[[link removed]]

TIDBITS-JAN. 8- READER COMMENTS: RENEE NICOLE GOOD: MOTHER, POET –
MURDERED BY ICE; US MILITARY AGGRESSION-VIOLATION OF VENEZUELA
SOVEREIGNTY; ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE; MARTY SUPREME; KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
RESOURCE; IRAN PROTESTS SURGE; VENEZUELA READING LIST;  
[[link removed]]


 

January 8, 2026
xxxxxx

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

_ Reader Comments: Renee Nicole Good: Mother, Poet - Murdered by ICE;
US Military Aggression-Violation of Venezuela Sovereignty; Zohran
Mamdani; Alzheimer’s Disease; Marty Supreme; Know Your Rights
resource; Iran Protests Surge; Venezuela Reading List _

Tidbits - Reader Comments, Resources, Announcements, Shorts, AND
Cartoons - Jan. 8, 2026, xxxxxx

 

* LEAVE  --  MEME BY RICARDO LEVINS MORALES
* MISSION ACCOMPLISHED  --  MEME
* RE: THE US ATTACKS VENEZUELA AND SEIZES IT PRESIDENT  (STEVEN
KRUG)
* AMERICAN CRUDE  --  CARTOON BY LALO ALCARAZ
* RE: UNIONS CONDEMN US MILITARY AGGRESSION AND VIOLATION OF
VENEZUELA’S SOVEREIGNTY  (NATALIA KUZMYN)
* RE: NURSES CONDEMN TRUMP’S UNILATERAL MILITARY ACTION AGAINST
VENEZUELA  (ALLAN BALUYOT)
* DON'T WORRY. BE HORRIFIED.  --  CARTOON BY JACK OHMAN
* RE: RESIST IN 2026 - POSTER OF THE WEEK  (DANIEL MILLSTONE)
* RE: THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S INAUGURATION SPEECH
 (MICHELE GOLDSTEIN)
* RE: ZOHRAN NEEDS TO CREATE POPULAR ASSEMBLIES  (DAVID BERGER)
* RE: NEW STUDY SHOWS ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE CAN BE REVERSED
 (RACHELLE)
* IN MY DAY, WE HAD TO USE THE C.I.A.  --  CARTOON BY IVAN EHLERS
* TAKING A PAGE FROM HISTORY - VIETNAM AND VENEZUELA  --  R COBB
CARTOON FROM 1975
* NOTHING TO SEE  --  CARTOON BY ROB ROGERS
* RE: THE UNLOVABLE PING-PONG WIZARD OF MARTY SUPREME  (DAVID)
* WELCOME THE NEW YEAR  --  CARTOON AND COMMENTARY BY JESSE
DUQUETTE

.

RENEE NICOLE GOOD - MOTHER AND POET - MURDERED BY ICE IN MINNEAPOLIS
 (KNOW YOUR RIGHTS CAMP)

.

RESOURCES:

* KNOW YOUR RIGHTS  (KNOW YOUR RIGHTS CAMP)
* IRAN PROTESTS SURGE AMID WIDESPREAD GRIEVANCES, CURRENCY
DEPRECIATION AND SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC CHANGES  (NIAC - NATIONAL
IRANIAN AMERICAN COUNCIL)
* VENEZUELA IN CONTEXT: A VERSO READING LIST

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

* BOOK TALK: MOTOWN AND THE MAKING OF WORKING-CLASS REVOLUTIONARIES
-- OAKLAND - JANUARY 19  (CENTER FOR POLITICAL EDUCATION, GENERATION
COMMON GOOD, THE LEAGUE, CONVERGENCE, PARENTING IS POLITICAL)

..LEAVE  --  MEME BY RICARDO LEVINS MORALES

Ricardo Levins MoralesJanuary 7, 2026Ricardo Levins Morales Facebook
page [[link removed]] 

 

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED  --  MEME 

 

 

 

RE: THE US ATTACKS VENEZUELA AND SEIZES IT PRESIDENT 

The scenes of jubilant Venezuelans might change once they realize
Trump wants their oil and won't install their elected
representatives...

Steven KrugPosted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

AMERICAN CRUDE  --  CARTOON BY LALO ALCARAZ 

American Crude. Trump’s Illegal Oil Army invades Venezuela. Please
share #laloalcaraz cartoons and artwork! CSMT

Lalo AlcarazJanuary 5, 2026Lalo Alcaraz Facebook page
[[link removed]] 

 

RE: UNIONS CONDEMN US MILITARY AGGRESSION AND VIOLATION OF
VENEZUELA’S SOVEREIGNTY

(posting on xxxxxx Labor
[[link removed]]) 

May the Trade Unions of the Americas stand strong to help thwart
Trump's power grab. The international implications of this violation
by the once-model democratic nation are horrifying, and clearly
demonstrate Trump's addled brain's wealth-driven priorities.

The entire operation, starting with the blatant murders of Venezuelan
fishing and pleasure vessel crews on a small scale, to seizure of oil
tankers, and then kidnapping the president and his partner while
declaring control of a sovereign nation practically mimic what Putin
did in Ukraine. Cry threat with gas lighting, build up forces, demand
leadership change, test the waters and get no significant
international response, then simply invade and steal resources. Not an
original bone in his body.

The reasons for invasion rapidly evolved from claims they would stop
fentanyl-related US deaths, to that of restoring US oil and gas
contracts lost years ago, to regime change. By the same logic, why was
Mexico never invaded? Its cartels produce 98% of fentanyl crossing US
borders. I guess the legendary vengeance of cartel kingpins is too
daunting for Trump to risk. Besides, living within easy reach at Mar a
Lago could prove fatal. But there are no major fentanyl drug lords in
Venezuela to worry about.

Presidential pardon and release of the Honduran ex-president, guilty
of enabling 400 tons of cocaine to reach the US, demonstrated to all
but his supporters that Trump doesn't care about drug trafficking at
all, but showed he believes Hernandez' surviving influence in Honduras
could help Trump's own power grab there, from where it might permeate
greater Latin America.

Claims that Venezuelan oil contract losses threaten US energy security
contrast sharply with Trump's recent boasts about the US becoming No.
1 globally in oil production under his leadership. That status
actually happened under Biden, of course, but importing Venezuelan
crude means US refineries will not only get extra corporate welfare
$billions in support/tax breaks, but likely that US tax dollars will
rebuild Venezuela's largely destroyed oil infrastructure before
Trump's friends have to shell out a dime. A Dec. 18/25 CBC News
article figured that for Venezuela to produce 4 billion barrels a day
in a decade, it would take north of $100 B of private investment and
very favourable conditions. Within an unstable social/political
climate, the invader will require more than the will of greed and
ever-lasting power to keep wasting US treasury on a dying industry
without bleeding the bank as badly as did the Iraq and Afghanistan
invasions.

Let's hope the trade unions can turn this around to educate and
strengthen their nation.

Natalia KuzmynVancouver Island

 

RE: NURSES CONDEMN TRUMP’S UNILATERAL MILITARY ACTION AGAINST
VENEZUELA

(posting on xxxxxx Labor
[[link removed]]) 

Kudos! Long live the NNU and all the Health Workers in the USA in
particular, and the world in general

Allan Baluyot

 

DON'T WORRY. BE HORRIFIED.  --  CARTOON BY JACK OHMAN 

Jack OhmanJanuary 5, 2026Jack Ohman's You Betcha!
[[link removed]] 

 

RE: RESIST IN 2026 - POSTER OF THE WEEK (TIDBITS-JAN. 1- READER
COMMENTS) 

Via xxxxxx
[[link removed]],
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [[link removed]] and
the Center for the Study of Political Graphics
[[link removed]] comes a greeting for the
new year.

Daniel MillstonePost on Facebook

 

RE: THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S INAUGURATION SPEECH 

Not a bad read to .start the New Year

Michele Goldstein

 

RE: ZOHRAN NEEDS TO CREATE POPULAR ASSEMBLIES 

There's a lot of truth is all this mushy utopian fantasizing. What is
really needed is anti-ICE s groups organized, most likely by the
unions, to fight ICE. These storm troopers are walking in our City.
They need to be located, harassed and fought.

This could be the basis of real "popular assemblies" based on real
power.

David Berger [[link removed]]Posted
on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]] 

 

RE: NEW STUDY SHOWS ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE CAN BE REVERSED 

I m concerned about the legitimacy of the study on the Reversal of
Alzheimer's Disease. It is only disclosed at the end that the study is
promoting a complementary medicine "brain booster" treatment which
would hopefully not be found to be potentially carcinogenic like
others currently on the market. Most troubling is that the study's
spokesperson owns a company that would manufacture such treatments.

The acceptable practice is for any potential conflicts of interest
would be disclosed in the very beginning of the article and not buried
at the end.

Rachelle

 

IN MY DAY, WE HAD TO USE THE C.I.A.  --  CARTOON BY IVAN EHLERS 

Ivan EhlersJanuary 5, 2026The New Yorker
[[link removed]] 

 

TAKING A PAGE FROM HISTORY - VIETNAM AND VENEZUELA  --  R COBB
CARTOON FROM 1975 

Ron Cobb1975

_[September 21, 2020 - Ron Cobb, best known for being the production
designer for several major films, has died at 83 years of age. Cobb
brought to life several cantina creatures for Star Wars (1977) and
came up with weaponry and sets for Conan the Barbarian (1982), the
exterior and interior of the Nostromo ship in Alien (1978) and the
earth colony complex in Aliens (1986), and the DeLorean time machine
in Back to the Future (1985)._

_More interestingly, to me at least, is that in the 1960s and 70s he
was a great radical political cartoonist, and sadly, many cartoons of
those days are still just as relevant today. A small selection:]_

kropotkindersurprise
[[link removed]] 

 

NOTHING TO SEE  --  CARTOON BY ROB ROGERS 

 

Despite Trump engaging in an active cover-up and trying to distract us
with anything he can, the Epstein files keep coming.

Rob RogersJanuary 4, 2026TinyView
[[link removed]] 

 

RE: THE UNLOVABLE PING-PONG WIZARD OF MARTY SUPREME

(posting on xxxxxx Culture
[[link removed]]) 

Yeah. I met him a few times. Not a nice guy. There were several
homegrown sport and game hustlers like him around the City. Not
semi-criminals like the pool sharks or gamblers, but definitely on the
seedy side. There was a guy in Brooklyn, named something like Samuels,
who was a handball hustler. Lost history of working class NYC.

David

 

WELCOME THE NEW YEAR  --  CARTOON AND COMMENTARY BY JESSE DUQUETTE 

 

My New Year’s drawing from 2023, repurposed (again) for 2025. This
year was not a great one, and perhaps one of the worst I’ve lived
through in my almost 49 years. The Christian Nationalists and white
supremacists who have spent decades plotting their ascendance have
come closer than ever to realizing their dreams, thanks to their
Trojan horse currently shitting his pants in the Oval Office.

ICE terrorizes our streets and trans people are demonized for simply
existing while techbroligarchs consolidate power with a plan to keep
us all in a perpetual serfdom. Masked ICE goons killed a man just two
miles from where I live. Children were woken up with guns and zip tied
half naked at 2AM. Parents have formed groups to chaperone children
when they get out of school to ensure they aren’t disappeared into
unmarked vehicles.

But this year was not without his bright spots, no matter how muted or
infrequent. The No Kings rallies were a remarkable showing of just how
deeply unpopular Trump is pretty much everywhere across the country,
from Memphis to Malvern. The showings by Democrats in elections have
further illustrated this, from Zohran’s win in NYC to Aftyn Behn
(Nashville’s progressive congressional candidate) coming within 5pts
in a district Trump won by +22 points.

Towards the end of the year I was able to meet and get to know many of
the organizers behind the Remove the Regime protest in DC this past
November, and seeing these amazing individuals in action, putting in
the actual work to force positive change and unite those in
resistance, was a profoundly motivating balm in these uniquely awful
times, and this year, especially.

I’ll end on that note of modest optimism, and with a promise that
I’ll keep fighting until I can’t.

Jesse DuquetteJanuary 6, 2026Jesse Duquette - Last Cartoon Roundup of
2025
[[link removed]] 

 

RENEE NICOLE GOOD - MOTHER AND POET - MURDERED BY ICE IN MINNEAPOLIS 

 

 

Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old poet, writer, and mother, was
identified as the woman shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis
on Wednesday, Jan. 7, a killing that has shaken her neighborhood and
intensified anger toward ICE’s presence in residential communities.
Good died just blocks from her home, leaving behind a young child and
a family struggling to make sense of how a beloved neighbor lost her
life so suddenly.

Her mother, Donna Ganger, said learning the circumstances surrounding
her daughter’s death was devastating. “That’s so stupid,”
Ganger said. “She was probably terrified.” Rejecting claims that
Good was involved in any kind of confrontation, Ganger added, “Renee
was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known… She’s taken care
of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate.
She was an amazing human being.”

Friends and neighbors echoed that description. An Instagram bio
described Good as a “poet and writer and wife and mom and shitty
guitar strummer from Colorado; experiencing Minneapolis, MN.” Megan
Kocher, who met Good weeks earlier, remembered her warmth: “She fed
me tea and cookies at her house while we talked about school stuff.”
Kocher called her “such a warm and loving mother,” adding, “This
is tragic beyond words.”

Good’s former father-in-law, Timmy Ray Macklin Sr., said she and his
late son shared a 6-year-old child who now faces life without either
parent. “There’s nobody else in his life,” he said. “I’ll
drive. I’ll fly. To come and get my grandchild.”

Good was also an accomplished writer. While studying creative writing
at Old Dominion University, she won an undergraduate poetry prize. A
school bio once noted, “When she is not writing, reading or talking
about writing, she has movie marathons and makes messy art.”

At a vigil, speakers honored Good as someone who showed up for others.
“She was peaceful, she did the right thing,” said Jaylani Hussein.
“She died because she loved her neighbors.” 

Another speaker rejected official narratives labeling her a threat,
saying she was there “to watch the terrorists.”

Neighbors described a family always outside, playing and connecting.
“It’s a beautiful family,” said Mary Radford through tears.
“We’re gonna miss seeing them — forever.” For many, Good’s
death stands as a painful reminder of how ICE operations continue to
tear through communities, leaving grief, fear, and unanswered
questions behind.

Our thoughts are with the family, friends and community.

     =====

 

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS CAMP

Our mission is to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and
Brown communities through education, self-empowerment,
mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the
next generation of change leaders.

Watch How It Started [[link removed]] 

The Know Your Rights Camp App is an essential resource for navigating
the unjust system of traffic, protesting and ICE laws in your area.
You deserve to Know Your Rights.

​​The KYRC App has just expanded its impact with a new
state-by-state guide to immigration rights, including guidance on what
to do when approached at work or home, along with best practices. Now
available in both English, Spanish and French, this update is designed
to support migrants facing challenges with U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE), further solidifying the app as a vital
source of clarity and understanding during critical moments.

Learn More - Watch on YouTube
[[link removed]]-
[link removed]

 

IRAN PROTESTS SURGE AMID WIDESPREAD GRIEVANCES, CURRENCY DEPRECIATION
AND SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC CHANGES 

Iran Unfiltered
[[link removed]]January
7, 2026

 

WEEK OF JANUARY 5, 2026 – SPECIAL EDITION
[[link removed]]
| _Iran Unfiltered is a digest tracking Iranian politics & society by
the National Iranian American Council_

_Editor’s Note: given the pace of events on the ground in Iran, we
are sharing this special edition of the Iran Unfiltered Newsletter.
Please __subscribe_ [[link removed]]_ to our
Substack to get real-time updates. You can also see NIAC’s statement
condemning violence against protesters and rejecting foreign
interference in the protest wave __here_
[[link removed]]_.
We will continue to update as the situation develops._

* FROM CURRENCY COLLAPSE TO STREET CONFRONTATION: IRAN’S PROTESTS
ENTER A HIGH-RISK PHASE
[[link removed]]
* IRAN’S NEW PROTEST WAVE ESCALATES AS ECONOMIC SHOCK TURNS INTO
NATIONWIDE UNREST
[[link removed]]
* IRAN MOVES TO END PREFERENTIAL EXCHANGE RATES AMID INFLATION,
PROTESTS, AND COMPETING ECONOMIC ASSESSMENTS
[[link removed]]

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ACCOUNTS
[[link removed]] 

_[Founded in 2002, the __National Iranian American Council_
[[link removed]]_ is a nonpartisan,
nonprofit organization dedicated to give voice to the Iranian American
community in civic life._

_As one of the most highly educated minority groups in the United
States, Iranian Americans have achieved success on many levels –
technological, scientific, academic, and economic life – yet our
community’s contributions to American civic life has been limited._

_No time was this more evident than after the devastating September 11
attacks, when the Iranian-American community was nearly silent as the
country confronted profound issues of national security, immigration,
and the character of American society. This was when NIAC emerged as a
leader, addressing the difficult issues facing our community._

_NIAC Action was formed in 2015 to build political power for Iranian
Americans and to champion the priorities of our community. To advance
our goals, we utilize grassroots advocacy, undertake direct lobbying
efforts in Washington DC, and engage political candidates. NIAC guides
the organization’s issue analysis, civic education, and community
engagement initiatives._

_NIAC IS FUNDED BY THE IRANIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND PROMINENT
AMERICAN FOUNDATIONS. NIAC DOES NOT RECEIVE FUNDS FROM THE IRANIAN
GOVERNMENT NOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. READ MORE ABOUT OUR
FINANCIALS AND TRANSPARENCY __HERE_
[[link removed]]_.]_ 

 

VENEZUELA IN CONTEXT: A VERSO READING LIST

 

On January 3rd, the United States initiated a bombing campaign in
Venezuela and kidnapped the sitting President, Nicolás Maduro. This
comes after American airstrikes on several vessels in the Caribbean
that were alleged to have been carrying drugs, providing a pretext for
invasion that cloaks America's desire to control Venezuela's oil
reserves beneath the thin veneer of a new War on Drugs.

This bogus justification was only half-hearted, as American officials
now insist in no uncertain terms that all resources in the Americas
are to be controlled by the U.S. empire and that "American dominance
in the western hemisphere will never be questioned again.”

FOR FURTHER READING ON VENEZUELA, U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN SOUTH AMERICA,
AND OIL AS THE CENTRAL DRIVER OF IMPERIAL ANTAGONISM, CONSIDER THE
TITLES BELOW – CURRENTLY DISCOUNTED 30%.

WE'VE ALSO MADE THE EBOOK FOR _THE BOLIVARIAN REVOLUTION_ FREE TO
DOWNLOAD. 

_Discounts will appear in cart._

READING LIST: VENEZUELA IN CONTEXT
[[link removed]] 

VERSO BOOKS [[link removed]] 207 32ND STREETNEW YORK,
NY10016TEL + 1 (718) 246 [email protected]

 

BOOK TALK: MOTOWN AND THE MAKING OF WORKING-CLASS REVOLUTIONARIES --
OAKLAND - JANUARY 19  (CENTER FOR POLITICAL EDUCATION, GENERATION
COMMON GOOD, THE LEAGUE, CONVERGENCE, PARENTING IS POLITICAL) 

 

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2026•05:00 PM

OAKSTOP- MANNING CREATIVE SUITE1721 BROADWAY SUITE 201OAKLAND, CA
94612

Motown and the Making of Working-Class Revolutionaries: The Story of
the League of Revolutionary Black Workers is the first history of the
LRBW written by people who were League members. Veteran labor
organizer Gene Bruskin describes the book this way: “It reveals, in
deeply personal narratives, the formation of a workers’ movement in
the automotive industry that challenged both race and class oppression
in the factories and within the UAW. It’s a history that few are
aware of, but all can learn from.” 

* Reader Comments
[[link removed]]
* Renee Nicole Good
[[link removed]]
* ICE
[[link removed]]
* DHS
[[link removed]]
* Minneapolis
[[link removed]]
* Donald Trump
[[link removed]]
* Kristi Noem
[[link removed]]
* Venezuela
[[link removed]]
* Oil
[[link removed]]
* Nicolas Maduro
[[link removed]]
* colonialism
[[link removed]]
* neocolonialism
[[link removed]]
* imperialism
[[link removed]]
* gunboat diplomacy
[[link removed]]
* Monroe Doctrine
[[link removed]]
* Donroe Doctrine
[[link removed]]
* Zohran Mamdani
[[link removed]]
* Popular Assemblies
[[link removed]]
* alzheimer's
[[link removed]]
* marty supreme
[[link removed]]
* KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
[[link removed]]
* Immigrants
[[link removed]]
* Iran
[[link removed]]
* Iran Protests
[[link removed]]
* Detroit
[[link removed]]
* Motown
[[link removed]]
* League of Revolutionary Black Workers
[[link removed]]
* Black workers
[[link removed]]
* Auto Workers
[[link removed]]
* UAW
[[link removed]]
* Cartoons
[[link removed]]
* resources
[[link removed]]
* Announcements
[[link removed]]

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

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

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