[ Reader Comments: Jared in Charge; Medicare for All; Portland and
New York = Erosion of Constitutional Rights; John Lewis; Hiroshima and
Nagasaki; Filibuster; Paul Robeson; Take Action - Defend the Census
and Post Office; Announcements; more....] [[link removed]]

TIDBITS - AUG. 6, 2020 - READER COMMENTS: JARED IN CHARGE; MEDICARE
FOR ALL; PORTLAND, NYPD, EROSION OF CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS; JOHN LEWIS;
HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI; PAUL ROBESON; TAKE ACTION - DEFEND THE CENSUS
AND POST OFFICE; ANNOUNCEMENTS; MORE....  
[[link removed]]


 

August 6, 2020
xxxxxx

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

_ Reader Comments: Jared in Charge; Medicare for All; Portland and
New York = Erosion of Constitutional Rights; John Lewis; Hiroshima and
Nagasaki; Filibuster; Paul Robeson; Take Action - Defend the Census
and Post Office; Announcements; more.... _

Tidbits - Reader Comments, Take Action, Resources, Announcements AND
cartoons - Aug. 6, 2020, xxxxxx

 

Re: How Jared Kushner’s Secret Testing Plan “Went Poof Into Thin
Air” (Judith Halprin; Richard Chauvin; Jennifer Hume; Joan Rullan;
Thomas E. Batts Jr.)
Lazy Mitch  --  cartoon by Rob Rogers
Re: Why Did Labor Leaders Vote Against Medicare for All in the Middle
of a Pandemic? (Buzz Davis; Tom Ellett; Mike Mauer; David Bundy;
Geoffrey Jacques; Jacqueline Wallace; Carl Leinonen; Jose Felipe
Gonzalez Pabon; John Gallo; Rick Shank)
Re: “Defendant Shall Not Attend Protests”: In Portland, Getting
Out of Jail Requires Relinquishing Constitutional Rights (George
Lessard; Judith Halprin; Luigi Cintron; Daniel Millstone; Jack Radey;
Neal Charness; Vicki Rovere; Robin Yeamans; N. Ahmed Crespo)
Re: Think Federal Cops in Portland are Scary? Cops Use 'Jump-Out Boys'
All the Time (Judyth Hollub)
John Lewis, exponentially  --  cartoon by Mike Luckovich
Re: Let Us Now Remove Famous Men (Bill Kaleta; George Hopkins)
Letter from Santa Claus (Seymour Joseph)
Re: Dispatches From the Culture Wars - Antisemitism: The Enemy, The
Issue (Aurora Levins Morales)
Re: Did the Atomic Bomb End the Pacific War? (Ken Lawrence; Anthony
Gronowicz; John Marienthal)
Re: America’s ‘Untouchables’: the Silent Power of the Caste
System (Eleanor Roosevelt; Carole Policy; Nathan Hooks)
Re: Andrew Mlangeni – Tribute to a Backroom Boy (Kathleen Robel)
Re: The Roots of Today's Health Disparities in Slavery (Senya Means)
Re: The End of the Filibuster—No, Really (Stan Nadel; Larry Allred)
Re: The Revolutionary Life of Paul Robeson: Scholar Gerald Horne on
the Great Anti-fascist Singer, Artist, and Rebel (Sheldon Evans; Sue
Riggs; Donald A. Johnson)
 

ACTION NEEDED:

RENEWED (AND VERY SERIOUS) ATTACK ON THE 2020 CENSUS
 

RESOURCES:

OUR POST OFFICE IS NOT FOR SALE — POSTER OF THE WEEK (CENTER FOR THE
STUDY OF POLITICAL GRAPHICS
 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

BUILDING THE BIGGER WE - THIS IS NOT A DRILL: LIVE, AUGUST 12TH
(TAKEACTION MINNESOTA, THE REAL NEWS NETWORK AND ORGANIZING UPGRADE)

 

RE: HOW JARED KUSHNER’S SECRET TESTING PLAN “WENT POOF INTO THIN
AIR”
 

he belongs as a defendant before the international court on charges of
crimes against humanity.

Judith Halprin
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

But he is the stable genius’s adviser!

Richard Chauvin
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

Just shows how utterly stupid they were to think the virus would
remain in "blue" states only. Then, after it escaped those borders,
they still did nothing, except replenish "OUR" stockpiles, and
deferred responsibility for handling the deadly virus onto the states
so they could later claim it's not their fault if things didn't go
well. Still rising cases and over 156,000 deaths later, and they're
still doing nothing on a national scale to bring an orderly,
constructive plan to bear on this crisis. Oh, wait. Chump is doing
something; he's criticizing his own experts and is still touting the
drug that nobody but quacks says is THE answer. I stand corrected.

Jennifer Hume
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

And Trump will blame him for everything. Just wait.

Joan Rullan
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

The intentions were good but the idiot son in law doesn't find medical
or logistic folks. Instead these are people in Jared's circle of
businessmen who are trying to find a way to make money for themselves.
Why not talk to experts from the countries that properly handled
Covid. Trump or Jared's people only get involved for profit or tax
cuts.

Thomas E. Batts Jr.
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

LAZY MITCH  --  CARTOON BY ROB ROGERS
 

Rob Rogers
August 5, 2020
robrogers.com [[link removed]]

 

RE: WHY DID LABOR LEADERS VOTE AGAINST MEDICARE FOR ALL IN THE MIDDLE
OF A PANDEMIC?

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

Hi Eric how about we do an electronic petition and raise hell with the
people such as labor leaders who voted no on Med. for All??? I will
help you! Buzz Davis union organizer retired from WI Am. Fed. of
Teachers in Tucson

Buzz Davis

     =====

It would have been interesting if the author tried to answer the
titular question. I would like to know why they voted against a policy
they support.

Tom Ellett
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

Yes. Rather than simply engaging in union bashing, claiming that these
union leaders are really on the side of the rich, it is worth
considering why these four took that position. I'm not defending their
choice, but consider:

...that the better candidate -- Bernie -- actually lost the primaries.
More Democratic voters rejected his positions, overall, than supported
them.

Also: perhaps the calculation was being made that there's little
percentage now in feeding the Republicans' red baiting. The primary
campaign was the right time to try and win over Americans to the idea
of Medicare for All. Now, the most pressing political project is to
win the elections in November. Once the Democrats are back in power,
then the time will be right to organize and pressure them to enact the
kind of worker-friendly policies that we (and these union leaders)
believe in.

Mike Mauer
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

They have good plans and want to deny care to others.

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

     =====

Jacobin's Eric Blanc clearly hasn't the faintest idea why these union
leaders voted as they did, yet he thinks hiding his ignorance behind
vitriol is a good substitute for thinking politically. It is not. I
would say it's not a good substitute for journalism, either, but it's
uncertain whether Blanc would call himself a journalist. Certainly
this article has no relationship to a work of journalism. The best
thing that can be said about it is that it is "information" the is not
information. It is, to be kind, hardly any information at all.
Instead, it is a blindfold made of words. It is a rant.

Geoffrey Jacques
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

These union leaders need to be ousted, yesterday. We have an
opportunity to bring healing, stop giving handouts to the “needy and
greedy” rich, who do not trickle down the money and lift up our
society. People are an investment. The future of this country depends
on investments in people. These union folks are republicans.

Jacqueline Wallace
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[link removed]
[[link removed]]

     =====

o Dropping the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60 which will make
a difference for millions of older Americans.

o A public option tagged to a platinum plan, administered by the
traditional Medicare program, not private companies.

o At least one marketplace plan choice without deductibles that covers
primary care with no copays and helps control costs.

o No-cost coverage for the millions of Americans who did not gain
coverage when their states opted out of Medicaid expansion.

o Allowing anyone to choose this option whether they have
employer-sponsored coverage or not.

o Allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and ensuring
Americans don't pay more for drugs than our counterparts in other
countries.

o Tackling health disparities in multiple serious ways.

o Prioritizing long term services and supports for our seniors and
people with disabilities, as well as mental health and substance
abuse.

o Emphasizing the importance of investing in public health, rural
health, community health centers and the safety net system.

Carl Leinonen
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

A significant disappointment indeed. A disgrace. If this is what
democrats are going to offer in support of USA citizens, then they
deserve harsh criticism and rejection. If democrats are not going to
distinguish themselves from Trump's republicans, then what's the
difference between both parties? Shameful. What this suggests is that
the DMC have been bought by the health insurance industry. Pathetic.
These are the reasons why Democrats continue to be traitors of their
followers.

Jose Felipe Gonzalez Pabon
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

Ever since Reuther pulled out of the labor-led campaign for national
health plan 60 years ago, labor's M.O has been to only take care of
it's members. Today, many still believe their employer health plan
will help in organizing, despite wide support for M4 ALL, and workers
losing insurance when laid-off. These leaders squeeze out a pail of
good milk and then piss in it.

John Gallo

     =====

Whoa stop hold the phone. Back the truck up. It wasn't just four labor
leaders The vote was massively against it. Even if the four labor
leaders had voted for it would have still failed miserably. My big
question is what are they thinking of that we don't know. Why are they
doing it. I want an explanation before I come unglued over this. I'm
guessing that they feel if they push that right now, they're going to
lose a lot of the independent moderate votes. Which may cost them the
Senate and maybe even the White House. I don't think any of those
people will vote for Trump but they might just not vote at all. If
that's the case, I can see why they did it.

Rick Shank
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

RE: “DEFENDANT SHALL NOT ATTEND PROTESTS”: IN PORTLAND, GETTING
OUT OF JAIL REQUIRES RELINQUISHING CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
 

Protesters in Portland facing federal charges are barred from going to
“public gatherings” as a condition of release from jail — a
tactic one expert described as “sort of hilariously
unconstitutional.”

George Lessard
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

orders entered by two different judges it seems. They should be
required to. watch the movie "Judgment at Nuremberg" like people watch
"A Christmas Carol." None of it could have happened without complicit
judges.

Judith Halprin
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

the atrocities in Nazi Germany were all "legal"...

Judgment at Nuremberg
[[link removed]]

Luigi Cintron
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

As a price of release, federal authorities demanded that those held
agree to stop protesting. Via xxxxxx
[[link removed]]
comes this ProPublica report of an "hilariously unconstitutional" and
thus lawless practice.

Daniel Millstone
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

I've certainly heard of people who have been convicted in court
ordered, as part of their sentence, to stay away from anything from
demonstrations to Irish bars for six months, often as a term of
probation. But just to be released on bail? Innocent until proven
beyond a reasonable doubt? Is that gone too?

A favorite bumper sticker during the Bush years
"There's a lot wrong with the US Constitution,
But it sure is better than this thing we have now."

Jack Radey
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

If I were a defendant I would agree to that so long as Trump isn't
allowed on social media. Reciprocity.

Neal Charness
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

Suppose anyone with this bar against attending "public gatherings"
were to stand on the street alone with a sign. Would this be a
problem? Suppose several people, each a block or more away from each
other, were to stand with a sign at the same time. Would this be a
problem? 

Within the history of nonviolent activism is the tradition of solitary
witness. People arrayed in this way have the opportunity to make more
eye contact, perhaps have conversations. If the idea makes potential
"solitary witnesses" feel too vulnerable, there could be a small group
of supporters standing nearby.

Peace,

Vicki Rovere

     =====

Protesters kept in jail unless they give up First Amendment rights.
How about make them agree to waive 8th Amendment rights against
torture? This has gotta stop.

Robin Yeamans
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

Look some looters and vandals destroying private property...
 

N. Ahmed Crespo
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

RE: THINK FEDERAL COPS IN PORTLAND ARE SCARY? COPS USE 'JUMP-OUT BOYS'
ALL THE TIME
 

From this article:

    "In Portland, we are seeing the federal version of 'proactive
policing' sow confusion and chaos – and Trump is betting on the
turmoil. Unaccountable police, whether in plainclothes or uniforms,
create chaos, which allows authoritarian leaders to argue that we need
more police power, the very thing that people in Portland – and
across the country – are protesting against."

Me: This article cites several specific examples of plainclothes
police creating crime and chaos in different cities.

There is a long history of police departments working as an arm of the
Federal govt. During the Nixon years there was a section of the
Chicago P.D. known as the 'Red Squad.' They would plant themselves
outside a building where peace and Civil rights activists were meeting
and greet them by name as they were about to enter, hoping to
intimidate them. I, personally, experienced this.

I also witnessed police agents infiltrating student peace group
meetings during the Vietnam era and trying to instigate outrageous
actions. You could always tell who they were because they were always
the most aggressively outrageous.
The people who instigated violence and caused the 'police riots'
during the 1968 Democratic convention demonstrations were just those
very plainclothes cops.

So to those of you who would be skeptical of the kind of police
tactics cited in this article, or dismissive of it altogether, I've
been there ... it really happens.

Judyth Hollub
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

JOHN LEWIS, EXPONENTIALLY  --  CARTOON BY MIKE LUCKOVICH
 

Mike Luckovich
July 29, 2020
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
[[link removed]]

 

RE: LET US NOW REMOVE FAMOUS MEN
 

The word is infamous and they were traitors!

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

     =====

James Agee would appreciate the title of this article!

George Hopkins
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

LETTER FROM SANTA CLAUS
 

Mr. President,

As I’m sure you’re aware, I receive thousands of letters every
year, most of them in November, from boys and girls asking for gifts
at Christmas. Although I can’t satisfy every one of those requests,
I cherish every letter I receive.

I understand that you have begun the process of sabotaging the ability
of the Postal Service to do its job as efficiently as its well-earned
reputation affirms. In fact, you have advanced your scheme by
appointing one of your supporters to head this vital service.

Even before your machinations the Postal Service has always carried a
heavy burden. Now the advocates for turning that service into private
hands are gloating, awaiting its complete collapse.

I gather that your immediate aim, however, is to create enough postal
chaos so as to have cause to challenge the results of the coming
elections, claiming that mail-in balloting is fraudulent. Evidence of
past elections proves that mail-in voting is an efficient and
fraudulent-free method of selecting political leadership.

Although I live in the North Pole, don’t think I’m out of touch
with current political conditions in the United States. I am equipped
with the most up-to-date social media technology. And my conclusion is
that your scheme will fail. The national upsurge against your
incompetence and cruelty satisfies my conclusion.

I urge you to reverse course, Mr. President, and provide the Postal
Service with greater financial support instead of weakening it with
cutbacks. If you have a shred of decency in you, consider the children
who look forward to communicating with me. But I fear it may be too
late to expect that, like Ebeneezer Scrooge, you will awaken as a
changed man.

Hopefully,

Santa Claus

Seymour Joseph

 

RE: DISPATCHES FROM THE CULTURE WARS - ANTISEMITISM: THE ENEMY, THE
ISSUE
 

Excellent set of articles on antisemitism including its interactions
with racism.

Aurora Levins Morales
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

RE: DID THE ATOMIC BOMB END THE PACIFIC WAR?

This passage of Paul Ham's article cannot be right:
 
"But something else set Stalin’s rage boiling: Russia had not been
invited to sign the Potsdam ultimatum to Japan. He had been pointedly
ignored."
 
The Soviet Union was not a belligerent power against Japan until
August 9, so it could not have been a signatory to a surrender demand
issued on July 26.

Ken Lawrence
Spring Mills, Pennsylvania

     =====

The Soviets had acceded to an Anglo-American request to enter the war
against Japan the very day that Nagasaki was bombed. The bomb's
successful testing in July 1945 made Soviet participation unnecessary.
One year earlier, the head of the Manhattan Project to build the
world's first atomic bomb, General Leslie Groves, had told Nobel Prize
winner Joseph Rotblat that "the main purpose of the bomb was `to
subdue the Russians.'"[1]

The three top U.S. generals opposed use of the atomic bomb against
Japan. World War II's Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower
wrote "... I had been conscious of a feeling of depression and so I
voiced to him [Stimson] my grave misgivings, first ... that Japan was
already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely
unnecessary, and secondly, because I thought that our country should
avoid shocking world opinion by ... a weapon whose employment was ...
no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives."  Five-Star
Fleet Admiral of the U.S. Navy and Chief of Staff to the President
William D. Leahy concluded, "... The use of this barbarous weapon at
Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war
against Japan ... In being the first to use it, we had adopted an
ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not
taught to make war in this fashion, and wars cannot be won by
destroying women and children."  The Commanding General of the United
States Army and the Air Force Henry "Hap" Arnold reflected, "...It
always appeared to us that atomic bomb or no atomic bomb, the Japanese
were already on the verge of collapse." His assessment was backed up
by Admiral William "Bull" Halsey, whose Third Fleet made the final sea
assault on Japan's home islands. In 1946, Halsey publicly stated, "the
first atomic bomb was an unnecessary experiment."  

Secretary of War Henry Stimson (Bones 1888) overruled them all.[2]
Sixty-two years later, the Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kuyuma
stated that the reason Washington dropped atomic bombs on Japanese
cities was to keep the Soviet Union out of the war.  He was quickly
forced to resign for being honest.[3]

====

[1] Martin Rees, Our Final Hour, A Scientist's Warning: How Terror,
Error, and Environmental Disaster Threaten Humankind's Future in this
Century—On Earth and Beyond (New York: Basic Books, 2003), 38. This
admission merely confirmed what had been absolutely demonstrated
earlier in the definitive work on the atomic mass killings by Gar
Alperovitz in his The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb and the
Architecture of An American Myth (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995). 

[2] Alperovitz, The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb and the
Architecture of An American Myth, 544. See also Tsuyoshi Hasegawa,
Racing the Enemy. Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan
(Cambridge MA & London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press,
2005); Leo Maley III & Uday Mohan (Director of Research for the
Nuclear Studies Institute, American University), "Not Everyone Wanted
to Bomb Hiroshima," History News Network, November 5, 2007; William D.
Hartung, "Did We Miss the Lesson of Nagaski?"  History News Network,
August 13, 2007.  Gordon Thomas, Journey into Madness. The True Story
of Secret CIA Mind Control and Medical Abuse (New York: Bantam, 1989),
357.  

[3] Kana Inagaki, "Japan Defense Chief Quits in Gaffe," Associated
Press, July 3, 2007. 

Anthony Gronowicz

     =====

I suggest you all look at an excellent Japanese historian’s book.
Racing the enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan by
Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, 2005.   He argues that the Emperor did not care
that the Japanese cities were in ruin and winter food supplies were
meagre (thanks to the successful mine laying campaign that crippled
food shipping from Manchuria) . Japan was relying on the Soviet Union
to remain neutral as per their 1939 skirmish agreement in Manchuria.
While the Soviet Union was not a signatory of the Potsdam agreement it
had signed the Yalta agreement to declare war on Japan 90 days after
the war in Europe. Stalin carried out that promise. At that point with
the Soviet invasion of the small four northernmost islands of Japan,
and overrunning the Japanese army in Manchuria.  the emperor
instructed the Japanese government to negotiate a surrender under the
Potsdam agreement.

On the issue of casualties, in April 1945 at Iwo Jima, the Americans
for the first time took more killed and wounded than the Japanese
despite having complete air cover and naval bombardment . At Okinawa,
200,000 Japanese soldiers and 100.000  civilians died, American
casualties were 67,000 about a third of all the Japanese defenders.
Operation Olympic scheduled for Nov. 1st then postponed, projected
 the American invasion force on Kyushu to be about 700, 000 against
320,000 Japanese. The casualty rate was between 63-190,000.  By
August there were now 600,000 defenders. The invasion was postponed to
January. The second invasion would have been around Honshu and the
Tokyo area. Hirohito and the big six were determined to sacrifice
everyone to save the institution  of the emperor. As a footnote to
what might have happened to the Americans, when the Red army invaded
the Kuriles at the battle of Shimushu, the Red Army and the Japanese
took equal casualties.

John Marienthal

 

RE: AMERICA’S ‘UNTOUCHABLES’: THE SILENT POWER OF THE CASTE
SYSTEM
 

Far from being the roots of "American Liberty," this country's origins
in Puritan Calvinism are the roots of its constant pattern of systemic
oppression.

Eleanor Roosevelt
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

I probably noticed caste without knowing the term at around 12--
Without understanding the ramifications, of course. I'm still aspiring
to "smart."

Carole Policy
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

This is REAL DEEP! It’s a long read but PLEASE take the time! 

Nathan Hooks
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

RE: ANDREW MLANGENI – TRIBUTE TO A BACKROOM BOY
 

South Africa’s John Lewis

Kathleen Robel
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

RE: THE ROOTS OF TODAY'S HEALTH DISPARITIES IN SLAVERY
 

I object to this sentence: "Enslaved people's health was ignored...".
It makes me really angry to read some shit like that, especially when
it's written by some goddamn social worker, whose job is to perpetuate
racism and classism in the guise of "helping" people. It makes me
REALLY ANGRY, because anyone who knows anything at all about slavery
in the US knows that people were routinely murdered, beaten to death,
and worked to death, particularly in the Deep South, where it was
cheaper to work slaves to death and replace them, than to work them a
survivable amount and prolong their lives. When you characterize this
as their "health being ignored," as if somehow the slavemaster was
refusing to let them eat kale, you spit in the face of the people who
survived this system.

Senya Means
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

RE: THE END OF THE FILIBUSTER—NO, REALLY
 

Ending the filibuster isn't actually needed, and might not be a good
thing. What is needed is the recent practice of allowing a paper
filibuster where a Senator can block a bill simply by filing an intent
to filibuster. Most such claims would evaporate if the Senator
actually had to stand up and try to speak for hours on end, and most
of the rest would quickly arouse enough other Senators to provide the
60 votes needed to shut the filibuster down. Only in rare cases would
there be 40 or more Senators prepared to support a long
filibuster--and we might find that we would support them in blocking
some truly horrible proposals from Republican majorities.

Stan Nadel

     =====

Republicans exempting Supreme Court nominations from being
filibustered meant right then and there no rationale really exists to
keep it.

Larry Allred
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

RE: THE REVOLUTIONARY LIFE OF PAUL ROBESON: SCHOLAR GERALD HORNE ON
THE GREAT ANTI-FASCIST SINGER, ARTIST, AND REBEL
 

A real hero and a true super star he scared the government

Sheldon Evans
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

. . . AND, he was incredibly intelligent, and articulate. His
responses to the HUAC were fantastic.

Sue Riggs
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

     =====

Growing up in New York in the 1950’s, my hero was Jackie Robinson,
but my role model was Paul Robeson!

Donald A. Johnson
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

RENEWED (AND VERY SERIOUS) ATTACK ON THE 2020 CENSUS
 

Protesters gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the court hears
oral arguments in the Commerce vs. New York case, April 23, 2019, in
Washington, D.C
Win Mcnamee / Getty Images  //  Truthout
It's official - as of last night 
[[link removed]]The
US Census Bureau intends to conclude Nonresponse Followup and Self
Response operations on September 30 instead of October 31. This is
unprecedented, troubling and quite remarkable for a few reasons
(funding for schools, hospitals, impact on redistricting etc. etc...),
but outside of Hansi Lo Wang at NPR
[[link removed]]
has gotten very little media attention (apparently certain outlets
were waiting on official confirmation from the Census Bureau on the
deadline change, NYT just ran this)
[[link removed]]. 

Relevant materials below from Beth Lynk <[email protected]>  at
the Leadership Conference. Beth and Sonum Nerurkar
<[email protected]> are leaders with the Census Counts
coalition and good points of contact to learn more. 

Vanita Gupta
[[link removed]] published
an OpEd in the Washington Post, you can read the OpEd here
[[link removed]].
In addition, you can find the statement from The Leadership Conference
on Civil and Human Rights here
[[link removed]]. 

This news raises the urgency for Congress to ACT to extend the
statutory deadlines for reporting apportionment and redistricting data
from the 2020 Census so that the Census Bureau has the space to count
everyone. Below are some resources and suggested actions to take.  

TAKE ACTION: (Note that some of these actions may be considered
grassroots lobbying if you are referencing specific legislation.
Always check with your legal counsel before proceeding with action.) 

*
Join a Census Project sign on letter
[[link removed]]:
If your organization (national, state or local) would like to sign on,
please complete this form
[[link removed]].
Signatures from individuals are not being accepted. Please respond to
this sign-on opportunity by COB Wednesday, August 5. 

*
Issue a Statement in opposition to the effort to cut short census
operations that count people of color, American Indians, people with
low-incomes, people experiencing homelessness, and other groups the
census has historically missed. 

*
Write an OpEd on the harm of an inaccurate and incomplete census on
your community.

*
Send an Action Alert to your members, encouraging them to call their
Senators to vote to extend the statutory deadlines for reporting
apportionment and redistricting data from the 2020 Census.

RESOURCES: 

*
Census Counts’ Strategic Guidance and Talking Points
[[link removed]] 

*
Talking Points for Legislative Advocacy to Support our Case for an
Extension of the Apportionment and Redistricting Deadlines
[[link removed]].

*
Google Folder of Response Resources and Coalition Templates
[[link removed]] 

*
Including talking points, sample petition, and graphics (coming
soon). 

*
New Maps Comparing 2010 and 2020 Self Response Rates
[[link removed]]:
City University of NY produced two new maps this morning, showing for
counties and congressional districts (separate maps), how far they are
behind their 2010 Census response rates or if they have met those
rates. As you will see, the maps paint a stark picture of the scope of
remaining census household counting operations (NRFU, or
door-knocking). The maps show visually the consequences of rushing
remaining census operations, especially in the midst of pandemic and
the season of natural disasters.

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Map by
Counties: [link removed]
[[link removed]]

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Map by Congressional
districts: [link removed]
[[link removed]]

        

 

OUR POST OFFICE IS NOT FOR SALE — POSTER OF THE WEEK (CENTER FOR THE
STUDY OF POLITICAL GRAPHICS)
 

Our Post Office Is Not For Sale
Jos Sances and Art Hazelwood
Alliance Graphics
Silkscreen, 2012
Berkeley, CA
41079
This week, Louis DeJoy, a Trump appointee and Republican Party
fundraiser, began his job as the newest United States Postmaster. This
continues the Trump administration’s appointment of  people to
facilitate the destruction of the agencies they head—like appointing
Betsy de Vos, charter school supporter, as Secretary of Education and
Andrew Wheeler, former coal industry lobbyist, to head the
Environmental Protection Agency. Since taking office, DeJoy has
instituted a number of cost-cutting measures that have slowed down
mail delivery by at least a day. He even “told postal workers to
leave mail behind if it slows down their route”!

FedEx and UPS have been cutting into the USPS parcel delivery profits
for years.  Email has reduced the volume of physical letters and
therefore income. In addition, the USPS is required to provide for
future retirement benefits, which adds to their annual deficit. FedEx
and UPS don’t have to do this, giving them an unfair advantage. The
purpose of this requirement is to bankrupt the USPS. The current
economic crisis and pandemic have exacerbated the crisis.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act had originally
allocated $25 billion for the United States Postal Service (USPS) but
was blocked by the Trump administration in March. The President has
repeatedly stated that he believes that the USPS should raise its
prices to compete with other mail competitors, which would make it
less accessible to those who rely on the USPS, especially undeserved
communities in rural areas and small businesses.

Without immediate help from Congress and the Trump administration, the
Postal Service is “insolvent,” says Rep. Gerry Connolly (D, VA),
“It needs debt forgiveness, not debt extension, and it needs an
infusion of capital right now." Connolly also went on to state, “I
don’t think it’s going to cease operations, but [the crisis] could
affect operations – there could be delays, there could be
interruptions in delivery, there could be layoffs.” This just adds
to the already poor condition the Postal Service has been in the last
20 years.

Due to the pandemic, millions of Americans are also going to need to
vote by mail in the fall. The Post Office is a vital tool to "deliver
democracy" to Americans. Thus it comes as no surprise that the Trump
administration is actively sabotaging the USPS in order to influence
the coming elections. If required to vote in person, voters will risk
exposure to COVID-19, further impacting voter turn-out. In these
unprecedented times, the Post Office is needed more than ever.

CSPG’s Poster of the Week is by Jos Sances and Art Hazelwood. The
poster was made in 2012, to protest the pending sale of the downtown
Berkeley Post Office by the USPS. Eight years later, we are still
struggling to save this integral part of our society.

Sources: US postmaster general tells postal workers to leave mail
behind if it slows down their route
[[link removed]]

The Looming Threat to Voting in Person
[[link removed]]

You've Got Less Mail: The Postal Service Is Suffering Amid The
Coronavirus
[[link removed]]

Protesters take ‘Save Post Office’ demo to San Francisco
[[link removed]]

Trump reportedly rejected approving a bailout package that would
rescue the US Postal Service, and it could be a disaster for states
trying to expand voting by mail
[[link removed]]

US Postal Service faces challenges as new postmaster takes over
[[link removed]]

Center for the Study of Political Graphics
[[link removed]]
3916 Sepulveda Blvd, Suite 103
Culver City, CA 90230

 

BUILDING THE BIGGER WE - THIS IS NOT A DRILL: LIVE, AUGUST 12TH
(TAKEACTION MINNESOTA, THE REAL NEWS NETWORK AND ORGANIZING UPGRADE)
 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2020 AT 8 PM – 8 PM EDT

FREE - REGISTER HERE
[[link removed]]

The sprint to November 2020 is underway. The question that remains for
left organizers is, who will we bring in to our growing coalition
organized around racial justice and radical economic democracy? The
overlapping political and economic crises of our time have opened the
door to growing far beyond our normal base of support. How will we
take advantage of this opening to build power not only in 2020 but
well beyond the general election? What groups of people and
organizations will included in this new bloc?

In this episode of OrgUp's This Is Not A Drill, hosts Adam Gold and
Rishi Awatramani talk with Andrea Mercado, Jessica Byrd, Tomás
Garduño, and Elianne Farhat about the new social bloc (aka 'the
Bigger We') needed to win left political power.

Join us for this special episode to kick off this year's high stakes
electoral crunch time.

Please enter your email to register
[[link removed]]
on Facebook in order to receive an email reminder the day of the event
with a link to the livestream.

ANDREA MERCADO, Executive Director at The New Florida Majority
JESSICA BYRD, Co-founder of the The Movement for Black Lives Electoral
Justice Project
TOMÁS GARDUÑO, National Field Director at Mijente
ELIANNE FARHAT, Executive Director at TakeAction Minnesota

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INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

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