Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: Liberal Hate for Stein and Baraka

My thanks to Don Debar for our weekly conversations on CPR News. Last week we talked about my Black Agenda Report column, Liberal Hate for Stein and Baraka. Liberal hate for the green party is off the charts and with good reason. Hillary Clinton's presidency could lead to World War III and the greens are the only ones pointing out the dangers she creates. Obama has laid the ground work already and ham fisted, blood thirsty Hillary could finish the job.

Her administration will be disastrous for many reasons. As Glen Ford points out, the Sanders capitulation and anti-Trump hysteria have resulted in a Big Nasty Tent that will crush the already weak progressive agenda.

I don't care if the green party costs her the white house. We need to lay the ground work for replacing the democrats altogether. Let's help make them history.

Black Agenda Report

This week's issue of Black Agenda Report is pretty awesome. Glen Ford dissects how the "left" and the ruling class are all supporting Hillary Clinton and her big tent of corruption. Plus Eric Draitser, Danny Haiphong and our usual cast of great writers on Libya, Neo-liberalism, charter schools and of course we have Black Agenda Radio too.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: Police State Fascism

Here is my latest interview with Don Debar on CPR News. Don reports first on the ongoing Russia/Ukraine crisis and the murder of a DNC staffer. Then we talk about my latest Black Agenda Report column Police State Fascism. Trump can't bring fascism to America because it is here already, practiced against black people every day.

Presstv Interview on Police Murder

The headline is misleading. They strictly adhered to the policies of the 21st century slave patrol. I point this out in my comments in a Presstv interview.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News: Trump, Russia and Democratic Lies

That is the title of my latest column in Black Agenda Report. Donald Trump is proving to be the perfect foil for Hillary Clinton and the ruling classes. They continue their anti-Russia propaganda campaign and simultaneously give him a thorough beat down.

I discuss this same issue with Don DeBar on CPR News. First Don reports on the China pivot and then we have our weekly conversation.

Olympics Used as a Cold War Tool

The United States and its allies are determined to wage war by other means against the Russian Federation. Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union NATO has encroached further and further and is now on Russia’s doorstep, surrounding it with member states. In 2014 the United States instigated a coup against the elected government of Ukraine and in response the Russian Federation annexed Crimea with its citizens’ support in order to protect itself from any possible military action. 

The imposition of sanctions, the expulsion of Russia from the G8 group, attacks upon Russian allied nations such as Syria, and the Saudi/United States connivance to lower the price of oil have all been used to inflict the maximum amount of damage. The western corporate media have played their obedient role and repeat every government slander against Russia. First president Vladimir Putin is demonized, then the entire country. They now refer to “Putin’s Russia” to insure that both the leader and his people are disregarded and considered unworthy of any human or international rights.

In recent months NATO has announced plans to place 31,000 troops on Russia’s borders, an act which increases the danger of war. New missiles have been located in neighboring countries and raise the risk of nuclear confrontation.

There are no bounds in this conflict. Even athletes are punished. The admission by several Russian athletes, coaches and doctors that they were involved in using or concealing the use of banned substances will result in a sparse Russian presence at the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro. 

The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) banned every Russian track and field athlete from competition. None were given an opportunity to prove their innocence. They can only compete if they participate under a neutral Olympic flag, and not as representatives of Russia. After much debate the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided that individual sports federations will determine who can and cannot go to the Rio de Janeiro games. But all Russian athletes must prove that they are “clean.” 

IOC chairman Thomas Bach is himself under attack from the western corporate media for his desire to protect as he put it “individual rights.” He should be praised for his attempt at fairness but instead he is vilified as if he were Vladimir Putin.

Cheating is rampant in world class athletics. Every year athletes from all over the world are caught using banned substances. In this instance the confessed cheaters have all left Russia and will profit personally from their own wrong doing. 

These decisions to single out Russia for punishment are unprecedented and are undeniably political in nature. It may seem harmless to use sports as part of the imperialist strategy, but demonization and aggression of any kind makes it likely that an actual military attack would face little opposition in western nations. 

NATO countries have violated the letter and the spirit of the olympics movement in order to carry out their goal of subjugating Russia by any and every means. It is not only a tragedy for the individuals involved, but is part of a greater danger to the entire world. The unrelenting campaign of lies against Russia must be opposed by people of conscience.

Wikileaks Exposes Democrats Corruption

I love Wikileaks. Everyone should. If it weren't for Wikileaks we wouldn't have seen the horrors of the American occupation in Iraq. On a less important note they provided proof that Henry Louis Gates is a complete suck-up who lies to maintain his position as the official go-to spokesnegro. But I digress.

Last week Wikileaks released a trove of 19,000 emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee (DNC). These emails proved that the democratic party is nothing but a marketing machine used to convey an appearance of diversity and inclusivity. It works alongside the republicans to do the bidding of the ruling classes and wins elections by convincing its constituencies that they will work in their interests. They seldom do but that is part of the confidence game.

In my Black Agenda Report column I dissect why there is a bizarre effort to blame Vladimir Putin for the hack. They are desperate to deflect attention from the fact that they raise funds only for presidential candidates and leave local races bereft of funds. Of course this helps republicans but that is part of the act. Democrats claim they can't do what their supporters want because the Koch brothers have taken over state legislatures.

Even though Hillary Clinton had huge advantages over Bernie Sanders they trolled his supporters, disparaged his religious beliefs, and colluded with corporate media. While democrats continue to claim that Donald Trump is a fascist they actually fit that description.

Watching the DNC Burn

I had the pleasure of appearing on the Delete Your Account podcast with Roqayah Chamseddine and her plucky sidekick (their words) Kumars Salehi. We talked about the dismal state of the democratic party, how leftists should go about replacing it and the Wikileaks revelations of corruption. You can hear a portion of our discussion here.

Many thanks to Roqayah and Kumars.

"African Americans Still Suffer Under Obama"

Did you know that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has a website? Well he does and I neglected to post this email interview I gave back in May. Here we are in July and the title wouldn't have changed at all.

The U.S. media gave little attention to the Frisco Five. They engaged in a hunger strike to protest police murder in San Francisco. I was asked to comment on this case. I was happy to do so.

When police committed yet another killing, San Francisco police chief Greg Suhr was forced to resign two weeks after the Frisco Five ended their protest. There are an average of three police killings every day in this country. If each one was protested with a hunger strike we would no longer have obesity in this country.

Stay Angry My Friends

I appeared on Doug Lain's Zero Squared podcast to discuss my recent column, Why We Need Black Anger. We spoke on July 17th, the day that Gavin Long killed three police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was angry and rightly so. Those police are dead because we have no justice and therefore no peace. A good interview, if I do say so myself.

Gavin Long's Last Words

Gavin Long turned 29 years old on July 17, 2016. On that day he killed three policemen in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The choice of location was not coincidental. Alton Sterling lost his life at the hands of police in that city and the murder was seen on video.

There is no reason to wonder why Gavin Long acted as he did. He explained himself quite clearly in this video. I wrote about Long in my Black Agenda Report column. It is very simple. When there is no justice there is no peace either.

Presstv Interview on Baton Rouge, Louisiana Police Shootings

I was interviewed on Presstv last night. I was asked to speak about Obama's blather about being calm and not divisive or blah blah and then again blah. The country wouldn't be divided if he brought justice to victims of police murder.



Obama government root cause of divisions in US... by presstv

Gavin Long's Last Twitter posts

Convos With Cosmo on Protesting, Oppression, and how to deal with Bullies

This is Gavin Long. He is the named suspect in today's shooting deaths of three Baton Rouge, Louisiana police officers. He is now dead too.

He has much in common with Micah Johnson, the man who killed five police in Dallas, Texas last week. The media keep saying his motive is unclear. I think it is pretty obvious if you listen to him.

Update: This particular youtube video is no longer available. But search youtube. It is still visible as of today, July 20, 2016.

Presstv Interview: Police Killings in America

I was interviewed on Presstv on July 6th. I discussed the killing of Alton Sterling. Later that night Philando Castille was also killed by police.

This was less than two weeks ago but it seems like forever. We heard about Castille the next day. Dallas police were shot. Since that time a terrorist attack in Nice and a coup attempt in Turkey have seized our attention.

I appeared on Presstv again today. I discussed the killings of three policeman in Baton Rouge this morning. The gunman, Gavin Long, was killed by police himself. Like Micah Johnson, the Dallas gunman, he was a black man who served in the military.

I'll post when I have the link.



Protest held over killing of black man by US... by presstv

Righteous Anger

I didn't want that photo of negroes praying over some cracker cop to be he last word on my blog. So here I am last Saturday, July 9th. I was speaking at the rally No to NATO, No to War in New York City. Watch the youtube video. I start at about 11:55.

Stay Angry My Friends

Dear black people,

Please. Make. It. Stop. I guess no one in this group ever read Black Agenda Report. If they did they would know that their anger is vital to their survival. That is what I wrote this week. Why We Need Black Anger.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: Why We Need Black Anger

In today's CPR News interview with Don DeBar I discussed my latest Black Agenda Report column. I wrote Why We Need Black Anger because of the inevitable demand that black people stop showing anger about police killings or any other aspect of their oppression. The candle light vigils and kumbaya began in earnest after five Dallas, Texas police officers were killed last Friday.

Suddenly black people were told to be calm and peaceful and loving. Black anger makes others nervous but that is an indication of why it is so vital. Barack Obama says there is no division among the races. That means that there is and that the reasons for it must be called out.

Enough already. Stay angry my friends.

The Failure of Black Lives Matter

“Black lives matter was gaining ground. Then a Sniper Opened Fire.” This New York Times article encapsulates everything that is wrong with the ubiquitous but ultimately useless organization, Black Lives Matter. The phrase is now used to describe any protest by black people in the last two years and has come to symbolize the fight against police murder. So much so that it is difficult to offer any serious commentary about BLM.

To be clear I differentiate between the organization and the many efforts to fight back against 21^st century lynch law. That fight is a righteous fight, but BLM as an organization is an abject failure. BLM makes no political demands of Obama or any other officials. The founders of BLM know good marketing when they see it and the phrase is used by the righteous and the scoundrels alike. If BLM was the truly radical, revolutionary organization that we so desperately need, it wouldn’t feel a need to explain actions, defend itself or offer anything other than political demands. Its leaders wouldn’t care what the New York Times or anyone other than the masses of black people had to say about them.

Black people have been living in a state of barely concealed anger for years. Murderer vigilantes like George Zimmerman go free and make a profit from killing. Eric Garner was killed on camera but the only person imprisoned was the one who recorded the video. Watching Alton Sterling and Philando Castille die on camera were the straws that broke the camel’s back. Whether spoken or not, black people know there will be no justice for these two men, just as there was none for Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray or Michael Brown.

Black Lives Matter has nothing to show for the money it raises and media attention it receives. They gave words, a name to a mass movement, but they haven’t articulated any political message to date. Their conference in 2015, a “convening” as they called it, was a mish mash of touchy feely new age nonsense. Workshops on healing and safe spaces were on the menu but there was little talk of political action which might end police murder.

Despite its lack of accomplishment, BLM has been a target for white anger. That doesn’t really mean much because white people are generally angry and feel aggrieved when their racism is pointed out to them. The bar for making white people mad is rather low and so is evoking negative reaction from right wing pundits and red neck republicans from Nowheresville.

If the New York Times says that BLM was gaining ground, who were they gaining ground for? Are they talking about good publicity, fund raising or accolades from all the right people? Since BLM was founded there has been no drop in the number of police murders of black people or of anyone else. There has been no improvement in prosecution or punishment of killer cops.

Black Power Matters. All else is nonsense.

Putin: US / NATO is irreversibly pushing the world towards nuclear war

This is a short portion of Vladimir Putin's meeting with journalists in St. Petersburg on June 17th. He is talking about the terrible threat that NATO poses to Russia and to the world.

He makes a statement about the role that the press plays in reporting official lies. His words are well worth remembering.

"It's only that you tell tall-tales too and you buy it, and spread it to the citizens of your countries. Your people in turn do not feel a sense of the impending danger, this is what worries me. How do you not understand that the world is being pulled in an irreversible direction? While they pretend that nothing's going on. I don't know how to get through to you anymore."

Simply put, we are closer than ever to an all out nuclear conflagration because of the United States. But neither the corporate media nor any presidential candidate has pointed this out. Americans are sheep on the verge of slaughter and don't even know it. The danger has been disappeared from public discourse. The media decision to act as stenographers for presidents is truly criminal.

ANTI-NATO PROTEST ON TIMES SQ. 7 9 2016

The NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland generated protest around the world yesterday. I joined the effort in New York city. The United National Antiwar Coalition, International Action Center and other groups joined to speak out against American aggression. The NYPD would not grant us a sound permit, so we were forced to be next to a street soccer tournament, complete with loud music, with no sound of our own.

I was one of speakers. I start at about 11:40. It is important to speak against U.S. imperialism which is such a danger to the world and to domestic police terrorism which kills so many here at home.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: Republicans Don't Want Trump

In my weekly CPR News interview with Don DeBar I discussed my Black Agenda Report column, Republicans Reject Trump.

Donald Trump's anemic fund raising is an indication of his unpopularity with the republican establishment. They don't want a president who threatens austerity, trade deals and NATO. The same people who raised hundreds of millions of dollars in the primaries are now sitting on their hands.

The anti-Trump hysteria cooked up by the democrats is a ruse meant to keep democrats in Hillary Clinton's camp. Anyone worrying about a Trump presidency should relax or choose something else to worry about.

Don also reports on police murder, Hillary Clinton gets out of jail free, Glen Ford on the crisis of legitimacy spawned by Barack and HRC. I start at about 9 minutes into the program.

Republicans Reject Trump

Donald Trump is the subject of my latest missive in Black Agenda Report. The ruling class, the elite, the 1%, call them what you will, have chosen their candidate and her name is Hillary Clinton. The republicans who raised hundreds of millions of dollars for Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are now sitting on their hands. They are still around and still very rich but they don't want a nominee who threatens trade deals, austerity and NATO. They would rather lose than support Trump.

Keep this in mind the next time the democrats try to turn Trump into a bogeyman. He is toast and they whip us into hysteria to keep us from asking questions about Hillary Clinton's or Barack Obama's criminality. Read my column here.

Black Agenda Report Radio

Listen to our latest commentary here. Hillary escapes prosecution, DNC protest, Israeli police state and America's criminal history.

But on the other hand...

Donald Trump is that Broken Clock

If Donald Trump said that the sun rose in the east and set in the west I wouldn't disagree with him. Today he spoke the absolute truth about Libya and Iraq. The corporate media are flogging this quote to death, but none of them dare speak the truth about America's crimes against the peoples of these two countries. The Harvard of terrorism indeed.

"I mean look at Libya. Look at Iraq. Iraq used to be no terrorists. He (Hussein) would kill the terrorists immediately, which is like now it's the Harvard of terrorism. If you look at Iraq from years ago, I'm not saying he was a nice guy, he was a horrible guy, but it was a lot better than it is now. Right now, Iraq is a training ground for terrorists. Right now Libya, nobody even knows Libya, frankly there is no Iraq and there is no Libya. It's all broken up. They have no control. Nobody knows what's going on."

Where is the outrage about the Iraq war crime which Obama continues?  Why doesn't anyone in the corporate media say that ISIS wouldn't exist at all if it weren't for the United States? Where is the outrage about the Libya crime cooked up by Obama and Clinton? Refugees are fleeing Syria because of the United States. They are fleeing from Libya because it was destroyed by the United States. This humanitarian disaster is wholly American made.

But there is no outrage at all, just more corruption. Today the FBI director announced that there will be no charges filed against Clinton even though she broke the law by keeping classified information on a private server. He also added that while she won't be charged, anyone who does the same thing will be. And with that, the criminals Obama and Clinton went off into the campaign sunset. The blood on their hands has been rendered invisible but the anti-Trump hysteria continues.

Never mind the fact that he is going to lose. It won't even be close. Why are the democrats beating a dead horse? Because they need Trump to keep democrats herded together and ready to vote for Hillary. Today Obama kicked off that process in grand style. And what about Bernie Sanders? He's just waiting for the right moment to endorse her and prove his detractors right. He was the original democratic sheep dog who has now herded himself straight to Loserville.

Benjamin Zephaniah - Rong Radio

I thank Don DeBar for adding this great work of spoken word to our interview today.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: the Good News of Brexit

Today Don DeBar and I discussed my latest Black Agenda Report column, The Good News of Brexit. Simply put, the chaos that the Brexit vote cast on British politics is a positive development. The U.K. will be less likely to assist the U.S. in its next imperialist adventure, and Brexit stops the TTIP, the latest trade deal monstrosity. Of course the U.S. was opposed to Brexit. Washington only had to negotiate with the European Union on TTIP. Now it will have to do two deals and both are in jeopardy. Chaos can be a good thing especially since the left in Britain didn't know how to deal with the Brexit vote.

I want to thank Don not only for today's interview but for adding the great spoken word artist Benjamin Zephaniah. Rong Radio is a classic of political spoken word.

Zephaniah is a righteous man indeed. When he had the opportunity to get a knighthood from the queen, he said no thanks.

The Good News of Brexit

You read correctly. The hand wringing from the New York Times and the white house and the pundits must be ignored. Brexit creates instability for finance capitalists and that is very good news. Brexit puts at least a temporary halt to NATO mischief making against Russia. Brexit exposes American control of the European Union which destroyed Greece, tore Ukraine apart and paid bribes to Turkey to keep the refugees who wouldn't exist without U.S./NATO/EU connivance.

My column in today's Black Agenda Report says all of that and more. Netfa Freeman discusses how Africa has been oppressed by European and American finance capital and how Brexit may be the beginning of a new paradigm for that continent. Netfa says that Brexit could be The Nail in the Coffin of Neo-colonialism in Africa. We can only hope.

Of course Glen Ford delivers the tour de force with House Negroes International Defend European Union. Colonized people have a warped world view and crises like these bring it all out into the open. 

Wednesday is more than hump day. It is Black Agenda Report day.

White Settlement, Texas

My addiction to the internet sometimes provides me with information I would rather not have. Today I was perusing social media, twitter I believe, and I came across a story about a cat in a library. It seems this cat was allowed to live in a library for six years but the city council decided that he had to go.

Who cares? Well I didn't until I noticed that the town is called White Settlement, Texas. So I indulged my addiction a little more and did a Wikipedia search. Sure enough there is a town called White Settlement.

"The name of White Settlement originated as a result of there being two settlements in the area: one occupied predominantly by Native Americans (near where Fort Worth is located today), and the other one being occupied by white settlers. The latter settlement received the name 'White Settlement' as a way to distinguish itself from the Native American settlement. The city was incorporated in 1941."

Ok, so why keep the name? Did anyone ever consider changing it? No worries. Wikipedia has an answer there too.

"On October 14, 2005, city leaders announced a plan to have local voters decide on a possible name change for the town from White Settlement to West Settlement. In the November 8 election, the name change was overwhelmingly rejected by a vote of 2,388 to 219."

The town in 89% white and just .05% black. The mayor's name is Ron White. 

It is fine with me if Texas really wants to secede from the rest of the country. Good-bye and good luck.

Fascism

When George W. Bush was president I dropped the F bomb with great frequency. Bush was fascist, Cheney was a fascist, the Iraq war was fascist, the patriot act was fascist,etc. I don't take back what I said but I am rethinking how fascism would look in the 21st century.

Donald Trump is a racist. He is vulgar. He is misogynistic. But he isn't a fascist. We already have fascism in this country. The government goes to war without declaration of congress. Police kill with impunity. The mass incarceration system rolls along with little political opposition. Public education has been privatized. Free trade agreements which make governments the servants of corporations are fascistic and democratic presidents are the ones who get them passed in congress.The ruling classes get what they want from municipal legislatures right up to congress and the white house and the corporate media are in the tank for all of it.

It seems that everyone expects a Hitler like figure to emerge, hence the panic about Trump. You don't need a guy on a balcony giving speeches to fanatical followers in order to say that a system is fascist. Every political issue is turned into a diatribe against what many people are quick to label as fascism when we really need useful analysis of our current condition. Neo-liberalism is fascism and it is causing tremendous suffering around the world. It will exist whether Trump is president of the United States or not.

By the way, the Brexit vote isn't fascist either. The European Union is fascistic. It destroyed a poor country (Greece), tore another in two (Ukraine) and paid off another (Turkey) to stop the flow of refugees who wouldn't exist if the U.S./NATO/EU hadn't destroyed the nations of Libya and Syria.

So don't lose sleep over Donald Trump. For one thing he is toast. He can't raise money because the republican party has turned its back on him. Last week Hillary Clinton had $40 million on hand and Trump had just $1 million. She will win and it isn't going to be close. But even if he did have a better chance of winning he wouldn't bring fascism into government. It is there already. We have a president who invented a right to assassinate us without charge or trial. Now that sounds pretty fascistic to me.

Democrats Gun Control Sit-in a Cynical Election Year Stunt

Read what Bruce Dixon has to say.

"Since John Lewis and his hypocritical crew are just as much the party of the one percent as Republicans, their disputes with Republicans are confined to carefully staged food fights between meaningless brands. This is the party that wants to control Congress instead of Republicans. This is why it's time to chuck both the one-percenter capitalist parties, and do something completely new."

"Sanders Supporters Need to Split or Get Off the Pot"

So says Glen Ford in our latest edition of Black Agenda Report. If the Sanders people meant what they said about having a revolution, they need to drop Bernie like a bad habit. If not they need to stop crying and admit their guy was the sheep dog that Bruce Dixon predicted more than one year ago.

"Putin Derangement Syndrome"

Eight minutes well worth your time. I had never heard of Patrick Armstrong but he makes good sense with words like these. "The last days of a declining empire are always very dangerous." Listen here.

Say No to NATO

On June 22, 1941 Hitler's armies invaded the Soviet Union. At first their path to victory seemed easy. They quickly penetrated far into Soviet territory and took millions of prisoners of war. An estimated 27 million Soviet citizens died before their country emerged as the winner in 1945.

Fast forward 75 years. The United States and other NATO nations, including Germany, are massing troops on the borders of the Russian Federation. The corporate media keep up a steady drum beat of lies about Russia but say nothing about the slide to war.

The next NATO summit will be held in Warsaw, Poland on July 8th and July 9th. It is imperative that we protest against NATO's threats against Russia that could trigger World War III.

On Saturday, July 9th the United National Antiwar Coalition and other groups will protest at the U.S. Army Recruiting Center in Times Square in New York City. Please join us there at 2:0 p.m.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: Orlando Massacre and U.S. Foreign Policy

The killing of 49 people in Orlando, Florida is the subject of my Black Agenda Report column this week. In Orlando Massacre and U.S. Foreign Policy I discussed the difficulty in acknowledging killer Omar Mateen's apparent mental illness, his closeted sexuality and also his evocation of jihad. He was the son of an Afghan exile and existed in that peculiar world of people who have been officially elevated but who also live through years of unresolved grievance and paranoia. The corporate media have also ignored the fact that the FBI reportedly tried to turn Mateen into an informant.

I talked about all this on Community Public Radio News today with Don DeBar. Don also reports on U.S. policy in Syria, comments from Russian president Vladimir Putin on NATO's threats against his country and the uncounted ballots from California's recent presidential primary. I start at about 7:00 minutes into the program.

Search for the Truth: Massacre in Odessa Horrifies Americans

This is a Russian news story about the UNAC panel on Ukraine (see previous post). We will get it translated.

What's Happening in the Ukraine?

The United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) sponsored the panel What's Happening in Ukraine on May 21st at Left Forum 2016. Phil Wilayto, Bruce Gagnon, Irina Kovel and Greg Butterfield speak. This panel was the first public forum in America for the Odessa Solidarity Campaign, a project of UNAC.

Wednesday is Black Agenda Report Day

This week we have an excellent issue of Black Agenda Report. We feature three different articles on the hell of mass incarceration, America's history of domestic terror, the destruction of Muhammad Ali's legacy, Green party access, American attempts at regime change in Eritrea, and the horrors to come with the second president Clinton.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News: September 9th Prison Strike

Today I had my weekly interview with Don DeBar on Community Public Radio (CPR) News. Don reported on the U.S. intervention in Syria, European Union sanctions against Russia, China's reaction to Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama, the continued vote count in the California primary, and a chilling phone call between Richard Nixon and New York governor Nelson Rockefeller after the 1971 massacre at Attica prison. I discuss that subject at about 7:25.

On September 9th, prisoners across the nation will take part in a work stoppage to protest the modern day prison slavocracy. The mass incarceration system runs on low wage or no wage work for the 2 million people locked behind bars in this country. There is a call for a nation wide strike and for support and solidarity outside of prison walls. September 9th will be the 45 anniversary of the Attica uprising. The strike is the subject of my latest Black Agenda Report column.

GIAnalytics is "On Hold"

I wrote two pieces of commentary for the website GIAnalytics. The first was called The 21st Century Slavocracy: Why Black Lives Don't Matter on December 15, 2015 and  Hashtags Won't Stop Police Murder on January 19, 2016.

Today editor Joshua Tartakovsky announced that GIAnalytics is "on hold" for now. Too bad but you can still access articles. This site is a great resource of commentary from around the world. Hopefully it will return.

Worst Mass Shooting in American History?

Contrary to press reports, the killing of 50 people at a gay club in Orlando, Florida is not the worst mass shooting in American history. Where to begin?

On December 29, 1890 the U.S. army killed 150 Lakota at Wounded Knee, in South Dakota. On April 13, 1873 between 62 and 153 black men were shot to death in Colfax, Louisiana. But wait. There's more. On November 29, 1864 between 70 and 163 Cheyenne and Arapaho were killed by the Colorado militia at Sand Creek. On May 31, and June 1, 1921 between 55 and 300 black people were killed by a white mob in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There are more atrocities like these, but I thought of these first.

And here is a bit of historical trivia you probably don't know about either. Between September 7 and September 11, 1857 a Mormon militia killed 120 other white people traveling by wagon train through Mountain Meadows in Utah. The only known attack on a wagon train was carried out by white people, not Indians. That phrase "circle the wagons" needs to disappear.

I could go on and on and on. But you get my point. This guy in Orlando was a piker.

ISIS in Orlando, Florida

Early this morning a gunman killed 50 people at a gay night club in Orlando, Florida. The suspect, Omar Mateen, is among the dead. We are told that Mateen was interviewed by the FBI several times because of alleged terrorist sympathies. We are also told that he called 911 before the shootings began and claimed responsibility in the name of ISIS.

President Obama, the killer of many thousands of people, gave a press conference expressing condolences, disavowing terror and babbling about American greatness. In the coming days he'll visit Orlando to hug grieving relatives and will look like a normal person instead of the criminal that he is.

I posted this screen shot of a tweet I sent six days ago. Glen Ford explained in Black Agenda Report that American claims of wanting to fight ISIS and other jihadists are a lie. They are his foot soldiers, an imperial asset just as they have been for past presidents who want to destroy secular governments from Afghanistan to Iraq to Libya and on to Syria. 

ISIS thrives wherever America has intervened. Their continued existence is a direct result of U.S. foreign policy and so is the mayhem they cause. All of the public statements about fighting terror are phony. Our government doesn't care about people being beheaded or burned alive or shot in Florida for that matter. It isn't clear if Mateen was a member of ISIS or just inspired by them. He's dead so we don't know why he chose that location or that date. We don't know if he hated gay people or acted because of Ramadan. Of course common sense won't stop the corporate media nor will it keep foolish people from expressing their opinions. 

The 140 character limit prevented me from explaining as well as I wanted to. The United States is responsible for terrorism in Brussels and Paris and Orlando. Our government knows that ISIS can strike anywhere and kill anyone but doesn't care. Maintaining a crumbling but increasingly violent empire is their only concern. Party goers in Orlando are just collateral damage. So when Obama arrives there looking sad and spewing platitudes just remember that the blood is on his hands too.

I forgot to add this photo. The Black Agenda Report panelists at Left Forum on May 21st. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, Raymond Nat Turner, Glen Ford, Ajamu Baraka, yours truly, Jemima Pierre and Danny Haiphong.

Our panel Forging the Radical and Principled Black Movement of the 21st Century was pretty awesome.

Odessa Solidarity Campaign

Here in the belly of the beast, otherwise known as the United States of America, we are lied to on a regular basis by the government, the ruling classes and their friends in the corporate media. One of the worst foreign policy lies in recent years concerns the overthrow of the Ukrainian government in 2014.

This coup took place under the direction of the Obama administration. It was part of a 20-year long effort to weaken and dismantle the Russian federation. The first point of attack was continued NATO expansion and then the destruction of a neighboring, pro-Russian government.

Ukraine was taken over by fascists and oligarchs like billionaire president Petro Poroshenko. Unlike Vladimir Putin who was implicated in corporate media reports of offshore bank accounts, Poroshenko has hidden his personal fortune in order to escape public disclosure.

On May 2, 2014 a demonstration in the city of Odessa led to clashes between pro and anti government groups. The anti-government group were chased into the Hall of Trades Unions building which was set on fire. More than 40 people were burned to death. Some who managed to escape the inferno were also killed. Despite the existence of ample photographic evidence, no one has been prosecuted for this crime.

At the invitation of the Council of Mothers of May 2, the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) sent a three person delegation to commemorate the massacre and join in the call for an investigation. The newly formed Odessa Solidarity Campaign is a UNAC effort to fight for justice for the martyrs of May 2, to fight fascism and to oppose U.S. interventions around the world. I serve on the advisory board of this campaign and I urge you to stay informed about our work. Thanks.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News: World War III

You can hear my latest discussion with Don DeBar on CPRNews. Don reports on Kenya/China relations, United Nations reports on ISIS, and conditions in Fallujah, Iraq. My interview on my latest Black Agenda Report column, "World War III" begins 7 minutes into the program.

My Interview on Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox

I'm a guest on Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox this week. We discussed my latest Black Agenda Report column Who's a Fascist? and other issues. It was great to be on again.

What Real Journalism Looks Like, a Lesson from Russia

I have no recollection of seeing John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell, Condi Rice, Henry Kissinger or any of their ilk taken to task like this. I don't know who is correct in this exchange but I am impressed that Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was put on the defensive. It is good for people in positions like that to have to answer in public forums. But as I said, you never see that here.

Hat tip Russia Insider

Black Agenda Report and CPR News: Trump is Not a Fascist

No, Donald Trump is not a fascist. I point this out in my latest column, "Who's a Fascist?" at Black Agenda Report. Having said that, he will be a fascist should he become president of the United States. It is in the job description after all. I discussed the issue with Don DeBar today on CPR News. My interview starts at about six minutes into the program.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News: Georgetown Should Pay for Slavery

Georgetown University owes black people millions of dollars. That is what I say my column in this week's Black Agenda Report. In 1838 the Jesuit school that became Georgetown held 272 enslaved people and sold them in order to ensure that institution's survival. Now they must pay up. I discussed the issue with Don DeBar on CPR News.

Left Forum 2016, Forging the Radical and Principled Black Movement of th...

The Black Agenda Report team had a great panel at the Left Forum on May 21st. Glen Ford, Bruce Dixon, Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, Jemima Pierre, Ajamu Baraka, Raymond Nat Turner, Danny Haiphong and yours truly.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News: Civil Rights Protection for Transgender Kids, but None for Black People

Here is my latest discussion with Don DeBar at Community Public Radio. We talked about my latest Black Agenda Report column. I noted that the Obama justice department quickly issued a directive intended to protect the rights of transgender public school students. The DOJ has shown no such urgency about addressing legal rights or rather the lack thereof for black people. I start at about 6 minutes into the program.

United National Antiwar Coalition Panels at Left Forum 2016

I serve on the Administrative Committee of the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC). UNAC is sponsoring three panels at Left Forum 2016 taking place in New York City May 20 - May 22. Please join us. Thanks.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: Dilma Rousseff and Sanders Supporters Ending the Democratic Party

Today I spoke to Don DeBar on Community Public Radio news. The first few minutes has reports on the right wing ouster of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff and the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from missile treaty with Russia. I start at about 12 minutes to discuss my latest Black Agenda Report column. What should Bernie Sanders supporters do if Hillary Clinton wins the nomination? Simple. Don't vote for her. They have a chance to be the revolutionaries they claimed to be. They can end the ruse of democrats posing as progressives.

Feel the Bern! (For real.)

All About Money on KMEC

I talked about foreign policy, the election, and the military draft we ought to bring back on the program All About Money on KMEC.
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Now Age Conversations: “Finding Truth in U.S. Foreign Policy” with Marga...

My thanks to Craig Gordon of Now Age Press. We had a great conversation on United States foreign policy with Russia, American imperialism and the propaganda that promotes it.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: Election, Foreign Policy, U.S. Provokes Russia

Today I spoke with Don DeBar on Community Public Radio news. Intro at 2:30, I start speaking at 3:45. I discussed my latest Black Agenda Report column, Obama's Last Gasp Imperialism.