THIS IS WHAT PRIVILEGE LOOKS LIKE

While this message has been done several different ways, this clip does a pretty good job of explaining the concept of privilege.

- Mark

AMERICAN MIGRANT STORIES, PREMIERES AT CSU, BAKERSFIELD, OCTOBER 19, 2017

This coming Thursday evening (October 19), beginning at 6 pm, we will premiere the documentary "American Migrant Stories" at California State University, Bakersfield's Walter W. Stiern Library.

We started working on this documentary almost immediately after Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2016 presidential election. Understanding that things were going to take a turn for the worse for America's migrant communities, about 26 attorneys from Bakersfield came together to put on a series of "legal clinics" designed specifically for Kern County's undocumented population.

The goal was to go to local communities across Kern County and advise the undocumented populations of their legal rights and responsibilities. The group of attorneys doing this work, without compensation of any type, is called the Immigration Justice Collaborative.

As the director of the Center for Social Justice I was able to secure a grant from The California Endowment, and hired a film crew from the Los Angeles area to document the legal clinics. During spring 2017 we determined that we should move beyond simply filming these legal clinics and decided to create a documentary on the broader issue of migration in America, while focusing on events in Kern County.

The film runs about 32 minutes. Light hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served at the showing. The event is time certain, and will start immediately at 6 pm.

- Mark

AIRPORT TERRORIST BOMB SCHEME FOILED IN ... OH, NEVER MIND. HE WAS WHITE.

From The Intercept, we get the following ...

This past Friday morning, at 12:39 a.m., security footage from the Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina showed a man walking through the front doors wearing black clothing and a black cap, while carrying a bag. “Based on a review of the video, the individual walked near the entrance to the terminal, went out of sight momentarily, and was then seen departing the area without the bag,” according to the criminal complaint.

With TSA agents following procedures, a bomb sniffing dog was brought in and alerted authorities. Explosives used in criminal activities around the world were found in the bag, along with nails and bullets. In a few words, the device was created to do maximum damage, and set to go off at 6 am that morning, when new travelers were scheduled to arrive for their morning flights.

So, why haven't you heard about this, especially given our endless terror-driven news cycle? The Intercepts Shaun King has a few thoughts on the topic.

The story didn’t go viral and Trump didn’t tweet about it because the bomb was not placed by an immigrant, or a Muslim, or a Mexican. It was placed there by a good ol’ white man, Michael Christopher Estes. Unlike the Las Vegas shooter, Stephen Paddock, whose motive is still hard to discern, Estes wanted to be very clear that his ultimate goal was to accelerate a war on American soil.

Think about it. Here you have a criminal terrorist act, designed to do maximum harm to innocent Americans, with the broader goal of instigating a domestic war scenario, and no one hears about it on the evening news. Donald Trump said nothing, which is strange since his terror instincts allowed him to see and speak about Muslims dancing in the streets of New York after 9/11.

What's more worrisome is that this event occurred (Oct. 6) after the Las Vegas shooting spree, when America's sensibilities about terrorism, violence and mass destruction were supposed to be heightened.

So, I guess we're back to "normal" now. The silence surrounding this case seems to make that clear.

Normalcy. In Trump's America. I know I feel safer.

Sigh ...

- Mark 

INTERESTING ... RUSSIA IS THE BIGGEST RECIPIENT OF FINANCIAL AID, FROM CHINA

Global financial aid comes in two forms. The first type of aid is tied development, and generally focuses on developing general programs, health projects, infrastructure, and other categories designed to assist state "development" goals. 

The second form of aid arrives in the shape of loans at market or near market rates, and is provided with the idea of developing resources that will be sold to the country providing aid. This is precisely the type of aid Russia is receiving from China.

According to Foreign Policy, Chinese foreign aid to Russia is almost exclusively for "commercial consideration" and "mostly about getting the thirsty Chinese economy access to Russia's huge reserves of oil."

Recipients of global financial aid from China (in red) ... Russia tops the list.

Between 2000 and 2014, Russia was the recipient of $36.6 billion in loans, grants, and other agreements from China (Pakistan is second with $24.3 billion). Over this same period, China provided some kind of financial assistance to 140 countries and territories. 

Total financial aid from China between 200 and 2014 was $354.3 billion, which places it just behind what the United States provided during the same period, $394.6 billion. Of this amount, North Korea "officially" received $272 million from China.

You can read the details by clicking here.

- Mark 

THE FACE OF STUPID ARROGANCE ... YEAH, IT'S A TRUMP SUPPORTER

This cracks me up every time I watch it ...

When you haven't done your homework, and don't really know what you're talking about, you get a look of stupid arrogance on your face when the facts are finally explained to you. Want to know what stupid arrogance looks like? Well, it's this guy, Brad Thomas, getting schooled on the economy and job growth by MSNBC's Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle ...

If you want a short overview of the real story on jobs, check out this CNN piece from January 2017. Below is the Obama jobs creation straight line (starting in March of 2009) Ali Velshi was talking about (0:47 into the clip) ...

For the extended 8 minute MSNBC clip click here.

- Mark

THE PLOT THICKENS ON RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

With most Americans consumed with the Trump-led "take a knee" nonsense in the NFL, and other drama-filled stories surrounding immigration, DACA, and the "Rocket Man" in North Korea, other stories that cut to the heart of America's deteriorating democratic experiment need to be kept on the front burner. Let's start with this ...

Not many know this but, by law, foreign nationals are prohibited from spending money to influence U.S. elections. With Donald Trump's razor thin margin of victories reaching 22,000 in Wisconsin, 10,700 in Michigan, and 47,750 in Pennsylvania, the story below is just one of several reasons why Americans of all political stripes should continue to follow the Russia-Trump investigation.

The Washington Post is reporting that Facebook sold ads to a Russian firm during the 2016 presidential election, specifically targeting U.S. voters. U.S. officials have traced these ads to a Kremlin-affiliated "troll farm," the International Research Agency (IRA). Operatives from the Russian-linked IRA then set up misleading and social media pages specifically designed to identify voters susceptible to propaganda.

The IRA ad purchasing process works much in the same way that advertising companies learn about your spending habits and personal likes, and then target you with ads and information on everything from jackets to shoes. The big difference here is that susceptible U.S. voters in 2016 didn't have a clue where the ads were coming from, or for what purpose.

By using the Facebook tool "Custom Audiences" IRA operators were able to send "susceptible" voters specific messages, with the goal of influencing their political behavior. For maximum effect, these ads touched on politically divisive and emotionally charged issues like gun rights, race and immigration (among others).

On September 28 Twitter told congressional investigators it had also been similarly targeted. Twitter also recently announced that it has shut down 201 accounts tied to the same troll farm.

Watch how the story unfolds here ...

While Facebook did not originally release their Russian ad information, in part because of "privacy concerns," on Oct. 2 they finally released copies of 3,000 ads bought by "Russian accounts."

As the story continues to unwind, you can bet that allegations of collusion between team Trump and the Russians will become even more politically charged. It's also helps explain why Trump is on his "fake news" March of Ridicule. What better way to cast doubt on the real story than to discredit the messenger(s) before they can tell the truth.

Stay tuned.

- Mark

FYI: The Horsey "Facespook" cartoon was added after the original post.

THE STORM THAT SWEPT MEXICO: THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION

A two hour documentary on "The Storm That Swept Mexico." A well researched film on our neighbors to the south...

- Mark

H.L. MENCKEN: "THE PLAIN FOLKS OF THE LAND WILL REACH THEIR HEART'S DESIRE ...."

- Mark

THE BIGGEST TERROR THREAT IN AMERICA

Vox has a nice review of mass shootings in America, titled "White American men are a bigger domestic terrorist threat than Muslim foreigners." 

The subtitle of the article brings home another point. Since Donald Trump took office, more Americans have been killed by white American men, with no connection to Islam, than by Muslim terrorists or foreigners.

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You can click here to access the article.

- Mark

FOUR SIMPLE REASONS WHY GUN CONTROL MAKES SENSE ... AND, YES, RONALD REAGAN AGREES WITH ME

I posted this over a year ago. Sadly, it still hasn't gone out of style.

Here are four simple reasons why we need common sense gun control, with some Ronald Reagan-inspired insights in numbers 2-4 ...

1. WE'RE NO LONGER BACKWOODS FRONTIERSMEN 
From Rolling Stone magazine we get one of the best reasons why we need to stop paying attention to the NRA terrorists who claim the 2nd amendment applies to modern weapons in the modern world ...

... the Second Amendment was written by slaveholders before we had electricity, much less the kind of weaponry that would-be murderers can buy today. But sure, if you think it's that precious, we can compromise: If you love the Second Amendment that much, feel free to live in a powdered wig and shit in a chamberpot while trying to survive off what you can kill with an 18th century musket. In exchange, let those of us living in this century pass some laws so we can feel safe going to class, or the movies, or anywhere without worrying that some maladjusted man will try to get his revenge by raining death on random strangers.

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To help buoy the point made here, let's take another look at this graphic example of how our world has changed ...

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2. REAGAN SUPPORTED AN ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN? 
Back in 1989 Ronald Reagan effectively called for a ban on assault weapons ...

3. REAGAN SUPPORTED GUN CONTROL TOO? 
With the support of the NRA, Governor Ronald Reagan repealed open carry laws in California when he signed the Mulford Act in 1967. To be sure, the law was aimed at the Black Panthers (you be the judge on that one), but the fact remains Ronald Reagan made it clear that gun control in America can happen. 

4. GOOD GUY WITH A GUN? 
Then we have the reality behind the "good guy with a gun" argument ...

Let's also keep this in mind: Since 9/11 white right-wing terrorists have killed twice as many Americans as radical Islamists. Why aren't we talking about this?  

Some afternoon reading; below are three good discussion articles that cover guns in America ...

Washington Post: "What 'arms' looked like when the 2nd Amendment was written."

Rolling Stone: "4 pro-gun arguments we're sick of hearing." 

Snopes: "Harvard Flaw Review: No, a Harvard University Study did not prove that areas with higher rates of gun ownership have lower crime rates." 

- Mark