A Morally Bankrupt Society

A Morally Bankrupt Society...
This is what it looks like in a morally bankrupt society. -- Lee Camp

This week we consider what it means to be a morally bankrupt society.
Our featured writer takes an in-depth look at a morally bankrupt move on the part of the current US administration that threatens world peace. But first, we start out with a few visual examples. 

The above meme shows the world richest man, Jeff Bezos, behaving as he normally does--setting up two cities against each other for one of his coveted Amazon headquarters. Bezos paid no taxes in 2017 and pays his employees slave wages under horrible working conditions. It is said that Bezos could give away half of his $139 billion net worth to end world hunger and homelessness, and he would still be one of the richest men in the world. He could easily give his warehouse workers a raise and provide air conditioning in the summer so they wouldn't faint from heat prostration, too, but he chooses not to be charitable. Instead, he chooses not to pay taxes, and he chooses to forces cities to give his warehouses tax breaks. 

Wouldn't you agree that Jeff Bezos is a prime example of a morally bankrupt individual from a morally bankrupt society?

The following are self-explanatory. 

 

And now our resident historian and military analyst tackles moral bankruptcy on an Armageddon-like scale.

The Trump Bull in the China Shop
by Coast Watcher

International diplomacy is a vital feature of human relations. Treaties are the fixed points that bind nations together for mutual benefit, to prevent wars and to enable commerce to proceed with little hindrance.

So, why in the name of all that’s holy is Trump breaking the treaty with Iran?

Some background: This particular treaty's full title is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. It was signed in 2015 by the US, China, Russia, Germany, France, the UK and Iran. Iran undertook to limit its nuclear activities – particularly the development of nuclear weapons – in return for the easing of sanctions on its economy. 

The treaty is working. Iran’s economy was in a deep recession in the years before it was signed, but the International Monetary Fund reported that the real GDP of Iran grew 12.5% in the first year, mostly through oil exports, following the implementation of the treaty’s provisions. The Iranian economy was expected to grow by 4% this year, which is below the desired target figure but still pretty good for a country battling its way out of recession.

The treaty had the additional effect of weaning ordinary Iranians from the Islamic fundamentalists who took over the country following the fall of the Shah in the revolution of 1978-79. Greater prosperity turned people away from the conservative killjoy religious doctrine of the fundamentalists. 

The fundamentalist hold on the country has diminished, but it remains a potent force which could make a resurgence under the wrong conditions. One of the objectives of the treaty was to curb Iranian influence in the region and its potential to attack neighboring countries through its development of nuclear weaponry and ballistic missiles. Sending it back into the dark ages of fundamentalism will only exacerbate the possibility.

Iran’s trade with the European Union increased significantly thanks to the lifting of sanctions, but China, South Korea and Turkey remain Iran’s top three trading partners. The decision by Iran to drop the petrodollar in favor of the Euro looks set to increase trade with the EU, probably to the detriment of the US.

On May 8, President Trump demanded Boeing not complete a $20 billion contract to supply two Iranian airlines with aircraft. This directly hurt the commercial airplane manufacturer and caused the loss of American jobs – something Trump pledged not to do during his 2016 election campaign. While the cancellation of the contract hurts Boeing, there’s every possibility that the renewal of sanctions will prevent the country’s airlines from beating a path to Airbus of France, which already has a contract to supply 100 aircraft to Iran and would happily expand the order. Airbus and other EU manufacturers are vociferous in their complaints against Trump’s actions, as they would stand to benefit through Iran’s adoption of the Euro.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani kept his promise to maintain the stability of the Iranian currency, the rial, for almost four years. But in late 2017, when President Trump refused to certify the nuclear deal to Congress, the rial started to fall again. It has lost almost half of its value against the dollar since last September. Many Iranians bought gold and foreign currency to hedge against the collapse of the nuclear deal, the return of sanctions and a fresh currency crash. It was reported that some $30 billion of capital left Iran in the first quarter of this year, mostly to neighboring countries and the Caucasus.

The ongoing conflict in Syria is also directly linked to the international position on Iran. The Iran–Iraq–Syria pipeline (called the Friendship Pipeline or the

Islamic Gas Pipeline) is a proposed means by which Iranian oil can be exported to the West. Russia and Syria made a deal for a Russian-backed pipeline, but this was challenged by the US, which wants its own pipeline project to go ahead. It’s one that would benefit the US more than any other nation. The American desire for oil is better understood when one realizes the US consumes about a third of the world’s oil production, a figure that’s not set to decline when President Trump’s antipathy toward renewable energy production is factored into the equation.

Add to this the Zionist (end of days) movement in Israel and among certain Christian evangelical supporters of President Trump, and you can see the current situation in the Middle East is only set to worsen. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the driving force behind Israel’s expansion of influence in the region and his nation’s long-time enmity with Iran, to the extent that Israeli forces recently launched air attacks on Iranian forces in Syria. The Pentagon admitted that Israel does have nuclear weapons. Given the Israeli tendency to attack any and all perceived threats to its existence – including an air strike against a suspected Iranian nuclear facility in Dier-ez-Zor, Iran on September 6, 2007 – it’s not very comforting to learn they have this option – the very option the West is trying to keep Iran from possessing.

On May 6, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited the US in an attempt to persuade President Trump not to abandon the treaty with Iran. Johnson left empty-handed the following day. His visit was part of a major diplomatic effort underway to save the treaty. France has condemned the re-imposition of sanctions as "unacceptable." French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said Europe had to defend its "economic sovereignty." He asked: "Do we want to be vassals deferring with a curtsy and a bow to decisions made by the US?"

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stated that the West can no longer look to the United States for leadership. It is in extensive talks with other EU members, Britain and Russia to seek a way to circumvent President Trump’s decision. Foreign Ministers from Germany, France and Britain will meet on May 15 to discuss their countries’ options.

Of course, this isn’t the first occasion when the United States has interfered directly in Iranian affairs. In 1953 the CIA backed a coup against Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, an outspoken advocate of nationalism who almost succeeded in deposing the Shah. The sheer number of American military bases that surrounds Iran gives a clear statement of the United Stares’ attitude toward the country.

In conclusion, President Trump is the latest in a long line of presidents seeking to secure oil resources, guarantee the security of the state of Israel, and combat threats to American interests in the Middle East. However, he has gone about matters in entirely the wrong way. His dangerous, indeed wanton breaking of an international treaty – something that is never done lightly – sends a clear message to the world: America can no longer be trusted.

President Trump is nothing more than a bull in the china shop where international diplomacy is concerned. His erratic behavior, his acting on a whim or at the behest of the more radical and venal of his followers, is a clear and present danger to world peace. He is already profoundly transforming international relations, well beyond promoting unilateralism at the expense of multilateralism. By unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Trump has demonstrated his contempt for international law, reversed half a century of American commitments and, in doing so, badly damaged his country’s credibility in the region.

Talks on the situation in the Korean Peninsula are due to begin later this year.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has already made considerable peace overtures towards his southern neighbor to the extent he and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have declared the Korean War officially over after almost seventy years. Can anyone blame Kim Jong-un if he refuses to talk to the American president if that man shows he cannot be trusted?

It remains to be seen if the renewed onset of sanctions against Iran will lead to a trade war, let alone military conflict. Frantic diplomatic efforts might prevent such things happening, but the sands of time are running out.


Related Articles:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-44018068

https://www.npr.org/2018/05/09/609851278/trump-administration-orders-boeing-to-cancel-deal-with-iran

https://www.britannica.com/event/Iranian-Revolution-of-1978-1979

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/21/595727058/israel-acknowledges-having-bombed-a-suspected-syrian-nuclear-reactor-in-2007

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2012/04/2012417131242767298.html

BIO: Coast Watcher is troubled by current events and the present administration's recent actions. He says we all need to keep awake and stay informed and tell our neighbors who listen to mainstream media what's really happening in the world. They deserve to know the truth before the bombs drop.

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Another example from our morally bankrupt society--attacking our freedom of speech. Retired CIA agent Ray McGovern is brutalized for protesting the CIA use of torture at Gina Haspel's confirmation hearing. https://youtu.be/GTF07picnj8

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Glenn Greenwald, Jill Stein & Abby Martin Event - Global Issues in Context 2.0 in Munich This fantastic video was taped live in Germany by AcTVism. A very informative program, Jill Stein's interview starts about 40 minutes in, but all three guests are worth watching. The Q & A with Jill and Abby in the last part is great, too. Share it widely. It gives insights into the corporate mainstream media that has vilified Jill and other alternative viewpoints such as those held by Abby and Glenn as independent journalists. It will open eyes clouded by the duopolistic silliness of Russiagate and other distractions of a morally bankrupt society. *** The Revolution Continues has set up an easy way to donate to the cause of keeping it ad-free. Three years without obnoxious ads (that many news sites have to cover costs) has been great, but the editor does have to pay for internet, electricity, etc. Any amount you can donate to keep this progressive site going without those awful ads is appreciated. Thank you. You can donate via Paypal at http://paypal.me/camatthews  Power to the people and not the corporations! *** From Movement for a People's Party: Nick Brana has been arrested along with the Rev. William Barber II and 300 other protestors in a launch of the non-violent 40 days of moral action organized by the Poor People’s Campaign.  The arrests occurred on the northeast Capitol lawn in Washington D.C. after the protestors, led by Barber and his PPC co-chair the Rev. Liz Theoharis, shut down Independence Avenue. The street was closed for 90 minutes before police moved in to arrest the peaceful demonstrators for obstructing the main thoroughfare. The PPC organized a mass movement around the country - including simultaneous actions today at state capitols - to protest these horrendous statistics: Some 140 million people live in poverty when basic necessities are taken into account. And half of our nation’s children are poor.  It is time to break the silence about America’s war on the poor! In one of the most prosperous nations on earth, it is time we say that everyone has a right to live! Fifty years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King called for a Poor People’s Campaign to begin a “revolution of values” in America. MPP is an official partner with the PPC in reigniting that campaign by uniting thousands of people across the country to challenge systemic racism, poverty, militarism, ecological devastation and our nation’s distorted morality. “We have to cry loud until hearts are changed...It’s time to cry loud with every bit of love. Somebody’s hurting our people, and we won’t be silent anymore.” ~ Rev. William Barber, May 13, Washington D.C.  Watch here for live updates: https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/live/

Stick With Love (#StrikeOutHate)

Stick With Love 
(#StrikeOutHate)

by C.A. Matthews
protest photos by Adrian J. Matthews

This past week, a group of  Toledo area activists took to the streets across from a neighborhood bowling alley with one mission in mind: #StrikeOutHate 

The owner of the bowling alley had a history of posting racist, Islamophobic, homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic comments on his business' Facebook page and Twitter account. He had been repeatedly called out for his hateful behavior, but he refused to stop the postings. He eventually went as far as to accost a woman wearing a hijab in retaliation for what he felt were Muslims following him in a shopping mall.

Area activists decided enough was enough and a demonstration was planned. It was delayed by one week after the bowling alley owner was interviewed in the newspaper and on local TV news. He claimed he was "sorry" for saying what he said, but he did not apologize to the victims of his hateful postings. He even went on to use further racial slurs in his remarks. A multi-faith council asked to speak with the bowling alley owner and his wife and their faith leader to see if the situation could be resolved positively, but he declined. 

With business dropping off, his Facebook page shut down, and the public and press looking more closely into the bowling alley owner's hateful actions, the owner and his wife said they'd be willing to speak to only one faith leader from the community he wronged. The #StrikeOutHate demonstration was postponed for one week in hopes a full apology was forthcoming. Alas, it was not.

The evening of the demonstration was sunny and windy, but the activists were

strong in their convictions and strong in voice. The vast majority of traffic passing by the bowling alley and the demonstrators honked and gave thumbs up when they saw the signs and heard the chants. Many in the neighborhood had earlier expressed dismay and anguish that such an individual was allowed to operate a business in their ethnically diverse area. What did it say about their community?

Police cars were plentiful just in case of retaliation by white supremacists who had issued death threats and trolled some of the organizers' social media pages. At the start of the event, four individuals wearing mostly black were seen standing diagonally across the street from the protest. They glared sullenly for about fifteen minutes--one of their group carrying a hockey stick--but eventually they walked away. It's telling that white supremacists are rather timid creatures who slink away when it becomes apparent the rest of the neighborhood doesn't approve of racists or racism and death threats.

In this season of re-birth, it is fitting a revival of Dr. Martin Luther King's Poor People Campaign is  now underway. Fifty years on, the same evils King fought against--racism, militarism, poverty--are still with us, more prolific and onerous than ever before. In 1968 (the year of King's assassination) there were 40 million Americans of all colors living in poverty. Today there are over 140 million poor Americans. The campaign labels itself as a "National Call for Moral Revival," and it is seen as a continuation of the campaign King had planned before his death.

Dr. King saw the interlocking nature of poverty, ecological destruction, systemic racism and militarism. It is impossible to get rid of one of these ills without ridding ourselves of the others. King and many others realized that America's problems were not caused by a scarcity of wealth, rather they are caused by a "scarcity of will." The campaign's six week agenda begins the week after Mother's Day and will focus on key issues in a "season of moral resistance" that isn't so much about "left or right, but right and wrong."

Week 1 will focus on children, women and the disabled in poverty. Week 2 considers the connection of systemic racism and poverty, voting rights and attacks on immigrants. Week 3 features Memorial Day, and so it will focus on veterans' issues. Week 4 will look at ecological devastation and how it affects the poor, as well as the right for all to have access to health care. Week 5 covers the topics of wages, guaranteed income, housing issues and social services. Week 6 concludes the campaign with a discussion of America's "distorted moral narrative."

More information about local and statehouse rallies, teach-ins, and cultural events will be posted online at the Poor People's Campaign web site for your state. The national website is https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/

As the #StrikeOutHate activists understand, our society's problems don't go away simply by us refusing to face them head on. We all need to challenge the status quo. We must expose discriminatory practices and business people such as the bowling alley owner who thinks attacking women wearing head scarves is a good thing and leaving racist/homophobic/Islamophobic/misogynistic comments online is entertaining and not hurtful. We must model the justice and compassion we wish to see in the world. Only by standing up to hate and sticking with love can we ever hope to bring about the future Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life fighting for.

Join one of the first statehouse rallies in Columbus, Ohio:

More about the #StrikeOutHate protest (and how some in the local media seemed more worried  about the owner's lost business than in human rights):

http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2018/04/24/Twin-Oaks-Lanes-owner-draws-fire-for-anti-Muslim-comments.html

http://www.13abc.com/content/news/Toledo-businessowner-in-hot-water-after-Facebook-posts--480764511.html

http://www.wtol.com/story/38034128/west-toledo-business-owner-receives-backlash-for-past-derogatory-social-media-posts-towards-muslims

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As the Poor People's Campaign points out, ecological devastation affects the poor first and foremost. Oil pipelines that leak and threaten water supplies is one such issue that needs calling out. A new protest song epitomizes how First Nations People of Canada have taken on the Kinder Morgan pipeline. Listen to the lyrics to "We Don't Want Your Pipeline" and sing it at your next protest.
https://youtu.be/2bKxATTtVaM 

Jordan Chariton interviews anti-pipeline activists, mother and daughter Red and Minor Terry. Keep a tissue handy while listening to their harrowing story of what's happening to their ancestral home in Virginia. Corporations and governments simply don't care about your health, your civil rights or your  land when they believe there's money to be made exporting fracked natural gas overseas. They'll  destroy pristine woodlands and archeological finds, and then sell you bottled drinking water after they've polluted your well.
https://youtu.be/BPnJsMMIi5M

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Our net neutrality could be under attack this week.  Go to https://www.battleforthenet.com/ to join the battle 

by sending an email to your representatives.

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We have just one week until our 40 Days of Nonviolent Direct Action begin and we need to be ready. 

With thousands of supporters poised for action at dozens of locations around the country as part of our growing moral fusion movement, we have to be prepared for everything. 

That’s why we created the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival Legal Defense Fund—to ensure the rights of those on the front lines in the fight to reclaim our nation’s soul are protected. 

Donate to the fund today to make sure everyone joining our fight on May 14 and beyond has the legal support they need.
 
Poor and disenfranchised people, clergy and advocates will be protesting at more than 30 statehouses across the country, hosting teach-ins and demanding policies that lift up the 140 million Americans living in poverty. This isn’t about left and right, it’s about right and wrong. 

This fund and those who contribute to it are our last line of defense and a vital part of our movement.


Support the nonviolent direct action at the heart of our call for a moral revival in this country. Contribute now.
 
Thank you for everything you do,
The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival


GIVE NOW

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From Credo:

With average payday loan interest rates as high as 338 percent and check-cashing shops charging exploitative fees, more struggling Americans get trapped in inescapable cycles of debt every single year.¹

It's no accident: It's the deliberate strategy of Wall Street-backed lenders that vacuum billions of dollars out of low-income communities every year.² To break the grip of the predatory financial industry we need tough enforcers, strict rules – and a public option like postal banking to serve as a low-cost alternative.

Progressive champions like Sen. Elizabeth Warren have championed postal banking for years and pushed the U.S. Postal Service to use its existing authority to launch pilot programs. Now, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has expanded the fight by introducing new postal banking legislation.³

Tell Congress: Postal banking, not payday lending. Click here to sign the petition.

The dirty secret of the payday lending industry is that there is no money in people repaying their loans on time. The key to the whole profit-making engine, the one that makes lenders’ Wall Street backers rich, is tricking people into taking out a loan and then locking them into months or years of debt. Charging hidden fees and demanding sky-high interest rates, payday lenders are little more than legal loan sharks.⁴

A full postal banking system would offer a low-cost alternative to the most predatory companies. Low-income neighborhoods often lack commercial bank branches, and many struggling families without access to mainstream banks have little choice but to turn to check cashers and payday lenders. Postal banking would offer basic services like check cashing, savings accounts and cheap loans so that one unexpected expense doesn't trap someone in debt for life.⁵

The USPS has done this before, from 1917 until 1967. In 1947, the post office held nearly 10 percent of commercial savings in the United States.⁶ The USPS can do a lot to bring back postal banking on its own and many progressive allies have been pushing for just that. Sen. Gillibrand's new bill adds to those efforts by putting postal banking back on the agenda in a big way.

Tell Congress: Postal banking, not payday lending. Click here to sign the petition.

Some have looked to postal banking as a way to increase revenue for the USPS. But Sen. Gillibrand's bill focuses solely on providing an alternative to payday lenders, thus helping the most vulnerable Americans. The reality is that the USPS's supposed budget woes stem from a deliberate right-wing attempt to sabotage a vital government service by mandating that the agency pre-fund its retiree health care and pension benefits for 75 years – something that no other government agency or private company is forced to do.⁷

Sen. Gillibrand's bill keeps the attention where it belongs: keeping low-income Americans out of the clutches of a predatory financial industry that wants to trap them into debt and exploit them for all they are worth. Postal banking is an idea whose time has come again, and a big show of support for this bill will provide momentum to every effort to make it real.

Tell Congress: Postal banking, not payday lending. Click below to sign the petition:
https://act.credoaction.com/sign/postal_banking_payday?t=8&akid=28419%2E9999572%2EPYJ39d

Thank you for speaking out,
Josh Nelson, Co-Director CREDO Action from Working Assets

Add your name:

References:

1. David Dayen, “The Government is Finally Cracking Down on Legal Loan Sharks,” Fiscal Times, March 27, 2015.
2. Ibid.
3. Alan Pyke, "Gillibrand’s post office banking bill bypasses years of careful, quiet work to kill payday lending," ThinkProgress, April 27, 2018.
4. Dayen, “The Government is Finally Cracking Down on Legal Loan Sharks.”
5. Pyke, "Gillibrand’s post office banking bill bypasses years of careful, quiet work to kill payday lending."
6. Campaign for Postal Banking, "Know the Facts: Is Postal Banking a New Idea?" accessed May 1, 2018.
7. Pyke, "Gillibrand’s post office banking bill bypasses years of careful, quiet work to kill payday lending."

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From Sierra Club:

This year's House Farm Bill is an absolute disaster and it must be stopped. Replete with partisan, anti-environmental provisions, the 2018 House Farm Bill represents Big Ag and pesticide companies over our food supply, wildlife, ecosystem, public health and small farmers -- we need to do everything we can to stop it.

Tell your representative to stop this toxic Farm Bill from ruining our food systems!

What kind of a Farm Bill cuts programs to develop farmer's markets and undermines sustainable farming? It offers subsidies and tax breaks to big corporations while failing our small family farmers, including those who are historically disadvantaged or veterans. It shrinks programs proven to promote soil health and fight climate change, while raising costs for organic farmers.

This bill continues to support big Caged Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and strikes state rights to set their own food and animal standards, such as pesticide bans or cage-free egg requirements. It even dares to cut safety net programs for low-income residents, exacerbating hunger and food insecurity.

Please urge your House representative to vote down this dangerous bill now.

The House bill weakens critical protections to keep wildlife safe from toxic pesticides and unbelievably, seeks to exempt pesticide manufacturers from any liability for harming endangered wildlife. It even proposes a new office to advocate for the use of genetically engineered organisms around the world. This Farm Bill would log its way through our forests, gut water conservation programs and make it easier for corporate polluters to contaminate drinking water.

Act now and please alert your friends and family to do the same. This Farm Bill would cause immense damage and it must be stopped.

The public deserves safe and healthy food, water, wildlife and forests and the House needs to put the greater good before Big Ag's toxic agenda.

Sincerely,

Jordan Giaconia
Federal Policy Associate for Defense
Sierra Club

Today I Am Grateful... To Stay In Bed

Today I Am Grateful...To Stay In Bed
by C. A. Matthews

Ah, there's no way like the "American Way," is there? I wonder if the folks in the classic photo above understood the irony of their situation. With only a small percentage of Americans enjoying that "highest standard of living," did it make it easier or harder for the people in that line to accept that they and their families would probably never have a chance to experience that same standard of living?

But enough about American exceptionalism! We have a special treat this week--words of wisdom from north of the border. (Yes, Canada.) I recommend you also watch Vegematic's video (below his article)  and take him up on his suggestion. Think of all the things we could make right in the world if we all decided for one day to stay in bed for peace.  The list is endless!

Dirk Droll tackles this topic as well on his blog Beanstock's World. He looks at how American society doesn't always allow us to become what we know we can become in One Man's Wish: Let the People Be Free. Jamarl Thomas's video posted there poses the burning question: "What could America really do if we didn't put so many people into massive debt who simply wanted to go to college?"

The following meme sums up your lowly editor's take on these troubling times:

One day, one society, one individual... How can we change things for the better? Can we be grateful during such times of unrelenting stress? Perhaps by educating ourselves as to "who the government works for" (as Jamarl puts it) and uniting to solve our actual problems (not the ones the paid-off pundits try to put over on us, such as how Stormy Daniels will somehow force Trump from office) we'll eventually bring about the change we want to see. And nobody will have to be bombed, gassed or poisoned through their tap water to do so.

Now's the time to forget the "fluff pieces" courtesy of the oligarchy-owned mainstream media and educate ourselves to the real challenges we face. The re-birth of fascism is one of them, and Vegematic sees its potential growing all over the world. (Beanstock's Allies Against Democracy is worth a look, too.) Once informed as to the true dangers of the mega-wealthy and corporate rule, We the People can work together on ways to defeat it once and for all.

Today I am grateful that you've read this far and have a mind of your own, even if some days all I'd rather do is stay in bed and dream of peace. 

The Dangers of Ascendant Fascism 
by Vegematic

 Being a progressive isn't an easy task these days. No matter where you live in the world, fascism seems to have re-emerged from the dark shadows of history into the mainstream of modern political thought. Living in Canada, my American friends tend to view this nation through somewhat rose-colored glasses, a liberal democracy with a strong social safety net. While much of that may be true, even in this largely progressive country, there are ominous rumblings from the extreme right.

The most populous Canadian province, Ontario, is set to elect a Trumpian style premier, Doug Ford, to the province's highest office. This man is obviously emulating Trump to the point of threatening to "lock up" his political opponents. There seems to be a massive backlash against the rapid speed at which Canada's demographics are changing and a desire to turn back the clock on progressive changes. I have personally witnessed this phenomenon first hand, seeing a white Canadian hurl racist epithets at a group of Middle Eastern immigrants while shopping.

There was a time not so long ago that such behavior was unthinkable and unheard of in this part of the world. Conservatives fear change, and conservatives in Canada have seen massive social changes in recent years. We have accepted a large number of refugee families from predominantly Muslim and Latin American nations. We also are about to legalize cannabis, have elected an openly gay woman as premier of Ontario and have a prime minister who is avowedly pro-feminist.

While these are welcome changes to the more progressive among us, they are terrifying to traditionalists. Frightening enough to trigger their reptilian brains into supporting an outright fascist. Canadians like to feel somewhat smug when comparing our nation to our southern neighbors. The truth is that we are much more alike than we are different. We can be every bit as intolerant and xenophobic.

There are national elections scheduled for next year, and I fear a rightward shift in Canada is very likely. This is fast becoming a global phenomenon with extreme right parties forming the governments of Poland and Hungary as well as making significant gains in such formerly liberal bastions as Germany and Scandinavia. The forces of intolerance and regression are out in the open, gaining political power undreamed of a few short years ago.

While it might be tempting to attribute this to Trump's unlikely victory in 2016, I believe it runs much deeper. The fact is many in the working class have been ignored and disenfranchised by liberal political elites and neo-liberal economics for decades. Liberal politicians beholden to large corporate donors have made even incremental change impossible. This has led to various right wing "populist" figures being able to scapegoat minorities instead of actually solving problems like wealth inequality and corporate malfeasance. We have seen this movie before, and it never ends well.

 We as progressives must fight this scourge with everything we've got. We must continue to speak out as well as do all we can to educate the ignorant for whom the siren call of fascism seems to be a solution to their lack of a voice. The problems we face as a planet are enormous and pressing. We cannot solve them with a return to the vicious failed ideologies of the past.
       
 
https://youtu.be/9hd87-ewpNk

Vegematic is a Canadian artist/musician who lives in Ontario, Canada. You can also find his commentary on the Vegematic You Tube channel. 

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In case you haven't seen this eye-opening short video from The Intercept, here's another example of how fascism (Mussolini's term for corporatism) has taken hold in the USA, in particular the Democratic Party. Try not to faint as the manipulation and primary rigging you've always thought was going on is confirmed by Rep. Steny Hoyer, the number two Dem in the House of Representatives. It is amazing how smoothly he can tell a young progressive to get out of the race so the DCCC's chosen candidate can run without competition.(https://youtu.be/qcgPyKt-ysY)

Here are some other examples of how corporations manipulate public opinion and skew the narrative:

Ex-Host Exposes MSNBC: "I Was Told Not To Cover Bernie"
https://youtu.be/QLuO1qDkoNg

The Russia Narrative is Nonsense: Anti-Social Media Censorship and McCarthyist Democrats
https://www.johnlaurits.com/2018/russian-troll-bot-media-propaganda/

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The Revolution Continues has set up an easy way to donate to the cause of keeping it ad-free. Three years without obnoxious ads (that many news sites have to cover costs) has been great, but the editor does have to pay for internet, electricity, etc. Any amount you can donate to keep this progressive site going without those awful ads is appreciated. Thank you.

You can donate via Paypal at http://paypal.me/camatthews 

Power to the people and not the corporations!

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Multinational fish farm corporation Cooke Aquaculture has threatened to use NAFTA to bring a new investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) case against a Washington state environmental law.

This new threat spotlights why the elimination of ISDS is a top demand of labor, civil society, members of Congress, small businesses and academics in the renegotiation of NAFTA.

Tell the Cooke corporation to stand down on its ISDS threat or we will make it the poster child of why ISDS must be eliminated from NAFTA.

Sign the petition now.

ISDS grants rights to multinational corporations to sue the U.S. government before a panel of three corporate lawyers. These lawyers can award the corporations unlimited sums to be paid by America’s taxpayers, including for the loss of expected future profits.

These foreign corporations need only convince the lawyers that a law violates their NAFTA rights. And already almost $500 million has been paid out after NAFTA ISDS attacks.

Here’s the background on this new threat:

Last year, 200,000 of Cooke’s farmed Atlantic salmon escaped from open water “net-pens” into the Puget Sound, swimming up salmon spawning rivers and wreaking havoc on the local ecosystem. Sadly, this was not the first mess caused by Cooke’s massive floating fish pens.

This time, a broad coalition of indigenous tribes, environmentalists and fishing communities organized with Washington state lawmakers to pass a ban on net-pen farming of Atlantic salmon. California, Oregon and Alaska already ban this practice.

Cooke threatened to use NAFTA’s ISDS provisions to dissuade Washington state from passing and enacting the ban. Cooke said it should be paid $76 million in taxpayer money, plus lost expected future profits if the law was enacted.

Fortunately, Washington state policymakers refused to be bullied, and the governor recently signed this important environmental ban into law.

But Cooke could launch its threatened ISDS case at any moment.

Public pressure has forced other companies to back down from ISDS threats to avoid PR nightmares.

To protect this victory, which was hard won by tribes and other activists fighting to protect native salmon and their local bays and rivers in Washington state, we need to make sure that Cooke knows that we are watching.

Cooke must hear loud and clear that, if it dare move forward with this threat, we will make it the poster child of why ISDS must be eliminated from NAFTA.

Add your name to hold Cooke accountable.

Thanks for all you do.

In solidarity,

Melanie Foley
Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch

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May 1st is International Workers' Day.

Sign now to support workers around the world! Communities around the world are participating in actions like marches, rallies, and strikes. This is a day to recognize that workers and their families, especially immigrants and people of color, are being subjected to extreme and escalating attacks on their dignity and security. Fair World Project has joined Food Chain Workers Alliance in creating this statement in support of workers around the world. We encourage all who are able to find an event or action near you. And we invite everyone to show your support for initiatives that create a more just economy by signing the pledge. Sign now to show your support. Thanks for all you do for a just economy, Kerstin on behalf of the Fair World Project Team p.s. Our World Fair Trade Day contest launches tomorrow. Make sure you follow along on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for your chance to win great prizes from brands who are working to create a more just economy alongside producers and workers.  ***  From RootsAction.org: Put Antiwar Billboards in Washington, D.C. We're launching a new effort to raise the funds to put up billboards and/or other large ads in Washington, D.C., as prominently and as close to the halls of government power as possible. This may include ads in Metro trains, stations, etc. Help fund this effort with a tax-deductible donation of any size. We're partnering with WorldBeyondWar.org, so your tax-deductible donations will go further. Your donations are tax-deductible in the United States, and will fund advertising in the U.S. capital and the work of RootsAction.org. Can you help us make this effort a success that fills Washington, D.C., with peace messages? When you donate, please be sure to also tell us which billboard design you like best. -- The RootsAction Education Fund Team www.RootsAction.org