Sunday, June 10, 2018

Doug Ford Wins, Anthem Protests, Donald Trump & more -- The Left Chapter Sunday Reading List June 3 - 10

This week's list of articles, news items and opinion pieces that I see as must reads if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.

This list covers the week of  June 3 - 10. It is generally in order of the date of the article's
release.

1) Conservative MPs High Five, Celebrate Voting Against Recognizing Indigenous Rights as Human Rights

North 99

Conservative MPs Dane Lloyd and Rosemarie Falk were caught high-fiving each other after voting against a bill that ensures Canadian law conforms to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including setting minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of Indigenous Peoples.

Read the full article. 

2) New US ambassador to Germany under fire for rightwing support

Philip Oltermann, The Guardian

German politicians have criticised Donald Trump’s new ambassador to Germany after he said he wanted to “empower” anti-establishment rightwing forces throughout Europe.

Read the full article.

3) The unwarranted presumption of Israeli soldier innocence in the killing of Palestinian medic Razan al-Najjar

Jonathan Ofir, Mondoweiss

Last Friday, Palestinian Gazan medic Razan al-Najjar was killed by an Israeli sniper live round to her upper body, while attending to the wounded during Friday’s Great March of Return protests near the Gaza fence. She was clearly marked with an official white uniform jacket, and at a distance of about 100 meters from the fence.

Read the full article.


4) Rob Ford’s widow sues Doug Ford, alleging he has deprived her and her children of millions

Kevin Donovan, The Toronto Star

The widow and children of former Toronto mayor Rob Ford are suing his brother Doug Ford, alleging he has deprived them of millions of dollars, including shares in the family business and a life insurance policy left behind to support his family.

Read the full article.

5) There Is No Good Imperialism: Venezuela Rejects Interventionism at OAS Session

Telesur

"There is no good imperialism. Even though they want to impose the Monroe Doctrine on us, we will triumph with our Bolivarianism," said Arreaza.

Read the full article.


6) Cuba’s socialist system is irrevocable, an unshakable pillar

Granma

Remarks by President Miguel M. Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, during the extraordinary session of the National Assembly of People’s Power 9th Legislature, June 2, introducing the commission charged with drafting and proposing a new Constitution of the Republic.

Read the full article.

7) The Trump sports doctrine: Hypocrisy

Al Neal, People's World

Donald J. Trump has made it abundantly clear he is no fan of the NFL.

Read the full article.

8) SOME EAGLES PLAYERS REFUSED TO ATTEND TRUMP’S SUPER BOWL PARTY — SO HE CANCELED IT

David Gilbert, Vice News

Upset that some of the players refused to attend, Donald Trump Monday canceled a White House party for the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl champs — a move that prompted Philly's mayor to label the president a “fragile egomaniac.”

Read the full article.

9) Unidentified man takes knee during anthem at Trump's 'Celebration of America' event

Brett Samuels, The Hill

A man took a knee during the national anthem at President Trump's "Celebration of America" event Tuesday amid renewed uproar over NFL protests during the song.

Read the full article.

10) LeBron James, Stephen Curry agree: NBA champions won't visit White House

Ben Rohrbach,Yahoo Sports

Since President Donald Trump disinvited the Philadelphia Eagles from their White House visit on Monday, roughly eight months after disinviting the Golden State Warriors this past September, the subject arose during media availability between Games 2 and 3 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday.

Read the full article.

11) Women’s legal clinic fears loss of anti-violence funding in election aftermath

Laurie Monsebraaten, The Toronto Star

More than donations hang in the balance for the Barbra Schlifer Clinic, whose annual fundraiser coincidentally falls on election day.

Read the full article.

12) ‘Star Wars’ Actor Kelly Marie Tran Deletes Instagram After Months Of Harassment

Cam Tyeson, Pedestrian 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi actor and wonderful human sunbeam Kelly Marie Tran has seemingly deleted all the posts off her Instagram feed, with speculation rife that targeted harassment from fans is the cause.

Read the full article.


13) I spent hundreds of hours preparing for moot court. When I got there, I was told to smile more

Amanda Byrd, CBC Radio

I have felt shame, frustration and heartbreak in the face of what happened. But I also feel strong enough to speak up about it, and I still have to believe that the legal profession has the capacity to change. I hope I'm right.

Read the full article.

14) Why A Doctor Accused Of Sexually Abusing 19 Patients Got No Jail Time

Albert Samaha, BuzzFeed News

Prosecutors told Robert A. Hadden’s patients his guilty plea was a win for victims, but the #MeToo movement has some questioning the Manhattan district attorney’s motives.

Read the full article.

15) California judge who handed down 6-month sentence in Brock Turner case recalled

The Associated Press

Northern California voters on Tuesday recalled a judge from office after he sentenced Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexual assault, to a short jail sentence instead of prison.

Read the full article.


16) MASSIVE TRUCKERS’ STRIKE EXPOSES POLITICAL CHAOS AS BRAZIL GEARS UP FOR ELECTIONS IN OCTOBER

Leandro Demori and Piero Locatelli, The Intercept 

IT’S RUSH HOUR in Brazil’s largest cities. But the traffic, which is nearly always chaotic, is flowing smoothly. It’s as if the inhabitants have fled some lethal epidemic: The main universities are closed; basic items like eggs and tomatoes can’t be found in grocery stores; and nearly half of the city buses sit idle in their garages. Worse yet, most of the gas stations in the country have no fuel to sell — the shortage prompts the closing of 10 major airports. In a country that exports more beef than any other, only two of the 109 meat-packing plants with export licenses are operating.

Read the full article.


17) As a Black College Student, Poverty Was My Everyday Life

Aaron Coleman, The Nation

For the country’s colleges, perhaps more so than any other American institution, the case for scaling racially equitable initiatives couldn’t be more clear.

Read the full article.

18) Venezuelan Foreign Minister Condemns 'Illegal OAS Resolution'

Telesur

The resolution proposed by the United States to suspend Venezuela from the OAS needed at least 24 votes, however, they only obtained 19 with 11 abstentions.

Read the full article.

19) Toys ‘R’ Us Workers Take on Private-Equity Barons: ‘You Ought to Be Ashamed’

David Dayen, The Nation

Workers from Toys “R” Us stores across America set up a mock graveyard in the New York City lobby of private-equity giant Bain Capital on Monday. The gravestones read “Toys R Us: 1957-2018” and “Here Lies Geoffrey [the Toys “R” Us mascot], Killed by Wall Street Greed.” Alicia Henson of Lexington, Kentucky, a pregnant woman holding a child in her arms, began to speak about her time with the company. She was jostled by a security guard attempting to shut down the protest. After other workers separated them, Cheryl Claude of South River, New Jersey, took the megaphone.

Read the full article.

20) Palestinians welcome Argentina decision to cancel Israel game

Al Jazeera

Palestinians have welcomed the Argentinian football team's decision to pull out of a planned friendly match with Israel.

Read the full article.

21) Argentina Won’t Play Israel in Soccer Because Slaughtering Palestinians Has Consequences

Robert Mackey, The Intercept

PALESTINIANS CELEBRATED A diplomatic victory on Wednesday as Israel confirmed the cancellation of a high-profile visit to Jerusalem by Argentina’s national soccer team, which had been scheduled for Saturday.

Read the full article.

22) The policing of black Americans is racial harassment funded by the state

Paul Butler, The Guardian

The rap group Public Enemy famously stated that “911 is a joke”. But that was in 1990. These days 911 is dead serious. Anyone in the United States can dial those three numbers and summon people with guns and handcuffs to participate in their anti-black paranoia. It’s racial harassment, sponsored by the government and supported by tax dollars.

Read the full article.

23) Jordan trade unions strike to press for their demands

Farah Najjar, Al Jazeera

Jordan's major trade unions have held one-day general strike in major cities across the Middle Eastern country as part of week-long protests against a controversial proposed tax reform bill and price hikes.

Read the full article.

24) San Juan Mayor Slams Trump For 'Total Neglect' of Puerto Rico

Telesur

Yulin Cruz noted the number of deaths in Puerto Rico ranged between 793 to 8,498,  deeming the official estimate of 64 deaths "a substantial underestimate."

Read the full article.

25) Protesters outraged as Trump administration tears immigrant children from parents

Marilyn Bechtel, People's World

Among protesters who joined the 30-some demonstrations across the U.S. on June 1, opposing the Trump administration’s recently announced policy of forcibly separating immigrant children from their parents at the border, were hundreds who gathered in front of the offices of Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern in downtown Oakland.

Read the full article.

26) The Deadly Incel Movement’s Absurd Pop Culture Roots

Sady Doyle, Medium

Men own the narrative. Unless that changes, nothing will change. The #MeToo movement has made it a bit trendier to give women an empathetic hearing, but gains like these are easily erased. Even still, women often have to come out in massive numbers to bring down even one predator. If a man has to be accused of more than 50 sexual assaults before we see him as a threat, we are still operating under Cassandra rules.

Read the full article.

27) Woman, 22, dies after being set on fire by man her family says stalked her for years

Women in the World

As women’s rights activists in Peru condemned the murder of a young woman who was set on fire in public by her alleged stalker, the country’s president elicited further anger by declaring that women just need to accept that “sometimes that’s how life is.”

Read the full article.

28) Death of Canadian man living in 24-hour coffee shop sparks housing outcry

Ashifa Kassam, The Guardian

Battling cancer and attempting to get by on a fixed income in one of the world’s least affordable housing markets, he turned a Vancouver Tim Hortons into his makeshift home.

Read the full article.


29) Colombia: Gustavo Petro Wins Endorsement of Indigenous, Campesinos Groups

Telesur

This week Gustavo Petro received the support of former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and world renowned economist Thomas Piketty.

Read the full article.

30) Trudeau’s pipeline gambit puts him on wrong side of history

Linda McQuaig, The Toronto Star

Trudeau portrays himself as balancing oil interests and the environment. But when push came to shove, he chose the oil interests. In doing so, he’s put Canada on the wrong side of history.

Read the full article. 

31) The Windrush deportations were wrong – and so are all the others

Luke de Noronha, The Guardian

We now know that nearly 1,000 flights were booked to deport people to the Caribbean in the 12 months up to March. We don’t know exactly how many were deported, but hundreds were forcibly expelled in the year leading up to the Windrush scandal breaking.

Read the full article.


32) Trump revives annual Iftar dinner tradition, but snubs American Muslims

Matt Kwong · CBC

Donald Trump's White House broke a two-decade-old tradition last year by cancelling the president's annual Iftar dinner. On Wednesday night, the annual Ramadan reception, conceived in the 1990s to celebrate Muslim-Americans, was back on.

All that was missing? Muslim-American guests.

Read the full article.

33) Métis community to take control of their child welfare in historic agreement

Cherise Seucharan, The Toronto Star

For the 520 Métis children in foster care in B.C., life could soon change. On Thursday the Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) signed an agreement with the province to transfer authority of child welfare to MNBC by 2021.

Read the full article.

34) Despite all the warnings, we are normalising Donald Trump

Gary Younge, The Guardian 

Over the past week alone Trump has launched a trade war with his allies, held an Iftar dinner to mark the holy month of Ramadan, which Muslim groups boycotted, attacked his attorney general for recusing himself from the Russia investigation over a conflict of interest, disinvited Super Bowl winners the Philadelphia Eagles from a White House reception because he had heard several weren’t going to show up, and claimed he has the right to pardon himself. The remarkable thing about this week is that – compared with his behaviour in other weeks – it’s not that remarkable. The political situation in America is many things: it’s exhausting, exasperating, terrifying, volatile, vulgar, unsustainable and unhinged. The one thing it is not, is normal.

Read the full article.

35) Northern Ireland abortion law clashes with human rights, judges say

Owen Bowcott, The Guardian

Pressure is growing on the government to reform Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion laws after the supreme court concluded that they are incompatible with human rights legislation.

Read the full article.

36) How the free movement of capital across the EU led to the decimation of workers’ rights

Manuel Bueno Del Carpio, The Morning Star

It's bad enough dealing with Sports Direct, Southern Trains, TGI Friday’s, Uber, MacDonald’s and the rest of the bad employers we have in Britain, who’ve forced the low-regulation, low-wage, anti-union employment environment.

Read the full article.

37) Why we may never know if British troops committed war crimes in Iraq

Samira Shackle, The Guardian

The Iraq Historic Allegations Team was set up by the government to investigate claims of the abuse of civilians. After its collapse, some fear the truth will never come out.

Read the full article.

38) SHE WAS KIDNAPPED BY GUERRILLAS AND FORCED TO WORK. THAT QUALIFIES AS MATERIAL SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM, ACCORDING TO IMMIGRATION RULING

Trevor Aaronson, The Intercept

THE HIGHEST U.S. immigration administration authority ruled this week that cooking and cleaning for terrorists, even when done under threat of death, qualifies as providing material support and justification for deporting someone. The immigration court’s catch-all interpretation of material support aligns with how it has been used in federal criminal cases, where the law has allowed prosecutors to charge people for vague, often nonviolent offenses related to terrorism.

Read the full article.

39) FEMA IS FACING HURRICANE SEASON WITH A VASTLY DEPLETED WORKFORCE

Alex Lubben, Vice News

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump marked the beginning of hurricane season by thanking FEMA Administrator Brock Long for the agency's work in responding to last year's disasters. “It’s been amazing and you really have kept quite busy, I would say — unfortunately, we had no choice, we were hit hard,” Trump said.

Read the full article.

40) The Next Four Years: An Ontario election post-mortem

Trish Hennessy, Behind the Numbers

Take a deep breath, Ontario: we have reached the conclusion of this bizarre and dramatic election period. We wade now into unchartered territory.

Read the full article.

41) A Sad Day for Ontario

Ryan McGreal, Raise the Hammer

Despite a scandal-ridden moral shambles of an election campaign, Doug Ford will be Ontario's next Premier and the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party will form a majority with 76 seats. There will be plenty of time for postmortems, recriminations, analyzing and strategizing in the coming days, but for now my overwhelming feeling is sadness.

Read the full article.

42) Ford’s win exposes the angry blind spot of Canadian democracy

Frank Graves and Michael Valpy, The Globe and Mail

Now that the flag of populism has been planted firm in Ontario’s soil, it is necessary to recognize that the province’s new, soon-to-be-sworn-in Progressive Conservative government very much is not a product of Ontario’s traditional conservative constituency.

Read the full article.

43) Spill at Kinder Morgan station near Kamloops, B.C. was larger than first stated by province

CBC News

An oil spill at a Kinder Morgan pipeline pump station north of Kamloops, B.C. was bigger than the province's Environment ministry initially stated.

Read the full article.


44) Swanson seeks COPE council nod, offers tissues to 'mansion tax' critics

Nick Eagland, The Vancouver Sun

Anti-poverty activist Jean Swanson brought her flair for theatrics Saturday to a mansion-lined street in Vancouver, where she announced she is seeking a COPE nomination for council ahead of the fall civic election.

Read the full article.

See also: Razan al-Najjar, Puerto Rico, Conservative Extremists & more -- The Left Chapter Sunday Reading List May 27 - June 3

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