Daily Archives: September 5, 2019

2019-09-05: News Headlines

Medea Benjamin (2019-09-05). Should We Feed Hungry Children, or the War Machine? commondreams.org Anti-war demonstration in New York City on the 16th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan, October 7 2017. (Photo: Erik McGregor/SIPA USA/PA Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Zoà´ Carpenter (2019-09-05). Joe Biden Doesn't Sound Very Serious About the Climate Crisis. thenation.com CNN's climate change town hall was a good moment for activists—and a rough one for the Democratic front-runner.

Norman Solomon (2019-09-05). Progressives Can't Play Nice With Democrats Anymore. truthdig.com Progressive activists often see a frustrating pattern. Many Democrats in office are good at liberal platitudes but don't really fight for what we need. Even when constituents organize to lobby or protest, they have little leverage compared to big campaign donors, party leaders and corporate media spin. Activist efforts routinely fall short because—while propelled by facts and passion—they lack power. | Right now, in dozens of Democratic congressional districts, the most effective way for progressives to "lobby" their inadequate representatives would be to "primary" them. Activists may flatter themselv…

Staff (2019-09-05). Headlines for September 5, 2019. democracynow.org 2020 Dem Candidates Talk Fracking, Green New Deal, Nuclear Energy & More at Climate Crisis Town Hall, Brexit Battle Heats Up as Lawmakers Vote to Block "No-Deal" Scenario, Trump Shows Doctored Hurricane Map as Dorian Hits U.S. Coast After Ravaging Bahamas, Report: FBI Tracking Immigration Activists Who Oppose Trump Policies, Aid Groups Uncover More Human Remains at Arizona-Mexico Border, State Dept. Official Offered Millions to Captain of Iranian Oil Tanker to Divert Vessel, Mexico: Main Suspect in 2014 Ayotzinapa Student Disappearance Acquitted, Denmark Bans PFAS from Food Packaging, Germany Announces Glyphosate…

Stephen Martin (2019-09-05). Brexit and Ye Olde Ordo Ab Chao as But Another Nine Inch Stab Neoliberal. counterpunch.org To him who has nothing it is forbidden not to relish filth. — Samuel Beckett We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality — judiciously, as you will — we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how More

Staff (2019-09-04). Nigerian Journalist & Activist Omoyele Sowore Remains Jailed for Calling for Peaceful Protests. democracynow.org Journalist and pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore is entering his second month in jail for calling for peaceful nationwide protests against the government. Sowore called his movement "Revolution Now" and mobilized activists to take to the streets August 5. But just two days before the protests were set to begin, Sowore was arrested by the state and accused of attempting to take over the government. He's been imprisoned for more than a month now as human rights groups continue to call for his immediate release. We speak with his wife Opeyemi Sowore and Nani Jansen Reventlow, one of the attorneys representing Om…

susan_p (2019-09-04). Stop the repression in West Papua. greenleft.org.au self-determinationIssue 1236 West Papua Indonesian occupation of West PapuaSeptember 4, 2019 | In response to the crackdown on activists and protesters in West Papua, which has followed this attack, regional left organisations have issued the following joint statement. | *** | On August 17, Indonesian Independence Day…

Fight Back (2019-09-03). Boyle Heights commemorates the 49th anniversary of Chicano Moratorium. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – On August 29, hundreds of community members, activists and families gathered at a local Chicano art center, Self Help Graphics, to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War. | The event marks the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium, which included over 30,000 Chicanos and supporters marching against the Vietnam War in East Los Angeles. The large march ended with a rally at Laguna Park – now known as Ruben Salazar Park. The moratorium was against the Vietnam War, against the high casualty rate of Chicanos in that war, against police terror and against racis…

Fight Back (2019-09-02). Protesters demand MN divest from Elbit. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – "In 2017, the Trump administration awarded Elbit a contract to work on the expansion of the Mexico border wall. Elbit System's CEO has said that the company's current growth can be attributed to increased U.S. border spending," said Sarah Martin of Women Against Military Madness. "This last decade has seen the international community divesting from Elbit, including the Norwegian State Pension Fund, Danske Bank. Governor Walz, we Minnesotans refuse to continue to profit from pain, injustice and tragedy at the hands of Elbit. We want you to do what Norway and Denmark did. Divest now!" | Martin, who…

K.J. Noh (2019-09-02). Western "Progressives" Support Yet Another Color Revolution in Hong Kong. dissidentvoice.org Misinformed "progressive" western "activists" and pundits are putting down their remote controls and organic smoothies just long enough to tweet out that Hong Kong protesters need to be supported as paragons of virtue and justice. Some have even blogged and bloviated about the importance of these protests as a struggle for freedom against "dictatorship." Most …

Fight Back (2019-08-31). Chicago students say, 'CIA off campus!'. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On the afternoon of August 28, members of Students for a Democratic Society and AnakBayan Chicago, at the University of Illinois at Chicago, passed out flyers on the quad to oppose the partnership that the university has with the CIA. SDS members held a banner reading "CIA off campus," the slogan that has been used in past decades by student activists around the country in similar campaigns. Protesters held signs each detailing a different CIA operation and the number of deaths it caused. | In February 2018, the UIC announced that they had become a CIA Signature School. Only three months later, Gina…

Staff (2019-08-30). Headlines for August 30, 2019. democracynow.org Florida Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Hurricane Dorian, Justice Department: Comey Violated FBI Rules But Will Not Face Charges, Former FARC Rebels to Take Up Arms Again in Colombia, Report: Indian Forces Are Beating and Torturing Kashmiris in Detention, UAE Accused of Bombing Saudi-Backed Forces in Yemen, Prominent Pro-Democracy Activists Arrested Ahead of Saturday's Protest, Scottish Judge Refused to Block Boris Johnson's Plan to Suspend Parliament, Ebola Death Toll Tops 2,000 in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Environmental Groups Threaten to Sue Trump over Methane Rules, NAACP Calls for Alabama Gov. t…

pip.hinman (2019-08-30). Climate activists set to blockade mining conference. greenleft.org.au IMARC 2019 blockade Jack StickneyIssue 1235 Australia climate emergency MelbourneAugust 30, 2019Climate justice activists are organising a mass blockade of a major mining conference in Melb…

pip.hinman (2019-08-30). Save the Amazon. greenleft.org.au climate emergency Zebedee ParkesIssue 1235 Australia Amazon forest firesAugust 30, 2019Environmental activists rallied in Melbourne and Sydney on August 25 in response to fires destroying the Amazon rainforest. | They demanded an end to the deforestation po…

susan_p (2019-08-30). Britain: Extinction Rebellion protesters convicted. greenleft.org.au protestIssue 1235 Britain Extinction Rebellion climate crisisAugust 30, 2019Three activists from climate change direct action group Extinction Rebellion (XR) have been convicted after being arrested at protests earlier this year. | They are the first activists to stand trial…

Staff (2019-08-29). Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Arrives in NYC to Fight "Biggest Crisis Humanity Has Ever Faced" democracynow.org Following weeks of anticipation, Swedish climate justice activist Greta Thunberg arrived on the shores of Lower Manhattan Wednesday afternoon after a 15-day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in an emissions-free yacht. She was welcomed on land by hundreds of supporters at the North Cove Marina. As Thunberg's yacht sailed over the horizon and past the Statue of Liberty, youth climate activists chanted "The sea levels are rising, and so are we!" and "We are unstoppable! Another world is possible!" The 16-year-old climate activist is kickstarting a months-long tour of the Americas. For her first action, she will be j…

Staff (2019-08-29). Remembering Legendary Peace Activist Frances Crowe, Who Died at 100 After Decades of Resisting War. democracynow.org The legendary peace activist Frances Crowe died this week at the age of 100 in Northampton, Massachusetts. Over the past seven decades, Frances had been arrested countless times while protesting war, nuclear weapons, nuclear power and the construction of new pipelines. She is survived by her two sons, a daughter and an international community of peace activists. We revisit a 2005 interview of Frances Crowe by Amy Goodman and recognize her lifetime of advocacy.

PACBI (2019-08-28). Pacbi Welcomes Statement by More Than 500 Filmmakers Against "Close Up" Initiative Normalizing Israeli Apartheid. bdsmovement.net Pacbi Welcomes Statement by More Than 500 Filmmakers Against "Close Up" Initiative Normalizing Israeli Apartheid: UpdateFilmmakers denounce "Close up," a new documentary film project that aims to normalize relations with Israel as if it were a normal state, not a regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid. | Cultural BoycottAugust 28, 2019 | B…

JOCDC (2019-08-26). No Coal, No Gas: Climate activists remove coal from Merrimack generating station. liberationnews.org "…it is now a necessity to take matters into our own hands…"

PACBI (2019-08-26). Israeli Filmmakers Letter on Greenhouse Project. bdsmovement.net Israeli Filmmakers Letter on Greenhouse Project: In the NewsLeonidas Kioussis
| Catherine COLOMB-NANCY
| (EuropeAid Co-Operation Office of the European Commission)
| Rosamaria Gili
| (European Commission Delegation in Morocco) Cultural BoycottFebruary 16, 2006 | By: | | Israeli filmmakers, producers, scholars and artists

TeleSur English (2019-08-26). Venezuela: Major Gas Explosion Called Act of 'Sabotage'. venezuelanalysis.com Government spokespersons have blamed opposition activists from First Justice Party.

Norman Stockwell (2019-08-22). 'Anti-alien Hysteria:' Journalist Elizabeth Glendower Evans and the Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti. progressive.org In a case perhaps more relevant now than ever, the trial of the two immigrants became a rallying point for 1920s progressives, labor activists, and human rights advocates around the globe.

SAMIR (2019-08-15). The BDS movement calls to boycott three anti-Palestinian German clubs. bdsmovement.net The BDS movement calls to boycott three anti-Palestinian German clubs: PACBI StatementConne Island, Golden Pudel and : //about blank are complicit in Israel's oppression of Palestinians | Cultural Boycott Right To BoycottAugust 15, 2019…

patrick (2019-08-14). BDS condemns antisemitic, fascist forces in Germany and worldwide. bdsmovement.net BDS condemns antisemitic, fascist forces in Germany and worldwide: BNC StatementOur nonviolent movement opposes all forms of racism and racial discrimination. | Right To BoycottAugust 14, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)

patrick (2019-08-13). BDS movement condemns U.S. Congress' anti-BDS resolution. bdsmovement.net BDS movement condemns U.S. Congress' anti-BDS resolution: UpdateThe resolution is based on lies and aims to to demonize peaceful resistance to Israel's military occupation and apartheid. | Right To BoycottJuly 23, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)

Paul Dobson (2019-07-29). Sao Paulo Forum Voices Solidarity with Venezuela, Rejects US Warmongering. venezuelanalysis.com The host of delegates from around the world likewise expressed support for leftist movements in Latin America.

2019-09-05: Social Media Postees

Should We Feed Hungry Children, or the War Machine?
Medea Benjamin | commondreams.org | 2019-09-05
Anti-war demonstration in New York City on the 16th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan, October 7 2017. (Photo: Erik McGregor/SIPA USA/PA Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2019/09/05/should…

Progressives Can't Play Nice With Democrats Anymore
Norman Solomon | truthdig.com | 2019-09-05
Progressive activists often see a frustrating pattern. Many Democrats in office are good at liberal platitudes but don't really fight for what we need. Even when constituents organize to lobby or protest, they have little leverage compared to big campaign donors, party leaders and corporate media spin. Activist efforts routinely fall short because–while propelled by facts and passion–they lack power. | Right now, in dozens of Democratic congressional districts, the most effective way for progressives to "lobby" their inadequate representatives would be to "primary" them. Activists may flatter themselv…
truthdig.com/articles/progressives-cant-…

Joe Biden Doesn't Sound Very Serious About the Climate Crisis
Zoà´ Carpenter | thenation.com | 2019-09-05
CNN's climate change town hall was a good moment for activists–and a rough one for the Democratic front-runner.
thenation.com/article/climate-change-tow…

Brexit and Ye Olde Ordo Ab Chao as But Another Nine Inch Stab Neoliberal
Stephen Martin | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-05
To him who has nothing it is forbidden not to relish filth. — Samuel Beckett We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality — judiciously, as you will — we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how…
counterpunch.org/2019/09/05/brexit-and-y…

Nigerian Journalist & Activist Omoyele Sowore Remains Jailed for Calling for Peaceful Protests
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-04
Journalist and pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore is entering his second month in jail for calling for peaceful nationwide protests against the government. Sowore called his movement "Revolution Now" and mobilized activists to take to the streets August 5. But just two days before the protests were set to begin, Sowore was arrested by the state and accused of attempting to take over the government. He's been imprisoned for more than a month now as human rights groups continue to call for his immediate release. We speak with his wife Opeyemi Sowore and Nani Jansen Reventlow, one of the attorneys representing Om…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/4/nigerian_j…

Stop the repression in West Papua
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-09-04
self-determinationIssue 1236 West Papua Indonesian occupation of West PapuaSeptember 4, 2019 | In response to the crackdown on activists and protesters in West Papua, which has followed this attack, regional left organisations have issued the following joint statement. | *** | On August 17, Indonesian Independence Day…
greenleft.org.au/content/stop-repression-west-papua

Boyle Heights commemorates the 49th anniversary of Chicano Moratorium
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-03
Los Angeles, CA – On August 29, hundreds of community members, activists and families gathered at a local Chicano art center, Self Help Graphics, to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War. | The event marks the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium, which included over 30,000 Chicanos and supporters marching against the Vietnam War in East Los Angeles. The large march ended with a rally at Laguna Park – now known as Ruben Salazar Park. The moratorium was against the Vietnam War, against the high casualty rate of Chicanos in that war, against police terror and against racis…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/9/3/boyle-hei…

Protesters demand MN divest from Elbit
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-02
St. Paul, MN – "In 2017, the Trump administration awarded Elbit a contract to work on the expansion of the Mexico border wall. Elbit System's CEO has said that the company's current growth can be attributed to increased U.S. border spending," said Sarah Martin of Women Against Military Madness. "This last decade has seen the international community divesting from Elbit, including the Norwegian State Pension Fund, Danske Bank. Governor Walz, we Minnesotans refuse to continue to profit from pain, injustice and tragedy at the hands of Elbit. We want you to do what Norway and Denmark did. Divest now!" | Martin, who…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/9/2/protester…

Western "Progressives" Support Yet Another Color Revolution in Hong Kong
K.J. Noh | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-09-02
Misinformed "progressive" western "activists" and pundits are putting down their remote controls and organic smoothies just long enough to tweet out that Hong Kong protesters need to be supported as paragons of virtue and justice. Some have even blogged and bloviated about the importance of these protests as a struggle for freedom against "dictatorship." Most …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/09/western-progr…

Chicago students say, 'CIA off campus!'
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-31
Chicago, IL – On the afternoon of August 28, members of Students for a Democratic Society and AnakBayan Chicago, at the University of Illinois at Chicago, passed out flyers on the quad to oppose the partnership that the university has with the CIA. SDS members held a banner reading "CIA off campus," the slogan that has been used in past decades by student activists around the country in similar campaigns. Protesters held signs each detailing a different CIA operation and the number of deaths it caused. | In February 2018, the UIC announced that they had become a CIA Signature School. Only three months later, Gina…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/31/chicago-…

Headlines for August 30, 2019
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-30
Florida Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Hurricane Dorian, Justice Department: Comey Violated FBI Rules But Will Not Face Charges, Former FARC Rebels to Take Up Arms Again in Colombia, Report: Indian Forces Are Beating and Torturing Kashmiris in Detention, UAE Accused of Bombing Saudi-Backed Forces in Yemen, Prominent Pro-Democracy Activists Arrested Ahead of Saturday's Protest, Scottish Judge Refused to Block Boris Johnson's Plan to Suspend Parliament, Ebola Death Toll Tops 2,000 in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Environmental Groups Threaten to Sue Trump over Methane Rules, NAACP Calls for Alabama Gov. t…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/30/headlines

Britain: Extinction Rebellion protesters convicted
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-30
protestIssue 1235 Britain Extinction Rebellion climate crisisAugust 30, 2019Three activists from climate change direct action group Extinction Rebellion (XR) have been convicted after being arrested at protests earlier this year. | They are the first activists to stand trial…
greenleft.org.au/content/britain-extinction-rebellion-protesters-convicted

Save the Amazon
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-30
climate emergency Zebedee ParkesIssue 1235 Australia Amazon forest firesAugust 30, 2019Environmental activists rallied in Melbourne and Sydney on August 25 in response to fires destroying the Amazon rainforest. | They demanded an end to the deforestation po…
greenleft.org.au/content/save-amazon-0

Climate activists set to blockade mining conference
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-30
IMARC 2019 blockade Jack StickneyIssue 1235 Australia climate emergency MelbourneAugust 30, 2019Climate justice activists are organising a mass blockade of a major mining conference in Melb…
greenleft.org.au/content/climate-activists-set-blockade-mining-conference

Remembering Legendary Peace Activist Frances Crowe, Who Died at 100 After Decades of Resisting War
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-29
The legendary peace activist Frances Crowe died this week at the age of 100 in Northampton, Massachusetts. Over the past seven decades, Frances had been arrested countless times while protesting war, nuclear weapons, nuclear power and the construction of new pipelines. She is survived by her two sons, a daughter and an international community of peace activists. We revisit a 2005 interview of Frances Crowe by Amy Goodman and recognize her lifetime of advocacy.
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/29/rememberi…

Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Arrives in NYC to Fight "Biggest Crisis Humanity Has Ever Faced"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-29
Following weeks of anticipation, Swedish climate justice activist Greta Thunberg arrived on the shores of Lower Manhattan Wednesday afternoon after a 15-day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in an emissions-free yacht. She was welcomed on land by hundreds of supporters at the North Cove Marina. As Thunberg's yacht sailed over the horizon and past the Statue of Liberty, youth climate activists chanted "The sea levels are rising, and so are we!" and "We are unstoppable! Another world is possible!" The 16-year-old climate activist is kickstarting a months-long tour of the Americas. For her first action, she will be j…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/29/greta_thu…

Pacbi Welcomes Statement by More Than 500 Filmmakers Against "Close Up" Initiative Normalizing Israeli Apartheid
PACBI | bdsmovement.net | 2019-08-28
Pacbi Welcomes Statement by More Than 500 Filmmakers Against "Close Up" Initiative Normalizing Israeli Apartheid: UpdateFilmmakers denounce "Close up," a new documentary film project that aims to normalize relations with Israel as if it were a normal state, not a regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid. | Cultural BoycottAugust 28, 2019 | B…
bdsmovement.net/news/pacbi-welcomes-stat…

Israeli Filmmakers Letter on Greenhouse Project
PACBI | bdsmovement.net | 2019-08-26
Israeli Filmmakers Letter on Greenhouse Project: In the NewsLeonidas Kioussis | Catherine COLOMB-NANCY | (EuropeAid Co-Operation Office of the European Commission) | Rosamaria Gili | (European Commission Delegation in Morocco) Cultural BoycottFebruary 16, 2006 | By: | | Israeli filmmakers, producers, scholars and artists …
bdsmovement.net/news/israeli-filmmakers-…

Venezuela: Major Gas Explosion Called Act of 'Sabotage'
TeleSur English | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-08-26
Government spokespersons have blamed opposition activists from First Justice Party.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14637

No Coal, No Gas: Climate activists remove coal from Merrimack generating station
JOCDC | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-26
"…it is now a necessity to take matters into our own hands…"
liberationnews.org/no-coal-no-gas-climat…

'Anti-alien Hysteria:' Journalist Elizabeth Glendower Evans and the Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti
Norman Stockwell | progressive.org | 2019-08-22
In a case perhaps more relevant now than ever, the trial of the two immigrants became a rallying point for 1920s progressives, labor activists, and human rights advocates around the globe.
progressive.org/dispatches/anti-alien-hy…

The BDS movement calls to boycott three anti-Palestinian German clubs
SAMIR | bdsmovement.net | 2019-08-15
The BDS movement calls to boycott three anti-Palestinian German clubs: PACBI StatementConne Island, Golden Pudel and : //about blank are complicit in Israel's oppression of Palestinians | Cultural Boycott Right To BoycottAugust 15, 2019…
bdsmovement.net/news/bds-calls-to-boycot…

BDS condemns antisemitic, fascist forces in Germany and worldwide
patrick | bdsmovement.net | 2019-08-14
BDS condemns antisemitic, fascist forces in Germany and worldwide: BNC StatementOur nonviolent movement opposes all forms of racism and racial discrimination. | Right To BoycottAugust 14, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) …
bdsmovement.net/news/bds-condemns-antise…

BDS movement condemns U.S. Congress' anti-BDS resolution
patrick | bdsmovement.net | 2019-08-13
BDS movement condemns U.S. Congress' anti-BDS resolution: UpdateThe resolution is based on lies and aims to to demonize peaceful resistance to Israel's military occupation and apartheid. | Right To BoycottJuly 23, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) …
bdsmovement.net/news/bds-movement-condem…