Monthly Archives: October 2018

2018-10-17: Social Media Postees

Is China Winning the War for Africa?
Cesar Chelala | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-17
While traveling in Africa in the 1980 and 1990s, I was surprised to see Chinese crews building roads, schools, and houses. Although at the time this meant little to me, I later realized it was part of a policy of Chinese insertion into the African countries' economies. Historically, the African continent has been plundered by…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/17/is-china-winning-the-war-for-africa-2/

What You Can Do About the Saudi Atrocities in Yemen
Muhammad Othman | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-17
Since the war criminality embedded in U.S. complicity in Yemen is no less than what was represented at the Nuremberg Trials, it is incumbent upon us to take action. U.S. citizens — no matter what their politics are — must do something about the horror we're inflicting upon the innocent citizens of Yemen. After all,…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/17/what-you-can-do-about-the-saudi-atrocities-in-yemen/

Amid furor over Khashoggi murder, UN warns millions more face starvation in Yemen
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-10-17
While leading Democrats and Republicans have called for sanctions over the Saudi journalist's killing, Washington has maintained a discreet silence over the US-backed mass murder in Yemen.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/10/17/yeme-o17.html

It's Crunch Time for Activism Against US Involvement in Yemen
Chris Gelardi | thenation.com | 2018-10-17
It's Crunch Time for Activism Against US Involvement in Yemen…
thenation.com/article/its-crunch-time-for-activism-against-us-involvement-in-yemen/

Leidesdorff Day 2018, Historic Negro Bar, Sacramento County
Khubaka, Michael Harris | indybay.org | 2018-10-17
Restoration and reconciliation of the stolen legacy from the "African Founding Father of California" Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. may help mitigate some of today's challenges seeking to remove the name Negro Bar, Folsom Lake Recreational Area by showcasing to the world the amazing contributions by "hidden figures" of Pan Africans during the California Gold Rush Era.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/10/13/18818195.php

WATCH NOW: Bishop TD Jakes Sends a Special Message to Voters
Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet | naacp.org | 2018-10-16
NAACP and Bishop TD Jakes agree on one thing: African Americans need to VOTE! Our lives depend on it. Watch his special message.
naacp.org/latest/watch-now-bishop-td-jakes-sends-special-message-voters/

'How Can You Be Moral?': Here Are 9 Questions You Don't Need to Ask an Atheist — And Their Answers
Greta Christina, Greta Christina's Blog | alternet.org | 2018-10-16
"Why are atheists so angry? " | Asked of Hispanic-Americans: "Are you in this country legally? " Asked of gays and lesbians and bisexuals: "How do you have sex? " Asked of transgender people: "Have you had the surgery? " Asked of African Americans: "Can I touch your hair? "Every marginalized group has some question, or questions, that are routinely asked of them — and that drive them up a tree; questions that have insult or bigotry or dehumanization woven into the very. . .
alternet.org/how-can-you-be-moral-here-are-9-questions-you-dont-need-ask-atheist-and-their-answers

Desmond Meade Hopes to Win Voting Rights for 1.4M Floridians with Felony Convictions–Including Himself
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-16
Voters in Florida are preparing to vote on a measure that would restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with nonviolent felonies who have fully completed their sentences. One in five African Americans in Florida and 10 percent of the state's adult population are ineligible to vote because of a criminal record. Across the United States, more than 6.1 million people with felony convictions are not eligible to vote. Florida is one of just four states that bar ex-felons from voting for life. The other states are Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia. The Brennan Center for Justice reports that Florida disenfranchises…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/16/meet_desmond_meade_a_former_felon

Trump Actually Just Compared the Authoritarian Saudi Regime to Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Cody Fenwick, AlterNet | alternet.org | 2018-10-16
Aren't there people who are supposed to stop him from saying these things? | Speaking with the Associated Press on Tuesday, President Donald Trump compared the treatment of the authoritarian Saudi regime — known for committing atrocities in its war on Yemen and for being implicated recently in the likely murder of a critical journalist — with new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. "Here we go again with you know you're guilty until. . .
alternet.org/news-amp-politics/trump-actually-just-compared-authoritarian-saudi-regime-justice-brett-kavanaugh

Trump Won in 2016 Thanks to Voter Suppression Says Carol Anderson, Author of "One Person, No Vote"
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-16
Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election due to voter suppression. That's what professor Carol Anderson argues in her new book "One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy," which tracks the rise of restrictive voting laws across the United States. In it, Anderson examines how African-American voter participation has been systematically compromised since a 2013 Supreme Court decision that gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act. By the 2016 election, turnout among black voters nationwide dropped from 66 percent to under 60 percent. The discrepancy was even larger in key areas like Milw…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/16/trump_won_in_16_thanks_to

Stacey Abrams Runs to Become Georgia's First Black Governor as Her Opponent Suppresses the Vote
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-16
With the midterm elections just three weeks away, voting rights advocates are accusing Republican officials in several states of orchestrating a campaign of voter suppression targeting people of color. In Georgia, the Democratic candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams, is calling on her Republican opponent, Brian Kemp, to step down as secretary of state for placing 53,000 voter applications on hold. Seventy percent of the applicants are African-American. Abrams has accused Kemp of using the state's "exact match" system to disenfranchise voters. With exact match, even a minor discrepancy in a voter's registration an…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/16/is_georgias_brian_kemp_disenfranchising_53

Floridians Will Vote on Whether to Restore Voting Rights to 1.4 Million People
Shared by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-10-16
Voters in Florida are preparing to vote on a measure that would restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with non-violent felonies who have fully completed their sentences. One in five African Americans in Florida and ten percent of the state's adult population are ineligible to vote because of a criminal record. Across the United States more than 6.1 million people with felony convictions are not eligible to vote. Florida is one of just four states that bar ex-felons from voting for life. The other states are Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia. The Brennan Center for Justice reports that Florida disenfranchises m…
truthout.org/video/floridians-will-vote-on-whether-to-restore-voting-rights-to-1-4-million-people/

The Khashoggi Extortion Fiasco
The Saker | iranian.com | 2018-10-16
A mystifying diplomatic escalation ensued following the disappearance of Saudi Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, after visiting the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Why would the United States of America make such a fuss over the disappearance of a non-American citizen? Why would America turn a blind eye to the Saudi killing of thousands of Yemeni […] | The post The Khashoggi Extortion Fiasco appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/10/16/khashoggi-extortion/

Chicago Finally Releases Video of Police Officer Shooting Unarmed and Disabled Ricky Hayes
Jamie Kalven | theintercept.com | 2018-10-16
Chicago's police accountability office released a video of the August 2017 shooting of Ricky Hayes, a mentally disabled African-American teenager. | The post Chicago Finally Releases Video of Police Officer Shooting Unarmed and Disabled Ricky Hayes appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/10/16/chicago-police-shooting-video-ricky-hayes/

Top wildlife official resigns after posing on hunt with dead baboons & giraffe (PHOTOS)
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-16
An intense backlash has prompted the resignation of Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner Blake Fischer after he was pictured posing with a family of dead baboons and a dead giraffe while on an African hunting trip.
rt.com/usa/441415-idaho-commissioner-resignation-baboons/

Saudi War on Yemen: World's Worst Famine in a Century Could Claim 13 Million
Juan Cole | mintpressnews.com | 2018-10-16
The United Nations coordinator for Yemen has warned that the world has only 3 months to halt the slide toward catastrophe in Yemen | The post Saudi War on Yemen: World's Worst Famine in a Century Could Claim 13 Million appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/saudi-war-on-yemen-worlds-worst-famine-could-claim-13-million/250777/

Wildlife official who killed 'whole family of baboons' faces backlash, calls for resignation
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-14
An Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner who shared graphic images of animals he killed in Africa, including a "family of baboons," is facing calls to resign.
rt.com/usa/441234-fischer-hunter-baboons-idaho/

Trump under pressure to stop arms sales to 'good partner' Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi affair
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-12
As public pressure mounts on the Trump administration to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the US defense industry is alarmed while critics of the Yemen war hope for the best.
rt.com/usa/441127-trump-saudi-weapons-khashoggi/

Rep. Ro Khanna Condemns Saudi Barbarity from Disappearance of Saudi Journalist to War in Yemen
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-12
President Donald Trump is rejecting calls to cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia following the disappearance and probable murder of the Saudi-born Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post is reporting the Turkish government told U.S. officials it has audio and video evidence that Khashoggi was killed last week inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Officials say the recordings confirm that a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi after he walked into the consulate on October 2, before killing him and dismembering his body. We speak with Ro Khanna, Democratic congressmember from California.
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/12/rep_ro_khanna_condemns_saudi_barbarity

Decades After Taking Henrietta Lacks's Cells Without Consent, Johns Hopkins Names Building After Her
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-12
Johns Hopkins University has announced plans to name a new research building after Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman who permanently changed modern medicine nearly 70 years ago when it was discovered that her cells could live forever. These "immortal cells" have helped scientists produce remedies for numerous diseases, including the first polio vaccine, that have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. But Lacks's cells were taken without her consent when she was a patient at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in 1951. For decades, the woman whose cells would transform modern medicine was unknown. Instead,…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/12/decades_after_taking_henrietta_lackss_cells

"Voting needs to become ubiquitous to the Black community as quickly as possible," says NAACP President
Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet | naacp.org | 2018-10-10
NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, penned an opinion piece for Essence magazine, a leading magazine publication for African-American women. In it, he emphasizes the need to mobilize the Black vote for the 2018 midterm elections, the organization's plan to support this effort, and the Black individual's role in relational organizing: "Voting needs to become […] | The post "Voting needs to become ubiquitous to the Black community as quickly as possible," says NAACP Pre…
naacp.org/latest/voting-needs-become-ubiquitous-black-community-quickly-possible-says-naacp-president/

Eve Ensler: Nobel Peace Prize for Mukwege & Murad Is an Award for Every Rape Survivor in the World
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-05
After a landmark year for the "Me Too" movement, which ignited an international conversation on sexual assault, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday morning to two champions of women's rights who have built their careers fighting sexual violence: physician Denis Mukwege and human rights activist Nadia Murad. Dr. Denis Mukwege founded the Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1999. The clinic receives thousands of women each year, many of them requiring surgery as a result of sexual violence. Nadia Murad is a 25-year-old Yazidi Kurdish human rights activist from Iraq. She was kidnapped and held…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/5/eve_ensler_nobel_peace_prize_for

2018-10-16: News Headlines

Greta Christina, Greta Christina's Blog (2018-10-16). 'How Can You Be Moral?': Here Are 9 Questions You Don't Need to Ask an Atheist — And Their Answers. alternet.org "Why are atheists so angry? " | Asked of Hispanic-Americans: "Are you in this country legally? " Asked of gays and lesbians and bisexuals: "How do you have sex? " Asked of transgender people: "Have you had the surgery? " Asked of African Americans: "Can I touch your hair? "Every marginalized group has some question, or questions, that are routinely asked of them — and that drive them up a tree; questions that have insult or bigotry or dehumanization woven into the very. . .

Juan Cole (2018-10-16). Saudi War on Yemen: World's Worst Famine in a Century Could Claim 13 Million. mintpressnews.com The United Nations coordinator for Yemen has warned that the world has only 3 months to halt the slide toward catastrophe in Yemen

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2018-10-16). Leidesdorff Day 2018, Historic Negro Bar, Sacramento County. indybay.org Restoration and reconciliation of the stolen legacy from the "African Founding Father of California" Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. may help mitigate some of today's challenges seeking to remove the name Negro Bar, Folsom Lake Recreational Area by showcasing to the world the amazing contributions by "hidden figures" of Pan Africans during the California Gold Rush Era.

The Saker (2018-10-16). The Khashoggi Extortion Fiasco. iranian.com A mystifying diplomatic escalation ensued following the disappearance of Saudi Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, after visiting the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Why would the United States of America make such a fuss over the disappearance of a non-American citizen? Why would America turn a blind eye to the Saudi killing of thousands of Yemeni […]

RT (2018-10-16). Top wildlife official resigns after posing on hunt with dead baboons & giraffe (PHOTOS). rt.com An intense backlash has prompted the resignation of Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner Blake Fischer after he was pictured posing with a family of dead baboons and a dead giraffe while on an African hunting trip.

Patrick Cockburn (2018-10-15). The Saudi Atrocities in Yemen are a Worse Story Than the Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. counterpunch.org The plot to supposedly murder Jamal Khashoggi, as apparently proved by Turkish audio and video evidence shown to US officials, is a grisly mixture of savagery and stupidity: Jack the Ripper meets Inspector Clouseau. Neither element is surprising because violent overreaction to minor threats is a traditional feature of dictatorial rule. As seems to be the case with Saudi Arabia today, Iraq under Saddam Hussein made immense efforts to eliminate exiled critics who posed no danger to the regime. Democracy Now! (2018-10-15). Headlines for October 15, 2018. democracynow.org Trump Rejects Ending Saudi Arms Sales over Journalist's Disappearance, Corporate Executives Pull Out of Saudi Investment Summit, Yemen: U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led Airstrike Kills 19 and Injures 30, U.S. Death Toll from Hurricane Michael at 19 as Dozens Remain Missing, Trump Doubles Down on Climate Change Denial on "60 Minutes", Senate Confirms Former BP Oil Defender as Top Environmental Lawyer, Tens of Thousands March in Europe Demanding Action on Climate, Somalia: Al-Shabab Suicide Bombers Kill 20, Injure 40, Nigeria: Anti-Boko Haram Militia Releases Children It Held Captive, Gaza: Israeli Forces Kill 7 Palestinians…

John Wojcik (2018-10-15). Racist dog whistles against Andrew Gillum could backfire on Florida GOP. peoplesworld.org After Andrew Gillum became the first major party African-American nominee for governor this year in Florida, Republicans immediately launched a barrage of racist attacks on him. Since then, they've gone way beyond old dog whistle tactics. Republican ads have described him as "lazy" and unwilling to do the hard work of…

RT (2018-10-14). Wildlife official who killed 'whole family of baboons' faces backlash, calls for resignation. rt.com An Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner who shared graphic images of animals he killed in Africa, including a "family of baboons," is facing calls to resign.

Democracy Now! (2018-10-12). Headlines for October 12, 2018. democracynow.org Hurricane Michael Flattens Florida Towns as It Rips Through Southeast, Turkish Gov't Says It Has Video Evidence of Khashoggi's Murder at Saudi Consulate, President Trump Rejects Calls to Cut Off Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, Report: Trump Administration Separated 6,000 Families in 4 Months, AP: U.S. Army Discharged 500 Immigrant Recruits, Kanye West Praises Trump During 10-Minute Oval Office Tirade, Pop Star Taylor Swift Tells Fans to Vote in Midterms, Washington Archbishop Resigns Amid Growing Church Sex Abuse Crisis, Syrian Rebels Withdrawing Heavy Weapons from Idlib Under Turkey-Russia Deal, HRW: Egyptian-Americ…

Nick Pemberton (2018-10-12). The Colonial Pantsuit: What We Didn't Want to Know About Africa. counterpunch.org Melania Trump's latest outfit raised the brows of the White Savior Industrial Complex. Melania wore a pith helmet, which is now virally recognized as a symbol of colonialism. Um, yes. But isn't that the whole point of her Angelina Jolie orphan hugging trip? Shouldn't we be more upset she went on a colonizing trip in the first place? Becoming upset with a colonizer for wearing a colonizer hat? It's like getting upset with the murdering police force for using their sirens. The colonizer hat is at least a warning sign! Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet (2018-10-12). President Johnson Talks African-American Vote on Jonathan Capehart Podcast. naacp.org NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, was a guest on the America On The Line podcast, hosted by Jonathan Capehart, and talked about the power of the African American vote this midterm election. President Johnson spoke about why this year's elections are especially important, and what it means for the coming years. "One election cycle […]

RT (2018-10-12). Trump under pressure to stop arms sales to 'good partner' Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi affair. rt.com As public pressure mounts on the Trump administration to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the US defense industry is alarmed while critics of the Yemen war hope for the best.

Democracy Now! (2018-10-12). Rep. Ro Khanna Condemns Saudi Barbarity from Disappearance of Saudi Journalist to War in Yemen. democracynow.org President Donald Trump is rejecting calls to cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia following the disappearance and probable murder of the Saudi-born Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post is reporting the Turkish government told U.S. officials it has audio and video evidence that Khashoggi was killed last week inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Officials say the recordings confirm that a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi after he walked into the consulate on October 2, before killing him and dismembering his body. We speak with Ro Khanna, Democratic congressmember from California.

Democracy Now! (2018-10-12). Decades After Taking Henrietta Lacks's Cells Without Consent, Johns Hopkins Names Building After Her. democracynow.org Johns Hopkins University has announced plans to name a new research building after Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman who permanently changed modern medicine nearly 70 years ago when it was discovered that her cells could live forever. These "immortal cells" have helped scientists produce remedies for numerous diseases, including the first polio vaccine, that have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. But Lacks's cells were taken without her consent when she was a patient at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in 1951. For decades, the woman whose cells would transform modern medicine was unknown. Instead,…

Alex Kane (2018-10-11). "Something Out of a Horror Movie": Egyptian Security Forces Tortured and Raped American-Citizen Detainee, Rights Group Says. theintercept.com Khaled Hassan's case is the most brazen example of Egypt abusing a U.S. citizen. But he's not alone.

Mohamad Bazzi (2018-10-10). American Officials Could Be Prosecuted for War Crimes in Yemen. thenation.com American Officials Could Be Prosecuted for War Crimes in Yemen…

Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet (2018-10-10). "Voting needs to become ubiquitous to the Black community as quickly as possible," says NAACP President. naacp.org NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, penned an opinion piece for Essence magazine, a leading magazine publication for African-American women. In it, he emphasizes the need to mobilize the Black vote for the 2018 midterm elections, the organization's plan to support this effort, and the Black individual's role in relational organizing: "Voting needs to become […]

Democracy Now! (2018-10-05). Eve Ensler: Nobel Peace Prize for Mukwege & Murad Is an Award for Every Rape Survivor in the World. democracynow.org After a landmark year for the "Me Too" movement, which ignited an international conversation on sexual assault, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday morning to two champions of women's rights who have built their careers fighting sexual violence: physician Denis Mukwege and human rights activist Nadia Murad. Dr. Denis Mukwege founded the Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1999. The clinic receives thousands of women each year, many of them requiring surgery as a result of sexual violence. Nadia Murad is a 25-year-old Yazidi Kurdish human rights activist from Iraq. She was kidnapped and held…

Democracy Now! (2018-10-05). Headlines for October 5, 2018. democracynow.org Senate Set to Close Debate on Kavanaugh Supreme Court Nomination, Coalition of 100,000 U.S. Churches Opposes Kavanaugh Nomination, Kavanaugh Defends His Record in Unprecedented WSJ Op-Ed | , Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Opposes Kavanaugh, 300 Arrested on Capitol Hill as Thousands March Against Kavanaugh, Yemen: Tens of Thousands Protest Economic Collapse Amid Bombing, Bloomberg: China Hacked U.S. Companies, Including Amazon, Apple, VP Pence Accuses China of Interfering in Midterms, Undermining Trump, U.S. Indicts Russians for Hacking Anti-Doping Orgs, Targeting Nuclear Sites, Dutch Officials Sa…

Democracy Now! (2018-10-04). Headlines for October 4, 2018. democracynow.org As FBI Probe Wraps Up, Senate Could Vote on Kavanaugh on Saturday, Key GOP Senators Criticize Trump for Mocking Christine Blasey Ford, Over 1,200 Law Professors Sign Letter Opposing Kavanaugh Nomination, U.N.: Yemen Sees 10,000+ New Cases of Cholera Every Week, Trump Suggests Saudi Monarchy Would Collapse Without U.S. Support, Saudi Dissident Journalist Missing After Visit to Consulate in Turkey, Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Teenager at Gaza Protest, U.S. Quits 1955 Iran Treaty After U.N. Court Rules Against Sanctions, Judge Halts Termination of Protected Status for 300,000 Immigrants, Report: DHS Was Unprepar…

Democracy Now! (2018-10-03). Headlines for October 3, 2018. democracynow.org Indonesia: Tsunami Death Toll Tops 1,400 as Volcano Erupts on Sulawesi, NYT: Trump's Wealth Comes from Family, Fraud and Tax Dodging, FBI Wrapping Up Kavanaugh Probe Without Interviewing Key Witnesses, Trump: "It's a Very Scary Time for Young Men in America", World Court: U.S. Must Lift Humanitarian Sanctions Against Iran, Suicide Bomb in Afghanistan Kills 13, Injures Dozens, Ethiopia: 44 Killed in Ethnic Violence, FLOTUS Visits Former Slave Trading Fortress in Ghana, U.S. Admitted 22,000 Refugees in FY 2018, Lowest Number in 40 Years, Shipwreck Off Morocco Kills 34 Refugees Heading to Spain, Presidential Alert T…