mintpressnews--2020-04-24--As Food Banks Struggle to Cope with Demand, Desperate Farmers Dump Unsellable Produce

Even as food banks nationwide are inundated with hungry Americans , many of the country ’ s farmers are dumping or destroying their harvests .
Amidst a pandemic that has seen tens of millions of workers laid off , the nation ’ s food banks have struggled to cope with the surge in demand for their vital services .
In San Antonio , over 10,000 people lined up overnight in their vehicles in the hope of receiving a box of basic foods .
“ Needs have skyrocketed not just here but around the country , ” one Washington , D.C. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a veteran Louisiana food bank employee said the current situation is graver than it was after Hurricane Katrina .
Food banks are going millions of dollars over budget trying to keep up with surging demand ; one estimate suggests that one in three people seeking groceries at pantries last month had never done so before .
Those who manage the facilities are worried that they will soon be completely drained of food .
Yet even as hunger rises , economics dictates that farmers across the country are dumping , discarding , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ farmers are pouring rivers of fresh milk down the drain every day .
Pig farmers are slaughtering piglets en masse .
Meanwhile , ripening fruits and vegetables are being left to wither and die on the vine or in the ground .
The reason ?
“ Demand ” is falling greatly .
Of course , during a pandemic , the caloric needs of America are basically the same as before : we have all got to eat .
The problem is that so much of the produce was predestined to be bought by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lockdown .
Restaurants , universities , hotels , stadiums and many more popular eating locations are now shuttered , leading to a collapse in orders for many farmers .
At the same time , there is an increased demand for supermarkets and food banks , leading to a situation where farms are full , but store shelves and bellies are increasingly empty .
Re-routing interrupted supply chains is not easy , and many farms have not found new buyers willing to collect , transport and distribute their food .
A perfect encapsulation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went to her local farm yesterday and saw mountains of discarded potatoes , given away free to anyone who passed .
Yet three days earlier she noted that her local food bank had fed more people in the last four weeks than it did in the whole of last year .
Unfortunately , the current system is currently unable to make those ends meet .
Marion Nestle , Paulette Goddard Professor , of Nutrition , Food Studies , and Public Health , Emerita , at New York University and author of the influential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Industry Influences Nutrition and Health , explained the situation to MintPress News : Of all of the contradictions and deep flaws in our food system , none is a more poignant example of its lack of resiliency than food dumping in the face of long lines of cars waiting hours for food handouts .
The last time we saw this was in the Great Depression of the 1930s .
Then , the government stepped in with assistance programs for farmers and hungry people — that ’ s how the Food Stamp program ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today ’ s government has done all it can to weaken SNAP and bailout funds largely go to Big Agriculture , not small farmers .
The only hope is that public pressure will force the government to step in and intervene in some positive way .
I see signs of useful actions — increased SNAP benefits , for example — but will they last ?
One can only hope.
” Some of the hotspots of the COVID-19 outbreak are also in areas of most pressing food insecurity .
This is rarely a coincidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is the most food insecure community of the United States : some 37 percent of residents regularly going hungry .
Bronx residents are over twice as likely to contract coronavirus as their much wealthier Manhattan neighbors .
Those who live in poverty often have neither the accommodation nor the economic means to shelter in place like others can .
Furthermore , 32 percent of the Bronx works in education , healthcare or social assistance , meaning their jobs can not be done from home .
The coronavirus pandemic is currently shaking America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And after only a few weeks , it appears much of it is failing the stress test .
Feature photo | Discarded potatoes lay near an Idaho roadside , dumped by a farmer unable to sell them amid the coronavirus lockdown .
Photo | Molly Page @ idahomolly Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

Even as food banks nationwide are inundated with hungry Americans, many of the country’s farmers are dumping or destroying their harvests. Amidst a pandemic that has seen tens of millions of workers laid off, the nation’s food banks have struggled to cope with the surge in demand for their vital services.
In San Antonio, over 10,000 people lined up overnight in their vehicles in the hope of receiving a box of basic foods. “Needs have skyrocketed not just here but around the country,” one Washington, D.C. organizer told MintPress last week. Meanwhile, a veteran Louisiana food bank employee said the current situation is graver than it was after Hurricane Katrina. Food banks are going millions of dollars over budget trying to keep up with surging demand; one estimate suggests that one in three people seeking groceries at pantries last month had never done so before. Those who manage the facilities are worried that they will soon be completely drained of food.
Yet even as hunger rises, economics dictates that farmers across the country are dumping, discarding, or failing to harvest vital foods. Dairy farmers are pouring rivers of fresh milk down the drain every day. Pig farmers are slaughtering piglets en masse. Meanwhile, ripening fruits and vegetables are being left to wither and die on the vine or in the ground. The reason? “Demand” is falling greatly.
Of course, during a pandemic, the caloric needs of America are basically the same as before: we have all got to eat. The problem is that so much of the produce was predestined to be bought by businesses that have now closed due to the lockdown. Restaurants, universities, hotels, stadiums and many more popular eating locations are now shuttered, leading to a collapse in orders for many farmers. At the same time, there is an increased demand for supermarkets and food banks, leading to a situation where farms are full, but store shelves and bellies are increasingly empty. Re-routing interrupted supply chains is not easy, and many farms have not found new buyers willing to collect, transport and distribute their food.
A perfect encapsulation of this is an Idaho woman who went to her local farm yesterday and saw mountains of discarded potatoes, given away free to anyone who passed. Yet three days earlier she noted that her local food bank had fed more people in the last four weeks than it did in the whole of last year. Unfortunately, the current system is currently unable to make those ends meet.
https://twitter.com/idahomolly/status/1253138993811619841
Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor, of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University and author of the influential book Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, explained the situation to MintPress News:
Of all of the contradictions and deep flaws in our food system, none is a more poignant example of its lack of resiliency than food dumping in the face of long lines of cars waiting hours for food handouts. The last time we saw this was in the Great Depression of the 1930s. Then, the government stepped in with assistance programs for farmers and hungry people — that’s how the Food Stamp program (now SNAP) got started. But today’s government has done all it can to weaken SNAP and bailout funds largely go to Big Agriculture, not small farmers. The only hope is that public pressure will force the government to step in and intervene in some positive way. I see signs of useful actions — increased SNAP benefits, for example — but will they last? One can only hope.”
Some of the hotspots of the COVID-19 outbreak are also in areas of most pressing food insecurity. This is rarely a coincidence. The South Bronx, for example, is the most food insecure community of the United States: some 37 percent of residents regularly going hungry. Bronx residents are over twice as likely to contract coronavirus as their much wealthier Manhattan neighbors. Those who live in poverty often have neither the accommodation nor the economic means to shelter in place like others can. Furthermore, 32 percent of the Bronx works in education, healthcare or social assistance, meaning their jobs cannot be done from home.
The coronavirus pandemic is currently shaking America’s food supply and production system. And after only a few weeks, it appears much of it is failing the stress test.
Feature photo | Discarded potatoes lay near an Idaho roadside, dumped by a farmer unable to sell them amid the coronavirus lockdown. Photo | Molly Page @idahomolly
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-04-24--Lee Camp: This Pandemic is Not Just a Crisis, It’s a Gift

With most of the country still on lockdown , all is quiet .
For those of us lucky enough to be healthy and simply stuck at home — not in mourning ; not sick or dying ; not performing high-risk “ essential ” work ; not waiting on long food bank lines — life is on pause .
We ’ re held in limbo .
Our existence floats nonchalantly in a bizarre stasis like the banana slices inside a Jell-O mold .
Or the fish on the top of a child ’ s fish tank , long dead .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t .
The things we thought didn ’ t matter , now really don ’ t .
Remember when you thought if you didn ’ t get your eyebrows threaded every other week your life was over ?
Now people walk around with eyebrows looking like the backend of a peacock .
No one cares .
Remember what used to matter before this pandemic ?
Remember what you used to focus on ?
How many “ likes ” a picture of your dinner got on Instagram .
What happened in the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or “ The Real Housewives ” or “ The Walking Dead ” or “ The Farting Diseased.
” Which superhero movie to go see then complain that it sucked afterwards .
Whether that guy at work doesn ’ t like you even though he smiles his stupid face at you all the time .
None of it really mattered .
For years ( decades ? )
, we ’ ve been lost in the frenetic pace of lives based on non-events , never pausing to reassess or recess .
The spastic motion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we stop to truly think about it , we may find our scant few years of consciousness are pissed away as slaves at often meaningless jobs .
They , the pustulant corporate owners , suck away our lives .
That ’ s what your job is – it ’ s a piece of your existence .
And now , with life on holiday , we see almost none of it was essential .
This pandemic is not just a crisis , it ’ s also a gift .
It allows us the oxygen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been ignoring were the truly essential : – Enjoying clean water , clean air , clean food , and making sure every human has that right – Forming a world that will last longer than an NFL season – Spending a lot of time with your beautiful family ( or a little time with an unsightly one ) Point is — the stuff that truly matters is the stuff we were completely ignoring , blithely pushing it to the back of our minds as our planet is eaten for corporate profit .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the natural world reclaims spaces .
Beaches around the globe teem with millions of birds and wildlife , no longer flooded by undulating masses of fleshy apes with our frisbees , and snorkels , and beer coolers and entitlement .
Voluminous highways normally bursting with noise , pollution and jack-offs now sit empty , quiet and clean .
Jack-off free .
Contaminated cities like Los Angeles and Delhi breathe effortlessly , enjoying clean air and water for the first time in years .
As reported by Mercury News , “ In Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is usually some of the worst in the nation , has turned into one of the cleanest compared to other major cities .
Even more impressive is the fact that the city has enjoyed its longest stretch of ‘ good ’ air quality since 1995.
“ Do you understand how long ago 1995 was ?
In 1995 there was a movie called “ Top Dog ” starring Chuck Norris and — wait for it — a dog .
Yet such a thing was not viewed as unusual .
And the dog won a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was a different era .
Nitrogen Dioxide has plummeted over China and Italy during this pandemic .
Coyotes walk free again in California , eating people ’ s pets the way God intended .
A zoo in Hong Kong has been trying to get two pandas to Netflix and chill for 10 years .
And now that the zoo is shut down , they finally mated .
What more proof do you need that we ’ re witnessing utopia ?
The pandas are shtupping again !
But let ’ s cut to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sorry if the next statement upsets you — but in order to stop climate change and create a sustainable world , it requires the end of capitalism .
I know I ’ m not “ allowed ” to say that .
Saying such a thing would be heresy on one of the corporate media dog-and-pony bullshit infotainment hours .
If I spoke that unholy fact on CNN or Fox News or CBS or NPR , a tranquilizer dart would immediately hit me in the neck , and they ’ d cut to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off .
But let ’ s take our intellectual honesty out for a spin , shall we ?
As Guardian columnist George Monbiot said , “ Capitalism has three innate characteristics that drive us towards destruction… firstly , that it generates and relies upon perpetual growth.
” Endless growth on a planet with finite resources .
Such a thing is physically impossible , no more scientifically feasible than Secretary of State Mike Pompeo touching his toes .
The reason we ’ re now in the largest economic crisis since the Great Depression is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like cancer .
Also , like cancer , it grows until it murders the host body .
And during this pandemic shutdown , it ’ s not getting the growth it screams out for .
During this brief respite , many parts of capitalism are benign .
The second problem is “ …the idea that our right to own natural wealth equates to the amount of money that we ’ ve got in the bank or we can borrow .
So , you can take as much natural wealth away from other people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the land , water , and air you want — even as others die from starvation or thirst .
It means that no matter what environmentalists do to try to mitigate climate change , the richest corporations in the world can easily undo it by buying and polluting ever more .
It also means the biggest sociopaths in the room ( the world ? )
have the most impact .
“ The third characteristic is the one that really ensures that people go along with capitalism , the idea that everyone can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — private luxury.
” But of course , that ’ s impossible .
If everyone lived the way the top 1 percent live , then the planet would collapse quickly , and in fact it ’ s crumbling anyway , right now , because of the resources used and the refuse discarded by a small percentage of humanity .
…Sure , I admit I like to keep my private jet air-conditioned to a nice 58 degrees F on the hottest days of summer and stocked full of rare endangered fish filets .
Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are bathed in only the freshest spring water shipped in from Alaska .
BUT , I recycle the filet packaging .
So , I think I do my part .
The cold truth is 90 percent of humanity will never enjoy anywhere near the soft luscious luxury that envelopes the richest among us .
In fact , the World Bank says that nearly half of the world lives on less than $ 5.50 a day .
( Not enough for even one fresh Alaskan salmon filet for your dog . )
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumption and greed , most people are trapped in extreme poverty .
And that ’ s how the system of capitalism is designed .
No mistake .
No whoopsy .
No boo-boo .
It ’ s by design .
Slightly altering capitalism will not change this reality , just as tilting a gun in a different direction does not make it a pony .
If we take away the false promises of capitalism and just say to people , “ Private luxury is only for a few humans .
You will never have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the chance at getting it ” – if we admit that – then the entire justification for capitalism evaporates .
I ’ m not saying I have all the answers , but the pandemic shutdown has shown us the problem .
It has revealed what the world looks like without as much pollution , without the chaos and roar of mostly meaningless “ work ” performed by the exploited , using materials stolen from the abused , for the benefit of the pampered and oblivious .
Another world is possible , and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
Feature photo | A man walks along an empty street in downtown Barcelona , Spain , April 20 , 2020 as the coronavirus lockdown continues .
Emilio Morenatti | AP Lee Camp is the host of the hit comedy news show “ Redacted Tonight.
” His new book “ Bullet Points and Punch Lines ” is available at LeeCampBook.com and his standup comedy special can be streamed for free at LeeCampAmerican.com .

With most of the country still on lockdown, all is quiet. For those of us lucky enough to be healthy and simply stuck at home — not in mourning; not sick or dying; not performing high-risk “essential” work; not waiting on long food bank lines — life is on pause.
We’re held in limbo. Our existence floats nonchalantly in a bizarre stasis like the banana slices inside a Jell-O mold. Or the fish on the top of a child’s fish tank, long dead. The things we thought mattered, now don’t. The things we thought didn’t matter, now really don’t. Remember when you thought if you didn’t get your eyebrows threaded every other week your life was over? Now people walk around with eyebrows looking like the backend of a peacock. No one cares.
Remember what used to matter before this pandemic? Remember what you used to focus on? How many “likes” a picture of your dinner got on Instagram. What happened in the new episode of “The Voice,” or “The Real Housewives” or “The Walking Dead” or “The Farting Diseased.” Which superhero movie to go see then complain that it sucked afterwards. Whether that guy at work doesn’t like you even though he smiles his stupid face at you all the time.
None of it really mattered.
Lost in Non-Events
For years (decades?), we’ve been lost in the frenetic pace of lives based on non-events, never pausing to reassess or recess. The spastic motion of avoidance filled the ether — afraid if we stop to truly think about it, we may find our scant few years of consciousness are pissed away as slaves at often meaningless jobs. They, the pustulant corporate owners, suck away our lives. That’s what your job is – it’s a piece of your existence. And now, with life on holiday, we see almost none of it was essential.
This pandemic is not just a crisis, it’s also a gift. It allows us the oxygen to notice the things we’ve been ignoring were the truly essential:
– Learning and creating
– Enjoying clean water, clean air, clean food, and making sure every human has that right
– Forming a world that will last longer than an NFL season
– Spending a lot of time with your beautiful family (or a little time with an unsightly one)
Point is — the stuff that truly matters is the stuff we were completely ignoring, blithely pushing it to the back of our minds as our planet is eaten for corporate profit. But now, during “life on hold” the natural world reclaims spaces. Beaches around the globe teem with millions of birds and wildlife, no longer flooded by undulating masses of fleshy apes with our frisbees, and snorkels, and beer coolers and entitlement.
Voluminous highways normally bursting with noise, pollution and jack-offs now sit empty, quiet and clean. Jack-off free. Contaminated cities like Los Angeles and Delhi breathe effortlessly, enjoying clean air and water for the first time in years.
As reported by Mercury News, “In Los Angeles, the air quality, which is usually some of the worst in the nation, has turned into one of the cleanest compared to other major cities. Even more impressive is the fact that the city has enjoyed its longest stretch of ‘good’ air quality since 1995.“ Do you understand how long ago 1995 was? In 1995 there was a movie called “Top Dog”starring Chuck Norris and — wait for it — a dog. Yet such a thing was not viewed as unusual. And the dog won a Golden Globe. Needless to say, it was a different era.
Nitrogen Dioxide has plummeted over China and Italy during this pandemic. Coyotes walk free again in California, eating people’s pets the way God intended. A zoo in Hong Kong has been trying to get two pandas to Netflix and chill for 10 years. And now that the zoo is shut down, they finally mated. What more proof do you need that we’re witnessing utopia? The pandas are shtupping again!
Speaking Heresy
But let’s cut to the chase — and I’m sorry if the next statement upsets you — but in order to stop climate change and create a sustainable world, it requires the end of capitalism. I know I’m not “allowed” to say that. Saying such a thing would be heresy on one of the corporate media dog-and-pony bullshit infotainment hours. If I spoke that unholy fact on CNN or Fox News or CBS or NPR, a tranquilizer dart would immediately hit me in the neck, and they’d cut to a commercial while my lifeless body was dragged off.
But let’s take our intellectual honesty out for a spin, shall we? As Guardian columnist George Monbiot said, “Capitalism has three innate characteristics that drive us towards destruction… firstly, that it generates and relies upon perpetual growth.”
Endless growth on a planet with finite resources. Such a thing is physically impossible, no more scientifically feasible than Secretary of State Mike Pompeo touching his toes. The reason we’re now in the largest economic crisis since the Great Depression is because capitalism requires nonstop growth, much like cancer. Also, like cancer, it grows until it murders the host body. And during this pandemic shutdown, it’s not getting the growth it screams out for. During this brief respite, many parts of capitalism are benign.
The second problem is “…the idea that our right to own natural wealth equates to the amount of money that we’ve got in the bank or we can borrow. So, you can take as much natural wealth away from other people as you like.”
You can buy all the land, water, and air you want — even as others die from starvation or thirst. It means that no matter what environmentalists do to try to mitigate climate change, the richest corporations in the world can easily undo it by buying and polluting ever more. It also means the biggest sociopaths in the room (the world?) have the most impact.
“The third characteristic is the one that really ensures that people go along with capitalism, the idea that everyone can pursue — and can expect to find — private luxury.”
But of course, that’s impossible. If everyone lived the way the top 1 percent live, then the planet would collapse quickly, and in fact it’s crumbling anyway, right now, because of the resources used and the refuse discarded by a small percentage of humanity. …Sure, I admit I like to keep my private jet air-conditioned to a nice 58 degrees F on the hottest days of summer and stocked full of rare endangered fish filets. Not for me – for my five dogs who are bathed in only the freshest spring water shipped in from Alaska. BUT, I recycle the filet packaging. So, I think I do my part.
The cold truth is 90 percent of humanity will never enjoy anywhere near the soft luscious luxury that envelopes the richest among us. In fact, the World Bank says that nearly half of the world lives on less than $5.50 a day. (Not enough for even one fresh Alaskan salmon filet for your dog.)
As our planet disintegrates under the weight of consumption and greed, most people are trapped in extreme poverty. And that’s how the system of capitalism is designed. No mistake. No whoopsy. No boo-boo. It’s by design. Slightly altering capitalism will not change this reality, just as tilting a gun in a different direction does not make it a pony.
If we take away the false promises of capitalism and just say to people, “Private luxury is only for a few humans. You will never have it and won’t even have the chance at getting it” – if we admit that – then the entire justification for capitalism evaporates.
I’m not saying I have all the answers, but the pandemic shutdown has shown us the problem. It has revealed what the world looks like without as much pollution, without the chaos and roar of mostly meaningless “work” performed by the exploited, using materials stolen from the abused, for the benefit of the pampered and oblivious.
Another world is possible, and we’ve just gotten a glimpse of it.
Feature photo | A man walks along an empty street in downtown Barcelona, Spain, April 20, 2020 as the coronavirus lockdown continues. Emilio Morenatti | AP
Lee Camp is the host of the hit comedy news show “Redacted Tonight.” His new book “Bullet Points and Punch Lines” is available at LeeCampBook.com and his standup comedy special can be streamed for free at LeeCampAmerican.com.


mintpressnews--2020-04-24--Instead of Providing Masks or Allowing Unions, Whole Foods Unveils New “Hero” Uniform

In the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic , premium supermarket chain Whole Foods has redesigned its uniform , giving employees shirts that designate them as “ heroes ” and “ hard core.
” The revamp is one of many actions large corporations across the world have taken to symbolically thank their workers amidst the global crisis .
However , the move has not been appreciated by many of Whole Foods ’ 91,000 staff who work in 500 stores across North America , especially as the retail behemoth ( owned by world ’ s richest man and Amazon CEO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide staff with adequate wages or protective equipment , endangering their lives .
A new petition set up by activists alleges that workers have to clean the store without protection or training and are unable to regularly wash their hands .
Megan Murray , a Whole Foods store worker in Philadelphia , writes that many of the precautionary procedures put in place are laughably poor .
For instance , while employees have their temperature checked each day , the contactless reader is hopelessly inaccurate , measuring greatly different temperatures every time she uses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in-store with a high fever , they do not receive paid time off and are merely sent home .
Only if they have tested positive for the virus or have been instructed to quarantine by a doctor do they qualify .
But getting tested for COVID-19is extremely difficult , and finding the money to pay for a doctor harder still .
While those who study to work in a hospital or a nuclear power plant understand that there is an unwritten assumption that , during a crisis , they might need to risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is not the case for retail workers .
“ It feels like we ’ ve been drafted into war , ” Murray said .
Many believe it is only a matter of time before they get sick .
But most have little choice ; without any safety net , many in low-paying jobs deemed essential must continue working for poverty wages or risk homelessness and starvation .
Bezos ’ employees are poor .
Really poor .
In Arizona , for instance , Amazon ’ s own data suggests that one third of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put food on the table .
Other retail workers are in the same boat .
Earlier this month , a 27-year-old Maryland grocery store worker died after contracting COVID-19 .
Giant Foods sent her mother her last paycheck : $ 20.64 .
Bezos ’ empire is also stepping up its efforts to prevent unionization of its employees , who are pushing for less hazardous working conditions .
Amazon fired an employee who led a mass walkout protest at its New York warehouse over the company ’ s cavalier attitude towards the safety of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal protective equipment .
The fired worker alleges that management ignored their pleas and even hid positive COVID-19 cases .
The retaliation was condemned by the state ’ s Attorney General , Letitia James , who said , “ it is disgraceful that Amazon would terminate an employee who bravely stood up to protect himself and his colleagues.
” Whole Foods is using a big data-powered heat-mapping tool to monitor employees ’ movements and discover secret unionization attempts .
Thanks to the world relying heavily on food and deliveries from his employees , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by around 10 percent during the pandemic , leading to him recapturing Bill Gates ’ title as the world ’ s richest individual .
Despite this , he is calling for your donations to help Amazon employees in deep poverty , establishing the Amazon Relief Fund last month .
The idea that he could share some of his own burgeoning wealth to help his struggling employees appears not to have occurred to him , claiming that , “ the only way that I can see to deploy this much financial resource is by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That is basically it.
” As corporations like Amazon and Whole Foods spend fortunes on advertising campaigns purportedly thanking their workforce for their “ heroic ” service , while at the same time failing to provide basic protective gear or sick pay , ruthlessly crushing any internal dissent , their faint praise will likely not inspire their employees .
Indeed , Whole Foods employees are staging a mass , wildcat strike on May 1 .
It is doubtful whether Bezos will consider this action quite as heroic .
Alan MacLeod is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

In the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, premium supermarket chain Whole Foods has redesigned its uniform, giving employees shirts that designate them as “heroes” and “hard core.” The revamp is one of many actions large corporations across the world have taken to symbolically thank their workers amidst the global crisis.
Whole Foods Workers: “Can we have hazard pay, PPE, and ensure that no one is dying just so you can make a profit?” Whole Foods: https://t.co/sFCHnNnHsi — Industrial Workers of the World (@iww) April 23, 2020
However, the move has not been appreciated by many of Whole Foods’ 91,000 staff who work in 500 stores across North America, especially as the retail behemoth (owned by world’s richest man and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos), has failed to provide staff with adequate wages or protective equipment, endangering their lives. A new petition set up by activists alleges that workers have to clean the store without protection or training and are unable to regularly wash their hands.
Megan Murray, a Whole Foods store worker in Philadelphia, writes that many of the precautionary procedures put in place are laughably poor. For instance, while employees have their temperature checked each day, the contactless reader is hopelessly inaccurate, measuring greatly different temperatures every time she uses it. Even if workers are diagnosed in-store with a high fever, they do not receive paid time off and are merely sent home. Only if they have tested positive for the virus or have been instructed to quarantine by a doctor do they qualify. But getting tested for COVID-19is extremely difficult, and finding the money to pay for a doctor harder still.
While those who study to work in a hospital or a nuclear power plant understand that there is an unwritten assumption that, during a crisis, they might need to risk their lives to prevent greater disaster, this is not the case for retail workers. “It feels like we’ve been drafted into war,” Murray said. Many believe it is only a matter of time before they get sick. But most have little choice; without any safety net, many in low-paying jobs deemed essential must continue working for poverty wages or risk homelessness and starvation.
Bezos’ employees are poor. Really poor. In Arizona, for instance, Amazon’s own data suggests that one third of his employees depend upon food stamps to put food on the table. Other retail workers are in the same boat. Earlier this month, a 27-year-old Maryland grocery store worker died after contracting COVID-19. Giant Foods sent her mother her last paycheck: $20.64.
My 19 year old daughter is considered an "essential employee". She's a fast food worker. She's exposed EVERY DAY. No one GAF about Ellen's privilege pampers a$$ stuck in her mansion. Show me @ellen working the lines @ the grocery store. NO mask, NO gloves. Then I might care. — Texan Russian #BigUs 🔥 🅰 🌹🦺✊🏽 (@opnmindtexas) April 7, 2020
No, she's a slave of capitalism. She's terrified. I'm terrified. She can't quit because she'd be homeless. She can't come home because she could infect me and her sister (co-morbitities). Let's call it what it is. She's not a hero. She's a sacrifice demanded by the elites. — Texan Russian #BigUs 🔥 🅰 🌹🦺✊🏽 (@opnmindtexas) April 7, 2020
Bezos’ empire is also stepping up its efforts to prevent unionization of its employees, who are pushing for less hazardous working conditions. Amazon fired an employee who led a mass walkout protest at its New York warehouse over the company’s cavalier attitude towards the safety of its employees, who asked for more personal protective equipment. The fired worker alleges that management ignored their pleas and even hid positive COVID-19 cases. The retaliation was condemned by the state’s Attorney General, Letitia James, who said, “it is disgraceful that Amazon would terminate an employee who bravely stood up to protect himself and his colleagues.” Whole Foods is using a big data-powered heat-mapping tool to monitor employees’ movements and discover secret unionization attempts.
Here's an idea for @JeffBezos: Instead of handing out t-shirts, maybe, as the richest man on Earth, you can provide all of your workers with paid sick leave, hazard pay, protective gear, and a safe and sanitary workplace. https://t.co/PXBANp0BTY — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 23, 2020
Thanks to the world relying heavily on food and deliveries from his employees, Jeff Bezos’ personal wealth has surged by around 10 percent during the pandemic, leading to him recapturing Bill Gates’ title as the world’s richest individual. Despite this, he is calling for your donations to help Amazon employees in deep poverty, establishing the Amazon Relief Fund last month. The idea that he could share some of his own burgeoning wealth to help his struggling employees appears not to have occurred to him, claiming that, “the only way that I can see to deploy this much financial resource is by converting my Amazon winnings into space travel. That is basically it.”
As corporations like Amazon and Whole Foods spend fortunes on advertising campaigns purportedly thanking their workforce for their “heroic” service, while at the same time failing to provide basic protective gear or sick pay, ruthlessly crushing any internal dissent, their faint praise will likely not inspire their employees. Indeed, Whole Foods employees are staging a mass, wildcat strike on May 1. It is doubtful whether Bezos will consider this action quite as heroic.
Feature photo | A Whole Foods worker moves grocery carts in Durham, N.C., April 15, 2020. Gerry Broome | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-04-24--During Coronvrius: Cuba to the Rescue, But Don’t Tell the American people

While Bernie Sanders paid a political price for uttering something positive about Cuba ’ s literacy program , the current pandemic has shown the whole world the heroic side of Cuba ’ s health care system .
I saw this heroism firsthand when I worked with Cuban doctors in poor , remote villages in Africa .
It was the 1970s and I was a young woman employed as a nutritionist with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization .
My colleagues were good people who were helping to feed hungry children .
They also made hefty salaries and lived a wealthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Cubans were different .
They lived simply , worked under the harshest conditions and earned almost nothing for their services .
Their motivation was purely to help people in need .
They called it internationalism and said it was their revolutionary duty to repay their debt to society .
They quoted Che Guevara : “ The life of a single human being is worth a million times more than all the property of the richest man on earth.
” I was inspired , and ended up moving to Cuba .
Four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later , I was accused by the Cuban government of writing articles critical of the revolution and deported .
Certainly , I saw and experienced aspects of the Cuban system I disliked , but I never lost my admiration for the country ’ s public health system and its commitment to international solidarity .
It is truly inspiring that this small , poor island has basic health indicators equal , or better , to those of the world ’ s richest countries .
This is even more remarkable after it has faced a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
Cuba ’ s infant mortality rate of 4 per 1,000 live births is lower than in the United States — and that ’ s according to the CIA !
There ’ s little food on the store shelves and shortages in the pharmacies , but , as Cubans say , “ We live like poor people , but we die like rich people.
” That ’ s because their life expectancy of 79 years is the same as in the United States , despite the fact that Cuba spends less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on healthcare compared with $ 11,000 in the United States .
Like most of the world , Cuba is now grappling with coronavirus .
As of April 20 , there were 1,137 confirmed cases , with 38 deaths .
But Cuba ’ s free and universal health care system , including a robust cadre of health professionals , puts the island in a better position to deal with this crisis than most countries .
With its intense focus on training health professionals , Cuba has the highest density of physicians in the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients is roughly three times higher than in the United States .
Cuba not only trains its own doctors , it trains doctors from all over the world .
The island of only 11 million people is home to the world ’ s largest international medical school , the Latin American School of Medicine ( ELAM ) .
Since its founding in 1999 , the school has trained over 35,000 young people from 138 countries , including the United States .
And here ’ s the kicker : it ’ s free .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ selects US students coming from the “ humblest and neediest ” communities , says the scholarships include full tuition , dormitory housing , three meals per day , textbooks , school uniforms , and a small monthly stipend .
While graduates from U.S. medical schools leave saddled with six figure debts , the only debt ELAM students have is a commitment to practice medicine in low-income and medically under-served communities .
That ’ s why you ’ ll find ELAM graduates like Dr. Melissa Barbar on the frontlines in the Bronx fighting coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make you teary-eyed , just look at the brigade of doctors taking off for international missions to the most COVID-19 affected area of Italy , Lombardy .
“ We are not superheroes , ” intensive care specialist Leonardo Fernandez told Reuters as the first brigade left Havana .
“ We are revolutionary doctors.
” As of April 1 , Cuba had sent 800 medical personnel to fight COVID-19 in 16 countries , from Angola to Andorra , and more are on their way .
For Cuba , medical assistance has been a hallmark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victims in 1963 ; Nicaraguans and Hondurans devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 ; Indonesia tsunami victims in 2004 ; Haitians after the disastrous 2010 earthquake and subsequent cholera outbreak .
Teams were also dispatched to Liberia , Guinea and Sierra Leone to fight Ebola in 2014 .
Gradually , this “ army of white coats , ” as Fidel Castro called them , not only responded to emergencies overseas but began serving as family doctors in poor communities around the world .
Poorer countries pay only the medical teams ’ expenses or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wealthier countries pay more .
But the Trump administration poses a significant challenge to Cuban social programs .
When he came to power , his administration launched an all-out attack on the Cuban economy : placing new restrictions on U.S. travel to the island , reducing the amount of remittances Cuban-Americans could send back home , interfering with the transport of Venezuelan oil to the island , and trying to sabotage Cuba ’ s medical collaborations .
Anti-Cuba zealots in the Trump administration have been enticing Cuban doctors working overseas to defect , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slapping sanctions on Cubans in charge of the program , and strong-arming countries to expel Cuban doctors .
The crux of the attack has been to paint the program as a form of modern slavery because the doctors only receive about a quarter of the money the countries pay for their services .
But Cuban health professionals volunteer for these assignments — they want the experience , they earn much more than they would back home , and they know the rest of the money goes to support Cuba ’ s national health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been successful in convincing the right-wing governments that came to power in Bolivia , Brazil , and Ecuador since 2018 to send about 9,000 Cubans packing .
In a tragic twist , these same countries are now overwhelmed with coronavirus and lamenting the loss of experienced professionals .
As we move through this crisis , we see the tragedy of the rich superpower with its privatized , dysfunctional health care system failing its people , while its impoverished neighbor — under constant attack from the superpower — reaches out to help the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from his catastrophic bungling of this pandemic , including defunding the WHO in what a prestigious medical editor called “ an appalling betrayal of global solidarity , ” while Cuba ’ s army of white coats have become the embodiment of global solidarity .
But if you are an American with political ambitions , you might think twice before saying something good about Cuba ’ s health care system .
Feature photo | An emergency contingent of Cuban doctors and nurses arrive at Italy ’ s Malpensa airport after traveling from Cuba to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
Daniele Mascolo | Reuters Medea Benjamin is cofounder of CODEPINK for Peace , and author of several books , including Inside Iran : The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran .

While Bernie Sanders paid a political price for uttering something positive about Cuba’s literacy program, the current pandemic has shown the whole world the heroic side of Cuba’s health care system.
I saw this heroism firsthand when I worked with Cuban doctors in poor, remote villages in Africa. It was the 1970s and I was a young woman employed as a nutritionist with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. My colleagues were good people who were helping to feed hungry children. They also made hefty salaries and lived a wealthy lifestyle they could never afford back home. The Cubans were different. They lived simply, worked under the harshest conditions and earned almost nothing for their services. Their motivation was purely to help people in need.
They called it internationalism and said it was their revolutionary duty to repay their debt to society. They quoted Che Guevara: “The life of a single human being is worth a million times more than all the property of the richest man on earth.”
I was inspired, and ended up moving to Cuba. Four years, a marriage and a baby later, I was accused by the Cuban government of writing articles critical of the revolution and deported. Certainly, I saw and experienced aspects of the Cuban system I disliked, but I never lost my admiration for the country’s public health system and its commitment to international solidarity.
It is truly inspiring that this small, poor island has basic health indicators equal, or better, to those of the world’s richest countries. This is even more remarkable after it has faced a brutal US blockade and sanctions for sixty years. Cuba’s infant mortality rate of 4 per 1,000 live births is lower than in the United States — and that’s according to the CIA! There’s little food on the store shelves and shortages in the pharmacies, but, as Cubans say, “We live like poor people, but we die like rich people.” That’s because their life expectancy of 79 years is the same as in the United States, despite the fact that Cuba spends less than about $800 per person per year on healthcare compared with $11,000 in the United States.
Like most of the world, Cuba is now grappling with coronavirus. As of April 20, there were 1,137 confirmed cases, with 38 deaths. But Cuba’s free and universal health care system, including a robust cadre of health professionals, puts the island in a better position to deal with this crisis than most countries. With its intense focus on training health professionals, Cuba has the highest density of physicians in the world. Its ratio of medical professionals to patients is roughly three times higher than in the United States.
Cuba not only trains its own doctors, it trains doctors from all over the world. The island of only 11 million people is home to the world’s largest international medical school, the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM). Since its founding in 1999, the school has trained over 35,000 young people from 138 countries, including the United States. And here’s the kicker: it’s free.
Pastors for Peace, the group that selects US students coming from the “humblest and neediest” communities, says the scholarships include full tuition, dormitory housing, three meals per day, textbooks, school uniforms, and a small monthly stipend. While graduates from U.S. medical schools leave saddled with six figure debts, the only debt ELAM students have is a commitment to practice medicine in low-income and medically under-served communities. That’s why you’ll find ELAM graduates like Dr. Melissa Barbar on the frontlines in the Bronx fighting coronavirus today.
If that doesn’t make you teary-eyed, just look at the brigade of doctors taking off for international missions to the most COVID-19 affected area of Italy, Lombardy. “We are not superheroes,” intensive care specialist Leonardo Fernandez told Reuters as the first brigade left Havana. “We are revolutionary doctors.” As of April 1, Cuba had sent 800 medical personnel to fight COVID-19 in 16 countries, from Angola to Andorra, and more are on their way.
For Cuba, medical assistance has been a hallmark of the revolution: helping Chilean earthquake victims in 1963; Nicaraguans and Hondurans devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998; Indonesia tsunami victims in 2004; Haitians after the disastrous 2010 earthquake and subsequent cholera outbreak. Teams were also dispatched to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone to fight Ebola in 2014.
Gradually, this “army of white coats,” as Fidel Castro called them, not only responded to emergencies overseas but began serving as family doctors in poor communities around the world. Poorer countries pay only the medical teams’ expenses or seek international support to compensate Cuba; wealthier countries pay more.
But the Trump administration poses a significant challenge to Cuban social programs . When he came to power, his administration launched an all-out attack on the Cuban economy: placing new restrictions on U.S. travel to the island, reducing the amount of remittances Cuban-Americans could send back home, interfering with the transport of Venezuelan oil to the island, and trying to sabotage Cuba’s medical collaborations.
Anti-Cuba zealots in the Trump administration have been enticing Cuban doctors working overseas to defect, paying journalists to write negative stories, slapping sanctions on Cubans in charge of the program, and strong-arming countries to expel Cuban doctors.
The crux of the attack has been to paint the program as a form of modern slavery because the doctors only receive about a quarter of the money the countries pay for their services. But Cuban health professionals volunteer for these assignments — they want the experience, they earn much more than they would back home, and they know the rest of the money goes to support Cuba’s national health care system.
The Trump administration has been successful in convincing the right-wing governments that came to power in Bolivia, Brazil, and Ecuador since 2018 to send about 9,000 Cubans packing. In a tragic twist, these same countries are now overwhelmed with coronavirus and lamenting the loss of experienced professionals.
As we move through this crisis, we see the tragedy of the rich superpower with its privatized, dysfunctional health care system failing its people, while its impoverished neighbor — under constant attack from the superpower — reaches out to help the world. We see Trump desperate to deflect from his catastrophic bungling of this pandemic, including defunding the WHO in what a prestigious medical editor called “an appalling betrayal of global solidarity,” while Cuba’s army of white coats have become the embodiment of global solidarity.
But if you are an American with political ambitions, you might think twice before saying something good about Cuba’s health care system.
Feature photo | An emergency contingent of Cuban doctors and nurses arrive at Italy’s Malpensa airport after traveling from Cuba to help Italy in its fight against the coronavirus. Daniele Mascolo | Reuters
Medea Benjamin is cofounder of CODEPINK for Peace, and author of several books, including Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran.


mintpressnews--2020-04-27--A Soft Power Ploy? Cuba Continues to Aid the Poorest and Least Influential Nations

Amidst a worsening COVID-19 pandemic , Cuba has answered an urgent South African request for aid .
217 medical personnel , including family physicians , epidemiologists , health technology engineers and biotech workers touched down Sunday evening , eager to help their African ally .
Dr. Reynaldo Denis de Armas , the head of the medical brigade , informed the press that they would first go through a quarantining period then be dispersed throughout each of the country ’ s nine provinces .
Along with Egypt , South Africa currently has the highest number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kits means numbers from the continent are likely only pale reflections of the gravity of the problem .
Despite the Caribbean island ’ s poverty ( according to the CIA World Factbook , Cubans have less than a third of the GDP per capita of even their Puerto Rican neighbors ) , Cuba has sent over 1,200 healthcare professionals to more than 20 countries around the world – one of very few countries to export any doctors whatsoever during the global pandemic .
To many in the West , the connection between Cuba @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but that is not the case to anyone from the Global South .
Even as Western nations like the United States and Great Britain supported the white supremacist regimes of southern Africa , Cuba played perhaps the key role in decisively defeating apartheid , sending hundreds of thousands of troops to oppose South African annexation of its neighbors , resoundingly beating apartheid forces and dealing a mortal blow to the myth of white supremacy , ushering in the demise of the regime .
Dr. Helen Yaffe of the University of Glasgow , author @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuba !
: How a Revolutionary People Have Survived in a Post-Soviet World ” , told MintPress that she was “ not at all surprised ” to see solidarity between the two nations , noting , Yaffe explained that by the end of the apartheid regime in 1991 , some 300,000 Cuban soldiers ( a great number of them Afro-Cubans ) and 50,000 civilians , including healthcare workers , teachers and construction workers , had served in defending the newly independent Angola from a white supremacist takeover .
Since the end of apartheid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greatly increased its medical internationalism .
As Yaffe explained : ELAM is famous all over the world for educating doctors for free , on the understanding that they will go back to their communities and treat the neediest people first .
By 2019 , 29,000 doctors from 105 countries had graduated from the Havana-based medical school .
Half of them were women and the majority from poor backgrounds .
Former World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan applauded ELAM , stating that , “ For once , if you are poor , female , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a distinct advantage [ in admission ] .
This is an institutional ethic that makes this medical school unique.
” Even young people from the United States – a country that has been crushing Cuba for decades with economic sanctions – can study for free .
Last month , MintPress spoke with a number of American students and graduates from the school .
Dr. Sarpoma Sefa-Boakye , a Ghanaian-American ELAM graduate practicing in San Diego , said her colleagues are always amazed when they find out she was paid by the Cuban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , also estimating that more Africans train in Cuba to become doctors than in Africa itself , a testament to the island ’ s commitment to revolutionary medicine .
The country ’ s pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are also playing their part .
Interferon Alpha 2b , a Cuban drug developed to fight Dengue Fever , Hepatitis and shingles , has proved highly useful in boosting COVID-19 infected patients in China ; 45 countries have now requested the antiviral drug for use themselves .
Doctors have also volunteered to travel to hotspots such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Cuba ’ s sustained training to its medical and technical personnel , and to that of other nations , and its scientific research in the development of medicines , have allowed it to provide invaluable support to many other countries in the world , ” said former Jamaican Prime Minister , P.J .
Patterson .
Meanwhile , the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines was so happy to see a contingent of Cuban staff come to his country that he met them himself on the airport runway .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of cynically using medical aid to deflect from its human rights record , putting great pressure on countries in the Global South , and even Europe , to reject Cuban aid .
As right-wing governments came to power in Ecuador , Bolivia and Brazil , their governments quickly expelled the Cubans working within their borders , often accusing them of being terrorists or mercenaries .
However , amid a worsening pandemic , the Brazilian Health Minister is now asking them to return .
Meanwhile , without a functioning healthcare system , Ecuador has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affected by COVID-19 , as MintPress reported earlier this month .
If medical internationalism is merely a cynical “ soft power ” ploy , as the U.S. government insists , then the Cubans are not doing it very well , focusing on the poorest , least influential countries in the world and working with the poorest people in those countries .
That the Trump administration should see any gesture as a cynical attempt to bully , intimidate or increase their power is perhaps unsurprising , given their own actions .
The U.S. currently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical equipment bound for other countries .
It also tried to compel a German pharmaceutical corporation to move production to the U.S. , in order to make sure that America alone had access to and control of any coronavirus vaccine it might produce .
Trump reportedly wished to ensure that it would only be available on a for-profit basis .
Washington appears to see Cuba ’ s genuine solidarity in the face of such adversity as a threat : the threat of a good example to other countries , showing them that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the revolutionary phrase goes .
People in other nations are often just happy they can see a doctor .
Feature photo | A brigade of Cuban health professionals who volunteered to travel to South Africa to assist local authorities with an upsurge of coronavirus cases , attend the farewell ceremony in Havana , April 25 , 2020 .
Ramon Espinosa | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

Amidst a worsening COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba has answered an urgent South African request for aid. 217 medical personnel, including family physicians, epidemiologists, health technology engineers and biotech workers touched down Sunday evening, eager to help their African ally. Dr. Reynaldo Denis de Armas, the head of the medical brigade, informed the press that they would first go through a quarantining period then be dispersed throughout each of the country’s nine provinces. Along with Egypt, South Africa currently has the highest number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases in Africa, although the scarcity of testing kits means numbers from the continent are likely only pale reflections of the gravity of the problem.
Despite the Caribbean island’s poverty (according to the CIA World Factbook, Cubans have less than a third of the GDP per capita of even their Puerto Rican neighbors), Cuba has sent over 1,200 healthcare professionals to more than 20 countries around the world – one of very few countries to export any doctors whatsoever during the global pandemic.
https://twitter.com/camilateleSUR/status/1254617074565025793
To many in the West, the connection between Cuba and South Africa may appear incongruous, but that is not the case to anyone from the Global South. Even as Western nations like the United States and Great Britain supported the white supremacist regimes of southern Africa, Cuba played perhaps the key role in decisively defeating apartheid, sending hundreds of thousands of troops to oppose South African annexation of its neighbors, resoundingly beating apartheid forces and dealing a mortal blow to the myth of white supremacy, ushering in the demise of the regime.
Dr. Helen Yaffe of the University of Glasgow, author of the new book “We Are Cuba!: How a Revolutionary People Have Survived in a Post-Soviet World”, told MintPress that she was “not at all surprised” to see solidarity between the two nations, noting,
Cuba has a long and principled history of solidarity and practical assistance to the people of Southern Africa. Their military support to the newly independent Angolan nation, helped to weaken the racist apartheid regime in South Africa which invaded the country in the mid-1970s. This contribution was acknowledged by Nelson Mandela after his release from prison. Cuba was the first country outside of Africa which he visited.”
Yaffe explained that by the end of the apartheid regime in 1991, some 300,000 Cuban soldiers (a great number of them Afro-Cubans) and 50,000 civilians, including healthcare workers, teachers and construction workers, had served in defending the newly independent Angola from a white supremacist takeover.
Since the end of apartheid, Cuba has eschewed the guns but greatly increased its medical internationalism. As Yaffe explained:
In 1999, the Cuban government set up the Latin American School of Medicine (known as ELAM for its Spanish acronym) to provide medical education to students from the region enabling them to graduate as healthcare professionals. Very quickly it opened its door to students from around the world, including South Africa. Over 1,200 South African students have been among its beneficiaries. Thus, the medical ties between these two countries are well established. In the field of medical science, South African is one of nearly a dozen countries in the global south with which Cuba has established a biotechnology joint venture.
ELAM is famous all over the world for educating doctors for free, on the understanding that they will go back to their communities and treat the neediest people first. By 2019, 29,000 doctors from 105 countries had graduated from the Havana-based medical school. Half of them were women and the majority from poor backgrounds. Former World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan applauded ELAM, stating that, “For once, if you are poor, female, or from an indigenous population, you have a distinct advantage [in admission]. This is an institutional ethic that makes this medical school unique.” Even young people from the United States – a country that has been crushing Cuba for decades with economic sanctions – can study for free. Last month, MintPress spoke with a number of American students and graduates from the school. Dr. Sarpoma Sefa-Boakye, a Ghanaian-American ELAM graduate practicing in San Diego, said her colleagues are always amazed when they find out she was paid by the Cuban government to study medicine and graduated debt-free, also estimating that more Africans train in Cuba to become doctors than in Africa itself, a testament to the island’s commitment to revolutionary medicine.
The country’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are also playing their part. Interferon Alpha 2b, a Cuban drug developed to fight Dengue Fever, Hepatitis and shingles, has proved highly useful in boosting COVID-19 infected patients in China; 45 countries have now requested the antiviral drug for use themselves. Doctors have also volunteered to travel to hotspots such as Italy to help fight the outbreak. “Cuba’s sustained training to its medical and technical personnel, and to that of other nations, and its scientific research in the development of medicines, have allowed it to provide invaluable support to many other countries in the world,” said former Jamaican Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines was so happy to see a contingent of Cuban staff come to his country that he met them himself on the airport runway.
Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines speaks about the support of the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela and the Government of the Republic of Cuba to confront covid-19 in SVG @ComradeRalph @FPerezSantana @MFAVenezuela @IVCC_SVG @telesurenglish @jaarreaza pic.twitter.com/nFkEg2VgKp — Embassy of Venezuela in StVincent & the Grenadines (@EmbaVEStVincent) March 27, 2020
However, the Trump administration has accused Havana of cynically using medical aid to deflect from its human rights record, putting great pressure on countries in the Global South, and even Europe, to reject Cuban aid. As right-wing governments came to power in Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil, their governments quickly expelled the Cubans working within their borders, often accusing them of being terrorists or mercenaries. However, amid a worsening pandemic, the Brazilian Health Minister is now asking them to return. Meanwhile, without a functioning healthcare system, Ecuador has been transformed into perhaps the country worst affected by COVID-19, as MintPress reported earlier this month.
If medical internationalism is merely a cynical “soft power” ploy, as the U.S. government insists, then the Cubans are not doing it very well, focusing on the poorest, least influential countries in the world and working with the poorest people in those countries. That the Trump administration should see any gesture as a cynical attempt to bully, intimidate or increase their power is perhaps unsurprising, given their own actions. The U.S. currently leads the world in seizing and stealing medical equipment bound for other countries. It also tried to compel a German pharmaceutical corporation to move production to the U.S., in order to make sure that America alone had access to and control of any coronavirus vaccine it might produce. Trump reportedly wished to ensure that it would only be available on a for-profit basis.
Washington appears to see Cuba’s genuine solidarity in the face of such adversity as a threat: the threat of a good example to other countries, showing them that “another world is possible,” as the revolutionary phrase goes. People in other nations are often just happy they can see a doctor.
Feature photo | A brigade of Cuban health professionals who volunteered to travel to South Africa to assist local authorities with an upsurge of coronavirus cases, attend the farewell ceremony in Havana, April 25, 2020. Ramon Espinosa | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-04-27--America’s Super-Rich See Their Wealth Rise by $282 Billion in Three Weeks of Pandemic

A new report from the Institute for Policy Studies found that , while tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic , America ’ s ultra-wealthy elite have seen their net worth surge by $ 282 billion in just 23 days .
This is despite the fact that the economy is expected to contract by 40 percent this quarter .
The report also noted that between 1980 and 2020 the tax obligations of America ’ s billionaires , measured as a percentage of their wealth , decreased by 79 percent .
In the last 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over 1100 percent while median household wealth increased by barely five percent .
In 1990 , the total wealth held by America ’ s billionaire class was $ 240 billion ; today that number stands at $ 2.95 trillion .
Thus , America ’ s billionaires accrued more wealth in just the past three weeks than they made in total prior to 1980 .
As a result , just three people – Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos , Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Berkshire Hathaway ’ s Warren Buffet – own as much wealth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ households combined .
The Institute for Policy Studies ’ report paints a picture of a modern day oligarchy , where the super-rich have captured legislative and executive power , controlling what laws are passed .
The report discusses what it labels a new “ wealth defense industry ” – where “ billionaires are paying millions to dodge billions in taxes , ” with teams of accountants , lawyers , lobbyists and asset managers helping them conceal their vast fortunes in tax havens and so-called charitable trusts .
The result has been crippled social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and even a sustained drop in life expectancy – something rarely seen in history outside of major wars or famines .
Few Americans believe their children will be better off than they were .
Statistics suggest they are right .
Billionaires very theatrically donate a fraction of what they used to give back in taxes , making sure to generate maximum publicity for their actions .
And they secure positive coverage of themselves by stepping in to keep influential news organizations afloat .
A December investigation by MintPress found that Gates had donated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , over $ 3 million to NBC Universal , over $ 4.5 million to NPR , $ 1 million to Al-Jazeera , and a staggering $ 49 million to the BBC ’ s Media Action program .
Some , like Bezos , prefer to simply outright purchase news organizations themselves , changing the editorial stance to unquestioning loyalty to their new owners .
The spike in billionaire wealth comes amid an unprecedented economic crash ; 26.5 million Americans have filed for unemployment over the last five weeks , and that number is expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the super-rich are holed up in their mansions and yachts , the 49-62 million Americans designated as “ essential workers ” must continue to risk their lives to keep society functioning , even as many of them do not even earn as much as the $ 600 weekly increase in unemployment benefits the CARES act stipulates .
Many low paid workers , such as grocery store employees , have already fallen sick and died .
The mother of one 27-year-old Maryland worker who contracted COVID-19 and died received her daughter ’ s last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Amazon staff , directly employed by Bezos , also risk their lives for measly pay .
One third of all Amazon workers in Arizona , for example , are enrolled in the food stamps program , their wages so low that they can not afford to pay for food .
The vast contrast in the effect that COVID-19 has had on the super wealthy versus the rest of us has many concluding that billionaires ’ wealth and the poverty of the rest of the world are two sides of the same coin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still can not afford a house or even to eat is the same reason people like Bezos control more wealth than many countries .
Bezos ’ solution to his employees ’ hunger has been to set up a charity and ask for public donations to help his desperate workers .
The majority of millennials , most of them shut out from attaining the American dream , already prefer socialism to capitalism , taking a dim view of the latter .
The latest news that the billionaire class is laughing all the way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic suffering is unlikely to improve their disposition .
Feature photo | Bill Gates Bill Gates and Martina Navratilova at the French Open in Paris , France .
Photo | NJO | STAR MAX | IPx Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

A new report from the Institute for Policy Studies found that, while tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, America’s ultra-wealthy elite have seen their net worth surge by $282 billion in just 23 days. This is despite the fact that the economy is expected to contract by 40 percent this quarter. The report also noted that between 1980 and 2020 the tax obligations of America’s billionaires, measured as a percentage of their wealth, decreased by 79 percent. In the last 30 years, U.S. billionaire wealth soared by over 1100 percent while median household wealth increased by barely five percent. In 1990, the total wealth held by America’s billionaire class was $240 billion; today that number stands at $2.95 trillion. Thus, America’s billionaires accrued more wealth in just the past three weeks than they made in total prior to 1980. As a result, just three people – Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffet – own as much wealth as the bottom half of all U.S. households combined.
The Institute for Policy Studies’ report paints a picture of a modern day oligarchy, where the super-rich have captured legislative and executive power, controlling what laws are passed. The report discusses what it labels a new “wealth defense industry” – where “billionaires are paying millions to dodge billions in taxes,” with teams of accountants, lawyers, lobbyists and asset managers helping them conceal their vast fortunes in tax havens and so-called charitable trusts. The result has been crippled social programs and a decrease in living standards and even a sustained drop in life expectancy – something rarely seen in history outside of major wars or famines. Few Americans believe their children will be better off than they were. Statistics suggest they are right.
Billionaires very theatrically donate a fraction of what they used to give back in taxes, making sure to generate maximum publicity for their actions. And they secure positive coverage of themselves by stepping in to keep influential news organizations afloat. A December investigation by MintPress found that Gates had donated over $9 million to The Guardian, over $3 million to NBC Universal, over $4.5 million to NPR, $1 million to Al-Jazeera, and a staggering $49 million to the BBC’s Media Action program. Some, like Bezos, prefer to simply outright purchase news organizations themselves, changing the editorial stance to unquestioning loyalty to their new owners.
The spike in billionaire wealth comes amid an unprecedented economic crash; 26.5 million Americans have filed for unemployment over the last five weeks, and that number is expected to continue to rise dramatically. While the super-rich are holed up in their mansions and yachts, the 49-62 million Americans designated as “essential workers” must continue to risk their lives to keep society functioning, even as many of them do not even earn as much as the $600 weekly increase in unemployment benefits the CARES act stipulates. Many low paid workers, such as grocery store employees, have already fallen sick and died. The mother of one 27-year-old Maryland worker who contracted COVID-19 and died received her daughter’s last paycheck. It amounted to $20.64.
Amazon staff, directly employed by Bezos, also risk their lives for measly pay. One third of all Amazon workers in Arizona, for example, are enrolled in the food stamps program, their wages so low that they cannot afford to pay for food. The vast contrast in the effect that COVID-19 has had on the super wealthy versus the rest of us has many concluding that billionaires’ wealth and the poverty of the rest of the world are two sides of the same coin: that the reason people working full-time still cannot afford a house or even to eat is the same reason people like Bezos control more wealth than many countries. Bezos’ solution to his employees’ hunger has been to set up a charity and ask for public donations to help his desperate workers.
The majority of millennials, most of them shut out from attaining the American dream, already prefer socialism to capitalism, taking a dim view of the latter. The latest news that the billionaire class is laughing all the way to the bank during a period of intense economic suffering is unlikely to improve their disposition.
Feature photo | Bill Gates Bill Gates and Martina Navratilova at the French Open in Paris, France. Photo | NJO | STAR MAX | IPx
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-04-27--How Israel Legitimizes the Abuse of Palestinian Political Prisoners

Each year Palestinian Prisoners Day comes and goes while the prisoners remain in their cells and their conditions worsen .
The destructive effects that Israel ’ s imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians has on society can not be overstated .
Israel justifies its treatment of these prisoners with false claims that the Palestinian men , women , and children who languish in its jails are terrorists .
These false claims must be rejected in their entirety .
Palestinian prisoners are political prisoners , they are prisoners of conscience and must be viewed and treated as such by the international community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Palestinian struggle for liberation is terrorism are at the root of the prisoner issue .
Because these claims are accepted as part of the larger Israeli narrative that demonizes Palestinians , Israel is able to justify incarcerating thousands of people .
But it is false .
The Palestinian struggle is legitimate , morally , and legally and the Israeli discourse , which characterizes it as terrorism is to be rejected completely .
Coronavirus and the release of prisoners A statement released by the office of the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of “ every person detained without sufficient legal basis , including political prisoners , and those detained for critical , dissenting views.
” This followed an earlier call from Ms. Bachelet saying that governments must “ take urgent action to protect the health and safety of people in detention.
” Palestinian human rights organization Adalah recently echoed the call by the United Nations for “ urgent action to ensure the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
” Among the conditions that make Israeli jails an optimal breeding ground for the virus , Adalah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including systematic torture and ill-treatment , pervasive medical negligence , overcrowding , lack of proper ventilation and access to sanitary products , including sanitizers and disinfectants , poor nutrition.
” It was reported widely that Iran released tens of thousands of prisoners , including political prisoners , for this reason .
However , there is no reason to expect that the government of Israel will comply with the demands made by the United Nations Human rights Commissioner .
Israel will not take action as a result of appeals to decency or humanitarian considerations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only to severe pressure , sanctions , and the threat of diplomatic isolation .
Israeli society will not demand that its elected officials act on this issue unless it suffers severe consequences .
However , in the political climate that exists around the world today , it is unlikely the international community will act .
The Palestinian Authority provides stipends for the families of prisoners and for prisoners who have been released and are in need of financial assistance .
Israeli authorities have made it their mission to stop this funding , withholding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Authority , claiming that supporting families of prisoners constitutes financial support for terrorism .
During the case of the Holy Land Foundation ( HLF ) which I outline in my book , “ Injustice , The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five , ” funding for the families of prisoners was brought up .
HLF had a program that provided financial support to the families of prisoners .
It was perfectly within reason for HLF to offer this relief to the families knowing how desperate their conditions can become with the main @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim was used against the defendants .
During the HLF trials , one of the arguments the prosecution made was that by providing financial support for the families of prisoners , HLF was not only supporting but actually encouraging terrorism .
The government claimed that by providing relief to the families of prisoners , not only were HLF supporting terrorism they were , in fact , incentivizing it .
They claimed that these stipends motivate Palestinians to become “ terrorists.
” The funding for the prisoners and their families is crucial .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without a breadwinner and where the prisoner once released is often handicapped , traumatized , and unable to work .
It is also a fact that in many Palestinian families , several members of the family were held in Israeli jails , sometimes at the same time .
One example that is well known is that of the Tamimi family from Nabi Saleh .
The father , Bassem , the mother , Nariman , the son Waed the daughter Ahed , and even the younger son Mohammad , have all been arrested and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the older brother have been held more than once .
Their story is just one of many .
Not one of the Tamimi family had engaged in terrorism or violence , something which is true about the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians incarcerated by Israel over the years .
There is a great deal of anti-Palestinian propaganda spread by Zionist organizations on various platforms .
Some of this propaganda has touched on this issue , spreading misinformation about the prisoners .
One report published by the Zionist think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begins with , “ The Palestinian Authority ’ s legislation and allocations of monthly salaries and benefits rewarding imprisoned and released terrorists , and the families of “ Martyrs , ” amount to $ 300 million annually .
This financial reward clearly demonstrates the PA ’ s institutional commitment to sponsoring terror against Israel.
” Conflating Palestinian political activism and resistance with terrorism is an effective tool by which to demonize the Palestinians and their struggle for liberation .
Even though it is completely false , it works , and the Zionists use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impression that providing for the families of men and women who languish in Israeli jails “ incentivizes ” Palestinians to fight Israel .
One would think that without this money Palestinians would sit at home and refrain from demanding their rights .
Indeed if Palestinian resistance was just senseless terrorism , senseless violence , one might think this was true .
But Palestinian Resistance – some of which is armed and most of which is unarmed – and political activism are the two reasons that Israel detains Palestinians and neither one is motivated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their families .
The same report makes the claim that “ The PA maintains long standing legislation and payments to subsidize terrorists and their families.
” This claim , that Palestinians are somehow motivated by the money they may receive and that this funding “ subsidizes ” their activities , is a draconian attempt to paint Palestinians as a people who are motivated by greed and hate rather than by aspirations of freedom .
Palestinian society must be commended for the care provided to political prisoners and their families , but the rest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this issue .
Feature photo | Protesters wave banners with a picture of jailed Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti , during a rally supporting hunger striking Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in the West Bank city of Ramallah , Nasser Nasser | AP Miko Peled is an author and human rights activist born in Jerusalem .
He is the author of “ The General ’ s Son .
Journey of an Israeli in Palestine , ” and “ Injustice , the Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five .
”

Each year Palestinian Prisoners Day comes and goes while the prisoners remain in their cells and their conditions worsen. The destructive effects that Israel’s imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians has on society cannot be overstated. Israel justifies its treatment of these prisoners with false claims that the Palestinian men, women, and children who languish in its jails are terrorists. These false claims must be rejected in their entirety. Palestinian prisoners are political prisoners, they are prisoners of conscience and must be viewed and treated as such by the international community.
Israeli claims that Palestinian resistance and the Palestinian struggle for liberation is terrorism are at the root of the prisoner issue. Because these claims are accepted as part of the larger Israeli narrative that demonizes Palestinians, Israel is able to justify incarcerating thousands of people. But it is false. The Palestinian struggle is legitimate, morally, and legally and the Israeli discourse, which characterizes it as terrorism is to be rejected completely.
Coronavirus and the release of prisoners
A statement released by the office of the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, calls for the release of “every person detained without sufficient legal basis, including political prisoners, and those detained for critical, dissenting views.” This followed an earlier call from Ms. Bachelet saying that governments must “take urgent action to protect the health and safety of people in detention.”
Palestinian human rights organization Adalah recently echoed the call by the United Nations for “urgent action to ensure the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.” Among the conditions that make Israeli jails an optimal breeding ground for the virus, Adalah included, “dire detention conditions, including systematic torture and ill-treatment, pervasive medical negligence, overcrowding, lack of proper ventilation and access to sanitary products, including sanitizers and disinfectants, poor nutrition.”
The Israeli response
It was reported widely that Iran released tens of thousands of prisoners, including political prisoners, for this reason. However, there is no reason to expect that the government of Israel will comply with the demands made by the United Nations Human rights Commissioner.
Israel will not take action as a result of appeals to decency or humanitarian considerations. The state of Israel will respond only to severe pressure, sanctions, and the threat of diplomatic isolation. Israeli society will not demand that its elected officials act on this issue unless it suffers severe consequences. However, in the political climate that exists around the world today, it is unlikely the international community will act.
Funding for prisoner’s families
The Palestinian Authority provides stipends for the families of prisoners and for prisoners who have been released and are in need of financial assistance. Israeli authorities have made it their mission to stop this funding, withholding monies that are due to the Palestinian Authority, claiming that supporting families of prisoners constitutes financial support for terrorism.
During the case of the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) which I outline in my book, “Injustice, The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five,” funding for the families of prisoners was brought up. HLF had a program that provided financial support to the families of prisoners. It was perfectly within reason for HLF to offer this relief to the families knowing how desperate their conditions can become with the main breadwinner incarcerated by Israel. The Israeli claim was used against the defendants.
During the HLF trials, one of the arguments the prosecution made was that by providing financial support for the families of prisoners, HLF was not only supporting but actually encouraging terrorism. The government claimed that by providing relief to the families of prisoners, not only were HLF supporting terrorism they were, in fact, incentivizing it. They claimed that these stipends motivate Palestinians to become “terrorists.”
The funding for the prisoners and their families is crucial. In a reality where families must make do without a breadwinner and where the prisoner once released is often handicapped, traumatized, and unable to work. It is also a fact that in many Palestinian families, several members of the family were held in Israeli jails, sometimes at the same time.
One example that is well known is that of the Tamimi family from Nabi Saleh. The father, Bassem, the mother, Nariman, the son Waed the daughter Ahed, and even the younger son Mohammad, have all been arrested and sat in Israeli jails. The parents and the older brother have been held more than once.
Their story is just one of many. Not one of the Tamimi family had engaged in terrorism or violence, something which is true about the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians incarcerated by Israel over the years.
Zionist propaganda
There is a great deal of anti-Palestinian propaganda spread by Zionist organizations on various platforms. Some of this propaganda has touched on this issue, spreading misinformation about the prisoners.
One report published by the Zionist think tank The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs begins with, “The Palestinian Authority’s legislation and allocations of monthly salaries and benefits rewarding imprisoned and released terrorists, and the families of “Martyrs,” amount to $300 million annually. This financial reward clearly demonstrates the PA’s institutional commitment to sponsoring terror against Israel.”
Conflating Palestinian political activism and resistance with terrorism is an effective tool by which to demonize the Palestinians and their struggle for liberation. Even though it is completely false, it works, and the Zionists use it regularly. They create the false impression that providing for the families of men and women who languish in Israeli jails “incentivizes” Palestinians to fight Israel. One would think that without this money Palestinians would sit at home and refrain from demanding their rights. Indeed if Palestinian resistance was just senseless terrorism, senseless violence, one might think this was true.
But Palestinian Resistance – some of which is armed and most of which is unarmed – and political activism are the two reasons that Israel detains Palestinians and neither one is motivated by the stipend given to them or their families.
The same report makes the claim that “The PA maintains long standing legislation and payments to subsidize terrorists and their families.” This claim, that Palestinians are somehow motivated by the money they may receive and that this funding “subsidizes” their activities, is a draconian attempt to paint Palestinians as a people who are motivated by greed and hate rather than by aspirations of freedom.
Palestinian society must be commended for the care provided to political prisoners and their families, but the rest of the world is shamefully absent on this issue.
Feature photo | Protesters wave banners with a picture of jailed Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti, during a rally supporting hunger striking Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Nasser Nasser | AP
Miko Peled is an author and human rights activist born in Jerusalem. He is the author of “The General’s Son. Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” and “Injustice, the Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.”