[[link removed]]

TIDBITS- AUG.28 -READERS COMMENTS: NATIONAL GUARD TO WASHINGTON, DC,
WHERE NEXT?; STANDING UP TO FASCISM – LEARNING FROM MARTIN
NIEMÖLLER; KILLING MEDICS AND JOURNALISTS; RFK GUTTING OUR DEFENSE
AGAINST FUTURE PANDEMICS; NEW BOOK ABOUT ALGER HISS;  
[[link removed]]


 

August 28, 2025
xxxxxx

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ Readers Comments: National Guard to Washington, DC, Where Next?;
Standing Up to Fascism - Learning from Martin Niemöller; Killing
Medics and Journalists; RFK Gutting Our Defense Against Future
Pandemics; New Book About Alger Hiss; Cartoons; lots more _

Tidbits - Reader Comments, Resources, Announcements, Shorts, AND
Cartoons - Aug 28, 2025, xxxxxx

 

* TRUMP'S WAR  --  CARTOON BY ROB ROGERS
* WE SAID NOTHING  (MAURICE JACKSON)
* FIRST THEY CAME  (MARTIN NIEMÖLLER)
* NATIONAL GUARD  --  CARTOON AND COMMENTARY BY NICK ANDERSON
* RE: KILLING MEDICS AND JOURNALISTS: WHAT IMPUNITY FOR GENOCIDE
LOOKS LIKE  (BILL AUDETTE)
* TRUMP PAINTS THE TOWN ____  --  CARTOON BY LALO ALCARAZ
* RE: ROBERT KENNEDY HAS GUTTED OUR BEST DEFENSE AGAINST FUTURE
PANDEMICS  (AARON STEPHENS; LINDA BELGRAVE)
* RE: CLASS STRUGGLE UNIONISM, AUTO WORKERS, REDS, AND THE 1930S
 (JP BONE)
* RE: US DEPLOYS WARSHIPS TO VENEZUELAN COAST  (MARY PORTER)
* NO EXCLAMATION POINT, BECAUSE THERE'S ANOTHER GUN HORROR...YET
AGAIN  --  CARTOON BY JACK OHMAN
* RE: ORWELL AS ADVOCATE FOR WORKERS AND AGAINST EXPLOITATION  (DAN
MORGAN)

.

RESOURCES:

* U.S. INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION IS AT RISK: VOUCHERS, STATE
BUDGET AUSTERITY, AND FEDERAL ATTACKS ON THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
THREATEN CHILDREN’S FUTURES  (ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE)

.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

* BOOK TALK: "REWRITING HISSTORY" WITH JEFF KISSELOFF  --  NEW
YORK  --  SEPTEMBER 17  (TAMIMENT LIBRARY & ROBERT F. WAGNER LABOR
ARCHIVES)

.

.
 

TRUMP'S WAR  --  CARTOON BY ROB ROGERS

 

 

Rob Rogers
August 26, 2025
robrogers.com [[link removed]]

 

WE SAID NOTHING

 

First they came after the immigrants…the Workers and the
Nannie’s..and we said nothing.

They they went after the suffering people in Palestine, Somalia and
the global south and we said nothing.

They they went after the disabled, the poor, the hungry and the
unhoused and we said nothing.

Then they went after Federal workers…and we said nothing.

Then they went after Texas Democrats and we said nothing.

Then they went after the people of Washington, D.C. and we said
nothing.

Then they went after their own, John Bolton, the NSC, the CIA ,
Generals and Admirals and the FBI

And there was no one left

Maurice Jackson

_[MAURICE JACKSON teaches at Georgetown University. He has written
Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience: How Black Washingtonians Used
Music and Sports in the Fight for Equality
[[link removed]]
and  Let This Voice Be Heard: Anthony Benezet, Father of Atlantic
Abolitionism
[[link removed]].
 His Halfway to Freedom: The Struggles and Strivings of African
American in Washington, DC. will be published by Duke University Press
in 2026.]_

 

FIRST THEY CAME
 

Martin Niemöller [[link removed]]

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because
I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade
[[link removed]] unionists, and I did
not speak
[[link removed]] out— because
[[link removed]] I was not a trade
[[link removed]] unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak
[[link removed]] out—because I was
not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there
[[link removed]] was no one left
to speak [[link removed]] for me.

 

NATIONAL GUARD  --  CARTOON AND COMMENTARY BY NICK ANDERSON

 

  

_President Trump’s latest executive order to expand the role of the
National Guard in law enforcement
[[link removed]] is
not a policy to make America safer. It’s a blueprint for
authoritarianism dressed up in camouflage._

_The order carves out a standing domestic force of soldiers—trained,
armed, and ready to be deployed at the president’s whim—into
Democratic-run cities that he happens to despise. It doesn’t take a
constitutional scholar to see the danger here. This is the
militarization of public life, not to respond to natural disasters or
true emergencies, but to police political opposition under the guise
of “quelling civil disturbances.”_

_The irony is rich: Trump insists he’s restoring “law and order”
while trampling over a bedrock American principle: the wall between
civilian policing and the military. Since 1878, the Posse Comitatus
Act
[[link removed]] has
kept federal troops out of local law enforcement, precisely because
the use of soldiers against civilians is the hallmark of regimes
America has always claimed to oppose. Trump is now tearing down that
firewall._

_The timing is telling. This comes just weeks after he unilaterally
“federalized” the California National Guard and flooded Los
Angeles with 4,000 troops over the objections of state officials,
citing “protests” that local police were already managing. In
Washington, D.C., where violent crime is actually down, he has
declared a phony “crime emergency” and ordered more than 2,000
Guard troops onto the streets—many carrying service weapons. Now
he’s institutionalizing that power grab._

_History should make us shudder. Richard Nixon once used “law and
order” as a campaign slogan, but even he didn’t dare create
permanent Guard units to police dissent. Strongmen elsewhere have.
Hungary’s Viktor Orbán packed his security forces with loyalists in
the name of “public order.” Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro created
armed civilian auxiliaries to enforce political loyalty. Russia under
Vladimir Putin blurred the line between police and soldiers to silence
protest. In each case, the result was the same: citizens treated as
enemies of the state, and democracy reduced to theater._

_And now Trump has ordered the creation of an online portal
[[link removed]] for
civilian volunteers to join federal agents in enforcing his D.C.
“crime emergency.” That’s not law enforcement. It’s the
beginnings of a partisan paramilitary. With Stephen Miller overseeing
the effort, we should all assume this portal won’t be recruiting
retired cops from quiet suburbs so much as MAGA loyalists eager for a
badge and a rifle._

_Even the military experts are blunt. Duke professor Peter
Feaver warned
[[link removed]] that
creating specialized Guard units on permanent standby amounts to a
mobilization. These are not full-time soldiers—they’re Americans
with jobs and families who signed up to serve their communities in
times of crisis, not to act as Trump’s domestic enforcers._

_Let’s be clear: a president who commands a personal army to deploy
at will into states and cities, bypassing governors and local
officials, is not protecting democracy. He is dismantling it._

_This is not a drill. Congress and the courts must step in to restrain
this abuse of emergency powers before Trump normalizes a military
occupation of American cities. If they don’t, the question won’t
be whether troops are sent into Chicago or New York—it will be how
long before soldiers start patrolling polling places, too._

Nick Anderson
August 25, 2025
Pen Strokes [[link removed]]

 

RE: KILLING MEDICS AND JOURNALISTS: WHAT IMPUNITY FOR GENOCIDE LOOKS
LIKE
 

Truly sad that the US continues to support genocide in Gaza.

Bill Audette
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

TRUMP PAINTS THE TOWN ____  --  CARTOON BY LALO ALCARAZ

 

Lalo Alcaraz
August 22, 2025
[link removed]
[[link removed]]

 

RE: ROBERT KENNEDY HAS GUTTED OUR BEST DEFENSE AGAINST FUTURE
PANDEMICS
 

Angel of Death. Snake oil salesman. Charlatan. He already has a body
count.

Aaron Stephens
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

Kennedy is consigning people to die when that could be avoided.

Linda Belgrave
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

RE: CLASS STRUGGLE UNIONISM, AUTO WORKERS, REDS, AND THE 1930S
 

Whenever someone writes about the Flint Sit Down Strike, I look for
one key element that if overlooked dramatically undermines my
confidence in the author's knowledge and  raises serious questions
about their political agenda. That one historical point -- something
some folk  have for one reason or another done their best to hide
over the years -- was the key role played by the strike's organizer,
Bob Travis. 

Bob paid a big price for his efforts: he was black listed.

see:

*     The Flint Sit-Down Strike 1936-1937
[[link removed]]


    

respectfully

jp bone

 

RE: US DEPLOYS WARSHIPS TO VENEZUELAN COAST
 

Venezuela isn't threatening the US by existing outside its control.
There are no grounds to surround it with a nuclear superpower's navy.

Mary Porter
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

NO EXCLAMATION POINT, BECAUSE THERE'S ANOTHER GUN HORROR...YET AGAIN
 --  CARTOON BY JACK OHMAN

 

 

Jack Ohman
August 27, 2025
Jack Ohman's You Betcha!
[[link removed]]

 

RE: ORWELL AS ADVOCATE FOR WORKERS AND AGAINST EXPLOITATION
 

True to his roots however, when it came to an actual workers state, he
was viciously opposed. !n 1947, when the Cold War started and nuclear
war was a real possibility, he snitched to the British State. He wrote
a list of intellectuals he thought were too soft on communism,
including many liberals just opposed to the warmongering, and sent it
to the secret services.

Dan Morgan
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

U.S. INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION IS AT RISK: VOUCHERS, STATE BUDGET
AUSTERITY, AND FEDERAL ATTACKS ON THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION THREATEN
CHILDREN’S FUTURES  (ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE)

 

By Hilary Wething, Josh Bivens
August 21, 2025
Economic Policy Institute
[[link removed]]

Weak public K–12 education spending in the U.S. and the rising trend
of Republican attacks on public schools threaten our children’s
futures. The last decade has seen a flurry of high-quality studies
that show that increasing the level of spending per pupil would have
reliable effects in boosting student achievement and closing various
achievement gaps.

image - Charting_the_Problem_EPI
[link removed]

Key findings

*
Recent findings on the effectiveness of public education funding shows
that increased spending per pupil yields significant social returns,
especially in high-poverty districts.

*
Investment in public education was healthy in the 1970–1980s but
slowed in the 1990s and has been lagging since the Great Recession.

*
In 2019, spending per student in higher-poverty school districts was
$4,000 below what was needed to provide a quality education, while
spending in lower-poverty districts was $5,700 above that
threshold. 

*
Between 2011 and 2021, many states reduced their education
budgets—especially those with Republican-controlled governorships
and state legislatures (Republican trifectas)—widening the average
gap between spending and the adequate education threshold to 18%
during this period.

*
On average, states with a Republican trifecta spend $141 less per
pupil than states without a Republican trifecta. For districts in
high-poverty neighborhoods, Republican trifecta states spend $244 less
per pupil. 

Why this matters

State cutbacks to K–12 spending, the rise of voucher programs, and
Trump’s attacks on the federal Department of Education threaten to
rob U.S. children of an adequate education. 

How to fix it

K–12 public education spending levels are a policy choice.
Policymakers should take urgent steps to fully fund public education.

Read the Full Report
[[link removed]]

Sections

* How much do we spend on public education? Where does that
money go?
[[link removed]]
* How to know if we’re spending enough on public education
[[link removed]]
* Where net new spending on public education could do the most good
[[link removed]]
* Challenges to financing our schools fairly and adequately
[[link removed]]
* Recent threats to public education
[[link removed]]
* Conclusion
[[link removed]]

Read the Full Report
[[link removed]]

Economic Policy Institute [[link removed]]  
1225 Eye St. NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC xxxxxx
Phone: 202-775-8810 • [email protected]

 

BOOK TALK: "REWRITING HISSTORY" WITH JEFF KISSELOFF  --  NEW YORK
 --  SEPTEMBER 17  (TAMIMENT LIBRARY & ROBERT F. WAGNER LABOR
ARCHIVES)

 

 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 5:30PM-7PM

Bobst Library
2nd Floor
Chase North Reading Room
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012

Register »
[[link removed]]

Written by journalist, oral historian, and editor Jeff
Kisseloff, _Rewriting History: A Fifty-Year Journey to Uncover the
Truth About Alger Hiss_, lays to rest the decades-long historical
debate over Alger Hiss's innocence.

In 1948, Alger Hiss was accused by Whittaker Chambers of being a
secret Communist spy during the 1930s. The resulting trials proved to
be some of the most sensationalized and politicized events of the
century, and--while he was ultimately convicted--Hiss maintained his
innocence until his death. In _Rewriting History_, Kisseloff brings
to light new evidence of Hiss's innocence and sheds light upon who was
responsible for the accusations against Hiss. Join Jeff Kisseloff in
conversation with Tony Hiss (author, educator, and son of Alger Hiss)
as they discuss this revelatory political history. Copies
of _Rewriting History_ will be available for purchase.

Register »
[[link removed]]

NYU Libraries
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012

* Reader Comments
[[link removed]]
* National Guard
[[link removed]]
* Federal troops
[[link removed]]
* Washington DC
[[link removed]]
* police state
[[link removed]]
* Fascism
[[link removed]]
* Donald Trump
[[link removed]]
* Trump 2.0
[[link removed]]
* Trump Administration
[[link removed]]
* Martin Niemöller
[[link removed]]
* Gaza
[[link removed]]
* Palestinian journalists
[[link removed]]
* Israel
[[link removed]]
* Israeli bombing
[[link removed]]
* Palestine
[[link removed]]
* Israel-Gaza War
[[link removed]]
* Ceasefire
[[link removed]]
* Genocide
[[link removed]]
* war crimes
[[link removed]]
* RFK
[[link removed]]
* RFK jr.
[[link removed]]
* Robert F. Kennedy
[[link removed]]
* COVID-19
[[link removed]]
* vaccines
[[link removed]]
* cdc
[[link removed]]
* Public Education
[[link removed]]
* Alger Hiss
[[link removed]]
* Cartoons
[[link removed]]
* resources
[[link removed]]
* Announcements
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]
Manage subscription
[[link removed]]
Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]