Tag Archives: keith ellison

Charlottesville: Frontline/ProPublica Investigation Leads to Arrests

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This documentary concerns an investigation by a Frontline/ProPublica reporter into the Nazi and White Supremacist groups responsible for the Unite the Right riots in Charlottesville Virginia in 2017. There has been wide concern across the political spectrum that Charlottesville police stood by as hundreds of white supremacists punched, beat and kicked counter demonstrators – also that the police allowed perpetrators to walk away.

In all, Charlottesville police only made ten arrests.

Most of the footage concerns the Frontline/ProPublica investigation into individual white supremacists leaders who instigated the assault. Robert Rundo, whose image was captured in much of the Charlottesville video coverage, turns out to be a former gang member from Queens. Following a two year stint in prison for a gang assault, he moved to Orange County California, where he started the Rise Above Movement. The latter conducts regular training in street fighting to prepare for attacks on minorities and antifascists.

A second individual involved in the Charlottesville riot was found to hold a federal security clearance to work at Northup Grumman in Orange County.

A third was discovered to be on active duty in the Marines. The Front Line/ProPublica investigation uncovered evidence that Private First Class Pistoles has been active in the Nazi group Atomswaffen for years. The US military allegedly has a ban on membership in racist organizations.

The Marines initially took no action against Pistoles, even after Congressman Keith Ellison shared ProPublica’s evidence with Secretary of Defense James Mathis.

Once investigative journalist A.C. Thompson published his investigation online, nine additional perpetrators were indicted for hate crimes in Charlottesville and Orange County. Pistoles was court-martialed and dismissed from the Marines.

Bernie Sanders Introduces Robin Hood Tax

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bernie sanders

On May 19th presidential candidate Bernie Sanders joined with National Nurses United (NNU) and the US Students Association to announce his introduction of two Senate bills, the Robin Hood Tax and the College for All Act.

The Robin Hood Tax, a type of financial transaction tax, would enact a 0.5 percent tax on most stock transactions, and a lesser tax on bond and derivative trades. The Robin Hood Tax would raise about $300 billion per year. Sanders, NNU and the Students Association propose using these funds to provide free tuition at every public college and university in the United States and to slash interest rates on existing student loans.

The College for All Act would eliminate undergraduate tuition by requiring the federal government to cover 67% of college costs ($47 billion each year) and states to cover the remaining 33% ($23 billion). Sanders and NNU propose using the remaining funds to guarantee health coverage to all US residents by expanding Medicare. See Doctors Group Hails Medicare For All Bill

As of 2014,  40 million Americans had student loan debt. According to USA Today, US student loan debt amounts to more than  $1.2 trillion. (See Student Loans are Forever)

More than forty countries, including Britain, Germany and China, already have a financial transaction tax on risky financial transactions.

Minnesota representative Keith Ellison (Democratic Farmer Labor Party) has introduced a similar Robin Hood Tax bill HR1464 in the House.

photo credit: Bernie Sanders considers his reply via photopin (license)