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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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April 24, 2025
xxxxxx

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_ Reader Comments: Pope Francis' Message for Peace and Gaza; Rise of
End Times Fascism; Trump’s Thirst for One-Man Rule; New McCarthyism
Started by Liberals; Webinars; 50 Years Since End of Vietnam War;
Labor Can't Fight MAGA, Without Fighting Racism; _

Tidbits - Reader Comments, Announcements AND cartoons - Apr. 24,
2025, xxxxxx

 

* POINTING OUT THE OBVIOUS  --  CARTOON BY MIKE LUCKOVICH
* POPE FRANCIS IS GONE — BUT HE DIDN’T STAY SILENT.  --
 CARTOON AND COMMENTARY BY CARLOS LATUFF
* RE: POPE FRANCIS’ EASTER ADDRESS APPEALED FOR GAZA CEASE-FIRE
 (MARY PORTER)
* EASTER MESSAGES OF POPE FRANCIS AND DONALD TRUMP  --  CARTOON
AND COMMENTARY BY ROB ROGERS
* 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)
* RE: THE RISE OF END TIMES FASCISM  (ROBERT SUPANSIC)
* RE: IT’S ABOUT ONE THING: TRUMP’S THIRST FOR ONE-MAN RULE
 (NATALIA KUZMYN)
* STANDING UP FOR TRUTH...  --  CARTOON BY ADAM ZYGLIS
* RE: THE NEW MCCARTHYISM WAS STARTED BY LIBERALS  (MIKE LEE; AL
RONZONI; CHRIS TOMPKINS)
* RE: SHAWN FAIN: WE NEED A POLITICAL MOVEMENT FOR WORKERS  (JEFF
BOLLEN)
* HOLIDAY HYPOCRISY  --  CARTOON AND COMMENTARY BY NICK ANDERSON
* RE: ‘SINNERS’ REVIEW: RYAN COOGLER’S BRILLIANTLY STAGED,
SUBTEXT-RICH VAMPIRE MOVIE  (JUDY TATE)
* HOMELAND SECURITY CHIEF: ‘WHO STEALS MY PURSE STEALS TRASH’
 --  CARTOON BY LALO ALCARAZ

.
 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

* WEBINAR: "NO TIME FOR CAUTION: HOW LABOR SHOULD MEET THIS MOMENT"
 --  APRIL 30  (THE KALMANOVITZ INITIATIVE)

* AN INVITATION: 50 YEARS OF PEACE & SOCIAL PROGRESS IN VIETNAM  --
 NEW YORK CITY  --  MAY 3

* WEBINAR - HOW CAN DEMOCRATS WIN BACK WORKING-CLASS VOTERS? WITH
DINO GUASTELLA  --  MAY 8  (WORKING-CLASS STUDIES ASSOCIATION)

 

* 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)

.

.
 

POINTING OUT THE OBVIOUS  --  CARTOON BY MIKE LUCKOVICH

 

Mike Luckovich
April 16, 2025
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
[[link removed]]

 

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 [[link removed]]

 

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 xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

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 [[link removed]]

 

RE: I’M A JEWISH ISRAELI IN THE US STANDING UP FOR PALESTINE. BY
TRUMP’S LOGIC, I’M A TERROR SUPPORTER
 

Zelnick, you're my hero! God bless you!!

David S. Ginsburg MD, FACP

      =====

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
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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 xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

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 xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

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 xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

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 xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

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 [[link removed]]

 

RE: ‘SINNERS’ REVIEW: RYAN COOGLER’S BRILLIANTLY STAGED,
SUBTEXT-RICH VAMPIRE MOVIE

(posting on xxxxxx Culture
[[link removed]])
 

That's a glowing review.  So, why only 3.5 stars?   

Judy Tate
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

HOMELAND SECURITY CHIEF: ‘WHO STEALS MY PURSE STEALS TRASH’  --
 CARTOON BY LALO ALCARAZ

 

Lalo Alcaraz
April 22, 2025
[link removed]
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WEBINAR: "NO TIME FOR CAUTION: HOW LABOR SHOULD MEET THIS MOMENT"  --
 APRIL 30  (THE KALMANOVITZ INITIATIVE)

 

REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE
[[link removed]]
 

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"
[[link removed]]_

_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

REGISTER HERE
[[link removed]]
 

At this event, we will:

* Commemorate the end of the war in the Southeast Asian countries of
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia

* Memorialize the massive loss of life and uplift the resilience of
Vietnamese and Southeast Asian people in diaspora

* Uplift ongoing support from anti-war comrades and allies around
the world and in the U.S.

* Watch Southeast Asian cultural performances

* Hear from movement leaders in the anti-war, labor rights, cultural
organizing and immigrant justice movements

* Examine recent changes in US policy toward Vietnam, and explore
how US people can offer solidarity

* 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
[[link removed]].

GET YOUR TICKERS HERE
[[link removed]]
 

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
[[link removed]].

 

WEBINAR - HOW CAN DEMOCRATS WIN BACK WORKING-CLASS VOTERS? WITH DINO
GUASTELLA  --  MAY 8  (WORKING-CLASS STUDIES ASSOCIATION)

 

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

Reserve a Spot - Click here
[[link removed]]

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 [[link removed]]. You can read his
posts on Jacobin
[[link removed]]
and his Substack [[link removed]].

 

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)

 

 

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.

* Reader Comments
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* Pope Francis
[[link removed]]
* Israel-Gaza War
[[link removed]]
* Ceasefire
[[link removed]]
* Palestinians
[[link removed]]
* Gaza
[[link removed]]
* Immigrants
[[link removed]]
* immigrant rights
[[link removed]]
* Fascism
[[link removed]]
* Donald Trump
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* Trump 2.0
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* Resistance 2.0
[[link removed]]
* Left Electoral Strategy
[[link removed]]
* new McCarthyism
[[link removed]]
* McCarthy Period
[[link removed]]
* Labor Movement
[[link removed]]
* Trade Unions
[[link removed]]
* MAGA
[[link removed]]
* Racism
[[link removed]]
* Cartoons
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* Announcements
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INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

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