{"id":17618,"date":"2015-08-09T00:08:42","date_gmt":"2015-08-09T08:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=17618"},"modified":"2015-08-09T00:08:43","modified_gmt":"2015-08-09T08:08:43","slug":"rouge-forum-dispatch-little-boy-fat-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/rouge-forum-dispatch-little-boy-fat-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouge Forum Dispatch: Little Boy! Fat Man!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

We Say Fight Back!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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joehill100.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIPS: PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION <\/strong>Appointment: Liverpool Hope University, UK<\/strong><\/p>\n

Please circulate this around your professional networks, and to any MA students who may be interested<\/em><\/p>\n

There has arisen an opportunity for a fully-funded Doctoral scholarship working with philosophers and sociologists of education in the area of \u2018spiritual, moral, social and cultural\u2019 education. The project, which is also the subject of a UK ESRC Large Grant proposal currently under review, aims to explore the complex plurality of structures which set the ethos and value of publicly funded schools in England. Working with colleagues in the philosophy and sociology of education, there is broad scope for the doctoral student to explore questions such as:\u00a0 rikowski.wordpress.com\/2015\/05\/22\/doctoral-scholarships-philosophy-and-sociology-of-education\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Congratulations on the publication of:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cQuite simply, the best Western journalist at work in Iraq today.\u201d
\n \u2014Seymour Hersh<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Dehydrate<\/p>\n

Today, following our 3rd annual Rooting Resistance action camp, people from both Detroit and Michigan Coalitions Against Tar Sands (DCATS\/MICATS) took water from Mayor Duggan\u2019s residence, the Manoogian Mansion and redistributed it to residents facing water shutoffs. Folks attached a hose to the Mansion\u2019s external spigot and filled jugs of water. Participants say they are taking today\u2019s action because of Mayor Duggan\u2019s refusal to support a \u201cWater Affordability Plan\u201d.<\/p>\n

While real Detroiters live in a crisis, the Mayor lives in a city-owned Mansion. Today we\u2019re forcing Mayor Duggan to share his water with the people of Detroit,\u201d Said Detroit Resident Valerie Jean.<\/p>\n

Following the water reclamation, an affinity group dropped a banner from an abandoned garage near Wayne State. The banner sent a strong message. If the wealthy continue to deprive people of life giving water, resistance will continue and escalate.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that Marathon Refinery receives free water to refine tar sands from the Detroit River, which they contaminate beyond use.<\/p>\n

As Detroit\u2019s water crisis worsens community members are demanding the Mayor support a \u201cWater Affordability Plan\u201d adopted by the City Council in 2006. More than 40,000 households have had their water turned off, a crisis that has triggered a UN human rights investigation. However instead of dealing with the crisis, Mayor Duggan has chosen to arrest and prosecute community members who resist the shutoffs in an attempt to survive.<\/p>\n

\u201cDenying tens of thousands of people the right to water ought to be criminal, doing it while living in a publicly funded, city-owned mansion is just despicable\u201d Said Jean<\/p>\n

Activists point out that the Mayor\u2019s current 10-point payment plan is woefully inadequate and fails to address the fundamental issue of unreasonably high water bills. In April an ACLU study showed that only 1.2% of Detroiters in the Mayor\u2019s plan could pay their water bill, leaving 98.8% to default and face shutoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cDetroiters need a Water Affordability Plan to reduce bills and stop the shutoffs, not another failed payment plan,\u201d Said Jean\u00a0 www.michigancats.org\/water-reclamation-from-mayor-dugans-mansion\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe (MEGA) Project (MEGA-website)<\/h3>\n

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Editorial Board<\/h3>\n

Georgii A. Bagaturiia (Moscow), Beatrix Bouvier (Trier), Terrell Carver (Bristol), Galina D. Golovina (Moscow), Lex Heerma van Voss (Amsterdam), J\u00fcrgen Herres (Berlin), G\u00f6tz Langkau (Amsterdam), Manfred Neuhaus (Berlin), Gerald Hubmann (Berlin), Izumi Omura (Sendai), Teinosuke Otani (Tokyo), Fred E. Schrader (Paris), Liudmila L. Vasina (Moscow), Carl-Erich Vollgraf (Berlin), Wei Jianhua (Beijing).<\/p>\n

Advisory Board<\/h3>\n

Shlomo Avineri (Jerusalem), Gerd Callesen (Vienna), Robert E. Cazden (Lexington, KY), Iring Fetscher (Frankfurt\/M.), Eric J. Fischer (Bussum, the Netherlands), Patrick Fridenson (Paris), Francesca Gori (Milan), Andrzej F. Grabski (Lodz), Carlos B. Guti\u00e9rrez (Bogot\u00e1), Hans-Peter Harstick (Wolfenb\u00fcttel), Eric J. Hobsbawm (London), Hermann Klenner (Berlin), Michael Knieriem (Wuppertal), J\u00fcrgen Kocka (Berlin), Nikolai I. Lapin (Moscow), Hermann L\u00fcbbe (Zurich), Mikhail P. Mchedlov (Moscow), Teodor I. Oizerman (Moscow), Bertell Ollman (New York)<\/em><\/strong>, Tsutomu Ouchi (Tokyo), Hans Pelger (Cologne), Pedro Ribas (Madrid), Bertram Schefold (Frankfurt\/M.), Wolfgang Schieder (Cologne), Hans Schilar (Berlin), Walter Schmidt (Berlin), Gareth Stedman Jones (Cambridge), Jean Stengers (Brussels), Shiro Sugihara (Osaka), Immanuel Wallerstein (Paris\/Binghamton, NY).\u00a0 marxdialecticalstudies.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/marx-engels-gesamtausgabe-mega-project.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Ten Years Since the Beginning of Camp Casey and Cindy Sheehan never quit\u00a0 <\/strong>cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com\/2015\/08\/happy-camp-casey-day-10-years-after.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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Jimmy Carter just noticed: The US is Not a Democracy, but an Oligarchy, about 200 years too late–Toward a Marxist Interpretation of the US Constitution by Bertell Ollman<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n

As ideology, the Constitution provides us with a kind of bourgeois fairy tale in which claims to equal rights and responsibilities are substituted for the harsh realities of class domination. Through the Constitution, the struggle over the legitimacy of any social act or relationship is removed from the plane of morality to that of law. Justice is no longer what is fair but what is legal, and politics itself is transformed into the technical wrangling of lawyers and judges. The Constitution organizes consent not least by its manner or organizing dissent. The fact that two-thirds of the world’s lawyers practice in the United States is not, as they say, a coincidence. The main ideologists in the American system are not teachers, preachers, or media people, but lawyers and judges.<\/p>\n

Unlike political theory, the Constitution not only offers us a picture of reality but through the state’s monopoly on violence it forces citizens to act, or at least to speak, “as if.” Acting as if the rule of law, equality of opportunity, freedom of the individual, and the neutrality of the state, all of which are inscribed in the Constitution, are more than formally true inhibits people’s ability to recognize that they are all practically false, that the society set up with the help of the Constitution simply does not operate in these ways. It is not a matter of reality failing to live up to a set of commendable ideals but of these ideals serving to help mask this reality through misrepresenting what is legal for what is actual, what is permissible in law for what is possible in society.\u00a0\u00a0 www.nyu.edu\/projects\/ollman\/docs\/us_constitution.php<\/a><\/p>\n

\"US<\/a> several Rougers are authors within<\/p>\n

Mexico: thousands protest murder of photojournalist and 4 women<\/strong> thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Mexico City and other major cities in response to the brutal July 31 murder of Rub\u00e9n Espinosa Becerril, a photographer and investigative reporter, along with four women.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the capital Sunday, several thousand marched carrying placards bearing the journalist\u2019s photograph and chanting, \u201cIt was the state, it was the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twenty-four hours after family members reported his disappearance, on Friday afternoon police discovered his body with those of the four women in a Mexico City apartment. They had been bound, tortured and each received acoup de gr\u00e2ce<\/em>\u00a0to their heads with 9mm bullets.<\/p>\n

This is a clear political execution-style murder of a critic of the repression of the press and of Mexican corruption.<\/p>\n

Rub\u00e9n\u2019s death followed three years of government persecution, intimidation and beatings at the hands of police in the southeastern Mexican state of Veracruz, which he fled because of threats to his life. He is the thirteenth reporter from Veracruz to be murdered since 2011 (the fourth this year). Three others have disappeared and are presumed dead.<\/p>\n

Veracruz is a microcosm of a nationwide state terror campaign against reporters, journalists, photographers and other media workers. According to a Mirada Cr\u00edtica (Rompeviento TV), some 103 journalists have been killed since the year 2000. Another 17 are missing. Others have been detained unlawfully for long periods of time, or kidnapped for ransom.<\/p>\n

An entry in Wikipedia confirms those numbers. For Veracruz, Wikipedia lists the following individuals: Noel L\u00f3pez Olgu\u00edn, Miguel \u00c1ngel L\u00f3pez Velasco, Misael L\u00f3pez Solana, Yolanda Ordaz, Regina Mart\u00ednez, Guillermo Luna Varela, Gabriel Huge C\u00f3rdova, Esteban Rodr\u00edguez, Victor Manuel B\u00e1ez Chino, Irasema Becerra, Gregorio Jim\u00e9nez, Mois\u00e9s S\u00e1nchez Cerezo. Rub\u00e9n Espinosa.<\/p>\n

The three listed as disappeared are Sergio Landa Rosales, Miguel Morales Estrada, and Manuel Gabriel Fonseca Hern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\n

In addition there have been scores of unresolved deaths of young people and human rights activists. No one in Veracruz has been convicted of any of these crimes. www.globalresearch.ca\/thousands-protest-torture-murder-of-mexican-photojournalist-and-four-women\/5467531<\/a><\/p>\n

The Little Red Schoolhouse<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Capitalist U’s in CA Raise Tuition—then salaries\u00a0 <\/strong>Last Thursday, regents hiked salaries by 3 percent for its top-paid executives<\/a>. The new salaries range from $231,000 to $991,000. In solidarity with a labor-union campaign to boost the minimum wage across the country, regents approved a $15 minimum for all UC employees \u2013 including part-time workers and contractors.<\/p>\n

The net cost: $14 million a year. \u201cThe University of California\u2019s mission statement proclaims that one of its fundamental missions is teaching and creating \u2018an educated workforce that keeps the California economy competitive,\u2019\u201d noted Assembly Republican Leader Kristin Olsen of Modesto<\/a>, in a July 22 letter to Napolitano. \u201cHow does your decision today help California students achieve this mission?\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the key question whenever government-supported entities use new funds to boost salaries rather than invest in services for their \u201ccustomers.\u201d<\/a> I\u2019m sure the new salaries will help students as much as the pest agency\u2019s compensation boosts helped stamp out the fire\u00a0 ant\u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/news\/2015\/jul\/29\/university-california-extra-tax-dollars-salaries\/<\/p>\n

\"textbook<\/a>College textbooks costs raised 1041% since ’77\u00a0 <\/strong>Students hitting the college bookstore this fall will get a stark lesson in economics before they’ve cracked open their first chapter. Textbook prices are soaring. Some experts say it’s because they’re sold like drugs.<\/p>\n

According to NBC’s review of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, textbook prices have risen over three times the rate of inflation from January 1977 to June 2015, a 1,041 percent increase.<\/p>\n

“They’ve been able to keep raising prices because students are ‘captive consumers.’ They have to buy whatever books they’re assigned,” said Nicole Allen, a spokeswoman for the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition.\u00a0 www.nbcnews.com\/feature\/freshman-year\/college-textbook-prices-have-risen-812-percent-1978-n399926<\/a><\/p>\n

A task force looking to cut as much as $100 million from the budget of one of the nation\u2019s largest school systems has suggested that major savings could come from getting rid of all school sports, limiting extracurricular activities and increasing class sizes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

School administrators in Virginia\u2019s Fairfax County, which educates about 187,000 students, say they are again facing tough choices about what to keep and what to sacrifice as funding fails to keep pace with surging enrollment. Officials are projecting
\na shortfall of $50 million to $100 million next year, meaning significant programming changes would need to be implemented, schools officials said.<\/p>\n

School district officials calculated the shortfall assuming a salary increase for teachers, a growth in enrollment and a nearly $20 million drop in state funding, though some numbers will not be determined for months. The school system also is required to put an additional $46 million into teacher retirement and health benefits next year. If the county holds firm on its commitment to give the school system a 3 percent revenue bump, the maximum shortfall is estimated at $80 million. www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/education\/can-one-of-the-nations-largest-school-districts-go-without-sports-activities\/2015\/08\/04\/e60923d6-39ff-11e5-9c2d-ed991d848c48_story.html<\/a><\/p>\n

\"cheater_sign_m\"<\/a>Crackdown on little cheaters while big cheaters remain Crackers <\/strong>The New York City Department of Education said on Tuesday that it would establish a task force to root out cheating by teachers and administrators in city schools, responding to recent episodes and allegations of grade inflation, forged test answers and the passing of students who rarely attended class.<\/p>\n

The task force, made up of administrators and auditors, will oversee staff monitoring school data for irregularities, and if they discover anything suspicious it will be reported to the city\u2019s special commissioner of investigation. The group will also supply mandatory training in grading and graduation regulations to principals.<\/p>\n

Carmen Fari\u00f1a, the city\u2019s schools chancellor, said in an email to principals and superintendents Tuesday morning, \u201cAs a lifelong educator, I cannot overstate how important it is that everyone \u2014 from teachers to principals to superintendents to myself \u2014 understand and follow academic policies, which ensure our students meet the high standards they need to go on to college and meaningful careers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, we have zero tolerance for educators who are intentionally flaunting our academic policies,\u201d she said in the email.<\/p>\n

This summer, several reports of cheating have come to light. In July, the Education Department announced it was moving to fire the principal of John Dewey High School, a large school in Brooklyn, after a lengthy investigation found that she had allowed students at risk of not graduating to make up credit by simply completing packets of work in classes in which they received no meaningful instruction from teachers.\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2015\/08\/05\/nyregion\/new-york-city-task-force-targets-cheating-by-teachers-and-principals.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"Charles<\/p>\n

Detroit Public Schools officials, including the state-appointed emergency manager, ignored warnings that then-City Council President Charles Pugh was trying to seduce male students and allowed him to continue mentoring teenage boys, according to a complaint filed with the Department of Justice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pugh disappeared in June 2013 after the mother of a DPS teenager told police that the council president lavished\u00a0her 16-year-old boy with gifts. A lawsuit was filed, and text messages later showed that Pugh\u00a0gave the student $16o<\/a> for a nude video.<\/p>\n

Then-DPS School Board President LaMar Lemmons said he initially warned Emergency Manager Roy Roberts that Pugh \u201cwas a potential risk to students\u201d after the council president\u00a0was spotted at the Detroit Opera House on a date with a student.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe EM shrugged his shoulders,\u201d Lemmons said, adding that the EM dismissed him \u201cas a homophobic troglodyte.\u201d<\/p>\n

The complaint alleges that Roberts\u2019 dismissive attitude \u201callowed Pugh his pick of hundreds of students\u201d as he continued to mentor teenage boys.\u00a0 motorcitymuckraker.com\/2015\/08\/03\/doj-complaint-school-officials-ignored-warnings-about-charles-pugh-seducing-students\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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Corrupt Capitalist School Luncheons? D<\/strong>vid Binkle, L.A. Unified’s food services director who won national acclaim for improving school meals, has resigned following a recent audit that found massive waste, ethical breaches and financial mismanagement under his watch.<\/p>\n

Binkle said Monday that he was innocent of all charges that he had mishandled the district’s now-defunct marketing program to promote healthful food, engaged in conflicts of interest in connection with his private consulting firm and took vendor-paid travel to school food conferences. He said all of his actions were legal, specified in the vendor contracts and approved by senior district officials, including Chief Deputy Supt. Michelle King.\u00a0 Binkle, 53, was removed from his position in December and ordered to stay home during the investigation while continuing to draw his $152,000 annual salary.\u00a0 www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-ln–food-head-resigns-20150803-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n

But What Campuses have the best food? (not mine???) <\/strong>Scripps College boasts both a campus garden and an herb garden. Claremont McKenna reportedly makes all its food from scratch. And the University of San Diego offers a wide variety of regional and cultural foods.\u00a0 www.latimes.com\/food\/dailydish\/la-dd-best-college-campus-food-20150804-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n

\"pool_banner\"<\/p>\n

How the .01% lives in private schools (like Mitt’s)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Welcome to the Williams Natatorium!<\/h2>\n
This breathtaking building, constructed in 1999 by acclaimed architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, hosts public programs, classes and special events year round. Located on the Cranbrook campus, this building is the perfect marriage of design and functionality: an architectural masterpiece that is also a hub of activity and fun in the water. Come for swimming lessons, a SCUBA class, a morning of aqua aerobics, take a lifeguarding class, learn how to become a better competitive swimmer, or join our Speedsters team. Purchase a Natatorium membership<\/a> to use the facility during recreational and lap swims or pay a daily guest fee.Rent the Natatorium<\/a> for a birthday party, reunion, meeting, or other special event. We offer two flexible plans that include lifeguards, light custodial service, and use of some or all of the natatorium building. For prices and information on rental fees and food and beverage options, please refer to the flyer in the downloads section.Questions – Contact the Natatorium office at 248.645.3734 or email Tim Skowronski, Natatorium Manager, at tskowronski@cranbrook.edu<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 schools.cranbrook.edu\/Page\/Camps–Public-Programs\/Williams-Natatorium<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"moneybags<\/a><\/p>\n

Hedge Fund Bosses to Puerto Rico: Layoff Teachers to Pay Debts <\/strong>Puerto Rico can avoid a costly default by upping taxes, cutting teacher jobs and closing schools, a group of hedge fund economists proposed in a report released on Monday, offering a controversial solution to the island\u2019s \u201cunpayable\u201d $72 billion debt crisis.<\/p>\n

The report, commissioned by hedge funds holding several billion dollars of Puerto Rico\u2019s bonds, highlights the island\u2019s rising education expenditures against the backdrop of countless school closings and waves of poor families fleeing to mainland America.<\/p>\n

According to government figures, education spending rose 39% to $4.8 billion over the last decade, while enrollment fell 25% to about 570,000. Puerto Rico still spends just $8,400 per student, compared to the U.S. national average of $10,667, according to the Guardian.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real expense per student has increased enormously without increasing the quality of education,\u201d Jose Fajgenbaum, director of Centennial Group Latin America and one of three former IMF economists who authored the report, told the Guardian.<\/p>\n

The hedge fund-backed report arrives in response to the Krueger report, a government-commissioned study released June 29 that proposed a significant debt restructuring with which bondholders were unlikely to agree.\u00a0 time.com\/3976179\/puerto-rico-education\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
University of the People (UoPeople)<\/b> is the world’s first non-profit, tuition- free, accredited online university dedicated to opening the gates to higher education for all individuals otherwise constrained.
\nThe University is a private institution accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, approved to operate by the Bureau for Private Post-Secondary Education. uopeople.edu\/<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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US Loses Track of Who the Enemy Is (are) IS? AQ? China? Russia? Next? <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Obama administration\u2019s top intelligence, counterterrorism and law enforcement officials are divided over which terrorist group poses the biggest threat to the American homeland, the Islamic State or Al Qaeda and its affiliates.<\/p>\n

The split reflects a rising concern that the Islamic State poses a more immediate danger because of its unprecedented social media campaign, using sophisticated online messaging to inspire followers to launch attacks across the United States.<\/p>\n

Many intelligence and counterterrorism officials warn, however, that Qaeda operatives in Yemen and Syria are capitalizing on the turmoil in those countries to plot much larger \u201cmass casualty\u201d attacks, including bringing down airliners carrying hundreds of passengers.<\/p>\n

This is not an academic argument. It will influence how the government allocates billions of dollars in counterterrorism funds, and how it assigns thousands of federal agents, intelligence analysts and troops to combat a multipronged threat that senior officials say is changing rapidly.\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2015\/08\/05\/world\/middleeast\/isis-or-al-qaeda-american-officials-split-over-biggest-threat.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150805&nlid=2254121&tntemail0=y<\/a><\/p>\n

Who Lost Afghanistan? <\/strong>The Taliban overran the district center and several military and police installations in Now Zad in the southern Afghan province of Helmand yesterday. The fall of Now Zad is the latest in a series of setbacks for the Afghan security forces and government, which are struggling to maintain control of areas liberated from the Taliban just a few years ago.<\/p>\n

The Taliban claimed it launched \u201ca coordinated assault on enemy positions around Now Zad district center\u201d on July 28, according to a statement on its official website, Voice of Jihad<\/a>. Six \u201ccheck posts\u201d were overrun on the first day, and the jihadist group\u00a0said it killed 25 security personnel.<\/p>\n

The next day, the Taliban claimed<\/a> that \u201cMujahideen managed to overrun the PRT [provincial reconstruction team] building along with 2 more check posts overnight, killing 14 hireling troops\u201d and seized weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and other equipment. According to the Taliban report, Afghan security forces \u201cabandoned\u201d five outposts and withdrew from the district center after the jihadist group\u00a0massed for an assault.\u00a0 www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2015\/07\/taliban-seize-district-in-helmand-province.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28The+Long+War+Journal+%28Site-Wide%29%29<\/a><\/p>\n

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Lost Afghan Wars=Cheap Heroin\u00a0 <\/strong>More people that are using the substance, more people that are addicts that are addicted to opioids,” said Lt. Jeff Kazel with the Duluth Police Department. He is also on the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.<\/p>\n

Kazel says the number of people over dosing on the drug keeps increasing.<\/p>\n

As of this day [August 3] we’re at 32 heroin overdoses, that’s calls for service that we actually went to. That’s comparable to a total for 2014 was 16, so we’re already double that and we’re only about halfway through the year,” said Kazel.<\/p>\n

St. Louis County Attorneys estimate that of all the drug cases that come through, 40 percent of them have to do with selling a drug while the other 60 percent are people in possession of a drug.<\/p>\n

“If you’re caught selling a larger amount of Heroin you will go to prison for 86 months,” said County Attorney, Mark Rubin. “We have 5th degree heroin, that’s a situation where you generally have the possession of heroin, those are the people who are generally addicted, they will go to drug court.”<\/p>\n

Rubin says there are also other consequences of the drug that are affecting the community.<\/p>\n

“People who may be using it can’t afford to buy it. So we see an increase in property crimes, thefts, and burglaries.”http:\/\/www.northlandsnewscenter.com\/news\/local\/Heroin-overdoses-on-the-rise-impacting-community–320550322.html<\/p>\n

Opportunism Drives Every Empire: US Ally Turks Attack US’ Merc Kurds\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Confronted with widespread protests two summers ago, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan<\/a> ordered a harsh police crackdown and tarnished the demonstrators as traitors and spies. Faced with a corruption inquiry focused on his inner circle, he responded by purging the police and judiciary.<\/p>\n

So when Mr. Erdogan, now president, suffered a stinging electoral defeat in June that left his party without a majority in Parliament<\/a> and seemingly dashed his hopes of establishing an executive presidency, Turks were left wondering how he would respond.<\/p>\n

Now, many say they have their answer: a new war.<\/p>\n

As Turkey<\/a> resumes military operations against the separatist Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, or P.K.K., analysts see a calculated strategy for Mr. Erdogan\u2019s Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party to regain its parliamentary majority in new elections.www.nytimes.com\/2015\/08\/06\/world\/middleeast\/turkey-recep-tayyip-erdogan-airstrike-pkk-isis.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1<\/a><\/p>\n

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That Hearts and Minds Problem<\/strong> U.S.-led airstrikes targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria have likely killed at least 459 civilians over the past year, a report by an independent monitoring group said Monday.<\/p>\n

The report by Airwars, a project aimed at tracking the international airstrikes targeting the extremists, said it believed 57 specific strikes killed civilians and caused 48 suspected “friendly fire” deaths. It said the strikes have killed more than 15,000 Islamic State militants.<\/p>\n

While Airwars noted the difficulty of verifying information in territory held by the IS group, which has kidnapped and killed journalists and activists, other groups have reported similar casualties from the U.S.-led airstrikes.<\/p>\n

“Almost all claims of noncombatant deaths from alleged coalition strikes emerge within 24 hours \u2014 with graphic images of reported victims often widely disseminated,” the report said.<\/p>\n

“In this context, the present coalition policy of downplaying or denying all claims of noncombatant fatalities makes little sense, and risks handing (the) Islamic State (group) and other forces a powerful propaganda tool.”\u00a0 bigstory.ap.org\/article\/bcefd6c60da84ade945619c6330ff156\/iraqi-kurdish-leader-vows-take-sinjar-islamic-state<\/a><\/p>\n

The International Economic War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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In the Contradictory Relationship of Capitalism and Democracy, which side won? <\/strong>Fewer than four hundred families are responsible for almost half the money raised in the 2016 presidential campaign, a concentration of political donors that is unprecedented in the modern era.<\/em><\/p>\n

The vast majority of the $388 million backing presidential candidates this year is being channeled to groups that can accept unlimited contributions in support of candidates from almost any source. The speed with which such \u201csuper PACs<\/a>\u201d can raise money \u2014 sometimes bringing in tens of millions of dollars from a few businesses or individuals in a matter of days \u2014 has allowed them to build enormous campaign war chests in a fraction of the time that it would take the candidates, who are restricted in how much they can accept from a single donor.\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2015\/08\/02\/us\/small-pool-of-rich-donors-dominates-election-giving.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0<\/a><\/p>\n

Obamagogue’s Imperial Trans Pacific “Partnership” has no partners <\/strong>Hopes of a breakthrough were high when negotiators from the 12 TPP nations met Tuesday in the tropical U.S. island state to seek agreement after five years of talks. Comprising Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam, the grouping encompasses 40 percent of world gross domestic product (GDP) and a quarter of global exports, with a successful TPP potentially representing the world\u2019s biggest trade accord in more than a decade.<\/p>\n

Yet after much fanfare and encouraging initial reports, on Friday the TPP\u2019s trade ministers ended their negotiations, releasing a joint statement that only committed to further talks.thediplomat.com\/2015\/08\/trans-pacific-partnership-hawaii-talks-end-without-deal\/<\/a><\/p>\n

US Wages Grow at lowest rate in 33 years: Economic Tyranny <\/strong>U.S. wages and benefits grew in the spring at the slowest pace in 33 years, stark evidence that stronger hiring isn\u2019t lifting paychecks much for most Americans. The slowdown also likely reflects a sharp drop-off in bonus and incentive pay for some workers.<\/p>\n

The employment cost index rose just 0.2 percent in the April-June quarter after a 0.7 increase in the first quarter, the Labor Department said Friday. The index tracks wages, salaries and benefits. Wages and salaries alone also rose 0.2 percent.<\/p>\n

Both measures recorded the smallest quarterly gains since the second quarter of 1982.<\/p>\n

Salaries and benefits for private sector workers were unchanged, the weakest showing since the government began tracking the data in 1980.<\/p>\n

The disappointing figures come after the index had been pointing to a pickup in wage growth after nearly two years of steady hiring.\u00a0 www.pressherald.com\/2015\/07\/31\/u-s-wages-grow-at-slowest-rate-in-33-years\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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As the Water Shut-offs Continue in Detroit: Rates Rise<\/strong>The Detroit City Council voted 5-4 today to approve a 7.5% water rate hike that it initially rejected three weeks ago.<\/p>\n

The council approved the rate hike today after hearing that the water department would be left with a $27-million budget deficit that would result in layoffs and possibly an extension of state oversight of city finances.<\/p>\n

The rate increase means Detroiters will pay about $5 more per month for water and sewer services, from about $71 to about $76.<\/p>\n

Of that $76, about $20 would be for water service and $56 would be for sewage disposal service.www.freep.com\/story\/news\/local\/2015\/07\/21\/detroit-council-water-rate\/30472377\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"http:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/C6M1gElxWqw\/0.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Environmental Racism Persists and the EPA is a Reason Why<\/strong>\u00a0 Time and again, however, communities of color living in the shadows of sewage plants, incinerators, steel mills, landfills and other industrial facilities across the country \u2014 from Baton Rouge to Syracuse, Phoenix to Chapel Hill \u2014 have found their claims denied by the EPA\u2019s civil-rights office, an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and NBC News shows. In its 22-year history of processing environmental discrimination complaints, the office has never once made a formal finding of a Title VI violation.\u00a0 www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/08\/03\/17668\/environmental-racism-persists-and-epa-one-reason-why?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=watchdog&utm_medium=publici-email&goal=0_ffd1d0160d-82e4efa714-100253645&mc_cid=82e4efa714&mc_eid=033b0e09bd<\/a><\/p>\n

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The Rich know Class War but the US left does not (nor empire) <\/strong>I\u2019M scared. The billionaire hedge funder Paul Tudor Jones is scared. My friend Ken Langone, a founder of the Home Depot, is scared. So are many other chief executives. Not of Al Qaeda, or the vicious Islamic State or some other evolving radical group from the Middle East, Africa or Asia. We are afraid where income inequality will lead.<\/p>\n

For the top 20 percent of Americans, life is pretty good.<\/p>\n

But 40 percent are broke. Every year they spend more than they have.<\/p>\n

While so many people are struggling, even those on the higher end of the middle class have relatively little after paying the bills: on average, some $1,300 a month. One leaky roof and they\u2019re in trouble.<\/p>\n

If inequality is not addressed, the income gap will most likely be resolved in one of two ways: by major social unrest or through oppressive taxes\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2015\/08\/09\/opinion\/sunday\/capitalists-arise-we-need-to-deal-with-income-inequality.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=1<\/a><\/p>\n

Russian social fascists burn food while the hungry…<\/strong>The destruction of more than 350 tons of food by the government this week angered Russians in a nation where some are struggling to feed themselves and many recall the norm of food shortages just a generation ago.<\/p>\n

The food was burned and streamrolled beginning Thursday following a controversial decree by President Vladimir Putin ordering banned products from Europe and the United States to be eliminated before they can seep through the border.<\/p>\n

“You can’t just destroy food when there are so many people who have trouble feeding themselves,” said activist Olga Saveleva, whose petition on Change.org<\/a> has gathered over 320,000 signatures since Thursday.<\/p>\n

“The media is gleefully showing how this food is being burned. We have a lot of people going hungry, a lot of people in poverty. There are veterans of (World War II) who remember the blockade” of Leningrad, when hundreds of thousands of people died of hunger, she said. “This is a mockery.”\u00a0 www.freep.com\/story\/news\/world\/2015\/08\/08\/anger-protests-russia-destroys-tons-banned-food\/31333793\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Mexico: Economy Gagging<\/strong> in recent months, Mexican newspapers have kept running banner headlines of economic gloom: The value of the peso has plummeted to record lows<\/a> against the dollar, growth rates have shrunk to dwarfish size and the only things that seem to be getting bigger are the poverty rate and the gap between rich and poor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith all this financial volatility we have seen with the peso, the failure of the round-one [oil] contracts and low growth, the economy continues to suffer from the chronic anemia of the past,\u201d said Alfredo Couti\u00f1o, director for Latin America at Moody\u2019s Analytics. www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/the_americas\/mexicos-economy-was-supposed-to-soar-its-starting-to-flop\/2015\/08\/07\/ecbf00dc-3ab4-11e5-b759-e3c43f009486_story.html<\/a><\/p>\n

The Emergence of Fascism as a Popular Mass Movement<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"http:\/\/i2.cdn.turner.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/150806235204-hillary-clinton-kim-kardashian-kanye-selfie-large-169.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Who did Hillbillary visit in SoCal? Kardashians and Justin Bieber (and Dem Party Tycoons)\u00a0 below–top donors, Hillbillary –career\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 www.opensecrets.org\/politicians\/contrib.php?cycle=Career&cid=n00000019<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Citigroup Inc<\/td>\n$782,327<\/td>\n$774,327<\/td>\n$8,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Goldman Sachs<\/td>\n$711,490<\/td>\n$701,490<\/td>\n$10,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DLA Piper<\/td>\n$628,030<\/td>\n$601,030<\/td>\n$27,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
JPMorgan Chase & Co<\/td>\n$620,919<\/td>\n$617,919<\/td>\n$3,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
EMILY’s List<\/td>\n$605,174<\/td>\n$601,254<\/td>\n$3,920<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Morgan Stanley<\/td>\n$543,065<\/td>\n$538,065<\/td>\n$5,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Time Warner<\/td>\n$411,296<\/td>\n$386,296<\/td>\n$25,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Skadden, Arps et al<\/td>\n$406,640<\/td>\n$402,140<\/td>\n$4,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lehman Brothers<\/td>\n$362,853<\/td>\n$359,853<\/td>\n$3,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cablevision Systems<\/td>\n$336,288<\/td>\n$306,900<\/td>\n$29,388<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of California<\/td>\n$329,673<\/td>\n$329,673<\/td>\n$0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kirkland & Ellis<\/td>\n$311,441<\/td>\n$294,441<\/td>\n$17,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Squire Patton Boggs<\/td>\n$310,596<\/td>\n$305,158<\/td>\n$5,438<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21st Century Fox<\/td>\n$302,400<\/td>\n$302,400<\/td>\n$0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
National Amusements Inc<\/td>\n$297,534<\/td>\n$294,534<\/td>\n$3,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ernst & Young<\/td>\n$297,142<\/td>\n$277,142<\/td>\n$20,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Merrill Lynch<\/td>\n$292,303<\/td>\n$286,303<\/td>\n$6,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Credit Suisse Group<\/td>\n$290,600<\/td>\n$280,600<\/td>\n$10,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Corning Inc<\/td>\n$274,700<\/td>\n$256,700<\/td>\n$18,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Greenberg Traurig LLP<\/td>\n$273,550<\/td>\n$265,450<\/td>\n$8,100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\n

This table lists the top donors to this candidate in 1999-2016. The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organizations’ PACs, their individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals’ immediate families.<\/strong> Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.<\/p>\n

\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/7i1pjpLmH2U\/mqdefault.jpg\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Chapo Walked out the Front Door: Mexico as a Narco-Colony\u00a0 <\/strong>When Mexico<\/a>\u2019s most powerful drug lord, Joaqu\u00edn Guzm\u00e1n Loera, escaped from prison<\/a> last month, he walked out of captivity and straight into the conspiracy-obsessed imaginations of his countrymen, who are willing, it seems, to believe almost anything except what their government tells them.<\/p>\n

The official version of the escape is that Mr. Guzm\u00e1n<\/a>, who is known as \u201cEl Chapo,\u201d or \u201cShorty,\u201d slipped through a hole in the floor of the shower of his cell and then out through a mile-long tunnel secretly dug under the walls of what was supposed to be the country\u2019s most secure prison.<\/p>\n

But for the government here, what may once have been a credibility gap is now a chasm of disbelief, and by the millions Mexicans are not buying it.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe government wants to sell us a tale in which no one knew about the\u00a0 tunnel and he got away,\u201d said Carlos Casta\u00f1os, an opposition legislator from Sinaloa, Mr. Guzm\u00e1n\u2019s home state. \u201cIt\u2019s like they think that Mexicans are all kindergartners and they\u2019re going to believe anything they tell them.\u201d<\/p>\n

While officials acknowledge that corruption undoubtedly played a factor in Mr. Guzm\u00e1n\u2019s escape, the admission hardly inspires public confidence, and there are seemingly as many alternate versions of Mr. Guzm\u00e1n\u2019s epic escape<\/a> as there are Mexicans.<\/p>\n

A few samples:<\/p>\n

The tunnel is just a ruse to deflect public attention, and Mr. Guzm\u00e1n, a reputed billionaire with the resources to bribe whomever he liked, simply walked out the front door of the prison.\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2015\/08\/07\/world\/americas\/mexicans-arent-buying-official-account-of-el-chapo-escape.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0<\/a><\/p>\n

Solidarity for Never<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"treachery\"<\/a>Search the DSA dominated Social-Nationalists “Rethinker” Mag for a mention of imperialist war in the last 5 years: NOTHING.\u00a0 <\/strong>www.rethinkingschools.org\/archive\/index.shtml<\/a><\/p>\n

Chicago Teacher “Union” Karen Lewis on her nice relationship with Rham Emanuel and the Bad Cop Governor\u00a0 <\/strong>Has your relationship with Mayor Emanuel improved since his reelection? [It was Lewis, after all, sidelined by illness, who persuaded Chuy Garcia to challenge Rahm in the primary,<\/em> which pushed Emanuel into an exhausting and humiliating runoff.]
\nI think that my relationship with Rahm is better. That\u2019s a good thing. He\u2019s the ultimate decision maker.<\/em> I can just run [my ideas] up the flagpole by Rahm. And he has been very open. I think part of the problem we had last time is that Rahm had an agenda that was pushed by other people, including [Gov. Bruce] Rauner, that I don\u2019t know if Rahm even truly believed in. A lot of it was kind of like, \u201cPut the union in their place and dah dah dah.\u201d The elephant in the room is the budget and not having any money. So then it becomes a matter of what your priorities are, what your vision is. And I think we have yet to see that, but I think [Rahm\u2019s] thinking about it.<\/p>\n

Do you meet with the mayor in person?
\nYes.<\/p>\n

Does he seem more humble or polite?
\nHe\u2019s much more polite.\u00a0 www.chicagomag.com\/Chicago-Magazine\/Felsenthal-Files\/August-2015\/Karen-Lewis-Response\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"sellout<\/a>So CTU’s Karen Lewis and her IS pals beg for a ZeRO <\/strong>\u201cWe understand that there is a serious financial problem and we are willing to work within that framework. We accept that there will be a 0 percent raise. But give us something to make that 0 percent feel better.” Toss in CTU VP and IS’ Jesse Sharkey, “\u201cWe don\u2019t think it\u2019s a good time to be asking for big raises or really expensive reforms.\u201d\u00a0 weknowwhatsup.blogspot.com\/2015\/08\/chicago-teachers-are-angry-but-protests.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Sold Out Ex-Unionite Brags On Current Unionite Sellout in FLA <\/strong>Jean Clements is the teachers union president in Hillsborough County, Florida, which is the eighth largest school district in the U.S. And she and her union, the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, are unique in a way that deserves national attention \u2013 and national praise. While most teacher unions are resisting efforts to systemically improve public education, Jean and her constituents have partnered with their school district to embrace innovations that are taking on all kinds of sacred cows.
\nTeacher unions came into being in the early 1960s to protect teachers from management decisions, most notably in the areas of employee evaluations and compensation. Consequently, teachers\u2019 collective bargaining contracts today prescribe evaluation procedures that render evaluations irrelevant except in the most extreme cases, and standardized pay scales that treat every teacher the same, regardless of their effectiveness. So, naturally, eyebrows were raised across the country when Jean and her HCTA colleagues partnered with the Hillsborough school district to win a $100 million Gates Foundation grant to reinvent the district\u2019s employee evaluation and compensation systems.
\nThis wasn\u2019t the only time Jean went out on a limb.<\/em>
\n She was out front in support of Race to the Top<\/em>\u00a0 – See more at: www.redefinedonline.org\/2012\/02\/in-florida-a-teachers-union-that-doesnt-just-say-no\/#sthash.TcXqOBVs.dpuf<\/a><\/p>\n

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Michigan Supreme Court: Right to Work Applies to State Employees (so long UAW local 6000)\u00a0 <\/strong>The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state\u2019s right-to-work law applies to some 35,000 unionized state workers, giving conservative supporters of the law a major legal victory.<\/p>\n

The United Auto Workers, the largest state employee labor union, challenged whether the law applied to its members because their employment terms are set by the Michigan Civil Service Commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Civil Service Commission lacked the constitutional authority to compel civil service employees to make involuntary financial contributions to subsidize the commission\u2019s exercise of its constitutional duties and responsibilities,\u201d Chief Justice Robert Young Jr. wrote in the majority opinion.<\/p>\n

The high court\u2019s 4-3 ruling clears one of the last legal challenges to the validity of 2013 law, which makes financial support of a labor union optional.\u00a0 www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2015\/07\/29\/rtw-michigan-workers\/30839787\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Nearly Defunct Detroit Federation of Teachers Can’t even get members their paychecks <\/strong>Hundreds of Detroit Public Schools employees did not get paid on schedule Tuesday, the latest bump in the road for a district beset by fiscal problems.<\/p>\n

Officials blame a technical glitch that they say should be corrected by Friday, but they didn\u2019t explain exactly what caused the disruption in pay. Some district employees did get paid.<\/p>\n

Some teachers have been told they\u2019ll get their missing money \u2014 which usually is deposited directly into bank accounts \u2014 on a debit card. But they say that solution creates other problems such as being charged to withdraw the money or having to go to multiple banks, since they can\u2019t withdraw the full amount at one time.<\/p>\n

District spokeswoman Michelle Zdrodowski said \u201ca variety of technical issues arose that affected a cross-section of DPS employees.\u201d She said the delay \u201cin no way\u201d was related to whether the district had enough money to cover payroll.\u00a0 www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/local\/detroit-city\/2015\/07\/28\/technical-issues-delay-detroit-teachers-pay\/30792053\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Detroit Teachers to Vote to Expel President Steve Conn —<\/strong>or not—The Executive Board is planning to meet next week to vote and announce its decision. But what they are carrying out is really a political coup, not a fair trial! \u00a0\u00a0According to the union constitution,<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>the final decision rests with the membership at the September 10\u00a0Regular General Membership Meeting.<\/p>\n

I am fully certain that the vast majority of union members want these baseless charges dismissed and our union to continue with me as President on the basis of the last election.\u00a0<\/span>But that will require a 2\/3 vote at the September 10 general membership meeting .<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n

The stakes could not be higher for DFT members: We can continue to rebuild the union, and we can defeat the efforts by the governor and his emergency manager to dismantle and the entire DPS. \u00a0But the membership of the union must take control of the situation<\/strong>\u00a0<\/b><\/span>now!\u00a0\u00a0 dft231.mi.aft.org\/<\/a>
\n<\/u><\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

Spy versus Spy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n