2019-12-08: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Celebrate Human Rights Day in S.F. at City Hall!
Art Persyko | indybay.org | 2019-12-08
San Francisco City Hall east steps (address: 1 Carlton B Goodlett Place, which is the name of Polk Street on that block)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/07/18828693.php

Basta fridayWeekly Save Chelsea from Torture and Death Vigil&Music
orion the elder | indybay.org | 2019-12-08
Out side MacArthur and Fruitvale oakland ca 94602…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/06/18828674.php

'I plan to seek justice': Max Blumenthal vows legal action after US govt drops 'bogus' assault charges against him
rt.com | 2019-12-08
The US government has dropped all charges against Max Blumenthal, after arresting the journalist over a dubious 5-month-old warrant. But the Grayzone editor says the case is far from closed. | Blumenthal was detained for nearly two days after police raided his Washington, DC office in October. The month-old warrant for his arrest listed the journalist as "armed and dangerous," and police carrying out the warrant reportedly threatened to kick down his door.The government's case was based solely on an unsubstantiated claim made by a right-wing Venezuelan opposition activist, Naylet Pacheco, who alleged that Blum…
rt.com/usa/475328-blumenthal-charges-dropped-arrest-venezuela/

Iran unveils budget plan to fend off US sanctions by cutting dependence on oil
rt.com | 2019-12-08
Tehran will gradually reduce reliance on its oil reserves, ranked the third largest in the world, as it is set to resist the sweeping US sanctions that seek to curb Iranian crude exports to zero. | President Hassan Rouhani has pitched a budget bill to parliament, telling lawmakers that "this is a budget to resist [US] sanctions… with the least possible dependence on oil." He estimated it at around $38.8 billion for the next Iranian year which starts March 2020, according to Reuters. | The Iranian oil trade has been hit by US sanctions after the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the milestone 20…
rt.com/news/475310-iran-oil-dependence-sanctions/

Russia's Crimea welcomes record number of tourists in post-Soviet era
rt.com | 2019-12-08
More than 7 million people have spent their vacations in Crimea so far this year, Deputy Chairman of Crimea's Council of Ministers and Permanent Presidential Envoy Georgy Muradov said, setting a post-Soviet record. | Muradov told TASS that "Crimea is Russia's second most visited region for tourism and recreation after the Krasnodar Region." | | Swallow's Nest Castle © Pixabay.com | Despite Western sanctions targeting the Black Sea peninsula (due to its reunification with Russia), Crimea is becoming increasingly popular with foreign tourists, Muradov said. This includes travelers from the United States a…
rt.com/business/475009-crimea-record-tourist-flow/

Dear Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook Is an Engine of Anti-Muslim Hate the World Over. Don't You Care?
Mehdi Hasan | theintercept.com | 2019-12-07
What happened to the guy who told his Muslim employees in 2015 that he would "fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment"?
theintercept.com/2019/12/07/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-muslims-islamophobia/

How the US Tortures. Report
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-07
Torture is a longstanding US policy, notably by the CIA and its henchmen. | The policy continues at secret global black sites under its new director Gina Haspel — earlier involved in running an offshore black site, notorious for torture during …
globalresearch.ca/report-how-us-tortures/5696923

'We all must step up' collective action on disability inclusion — UN deputy chief
news.un.org | 2019-12-07
The international community has agreed truly ground-breaking frameworks to advance the rights of persons with disabilities, including in the context of development, but there remains a significant gap between these ambitions and the reality experienced daily by millions of persons with disabilities, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a conference in Doha on Saturday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1053001

US Claims "Fresh Intelligence" Of Iran Attacks Yet Provides Zero Evidence — MSM Blindly Regurgitates
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-12-07
Here we go again with "fresh intelligence" to justify the continued sanctions and destabilization of Iran. It's a plan that has been well documented even by their own writings (See Which Path to Persia? — 2009). Of course, complicating U.S. foreign policy is the involvement of Israel. The Last American Vagabond covers the latest political posturing, distortion, and general …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/tdwu-clips/us-claims-fresh-intelligence-iran-attacks-yet-provides-zero-evidence-msm-blindly-regurgitates/

'We can make a deal together': Trump thanks Iran for 'very fair negotiation' that led to prisoner swap
rt.com | 2019-12-07
In a reprieve from the usual bellicose rhetoric, President Donald Trump thanked the leaders of Iran for swapping an American prisoner with a detained Iranian scientist. Senior officials, however, told a different story. | Princeton scholar Xiyue Wang left Iran for the US on Saturday morning, while Iranian Scientist Massoud Soleimani returned to Tehran from America. Wang had been in Iranian custody since 2016 and was serving a ten-year term on espionage charges, while Soleimani was arrested in Chicago last year for sanctions violations and was awaiting trial. | The prisoner exchange came after weeks of negotiat…
rt.com/usa/475297-trump-thanks-iran-prisoner/

Bolivia's Coup Government: a Far-Right Horror Show
Forrest Hylton | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-06
Since coming to power on November 12, Bolivia's right-wing coup government, led by interim president Jeanine Añez, has quickly consolidated power and achieved international legitimacy. So far, the Añez government has succeeded in calling elections for 2020; persecuting journalists, political opponents, and human rights activists; and, following two massacres of unarmed, mainly indigenous protesters that…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/06/bolivias-coup-government-a-far-right-horror-show/

UN rights chief 'extremely concerned' over deadly crackdown on protesters in Iran
news.un.org | 2019-12-06
In the wake of recent protests in Iran, the top United Nations human rights official expressed alarm on Friday over multiple human rights violations which have reportedly taken place across the country.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1052911

Bolivia: Chamber of Deputies Approves "Guarantees Law"
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-06
The Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia announced Friday the approval of the Law of Guarantees for the Full Exercise of Constitutional Rights, a project that seeks to avoid persecution and indiscriminate judicial prosecution against social leaders who staged protests against the coup d'état last Nov. 10. | RELATED: | Crimes Against Humanity Reported in Bolivia: Int'l Delegation | The president of the Chamber, Sergio Choque of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) declared that the project complies…
telesurenglish.net/news/Bolivia-Chamber-of-Deputies-Approves-Guarantees-Law-20191206-0012.html

Palestinian Detainees In Asqalan Suspend Hunger Strike
IMEMC News | imemc.org | 2019-12-06
Three days after starting a hunger strike in Asqalan Israeli prison, Palestinian detainees suspended their strike after reaching an agreement with the Prison Administration to move them to a section that has better living conditions. The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said the detainees will be resuming the hunger strike if …
imemc.org/article/108213/

UK Labour Party votes to stop arms trade with Israel, apply international law to trade, and support refugee return
patrick | bdsmovement.net | 2019-12-06
UK Labour Party votes to stop arms trade with Israel, apply international law to trade, and support refugee return: In the NewsAt the UK Labour party's annual conference, the party voted overwhelmingly for refugees right to return, to stop "any arms trade with Israel that is used in violation of the human rights of Palestinians" and to apply international law to UK trade wi…
bdsmovement.net/news/uk-labour-party-votes-stop-arms-trade-israel-apply-international-law-trade-and-support-refugee

Foreign Minister Denounces World Forum Art Exhibition Sabotage
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2019-12-06
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned, on Friday, the removal of the art exhibition hosted by the State of Palestine and Palestinian Human Rights Organization Al-Haq from the hallways of the World Forum, the Palestinian News and Info Agency reported. Late on the evening of December 04, …
imemc.org/article/foreign-minister-denounces-world-forum-art-exhibition-sabotage/

'Fleeing Not Migrating'
James Goodman | commondreams.org | 2019-12-06
A river at risk of drying up near the agricultural village of Guapinol, Honduras. The phrase "Cuidemos los bosques," painted onto a rock by villagers, translates to "Protect the forests." (Photo: Lawyers for Civil Rights) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2019/12/06/fleeing-not-migrating?cd-origin=rss

House Delivers on Restoring the Voting Rights Act; Now Senate Must Act
commondreams.org | 2019-12-06
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commondreams.org/newswire/2019/12/06/house-delivers-restoring-voting-rights-act-now-senate-must-act?cd-origin=rss

Common Cause Lauds Passage of Voting Rights Advancement Act, Urges Senate to Follow Suit
commondreams.org | 2019-12-06
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commondreams.org/newswire/2019/12/06/common-cause-lauds-passage-voting-rights-advancement-act-urges-senate-follow?cd-origin=rss

Rise in Caribbean children displaced by storms shows climate crisis is a child rights issue: UNICEF
news.un.org | 2019-12-06
The number of Caribbean children displaced by storms has risen approximately six-fold in the past five years, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reveals in a new report released on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1052901

House Vote to Restore Voting Rights Will Send Strong Message to U.S. Senators
commondreams.org | 2019-12-06
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commondreams.org/newswire/2019/12/06/house-vote-restore-voting-rights-will-send-strong-message-us-senators?cd-origin=rss

New Legislation Aims to End the "School to Confinement Pathway"
Alice Speri | theintercept.com | 2019-12-05
Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts introduced new legislation Thursday aimed at ending the "school to confinement pathway." The bill targets discriminatory and punitive school discipline policies that push black and brown students out of schools at disproportionately high rates, often directly into the criminal justice system. | The bill offers incentives to states and schools that commit to ban most suspensions and expulsions, as well as corporal punishment and the physical restraint of students. It also allots resources to the Education Department's Office of Civil Rights at a time when the Trump administrat…
theintercept.com/2019/12/05/criminalization-students-school-prison-pathway/

A Border Officer Told Me I Couldn't Opt Out of the Face Recognition Scan. They Were Wrong
Shaw Drake | aclu.org | 2019-12-05
"Look at the camera," a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) | officer told me as I approached the primary inspection point at the Paso del | Norte port of entry. | "Is that the face recognition technology?" I asked. "If so, I want to opt-out." | "Look at the camera." | "I want to opt-out." | "Look at the camera." | On the evening of November 25, 2019, I crossed from Mexico into the United States. Signs in the port noted the new use of face recognition technology and United States citizens' option to "undergo alternative procedures." After handing over my U.S. passport card, and despite my repeated protests…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/a-border-officer-told-me-i-couldnt-opt-out-of-the-face-recognition-scan-they-were-wrong

Donald Trump Keeps Navy SEALs Above the Law
Matthew Cole | theintercept.com | 2019-12-05
Rear Admiral Collin Green had a problem. Green, a Navy SEAL and commander of Naval Special Warfare, knew that his community — 3,000 active duty SEALs, their families, and the several thousand former and retired SEALs who make up their elite military tribe — was locked in a culture war over one notorious SEAL. What could he do about Eddie Gallagher? | Gallagher, a sniper and medic, was accused of stabbing an injured and unarmed ISIS detainee who may have been as young as 14 during a deployment in Mosul, Iraq, in 2017. The case had made headlines internationally, and Gallagher had won prominent support…
theintercept.com/2019/12/05/donald-trump-eddie-gallagher-navy-seals/

Aminatou Haidar Honored For Decades of Peaceful Resistance in Western Sahara, Africa's Last Colony
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-05
In Stockholm, Democracy Now! sat down with one of the winners of this year's Right Livelihood Award: Sahrawi human rights leader Aminatou Haidar. For over three decades, Haidar has led a peaceful campaign to resist the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, which is often called Africa's last colony. Morocco has occupied Western Sahara — a small region just south of Morocco in northwest Africa — since 1975. Thousands have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the occupation. Peaceful protesters, led by women, are routinely beaten in the streets. Despite this violent repress…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/5/aminatou_…

Rights for workers means no going soft on Hansonism
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-12-05
union rights Sam WainwrightIssue 1248 Australia Ensuring Integrity Bill ACTUDecember 5, 2019Supporters of workers' rights breathed a big sigh of relief when the Coalition's union-busting Fair Work (…
greenleft.org.au/content/rights-workers-means-no-going-soft-hansonism

Edward Snowden: If I Came Back to the U.S., I Would Likely Die in Prison for Telling the Truth
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-05
The Right Livelihood Awards celebrated their 40th anniversary Wednesday at the historic Cirkus Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, where more than a thousand people gathered to celebrate this year's four laureates: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg; Chinese women's rights lawyer Guo Jianmei, Brazilian indigenous leader Davi Kopenawa and the organization he co-founded, the Yanomami Hutukara Association; and Sahrawi human rights leader Aminatou Haidar, who has challenged the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara for decades. The Right Livelihood Award is known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." Over the past four deca…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/5/edward_sn…

Immigrant rights activists protest ICE detention at Sherburne County commissioners' meeting
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-12-04
Elk River, MN – Immigrant rights activists mobilized to the Sherburne County commissioners' meeting at 9: 00 in the morning Tuesday, December 3 in Elk River, a town of around 20,000 people an hour northwest of Minneapolis. They held signs throughout the meeting, and several of them spoke passionately during the public comment section of the agenda, appealing to the commissioners to stop participating in and profiting from immigrant detention in the Sherburne County Jail. | The Sherburne County Jail has a contract for 300 beds to detain immigrants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), making it the la…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/12/4/immigran…

Activists decry Minnesota investments in border militarization, climate destruction
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-12-04
St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) held its quarterly meeting at the State Capitol December 2 and got sharp criticism from immigrant rights and anti-war activists, as new documents revealed a nearly $1 million increase in investment in a controversial military technology company. Youth climate strikers also highlighted the SBI's inaction over state ties to environmental destruction. Both groups were met with vacillation and excuses from the board which is tasked with the responsible investment of public pensions and related funds. | At issue was Elbit Systems, an Israel-based manufacture…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/12/3/activist…

TIAR Countries Blacklist Top Venezuelan Officials as US Slaps New Sanctions
Lucas Koerner | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-12-04
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Venezuela of "hijacking" mass anti-neoliberal protests in "our own backyard."
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14737

Wednesday's Daily Brief: 2020 humanitarian plan, malaria latest, greener tourism, people key to SDGs, Fall Armyworm
news.un.org | 2019-12-04
A recap of Wednesday's stories: A record number of people will need humanitarian aid in 2020; WHO calls for more funding to protect women and children from malaria; the transport and tourism sectors are urged to tackle carbon emissions; a group of rights experts want to see more people helping make the SDGs a reality; Fall Armyworm pest sparks new global action plan; and how the UN is helping impoverished landlocked nations develop.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1052781

Seventeen Years After His Arrest, Alleged USS Cole Plotter Is Still Fighting to See Records of His CIA Torture
Alex Emmons | theintercept.com | 2019-12-04
Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri's lawyers say that details of his torture are essential to defending him against death penalty charges.
theintercept.com/2019/12/04/guantanamo-uss-cole-cia-torture/

"Alternative Nobel Prize:" Right Livelihood Award Celebrates 40 Years Honoring Grassroots Activists
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-04
The Right Livelihood Award is marking its 40th anniversary. The award was established in 1980 to honor and support those "offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us." It has since become known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." Over the past four decades, the award has been given to activists and grassroots leaders around the globe. A number of them have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This year's winners are: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg; Sahrawi human rights leader Aminatou Haidar, who has challenged the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara for decades; Chi…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/4/right_liv…

U.N. Report Finds Over 7 Million Children Worldwide Are Being Held in Various Kinds of Detention
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-04
A damning United Nations report says that 7 million children are deprived of their liberty worldwide, from children imprisoned on the U.S.-Mexico border to the missing children of ISIS fighters. The Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty says that at least 410,000 of those children are detained in jails and prisons, where violence is "endemic." The study also found that the number of children detained in the context of armed conflict has dramatically risen. The global study was published in November, on the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the landmark international treaty affi…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/4/un_report…

Tuesday's Daily Brief: climate crisis reports, renewal in Iraq, Zimbabwe's hunger crisis, Disabilities Day
news.un.org | 2019-12-03
A recap of Tuesday's stories: New climate change reports on human health and global warming; Zimbabwe's 'worst hunger crisis in a decade'; protests and civil unrest show 'renewed sense of patriotism' in Iraq; UN 'determined to lead by example' on disability rights.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1052681

Congress Must Act to Protect the Right to Vote
Sonia Gill | aclu.org | 2019-12-03
Update 12/06/19: The House passed the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would update the Voting Rights Act for the first time since it was last reauthorized in 2006. | Read the ACLU's report to Congress on the importance of restoring the Voting Rights Act. | This week, the House is expected to vote on H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019. The bill would help ensure racial barriers to voting are removed from elections across the country. Passing the VRAA will advance needed protections for people whose right to vote is under attack based…
aclu.org/news/voting-rights/congress-must-act-to-protect-the-right-to-vote

Meet Yetnebersh Nigussie: A Blind Ethiopian Lawyer Fighting for Global Disability Rights
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-03
December 3 is International Day of Persons With Disabilities. "Unfortunately, disability-based discrimination is still a global phenomenon," says Yetnebersh Nigussie, a lawyer and disability rights activist from Ethiopia who in 2017 received the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." Nigussie is the director for advocacy and rights at Light for the World and the former chair of the Ethiopian National Association of the Blind women's wing. She has been blind since the age of five. Yetnebersh Nigussie speaks with us in Stockholm. She is one of many former Right Livelihood Award recipie…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/3/internati…

Amid a Violent Crackdown, Bolivia's Coup Gov't is Trying to Convict Evo Morales of "Crimes Against Humanity"
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2019-12-02
The new Bolivian government's apparent grave concern for human rights when it comes to Morales may not ring true when judged against their actions in just three short weeks of rule.
mintpressnews.com/bolivia-coup-evo-morales-crimes-against-humanity/263133/

UN 'determined to lead by example' on disability rights: Guterres
news.un.org | 2019-12-02
The UN is determined to lead by example when it comes to the rights of people with disabilities, Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which falls on 3 December.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1052571

Venezuela's PDVSA Secures Temporary Lease Extension for Curacao Refinery
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-12-02
Despite the extension, refinery owners are looking to end the 34-year cooperation under pressure from US sanctions.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14736

The Sanctuary Strategy
James Goodman | progressive.org | 2019-12-01
Policies and activism that work to shelter undocumented immigrants have spread across the country–and are remarkably effective.
progressive.org/magazine/the-sanctuary-strategy-goodman/

Operation Condor 2.0: After Bolivia coup, Trump dubs Nicaragua 'national security threat' and targets Mexico
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2019-11-28
After presiding over a far-right coup in Bolivia, the US dubbed Nicaragua a "national security threat" and announced new sanctions,…
thegrayzone.com/2019/11/27/operation-condor-2-coup-trump-nicaragua-mexico/

US Vows to 'Reinforce' Sanctions, Accuses Venezuela and Cuba of Stirring Regional 'Strife'
Lucas Koerner | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-11-28
Elliott Abrams reiterated support for Guaido and denied that sanctions are damaging the Venezuelan economy.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14734

'This Was a Test Case to See How a Couple of Photos Could Silence Women' – CounterSpin interview with Mallory McMaster on Katie Hill
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2019-11-28
Janine Jackson interviewed reproductive rights advocate Mallory McMaster about Katie Hill for the November 22, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
fair.org/home/this-was-a-test-case-to-see-how-a-couple-of-photos-could-silence-women/

Vigil for West Papua
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-28
international solidarity Bernadette SmithIssue 1247 Australia West PapuaNovember 28, 2019Human rights activists are holding regular vigils outside the Indonesian Consulate in Sydney, calling for a United Nations-supervised referendum to allow the people of…
greenleft.org.au/content/vigil-west-papua

Argentina: abortion rights in sight
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-28
abortion rights Pip Hinman Rosana FanjulIssue 1247 Argentina reproductive rightsNovember 28, 2019Pro-choice campaigners are hopeful that Argentinian president-elect Alberto Fernández will…
greenleft.org.au/content/argentina-abortion-rights-sight

Animal testing saves profits, not lives
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-28
environment Doug Leith Mary MerkenichIssue 1247 Australia animal rights MelbourneNovember 28, 2019Melbourne Save Animals in Lab…
greenleft.org.au/content/animal-testing-saves-profits-not-lives

Arundhati Roy: It's Hard to Communicate the Scale and the Shape of This Shadow Taking India Over
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-11-28
Human rights groups are condemning the Indian government for carrying out widespread torture, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and other crimes in Kashmir after the region's special status was revoked in August. We speak to the acclaimed Indian author Arundhati Roy about the crackdown in Kashmir, rising authoritarianism in India and other issues.
www.democracynow.org/2019/11/28/arundhat…

"If I Could Just Look at Her"
Ashoka Mukpo | aclu.org | 2019-11-27
Watch the journey of two separated parents trying to cross the border and reunite with their children.: | " data-whitelisted="false" data-domain="www.youtube.com"> | In October, the Trump administration admitted that in a 12-month period, beginning in July 2017, it separated 4,370 immigrant children from their parents at the border. Since then, over 1,000 more have been separated under a dubious loophole that all…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/if-i-could-just-look-at-her

We're Grateful for the Constitution
David Cole | aclu.org | 2019-11-26
Thanksgiving is here: that time of year when we pause to take stock of all we're grateful for. At the ACLU, we're saying thanks for all the crucial wins from our legal teams — and for the Constitution. | In just the last few months, we've racked up many essential victories in the ongoing battle to protect civil liberties and civil rights. The scope of these victories is breathtaking: they span criminal justice, privacy, religious freedom, reproductive rights, due process for immigrants, racial justice, LGBTQ rights, and the right to protest the Keystone pipeline, among others. We've won crucial victories…
aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/were-grateful-for-the-constitution

Last Process: 50 Postees: 2019-12-08 21:09 GMT (16:09 EST)

2019-12-07: News Headlines

Mehdi Hasan (2019-12-07). Dear Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook Is an Engine of Anti-Muslim Hate the World Over. Don't You Care? theintercept.com What happened to the guy who told his Muslim employees in 2015 that he would "fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment"?

Stephen Lendman (2019-12-07). How the US Tortures. Report. globalresearch.ca Torture is a longstanding US policy, notably by the CIA and its henchmen. | The policy continues at secret global black sites under its new director Gina Haspel — earlier involved in running an offshore black site, notorious for torture during …

Ryan Cristián (2019-12-07). US Claims "Fresh Intelligence" Of Iran Attacks Yet Provides Zero Evidence — MSM Blindly Regurgitates. thelastamericanvagabond.com Here we go again with "fresh intelligence" to justify the continued sanctions and destabilization of Iran. It's a plan that has been well documented even by their own writings (See Which Path to Persia? — 2009). Of course, complicating U.S. foreign policy is the involvement of Israel. The Last American Vagabond covers the latest political posturing, distortion, and general …

orion the elder (2019-12-07). Basta fridayWeekly Save Chelsea from Torture and Death Vigil&Music. indybay.org Out side MacArthur and Fruitvale oakland ca 94602…

Art Persyko (2019-12-07). Celebrate Human Rights Day in S.F. at City Hall! indybay.org San Francisco City Hall east steps (address: 1 Carlton B Goodlett Place, which is the name of Polk Street on that block)…

news.un (2019-12-07). 'We all must step up' collective action on disability inclusion — UN deputy chief. news.un.org The international community has agreed truly ground-breaking frameworks to advance the rights of persons with disabilities, including in the context of development, but there remains a significant gap between these ambitions and the reality experienced daily by millions of persons with disabilities, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a conference in Doha on Saturday.

Staff (2019-12-07). House Passes "Historic" Bill to Restore and Expand Voting Rights. truthout.org Just one Republican—Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania—joined a united House Democratic caucus on Friday to pass what rights groups hailed as " historic" legislation to restore and expand voter protections that were gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013. | L…

RT (2019-12-07). 'We can make a deal together': Trump thanks Iran for 'very fair negotiation' that led to prisoner swap. rt.com In a reprieve from the usual bellicose rhetoric, President Donald Trump thanked the leaders of Iran for swapping an American prisoner with a detained Iranian scientist. Senior officials, however, told a different story. | Princeton scholar Xiyue Wang left Iran for the US on Saturday morning, while Iranian Scientist Massoud Soleimani returned to Tehran from America. Wang had been in Iranian custody since 2016 and was serving a ten-year term on espionage charges, while Soleimani was arrested in Chicago last year for sanctions violations and was awaiting trial. | The prisoner exchange came after weeks of negotiat…

RT (2019-12-07). Iran swaps American scholar tried on espionage charges for its scientist held by US. rt.com An Iranian scientist arrested in the US for violating sanctions and an American Princeton scholar held on espionage charges by the Islamic Republic each returned home as part of a prisoner swap between Tehran and Washington. | Both sides rejoiced at the return of their citizens earlier on Saturday, shortly after the news broke. "Glad that Professor Massoud Soleimani and Mr. Xiyue Wang will be joining their families shortly," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted. | The diplomat later posted a photo of him and Soleimani — a stem cell scientist detained in Chicago last year for trying to buy…

Robert Scheer (2019-12-06). The Plot to Discredit and Destroy Julian Assange. truthdig.com A day after dozens of doctors around the world released a statement about their mounting concerns regarding Julian Assange's health as he's detained in a British prison, Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer spoke with Tariq Ali, a renowned British journalist and co-editor of a recent collection of essays titled " In Defense of Julian Assange." To Scheer, Ali and the book's many contributors, the case agains…

Forrest Hylton (2019-12-06). Bolivia's Coup Government: a Far-Right Horror Show. counterpunch.org Since coming to power on November 12, Bolivia's right-wing coup government, led by interim president Jeanine Añez, has quickly consolidated power and achieved international legitimacy. So far, the Añez government has succeeded in calling elections for 2020; persecuting journalists, political opponents, and human rights activists; and, following two massacres of unarmed, mainly indigenous protesters that More

news.un (2019-12-06). UN rights chief 'extremely concerned' over deadly crackdown on protesters in Iran. news.un.org In the wake of recent protests in Iran, the top United Nations human rights official expressed alarm on Friday over multiple human rights violations which have reportedly taken place across the country.

Brett Wilkins (2019-12-06). The International Criminal Court (ICC) Holds Hearing on Afghanistan War Crimes, Including US Torture. globalresearch.ca The current hearing will examine allegations that US troops and intelligence operatives tortured, raped and abused Afghan prisoners between 2003 and 2004. | *** | The International Criminal Court (ICC) opened a three-day hearing in the The Hague, Netherlands on Wednesday at …

commondreams (2019-12-06). Stand Up America Applauds House Democrats For Passing Voting Rights Advancement Act. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Jacob G. Hornberger (2019-12-06). The Pentagon's Destruction of the Bill of Rights. globalresearch.ca It is supremely ironic that Pentagon officials take an oath to support and defend the Constitution because they intentionally destroyed the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the Constitution when they set up their "judicial" system at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In …

news.un (2019-12-06). Rise in Caribbean children displaced by storms shows climate crisis is a child rights issue: UNICEF. news.un.org The number of Caribbean children displaced by storms has risen approximately six-fold in the past five years, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reveals in a new report released on Friday.

IMEMC & Agencies (2019-12-06). Foreign Minister Denounces World Forum Art Exhibition Sabotage. imemc.org The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned, on Friday, the removal of the art exhibition hosted by the State of Palestine and Palestinian Human Rights Organization Al-Haq from the hallways of the World Forum, the Palestinian News and Info Agency reported. Late on the evening of December 04, …

commondreams (2019-12-06). House Vote to Restore Voting Rights Will Send Strong Message to U.S. Senators. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2019-12-06). House Delivers on Restoring the Voting Rights Act; Now Senate Must Act. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2019-12-06). Common Cause Lauds Passage of Voting Rights Advancement Act, Urges Senate to Follow Suit. commondreams.org ______________________________…

IMEMC News (2019-12-06). Palestinian Detainees In Asqalan Suspend Hunger Strike. imemc.org Three days after starting a hunger strike in Asqalan Israeli prison, Palestinian detainees suspended their strike after reaching an agreement with the Prison Administration to move them to a section that has better living conditions. The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said the detainees will be resuming the hunger strike if …

Joseph Thomas (2019-12-06). Asia Unites Against US Coup Attempt. Decades of US Meddling in Cambodia. globalresearch.ca The nations of Southeast Asia have united in efforts to prevent a US-backed coup aimed at fellow-Southeast Asian state Cambodia. | Through a combination of travel bans and detentions across the region in late October and early November, Southeast Asia may …

Stephen Lendman (2019-12-06). Trump's "Economic Terrorism" Directed against Venezuela and Bolivia. globalresearch.ca Trump regime economic terrorism on Venezuela includes multiple rounds of illegal sanctions and an embargo — war by other means. | Nations and media supporting hostile US actions against the Bolivarian Republic and other countries are complicit in its crimes against …

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-12-06). Trump-Led Shift Away From Multilateralism Risks Survival of Future Generations and Planet, Warn The Elders. commondreams.org World leaders working to promote peace, justice, and human rights warned that their mission and the joint goals of people around the world have been seriously impeded by a shift away from multilateralism in recent years, especially since President Donald Trump took office. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

patrick (2019-12-06). UK Labour Party votes to stop arms trade with Israel, apply international law to trade, and support refugee return. bdsmovement.net UK Labour Party votes to stop arms trade with Israel, apply international law to trade, and support refugee return: In the NewsAt the UK Labour party's annual conference, the party voted overwhelmingly for refugees right to return, to stop "any arms trade with Israel that is used in violation of the human rights of Palestinians" and to apply international law to UK trade wi…

Shaw Drake (2019-12-05). A Border Officer Told Me I Couldn't Opt Out of the Face Recognition Scan. They Were Wrong. aclu.org "Look at the camera," a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) | officer told me as I approached the primary inspection point at the Paso del | Norte port of entry. | "Is that the face recognition technology?" I asked. "If so, I want to opt-out." | "Look at the camera." | "I want to opt-out." | "Look at the camera." | On the evening of November 25, 2019, I crossed from Mexico into the United States. Signs in the port noted the new use of face recognition technology and United States citizens' option to "undergo alternative procedures." After handing over my U.S. passport card, and despite my repeated protests…

Alice Speri (2019-12-05). New Legislation Aims to End the "School to Confinement Pathway" theintercept.com Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts introduced new legislation Thursday aimed at ending the "school to confinement pathway." The bill targets discriminatory and punitive school discipline policies that push black and brown students out of schools at disproportionately high rates, often directly into the criminal justice system. | The bill offers incentives to states and schools that commit to ban most suspensions and expulsions, as well as corporal punishment and the physical restraint of students. It also allots resources to the Education Department's Office of Civil Rights at a time when the Trump administrat…

Matthew Cole (2019-12-05). Donald Trump Keeps Navy SEALs Above the Law. theintercept.com Rear Admiral Collin Green had a problem. Green, a Navy SEAL and commander of Naval Special Warfare, knew that his community — 3,000 active duty SEALs, their families, and the several thousand former and retired SEALs who make up their elite military tribe — was locked in a culture war over one notorious SEAL. What could he do about Eddie Gallagher? | Gallagher, a sniper and medic, had stabbed an injured and unarmed ISIS detainee who may have been as young as 14 during a deployment in Mosul, Iraq, in 2017. The case had made headlines internationally, and Gallagher had won prominent support from Preside…

Staff (2019-12-05). Aminatou Haidar Honored For Decades of Peaceful Resistance in Western Sahara, Africa's Last Colony. democracynow.org In Stockholm, Democracy Now! sat down with one of the winners of this year's Right Livelihood Award: Sahrawi human rights leader Aminatou Haidar. For over three decades, Haidar has led a peaceful campaign to resist the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, which is often called Africa's last colony. Morocco has occupied Western Sahara — a small region just south of Morocco in northwest Africa — since 1975. Thousands have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the occupation. Peaceful protesters, led by women, are routinely beaten in the streets. Despite this violent repress…

Staff (2019-12-05). Edward Snowden: If I Came Back to the U.S., I Would Likely Die in Prison for Telling the Truth. democracynow.org The Right Livelihood Awards celebrated their 40th anniversary Wednesday at the historic Cirkus Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, where more than a thousand people gathered to celebrate this year's four laureates: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg; Chinese women's rights lawyer Guo Jianmei, Brazilian indigenous leader Davi Kopenawa and the organization he co-founded, the Yanomami Hutukara Association; and Sahrawi human rights leader Aminatou Haidar, who has challenged the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara for decades. The Right Livelihood Award is known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." Over the past four deca…

pip.hinman (2019-12-05). Rights for workers means no going soft on Hansonism. greenleft.org.au union rights Sam WainwrightIssue 1248 Australia Ensuring Integrity Bill ACTUDecember 5, 2019Supporters of workers' rights breathed a big sigh of relief when the Coalition's union-busting Fair Work (…

Fight Back (2019-12-04). Immigrant rights activists protest ICE detention at Sherburne County commissioners' meeting. fightbacknews.org Elk River, MN – Immigrant rights activists mobilized to the Sherburne County commissioners' meeting at 9: 00 in the morning Tuesday, December 3 in Elk River, a town of around 20,000 people an hour northwest of Minneapolis. They held signs throughout the meeting, and several of them spoke passionately during the public comment section of the agenda, appealing to the commissioners to stop participating in and profiting from immigrant detention in the Sherburne County Jail. | The Sherburne County Jail has a contract for 300 beds to detain immigrants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), making it the la…

Fight Back (2019-12-04). Activists decry Minnesota investments in border militarization, climate destruction. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) held its quarterly meeting at the State Capitol December 2 and got sharp criticism from immigrant rights and anti-war activists, as new documents revealed a nearly $1 million increase in investment in a controversial military technology company. Youth climate strikers also highlighted the SBI's inaction over state ties to environmental destruction. Both groups were met with vacillation and excuses from the board which is tasked with the responsible investment of public pensions and related funds. | At issue was Elbit Systems, an Israel-based manufacture…

Lucas Koerner (2019-12-04). TIAR Countries Blacklist Top Venezuelan Officials as US Slaps New Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Venezuela of "hijacking" mass anti-neoliberal protests in "our own backyard."

Alex Emmons (2019-12-04). Seventeen Years After His Arrest, Alleged USS Cole Plotter Is Still Fighting to See Records of His CIA Torture. theintercept.com Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri's lawyers say that details of his torture are essential to defending him against death penalty charges.

news.un (2019-12-04). Wednesday's Daily Brief: 2020 humanitarian plan, malaria latest, greener tourism, people key to SDGs, Fall Armyworm. news.un.org A recap of Wednesday's stories: A record number of people will need humanitarian aid in 2020; WHO calls for more funding to protect women and children from malaria; the transport and tourism sectors are urged to tackle carbon emissions; a group of rights experts want to see more people helping make the SDGs a reality; Fall Armyworm pest sparks new global action plan; and how the UN is helping impoverished landlocked nations develop.

Staff (2019-12-04). "Alternative Nobel Prize:" Right Livelihood Award Celebrates 40 Years Honoring Grassroots Activists. democracynow.org The Right Livelihood Award is marking its 40th anniversary. The award was established in 1980 to honor and support those "offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us." It has since become known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." Over the past four decades, the award has been given to activists and grassroots leaders around the globe. A number of them have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This year's winners are: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg; Sahrawi human rights leader Aminatou Haidar, who has challenged the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara for decades; Chi…

Staff (2019-12-04). U.N. Report Finds Over 7 Million Children Worldwide Are Being Held in Various Kinds of Detention. democracynow.org A damning United Nations report says that 7 million children are deprived of their liberty worldwide, from children imprisoned on the U.S.-Mexico border to the missing children of ISIS fighters. The Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty says that at least 410,000 of those children are detained in jails and prisons, where violence is "endemic." The study also found that the number of children detained in the context of armed conflict has dramatically risen. The global study was published in November, on the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the landmark international treaty affi…

Staff (2019-12-04). Headlines for December 4, 2019. democracynow.org House Impeachment Report Accuses Trump of Soliciting Foreign Interference in 2020 Election, Report: Europe Could Face Annual Extreme Heat Waves Due to Climate Change, Kamala Harris Ends Her 2020 Presidential Campaign, ProPublica: McKinsey Helped Trump Speed Up Mass Deportation Program, Detained Asylum Seekers Protest in Winnfield, Louisiana, House Votes for Bill to Punish China over Mass Imprisonment of Muslims, ICC Begins Hearing over Alleged U.S. Military Torture in Afghanistan, Rikers Island Officers Stood By as Teenager Attempted to Hang Himself, Today Marks 50th Anniversary of Assassination of Fred Hampton…

news.un (2019-12-03). Tuesday's Daily Brief: climate crisis reports, renewal in Iraq, Zimbabwe's hunger crisis, Disabilities Day. news.un.org A recap of Tuesday's stories: New climate change reports on human health and global warming; Zimbabwe's 'worst hunger crisis in a decade'; protests and civil unrest show 'renewed sense of patriotism' in Iraq; UN 'determined to lead by example' on disability rights.

Sonia Gill (2019-12-03). Congress Must Act to Protect the Right to Vote. aclu.org Update 12/06/19: The House passed the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would update the Voting Rights Act for the first time since it was last reauthorized in 2006. | Read the ACLU's report to Congress on the importance of restoring the Voting Rights Act. | This week, the House is expected to vote on H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019. The bill would help ensure racial barriers to voting are removed from elections across the country. Passing the VRAA will advance needed protections for people whose right to vote is under attack based…

Staff (2019-12-03). Meet Yetnebersh Nigussie: A Blind Ethiopian Lawyer Fighting for Global Disability Rights. democracynow.org December 3 is International Day of Persons With Disabilities. "Unfortunately, disability-based discrimination is still a global phenomenon," says Yetnebersh Nigussie, a lawyer and disability rights activist from Ethiopia who in 2017 received the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." Nigussie is the director for advocacy and rights at Light for the World and the former chair of the Ethiopian National Association of the Blind women's wing. She has been blind since the age of five. Yetnebersh Nigussie speaks with us in Stockholm. She is one of many former Right Livelihood Award recipie…

Paul Dobson (2019-12-02). Venezuela's PDVSA Secures Temporary Lease Extension for Curacao Refinery. venezuelanalysis.com Despite the extension, refinery owners are looking to end the 34-year cooperation under pressure from US sanctions.

Alan Macleod (2019-12-02). Amid a Violent Crackdown, Bolivia's Coup Gov't is Trying to Convict Evo Morales of "Crimes Against Humanity" mintpressnews.com The new Bolivian government's apparent grave concern for human rights when it comes to Morales may not ring true when judged against their actions in just three short weeks of rule.

news.un (2019-12-02). UN 'determined to lead by example' on disability rights: Guterres. news.un.org The UN is determined to lead by example when it comes to the rights of people with disabilities, Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which falls on 3 December.

James Goodman (2019-12-01). The Sanctuary Strategy. progressive.org Policies and activism that work to shelter undocumented immigrants have spread across the country—and are remarkably effective.

Janine Jackson (2019-11-28). 'This Was a Test Case to See How a Couple of Photos Could Silence Women' – CounterSpin interview with Mallory McMaster on Katie Hill. fair.org Janine Jackson interviewed reproductive rights advocate Mallory McMaster about Katie Hill for the November 22, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…

Ben Norton (2019-11-28). Operation Condor 2.0: After Bolivia coup, Trump dubs Nicaragua 'national security threat' and targets Mexico. thegrayzone.com After presiding over a far-right coup in Bolivia, the US dubbed Nicaragua a "national security threat" and announced new sanctions,…

Lucas Koerner (2019-11-28). US Vows to 'Reinforce' Sanctions, Accuses Venezuela and Cuba of Stirring Regional 'Strife'. venezuelanalysis.com Elliott Abrams reiterated support for Guaido and denied that sanctions are damaging the Venezuelan economy.

Staff (2019-11-28). Arundhati Roy: It's Hard to Communicate the Scale and the Shape of This Shadow Taking India Over. democracynow.org Human rights groups are condemning the Indian government for carrying out widespread torture, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and other crimes in Kashmir after the region's special status was revoked in August. We speak to the acclaimed Indian author Arundhati Roy about the crackdown in Kashmir, rising authoritarianism in India and other issues.

Last Process: 50 Citations: 2019-12-07 21:50 GMT (16:50 EST)