How To Succeed At War Crimes (Without Really Trying)

 

It’s a little bit bomby in Gaza today,
at least that’s what the news men say.

Israeli victims were “murdered” and “killed”
and all mourn the innocent blood that was spilled,

but in Gaza explosives just fall from the air
and nobody mentions who launched them, from where.

They talk about “blasts” and how buildings were “hit”.
Who blasted and hit them? Eh, who gives a shit.

It’s a little bit bomby outside, that’s the weather.
Put up your umbrellas, dudes. Get it together.

--It's a Little Bit Bomby In Gaza Today by Caitlin Johnstone

 

Name a war crime Israel isn't committing... They're running out of war crimes to try out. --Lee Camp

 

How To Succeed At War Crimes 

(Without Really Trying)

by C.A. Matthews

 WARNING: The following is satire and is not to be taken seriously or followed in order to commit genocide UNLESS you’re already a war criminal like Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, or one of their sycophants. Then there’s no need for you to read any further really, is there? You’ve already written the war crimes playbook, haven’t you?

 

 

An excerpt from the chapter How to Succeed at Genocide...

 

 

Step 0: First take a bunch of post-WWII European exiles and give them access to the British Mandate of Palestine. Let them call themselves “Israel” after an ancient kingdom mentioned in the Judeo-Christian Bible and pretend they have always lived in Palestine rather than someplace like Germany, France, or Poland. Once this lie is established as “fact” through various means of propaganda (See Step 6), you can then proceed with the following steps.

 

Step 1: If anyone accuses you of being bloodthirsty, racist, and/or a fascist, accuse them of “antisemitism” even if they are of Semitic origins, i.e. most Middle Easterners. Rinse and repeat as often as necessary to shut down all dialogue and to defame as many persons’ characters as necessary for your cause.

Step 2: Make friends with a big warmonger, one with a really big war machine that is hungry for profits for their military-industrial complex. Ask and receive military and financial aid from Big Warmonger consistently. If said Big Warmonger doesn’t put out the goods, lay on the guilt and accuse them of antisemitism (See Step 1) and tell their paid-off politicians they'll be no more briefcases full of cash until they do as they're told.

Step 3: Build your own nuclear bomb, or at least start rumors that you have built one while simultaneously denying the rumors. Make your neighbors in the region worry you might use the bomb on them or have your friend Big Warmonger (See Step 2) threaten to use their nukes on your behalf or invade said neighbor, taking their oil, pipelines, and whatever other desirable resources they might have.

Step 4: Label as “enemies” any persons who own any land and/or resources you desire. Do not let others tell you that these persons who have been living on the land you desire are, in fact, the actual owners of this land and its resources. If these “enemies” do not willingly give up the land and resources you desire, then force them into refugee camps and walled reservations with very limited means of getting in or out. Turn off their electricity and water at will to further emphasize your point that you now own all their land and resources.

Step 5: Denigrate and refuse to recognize your “enemies” as human beings. Call them names such as “human animals” or “terrorists” to dehumanize them as much as possible in the eyes of the world at large. Create propaganda scenarios where your “enemies” are seen as being only worthy of extermination. Even their children and elderly are to be painted as “vermin” that must be wiped off the face of the earth. If anyone argues that you are acting like a Nazi from the Third Reich, accuse them of antisemitism (See Step 1).

The Israeli army mobilized Ezra Yachin, a 95-year-old army veteran, to “motivate” the troops. Yachin was a member of the Lehi Zionist militia that carried out numerous massacres of Palestinian civilians, including the Deir Yassin massacre on April 9, 1948, where over 100 Palestinian civilians, many women and children, were slaughtered. 

“Be triumphant and finish them off and don’t leave anyone behind. Erase the memory of them,” Yachin said addressing Israeli troops.

“Erase them, their families, mothers and children,” he went on. “These animals can no longer live.” 

“Every Jew with a weapon should go out and kill them,” he said. “If you have an Arab neighbor, don’t wait, go to his home and shoot him.”--Chris Hedges: Let Them Eat Cement

Step 6: Plant a “false flag” to come up with a real good excuse to start the extermination of your “enemies.” You’ll know when the time has come, since you will have been keeping them under close surveillance for years. Manufacture circumstances that will produce the most outrage in your supporters. Milk it for all it’s worth in the mainstream media,that is with your top propagandists. Follow the following tenets of propaganda use for maximum effect:

Lord Posonby's Ten Commandments of War Propaganda

1. We don't want war, we are only defending ourselves!

2. Our adversary is solely responsible for this war!

3. Our adversary's leader is inherently evil and resembles the devil.

4. We are defending a noble cause, not our particular interests!

5. The enemy is purposefully committing atrocities; if we are making mistakes this happens without intention.

6. The enemy makes use of illegal weapons.

7. We suffer few losses, the enemy's losses are considerable.

8. Recognized intellectuals and artists support our cause.

9. Our cause is sacred.

10. Whoever casts doubt on our propaganda helps the enemy and is a traitor.

Step 7: Repeat the above steps as needed to maintain the moral outrage and to cover your tracks whenever you slip up and get caught making false phone conversations, etc., to excuse bombing civilian targets such as churches and hospitals.

Step 8: Above all else, do not (repeat: do NOT) allow the rest of the world to see your "enemies" as human beings. This step cannot be emphasized enough. Once your supporters start seeing your "enemies" as actual human beings who have children and grandparents and homes and hospitals and schools and other relatable things, then you'll have lost the propaganda war. Sure, you might still do some massive extermination and raze a lot of useless buildings in order to build seaside condos, but you will never be able to rebuild the respect you once possessed in the western world. 

But if respect isn't particularly what you want or need, keep doing what you're doing until you run out of bombs to drop and bullets to shoot. The moment you do stop dropping bombs and shooting children, you're probably history. You've made a helluva lot of people righteously angry, after all. War crimes aren't for sissies.

No no you don’t understand: if Israel stops killing children by the thousands in its relentless bombing campaign, the nation could be taken over by murderous terrorists. --Caitlin Johnstone, If Israel Stops Murdering Thousands Of Children, The Bad Guys Might Win

photo by Amjad Doumani

My Photos from the "Reclaiming Our Humanity" (End the Genocide) March to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur's District Office

Join a protest near you! https://www.answercoalition.org/join_a_protest_near_you_free_palestine

Related Articles and Links

Chris Hedges: Let Them Eat Cement https://scheerpost.com/2023/10/22/chris-hedges-let-them-eat-cement/

Egyptian woman BLASTS CNN reporter over SHAMEFUL coverage of Gaza and for falsifying the truth
https://youtu.be/EJ_Upwnjl9w?si=MNQt8vtOTl1Lv5ru

Dismantle The Censorship-Industrial Complex: The Westminster Declaration https://www.racket.news/p/dismantle-the-censorship-industrial

Navigating Through the Media’s Propaganda Campaign on Palestine (w/ Alan MacLeod) https://scheerpost.com/2023/10/22/navigating-the-medias-propaganda-campaign-on-palestine-w-alan-macleod/

The Israeli government is losing the PR war https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/the-israeli-government-is-losing

The US Empire's PR Crisis In Gaza https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-us-empires-pr-crisis-in-gaza

United States Vetoes UN Resolution For Ceasefire In Gaza
https://popularresistance.org/united-states-vetoes-un-resolution-for-ceasefire-in-gaza/

Israeli and US Leaders Must Be Held Accountable for the Genocide of Palestinians https://truthout.org/articles/israeli-and-us-leaders-must-be-held-accountable-for-the-genocide-of-palestinians/

More Than 1,000 Gazan Children Are Dead. How Can We Even Begin to Mourn? https://truthout.org/articles/more-than-1000-gazan-children-are-dead-how-can-we-even-begin-to-mourn/

Chris Hedges: Israel’s Culture of Deceit https://scheerpost.com/2023/10/18/chris-hedges-israels-culture-of-deceit/

Patrick Lawrence: Decency Becomes Indecent
https://scheerpost.com/2023/10/18/patrick-lawrence-decency-becomes-indecent/

Manufacturing Consent For Genocide https://www.wewillbearwitness.org/p/manufacturing-consent-for-genocide

Jewish Voice for Peace Holds Massive Rally at Capitol for Israel-Gaza Ceasefire https://truthout.org/articles/jewish-voice-for-peace-holds-massive-rally-at-capitol-for-israel-gaza-ceasefire/

‘Not In Our Name!’ Hundreds Arrested at US Capitol as Jewish-Led Protest Demands Gaza Cease-Fire https://scheerpost.com/2023/10/19/not-in-our-name-hundreds-arrested-at-us-capitol-as-jewish-led-protest-demands-gaza-cease-fire/

WHO: A ‘Death Sentence For Sick And Injured’ In Gaza https://popularresistance.org/who-a-death-sentence-for-sick-and-injured-in-gaza/

Israeli Military Has Killed 1 Child in Gaza Every 15 Minutes: Rights Group https://scheerpost.com/2023/10/17/israeli-military-has-killed-1-child-in-gaza-every-15-minutes-rights-group/

The Mainstream Press Keep Slamming Israel's Hospital Bombing Story https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-mainstream-press-keep-slamming

From Applauding Nazis To Backing An Actual Genocide In Under A Month https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/from-applauding-nazis-to-backing

Mass protests erupt in US against Israel war crimes
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/10/19/vjas-o19.html

Unions and Workers Are Increasingly Calling for Ceasefire in Gaza
https://truthout.org/articles/unions-and-workers-are-increasingly-calling-for-ceasefire-in-gaza/

The ‘Multilateral’ Invasion Of Haiti Is A Smokescreen For US Imperialism https://popularresistance.org/the-multilateral-invasion-of-haiti-is-a-smokescreen-for-us-imperialism/

Appalachians Slap Back: Pipeline Work In National Forest Halted Again https://popularresistance.org/appalachians-slap-back-pipeline-work-in-national-forest-halted-again/

Washington Post - How Israel helped create Hamas https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/07/30/how-israel-helped-create-hamas/

Telegraph UK - How Benjamin Netanyahu empowered Hamas ... and broke Israel https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/10/16/how-benjamin-netanyahu-empowered-hamas/ 

Jerusalem Post - Netanyahu: Money to Hamas part of strategy to keep Palestinians divided https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Netanyahu-Money-to-Hamas-part-of-strategy-to-keep-Palestinians-divided-583082

Jerusalem Post - Abbas: Netanyahu gives Hamas money and we pay the price when they attack https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Abbas-Netanyahu-gives-money-to-Hamas-and-we-pay-the-price-575124

Saving Private Property

Saving Private Property 
An interview with A. Riche-Persson

Editor's note: Many readers expressed curiosity about the mind behind the recent blog piece, Why I Adore Joe Biden, so we decided to ask its creator, A. Riche-Persson, back for a brief interview about her take on recent events.

The Revolution Continues: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Ms. Riche-Persson. May I call you Ayn?

A. Riche-Persson: No, you may not, but thanks for the chance to speak to your (*snorts*) audience. It's high time the American public heard the real story.

TRC: The real story?

ARP: Yeah, you know... The real story about how hard it is to be rich in this country nowadays with all these crazy commies and Black Lives this and that and whatever people running around with signs and forcing you to wear a mask in public. (*sniffs*) It smudges my lipstick.

TRC: I see. First off, please tell us what's so difficult about having enough to eat, designer clothes on your back, and a decent place to live in America?

ARP: You make it sound like I control everything in the world with my money. Not so! It's not like I can go to my favorite place to nosh anytime I like anymore--the darn Chinese have made sure of that with their Wuhan flu and mask-wearing cult! And buying clothes online is sooo boring! I miss my front row seats at the catwalks of Paris and Milan.

TRC: But you do have a mansion to live in during your state's COVID lockdown, don't you?

ARP: Yes, but it's a small mansion--we only have a five car garage. We have to park one of the Bentleys on the drive occasionally when we're pulling our his and her golf carts out. It's tacky, I know.

TRC: That must be a real hardship for you. (Shuffles papers.) All right, let's get down to the topic you wanted to cover, protecting private property. Can you explain why this is such a vital issue for you?

ARP: Why? Isn't it obvious? I own property and it's mine. All mine. I can't have the riff-raff running about messing up my property or attempting to take any of it. I have the right to protect it.

TRC: Protect it by brandishing firearms at unarmed individuals like the McCloskeys did in St. Louis?

ARP: If need be. My stuff is very important to me. I can't live without some of it.

TRC: But you can live with a lot less you're saying? Like one less Bentley?

ARP: (*gasps*) Who would want to live with only one Bentley? That wouldn't be a life worth living!

TRC: What do you think life is like for those who can't even afford one vehicle, let alone six?

ARP: Ha! Don't be silly! Everybody has a car in the US. It's like a requirement for citizenship. How would you get around town without a car? It's not possible, so your argument is completely specious.

TRC: Oh...kay. So, what do you think life is like for people of color who are  pulled over in their cars and threatened by law enforcement simply because of their race or socio-economic position?

ARP: Are you kidding me? That's all fake news. It says, "All people are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence or something like that. The police don't treat black or brown people any different from anyone else in America. I mean, I got pulled over the other day for doing seventy in a school zone and the cops didn't treat me that bad at all. They just wrote me a ticket and said, "Have a nice day, ma'am." No big deal.

TRC: Speeding in a school zone? There were no children present, I hope.

ARP: I don't think so... No, I didn't hit anyone this time.

TRC: (*Coughing*) This time? Okay, let's not go down that road. (Shuffles papers.) To restate, you believe that you as a wealthy white woman receive the same treatment from the police as a poor person of color does?

ARP: Of course. Why would the police treat people any differently? Oh, sure, they'll be harder on criminals, but criminals deserve the rough treatment. That's why the cops have to pull their guns and shoot them. Criminals are asking to be shot.

TRC: And peaceful protesters walking down a street? Do they deserve to be shot?

ARP: If they're criminals, sure. That'll teach them not to walk down my street again!

TRC: Interesting. How can you tell who's a criminal and who isn't?

ARP: Hmm... By looking at them, I guess. The security officers who work in our home owners' association always stop people who aren't members of the country club. They can just tell.

TRC: Do these people who are stopped by security tend to be darker in skin tone than most of your fellow country club members?

ARP: Now that I think about it, some of them are a bit darker than me and my friends. But the security guys stop white people, too--especially those who dress like slobs and walk on the sidewalks instead of driving a decent car like all red-blooded Americans should. You know the type... Crazies with their #DefundThePolice signs, shouting "No Justice, No Pizza!"

TRC: "No Justice, No Peace!"  is what they're chanting. Do you believe your local police department should use tear gas, rubber bullets and other military grade equipment on peaceful protesters?

ARP: If that's what it takes for me and my family to keep our stuff out of their dirty hands, then I'm all for it. What's the difference between shooting at commies here at home or those abroad? We've got to wipe out the enemy no matter where they live on the planet. It's our duty as Americans.

TRC: Protesters of police brutality and racial profiling are "communists" in your opinion? They're not just ordinary people who are sick and tired of the injustices inflicted upon them and their fellow citizens by biased policing?

ARP:  How could they be "ordinary" when they're asking for the moon? They want the cops not to beat up on them, but they're just asking for it by looking the way they do and thinking everyone deserves free health care and $15 an hour. How could anyone afford to pay all those no-goodniks $15 an hour? It would cause corporations to go bankrupt my banker says. I don't even pay my pool boy that much.

TRC: Do you provide health care or paid sick leave for your pool cleaner?

ARP: Of course not! What do you think I'm made of? Money?

TRC: Frankly, I'm not sure you're made of flesh and blood at this point. But I thank you for your insights, Ms. Riche-Persson. This certainly has been a very enlightening interview.

ARP: You're welcome.  I aim to inform. It's the least I could do for you and your "ordinary" blog audience. (*sniggers*) You all need to know who's in charge in this country so you can put down those rude signs and get back to playing video games or whatever it is you people do when you're not mowing our lawns or shouting for pizza.

BIO: A. Riche-Persson is a professional socialite who dabbles occasionally in politics, tennis, and pinochle. If it keeps her in diamonds, she's all for it. It it's anything to do with anyone outside of her social bubble, well... She's late for her tennis lesson. See you at the club!

Related Articles and Videos:

Uprising Against Racism: America's Moment of Reckoning 
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/63852-cornel-west-and-keeanga-yamahtta-taylor-on-uprising-against-racism-qamericas-moment-of-reckoning

Missouri Gun-Toting Lawyers Are Screwed
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/63763-the-missouri-gun-toting-lawyers-are-screwed

Biggest Corporate Monsters of All Time  (video)
https://youtu.be/hKXBdF14gTc 

The Dirty Hidden History of Central Park (video)
https://youtu.be/OB4Jw_0N0bU

*** 

Make testing and treatment for coronavirus completely free and accessible to ensure containment!

Sign Now

Months ago, when most of the country went on lockdown to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, we all hoped that the pandemic would be over soon. Unfortunately, that's far from the case. Instead, huge surges of cases are causing a wave far worse than anything we saw back in March or April. Now that there are upwards of 50,000 new cases in the U.S. every day, there's only one way to slow this deadly virus down: free and accessible testing for everyone, now. Testing is essential because people can be asymptomatic yet still very much infected. Because they don't know they have the virus in their systems, they continue interacting with — and infecting — others. Yet in many places in the country, people are forced to pay out-of-pocket for testing and treatment. One man in Miami was charged more than $3,000 for COVID-19 testing — and that was with his health insurance. This is dangerous and ridiculous. Luckily, state governors can prohibit insurance companies from charging people for testing and resulting care for coronavirus. New York and California have already done so, and now we need the rest of the country to follow suit. If we ever hope to reverse this literally sickening trend, we have to start with making sure everyone can get tested, for free. Sign the petition to tell every U.S. state to follow New York and California's lead by making testing and treatment free to help stop the spread of this disease! Thank you for all that you do, Miranda B. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. Our only hope to curb the deadly coronavirus is free treatment for all! Demand our lawmakers protect us in every way possible, starting with making all testing and treatment of coronavirus free. ***  Tell Congress: “We need to INCREASE and SPEED UP coronavirus testing, not slow it down. The only way to get back to normal is to crush the virus, and the only way to do that is the same way that every other industrialized country has: An aggressive program of testing, tracing, and isolating infections!” ADD YOUR NAME Donald Trump thinks that increased testing capacity is behind America’s horrific pandemic response. So he’s pledge to slow the testing down. That’s not how you fight a virus. Trump may be happy to sit in his bubble at the White House with his fingers in his ears, but Americans are dying. Tell Trump that we need to EXPAND COVID testing, not slow it down! Other industrialized countries have gotten their outbreaks under control thanks to rigorous testing, tracing, and isolating regimes. In America, we’re being told that we’re on our own. The current approach, where we hope that we’ll look out for each other, is clearly not working. Responsible Americans are being held hostage in our homes by the dumbest and most selfish people among us. We locked down the country in March to buy time to build testing & tracing infrastructure. It was working, slowly, but cases and deaths were finally going down. Donald Trump thinks that he can erase the curve by denying America the data of the pandemic, but things won’t get back to normal with people dying every day. We need to INCREASE testing! ADD YOUR NAME: Tell Trump to pull his head out of the sand and get out of the way of public health experts! We need tests & masks! Thanks, Mike Phelan Progress America

A Matter of Control

The System Will Collapse...

Some days I hear a another world breathing, too. Other days, I despair I won't live long enough to see this new world, let alone experience it. Our corrupt system of government takes away our ability to control our lives and make our own choices. When will the system collapse, and how will We the People deal with its collapse? Let's address these and other questions as we consider America in 2018 and what's at stake in this life and death struggle for control.

None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. --Goethe

A Matter of Control

by C. A. Matthews

While weeding the garden, I contemplated the recent nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. How is this latest Trump-sympathizer being put forward as our next justice a part of what has been happening since January 2017? How is Kavanaugh a symptom of the underlying disease of corporatism/fascism in our corrupt system? Where does his particular pathology fit in with the current sociopathic nature of American governance?

I pulled hard at a stubborn weed that wouldn't let go of its hold of the soil, and it all suddenly became clear to me. Kavanaugh's nomination is  a sign of the establishment's need to be in control of every aspect of our lives--from the pre-cradle to the grave and every stage in between. We the People, that is, we the working and poor classes, are "weeds" that need pulling and controlling. The oligarchy will use every technique from brute force to chemicals to contain and eliminate us at will. Allow me to explain.

Some of the biggest chatter on the web is the likelihood of Kavanaugh helping to overturn the landmark case of Roe. v. Wade. With just one Supreme Court ruling, women could find themselves in back alleys seeking abortion care once again. No doubt, the death rate of women of child-bearing years will
rise. Incidents of suicide and self-harm by women could increase--particularly by those who have been impregnated through rape or incest. Women with serious health concerns could die in forced childbirth. The number of child abuse and neglect cases could also climb because, more than likely, there will be no funding increases for social safety nets that feed and assist these children and mothers. Overnight, helpful programs such as WIC, SNAP, Medicaid and HUD housing allowances could disappear--the current administration proclaims that it will cut them all.

The eventual upshot of a Kavanaugh Supreme Court could mean an America  flooded with women with children they simply don't want and can't afford.  (It might even lead to a booming black market in baby sales and/or child sex trafficking.)  Considering the Trump's administration's attitude toward the poor, it doesn't seem probable a right-leaning court would support laws forcing fathers to pay their fair share of child support, either, as ultra-conservative males generally demand the right to do as they please. In a post-Roe v. Wade America, the economic, social and emotional burdens all fall primarily upon struggling-to-survive women. 

Women without the right to exercise control over their own bodies will find themselves trapped, thwarted in continuing their education or training and unable to travel to search for better employment, because they will be tasked as sole providers for their offspring. They will be stuck on the lowest rungs of the career ladder, receiving the lowest rates of pay, working jobs without benefits or upward mobility. Additionally, these stressed and desperate women would be at high risk of addiction and alcoholism to deal with their pain.

What a perfect way to control women! What a perfect way to control the ninety-nine-percent by forcing them into a perpetuity of hand-to-mouth living! The motivation behind fascists' determination to overturn Roe v. Wade makes sense to me now. It's not because they actually care about babies or children. If they did, they'd increase spending to SNAP benefits, education, health care and related programs, but they do not. The fanatical right is fine with the vast majority suffering because it simply wants to use the "abortion card" as a way to keep the poor in their place. 

After all, a rich woman can travel and pay whatever it takes to terminate a pregnancy. Wealthy women did this before Roe v. Wade became law, and they'll continue to do so afterward. Don't be swayed into thinking"pro-life" is a moral stance. It's not. The one-percent will continue to enjoy safe abortion care elsewhere. No one can tell a person with more-than-adequate financial resources what to do with his or her body, right?  Anti-abortion activists are better labeled "pro-birth" or "pro-control,"  as in controlling others (mainly the poor) through denial of their human right of choice.

I've learned that Judge Kavanaugh is not a friend of the environment, either.

He'd encourage fracking and mining to occur in all of our national parks, monuments and forests. He would take the side of Big Oil, Big Coal and Big Agriculture when it came to cases involving the contamination of our drinking water. He would rule against too much regulation that forces factories to clean up the exhaust coming from their smokestacks and limiting the toxic sewage they dump into our lakes and streams.

Once our natural resources are gone or ruined, We the People won't even have a nice place in which to relax and admire nature. The rich can always enjoy the majesty of the mountains and the grandeur of the ocean elsewhere on the planet. The struggling will be stuck staring at blown-off hilltops and strip-mined mud puddles left behind by uncaring capitalists.

https://youtu.be/GDTpkEKav5o

What a perfect way to control and break the spirits of the ninety-nine-percent! We'll be too sick from pollutants in our water, our food and the very air we breathe to protest. How can we fight against the rich and powerful if we're weak from malnutrition or illness? How can we take on the elites if we're dealing with depression from simply having nothing of nature's beauty nearby left to admire? How do we grow stronger if we have zero access to health care because capitalists cut our benefits or raise private insurance premiums to astronomical levels? How can we fight back if we are discriminated against because of previous health conditions while the right-wingers simultaneously dismantle the ACA and outlaw Medicare and Medicaid?

The pieces of the puzzle fall into place quickly now. With Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's intentional weakening of our public schools, the oligarchy will have  poorly-educated, mindless drones to work dead-end jobs--drones who can't think clearly enough to reason their way out of their dismal situations. Those who try to better themselves with a college education will find themselves enslaved to overwhelming debt and skyrocketing interest rates on their student loans. (Ka-ching! Ka-ching! The banksters are drooling even now.)

Willing to take any work available to pay off their debts, the poor are often too afraid to speak out against workplace safety hazards and injustices, such as sexual harassment and abuse. Outlawing unions and collective bargaining will further weaken the workers' abilities to exert pressure against unfair labor practices.

End result? The one-percenters tighten their grip on every aspect of the ninety-nine-percent's lives. The mega-wealthy take complete control. We are their puppets, to use and abuse for their pleasure. They will milk us for all our savings and then some. They will take our homes and lands away from us through unregulated banking practices, foreclosures and eminent domain to exploit as they like. Goodbye unwashed masses cluttering up the planet!

Access to abortion care, access to health care of all kinds, access to a good education, safe food, clean air and water, access to rest and relaxation in our national parks, freedom from unjust laws and banking practices--they're all interrelated. It's a matter of control. The one-percent have it, flaunt it, and will do anything to prevent us little people from having it.

Time to stop the excuses! We must take control of our lives. We the People must fight for our rights as human beings and demand to be treated as such. We must stop Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination and shut down the fascist state before it's too late. Vote, protest, call, text and write your representatives regularly and encourage others to do the same. Wake up your neighbors and get your metaphorical pitchforks and guillotines sharpened, if not the real deal... Because if the rich aren't going to play nice, then why should we?

***

Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B., sums up the hypocrisy in the "pro-life" movement:

    "I do not believe that just because you're opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. And why would I think that you don't? Because you don't want any tax money to go there. That's not pro-life. That's pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is."

 ***

This short video is a perfect example of our blog topic two weeks ago, how humor, satire and parody can take down a tyrant. Check out Michelle Wolf's "ICE Is"  and see if you don't agree. Comedy cuts through the bull and gets to the heart of the matter. https://youtu.be/dNF6sVurAuI

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Take Control of the Corrupt System!

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Power to the people and not the corporations!     

 ***

From Credo:

Mitch McConnell wants to fast-track Brett Kavanaugh's nomination before October. That is an outrageous timeline.

If McConnell gets his way, there will be no time to review the more than 1 million pages of documents from Kavanaugh's career, including important records from his time as White House staff secretary under George W. Bush. It is common practice to release these kinds of documents. The Senate reviewed all of Justice Elena Kagan's documents from her time in Bill Clinton's White House before confirming her. But Republicans are so committed to steamrolling this process and handing Trump the Supreme Court that they are opposing the release of Kavanaugh's records.¹
 
CREDO is joining Daily Kos, Demand Justice and other progressive groups in calling on the Senate to release Kavanaugh's records and give ample time for review before his confirmation hearings. Will you sign the petition?

Tell the Senate: Don't fast-track hearings on Brett Kavanaugh. Release and review his records before holding confirmation hearings. Click here to sign the petition.

Republicans don't want to release the records, so they are trying to downplay Kavanaugh's five and a half years as staff secretary in the George W. Bush White House. In that key role, he gave final approval to Bush's controversial "signing statements" that Bush used to circumvent laws passed by Congress, including laws about torture and national security.² There is even a question of whether Kavanaugh lied under oath about his involvement in deciding Bush's torture policy during his confirmation hearing for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2006.³

Kavanaugh has the longest paper trail of any nominee in history. It's one of the reasons Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to discourage Trump from nominating Kavanaugh.⁴ It will take significant time to thoroughly review Kavanaugh's papers, and more controversy about his record is likely to emerge.

Earlier this month, two Republicans joined Democrats to block Circuit court nominee Ryan Bounds over his racist writings from college.⁵ If a judicial nominee's college writing matters, then Kavanaugh's career writing and his time as a key adviser to Bush absolutely must be examined before he is given a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. We have to pile on pressure to make sure that every member of the Senate – starting with the Senate Judiciary Committee – reviews all of Kavanaugh’s documents, emails and paperwork before the confirmation process continues.

Tell the Senate: Don't fast-track hearings on Brett Kavanaugh. Release and review his records before holding confirmation hearings. Click the link below to sign the petition.

https://act.credoaction.com/go/23606?t=7&akid=29459%2E9999572%2EWVLewg

Thank you for speaking out,
Kaili Lambe, Organizing Director CREDO Action from Working Assets

Add your name:

References:

1. Ali Rogin, "Senate Republicans clash with Democrats over access to Kavanaugh's White House records," ABC News, July 25, 2018.
2. Laurie Kellman, "Kavanaugh denies role in detainee policies," The Boston Globe, May 2, 2006.
3. Michael Kranish, "Kavanaugh’s role in Bush-era detainee debate now an issue in his Supreme Court nomination," The Washington Post, July 18, 2018.
4. Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin, "McConnell Tries to Nudge Trump Toward Two Supreme Court Options," The New York Times, July 7,2018.
5. John Bowden, "White House formally withdraws Bounds nomination after McConnell cancels vote," The Hill, July 24, 2018

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Here is a simple truth — no one in our country should be sitting in jail just because they are poor.

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Right now, there are over 700,000 people in county or city jails — sixty-five percent of them, more than 400,000 people, have not been convicted of a crime. Many are locked up simply because they cannot afford bail.

Let me be clear. The United States of America has criminalized poverty and that is not acceptable.

That is why this week I introduced the No Money Bail Act in the Senate to stop this horrific practice.

Will you join me and sign up as a Citizen Cosponsor of the No Money Bail Act?

The United States has a broken criminal justice system. We have over 2 million people in jail, more than any other nation on earth, and they are disproportionately African-American, Latino, and Native American. We spend $80 billion a year keeping people behind bars, money which could be used for education, job creation and affordable housing.

The decision to put someone behind bars should never be decided based on how much money a person has, or what kind of mood the judge is in on a given day, or even what judge the case happens to come before. In a country where we pride ourselves on the principle “innocent until proven guilty,” we should not be keeping hundreds of thousands of people locked up before they have actually been convicted of a crime simply because they can’t afford bail.

Those who can’t afford bail, even when they are innocent, face punishments that could impact them for the rest of their lives. After spending weeks in jail, many lose their jobs and have trouble finding new work after they are released. With a loss of income, they aren't able to pay their rent and may find themselves homeless. They may even lose custody of their children. And they were not guilty of any crime other than being poor.

The No Money Bail Act is simple. It ends the use of cash bail in federal courts. At the same time, it works with state and local governments to end this broken and destructive system in every area of the country.

The time has come to end "debtors' prisons" in the United States.

Will you join me and sign up as a Citizen Cosponsor of the No Money Bail Act?

Four words are engraved on the front of the Supreme Court: Equal Justice Under Law. We are very far from that ideal today. Let’s fight for this legislation to bring us one step closer.

Let’s get to work.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

ADD YOUR NAME

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Pence's Family Business Cost Taxpayers Over $20 Million In Environmental Cleanup. Make Them Pay Us Back! Sign Now The family business of Vice President Mike Pence, Kiel Bros Oil Co, went under in 2004. While the company made millions for the Pences, it left a trail of environmental wreckage and dangerous chemicals behind.Almost a decade and a half later, the cost of cleaning up after their contaminated waste has exceeded $22 million and counting. But Pence's family business isn't taking responsibility for the damage they caused and the cost it incurred. That burden is falling to the tax payers. It's time to let Mike Pence know: We demand you fully reimburse the public for the fallout from your reckless business practices. Pence and his Republican Party claim to loathe government spending and love "personal responsibility," using that ideology to deny millions of Americans lifesaving healthcare, food assistance, and housing — among other things. But when it comes to cleaning up their own messes, somehow it's the tax payers responsibility. We think it's time for the Vice President to take a little personal responsibility of his own. Add your name to demand the Pence family pay back the tens of millions of dollars that taxpayers have paid to clean up their toxic mess! Thank you, Ellen B. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. We can't let wealthy families like Pence's poison our environment, then abdicate all responsibility for their actions. Please, sign the petition today, then share with your friends to help us demand accountability!