Concerned Families of Westchester Newsletter
October 29, 2017
Hello All – South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham was shocked, shocked to learn that the USA had 800 military personnel in Niger, and several thousand troops on the continent of Africa. But who could blame him? How could even a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee keep track of our many wars? The New York Times highlighted this problem in an editorial last week, "America's Forever Wars." "The United States has been at war continuously since the attacks of 9/11," said the editors, "and now has just over 240,000 active-duty and reserve troops in at least 172 countries and territories." Considering that only 193 countries are members of the United Nations, that's quite a record. Compared to Empires of the past, such as those of Rome or Great Britain, the United States is way ahead of the competition.
I don't think we as a people have digested what it means to be an Empire. Wars and foreign affairs generally play little part in our political policy debates. Yet much of the business of Empires is preparing for war, expanding the areas of the world under control of the Empire, and putting down the small wars that inevitably arise. Like Rome and Great Britain, we deploy essentially mercenary armies, drawn disproportionally from less affluent communities at home, or from the countries under occupation. Where the British Empire was focused on India and defending "the lifeline" to India (which meant just about anywhere between London and Calcutta), the backbone of the American Empire is the defense/control of oil resources or hard-to-find minerals. And like the Caesars of Rome or the Wellingtons of Great Britain, one road to political power was to appear to be a military hero, an alarming trend exemplified by the likes of Generals Mattis, Kelly, McMaster, and (briefly) Flynn and Petraeus.
There is very little visible opposition to this Imperial trend. This applies to Democrats as well as Republicans. And we have no antiwar movement that I'm aware of. Why is this? In addition to the obvious points – the country (or at least the affluent) is prospering, we have no draft and few battle casualties, etc. – I think we have to acknowledge the support for military aggression by our elite media. In the New York Times editorial referenced above, for example, the "newspaper of record" placed the blame for lack of clarity about why we have "forever wars" on Congress. Yet as the venerable website pointed out, "from Afghanistan (both the 2001 invasion and Obama's 2009 surge) to Iraq (the 2003 invasion and Obama re-entering the country in August 2014 to fight ISIS) to Syria (both CIA-backed regime change and bombing ISIS) to Korea to our drone wars in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, the New York Times has endorsed and often cheered every of these "forever wars."
Perhaps the Times editorial is a straw in the wind and represents a change of course within the elite. Perhaps awareness that we have soldiers in 172 countries will awaken the hinterlands. Perhaps the accounting awkwardness that arises from spending more than $1 trillion each year on military activities will nudge the political elite towards a discussion of priorities. It is worth thinking about, though, that neither the Roman nor Britain Empires ever considered alternatives to permanent war until they collapsed under the weight of imperial overreach and internal crises.
News Notes
As described in an absorbing article linked below, this is the one-year anniversary of the military/police attack on the Treaty Camp at Standing Rock, where water protectors were encamped in an attempt to stop the DAPL oil pipeline from threatening the land and water of an Indian reservation. It's also a time to remember the terrible injury suffered by our friend 21-year-old Sophia Wilensky at another Standing Rock site a few weeks later. Check out the Facebook page Sophia Wilensky Support for news of her medical condition, her interests and activities, and comments from many water protectors around the world.
A recent article in the Washington Post was headlined, "Almost half of Republicans want war with North Korea, a new poll says." If you're like most people, you would probably ask,"What about the other half? Who do they want war with?" Read the article to learn more.
The Kurdish people are a nation without a state, spread over parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. This history of statelessness spans more than a century. Recently, under the leadership of the Barzani family/faction, the Kurds of Iraq held a referendum on the question of Kurdish independence, which was passed by 90+% of the voters. But with no international support and a military assault on Kirkuk by Iraqi armed forces, the independence project appears to have crashed and burned. Middle East professor Juan Cole has a useful/interesting primer about these events, linked here.
Coming Attractions/Things to Do
Monday, October 30th – As part of County Legislature action by Catherine Parker and other opponents of gun shows, there will be a vigil beginning at 5:30 p.m. outside the County Legislature (Martine Ave. and Court St.) People who wish to speak can sign up starting at 6 p.m., and the Legislature begins its deliberations at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, November 1st – Westchester for Change, WESPAC, and many more groups will host a County Executive Candidate Forum on Housing, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Yonkers Riverfront Library. The organizers write: "Westchester is ranked one of the 5th most expensive places to live in the United States. At the same time, nearly 100,000 of its residents live below the poverty line and 1,797 residents are homeless. Join us to ask County Executive Candidates George Latimer (confirmed) and Rob Astorino (invited) how they plan to address the housing crisis in Westchester County." For more information, go here.
Thursday, November 2nd – As part of Yonkers' "first Thursday gallery hop," the exhibit "Leave Your Swords at the Door" will host a special reception and a collection of works by female Muslim and Jewish artists focusing on Jewish and/or Muslim identity and forming bonds with the "other," curated by Haifa Bint-Kadi and cosponsored by the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom. In addition to the art works, there will be "cultural foods" and performances by Cantor Ellen Dreskin and spoken word artist Saba Ghazi Ameen. The program is at the Riverfront Art Gallery, (Yonkers library, 1 Larkin Center) and goes from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 4th – A demonstration – "It Begins NYC - The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!" will start at Times Square at 2 p.m. Organized by RefuseFascism.org, endorsed by Veterans for Peace, Rise and Resist, etc. For more info, go here.
Sunday, November 5th – CFOW's monthly meeting is held at the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society, 12 Elm St. in Dobbs, from 7 to 9 p.m. All are welcome at these meetings; please join us!
Tuesday, November 7th – Election for Westchester County Executive and three ballot questions. Don't forget to vote!
Saturday, November 11th – CFOW friend James Dean Conklin invites us to a special preview screening of his documentary film, "Go Without Fear." At Andrus-on-Hudson (185 Broadway) in Hastings, starting at 6:30 p.m, with live music and much more. To learn more about this project, go here.
Sunday, November 19th – Save the date for WESPAC's "night of comedy, dance, and music," "Made in Palestine." It's at the Tarrytown Music Hall; doors open at 5 p.m. For more information, including ways you can help support/sponsor this program, go here.
This Newsletter
Articles linked in the CFOW newsletter are intended to illuminate some of the main action-issues about which we are concerned. Coming mostly from the "dissenting media," they provide an alternative to the perspectives of the mainstream media. The section of "Featured Essays" includes an in-depth review of the struggle at Standing Rock, on the one-year anniversary of the military/police attack on the Treaty Camp. Other good things in this newsletter include articles on the crisis in Puerto Rico, the US slow-motion invasion of Africa (viz. Niger), some good/interesting news about the legal win by Greenpeace over the Big Timber companies that were trying to stop them, and a fascinating/terrifying look at the Cuban Missile Crisis, 55 years ago this week, and how close we came to human annihilation.
CFOW Nuts & Bolts
Please consider getting involved with Concerned Families of Westchester. We meet for a vigil/rally each Saturday in Hastings, from 12 to 1 p.m., at the VFW Plaza (Warburton and Spring St.) Our leaflet and posters for our vigils are usually about war or climate change, but issues such as racial justice or the Puerto Rico crisis are targeted from time to time, depending on current events. We meet on the first Sunday of each month, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society. Our weekly newsletter is archived at https://cfow.blogspot.com/; and news of interest and coming events is posted on our CFOW Facebook page.
Contributions, Please
Our treasury is getting a little low, so if you are able to support our work, please make your check out to "CFOW" and mail it to PO Box 364, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706. Thanks!
Rewards!
Stalwart readers deserve a reward for all their heavy cogitating. First up is a tribute to Fats Domino, who passed last week. This New York Times obit tells an interesting story. And here is a nice video compilation of Fats' life and times, built around his first hit (1949), "The Fat Man." And I hope you also like this sweet duet, with Norah Jones and Ray Charles. Enjoy!
Best wishes,
Frank Brodhead
For CFOW
FEATURED ESSAYS
The Battle of Treaty Camp
By Alleen Brown, Will Parrish, Alice Speri, The Intercept [October 27, 2017]
---- One year ago today, on October 27, 2016, hundreds of law enforcement officers descended on a small resistance camp that stood directly in the path of the Dakota Access Pipeline, forcibly evicting residents and arresting 142 people — more than on any other day in the 11-month-long Standing Rock struggle. Seven people, all Native American, were slapped with rare federal charges, and additional cases stemming from the raid continue to move through the North Dakota legal system. Although it was not the most violent confrontation between the pipeline resistance and law enforcement, no other incident better illustrates the collaboration between federal, local, and state police and private security in suppressing the NoDAPL movement, nor would any be as symbolic of the historic proportions of the native-led fight. … The October 27 standoff and the eviction of Treaty Camp have become a roadmap for both water protectors and law enforcement as they prepare for battles to come. [Read More]
Imagining Our Way Beyond Neoliberalism: A Dialogue With Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin
ctober 24, 2017]
---- Chomsky: An immediate objective of moderately progressive policy should be to sharply cut the huge military budget, well over half of discretionary spending and now expanding under the Republican project of dismantling government, apart from service to their wealthy/corporate constituency. One of many good reasons to trim the military budget is that it is extremely dangerous to our own security. A striking illustration is the Obama-Trump nuclear weapons modernization program, which has sharply increased "killing power," a very important study in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists reported last March. Thereby, the program "creates exactly what one would expect to see, if a nuclear-armed state were planning to have the capacity to fight and win a nuclear war by disarming enemies with a surprise first strike." These developments, surely known to Russian planners, significantly increase the likelihood that they might resort to a preemptive strike -- which means the end -- in case of false alarms or very tense moments, of which there are all too many. And here, too, the funds released could be devoted to badly needed objectives, like quickly weaning ourselves from the curse of fossil fuels. [Read More] This is the second part of the interview/dialogue; the first part was included in the last newsletter.
The Unwanted: A Haunting Look at the Rohingya Who Escaped Ethnic Cleansing
By Elizabeth Rubin, with photographs by Paula Bronstein, The New Yorker [
---- Stranded, stateless, unwanted, they are citizens of no country. Myanmar and Bangladesh toss their fate back and forth, even as Myanmar's army makes one thing clear to every Rohingya they aren't raping, murdering, burning or shooting: "Get out and don't come back." So they flee from their villages until they reach the border of Rakhine state, their ostensible home in Myanmar. When they can, they board boats to escape, some are so rickety they capsize, and many can't swim across the river. Drowned children and young women wash up on the shores of Bangladesh. Sometimes an entire family is gone to the sea. You can see the nighttime devastation of families gathering their dead, washing their bodies, wrapping them in shrouds for burial, here in Paula Bronstein's photographs. … The ethnic cleansing of the last two months is the most severe and systematic to date. Some 600,000 people have been forced out of Rakhine state by the Myanmar army and Buddhist extremists. And so today, some 1.3 million Rohingya exist in limbo without a place on earth to call "my country." [Read More]
THE CRISIS IN PUERTO RICO
Devastated Puerto Rico
By Vijay Prashad, ZNet [October 28, 2017]
---- On September 20, Hurricane Maria swept through the United States territory of Puerto Rico and devastated the island. The death toll is not yet confirmed. It is hard to know what is happening since the roads in the interior of the island remain impassable and communications networks are down. Three weeks after Hurricane Maria left the island, the 3.4 million Puerto Ricans remain in the dark. It is estimated that 85 per cent of the population will not get power for at least six months and that 40 per cent of the islanders will not have access to drinking water. Waterborne diseases threaten the people, whose health has been further endangered by the threadbare hospitals. … Meanwhile, out of this $36.5 billion disaster relief package, $16 billion will go as a contribution towards Puerto Rico's debt of $74 billion. This is money that will go directly to the banks that own Puerto Rico's debt. Relief will go to the banks while Puerto Rico's residents, U.S. citizens all, will continue to live perilous lives. The insurance companies, hurt by their payouts in Texas and Florida, will get some money, as will government agencies that have been dealing with a series of hurricane-related disasters. None of these packages, like similar previous packages, will solve Puerto Rico's problem. The debt cannot be paid off. Puerto Rico, already a semi-colony of the U.S., has drifted gradually into becoming a colony of the U.S. banking system. [Read More] Last year, before the hurricanes, Prashad wrote an illuminating essay comparing the economic crisis in Puerto Rico to that of Greece and its quasi-colonial relationship to the European Union.
---- On September 20, Hurricane Maria swept through the United States territory of Puerto Rico and devastated the island. The death toll is not yet confirmed. It is hard to know what is happening since the roads in the interior of the island remain impassable and communications networks are down. Three weeks after Hurricane Maria left the island, the 3.4 million Puerto Ricans remain in the dark. It is estimated that 85 per cent of the population will not get power for at least six months and that 40 per cent of the islanders will not have access to drinking water. Waterborne diseases threaten the people, whose health has been further endangered by the threadbare hospitals. … Meanwhile, out of this $36.5 billion disaster relief package, $16 billion will go as a contribution towards Puerto Rico's debt of $74 billion. This is money that will go directly to the banks that own Puerto Rico's debt. Relief will go to the banks while Puerto Rico's residents, U.S. citizens all, will continue to live perilous lives. The insurance companies, hurt by their payouts in Texas and Florida, will get some money, as will government agencies that have been dealing with a series of hurricane-related disasters. None of these packages, like similar previous packages, will solve Puerto Rico's problem. The debt cannot be paid off. Puerto Rico, already a semi-colony of the U.S., has drifted gradually into becoming a colony of the U.S. banking system. [Read More] Last year, before the hurricanes, Prashad wrote an illuminating essay comparing the economic crisis in Puerto Rico to that of Greece and its quasi-colonial relationship to the European Union.
Disaster Capitalists Take Big Step Toward Privatizing Puerto Rico's Electric Grid
By Kate Aronoff, The Intercept [
---- The board that oversees Puerto Rico's finances has taken its most conspicuous step toward privatizing the island's power grid, a long sought-after prize that has been put on a plate by Hurricane Maria. The federally appointed control board announced that it intends to put the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or Prepa — the island's sole, beleaguered power utility — under the direction of an emergency manager. That manager will be Noel Zamot, who will become Prepa's "chief transformation officer." … Since that time, he's been in charge of something called the Critical Projects Process, soliciting proposals from a slew of private actors. As of mid-September, Zamot had fielded 12 proposals according to his Twitter, many of which have to do with energy infrastructure. His first job will be to help return electricity to around 80 percent of Puerto Ricans still without power following the storm. His second could be turning that power over to private hands, a pattern described by The Intercept's Naomi Klein as the "shock doctrine." [Read More]
WAR & PEACE
The Escalating Nuclear Threat Finally Has the Public's Attention. Now What?
By Katrina vanden Heuve, Editor, The Nation [October 24, 2017]
---- Nuclear anxiety is on the rise. While President Trump has denied reports that he sought a "nearly tenfold" increase in America's nuclear arsenal, there is no disputing that the risk of a nuclear catastrophe is escalating on his watch. Trump's decision to decertify the Iran nuclear deal recklessly imperils the landmark agreement and our security. It also damages the chances of diplomacy with North Korea, which has been ramping up its missile testing program, by signaling that the United States cannot be trusted to keep its word. And with the United States and Russia engaged in an increasingly dangerous cold war, it was reported this weekend that the Air Force is preparing to put nuclear bombers on 24-hour ready alert for the first time since 1991. [Read More]
The War in Afghanistan
Afghanistan's Painful, Never-Ending War Takes a New Bad Turn
By Justin Podur, AlterNet [October 24, 2017]
---- This past May, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, sometimes known as the Butcher of Kabul, Afghanistan's most famous and probably most hated warlord, returned to Kabul through a negotiated deal with the government. He arrived in a convoy of trucks, with armed followers brandishing their military hardware. The country's president, Ashraf Ghani, said that Hekmatyar's return would "pave the way for peace" with the Taliban. A holy warrior who once refused to shake hands with then-President Ronald Reagan, Hekmatyar reached a hand out to the Taliban: "Come forward, let's talk about peace and prosperity." Peace processes are painful. For the sake of the country, victims are asked to forgive what was done to them. If the prospects for peace are real, some are willing to do it so that the war does not go on. So it is worth looking at what Afghans are being asked to forgive, and what relationship Hekmatyar's return has to peace. [Read More] Also useful, from a military perspective, is "The Afghanistan Illusion," by Daniel L. Davis, The National Interest [October 23, 2017] [Link].
War With North Korea?
Madmen, North Korea, and War
October 27, 2017]
---- So while the American mainland is not under the threat of mutually assured destruction from Pyongyang per se, war on the Korean Peninsula would inevitably destroy American allies South Korea and Japan, unleash radioactivity across the Pacific, and cripple the global economy such that from Washington's point of view it does indeed exist in a state of virtual mutually assured destruction. Deterrence works. Ask the Cold War. All that's left is the madman theory, the idea that Kim and Trump are irrational, impulsive people who could just one night say let's push the button. The problem with this theory is that nothing in history supports it. … With the exception of the Trump element, all of the factors that will prevent war in 2017 have been preventing war in Korea for decades. There is nothing in the record, recent or historical, that supports the idea Trump (or Kim) will wake up for cocoa, push a button, and start World War III. It's a rough, messy, incomplete version of peace, and we're just going to have to learn to live with it. [Read More]
The USA and the Iran Nuclear Agreement
Iran Doesn't Have a Nuclear Weapons Program. Why Do Media Keep Saying It Does?
By Adam Johnson, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting [FAIR] [October 17, 2017]
---- When it comes to Iran, do basic facts matter? Evidently not, since dozens and dozens of journalists keep casually reporting that Iran has a "nuclear weapons program" when it does not—a problem FAIR has reported on over the years. Let's take a look at some of the outlets spreading this falsehood in just the past five days:… The problem with all of these excerpts: Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program. It has a civilian nuclear energy program, but not one designed to build weapons. Over 30 countries have civilian nuclear programs; only a handful—including, of course, the US and Israel—have nuclear weapons programs. One is used to power cities, one is used to level them. [Read More]
The US Invasion of Africa
(Video) Expansion of Imperialist U.S. "War on Terror" in Africa Preceded Deadly Attacks in Niger & Somalia
From Democracy Now! [October 24, 2017]
---- We look at the U.S. military presence in Africa and what happened during the ambush of U.S. Special Forces by militants in Niger, in which five Nigerien soldiers were killed along with four U.S. soldiers. The incident is now the subject of a military and FBI investigation. At least 800 U.S. servicemembers are currently stationed in the country to support a French-led mission to defeat militants in West Africa. Meanwhile, Somalia continues to recover from a massive bombing in Mogadishu that killed at least 358 people. [See the Program]. For more about the slow-motion invasion of Africa, read Nick Turse's article, "It's Not Just Niger — U.S. Military Activity Is a "Recruiting Tool" for Terror Groups Across West Africa," The Intercept [[Link] and an interview with Turse on Democracy Now! on 10/27/17.
GLOBAL WARMING/CLIMATE CRISIS
Greenpeace Beats Back a SLAPP Lawsuit—for Now
By Mark Hertsgaard, The Nation [October 25, 2017]
---- Twelve days before those oral arguments, Science published one of the most alarming studies of global environmental trends to appear in decades. The world's tropical forests have been so degraded that they are no longer carbon sinks but rather carbon sources, reported scientists at the Woods Hole Research Center and Boston University. That is, humans have felled and burned so many trees and vegetation that tropical forests have begun releasing more carbon than they are storing. If verified by further analysis, this is extremely bad news, not only for the forests and the people who depend upon them, but for the imperative of limiting and eventually reversing global warming. [Read More] For interesting insights into the corporate practice of SLAPP suits, and how to fight them, read Majorie Cohn and Jonathan Moore, "Judge Dismisses RICO Lawsuit Against Greenpeace," The Jurist [October 27, 2017] [Link].
Alarm as study reveals world's tropical forests are huge carbon emission source
By Jonathan Watts, The Guardian [UK] [September 28, 2017]
---- The world's tropical forests are so degraded they have become a source rather than a sink of carbon emissions, according to a new study that highlights the urgent need to protect and restore the Amazon and similar regions. Researchers found that forest areas in South America, Africa and Asia – which have until recently played a key role in absorbing greenhouse gases – are now releasing 425 teragrams of carbon annually, which is more than all the traffic in the United States. This is a far greater loss than previously thought and carries extra force because the data emerges from the most detailed examination of the topic ever undertaken. The authors say their findings – published in the journal Science on Thursday – should galvanise policymakers to take remedial action. [Read More]
THE STATE OF THE UNION
DACA Immigrants Are Confronted by a US-Created Triangle of Fear
October 28, 2017]
---- History and cultural context are crucial for understanding the forces that drive immigrants to cross the United States-Mexico border. Sadly, we are taught to forget or deny history, so we move without a compass and feel lost in the maze of deception and collective amnesia. … In the debate about immigration, the corporate mass media avoid the key question: What is driving immigrants north? Why do people continue to risk coming to the United States at such great cost to their personal health and safety, and the well-being of their families? They are mainly driven by a "Triangle of Fear" created by US foreign policy. There are three key points to the Triangle of Fear….[Read More]
Voices of Resistance: Building a Southern movement
By Rebekah Barber, Facing South [October 27, 2017]
---- This week, hundreds of activists and organizers from across the South will converge at the historic Franklinton Center in Whitakers, North Carolina, for the seventh annual Southern Movement Assembly, which describes itself as "an organizing process and a convergence space that centers the voices and experiences of grassroots leadership on multiple frontlines." Among those who will gather to strategize how to build collective people power across the South will be long-time labor organizer, Saladin Muhammad, who serves as a spokesperson for the North Carolina-based Black Workers for Justice (BWFJ), which organizes vulnerable workers to assert their agency and build political and economic power. The group was formed in 1982 out of a struggle led by Black women workers against race and gender discrimination at a Kmart store in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. We recently spoke with Muhammed by phone about his work with BWFJ and the Southern Movement Assembly for our ongoing "Voices of Resistance" series, which aims to draw insight and inspiration from the South's deep history of struggle for social change and to learn from a new generation of Southern leaders working in today's volatile political climate. [Read More]
---- This week, hundreds of activists and organizers from across the South will converge at the historic Franklinton Center in Whitakers, North Carolina, for the seventh annual Southern Movement Assembly, which describes itself as "an organizing process and a convergence space that centers the voices and experiences of grassroots leadership on multiple frontlines." Among those who will gather to strategize how to build collective people power across the South will be long-time labor organizer, Saladin Muhammad, who serves as a spokesperson for the North Carolina-based Black Workers for Justice (BWFJ), which organizes vulnerable workers to assert their agency and build political and economic power. The group was formed in 1982 out of a struggle led by Black women workers against race and gender discrimination at a Kmart store in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. We recently spoke with Muhammed by phone about his work with BWFJ and the Southern Movement Assembly for our ongoing "Voices of Resistance" series, which aims to draw insight and inspiration from the South's deep history of struggle for social change and to learn from a new generation of Southern leaders working in today's volatile political climate. [Read More]
'New Gilded Age' Reaches New Heights With World's Billionaires Owning Staggering $6 Trillion
By
In an analysis published Thursday that throws into stark relief the "unjust and unsustainable" nature of what economists have termed the New Gilded Age, the Swiss financial firm UBS found that the wealth of the world's billionaires grew by 17 percent in 2016, bringing their combined fortune to a record $6 trillion—more than double the gross domestic product of the United Kingdom. … The report also found that there are 1,542 billionaires in the world and more than 563 in the United States alone, more than any other country. [Read More]
ISRAEL/PALESTINE
US Withdrawal From UNESCO: Trump's Antics and the Problematic History of US Legislation on Israel and Palestine
October 24, 2017]
---- The October 12 announcement that the US will withdraw from UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a shortsighted, damaging and hyperbolic move from the Trump administration, but just the latest in a series of harmful policies, isolationist on the surface but driven by a dangerous nationalist and militarist approach. … When the context of the withdrawal and the history of US-UNESCO relations are analyzed, however, this action's symbolic impact and repercussions are alarming -- and reveal a problem with roots deeper than the Trump administration's latest antics. [Read More]
Maryland governor's order against BDS is sure to backfire, boycott advocates say
By Jesse Rubin, Mondoweiss [October 25, 2017]
---- Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed an executive order Monday barring the state from contracting with any companies that support the nonviolent, Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel to comply with international law. Flanked by pro-Israel lawmakers and lobbyists — including members of the highly influential Baltimore Jewish Council that made anti-BDS legislation its main priority in 2016 — Hogan became the second state governor to issue a directive against the boycott of Israel [after Gov. Mario Cuomo]. … As of last month, 21 states had enacted anti-BDS legislation, including the executive orders in New York and Maryland, while Minnesota and Massachusetts currently have anti-BDS measures pending in their respective legislatures. These measures, while they differ somewhat between states, all rely on a combination of blacklists, prohibition of government contracts and pension fund divestment, according to Palestine Legal. [Read More]
Will Netanyahu risk exposing one of Israel's secrets?
By Jonathan Cook, Middle East Eye [October 2017]
---- As Israeli legislators returned to parliament this week, ending the long summer recess, Benjamin Netanyahu's government announced a packed agenda of reforms designed to push Israel further to the right. … But none is likely to prove as controversial – or gain as much attention – as a measure concerning Israel's status as a Jewish state. This long-gestating bill is intended to join 11 existing Basic Laws - Israel's equivalent of a constitution. Netanyahu appears to be basing his wider legislative assault on the success of the proposed Basic Law: Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Its purpose is to give a constitutional-like standing to Israel's definition as a state that belongs not to its citizens – as is the case in a liberal democracy – but to all Jews around the world, including those with no connection to Israel. [Read More]
OUR HISTORY
The Cuban Missile Crisis at 55
By James G. Blight and Janet M. Lang, The Nation [October 27, 2017]
---- We need to understand Trump's nuclear riffs in the context of the truth about the Cuban missile crisis. Why was it so dangerous? Because one of the involved actors, Cuba, believed it was doomed—that nothing it could do short of preemptive, unconditional surrender would permit it to survive. The Cubans were mistaken in the belief that they were doomed, but they had their reasons. The Cubans then asked their Russian ally to take revenge on the United States in the event of an attack, which they regarded as inevitable and, by October 27, 1962, imminent. The United States didn't attack, and the Russians were horrified by the Cuban request. From the Cuban perspective, Khrushchev was a spineless bluffer. [Read More]
Levitating the Pentagon [1967]
---- The final outcome of the Pentagon demonstration was awesome. It was one of the most successful activities I have ever been involved with. I believe the character was greatly affected by our continuously agitating for a militant, theatrical, unpredictable scenario. It was that projection that attracted thousands of young people and forced the government to dig in its heels, threatening to deny our basic civil liberties. That denial then brought thousands of additional people into the protest. … In the end, the victory was really a result of the energy and the numbers of the people that participated. Even the children of officials in the Johnson Administration were joining us. In a political sense the country was now really at war with itself. This realization seemed to hold within itself the possibility that we could end the war with Vietnam. [Read More]
(Video) "A Night at the Garden" Is the Most Terrifying Movie You Can Watch This Halloween
By Jon Schwarz, The Intercept [October 29, 2017]
---- On its surface, it's simply about a rally held by the German-American Bund in February 1939 at the old Madison Square Garden at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street in Manhattan. The Bund – meaning "federation" – never metastasized to any appreciable size. Estimates vary, but its dues-paying membership did not top 25,000. However, it was allied with the Christian Front, an organization inspired by the notorious anti-Semitic demagogue Father Charles Coughlin. Tens of millions of Americans tuned into Coughlin's weekly radio show; one of his slogans was "Less care for internationalism and more concern for national prosperity." The Christian Front helped turn out a capacity crowd of almost 20,000 people. It's particularly notable that this was possible in New York, then as now a symbol of liberalism, and suggests both organizations enjoyed significant passive local support far beyond those who attended. [Read More]
