Tidbits – Apr.24 – Reader Comments: Pope Francis’Message for Peace and Gaza; Rise of End Times Fascism; Trump’s Thirst for One-Man Rule; New McCarthyism; Webinars; 50 Years Since End of Vietnam War; Labor Can’t Fight MAGA, Without Fighting Racism;
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Pointing Out the Obvious -- Cartoon by Mike Luckovich
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Pope Francis is gone — but he didn’t stay silent. -- Cartoon and Commentary by Carlos Latuff
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Re: Pope Francis’ Easter Address Appealed for Gaza Cease-Fire (Mary Porter)
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Easter Messages of Pope Francis and Donald Trump -- Cartoon and Commentary by Rob Rogers
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Re: I’m a Jewish Israeli in the US Standing Up for Palestine. By Trump’s Logic, I’m a Terror Supporter (David S. Ginsburg MD; Bernard L)
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Re: The Rise of End Times Fascism (Robert Supansic)
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Re: It’s About One Thing: Trump’s Thirst for One-Man Rule (Natalia Kuzmyn)
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Standing Up For Truth... -- Cartoon by Adam Zyglis
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Re: The New McCarthyism Was Started by Liberals (Mike Lee; Al Ronzoni; Chris Tompkins)
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Re: Shawn Fain: We Need a Political Movement for Workers (Jeff Bollen)
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Holiday Hypocrisy -- Cartoon and Commentary by Nick Anderson
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Re: ‘Sinners’ Review: Ryan Coogler’s Brilliantly Staged, Subtext-Rich Vampire Movie (Judy Tate)
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Homeland Security Chief: ‘Who steals my purse steals trash’ -- Cartoon by Lalo Alcaraz
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Announcements:
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Webinar: "No Time for Caution: How Labor Should Meet this Moment" -- April 30 (The Kalmanovitz Initiative)
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Webinar - How Can Democrats Win Back Working-Class Voters? with Dino Guastella -- May 8 (Working-Class Studies Association)
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Labor Can't Fight MAGA, Without Fighting Racism -- New York City -- May 14 (The Left Labor Project and 1199 SEIU-United Health Care Workers East)
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Pointing Out the Obvious -- Cartoon by Mike Luckovich
Mike Luckovich
April 16, 2025
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Pope Francis is gone — but he didn’t stay silent. -- Cartoon and Commentary by Carlos Latuff
Pope Francis is gone — but he didn’t stay silent.
He called Gaza’s suffering “deplorable,” condemned Israel’s brutality, and asked the world to see the children of Gaza. May his legacy be a reminder: true faith means standing with the oppressed.
Carlos Latuff
April 21, 2025
Mondoweiss
Re: Pope Francis’ Easter Address Appealed for Gaza Cease-Fire
Pope Francis' final address is not being carried by US media.
Mary Porter
Posted on Portside's Facebook page
Easter Messages of Pope Francis and Donald Trump -- Cartoon and Commentary by Rob Rogers
Pope Francis passed away one day after greeting the Easter crowd outside the Vatican. It was also one day after meeting with J.D. Vance. Meanwhile, Trump celebrated Easter with a hate-filled social media rant against his critics.
Rob Rogers
April 22, 2025
TinyView
Zelnick, you're my hero! God bless you!!
David S. Ginsburg MD, FACP
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One sensible angel in the crowd.
Bernard L
Re: The Rise of End Times Fascism
[The following was written some weeks ago for publication in a local newspaper before I read Naomi Klein's article. Some ideas are just in the air.]
Really Bad Idea #8: Returning to the Dark Ages. Conservatives want to stop the clock. Reactionaries want to turn it back. Trump & Co. are reactionaries.
Once upon a time, a high stone wall was built around the entire country to keep the barbarians and barbarian goods out, creating the Trump Magic Kingdom® during the long reign of King Trump I. His subjects included a nobility of billionaires, lords, ladies, powerful clerics, barons in control of whatever markets they chose, and serfs, lots of serfs. All lost their citizenship and became subjects.
Soldiers manned the Kingdom's stone ramparts ready to sally forth to capture new territories – say, Greenland or Gaza – though King Trump preferred this be done by lawyers. He believed in negotiating with other monarchs through personal transactions that were, in his mind, a lot like card games – the way it was done in the Olden Times.
In the courts, quotes from the Bible crowded out those from the law. Women were set back to their Biblically-assigned roles as were the descendants of Ham. The government showered money on The One True Church – all except the Islamic ones, the hereditary enemy of Christendom. (But carefully: some Muslims were really rich and wanted real estate.) Wild-eyed scientists were driven from employment. Especially those who espoused heretical, unpopular doctrines, like using quarantines, masks, and vaccines during plagues. And those spreading fairy tales about the weather. Many indeed asked, what is this science crap, anyway?
The schools went back to teaching the three R's, the eternal verities and, for most, how to shoe horses. So-called students complaining about their student debt got what they deserved: stuck in lifetime, sharecropper, debt peonage. Libraries were purged of all texts that strayed from Judeo-Christian tradition, threatened economic stability, or made white people feel uneasy. And museums were cleared of all mementos of modern times. Town criers truly loyal to the King worked hard to keep the people from thinking. People didn't need to think because the lived in the world's greatest Trump Magic Kingdom® and never had it so good.
Some found the transition difficult, complaining about democracy and the Constitution of the Trump Magic Kingdom®. They were reminded that the Trump Magic Kingdom® was not a democracy, but a monarchical Republic in which the people elect their representatives and then their representatives do whatever they wanted. And if these grumblers didn't shut up, there always were the dungeons. Lots of dungeons, some rented from other countries to take care of the Trump Magic Kingdom® overflow.
Of course there were casualties: that was God's will. Folks, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are on their way to a neighborhood near you. The European Dark Ages (450-1000) are today nearly universally remembered as a nightmare.
Robert Supansic
Re: It’s About One Thing: Trump’s Thirst for One-Man Rule
"It's About One Thing: Trump's Thirst for One-Man Rule", by E.J. Dionne Jr., April 21, 2025
Since first seeking office, Trump has both feigned and craved billionaire status, always at the expense of others. This is not news. The term kleptocracy outlines, in part, the modus operandi, yet is inadequate to explain what America and the rest of us now temporarily endure. Trump's psychological symptoms, which exceed simple definition, must also account for erratic and malicious behavior that rival autocrats don't openly flaunt.
Remember that Trump raced into the #47 campaign to forestall multiple lawsuits and avoid possible jail time. Kleptocracy, to be sure, was made inevitable by the "SCOTUS Six" infamous ruling on presidential immunity. Had that temptation not been conferred, Trump's presumed license to careen towards one-man rule would have been almost laughable. Instead, he retained his get-out-of-jail-free card and installed loyalists across government departments to punish America for denying him the presidency in 2020.
Since the inauguration, the cruelest executive orders, Trump sanctioned DOGE cuts, and yo-yo tariffs have taken the breath of most Americans, many still unaware of his plans to accommodate $Trillions in future billionaire tax cuts within the expanded budget. To realize further savings, intentional appointments of stunning incompetence across the Cabinet were made, and chaos-by-design facilitate departmental failure for the rushed liquidation of vital government services. Such drastic dismantling signals enormous opportunity for presidential enrichment, with oligarchs awaiting Social Security or Medicaid to go up on the chopping block. After Hegseth runs the Defense Department into the ground, get ready for privatization under corporate armies like Academi, a restructured division of Blackwater.
Abroad, look to the one-sided Ukraine/US minerals deal, urged without any guarantee of protection from Russian forces. Who could benefit but Trump's billionaire campaign donors, Russia, and himself? Also shaken down, Viet Nam, by example of tariff avoidance, has promised the US a billion dollar Trump golf resort, in addition to purchases of US goods it really doesn't need, to meet # 47's terms for "trade balance". The potential for kickbacks and profit across the spectrum is unimaginable, from the pre-inauguration Trump cryptocurrencies scams to $Billions in pro-bono legal work, the grift is unfathomable. Then try, if you can, to undo the images of ripped off seniors and veterans, and millions of starving and diseased children overseas, whose subsistence food supplies have been severed so that Trump can appear to be a financial wizard, but instead squarely exposes him as a psychopath.
Once his current term is up, he will be still be subject to prior prosecutions, plus scores of others accumulated in the current term. To further thwart these, he intends to change the Constitution in hopes of securing another term or two, or else he will declare limitless marshal law, under some novel national emergency pretense, and cancel future elections.
All this madness has been to insulate himself with more money than Musk in order to avoid prison, because his every decision has been deserving of unrelenting prosecution. If allowed to revise the sacred protective laws of the Constitution, America is no more. But there will still be an enraged citizenry to defy his madness and affect a cure.
Respectfully,
Natalia Kuzmyn
Vancouver Island
Standing Up For Truth... -- Cartoon by Adam Zyglis
Adam Zyglis
April 23, 2025
The Buffalo News
Re: The New McCarthyism Was Started by Liberals
“Biden’s slander of pro-Palestinian activists helped splinter the Democratic coalition during the 2024 election, giving Trump a potent wedge issue. Once elected, Trump had ample grounds for attacking pro-Palestinian activists, knowing full well that Democratic Party leaders such as Senator Chuck Schumer would respond not with a full-throated defense of free speech but with mealy-mouthed equivocations.”
Mike Lee
Posted on Portside's Facebook page
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The old McCarthyism was started by liberals/Democrats too. It was Truman who demanded loyalty oaths from government employees and who knew the votes were there to override his veto of Taft-Hartley, which demanded the purging of Communists and Trotskyists from the ranks of labor union officials. Hell, if you want to go back even further, the first "Red Scare" was conducted under President Woodrow Wilson (or "Big Slick" Woody Wilson as the Green Corn rebels called him 🤣). Thousands were deported including the great writer, speaker and activist, Emma Goldman.
Al Ronzoni
Posted on Portside's Facebook page
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100% correct. Blinken and Biden are largely responsible for the election of Trump when they demonized or otherwise failed to protect the free speech of protesters calling for ceasefire and defunding of the IDF.
Chris Tompkins
Posted on Portside's Facebook page
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Because Biden had angered the Arab/Palestinian/Muslim community so much, it transferred to his hand picked successor, Harris, who did NOTHING to mend fences. Meanwhile Trump campaigned in mosques and Muslim community centers in MI. He promised nothing of course but, like with rust belt communities in 2016, at least he showed up, while Clinton was jetting cross county to hold Hollywood fundraisers with Katy Perry.
Al Ronzoni
Posted on Portside's Facebook page
Re: Shawn Fain: We Need a Political Movement for Workers
We tried organizing a Labor Party in the 90s after polling many workers we found all it did was divide democrats and allowed Republicans a better chance to win upcoming elections ! We need to resurrect the Democratic Party with working people and get rid of the damn corporate Democrats
Jeff Bollen,
President Emeritus UFCW Local1445 Eastern New England
Holiday Hypocrisy -- Cartoon and Commentary by Nick Anderson
I’ll never understand how some of the most strident Christians can turn around and behave in ways that Christ would have found abhorrent.
Nick Anderson
April 21, 2025
Pen Strokes
Re: ‘Sinners’ Review: Ryan Coogler’s Brilliantly Staged, Subtext-Rich Vampire Movie
(posting on Portside Culture)
That's a glowing review. So, why only 3.5 stars?
Judy Tate
Posted on Portside's Facebook page
Homeland Security Chief: ‘Who steals my purse steals trash’ -- Cartoon by Lalo Alcaraz
Lalo Alcaraz
April 22, 2025
https://www.pocho.com/
Responding to recent challenges raised by veteran organizer Stephen Lerner, we've brought together a panel of thinkers and activists to discuss how labor should meet this crisis.
Stephen Lerner | ACRE-BCG
Stephanie Luce | CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
Gabe Winant | The University of Chicago
William P. Jones | The University of Minnesota
Get ready for the event. Read Stephen Lerner's In These Times Article, "For Labor, Caution is Fatal"
Sponsored by In There Times, the Kalmanovitz Initiative as part of Labor Spring
AN INVITATION: 50 Years of Peace & Social Progress in Vietnam -- New York City -- May 3
As most of you know, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the American War in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. It is commonly referred to as the Vietnam War in the U.S.,,,
Join us for a commemoration on Saturday May 3rd, in New York City
Live streaming available over Zoom
1-4pm PT
3-6pm CT
4-7pm ET
At this event, we will:
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Commemorate the end of the war in the Southeast Asian countries of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
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Memorialize the massive loss of life and uplift the resilience of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian people in diaspora
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Uplift ongoing support from anti-war comrades and allies around the world and in the U.S.
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Watch Southeast Asian cultural performances
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Hear from movement leaders in the anti-war, labor rights, cultural organizing and immigrant justice movements
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Examine recent changes in US policy toward Vietnam, and explore how US people can offer solidarity
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Connect our current liberation movements to a greater Leftist history of resistance, including anti-war resistance in the 60s-70s
To learn more, visit the 50th anniversary event website.
All tickets are pay-what-you-can, including free admission. Your ticket *automatically* registers you for the Zoom webinar, to watch the event's live-stream.
Any donations are deeply appreciated. Your generosity helps cover the costs of:
~ Renting the venue
~ Snacks and refreshments
~ Banners and program pamphlets
~ Fees from our ticket vendor
~ Hiring a photographer
~ Audio and video equipment rentals
~ Contractors and staff labor
Funds raised in excess of event costs will be donated to the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin.
This 50th Anniversary Commemoration has made possible through the shared effort of our Host Committee, which consists of the following members (in alphabetical order): Neffetti Larkin, Duong Nghe Ly, Ngo Thanh Nhan, Franklin Siegel, Kim To, Ani Toncheva, Claire Tran, Jae Tran, Juliet Ucelli, and Anlin Wang.
The organization Viet Left Power (VLP) is proud to serve as sponsor for this event. VLP is a fiscally sponsored project of the Center for Empowered Politics Education Fund, a nonprofit organization incorporated under IRC Section 501(c)(3), tax identification number 84-3636499. All donations and ticket sales will be donated directly to Viet Left Power, to cover the event costs.
Want to help sustain Viet Left Power and our work? Donate here.
Labor leader Dino Guastella has insights into why the Democratic Party has lost so much working-class support, and what would turn the tide.
Thursday, May 8 · 7 - 8:30pm EDT
What's up with US working-class politics after the 2024 election? What can Democrats do to restore their working-class base? And why haven't they?
Dustin "Dino" Guastella has answers to those questions that you may or may not agree with. Join the discussion with hosts Betsy Leondar-Wright and Jack Metzgar at our next Talking Class webinar.
Guastella is director of operations at Teamsters Local 623 in Philadelphia and a research associate at the Center for Working-Class Politics. You can read his posts on Jacobin and his Substack.
The Left Labor Project and 1199 SEIU-United Health Care Workers East, are co-sponsoring a forum entitled "Labor Can't Fight MAGA, Without Fighting Racism".
Keynote speaker will be former SEIU Executive V.P. Gerald Hudson, with panelists Hae-Lin Choi, Area Director, Legislative & Political Department, Communications Workers of America,District1; and Christopher Dols, President, Federal Union Network.
The event will be on Wednesday May 14 at 6:30 at the 1199 auditorium 498 7th Ave, [37th St.]
RSVPs requested but not required.