The Economy Demands Sacrifice!

The Economy Demands Sacrifice!

by Coast Watcher

COVID-19 is not going away. Waving a hand and saying it is does not make it so. The increasing spread of the Delta variant shows that the vaccination program must be stepped up and a new lockdown put in place to contain the disease. Yet in the middle of all this, schools are opening across America. Why? Because the Establishment has decreed, The economy demands sacrifice!

Big Business has jerked hard on the strings of their political puppets to ensure no more lockdowns will take place. The last efforts to contain the disease really hurt the multi-billionaires in their pocket books. That’s why schools are reopening. Who else will look after the future workers—sorry, children? These relatively cheap childcare institutions called schools are so necessary if workers are to go back to work and earn more money for the mega-rich.

The deliberate prevention of counter-measures in some states—I’m looking at you, Governors Abbott of Texas and DeSantis of Florida—is causing endless grief for families affected by the disease. The public is being told to suck it up in order to save the economy. 

DeSantis in particular stated that if schools attempt to institute mask-wearing mandates they’ll "find me standing in their way." Thankfully schools have worked around the governor’s attitude in open defiance in a laudable effort to give kids as little exposure to COVID as possible. A similar edict by Abbott of Texas resulted in schools requiring masks as part of school uniforms.

Why DeSantis and Abbott are throwing up roadblocks to safe, hygienic practices in their schools is a matter for speculation. They both need to sit down and work out exactly which lifestyle choices led them into becoming sociopathic monsters.

Deliberate vaccine misinformation is also answerable for the rising numbers of COVID victims. The fact that intensive care units are seeking to transfer patients thousands of miles across country to places which still have beds available is shocking. And little is being done to curb this misinformation. The Deep South is particularly suffering because of lies and untruths at the start of the traditional school year because children and young people are being hit with the Delta variant far harder than adults.

I have every hope that the upcoming General Strike scheduled for October 15 will hit the multi-billionaires hard. Rather than picket lines outside businesses I’d prefer for workers to put down their tools and stay home, or engage in a "soft" self-imposed quarantine lockdown. The government won’t stand up to Big Business, so we'll have to stand up for ourselves—and the children. 

	BIO: Coast Watcher is tired of the  anti-vax/anti-mask bullsh*t being dumped on the most vulnerable of society--the sick, the elderly, the poor, and the children.  He's tired of the billionaires telling us that our lives have to be risked in order for them to grow richer. It's time for all workers to stand up and strike against the sociopathic puppets in power. It's time we stand up to protect our neighbors. The economy doesn't demand sacrifice--but We the People should of those who'd persecute us with their sick capitalist mentality!

Related articles:

https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/71238-a-teacher-took-off-her-mask-to-read-aloud-within-days-half-her-class-was-positive-for-delta 

https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/71227-why-is-it-taking-so-long-to-get-a-covid-vaccine-for-kids 

https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/71226-singapore-vaccinates-80-percent-of-population-against-covid-19 

https://truthout.org/articles/us-leads-the-world-in-7-day-average-of-new-daily-covid-cases-death-count/

https://truthout.org/articles/u-s-covid-hospitalization-rate-tops-100000-highest-since-winters-peaks/

Seen on Twitter:

Imagine looking at this data and deciding now is the perfect time to send kids back to school. pic.twitter.com/qxHUpfke2R

— Gritty is the Way (@Gritty20202) August 29, 2021

You don’t hate Mondays… you hate being exploited by capitalism…

— Just ur friendly Socialist Momma!🇨🇺🇵🇷 (@Eangel4285) August 30, 2021

***

FIGHTING FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY

RSVP to our Sept 2 Phone Bank

This Labor Day, let's celebrate workers by telling the Senate to pass the PRO Act. Every single worker should be paid fairly, have safe working conditions and time off to spend with their family. They shouldn’t be punished for organizing to join a union and speaking up for their rights.

The PRO Act is historic legislation that makes it easier for workers to join unions and imposes real financial penalties on corporations and CEOs who violate workers’ rights.*

You’ve already taken action to support the PRO Act so we know we can count on you to keep ramping up the pressure to get this bill passed. Can you join us for a virtual phone bank with CWA members and allies on Sept 2 at 6pm ET/5pm CT/4pm MT/ 3pm PT? Click here to RSVP.

You’ll need a phone and a computer to take part. No experience with phone banking? No problem. We provide training and support during the event.

We’ll also be holding an event on Tuesday, September 7 to tell Rep. Tim Ryan thank you for supporting the PRO Act! Join us if you can! Click here for details and to RSVP.

The PRO Act has already passed with bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, but is stalled in the Senate. That’s why we need your help to get more people to contact the Senators who are critical to making sure the PRO Act becomes law.

I hope you’ll join us!

In unity,
Dan Mauer
CWA Director of Government Affairs

*Get all the details about the PRO Act here: CWA.org/PROAct

***

From Rainforest Action Network:

More than 700 arrests and counting… rubber bullets, tear gas, and police violence against peaceful Indigenous leaders and Water Protectors on their own treaty land. Water Protectors are putting everything on the line to prevent the construction of the Line 3 pipeline, just as Enbridge races to complete the construction and speed up the climate crisis for profit.

As we speak, Water Protectors and frontline communities are at the Minnesota capitol holding space for as long as it takes for MN Governor Waltz and President Biden to get the message: Stop Line 3, stop violating treaties, and stop destroying the climate we need to live. Will you take action to support them and a livable climate?

Take Action

This is a critical turning point: Only President Biden has the power to STOP this climate-destroying pipeline from being completed.

Scientists have already warned us that we’re on the verge of a tipping point in the climate crisis, and the only way to avoid it is to end ALL fossil fuel production NOW. It’s “Code Red for humanity.” That’s why it’s so critical that President Biden prevents this life-threatening pipeline from being completed.

We’re running out of time.

Help us let Biden know that climate talk means nothing without putting a stop to Line 3.

Photo by Alec Olson

We’ve said it before and we won’t stop until we live in a pipeline-free world: ​​The ONLY decision consistent with acting on climate and respecting Tribal Nation’s treaty rights is to STOP Line 3.

There’s still hope, but it’s going to take all of us to speak up and demand that Biden back Water Protectors and put an end to this deadly pipeline. It’s long past time for Biden to intervene. With fires, floods and droughts impacting lives across the country and around the world, stopping Line 3 is the only choice for a livable world. If he doesn’t, he’ll be known as the president who failed a nation on the brink of climate catastrophe.

Take Action

A fossil-free future is possible, but we need everyone in this fight to make it happen.

In solidarity,

Ruth Breech
Senior Campaigner
Climate and Energy
Rainforest Action Network

***

---

A petition to President Joe Biden was read aloud in English and Japanese at the White House and at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, August 21, 2021, by David Swanson and Hideko Otake.

The petition and videos from Washington are here.

Sign the Petition.

The text of the petition is as follows:

To: U.S. President Joe Biden

We, the undersigned, wish to convey our strong support for the Governor of Okinawa, Denny Tamaki, and the indigenous people of Okinawa, and their request for the cessation of the building of a U.S. military airbase in Henoko.

On January 13th 2021, Governor Tamaki sent a letter to President Biden (enclosed) outlining the many reasons the airbase construction project at Henoko should be dismantled, including:

Overwhelming opposition by the Indigenous Okinawan people. In a prefectural referendum, 71.7% voted against the project. There have been continuous protests and even hunger strikes by the public.

Engineering unfeasibility. The construction plan requires large-scale land reclamation work, but the seabed that will be reclaimed is as soft as mayonnaise and poses massive engineering problems which has caused the completion date pushed from 2014 to 2030 and the cost from $3.3 billion to $8.7 billion. Some engineers do not believe that it is even possible to build. Even Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has concluded in a fact-driven report that it is unlikely that the project will ever be completed.[1] Moreover, the site is vulnerable to earthquakes. There is an active fault under the site.[2]

Irreparable environmental damage. The ocean area that is being reclaimed is unique in its biodiversity and is the home of endangered marine mammals such as dugongs.

The United States maintains 119 military facilities in Japan. Okinawa, which makes up only 0.6% of the entire land area of Japan holds 70% of these facilities, which cover 20% of this small island. For decades, the people of Okinawa have suffered at the hands of occupying forces. The U.S. military has already caused grievous harm by aircraft accidents, crimes by U.S. service members and major environmental pollution by toxic substances such as PFAS. The very least the U.S. could do is to stop building yet another base on this besieged island.

Sign the Petition.

Endorsed by Peace for Okinawa Coalition, New Japan Women’s Association Kasugai Branch, Henoko New Base Construction Opposition Concerts in Nagoya, Aichi Solidarity Union, Aichi Sight and Hearing Disability Council, Article 9 Society Nagoya, Society for Solidarity with the People of Okinawa and Korea through the Movement against U.S. Military Bases, Nara Okinawa Solidarity Committee, Green Action Saitama, Mizuho Article 9 Society, 1040 for Peace, Alaska Peace Center, Americans Who Tell the Truth, Antiwar Advocates of Minnesota CD2, Australian Anti-Bases Campaign, California for a World BEYOND War, Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament (CICD), Campaign for Peace Disarmament and Common Security, Caribbean Labour Solidarity, Christian Peacemaker Teams, CODEPINK, CODEPINK Golden Gate, Communist Party Australia Melbourne, Community Empowerment for Progress Organization-CEPO, Coop Anti-War Cafe Berlin, Environmentalists Against War, Florida Peace & Justice Alliance, FMKK The Swedish anti-nuclear movement, Gerrarik Ez √âibar, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, Global Peace Alliance BC Society, Granny Peace Brigade NYC, Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, Hawai‚Äôi Peace and Justice, Human Rights Coalition of the Central Valley, Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, International Human Rights Commission, International Institute on Peace Education, Just Peace Queensland Inc, Kelowna Peace Group, Kulu Wai, Ligh Path Resources, Manhattan Local of the Green Party, Marrickville Peace Group, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Military Poisons, Monterey Peace and Justice Center, National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine-Israel (NMJPI), Office of Peace Justice and Ecological Integrity Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Okinawa Environmental Justice Project, Pax Christi Baltimore, Pax Christi Hilton Head, Pax Christi Seed Planters/IL/USA, Pax Christi Western NY, Peace Action Maine, Peace Action Network of Lancaster, Peace Action of Staten Island, Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois, Peaceful Skies Coalition, Pivot to Peace, Prince George's County (MD) Peace & Justice Coalition, Rethinking Foreign Policy, RJ Cooper & Associates Inc., Rohi Foundation, RootsAction, Sanctuary of Mana Ke`a Gardens, Sisters of Charity Federation, Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Congregational Leadership, Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy, Slintak Aviation, Southern Anti-Racism Network, St. Pete for Peace, Sustainable Development Association / Indigene Community, Swedish Peace Council, Takagi School, The Free Minds, The Resistance Center for Peace and Justice, Topanga Peace Alliance, Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, Uniting for Peace, Veterans For Peace, Veterans for Peace - Santa Fe Chapter, Veterans For Peace 115, Veterans For Peace Baltimore MD Phil Berrigan Chapter #105, Veterans For Peace Chapter 14 Gainesville Fl, Veterans For Peace Linus Pauling Chapter 132, Veterans For Peace Spokane Chapter #35, War Resisters International (Australia), WILPFstlouis, Win Without War, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Canada, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Corvallis OR U.S., World BEYOND War, Youth Hands for Development Organization, and YOU?

A "Nothing Will Fundamentally Change" Federal Holiday

A "Nothing Will Fundamentally Change" 

Federal Holiday

by C. A. Matthews 

The white man will try to satisfy us with symbolic victories rather than economic equity and real justice. -- Malcolm X  

I was not particularly excited to hear that Biden had signed a proclamation making Juneteenth into a federal holiday recently. I read somewhere that Juneteenth is already a holiday in 47 states, so it comes across as too little, too late in regards to turning it into a federal holiday. But Biden's timing on making it a holiday really begs the question, "Why now?"

If you get your news headlines from independent news sources, the answer to that question is fairly obvious. Not everyone is so enlightened, so here is a short explanation to make things clear:

Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis, who are trying to maintain the memorials erected to George Floyd, are being pepper-sprayed, tear-gassed, and shot at by police with rubber bullets. Cops across the country are still getting away with the murders of and assaults upon people of color. Violence against non-white Americans hasn't gone away just because Trump isn't in the White House.

Upwards of 11 million Americans--many of them people of color--face homelessness when the moratorium on evictions ends on June 30th. Twenty-six states are kicking 3.6 million people off the dole during a pandemic, ending the $300 extra weekly unemployment benefits. The pandemic has ended many jobs in the service sector once and for all, which affects many black and brown workers. And we're still without Medicare For All, a universal health care plan that would cover Americans no matter their work or health status.

Of course, racism is still rampant in the US, reparations for slavery have never been made, restitution for the burning down and massacre of black residents of the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma (among others), has never been made, and the differential in wealth between white and black families has never been higher. The average net wealth gap between white and black households is $800,000 according to a survey taken in 2016. According to the Brookings Institute, if black households held a share of the national wealth in proportion to their share of the total US population, it would amount to $12.68 trillion in household wealth, rather than the actual sum of $2.54 trillion.

The actual racial wealth gap in the US is $10.14 trillion. That's a lot of reparations to be made, isn't it?

Can you imagine the billionaire capitalists--who have made the majority of their  wealth from the poorly-paid labor of people of color--paying their fair share of taxes and returning that stolen wealth to African American communities? Our tax code is not blind, and people of color find themselves being penalized more often than upper-class whites.

So, why now? Why make Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021? Because politicians will do anything to distract the public from considering how little they actually care about what is happening--or what will happen--to any of us.

To quote Emma Goldman: "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal."  Some politicians might want to make voting more difficult for people of color, but it's not illegal yet. That's only because it does serve a purpose--it distracts many into thinking that the current governmental system actually works in their favor as they're forced to vote for the "lesser of two evils."

So, pardon me if I label June 19th as a "Nothing Will Fundamentally Change" federal holiday because nothing has been set in motion by the federal government to demonstrate that things will change for the better for African Americans and for other non-white Americans. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I have the sad feeling I won't be.

We should keep celebrating and remembering what Juneteenth signifies, but we shouldn't forget that there's still much to be done to make things right for every American. Celebrate but don't forget. It's what they want us to do, so let's not give them the confidence that they've thrown the wool over our eyes by creating another bank holiday that most poor people of color will be forced to work. Let's keep fighting for justice. Let's keep fighting for fundamental change.

https://youtu.be/LR1WejBI87U and this companion video on so-called "Race Riots" (which are massacres by any other name): https://youtu.be/U-U4HLR5HZ0

Related Articles:

 https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/69992-focus-juneteenth-is-about-freedom

https://truthout.org/articles/on-juneteenth-lets-celebrate-momentum-of-a-growing-racial-justice-movement/

https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/69981-few-cops-we-found-using-force-on-george-floyd-protesters-have-faced-discipline

 https://truthout.org/articles/black-womanist-theology-offers-hope-in-the-face-of-white-supremacy/

https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/70010-focus-to-james-baldwin-the-struggle-for-black-liberation-was-a-struggle-for-democracy

To honor Juneteenth, 2 facts:
1) US capitalism profited from slavery before Civil War ended it.
2) US capitalism profited from and reproduced racism directed against African-Americans ever since.

History suggests that getting beyond capitalism will help us get beyond racism.

— Richard D. Wolff (@profwolff) June 20, 2021

I’m happy folk are happy but this is also very precarious. Mainstreaming Juneteenth means there’s now massive amt of inaccurate messaging—“it marks end of slavery”—and its very clear its being used to push a false idea of “progress” instead of a call to dismantle white supremacy

— DEFUND & ABOLISH POLICE, REFUND OUR COMMUNITIES (@BreeNewsome) June 19, 2021

 ***

From Public Citizen: 

 

Some quick history:

• Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862.

• It said that all enslaved people in Confederate states were to be freed as of January 1, 1863.

• But it was not until over two years later that Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865.

• And it was another two months before Union troops informed the last remaining slaves (in Texas) that they were free — on June 19, 1865.

Since then, Juneteenth (that’s June plus nineteenth) has been a day to reflect on not just the history of slavery but also its ongoing effects and the work we still have to do together to bring about racial justice.

Yesterday — with legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden just last week — the United States officially observed Juneteenth as a federal holiday for the first time.

The historic legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday was introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas.

Tell Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee:

Thank you for leading the way to make Juneteenth a federal holiday!

Add your name.

Thanks for taking action.

For progress,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

***

Today is Juneteenth, the anniversary of the day the last American slaves learned they were free. As we celebrate it is important to remember that the abuse, dehumanization, and invisibility that characterized domestic work during the time of slavery persists today. In fact, Black domestic workers are some of the most invisible, essential, and unprotected workers in our country.

For these reasons and many more, we believe that our organizing must be led by and center the lives of Black women. Through our We Dream in Black (WeDiB) program and its Unbossed Agenda, we are committed to shaping the future in a way that lifts up the Black domestic workforce and brings value and respect to our labor and history of our struggle.

LEARN ABOUT WEDiB →

Black domestic workers are essential — to our economy, democracy, and society. They care for our children, our homes, our elderly family members, and our loved ones with disabilities.

Yet, for centuries, the systems that built and fueled America and its wealth thrived on a disregard for, and subjugation of Black women — and domestic workers are inseparable from this history.

It’s why racist leaders excluded Black domestic workers from many of the basic labor protections afforded other workers.

It’s why, before the coronavirus pandemic, Black families were one emergency away from a crisis, having been carved out of a social safety net generations ago.

And it’s why, when the COVID-19 virus hit, domestic workers were the first to lose income and the last to receive support, if at all.

And it’s also why every industry, including the care industry, must stand up and confront the reality that today — more than 150 years after the last of the enslaved Americans learned they had been emancipated — Black people in this country are still not truly free.

We have a vision for a better future — one where everyone is able to live and work safely and with dignity. And that vision pulls on the strength and power of Black domestic workers, past and present.

From enslaved women’s daily forms of resistance to the coordinated strikes of washer women in the late 19th-century to organizing initiatives pioneered by 20th-century domestic workers, there is a long and powerful tradition of Black domestic workers organizing to secure justice and dignity – in the workplace and in the broader society.

We honor these legacies by centering the voices and leadership of Black women...because Black women are who the domestic care industry was built to exploit. The Unbossed Agenda is WeDiB’s organizing directive to give power back to the visions of Black domestic workers and to root out the legacy of slavery from the domestic work industry, improving the lives of millions of domestic workers across the nation.

Because, If we can solve for Black domestic workers, we can create an economy and society that works for everyone.

A better future is possible, one in which Black people experience abundant joy, safety, and well-being. And we all have a role to play in building the future everyone deserves. Get started by learning more about our Unbossed Agenda and by investing in Black domestic workers.

UNBOSSSED AGENDA →

Thanks for all that you do,

Allison Julien
New York Chapter We Dream in Black Co-Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance

***

Juneteenth became an official national holiday, and it’s a time for gratitude. It’s also a moment to recognize we still have a long way to go. As you are well aware, the scars left on this nation by America’s original sins — the enslavement of Black People and the genocide of Indigenous Peoples — aren’t going away anytime soon. We must keep working to combat the institutionalized legacy of political, legal, and economic oppression in this country. A national holiday commemorating the freedom of this nation’s last slaves (two years after slavery was legally abolished) is a great step, and it also isn’t enough.

Racism is alive and well in the USA. Right now, in fact, rightwing lawmakers are having a field day attacking educators who want to teach the real history of this country. I encourage you to read my blog post about the necessity of teaching Critical Race Theory in our schools. From there, please sign our petition to lawmakers asking them to support the teaching of America’s true past to our children.

I also encourage you to watch yesterday’s episode of my vlog, “Cut to the Chase.” I was fortunate to have an incredible conversation with Kimberly Jones, the African American author and activist who went viral last year with her powerful video decrying the violence inflicted upon America’s Black people — historically and today — by institutions set up to protect white supremacy.

As Kimberly points out, the propagation of repressive voter suppression laws is meant to keep voices of color out of the national conversation and out of the ballot box. More than a year after George Floyd’s murder — and 156 years after the Thirteenth Amendment — we must continue to have the hard conversations about what brought us here, and we should keep taking aggressive action to make good on America’s promise of justice.

I know that’s a lot of heavy stuff! But it’s part of our growth together, our journey toward true allyship and equity. We must stand beside one another, understand the anger and the pain, and help however we can. Only by actively teaching and learning about our past can we create the future we want for our next seven generations.

Wopila tanka — my hearty thanks for your passionate allyship with all oppressed peoples.

Chase Iron Eyes
Co-Director & Lead Counsel
The Lakota People’s Law Project

...And I Feel Fine

(It's the End of the World as We Know It)

...And I Feel Fine

by C.A. Matthews

Sometimes it just feels like everyone is on the same page. This is one of those times. Just about every podcast I listened to, every article I read, every Facebook discussion I stumbled upon this week shared the same topic. This has to be the universe telling me--all of us, really--that this is something important.  We're all on the same page, at the same time for a purpose, and we need to cooperate to bring about its fruition.

What is this purpose? Why, it's the end of the world as we know it.

Immediately, the chorus of the R.E.M. song starts playing in your head: "It's the end of the world as we know it...and I feel fine."

https://youtu.be/Z0GFRcFm-aY

You know what? I do.

I feel fine that our world is experiencing a strong paradigm shift. It's about time. Sure, it's sad that hundreds of thousands (if not millions) are dying, have died and will die of a horrible virus during a pandemic, but perhaps these are the only conditions that can shake humankind up enough to admit the old ways have to die so that the entirety of humanity may live.

This harsh new reality is particularly necessary for Americans. We are experts in self-delusion. We love to fool ourselves into thinking that everything will be all right, that we can trust our leaders, that "We are the best country on Earth!" If recent events haven't exposed the man behind the curtain to be an immoral ignoramus of unspeakable proportions, then what will? Our fellow citizens drinking bleach because said ignoramus told the American public during a press conference that pouring U.V. light and disinfectant into your body may cure COVID-19? 

Oops! They already have. This false worship of "Our president, right or wrong!" has got to go before anyone else gets hurt.

But the major un-brainwashing task that Americans, and most Westerners, need to undergo is clinging to the silly notion that somehow capitalism is the superior economic model, and it will eventually save us from our self-destructive ways. If your neighbors hoarding toilet paper and Trump pedaling an ineffective (if not downright deadly) anti-malarial drug he owns stock in to cure the coronavirus doesn't convince you of the evils of capitalism, then nothing will. (But the following song could help.)

 
https://youtu.be/oMG7DW0iHEI

A system that rewards the rich with more material wealth at the expense (and oftentimes the death) of the poor isn't "superior" by a long shot. In fact, it's nothing but pure bullshit. 

It's time to break out of this abusive relationship with capitalism and finally admit it: Capitalism never really loved We the People in the first place. It doesn't care whether we live or die so long as we keep buying worthless crap and making the billionaires muchos buckolas forever. It has always been about protecting the select few, the elites of our society. It was never about us.

Sure, "a rising tide carries all boats," but when the tsunami of a pandemic hits, it becomes more than obvious that the "tide" of capitalism is capsizing and sinking the vast majority of us "boats." How else do you explain 17 million unemployed Americans, many with no way to afford medical treatment during a time of mass illness?

The rising tide of capitalism has always been about how the rich will float above the rest of us in their luxury yachts while we simply drown. It's time to blow the f*cking yachts of the elite out of the water so we can all enjoy a swim, free and open to all and not just the so-called privileged classes, don't you think?

Once the true ugliness of our corrupt economic system and the elitist-driven government whose immoral practices it upholds are exposed, the true healing of the Earth and all its people can begin. In fact, many environmental experts claim that it is impossible under capitalism to maintain and provide a healthy planet for human beings and other lifeforms. A system that allows Big Oil companies to continue to frack, drill, pollute and suck the life's blood from the planet (while the price of a barrel of crude oil crashes to less than $0) demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that capitalism is more about death and profiteering than life and building a future for all to thrive in.

It's time. Let's allow capitalism and fascism to die now so we can get on with truly living and not simply surviving. 

I'll feel fine watching the bonfire of MAGA caps go up in flames as we burn the whole sick and twisted motherf*cker to the ground. Pass the marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers... It's going to be one hell of a conflagration. And then we'll all feel fine.

 

Planet of the Humans is a great documentary that clearly shows how capitalism is killing our planet (and us along with it). It's now available free online at You Tube and is a must see. Clear a couple of hours from your schedule so you can watch it uninterrupted, and I promise it will open your eyes. (Be sure to have a tissue for the last scene. It'll have you in tears.) https://youtu.be/Zk11vI-7czE

Related links to check out:

How To Start A Successful Strike During Crisis
https://youtu.be/Y3UeVTxZHC8

Pandemic is Not Just a Crisis, It's a Gift
https://consortiumnews.com/2020/04/23/lee-camp-pandemic-is-not-just-a-crisis-its-also-a-gift/?mc_cid=05feff046f&mc_eid=f9a8f47491 

Trump Goes Peak Batshit Crazy Urging UV Irradiation and Chlorine Injections and Cable TV Greedily Broadcasts It
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/62580-focus-trump-goes-peak-batshit-crazy-urging-uv-irradiation-and-chlorine-injections-and-cable-tv-greedily-broadcasts-it

Trump Suggests Injecting Disinfectant as Coronavirus Cure (video)
https://youtu.be/zicGxU5MfwE

The End of An Empire (video)
https://youtu.be/-zfbrMPe63o 

UHM Coronavirus Update (video)
https://youtu.be/v7HIaqorIeE 

In-depth interview with Chris Hedges (from The Jimmy Dore Show)
https://youtu.be/zpa7GR-EyF0 

***

Make no mistake-- we are living in unprecedented times. Millions of Americans have filed for unemployment. Students and teachers are struggling to continue the school year online. Cities across the country are sheltering in place to slow the spread of Covid-19. Families are wondering where their next meal will come from. Some don’t have a place to call home. Many of you know someone who has been affected by Coronavirus and are concerned about your own health. 

The bottom line is: people are hurting. And the last thing we need to worry about is making rent.
 
That’s why we’re calling for a national rent strike. Covid-19 has made it clear that “business as usual” is far from what we need going forward. This pandemic has shed a light on this country’s many failings-- from racial disparities, to inadequate access to healthcare, wage inequality, unprotected rights for workers, and unaffordable housing. It’s time to be bold and fight for real, long-lasting change.

Take the pledge now

Whether you can afford your rent/mortgage payment this month or not, take the pledge to withhold your payment on May 1st. Many cities across the country have eviction moratoriums in place, but that is not enough. Families and individuals living paycheck to paycheck will not be able to afford months of owed rent when the moratoriums are lifted, which is why experts are predicting an even worse housing crisis post-pandemic. 

We need to act now. Housing and advocacy organizations including ACRE are coming together to help organize the biggest rent strike in recent history. Nearly a third of Americans didn’t pay rent on April 1st, and the numbers are only expected to climb once rent is due again in May. Take the pledge and join the next wave of rent strikers.
 

Join the rent strike

The time to take a stand is now. Over the next few days, we’ll be collecting stories from local rent strike leaders, zip codes from all who are striking or planning to strike, and resources from housing organizations and experts. It will all be compiled in a centralized location for easy access and to show our elected officials, corporate landlords, and big banks, that the strength in our collective struggle is greater than the sum of its parts. 

In solidarity always,

Maurice BP-Weeks and the ACRE team

PS - We rely on you to produce our ground-breaking reports that help inform movements on the ground. Want us to continue to hold Wall Street and big banks accountable? Please donate and join the fight! 

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The United States is facing a massive public health crisis. As states respond to the shortages, strained budgets, and discordant responses in providing care to their constituents, national priorities demonstrate a lack of understanding of what Americans really need.

It’s time to rethink our national priorities and prepare for real threats like pandemics. One way to do this is divert the billions of dollars that are currently fueling the nuclear arms race.

Will you write a Letter to the Editor calling on the U.S. to shift its priorities?

Instead of building up our dangerous nuclear arsenal — which only puts the world more at risk — we need true leaders who will focus on healthcare, education, infrastructure, and other life-affirming services.

In 2019, the United States spent $35.1 billion on nuclear weapons. Imagine that money being redirected to the COVID-19 response or preparedness. According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, one year of U.S. nuclear weapons spending would pay for 300,000 beds in intensive care units, 35,000 ventilators, and the salaries of 150,000 U.S. nurses and 75,000 U.S. doctors.

Write a Letter to the Editor

We cannot go back to business as usual after the pandemic. This crisis has proven what we’ve been saying all along — the system is unsustainable and we need to shift our priorities.

In solidarity,
Colleen and the Beyond the Bomb team

***

As an Iranian-American, I worry every day about my family and the people of Iran. Will you help call on Congress to pressure Trump? Already, there is a lot of momentum. Senators Feinstein, Sanders, and Warren, and Reps Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley, Omar and others have raised their voices. Now is the moment to escalate. Please act.

Between the sanctions and the pandemic, there is a medical catastrophe in Iran. As an Iranian-American, I worry every day about my family and the people of Iran. My two nieces are doctors in Iran and they tell me that many health workers in the Iranian hospitals lack personal protection equipment. Medicine is scarce, there is a shortage of disposable parts such as ventilator tubes, and the ventilators are overused and breaking down. Medical equipment cannot be replaced and ventilator parts and connectors cannot be bought due to the sanctions. There have been some international donations, but these donations are not nearly enough because Iran has a population of 83 million, and is the most affected country in the Middle East. 

That’s why we MUST call for an end to U.S. sanctions.

Before COVID-19, sanctions were already hurting the most vulnerable Iranians—the poor, the sick, the marginalized. Take cancer medication, for example. The chemo medicines that are available in hospitals are low quality and the side effects, like nausea, are extreme. I know this only too well because I lost my sister to cancer. Her children had to buy chemo meds on the black market and carry them in iceboxes to the hospital for their mother. These medicines are extremely expensive, which means that many people are not even able to buy them on the black market.

I think that my sister’s cancer, like thousands of Iranians, was also related to the sanctions. The rate of cancer in Iran has increased significantly, mainly because Iranians are breathing air that has ten to eight hundred times more toxins than the international standard. That is because the sanctions have prevented the Iranian state from sending crude oil to be refined outside. As a result, the state has created home-grown technologies that produce extremely poor quality gasoline. 

Now, the sanctions are killing the Iranian people even faster, because of the Corona pandemic. Tell your Senators and Representative in Congress to join the growing voices — including Dianne Feinstein, Bernie Sanders, AOC, Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar — demanding U.S. sanctions on Iran be lifted. 

Even though the Trump administration claims that medicine and medical equipment are exempt from the sanctions, in reality most pharmaceutical companies, as well as banks, insurance companies, and shipping companies, do not do business with Iran because they fear penalization by the U.S. 

From the need for cleaner air and cancer medicines to the COVID-19 pandemic, sanctions on Iran MUST be lifted. Contact Congress right now and tell them to add their voices to this urgent call. 

The sanctions are not helping the Iranian people’s legitimate protests against austerity measures and the rise in gas prices. If anything, they hurt the social movements and set their achievements back. The sanctions are war by another name. During war, the state deploys the rhetoric of national security to accuse protesters of collusion with the U.S. The Iranian people are caught between the appropriation of the Iranian protests by the opportunistic U.S. hawks and opposition groups such as MEK, and the Iranian state’s crackdown of the protests in the name of national security. The U.S. claims that the sanctions help the Iranian people’s freedom is paradoxical at best. How can the U.S. promote rights and democratization in Iran while depriving the Iranian people of the basic right to food and life-saving medicine? And how can one advocate for human rights but be in favor of sanctions during a pandemic? 

Iran is certainly no model of democracy, but then neither is the United States. During this pandemic, we see more clearly than before how race and class determine who is most exposed to the virus and who has access to affordable healthcare. The level of houselessness, mass incarceration (the U.S. has 5% of the world population and 25% of world’s prisoner population), the ICE detention centers,  the historic and present-day violence against indigenous peoples, police violence against black communities, and lack of universal healthcare are all reasons why the U.S. is not in the position to impose sanctions on other states for the violation of human rights. Historically, the U.S. is the only country that has dropped nuclear bombs, and its ally Israel has never signed the non-proliferation treaty. Yet, the U.S. imposes sanctions on Iran based on the claim that the Iranian state is developing nuclear weapons. We saw that this claim was false in the case of Iraq. The sanctions in Iraq killed more than 500,000 Iraqis. Now the Iranian people (and not the state) are paying with their lives for the unjust U.S. sanctions. 

Right now, the moral issue is clear: Sanctions and the coronavirus are killing the Iranian people. We must urge Congress to speak out and pressure the Trump administration to lift the sanctions. Ending sanctions will not only help Iranians get jobs, open businesses, have access to food, clean water, clean air, and life-saving medicine, but it will open more space for civil society movements — women’s movement, student movement, labor movement, environmental justice movement — to push for the changes they want to see. You can help them achieve their goals by asking your representatives to lift the deadly sanctions on Iran.

Towards peace and health in Iran, Sima Shakhsari, Assistant Professor of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, University of Minnesota