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Hello

This site’s been created in the hope that knowledge is power, and the
certainty that ignorance is its antithesis.   It’s mainly a compilation
of information and insight from various sources that I thought worth
passing along.

I’ll be tossing in my overvalued two cents, as well (denoted
by asterisks).   That said, I’d like to think I’m smart enough to know
what I don’t know, and that I’ll make that clear when necessary.

I’m happy to hear from folks.   Disagreement is welcome, but only if
it’s civil.  You can be as vociferous as you wish, but personal attacks
will simply be flushed as soon as they’re apparent.

Let’s do the mensch thing.

Make sense?   If so, you can leave a comment here, or reach me via email at unlikelysource@gmail.com, on Twitter at @aspiringmensch, or at my Facebook page at https://facebook.com/unlikelysource.

And a note on DEMOCRACY NOW! posts:

I may be stating the obvious, but it’s a good idea to check the DN!
Headlines every weekday.

There’s a link to them at the top right of each segment I post, or of
course you can go directly to the program site at https://www.democracynow.org on those days when nothing is posted.

And in addition to what’s here, I occasionally receive responses to my comments on various sites, which I may reply to.

If you’re interested in those responses, just click on the page link and search on “Doug Latimer” in the comments section to read them, or check my Twitter account.

Thanks for visiting.   I hope you’ll find it worth your while.

—————–

ADDED 10/27/11 —  THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES page, where I park aphorisms et alia that I think are worth their own separate space.

See if you agree.

—————–

5/10/15 — Lately, I’ve been including a good bit of health and nutrition intel here, and I do see it intimately related to the other issues extant.

The posts on the duplicity and venality of food and medical corps provide obvious parallels, but I also want to focus on what we can do to improve our health, as we can’t follow our principles as assiduously as we’re obligated to if we’re not in the best condition we can be.

That said, I want to be clear that I’m no expert in these fields.  I’m trying to learn, and unlearn, what I need to do to be healthy.  In doing so, I may wander down some dead ends.  I present this information with the entreaty that you accord it both serious consideration and scrutiny.

What makes seeming sense today may be disproved tomorrow.  What appears outlandish in the present could well be validated in the future.

I hope what I pass along will be of benefit to you.

—————–

* Do what your conscience demands

And your courage allows

And never be satisfied with the limits of either *

 

 

May 2021

5.6

Wireless Companies Lobby to Weaken Bill That Would Protect Domestic Abuse Survivors From Threats
A lobbying group for companies including Verizon and T-Mobile is fighting to neuter the Safe Connections Act, which passed in a Senate committee last week
by Julia Conley, staff writer
Common Dreams

*Unwired to any conception of common humanity

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/05/06/wireless-companies-lobby-weaken-bill-would-protect-domestic-abuse-survivors-threats

Fauci Stirs Uproar With ‘Agnostic’ Position on Covid Vaccine Patent Waiver
One observer called Fauci’s characterization of the patent waiver issue “extremely misleading”
by Jake Johnson, staff writer
Common Dreams

*Pedestals, as always, prove to be inherently unstable

Don’t look up

Look around and within for your heroes

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/05/05/fauci-stirs-uproar-agnostic-position-covid-vaccine-patent-waiver
—

Institute for Public Accuracy
Coup in El Salvador?

https://accuracy.org/release/coup-in-el-salvador
—

FAIR
In Media Framing, Trans Kids Are Problems to Be Solved—Not People With Rights
by Julie Hollar

In Media Framing, Trans Kids Are Problems to Be Solved—Not People With Rights

‘Hedge Fund Managers Bleed Companies of Their Capabilities’
CounterSpin interview with Lynn Parramore on hedge funds vs. Green New Deal
by Janine Jackson

*I have no doubt Joe NO has “a pretty good understanding of stock buybacks”, and who benefits from them, and has had for a very long time

Which is why he won’t do diddley – or perhaps that should be “won’t do more than diddley” – about them, since when he is pushed to act, he makes certain it’s in the most limited manner possible, and loopholed to high heaven

Which for corporations, is his “great state of Delaware”.

https://fair.org/home/hedge-fund-managers-bleed-companies-of-their-capabilities
—

Democracy Now!
“Nothing to Lose”: Colombians Protest “Fascist Mafia Regime” Amid Deadly Police & Military Crackdown

*By the US, only finger wagging from bloody hands

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/5/6/colombia_protest_general_strike

“Millions of Lives Are at Stake”: Pressure Grows on Biden to Back WTO Waiver on Vaccine Technology

*The most vicious circle

Greed drives insanity

And insanity drives greed

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/5/5/trips_waiver_covid_vaccines_wto

Filipino Activist Walden Bello: Global Vaccine Disparity Shows “Irrationality of Global Capitalism”

*The US should have been seen as the greatest threat to democracy long before now

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/5/5/vaccine_diplomacy_walden_bello

Walden Bello Warns of U.S. Warmongering as Tensions Escalate in South China Sea

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/5/5/us_china_relations_walden_bello

5.4

Recalling the Bloodshed of 1970
The memory of the martyrs of Kent, Augusta and Jackson cries out for us to continue the struggle for which they died – to demand money for jobs and education, not for war. For an end to racist violence.
by Mike Alewitz

*Whitewashing the bloodstains

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/05/02/recalling-bloodshed-1970
–

Support for Essential Labor Has Largely Excluded Migrant Women Farmworkers
How the migrant women farmworkers who put food on our tables are organizing for a better life after the pandemic
by Rebekah Entralgo

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/30/support-essential-labor-has-largely-excluded-migrant-women-farmworkers
—

Friends for the Earth
New Study: Agricultural Pesticides Cause Widespread Harm to Soil Health, Threaten Biodiversity
Most comprehensive review ever conducted of pesticide impacts on soil finds harm to beneficial invertebrates like beetles, earthworms in over 70% of cases

https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/05/04/new-study-agricultural-pesticides-cause-widespread-harm-soil-health-threaten
—

Institute for Public Accuracy
For World Press Freedom Day, U.S. Government Hypocrisy

https://accuracy.org/release/for-world-press-freedom-day-u-s-government-hypocrisy
—

FAIR
If Mumia Abu-Jamal’s Case Is a ‘Non-Issue,’ Why Have Media Gone to Such Lengths to Silence Him?
by Janine Jackson

*Judge, jury

And exclusioner

https://fair.org/home/if-mumia-abu-jamals-case-is-a-non-issue-why-have-media-gone-to-such-lengths-to-silence-him
—

Democracy Now!
“Exterminate All the Brutes”: Filmmaker Raoul Peck Explores Colonialism & Origins of White Supremacy

*History shows us that the sinners never truly acknowledge, and thus are moved to make amends for the sin – not en masse

But every crack made in that fearsome edifice is worth the sweat spilled in swinging the hammer.

It’s not the truth that sets you free

It’s the courage summoned to secure its freedom.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/5/4/documentary_series_exterminate_all_the_brutes

As Global Pandemic Worsens, U.S. Keeps Blocking Vaccine Patent Waivers Amid Big Pharma Lobbying

*And the “progressives” will keep kissing his dick for the crumbs he spills off the corporate banquet table

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/5/3/lee_fang_vaccine_intellectual_property_rules

After Protests over Unauthorized Use of MOVE Child’s Bones, U. of Pennsylvania & Princeton Apologize

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/30/ivy_league_human_move_remains_scandal

Bone Rooms: How Elite Schools and Museums Amassed Black and Native Human Remains Without Consent

*Dehumanized in life

Devalued in death

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/30/ethical_stewardship_african_american_remains

April 2021

4.29

Anti-War Group Releases Activist Guide to End Militarized Policing in US
“We must end state violence and knee-jerk militarism, wherever it occurs. Ending the 1033 program is a small but necessary step toward that.”
by Jenna McGuire, staff writer
Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/29/anti-war-group-releases-activist-guide-end-militarized-policing-us

Hundreds Say Menstrual Cycles Impacted After Exposure to Police Tear Gas at Oregon Protests
“This isn’t a coincidence. Something’s going on,” said one person who was exposed
by Julia Conley, staff writer
Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/29/hundreds-say-menstrual-cycles-impacted-after-exposure-police-tear-gas-oregon

‘We Need Medicare for All’: Video Shows People Worldwide Appalled by High US Healthcare Costs
The “excellent” video, said one viewer, exposes the “cruelty and inefficiency of our healthcare system”
by Jessica Corbett, staff writer
Common Dreams

*American excrementalism

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/28/we-need-medicare-all-video-shows-people-worldwide-appalled-high-us-healthcare-costs
—

The Supreme Court Just Made It Easier to Sentence Children to Life in Prison
Progressives must challenge this cruel ruling, but relying on rehabilitative discourse to challenge juvenile life-without-parole sentencing could be a risky strategy
by Anthony Grasso

*”Reform” is so very often based on the same “logic” as the harm it claims to address

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/29/supreme-court-just-made-it-easier-sentence-children-life-prison
—

Institute for Public Accuracy
U.S. Military Spending Still Dwarfs China, Russia, Iran…

*It’s not just the ink that runs red

https://accuracy.org/release/u-s-military-spending-still-dwarfs-china-russia-iran-interviews-available
—

Democracy Now!
The Modi Surge: COVID-19 Cases Overwhelm India’s Healthcare System as Gov’t Censors Critics

*No sanctions against Modi, as he’s only an “official enemy” to the Indian people.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/29/india_covid_19_crisis

New COVID-19 Variant, Linked to India’s Record Wave of Infections & Deaths, Now Seen in 19 Countries

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/29/dr_priya_sampathkumar_india_covid_19

How Lifting Intellectual Property Restrictions Could Help World Vaccinate 60% of Population by 2022

*This tiptoeing around Joe NO’s inhuman hypocrisy is nauseating.

Call him and his admin what they are

A soulless PO[TU]S and “*You* die hard” exploitocrats to the bitter end.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/29/jayati_ghosh_priya_sampathkumar_india_vaccines

“Empire Politician”: Joe Biden’s Half-Century Record on Foreign Policy, War, Militarism & the CIA

*As soulless as the party he heads

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/28/empire_politician_joe_biden_jeremy_scahill

Jeremy Scahill: Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy Record Shows Evolution of U.S. Empire Since Vietnam War

*Which will become dangerously senile first

The empire

Or its figurehead?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/28/jeremy_scahill_joe_biden_foreign_policy

Jeremy Scahill on Biden’s “War Against Whistleblowers,” from Daniel Ellsberg to Edward Snowden

*Does anyone embody the dark heart and soullessness of “liberalism” in these here United States more pervertedly perfectly than Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/28/jeremy_scahill_biden_white_house

4.27

Democrats, Sanders Demand Biden Release Secret Covid Vaccine Contracts Inked Under Trump
“The Trump administration gave Big Pharma billions but refused to disclose full terms of these deals”
by Jake Johnson, staff writer
Common Dreams

*If Joe NO were the “anti Trump” he claims to be, why hasn’t this already been made public?

A perusal of his public campaign contribution history renders that rhetorical, I reckon.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/27/democrats-sanders-demand-biden-release-secret-covid-vaccine-contracts-inked-under

‘Halt This Nightmare’: Alarm as Florida Set to Begin Release of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes
“The release of genetically engineered mosquitoes puts Floridians, the environment, and endangered species at risk in the midst of a pandemic”
by Jake Johnson, staff writer
Common Dreams

*Insectisuicidal

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/26/halt-nightmare-alarm-florida-set-begin-release-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes

Rights Groups Demand Records on Trump Admin’s ‘Death Flight’ Deportations of Cameroonian Asylum Seekers
“The government’s mass deportations of Cameroonian and other Black immigrants are inhumane and targeted”
by Julia Conley, staff writer
Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/26/rights-groups-demand-records-trump-admins-death-flight-deportations-cameroonian
—

Institute for Public Accuracy
Biden “Continues to Support Saudi Aggression on the People of Yemen”

Biden “Continues to Support Saudi Aggression on the People of Yemen”

Examining the Democratic Israeli Lobby: “Burn Gaza”

https://accuracy.org/release/examining-the-democratic-israeli-lobby-burn-gaza
—

Democracy Now!
“A Warrant Is Not a License to Kill”: Rev. William Barber Condemns Police “Execution” of Andrew Brown

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/27/andrew_brown_jr_police_killing

Ivy League Secret Exposed: Classes Used Bones of Black Children Killed in 1985 MOVE Police Bombing

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/27/philadelphia_move_bombing_human_remains

“Our Demand Is for Him to Be Fired”: Outrage in Kenosha as Cop Who Shot Jacob Blake Returns to Work

*Back on the beat down

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/26/jacob_blake_rusten_sheskey_kenosha

GOP Criminalizes Dissent with Anti-Riot Laws Targeting Black Lives Matter & Anti-Pipeline Protests

*Doing wheelies on the First Amendment

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/26/anti_protest_bills

“Open Season”: Heather Heyer’s Mother Slams New Laws Giving Immunity to Drivers Who Hit Protesters

*Will vigilantism go viral?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/26/anti_protest_bills_car_attack_immunity

Biden Recognizes Armenian Genocide of 1915, Despite Decades of Lobbying & Denialism by Turkey

*Not a word about just why the US kept silent for decades, or why Joe NO now acknowledges this horror, as he perpetrates his own around the world.

It should be crystal clear that imperial geopolitical considerations, rather than any “moral force”, was the impetus behind this about face, and I’d have liked to have seen those explored.

As is far too often the case here, that desire went a begging.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/26/biden_armenian_genocide_peter_balakian

4.23

NIH Scientist Who Developed Key Vaccine Technology Says Patent Gives US Leverage Over Big Pharma
Dr. Barney Graham says he joined the National Institutes of Health in order to leverage “public funding to solve public health issues”
by Jake Johnson, staff writer
Common Dreams

*Another page from the “Trump Without the Tweets” files

Otherwise known as “Big Business as Usual”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/23/nih-scientist-who-developed-key-vaccine-technology-says-patent-gives-us-leverage
—

The Failing Safety Net Is Harming Reproductive Health
The women with the hardest time getting birth control were the same ones who have seen decreased income, food insecurity and inability to access food, transportation, and housing during the pandemic
by Rebecca Griffin

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/23/failing-safety-net-harming-reproductive-health
–

How Earth Day Is Being Co-Opted by Corporate Interests
We must resist the corporate takeover of the UN’s food, biodiversity, and climate agenda
by Simone Lovera

*Call them “Gang Green”

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/23/how-earth-day-being-co-opted-corporate-interests
—

Institute for Public Accuracy
Hollywood Spins the ’60s

https://accuracy.org/release/hollywood-spins-the-60s
—

FAIR
‘The System for Building Wealth Is Designed for White Wealth’
CounterSpin interview with Dorothy A. Brown on racist tax policy
by Janine Jackson

https://fair.org/home/the-system-for-building-wealth-is-designed-for-white-wealth
—

Democracy Now!
The Red Deal: Extended Interview with Red Nation Members About an Indigenous Plan to Save Our Earth

*I think we can measure Haaland’s commitment to these principles by how long she remains in office, because if she truly stands for the change necessary, Joe NO will run her out of town on a rail real quick like, don’t you imagine?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/22/the_red_deal_extended_interview_with

“An Apocalyptic Situation”: Indian Hospitals Overwhelmed as COVID Cases Soar in “Modi-Made Disaster”

*The insane

From which there is no asylum

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/22/india_covid_19_hospital_oxygen_shortages

Meet the Texas Doctor Developing a “People’s Vaccine” to Help Inoculate Billions Around the World

*I appreciate Hotez’s dedication to this cause, but I feel there’s a reluctance to seriously criticize the US’ role in this deadly debacle – he was, after all, on Dear Misleader’s “team” – while damning Russia’s, which could well be richly deserved, but it’s incumbent upon “experts” such as him to be even handed in their assessments of blame, don’t you think?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/22/covid_19_vaccine_global_rollout

Decolonization or Extinction: Indigenous Red Deal Lays Out Plan to Save the Earth

*I’d posit that having folks on like these, with a clear eyed view of just what “climate leadership” means in an capitalist and imperialist context, is a sort of “window dressing” for this program, as those calamitous constructs are only rarely seriously addressed on it.

Instead, we’ve given Ro Khanna and other “progressive” ilk as champions of true change.

Jesús Christo …

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/22/the_red_deal_book

4.21

In Closed-Door Event With Corporate Lobbyists, Manchin Vows $15 Wage ‘Not Going to Happen’
A top restaurant industry lobbyist reportedly “couldn’t contain his excitement” at the West Virginia Democrat’s remarks
by Jake Johnson, staff writer
Common Dreams

*The blue hued elephant in the room

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/21/closed-door-event-corporate-lobbyists-manchin-vows-15-wage-not-going-happen

International Coalition of Artists to Biden: Don’t Cut a Deal With Bolsonaro on Amazon Rainforest
“Urgent action must be taken to address threats to the Amazon, our climate, and human rights, but a deal with Bolsonaro is not the solution”
by Jake Johnson, staff writer
Common Dreams

*Of course, Joe NO knows this, and like his dog and pony show of a “climate summit”, is simply playing for PR points on this existential issue.

Nero would approve.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/21/international-coalition-artists-biden-dont-cut-deal-bolsonaro-amazon-rainforest

Privacy Champions Urge Passage of ‘Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale’ Act
“Intelligence and law enforcement agencies must come to understand that the American people are off limits to warrantless mass surveillance, no matter how it is done”
by Kenny Stancil, staff writer
Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/21/privacy-champions-urge-passage-fourth-amendment-not-sale-act
—

Responding to Concerns About the Emergency Charity Stimulus Proposal
Make no mistake: this pandemic is the “rainy day” DAFs and foundations have been saving for
by Chuck Collins and Dan Petegorsky

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/21/responding-concerns-about-emergency-charity-stimulus-proposal
—

theAnalysis.news
Abby Martin – Uganda Dictatorship: Imperialism’s Pearl of Africa

https://theanalysis.news/interviews/abby-martin-uganda-dictatorship-imperialisms-pearl-of-africa
—

Institute for Public Accuracy
What Does the Conviction of Chauvin Mean?

*When your “allies” are as dangerous as your enemies

What Does the Conviction of Chauvin Mean?

Did Amazon Shred the Law to Stop Worker Unionization?

https://accuracy.org/release/did-amazon-shred-the-law-to-stop-worker-unionization
—

FAIR
Math Is Hard—but Vital for Understanding Vaccine Risks
by Neil deMause

*The numbers may or may not be

But how they’re reported is always statistically significant

https://fair.org/home/math-is-hard-but-vital-for-understanding-vaccine-risks
—

Democracy Now!
Guilty on All Counts: Derek Chauvin Verdict Triggers Relief & Determination to Keep Fighting

*Why is valuable airtime wasted on the “reaction” of charlatans and shills, grandstanding rather than grassrooting?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/21/derek_chauvin_guilty_verdict_reactions

Black Visions Collective: We Need to Abolish the Police & End Militarized Occupations of Our Cities

*Personnel is policy

Yes, there will still be a need for force in some situations, but those employing that force can’t be carbon copies of the Proud Boys in body and mind.

A new day needs new blood.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/21/chauvin_trial_next_steps_racial_justice

Historian Khalil Gibran Muhammad: Policing in U.S. Was Built on Racism & Should Be Put on Trial

*The “bad apples” are the produce of a rotten barrel

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/21/chauvin_conviction_police_brutality_khalil_gibran

Jurors Deliberate in Derek Chauvin Trial as Prosecution Urges Them to “Believe What They Had Seen”

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/20/derek_chauvin_jury_deliberates_on_verdict

Police Killed John Thompson’s Friend Philando Castile. Now He Is a Lawmaker Fighting Racist Policing

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/20/minnesota_police_killings_traffic_stops

Mass Shooting at Indianapolis FedEx Warehouse “Follows Pattern of Violence Against Sikhs” Nationwide

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/20/indianapolis_shooting_fedex_facility_sikh_community

The Family of FedEx Mass Shooter Warned Police About Him. How Did He Still Manage to Buy His Guns?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/20/fedex_shooter_indiana_red_flag_laws

4.19

The Saudi Lobby Moves from K Street to Main Street
How to make a gulf monarchy all-American
by Ben Freeman, Brian Steiner and Leila Riazi

*”… members of Congress and their staff normally have no idea that the meetings … were products of that very lobby.”

I find the notion of that level of naïveté as hard to swallow as the putrid PR pap peddled at those gatherings.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/19/saudi-lobby-moves-k-street-main-street
—

The Real News Network
US Prisoners Are Exploited Slave Labor
The recent surge in labor performed in prison has led to more people laboring in captivity than were enslaved 200 years ago
by Molly Shah

*The chains don’t change

https://therealnews.com/us-prisoners-are-exploited-slave-labor
—

FAIR
‘Divisive’: How Corporate Media Dismiss Ideas Unpopular With Elites
by Alan MacLeod

*Stating the bloody obvious, the fear of the corpress water carriers for the exploitocracy isn’t that progressive policies won’t work

But that they will.

https://fair.org/home/divisive-how-corporate-media-dismiss-ideas-unpopular-with-elites
—

Institute for Public Accuracy
How Bill Gates Makes Intellectual Property More Important than Public Health

*Slamming the Gates on the good

How Bill Gates Makes Intellectual Property More Important than Public Health

Wall St. Pumped Record $2.9 Billion to Washington Politicians, At Least

*The true allegiance isn’t to red or blue

But to green

https://accuracy.org/release/wall-st-pumped-record-2-9-billion-to-washington-politicians-at-least
—

Democracy Now!
Cops Have Brutalized Chicago’s Latinx Community for Decades; Adam Toledo, 13, Is the Latest Victim

*There was never a “consent decree” from these communities to be treated as subhuman

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/19/chicago_protests_adam_toledo

Black & Latinx Lieutenant Sues Virginia Cops Who Threatened to Kill Him During Traffic Stop

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/19/caron_nazario_sues_virginia_cops

Meet Cariol Horne, Black Police Officer Fired After Stopping Fellow Cop’s Assault on Handcuffed Man

*A cop, and a judge, with functional consciences

Who’da thunk … ?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/19/cariol_horne_intervention_buffalo_police_brutality

“Cold-Blooded Murder”: Chicago Police Officer Shot 13-Year-Old Adam Toledo with His Hands in the Air

*All the oh so liberals are wilfully blind to the identity of these deadly politics

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/16/chicago_adam_toledo_police_killing_video

Medical Examiner Accused of Covering Up Police Killing in Maryland Becomes Witness for Derek Chauvin

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/16/anton_black_david_fowler_lawsuit

Biden Sanctions Russia for Cyber Espionage While Remaining Silent over Israeli Cyberattack on Iran

*Does Joe NO care about Russian help in Afghanistan, when it’s clear his aim is to declare the “forever war” over, while continuing to pursue imperial interests there?

That’s not “peace”, other than on the home front.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/16/biden_russia_sanctions_solarwinds_hack

4.15

‘The OK Legislature Wants Us Dead’: Rights Defenders Decry Advancement of Anti-Protest Bills
The head of the state’s ACLU accused Oklahoma lawmakers of “attempting to silence the voices of their constituents and criminalize vital calls for accountability and racial justice”
by Brett Wilkins, staff writer
Common Dreams

*Driven over while black

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/15/ok-legislature-wants-us-dead-rights-defenders-decry-advancement-anti-protest-bills

719 Billionaires Now Own Four Times More Wealth Than Poorest 165 Million Americans Combined
“Congress should act to restore taxes on the wealthy and limit further democracy-distorting concentrations of wealth and power”
by Jake Johnson, staff writer
Common Dreams

*Tax the rich?

Ax the rich*

*Literal interpretation discouraged

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/15/719-billionaires-now-own-four-times-more-wealth-poorest-165-million-americans

Jayapal Calls for Crackdown on Wealthiest After IRS Chief Says Tax Evasion Costs US $1 Trillion a Year
“We don’t just need a wealth tax, we also need to give the IRS the tools it needs to make sure the ultra-rich finally pay their fair share”
by Kenny Stancil, staff writer
Common Dreams

*Call me a cynic (I prefer “empiricist”), but might the only question here be whether Joe NO’s proposals will be watered down in the spirit of “bipartisanship” and “horse trading”

Or simply drowned in the gilded bathtub of his campaign contributors?

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/14/jayapal-calls-crackdown-wealthiest-after-irs-chief-says-tax-evasion-costs-us-1
—

A Military Spouse’s Perspective on the Pentagon’s Flawed Response to the Pandemic
Making sense of a viral military
by Andrea Mazzarino

*Fine piece, but given Joe NO’s refusal to tell Big Pharma to go fuck themselves re patents and production, Mazzarino’s assessment of his performance as “impressive” can only be defined as “better than the PO(TU)S preceding him”.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/15/military-spouses-perspective-pentagons-flawed-response-pandemic
–

The Bloody Catch-22 of Modern Policing In America
The system as it exists makes it almost impossible for Black and brown Americans to avoid harm
by Matthew Guariglia

*Obey

Or/and die

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/14/bloody-catch-22-modern-policing-america
—

Institute for Public Accuracy
The U.S. Government Will Not Withdraw Forces from Afghanistan

The U.S. Government Will Not Withdraw Forces from Afghanistan

The Case Against Fukushima Releasing Over One Million Metric Tons of Radioactive Wastewater

*Keeping us glowing

And in the dark

https://accuracy.org/release/the-case-against-fukushima-releasing-over-one-million-metric-tons-of-radioactive-wastewater
—

FAIR
New York State Hands Billions Back to Wealthy Investors—and NYT Doesn’t See a Story
by Ari Paul

*”For some reason … “

Like … I don’t know …

Campaign contributions … exploitocratic solidarity?

https://fair.org/home/new-york-state-hands-billions-back-to-wealthy-investors-and-nyt-doesnt-see-a-story
—

Democracy Now!
“We’re in a Transition Phase”: Dr. Monica Gandhi on Vaccine Safety & Why You Still Need a Mask

*”And there are various ways to do that.”

Like removing patent restrictions Big Pharma uses to protect their mother fucking profit margins, as more and more die.

How does that not get mentioned once in this segment?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/15/dr_monica_gandhi_johnson_johnson_vaccines

Afghanistan: Biden Vows to End Nation’s Longest War by 9/11 After Decades of Bloodshed & Destruction

*The boots can leave the ground

But the blood will never leave the hands

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/14/joe_biden_afghanistan_withdrawal_deadline

American Insurrection: Deadly Far-Right Extremism from Charlottesville to Capitol Attack. What Next?

*The response to this won’t just, or perhaps even primarily, target these groups.

It’s seen as an justification to go after anyone who truly challenges the status quo – direct action proponents on many fronts – under the banner of “counter terrorism”.

You don’t see Joe NO saying or doing squat about all the legislation criminalizing protest at the state level, do you?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/14/pbs_frontline_american_insurrection

4.13

Critics Warn $15 Billion Merger of Global Water Giants Would Create ‘Dangerous Corporate Monopoly’
“Veolia’s plan to dominate public water services all across the globe is becoming a terrifying reality”
by Kenny Stancil, staff writer
Common Dreams

*Coin slots on kitchen faucets?

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/12/critics-warn-15-billion-merger-global-water-giants-would-create-dangerous-corporate
—

We Are So Glad You’re Here: A Glimpse of the Good Society at a Hollowed-Out Kmart
What I saw and felt as I was getting my first jab
by Tim Koechlin

*The “Good Society” is, and may always be, a dream

But following our dreams, no matter how futile it seems

Is how we hold on to our humanity

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/13/we-are-so-glad-youre-here-glimpse-good-society-hollowed-out-kmart
–

Corporate Media Offers Wall-to-Wall Propaganda Every Day. We Only Notice When a Royal Dies
In normal times the propaganda is better masked, wrapped in the illusion of choice and variety
by Jonathan Cook

*Cook is spot on, but the term “banana republic” smacks of colonial condescension, as the corruption it bespeaks was and is in large measure a legacy of Western “civilization”.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/12/corporate-media-offers-wall-wall-propaganda-every-day-we-only-notice-when-royal
–

The Racist Roots of Big Tobacco
Big Tobacco has targeted Black communities for generations with multi-billion dollar marketing campaigns and a plethora of deadly products
by Michél Legendre

*Blowing smoke has always been the good Rev’s schlock and trade

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/12/racist-roots-big-tobacco
—
Institute for Public Accuracy
Did Biden’s Pick for Border Agency Cover-up Police Killings?

*”Black Lives Matter”

For his PR

Did Biden’s Pick for Border Agency Cover-up Police Killings?

Israeli Attack on Iraqi Nuclear Facility *Began* Weapons Program

Israeli Attack on Iraqi Nuclear Facility *Began* Weapons Program

Israel Targeting of Iran the Result of U.S. Backing, Refusal to Acknowledge Its Nuclear Weapons

https://accuracy.org/release/israel-targeting-of-iran-the-result-of-u-s-backing-refusal-to-acknowledge-its-nuclear-weapons
—

Democracy Now!
Killed over a Car Air Freshener: Outrage Grows over Police Shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota

*And the corpress stenos the “tragic accident” take, and frets over the “mistaken taser” phenomenon, never questioning the premises for it, like the “law and order” lapdogs they are.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/13/daunte_wright_minnesota_police_killing

Derek Chauvin Trial Breaks Down “Blue Wall of Silence” as Police Officials Testify Against Ex-Cop

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/13/derek_chauvin_trial_week_3

Amazon “Broke the Law”: Union Seeks New Election After Alabama Warehouse Organizing Drive Fails

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/12/rwdsu_alabama_amazon_union_vote

“We Need to Give the Workers a Fair Shot”: Jane McAlevey on What Went Wrong in Amazon Union Vote

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/12/jane_mcalevey_alabama_amazon_union_vote

4.9

Fauci Admits PPE Shortages Under Trump Increased Covid Death Toll of Frontline Healthcare Workers
More than 3,600 health workers died of Covid-19 during the first year of the pandemic, according to a new investigation
by Jake Johnson, staff writer
Common Dreams

*We’d need fewer heroes

If we had fewer villains

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/08/fauci-admits-ppe-shortages-under-trump-increased-covid-death-toll-frontline
—

Showering Big Pharma With Taxpayer Dollars Won’t Solve Vaccine Supply Issues
Privatization has left us scrambling for vaccines in today’s pandemic—a dangerous situation that last week drove the desperate Trudeau government to announce a $415 million federal contribution to the expansion of vaccine production capacity at the old Connaught plant, now owned by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur
by Linda McQuaig

*In capitalism

Greed always goes viral

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/08/showering-big-pharma-taxpayer-dollars-wont-solve-vaccine-supply-issues
–

The Impossibility of an “Informed Choice”: The Covid-19 Vaccine and Pregnant Women
And why scientific protocols should move away from protecting women from research and support women through research
by Nafisa Tanjeem

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/08/impossibility-informed-choice-covid-19-vaccine-and-pregnant-women
—

Indigenous Environmental Network
Biden Administration/Army Corps Allows Illegal Dakota Access Pipeline to Continue to Flow Despite Impacted Indigenous Opposition

*Here’s something Joe must “NO”

https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/04/09/biden-administrationarmy-corps-allows-illegal-dakota-access-pipeline-continue
—

Petition
National Day Laborer Organizing Network
Join Mississippi immigrant workers calling on President Biden to undo the harm inflicted by Trump’s mass workplace raids

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/biden-undo-the-harm-inflicted-by-trumps-workplace-raids
—

FAIR
Media Manage to Both-Sides Georgia GOP’s Suppressing Democracy
by Julie Hollar

*While this is transcendently vile, it should be pointed out that the Democratic “leadership” didn’t give a good goddamn about voting rights until this last election, essentially ignoring the suppression and gerrymandering that had occurred for years, and that they weren’t the “party willing to play by the rules of democracy” when it came to their own internal processes, twofer screwing Sanders out of the presidential nomination.

As for the corpress, this is SOP for GOP skullduggery.

https://fair.org/home/media-manage-to-both-sides-georgia-gops-suppressing-democracy
—

Institute for Public Accuracy
Amazon Union Vote

*You have to show as well as tell

Amazon Union Vote

Ban Killer Drones Campaign Seeks a Treaty to Prohibit Weaponized Drones

Ban Killer Drones Campaign Seeks a Treaty to Prohibit Weaponized Drones

Biden Re-ups Policies that Fuel Desperate Migration from Central America

*Trump without the tweets

Biden Re-ups Policies that Fuel Desperate Migration from Central America

Nuclear Weapons: “The Taproot of Violence”: Plowshares Activist Being Sentenced Friday

https://accuracy.org/release/nuclear-weapons-the-taproot-of-violence-plowshares-activist-being-sentenced-friday
—

Democracy Now!
How Cuba Beat the Pandemic: From Developing New Vaccines to Sending Doctors Overseas to Help Others

*Let’s not romanticize “normalization”. It was an attempt to open up Cuba to transnational investment, and slowly absorb the country into the capitalist sphere.

That corroded carrot has been replaced by the stick of accelerated sanctions, but the goal has always been the same.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/9/cuba_covid_19_vaccine_development

Amnesty Int’l: COVID-19 Exacerbates Inequality in Americas as U.S. Policy Drives Refugees to Border

*There should be no “expecting” that Joe NO will ever act in the interest of justice

Only a demand he do so.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/9/inequality_across_americas_pandemic_amnesty_report

Ex-Iranian Diplomat: Revived Nuclear Talks Must Start with U.S. Lifting of Crippling Sanctions

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/8/united_states_iran_nuclear_deal_talks

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Jody Williams Slams Biden Admin for Claiming Landmines Are a “Vital Tool”

*Why is this “confusing” or “mind-boggling”?

Williams herself clearly states Joe NO’s motivations in her closing comments, don’t you think?

War is sold

And peace is sold out

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/8/joe_biden_us_landmines_policy

“Vaccine Passports”: ACLU Warns of Privacy Nightmare That Could Create “Two-Tiered Society”

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/8/covid_19_electronic_vaccine_passports

4.7

Biden Pushed to Permanently Scrap ‘Trump’s Xenophobic and Racist Wall’
“The wall doesn’t even begin to address any of the injustices plaguing the borderlands. It’s nothing but a political prop for the GOP. Biden must stop it for good”
by Kenny Stancil, staff writer
Common Dreams

*Every day, in most every way, it becomes clearer that the “stark difference” wasn’t as acute as the wishfully thinking thought

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/07/biden-pushed-permanently-scrap-trumps-xenophobic-and-racist-wall

‘The People Have Spoken’: Left-Wing, Indigenous-Led Party Vows to Stop Greenland Uranium Mining Project After Historic Win
“Greenlanders are sending a strong message that for them it’s not worth sacrificing the environment to achieve independence and economic development”
by Jon Queally, staff writer
Common Dreams

*”Center-left” is an insidious oxymoron

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/07/people-have-spoken-left-wing-indigenous-led-party-vows-stop-greenland-uranium-mining

Did Democrats Blow Their Chance to Repeal a Slew of Trump’s Regulatory Attacks?
“Democrats get owned on regulatory issues day in and day out,” said one critic. “The problem is they didn’t want to do the work.”
by Jake Johnson, staff writer
Common Dreams

*The path of least “#Resistance”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/06/did-democrats-blow-their-chance-repeal-slew-trumps-regulatory-attacks

‘Deadly and Dangerous’: Biden Rebuked for Embrace of Trump’s Policy on Landmines
“This is the wrong approach,” said the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines
by Andrea Germanos, staff writer
Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/06/deadly-and-dangerous-biden-rebuked-embrace-trumps-policy-landmines
—

Six Months to Prevent a Hostile Takeover of Food Systems, and 25 Years to Transform Them
A misguided technological revolution is about to sweep through food systems, but civil society and social movements can stop it in its tracks
by Nick Jacobs

*Food forethought

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/07/six-months-prevent-hostile-takeover-food-systems-and-25-years-transform-them
–

The Capitol Raid and Pandemic Can Help US Empathize With Venezuelans
For Venezuelans, there is no one “January 6.” There are at least half a dozen.
by Leonardo Flores

*Imperialism is always a biparty animal

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/06/capitol-raid-and-pandemic-can-help-us-empathize-venezuelans
—

Greenpeace
Biden’s Tax Plan Comes Up Short on Fossil Fuel Subsidies

*A half step won’t avoid an onrushing train

https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/04/07/bidens-tax-plan-comes-short-fossil-fuel-subsidies
—

Institute for Public Accuracy
“Bad Apple” Argument Obscures Systemic Nature of Racist Police Violence

*Bad apples stem from a rotten core

https://accuracy.org/release/bad-apple-argument-obscures-systemic-nature-of-racist-police-violence
—

Democracy Now!
Retired Black NYPD Detective: Derek Chauvin Trial Highlights “Race-Based” Police Brutality Problem

*Cops or CEOs

If you won’t do the time

You’re gonna do the crime

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/7/derek_chauvin_trial_minneapolis

Do Prisons Keep Us Safe? Author Victoria Law Busts Myths About Mass Incarceration in New Book

*I agree with the premise, but I’d like to hear about specific alternatives to incarceration, rather than simply the general argument against it.

And while it may be true that it doesn’t serve as a deterrent for the general population, for cops, or anyone with power, I would think that the realistic prospect of severe sanction, whether that’s prison or something other, would have that effect.

I’d say Law is mixing apples and oranges on that point.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/7/victoria_law_book_mass_incarceration_myths

“This Agreement Protects Jobs”: Four Unions at Rutgers University Reach Historic Deal to End Layoffs

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/7/rutgers_university_unions_agreement

New York’s “Excluded Workers” Demand First U.S. Fund to Secure Pandemic Aid for Undocumented People

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/6/new_york_excluded_workers_government_relief

Pandemic Profiteers: Hospitals Sued Patients over Medical Debt While Getting Billions in Relief Aid

*How about instead of a paean to Joe NO’s tweaking of that POS known as the ACA, someone make the salient point that with true universal health *care* (not “coverage”), you wouldn’t have to worry about medical bills in the first place?

Talk about the limits of the liberal imagination.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/6/us_hospital_profits_pandemic_bailouts

Biden’s $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Goes Beyond Bridges & Roads, But Its “Scale Is Inadequate”

*Is it “The devil is in the details”

Or “The devils are the detailers”?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/6/joe_biden_infrastructure_jobs_plan

4.5

Biden Urged to Withdraw All Medicaid Work Requirements Approved by Trump
Policies to “take Medicaid coverage away from people who don’t comply with stringent work requirements… are deeply harmful”
by Kenny Stancil, staff writer
Common Dreams

*Showering gold on the rich

“Golden showers” for the poor

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/05/biden-urged-withdraw-all-medicaid-work-requirements-approved-trump

Fauci Says Federal Government Won’t Mandate Vaccine Passports
The administration’s chief medical adviser also urged people not to “declare victory prematurely” against the coronavirus by forgoing public health measures like physical distancing”
by Andrea Germanos, staff writer
Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/05/fauci-says-federal-government-wont-mandate-vaccine-passports
—

This Film Will Change Your Mind About the Fishing Industry
Seaspiracy, the latest Netflix documentary exposing the impact of our food systems, is making a splash
by Tim Thorpe

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/05/film-will-change-your-mind-about-fishing-industry
–

Maine Should Take This Chance to Defund the Local Intelligence Fusion Center
“The first decade of the 21st century is characterized by a blank check to grow and expand the infrastructure that props up mass surveillance. Fusion centers are at the very heart of that excess”
by Matthew Guariglia

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/04/04/maine-should-take-chance-defund-local-intelligence-fusion-center
—

Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
Jesuit Priest Continues Holy Resistance to Nuclear Weapons, Will Spend Easter Sunday at FDC SeaTac

*Conscientious obstruction

https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/04/02/jesuit-priest-continues-holy-resistance-nuclear-weapons-will-spend-easter-sunday
—

Institute for Public Accuracy
Fasting for Yemen and Against U.S. Support for Saudi as Over 2 Million Children Face Extreme Malnutrition

*They should play “Killer Joe” at every presidential appearance

Fasting for Yemen and Against U.S. Support for Saudi as Over 2 Million Children Face Extreme Malnutrition

Will Infrastructure Investment be Syphoned by Hedge Funds?

*Pathetic package

Pernicious handlers

Will Infrastructure Investment be Syphoned by Hedge Funds?

Military Analyst Daniel Hale Jailed for Exposing Drone Killings to Public

*Fire the missile

Get a medal

Blow the whistle

Go to jail

https://accuracy.org/release/military-analyst-daniel-hale-jailed-for-exposing-drone-killings-to-public
—

FAIR
With Nicaragua, Scary Covid Projections Are More Newsworthy Than Hopeful Results
by John Perry

https://fair.org/home/with-nicaragua-scary-covid-projections-are-more-newsworthy-than-hopeful-results
—

Democracy Now!
World’s Poorest Nations Face Setback as India Suspends Vaccine Exports Amid Fight over Patent Rights

*Why this cockup occurred is never explained, is it, but as it is utterly foolish to believe Gates and company “were working with the best intentions”, I think it would be reasonable to suspect that something is rotten in the state of Maharashtra.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/5/global_covid_19_vaccine_access_india

Ethiopia Accused of Using Rape as a Weapon of War in Tigray as New Evidence Emerges of Massacres

*”Nobody says that there is anything bad about America coming back to the table as an arbiter of morality and human rights.”

Well, nobody a corpress correspondent would deem a “legitimate” voice …

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/5/ethiopia_tigray_region_conflict_sexual_violence

Will Georgia’s Voting Law Be Repealed as Big Business Joins Critics Opposing “Jim Crow” Suppression?

*So what does it mean to “have their back”, when the only reason these corps did shit was because they got their ass kicked?

Keep kicking it, goddammit. Don’t play nice with mofos who only care about how much they can exploit you, while their PR people issue warm and fuzzies.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/2/georgia_voter_suppression

“Abhorrent”: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Trump’s Treatment of Portland Protesters vs. Insurrectionists

*This pathetic pol sidesteps Reinoehl’s murder, and Goodman doesn’t press her.

Well, they don’t call themselves “the exception to the rulers” anymore

And a good thing, too.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/2/portland_black_lives_matter_protests_trump

“Check His Pulse”: In Derek Chauvin Trial, Outraged Bystanders Describe Witnessing George Floyd Death

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/1/derek_chauvin_trial_day_3

Brazil in Crisis: COVID Deaths Soar & Hospitals Overflow Amid Unprecedented Political Upheaval

*Hey Joe

Is Bolsonaro a “killer”, too?

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/1/dr_miguel_nicolelis_brazil_covid