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Connecting corona-virus & Star Wars

Listen to "Saying NO to the militarization of space" on Spreaker.

Karl Grossman & Bruce Gagnon connect corona-virus and spending on Star Wars during their weekly radio show on Sputnik's Loud & Clear program.

The regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe?

Hosts Brian Becker and John Kiriakou speak with Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.

The whole world is watching....

Inside the State legislative House building in Nashville, Tennessee. In the state of Georgia, one Republican member of the state legislature came to a session knowing he had virus symptoms and now the entire state legislature is on quarantine.  (Click on the photos for a better view. All photos from Washington Post.)

Drive-thru testing tent outside a Houston, Texas hospital.  One of the few in the country. The educated speculation is that the virus will be at least 10 times worse in the US than presently stated.  There are not enough hospital beds, medical staff, respirators, masks and more. 

Produce shopping in Caracas, Venezuela which is under strict U.S. sanctions.  But luckily these people have masks.  In Maine you couldn't find a mask if you wanted to.

Arrival at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, Russia

Inside an airport in Barcelona, Spain

Spraying down the ball room at the Kids Cinema in Bangkok, Thailand

The Grand Mosque in Mecca is usually packed with followers of Allah

Spraying a movie cinema in Thailand

And college spring break in Florida where the state responded very late by closing down bars.

“If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not gonna let it stop me from partying”: Spring breakers are still flocking to Miami, despite coronavirus warnings. https://t.co/KoYKI8zNDH pic.twitter.com/rfPfea1LrC

— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 18, 2020

What happens with virus in prisons?

By Noelle Hanrahan

Prisons are a breeding ground for these kinds of diseases and once it its it will spread like wildfire; we are anticipating a devastating infection rate.

Now is the time for Prison Abolition.  People are going to die if we do not decarcerate right now. That means prisoners and guards alike are affected.  Abolition has never been more necessary.

We are all connected.  Prison walls are an illusion, the create the false impression of separation.

Prisoners and guards are at much greater risk than the general population.

Our reaction to the pandemic must be equal to the danger.  It must also embody grace, dignity, and humanity.

Open the prison gates and bring people home.

We must:

•     Immediately bring all medically fragile and prisoners over sixty home.
•     Release everyone who has a release date in 2020 and 2021.
•     Release all people in federal immigration detention.
•     Expedite all parole eligible cases.
•     Eliminate bail. Let every single pre-trial detainee go.
•     Eliminate all unnecessary parole meetings.
•     Eliminate parole revocations for technical violations.
•     Lift all fees for calling family members.
•     Eliminate medical co-pays in prison.
•     Reduce the local and state prison population, by any and all, ordinary or extraordinary means.
•     Ensure single cells and sufficient medical beds.
•     Reduce admissions by eliminating biased police, prosecutorial, immigration and judicial practices.

Health care in prison is a human right.

There is no justifiable reason for exposing all of us, inside and outside, to a situation that will spread COVID-19 like wildfire.

The fall out of people not being able to go to work, not being able to afford medical care, or more likely being afraid to receive medical care due to the costs, is yet to be fully realized.

But amidst the chaos, the world could change overnight and be restructured for the better. This crisis is forcing government officials to come face to face with the problems of average Americans
- poor health insurance and unstable income.

This revolutionary force does not exempt our prison population. Experts have made it clear that it is not a question of whether COVID-19 will enter the prison, but when.  And with the prisons overcrowded and unsanitary, it will spread fast and nearly every prisoner and employee will be infected. Prison health care systems are not prepared to deal with this epidemic. People will die.  We must act now to prevent this catastrophe. Prisons are a breeding ground for these kinds of diseases and once it hits it will spread like wildfire; we are anticipating devastating infection rate. The poor sanitation, the lack of access to medical care, and the close proximity will exacerbate the problem. It puts not only the prisoners at risk, but the guards and other staff who work on the inside and subsequently their communities at home. A pandemic knows no prison walls.

So releasing people is the name of the game - we know that it's possible. The ACLU has already called for prisons and detention centers to release high risk inmates, the elderly and the sick, and has applauded an Ohio county court for ordering the release of hundreds of prisoners. Anything possible right now with this pandemic.

Noelle Hanrahan
Prison radio

John Pilger on the pandemic

 

Excellent update interview with Lisa Savage

www.lisaformaine.org

Best way to create jobs?

Latest Global Network video produced by board member Will Griffin

Another well done one.

Please help by liking it and sharing it widely

BIW criticized for offering only unpaid leave to workers

 
Maine Beacon

Early Monday morning, Bath Iron Works, one of the state’s biggest employers, issued a statement informing their nearly 6,000 workers in Maine [living in 16 counties across the state] that they could begin to take unpaid leave without fear of losing their jobs.

The announcement came on the heels of Governor Janet Mills signing a civil emergency proclamation on Sunday.

“BIW will continue operations, however, we understand the challenges coronavirus creates,” the shipyard posted on its Twitter account Monday. “Any employee wishing to take unpaid leave for the next 2 weeks can do so without penalty. We’ll issue call-in procedures today.”

The offer of unpaid leave made by BIW, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, the U.S.’s fifth-largest defense contractor, was immediately condemned on social media.

BIW’s parent company made $3.5 billion in 2019. The yard gets up to $3 million in tax breaks from the state and more from the City of Bath. And the best they can do is offer their workers *unpaid* leave?? #mepolitics pic.twitter.com/xoLMDhZA2S

— James Myall (@JamesxMyall) March 16, 2020

“Corporate greed and cold-heartedness at its finest,” Lisa Savage, an independent challenger to Senator Susan Collins, tweeted. “Better idea: your fat cat executives donate 2 weeks’ salary to keep paying workers who should STAY HOME immediately.”

Addendum:  During the 1918 influenza pandemic the two most explosive places in Maine were Bath, where the shipyard then on a war footing was not shut down, and Lewiston where greedy mill owners, who were also city selectmen, refused to shut down despite being asked to by the state.

Exposed lies: Then & Now

Conversation from overseas

From a Sunday conversation online with a friend living overseas

Friend: Looks like to me that the US is in collapse...social, spiritual, moral and economic....Hey, is it martial law there? Tell me about Trump and lack of gov response. Is it true Operation Defender 2020 was cancelled? Heard Germany and others pulling out.

Bruce: Not clear on that - a war game up in Norway was cancelled - but the Defender 2020 not certain - I think scaled back maybe - the US is reluctant I'm sure to cancel.  But I imagine that Europeans will likely pull back from it.

Friend: So, what about the situation across the US?

Bruce: Here things are disorganized - little to no testing - only 10,000 tests nationwide so far (as of March 15) while South Korea is doing 10,000 tests each day. Not at all ready for it.  They want to privatize some of the testing which likely means folks will have to pay to get tested.  All very typical for American capitalism.

Friend: I think the global elite, ala the ancient bloodline families are behind it all and going for the kill.

Bruce: It could be - they are sure going to hollow out the global economy and leave alot of folks hanging. We went to 2 Reny's stores yesterday - shelves stocked quite full - unlike Hannafords (corporate chain grocery).

Friend: Just reading the front pages of NYT and WaPo, sounds like all hell has broken lose there. No sports of any kind, no Broadway, no gatherings of more than 200, no school, no work, no airlines, no nothing....that's a total collapse of society

Bruce: Damn near right - not sure how much longer BIW can stay open though they will push those workers as long as they can - going to be interesting there. (See this article here updating the BIW story - workers are offered 2 weeks of unpaid leave.  Also Lisa Savage reaction is in the article.)

Friend: Can't believe those workers won't just stay home with all the panic.

Bruce: More and more of them are young - Peter's (retired BIW worker we know) generation are retiring - so the young folks likely think they are invincible or are desperate for the $$$.

Friend: Well, I can't see how BIW can stay open when everything is being shut down...What was your take on Trump and the gov's response?

Bruce: Feeble. It will be fascinating though to see how people respond - cause this is neo-feudalism, except you get to watch the fall live on big screen TV - until the cable company shuts off the service. Then all hell will break out.

Friend: You think they are gonna shut down cable and internet?

Bruce:  If they ain't making $$$ what are they gonna do?  People won't be able to pay their bills cause they are out of work - TV cable bill becomes next up to let go - then what is the corporate cable company gonna do?  Boom.  No more wrestling likely either on TV - that will piss off Trump's base.

Friend: I need your analysis and take on things....being asked to speak about this shit now.

A weaponized virus?

In this interview, the author of the US Biowarfare Act, Professor Francis Boyle uncovers four separate studies which he claims confirm as ‘smoking gun’ evidence the Wuhan Corona-virus known as COVID19 was in fact weaponized. 

Professor Boyle also discloses where he believes the true origin of the virus originated and the extent that the US government was involved.

See the comments under the video for many testimonials about the credibility of Francis Boyle - a long-time respected international law professor and peace activist.

Important video on Biden's debate parade of lies

Krystal Ball speaks to Biden's questionable relationship with the truth.

U.S. Army invades virus plagued Europe

In the midst of a staggering virus epidemic that has shut much of Europe down, the insane and arrogant United States is presently sending 30,000 Army troops throughout Europe for war games.

As the soldiers emerged from their transport planes they shook the hands of US and European military officials welcoming them to the hot bed of corona-virus.

Exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20 is the deployment of a division-size combat-credible force from the United States to Europe, the drawing of equipment and the movement of personnel and equipment across the theater to various training areas.

U.S.-based equipment will leave from ports in four states and arrive in six European countries. This will require the support of tens of thousands of service members and civilians in multiple nations.
U.S. service members will then spread out across the region to establish intermediate staging bases with multinational forces and participate in various annual exercises.

DEFENDER-Europe 20 is the largest deployment of U.S.-based forces to Europe for an exercise in the more than 25 years. 

Ostensibly this massive war game is to 'protect' the people of Europe from the exaggerated 'threat' from an attack by Russia.  Of course that is total nonsense.  The US-NATO are in fact threatening Russia and when these wars games are over much of the military hardware delivered there will be left in large new 'storage depot' bases located in Poland and other locations near Russian borders.

Of course the US will likely be 'leaving' and 'spreading' something much more dangerous during these exercises.  There is no way in hell that during this current pandemic many of these troops won't become 'carriers' of the virus.  What message is being sent to the people of Italy, Germany or France that they should lock themselves inside their homes while US troops play war throughout Europe?

Peace groups in Europe are now demanding that these provocative war games be cancelled but so far the US military is ignoring these legitimate concerns.

And what happens when these likely 'contaminated' troops return to the US - to be fanned out across this nation - bringing home the contagion that they carry inside their bursting patriotic chests which now are loaded with the virus?

When will the world begin to realize that the USA is not here to help you?

Update:   On March 13, 2020, the German Bundeswehr command announced a decision to withdraw from the NATO anti-Russian exercises Defender Europe 20 . Due to the spread of corona-virus, German troops will not be involved in maneuvers. The main training venue is training grounds in Poland and Germany. 

The departure of the Bundeswehr from the exercises of Defender Europe 20 means a stop on the entire supply line of military equipment and weapons for the exercises. According to the AFP news agency, the further transfer of American soldiers to exercises from the US through German airports has been stopped. This means the actual curtailment of the exercises.

U.S. European Command (EUCOM) announced that the number of U.S. troops participating in DEFENDER-Europe 20 was being cut back, although several U.S. units have already arrived and moved into position in NATO alliance states.

"In light of the current corona-virus outbreak, we will modify the exercise by reducing the number of U.S. participants," the EUCOM statement said. "Activities associated with the exercise will be adjusted accordingly, and we'll work closely with allies and partners to meet our highest priority training objectives."

As part of a modified war exercise, they expect that an armored brigade combat team already deployed to Europe will conduct gunnery and other combined training together with Allies.

In parallel, preparations for war games called Aurora 20 is continuing according to plan. Aurora 20 - the largest military exercise in years will include a debut of the Pentagon's Patriot missile system - is due to take place in Sweden from May 11 to June 7. Preparations already include transport of equipment and soldiers to Sweden. 

2nd Update: U.S. Commander in Europe, Lt. General Christoper Cavoli, may have been infected after attending a recent military conference in Wiesbaden, Germany.   Also, The top health advisor to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Brig. General Paul Friedrichs has also admitted that the number of COVID-19 cases among the Pentagon’s armed forces may be far higher than is being reported.

Bruce 

Message from the government

The government has made an ad about the Coronavirus and its surprisingly honest and informative.

Get TP here.....

If you can't find any TP at Walmart or at your local grocery, you can always try your luck at Chuck E. Cheese.

Hang on, it's going to be a wild ride......

Sunday song