2019-02-23: News Headlines

Shared by Merula Furtado (2019-02-23). Does "Special Ed" Serve Students? Disability Activists Say No. truthout.org As a child born with cerebral palsy in the 1950s, Gail Cartenuto-Cohn had one option when she was old enough to go to school: enroll in an isolated public program specifically for kids with disabilities. There was no interaction with nondisabled kids, and there were just three classrooms: one for kindergarten through second grade, another for grades three through five, and a third for sixth through eighth. | Occupational therapy, as well as physical therapy and speech therapy, were provided on-site, and although Cartenuto-Cohn describes the education she received as better than adequate, when it was time for h…

Jonathan Cook (2019-02-23). Anti-semitism Is Cover for a Much Deeper Divide in Britain's Labour Party. globalresearch.ca The announcement by seven MPs from the UK Labour Party on Monday that they were breaking away and creating a new parliamentary faction marked the biggest internal upheaval in a British political party in nearly 40 years, when the SDP …

Earth Justice (2019-02-23). Northwest Tribes Respond to Canada's Continued Push for Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion. globalresearch.ca A Canadian federal agency today formally recommended approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion, a move strongly condemned by Coast Salish Tribes on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. | In November 2018, representatives from U.S. Coast Salish Tribes joined Canadian …

Tony Cartalucci (2019-02-23). US Defeat in Syria: The Wrong End of "Might Makes Right" globalresearch.ca With Damascus and its allies firmly in control of Syria and its future — the war having been decided on the ground rather than "politically" as envisioned by Western politicians, media, and policymakers — the US proxy war against Syria …

Shane Quinn (2019-02-23). Collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuban Revolution Survives Despite Widely Held Predictions. globalresearch.ca Following the USSR's official collapse over Christmas 1991, the CIA expected that within two years Cuba's Revolution would follow suit. A generation later socialism endures in Cuba while the Soviet Union, a state larger in size than America and Canada …

Arnold August (2019-02-23). Venezuela: A Unique Experience in Protagonist Democracy? globalresearch.ca The issue for us all is: No to military intervention in Venezuela and full support for the right of Venezuela to defend itself. | "Maduro declared in his February 4 Caracas speech: 'Not one Yaqui soldier will enter Venezuela.'" | Is Trump …

Nauman Sadiq (2019-02-23). Political Correctness and the Immigration Debate. globalresearch.ca There are two contrasting styles of debating an issue: those who prefer normative arguments, and those who choose descriptive line of reasoning. Most intellectuals nowadays adopt the former approach, but the truth unfortunately is generally bitter. | Let me admit at …

CAAT, Campaign Against Arms Trade (2019-02-23). German Government's "Right to Resist" UK Pressure on Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia. globalresearch.ca Campaign Against Arms Trade has welcomed the Germany Government's decision to continue its arms embargo against Saudi Arabia. The ban on arms sales was put in place in 2018, following the escalation of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the …

South Front (2019-02-23). Video: ISIS Cells Eliminated by Syrian Forces, US Drones over Syria, Iraq. globalresearch.ca The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) have finished their combing operation in the central Syrian desert, the NDF media center said in a statement. | According to the released statement, the SAA and the NDF eliminated …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2019-02-23). Turning Screws: China's Australian Coal Ban. globalresearch.ca Overly reliant economies are dangerously fragile things. As it takes two parties, often more, to play the game, the absence of interest, or its withdrawal by one, can spell doom. The Australian economy has been talked up — by Australian …

Kurt Nimmo (2019-02-23). Venezuela False Flag Underway? Washington's "Humanitarian" Regime Change Effort. globalresearch.ca As I write this, there is a false flag underway on the border of Venezuela and Brazil. | It looks like two people were killed and a dozen wounded after Venezuelan troops opened fire on locals. The confrontation is part of …

Shared by Anton Woronczuk (2019-02-23). Why Bay Area Tech Workers Should Support the Oakland Teachers. truthout.org As Bay Area tech workers and activists, we see clearly that the struggles faced by tech workers are fundamentally connected with those faced by the teachers who are on strike in Oakland. | When one section of the working class fights and wins, it raises the hopes and expectations for all working people. Now that the strike wave that swept through Virginia, Oklahoma, Colorado and Arizona is coming to Silicon Valley's own backyard, it's time for us to show up, support the…

Samantha Winslow (2019-02-23). 'People Are Starting to See That Winning Is Possible'. zcomm.org Denver Teachers Win, Oakland Next…

Shared by Anton Woronczuk (2019-02-23). Say Goodbye to Mitch McConnell's America. truthout.org We stand today upon the fulcrum of history, a crossroads at midnight with a blood moon rising. Down one road lies fire, flood, famine, failure and the final triumph of greed. What awaits down the other road is unknown, terra incognita, a mystery to be solved one gentle step at a time. As a species, we tend to recoil from what we do not know, often choosing the awful alternative simply because it is familiar. Now, even that poor option is a suicidal indulgence leading inexorably to our common doom. | Everyone, from leader to laborer, is a teacher delivering a simple lesson: how to be, or how not to be. We go to…

WSWS (2019-02-23). New York University students angry over police "cleanup" of homeless on campus. wsws.org NYU students expressed outrage over an NYPD "cleanup" of the homeless in front of the university's Silver Center building on February 6.

Murtaza Hussain (2019-02-23). French Muslims Grapple With a Republic That Codified Their Marginalization. theintercept.com Yasser Louati didn't usually permit his English students to leave class to make phone calls. On this January day in 2015, however, one asked with such urgency in her eyes that he nodded at her request and let her leave. A few minutes later, the woman walked back into the class, looking just as upset as she did when she left. As she took her seat, Yasser asked her if anything was wrong. | "There's a been a shooting at the Hypercacher," she said quietly, referring to the kosher supermarket chain located across the city in Paris's 20th arrondissement. | Louati's heart sank. All of Paris had been on edge for the past…

Labor Video Project (2019-02-23). Fighting Privatization & Union Busting Charters In Oakland OEA Strike On Day 2. indybay.org On the second day of the Oakland Education Association strike, thousands of teachers, service workers, parents and students rallied against charters and privatization. They marched to the office of Go Public charter school operation which is a laundering operation of the billionairs pushing charters and funding pro-privatization candidates.

Repost (2019-02-23). Support Oakland Teachers! For a General Strike to Defend Education! indybay.org The miserable state of public education in California, which is 43rd in the nation in per pupil spending, underscores the need for struggle against capitalism and the horrific levels of social inequality it creates.

WSWS Repost (2019-02-23). Teachers press for expansion of strike as union seeks to contain struggle. indybay.org To carry their struggle forward, Oakland teachers must turn out to the broader working class. A public appeal should be made to all workers.

WSWS Repost (2019-02-23). Powerful Support for Oakland Teachers' Strike. indybay.org The strike is the latest in a wave of walkouts by teachers, which began exactly a year ago in West Virginia. In every case, teachers are fighting over the same issues and facing the same enemies: decades of defunding, falling living standards, punitive evaluation schemes to scapegoat teachers, and a bipartisan drive to close public schools and expand for-profit charter schools.

WSWS Repost (2019-02-23). Oakland, California teachers walk out as unions sabotage West Virginia strike. indybay.org Oakland's teachers walkout began as unions sabotaged the two-day strike by 33,000 teachers and school employees in West Virginia. | The unions are not working class organizations, but instruments of the ruling class. | Oakland teachers must draw the sharpest lessons from these experiences if their struggle is not to be isolated and betrayed.

APTP (2019-02-23). Day Two of Oakland Teachers' Strike: Morning Picket and Rally at DeFremery Park. indybay.org Pickets continued across the city on Day Two of the Oakland teacher's strike. A mid-day rally was held at DeFremery Park, then a march to GO Public Schools to protest charter schools and privatization. Picket lines went back up before the end of the traditional school day.

WSWS (2019-02-23). Charleston, West Virginia residents support teachers fighting to defend public education. wsws.org The unions called off the West Virginia teachers strike amid a growing national strike wave and broad support in the working class.

WSWS (2019-02-23). As voting takes place, Denver teachers angry over tentative agreement. wsws.org The WSWS Teachers Newsletter urges teachers to reject the deal, which does not resolve any of the issues concerning poverty wages for teachers or the broader attack on public education.

Labor Video Project (2019-02-23). "When We Fight We Win!" Thousands Of Oakland OEA Teachers With SEIU 1021 Workers Strike. indybay.org Thousands of OEA members and SEIU 1021 members struck on February 21, 2019 and were joined by parents and students. They are fighting for living wages, decent conditions and against privatization.

WSWS (2019-02-23). For a unified struggle of Oakland students and teachers to defend public education! wsws.org The IYSSE supports and applauds the tens of thousands of teenage students in Oakland who have protested in solidarity with their striking teachers.

OEA (2019-02-23). Day One of Oakland Teachers' Strike: School Picket Lines & Message from Keith Brown. indybay.org Teachers and allies were out by 6: 30am on Day One, picketing in front of schools across Oakland. At at Manzanita Community School, teachers chanted: "Get up, get down, Oakland is a union town! Hey, hey, ho, ho, where did all the money go?"

APTP (2019-02-23). Day One of Oakland Teachers' Strike: Rally at City Hall. indybay.org Keith Brown, OEA president: "When we strike, we win!

WSWS (2019-02-23). Students speak out against closure of Oregon College of Art and Craft. wsws.org After years of deceit and backroom talks, the administration and Board of Trustees announced that they will close and sell-off OCAC by the end of the semester.

WSWS (2019-02-23). Oakland, California teachers press for expansion of strike as union seeks to contain struggle. wsws.org Despite its rhetoric, the OEA is working to isolate teachers from their class allies and prevent a broader struggle in defense of public education.

Upfront, KPFA (2019-02-23). Oakland Teachers on Strike: Stakeholder Voices on the Struggle. indybay.org Today, we bring you a full two hours on the Oakland teachers strike.

Labor Video Project (2019-02-23). 2019 Oakland OEA Strike Rally: Day One "We Shut It Down"! indybay.org Thousands of Oakland OEA teachers went on strike for living wages, for smaller classes with nurses and counselors and against privatization and the closure of public community schools…

Abby Martin (2019-02-22). Video: An Ocean of Lies on Venezuela. globalresearch.ca On the eve of another US war for oil, Abby Martin debunks the most repeated myths about Venezuela. | She uncovers how US sanctions are crimes against humanity with UN investigator and human rights Rapporteur Alfred De Zayas. | Watch the …

Felicity Arbuthnot (2019-02-22). 5G and Trump's Tweets — Ignorance, Greed, or Insanity? globalresearch.ca Dr. Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences, Washington State University. | Donald Trump's total disregard for humanity, fauna, flora, environment — and indeed a towering ignorance — is perhaps encapsulated …

Aaron Gray-Block (2019-02-22). School Strikes Take Off as Legacy From 'Grandfather of Climate Science'. commondreams.org London's school children go on strike and take to the streets to protest about climate change Feb 2019. (Photo: © Kristian Buus) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Peoples Dispatch (2019-02-22). Oakland teachers strike for higher wages and smaller classrooms. peoplesdispatch.org On Thursday, February 21, teachers in Oakland, California, went on strike, demanding significant pay rise, smaller classrooms sizes and student support from the Oakland Unified School District's (OUSD) management of Oakland public schools. The decision was taken on February 4, when 95% members of the Oakland Education Association (OEA) voted in favor of strike action. The OEA, which represents around 2,300 public school teachers, gave the call for strike after 18 months of unfruitful negotiations with the OUSD authorities. The demands include a 12% increase in wages, more nurses, counselors and support staff and…

Pavan Kulkarni (2019-02-22). Thousands of students and teachers come together on the streets to save education in India. peoplesdispatch.org Students and teachers joined hands as part of the two-day protest demonstration in New Delhi against the right-wing government's assault on the nation's educational sector…

Austyn Ross (2019-02-22). Student Activists Participate in NAACP Board Meeting. naacp.org Led by Tiffany Dena Loftin, former SGA president at University of California, Santa Cruz, over 20 students attended the NAACP Annual Board Meeting in New York City, February 14-16, 2019. Our NAACP Youth were heavily involved and took part in conversations including youth engagement in local issues and training for college and youth units. On Friday, …

Andreas C Chrysafis (2019-02-22). The Start of Homelessness in Cyprus. globalresearch.ca A Rachman-style landlord has decided to make homeless and evict over 100 of his tenants during the week of last Christmas from his rundown apartment building located in Nicosia. He has given the occupants eight-days notice to vacate the premises …

Anthony D. Romero (2019-02-22). Trump's Border Wall 'Emergency', Abuse of Power: We'll See You in Court, President Donald Trump. globalresearch.ca Donald Trump's emergency declaration is a blatant abuse of power in the service of his anti-immigrant agenda. No president has ever tried this before. | *** | President Donald Trump declared a "national emergency" on Friday to pay for his border …

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts (2019-02-22). If Truth Is Politicized, All Is Lost. Trump Grants Free Rein to the Crazed Neocons. globalresearch.ca Trump's surrender to the neoconservatives makes it impossible for an informed person to support him. He has signed off on the coup against democracy in Venezuela, and he has placed all life at risk by pulling out of the INF …

Dr. Gilbert Doctorow (2019-02-22). Putin on National Defense: Threats or a Bid to Negotiate on Arms Control? globalresearch.ca As he stated at the outset, Vladimir Putin's annual state of the nation address today before a joint session of the nation's bicameral legislature was devoted preponderantly to domestic policy. He was expanding on the practical implications for the …

Michael Klare (2019-02-22). War with China? It's Already Under Way. globalresearch.ca Introduction | by Tom Engelhardt | These days, the trade "war" between the Trump administration and China is regularly in the headlines and, sometimes, so are the bases the Chinese are building in the South China Sea, the ships the U.S. Navy …

Christopher Baum (2019-02-22). The Subways in New York City Should be Free. globalresearch.ca Last month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio finally launched his eagerly anticipated Fair Fares program offering half-price transit fares for low-income New Yorkers — but the early reviews were decidedly mixed. | The first phase of the program will …

South Front (2019-02-22). Video: Why is the S-300 Air Defense System in Syria Not Being Used Against Israeli Aircraft. globalresearch.ca There has been considerable speculation in recent months concerning reasons why the S-300 air defense systems supplied to the Syrian Arab Army by the Russian Federation have yet to fire a shot in anger at Israeli aircraft encroaching on its …

Andrew Korybko (2019-02-22). Saudi Crown Prince MBS' Asia Tour Is Much More than a Post-Khashoggi Photo-Op. globalresearch.ca Many have dismissed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's Asia tour to Pakistan, India, and China as nothing more than a post-Khashoggi photo-op to shore up international support, but it's actually about much more than that because of its …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2019-02-22). The Candidate Rides Again: The Bernie Sanders Re-Run. globalresearch.ca He could not stay away, and few could blame him. Such political tendencies are nerves, conditions, diseases: eventually, we have to succumb to them. Bernie Sanders has announced his intention to run for the White House in 2020. It was …

Paul Dobson (2019-02-22). Venezuelan Military Reject Trump's Incitement to Rebel: 'Over Our Dead Bodies'. globalresearch.ca The government also announced a rival peace concert and plans to supply food and medical attention to poor Colombians as the border heats up. | *** | Venezuela's armed forces have responded angrily Tuesday to threats made against them by US President …

Andrew Korybko (2019-02-22). Iran's Turning into India's Proxy by Taunting and Threatening Pakistan? globalresearch.ca Major General Qassem Soleimani, the famed commander of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IGRC), proved that his country is increasingly turning into India's proxy after he taunted and threatened Pakistan, resulting in the Islamic Republic incredibly taking some …

Rick Nagin (2019-02-22). Union begins Ohio's first charter school strike. peoplesworld.org PARMA, Ohio — More than two dozen teachers, staff, parents and community supporters picketed Summit Academy in suburban Parma Feb 19 as a strike began for recognition of their union which is affiliated with the Ohio Federation of Teachers. It was the first strike at a charter school in state history. In high spirits, nearly …