2020-05-17: News Headlines

#StopTheMoneyPipeline (2020-05-17). #Stop the Money Pipeline: Need Photos of Activists w/ Signs for Chase Fossil Fuels Protest. indybay.org Email your protest photo as a JPEG or PNG to: photos [at] stopthemoneypipeline.com | Send by Sunday, May 17th…

Denis Prager (2020-05-16). The Worldwide Lockdown Is the Biggest Man-Made Culling Since the Great Leap Forward. anti-empire.com

"The truth is, like most of the elites, it is Barber who is "merely inconvenienced." Indeed, the American battle today is between the merely inconvenienced and the rest of America."

| The idea that the worldwide lockdown of virtually every country other than Sweden may have been an enormous mistake strikes many — including world leaders, most scientists (especially health officials, doctors and epidemiologists), those who work in major news media, opinion writers in those media and the hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people who put their faith in these people — as so prep…

John Church (2020-05-16). The Xhosa Cattle Killing Movement — The Forerunners of the COVID Lockdown Cult. anti-empire.com

"During this time many Xhosa herds were plagued with "lung sickness", possibly introduced by European cattle"

| This week-end we were all hoping to hear about a lifting of restrictions and a view of a rapid road back to normality. I know I am not alone in being seriously alarmed by the direction of travel that is the opposite to what was wanted. We were initially locked-down in March to ensure the 'NHS wasn't overwhelmed'. Then in April it was extended to 'save lives' and this has now morphed into a rationale to 'prevent a second wave'. This weekend we were to hear about reduced restrictions,…

Nils Karlson (2020-05-16). Sweden's Coronavirus Strategy Will Soon Be the World's. anti-empire.com China placed 50 million people under quarantine in Hubei Province in January. Since then, many liberal democracies have taken aggressive authoritarian measures of their own to fight the novel coronavirus. By mid-March, almost all Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries

Brendan O'Neill (2020-05-16). Once Again Hysterical Media Is Complicit in the Needless Deaths of Tens of Thousands (So Far). anti-empire.com The media in this country have no shame. For two months they've been ramping up fear and hysteria over Covid-19. They predicted apocalypse. They reported the daily death tolls like gleeful grim reapers. They said hospitals would be overwhelmed. They interviewed doctor after doctor and nurse after nurse who told us in tearful tones that the health service was at breaking point. They painted a picture of a nation falling apart, of a plague visiting death upon every community, of institutions collapsing under the sheer weight of this mini Black Death. | And now, after all that, after pumping out 24-hour rolling d…

Mitch Leslie (2020-05-16). People Who Have "T Cells' From Other Coronavirus Infections Are Resistant to COVID-19. anti-empire.com Immune warriors known as T cells help us fight some viruses, but their importance for battling SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been unclear. Now, two studies reveal infected people harbor T cells that target the virus—and may help them recover. Both studies also found some people never infected with SARS-CoV-2 have these cellular defenses, most likely because they were previously infected with other coronaviruses. | "This is encouraging data," says virologist Angela Rasmussen of Columbia University. Although the studies don't clarify whether people who clear a SARS-CoV-2 infection can war…

Brendan O'Neill (2020-05-16). Once Again the Screeching, Do-Gooder Media Is Complicit in the Needless Deaths of Tens of Thousands (So Far). anti-empire.com The media in this country have no shame. For two months they've been ramping up fear and hysteria over Covid-19. They predicted apocalypse. They reported the daily death tolls like gleeful grim reapers. They said hospitals would be overwhelmed. They interviewed doctor after doctor and nurse after nurse who told us in tearful tones that the health service was at breaking point. They painted a picture of a nation falling apart, of a plague visiting death upon every community, of institutions collapsing under the sheer weight of this mini Black Death. | And now, after all that, after pumping out 24-hour rolling d…

a guest author (2020-05-16). Rashid Johnson: 'Prison has always served a particular political function'. workers.org Remarks were given April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. Kevin Rashid Johnson, currently incarcerated in the Pendleton Correctional Facility . . . |

(2020-05-16). Sekou Odinga: 'The right to struggle by any and all means'. workers.org These slightly edited remarks were given April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. By Sekou Odinga I'm a representative of . . . |

(2020-05-16). Marc Lamont Hill: 'Outside the logic of the prison' on Mumia's birthday. workers.org By Marc Lamont Hill These slightly edited remarks were given April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. Marc Lamont Hill . . . |

Zero Hedge (2020-05-15). "My Job Is to Make Syria a Quagmire for the Russians": CIA Doctrine Made Official Policy. globalresearch.ca Like with the disastrous Iraq quagmire years before the US war machine came to Syria under Obama, Washington's rationale and justification for occupying the Syrian Arab Republic has shifted and changed drastically multiple times over. | When ultimately what started …

Staff (2020-05-15). Climate Crisis: KXL Ruling, Unity Task Force, California Pollution, and TRNN's New Climate Reporter. therealnews.com Climate activists get a big court win on Keystone XL as the Biden and Sanders camps unite. California has delayed air pollution rules at the behest of industry during COVID-19 as polluting oil tankers line its coast.

Eds. (2020-05-15). Facebook deactivates dozens of accounts of Palestinian journalists and activists. mronline.org At least 52 Palestinians have been affected by Facebook's deactivation sweep, according to data collected by Middle East Eye…

AFP (2020-05-15). Burundi Kicks Out WHO Meddlers. anti-empire.com

"Burundians greet each other by shaking hands and often continue holding hands for several minutes after starting a conversation. Figurative or literal references to cattle is an important part of the greetings. For example, both parties might wish each other large cattle herds, a sign of prosperity."

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Ash Warren (2020-05-15). The Japanese Art of Avoiding Your Relatives (Or Why Covid-19 Flopped in Japan). anti-empire.com Let's say you do not get along with your mother-in-law and you do not wish to have contact with her like, ever. | Here are two possible methods you might employ. | The first is to burn down your house, fake your own death and move somewhere else under an assumed identity, or failing that to dig up the entire road between your place and hers, blow up her car and steal all her shoes. | This may discourage the urge to visit. | The other is to just not open the door when she knocks. | In many countries as we all well know, in order to avoid coming in contact with the dreaded Covid-19, which is possibly even more i…

Ryan Parry (2020-05-15). Venezuelan TV Exposed US Mercenaries' Names, Photos and Incursion Plan a Month Before It Happened. anti-empire.com The Americans behind the failed Venezuelan coup went ahead with the ill-fated mission even though the country's ruling regime publicly exposed their plan on live TV more than a month earlier. | In footage unearthed by DailyMail.com Venezuelan state television claimed its government had infiltrated the 'mercenaries' and even aired photographs of the coup's US leader, Jordan Goudreau. | They also appeared to have the names of the other two Americans captured and paraded on TV this week, ex Green Berets Luke Denman and Airan Berry. | The revelation, alongside the apparent lack of funding and adequate equipment fo…

Karl Denninger (2020-05-15). Bye-Bye TEACHERS, COPS And Government PENSIONS. anti-empire.com Retail sales for April were 22% below last year's figures. | No stores open, no bars and restaurants open, nobody actually spending money. "Oh, you can order out." Uh huh. The volume of business collapsed anyway. | That means no tax receipts. No sales taxes. | It means commercial property, which has property taxation at much higher rates than residences, is now wort…

David Coady (2020-05-15). In Defence of Conspiracy Theories (And Why the Term Is a Misnomer). anti-empire.com Before 2012, if you had voiced suspicions that the Australian government had been anything but open and honourable in dealing with East Timor — its newly independent but impoverished neighbour — you would likely have been dismissed as a conspiracy theorist. But it was then revealed Australian Secret Intelligence Service agents had bugged East Timor's cabinet office Yesterday's conspiracy theories often become today's incontrovertible facts. In the mid-1990s,…

Irina Slav (2020-05-15). Up to Five Iranian Tankers en Route to Venezuela Carrying Much-Needed Gasoline. anti-empire.com An Iranian tanker loaded with gasoline has set sail for Venezuela, Reuters reports, citing tanker tracking data. The cargo should help alleviate a growing shortage of gasoline in the sanctions-stricken South American country. | The Clavel, a medium tanker, loaded in March at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, and this week passed the Suez Canal, the data showed. | TankerTrackers.com co-founder Samir Madani confirmed the data to Oilprice.com, noting that there were several vessels en route from Iran to Venezuela, with the cargo all or mostly gasoline. | twitter.com/Joyce_Karam/status/126102216…

a guest author (2020-05-15). Political Prisoners Teach-In: 'We got out because of the people'. workers.org These slightly edited remarks were given April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. By Janet Africa On the Move! Happy . . . |

Jeffrey A. Tucker (2020-05-15). No Lockdowns: The Terrifying Polio Pandemic of 1949-52. anti-empire.com World War II had ended four years earlier and the U.S. was trying to return to peace and prosperity. Price controls and rationing were ended. Trade was opening. People were returning to normal life. The economy started humming again. Optimism for the future was growing. Harry Truman became the symbol of a new normacy. From Depression and war, society was on the mend. | As if to serve as a reminder that there were still threats to life and liberty present, an old enemy made its appearance: polio. It's a disease with ancient origins, with its most terrifying effect, the paralysis of the lower extremities. It mai…

Carole Concha Bell (2020-05-15). Anonymous shootings target students as violence against activists increases in Chile. thecanary.co

Martin Hart-Landsberg (2020-05-14). The 1930s and now: Looking back to move forward. mronline.org While there are great differences between the crises and political movements and possibilities of the 1930s and now, there are also important lessons that can be learned from the efforts of activists to build mass movements for social transformation during the Great Depression. My aim in this paper is to illuminate the challenges faced and …

Fight Back (2020-05-13). Georgia politicians, activists demand action for poultry workers. fightbacknews.org Gainesville, GA – COVID-19 virus is spreading quickly among poultry workers and their families in Georgia. In Hall County, northeast of Atlanta, there is a hotspot with over 2000 cases and 29 deaths as of May 12. With roughly 16,500 workers employed by 14 chicken plants across Georgia, and most immigrant families living with two or three generations in one house, the situation is code red. There needs to be an emergency response from the government and the corporations. | Chicken processing is dirty, demanding and dangerous work done mainly by immigrants from Mexico, many of whom are women. The big corporations,…

David Quinn-Jacobs (2020-05-11). Saturday, May 16, Second Webinar, 12-1 PM EDT Disarm and Divest During Covid-19. kingsbayplowshares7.org Disarm & Divest During COVID19 Last KBP 7 Webinar Before Sentencing SATURDAY, MAY 16, 12-1pm. The Kings Bay Plowshares defendants will hold their final webinar before sentencing, this Saturday, May 16, 12-1 pm ET. Jeremy Scahill, co-founder of the Intercept, will host the defendants. Lead attorney Bill Quigley will join the webinar…

David Quinn-Jacobs (2020-05-11). Saturday, May 16, Second Webinar: Disarm and Divest During Covid-19. kingsbayplowshares7.org Disarm & Divest During COVID19 Last KBP 7 Webinar Before Sentencing SATURDAY, MAY 16 The recording of the webinar can be viewed on Facebook now. Eventually we hope to have an edited version up on the KBP Youtube channel and will post link. In it current form we recommend that you skip the first…

Staff (2020-05-09). Women In Prisons Say They're Being Punished For Speaking Out About COVID-19 Risks. therealnews.com Women say they're being punished for contacting people outside about their living conditions. Activists are planning an action May 23 at Jessup Correctional Facility in response.

Staff (2020-05-07). UK Supreme Court Reverses BDS Ban. therealnews.com The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the largest British Palestinian solidarity group, successfully petitioned to reverse a 2016 ban preventing local governments divesting from companies involved in the Israeli occupation.

RT (2020-05-15). Jailing people who use Covid-19 as bioweapon would be 'discrimination.' So better lock up everyone instead? rt.com Accidentally spreading Covid-19 is wanting grandma dead, say opponents of ending lockdowns. Yet activists now worry that proposed laws to punish those who threaten to spread it deliberately would discriminate against minorities. | A Florida man spat and coughed on a police officer responding to a domestic violence call, and faces up to five years in prison on a federal charge of biological weapons hoax (he was negative for Covid-19). Another man in Texas, who falsely claimed on Facebook that he paid someone to spread the virus at local grocery stores, was charged with the same thing. A Michigan man who wiped h…

Erick-Woods Erickson (2020-05-16). Media Screamed Georgia Reopening Would Mean Bodies in the Street. Instead Cases Are Falling. anti-empire.com On April 20, 2020, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp became one of the first governors in America to announce plans to reopen his state. He had been one of the last to impose a shelter-in-place order. Critics had blasted him for waiting so long. He did not impose shelter-in-place until the beginning of April. | On April 20, 2020, Kemp announced he would begin letting certain small businesses that were mostly sole proprietors with direct, personal relationships with customers reopen on April 25, 2020. Those included barber shops, nail salons, tattoo parlors, and, curiously, bowling alleys. What the media ignored was…

Hatewatch Staff (2020-05-04). Facebook Is Go-To Platform For Organizing Protests Against Social Distancing. splcenter.org As COVID-19 continues to pose a lethal threat worldwide, fringe, right-wing activists are using Facebook to mobilize protests of stay-at-home orders in several states.