Bovino Out; Getting to Reparations; New NDP Leadership w/ Dorothy Brown, Avi Lewis | MR Live
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Public outcry and video evidence led to the removal of ICE Chief Bo and a PR crisis for the US administration regarding its actions in Minneapolis.
- ❖Dorothy Brown highlights historical instances of US reparations, including payments to Italy for lynched Italians, former slaveholders in DC, Indigenous nations for land, and Japanese Americans for internment.
- ❖Reparations for Black Americans should be 'cash plus' systemic reforms, addressing discriminatory tax codes, wealth generation, and education funding.
- ❖Avi Lewis is campaigning for the leadership of Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) on a left-populist platform, advocating for public options for groceries, housing, and internet services.
- ❖TikTok's new CEO announced 'Zionist' used in a 'degrading' context will be designated as hate speech, raising concerns about censorship of political ideology.
- ❖Tim Pool's commentary on the Minneapolis events is criticized for distorting facts and embracing a 'fascist bootlicker' mentality.
Insights
1Public Pressure Forces ICE Leadership Change and PR Scramble
Widespread public outrage, fueled by citizen-recorded videos of ICE actions in Minneapolis, led to the removal of ICE Chief Bo. The administration engaged in crisis management, indicating that sustained grassroots efforts can impact government operations and public perception, even if policy changes are superficial.
The hosts discuss 'Bo out' () and the administration's 'crisis management' (), noting that 'the fact that they feel like they're in crisis management for their PR is a positive' (). They credit 'the people in Minneapolis' () for the shift, specifically mentioning the impact of video footage ().
2Historical Precedents for Reparations in US Policy
Professor Dorothy Brown details several instances where the US government provided reparations: to Italy for lynched Italians (28:48), to slaveholders in DC for freed enslaved people (30:57), to Indigenous nations for stolen land (36:03), and to Japanese Americans for internment (39:09). These examples demonstrate the US government's capacity and precedent for issuing compensation.
Brown recounts the Italian lynching payments (), the DC Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862 (), the Indian Claims Commission (), and the $20,000 cash payments to Japanese internment survivors ().
3Systemic Discrimination Requires 'Cash Plus' Reparations
Brown argues that reparations for Black Americans must go beyond cash payments to include systemic reforms. Current systems for wealth building, such as the tax code, housing policies (e.g., FHA redlining), and K-12 education funding, are inherently anti-Black and discriminatory. Without structural changes, cash reparations would be stripped away.
Brown states, 'It isn't all cash because our systems for building wealth are anti-Black and discriminatory' (). She cites homeownership subsidies benefiting white homeowners more than Black renters (), the tax code's impact on dual-earner Black families (), and the need to reform K-12 education funding () and address environmental racism ().
4Canadian NDP Offers Left-Populist Alternative to Neoliberalism
Avi Lewis outlines the New Democratic Party's (NDP) platform, emphasizing a left-populist approach to address Canada's cost-of-living crisis. Key proposals include a national public option for groceries, public housing expansion, and public alternatives for internet/cell services, contrasting with the current Liberal government's neoliberal policies.
Lewis describes the NDP as 'refinding the Bernie Zoron democratic socialist energy' (). He proposes 'a public option for groceries nationally' () with '50 kind of Costco plus local nationally-owned grocery stores' (), and discusses 'public ownership' and 'public alternatives to cell phones and internet' ().
5TikTok's New Policies Target Political Speech, Raise Censorship Concerns
TikTok's new CEO, Adam Presser, announced that using 'Zionist' as a 'degrading' term will be designated as hate speech, leading to content moderation. This policy, coupled with updated terms of service allowing extensive data tracking (including political leanings, religion, race, and immigration status), raises significant concerns about censorship of political ideology and user privacy.
Presser states, 'We made a change to designate the use of the term Zionist as a proxy for a protected attribute as hate speech' (). The hosts mention 'updated terms of service that apparently allow them to track data as to whether you're trans, whatever your political leanings are, your religion, your race, and possibly undocumented' ().
Bottom Line
The US government's current actions against immigrants, particularly those based on racial profiling, are likely to result in future demands for reparations, mirroring historical patterns of compensation for state-sanctioned harm.
This suggests a cyclical nature of injustice and delayed accountability, where current policies create future liabilities, indicating a lack of learning from past mistakes.
Advocates can frame current immigration abuses as future reparations claims, building a long-term legal and moral case for compensation and systemic reform, potentially influencing public opinion and policy debates now.
Lessons
- Call your senators to demand they hold the line on DHS funding, pushing for reforms that restrict ICE's power and ensure accountability.
- Canadians interested in progressive politics should consider joining the NDP before the membership deadline to vote in the leadership election and support Avi Lewis's left-populist platform.
- Delete the TikTok app if you disagree with its new terms of service and content moderation policies, particularly those targeting political speech and tracking sensitive user data.
Quotes
"The fact that they feel like they're in crisis management for their PR is a positive. And how did we get there? Uh, it just it's a combination. I mean, it's essentially what what the people in Minneapolis have been doing."
"Are you telling me we, the United States government, has paid cash compensation to Italy, for Italians lynched, but not for black Americans and their families who are who have been the victims of lynching? And she said, 'That's exactly right.'"
"When I talk about reparations definition, I'm talking about government compensation for harms done to the black community. So, it's cash plus. It isn't all cash because our systems for building wealth are anti-Black and discriminatory."
"We are saying we can be we can do left populism, right? We're talking about the cost of living emergency. We're talking about the government stepping up in goddamn governing in a time of market failure when the market is failing to deliver the basics of goods and services that people need to live a dignified life at a price that people can afford."
"We made a change to designate the use of the term Zionist as a proxy for a protected attribute as hate speech. So if somebody were to use Zionist, of course you can you can use it in the in the sense of you're a proud Zionist. But if you're using it in the context of um degrading somebody, calling somebody a a Zionist as a as a dirty name, then that gets designated as hate speech um to be moderated against."
"First of all, when these people come out and go, Tim's a bootlicker for defending us. I'm like, no, no, you misunderstand. It's my boots. IT'S MINE. I VOTED FOR THEM. I'M WEARING THE BOOT. I'M STOMPING ON THE GROUND. I AIN'T LICKING ANYBODY."
Q&A
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