Concerned Families of Westchester Newsletter
May 14, 2017
Hello All – Each week that Donald Trump holds on to the presidency means a further advance in the far-right, hyper-corporate agenda of the Republicans. Two weeks ago it was Trumpcare (or "Wealthcare"). This week it was the re-imposition of punitive drug laws penalties and the establishment of a commission which would, under the guise of weeding out fraudulent voters, establish procedural barriers that could disenfranchise millions of people. – But media attention was focused on the firing of FBI Director Comey and the related obfuscations and cover ups about who said what. – So, as David Swanson discusses in a thought-provoking article below, we are in a situation where the clamor to get rid of Trump is framed in terms of secondary issues, of routine lying and personal petulance rather than the fascist innovations that the Trump Agenda is bringing forward. Where do we stand on this?
David Swanson argues that, given the political realities of the moment, we need to thread the needle, supporting "Trump out" by any means necessary, EXCEPT through the means of a Red Scare and "Trump as Putin's Puppet," which would obstruct the possibility of a ceasefire in Syria and increase the possibility of a nuclear confrontation with Russia. Yet this seems to be the direction in which the calls for an "Independent Investigation/Prosecutor" are heading. This will be a real challenge to antiwar people, as the mainstream media revs up the outdated rhetoric of the Cold War era. IMO, we need to continue to speak out loudly against war, even if this means cooperation with Russia, even if we are alone in doing so.
News Notes
An excellent film about drones – "National Bird" – is available on PBS until Tuesday. "National Bird follows the dramatic journey of whistleblowers who are determined to break the silence around one of the most controversial issues of our time: the secret U.S. drone war. The tense and timely film, which had to be made in relative secrecy, gives rare insight into the American drone program through the eyes of veterans and survivors." See it here (85 minutes). And for a useful overview of the US use of drones since 9/11, read "Confronting America's Misguided Drone Program," [May 2017] [Link].
New Jersey Republican congressman Tom MacArthur was a key player in writing legislation to replace Obamacare with Trump's "Wealthcare." Then he made the mistake of holding a Town Meeting. See the greatest constituent speech of the millennium here.
The Intercept has published a user-friendly article about the NSA malware "that is helping hijack computers around the world." [Link]. CFOW's tech specialist Jackie L. pointed me to a Microsoft "patch" for my ancient Windows XP computer that would prevent the worm from holding my files for ransom; you can check this out here..
For a user-friendly introduction to the coming fight over "Net Neutrality," see this Democracy Now! program.
Chelsea Manning gets out of prison this week [Link].
Last week the Governor of Oklahoma signed an "anti-protest law" that would impose huge fines on protesters, especially protests against gas and oil projects. Stiffer penalties against protesters are making their way through many state legislatures. Read more here.
Congress recently heard testimony by gas and oil people about the need to "fast-track" pipelines, expediting the permitting process that is now the main rallying point for pipeline opposition. Read an NPR story here and listen here to a "Green Street Podcast" called "The Gas Rush" – "Never before in American history has so much money been spent trying to convince people that burning a fossil fuel is the answer to our climate and energy problems."
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino has an insane plan to privatize the Westchester County Airport. You can sign a petition protesting this here.
Coming Attractions
Ongoing – It's sign-up time for the Hastings Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). This project is managed by CFOW stalwart Elisa Zazzera. From June to November you can pick up a weekly bundle of in-season and just-picked fruits and vegetables. For more info, go here, or email Elisa at zazzera.elisa@gmail.com.
Monday, May 15th – "Justice Monday's" will continue in White Plains at noon at the Renaissance Plaza, Main St. and Mamaroneck Ave. This week's theme will be "Voter Participation is Key!" New voters will be registered and already registered voters will be asked to sign a pledge to Vote in November. For more information, and to keep up with Justice Monday activities, go to (and "like) their new Facebook page.
Tuesday, May 16th – Kathie O'Callaghan of Hearts and Homes for Refugees will speak at a meeting for those interested in refugee resettlement in the River Towns. Church of St. Barnabas, 15 N. Broadway, in Irvington, at 7:30 p.m. For more information call Steve Grieder (646-236-9237) or email Mary Refling at westchesterrefugeetaskforce@gmail.com.
Saturday, May 20th – CFOW will be one of the organizations participating in the Westchester Social Forum, at the New Rochelle High School, starting at 10 a.m. For more information, go here.
Saturday, May 20th – Our friends at Rural & Migrant Ministry are having a day-long youth symposium at St. James the Less Church (10 Church Lane in Scarsdale) starting at 10 a.m. At 6 p.m., they will hold their annual "Sowing Seeds of Justice Dinner" at St. Bartholomew's Church (82 Prospect St. in White Plains) to honor twenty years of youth programs. For more information go to www.ruralmigrantministry.org, or call 845-485-8627.
Sunday, May 21st – The CFOW working group on election integrity and stolen elections will show the excellent film "I Voted?" at the Irvington library at 2 p.m. To learn about this film, which explores the many ways that electronic voting systems can be/are corrupted, go here.
Saturday, June 3rd – CFOW will once again lead off the River Arts Music Tour. As those with working memories will recall, for the last two years we kicked off the Music Tour in Hastings with some peace and justice songs, starting at 12 and going to 1 pm, under the leadership/direction of Jenny Murphy. So we're signed up for this again. Please start vocalizing and get ready to join our Stalwart Chorus.
This Newsletter
If you are pressed for time, in this newsletter I particularly recommend the "National Bird" documentary about drones (above); Juan Gonzalez's essay and the Democracy Now! segment on Puerto Rico's bankruptcy (yes America, we do have a colony); David Swanson's provocative essay about impeaching Trump; Robert Fisk's essay on the destruction of Lebanon and Syria and how it will live in memory; and the two articles about the Palestinian prisoners' hunger strike; blocked out by the US media. And the two essays and the film in "Our History" will stimulate much thought.
Contributions to CFOW
If you are able to contribute to CFOW work, we would appreciate it very much. Please send your check to Concerned Families of Westchester, PO Box 364, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706. Thanks!
Rewards
This week's Rewards for stalwart readers are on the "R-Rated" side, so if you suffer from Advanced Puritanosa, the rewards may not be for you. First up is Ruth Brown, in a 1928 performance, trying to sell some furniture. And here is Bessie Smith with "Sugar in My Bowl" (1931). Enjoy!
Best wishes,
Frank Brodhead
For CFOW
FEATURED ESSAYS
(Video) Black Mama's Bail Out Day [for Mother's Day].
From Democracy Now! [May 14, 2017]
---- On Thursday, racial justice groups began bailing women out of jail as part of a nationwide "Black Mama's Bail Out Day." The effort, taking place in nearly 20 cities, raises money to free as many black women from jail as possible in time for a Mother's Day celebration with their families. Organizers for Black Mama's Bail Out Day are calling for an end to the cash bail system, which keeps hundreds of thousands of people who have not been convicted of any crime imprisoned in jails every day nationwide while they await trial. [See the Program]. As many of you know, Mother's Day was originated with a proclamation from Julia Ward Howe, author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," in 1870. It was a protest against war, calling on women/mothers to speak out. You can read the original Proclamation and some background about Mother's Day here.
Killer Drones in the Empire State: Norman Solomon
May 3, 2017]
---- At dusk I stood on a residential street with trim lawns and watched planes approach a runaway along the other side of a chain-link fence. Just a few dozen yards away, a JetBlue airliner landed. Then a United plane followed. But the next aircraft looked different. It was a bit smaller and had no markings or taillights. A propeller whirled at the back. And instead of the high-pitched screech of a jet, the sound was more like… a drone. During the next half-hour I saw three touch-and-go swoops by drones, their wheels scarcely reaching the runaway before climbing back above Syracuse's commercial airport. Nearby, pilots were at the controls in front of Air Force computers, learning how to operate the MQ-9 Reaper drone that is now a key weapon of U.S. warfare from Afghanistan to the Middle East to Africa. [Read More]
Puerto Rico's $123 Billion Bankruptcy Is the Cost of U.S. Colonialism
By Juan González, The Intercept [May 9, 2017]
---- The colonial relationship that has prevailed between the U.S. and Puerto Rico since 1898 is no longer viable. Puerto Rico is the largest overseas territory still under the sovereign control of the United States, and it is the most important colonial possession in this nation's history. That relationship produced uncommon profits for American subsidiaries on the island for more than a century, even as the federal government kept claiming that the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, created in 1952, was a self-governing territory. But now, with a Washington-appointed board directly overseeing the island's economy, and with a pivotal Supreme Court decision last year affirming that Congress continues to exercise sovereign power over Puerto Rico, the mask of self-governance has been removed. [Read More] And Juan Gonzalez also presented this information on a Democracy Now! program last week; see it here.
Impeach Trump for Right Reasons
By David Swanson, ZNet [May 12, 2017]
---- Since the later hours of Day 1 back in January through the present instant, the clear and documented (when not openly bragged about) Constitutional offenses have been piling up. … Of course there is one charge against Trump that has not been proven, risks confrontation with a nuclear armed government, and needlessly adds a xenophobic excuse to the dozens of solid reasons that last year's U.S. election was illegitimate. So of course this is the one everybody wants to focus on: blaming Russia for exposing the Democratic Party's slanting of its own primary against its strongest candidate. … If we can remove Trump this way, by all means, proceed. And proceed with impeachment, not with a 2020 election campaign. But here are my concerns: The cover-up is not worse than the crime. Serious crimes are available as impeachment charges, and overlooking them effectively permits them going forward, along with any other crimes, as long as there's no cover-up. [Read More]
---- Since the later hours of Day 1 back in January through the present instant, the clear and documented (when not openly bragged about) Constitutional offenses have been piling up. … Of course there is one charge against Trump that has not been proven, risks confrontation with a nuclear armed government, and needlessly adds a xenophobic excuse to the dozens of solid reasons that last year's U.S. election was illegitimate. So of course this is the one everybody wants to focus on: blaming Russia for exposing the Democratic Party's slanting of its own primary against its strongest candidate. … If we can remove Trump this way, by all means, proceed. And proceed with impeachment, not with a 2020 election campaign. But here are my concerns: The cover-up is not worse than the crime. Serious crimes are available as impeachment charges, and overlooking them effectively permits them going forward, along with any other crimes, as long as there's no cover-up. [Read More]
WAR & PEACE
These Nuclear Breakthroughs Are Endangering the World
By Conn Hallinan, Antiwar.com [May 8, 2017]
---- At a time of growing tensions between nuclear powers – Russia and NATO in Europe, and the US, North Korea, and China in Asia – Washington has quietly upgraded its nuclear weapons arsenal to create, according to three leading American scientists, "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." …The upgrade – part of the Obama administration's $1 trillion modernization of America's nuclear forces – allows Washington to destroy Russia's land-based nuclear weapons, while still retaining 80 percent of US warheads in reserve. If Russia chose to retaliate, it would be reduced to ash. [Read More] To read the original article from The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, go here.
The Silent Slaughter of the US Air War
By Nicolas J. S. Davies, Antiwar.com [May 11, 2017]
---- April 2017 was another month of mass slaughter and unimaginable terror for the people of Mosul in Iraq and the areas around Raqqa and Tabqa in Syria, as the heaviest, most sustained U.S.-led bombing campaign since the American War in Vietnam entered its 33rd month. The Airwars monitoring group has compiled reports of 1,280 to 1,744 civilians killed by at least 2,237 bombs and missiles that rained down from U.S. and allied warplanes in April (1,609 on Iraq and 628 on Syria). … When "Shock and Awe" was unleashed on Iraq in 2003, it dominated the news all over the world. But after eight years of "disguised, quiet, media-free" war under President Obama, the US mass media don't even treat the daily slaughter from this heavier, more sustained bombardment of Iraq and Syria as news. They cover single mass casualty events for a few days, but quickly resume normal "Trump Show" programming. [Read More]
The Wars in Syria
Can Syria ever be repaired?
By Robert Fisk, The Independent [UK] [May 14, 2017]
---- After its titanic civil war, can Syria remain a united state? And if it does – if Syria can be put back together again – how do you repair its people? These are not idle words when, across the border, the people of Lebanon have again been marking the mournful anniversary of the start of their own civil war in 1975. The dead of Lebanon, like the dead of Syria, have been buried and resurrected by journalists and politicians. At the end of the Lebanese Civil War we reckoned 150,000 had died. Two months ago, a young Beirut activist suddenly came up with a figure of 200,000. What happened to the extra 50,000? And then last month, the figure rose again in a local newspaper to 250,000. What happened to the extra 100,000? … A project to memorialise all the disappeared of the Lebanon war is funded by the International Red Cross, the EU and two NGOs. But Syria's war will end with many more casualties and many more missing than Lebanon's. Its conflict is on a far larger scale, with vast areas of towns and cities razed to the ground – a fate which really only struck the centre of Beirut. Even during the Syrian war today, there are reconciliation committees. But how can its people be repaired? Be sure, for many tens of thousands of Syrians, the war is already inside them; and will continue in their hearts – if Lebanon is anything to go by – long after the bloodshed ends. [Read More]
---- After its titanic civil war, can Syria remain a united state? And if it does – if Syria can be put back together again – how do you repair its people? These are not idle words when, across the border, the people of Lebanon have again been marking the mournful anniversary of the start of their own civil war in 1975. The dead of Lebanon, like the dead of Syria, have been buried and resurrected by journalists and politicians. At the end of the Lebanese Civil War we reckoned 150,000 had died. Two months ago, a young Beirut activist suddenly came up with a figure of 200,000. What happened to the extra 50,000? And then last month, the figure rose again in a local newspaper to 250,000. What happened to the extra 100,000? … A project to memorialise all the disappeared of the Lebanon war is funded by the International Red Cross, the EU and two NGOs. But Syria's war will end with many more casualties and many more missing than Lebanon's. Its conflict is on a far larger scale, with vast areas of towns and cities razed to the ground – a fate which really only struck the centre of Beirut. Even during the Syrian war today, there are reconciliation committees. But how can its people be repaired? Be sure, for many tens of thousands of Syrians, the war is already inside them; and will continue in their hearts – if Lebanon is anything to go by – long after the bloodshed ends. [Read More]
Also useful/important on the Syria wars – Peter Baker and Neil MacFarquhar, "Trump and Putin Agree to Seek Syria Cease-Fire," [Link]; and Patrick Cockburn, "Trump Agrees to Arm Kurds in Hugely Significant Move for Syria," The Independent [UK] [May 10, 2017] [Link].
Trump Wants a New Afghan Surge. That's a Terrible Idea.
By Douglas Wissing, Politico [May 6, 2017]
---- Now the U.S. military is re-escalating in Afghanistan. The Marines are back in Helmand Province. In April, the Pentagon requested "a few thousand" more troops, since upped to 5,000. The booms are getting bigger, too. On April 15th, U.S. forces dropped the 22,000-pound MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb in the arsenal, on ISIS fighters in eastern Afghanistan. It is Surge 2.0. As the Pentagon requests more troops and drops more and bigger bombs, it's important to assess the dangers of another surge. And to consider whether another U.S. escalation can turn around an unwinnable war. Will Surge 2.0 be consequential, relevant, sustainable? Or will it be another futile chapter in an unwinnable war? [Read More] And for more on this story, read Michael R. Gordon, "Trump Advisers Call for More Troops to Break Afghan Deadlock," [LInk].
The Newest War -- Somalia
Navy SEAL Killed in Somalia in First U.S. Combat Death There Since 1993
---- The combat death was another milestone in the United States' escalating involvement in a war against Islamist militants called the Shabab and showed the difficulty of fighting in the Horn of Africa country, where drought and famine have heightened chaos. Yet the episode highlighted a deepening anomaly: The United States Africa Command, which oversees American military operations in Somalia, has yet to act on new authority from President Trump freeing it from Obama-era constraints on strikes against the Shabab. [Read More]
The Mainstream Media Promotes War
NPR Can't Help Hyping North Korean Threat
By Glen Frieden, FAIR [Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting] [May 9, 2017]
---- UN Ambassador Nikki Haley told the UN Security Council on March 8 that "all options are on the table" regarding North Korea. Between then and April 27, NPR.org published 60 stories on US/North Korea relations. … But what if even a "serious" outlet like National Public Radio launches a flurry of fear-mongering at a word from the Pentagon? A survey of its coverage since March 8 suggests that NPR has promoted the perspective of the US government at the expense of public understanding of US/North Korean relations. The construction of foreign "threats" benefits both a national government hungry for legitimacy—and news organizations hungry for an audience. [Read More]
Let's Call Western Media Coverage of Syria By Its Real Name: Propaganda
By Michael Howard, Paste Magazine [April 26, 2017]
---- Syria is proof of how low mainstream Western media are prepared to sink in the service of state power; it's where journalistic standards, like global jihadists, go to die. Rank propaganda is the order of the day. Honest observers are appalled. Stephen Kinzer wrote that "coverage of the Syrian war will be remembered as one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the American press," while Robert Fisk described the war as "the most poorly reported conflict in the world." Patrick Cockburn registered a similar concern, writing that "Western media has allowed itself to become a conduit for propaganda for one side in this savage conflict." This has grave implications. [Read More]
THE STATE OF THE UNION
Trumpism: It's Coming From the Suburbs
By Jesse A. Myerson, The Nation [May 8, 2017]
---- FiveThirtyEight reported last May that "the median household income of a Trump voter so far in the primaries is about $72,000," or roughly 130 percent of the national median. Trump's real base, the actual backbone of fascism, isn't poor and working-class voters, but middle-class and affluent whites. Often self-employed, possessed of a retirement account and a home as a nest egg, this is the stratum taken in by Horatio Alger stories. They can envision playing the market well enough to become the next Trump. They haven't won "big-league," but they've won enough to be invested in the hierarchy they aspire to climb. If only America were made great again, they could become the haute
bourgeoisie—the storied "1 percent." [Read More]
Trump's Commission on 'Election Integrity' Will Lead to Massive Voter Suppression
By Ari Berman, The Nation [May 11, 2017]
---- Two days after firing FBI director James Comey and creating a full-blown constitutional crisis, Donald Trump signed an executive order today creating a presidential commission on "election integrity," based on his debunked claims that millions voted illegally in 2016. Vice President Mike Pence will be the chair and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach will be the vice chair—two men with very long histories of making it harder to vote, especially Kobach. Given the lack of evidence of voter fraud, the commission seems designed for one purpose: to perpetuate the myth of fraud in order to lay the groundwork for enacting policies that suppress the vote. [Read More]
Also useful/important on election rigging – From Democracy Now! (Video) "Donald Trump Orders "Election Integrity" Commission Headed by Architects of Voter Suppression" [May 12, 2017] [See the Program]; and Greg Palast, "Trump Picks the Al Capone of Vote-Rigging to Investigate Federal Voter Fraud," AlterNet [May 12, 2017] [Link].
The Empire Expands: Not the American One, But Trump's
By Nomi Prins, Tom Dispatch [April 2017]
By Nomi Prins, Tom Dispatch [April 2017]
[FB – Nomi Prins is a journalist about financial things. She was a managing director at Goldman-Sachs and at Bear Stearns before abandoning the Dark Side. She often appears on Democracy Now! and writes regularly for Tom Dispatch.]
---- President Trump, his children and their spouses, aren't just using the Oval Office to augment their political legacy or secure future riches. Okay, they certainly are doing that, but that's not the most useful way to think about what's happening at the moment. Everything will make more sense if you reimagine the White House as simply the newest branch of the Trump family business empire, its latest outpost. … Conflicts of interest? They now permeate the halls of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but none of this will affect or change one thing President Trump holds dear -- and believe it or not, it's not the wishes of his base in the American heartland. It's advancing his flesh and blood, and their flesh-and-blood-once-removed spouses and relatives. [Read More]
ISRAEL/PALESTINE
Israelis simply don't want to know about Palestinian prisoners
By Orly Noy, 972 Magazine [Israel] [May 9, 2017]
---- The Israeli public doesn't care about Palestinians on hunger strike, about conditions in prison, or what happens to a body after it is deprived of food for so long. In fact, until this moment I didn't see a single media outlet, aside from Local Call, publish the hunger strikers' full list of demands. Why have 1,600 prisoners refused to eat for 3 weeks? What do they want? Who are these people? The Israeli public doesn't know. It doesn't know what their conditions are in prison, or how much harsher conditions have become for them since they started their strike. Prisoners are prevented from meeting with their lawyers and are subject to solitary confinement, raids on their cells at all hours of the day, invasive body searches, confiscating salt, which forms the core basis of hunger strikers' diet during their strike. The Israeli public neither knows nor has any desire to know. [Read More] Also very useful is this article by Ramzy Baroud, "The Prisoners' Revolt: The Real Reasons behind the Palestinian Hunger Strike," Antiwar.com [May 3, 2017] [Link].
BDS on Campus
FB – The "Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement" (BDS) is under attack in the national and state legislatures, and everywhere else by the "Israel Lobby" and Serious People. Yet somehow it continues to thrive on college campuses. Here are two inspiring essays/letters-to-the-editor by college students fyi. (I received these via a daily mailing from Jewish Voice for Peace; you can sign up for the mailings here.)
[A rightwing organization] returns to Vassar to intimidate students, activists
Why We (Three Jews) Supported Tufts Divestment
By [May 4, 2017]
---- We are Jewish students at Tufts University who strongly supported the Tufts student Senate resolution that recently passed urging Tufts to divest from G4S, Elbit Systems, HP Enterprises, and Northrop Grumman. Major institutions like Tufts are currently invested in these four companies, which profit from violence and incarceration in Palestine and elsewhere. As Tufts students who take the concept of tikkun olam seriously, we feel a responsibility to end this injustice. [Read More]
OUR HISTORY
Memory Loss in the Garden of Violence: How Americans Remember (and Forget) Their Wars
By John Dower, Tom Dispatch [May 5, 2017]
By John Dower, Tom Dispatch [May 5, 2017]
[FB – John Dower is one of our era's best historians about Japan and especially the US-Japanese war in the Pacific. His most recent book is The Violent American Century: War and Terror Since World War II, just published.]
---- While it is natural for people and nations to focus on their own sacrifice and suffering rather than the death and destruction they themselves inflict, in the case of the United States such cognitive astigmatism is backlighted by the country's abiding sense of being exceptional, not just in power but also in virtue. In paeans to "American exceptionalism," it is an article of faith that the highest values of Western and Judeo-Christian civilization guide the nation's conduct – to which Americans add their country's purportedly unique embrace of democracy, respect for each and every individual, and stalwart defense of a "rules-based" international order. Such self-congratulation requires and reinforces selective memory. "Terror," for instance, has become a word applied to others, never to oneself. [Read More]
(Video) Plutocracy: Political Repression in the USA
FB - From Metanoia Films [May 13, 2017] – Part 1 of this multi-part film is about coal miners in West Virginia, beginning in the late 19th century and moving forward. Excellent footage and still photos; highly recommended. About 90 minutes. [Link]
Andrzej Wajda, Art and the Struggle for Freedom
By Louis Proyect, Counterpunch [May 12, 2017]
[FB – Starting out as a review of the last film by Poland's leading filmmaker, this interesting essay analyzes his earlier films. To me, Wajda's work is especially interesting because he made his films under a Stalinist cultural apparatus, and his films reflect the lingering/growing spirit of revolt that characterized Poland from the 1950s to the 1980s.
---- "Afterimage" will open theatrically in NYC at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and in LA at Laemmle Theaters on May 19th. Made in 2016 by Polish director Andrzej Wajda in his ninetieth year and just before his death, it incorporates the dominant theme in a filmmaking career going back to 1955—namely the Polish national struggle that has been defined by its relationship to Russia for hundreds of years. "Afterimage" is based on historical events surrounding the Stalinist persecution of Władysław Strzemiński, an abstract artist who paid dearly for speaking out against Socialist Realism in 1950, just as the Polish United Workers' Party was consolidating its grip on the nation. Strzemiński, who lost an arm and a leg as an officer in WWI, never let that disability stand in the way. [Read More]
