Concerned Families of Westchester Newsletter
June 10, 2018
Hello All – Tuesday's summit meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un of North Korea is an historic opportunity for peace. Will the opportunity be grasped … or wasted? For the United States, the immediate goal of the summit is to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. The North Koreans hope that the summit will lead to an end to economic sanctions, a peace treaty to finally end the Korean War, and promises by the United States that it will not attack.
What would a good deal look like? North Korea has nuclear weapons because it thinks this will prevent the United States from attacking it. This is a reasonable fear; and North Koreans remain acutely aware of the total destruction that it suffered during the Korean War – a war that is largely unknown in the United States. So a good deal for North Korea requires some kind of assurances from the United States that it will not attack North Korea. Could/would the United States make these assurances? And can the United States be counted on to keep its promise?
Rightly or wrongly, the United States will suspect North Korea of cheating, of keeping some nuclear weapons hidden. Because of US threats to attack, North Korea has built many military bases underground. The United States will want intrusive inspections to make sure that no nuclear facilities remain. North Korea will object to this. What to do? In the case of Iran, negotiations about "modalities of inspection" consumed months and threatened the talks with breakdown. Will Trump & his team have the patience for lengthy negotiations, or will they use any resistance from North Korea to justify the end of negotiations and a return to threats of war?
A destabilizing wildcard was played this week by the Senate Democrats, under the leadership of NY Senator Chuck Schumer. He and a half-dozen other Senate heavyweights issued a letter setting out a series of demands that North Korea must meet if sanctions are to be lifted and relations between the two countries "normalized." As Congress must act to remove any sanctions against North Korea, the Senate can probably veto any agreement that does not meet with its approval. The Democrats' action is similar to the role played by the Republicans in their 2015 attempt to derail the Iran nuclear agreement. While the Democrats' ploy may be in part political, in attempting to deprive President Trump and the Republicans of advantage in the congressional elections this fall, the statement by Schumer and others also reflects the Cold War-era logic that has returned to Washington. Please check out what the Senate Democrats are demanding and, if the demands seem unreasonable/insane to you, call Senator Schumer at 212-486-4430 and tell the human on the phone that you want your Senator to work for peace, not war, with North Korea.
On Friday the 11th weekly protest in "the Great March of Return" took place in Gaza. Four Palestinians were killed by Israeli sharpshooters and 117 Palestinians were wounded, bringing the total casualty count to 127 Palestinians killed and more than 14,000 injured since March 30th. Also notable this week were the creative efforts by the Israeli government and its supporters in the US media to "interpret" this one-sided slaughter in a light more favorable to Israel. A focus of this media spin was Israel's attempt to undo the PR damage caused by the murder of Palestinian medic Razan al-Najjar, killed the previous Friday while attempting to help the wounded. In an interview recorded just before her murder, Razan had described matter-of-factly that she felt she was being targeted by the Israeli sharpshooters. Her funeral the following day was attended by thousands in Gaza; and – as reported in the New York Times and in this Democracy Now! segment – Israel responded with a clumsy video intended to turn the "angel medic" into a Hamas terrorist. A survey of New York Times correspondents and their reporting on the murder of Razan al-Najjar shows that Israel's efforts were largely successful; but a close examination of one of The Times' columnists produced this imo useful resource: "Propaganda 101: How To Defend A Massacre."
News Notes
The death of Anthony Bourdain this week brought forth many tributes and appreciations, including this one in The Nation. Many of Bourdain's programs shined a light on people (and their food) in conflict zones; and his program on Palestine was rewarded with appreciation from the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Cambodia was another of his culinary destinations, and he won many hearts (at least mine) with his fair-and-balanced appreciation of Henry Kissinger: "Once you've been to Cambodia, you'll never stop wanting to beat Henry Kissinger to death with your bare hands. You will never again be able to open a newspaper and read about that treacherous, prevaricating, murderous scumbag sitting down for a nice chat with Charlie Rose or attending some black-tie affair for a new glossy magazine without choking." R.I.P. Anthony Bourdain.
So your homework question is, "Is the world becoming more or less peaceful?" How do you start? What do you measure? With these high school thoughts in mind, I found this report from the "Global Peace Index 2018" pretty interesting.
Owners (and wannabe owners) of beachfront property listen up! We know that global warming melts glaciers and expands water (a bit) so that sea levels are rising. But how much? Here's a geeky but interesting report that concludes that "due to sea level rise, the national average frequency of high tide flooding is double what it was 30 years ago."
Things to Do/Coming Attractions
Ongoing – CFOW holds a vigil/rally each Saturday at the VFW Plaza in Hastings (Warburton and Spring) from 12 to 1 p.m. Everyone invited; please join us!
Ongoing – Added to the Hastings farmers market on Saturdays is the opportunity to recycle food scraps, including meat and anything that was once alive, according to coordinator EZ. Look for the big bin at the market; and for more info email hastingscompost@gmail.com.
Ongoing – Sign the "People's Peace Treaty"! Code Pink writes: "Inspired by the Vietnam-era People's Peace Treaty, we have initiated a People's Peace Treaty with North Korea, to raise awareness about the past U.S. policy toward North Korea, and to send a clear message that we, the people of the U.S., do not want another war with North Korea. This is not an actual treaty, but rather a declaration of peace from the people of the United States." To sign the Treaty, go here.
Ongoing – The Poor Peoples' Campaign is now under way, with actions across the country. For more information and to get involved with the action in Westchester, contact Rev. Joya Colon-Berezin.
Wednesday, July 4th – Come one and all to the CFOW 4th of July picnic. Celebrate true Independence in the company of peace & justice stalwarts. We'll assemble in the afternoon at the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society, 12 Elm St. in Dobbs. More details forthcoming.
CFOW Nuts & Bolts
Please consider getting involved with Concerned Families of Westchester. We meet for a protest/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 rallies are usually about war or climate change, but issues such as racial justice or Trump's tax cut legislation are often targeted, 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. If you would like to make a financial contribution to our work, please send your check to CFOW, PO Box 364, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706. Thanks!
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. In addition to the excellent "Featured Essays," I especially recommend the section of articles on Korea and on Puerto Rico; Stephen F. Cohen's article on the dimensions of the dangerous cold war between the United States and Russia; Jeremy Brecher's article on the Constitutional avenues to fight global warming; and a timely re-posting of an essay by Sara Roy on the dimensions of the economic collapse in Gaza. And don't miss the two interesting articles in "Our History." Good reading!
Rewards!
A few weeks ago this newsletter's Rewards! spotlighted Hudson Valley Sally, the wonderful singers who had performed at a CFOW fundraising house concert. Now you can hear them again, with two sweet songs from their new CD, "Diamonds and Pearls." Here are "Annie" and "Magic Penny". Check out Hudson Valley Sally on their website, and see them in person next Sunday at the Clearwater Festival. Enjoy!
Best wishes,
Frank Brodhead
For CFOW
FEATURED ESSAYS
Anarchism and Libertarianism: An Interview with Noam Chomsky
From ZNet [June 2018]
---- Noam Chomsky: Well, anarchism is, in my view, basically a kind of tendency in human thought which shows up in different forms in different circumstances, and has some leading characteristics. Primarily it is a tendency that is suspicious and skeptical of domination, authority, and hierarchy. It seeks structures of hierarchy and domination in human life over the whole range, extending from, say, patriarchal families to, say, imperial systems, and it asks whether those systems are justified. It assumes that the burden of proof for anyone in a position of power and authority lies on them. Their authority is not self-justifying. They have to give a reason for it, a justification. And if they can't justify that authority and power and control, which is the usual case, then the authority ought to be dismantled and replaced by something more free and just. And, as I understand it, anarchy is just that tendency. It takes different forms at different times. [Read More]
Outside the Wire: Camp America Comes Home [Guantanamo Bay - Photographs]
By Siddhartha Mitter, The Intercept [
---- By the time Debi Cornwall landed in Algeria in May 2015, in search of a former Guantánamo Bay detainee, the first phase of her photography project on the prison camp was complete. She had visited the U.S. base in Cuba three times in the previous year, making photographs that strictly complied with the rules: No faces or full-frontal views of anyone on base, no sensitive infrastructure or communications facilities, no panoramas of the site, and so on. … A New York-based photographer who spent 12 years as a civil rights lawyer before returning to art, Cornwall initially set out to make portraits of Guantánamo's survivors. Some of the men released from the camp after years of isolation had returned to their home countries; others were parked in limbo, in host countries where they knew no one. Their situation reminded Cornwall of her law clients: Her focus had been wrongful incarceration cases in the United States … "Welcome to Camp America," Cornwall's Guantánamo book, appeared last fall. It made multiple critics' best-of-2017 lists and was shortlisted for the Paris Photo-Aperture First Photo Book Prize. It mixes photographs with snippets of redacted documents and essays by Cornwall, photography scholar Fred Ritchin, and the British former Guantánamo detainee Moazzam Begg. Interspersed through the book is a story: a dramatic edited version of legal testimonial about a violent incident in the prison, which mounts like a page-turner towards an unexpected climax. All the text is in both English and Arabic; Cornwall hopes to produce a French and Arabic version as well. [Read More]
The More Valuable Your Work Is To Society, The Less You'll Be Paid For It
By David Graeber, Linkedin.com [June 6, 2018]
[FB – David Graeber was one of the initiators of "Occupy Wall St." He is the author of the interesting book Debt.]
---- One of the most frequently heard complaints from supporters of the Occupy Wall Street movement—particularly the ones working too much to spend much time in the camps, but who could only show up for marches or to express support on the Web—ran along the lines of: "I wanted to do something useful with my life; work that had a positive effect on other people or, at the very least, wasn't hurting anyone. But the way this economy works, if you spend your working life caring for others, you'll end up so underpaid and so deeply in debt you won't be able to care for your own family." There was a deep and abiding sense of rage at the injustice of such arrangements. I began to refer to it, mostly to myself, as the "revolt of the caring classes." … Very few economists have actually attempted to measure the overall social value of different professions; most would probably take the very idea as something of a fool's errand; but those who have tried tend to confirm that there is indeed an inverse relation between usefulness and pay. [Read More]
Michael Pollan Drops Acid — and Comes Back From His Trip Convinced
By Tom Bissell, New York Times [June 4, 2018]
[FB - A review of Pollan's new book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence]
---- Where Pollan truly shines is in his exploration of the mysticism and spirituality of psychedelic experiences. Many LSD or psilocybin trips — even good trips — begin with an ordeal that can feel scarily similar to dissolving, or even dying. What appears to be happening, in a neurological sense, is that the part of the brain that governs the ego and most values coherence — the default mode network, it's called — drops away. An older, more primitive part of the brain emerges, one that's analogous to a child's mind, in which feelings of individuality are fuzzier and a capacity for awe and wonder is stronger. As one developmental psychologist tells Pollan, "Babies and children are basically tripping all the time." [Read More]
---- Where Pollan truly shines is in his exploration of the mysticism and spirituality of psychedelic experiences. Many LSD or psilocybin trips — even good trips — begin with an ordeal that can feel scarily similar to dissolving, or even dying. What appears to be happening, in a neurological sense, is that the part of the brain that governs the ego and most values coherence — the default mode network, it's called — drops away. An older, more primitive part of the brain emerges, one that's analogous to a child's mind, in which feelings of individuality are fuzzier and a capacity for awe and wonder is stronger. As one developmental psychologist tells Pollan, "Babies and children are basically tripping all the time." [Read More]
THE TRUMP-KIM KOREAN SUMMIT
Trump and Kim Head to Singapore as Democrats Chafe
By Tim Shorrock, The Nation [June 8, 2018]
---- The unprecedented meeting is the direct result of a diplomatic initiative Kim launched in January with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. It culminated on April 27 with a joint declaration to end "the Cold War relic of division and confrontation" through the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean peninsula. In March, Kim's offer to meet Trump was conveyed by senior South Korean officials, making Moon a mediator between Washington and Kim's government in Pyongyang. … A likely outcome of the Trump-Kim encounter—which is already being called "the summit of the century"—is a joint declaration ending the state of war and transforming the 1953 armistice that ended the fighting into a permanent peace treaty. That would set the stage for an agreement to end North Korea's nuclear-weapons and ballistic-missile programs, which the United States has viewed for years as a strategic threat. "We could sign an agreement" to end the war, Trump said Thursday. "We're looking at it." For the summit to be a success, however, the Trump administration expects North Korea to announce a firm timetable for disarmament and publicly commit to an international system of verification. In return, Washington is apparently prepared to lift economic sanctions and agree to the full normalization of political and economic relations that North Korea has long sought with the United States. … But Trump's decision to meet with Kim has been greeted with skepticism and even derision in some quarters of the US foreign-policy establishment. On June 4, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) issued a harsh letter to Trump indicating that the president could face serious opposition in Congress if he offers concessions before North Korea shows that it has ended its nuclear and missile program. [Read More]
Also useful/illuminating on the Korean Summit – Simone Chun, "Toward a Truly Indigenous Peace in the Korean Peninsula," Foreign Policy in Focus [June 8, 2018] [Link]; and Medea Benjamin and Ann Wright, "North Korea Has Taken Big Steps. Now It's Trump's Turn To Show Goodwill," The Guardian [UK] [June 4, 2018] [LInk].
WAR & PEACE
The Necessity of a Trump-Putin Summit
By Stephen F. Cohen, The Nation [June 6, 2018]
---- Recent reports suggest that a formal meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is being seriously discussed in Washington and Moscow. Such ritualized but often substantive "summits," as they were termed, were frequently used during the 40-year US-Soviet Cold War to, among other things, reduce conflicts and increase cooperation between the two superpowers. They were most important when tensions were highest. Some were very successful, some less so, others were deemed failures. Given today's extraordinarily toxic political circumstances, even leaving aside powerful opposition in Washington (including inside the Trump administration) to any cooperation with the Kremlin, we may wonder if anything positive would come from a Trump-Putin summit. But it is necessary, even imperative, that Washington and Moscow try. The reason should be clear. As Cohen first began to argue in 2014, the new Cold War is more dangerous than was its predecessor, and steadily becoming even more so. It's time to update, however briefly, the reasons, of which there are already at least ten. [Read More]
Just Say No to an Illegal War on Iran. The U.S. House Did.
By Marjorie Cohn, Truth Dig [June 6, 2018]
---- In a little noticed but potentially monumental development, the House of Representatives voted unanimously for an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 5515) that says no statute authorizes the use of military force against Iran. The amendment, introduced by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota), states, "It is the sense of Congress that the use of the Armed Forces against Iran is not authorized by this Act or any other Act." A bipartisan majority of the House adopted the National Defense Authorization Act on May 24, with a vote of 351-66. The bill now moves to the Senate. If the Senate version ultimately includes the Ellison amendment as well, Congress would send a clear message to Donald Trump that he has no statutory authority to militarily attack Iran. This becomes particularly significant in light of Trump's May 8 withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. That withdrawal was followed by a long list of demands by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, which could set the stage for a US attack on Iran. [Read More]
(Video) Kathy Kelly on Afghanistan: Destitution, Unemployment & Hunger Must Be Addressed to Achieve Peace
From Democracy Now! [June 8, 2018]
---- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has announced an unconditional ceasefire with the Taliban to last until June 20. The ceasefire comes after Muslim clerics in Afghanistan issued a fatwa—or religious ruling—against suicide bombings, after an attack Monday, claimed by ISIS, killed 14 people who had gathered for a clerics' peace summit in Kabul. This comes as the BBC is reporting that the number of bombs dropped by the U.S. Air Force has surged dramatically since President Trump announced his Afghanistan strategy and committed more troops to the conflict last August; new rules of engagement have made it easier for U.S. forces to carry out strikes against the Taliban. We speak to Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, a campaign to end U.S. military and economic warfare. She has made many trips to Afghanistan and just returned from a trip this week. [See the Program]
GLOBAL WARMING/CLIMATE BREAKDOWN
A Climate Constitution in the Courts and the Streets
---- What's the Constitution got to do with climate? Current legal cases are now addressing that question. They are using the U.S. Constitution to bring climate protection into the courthouse. These cases range from youth demanding their constitutional right to a stable climate to activists who block fossil fuel pipeline construction and justify their action as necessary to protect constitutional rights. While legal action has contributed to social change in the past, it also is notoriously slow and uncertain. But action in the streets can accelerate the legal process and pressure the courts to act. Conversely, courts can establish legal principles that encourage action in the streets. Can we combine the two to jumpstart climate protection? … Constitutional climate arguments are also reaching the courts as part of a necessity defense for civil disobedience. The necessity defense is well established in Anglo-American common law. While judges very often resist such necessity claims, since the 1970s hundreds of people who have committed civil disobedience in service of the public good have been acquitted on the grounds that their actions were taken to prevent a greater harm. To make a necessity defense the accused must prove that they believed their act was necessary to avoid or minimize a harm; that the harm was greater than the harm resulting from the violation of the law; and that there were no reasonable legal alternatives. [Read More]
THE STATE OF THE UNION
Poor People's Campaign Building Toward June 23 in DC
By Ted Glick, ZNet [June 8, 2018]
---- Two weeks from now thousands of people will be gathering in Washington, DC on the National Mall as part of the final day of an impressively coordinated, national, 40 days of action which began on Mother's Day. Over that time, on three Mondays and the Tuesday after Memorial Day, upwards of 25,000 or so people have demonstrated on work days in 35 state capitols, and over 2,000 have been arrested taking part in nonviolent moral fusion direct action. There have been 12 million or more hits on social media. A google search for "Poor People's Campaign" lists over 40 million results. … For those not yet connected to the Poor People's Campaign and the 40 days campaign, there is still time to do so. There will be two more days of action at state capitols, on June 11 and June 18, followed by people gathering in DC throughout the week leading up to the big event on the 23rd. [Read More]
1,358 Children and Counting — Trump's "Zero Tolerance" Border Policy Is Separating Families at Staggering Rates
By Ryan Devereaux, The Intercept [June 8, 2018]
---- The Trump administration's intensifying border crackdown has seen as many as 2,000 cases involving children separated from their parents, according to an estimate by a lead attorney litigating a high-profile class-action lawsuit challenging the practice. Hundreds of new incidents of children being separated from their parents have emerged in the last month alone. "I think it's between 1,500 and 2,000," Lee Gelernt, a veteran attorney with American Civil Liberties Union, told The Intercept on Thursday, … A senior Department of Homeland Security immigration official, speaking to The Intercept on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press, said that the rising total of family separations sounded accurate. "It is definitely possible," they said. "We are seeing it every day here now." The official added, "Family separation is not only a cruel and barbaric practice meant to deter asylum-seekers from exercising their legal right to seek protection in the United States, but it is also an abrogation of our responsibilities under international law." Noting that the U.S. has signed on to both the U.N. Convention of the Rights of the Child and the Hague Convention on Parental Responsibility and Protection of Children, which expressly stipulate that "the best interests of the child should be paramount in any consideration of policy or law affecting children or families," the official said, "In no way can anyone argue that tearing a screaming child from the arms of their parent is in that child's best interests." [Read More] For more on this important topic, "Nearly 1800 Families Separated At US Border In Just 17 Months," f [Venezuela] [June 10, 2018] [Link].
Project Blitz: the legislative assault by Christian nationalists to reshape America
By David Taylor, The Guardian [June 4, 2018]
---- Since Donald Trump became president, rightwing groups are helping flood state legislatures with bills that promote hard-line Christian conservative views. The emboldened religious right has unleashed a wave of legislation across the United States since Donald Trump became president, as part of an organized bid to impose hard-line Christian values across American society. A playbook known as Project Blitz, developed by a collection of Christian groups, has provided state politicians with a set of off-the-shelf pro-Christian "model bills". Some legislation uses verbatim language from the "model bills" created by a group called the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation (CPCF), set up by a former Republican congressman which has a stated aim to "protect religious freedom, preserve America's Judeo-Christian heritage and promote prayer". At least 75 bills have been brought forward in more than 20 states during 2017 and 2018 which appear to be modeled on or have similar objectives to the playbook, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a campaign group which tracks legislation that undermines the principle of separation of church and state. Opponents warn that the CPCF (which claims more than 600 politicians as members across state legislatures) is using the banner of "religious freedom" to impose Christianity on American public, political and cultural life. [Read More]
The Empire: Puerto Rico Strikes Back
(Video) 4,645 Deaths in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria Were "State-Sponsored Mass Killing"
From Democracy Now! [June 6, 2018]
---- We look at Puerto Rico as it continues to recover from Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island last September. Researchers at Harvard recently revealed the death toll from Hurricane Maria may be a staggering 70 times higher than the official count. The official death toll still stands at 64, but the new study estimates a death toll of at least 4,645, with some projections topping 5,700. The Harvard study found that "interruption of medical care was the primary cause of sustained high mortality rates in the months after the hurricane, a finding consistent with the widely reported disruption of health systems. Health care disruption is now a growing contributor to both morbidity and mortality in natural disasters." We speak with Naomi Klein, author, journalist and a senior correspondent for The Intercept. Her new book is titled "The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes On the Disaster Capitalists." We also speak with Katia Avilés-Vázquez, a Puerto Rican environmental activist and member of Organización Boricuá de Agricultura Ecológica, and Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE and co-chair of the Climate Justice Alliance. [See the Program]
(Video) The Battle for Paradise — Resisting Disaster Capitalism in Puerto Rico
---- On Wednesday, June 6, The Intercept co-hosted "The Battle for Paradise," an event focused on how the forces of disaster capitalism are seeking to undermine the Puerto Rican people's vision for a just and renewable future. You can watch a recording of the event below. Naomi Klein starts at 19:15. [See the Program]
ISRAEL/PALESTINE
The Colonization of Palestine: Rethinking the Term 'Israeli Occupation'
---- June 5, 2018 marks the 51st anniversary of the Israeli Occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. But, unlike the massive popular mobilization that preceded the anniversary of the Nakba – the catastrophic destruction of Palestine in 1948 – on May 15, the anniversary of the Occupation is hardly generating equal mobilization. The unsurprising death of the 'peace process' and the inevitable demise of the 'two-state solution' has shifted the focus from ending the Occupation per se, to the larger and more encompassing problem of Israel's colonialism throughout Palestine. … Israel is a settler colonial project, which began when the Zionist movement aspired to build an exclusive homeland for Jews in Palestine, at the expense of the native inhabitants of that land in the late 19th century. Nothing has changed since. Only facades, legal definitions and political discourses. The truth is that Palestinians continue to suffer the consequences of Zionist colonialism and they will continue to carry that burden until that original sin is boldly confronted and justly remedied. [Read More]
If Israel Were Smart: In Gaza
By Sara Roy, London Review of Books [June 15, 2017]
[FB – Sara Roy is one of the world's leading experts on Gaza. Though this essay was written a year ago, its relevance is underlined by current events.]
---- My last visit to Gaza had been in May 2014, just before Israel launched Operation Protective Edge, an assault that resulted in the deaths of more than two thousand Gazans – combatants and civilians – and the destruction of eighteen thousand homes. When I went back less than three years later the changes were evident everywhere. But two things struck me particularly: the now devastating impact of Gaza's decade-long isolation from the rest of the world, and the sense that an increasing number of people are reaching the limit of what they can endure. Gaza is in a state of humanitarian shock, due primarily to Israel's blockade, supported by the US, the EU and Egypt and now entering its 11th year. Historically a place of trade and commerce, Gaza has relatively little production left, and the economy is now largely dependent on consumption. Although a recent easing of Israeli restrictions has led to a slight increase in agricultural exports to the West Bank and Israel – long Gaza's principal markets – they are not nearly enough to boost its weakened productive sectors. Gaza's debility, carefully planned and successfully executed, has left almost half the labour force without any means to earn a living. … Need is everywhere. But what is new is the sense of desperation, which can be felt in the boundaries people are now willing to cross, boundaries that were once inviolate. [Read More]
OUR HISTORY
The Second Sight of W.E.B. Du Bois
By Chris Hedges, Truth Dig [June 3, 2018]
[FB - Chris Hedges gave this talk Friday at the Left Forum in New York City.]
---- W.E.B. Du Bois, more than any intellectual this nation produced in the first half of the 20th century, explained America to itself. He did this not only through what he called the "color line" but by exposing the intertwining of empire, capitalism and white supremacy. He deftly fused academic disciplines. He possessed unwavering integrity, a deep commitment to the truth, and the courage to speak it. That he was brilliant and a radical was bad enough. That he was brilliant, radical and black terrified the ruling elites. He was swiftly blacklisted, denied the professorships and public platforms that went to those who were more obsequious and compliant. Du Bois had very few intellectual rivals—John Dewey perhaps being one, but Dewey failed, like nearly all white intellectuals, to grasp the innate violence and savagery of the American character and how it was given its natural expression in empire. [Read More]
Israel's Attack on the USS Liberty: A Half Century Later, Still No Justice
---- In early June of 1967, at the onset of the Six Day War, the Pentagon sent the USS Liberty from Spain into international waters off the coast of Gaza to monitor the progress of Israel's attack on the Arab states. The Liberty was a lightly armed surveillance ship. Only hours after the Liberty arrived it was spotted by the Israeli military. The IDF sent out reconnaissance planes to identify the ship. They made eight trips over a period of three hours. The Liberty was flying a large US flag and was easily recognizable as an American vessel. Soon more planes came. These were Israeli Mirage III fighters, armed with rockets and machine guns. As off-duty officers sunbathed on the deck, the fighters opened fire on the defenseless ship with rockets and machine guns. … In Assault on the Liberty, a harrowing first-hand account by James Ennes Jr. … It's a story of Israel aggression, Pentagon incompetence, official lies, and a cover-up that persists to this day. The book gains much of its power from the immediacy of Ennes's first-hand account of the attack and the lies that followed. Now, decades later, Ennes warns that the bloodbath on board the Liberty and its aftermath should serve as a tragic cautionary tale about the continuing ties between the US government and the government of Israel. [Read More]
