(2020-12-29). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. counterpunch.org 
Serial lawbreaker Donald J. Trump is embarking on the most sordid presidential pardon spree in American history. He has already pardoned convicted crooks, thieves, and violent outlaws. Trump's pardon lawyers are frantically assembling more MAGA besotted individuals and groups to be pardoned wholesale. The number may climb into the hundreds. The queue is long. Trump
(2020-12-29). When Bolivians defeated US imperialism with democracy. peoplesdispatch.org 
[Peoples Dispatch brings you a series of articles and videos on 2020, a momentous year that saw humanity face unprecedented challenges. The beacon of hope remained the historic resistance mounted by people's movements, and the care and solidarity they epitomized, proving yet again that our collective struggles alone can dismantle and end oppression] | As 2019 ended, Bolivia faced the grim reality of life under a US-backed coup d'état, the advances of over a decade under threat. However, within a year, with their firm conviction and tireless resistance, millions of Bolivians defeated imperialism with democracy in…
(2020-12-29). 9-Year-Old Ali Kinani Was Among Victims of Killers Pardoned by Trump. truthout.org Note: This interview contains graphic descriptions of violent deaths. | Image Credit: Blackwater's Youngest Victim | President Trump's pardon of four former Blackwater contractors convicted for their role in a massacre in Baghdad has sparked outrage in Iraq. The Blackwater guards include Nicholas Slatten, who was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder for his role in the 2007 Nisoor Square massacre, when he and other Blackwater mercenaries opened fire with machine guns…
(2020-12-29). Loujain al-Hathloul convicted and sentenced to nearly 6 years in prison; may be released in March. peoplesdispatch.org A Saudi court dealing with terrorism cases sentenced Loujain al-Hathloul to five years and 8 months in prison. The court suspended a part of the term and also backdated the term due to which she may be released in March…
(2020-12-29). NGOs denounce holding Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia despite repression. laprensalatina.com Beirut, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and other associated NGOs on Tuesday criticized the decision to hold the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia for a second consecutive year, despite ongoing repression, including the recent jailing of a woman's rights activist. "A year later, the repression orchestrated by the Saudi authorities …
(2020-12-29). Biden Chooses Tom "Mr. Monsanto" Vilsack As Agriculture Secretary. popularresistance.org After weeks of rumors, President-elect Joe Biden confirmed last week that he has picked Tom Vilsack as his secretary of agriculture. Vilsack previously held the position under the Obama administration, from 2009 to 2017. This decision has disappointed many progressive Democrats who were hoping Biden's cabinet picks would include a more diverse coalition and signal a push to the left. Vilsack, on the contrary, is quite literally more of the same: a wealthy white man and establishment Democrat with countless corporate interests and an atrocious record on climate change and civil rights. | We should not be surprised…
(2020-12-29). A Feminist Blueprint for Saving Democracy in the U.S.—and Beyond. zcomm.org Feminists know that building transnational solidarity is often crucial when trying to counter domestic oppression…
(2020-12-29). Black Lives Matter and the Future of Humanity. zcomm.org Those of us organizing and theorizing need to see commonalities between movements and recognize we are in this for the long haul…
(2020-12-28). The Mythology of Fire Suppression. counterpunch.org 
The recent piece published in the December 22 Guardian titled: Heat, wind, and a cruel twist of Nature: inside Oregon's nightmarish wildfire season was, on the whole, a very good overview of events. The article's general thrust was how climate/weather conspired to create the perfect conditions for large-scale wildfire in Oregon's Cascade Range. Despite making
(2020-12-28). Saudi rights activist launches hunger strike over conditions at al-Hair prison. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi rights activist launches hunger strike over conditions at al-Hair prison | Former economics professor Mohammed Fahad al-Qahtani becomes latest political detainee to challenge conditions at notorious Saudi facility | Mon, 12/28/2020 – 13: 28 | Mohammed Fahad al-Qahtani, a Saudi professor and human rights activist, has been detained since 2012 (Screengrab/Twitter) | Jailed Saudi human rights activ…
(2020-12-28). Tuesday 12/29: COVID-19 Vaccine & the Black Community: Safety, Efficacy & Dispelling Fear. indybay.org Online via Zoom…
(2020-12-28). Bolivia: Cochabamba Farmers Request a Lawsuit Against Añez. telesurenglish.net The Six Federations of the Cochabamba Tropics (CTF) held an assembly to demand justice for the victims of the Sacaba and Senkata massacres, which were committed by the coup-born government led by Jeanine Añez in 2019. | RELATED: | Chaired by the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) leader Evo Morales, the CTF requested the activation of a lawsuit against Añez and other officials for crimes against humanity, including…
(2020-12-28). Corporate Dictatorship, Mass Incarceration, and Imperialism. dissidentvoice.org Settle your quarrels, come together, understand the reality of our situation, understand that fascism is already here, that people are already dying who could be saved, that generations more will live poor butchered half-lives if you fail to act. Do what must be done, discover your humanity and your love in revolution. — George Jackson, …
(2020-12-27). Israeli minister orders jails not to vaccinate Palestinian security prisoners. middleeasteye.net 
Israeli minister orders jails not to vaccinate Palestinian security prisoners | Order defies health ministry guidelines that prisoners should be part of second group of Israelis to be vaccinated | Sun, 12/27/2020 – 15: 26 | Public Security Minister Amir Ohana's statement did not single out Palestinian inmates, but there are no non-Palestinian security prisoners in Israel (AFP) | Israel's P…
(2020-12-27). What prisons are like during COVID lockdown: interview with a Pennsylvania incarcerated worker. workers.org 
Philadelphia Since the start of November 2020, more than 3,000 incarcerated workers and at least 1,200 guards and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC). Since last March, at least 58 people behind DOC bars have died from the pandemic, the majority of . . . |
(2020-12-27). A new chance to challenge murder conviction: court rejects 'evidence-free' effort to block Mumia appeal. workers.org 
By Dave Lindorff The following slightly edited article first appeared in ThisCantBEHappening.net on Dec. 22. Mumia Abu-Jamal, the prison journalist long known as the "voice of the voiceless" for his compelling writings and short audio tapes, moved a step closer to getting a chance for a reconsideration of his earliest . . . |
(2020-12-27). Relatives, Activists, and Attorneys Demand Justice for Andre' Hill, Unarmed Black Man Killed by Columbus Police. commondreams.org "Until we get justice for Andre' Hill, there won't be no peace in Columbus, there won't be no peace in Ohio, there won't be no peace in America," vowed civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump at a Saturday vigil. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/hill_1.jpg …
(2020-12-25). Demonstrators besiege California prison HQ: 'Mass releases now!'. workers.org 
Sacramento, Calif. Dec. 17 — Under the banner "From Balloons to Bullhorns," an angry group of protesters converged on the steps of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to demand mass releases of incarcerated people due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The vigil and rally organized by Sistas With Voices . . . |
(2020-12-25). Mumia Gets a New Chance to Challenge His Murder Conviction. counterpunch.org 
State Supreme Court rejects Faulkner Widow's 'Evidence-Free' Effort to Block Mumia Appeal Mumia Abu-Jamal, the prison journalist long known as the "voice of the voiceless" for his compelling writings and short audio tapes about life behind bars, moved a step closer to getting a chance for a reconsideration of his earliest appeal of his conviction
(2020-12-25). Infamous Napoleon-obsessed St Petersburg historian who shot & dismembered young lover sentenced to over 12 & a half years in jail. rt.com 
Distinguished Napoleonic-era scholar-turned-murderer Oleg Sokolov has been handed over twelve years behind bars after a guilty verdict in a St Petersburg court, for killing his much younger lover during a jealousy-infused quarrel. | The chilling murder story, which made headlines in Russia in November 2019, began with rescuers getting a call about an elderly man falling into the Moyka River in the historic center of Russia's second city. | He was retrieved from the freezing waters and rushed to hospital suffering from shock and hypothermia. But the emergency workers were then stunned to discover two severed fe…
(2020-12-25). Fatal Shore, the Sequel: the Fate of Australia's Refugees. counterpunch.org Dark irony There is a pitch-black irony about Australians imprisoning refugees on a foreign island. It makes you wonder what happened to the collective memories of the Fatal Shore. Yet island prisons, granted the Orwellian-bland name 'offshore processing' by successive Canberra governments, have been operating on and off for years. Of course, there are differences
(2020-12-25). Georgia's County Superior Court Rejects GOP Suit Seeking to Lock Ballot Boxes After Business Hours. sputniknews.com The lawsuit was supposed to ease GOP fears that local authorities would once again change the rules of voting just weeks before the election, which is to determine which party will control the Senate for the next two years.
(2020-12-24). Incarcerated People Should Get Priority Access to the COVID-19 Vaccine. It's the Smart and Human Thing to Do. aclu.org Governor Jared Polis of Colorado — otherwise a trailblazer when it comes to criminal legal reform — recently