Monthly Archives: October 2020

2020-10-31: News Headlines

Fight Back (2020-10-31). Tampa Bay activists to join post-election national day of action. fightbacknews.org Tampa, Fl – The past summer of 2020 has been rife with activism in the fight against police terror and white supremacist attacks, and the upcoming presidential election will determine whether Donald Trump will continue to be in power. Trump's comments and actions about the validity of the results has brought on the possibility of a hotly contested outcome. Activists and community members in Tampa and around the country plan to meet the November 3 election with protests on November 4 to fight for the defeat of Donald Trump and against white supremacy across the country. | "This election is going to have some seri…

Staff (2020-10-31). Youth Activists Are Transforming the Election by Leading Protesters to the Polls. truthout.org For the past decade, ever since students at

_____ (2020-10-31). Penguin Climate Activists Block Berlin Airport Opening. popularresistance.org Berlin – The climate justice group 'Am Boden bleiben', a member of the international Stay Grounded network, today blocks the opening of the new airport in Berlin with protest actions. The opening of the BER had been delayed for nine years, after a series of expensive construction and corruption issues. Am Boden bleiben carries out an action of civil disobedience and says that there is no room for new airports in times of climate crisis. You can follow the action live on the Twitter accounts of Am Boden bleiben and Stay Grounded.

Tim Schermerhorn (2020-10-31). The Movement for Black Lives and Labor's Revival. zcomm.org It's a huge fight. But it always has been. The Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 give labor activists the opportunity to revive that tradition…

Virginia Rodino (2020-10-30). Why I'm Voting Green in 2020. globalresearch.ca Author's note: Kevin and I worked on this article together right before his untimely passing on September 6. I met Kevin during Ralph Nader's 2004 presidential campaign. Throughout the years since, I appreciated seeing his anti-imperialist and eco-socialist arguments strengthen …

_____ (2020-10-30). Scheer Intelligence: Tracing America's Brutal Imperialist History. popularresistance.org The United States has the largest number of military installations in the world, with about 5,000 bases in total and at least 600 overseas, according to the Pentagon. Although the Department of Defense is not forthcoming with the exact numbers, even these estimates reveal a truth about the country's standing in the world that many Americans often fail to recognize: the U.S. has built one of the most extensive empires in modern history. On this week's installment of Scheer Intelligence, David Vine, the author of the books Base Nation and The United States of War, talks to host Robert Scheer about…

Pip Hinman (2020-10-30). Ecosocialism conferences kick off important discussion. greenleft.org.au Peter Boyle reports on Ecosocialism 2020, which brought together activists from Brazil, Malaysia, the Philippines and Australia, to discuss how to step up the fight for system change.

_____ (2020-10-30). Alice's Nightmare In Drone Land. popularresistance.org New York – On Thursday, 33 people from New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts organized by Upstate Drone Action blocked the gates at Hancock Air Field near Syracuse, NY. | Prior to Thursday's action, activists released this statement: | "And why are we going to Hancock AFB on October 29? Our country has gone down the rabbit hole — racially, spiritually and economically. COVID 19 has exposed the Pentagon and the Federal government's inability to do their job: to aid and protect our people. In fact the government has helped spread COVID, denying its severity and denying our people the PPE to combat that scou…

Ian Hoffmann, Justine Sachs (2020-10-30). No Excuses: Historic New Zealand Election Challenges Labor Movement. counterpunch.org "No Excuses!" That's the phrase union activists in New Zealand have been repeating since the Labour Party's landslide victory in our national election on October 17. Led by charismatic and media-savvy Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Labour took over 49 percent of the popular vote. The party will now have 64 of 120 seats in parliament.

Matt Bernico, Chauncey K. Robinson (2020-10-29). PW Podcast: Coalitions, right-wing populism, and voting for one another. peoplesworld.org Beyond the Page is a companion podcast to the award-winning publication People's World. With every episode, we'll take you deeper into the topics covered at PeoplesWorld.org. Our program brings you in-depth interviews with journalists and activists on the most pressing stories in progressive politics, labor, and the struggle for socialism in the United States. What …

Julia Kassem (2020-10-29). Trump and Biden: Cold-War Dinosaurs. counterpunch.org If Americans have a modicum of memory, it is clear that baseless, warmongering accusations have time and time again been the precursor for winning consent over upcoming imperialist hostility. Accusing Iraq of harboring "weapons of mass destruction" in 2003, those that care to remember the administration of former President George W. Bush recalled the widespread condemnation from the left over how a lie cost over 1 million lives.

Ben Norton (2020-10-29). Right-wing Bolivian protesters refuse to accept election loss. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone reported from a opposition protest in La Paz, Bolivia, where right-wing activists said they would refuse to let the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party take power after winning the October 18 election, shouting vulgar chants and alleging fraud. Video shot by Max Blumenthal and Wyatt Reed Video edited and translated by Ben Norton…

Betsey Piette (2020-10-28). Proud Boys and the Philly police. workers.org Over 2000 people protested against the Proud Boys in Philadelphia on Nov. 17, 2018. Philadelphia Twice — on Nov. 17, 2018 and on Sept. 19, 2020 — when the far-right Proud Boys announced plans to demonstrate in Philadelphia, thousands of anti-racist activists turned out to tell them: "You are not . . . |

_____ (2020-10-28). UK Universities Reject Israel Lobby's Anti-Semitism Definition. popularresistance.org Only a minority of UK universities have adopted the misleading and politically motivated definition of anti-Semitism promoted by Israel and its lobby. | Despite repeated British government threats, fewer than 22 percent of higher education establishments have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's "working definition" of anti-Semitism. | The IHRA definition has been repeatedly condemned by free speech defenders, Palestinians, Jewish activists, Palestine solidarity, Black and Asian groups.

Editor (2020-10-28). Grassroots Activists Tackle Public Safety in Minneapolis. scheerpost.com By Eric Ortiz / Reposted with permission from TheWedge.org Grassroots democracy is not easy. The work is rooted in community and empowers people to take leadership into their own communities. It requires passion, commitment and courage. And sometimes, it can get messy. That's what happens when there are big problems to solve. Here in Minneapolis, we have some pressing issues. Crime is up. |

_____ (2020-10-28). Pandemic Transforms People Into Voting Rights Activists. popularresistance.org For Regina Root, 53, the journey to suing Virginia's election officials began during the state's nomination contest in June when the university professor cast her ballot in person before the voting day to avoid potential crowds at her polling place. | The brain surgery that saved Root's life left her with impaired vision and her election office lacked a machine that would allow her to cast her vote without relying on her husband. | "I thought wait, this doesn't make sense. I can vote on my own. I have a PhD," said the Williamsburg, Virginia, resident.

Margot Rathke, Sarah Anderson (2020-10-28). Unleashing the Power of Poor Voters. commondreams.org Low-income voters could decide this election. These neighborhood activists are working to make it happen. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

CFJPIME (2020-10-28). "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)" against Israel: Resolution of Defamation Lawsuit by CJPME. globalresearch.ca Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is pleased to announce that its defamation lawsuit with Ezra Levant and Rebel Media News Network Ltd. has been settled. Launched in 2016, CJPME's suit was based on a series …

Charles Stevenson (2020-10-28). Switzerland's Failing Democracy. counterpunch.org Last September, the Bundesplatz in Bern, over which sit the Swiss federal executive and legislative bodies, played host to the largest acts of peaceful civil disobedience in the country's history. Several hundred environmental activists were arrested after calling on the government to take the necessary action for Switzerland to fulfill its pledges in respect to

2020-10-30: News Headlines

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies (2020-10-30). Ending Regime Change — in Bolivia and the World. counterpunch.org Less than a year after the United States and the U.S.-backed Organization of American States (OAS) supported a violent military coup to overthrow the government of Bolivia, the Bolivian people have reelected the Movement for Socialism (MAS) and restored it to power. In the long history of U.S.-backed "regime changes" in countries around the world,

Virginia Rodino (2020-10-30). Why I'm Voting Green in 2020. globalresearch.ca Author's note: Kevin and I worked on this article together right before his untimely passing on September 6. I met Kevin during Ralph Nader's 2004 presidential campaign. Throughout the years since, I appreciated seeing his anti-imperialist and eco-socialist arguments strengthen …

_____ (2020-10-30). Scheer Intelligence: Tracing America's Brutal Imperialist History. popularresistance.org The United States has the largest number of military installations in the world, with about 5,000 bases in total and at least 600 overseas, according to the Pentagon. Although the Department of Defense is not forthcoming with the exact numbers, even these estimates reveal a truth about the country's standing in the world that many Americans often fail to recognize: the U.S. has built one of the most extensive empires in modern history. On this week's installment of Scheer Intelligence, David Vine, the author of the books Base Nation and The United States of War, talks to host Robert Scheer about…

_____ (2020-10-30). Alice's Nightmare In Drone Land. popularresistance.org New York – On Thursday, 33 people from New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts organized by Upstate Drone Action blocked the gates at Hancock Air Field near Syracuse, NY. | Prior to Thursday's action, activists released this statement: | "And why are we going to Hancock AFB on October 29? Our country has gone down the rabbit hole — racially, spiritually and economically. COVID 19 has exposed the Pentagon and the Federal government's inability to do their job: to aid and protect our people. In fact the government has helped spread COVID, denying its severity and denying our people the PPE to combat that scou…

Pip Hinman (2020-10-30). Ecosocialism conferences kick off important discussion. greenleft.org.au Peter Boyle reports on Ecosocialism 2020, which brought together activists from Brazil, Malaysia, the Philippines and Australia, to discuss how to step up the fight for system change.

Ian Hoffmann, Justine Sachs (2020-10-30). No Excuses: Historic New Zealand Election Challenges Labor Movement. counterpunch.org "No Excuses!" That's the phrase union activists in New Zealand have been repeating since the Labour Party's landslide victory in our national election on October 17. Led by charismatic and media-savvy Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Labour took over 49 percent of the popular vote. The party will now have 64 of 120 seats in parliament.

Ben Norton (2020-10-29). Right-wing Bolivian protesters refuse to accept election loss. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone reported from a opposition protest in La Paz, Bolivia, where right-wing activists said they would refuse to let the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party take power after winning the October 18 election, shouting vulgar chants and alleging fraud. Video shot by Max Blumenthal and Wyatt Reed Video edited and translated by Ben Norton…

Julia Kassem (2020-10-29). Trump and Biden: Cold-War Dinosaurs. counterpunch.org If Americans have a modicum of memory, it is clear that baseless, warmongering accusations have time and time again been the precursor for winning consent over upcoming imperialist hostility. Accusing Iraq of harboring "weapons of mass destruction" in 2003, those that care to remember the administration of former President George W. Bush recalled the widespread condemnation from the left over how a lie cost over 1 million lives.

Matt Bernico, Chauncey K. Robinson (2020-10-29). PW Podcast: Coalitions, right-wing populism, and voting for one another. peoplesworld.org Beyond the Page is a companion podcast to the award-winning publication People's World. With every episode, we'll take you deeper into the topics covered at PeoplesWorld.org. Our program brings you in-depth interviews with journalists and activists on the most pressing stories in progressive politics, labor, and the struggle for socialism in the United States. What …

Medea Benjamin (2020-10-29). Ending Regime Change — in Bolivia and the World. zcomm.org Please Help ZNet Less than a year after the United States and the U.S.-backed Organization of American States (OAS) supported a violent military coup to overthrow the government of Bolivia, the Bolivian people have reelected the Movement for Socialism (MAS) and restored it to power. In the long history of U.S.-backed "regime changes" in

_____ (2020-10-28). UK Universities Reject Israel Lobby's Anti-Semitism Definition. popularresistance.org Only a minority of UK universities have adopted the misleading and politically motivated definition of anti-Semitism promoted by Israel and its lobby. | Despite repeated British government threats, fewer than 22 percent of higher education establishments have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's "working definition" of anti-Semitism. | The IHRA definition has been repeatedly condemned by free speech defenders, Palestinians, Jewish activists, Palestine solidarity, Black and Asian groups.

Betsey Piette (2020-10-28). Proud Boys and the Philly police. workers.org Over 2000 people protested against the Proud Boys in Philadelphia on Nov. 17, 2018. Philadelphia Twice — on Nov. 17, 2018 and on Sept. 19, 2020 — when the far-right Proud Boys announced plans to demonstrate in Philadelphia, thousands of anti-racist activists turned out to tell them: "You are not . . . |

Editor (2020-10-28). Grassroots Activists Tackle Public Safety in Minneapolis. scheerpost.com By Eric Ortiz / Reposted with permission from TheWedge.org Grassroots democracy is not easy. The work is rooted in community and empowers people to take leadership into their own communities. It requires passion, commitment and courage. And sometimes, it can get messy. That's what happens when there are big problems to solve. Here in Minneapolis, we have some pressing issues. Crime is up. |

CFJPIME (2020-10-28). "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)" against Israel: Resolution of Defamation Lawsuit by CJPME. globalresearch.ca Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is pleased to announce that its defamation lawsuit with Ezra Levant and Rebel Media News Network Ltd. has been settled. Launched in 2016, CJPME's suit was based on a series …

Charles Stevenson (2020-10-28). Switzerland's Failing Democracy. counterpunch.org Last September, the Bundesplatz in Bern, over which sit the Swiss federal executive and legislative bodies, played host to the largest acts of peaceful civil disobedience in the country's history. Several hundred environmental activists were arrested after calling on the government to take the necessary action for Switzerland to fulfill its pledges in respect to

_____ (2020-10-28). Pandemic Transforms People Into Voting Rights Activists. popularresistance.org For Regina Root, 53, the journey to suing Virginia's election officials began during the state's nomination contest in June when the university professor cast her ballot in person before the voting day to avoid potential crowds at her polling place. | The brain surgery that saved Root's life left her with impaired vision and her election office lacked a machine that would allow her to cast her vote without relying on her husband. | "I thought wait, this doesn't make sense. I can vote on my own. I have a PhD," said the Williamsburg, Virginia, resident.

Margot Rathke, Sarah Anderson (2020-10-28). Unleashing the Power of Poor Voters. commondreams.org Low-income voters could decide this election. These neighborhood activists are working to make it happen. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

David Swanson (2020-10-27). There Are Anti-War Candidates. zcomm.org Can we make opposing militarism mainstream, respectable, acceptable? Can we make warmongering marginal, shameful, despicable? We have to try…

Ralph Nader (2020-10-27). Don't Rush to Declare Victory: Implementing a Two-Week Grace Period After November 3rd So All Voters Can Be Counted. commondreams.org With such large stakes for our fragile democracy, we cannot afford to bypass such a course of action that will assure a peaceful transition in accord with the rule of law. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…