Curated Links

From Posh to Poverty in SoMa

Brian K. Noe · January 13, 2015 ·

Sylvia takes a walk South of Market in San Francisco.

“Under the freeway was a line of shopping carts ballooning with black plastic garbage bags. And on a dirt embankment across the street I saw shapes of people hanging out, talking and smoking in what seemed like a convivial atmosphere, much like a street fair. A few blocks north, the scene completely changed as new million-dollar condos popped up, and their denizens and designer pets strolled the glittery streets.”

Read the full essay: Berkeley Blog: Air-to-Earth Bnb: From Posh to Poverty in SF’s SoMa.

March for “Shut Up, Slave”

Brian K. Noe · January 13, 2015 ·

Read This: One Student’s Epic Tweets Call Out the Biggest Hypocrites Marching for Free Speech In Paris – Mic.

Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie

Brian K. Noe · January 9, 2015 ·

Perhaps the best thing I have read on the murders in Paris (and their aftermath) – from Scott Long:

Nothing is quick, nothing is easy. No solidarity is secure. I support free speech. I oppose all censors. I abhor the killings. I mourn the dead. I am not Charlie.

Read the full essay: Why I am not Charlie | a paper bird.

About Peak Oil

Brian K. Noe · January 6, 2015 ·

Peak Oil Theory says that the rate of production worldwide may soon be in terminal decline, with dire consequences. It’s been called “the world’s biggest serious question.”

When will the peak happen? What will it mean to our lives?

Find out on Learnist.

What Is Peak Oil and Why Should I Care? | Learnist.

Is The U.S. A Racist Society?

Brian K. Noe · December 31, 2014 ·

Vlog Brother John talks about Racism in the United States: By the Numbers.

Peace On Earth

Brian K. Noe · December 18, 2014 ·

Rory Fanning, a former U.S. Army Ranger and author of the new book Worth Fighting For: An Army Ranger’s Journey Out of the Military and Across America, tells the remarkable story of hope amid the horror of the First World War: the Christmas Truce of 1914.

Read it here: When soldiers declared peace on earth | SocialistWorker.org.

The Assassination of Fred Hampton

Brian K. Noe · December 4, 2014 ·

Today marks the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Fred Hampton by the Chicago Police. Five years ago, on the fortieth anniversary, Democracy Now aired a retrospective.

On December 4th, 1969, Chicago police raided Fred Hampton’s apartment, shot and killed him in his bed. He was just twenty-one years old. Black Panther leader Mark Clark was also killed in the raid.

While authorities claimed the Panthers had opened fire on the police who were there to serve a search warrant for weapons, evidence later emerged that told a very different story: that the FBI, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office and the Chicago police conspired to assassinate Fred Hampton. Noam Chomsky has called Hampton’s killing “the gravest domestic crime of the Nixon administration.”

See the full report: “The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther” | Democracy Now!.

Understanding Ferguson

Brian K. Noe · November 26, 2014 ·

Here are some more links of interest concerning Ferguson.

Marcia Chalelain presents a crowdsourced syllabus about race, African American history, civil rights, and policing. How to Teach Kids About What’s Happening in Ferguson – The Atlantic.

“This is only the beginning, we’ll be back tomorrow.” Juan Thompson reports on what happened Monday night. “Burn This Shit Down”: Mayhem and Protests Engulf Ferguson – The Intercept.

Two experienced attorneys explain what, in their view, are serious flaws with the grand jury process in the Darren Wilson case. Legal Experts Explain Why The Ferguson Grand Jury Was Set Up For Failure | ThinkProgress.

From Socialist Worker: The president who has ordered bombs dropped on seven countries and whose administration has directly assisted in the militarization of police departments like Ferguson’s across the country says there is never an excuse for violence. The American way of violence and injustice | SocialistWorker.org.

From WSWS: The entire process through which the grand jury arrived at its decision is a legal fraud. The outcome is not the result of fair judicial proceedings, but political calculations. No indictment for Ferguson cop who killed Michael Brown – World Socialist Web Site.

My friend Rob Usdin writes on the psychology of riots and those of us who look on. Blue Jersey:: Ferguson – The Psychology of Riots and Poverty.

The Morning News presents links to a bunch of Ferguson-centric articles.

One of my favorite Christian writers, Ben Irwin, says he’s done praying for peace in Ferguson, so long as “peace,” on the lips of those of us still clinging to our unearned privilege, means peace for us and our kind.

Articles That Caught My Eye Today

Brian K. Noe · November 20, 2014 ·

“DOWN OUTRIGHT MURDER”: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE SHOOTING OF MICHAEL BROWN BY DARREN WILSON | Ryan Devereaux, The Intercept

A State-by-State Look at TANF | The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities

A generation jeopardized by obsession with testing | Wendy Lecker, The Stamford Advocate

WALL STREET IS TAKING OVER AMERICA’S PENSION PLANS | Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept

The war on giving | Jessica Hansen-Weaver, Socialist Worker

How Police Use Military Tactics to Quash Dissent | Aaron Cantú, Alternet

Wal-Mart’s Bottomless Greed: Dodging Billions in Taxes, Scheming to Avoid Billions More | Steven Rosenfeld, Alyssa Figueroa, Alternet

1% Rake In More Than Cost of All U.S. Social Programs

Brian K. Noe · November 5, 2014 ·

According to a report highlighted on Alternet, each year since the recession, America’s richest 1% have made more than the cost of all U.S. social programs.

The numbers are nearly unfathomable. Depending on the estimate, the 1% took in anywhere from $2.3 trillion to $5.7 trillion per year.

Even the smaller estimate is more than the combined total budgets for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the entire safety net for SNAP, WIC, Child Nutrition, Earned Income Tax Credit, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Housing.