I have to add this line breaks my heart every time: "the sanctions killed a million iraqis, most of them children; most of them died before they even knew that they were iraqis, but they died for no other reason other than that they were iraqis"
it is crucial to keep in mind that this is not just history, it is present
the people responsible for this, republicans and democrats alike, are still in power today. joe biden did this. the people trump put in his cabinet did this. they're all still in power. and every time I think about it it makes me want to vomit in disgust
you can watch the full video on the effects of the sanctions here
I also recommend this documentary on the killing of the children of iraq by the great john pilger. remember, they murdered over half a million children. joe biden did that
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today is the anniversary of black panther leader fred hampton's assassination by the police working in concert with the FBI as part of its murderous COINTELPRO subversion program. he was only 21 years old
it's instructive to know how they got to him: the FBI bribed someone to give them information used to plan the assassination. local cops then burst into his house, and as hampton lay sleeping next to his pregnant gf they killed him with a hail of bullets
what is not mentioned in that clip is that the FBI snitch didn't just provide them with critical information that led to fred hampton's assassination, he also drugged hampton and others in the house in preparation for the raid
tax the rich is trending, so here's renowned economist thomas piketty explaining why that's essential
as piketty notes, when billionaires like bezos and gates say they "gave away all their money", they mean *to themselves*. and it's part of an elaborate tax evasion scheme, grotesquely sold as a selfless philanthropic endeavor by the very same mainstream media they own and control
when piketty published his book "capital in the 21st century", wherein he proposes a global wealth tax, bill gates told him personally that he does not want to pay more in taxes. why? bc as piketty notes in that clip, he wants the world to come begging to him. a sociopathic ghoul
"defund the police" isn't just a slogan, as disingenuous liberals are claiming along with an appeal to the mythical "moderate voter" to justify their opposition to the policy proposals it advances. here's one: abolish the misdemeanor system. THREAD WITH CLIPS explaining why
the clips are of alexandra natapoff discussing her book "punishment without a crime". the title is literal: the misdemeanor system gives vast powers to police, enabling them to criminalize huge swathes of the population as a means of legitimizing and funding their own existence
but what is the history of the misdemeanor system? why was it set up in the first place? you shouldn't be surprised to learn that it originated in the post-slavery era, designed as a means to criminalize the black and poor white population and keep them in check, as it does today
and see this thread, which includes the astonishing fact that the 3-year recidivism rate for prisoners who had access to pell grants and got a college degree was 5% versus 40% for those who didn't
spoiler alert: they got rid of the pell grants, bc the purpose of the neoliberal penal state is not to reduce crime, it is to punish those in the lower regions of the class and racial hierarchy. for more details see wacqaunt's work linked in this thread:
candace owens trending, so here's that time she literally defended hitler. "if hitler just wanted to make germany great and have things run well, ok, fine."
candace owens' bizarre "argument", which she repeats here, hinges on her inability to understand that nationalism and imperialism aren't mutually exclusive, but coextensive. the nazi conception of national superiority is what led them genocidal imperialism
she also bizarrely fails to comprehend what any 10 year old knows, namely that a concept like "nationalism" is a social construct, created for the purpose of scapegoating "undesirable", "alien" elements within the body politic. both the nazis and magaites use it in this manner
jimmy carter trending, so important to remind you that he's an unrepentant genocidal war criminal, who among other things sold arms to the indonesian dictatorship as it engaged in genocide in east timor
here is more detailed account of how jimmy carter gleefully aided and abetted the genocide in east timor. but it's ok because he builds houses now? he should be tried for war crimes in the hague like every other living postwar president
and for a more detailed account of jimmy carter's blood-drenched presidency see this excellent piece