ALL ARTICLES, Quotes January 16, 2020

Notably Quotable: “What’s needed is a people’s revolution and a radical …”

  “What’s needed is a people’s revolution and a radical insurgency that restores government to the governed. Nothing short of that will prevent future Trumps, or solve our very real problems.” — John Atcheson, Common Dreams Mourns Passing of Longtime Contributor and Climate Activist John Atcheson ***** “Only the privileged and the naive believe people’s achievements are purely the product of their own genius.” — Gary Younge, In these bleak times, imagine a world where you can thrive ***** “And the purveyors of propaganda want you to think that in order to be real, we’ve got to counterbalance everything. We have to…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, FEATURE, Rethuglicans, Right Wing Religion, Trumpenstan January 13, 2020

Former GOP Strategist Rick Wilson Pens New Rules For Republicans Who Have Decided To Worship ‘Sniffles The Clown’ Trump As Their God

By Sarah K. Burris Raw Story (1/8/20) Former Republican Rick Wilson unleashed an epic rant against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Wednesday night. As part of the mockery of the South Carolina Senator, Wilson outlined new rules for Republican officials to follow under the leadership of President Donald Trump, who he called “Sniffles The Clown.” “The assertion by Lindsay Graham that today’s bizarre performance by Sniffles The Clown was on par with ‘Tear Down This Wall’ is part of the Saddamification of the GOP,” said Wilson. “What are the new rules?” he asked. Never be the first guy to stop clapping…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, M. Taylor Columns, Trumpenstan January 13, 2020

The Dangerous Mental State & Shared Psychosis Of The ‘King Of Everything’

By Mark L. Taylor The Commoner Call (1/13/20) There has been a growing concern among the nation’s mental health professionals about the psychological state and fitness of Donald Trump in his role as president. His endless tweeting, lying, name calling, impulsivity, inconsistent policy statements and, most recently the assassination of an Iranian military leader, which has put the Middle East on edge and set the stage for serious military and diplomatic repercussions all underline the danger Trump’s mental state brings to the world. In the January 4 episode of the Ralph Nader Radio Hour, Nader does a two-part interview with…

ALL ARTICLES January 13, 2020

How To (Maybe) Convict Trump In The U.S. Senate

“There must be witnesses in the Senate trial of Donald J. Trump.” By Michael Moore Rumble Podcast (1/6/20) Michael Moore lays out the case for how and why the Senate can convict and remove Donald Trump from office. It requires us demanding there be witnesses — there is no trial in a free country without witnesses. John Bolton holds the secret. YOU and this phone number can make it happen: 202-224-3121. Hear Mike’s urgent call to action on this episode of Rumble. Link To 41-Minute Audio  Call Wisconsin’s Senators: Sen. Tammy Baldwin: (202) 224-5653 Sen. Ron Johnson: (202) 224-5323 *****…

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ALL ARTICLES January 13, 2020

As 2020 Race Heats Up Ahead Of Primaries & Caucuses, Sanders Co-Chair Nina Turner Argues Biden ‘Has Repeatedly Betrayed Black Voters’

“I wish the media/political figures were as concerned [about] how Joe Biden’s bad judgement has hurt black people as they are [about] the horserace.” — Briahna Joy Gray, Sanders 2020 national press secretary. By Jessica Corbett Common Dreams (1/12/20) Among the signals that the Democratic presidential race is heating up in the final few weeks before the first round of caucuses and primaries, a leader in Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign on Sunday published an op-ed detailing former Vice President Joe Biden’s record on racial issues and encouraging black voters to support Sanders. In an op-ed for The State—a newspaper based in South Carolina, which…

ALL ARTICLES, Democrats, History They Don't Want You To Know, Resist! January 13, 2020

John Nichols: If Democrats Go Timid & Pull Their Punches, Trump Will Knock Them Out

  By John Nichols The Nation (6/3/19) Who said: “Socialism is a scare word (the corporate special-interest lobbies) have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years. Socialism is what they called public power. Socialism is what they called social security. Socialism is what they called farm price supports. Socialism is what they called bank deposit insurance. Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations. Socialism is their name for anything that helps all the people…”? Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders? Who said: “We are rightly proud of the high standards of medical care…

ALL ARTICLES, Democrats, History They Don't Want You To Know, Media Hits & Misses, Your Brain On Politics January 13, 2020

A Progressive’s Handy Guide To Deciphering The Doublespeak Of Corporate Democrat ‘Centrists’

“Privatization” — Theft of public resources. By Richard Eskow Independent Media Insitute (1/6/20) “Purity test”? “Pragmatic progressive”? “Free stuff”? What are these politicians talking about? If you’re confused, you’re not alone. Certain words and phrases are routinely used by “centrist” political candidates. By design, these terms are imprecise, emotionally charged, and often self-contradicting. In fact, the word “centrist” is just such a term, since polling shows that the economic viewpoint of these candidates—especially regarding health care, Social Security, education and other social programs—is often well to the right of the general public. Pete Buttigieg’s recent use of the term “purity test”…

ALL ARTICLES, Russia Monitor January 13, 2020

Russia Monitor: Branded By The Distinction Forever: ‘Impeached’

“This president is impeached for life, regardless of any gamesmanship on the part of Mitch McConnell. He will be impeached forever.” — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on ‘This Week with George Stephanopoulos’ (1/12/20) By Dan Peak The Commoner Call (1/13/20) Dear Fellow Readers, Three things we know. Trump is impeached, “impeached for life”, as Pelosi says. Trump lies, about everything. Our elections are not fair or safe. Because I also like the headline… PELOSI TO TRUMP: YOU ARE IMPEACHED FOREVER (AND YOUR TWEETS ARE CRAZY) As the sub-head says, she did not hold back: “The Speaker of the House did…

ALL ARTICLES, Climate Change January 13, 2020

Australia’s Burning Forests: A Sign We’ve Slid Far Beyond A Global Climate Crisis Tipping Point

“Nobody saw it coming this soon. It’s likely the forests won’t be coming back as we know them.” By Bob Berwyn Inside Climate News (1/8/20) As extreme wildfires burn across large swaths of Australia, scientists say we’re witnessing how global warming can push forest ecosystems past a point of no return. Some of those forests won’t recover in today’s warmer climate, scientists say. They expect the same in other regions scarred by flames in recent years; in semi-arid areas like parts of the American West, the Mediterranean Basin and Australia, some post-fire forest landscapes will shift to brush or grassland. There’s evidence that…

'Just-Us' System, ALL ARTICLES, History They Don't Want You To Know January 13, 2020

Ronan Farrow’s Take On Interrogating The Truth In A Justice System Geared For The Wealthy

  PBS News Hour / Brief But Spectacular (1/9/20) For investigative reporter Ronan Farrow, the ability to produce a story hinges upon the courage of his interview subjects. But the chance an abuse survivor has to exact justice is tied to the wealth and stature of those they accuse, and we need the transparency and accountability journalism demands to expose this imbalance. Farrow shares his Brief But Spectacular take on interrogating the truth. Link To 4+-Minute Video

ALL ARTICLES, Media Hits & Misses January 13, 2020

‘Guardian’ Journalist Owen Jones On Toxic Politics & Becoming A Target Of Far Right Abuse 

  By Anushka Asthana Today In Focus / The Guardian (1/7/20) Last August the Guardian columnist Owen Jones suffered a horrendous attack as he was out in London celebrating his birthday. In December three men admitted to the charge of affray. Next week a judge will decide whether one of the men, James Healy, was motivated by Jones’s sexuality. Jones is convinced it will not be the last time he is attacked, and that is because he has become accustomed to being a target in person and online. In the past year he’s been repeatedly taunted in the street, including with homophobic abuse….

ALL ARTICLES, History They Don't Want You To Know, War State America January 13, 2020

How Presidents Wage War Without Congress

By Lulu Garcia-Navarro Morning Edition / NPR (1/12/19) The Constitution limits the president’s power to wage war but presidents have gotten around that and Congress has only rarely asserted itself successfully. Lulu Garcia-Navarro: Last week, the House of Representatives voted to require President Trump to seek congressional approval before taking further military action against Iran. The measure now goes to the Senate, where its fate is less certain. And President Trump is not expected to sign anything that restricts his authority, which raises the question, what are the limits to a president’s power to make war? We posed that question…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, War State America January 9, 2020

War Is A Racket: If You Know A Young Person Thinking Of Enlisting, Buy Them This Book. It Might Save Their Life & The Lives Of Others

“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify…

ALL ARTICLES January 9, 2020

War Twins: Biden/Buttigieg Duo Exemplify How Corporatism And ‘The Madness Of Militarism’ Go Together

The equivalents, one might say, of happy-face stickers on corpses. By Norman Solomon Common Dreams (1/7/20) There’s nothing like an illegal and utterly reckless U.S. act of war to illuminate the political character of presidential candidates. In the days since the assassination of Iran’s top military official, two of the highest-polling Democratic contenders have displayed the kind of moral cowardice that got the United States into—and kept it in —horrific wars from Vietnam to Afghanistan and Iraq. Eager to hedge their bets, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg have offered merely tactical critiques of President Trump’s decision to kill Qassim Suleimani….

ALL ARTICLES, Screwing With Your Vote January 9, 2020

Wisconsin Voter Purge: Every City Ranked

By Scott Anderson Patch.com (12/19/19) MILWAUKEE, WI — The fate of 230,000 registered voters in Wisconsin is up for grabs as two groups engage in a legal fight to either keep them on the state’s voter rolls, or kick them off. Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a lawsuit in Ozaukee County Circuit Court, claiming the Wisconsin Election Commission would violate state election laws if they failed remove residents from state voter rolls if residents fail to update their information within 30 days of moving. On Friday, Ozaukee County Circuit Court judge Paul Malloy issued an order…

ALL ARTICLES, Screwing With Your Vote January 9, 2020

Republican Family Secrets: Deceased Strategist’s Daughter Makes Vote-Blocking Files Public That GOP Wanted Sealed

Hofeller files have led to bombshell developments in two major legal battles in the political world. By Hansi Lo Wong NPR (1/5/20) More than a year after his death, a cache of computer files saved on the hard drives of Thomas Hofeller, a prominent Republican redistricting strategist, is becoming public. Republican state lawmakers in North Carolina fought in court to keep copies of these maps, spreadsheets and other documents from entering the public record. But some files have already come to light in recent months through court filings and news reports. They have been cited as evidence of gerrymandering that…

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ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, Climate Change, Police State America January 9, 2020

‘Literally And Politically Flammable’ — Naomi Klein On Risk Of Eco-Fascism

  By Alexander C. Kaufman HuffPost (1/5/19) California burned. The Amazon burned. Greenland burned. Siberia burned. Indonesia burned. Australia’s ongoing fires look hellish. Now, last year’s global inferno looks to Naomi Klein, the author and intellectual godmother of the Green New Deal movement, like a lit fuse to a fascist future. “We’re in a moment where we are literally flammable,” Klein, whose latest book “On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal” was published in September, said on a recent afternoon. “But we are also politically flammable.” In 2019, some factions of the global far-right that gained power in…

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ALL ARTICLES January 9, 2020

Bernie Slams Biden For Repeatedly Trying To Cut Social Security Earned Benefits

In a CNN primetime interview, Bernie spotlights Biden’s repeated efforts to slash the retirement program. By David Sirota Berne Notice / Sanders Campaign (1/7/20) In a primetime CNN interview, Bernie pointed out that Joe Biden repeatedly tried to cut Social Security and Medicare — programs that polls show Democratic voters want protected. Click here to watch the clip. Biden’s for years has tried to slash Social Security and Medicare — all while Bernie was working to stop those cuts. Indeed, the late William Greider noted in The Nation that “Bernie single-handedly forced the issue of Social Security expansion onto the national political agenda.” Here are…

ALL ARTICLES, Russia Monitor January 9, 2020

Russia Monitor: Trump’s Impulsive ‘Wag The Dog’ Iran Policy Teeters Blindly From Farce To Fear

“It’s extremely difficult now to escape the conclusion that @realDonaldTrump started a war because he was impeached.” — Lawyer, Never-Trumper and spouse of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, George Conway Wednesday tweet. By Dan Peak The Commoner Call (1/9/20) Dear Fellow Readers, Iran did not take long to respond to Trump’s assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasam Soleimani. Iran said a response would be proportionate and only target US military – Iranian missiles struck two US military bases in Iraq; there were no deaths. There is still an open question over the crash of a Ukrainian airliner departing the Tehran…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, FEATURE, Police State America January 9, 2020

US Border Officer Uses Nazi Nuremberg Defense To Explain Involvement In Separating Families: “We were all told to do this.”

“Ah, so he was just doing his job? Where have we heard that defense before?” [Editor’s Note: Just a quick reminder to members of the military and police: as the Nuremberg Trials after WW II made clear, doing something wrong simply because you are ordered to do so is no legal — or moral — defense. There is an understanding and legal requirement that soldiers and police refuse to carry out criminal orders. Don’t be a Nazi — be a good citizen first — listen to your conscience, not corrupt commanders. — Mark L. Taylor] By Julia Conley Common Dreams…

ALL ARTICLES January 9, 2020

The World Turns A Blind Eye Toward China’s Campaign Of Terror Against Uighur Muslims

  By Mehdi Hasan Deconstructed Podcast (12/28/19) IT’S BEEN DESCRIBED as the worst human rights crisis in the world — the arbitrary detention in sprawling camps of a million or more Uighur Muslims in China’s northwestern Xinjiang province. The Chinese government has claimed that the camps are merely vocational training centers, but in November a trove of leaked documents, dubbed the China Cables, confirmed what the world had long suspected: the camps are Communist Party re-education centers in which Uighurs are forced to abandon their traditional religion and language. Nury Turkel is a U.S.-based attorney and Uighur rights advocate and he…

ALL ARTICLES, Quotes January 9, 2020

Notably Quotable: “Looking at impeachment, what he did, for sure, is survey the situation and understood that with this action…”

“Looking at impeachment, what he did, for sure, is survey the situation and understood that with this action, with this strike, that he would create a giant smokescreen that clouds and distracts around the issue of impeachment,” he suggested. This is a political act that has endangered the country. And the result of this is a more dangerous world where Americans will be killed that otherwise would not have been killed.” — Steve Schmidt, former republican strategist, ‘Blood will be spilled’: Steve Schmidt explains Trump’s plan to get re-elected in 2020 ***** “The president of the United States is as easy to…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, M. Taylor Columns, Media Hits & Misses, War State America, Your Brain On Politics January 6, 2020

NPR Drops Obediently Into Place With Pro-War Interview

By Mark L. Taylor Commoner Call (1/6/20) On Friday morning (2/3) in a segment provocatively entitled Expert Warns Iran Likely Will Retaliate For U.S. Killing Of Top General, National Public Radio’s ‘Morning Edition’ host Steve Innskeep interviewed retired general Jack Keane, who the network website described as “a retired Army general who regularly talks to President Trump, about the U.S. strategy on Iran…”. But there is much, much more to the general than that bland, anodyne descriptor. A quick search found some very important information about Keane. Media Matters notes: “Jack Keane is a retired U.S. Army general and a longtime Fox News military…

ALL ARTICLES, History They Don't Want You To Know, M. Taylor Columns, Trumpenstan, War State America January 6, 2020

Trump’s Past Tweets Accusing Obama Of Pending Attacks On Iran Expose His Own Personal Weaknesses

By Mark L. Taylor The Commoner Call (1/6/20) Psychological projection is an unconscious defensive behavior in which those with troubled and weak personalities angrily and snidely accuse others of the very weaknesses they can’t face in themselves. Donald Trump is a naked poster boy of the phenomenon. This past week Trump’s psychological projections were broadcast worldwide with his ordered assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, leading to well-founded fears of renewed war in the Middle East. Throughout Barack Obama’s presidency Trump launched tweets accusing Obama of what he himself is now doing. In the process, he projected his own personal…

ALL ARTICLES, Democrats, M. Taylor Columns, Worker Notes by Tom Crofton January 6, 2020

Bernie’s Decorah Rally Last Friday Revealed A Secret Corporate Media & The DNC Don’t Want You To Know

“A campaign by the working class, of the working class and for the working class.” — Bernie Sanders, Decorah, Iowa (3/2/20) By Mark L. Taylor The Commoner Call (1/6/20) Last Friday my pal Tom Crofton and I headed off to Decorah, Iowa to help with the Bernie Sanders rally that evening. The event was at the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds in a large, cavernous room decorated with 4-H quilts from area clubs. One proudly proclaimed: “We Pledge our … Hearts, Hands and Health.” Looked like just the right spot for a Bernie campaign rally. I will confess that when I walked…

ALL ARTICLES, Democrats January 6, 2020

Enough With Saying Biden Is The ‘most electable’. Trump Would Run Circles Around Him

“The Hillary Clinton of 2020.” By Nathan Robinson The Guardian (1/4/20) Supporters of Joe Biden are unlikely to be persuaded by most of the common criticisms. They know he can be rambling and unintelligible. They know his record is unimpressive and that he doesn’t really have “policy proposals”. None of this matters, though, because to them he has the most important quality of all: he can beat Donald Trump. Nothing you can say about Biden’s record, platform, or mental state matters next to the argument that he is the best hope Democrats have of getting Trump out of office. His electability…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, Democrats, History They Don't Want You To Know January 6, 2020

The Real Risk Of Biden Winning: “Playing it safe is going to get us killed.”

  “If Democrats meet the public’s demand for real change with something fake, the other side is willing to offer the real thing. The real risk of a Joe Biden nomination might not be that he could lose to Trump — though that is certainly plausible — but that he will beat Trump, fail to deliver, and open the door for a fascist who actually knows what he’s doing. Playing it safe is going to get us killed.” — Ryan Grim, last paragraph from the epilogue of “We’ve Got People: From Jesse Jackson to Alexandria-Cortez, and the End of Big…

ALL ARTICLES, Russia Monitor January 6, 2020

Russia Monitor: Trump’s Involvement In Ukraine Schedule Drones On In Midst Of Self-Inflicted Iran Crisis

“Trump promised to end endless wars, but this action puts us on the path to another one.” — Sen. Bernie Sanders quote regarding Trump’s decision to assassinate Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasam Soleimani ***** “I could have been very popular, I think, if I had launched a military attack on Iran…Ultimately, my goal was to preserve the integrity of my country, although I lost the election maybe partially because of that. Every hostage did come home, safe & free.” — Former President Jimmy Carter 2006. ***** “Pentagon officials were stunned.” But a legion of psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health experts…

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ALL ARTICLES, Media Hits & Misses January 6, 2020

The Extreme Chinese Cult Behind The Facebook-Fueled Rise Of Trump-Worshiping ‘Epoch Times’

 Epoch Times wields one of the biggest social media followings of any news outlet. [Editor’s Note: This otherwise great article makes a fundamental linguistic mistake. It repeatedly refers to Falun Gong as a “spiritual” group, sect, practice or movement. Let’s get clear about something: Falun Gong is a dangerous and deceptive cult. Too often media is careless with language and in the process miss essential elements of important stories. With its growing destructive influence the Epoch Times is wielding, proper terminology is essential . — Mark L. Taylor] By Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins MSNBC (8/20/19) By the numbers, there is…

ALL ARTICLES, American Socialist Tradition, Resist! January 6, 2020

Millennials Are Looking To Socialism Because They Want To Make America Great — But For Everyone

How do you know whether you’re a socialist? Could you be one already without knowing it? By Nathan Robinson NBC (1/2/20) The word “socialism” is becoming more and more mainstream. When Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders launched his 2016 presidential bid, only a fringe few dared to use the label. To call yourself a socialist was supposedly a political death sentence. Now, in part thanks to Sanders, many are wearing “socialism” as a badge of pride. Dozens of socialist candidates have won seats all over the country, including two members of Congress, and membership in the Democratic Socialists of America has exploded. According to a 2019…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, Media Hits & Misses, War State America January 6, 2020

Ralph Nader On Eisenhower’s Warning: Prophetic & Presently Understated

    The American Conservative (7/6/18) The American Conservative hosted its annual crony capitalism conference at which Ralph Nader delivered a speech on the military industrial congressional complex titled “Eisenhower’s Warning: Prophetic and Presently Understated.” Nader is an author, consumer advocate, and former presidential candidate. He is one of America’s most effective social critics, and has emerged as a leading voice against the growing convergence of government and corporate interests. He is the author of Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State. Link To 32-Minute Video Eisenhower’s Famous Farewell ‘Military Industrial Complex’ Warning — Ike’s warning about the…

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ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, FEATURE, Media Hits & Misses, Resist!, Your Brain On Politics January 6, 2020

DOCUMENTARY — Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky And The Media

  At yet another time of deceit and manipulation toward war, it is essential to understand how the corporate owners of the economy & government manufacture the consent of the population to send their children off to die in yet another useless war. Encore (11/16/17) Manufacturing Consent explores the political life and ideas of world-renowned linguist, intellectual and political activist Noam Chomsky. Through a collage of biography, archival material and various graphics and illustrations, Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick’s 22-award-winning documentary highlights Chomsky’s probing analysis of mass media and his critique of the forces at work behind the daily news….

ALL ARTICLES, American Socialist Tradition, Democrats, Resist! January 2, 2020

The Book Corporate Dems Do NOT Want You Reading: Recent History Of Democratic Party Reveals Corrosive Influence Of Corporate Cash, Betrayal Of Workers & The Road To Reform

This is a book of real hope for progressives. In his new book Intercept journalist Ryan Grim lays out what exactly has happened to what used to be known as the party of the working people. Grim shows that when democrats truly stand for progressive ideas and values they win. As Grim documents in this fascinating book, over and over, tired old usual program of Democratic Party Wall Street obsequious corporate ‘centrism’ is the ticket to failure and ruin. If we — and the climate crisis stressed planet — hope to survive, we must wrest back control of the Democratic…

ALL ARTICLES, Democrats January 2, 2020

Older Voters Supporting Biden Need A Reality Check: He Has Worked Hard & Cut Deals To Slash Both Medicare & Social Security

By Branko Marcetic In These Times (4/26/19) Former Vice President Joe Biden, who officially announced his presidential campaign on Thursday, is positioning himself as the defender of the embattled working class: giving speeches to union audiences, tapping organized labor for early support, walking the Stop & Shop picket lines, and pairing his announcement with a reportedly impending endorsement from the International Association of Firefighters, who have pledged to help him raise money. However, an episode from the not-so-distant past cuts against this “friend of the working man” image: Biden’s leading role in the Obama administration’s 2011 efforts to slash the deficit by offering Republicans spending cuts to…

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ALL ARTICLES, Screwing With Your Vote January 2, 2020

Federal Judge Blocks NC’s Restrictive Voter ID Law, Citing State’s ‘Sordid History’ Of Racist Voter Suppression

  By Julia Conley Common Dreams (1/1/20) Civil rights advocates on Tuesday praised a federal judge in North Carolina who struck down the state’s new voter ID law, saying in her ruling that there was likely “discriminatory intent” behind state Republicans’ attempt to force voters to present specific forms of identification at the polls. U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs wrote in her ruling that the law, S.B. 824, was the latest example of North Carolina’s “sordid history of racial discrimination and voter suppression stretching back to the time of slavery, through the era of Jim Crow, and, crucially, continuing up to the present day.”…

ALL ARTICLES, American Fascism, War State America January 2, 2020

From Military Brig To Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s ‘Toxic’ Pet War Criminal Cashes In On Newfound Fame

Along with all sorts of items emblazoned with the logo “KILL BAD DUDES,” the site sells a “Waterboarding Instructor” shirt. By Dave Phillips The New York Times (12/31/19) A year ago, Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher was wearing drab prison scrubs at a brig near San Diego, facing murder charges that could have sent him to prison for the rest of his life. Now he is modeling his own lifestyle clothing brand, endorsing nutrition supplements and positioning himself as a conservative influencer with close ties to the man who helped clear him — President Trump. Chief Gallagher was…

ALL ARTICLES, Russia Monitor January 2, 2020

Russia Monitor: Trump World’s Secret Deals, Back Door Deals & Rudy Deals Stoke World Chaos

  By Dan Peak Commoner Call (1/2/20) Dear Fellow Readers, Trump’s personal clown lawyer Rudy Giuliani might as well be Trump’s pay-for-play Secretary of State. We are told that Rudy is not being paid by Trump. To date we only know that Giuliani has received $500,000 from indicted associate Lev Parnas, who has been paid $1 million by indicted Russian billionaire oligarch Dymtro Firtash who is linked to Russian mafia in addition to being at the center of all things Trump-Ukraine conspiracy theories. Of course Trump has acknowledged that he’s getting his guidance from Russian President Vladimir Putin, but it’s…

ALL ARTICLES, FEATURE, History They Don't Want You To Know, Media Hits & Misses, Resist! January 2, 2020

Rumble With Michael Moore Episode 10: Reconsidering The Important Legacy Of Ralph Nader

  Rumble With Michael Moore (12/29/19) Michael Moore and Ralph Nader have a complicated relationship. So during his trip to D.C. to witness the impeachment of Donald Trump, Michael was surprised when he bumped into Ralph while visiting the office of Flint’s representative in Congress. They ended up having their first real conversation in nearly 20 years. Ralph agreed to let Michael record it for this podcast. Rumble Reads: Ralph Nader and Mark Green’s new book “Fake President” is here. Read more about the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact here. Follow Ralph here. Send in a voice message to Michael….

ALL ARTICLES, Economic Injustice, One Percenters January 2, 2020

What Citizen Needs Could Be Met If Billionaires Paid The Taxes They Should? We Do The Math

The richest 1% own nearly 40% of all the wealth, but pay only 20% of all the taxes.   By Michael Linden The Guardian (12/13/19) “Every billionaire is a policy failure.” So says a key adviser to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez herself says that it’s wrong to have a “system that allows billionaires to exist” alongside poverty. And the New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo recently called for us to “abolish billionaires”. For most of the last four decades, the gains from economic growth have flowed overwhelmingly to the rich. Much of those gains to the rich weren’t “earned” in any traditional sense, but rather extracted,…

ALL ARTICLES January 2, 2020

Hey, Progressive Dems, Get Ready For A Nasty Stop-Bernie Onslaught Like You’ve Never Seen Before

From the grassroots, as 2020 gets underway, the solution should be clear: All left hands on deck. By Norman Solomon Nation Of Change (12/27/19) A central premise of conventional media wisdom has collapsed. On Thursday, both the New York Times and Politico published major articles reporting that Bernie Sanders really could win the Democratic presidential nomination. Such acknowledgments will add to the momentum of the Bernie 2020 campaign as the new year begins — but they foreshadow a massive escalation of anti-Sanders misinformation and invective. Throughout 2019, corporate media routinely asserted that the Sanders campaign had little chance of winning the nomination. As is…