After Bernie quit and endorsed Biden, his national spokeswoman Briahna Joy Gray—valuing her integrity more than her political career—tweeted: “With the utmost respect for Bernie Sanders, who is an incredible human being & a genuine inspiration, I don’t endorse Joe Biden. I supported Bernie Sanders because he backed ideas like #MedicareForAll, cancelling ALL student debt, & a wealth tax. Biden supports none of those.”
There have been times in U.S. history when the rank and file in labor unions have been told by gutless or corrupt union leadership to cave to management demands but they refused to comply, defying both their union leadership and management. It’s called a wildcat strike. That’s what my father and thousands of other postal workers did in 1970, as one postal worker put it, “standing 10 feet tall instead of groveling in the dust.” And they won.
Gene Debs, Ralph Nader, and Briahna Joy Gray weren’t ready to grovel in the dust, and those of us who have any energy should consider expending it supporting courageous people like them, as well as maintaining our own integrity and helping one another from becoming too broken to fight.
Integrity is in short supply these days. I'm tired of the Noam Chomskys telling us to vote for Joe Biden. Go back to ratting out people to the CIA, Noam. No one needs you.
Let's do Idiot of the Week: Tom Petty's family. Their panties are in a wad that Donald Trump had "I Won't Back Down" played over the loudspeakers at his rally.
It's political speech, assholes. Take your tender snowflake side and shove it your asses, you stupid pieces of trash.
I will never vote for Donald Trump.
I will also never support these idiot bastards who think they can determine which politician uses their music at the rallies. Either say, "I don't want anyone using it," or shut the f**k up. I'm sick of you. It's political speech, you pieces of trash.
When you bitch and moan, you're just bitching and moaning about democracy -- f**k off.
"BLINDSPOT and my pick for the ten scariest movies" is Stan's latest post. He covers BLINDSPOT each week. Season five is a huge disappointment and viewers are fleeing the show. It's pointless and I still can't believe they killed off Reid. Anyway, this is from CINEMA BLEND:
Television shows have varying shelf lives. Some go on for more than a decade, like Supernatural and Grey’s Anatomy, while others have only a few seasons to tell its stories. Blindspot is somewhere in the middle. The series was renewed for a fifth and final season (not too shabby!), and Sullivan Stapelton recently revealed why he was actually happy to hear the show was being cancelled.
Blindspot’s future was called into question after NBC made a schedule change while Season 4 was still airing last year. Not to mention that it’s been on the verge of getting cancelled before then. So when the network renewed the show for a shortened and final fifth season, Blindspot’s Sullivan Stapleton was thrilled because it meant NBC execs were letting the story play out in Season 5 instead of abruptly calling it quits after the major Season 4 cliffhanger. Here’s what Stapleton told Collider:
"We didn’t know whether it was gonna get renewed again. It was that funny thing where you do the season, and then you’re sitting around for a few months, just waiting to know whether you get to go back to work or not. This time, we heard that we got renewed for Season 5 and that it would be this half-season, it was great to hear that we’d get to actually finish, the way that we should. We were pre-warned that it was the last season, and that gave the writers a good chance to wrap things up, on the note that they wanted to, and not because the show had been canceled. I was really quite grateful. It was a nice way to end."
Last week, I asked whether all the movies at the theaters had showed up at AMAZON? This week they added Kevin Bacon's horror movie YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT. I'm guessing that they don't have much left to offer. Why? FORD VS. FERRARI was the 'new' movie on HBO Saturday night. HBO's been showing that film for over a month. Now they're putting it on Saturday night -- when they're supposed to have a new movie each week?
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Friday, June 19, 2020. Turkey continues its invasion of Iraq, the
country's prime minister remains silent even as protests mount in the
streets, we look at the US presidential race, and more.
Angela Walker, angela@howiehawkins.us
Kevin Zeese, Press Secretary, 301-996-6582, kevin@howiehawkins.us
They say the nationwide uprising against police brutality and racism should raise these demands in order to make more fundamental changes in public safety systems than only reforming police practices and shifting some money in police budgets to social services.
The movement is also demanding to Defund the Police. Defunding means scaling back what police do and transferring the savings into social services, schools, housing, and community economic development. Defunding means removing police from dealing with many social problems such as homelessness, drug use, sex work, mental health crises, domestic disputes, and school discipline that are better addressed by other trained first responders, including social workers, EMTs, doctors, child protective services, therapists, and legal aid lawyers.
Reforming police practices and reallocating portions of police budgets to the provision of social services are not enough. These reforms do not shift the power to control policing to the people the police are supposed to protect and serve. These reforms do not provide enough resources to resolve the social problems that police are now sent in to contain because the system has criminalized problems like poverty, homelessness, mental health issues, and drug use. These reforms do not decriminalize personal drug use and possession, the largest single category of arrests and imprisonment in the US criminal justice system.
If we are going to truly create a public safety system that serves and protects the people, we must add three critical demands to the our menu of reforms:
1. Community Control of the Police
Police brutality will not stop as long as the police can continue to police themselves and brutalize people with impunity. We need Community Control of the Police to make the police work for the people and be held accountable for misconduct. Community control means police commissions, publicly-elected or randomly-selected like juries, with the power to hire and fire the police chief, to independently investigate and discipline police misconduct, to formulate and oversee police practices and budgets, and to negotiate police union contracts. Community control shifts the power over policing to the people and away from the police and the power structure that created the abusive policing system we now have.
2. Federal Social Investment to End Poverty and Economic Despair
Police budgets do not have enough money with reallocations to pay for the services and economic development that working-class communities of color need. Sending in cops instead of social services and economic resources has been at the center of the public austerity program of the power structure. As part of reimagining public safety, it is time to fight crime by fighting poverty instead of sending in the police for every social problem. That will require a multi-year, multi-trillion federal investment in community-controlled housing, schools, social services, and businesses in the communities of color that have been impoverished by generations of discrimination by racists who exploit these communities.
3. Decriminalize Drugs
Ending the war on drugs will take the single biggest bite out of police budgets. Drug law offenses account for 16% of all arrests and are the single biggest category of arrests. Drug offenses account for about 1 in 5 people in jail or prison, including 46% of federal prisoners. Drug abuse is a health problem, not a criminal problem. Instead of a criminal offense, we must make drug use and possession a violation that refers drug users to medical and social services.
We discuss this approach in more detail in our policy paper on Reimagining Public Safety.
Turkey
continues its invasion of Iraq -- it's bombing the country with war
planes and has sent foot soldiers into the country. The Arab League,
the UAE and Saudi Arabia have all condemned the actions of the Turkish
government. Another country joins them this morning. EGYPT TODAY reports:
In a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Egypt affirms its
complete rejection of any interference affecting the sovereignty of any
of the brotherly Arab states.
“Egypt stresses utter rejection of any interferences that may undermine the sovereignty of any of its brotherly Arab countries, taking into account the consequences of these actions in further fueling instability in the region, while calling on all parties to respect the sovereignty of Iraq, and to spare it any international or regional rivalries that would hinder the achievement of the aspirations of the government and people of brotherly Iraq for stability and development,” the statement read.
“Egypt stresses utter rejection of any interferences that may undermine the sovereignty of any of its brotherly Arab countries, taking into account the consequences of these actions in further fueling instability in the region, while calling on all parties to respect the sovereignty of Iraq, and to spare it any international or regional rivalries that would hinder the achievement of the aspirations of the government and people of brotherly Iraq for stability and development,” the statement read.
The Turkish government is calling their act of terrorism Operation Tiger-Claw.
The Turkish government insists that they are battling the PKK. Who? Aaron Hess (International Socialist Review) described the PKK in 2008,
"The PKK emerged in 1984 as a major force in response to Turkey's
oppression of its Kurdish population. Since the late 1970s, Turkey has
waged a relentless war of attrition that has killed tens of thousands of
Kurds and driven millions from their homes. The Kurds are the world's
largest stateless population -- whose main population concentration
straddles Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria -- and have been the victims of
imperialist wars and manipulation since the colonial period. While
Turkey has granted limited rights to the Kurds in recent years in order
to accommodate the European Union, which it seeks to join, even these
are now at risk."
The Turkish
government regularly issues statements praising themselves for killing X
number of PKK. They never acknowledge when they kill civilians. In yesterday's snapshot, we noted Abbas Maghdid, the 30-year-old shepherd that the Turkish government killed in this week's attacks. Today, ALJAZEERA and ASHARQ AL-AWSAT note Abbas.
Kurdish political sources said that the broad Turkish operation
underway in northern Iraq could not have been possible without prior
coordination and facilitation with the Kurdish parties, especially the
Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Masoud Barzani. The Iraqi government
strongly condemned the Turkish incursions and summoned the Turkish
ambassador in Baghdad, Fatih Yildiz, twice within the space of 36 hours.
The sources indicated that Kurdish authorities are looking for ways to protect their interests with some Arab countries while Turkey is circulating news that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is receiving support from countries hostile to Ankara, and especially after reports indicating that Turkey is building military bases in northern Iraq.
Local sources said that the authorities of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq associated with Barzani are still keeping silent about the Turkish military operation, while tracking money transfers directed to support the opposition PKK.
Iraqi-Kurdish political analyst Hoshyar Malu said that “Turkey is violating international law while the Iraqi government is showing a timid reaction” regarding the first Turkish air strikes, a reaction that did not deter a ground operation.
The sources indicated that Kurdish authorities are looking for ways to protect their interests with some Arab countries while Turkey is circulating news that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is receiving support from countries hostile to Ankara, and especially after reports indicating that Turkey is building military bases in northern Iraq.
Local sources said that the authorities of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq associated with Barzani are still keeping silent about the Turkish military operation, while tracking money transfers directed to support the opposition PKK.
Iraqi-Kurdish political analyst Hoshyar Malu said that “Turkey is violating international law while the Iraqi government is showing a timid reaction” regarding the first Turkish air strikes, a reaction that did not deter a ground operation.
Mustafa
Al-Kadhimi has been prime minister of Iraq since May 7th. Though he
sought media attention last week by taking reporters with him for a
for-show tour of Mosul, he's remained silent on the Turkish attack.
This as the Iraqi people are being informed that they're losing jobs.
His silence only makes him look weak. And his administration already
has enough problems. MEMO reports:
The
Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq accused the Iraqi government and
Shabak militia Thursday of torturing prisoners in jails in Nineveh
governorate, Anadolu reports.
“Detainees
in the government’s and militia’s prisons in Iraq are subjected to
heinous crimes that go against human nature,” the association’s general
secretariat said in a statement.
“A
report issued Wednesday by the Iraqi Center for Documentation of War
Crimes revealed extensive human rights violations that are
systematically taking place in intelligence prisons in Nineveh
governorate at the hands of intelligence agents and the militia, known
as the Shabak militia,” the statement added.
There has been no comment from the Iraqi government.
"No
comment" really isn't a position that indicates leadership. Mustafa
replaces a prime minister who couldn't finish his term because the Iraqi
people saw him as inept. Mustafa risks the same route currently.
The
fact that protests are already being mounted should indicate to Mustafa
that the time for silence has ended and he needs to make some sort of
statement.
In the US, the Libertarian Party has selected their nominee for US president: Jo Jorgensen.
May 23rd, she became the party's nominee. The always ridiculous Dean
Obeidallah immediately wrote a column for CNN telling people not to vote
for her. As a Muslim, he insisted, the only choice was Joe Biden.
As
a Muslim? The Drone War is something Lying Dean never heard of? The
Iraq War? When has Joe Biden ever done anything other than persecute
Muslims?
Dean's just another whore trying
to tell you who to vote for. Your vote is your vote. Use it as you see
fit. That includes not voting if you don't believe in the rigged
process.
Iraq War veteran Adam Kokesh was also seeking that nomination. We'll again note his interview with Jorgensen from last week.
Gloria La Riva
is another candidate for the US president. She is the presidential
nominee for both the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Peace
and Freedom Party.
That's
two women who are running for the US presidency. Meanwhile, despite
vowing long ago that he would select a woman as his running mate if he
got the nomination, Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden still seems
unable or unwilling to choose. Gretch The Wretch is out -- not just due
to her looking the other way as police attacked civilians, but also
because of her husband's abuse of office that they tried to play down as
a joke. It wasn't a joke and before Memorial Day ended, Gretch The
Wretch was off the list. Press favorite Amy Klobuchar also took a
tumble -- her 'hard on crime' stance turns out to really just be, attack
African-Americans. She was notified late Wednesday that she was
eliminated -- no rose from Bachelor Joe -- which is why she gave her
interview yesterday pretending she'd made the decision to leave the
process and consideration. Right now, the campaign's leaning towards
one of these three: Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Susan Rice.
Susan
Rice is the first you can toss out. Squinty-eyed and untrustworthy,
the Biden campaign's polling suggests adding Susan to the ticket does
very little. She's a War Hawk who supported the Iraq War and is little
known despite holding prominent positions. Those who do know of her
tend to hold an unfavorable position towards her. As one of his
advisors told me, "We do not have the time to run a presidential
campaign and rehabilitate his running mate at the same time. Susan
buried her own career on that fateful Sunday." He's referring to her
going from chat show to chat show insisting that the attack in Benghazi
was the result of a YOUTUBE video.
The same
advisor says Kamala polls better than Elizabeth. (Stanley Greenberg has
publicly stated that adding Elizabeth to the ticket would ensure
victory for Joe in November.) Elizabeth has a number of negatives
which, the advisor points out, is one of the reasons she didn't end up
with the presidential nomination. Kamala is seen as more of a blank
slate that voters can project upon while Elizabeth's previous baggage
weighs her down.
Joe has very little to offer
so he continues to tease this out. It's the only remotely interesting
thing about his dull and uninspiring campaign.
Another person who would like to be president? Howie Hawkins.
Howie Hawkins
is seeking the Green Party's presidential nomination and he's already
selected his running mate: Angela Nicole Walker. Though he is currently
the presidential nominee for the Socialist Party USA, he has not
secured the nomination from the Green Party.
The
Green Party will hold their convention online in July (the ninth
through the twelth). Hawkins leads in most polling and his only
double-digit contender a month out from the convention is Dario Hunter.
Polling at less than three percent are David Rolde, Sedinam
Moyowasitza-Curry, Dennis Lambert, Kent Mesplay, Jesse Ventura (who has
done press but has not officially entered the race -- and has stated he
will not run for the office but will consider it should the office be
offered to him), Susan Buchser Lochocki and Chad Wilson.
Howie Hawkins' campaign issued the following this week:
For Immediate Release: June 18, 2020
Howie Hawkins, howie@howiehawkins.usAngela Walker, angela@howiehawkins.us
Kevin Zeese, Press Secretary, 301-996-6582, kevin@howiehawkins.us
Hawkins and Walker Call for More Radical Changes to Policing
Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker, the leading candidates for the Green Party nomination for president and vice president, released the following statement today calling for community control of the police, large-scale federal spending to end poverty, and the decriminalization of drugs.They say the nationwide uprising against police brutality and racism should raise these demands in order to make more fundamental changes in public safety systems than only reforming police practices and shifting some money in police budgets to social services.
Creating a Public Safety System That Really Protects and Serves
By Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker
June 18, 2020
A long menu of policing reforms has been thrust into public debate
and legislative consideration by the nationwide uprising against police
brutality and racism. Many of the proposed reforms of policing practices
at the state, local, and federal levels are good policies.June 18, 2020
The movement is also demanding to Defund the Police. Defunding means scaling back what police do and transferring the savings into social services, schools, housing, and community economic development. Defunding means removing police from dealing with many social problems such as homelessness, drug use, sex work, mental health crises, domestic disputes, and school discipline that are better addressed by other trained first responders, including social workers, EMTs, doctors, child protective services, therapists, and legal aid lawyers.
Reforming police practices and reallocating portions of police budgets to the provision of social services are not enough. These reforms do not shift the power to control policing to the people the police are supposed to protect and serve. These reforms do not provide enough resources to resolve the social problems that police are now sent in to contain because the system has criminalized problems like poverty, homelessness, mental health issues, and drug use. These reforms do not decriminalize personal drug use and possession, the largest single category of arrests and imprisonment in the US criminal justice system.
If we are going to truly create a public safety system that serves and protects the people, we must add three critical demands to the our menu of reforms:
1. Community Control of the Police
Police brutality will not stop as long as the police can continue to police themselves and brutalize people with impunity. We need Community Control of the Police to make the police work for the people and be held accountable for misconduct. Community control means police commissions, publicly-elected or randomly-selected like juries, with the power to hire and fire the police chief, to independently investigate and discipline police misconduct, to formulate and oversee police practices and budgets, and to negotiate police union contracts. Community control shifts the power over policing to the people and away from the police and the power structure that created the abusive policing system we now have.
2. Federal Social Investment to End Poverty and Economic Despair
Police budgets do not have enough money with reallocations to pay for the services and economic development that working-class communities of color need. Sending in cops instead of social services and economic resources has been at the center of the public austerity program of the power structure. As part of reimagining public safety, it is time to fight crime by fighting poverty instead of sending in the police for every social problem. That will require a multi-year, multi-trillion federal investment in community-controlled housing, schools, social services, and businesses in the communities of color that have been impoverished by generations of discrimination by racists who exploit these communities.
3. Decriminalize Drugs
Ending the war on drugs will take the single biggest bite out of police budgets. Drug law offenses account for 16% of all arrests and are the single biggest category of arrests. Drug offenses account for about 1 in 5 people in jail or prison, including 46% of federal prisoners. Drug abuse is a health problem, not a criminal problem. Instead of a criminal offense, we must make drug use and possession a violation that refers drug users to medical and social services.
We discuss this approach in more detail in our policy paper on Reimagining Public Safety.
###
Joseph Kishore is the presidential nominee for the Socialist Equality Party and his running mate is Norissa Santa Cruz.
This
is not the first time the candidates have been noted at this site. We
will continue to note them. Joe Biden would probably prefer that we not
note -- or at least comment -- on him. If you have a favorite above
and don't feel they got enough attention in this snapshot, grasp that
this is not the only coverage at this site of the candidates. Also
grasp that with any candidate outside the duopoly, we can only do so
much. Meaning if Dario Hunter, to pick one example, isn't making
videos, giving interviews, Tweeting or campaigning regularly, there's
not a great deal I can do to note his campaign.
The following sites updated:
