THE HEADLINES

Cartoon from "Cake or Death" by Alex Baker

“WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO STOP THIS BLOODSHED.”

(UK Independent)

These words are uttered by the PM of Qatar, an Arab nation which helps to shed blood in anti-government “coalition” air strikes in Libya. As these strikes are now seen to be ineffective (or insufficiently intense) to stop government suppression of the rebellion, coalition leaders are now assembled to consider how to save the day for the rebel cause. With a UN embargo on arms transfer to Libya and with a UN mandate for military force only to “protect civilians,” world leaders are trying to figure a way to provide a patina of legitimacy to arming the rebels, without which the deposing of Gaddafi from power, an intention alternatively denied and admitted, seems to have little chance of success.

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IS S.T.A.R.T. ACTUALLY ABOUT TO START?

(Foreign Policy in Focus)

Two writers for Pax Christi, international organization devoted to world nuclear disarmament, find hopeful signs this may indeed be the case. While a treaty with this focus, START 2, “went into effect” last month, its implementation is still some distance away. NATO countries, with the notable exception of France, are generally quite willing to consider divesting themselves of these weapons of U.S. origin. The largest remaining contingencies seem to be the full cooperation of Russia, whose reciprocity of action is still considered a requisite for implementation; and the willingness of the Obama administration of follow up on its rhetoric of support for the aims of START.

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THE EXODUS OF BLACKS FROM AMERICAN CITIES; WHAT TO MAKE OF THAT TREND?

(Black Agenda Report)

This trend, well-documented in 2010 census report, tends to be “celebrated” by main stream media as a measure of “progress” for African-Americans. To the contrary, says Glen Ford, this roseate interpretation is blind to the reality that the “gentrification” of housing in U.S. cities is making living unaffordable not only to poor but also to middle class and unmarried persons. The MSM legend that so many blacks are moving to the south as a “re-unification” with their southern families begs the question “why now?” for this exodus. Cheering the fact that so many are moving to suburbs ignores the reality that ghetto-like conditions are being newly created on the near fringes of cities.

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UAW COLLABORATES WITH AUTO INDUSTRY TO CREATE JOBS IN THE INDUSTRY (AND PROFITS FOR COMPANIES, POVERTY FOR WORKERS.)

(World Socialist)

This is the perspective of World Socialist Website writer Jerry White, noting how the autoworkers union has cooperated with management in negotiating the “innovative labor agreements” mandated by the government bail-out to General Motors. The “innovation” takes the form of agreeing to slashes in employee benefits and trying to extend $14 per hour wages from new hires to the auto work force generally. Stung with an accusation of betrayal of working people, a UAW official says these measures are necessary to “create jobs” and that, if you don’t have a job, it’s meaningless to talk about benefits.

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BALANCE OUR CITY BUDGET? HOW ABOUT WE COLLECT ALL THOSE DAMNED UNPAID PARKING TICKETS?

(Gainesville Sun)

City of Gainesville Florida has mailed out the first 16,000 of nearly 40,000 parking tickets dating as far back as the 1990s, using a new “tracking system” that has turned up this number of unpaid tickets. The city has had the system available for 2 years, but was unable to deploy it til now because of a “software glitz.” Assuming no further “glitzes” (such as the unwillingness of people to pay up—assuming they are still alive and can be found—and a stressed system of law enforcement facilities), the city hopes to recover an additional $1.6 million in revenue.

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Quote of the day…

I feel sort of coerced into paying for fear they are going to suspend my driver’s license if I do not. How can you defend yourself when they wait 11 or 12 years and they can’t even give you the address?

Marla Esty of High Springs FL, as she prepares to pay two $18 tickets issued in nearby city of Gainesville for parking violations in 1999.

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