“As far as can be determined from the available evidence, NO ONE DIED that night in Tiananmen Square.” What?! Who would make such a blatant propagandist claim? China’s communist party? Nope. It was Jay Mathews, who was Washington Post’s Beijing Bureau Chief in 1989. He wrote this for Columbia Journalism Review.

In fact, many western papers – including the New York Times and Washington Post – occasionally have reiterated this point, only to go back to the “massacre” story. For example, in June 13, 1989, NY Times reporter Nicholas Kristoff – who was in Beijing at that time – wrote, “State television has even shown film of students marching peacefully away from the [Tiananmen] square shortly after dawn as proof that they [protesters] were not slaughtered.” In that article, he also debunked an unidentified student protester who had claimed in a sensational article that Chinese soldiers with machine guns simply mowed down peaceful protesters in Tiananmen Square.

But did people die in China? Yes, about 200-300 people died in clashes in various parts of Beijing, around June 4 — and about half of those who died were soldiers and cops. A Wikileaks cable from July 1989 also reveals the eyewitness accounts of a Latin American diplomat and his wife: “They were able to enter and leave the [Tiananmen] square several times and were not harassed by troops. Remaining with students … until the final withdrawal, the diplomat said there were no mass shootings in the square or the monument.”

But what about the iconic “tank man”? Well, if you watch the whole video, you can see that the tanks stopped and let the tank man jump on the tank. He eventually walk away unharmed. In fact, there are almost no pictures or videos of soldiers actually shooting at or killing people (doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, but it’s a point to keep in mind). Propaganda involves not only exaggeration, but also omission. Western media rarely show pictures of tanks and military vehicles burned down or Chinese soldiers brutally killed by the Beijing protesters in 1989 […]

via Tiananmen Square Massacre – Facts, Fiction and Propaganda — World Affairs

New Hampshire is the latest state to file a lawsuit against Dupont and 3M and a number of other companies. The state is suing the companies over their responsibility for the drinking water contamination crisis, impacting millions of people across the US. The lawsuit was announced on Wednesday, May 29.

The lawsuit says that the contaminated water is the result of the manufacture and use of perfluorinated chemicals, a group of more than 4,000 compounds collectively known as PFAS.

The lawsuits say that the companies “failed to warn of the dangers of their products,” and they knew when the compounds were released into the environment they “would make groundwater and surface water unfit for drinking.”

PFAS are used to manufacture a number of products, especially anything meant to be heat resistant or non-stick. Most well known of the group of chemicals is PFOA, a perfluorinated chemical that is used to make Teflon non-stick coatings. PFOA is also used to make clothing waterproof.

PFOS, another kind of PFAS, is the main ingredient used in firefighting foam, have caused widespread contamination of water around military bases, airports, and training facilities for firefighters.

PFOS have been found in the groundwater or drinking water at 126 military bases so far.

PFAS are detectable in the blood of virtually everyone. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found PFOA in the blood of nearly every person tested.

Companies like DuPont and 3M knew about the negative health effects, but failed to warn the public.

Studies link elevated exposure to PFAS to cancer, infertility, and developmental delays. One study found that young men living close to a PFAS site in Veneto, Italy had smaller penises and lower sperm counts.

Lawsuits for people exposed to water contaminated by PFAS have come up in Colorado, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. A nationwide lawsuit was filed last year […]

via Dupont and 3M Knowingly Poisoned Drinking Water Across US, Lawsuits Says — ANARCHIMEDIA

 

Michael East, Red Revolution

Britian’s pro-Palestine and anti-socialist Labour purge has claimed yet another victim after National Executive Council member and Corbyn ally Peter Willsman was suspended frim the party for highlighting the fact that the “antisemitism” conspiracy theory is being pushed by far-right Israeli extremists and “indirectly” from the Israeli embassy.

The suspension was demanded by Tom Watson “over what he called an ‘antisemitic rant’”, a claim that once again attempts to portray criticism of the Israeli state and its actions as antisemitism.

The suspension comes days after Alastair Campbell was suspended from the party for voting for the Liberal Democrats and warnings were issued about a fresh threat from the neoliberal Blairite faction to Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. Warnings were given that there would be a response from the faction, with the likes of Charles Clarke and other hasbeen Blairites openly defying the authority of Corbyn.

“We have received a number of complaints, including from NEC members, about Peter Willsman’s latest comments, as reported on LBC this morning. I am writing to let you know that we took the decision earlier this morning to administratively suspend Peter, pending disciplinary action.” Labour NEC Statement

The claims of widespread antisemitism have long since been proven to be a fabrication, with those pushing the agenda known to be members of far-right Zionist and Islamophobic groups with links to the likes of the EDL and Tommy Robinson, a fact highlighted by Willsman when he is alleged to have called the smear campaign “total lies” that were “whipped up”.

“One of these things about anti-Semitism is they’re using that to whip people up, they use anything, any lies, it’s all total lies and they just whip it up. I’ll tell you, this is off the record. It’s almost certain who is behind all this anti-Semitism against Jeremy. Almost certainly, it was the Israeli embassy. Because they caught somebody in the in the Labour Party, it turns out they were an agent in the embassy. The people that are in the Labour Party doing it are people that are linked, one of them works indirectly for the Israeli embassy… my guess would be they’re the ones whipping it up all the time. Which is what they would do, isn’t it? Course they would.” Peter Willsman

Perhaps the Labour Party and Tom Watson might care to explain what part of the so-called “rant” is factually incorrect? unless of course, it is merely now criticism of Israeli embassy actions that are “antisemitic”?

Israel has openly admitted using such tactics in their propaganda war against critics […]

via Orwellian: Labour Suspend “antisemitic” Peter Willsman For Telling the Truth About Israel — Red Revolution Media

Dow Flails After ‘Devastating’ Beijing Bombshell Pummels Trump

Josiah Wilmoth  

By CCN: The Dow recoiled on Wednesday after China exposed its bombshell strategy to win the trade war by pressuring the Trump administration into capitulation.

DOW SLIPS INTO FREEFALL

All of Wall Street’s major indices lurched lower, as intensifying trade war fears thundered across the global market.

As of 10:39 am ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had plummeted 160.52 points or 0.63%, thrusting the DJIA down to 25,187.25. The S&P 500 dropped 14.04 points or 0.5% to 2,788.31, and the Nasdaq fell 38.18 points or 0.5% to 7,569.17.

BEIJING BOMBSHELL THROWS TRUMP ON HIS HEELS

Stocks plunged after Beijing revealed the ace up its sleeve in the rapidly escalating conflict with the United States: rare earths.

An editorial in the China’s People’s Daily – the Communist Party’s official newspaper – called for Beijing to drastically reduce exports of rare earths, which are vital to key industrial sectors including defense, energy, and automobile manufacturing.

Around 80% of all US rare earths imports come from China, and they’re crucial for producing everything from nuclear batteries to smartphones.

Jack Lifton, co-founder of Technology Metals Research LLC, told Bloomberg that China’s rare earths weaponization would deal the US – and Trump – a “devastating” blow.

“There is no such thing as an automobile sold in the U.S. or made in the U.S. that doesn’t have rare-earth permanent magnet motors somewhere in its assembly,” Lifton said. “It would be a tremendous hit to the consumer appliance industry and the automotive industry. That means washing machines, vacuum cleaners, cars. The list is endless.” […]

via Chinese Threaten To Withhold Rare Earth/Strategic Minerals, Sending Stock Market Into Nose-Dive

Michael East, Red Revolution

Alarming news from London suggests that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is “gravely ill” and has been admitted to the hospital wing of the high-security Belmarsh Prison.

Assange’s Swedish lawyer Per E. Samuelson has stated that “Assange is in such a bad shape that it is not possible to conduct a normal conversation with him”. Samuelson met with Assange for just under two hours on Friday at Belmarsh and was unable to engage in effective communication.

Due to the condition of his client, Samuelson requested a postponement to June 3 extradition hearing in Uppsala, Sweden. Yet, despite Assange’s condition, which is said to be “grave”, the request has been denied.

“I meant that it should be postponed until I had time to meet again and go through the issues in peace and quiet. I suggested no specific date and meant it should be postponed until everything was ready, but the district court has now decided that this won’t happen.” Per E. Samuelson

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has already declared that Assange’s sentence for breaching his bail conditions in the United Kingdom is “disproportionate” and stated that they are “concerned” over the situation, stating that they are concerned that his “treatment appears to contravene the principles of necessity and proportionality envisaged by human rights standards.”

Beyond the United Nations, Julian Assange’s mother Christine has raised the alarm about the ongoing treatment of her son, notably the lack of access to medical care and access to face-to-face meetings with his lawyer as he attempts to mount a defence prior to the moves for extradition […]

via Julian Assange Said to Be “Gravely Ill” in Belmarsh Prison’s Hospital Wing — Red Revolution Media.

By George Marlowe

Last Thursday, the US Army asked its followers in a tweet, “How has serving impacted you?” It was meant to be a routine Twitter post ahead of Memorial Day to draw responses which would glorify the United States Army and veterans who served as cannon fodder for the military. It did not go as planned and backfired spectacularly.

More than 10,000 people replied in response with an outpouring of antiwar sentiments detailing the horrors, crimes and ravages of war. Many of the comments are harrowing stories of lives completely undone, a portrait of an entire population scarred and destroyed by US militarism at home and abroad.

“Your impact is that you’re a death cult,” San declared bluntly on the US war machine in a typical response.

Credit: US Marines

Suicides, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), nightmares, depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety, alcoholism, drug addictions, eruptions of violence, sexual assault, marital breakdown, health issues from exposure to chemical weapons like Agent Orange, failures of the Veterans Administration, families and friends wrecked over multiple generations, and worse are some of the thousands of devastating stories detailed in these replies.

“Many of us are a shell of who we were before,” said one military veteran.

Shane spoke of veteran suicides and unending military deployments. “My best friend from high school,” he said, “was denied his mental health treatment and forced to return to a third tour in Iraq, despite having such deep trauma that he could barely function. He took a handful of sleeping pills and shot himself in the head two weeks before deploying.”

“I didn’t serve but my brother did,” Penny noted, recounting the tragedy that befell her family as a result. “He never went to war but still shot himself in the head. He was the sweetest most tender person I’ll ever know and the US Army ruined him.”

Veterans continue to kill themselves at alarming levels in the United States. More than 52 percent of military suicides occur among US Army veterans. A Veterans Administration study from 2016 showed that approximately 20 veterans die every day, or one every hour or so. According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), more than 5,500 veterans killed themselves in 2018.

Alice spoke of the generational traumas felt by the scars of past wars going back to World War II. “My grandfather fought in Burma with the U.S. Army in WWII,” Alice wrote. “He lived a long life and had 7 children. But as he got older the nightmares came. It broke my heart to hear him tell me with tears in his eyes that he was dreaming every night of all he had seen.”

Chanda spoke of similar traumas affecting whole families. “My uncle was US Airforce,” she said, “and he came home with PTSD that went untreated for almost 50 years and had an impact on his ability to be the family man he needed to be. Now, he’s suffering serious physical side effects from agent orange exposure. It’s affected my whole family.”

“The real take away,” Brett remarked on the Army’s tweet, “for the social media/marketing folks whose brilliant idea this was should be to stop selling and glorifying military service to underprivileged 18-year-olds while covering up the consequences and side effects.”

A U.S. Marine stands guard duty near a burning oil well in the Rumaila oil field, Iraq, April 2003, Credit: US Navy

Another commentator declared, “Soldiers are not your money-bought pawns. They are not random collateral. They are family. They are friends. Our mothers and fathers. Our sisters and brothers. Our aunts, uncles, and cousins. They are more than a serial number. Even if they don’t lose their lives, they lose themselves.”

“The US Army takes advantage of those stuck in unfortunate circumstances,” said another, “while the elite continue to profit off their ‘service’ and reap their benefits. My heart breaks for every veteran in this thread brave enough to speak their painful truths of this dystopian cult.”

The pervasiveness of antiwar sentiment is detailed in comments like the following as well: “My grandfather was drafted from Puerto Rico against his will and taken to Korea to fight a war for the USA and when he didn’t want to kill people that didn’t do anything to him he was thrown in jail” […]

via US ARMY Asks Stupid Question On Memorial Day…Gets Uniform Response of Shared Guilt and Regrets

On Saturday, Janine Africa, 63, and Janet Holloway Africa, 68, were released from the SCI Cambridge Springs prison in Pennsylvania.

The release of Janine and Janet follows the release last year of Debbie Sims Africa, who was also arrested in the 1978 siege. Janine and Janet were the last of four women in the group to be paroled or to die in prison. Merle Austin Africa, died in prison in March of 1998.

The group of African American black power and environmental campaigners were imprisoned after a police siege of their home in 1978.

The women lived in a communal house in Philadelphia. All members took the last name Africa to show they considered themselves a family.

The siege by the Philadelphia cops lasted several months. On 8 August 1978, cops stormed the property. In the melee, officer James Ramp was shot and killed with a single bullet.

The group has always said they were unarmed and that Ramp must have been shot and killed by other cops, the five men and four women were each sentenced to 30 years to life.

While the women were imprisoned on 13 May 1985, the Move group was attacked a second time. On this occasion, cops dropped a bomb from a helicopter […]

via Last of the Move 9 Women Freed After 40 Years in Jail — ANARCHIMEDIA

Los Angeles is quickly becoming America’s biggest disaster-zone, with rat-infested piles of trash fueling concerns about a new typhus epidemic.

According to a report by NBC Los Angeles, the city’s most notorious trash pile, located between downtown LA’s Fashion and Produce districts, continues to be a magnet for rats after it was cleaned up a few months ago.

Rat-infested piles of rotting garbage left uncollected by the city of Los Angeles, even after promises to clean it up, are fueling concerns about a new epidemic after last year’s record number of flea-borne typhus cases.

Information Liberation reports: Tucker Carlson has been chronicling the homeless epidemic in America over the past week […]

 

via NBC: Rotting Trash in LA Attracting Rats as Typhus Epidemic Looms — Nwo Report

Costa Rica is positioning itself to be the first country in the world to be totally free of single-use plastics and fossil fuels by 2021.

At his inauguration earlier this year, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada announced his initiative to ban fossil fuels and become the world’s first decarbonized society:

“Decarbonization is the great task of our generation and Costa Rica must be one of the first countries in the world to accomplish it, if not the first.”

While it may sound like a pipe dream, the country is already almost there.

Almost 99% of Costa Rica’s energy already comes renewable sources, such as rivers, volcanoes, geothermal, wind and solar power.

In 2017, the country ran on 100% renewable energy for 300 days straight.

Now, the government is focused on switching to all electric cars using incentives to make them as cheap as cars that run in gas.

“When we reach 200 years of independent life we will take Costa Rica forward and celebrate… that we’ve removed gasoline and diesel from our transportation,” the president said in his inauguration speech.

Along with coal and petroleum, the country aims to make single-use plastics a thing of the past.

Last year, the government announced its plan to eradicate all single-use plastics by 2021.

From then on, plastic has to be replaced by alternatives that are 100% recyclable or biodegradable and not petroleum-based.

Costa Rica has the technical and financial support of the United Nations Development Program to help accomplish the goal.

Economist Mónica Araya, a Costa Rican sustainability expert and director of Costa Rica Limpia,  goes into more detail in a Democracy Now interview.

via Costa Rica Set to Become First Plastic-Free, Carbon-Free Country by 2021 — Return to Now

May 24, 2019 Milwaukee / Photos: WI BOPM

via Milwaukee Climate Strike Participants Demand System Change Not Climate Change — Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement