Concerned Families of Westchester Newsletter
March 28, 2021
Hello All - In 43 states, Republicans are pushing more than 250 pieces of legislation to make it harder to vote. Their target is low-income people and people of color, who vote mostly Democratic. Their goal is to ensure that rich people – a minority – can rule. The fight to secure the right to vote is now the front line of the fight to stop the fascist tide of the Republican Party.
This week the Governor of Georgia signed legislation that will restrict the ability of all low-income people to vote: shortening hours, making it harder to vote by mail, etc. The Republican-controlled legislature is up-front that they are following the path set down by X-President Trump. This week President Biden called Georgia's action "un-American" and "sick." The gloves are off. While Georgia voters are fighting back, claiming the new laws are unconstitutional, in Congress the Senate has begun hearings on the "For the People Act." This is the most important democracy reform bill since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It would expand voting access while blocking voting restrictions like Georgia's.
This legislation has been approved in the House, but in the Senate it will be likely be stopped by the "filibuster," the historically racist practice that lets a minority of Senators prevent votes on legislation. Lacking an electoral base that would give them a majority in Congress or win the Presidency, the GOP strategy is simply to whittle down the base of their opponents. This is what the White South did in the late 19th century, when post-Civil War Reconstruction reforms had temporarily established the possibility for majority rule based on the now-freed African Americans and lower-income white people. Back then, the plantation-owners used terror and the Klan to get their way; today they are using legislative majorities to ensure that they can rule forever. As Woody Guthrie wrote, "Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen."
Some useful reading on voter suppression and the goals of the Republicans
(Video) Jim Crow Redux: Georgia GOP Governor Signs "Egregious" Voter Suppression Law Targeting Black Voters
From Democracy Now! [March 26, 2021] [See the Program]
Democrats Have a "Once-in-a-Century Moment" to Protect Voting Rights
By Ari Berman, Mother Jones, [March 24, 2021]
The High Cost of Georgia's Restrictive Voting Bills
US democracy on the brink: Republicans wage 'coordinated onslaught' on voting rights
By Sam Levine, The Guardian [UK] [March 24, 2021]
Threat of Authoritarianism Is No Longer on the Horizon: It's Arrived in the GOP
By Henry A. Giroux, Truthout [March 26, 2021]
News Notes
Two weeks ago the New York legislature passed the HALT legislation. This will limit the use of solitary confinement in jails and prisons. The legislation is far from perfect, but check out this recent story from The New York Times, "I Survived 18 Years in Solitary Confinement," b
After every well-publicized mass murder (there are actually – on average – more than one a day), Congress and the mainstream media tie themselves in knots about "gun control" and Congress ends up doing nothing. ("If machine guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have machine guns.") Professor Juan Cole has put up some useful statistics about comparative gun-ownership and gun homicides in other countries. In England, for example, there are 33 gun killings each year, a population-equivalent to 182 for the USA, compared to the actual USA slaughter or 10,258. Check out the Gun Violence Archive for the whole, sad story.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a dramatic, hands-on lesson about some of the failures of our national health "system." Medicare for All legislation is now in Congress, HR 1976. As this useful article explains, "Newborns will leave the hospital with their new Medicare card, and drop it off years later at life's end." Will Congress have the courage to do something so simple and helpful? We will see.
CFOW Nuts & Bolts
Please consider getting involved with Concerned Families of Westchester. Taking the Covid Crisis into account, we meet (with safe distancing) for a protest/rally on Saturday in Hastings, at 12 noon at the VFW Plaza (Warburton and Spring St.) Another vigil takes place on the first Monday of the month (April 5th), from 5:30 to 6 pm, in Yonkers at the intersection of Warburton Ave. and Odell. In this time of coronavirus, we are meeting by Zoom conference; if you would like to join one of our Zoom meetings, Tuesday and Thursday at noon and/or Saturday at 5 pm, please send a return email. 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 support our work by making a contribution, please send your check to CFOW, PO Box 364, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706. Thanks!
Rewards!
It has been a while since we've heard from our friends, Hudson Valley Sally, a local group that sings many favorites. Check out their covers of Pete Seeger's "Sister Moon," Fred Small's tender "Annie," and Phil Och's "Power and Glory." There are lots more on-line. Enjoy!
Best wishes,
Frank Brodhead
For CFOW
FEATURED ESSAYS
We're Hurtling Toward Global Suicide
By Ben Ehrenreich, New Republic. [March 21, 2021]
---- A strange sort of faith lies at the core of mainstream climate advocacy—a largely unexamined belief that the very system that got us into this mess is the one that will get us out of it. For a community putatively committed to scientific empiricism, this is an extraordinary conviction. Despite reams of increasingly apocalyptic research, and despite 25 years of largely fruitless international climate negotiations, carbon emissions have continued to rise, and temperatures along with them. … It is of course foolish to the point of derangement to imagine that Joe Biden would consent to any such transformation, much less lead the country toward one. Given the current political geography, it would be equally whimsical to suppose that any American politician or movement could ride to power on the message that this planet does not belong to us, that we share it with the dead and the still-to-be-born and with species we have not bothered to notice, and that we must learn to live among them with generosity, humility, and the sort of wisdom that does not come to human beings cheaply. However, it would be just as naïve to believe that current political configurations are any more stable or permanent than the climate, or any less vulnerable to concerted human action. If we do actually listen to the science, then we understand what ghastly futures await us and we know how bold we must be to avoid them. Any politics that presumes to be anything other than suicidal must take that knowledge as its starting point. [Read More]
The Future of People Power in the Coronavirus Depression
By Jeremy Brecher, Labor Network for Sustainability [March 28, 2021]
---- As in the Great Depression, people power in the Coronavirus Depression has not been the result of a grand scheme. Rather, it has come as a series of responses to terrible and in many cases life threatening conditions. While we can improve our future action by learning lessons from our past, future people power action is likely to be more a response to the problems people face than the result of any master plan. Nonetheless, people can learn from their own and each other's past experience and they can join together to pool their knowledge and their power. … The responsibility for summoning the political will to reverse inequality will fall to lower-income Americans of whatever race, progressives and their political allies. They will need to organize, mobilize and put sufficient pressure on Biden and other elected leaders to act. As it was in the time of FDR and LBJ, power is redistributed only when those without it demand it.
Talking Socialism [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]
Interviewed by Don McIntosh, Democratic Left [DSA] [March 28, 2021]
---- Bronx Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, best known as AOC, is DSA's foremost socialist superstar. Her June 2018 primary win—a 29-year-old taqueria bartender defeating the third most powerful Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives—inspired up to 10,000 people to join DSA. AOC spoke with me by Zoom Jan. 26.
---- What was your path to joining DSA?
I love this question because I think that my path in DSA very much shaped my organizing strategy. I didn't grow up in an incredibly ideological household. I have friends that grew up the children of unionists, professors, individuals two or three generations deep into working class movements. That was not my family. I grew up very working class. My mother cleaned houses. My father had a small business. Both my parents grew up in extreme poverty. What initially drew me to DSA was the fact that they showed up everywhere that I showed up. [Read More]
WAR & PEACE
Moving on from the War on Terror? Checking in After Six Months
By
---- The Biden administration has offered up its own list of priorities and challenges. Setting out its national security agenda, the president has committed his administration "to engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday's challenges, but today's and tomorrow's… These war-on-terror-related goals are not only upbeat but distinctly achievable, if kept at the forefront of the American foreign-policy agenda. To achieve them, however, the institutional remnants of the war on terror would have to be eradicated. And at the top of any list when it comes to that are the lingering war powers granted the president; the authority to commit "targeted killings" via drones in more and more places around the globe; and the existence of that symbol of injustice, the prison established by the Bush administration in 2002 at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Eliminating such foundational war-on-terror policies is essential, if we are to move into an era in which national security exists in tandem with the rule of law and adherence to constitutional norms. [Read More]
War or Peace with China?
Washington's Delusion of Endless World Dominion: China and the U.S. Struggle over Eurasia, the Epicenter of World Power
---- Washington's hubris is finding its nemesis in China's President Xi Jinping and his grand strategy for uniting Eurasia into the world's largest economic bloc. For two decades, as China climbed, step by step, toward global eminence, Washington's inside-the-Beltway power elite was blinded by its overarching dreams of eternal military omnipotence. In the process, from Bill Clinton's administration to Joe Biden's, Washington's China policy has morphed from illusion directly into a state of bipartisan delusion. … While Washington had been pouring blood and treasure into desert sands, Beijing was making itself into the world's workshop. It had amassed $4 trillion in foreign exchange, which it began investing in an ambitious scheme it called the Belt and Road Initiative to unify Eurasia via history's largest set of infrastructure projects. Hoping to counter that move with a bold geopolitical gambit, President Barack Obama tried to check China with a new strategy that he called a "pivot to Asia." The scheme, brilliant in the abstract, soon crashed head-first into some harsh realities. [Read Moe]. Also illuminating is "Next Indo-Pacific US Commander Warns Of China's Threat To Taiwan" by Ann Wright, Popular Resistance [March 27, 2021] [Link].
The War in Afghanistan
US Joins 'Rules-Based World' on Afghanistan
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies, Code Pink [Mach 27, 2021]
---- The coming of spring in Afghanistan usually brings an escalation in the war. Without a new ceasefire, a spring offensive would probably lead to more territorial gains for the Taliban—which already controls at least half of Afghanistan. This prospect, combined with the May 1st withdrawal deadline for the remaining 3,500 U.S. and 7,000 other NATO troops, prompted Blinken's invitation to the United Nations to lead a more inclusive international peace process that will also involve India, Pakistan and the United States' traditional enemies, China, Russia and, most remarkably, Iran. This process began with a conference on Afghanistan in Moscow on March 18-19, which brought together a 16-member delegation from the U.S.-backed Afghan government in Kabul and negotiators from the Taliban, along with U.S. envoy Khalilzad and representatives from the other countries. The Moscow conference laid the groundwork for a larger UN-led conference to be held in Istanbul in April to map out a framework for a ceasefire, a political transition and a power-sharing agreement between the U.S.-backed government and the Taliban. … Maybe cooperation over Afghanistan can even be a first step toward broader U.S. cooperation with China, Russia and Iran that will be essential if we are to solve the serious common challenges confronting us all. [Read More] Also important is "Why Joe Biden Should Stick to the May 1 Deadline to Bring Home Troops From Afghanistan" by Trita Parsi and Adam Weinstein, Time [March 23, 2021] [Link].
The War in Yemen
(Video)Yemen Enters 7th Year of U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led War That Caused the World's Worst Humanitarian Crisis
From Democracy Now! [March 25, 2021]
---- As the world's worst humanitarian crisis enters its seventh year in Yemen, we look at the toll of the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led air war. A new report by the Yemen Data Project summarizing the impact of air raids over the past six years finds the bombing campaign has killed almost 1,500 civilians every year on average, a quarter of them children. Journalist Iona Craig, who heads up the Yemen Data Project, says there have been almost 23,000 air raids since the war began in 2015. "We're still seeing mass civilian casualty events," says Craig. "We're still seeing a large number of airstrikes on residential areas and, of course, on civilian infrastructure, which has been absolutely decimated over the last six years of the conflict." [See the Program]
Additional useful reading on Yemen – "Yemen war: Generation of children grows up knowing only conflict," from Middle East Eye [March21, 2021] [Link]; "In Yemen, 6 Years of Suffering and Death in an Ill-Fated War" by William D. Hartung, The Nation [March 26, 2021] [Link]; and "Lift the Blockade on Yemen Now" b [Link]. The Yemen Data Project has just published an excellent concise report, "Six Years of the Saudi-led Air War in Yemen."
The War in Syria
In Syria, the War of Hunger Is Taking Over from the War of Guns
By Patrick Cockburn, The Independent [UK] [March 20, 2021]
---- Great dollops of hypocrisy invariably accompany expressions of concern by outside powers for the wellbeing of the Syrian people. But even by these low standards, a new record for self-serving dishonesty is being set by the Caesar Civilian Protection Act, the new US law imposing the harshest sanctions in the world on Syria and bringing millions of Syrians to the brink of famine. Supposedly aimed at safeguarding ordinary Syrians from violent repression by President Bashar al-Assad, the law is given a humanitarian garnish by naming it after the Syrian military photographer who filmed and smuggled out of the country pictures of thousands of Syrians killed by the government. But instead of protecting Syrians, as it claims, the Caesar Act is a measure of collective punishment that is impoverishing people in government and opposition-held areas alike. Bad though the situation in Syria was after 10 years of warfare and a long-standing economic embargo, the crisis has got much worse in the nine months since the law was implemented on 17 June last year. It has raised the number of Syrians who are close to starvation to 12.4 million, or 60 per cent of the population, according to the UN. Already, more than half a million children under the age of five are suffering from stunting as the result of chronic malnutrition. As the Syrian currency collapsed and prices rose by 230 per cent over the last year, Syrian families could no longer afford to buy basic foodstuffs such as bread, rice, lentils, oil and sugar. [Read More] Also interesting is "After Ten Years Of Civil War In Syria, US (Quietly) Declares Defeat" by Alan Macleod, Mintpress News. [March 26, 2021] [Link].
THE CLIMATE CRISIS
The Planet Cannot Survive Our Remorseless Pursuit Of Profit
By The Guardian [UK] [March 27, 2021]
---- As documents seen by the Guardian reveal, the oil industry has known for half a century that pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels poses severe threats to human health. By the late 1960s, Shell's internal documents warned air pollution "may, in extreme situations, be deleterious to health", while by 1980, Imperial College was warning of "birth defects among industry worker offspring". And yet the same industry actively lobbied against clean air regulations proposed to protect health and save lives. This may cause moral revulsion, but the behaviour is perfectly rational. An economic system based on accumulating profit will downgrade all other considerations, including the sanctity of human life. There is no economic incentive for a fossil fuel company to willingly support measures that minimise the detrimental impact of their relentless search for profit: indeed, quite the opposite. …This is not a bug of capitalism: it is a central feature. The remorseless search for profit – and an economic system that enables the capture of our political systems by multinational companies with bottomless pockets – represents a fatal threat to our health, to our lives, and to our planet. [Read More]
THE STATE OF THE UNION
(Video) "Shameful": Amid Border Emergency, Immigrant Rights Advocates Urge Biden to Stop Detaining Children
From Democracy Now! [March 23, 2021]
---- There are now over 15,000 unaccompanied migrant children in U.S. custody as the number of people seeking asylum at the southern border shows no sign of slowing down. The Biden administration has sharpened its rhetoric in recent weeks, insisting that the "border is closed" and pushing Mexico and Guatemala to stem the flow of migrants. The Biden administration has also maintained one of the most controversial Trump policies, which allows the U.S. to deny almost all asylum seekers on public health grounds. "What is happening at the southern border is shameful," says Luz Lopez, a lawyer with the Southern Poverty Law Center focused on immigration. "We as a country should remain vigilant and hold any administration accountable, regardless of political party, with respect to our treatment of children seeking refuge, who are fleeing countries that are in turmoil, largely because of our geopolitical policies over the past several decades." [See the Program] For insights on developments this week, read "White Nationalist TV News: Even Networks and CNN are falling for 'Border Crisis' Propaganda" b[Link]; and "Asylum-Seekers Expelled by Biden Administration Say They Feel Deceived" by Debbie Nathan, The Intercept [[Link].
ISRAEL/PALESTINE
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama [The Occupied West Bank]
By Nathan Thrall, New York Review of Books [March19, 2021]
---- On the day before the accident, Milad Salama could hardly contain his excitement for the kindergarten class trip. "Baba," he said, addressing his father, Abed, "I want to buy food for the picnic tomorrow." Abed took his five-and-a-half-year-old son to a nearby convenience store, buying him a bottle of the Israeli orange drink Tapuzina, a tube of Pringles, and a chocolate Kinder Egg, his favorite dessert. Early the next morning, Milad's mother, Haifa, helped her fair-skinned, sandy-haired boy into his school uniform: gray pants, a white-collared shirt, and a gray sweater bearing the emblem of his private elementary school, Nour al-Houda, or "light of guidance." … Atef reported that he was stuck in horrible traffic. It was a wet, gray, and extremely windy February morning in 2012. He said there appeared to be a collision ahead of him, on the road between the Qalandia and Jaba checkpoints. A few minutes after hearing of Atef's delay, Abed received a call from his nephew: "Did Milad go to the picnic today? There was an accident with a school bus near Jaba." [Read More]
Decolonizing Israel
[FB – This is a review of a new book by Jeff Halper, Decolonizing Israel, Liberating Palestine: Zionism, Settler Colonialism, and the Case for One Democratic State.]
---- What is to be done about Israel to stop what is being done to Palestinians? … Since its inception, Israel has been able to disregard with impunity the UN prohibition of wars of aggression, UN resolutions and conventions on the rights of refugees, the treatment of occupied peoples, nuclear weapons, on apartheid and genocide, on international humanitarian law, on collective punishment and torture, on the treatment of children. When I first heard Jeff Halper speak about Israel over a decade ago, he said that you have to start with the reality of Israel, not its image. Israel had to be reframed as a military power, not as the eternal victim of worldwide antisemitism, entitled to do whatever it wanted in the name of security. Since then he has written about Israel's indispensable and entrenched role in global militarization, cutting-edge weapons, surveillance technology, border control, and police strategy. In his latest book, he reframes Israel as a settler-colonial state necessitating a clear oppositional political strategy with an end-game of actively decolonizing the whole political structure. [Read More]
OUR HISTORY
After Half Century in Prison, Elderly Black Panther Should Not Be Left to Die
By Natasha Lennard, The Intercept [
---- Sundiata Acoli is 84 years old and has been in prison for nearly half a century. When the state of New Jersey locked him up in 1974, Acoli was not sentenced to die behind bars; he has been eligible for parole for almost three decades. The much-loved father and grandfather has an exemplary disciplinary record and a stellar history of work and academic achievement while incarcerated. His parole bid in February was denied. Acoli will likely not live long enough to appear before the board again. The idea that this elderly Black community leader could be a risk to society outside the prison walls is laughable. Yet Acoli's release does not appear to be on the horizon. He has been consistently denied parole since the early 1990s. [Read More]
The Night the Nazis Came to Murder My Grandfather [John Heartfield]
By John J Heartfield and Lance Hansen, The Nation [March 26, 2021]
[FB – The anti-Nazi work and graphic innovations of German-born John Heartfield should be better known. This article, by his grandson, includes a link to an archive/museum where many of Heartfield's artistic/political innovations can be seen. Check it out!]
---- As World War I decimated a generation, a young Berlin artist born Helmut Herzfeld changed his name to John Heartfield to protest out-of-control German nationalism. In 1918, he was a founding member of Berlin Club Dada—a group of artistic rebels whose influence in all areas of culture continues to this day. Heartfield revolutionized the look of German book jackets and set design. He was a lifelong pacifist whose political beliefs were a constant in his art; his stunning collages, known as "photomontages," exposed the growing threat of fascism in Europe. Using just scissors and paste, Heartfield employed an extensive visual memory and a searing wit to expose the horrors hidden under fascism's shiny surface. One month after becoming the undisputed leader of Germany, Adolf Hitler ordered Heartfield's arrest. [Read More]
