Black Agenda Radio for Week of Monday, November 20, 2017
Scapegoating Russia for War and Profit
The military-industrial complex depicts Russia as an implacable enemy of the U.S. “to justify our eternal war footing,” said Daniel Kovalik, professor of human rights at the University of Pittsburgh and author of The Plot to Scapegoat Russia. “The Democrats are also pushing it to cover their tracks for what appeared to be an impossible loss to Donald Trump.”
Haiti Police, Like the Old Army, Work for Uncle Sam
The U.S.-backed regime in Haiti plans to reactivate the national army, which was disbanded for terrorizing the population. The 15,000-strong national police force recently massacred a number of teachers and students, said Brooklyn-based radio host and Haitian community activist Dahoud Andre. “This police force was created by the United States and trained by Canada and the United States,” he said. “This is the means by which they are trying to determine the future of our country.”
Hundreds Prosecuted for Breaking the Same Window
Trial begins this week for some of the 214 people charged with conspiracy to riot during Donald Trump’s inauguration, in Washington, January 20th. “The prosecution’s theory is that, just by being there, you are engaging in a crime,” said Chip Gibbons, of Defending Rights and Dissent. “They actually charged 214 people with breaking the same window.” Scores of defendants face up to 61 years in prison.
Africa: A Continent Under Lockdown
“AFRICOM perpetuates the myth that Africa needs policing,” said Washington DC human rights activist Netfa Freeman, representing the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) at the national conference of the Black Is Back Coalition, at Howard University. “AFRICOM has to be seen in the same light as the militarization of our communities” here in the U.S.
Mumia’s New Book
The nation’s best known political prisoner, Mumia Abu Jamal, told supporters that his new book, Have Black Lives Ever Mattered? “reflects the people’s struggles in the invisible sectors of American society.”
Black Agenda Radio on the Progressive Radio Network is hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey. A new edition of the program airs every Monday at 11:am ET on PRN. Length: one hour.
The kafala system allows residents to bring workers into Lebanon, where they are often abused and overworked with no recourse to protection under labor laws.
Nigerian scholar Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí’s speech upon acceptance of the African Studies Association’s Distinguished Africanist Award offers an important reminder of the role of racist and sexist hie
The current crisis in Ukraine had its beginnings in 2014, when the U.S. allied itself with right wing, white supremacist forces to overthrow an elected government.
U.S. accusations of human rights abuses elsewhere ring hollow.
A KPFA reporter experienced violent encounters with police in Antioch, California and advocates on behalf of others.
