This week's list of articles, news items, opinion pieces and videos that I see as a must if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.
This list covers the week of January 5 - 12.
The round-up links, videos and photos are presented in sections related to topic/region listed alphabetically except for links and videos related to the ongoing Iran crisis and the fallout from it which are at the start along with the Featured Article" post. Featured Article: America’s Dangerous Iran Obsession "The US, seemingly with no awareness of its recent history with Iran, and led by an emotionally unbalanced president who believes he may commit murder and get away with it, is still acting out a 40-year-old psychological trauma. As usual, it's others who are most at risk."
India: All India General strike/ Braving the chilly and rainy weather, hundreds of workers hit the streets in New Delhi to join general strike against far-right Indian govt’s neoliberal and anti-worker policies.
This week's list of articles, news items, opinion pieces and videos that I see as a must if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.
This list covers the week of February 3 - 10.
In addition to a general overview of news and opinion, this week's installment for the third week in a row begins with a large section devoted to the ongoing attempts of the United States with its lackeys in Canada and Europe to overthrow the legitimate government of Venezuela and install a regime beholden to imperialism and global capital.
There is also a section of photos and articles related to the 1,000,000 person strong Left Front rally in India that, of course, got virtually no mainstream media coverage. 1) What the mainstream media doesn’t tell you about Venezuela Yves Engler
The corporate media is wholeheartedly behind the federal government’s push for regime change in Venezuela. The propaganda is thick and, as per usual, it is as much about what they don’t, as what they do, report. Here are some important developments that have largely been ignored by Canada’s dominant media: 2) The Article Facebook Doesn’t Want You to Share: Venezuela Is Not Alone The Red Phoenix
The following article from the Cuban newspaper Granma is being censored by Facebook, and is not shareable on the platform with the original link. We present it here. "Democracy" in Action...the "free press" is welcome as long as it tows the government line:
A total of 1,196 social media accounts based in Venezuela have been closed accused of “influencing domestic audiences.” 6) Nepal Communist Party against foreign interference in Venezuela The Kathmandu Post
The ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has said that there should not be any external interference in the internal affairs of any country, expressing its concerns over the ongoing crisis in Venezuela. On 23 January, 2019, Juan Guaidó declared himself President of Venezuela. He was immediately recognized as such by the US. This is a coup, now backed not just by the US, but by Canada and Europe. The US is attempting to destroy the Bolivarian revolution and the gains made for the Venezuelan working class, in order to subject Venezuela to merciless exploitation. 7) Canada: The Empire’s Shadowy Cousin
Fernando Arce, The Media Co-Op
The decision from Global Affairs Canada to recognize an unelected, unconstitutionally self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela came “within minutes” of Juan Guaido’s declaration on Jan. 23, the CBC reports. A mere two weeks after the inauguration of democratically-elected Nicolas Maduro, Guaido, a little-known politician heading Venezuela’s opposition-controlled National Assembly declared himself president until another election is held. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland issued a statement shortly thereafter fully supporting Guaido and demanding the ouster of Maduro. 8) Peaceful Pro- and Anti-Government Marches of Similar Size Take Over Caracas The Real News Network
TRNN Correspondent Dimitri Lascaris reports from the ground in Caracas about Saturday’s pro- and anti-government marches, highlighting their peacefulness and equal size. 9) Regime Change Canadian Style for Venezuela The Real News Netwrok
The Lima Group met in Ottawa and signed the Ottawa Declaration to oust President Maduro from power in Venezuela. 13 conservative Latin American governments, plus Canada, officially recognized Juan Guaido as the transitional President of Venezuela and accepted Venezuela’s membership to the Lima Group. Yves Engler, Dimitri Lascaris, and Greg Wilpert discuss the outcome.
11) The truth on Venezuela is being systematically silenced The Morning Star
JOURNALISTS are barred from the Lima Group’s press conferences on Venezuela just days after Twitter confirmed it had deleted thousands of social media users’ accounts in the country for attempting to “influence domestic audiences.” 12) NICOLÁS MADURO: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES Popular Resistance via Facebook
If I know anything, it is about peoples, such as you, I am a man of the people. I was born and raised in a poor neighborhood of Caracas. I forged myself in the heat of popular and union struggles in a Venezuela submerged in exclusion and inequality. I am not a tycoon, I am a worker of reason and heart, today I have the great privilege of presiding over the new Venezuela, rooted in a model of inclusive development and social equality, which was forged by Commander Hugo Chávez since 1998 inspired by the Bolivarian legacy. 13) CUPW Condemns Canada for Supporting US-Backed Coup in Venezuela CUPW
CUPW condemns the Government of Canada’s decision to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela, over the elected president Nicolas Maduro. 14) ELN interview: Colombian Marxist guerrillas 'will fight' US troops if they invade Venezuela Mathew Charles, The Telegraph
A feared hard Left guerrilla group operating in the mountains that border Venezuela and Colombia has vowed to respond to any military intervention by the US to topple Nicolas Maduro. 15) Venezuela says plane from Miami delivered weapons for use by enemies of Maduro Tim Johnson, McClatchy
Venezuelan authorities say a U.S.-owned air freight company delivered a crate of assault weapons earlier this week to the international airport in Valencia to be used in “terrorist actions” against the embattled government of Nicolás Maduro. 16) Juan Guaidó: The Man Who Would Be President of Venezuela Doesn’t Have a Constitutional Leg to Stand On Roger Harris, COHA
Donald Trump imagines Juan Guaidó is the rightful president of Venezuela. Mr. Guaidó, a man of impeccable illegitimacy, was exposed by Dan Cohen and Max Blumenthal as “a product of a decade-long project overseen by Washington’s elite regime change trainers.” Argentinian sociologist Marco Teruggi described Guaidó in the same article as “a character that has been created for this circumstance” of regime change. Here, his constitutional credentials to be interim president of Venezuela are deconstructed. 17) Corporate Canada behind slow motion coup attempt in Venezuela Yves Engler
Canada has become the cheerleader of the Lima Group, an ad-hoc, self-appointed busybody group formed specifically to overthrow the legitimate government of Venezuela. 19) ‘Progressive’ Trudeau government attacks Venezuela John Clarke, Counterfire
With neoliberalism's sights set on Venezuela, John Clarke examines the imperialism of a superficially progressive Canada. See also: Where Does the NDP Stand on Venezuela?
Venezuela's self-proclaimed acting leader Juan Guaido refused to rule out Friday the possibility of authorizing a US intervention to help force President Nicolas Maduro from power and alleviate a humanitarian crisis.
21) US Blockade on Venezuela Has Cost US$350 Billion: Report Telesur
The Economic Debates Unit of the Latin American Geopolitical Strategic Center (CELAG) released a report on "the economic consequences of the boycott against Venezuela," on Friday, in which it is proved that the "international financial blockade to Venezuela since 2013 is the main responsible for the economic crisis."
22) ‘It smells dirty’: scandals loom over Bolsonaro after first month in office Tom Phillips and Anna Jean Kaiser, The Guardian
Far-right Brazilian president plagued by scandal and disaster – not that the bolsonaristas mind. 23) Disaster Capitalism in Brazil: Mining Greed Produces a Horrific Death Toll Vijay Prashad, Common Dreams
On January 25, 2019, a dam burst in the town of Brumadinho, north of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The dam was built by the iron-ore company Vale to store residue after the iron ore had been extracted. Once the dam began to crumble, it did not take long for its 13 million cubic meters of iron waste to sweep down onto the workers and into their town. 24) Newly leaked documents show PC health-care changes 'done deal', NDP says Chris Glover · CBC News
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath revealed new documents on Monday she says show the province had already signed off on leaked health-care legislation the Progressive Conservatives dismissed as "just a draft" last week.
A gang of a dozen or so armed Jewish settlers descended from a hilltop outpost to the Palestinian village below and opened fire, witnesses said. Israeli soldiers arrived, and instead of stopping the settlers, the witnesses said, they either stood by or clashed with the villagers. 26) Liam Neeson’s interview shows that for some, black people are still not fully human Gary Younge, The Guardian
When an actor admits to looking for a black man to murder, racism is not some historical problem. We are still fair game
Million Person March Against Modi, The Left Front, Kolkata, India:
27) A million Communists rally in India pledging to oust Modi Ben Cowles, People's World
One million people gathered in Kolkata’s largest public park Sunday pledging to oust Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing BJP party from West Bengal in the upcoming elections.
A huge rally was held in the city of Kolkata, India, with the call of overthrowing the governments of Narendra Modi in the center and Mamata Banerjee in the State of West Bengal. 29) Man nicknamed ‘Dr. No’ because he denied so many refugees, rehired to decide asylum claims Brian Hill and Andrew Russell, Global News
A former refugee judge who once wrote that most refugees are liars was recently rehired by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) to decide asylum claims, Global News has learned. For more information about "Dr. NO" see this Facebook post by the Toronto Association for Peace and Solidarity: https://www.facebook.com/torontopeace/posts/289762221710444?__tn__=C-R
Doug Ford's government has a plan in the works to boost Ontario's painfully limited supply of affordable rental housing units—and it may very well hinge on helping landlords evict their current tenants. 32) New socialist party offers alternative for left-leaning Dems Jerome M. Segal, The Baltimore Sun
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning primary victory over Congressman Joe Crowley in New York suggested a pronounced shift of the Democratic Party toward Socialism. But progressive voters should consider another model other than the left-leaning Democrat: a new socialist party. 33) Obituary: Remembering Canadian activist David Vasey Rabble
Environmental activist and anti-fascist David Vasey passed away on January 27. He was 40 years old. 34) Former NDP MP Paul Dewar dies at 56 CTV News
Paul Dewar, the former NDP member of Parliament who represented Ottawa in the House of Commons for nearly a decade, has died. 35) Trudeau denies he pressured justice minister to drop prosecution of SNC-Lavalin
Jim Bronskill And Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denied a potentially incendiary allegation that his office told former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to help SNC-Lavalin avoid a criminal prosecution. 36) Viktor Orbán has crossed all the red lines. And no one’s stopped him Dóra Diseri, The Guardian
Despite weeks of protest in Hungary, it’s clear now the PM can rely on support within the EU to shield him from criticism. 37) The ‘Peacekeeper’ Vigilante Website and Freedom of Speech in Ukraine Halyna Mokrushyna, Counterpunch
The 2013-2014 pro-European Union protest movement in Ukraine known as the ‘Euromaidan’ is officially celebrated in Ukraine and is largely recognized in the West as a pro-democratic, peaceful, popular revolution against the ‘corrupt autocratic regime’ (according to the mainstream Western and Ukrainian media) of president Victor Yanukovych. Ukrainians should now breathe more freely, live better and enjoy the rule of law and freedom of speech. And yet today, under the supposedly democratic, post-Euromaidan government, there is much less freedom in Ukraine and much more political violence.
Maham Abedi and Andrew Russell, Global News
Cat Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario is facing a housing crisis that’s leaving children sick — and officials are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to see it for himself. 40) Vaccinations jump 500% in antivax hotspot amid measles outbreak Beth Mole, ars technica
Demand for measles vaccines leapt 500 percent last month in Clark County, Washington—a hotbed for anti-vaccine sentiment that has now become the epicenter of a ferocious measles outbreak. 41) Is Spain’s Left-Wing Party Podemos Cracking Up? Sebastiaan Faber and Bécquer Seguín, The Nation
Early in the morning on January 17, Pablo Iglesias, the 40-year-old leader of Podemos, Spain’s second-largest party on the left, received an unexpected phone call from his old friend Íñigo Errejón, 35. Iglesias was at home, on parental leave to take care of his infant twins. Errejón called to tell him that he had changed his mind about the upcoming regional elections, which will be held in May and will coincide with municipal elections and elections to the European Parliament. 42) Nehanda Abiodun, 68, Black Revolutionary Who Fled to Cuba, Dies Daniel E. Slotnik, The New York Times
Nehanda Abiodun, a radical black nationalist who was charged in the deadly botched robbery of a Brink’s armored truck in 1981 and then spent decades as a fugitive in Cuba, a hero to would-be revolutionaries and a criminal to many others, died on Jan. 30 at her home in Havana. She was 68.
We were doing one of our regular check-ins with the Sudbury Soldiers of Odin recently when we noticed that one of the guys has moved on to the realm of slightly more respectable racism. We know Justin Smith from 2017 when, for some reason, after a petition campaign by Sudbury Against Fascism to stop them from volunteering at a local soup kitchen, he took over the leadership of the local chapter from the former president David MacKinnon.
45) Monday Strike For Denver Teachers Telesur
After negotiations for better pay, and improved working conditions came to a stalemate Saturday night, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association announced they'd be on-strike beginning Monday. Members of the official "resistance" join in rousing chants of USA on the floor of the Imperial Congress much to Emperor Trump's great approval during the State of the Empire address:
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 May 13-20. It is generally in order of the date of the article's release.
This edition leads off with a special section of articles and statements related to the horrific massacre of unarmed Palestinian protesters by Israeli forces early in the week. Gaza Massacre: 1) Defiance, then death: Gaza suffers most horrific day of violence for four years Hazem Balousha and Peter Beaumont, The Guardian
Amid the wail of sirens and the urgent to and fro of ambulances from the front line, Gaza’s hospitals struggled on Monday to cope with the influx of dead and wounded after Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian protesters. Read the full article. 2) Hundreds Protest Opening of US Embassy in Jerusalem Today Communist Party of Israel
Hundreds of Israelis marched through downtown Jerusalem Saturday night, May 12, to protest against the politically volatile moves of the United States next week that will increase tensions with the Palestinians and the Arab World. The protesters marched from King George Street downtown to the Old City’s Jaffa Gate. Along the way, they chanted slogans: “We oppose an escalation [of the security situation],” “Jerusalem capital of two states – Israel and Palestine,” “End the occupation of east Jerusalem,” and “Netanyahu – resign! Peace is worth more [than the embassy move].” Read the full article. 3) Trump threw a match into Jerusalem with no plan to put out the fire Rachel Shabi, The Guardian
But with the embassy move, Trump has deployed that far-rightist trick of disruption for the sake of it. There is no follow-up, no renewed talks in the pipeline, no international diplomacy, just the usual, multipurpose mumblings from Trump about sealing a good deal. This is no Middle East policy, unless you count as policy the practice of being a fire-starter and appearing to sanction overwhelming Israeli violence. And as we are seeing today, it is those living in the region who will suffer the punishing consequences of his folly. Read the full article. 4) Pastor who prayed at embassy opening is 'a religious bigot', says Mitt Romney Martin Pengelly, The guardian
An evangelical pastor who former presidential candidate Mitt Romney denounced as a “religious bigot” delivered a prayer at the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem on Monday. Read the full article.
Those who shout loudest about Labour Party anti-Semitism have nothing to say about Israel maiming and killing unarmed protesters in Gaza. Read the full article.
Dr. Tarek Loubani decided not to use the tourniquet in his pocket to stop the bleeding when he was shot in the legs at the Gaza border on Monday. Read/listen to the full story.
11) As mass killings horrify the world, Netanyahu’s circle dwindles Doug Saunders, The Globe and Mail
“You have made history,” Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, said to U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday as the two leaders, flanked by a discomfiting alliance of far-right politicians, ultra-Orthodox rabbis and evangelical preachers who have declared that Jews are doomed to burn in hell, officiated over the U.S. embassy’s move to the contested city of Jerusalem. Read the full article. 12) Killing Gaza Chris Hedges, Truthdig
Israel’s blockade of Gaza—where trapped Palestinians for the past seven weeks have held nonviolent protests along the border fence with Israel, resulting in scores of dead and some 6,000 wounded by Israeli troops—is one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. Yet the horror that is Gaza, where 2 million people live under an Israeli siege without adequate food, housing, work, water and electricity, where the Israeli military routinely uses indiscriminate and disproportionate violence to wound and murder, and where almost no one can escape, is rarely documented. Max Blumenthal and Dan Cohen’s powerful new film, “Killing Gaza,” offers an unflinching and moving portrait of a people largely abandoned by the outside world, struggling to endure. Read the full article. 13) Seven Palestinian journalists injured by gunfire in Gaza protests Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the use of gunfire by Israeli forces against journalists covering protests today in the Gaza Strip. At least seven Palestinian journalists have been injured by Israeli gunfire while covering today's demonstrations, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), reports shared on social media by media outlets and journalists, and CPJ interviews with local journalists Saud Abu Ramadan and Moneeb Saada.
The Communist Party USA reacts with anger and sorrow to the killing of at least 62 Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza by Israeli security forces on Monday, May 14. The CPUSA directly blames the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and the U.S. government of President Donald Trump for this tragedy. Read the full statement. 17) UN votes to send war crimes investigators to Gaza Al Jazeera
The United Nations' top human rights body has voted to send a team of international war crimes investigators to probe the deadly shootings of Gaza protesters by Israeli forces. Read the full article.
18) On Trump, Gaza and white supremacy in South Africa Tafi Mhaka, Al Jazeera
From South Africa to Palestine to the US, there is a systematic attempt to whitewash the crimes of white supremacy. Read the full article. Other Issues/Articles: 19) By ending the Iran deal, Trump has put America on the path to war Bernie Sanders, The Guardian
Last week, Donald Trump made one of the most reckless moves of his presidency: (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear agreement. With this decision, the president discarded years of hard work by our diplomats, who had obtained an extremely rigorous set of restrictions and inspections guaranteeing that Iran would not obtain a nuclear weapon. He also slammed the door on a once-promising possibility of detente between the US and Iran. Read the full article. 20) Trump, Iran sanctions and the danger of war Mazda Majidi, Liberation
On May 8, President Trump announced that the United States would violate the nuclear agreement with Iran and re-impose sanctions. Trump claimed that Iran was continuing its pursuit of nuclear weapons, contradicting 11 certifications of compliance by the International Atomic Energy Agency and ignoring U.S. government intelligence. Standing reality on its head, Trump said, “We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction.” Read the full article.
21) The Coming War Against Iran John Kiriakou, Canadian Dimesion
I spent nearly 15 years in the CIA. I like to think that I learned something there. I learned how the federal bureaucracy works. I learned that cowboys in government – in the CIA and elsewhere around government – can have incredible power over the creation of policy. I learned that the CIA will push the envelope of legality until somebody in a position of authority pushes back. I learned that the CIA can wage war without any thought whatsoever as to how things will work out in the end. There’s never an exit strategy. Read the full article. 22) More than half of NDP candidates are women, a first for Ontario political parties CBC News
Some 56 per cent of the NDP's candidates in the upcoming spring election are women, the party said Sunday, the first time in Ontario that a major political party has fielded more women than men. Read the full article. 23) A right on paper, not in reality: More severe attacks on abortion rights in 2018 Nathalie Hrizi, Liberation
Over 40 years ago, a 21-year old mother wanted to terminate her third pregnancy. Her life wasn’t in danger which was the only legal reason she could get an abortion. The abortion provider who would provide an illegal termination had been shut down. While this is thought of as history, she was in the position that many many women today find themselves–unable to access abortion care. Read the full article. 24) Choking women is all the rage. It's branded as fun, sexy 'breath play' Gail Dines, The Guardian
Choking seems to be in fashion, and I don’t mean the type where you need the Heimlich maneuver. Since the #MeToo movement, we’re learning just how many men seem to see choking women as a legitimate form of “sex play”, as it is often euphemistically referred to in porn. Read the full article. 25) The lives of Grenfell tower The Guardian
For at least the fifth year in a row, right-wing organizations report no political activity while uncertainty remains for many progressive charities. Read the full article.
A parade of hardhat union workers and threats from hometown-behemoth Amazon did not stop Seattle leaders from passing on Monday a “head tax” meant to fund housing projects and homeless services. Read the full article. 29) First female Communist elected in Iraq's holiest city calls for 'social justice' Alex MacDonald and Mustafa Abu Sneineh, Middle East Eye
Iraqis appear to have broken with the political establishment in response to what they see as rampant corruption and incompetence. Read the full article.
Upwards of 60,000 people hit the streets of Melbourne, on May 9, in the biggest union protest in over a decade. Some estimates put the figure in excess of 100,000. Seeing the streets flooded with union flags was a sight to behold and gave just a glimpse of the potential power of the workers’ movement. It was clear that many unions had mobilised for the ‘Change the Rules’ rally in a way they have not done for years, with many unions represented by large contingents. Read the full article. 46) Belgium: Massive demonstration against pension reform Socialist World
Six months after a huge trade union demonstration with 40,000 in Brussels, a new demonstration mobilised two times as many on Wednesday 16 May: 80,000. The anger against previously taken measures and new plans of the right wing government on the pensions is huge. The pension age went up from 65 to 67, access to early retirement was limited and now the government is planning to go even further by slashing pensions with a new calculation method aimed at forcing people to work longer. Read the full article. 47) Consistent, Free, Fair: Venezuela's Election History Analyzed Erin Fiorini and Monica Sabella, Telesur
Since Venezuela announced plans in January to hold early presidential elections, world leaders and factions of the opposition have condemned President Nicolas Maduro and his administration, branding the elections 'illegal' and claiming the vote will somehow be 'rigged.' Read the full article. 48) Maduro: Development, Respect for the Sovereignty of Venezuela Telesur
Maduro commented that he leads the charge in the battle for Venezuela's independence, sovereignty, democracy and the right for peace. Read the full article. 49) Where marital rape is legal: Sudanese teen's death sentence fuels wider fight Mohammed Amin, Middle East Eye
In Sudan, a story of forced marriage, marital rape and murder has shone a spotlight on the country's personal status law and the vulnerabilities women and girls face every day. Read the full article. 50) 'I'll be asked to clear out': how Harry and Meghan's wedding affects Windsor's homeless Harriet Sherwood, The Guardian
Four months after Simon Dudley, the council leader, attracted national attention with his demand that police use legal powers to clear rough sleepers off the streets before the royal wedding, little has changed for the town’s homeless residents. Read the full article. 51) 'Royal Parasites': Activists, Citizens Protest the Elites' $42M Royal Wedding As Population Faces Austerity Telesur
Many disagree with the people paying for a lavish event for the elites, especially in the United Kingdom, which has implemented a hash program of austerity that has affected essential public services for the many. Read the full article. 52) The Communist Party's Ontario Election Kickoff Dave McKee, Communist Party of Ontario On May 12th, supporters of the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) met in Toronto to kick off the 2018 Ontario election. Speech by leader Dave McKee You Tube link. See also: Corbyn and the Media, Doug Ford, Teacher Revolt & more -- The Left Chapter Sunday Reading List May 6 - 13
