I don’t know how many remember the Internet Archive; we heard more about them during the pandemic, but also when books began to be banned and removed from libraries that were accessible to young people. Meanwhile, Big Profit was fighting the Archive even during the pandemic, but now there is some sad news.
Category: News / Information
Great news-
Snippets (but it’s worth the click):
Dawn Roberts, who was one of three co-chairs for Nikki Haley’s Iowa caucus campaign, announced her support for Harris in a letter first published September 20 in Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck column on Substack, and a few hours later by the Des Moines Register.
A lifelong Republican, Roberts was Polk County co-chair for then Governor Robert Ray’s campaigns and served as state co-chair for Gerald Ford’s 1976 presidential campaign. She became the first woman to lead the Polk County Republicans and was the GOP nominee for Iowa secretary of state in 1986. (snip)
Roberts wrote in her endorsement letter that she was impressed by how Harris “showed a willingness to listen to a wider range of views to solve problems.” The vice president allowed people with different political perspectives, including some Republicans, to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
At a news conference, she said she would consider having a Republican in her cabinet. All of these statements lead me to believe that she truly has the skills needed to bring us together as a country and hopefully the world. I heard her articulate that she has always brought groups of diverse individuals and opinions together to solve problems. That is a healthier and wiser way to lead.
At the debate, she continued to impress looking at the audience and emphasizing bringing the country together rather than divide, to lift people up rather than tear people down.
(snip-More, this is a big deal!)
Well, how about this-
Teamsters Joint Councils Don’t Care What Sean O’Brien Says, Endorse Kamala Harris Anyway, by Rebecca Schoenkopf
Whoops, seems like this is not a gambit that is paying off in any way whatsoever.
Yesterday, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien announced that the union would not be endorsing either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris for president of the United States, the first time the union has not endorsed a presidential candidate since 1996.
Now, in 1996, the union refused to endorse Bill Clinton because of NAFTA, which (sorry) was entirely reasonable. This time is a little different and a whole lot less reasonable. You have one candidate that will be continuing the policies of an administration that — with the unfortunately glaring exception of blocking the rail workers’ strike, which was bad — has been one of the best for labor in decades, and then you have another candidate who previously appointed union-busting lawyers to the National Labor Relations Board, refused to recognize a union at his Las Vegas hotel, and loves to have a good giggle with his union-busting friend Elon Musk about what a fabulous time it is to fire workers for striking.
Naturally, O’Brien stopped by Fox News to explain his reasoning to Neil Cavuto, who was extremely pressed about the fact that the Teamsters did not endorse Trump, even though Trump had invited him to speak at the RNC (and because Democrats told him to pound sand for having done that), and because the polling of rank-and-file members showed that they lean heavily towards Trump. He suggested O’Brien might just be being petty because of the whole “being friends with Elon Musk and having a good laugh about how fun it is to fire striking workers!” thing.
O’Brien said that the primary reason he did not endorse either candidate was because he “couldn’t get a commitment” from either one about Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. This actually would have been entirely understandable, except for the fact that Harris has repeatedly, specifically endorsed the PRO Act and said she would sign it if it got to her desk. Also except for the fact that Tim Walz, who has an incredible record on labor, actually signed into law something of a mini-PRO Act for the state of Minnesota.
Whoops!
Meanwhile, when Trump was in office, his administration literally put out a statement promising to veto the PRO Act.
“H.R. 2474 would also restrict workers’ freedom of association. It abolishes State right-to-work laws, and would thereby make union dues compulsory nationwide,” it read.
Whoops again!
Unsurprisingly (and despite that polling), Teamsters Joint Councils across the US (and particularly in battleground states) are issuing their own endorsements for Harris.
“The Harris-Walz ticket offers a comprehensive vision for America — one that not only prioritizes economic fairness but also stands steadfastly by our nation’s workers,” said Kevin Moore, President of Michigan Teamsters Joint Council 43, which represents 250,000 workers. “Their record and future plans are exactly what our country needs to continue growing and prospering. I urge all my Teamster members and fellow citizens to lend their support to this outstanding campaign.”
Teamsters Joint Councils 7 and Joint Council 42, which combined represent 300,000 Teamster members from 39 Local Unions across California, Nevada, Hawaii, and Guam issued a joint statement on Facebook announcing their endorsement.
“Winning fair wages, bargaining quality affordable healthcare, securing strong pensions, protecting good jobs, and growing the middle class through organizing, is at the heart of what we do as Teamsters” the statement read. “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have demonstrated a commitment to standing with working people through action, such as supporting the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, and in the state of Minnesota, Governor Walz signed a bill that would ban forced captive audience meetings. Under a Harris-Walz administration we are confident that we will continue to have proworker appointees to the National Labor Relations Board and the Supreme Court, which directly impacts our ability to organize and win contract fights that benefit all workers.”
“Kamala Harris has long been a champion of working people and Labor Unions. As a Senator, she cast the tie-breaking vote that helped pass the Butch Lewis Act, which saved the pensions of thousands of Teamsters and millions of other hard working Americans,” read the endorsement from Joint Council 396, representing workers in southern California. “This crucial legislation preserved the financial security and dignity that our members earned over decades of dedicated work.”
“As Vice President of the most pro-union administration ever, Kamala Harris worked with the Teamsters and other union workers to pass the historic Butch Lewis Act which has saved the pensions of over a million retirees to date.” said Bill Carroll, President of Teamsters Joint Council 39, which represents roughly 15,000 workers in Wisconsin. “As President, Kamala Harris will build on those efforts and work with Congress to pass the PRO Act, ending some of the most egregious union busting tactics once and for all. In contrast, Donald Trump tried to gut workers’ rights as President by appointing union busters to the NLRB and advocating for national right-to-work. Trump’s Project 2025 would go even further, attacking the ability for unions to even have the ability to organize. This November we will work with millions of union workers across the country to defeat Donald Trump once again, and send Vice President Harris and Governor Walz to the White House. We are proud to endorse Harris-Walz for President and Vice President.”
Joint Council 40, representing western Pennsylvania, also issued an endorsement on its website.
So far, it does not look like any joint councils are endorsing Trump, and those who do lean that way would probably have a difficult time finding any actual labor-related reasons to support him. What would they even say? That keeping trans people from going to the bathroom or banning books will help workers somehow? That they want the famously anti-union, anti-worker corporate attorney Eugene Scalia back as Secretary of Labor?
There’s not a lot to go on there.
Clark State security finds suspicious package on campus, rules out threat
(I clicked on a Springfield New-Sun article the other day; they let you read everything if you start an account or register or whatever; email address, user name, and a password. Anyway, it’s a very polite paper, and the work, so far as I’ve seen, is exemplary. If you click through to the page, take a look at their headlines to see how things are going in Springfield, thanks to the Republican ticket. Some of it is good news for residents; there is balance.)
News By Brooke Spurlock 3 hours ago
Clark State is investigating after officials found a suspicious package this morning on the College’s Springfield campus.
The college’s security found the package around 8 a.m. on the Leffel Lane campus and immediately contacted police, according to a statement on the college’s website.
“Police responded quickly and determined that the package was not of concern and no threat exists,” the statement said.
Administrators and police searched the buildings and campus before the Springfield Police Division said the campus was safe at 11:12 a.m.
Clark State closed all of its campuses this week and moved to remote classes through Friday as a result of two email threats of a potential bombing and shooting from last weekend.
This is cool-
Haters are going to hate, Republicans are going to try to spark hate everywhere. Lies are not a bad thing to them as long as they win so they can continue to hate.
A day after a Springfield school and other public buildings were evacuated and closed due to bomb threats, and the same day that two other Springfield elementary schools were evacuated and one middle school closed due to a new, separate bomb threat, Husted posted a photo of two geese on X Friday morning with the comment, “Most Americans agree that these migrants should be deported.” Husted’s spox has refused to comment. He first appeared here in 2012 when as Ohio secretary of state he eliminated extended hours for early voting.
“When people ask me…What’s gonna happen if the Flip – Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins?? I say…write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards! Sooo…when the Illegal human ‘Locust’ (which she supports!) Need places to live…We’ll already have the addresses of the their New families…who supported their arrival!” Zuchowski wrote.
Read the full article. Replies to his post are turned off. Zuchowski made news several years ago for a rant about the name change for the Cleveland Indians, which he claimed was “erasing our heritage.”
“I’ve seen the guns myself and all, and, yeah, they had a lot of guns and stuff over there, and, yeah, a lot of people were afraid of him back in the day,” she said.
“These are people that want to destroy our country. It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat. They do it with a combination of rhetoric and lawsuits they wrap me up in.
Peace & Justice History for 9/17:
| September 17, 1924 Mohandas Gandhi began a purifying 21-day fast for Hindu-Muslim tolerance and unity following communal riots in Kohat on India’s northwest border in what is now Pakistan. A Hindu, Gandhi spent his fast at the home of Mahomed Ali. |
September 17, 1961 Bertrand Russell at anti nuclear weapons March, 19611,314 anti-nuclear protesters were arrested during a sit-down in London’s Trafalgar Square by 12,000 (authorities had denied a permit). Philosopher and peace activist Bertrand Russell, aged 89, and 32 others were already in jail, having been arrested the previous month during a demonstration on Hiroshima Day in Hyde Park. Russell’s Committee of 100 had organized the sit-down and other actions to resist nuclear weapons, challenging the authorities to ‘fill the jails’, with the intention of causing prison overload and large-scale disorder. On arrest members would go limp so as to create maximum disruption without conflict. History gallery: The Committee of 100 |
| September 17, 1988 Haiti’s military government was overthrown by a group of non-commissioned officers who installed Lieutenant General Prosper Avril as the new head of state. The leaders of the coup were outraged by the attack the previous Sunday on St. Jean Bosco Church during which 13 parishioners were killed and nearly 80 injured. Fr. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a persistent critic of the military regime, had been celebrating mass when the attack occurred. From the report of the Organization of American States’ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, issued on September 7, 1988: “ The Commission has come to the conclusion that the current military government in Haiti has perpetuated itself in power as a result of violence instigated by elements of the Haitian Armed forces resulting in the massacre of Haitian voters on November 29, 1987, the manipulation of the elections held on January 17, 1988, and the ouster of President Leslie Manigat on June 20, 1988.” The full report |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryseptember.htm#september17
Earth will have new “mini moon”, length of a bus, for 2 months
September 16, 2024 Evrim Yazgin Cosmos science journalist
An asteroid is approaching, but it won’t crash into Earth. Instead, it’ll be our planet’s little companion for 2 months before continuing on its merry way.
2024 PT5 is about 11m wide. The asteroid was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in South Africa on 7 August.
In a study published in the journal Research Notes of the AAS, a pair of asteroid dynamics researchers calculated the asteroid’s size, speed and path. The researchers determined the asteroid would complete a single orbit around Earth over 53 days before being flung back into outer space.
The asteroid will start its orbit of Earth on 29 September. The bus-sized “mini moon” is scheduled to depart on 25 November.
Many asteroids follow a similar journey, falling into partial or full elliptical orbits around our planet as they pass by. One such “quasi-moon” is an asteroid discovered last year which astronomers believe has been orbiting Earth for more than 2,000 years.
Other quasi-moons make much briefer visits, like the 5m 2006 RH120 which orbited Earth for about a year and 2020 CD3 which was a mini companion of our planet for several years before leaving us in May 2020.
The researchers also believe they know from where 2024 PT5 is joining us based on its trajectory.
“Such orbital elements are consistent with those of the Arjunas, a sparsely resonant population of small NEOs [near-Earth objects] in a secondary asteroid belt found surrounding the path followed by the Earth–Moon system,” they write.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/mini-moon-asteroid-2-months/
