Concerned Families of Westchester Newsletter
November 28, 2021
Hello All – In the late 19th century, Deep Thinkers took (and distorted) Charles Darwin's findings about "the survival of the fittest" and promoted a worldview by which nations, peoples, and so-called races were engaged in a struggle-to-the-death. Dubbed "social Darwinism" by historians, this competitive worldview became the common sense for the world's wealthy nations and ruling elites, supposedly explaining and justifying their conquests of darker or less-developed peoples and nations. And these ideas still have a strong hold on our cultural and intellectual life.
But, naturally, there was Dissent; and in 1902 Prince Peter Kropotkin of Russia published Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution, exploring the ways in which different animal and insect species "survived" because they had learned to cooperate in their daily lives. And Kropotkin went on to observe that the same principle held true for the human species, and that the survival of humans would be determined by their ability to cooperate – to provide Mutual Aid.
Kropotkin's century-old theory is now undergoing a serious real-world stress test. The efforts to stave off nuclear war and climate devastation are the most salient dangers, and it must be admitted that humans are not doing well in achieving the level of cooperation sorely needed. The Covid pandemic is another stress test, and unlike nuclear war or the climate crisis it is one that we have the tools and knowledge to deal with: masks, hand washing, distancing, and vaccinating most people asap will reduce the pandemic to manageable levels.
The emergence of a new Covid variant this week illustrates our dilemma and species-weakness. The new variant appears to originate in southern Africa, where vaccination levels are low, compared to the richer parts of the world. Looking deeper into the story, we see that programs to share the recipes to manufacture vaccines are contested by Big Pharma and blocked by the UK and Germany. UN-based programs to distribute low-cost vaccines to poor nations stutter, as pledges from richer countries go unfulfilled. The response of the richer, whiter, more-vaccinated world is to raise the drawbridges, foolishly believing that they can isolate themselves from this plague.
Some useful reading on the new Covid variant and "mutual aid"
A new Covid variant is no surprise when rich countries are hoarding vaccines
By Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of the UK [November 26, 2021] [Link]
Officials: Variants 'haunt' world with vaccine imbalance between rich and poor nations
G20's bitter divide on global vaccine inequality could condemn world to an "endless pandemic", charities warn
From Amnesty International [October 2021] [Link]
News Notes
Since the Beginning of Time, police have infiltrated, spied-upon, and attempted to disrupt efforts of non-elite people to better their lives or change the Regime. Advances in surveillance technology have given the police new tools to do this. This overview from the Electronic Frontier Foundation speaks to some of the dangers of the new police tools; many more examples are found on their website. And here is a short docu-clip from the California ACLU, "Spies in the Sky: California Police Aircraft Record George Floyd Protests."
Since the first days of the Hugo Chavez governments in Venezuela, the USA, the New York Times, et al., have waged a propaganda war against that country. Despite their portrayals of authoritarian rule and abject misery in Venezuela, the vast majority of the population rejects the wannabe Opposition and votes for the incumbent government. The fairness of Venezuela's November 21 elections were vouched for by teams of legal observers from the USA and the European Union. Why did the majority of voters support the Maduro government and its allies, despite the ravages of the US economic blockade? Code Pink's Leonardo Flores has written a useful article, "Five reasons the left won in Venezuela."
"BDS" – Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions – has become a boogie man for supporters of Israel and a third-rail for Democratic politicians. But what does "anti-BDS" look like in practice? Here is an informative op-ed recently published in the New York Times: 'We're a Small Arkansas Newspaper. Why Is the State Making Us Sign a Pledge About Israel?' [Link]
Sharp-eyed readers of the Newsletter have noticed that in most issues I link a program segment from Democracy Now! In my opinion, this daily news program is the best the USA has to offer. Democracy Now! is easily accessible, with 10 minutes of "headlines" and then two or three guest speakers. This year, Democracy Now! is celebrating its 25th anniversary; and on Thursday they presented an hour-long retrospective, including highlights from the program's early years. [Link].
CFOW Nuts & Bolts
Please consider getting involved with Concerned Families of Westchester. We meet for a protest/rally each Saturday in Hastings, at 12 noon at the VFW Plaza (Warburton and Spring St.) A "Black Lives Matter/Say Their Names" vigil will be held on Monday from 5:30 to 6:00 pm in Yonkers at the intersection of Warburton Ave. and Odell. (In December, January, and February, similar vigils will be held on the first Monday of each month.) If you would like to join one of our Zoom meetings, each Tuesday and Thursday at noon, please send a return email. Our newsletter is archived at https://cfow.blogspot.com/; and news of interest and coming events is posted on our CFOW Facebook page. If you would like to support our work by making a contribution, please send your check to CFOW, PO Box 364, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706. Thanks!
Rewards!
This issue of the Newsletter was put together with a background of some sweet and mellow music. Two items that stalwart readers may enjoy are Nina Simone's "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free"; and, from Sweet Honey In The Rock, "Eyes on the Prize." For both performers, there are many great recordings on line. Enjoy!
Best wishes,
Frank Brodhead
For CFOW
CFOW Weekly Reader
(Video) "The War Party": Jeremy Scahill on How U.S. Militarism Unifies Democrats & Republicans
From Democracy Now! [November 24, 2021]
---- As Democrats in Congress struggle to pass the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act, there is large bipartisan consensus in the U.S. Congress to spend over $7 trillion over the next 10 years in military spending. The United States spends more each year on defense than China, Russia, India, the U.K., Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, and Australia combined. "Democrats have to engage in theater about human rights and international law and due process, but they ultimately, at the end of the day, are just as aggressive as Republicans," says investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill of the Intercept. We also speak with Scahill about the Biden administration's ongoing persecution of military whistleblowers, including Daniel Hale. [See the Program] For Scahill's article on "The War Party," go here.
Afghan Economy Nears Collapse as Pressure Builds to Ease U.S. Sanctions
---- Afghanistan's economy has crashed since the Taliban seized power, plunging the country into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Three months into the Taliban's rule, Afghanistan's economy has all but collapsed, plunging the country into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Millions of dollars of aid that once propped up the previous government has vanished, billions in state assets are frozen and economic sanctions have isolated the new government from the global banking system. … Under the previous government, foreign aid accounted for around 45 percent of the country's G.D.P. and funded 75 percent of the government's budget, including health and education services. But after the Taliban seized power, the Biden administration froze the country's $9.5 billion in foreign reserves and stopped sending the shipments of U.S. dollars upon which Afghanistan's central bank relied. [Read More]
War & Peace
The High Stakes of the U.S.-Russia Confrontation Over Ukraine
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies, Code Pink [November 24, 2021]
---- A report in Covert Action Magazine from the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic in Eastern Ukraine describes grave fears of a new offensive by Ukrainian government forces, after increased shelling, a drone strike by a Turkish-built drone and an attack on Staromaryevka, a village inside the buffer zone established by the 2014-15 Minsk Accords. The People's Republics of Donetsk (DPR) and Luhansk (LPR), which declared independence in response to the U.S.-backed coup in Ukraine in 2014, have once again become flashpoints in the intensifying Cold War between the United States and Russia. The U.S. and NATO appear to be fully supporting a new government offensive against these Russian-backed enclaves, which could quickly escalate into a full-blown international military conflict. The last time this area became an international tinderbox was in April, when the anti-Russian government of Ukraine threatened an offensive against Donetsk and Luhansk, and Russia assembled thousands of troops along Ukraine's eastern border. On that occasion, Ukraine and NATO blinked and called off the offensive. This time around, Russia has again assembled an estimated 90,000 troops near its border with Ukraine. Will Russia once more deter an escalation of the war, or are Ukraine, the United States and NATO seriously preparing to press ahead at the risk of war with Russia? [Read More] Also recommended is Anatole Lieven, "What war with Russia over Ukraine would really look like," Responsible Statecraft [November 24, 2021] [Link].
The US-Saudi War in Yemen
UN Says Yemen War Death Toll Will Reach 377,000 By End of 2021
November 23, 2021]
---- A UN agency published a report Tuesday that estimates the war in Yemen will have killed 377,000 people by the end of 2021. The report from the UN Development Program (UNDP) found that direct violence will have killed over 150,000 people while preventable disease and starvation caused by the US-backed Saudi-led siege on the country accounts for about 60 percent of the death toll. As always is the case, children are suffering the most from the war. "In 2021, a Yemeni child under the age of five dies every nine minutes because of the conflict," the UNDP said. … In February, other UN agencies warned that if conditions didn't change in Yemen, 400,000 children under the age of five would starve to death this year alone. Those conditions haven't changed, the war continues, and the blockade is still being enforced. … Saudi Arabia's air force is still being maintained by the US despite President Biden's earlier vow to end support for "offensive" operations in Yemen. Without US support, Saudi warplanes would quickly be grounded, and Riyadh would be forced to negotiate with the Houthis. In a sign of continued support, the Biden administration recently approved a $650 million missile sale for the Saudis. [Read More] The proposed sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia is targeted by a Joint Resolution introduced in the House by Ilhan Omar and supported in the Senate by Bernie Sanders and Republicans Mike Lee (UT) and Rand Paul (KY).
War with China?
Potential Legislation on China Amounts to a New Cold War
By Aída Chávez, The Nation [November 22, 2021]
---- Congress is itching to pass a sweeping bipartisan package that threatens to enshrine a new Cold War, this time against China, and they're counting on the American public's inattention to get it through by the end of the year. After months of stalling in the House, and a failed attempt to attach the legislation to the annual defense bill, majority leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi struck a deal this week for a bicameral conference on the anti-China legislation.
The US Innovation and Competition Act is a massive piece of legislation purporting to make the United States more "competitive" with China economically, politically, and technologically. Mainstream media outlets and lawmakers have framed the bill as the most expansive industrial policy legislation in US history, and as being crucial for countering China's economic rise.
But this $250 billion "innovation" bill is nothing more than a dangerous escalation in a multipronged offensive against China. [Read More] A useful website to keep up with US-China issues is that of the Committee for a SANE US-China Policy [Link].
The US-Iran Nuclear Deal
Having Left the Iran Nuclear Deal, can the US revive it with the seventh round in Vienna?
By Hani Habeeb, Middle East Monitor [November 25, 2021]
---- While the American Special Representative to Iran, Robert Malley, surprised observers of the nuclear file by saying that the point of no return for this file is approaching, Israel is escalating its tone, especially in the context of its dispute with the US over this file, stressing that it has become more willing to go to war against Iran. This is being said amid internal Israeli calls for Israel to rely on itself, and alone if it was forced to do so in waging this war. It also announced, in line with this announcement, that it had increased the military budget for this purpose, and all of this is taking place only five days before the seventh round of Vienna negotiations. Tehran and Washington are exchanging accusations about not being serious about returning to the agreement. The latter accuses Iran of having bought time throughout the previous six rounds of talks. … Meanwhile, Washington recently expressed its seriousness by calling on Israel not to escalate, warning it against the repeated Israeli attacks on Iranian facilities, as they have adverse effects, especially after it succeeded in re-operating these facilities. As for Tehran, it accuses Washington of not being serious, as what is required is not negotiating the agreement, but rather a return to an agreed-upon agreement. [Read More]
The Military Budget
'What Hypocrisy': Right-Wing Dems Quiet as Military Budget Far Exceeds Cost of Biden's Agenda
By Jake Johnson, Common Dreams [November 23, 2021]
---- Right-wing Democrats who have spent the past several months griping about the cost of the Build Back Better Act—and lopping roughly $2 trillion off the bill's top line—are facing growing pushback from progressive lawmakers and analysts as Congress gets ready to approve a military budget that's far more expensive on an annual basis. Stephen Semler, co-founder of the Security Policy Reform Institute, estimated Monday that projected U.S military budgets over the next decade will cost roughly $8.31 trillion—double the combined price tag of the Biden administration's big-ticket agenda items, which include the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure law, and the $1.75 trillion reconciliation package.
[Read More] Also informative is "How the media covers up for the Pentagon's highway robbery: by Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute [November 24, 2021] [Link]
Israel/Palestine
Olive Harvest in Palestine
From Mondoweiss [November 2021]
---- It is estimated that there are 12 million olive trees planted across the West Bank, and that the olive oil industry reportedly supports the livelihoods of more than 100,000 Palestinian families and accounts for a quarter of the gross agricultural income of the occupied territories.
It's an intrinsic part of Palestinian culture and heritage, and for many Palestinians, olive oil represents so much more than just something delicious to eat. [To see several photo essays, go here.]
Our History
(Video) Nikole Hannah-Jones on "The 1619 Project"
From Democracy Now! [November 23, 2021]
---- Amid a right-wing attack on teaching critical race theory, we speak in-depth with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the New York Times Magazine's 1619 Project, which reframes U.S. history by marking the year when the first enslaved Africans arrived on Virginia soil as the foundational date for the United States. The project launched in 2019, and has been expanded into an anthology of 18 essays along with poems and short stories, even as several states have attempted to ban it from school curriculums. "We should all as Americans be deeply, deeply concerned about these anti-history laws because what they're really trying to do is control our memory and to control our understanding of our country," says Hannah-Jones. Hannah-Jones's new book that she co-edited is out this month, titled "The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story," along with an adaptation of the 1619 Project for children, "Born On The Water." [See the Program]
The Oddness of Oz
By Alison Lurie, New York Review of Books [December 21, 2000]
---- The year 2000 is the centenary of a famous and much-loved but essentially very odd children's classic: L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz. Those who recall the story only from childhood reading, or from the MGM film, have perhaps never realized how strange the original book and its sequels are. For one thing, the Oz books are far ahead of their time both scientifically and politically. They are full of inventions that would not appear on the market for most of the century, among them a robot man, an artificial heart and limbs, a television monitoring system, anti-gravity devices, and a computer-type news service. Oz is also, as several critics have noted, both a kind of socialist utopia and a deeply matriarchal and occasionally transsexual one. Some of the reasons for this may lie in Baum's own history—and also in that of his wife. [Read More]
