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welcome to reality trivia
reality is the state of things as they actually exist
dec 2, 2023
Real News Today
(for previous day's articles see "what's inside" below)
comment/tweet of the day
What to America is John Brown?
Maybe a lesson about people who refuse to learn from the instructive dissent of social movements
...Frederick Douglass, in a now-famous speech given two years before the Harpers Ferry raid, asked a white audience in Rochester, NY, “What, to the slave, is the Fourth of July?” answering that the day merely reminds of, “the gross injustice and cruelty to which [Black people are] the constant victim,” and exhorting your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled.
---
thom hartmann
Will the GOP Launch Their 2023 Catfood Commission Tomorrow?
Both the MAGA faction and the old-line “conservative” members of the GOP are dead serious about killing off this vital and important part of FDR’s…
COP28: Another Rigged Game for the Fossil Fuel Industry?
The wealthiest & most powerful people, companies, & countries are working to frustrate efforts to salvage a livable planet for us, our children, and our…
Help me! I'm stupid!
BaronChocula - du
12/2/2023
Please help me. I’m really stupid. The election is coming and I don’t know whether to vote for the guy who is going on trial for trying to conduct a coup against the U.S. or the guy who lowered the cost of pharmaceuticals for medicare patients. I’m just really stupid. I don’t know.
I’m super stupid. I might vote for the guy who suggested taking bleach might help fight COVID or the guy who expanded NATO and restored faith in American leadership among our allies. I’m stupid. I just don’t know.
I’m stupid in every sense of the word. Should I vote for the guy who said he was going to pass an infrastructure bill and never did in four years or the guy who passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill in under a year. You wouldn’t believe how stupid I am.
I don’t have words for how stupid I am. I don’t know if I should vote for the guy who’s been called “dumb” or a “moron” by numerous former staffers or the guy who passed the first gun safety legislation in 30 years. I’m stupid like the sun is hot.
It’s all so confusing. Or should I vote for Jill Stein? I’m stupid.
I’m super stupid. I might vote for the guy who suggested taking bleach might help fight COVID or the guy who expanded NATO and restored faith in American leadership among our allies. I’m stupid. I just don’t know.
I’m stupid in every sense of the word. Should I vote for the guy who said he was going to pass an infrastructure bill and never did in four years or the guy who passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill in under a year. You wouldn’t believe how stupid I am.
I don’t have words for how stupid I am. I don’t know if I should vote for the guy who’s been called “dumb” or a “moron” by numerous former staffers or the guy who passed the first gun safety legislation in 30 years. I’m stupid like the sun is hot.
It’s all so confusing. Or should I vote for Jill Stein? I’m stupid.
BOOK EXCERPT
The lesser-known history of the Monroe Doctrine
Retracing the legacies of racism and colonialism on the 200th anniversary of the
Monroe Doctrine
By BENJAMIN WEBER
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2, 2023 5:30AM (EST)
Today marks the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, celebrated in history books for extending U.S. influence throughout the hemisphere. But few Americans are aware of its lesser-known predecessor – “The Jefferson-Monroe Penal Doctrine” – which first proposed using slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime to establish a national penal colony. At a time of continued reckoning over slavery in the United States, it is also a fitting moment to consider the roots of prison expansion in empire.
At the dawn of the nineteenth century, Gabriel Prosser and hundreds of enslaved people in Virginia planned a revolt. Enslavers and local militia discovered and thwarted the rebellion amid a suffocating climate of white hysteria over the revolution taking place on the former French colony of Saint-Domingue, where enslaved people were engaged in a struggle against slavery that would establish the first Black republic in the Western Hemisphere.
In the wake of Gabriel’s Rebellion, James Monroe wrote to Thomas Jefferson requesting he find a place to transport prisoners convicted of sedition, conspiracy, or insurrection “out of the limits of the U.S.” What they came up with was evoked in schemes to establish a national penal colony in places like Île-à-Vache, off the coast of Haiti, and Alaska, dubbed “America’s Botany Bay.”
Federal law providing for slavery and involuntary servitude to be used as punishment for crime in territories that otherwise outlawed slavery made proposals for using prison labor to colonize land seem feasible. The so-called “convict clause,” the legal exception for prison slavery, originated with the Northwest Ordinance, applying to territories claimed northwest of the Ohio River, and was carried forward in the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The clause provides that: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime… shall exist within the United States, or any place under their jurisdiction.”
Over successive eras of empire-building, those places under U.S. jurisdiction came to include a vast expanse of Native American land across North America, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Panama Canal Zone, and the Philippines. Plantation labor at the Iwahig Penal Farm in the Philippines established after the U.S. waged war with Spain and put down the Philippine independence movement – said to be the largest penal colony in the world – looked strikingly similar to convict labor at Parchman Farm in Mississippi.
Prison officials celebrated the Iwahig penal colony as a model “Prison without Walls” when they set about implementing a similar scheme at McNeil Island prison off the coast of Washington, in the Puget Sound, suggesting that taking up the “White man’s burden” of imperialism overseas had taught them how to better govern prisons domestically.
The Jefferson-Monroe Penal Doctrine’s formulation that prison slavery be used beyond borders became a mainstay of federal policy. President Theodore Roosevelt selectively extended certain constitutional provisions by executive order to the Panama Canal Zone, where the U.S. had seized control in the early 20th century, for example, making clear that the “convict clause” would apply in this new “extra-territorial” jurisdiction as well.
Many of the same military men, police, and prison guards who fought in places like the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War, were tapped to extend prison imperialism in the Canal Zone. Veterans from Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders” assumed posts as police captains and prison wardens, overseeing one of largest infrastructure building projects in history. Highly visible and degrading convict labor on road gangs was used to structure racial hierarchy in the Zone.
As in the U.S. South, bogus charges and sentences to hard labor effectively re-enslaved Black people in the Panama Canal Zone, including thousands of migrant workers from the Caribbean islands of Jamaica, Barbados, and Martinique. And hard labor on road gangs in the Panama Canal Zone looked a lot like the chain gangs used to consign Black people to prison slavery in the South.
The convict clause may now be the longest lasting and farthest-reaching piece of federal prison policy. As an early cornerstone of what might be called “prison imperialism”, it spawned a network of historic and contemporary institutions that have spread U.S.-style structural racism around the globe. Whether we chose to disavow or ignore it, the fact is that empire-building crucially shaped the rise of the mass incarceration.
Ahead of the impending commemorations of the Monroe Doctrine, we should understand that U.S. policymakers exported prison slavery along with their foreign policy aims. By uncovering the lesser-known history of the Jefferson-Monroe Penal Doctrine, we might counter the white nationalist celebrations that characterize so much of recent debates over the American past.
To reverse course requires that we reckon with the living legacies of racism and colonialism in the prison system. The convict clause provision for prison slavery has recently been abolished in seven states and was on the ballot but failed to garner enough votes in California and Louisiana last year. This history, hidden in plain sight, urges us to mobilize support for campaigns like 13th Forward in New York and the Abolish Slavery National Network across the country, and push to end to slavery, without exceptions.
At the dawn of the nineteenth century, Gabriel Prosser and hundreds of enslaved people in Virginia planned a revolt. Enslavers and local militia discovered and thwarted the rebellion amid a suffocating climate of white hysteria over the revolution taking place on the former French colony of Saint-Domingue, where enslaved people were engaged in a struggle against slavery that would establish the first Black republic in the Western Hemisphere.
In the wake of Gabriel’s Rebellion, James Monroe wrote to Thomas Jefferson requesting he find a place to transport prisoners convicted of sedition, conspiracy, or insurrection “out of the limits of the U.S.” What they came up with was evoked in schemes to establish a national penal colony in places like Île-à-Vache, off the coast of Haiti, and Alaska, dubbed “America’s Botany Bay.”
Federal law providing for slavery and involuntary servitude to be used as punishment for crime in territories that otherwise outlawed slavery made proposals for using prison labor to colonize land seem feasible. The so-called “convict clause,” the legal exception for prison slavery, originated with the Northwest Ordinance, applying to territories claimed northwest of the Ohio River, and was carried forward in the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The clause provides that: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime… shall exist within the United States, or any place under their jurisdiction.”
Over successive eras of empire-building, those places under U.S. jurisdiction came to include a vast expanse of Native American land across North America, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Panama Canal Zone, and the Philippines. Plantation labor at the Iwahig Penal Farm in the Philippines established after the U.S. waged war with Spain and put down the Philippine independence movement – said to be the largest penal colony in the world – looked strikingly similar to convict labor at Parchman Farm in Mississippi.
Prison officials celebrated the Iwahig penal colony as a model “Prison without Walls” when they set about implementing a similar scheme at McNeil Island prison off the coast of Washington, in the Puget Sound, suggesting that taking up the “White man’s burden” of imperialism overseas had taught them how to better govern prisons domestically.
The Jefferson-Monroe Penal Doctrine’s formulation that prison slavery be used beyond borders became a mainstay of federal policy. President Theodore Roosevelt selectively extended certain constitutional provisions by executive order to the Panama Canal Zone, where the U.S. had seized control in the early 20th century, for example, making clear that the “convict clause” would apply in this new “extra-territorial” jurisdiction as well.
Many of the same military men, police, and prison guards who fought in places like the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War, were tapped to extend prison imperialism in the Canal Zone. Veterans from Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders” assumed posts as police captains and prison wardens, overseeing one of largest infrastructure building projects in history. Highly visible and degrading convict labor on road gangs was used to structure racial hierarchy in the Zone.
As in the U.S. South, bogus charges and sentences to hard labor effectively re-enslaved Black people in the Panama Canal Zone, including thousands of migrant workers from the Caribbean islands of Jamaica, Barbados, and Martinique. And hard labor on road gangs in the Panama Canal Zone looked a lot like the chain gangs used to consign Black people to prison slavery in the South.
The convict clause may now be the longest lasting and farthest-reaching piece of federal prison policy. As an early cornerstone of what might be called “prison imperialism”, it spawned a network of historic and contemporary institutions that have spread U.S.-style structural racism around the globe. Whether we chose to disavow or ignore it, the fact is that empire-building crucially shaped the rise of the mass incarceration.
Ahead of the impending commemorations of the Monroe Doctrine, we should understand that U.S. policymakers exported prison slavery along with their foreign policy aims. By uncovering the lesser-known history of the Jefferson-Monroe Penal Doctrine, we might counter the white nationalist celebrations that characterize so much of recent debates over the American past.
To reverse course requires that we reckon with the living legacies of racism and colonialism in the prison system. The convict clause provision for prison slavery has recently been abolished in seven states and was on the ballot but failed to garner enough votes in California and Louisiana last year. This history, hidden in plain sight, urges us to mobilize support for campaigns like 13th Forward in New York and the Abolish Slavery National Network across the country, and push to end to slavery, without exceptions.
America's dirty divide
Cells of people living in greener areas age more slowly, research finds
Greener neighborhoods can slow ageing process of human cells but effects of environmental racism can erase any benefits
Katharine Gammon - the guardian
Sat 2 Dec 2023 09.00 EST
Many studies have shown that people living in greener neighborhoods have several health benefits, including lower levels of stress and cardiovascular disease. But new research indicates that exposure to parks, trees and other green spaces can slow the rates at which our cells age.
The study, published in Science of the Total Environment, found that people who lived in neighborhoods with more green space had longer telomeres, which are associated with longer lives and slower ageing.
Telomeres are structures that sit on the ends of each cell’s 46 chromosomes, like the plastic caps on shoelaces, and keep DNA from unraveling. The longer a cell’s telomeres, the more times it can replicate. When telomeres become so short that cells can’t divide, the cells die.
“Research is now showing that where we live, what we are exposed to, how much we exercise, what we eat, each of these can impact the speed of telomeres degrading and again our ageing process,” said Aaron Hipp, a professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at North Carolina State and a co-author of the study. “A longer telomere is usually a younger telomere, or a more protective, helpful telomere. It is protecting that cell from the ageing process.”
Green space promotes physical activity and community interaction, which are both associated with better health outcomes. Neighborhoods with plenty of trees and greenery are also often cooler, more resistant to flooding and have lower rates of air pollution.
However, Hipp noted, participants who lived in green neighborhoods that were also plagued by pollution and segregation did not have longer telomeres than similar communities with less greenery. “Green space [still] matters,” he said. “It just shows how important it is that we get to a level playing field first, so that people have the time and space to go out and enjoy green spaces.”
Hipp and his colleagues looked at the medical records (that included measures of telomere lengths from biological samples) and survey responses from more than 7,800 people who participated in a national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey conducted between 1999 and 2002. The researchers connected that information with census data to estimate the amount of green space in each person’s neighborhood. They found that a 5% increase in a neighborhood’s green space was associated with a 1% reduction in the ageing of cells. “The more green the area, the slower the cell ageing,” said Hipp.
Scott Ogletree, a lecturer in landscape and wellbeing at the University of Edinburgh and the report’s lead author, said that green spaces had little impact on telomere length when participants lived in low-income or segregated areas, raising new questions about the relationship between human health and the environment. “It does seem that the neighborhood context” of pollution and segregation “might be washing out any benefit we see from the green space on this particular aspect of people’s health.”
Hipp said that the study only accounted for where participants were living at the time of their physical examinations. “There’s all sorts of interactions with green spaces, and you do them at different [ages],” he said. Exposure to green spaces in childhood may have a different impact on development than it would during middle age.
Peter James, an environmental epidemiologist at Harvard who was not involved with the study said the report was novel in looking at telomeres instead of other measures of health. “We generally find green spaces associated with better health outcomes,” said James. “And this is using telomere length, which is a unique kind of biomarker of ageing.”
The study, published in Science of the Total Environment, found that people who lived in neighborhoods with more green space had longer telomeres, which are associated with longer lives and slower ageing.
Telomeres are structures that sit on the ends of each cell’s 46 chromosomes, like the plastic caps on shoelaces, and keep DNA from unraveling. The longer a cell’s telomeres, the more times it can replicate. When telomeres become so short that cells can’t divide, the cells die.
“Research is now showing that where we live, what we are exposed to, how much we exercise, what we eat, each of these can impact the speed of telomeres degrading and again our ageing process,” said Aaron Hipp, a professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at North Carolina State and a co-author of the study. “A longer telomere is usually a younger telomere, or a more protective, helpful telomere. It is protecting that cell from the ageing process.”
Green space promotes physical activity and community interaction, which are both associated with better health outcomes. Neighborhoods with plenty of trees and greenery are also often cooler, more resistant to flooding and have lower rates of air pollution.
However, Hipp noted, participants who lived in green neighborhoods that were also plagued by pollution and segregation did not have longer telomeres than similar communities with less greenery. “Green space [still] matters,” he said. “It just shows how important it is that we get to a level playing field first, so that people have the time and space to go out and enjoy green spaces.”
Hipp and his colleagues looked at the medical records (that included measures of telomere lengths from biological samples) and survey responses from more than 7,800 people who participated in a national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey conducted between 1999 and 2002. The researchers connected that information with census data to estimate the amount of green space in each person’s neighborhood. They found that a 5% increase in a neighborhood’s green space was associated with a 1% reduction in the ageing of cells. “The more green the area, the slower the cell ageing,” said Hipp.
Scott Ogletree, a lecturer in landscape and wellbeing at the University of Edinburgh and the report’s lead author, said that green spaces had little impact on telomere length when participants lived in low-income or segregated areas, raising new questions about the relationship between human health and the environment. “It does seem that the neighborhood context” of pollution and segregation “might be washing out any benefit we see from the green space on this particular aspect of people’s health.”
Hipp said that the study only accounted for where participants were living at the time of their physical examinations. “There’s all sorts of interactions with green spaces, and you do them at different [ages],” he said. Exposure to green spaces in childhood may have a different impact on development than it would during middle age.
Peter James, an environmental epidemiologist at Harvard who was not involved with the study said the report was novel in looking at telomeres instead of other measures of health. “We generally find green spaces associated with better health outcomes,” said James. “And this is using telomere length, which is a unique kind of biomarker of ageing.”
everything is fine!!!
George Santos gets one thing right about Republicans: Their expulsion vote is "theater"
Whatever happens to the New York congressman, Republicans are still a party of grifters and con artists
By AMANDA MARCOTTE - salon
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 1, 2023 6:00AM (EST)
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y. is probably not winning that Oscar, but it's not for a lack of trying. With the enthusiasm of a drag queen channeling Joan Crawford, the embattled GOP congressman has given us three over-the-top performances of outrage over the possibility that he could become the sixth person ever to be expelled from Congress. Last week, facing growing pressure from Republicans after his 23 felony indictments for fraud, Santos refused to resign in a 3-hour diatribe on X-Spaces. Insisting that Congress has "felons galore" who get "drunk every night," Santos argued that he is being unfairly singled out and compared himself to Mary Magdalene. Then on Thursday morning, he held a self-pitying press conference, accusing his colleagues of "bullying" him by planning to hold a vote on whether to expel him, likely on Friday.
"It's all theater," he raved.
---
But as silly as this display was, in one small sense, Santos is right: If Republicans do move to expel him, it's nothing more than theater. Republicans don't care if one of their own is a fraud or a criminal. The most obvious example is Trump, whose indictment count sits at 91 charges across four jurisdictions, making Santos look like a piker. And that's not even counting the financial crimes Trump has committed. Trump is currently in a civil trial regarding his decades of fraud. The judge has already ruled that he's guilty in that case, and the only real question left is how serious the penalties will be.
And, as far as I know, no one has shown Santos to be responsible for sexual assault in a court of law. The same cannot be said of the GOP frontrunner.
Nor is Trump an outlier. The entire GOP is flush with charlatans all working variations of the same grift as Santos, though most of them are smart enough to structure their schemes in a way that is technically legal. As I've written about before, there's an endless number of Republican politicians, pundits, and influencers who bombard their followers with emails hawking snake oil "cures" and shady "investment opportunities." Republican voters tend to have more money and less sense than other Americans, making them the perfect target for an endless stream of pitches selling them garbage, from multi-level marketing schemes to useless products like "survivalist" kits.
Zooming out a little, the entire right-wing media infrastructure is a game of three-card monte. For decades, the Republican elite have manipulated their voters through well-funded propaganda feeding their audiences a steady stream of lies: Climate change is a hoax, "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq, "welfare queens" and "Obamaphones," Barack Obama's "birth certificate," whatever the hell "Benghazi" was supposed to be, the "Clinton body count," "supply-side economics," creationism, and so on. Even though Fox News lost nearly $800 million in a lawsuit because they kept hyping Trump's false accusations that the 2020 election was "stolen" by President Joe Biden, they haven't slowed down the disinformation train. Just last week, the network reported for hours that a car explosion on the Canadian border over the holiday was a terrorist attack. It was just a car accident, likely due to speeding.
It's all variations of a scheme that the Securities and Exchange Commission calls "affinity fraud," where the fraudsters "are (or pretend to be) members of the group they are trying to defraud." This shared identity is used to build trust, such as someone who recruits people into a Ponzi scheme from their church. Due to the intense tribalism of Republicans, this kind of bamboozling goes on all day, every day within the conservative community.
Once you learn about this, you really can see how it's everywhere in the GOP world. For instance, the "hit" right-wing movie "Sound of Freedom" that shocked entertainment reporters with its robust box office? Well, those numbers don't reflect how many people actually went to the theater to see it. The producers artificially drove up their box office numbers by convincing their evangelical and QAnon-loyal audiences to buy multiple tickets at once as "donations" that went straight into the studio's bottom line. It's not illegal, but it uses the same principle as affinity fraud: Pressuring their audiences to prove their conservative bona fides by buying more tickets, often exponentially more tickets, than they are actually going to use. As with Santos, what people were led to believe was a "donation" was actually profit.
Or this recent report from Politico about Joseph Ladapo, Florida's surgeon general who was appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Ladapo is being accused by his colleagues at the University of Florida of drawing $262,000 from his tenure-track position while doing little to no work as his ostensible job. As many commentators were swift to point out, this was no surprise. It's been evident since he was hired that Ladapo is a quack. He's willing to sell out by falsely declaring COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous and telling high-risk people to avoid the shot. Santos is alleged to have stolen people's money, but hey, at least he never tried to profit off giving fake "advice" to senior citizens that could kill them.
Not that anyone should feel pity for Santos, but his alleged fraud isn't all that different from how the rest of the GOP treats their donors. Due to campaign finance deregulation, the Republican Party is rife with "leadership PACs," groups that raise money with promises to spend it on getting people the donors would like elected. In many cases, however, the vast majority of the donated money goes to funding luxury travel and other benefits for the leaders, under the guise of "operating expenses." For instance, former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin ran a PAC that only spent $25,000 in the first half of 2015 on Republican campaigns — compared to $82,000 on Palin and her entourage's travel expenses.
Trump, as one can imagine, is especially shameless in this regard. He's long directed the GOP to spend its money on events hosted at his various properties, so he can pocket donor money. Right now, his donors, many of whom donated only small amounts, are footing his legal bills through campaign coffers. To squeeze his followers for even more cash, Trump's campaign tricked people who thought they were donating once into signing up for recurring monthly payments. The only difference between Trump and Santos is that Santos wasn't as smart about using accounting tricks to make his alleged cash siphoning technically legal.
That, and Santos kept his alleged frauds relatively small. The numbers cited in his indictments stick to the thousands and his expenditures were on relatively small-time luxuries like Botox and clothes. Trump, on the other hand, has redirected millions of donor dollars away from legitimate campaign spending into paying bills that he doesn't want to pay out of pocket. Including over $20 million for his lawyers. By Republican standards, the biggest failure of George Santos' is one of imagination.
"It's all theater," he raved.
---
But as silly as this display was, in one small sense, Santos is right: If Republicans do move to expel him, it's nothing more than theater. Republicans don't care if one of their own is a fraud or a criminal. The most obvious example is Trump, whose indictment count sits at 91 charges across four jurisdictions, making Santos look like a piker. And that's not even counting the financial crimes Trump has committed. Trump is currently in a civil trial regarding his decades of fraud. The judge has already ruled that he's guilty in that case, and the only real question left is how serious the penalties will be.
And, as far as I know, no one has shown Santos to be responsible for sexual assault in a court of law. The same cannot be said of the GOP frontrunner.
Nor is Trump an outlier. The entire GOP is flush with charlatans all working variations of the same grift as Santos, though most of them are smart enough to structure their schemes in a way that is technically legal. As I've written about before, there's an endless number of Republican politicians, pundits, and influencers who bombard their followers with emails hawking snake oil "cures" and shady "investment opportunities." Republican voters tend to have more money and less sense than other Americans, making them the perfect target for an endless stream of pitches selling them garbage, from multi-level marketing schemes to useless products like "survivalist" kits.
Zooming out a little, the entire right-wing media infrastructure is a game of three-card monte. For decades, the Republican elite have manipulated their voters through well-funded propaganda feeding their audiences a steady stream of lies: Climate change is a hoax, "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq, "welfare queens" and "Obamaphones," Barack Obama's "birth certificate," whatever the hell "Benghazi" was supposed to be, the "Clinton body count," "supply-side economics," creationism, and so on. Even though Fox News lost nearly $800 million in a lawsuit because they kept hyping Trump's false accusations that the 2020 election was "stolen" by President Joe Biden, they haven't slowed down the disinformation train. Just last week, the network reported for hours that a car explosion on the Canadian border over the holiday was a terrorist attack. It was just a car accident, likely due to speeding.
It's all variations of a scheme that the Securities and Exchange Commission calls "affinity fraud," where the fraudsters "are (or pretend to be) members of the group they are trying to defraud." This shared identity is used to build trust, such as someone who recruits people into a Ponzi scheme from their church. Due to the intense tribalism of Republicans, this kind of bamboozling goes on all day, every day within the conservative community.
Once you learn about this, you really can see how it's everywhere in the GOP world. For instance, the "hit" right-wing movie "Sound of Freedom" that shocked entertainment reporters with its robust box office? Well, those numbers don't reflect how many people actually went to the theater to see it. The producers artificially drove up their box office numbers by convincing their evangelical and QAnon-loyal audiences to buy multiple tickets at once as "donations" that went straight into the studio's bottom line. It's not illegal, but it uses the same principle as affinity fraud: Pressuring their audiences to prove their conservative bona fides by buying more tickets, often exponentially more tickets, than they are actually going to use. As with Santos, what people were led to believe was a "donation" was actually profit.
Or this recent report from Politico about Joseph Ladapo, Florida's surgeon general who was appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Ladapo is being accused by his colleagues at the University of Florida of drawing $262,000 from his tenure-track position while doing little to no work as his ostensible job. As many commentators were swift to point out, this was no surprise. It's been evident since he was hired that Ladapo is a quack. He's willing to sell out by falsely declaring COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous and telling high-risk people to avoid the shot. Santos is alleged to have stolen people's money, but hey, at least he never tried to profit off giving fake "advice" to senior citizens that could kill them.
Not that anyone should feel pity for Santos, but his alleged fraud isn't all that different from how the rest of the GOP treats their donors. Due to campaign finance deregulation, the Republican Party is rife with "leadership PACs," groups that raise money with promises to spend it on getting people the donors would like elected. In many cases, however, the vast majority of the donated money goes to funding luxury travel and other benefits for the leaders, under the guise of "operating expenses." For instance, former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin ran a PAC that only spent $25,000 in the first half of 2015 on Republican campaigns — compared to $82,000 on Palin and her entourage's travel expenses.
Trump, as one can imagine, is especially shameless in this regard. He's long directed the GOP to spend its money on events hosted at his various properties, so he can pocket donor money. Right now, his donors, many of whom donated only small amounts, are footing his legal bills through campaign coffers. To squeeze his followers for even more cash, Trump's campaign tricked people who thought they were donating once into signing up for recurring monthly payments. The only difference between Trump and Santos is that Santos wasn't as smart about using accounting tricks to make his alleged cash siphoning technically legal.
That, and Santos kept his alleged frauds relatively small. The numbers cited in his indictments stick to the thousands and his expenditures were on relatively small-time luxuries like Botox and clothes. Trump, on the other hand, has redirected millions of donor dollars away from legitimate campaign spending into paying bills that he doesn't want to pay out of pocket. Including over $20 million for his lawyers. By Republican standards, the biggest failure of George Santos' is one of imagination.
fascists everywhere!!
WI Bills Would Require Libraries to Tell Parents What Books Their Kids Check Out
Librarians say the GOP bills would restrict children’s ability to research topics in a safe environment.
By Chris Walker , TRUTHOUT
Published November 29, 2023
Wisconsin Republicans have introduced two bills that would require libraries in the state to inform parents any time their children check out books or materials, a proposal that critics say would be overly burdensome and detrimental to children’s rights and safety.
Senate Bills 597 and 598, authored by Republican Senators Romaine Quinn and Barbara Dittrich, are being promoted as so-called “parental rights” bills.
“This bill puts the parent and/or guardian in the driver seat to have conversations with their children about any materials or themes that they find their child is not ready to be exposed to,” Quinn said during a hearing in the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children & Families at the state capitol on Tuesday.
But other committee members expressed concern that the bills could lead to restrictions or bans on library materials, citing efforts by conservative parents in several Wisconsin school districts to ban books, particularly those with LGBTQ or racial themes.
The bills are unlikely to pass, as Gov. Tony Evers (D), a former educator, would likely veto them.
The bills would require libraries across the state to inform parents when their children check out books or other materials within 24 hours, and would also require libraries to disclose the titles of those materials. Librarians testifying on Tuesday noted that such a requirement would be incredibly burdensome.
“As there is a [librarian] staffing crisis, and not all schools have a certified full-time librarian, I am concerned that this will require a large amount of administrative time when there is not enough staff right now,” said Emily Dittmar, legislative chair of the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association.
The proposed bills are also redundant, as state law already allows parents to request from libraries what materials their children have checked out if they are under the age of 16.
Critics also expressed worry that the proposals will stifle children’s ability to seek information that restrictive parents may want to withhold from them, including answers to questions about their own identities.
“For so many children that are trying to just seek knowledge, the library has always been a safe place, and now we’re making that an unsafe place because we want to know exactly what it is that they’re reading and exactly what it is that they’re doing,” said Democratic state Sen. LaTonya Johnson.
“Kids should have the freedom to explore all the perspectives and stories that a library has to offer,” Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Agard said on social media. “@SenateDemsWI do not support the efforts of the GOP to stifle learning and limit access to information.”
Madison Public Library Digital Services and Marketing Manager Tana Elias said that parents should take proactive steps in monitoring children’s behaviors if they deem it necessary, rather than relying on librarians.
“I think it’s putting the responsibility that should live with the family on to the schools and the public libraries,” Elias told an NBC affiliate television station in Madison.
Others noted that the bills would put more pressure on libraries to acquiesce to conservative parents’ demands for censorship. In conjunction with demands from far right parents to remove certain titles from shelves — as well as state Republicans pushing for a so-called “Parents Bill of Rights” — the new proposals amount to an “intimidation on librarians and educators, all under the guise of parental rights,” said Kasey Meehan, the Freedom to Read Program Director at PEN America.
Lawmakers should direct their energy elsewhere, said Lucy Ripp, communications director for A Better Wisconsin Together.
“Instead of spending time and resources on real issues facing Wisconsin families and students, like making child care more affordable or ensuring Wisconsin schools are fully funded, state Republicans are continuing their efforts to meddle in personal and educational decisions they have no business in — this time with a bill that unjustly scrutinizes school libraries, imposes unwarranted burdens on local librarians, and impedes upon Wisconsin students’ freedom to read,” Ripp said.
Senate Bills 597 and 598, authored by Republican Senators Romaine Quinn and Barbara Dittrich, are being promoted as so-called “parental rights” bills.
“This bill puts the parent and/or guardian in the driver seat to have conversations with their children about any materials or themes that they find their child is not ready to be exposed to,” Quinn said during a hearing in the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children & Families at the state capitol on Tuesday.
But other committee members expressed concern that the bills could lead to restrictions or bans on library materials, citing efforts by conservative parents in several Wisconsin school districts to ban books, particularly those with LGBTQ or racial themes.
The bills are unlikely to pass, as Gov. Tony Evers (D), a former educator, would likely veto them.
The bills would require libraries across the state to inform parents when their children check out books or other materials within 24 hours, and would also require libraries to disclose the titles of those materials. Librarians testifying on Tuesday noted that such a requirement would be incredibly burdensome.
“As there is a [librarian] staffing crisis, and not all schools have a certified full-time librarian, I am concerned that this will require a large amount of administrative time when there is not enough staff right now,” said Emily Dittmar, legislative chair of the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association.
The proposed bills are also redundant, as state law already allows parents to request from libraries what materials their children have checked out if they are under the age of 16.
Critics also expressed worry that the proposals will stifle children’s ability to seek information that restrictive parents may want to withhold from them, including answers to questions about their own identities.
“For so many children that are trying to just seek knowledge, the library has always been a safe place, and now we’re making that an unsafe place because we want to know exactly what it is that they’re reading and exactly what it is that they’re doing,” said Democratic state Sen. LaTonya Johnson.
“Kids should have the freedom to explore all the perspectives and stories that a library has to offer,” Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Agard said on social media. “@SenateDemsWI do not support the efforts of the GOP to stifle learning and limit access to information.”
Madison Public Library Digital Services and Marketing Manager Tana Elias said that parents should take proactive steps in monitoring children’s behaviors if they deem it necessary, rather than relying on librarians.
“I think it’s putting the responsibility that should live with the family on to the schools and the public libraries,” Elias told an NBC affiliate television station in Madison.
Others noted that the bills would put more pressure on libraries to acquiesce to conservative parents’ demands for censorship. In conjunction with demands from far right parents to remove certain titles from shelves — as well as state Republicans pushing for a so-called “Parents Bill of Rights” — the new proposals amount to an “intimidation on librarians and educators, all under the guise of parental rights,” said Kasey Meehan, the Freedom to Read Program Director at PEN America.
Lawmakers should direct their energy elsewhere, said Lucy Ripp, communications director for A Better Wisconsin Together.
“Instead of spending time and resources on real issues facing Wisconsin families and students, like making child care more affordable or ensuring Wisconsin schools are fully funded, state Republicans are continuing their efforts to meddle in personal and educational decisions they have no business in — this time with a bill that unjustly scrutinizes school libraries, imposes unwarranted burdens on local librarians, and impedes upon Wisconsin students’ freedom to read,” Ripp said.
truth be told
the rule of the stupid!!!
Hannah Arendt: “The Origins of Totalitarianism”
... Intellectual, spiritual, and artistic initiative is as dangerous to totalitarianism as the gangster initiative of the mob, and both are more dangerous than mere political opposition. The consistent persecution of every higher form of intellectual activity by the new mass leaders springs from more than their natural resentment against everything they cannot understand. Total domination does not allow for free initiative in any field of life, for any activity that is not entirely predictable. Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.
Feeding the insatiable MAGA movement
CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Welcome to RepublicanDebt.org
This site tracks the current Republican Debt.
The Republican Debt is how much of the national debt of the United States
is attributable to
the presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush,
George W. Bush, Donald J. Trump,
and
the Republican fiscal policy of Borrow-And-Spend.
As of Monday, November 27, 2023 at 7:10:20PM PT,
The Current Republican Debt is:
$16,468,422,254,766.30
which means that in a total of 24 years,
these four presidents have led to the creation of
94.63%
in only 9.7166% of the 247 years of the existence of the United States of America.
Gilded age for billionaire offspring as $5.2 trillion wealth transfer accelerates
Jake Johnson, Common Dreams - raw story
November 30, 2023 11:33AM ET
The Swiss bank UBS released a report Thursday showing that a massive transfer of wealth from billionaire business founders to their heirs is underway and accelerating, with trillions of dollars in assets moving from those who accumulated fortunes through entrepreneurship to family members whose vast riches are owed to the simple accident of birth.
In the 12-month period between April 2022 and April 2023, newly created billionaires acquired more wealth through inheritance than entrepreneurship for the first time since UBS began studying billionaire wealth trends in 2015. The bank, a friend of the super-rich, said that 53 heirs inherited nearly $151 billion in wealth during the study period, exceeding the $140.7 billion amassed by billionaire entrepreneurs.
"This year's report found that the majority of billionaires that accumulated wealth in the last year did so through inheritance as opposed to entrepreneurship," Benjamin Cavalli, head of strategic clients at UBS Global Wealth Management, said in a statement. "This is a theme we expect to see more of over the next 20 years."
The latest edition of the Billionaire Ambitions Report estimates that the number of global billionaires rose by 7% during the one-year period analyzed by UBS, up from 2,376 to 2,544. The U.S. alone had 751 billionaires as of April 2023, 20 more than it had in 2022.
After falling in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic—during which billionaire wealth soared as millions died across the globe—billionaires' collective net worth "recovered by 9% in nominal terms from USD 11.0 trillion to USD 12.0 trillion," UBS found.
UBS estimates that more than 1,000 billionaires are over the age of 70 and poised to hand a combined $5.2 trillion down to their heirs over the next several decades, perpetuating inequality that is eroding democracies and fueling social uprisings worldwide.
"While this great wealth handover has long been anticipated," UBS said, "data suggests that it is now gathering momentum."
"A new, powerful, and unaccountable aristocracy is being created in front of our eyes."
Chuck Collins, director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), told Common Dreams that "this is how wealth dynasties are formed."
"The so-called 'self-made' billionaires invest in 'wealth defense' to pass as much wealth to future generations within their families," he said.
Collins argued that this ongoing wealth transfer "should be an occasion for substantial inheritance taxes, but given the porous and weak state of such taxes, we're seeing dynastic oligarchies grow."
"Without robust wealth and inheritance taxes, these intergenerational concentrations of wealth and power will grow," said Collins. "The children and grandchildren of today’s billionaires will dominate our future politics, economy, culture, and philanthropy—with huge billion-dollar legacy foundations. It is true that a small segment of the next generation will redeploy and redistribute some of this wealth to more socially positive ventures and organizations. But at this point, this is a tiny percent and not a substitute for a progressive tax system where the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes."
The UBS report notes that billionaires with inherited wealth "seem more reticent" than first-generation billionaires to pledge their fortunes to philanthropy, which the ultra-rich often use to avoid taxes.
According to UBS, just under a quarter of first- and later-generation billionaires said they are concerned about "developments in taxation," an indication that they don't believe world leaders will heed growing global calls for new taxes targeting the fortunes of the mega-rich and their offspring.
Oxfam International observed earlier this year that two-thirds of countries don't have any inheritance taxes and half of the world's billionaires live in those countries, allowing them to pass huge wealth down to future generations tax-free.
"A new, powerful, and unaccountable aristocracy is being created in front of our eyes," the group said.
In the 12-month period between April 2022 and April 2023, newly created billionaires acquired more wealth through inheritance than entrepreneurship for the first time since UBS began studying billionaire wealth trends in 2015. The bank, a friend of the super-rich, said that 53 heirs inherited nearly $151 billion in wealth during the study period, exceeding the $140.7 billion amassed by billionaire entrepreneurs.
"This year's report found that the majority of billionaires that accumulated wealth in the last year did so through inheritance as opposed to entrepreneurship," Benjamin Cavalli, head of strategic clients at UBS Global Wealth Management, said in a statement. "This is a theme we expect to see more of over the next 20 years."
The latest edition of the Billionaire Ambitions Report estimates that the number of global billionaires rose by 7% during the one-year period analyzed by UBS, up from 2,376 to 2,544. The U.S. alone had 751 billionaires as of April 2023, 20 more than it had in 2022.
After falling in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic—during which billionaire wealth soared as millions died across the globe—billionaires' collective net worth "recovered by 9% in nominal terms from USD 11.0 trillion to USD 12.0 trillion," UBS found.
UBS estimates that more than 1,000 billionaires are over the age of 70 and poised to hand a combined $5.2 trillion down to their heirs over the next several decades, perpetuating inequality that is eroding democracies and fueling social uprisings worldwide.
"While this great wealth handover has long been anticipated," UBS said, "data suggests that it is now gathering momentum."
"A new, powerful, and unaccountable aristocracy is being created in front of our eyes."
Chuck Collins, director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), told Common Dreams that "this is how wealth dynasties are formed."
"The so-called 'self-made' billionaires invest in 'wealth defense' to pass as much wealth to future generations within their families," he said.
Collins argued that this ongoing wealth transfer "should be an occasion for substantial inheritance taxes, but given the porous and weak state of such taxes, we're seeing dynastic oligarchies grow."
"Without robust wealth and inheritance taxes, these intergenerational concentrations of wealth and power will grow," said Collins. "The children and grandchildren of today’s billionaires will dominate our future politics, economy, culture, and philanthropy—with huge billion-dollar legacy foundations. It is true that a small segment of the next generation will redeploy and redistribute some of this wealth to more socially positive ventures and organizations. But at this point, this is a tiny percent and not a substitute for a progressive tax system where the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes."
The UBS report notes that billionaires with inherited wealth "seem more reticent" than first-generation billionaires to pledge their fortunes to philanthropy, which the ultra-rich often use to avoid taxes.
According to UBS, just under a quarter of first- and later-generation billionaires said they are concerned about "developments in taxation," an indication that they don't believe world leaders will heed growing global calls for new taxes targeting the fortunes of the mega-rich and their offspring.
Oxfam International observed earlier this year that two-thirds of countries don't have any inheritance taxes and half of the world's billionaires live in those countries, allowing them to pass huge wealth down to future generations tax-free.
"A new, powerful, and unaccountable aristocracy is being created in front of our eyes," the group said.
|
|
in the land of stupid!!!
stuck on stupid!!!
Florida Republican party chair under investigation for alleged sexual assault
Christian Ziegler mentioned in heavily redacted police documents that includes the word ‘raped’, reports say
Texas lawsuit claims Pfizer exaggerated effectiveness of Covid vaccine
State attorney general Ken Paxton files suit despite medical consensus that vaccine prevents severe infection and death
Meat Lobbyists Attend COP28 to Contradict Climate Research
“If we are going to abate climate catastrophe, we must significantly curtail meat production,” one advocate said.
By Zane McNeill , TRUTHOUT
Published November 30, 2023
Powerful meat corporations are planning to push false claims that meat is “sustainable nutrition” at COP28, an international environmental conference that meets yearly to establish a global response to the climate crisis.
The meat lobbyists’ pro-meat communications strategy is contradicted by research showing that 57 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to food production are generated by meat, aquaculture, dairy and eggs.
“It’s no surprise that the meat industry — which is as shameless in its insatiable quest for profits as the tobacco industry — is pulling out all the stops in an attempt to dupe decisionmakers,” Delcianna J. Winders, Animal Law and Policy Institute Director at Vermont Law and Graduate School, told Truthout.
It has become increasingly evident in recent years that greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture must be addressed in order for wealthy countries to reach their climate goals. A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledged that a rapid shift toward a plant-based food system is necessary for humanity to avoid catastrophic planetary collapse.
“Any credible action to reduce emissions in the food sector will inevitably lead to a reduction in the total volume of meat and dairy products produced,” Nusa Urbancic, CEO of campaign group the Changing Markets Foundation, told The Guardian. “The industry is terrified of that and has been deploying multiple tactics to delay the inevitable.”
In response to concerns regarding animal agriculture’s impact on global emissions, COP28 adopted a predominantly-plant based food menu this year. COP28’s catering move toward a plant-based menu is a notable departure from the meat-heavy menus that have previously faced criticism at the United Nation (UN) conference. A study by the Livestock, Environment, and People (LEAP) project found that plant-based diets have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution by 75 percent, compared to high mean-consuming diets.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) is expected to publish a comprehensive roadmap during the COP28 summit on why limiting meat consumption is necessary to put the global agrifood industry in line with the Paris climate agreement. This non-binding plan could contribute to policy and investment decisions that may hasten a reduction of meat production in order to mitigate the climate crisis.
“[T]he science is clear: If we are going to abate climate catastrophe, we must significantly curtail meat production,” Winders told Truthout.
The UN’s recent research showing that the world’s wealthiest nations must curb their meat consumption in order to reach climate goals — and COP28’s menu changes and host of panels on plant-based eating and meat alternative technology at this year’s conference — have made large meat companies like JBS extremely nervous. According to documents acquired by The Guardian, JBS and other big industry players, such as the Global Dairy Platform and the North American Meat Institute, are planning on coming out “full force” at the summit.
“These companies are stepping up their game because the exposure they are facing is stepping up,” Jennifer Jacquet, professor of environmental science and policy at the University of Miami, told The Guardian. “It used to be that they were caught on the back foot, but now they’re completely prepared.”
The documents produced by the industry-funded Global Meat Alliance (GMA) show that members of the trade group have been asked to stick to key communication strategies, which include falsely alleging that meat production is actually beneficial to the environment. Meat companies at the summit will be accompanied by the lobby group North American Meat Institute (NAMI), which, in 2022, was still casting doubt on whether climate change was caused by humans on its website.
“It’s incumbent on our decision makers put the interests of the planet and all who call it home above those of the small handful of multibillion dollar corporations profiting off environmental devastation,” Winders told Truthout.
The meat lobbyists’ pro-meat communications strategy is contradicted by research showing that 57 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to food production are generated by meat, aquaculture, dairy and eggs.
“It’s no surprise that the meat industry — which is as shameless in its insatiable quest for profits as the tobacco industry — is pulling out all the stops in an attempt to dupe decisionmakers,” Delcianna J. Winders, Animal Law and Policy Institute Director at Vermont Law and Graduate School, told Truthout.
It has become increasingly evident in recent years that greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture must be addressed in order for wealthy countries to reach their climate goals. A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledged that a rapid shift toward a plant-based food system is necessary for humanity to avoid catastrophic planetary collapse.
“Any credible action to reduce emissions in the food sector will inevitably lead to a reduction in the total volume of meat and dairy products produced,” Nusa Urbancic, CEO of campaign group the Changing Markets Foundation, told The Guardian. “The industry is terrified of that and has been deploying multiple tactics to delay the inevitable.”
In response to concerns regarding animal agriculture’s impact on global emissions, COP28 adopted a predominantly-plant based food menu this year. COP28’s catering move toward a plant-based menu is a notable departure from the meat-heavy menus that have previously faced criticism at the United Nation (UN) conference. A study by the Livestock, Environment, and People (LEAP) project found that plant-based diets have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution by 75 percent, compared to high mean-consuming diets.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) is expected to publish a comprehensive roadmap during the COP28 summit on why limiting meat consumption is necessary to put the global agrifood industry in line with the Paris climate agreement. This non-binding plan could contribute to policy and investment decisions that may hasten a reduction of meat production in order to mitigate the climate crisis.
“[T]he science is clear: If we are going to abate climate catastrophe, we must significantly curtail meat production,” Winders told Truthout.
The UN’s recent research showing that the world’s wealthiest nations must curb their meat consumption in order to reach climate goals — and COP28’s menu changes and host of panels on plant-based eating and meat alternative technology at this year’s conference — have made large meat companies like JBS extremely nervous. According to documents acquired by The Guardian, JBS and other big industry players, such as the Global Dairy Platform and the North American Meat Institute, are planning on coming out “full force” at the summit.
“These companies are stepping up their game because the exposure they are facing is stepping up,” Jennifer Jacquet, professor of environmental science and policy at the University of Miami, told The Guardian. “It used to be that they were caught on the back foot, but now they’re completely prepared.”
The documents produced by the industry-funded Global Meat Alliance (GMA) show that members of the trade group have been asked to stick to key communication strategies, which include falsely alleging that meat production is actually beneficial to the environment. Meat companies at the summit will be accompanied by the lobby group North American Meat Institute (NAMI), which, in 2022, was still casting doubt on whether climate change was caused by humans on its website.
“It’s incumbent on our decision makers put the interests of the planet and all who call it home above those of the small handful of multibillion dollar corporations profiting off environmental devastation,” Winders told Truthout.
THE DAILY TRASH REPORT featuring today's despicables
thomas jefferson called them "waste people" and benjamin franklin called them "rubbish" we call them "maga people"
WHEN THE STUPID AND THE RACISTS ELECT YOUR POLITICAL LEADERS, THIS IS WHAT YOU GET!!
Marjorie Taylor Greene melts down on Maxine Waters for calling out her PPP loans
'Spineless Republicans': MAGA influencers rage after expulsion of George Santos
REPUBLICANS 'SHOUTED' AND STORMED OUT AS JUDICIARY COMMITTEE SUBPOENAED HARLAN CROW AND LEONARD LEO
Trump expands attack on 'judge's wife and family' hours after gag order reinstated
Profits Times .000002 Equals McDonald's Child Labor Fine
They only go after the franchisees, not the organization that clearly benefits from keeping 14-year-olds from school.
Julia Conley — crooks & liars
December 1, 2023
McDonald's, one of the largest employers in the world, was fined just $26,000—a tiny fraction of its profits—on Monday for violating child labor laws in Pennsylvania, with two franchisees found to be violating numerous rules in five stores.
The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Wage and Hour Division found that Paul and Meghan Sweeney, owners of a company called Endor, which runs five McDonald's locations, employed 34 children who were 14 and 15 years old.
The employers scheduled the teenagers to work outside the times that 14- and 15-year-olds are legally permitted to work, including during school hours, earlier than 7:00 am and 7:00 pm during the school year, and more than three hours on a school day.
Writer and organizer Joshua P. Hill said the $26,000 fine—amounting to less than $1,000 per child who was affected by the Sweeneys' employment practices—was "not even a slap on the wrist," especially considering that the $200 billion multinational fast food company is one of the world's largest companies.
John DuMont, district director for the Wage and Hour Division in Western Pennsylvania, said in a statement that the Sweeneys employed young teenagers "at the expense of their education or well-being."
"Fast food restaurants offer young workers an opportunity to gain valuable work experience," said DuMont. "The Fair Labor Standards Act allows for developmental experiences but restricts the work hours of 14- and 15-year-olds and provides for penalties when employers do not follow the law."
Earlier this year, the DOL found that three McDonald's stores in Kentucky were illegally employing more than 300 children—some as young as 10. A coalition of McDonald's shareholders demanded a third-party human rights assessment in June, citing the Kentucky case and that of a 15-year-old employee in Tennessee who was injured at work.
The AFL-CIO pointed out that the violations at stores in Brookville, Clarion, Punxsutawney, and St. Mary's, Pennsylvania, took place amid a right-wing push to roll back child labor laws.
With the backing of powerful conservative donors like Richard Uihlein, lawmakers in Florida, Iowa, Arkansas have pushed legislation to weaken child labor protections in recent months. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, signed a bill in May removing so-called "unnecessary restrictions" that keep minors from working in hazardous workplaces, and GOP Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill in March allowing companies to hire children under the age of 16 without verifying their age.
The finding at the Pennsylvania McDonald's locations serves as a reminder that "any lawmaker who votes to roll back child labor laws is a disgrace," said the AFL-CIO.
The fine announced on Monday only represents "two ten-thousandths of a single percent" of McDonald's gross profits in 2022, said the labor group.
The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Wage and Hour Division found that Paul and Meghan Sweeney, owners of a company called Endor, which runs five McDonald's locations, employed 34 children who were 14 and 15 years old.
The employers scheduled the teenagers to work outside the times that 14- and 15-year-olds are legally permitted to work, including during school hours, earlier than 7:00 am and 7:00 pm during the school year, and more than three hours on a school day.
Writer and organizer Joshua P. Hill said the $26,000 fine—amounting to less than $1,000 per child who was affected by the Sweeneys' employment practices—was "not even a slap on the wrist," especially considering that the $200 billion multinational fast food company is one of the world's largest companies.
John DuMont, district director for the Wage and Hour Division in Western Pennsylvania, said in a statement that the Sweeneys employed young teenagers "at the expense of their education or well-being."
"Fast food restaurants offer young workers an opportunity to gain valuable work experience," said DuMont. "The Fair Labor Standards Act allows for developmental experiences but restricts the work hours of 14- and 15-year-olds and provides for penalties when employers do not follow the law."
Earlier this year, the DOL found that three McDonald's stores in Kentucky were illegally employing more than 300 children—some as young as 10. A coalition of McDonald's shareholders demanded a third-party human rights assessment in June, citing the Kentucky case and that of a 15-year-old employee in Tennessee who was injured at work.
The AFL-CIO pointed out that the violations at stores in Brookville, Clarion, Punxsutawney, and St. Mary's, Pennsylvania, took place amid a right-wing push to roll back child labor laws.
With the backing of powerful conservative donors like Richard Uihlein, lawmakers in Florida, Iowa, Arkansas have pushed legislation to weaken child labor protections in recent months. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, signed a bill in May removing so-called "unnecessary restrictions" that keep minors from working in hazardous workplaces, and GOP Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill in March allowing companies to hire children under the age of 16 without verifying their age.
The finding at the Pennsylvania McDonald's locations serves as a reminder that "any lawmaker who votes to roll back child labor laws is a disgrace," said the AFL-CIO.
The fine announced on Monday only represents "two ten-thousandths of a single percent" of McDonald's gross profits in 2022, said the labor group.
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Sinema got $27K from student loan industry after helping GOP kill Biden’s debt forgiveness plan
Carl Gibson - alternet
December 02, 2023
Earlier this year, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona) voted with Senate Republicans for legislation to kill President Joe Biden's student debt forgiveness proposal. In the months following that vote, she was a major recipient of the student loan industry's largesse.
The bill itself, H.J. Res 45, would have blocked Biden's plan to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt per borrower, though the president promised to veto it if it reached his desk, and the Supreme Court ultimately struck down the proposal at the end of its 2023 session. The bill narrowly passed the Senate in June, with 52 votes in favor and 46 in opposition. Sinema joined forces with all Senate Republicans to give the bill the narrow majority it needed for passage. Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) and Jon Tester (D-Montana) also voted with the GOP to pass the measure.
According to the Phoenix New Times, Sinema proceeded to rake in thousands of dollars in contributions from various donors connected to student loan servicers, for-profit colleges, banks and debt collectors after her vote.
The New Times combed through Sinema's campaign finance disclosure forms on the Federal Election Commission database and learned that the Arizona senator received approximately $27,000 in PAC donations between June and September of 2023. That includes a $5,000 contribution from NelNet PAC, which is a political action committee representing the interests of the second-largest provider of federally backed loans given by private lenders. Sinema also received $5,000 from a PAC connected to private lender Sallie Mae and $5,000 from a PAC run by the board chair of a for-profit Arizona college.
Smaller donations from the industry during that time period include a $2,500 donation from debt collector Portfolio Recovery Associates, $2,500 from a Washington, DC-based trade association representing the interests of for-profit colleges, and a combined $7,000 in donations from three PACs run by banks.
Despite her fundraising activity, Arizona's senior US senator has not yet indicated if she plans to run for reelection in 2024. She currently faces opposition from Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) and failed 2022 Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who campaigned as a vociferous supporter of former President Donald Trump.
Current polls show a virtual dead heat between the three candidates, with Gallego having a slight edge over his two opponents. Gallego brought in more than $3 million in donations during the third quarter of 2023, with an average donation amount of $28.
The bill itself, H.J. Res 45, would have blocked Biden's plan to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt per borrower, though the president promised to veto it if it reached his desk, and the Supreme Court ultimately struck down the proposal at the end of its 2023 session. The bill narrowly passed the Senate in June, with 52 votes in favor and 46 in opposition. Sinema joined forces with all Senate Republicans to give the bill the narrow majority it needed for passage. Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) and Jon Tester (D-Montana) also voted with the GOP to pass the measure.
According to the Phoenix New Times, Sinema proceeded to rake in thousands of dollars in contributions from various donors connected to student loan servicers, for-profit colleges, banks and debt collectors after her vote.
The New Times combed through Sinema's campaign finance disclosure forms on the Federal Election Commission database and learned that the Arizona senator received approximately $27,000 in PAC donations between June and September of 2023. That includes a $5,000 contribution from NelNet PAC, which is a political action committee representing the interests of the second-largest provider of federally backed loans given by private lenders. Sinema also received $5,000 from a PAC connected to private lender Sallie Mae and $5,000 from a PAC run by the board chair of a for-profit Arizona college.
Smaller donations from the industry during that time period include a $2,500 donation from debt collector Portfolio Recovery Associates, $2,500 from a Washington, DC-based trade association representing the interests of for-profit colleges, and a combined $7,000 in donations from three PACs run by banks.
Despite her fundraising activity, Arizona's senior US senator has not yet indicated if she plans to run for reelection in 2024. She currently faces opposition from Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) and failed 2022 Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who campaigned as a vociferous supporter of former President Donald Trump.
Current polls show a virtual dead heat between the three candidates, with Gallego having a slight edge over his two opponents. Gallego brought in more than $3 million in donations during the third quarter of 2023, with an average donation amount of $28.
Bites from Real News
*12/2/2023*
*Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, briefly explained
With the world focused on Gaza, Israeli settlers and soldiers are increasing attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
*Fossil Fuel Companies Back Toothless “Decarbonization Charter” at COP28 in Dubai
320 organizations denounced the plan as corporate greenwashing and called on the COP28 Presidency to abandon it.
*West Virginians Could Get Stuck Cleaning Up the Coal Industry’s Messes
The state’s program for reclaiming abandoned coal mines has long been plagued with problems, but state and federal officials have done little to prepare for this reckoning.
*Japanese experimental nuclear fusion reactor inaugurated
The world's biggest experimental nuclear fusion reactor in operation was inaugurated in Japan on Friday, a technology in its infancy but billed by some as the answer to humanity's future energy needs.
*British Colonialism Oppressed My Family in India. I See Palestine in This Frame. "Decolonization” is a legitimate frame for talking about Palestine. Here’s why.
*The Secret Trial
Google tried to withhold practically every critical detail from the public in its monopolization case. A band of advocates and journalists fought back.
*Dysfunctional Migration App Is Making Migrants to US Vulnerable to Kidnapping Traffickers and scammers are using confusion caused by the CBP One app to take advantage of migrants desperate for help.
*What is fentanyl and why is it behind the deadly surge in US drug overdoses? A medical tox
*Private Equity Is Using Prison Phone, Food and Health Systems to Rack Up Profits Private equity firms are capturing systems people in prison use and making them even more brutal and unaccountable.
By Derek Seidman ,TRUTHOUT
Killer of 3 Homeless People Is at Large in LA and ‘Preying’ on Unhoused, Mayor Warns
‘WE WILL FIND YOU’
Mark Alfred
Breaking News Intern
Published Dec. 01, 2023 5:37PM EST
DAILY BEAST CHEAT SHEET
The killings of three homeless men in different areas of Los Angeles this week were likely committed by one unidentified individual who remains at large, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said during a news conference Friday. “A single individual approached each one and shot and killed each one as they slept,” he said, adding that a task force had been established to investigate the killings. Moore was joined by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who asked that the friends and family of homeless individuals encourage them to take refuge in a shelter and not sleep alone. “I want to be very clear about what we’re facing today: This is a killer who is preying on the unhoused,” Bass said. “To the person responsible: We will find you, we will catch you and you will be held accountable.”
Newsom’s Wife Reportedly Put an End to Fiery Fox News Debate
‘WE’RE DONE’
Alex Nguyen
Breaking News Intern
Published Dec. 01, 2023 3:59PM EST
DAILY BEAST CHEAT SHEET
The behind-the-scenes atmosphere of Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom’s Fox News debate Thursday night was decidedly bitter, with both camps complaining the other had violated previously established rules, according to NBC News. Four sources from DeSantis’ team told the network that Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, entered the debate room at least two times to voice concerns, including after DeSantis said her dad moved from California to Florida because it was a better-governed state. Just after the two appeared to agree to extend the debate with moderator Sean Hannity, an insider confirmed that Siebel Newsom walked onto the stage and ended it, saying, “We’re done.” DeSantis spokesperson Andrew Romeo declared, “Newsom got beat so badly last night his wife literally had to throw in the towel for him. It was embarrassing.” But Newsom told journalists shortly after the event that the decision to stop was mutual, insisting “everyone started panicking on both sides” as each candidate “had some place to be.” A Newsom source claimed that DeSantis held an unfair advantage because he had access to a teleprompter that showed him the questions Hannity would ask, but a Fox News spokesperson vehemently denied the idea.
the key to republican support
*What's Inside*
A NEW STUDY DESCRIBES IN GROTESQUE DETAIL THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE ULTRARICH HAVE PERVERTED THE CHARITABLE GIVING INDUSTRY.
REALITY
HOW TRUMP AND BUSH TAX CUTS FOR BILLIONAIRES BROKE AMERICA
REALITY
FROM 1947 TO 2023: RETRACING THE COMPLEX, TRAGIC ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT
REALITY
RED STATE CONSERVATIVES ARE DYING THANKS TO THE PEOPLE THEY VOTE FOR
REALITY
HOW TEXAS BECAME THE NEW "HOMEBASE" FOR WHITE NATIONALIST AND NEO-NAZI GROUPS
AMERICA
HOW THE GOP SUCKERED AMERICA ON TAX CUTS
REALITY
ADVOCATES SUE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR FAILING TO BAN IMPORTS OF COCOA HARVESTED BY CHILDREN(SLAVERY 21ST CENTURY)
RACISM AT HEART OF US FAILURE TO TACKLE DEADLY HEATWAVES, EXPERT WARNS
WHITE SUPREMACY
'MISLEADING': ALARM RAISED ABOUT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE 'SCAM'
REALITY
SLAVERY ISN’T JUST BLACK HISTORY — IT’S US HISTORY
RACE MATTERS
BOFA HIT WITH $250 MILLION IN FINES, PENALTIES, REFUNDS FOR 'DOUBLE-DIPPING' FEES, FAKE ACCOUNTS(CORPORATE CRIMINALS)
FOOD INSECURITY IN US REACHES NEW HIGH
AMERICA
EXCERPT: WHY ARE WE LETTING THE RED STATE WELFARE OLIGARCHS MOOCH OFF BLUE STATES?
REALITY
*late news of interest*
A Meditation On Practical Applications Of Stupidity
The Mystery of Anti-Vax & Anti-Mask
Kat Ignatz - DAILY KOS
Sunday August 01, 2021 · 5:00 AM PDT
...“The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity” seems as good a way as any to explain the insane situation we’re in. It’s speculative, but in my opinion, guessing is all we’ve really got right now.
In his essay, Cipolla divides human beings into four categories and builds his theory on these characteristics.
His categories are:
And he presents his theory as five laws:
Taking Cipolla’s laws and looking for correlations with anti-vax/mask behavior, you can map out anti-vax/mask actions like this:
And you could do the same matching of Cipolla’s laws with anti-vax/mask actions, and together, we could come up with a big, five-part list of parallels between Cipolla’s theory and the anti-vax/mask movement.
And it would prove nothing.
But looking at it might make you wonder, like me, if there’s anything but dangerous, illogical, and incomprehensible behavior there.
Cipolla doesn’t explain stupid people. He simply says that they exist, and they’re irrational, unpredictable, and hazardous. He states that irrational people can’t be understood by rational minds and cautions against getting involved with irrational people because it always comes with a cost that’s often a big cost.
He says the only hope is for rational people to create more gains than the losses that irrational people cause. He was an economist so his theory is all gains and losses, and another way to think about his four human traits is total gain, loss/gain, gain/loss, and total loss.
And maybe that’s the real answer here. Maybe, we shouldn’t concern ourselves with why anti-vax/maskers act like they do. Perhaps, we should simply accept them as an incredible danger to our country, states, cities, friends, families, and selves, and we should just do everything we can to do more good than they do harm.
I like Cipolla’s theory, and I find it to be a compelling model for many of the problems we’re experiencing—like, for instance, Republicans.
In this writings, Cipolla makes a point of dividing bandits into Intelligent Bandits and Stupid Bandits. Intelligent bandits cause an equal amount of loss and gain, and they get everything they take from others. Stupid bandits cause more loss than gain, and they only get part of what they cause others to lose.
When I read that, I think about how Republicans are actively working to crash the US so they can keep their wealth and power. And then I think that they’re going so far with it that they may have moved from being stupid bandits to fully stupid because it’s irrational to think they’ll keep much of anything if the country collapses.
I also start thinking about how prevalent stupid banditry is in the world—as if it’s the only way to do business. The “bigs” are especially dangerous: big agriculture, apparel, chemical, electronics, oil, pharmaceuticals, retail, etc.
We’re all losing our lives in one way or another to these dubious ventures.
But that’s my mind drifting on to a topic for another diary, and I’ll stop this one here.
In his essay, Cipolla divides human beings into four categories and builds his theory on these characteristics.
His categories are:
- Intelligent People whose actions benefit others and themselves
- Helpless People whose actions harm them but benefit others
- Bandits whose actions harm others but benefit them
- Stupid People whose actions harm others but don’t benefit them and may, in fact, harm them, too
And he presents his theory as five laws:
- Everyone always underestimates how many stupid people there are.
- Stupidity is unrelated to any other human trait.
- Stupid people cause losses to others without gain and, possibly, with losses to themselves.
- Non-stupid people always underestimate how harmful stupid people are.
- Stupid people are the most dangerous type of person.
Taking Cipolla’s laws and looking for correlations with anti-vax/mask behavior, you can map out anti-vax/mask actions like this:
- How many: 30% of the US population is hesitating, resisting, or outright refusing to get a coronavirus vaccine.
- Unrelated to other traits: Health care workers are protesting against getting vaccinated.
- No gain and possible losses: Not even the threat of death is changing anti-vax/mask behavior.
- How harmful: Who would have predicted that Missouri would end up in such terrible condition?
- Most dangerous: Anti-vax/maskers are bringing the systems we rely on for our safety and health to the brink of crashing.
And you could do the same matching of Cipolla’s laws with anti-vax/mask actions, and together, we could come up with a big, five-part list of parallels between Cipolla’s theory and the anti-vax/mask movement.
And it would prove nothing.
But looking at it might make you wonder, like me, if there’s anything but dangerous, illogical, and incomprehensible behavior there.
Cipolla doesn’t explain stupid people. He simply says that they exist, and they’re irrational, unpredictable, and hazardous. He states that irrational people can’t be understood by rational minds and cautions against getting involved with irrational people because it always comes with a cost that’s often a big cost.
He says the only hope is for rational people to create more gains than the losses that irrational people cause. He was an economist so his theory is all gains and losses, and another way to think about his four human traits is total gain, loss/gain, gain/loss, and total loss.
And maybe that’s the real answer here. Maybe, we shouldn’t concern ourselves with why anti-vax/maskers act like they do. Perhaps, we should simply accept them as an incredible danger to our country, states, cities, friends, families, and selves, and we should just do everything we can to do more good than they do harm.
I like Cipolla’s theory, and I find it to be a compelling model for many of the problems we’re experiencing—like, for instance, Republicans.
In this writings, Cipolla makes a point of dividing bandits into Intelligent Bandits and Stupid Bandits. Intelligent bandits cause an equal amount of loss and gain, and they get everything they take from others. Stupid bandits cause more loss than gain, and they only get part of what they cause others to lose.
When I read that, I think about how Republicans are actively working to crash the US so they can keep their wealth and power. And then I think that they’re going so far with it that they may have moved from being stupid bandits to fully stupid because it’s irrational to think they’ll keep much of anything if the country collapses.
I also start thinking about how prevalent stupid banditry is in the world—as if it’s the only way to do business. The “bigs” are especially dangerous: big agriculture, apparel, chemical, electronics, oil, pharmaceuticals, retail, etc.
We’re all losing our lives in one way or another to these dubious ventures.
But that’s my mind drifting on to a topic for another diary, and I’ll stop this one here.
