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Historian explains why no one should stand for the US national anthem

Robert J. Barsocchini
Counterpunch
Wed, 07 Sep 2016 00:00 UTC
Dr. Gerald Horne

Dr. Gerald Horne: “like DNA [that is] hard to obscure, the anthem perfectly captures the national essence” of the United States
As Colin Kaepernick's choice to remain seated for the US national anthem continues to highlight and provoke conversation about racism and oppression in the country, I asked attorney and Professor of African American studies at the University of Houston, Dr. Gerald Horne, for his reaction to some of the issues that have been brought to the fore.

The 35 year-old who wrote the US national anthem, Francis Scott Key, appears to have been a remorseless enslaver and abuser of black people, a tireless pro-slavery activist, a religious fundamentalist, and a proponent of genocide and land theft. The full lyrics of his song contain a ghoulish and sadistic call for the mass murder of enslaved black people who might attempt to free themselves from US clutches, as well as evidence of the US intent to continue genocide and land theft campaigns against the Native nations.

It seems that asking a black or Native person to respect or honor this song would be like asking a Jewish person to honor a song written by a Nazi. Even if the most blatantly offensive lyrics were removed, it is hard to imagine that anyone in the US, except maybe a neo-Nazi, would feel any anger towards a Jewish person who refused to honor a song written by, say, Joseph Goebbels.

Comment: See also: Can we please do away with the totalitarian Pledge of Allegiance?

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Alarm Clock

'Neurotoxin': Floridians freaked out by Zika mosquito poison spraying


Sputnik
Thu, 08 Sep 2016 01:28 UTC
Zika_neurotoxin spray
© Reuters/ Oswaldo Rivas
Miami Beach citizens have confronted city authorities over the aerial spraying of a toxic substance intended to kill disease-carrying mosquitos in an effort to stop the spread of the Zika virus. The number of mosquito-borne Zika infections in and around Miami Beach has been on the rise, resulting in county authorities authorizing the spraying of a 1.5-square-mile area with chemicals intended to kill the flying insects, the primary carrier of the disease.

Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos Gimenez authorized the use of trucks with wind turbines to spray chemicals on the streets, and as well as aerial spraying.

The latter method has sparked controversy among citizens, concerned about the toxicity of Naled, one of the two insecticides being used.

Comment:

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Gear

Social engineering and technocratic management for the rise of the global police state

Patrick Henningsen
Waking Times
Mon, 05 Sep 2016 00:00 UTC
Big bro
Much has been written about the approaching Police State in alternative media. Commentary ranges from various warnings, to shock and outrage, and fear over an impending martial law takeover in North America and Western Europe. It's hitting us from so many different angles, and yet the mainstream conversation continues to be woefully inadequate in both characterising the situation and offering a remedy.

In order to really understand the modern Police State, we need to explore some very profound and difficult questions. Many people who consider themselves aware think Western society has already reached the tipping point and the deteriorating situation is simply inevitable. If you feel like Winston Smith right about now you aren't alone.

Prior to the mid 1990s, one might have described the militarisation of public law enforcement something of a creeping paradigm, but one that was still a long way off. Society explored many aspects of the Police State, both the physical and Orwellian psychological scenario, through literature and film. American science fiction writer Philip K. Dick penned some significant works like The Minority Report, and cinematic hits like Paul Verhoeven's Robocop and Terry Gilliam's Brazil also explored what this dystopic, future vision of fascist technocracy might look like. As it turned out, and far from fantasy, countless devices, systems and themes depicted in so many of these supposedly 'fictional' classics have since made their way into our day to day lives. The dark dream became real.

Unfortunately, as humanity's freshmen class of the early 21st century, we can no longer afford the intellectual distance enjoyed by previous generations between life today and that blurry, far-off spectre of something that might arrive sometime at some point in the future.
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Dollar

When it comes to business, relations between Russia and the U.S. are surprisingly strong

Jessica Rovello
Forbes
Wed, 07 Sep 2016 21:19 UTC
Putin and Obama
© Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
If you've been following the news lately, you would assume that US-Russian relations are at their lowest point since the 1980s. Each morning seems to bring a new headline about the escalating tension between Washington and Moscow.

Recent stories have included allegations that the Russian intelligence agencies were behinds hacks of New York Times reporters and the Democratic National Committee—under the implied direction of Russian Federation President, Vladimir Putin.

These are legitimate concerns. But, Washington/Moscow relations cannot and should not be substituted for U.S./Russia relations. What these stories miss is the positive experience of thousands of U.S./Russian cultural institutions and businesses like mine that link our countries every day. Through technology, constant communication, determination to understand and respect our strengths and differences, and the friendships we have formed, we run counter to the soundbites.
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War Whore

No charges of treason for Killary but presidential candidate Jill Stein charged with trespassing and vandalism at Dakota Pipeline protest

Kate Scanlon
The Blaze
Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:11 UTC
Jill stein charges dakota pipeline
© Unicorn Riot/Youtube

Comment: So candidate Jill Stein, an ardent environmentalist, is up on criminal charges for spray-painting a message on a bulldozer, while Killary skates by a DOJ indictment for "mishandling" classified U.S. government material and possibly treason? How much more hypocrisy can one stand?


Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein will face charges after she allegedly vandalized equipment at a construction site in North Dakota, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

A spokesperson for Stein told the Associated Press that the candidate wrote "I approve this message" in red spray paint on the blade of a bulldozer while she took part in a protest at a Dakota Access Pipeline construction site Tuesday.


Comment: More information on the protest at Standing Rock reservation

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Stop

Dakota pipeline: Sioux tribe wins partial halt in federal court


RT
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 23:58 UTC
Sioux protesters
© Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
Sioux tribe protesters outside the US District Court in Washington where a hearing was held to decide fate of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The Standing Rock Sioux tribe's request for a temporary stop work order on the Dakota Access Pipeline has been granted by a federal judge. Sacred sites in North Dakota were bulldozed over the weekend, a day after the tribe identified them in court papers. Energy Transfer Partners is trying to construct a 1,200-mile Dakota Access pipeline.

Work on the pipeline will cease for a limited time between State Highway 1806 and 20 miles east of Lake Oahe, US District Judge James Boasberg ruled Tuesday in Washington DC. The project is allowed to continue west of the highway, because the judge viewed the US Army Corps of Engineers as lacking jurisdiction on private land. The tribe, however, was not pleased, as they had sought a total shutdown of the project. When the stoppage will be lifted remains to be seen.

The order came as a result of an emergency hearing called by Judge Boasberg after the Standing Rock Sioux tribe filed a temporary restraining order over the weekend. Dakota Access construction crews had just used bulldozers to remove topsoil across a 150-foot-wide, two-mile stretch of area near the confluence of the Cannonball River and the Missouri River.

The work destroyed stone features, including prayer rings and cairns used to mark burial grounds, according to the tribe. "I surveyed this land and we confirmed multiple graves and specific prayers sites," Tim Mentz, Sr., the tribe's former longtime historic preservation officer said in a statement Saturday, according to Indianz.com "Portion and possibly complete sites, have been taken out entirely." The destruction led to a confrontation between #NoDAPL protesters and construction workers, where security guards used dogs and pepper spray against protesters.

Comment: The only sacred sites banksters know are the ones that count their money -- amassed from projects like this, along with scavenging the contents of citizen bank accounts.

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Fire

Arson attack on OSCE vehicle, western Ukraine, a harbinger?


RT
Wed, 07 Sep 2016 17:05 UTC
burning car
© Сайт Галка / YouTube
An OSCE vehicle parked near the organization's regional HQ in western Ukraine has been targeted by an arsonist, local media report. A marked Nissan Patrol was damaged by fire in Ivano-Frankovsk, a regional capital in western Ukraine, according to local news agency Galka.

Footage of the incident published by the outlet shows the car with its hood and interior burning as firefighters rush to extinguish the flames. Police are investigating the attack, and the OSCE said it would provide further details in its next report on the situation in Ukraine.

The OSCE mission in Ukraine is best known for monitoring the shaky ceasefire in the east of the country, where for the past two years Kiev has been waging a crackdown on rebel forces. The observers provide regular reports on violations committed by both sides of the conflict.

In addition to monitoring the situation in the east, the security organization's personnel are deployed all across the country.

Comment: Are the boundaries of the conflict within Ukraine moving westward or will this be deemed an independent arson attack? More details will be needed. Targeting an OSCE vehicle is only advantageous to the extent that the organization is important enough to make headlines.

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Briefcase

Bill Cosby, charged with sexual assault allegations, is the victim of 'racial bias and prejudice' lawyers say

Michael Rothman, Andrew Wyatt
ABC News
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 07:20 UTC
courtroom sketch bill cosby
© Christine Cornell
Courtroom action depicting Bill Cosby and his legal team, September 6, 2016.
Bill Cosby's lawyer said Tuesday that his client has been the victim of "racial bias and prejudice" as the sexual assault allegations against him have played out in the court of public opinion.

The statement — which targeted lawyer Gloria Allred, who has represented some of the women who accused Cosby of sexual misconduct — came as a trial date of June 5, 2017, was set this afternoon in the comedian's Pennsylvania sexual assault case.

"Mr. Cosby is no stranger to discrimination and racial hatred, and throughout his career Mr. Cosby has always used his voice and his celebrity to highlight the commonalities and has portrayed the differences that are not negative — no matter the race, gender and religion of a person," his lawyer Brian McMonagle told reporters outside the courthouse. "Yet over the last 14 months, Mr. Cosby and those who have supported him have been ignored while lawyers like Gloria Allred hold press conferences to accuse him of crimes for unwitnessed events that allegedly occurred almost a half-century earlier.

"The time has come to shine a spotlight on the trampling of Mr. Cosby's civil rights. Gloria Allred apparently loves the media spotlight more than she cares about justice. She calls herself a civil rights attorney, but her campaign against Mr. Cosby builds on racial bias and prejudice that can pollute the court of public opinion. And when the media repeats her accusations — with no evidence, no trial and no jury — we are moved backwards as a country and away from the America that our civil rights leaders sacrificed so much to create."


Comment: If this is the best his lawyers can do at this point, they either have too much time on their hands or they haven't got much of a case.

See also:

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War Whore

Armed robbery suspect shot dead on live TV after police car chase (GRAPHIC VIDEO)


RT
Wed, 07 Sep 2016 18:40 UTC
robber shot phoenix
© AZ Fun Outdoors NCR / YouTube
An armed robbery in Phoenix, Arizona has ended with police fatally shooting a suspect on live television.

In the aftermath of a raid on a Credit Union West branch on Tuesday, a number of local TV stations, including NBC 12 News and Fox 10 Phoenix, were broadcasting dramatic live footage of the chase when the disturbing events unfolded.

Video of the moment police used deadly force has now emerged online. It shows officers in three unmarked SUVs carrying out what is known as a 'PIT maneuver' - or precision immobilization technique - to ensnare the getaway vehicle.

Unmarked police vehicles surround and block the suspect's truck before two armed officers then appear to fire at least four rounds into the black Chevy's windows.

According to the Phoenix Police Department, the incident was sparked by a theft in the Avondale area during which suspects shot at law enforcement.

"Avondale police initiated a pursuit as that vehicle fled from them," said Sgt Jonathan Howard, of the Phoenix Police Department, reports AZ Central.

Comment: As usual, there was no attempt by law enforcement officers to secure the suspect alive. The police are judge, jury and executioner. The problem is endemic in American police forces.

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Camcorder

Camerawoman who kicked fleeing refugees charged in Hungary with 'breach of peace'


RT
Wed, 07 Sep 2016 17:19 UTC
Camerawoman
© Marko Djurica / Reuters
A migrant carrying a child falls after tripping on TV camerawoman (R) Petra Laszlo while trying to escape from a collection point in Roszke village, Hungary, September 8, 2015.
A camera operator who was filmed kicking and tripping refugees fleeing Hungarian authorities near the southern border with Serbia, has charged with a 'breach of peace'.

Petra Laszlo was fired from her job at Hungarian TV station, N1TV after footage of the incident sparked international outrage last September.

Disorderly conduct charges have been filed against Laszlo, according to Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet.

The Public Prosecutor's Office of Szeged added in a statement that there was no evidence that Laszlo's actions was a racially motivated hate crime.

Comment: See also: 'My life is ruined': Hungarian camerawoman fired for kicking refugees is going to sue Facebook

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