#slavery

tord_dellsen@diasp.eu

The only difference as compared with the old, outspoken slavery is this, that the worker of today seems to be free because he is not sold once for all, but piece meal by the day, the week, the year, and because no one owner sells him to another, but he is forced to sell himself in this way instead, being the slave of no particular person, but of the whole property-holding class.

— Friedrich Engels, The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844

#capitalism #quote #WageSlavery #slavery #FriedrichEngels #Engels

faab64@diasp.org

Israeli Rabbi imprisoned, enslaved women in a 'house of horrors' but will only do community service

Jerusalem rabbi Aharon Ramati kept numerous women in a small, overcrowded apartment, exercising complete authority over them while they provided him with financial support; Despite the slave-like conditions, he has received a lenient punishment

Ramati, who started assembling a group of young women - primarily from newly religious families or those exploring faith - around 2008, housed them in a facility he set up in the Sha'arei Chesed neighborhood in Jerusalem. Known as the "Be'er Miriam Seminary," this place was operated from the top floor of his house from 2009 to 2015.

The women who joined Ramati lived in the facility and attended daily spiritual and religious classes led by him. Initially, 12 women lived in his house, but over time the number grew to around 30, while Ramati moved to a house nearby. The indictment revealed that the women lived in extremely cramped and neglected conditions, with the building suffering leaks and dampness, and only three available bedrooms. In addition, some of the women had to sleep on moldy mattresses, and hot water was nonexistent. They were required to pay approximately $220 per month for a bed or around $170 for a place on a mattress. The women, who also worked every morning, were responsible for maintaining the apartment and managing their finances.

#Israel #Religion #Slavery #Women #Extremism

anonymiss@despora.de

Whenever you accuse the other side of inhumanity, please remember that this is what each side thinks of the other.

So the US Army, within the ethical guidelines of US foreign policy, has brought democracy to Iraq. However, only the terrible war crimes of #AbuGhraib are etched in the memory of the Arab world.

The Red Army is merely trying to liberate Ukraine from Nazis who are allegedly supported by the CIA to poison the brothers in Ukraine.

The only ones who can really accuse us of inhumanity are the American natives. Objectively speaking, the First World War began with the discovery of America. Don't think it would have been different times back then. The authorities knew exactly what an unethical massacre they were causing among the natives.

The New Laws of the Indies for the Good Treatment and Preservation of the Indians were issued on November 20, 1542, by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (King Charles I of Spain) and regard the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Laws


#humanrights #humanity #war #terror #slavery #ethics #moral #politics #future #Genocide #colonization #crime #problem

smokeinfog@diasp.org

California introduces first-in-nation slavery reparations package

The set of bills notably excludes direct cash payments.

SACRAMENTO, California — California state lawmakers introduced a slate of reparations bills on Wednesday, including a proposal to restore property taken by “race-based” cases of eminent domain and a potentially unconstitutional measure to provide state funding for “specific groups.”

The package marks a first-in-the-nation effort to give restitution to Black Americans who have been harmed by centuries of racist policies and practices. California’s legislative push is the culmination of years of research and debate, including 111-pages of recommendations issued last year by a task force.

Other states like Colorado, New York, and Massachusetts have commissioned reparations studies or task forces, but California is the first to attempt to turn those ideas into law.

The 14 measures introduced by the Legislative Black Caucus touch on education, civil rights and criminal justice, including reviving a years-old effort to restrict solitary confinement that failed to make it out of the statehouse as recently as last year.

Not included is any type of financial compensation to descendants of Black slaves, a polarizing proposal that has received a cool response from many state Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom.

. . .

#California #slavery #reparations #socialJustice #Politico

kuchinster@hub.hubzilla.de

Blood-flavored bananas

Image/photo

Blood-flavored bananas

Once upon a time, there was a company called United Fruit Company. It became famous for the fact that it began to import bananas to the U.S. en masse. Back in the mid-19th century, bananas were in America like black caviar - expensive, prestigious, and eaten only by millionaires. But "United Fruit" built a hundred ships with refrigerators, and flooded the entire American market with bananas that cost 2 cents. Behind the scenes of this action there were some pretty cool squabbles, and American buyers didn't know about them. For example, in 1911, the president of Honduras gave United Fruit all the best banana plantations. But competitors from the company "Cuyamel" (also Americans) did not slumber: they overthrew the president, replacing him with their puppet, who gave the banana plantations to them.

In 1928, Colombian banana pickers demanded that United Fruit give them at least one day off a week. The Colombian police, paid for with company money, were brought in to quell the strike, and they killed up to 2,000 people. The rest of them shut up and went quickly to pick bananas. In 1929, United Fruit bought its main competitor, Cuyamel, and began controlling 60% of banana exports to the US. They murdered union leaders in South America, bribed politicians and police, and paid almost no taxes anywhere. In some countries (like Costa Rica or Colombia) it was United Fruit that was the main power, not the local government.

In 1953, Guatemalan President Arbenz turned over United Fruit's unused banana plantations to local impoverished peasants, and offered compensation. The company demanded 25 times as much money; it was sent packing. Then United Fruit simply ordered a coup at a similar price: negotiated a deal with the CIA, and financed a military invasion of Guatemala. The main motivation was that bananas on the shelves for Americans should not rise in price, they have become a favorite treat of millions. CIA mercenaries overthrew Arbenz, and put dictator Armas on the throne. This led to a 36-year civil war and the subsequent deaths of 200,000 people to Guatemala. But bananas didn't go up in price for Americans. It was a successful democratization, one to behold.

Since then, all the presidents of Central and South America were afraid to make a sound, and gave bananas for nothing. "United Fruit paid the banana pickers a pittance and did not give a penny to the budgets of the banana republics. For the slightest dissatisfaction the pickers were killed and the corpses were dumped into the sea. The American public happily bought bananas at a discount. But times have changed. "United Fruit was told it had lost its fucking mind and was bribing officials in Honduras to lower taxes on banana exports. In 1975, the military overthrew the company's protégé in Guatemala, dictator Lopez Arellano. In the same year, the head of the company, Eli Black (the company was by then called United Brands), threw himself out of a skyscraper in New York.

The company was quietly renamed Chiquita. And I still see bananas from this company in our supermarkets. Somehow everything has already been forgotten: how this corporation overthrew presidents, introduced slave labor, and people died by the hundreds of thousands because of it: we owe it the valuable term "banana republic".

They're lucky here: bananas pumped full of blood don't taste like blood.

They are so nice and sweet.

© Zotov

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/8910257.html

#USA #us #America #history #american #anglo-saxons #capitalism #slavery #military #CIA #vassalage #war #civil-war #Guatemala #Honduras #fruits #bananas #Chiquita

harryhaller@diasp.eu

How Slavery Continues to Undermine American Democracy - 10/26/2020
#usa #canada #slavery #democracy #history #romerica ">
In the months and weeks leading up to election day of 2020 we've all heard a lot about how important this election is for "preserving" American democracy. Donald Trump's niece, Mary Trump, has said that if Donald Trump wins, "democracy is over." The reality is that America is not now and has never been a democracy. If America were an actual democracy so much of American history would have been radically different and we certainly wouldn't be in this position today.
http://www.rationalrevolution.net/articles/slavery_democracy.htm