Blinded, A Child Maced and a Congresswoman Pepper Sprayed: Police Violence Explodes Across the Country
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/63221-a-journalist-blinded-a-child-maced-and-a-congresswoman-pepper-sprayed-police-violence-explodes-across-the-country 

Police Violence in America: Six Years After Ferguson, George Floyd's Killing Shows Little Has Changed
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/63197-police-violence-in-america-six-years-after-ferguson-george-floyds-killing-shows-little-has-changed

***

From Color of Change:

Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman announced that Officer Derek Chauvin has been arrested and charged for the murder of George Floyd.¹ This is why folks protest. Because even when a violent murder of a Black person is captured on video by an officer with a long history of misconduct, public officials drag their feet in securing justice for our communities. 

Without the brave people of Minneapolis putting their lives on the line by hitting the pavement and protesting every single night, Derek Chauvin may have NEVER been arrested. Still, this announcement hardly goes far enough. The other three officers involved in the murder need to be held accountable as well.

This is why we are calling on County Attorney Freeman to hold ALL four officers, Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng accountable for the murder of George Floyd. They ALL have a hand in George’s tragic death. 

Our communities are tired, outraged, and fatigued over police officers murdering Black people with impunity. This is why over 2 MILLION people have signed our petition demanding justice for George Floyd. The protesting and anger you see on TV is a direct response to the systemic failures that have plagued Black communities for decades. We did not create this problem. The police officers who abuse our communities and prosecutors who fail to hold them accountable created this problem. Time and again, justice is denied when killer cops are not charged, or even arrested for their misconduct.

It's time for a change. We can't give up. Let’s keep fighting.

Sign the petition demanding County Attorney Freeman to do more than just the bare minimum. All four officers must be charged NOW.

Until justice is real, 

-- Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Erika, Malachi, Marybeth, Leonard, Madison, Cheryl and the rest of the Color Of Change team

Reference:
1. "Former MPD Officer Derek Chauvin In Custody, Charged With Murder In George Floyd’s Death." CBS Minnesota News.

SNAFU: Situation "The New Normal" All F'ed Up

 SNAFU: 
Situation "The New Normal" All F'ed Up
by Redd Phlagg

The slang term “SNAFU” traces its history to World War II. Soldiers used it in a tongue-in-cheek way to indicate that their normal situation was anything but. Chaos was the norm. No surprises when things looked totally screwed—“That’s SNAFU for you,” GI Joe would have said with a wink and a sigh. SNAFU covered all bases.

We’ve entered the time of the “The New Normal” that will be anything but the normal we knew at the beginning of 2020. The New Normal is chaotic and will leave many without employment, as their places of business have closed their doors permanently.

The New Normal will leave many without health care coverage and many with chronic health conditions caused or exacerbated by the coronavirus.

The New Normal will leave many questioning why their own government treated this pandemic threat with such indifference and seemed more concerned with bailing out big businesses and the banks at the expense of the working classes yet again.

I hear you cry out, “This isn’t normal! How can it be our new normal?” but it won’t change things. Life will never be the same again. If you find yourself still breathing at the end of this month, you will find yourself having to come to terms with The New Normal or go insane. Alas, many of our family, friends and neighbors won’t have this chance because they exited this existence as the old normal faded away in a COVID-19 nightmare.

The New Normal. Now is not the time for niceties. Now is not the time to turn the other cheek. Now is the time for action.

Yeah, right. We’re talking about taking action, and we’re virtually locked in our own homes. All right, I didn’t say it was going to be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is, so stop bellyaching and listen up.

We must adjust to The New Normal, but we don’t have to let it f*** us up. What do I mean by that? We may find ourselves without health care coverage, without a roof over our head and a way to provide for our families. Many people alive in 2019 faced the same challenges, but so many more—especially many who felt “safe in the middle class” in 2019—will experience this same tragic situation, perhaps for the first time in their lives in 2020. The New Normal will demonstrate even more blatantly the gap between the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor. Guess where the vast majority of us will be in 2020? It’s not going to be at the top, sorry.

Billionaires hoard wealth and scared workers hoard toilet paper in the face of a pandemic, and that scenario isn’t going away anytime soon unless we stop whining and we work together. There is no reason for any human being to have billions of dollars in their bank accounts, particularly when their employees slave at sub-par wages in unsafe conditions without health benefits. There is no reason for us to allow this situation to continue in The New Normal. If we do, we’re f***ing ourselves over royally.

The action we need to take in The New Normal is in the streets. We demand better wages, UBI, and universal health care or we strike and shut it down. All of it down.

Most other civilized nations on the planet are providing a decent monthly payment while their workers are unemployed or seeking work and all of them provide health care to their people. The US doesn’t exist in The Old Normal world anymore, so there’s no reason why Americans have to put up with being f***ed by our capitalist bosses and their politician puppets.

We tell them, “You played around and delayed so you could sell off your stock to make a cool profit while you watched the events in the Wuhan province of China unfold and did nothing to safeguard our health and safety. Your health and safety are now forfeit. You will do as you’re told, or we will have your head on a pike at the entrance to the city by sunset.”

It worked for the French in 1789. It can work again in The New Normal. These capitalist bastards care more about their stock markets than they do our lives and health—so it’s time they learned their lesson about how life will be in The New Normal. We f*** them over. We don’t ever let them f*** us over again.

BIO: Redd Phlagg is determined to make it through the coronavirus pandemic to see The New Normal come to fruition for the people, not the oligarchs.

Vegematic shares some Shakespearean insults we can all make good use of in these trying times, and then gives us a good explanation of  "disaster capitalism." Perhaps we should rename it "coronavirus capitalism"?

https://youtu.be/jBifKtJKnNM

Other related videos and articles:

The Revolution Is Under Way Already
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/revolution-only-getting-started/609463/

How The Greedy Ruling Elite Failed Us, By Putting Profit Before Pandemic Preparedness
https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3078354/how-greedy-ruling-elite-failed-us-putting-profit-pandemic

Pandemic Insolvency: Why This Economic Crisis Will Be Different
https://medium.com/@BueRubner/pandemic-insolvency-why-this-economic-crisis-will-be-different-841d5bbfa737 

"Trump Is Killing His Own Supporters"
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/62255-focus-trump-is-killing-his-own-supporters-even-white-house-insiders-know-it

Is The Economy Trying To Kill Us? (Newsbroke video)
https://youtu.be/Oh4UNBk-nJw

 
Seeds For Crisis Were Planted Years Ago (Moment of Clarity video)
https://youtu.be/fdjrtPwd00c

Federal Reserve Pays Banks Overnight While America Starves (The Political Vigilante video)  https://youtu.be/dwQU4u40qfM

Trudeau Strikes Deal With Amazon Despite Worker Conditions (The Rational National video) https://youtu.be/iF_vOkebI1Q

****

The EPA is using COVID-19 as an excuse to stop policing massive polluters. Tell them to keep limits on air and water pollution!

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It should be obvious: protecting people from one health risk should not come at the expense of another huge health risk. Yet, that is exactly the argument that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently making. They've announced they will essentially allow massive polluters to do their worst all through this pandemic, with no repercussions. Sign now to demand the EPA does its job and continues to police air and water pollution violations! The rules that will be relaxed (retroactively to March 13th, 2020) are the same ones that are intended to keep big manufacturers from polluting the air and water to levels that cause dire human and environmental destruction. Without these rules, manufacturers have no reason to limit their emissions or stop dumping toxic waste into our drinking water. That should scare us all. Please sign on to demand the EPA does not walk back their air and water pollution policing during this pandemic. Thank you, Kelsey B. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. We need our agencies working to protect us, not protect the bottom line of evil polluters. Sign on to demand the EPA keeps policing massive polluters during the pandemic. ****   The Trump administration just indicted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and thirteen others on “narco-terrorism” charges and is offering $55 million in bounties for them. $55 million could buy a lot of ventilators, but Trump would rather spend more money on regime change. Sign our open letter denouncing these hypocritical indictments, which are yet another escalation on the hybrid war against Venezuela. ADD MY NAME Trump continues to turn up the heat on Venezuela in the middle of a global pandemic. Attorney General William Barr just indicted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and 13 other high-level current or former government officials on charges of “narco-terrorism,” offering a $15 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, as well as $10 million rewards for four others. $55 million could buy a lot of ventilators. Instead, it’s being applied towards regime change. This move is part of the latest escalation in Trump’s plans for Venezuela, and is part of the State Department’s strategy of “maximum pressure" that also includes a naval deployment that could be a prelude to a full naval blockade, which is an act of war. To learn more about the Trump administration’s regime change efforts and the regional drug trade, watch CODEPINK's Teri Mattson's interview Fulton Armstrong, a professor at American University and former CIA analyst. You can also join us in signing this open letter denouncing the Trump administration’s hypocrisy in indicting the Venezuelan government! The charges allege that the Venezuelan government is trying to flood the streets of the U.S. with cocaine. It would be troubling if true, but the fact is that 90% of the cocaine in the United States (the world’s biggest consumer) comes from Colombia (the world’s biggest producer), yet Colombia remains a close U.S. ally that continues receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid every year. This shows that the indictments are completely hypocritical and politically biased.  This is not about stopping the drug trade; it’s about regime change. The Trump administration is doing all it can to sabotage dialogue between the Maduro government and the moderate opposition. This latest move came a day after Maduro offered to engage in a national dialogue to build consensus on a response to COVID-19.  Sign this open letter to demand that Trump drop these groundless charges, lift the killer sanctions on Venezuela and normalize relations between the two countries! CODEPINK has taken a leading role in building a movement against the U.S. government efforts at regime change in Venezuela. One of the keys to movement building is learning, so please be sure to join us every week for the WTF is Going On In Latin America webinar with Teri Mattson.  In solidarity, Leonardo, Medea, Michelle, and Teri CODEPINK Latin America Campaign