Capitalist Murder - Why haven’t Boeing’s executives been arrested? 21 October 2019

A leaked conversation between two Boeing employees provides further evidence that even though the aerospace giant was well aware of potentially catastrophic problems of the Boeing 737 Max 8 jet, it still decided to introduce the aircraft for commercial flights. Within two years of executives making the decision to put it into service, the deadly aircraft crashed twice—first in October 2018 and then in March of this year—killing 346 men, women and children.

So why aren’t any of Boeing’s executives facing criminal charges?

The exchange between Boeing pilot Mark Forkner and his colleague Patrick Gustavsson, first published by Reuters, again reveals that the company subordinates passenger safety to the drive for profit. With only six months to go before the release of the aircraft, Forkner noted “fundamental issues” with the Max 8 that other Boeing officials “claim they’re aware of.” He specifically mentioned that “MCAS” was “running rampant in the [simulator]” and that “the plane [was] trimming like crazy.”

These comments by two Boeing employees dovetail with black box recordings and other data collected on the two crashes, Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which show that a previously unknown system, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), forced the planes into an unrecoverable nosedive. The system was ostensibly installed so that pilots of previous Boeing 737s would require next to no training on the new aircraft, a major selling point the company used to push its plane onto customers over European rival Airbus’s A320neo aircraft.

 

Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg speaks during a news conference after the company's annual shareholders meeting at the Field Museum in Chicago, Monday, April 29, 2019. (John Gress/Reuters via AP, Pool)

 

The real reason MCAS was developed, however, was to correct for a tendency of the Max 8 to stall. In order to shorten development time for the aircraft, Boeing essentially welded on new engines to a half-century old airframe, which meant the jet constantly had a slight pitch up. Instead of designing a new body for the engines, company executives determined it would be much quicker and cheaper to apply a software fix to faulty hardware.

Moreover, Boeing did everything it could to hide this development from regulators. Forkner, who at the time was a technical pilot for the company, told Gustavsson “I basically lied to the regulators (unknowingly)” because neither he nor his coworker had been informed of how much control MCAS could assume over an aircraft. Despite this incident, which was likely one among many, Boeing not only hid the dangers of the system from aviation safety officials, it kept the software out of Max 8 flight manuals. Even after the Lion Air crash, many pilots in the US and internationally were unaware of MCAS and the potential dangers it posed.

There is no innocent explanation for these omissions. They indicate reckless and criminally negligent behavior on the part of Boeing executives to rush into service a flying deathtrap in order to gain market share over its corporate rivals.

That none of them have been prosecuted, much less arrested, speaks to the incestuous relationship between airline companies and the US government. Ali Bahrami, one of the heads of the aerospace industry’s lobbying group, was one of the leading members of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during the initial development of the Max 8. FAA Acting Administrator during both crashes was Dan Elwell, a former American Airlines executive. Stephen Dickson, the new head of the agency, was a Senior Vice President at Delta.

It also indicts Boeing’s Wall Street investors, which see lives lost only as the cost of doing business. This includes The Vanguard Group, T. Rowe Price Associates, the Newport Trust Co., SSGA Funds Management and Blackrock Fund Advisors, among others. They collectively control 27.9 percent of Boeing’s stock, valued at $59.4 billion, which is more than twice what it was when Boeing first introduced the Max 8.

Boeing’s executives themselves also made a tidy sum. During the meteoric rise of the company’s stock in January and February, Chief Financial Officer Gregory Smith, Executive Vice President John Keating, General Counsel Michael Luttig and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenberg all sold shares worth $9.5 million, $10.1 million, $9.5 million and $6.5 million, respectively. That the second Max 8 crash occurred within a month of these and other similar windfalls raises questions about what else corporate executives knew.

The relationship between Boeing, its executives and its Wall Street investors, however, is only a symptom of the logic produced by the deregulation of the airline industry as a whole, an effort spearheaded by the Democratic administration of Jimmy Carter in 1978. Aided and abetted by Professor Alfred Kahn and liberal icon Senator Edward Kennedy, Carter pushed through the Airline Deregulation Act, which smashed the existing setup that treated interstate airlines as a regulated public utility, setting routes, schedules and fares.

At the same time, Carter drew up plans to smash the air traffic controllers’ union, PATCO, which were carried out in 1981 by his Republican successor Ronald Reagan—with the support of a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. This began an assault on airline workers and all sections of the working class, made possible by the treachery and complicity of the trade unions, which accelerated the growth of financial speculation and parasitism which has dismantled much of the country’s industry.

The basis for this is the ongoing counterrevolution being carried out by the ruling elite against the social position and living standards of the working class as wealth is concentrated ever more tightly in the top 1 percent and .1 percent of society. These same processes led the utility company PG&E to plunge millions into darkness two weeks ago without warning. The company, which has been implicated in the deaths of 85 people in last year’s Camp Fire, has stated that random blackouts will likely be the new normal for working-class Californians for at least a decade.

The Boeing 737 Max 8 disasters are the outcome of the capitalist ownership of the airline industry and the financial system. They point to the inherent incompatibility between the basic interests of the working class and the private ownership of essential industries, as well as the division of the world’s economy into rival nations. These catastrophes were driven by both the greed of Boeing executives and big investors and the intensifying trade conflict between the United States and Europe.

The only way forward is the opposite, the transformation of the airlines and other major corporations and banks into publicly owned utilities under the democratic control of the working class. This will be a key part of a political fight against the corporate-financial oligarchy and both of its parties, as part of the establishment of a planned economy based on social need, not private profit.

Mother of Sean Kealiher Asks Mourners to Stop Writing on the Democratic Party of Oregon Building by Alex Zielinski • 15 Oct 2019

Laura Kealiher speaks to reporters at the site of her son's death. Alex Zielinski

The mother of Sean Kealiher, the 23-year-old man who died after being hit by an SUV Saturday, has two messages for the public: Stop posting statements online on behalf of her family and stop writing messages on the outer wall of the Democratic Party of Oregon office. 

"I want all public statements to stop," said Laura Kealiher, speaking to reporters this afternoon outside of the offices of the Democratic Party of Oregon on NE 9th and Everett. "They just fuel the rumor mill, which everyone close to Sean has had to suffer through."

Sean died early Saturday morning after someone allegedly drove an SUV into him on the street adjacent to the Democratic Party of Oregon office. Sean was rushed to the hospital in a personal vehicle, but did not survive. According to the Multnomah County Medical Examiner, Sean died from blunt force trauma.

Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers responded to the scene after neighbors reported hearing gunshots near NE Davis and 8th. That's where officers said they discovered an empty SUV crashed into the side of a building. They found evidence of gunfire in the abandoned vehicle.

PPB has released little public information on their investigation into his death, and has yet to make an arrest. In a Tuesday press release, PPB said the "motive behind this incident is still unknown."

Messages left on the outer wall of the Democratic Party of Oregon offices. Alex Zielinski

Since his death, mourners have turned the office's outer wall into a memorial for Sean, using paint and marker to write messages like "RIP Sean," "Rest in Power," and "Fart on Cops." Others left bouquets of flowers and candles on the sidewalk in front of the building. Sean was an active member of the local anarchist and anti-fascist community, an affiliation also reflected in the wall's messages, such as "ACAB" (All Cops Are Bastards) and "Abolish ICE."

 Brad Martin, director of the Democratic Party of Oregon, said the office has refrained from removing the writing out of respect. "We wanted to give people the space," said Martin on Tuesday afternoon. "We understand the deep grieving process for a remarkable young man who's touched many people."
Martin says the Western States Center has volunteered to help paint over the messages in the next few days.

"Some of you may feel inclined to leave messages on the Democratic Party of Oregon offices after it has been cleaned up," Laura said, "but I am requesting that you refrain."

Laura has asked mourners to join her family in memorializing Sean during a October 26 noon potluck at Chapman Square.

https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2019/10/15/27318352/mother-of-sean-kealiher-asks-mourners-to-stop-writing-on-the-democratic-party-of-oregon-building

Syria: Retreating US Military Vehicles Pelted With Fruit and Stones by Kurdish Locals During Withdrawal - 21 Oct 2019

A convoy of US military vehicles was pelted with fruit and stones while traveling through Qamishli, near Syria’s border with Turkey, on October 21.



A correspondent for the ABC reported seeing US armored vehicles pelted with stones and rotten fruit, while local news outlet Hawar (ANHA) shared video of civilians holding up images of dead Kurdish fighters while congregating around the vehicles.



The previous evening, residents in Qamishli staged a small demonstration, standing in front of US military vehicles and holding aloft signs addressed to “the US Army who are leaving northeast Syria”.
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The Kurdish forces have thousands of men and women under arms.  The US has given guns and
 vehicles and weapons to the Kurds over the last five years.
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But the Kurds don't seem to want to stand and fight against the Turkish Army or the Islamist militias fighting for the Turks who were also armed by the US.  The Kurds seem to have little faith in the men who fight for Kurdistan.  Only Americans can save the Kurdish people.  Only children and women are left behind to face the Turks and the Islamists.  The Kurdish military uses the US supplied vehicles to retreat as fast as they can.  No one wants to die for Kurdistan, they want to profit off a new country not die to help defend it.
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One sign read, “Tell your children that the children of the Kurds were killed by the Turks, and we did nothing to protect them.”  The Kurds would never hold up a sign like that in front of retreating cowardly Kurdish fighters.  Kurdish fighters would shoot them dead in the street if civilians dared to insult them.  Throwing fruit or stones would be responded to with a massacre of everyone in the immediate area.  Middle Eastern men in armed groups are merciless to unarmed opponents, especially if they are women and children.  That's their 'culture.'
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So American soldiers who are pulling away from the front lines between Turkey and the Kurds are supposed to go home and tell their children that they weren't brave enough to fight to protect Kurdish women and children because Kurdish male fighters were.... what are they busy doing again?  Why can't Kurdish militiamen fight the Turks?  Too busy manning checkpoints two hundred miles away from the front?  Too busy protecting the government 500 miles away from the Turks and their insane Islamist allied mercenaries?

Is 'Hate Speech' Dangerous? By H.K. Rivera (American Thinker) 19 Oct 2019

As a concept, freedom of speech arguably dates back to Socrates. He said to his prosecutors, "If you offered to let me off this time on condition I am not any longer to speak my mind... I should say to you, 'Men of Athens, I shall obey the Gods rather than you.'" While Plato was busy writing dialogues and showing us that Socrates was advocating for free speech more than 2000 years ago, freedom of speech as a legal right did not actually exist until the 17th century.

The people of both the United States and Britain were ensured certain rights. Both countries grant freedom of speech, although in modern society, speech considered "harmful, hurtful, or hateful" has been deemed, "hate speech" in much of Europe and in Britain.

This new worldview on dangerous words has made its way to the United States. "Progressive" activists such as Antifa and the 3rd wave feminist movement, would see freedom of speech hampered to end speech they find offensive.

Online "hate speech" is currently an arrestable and jailable offense in the United Kingdom. There is an entire branch of law enforcement devoted to policing words on the internet. Many have received jail time over tweets and Facebook posts others did not agree with. How did this happen? Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 made this policing of words and subsequent punishment possible.

An article published by the Independent claims "According to the Register, a total of 2,500 Londoners have been arrested over the past five years for allegedly sending “offensive” messages via social media. In 2015, 857 people were detained, up 37 per cent increase since 2010."

In the U.S., many are trying to push for "hate speech" laws, although the courts have ruled such laws unconstitutional thus far. The First Amendment protects the right to free speech, no matter how much some may not like what is being said.    

While private business can make rules for conduct as they see fit, individual states and factions of the federal government cannot in the United States; the laws about speech are expressly written in the Constitution.

In the United Kingdom free speech was not expressly granted under the Magna Carta, it was granted 400 years later under the British Bill of Rights; however today it is all but stripped completely. The British Bill of Rights (An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown) was written in 1689 and granted freedom of speech in Parliament. This was the first instance in history that any form of freedom of speech was codified into law. The British Bill of Rights granted sweeping freedoms to British citizens, and became a document looked to for inspiration in other countries. Both the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the United States Constitution used the ideas from the British Bill of Rights when creating their versions.

Today in the United Kingdom the Online Hate Crimes Hub Polices "offensive materials" on social media. It is highly likely that you could wind up in a jail cell for insulting someone on Facebook.

Now the question becomes, what exactly is hate speech? Hate speech laws in England and Wales are found in several statutes. There needs to be an expression of hatred towards someone based upon the following: color, race, disability, nationality (which includes citizenship), ethnicity or national origin, religion, sexual preferences and sexual orientation, gender identity. All of these examples are forbidden. Next, we arrive at “Any communication which threatening or abusive, and is intended to harass, alarm or distress someone is forbidden” – Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 

Rather vague language which can be blurred easily to fit any situation. Now when you add in the Communications Act of 2003, which defines illegal communications as “Using public electronic communications network in order to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.” Breaking this law carries a fine of up to £5,000 or a six-month prison term. If you call someone a “slut” on Twitter this could land you in prison. If you like a political personality this week, better watch your language online, and that joke you posted to Facebook could also carry a sentence, if anyone feels annoyed or anxious over it.

Many social media platforms are currently demonetizing thinkers they do not agree with (YouTube does this regularly); and in some cases, out and out banning them from utilizing the platform at all, which silences their voices. Steven Crowder was has publicly shown us a “black list” of channels that are hidden via YouTube.  Other recent examples of this are Facebook and the subsequent Instagram banning of Paul Joseph Watson. Watson is an outspoken man and free speech enthusiast. His articles, videos, and views on current events tend to send some into a “triggered” state of utter turmoil; believe it or not, that is good thing! Echo chambers do not allow for critical thinking, and equal discussion of the topics at hand. If both sides cannot speak freely, that is oppression of ideas. Facebook had gone as far to label Watson as a “dangerous individual” for not towing the leftist line as they expect from their political users.  In an ironic twist of events, after Mark Zuckerberg was found to be holding meetings with conservatives such as Tucker Carlson the opposition on the left is now hollering about “#DeleteFacebook” as the trending item of the last 24 hours. It took meeting with people the left did not agree with, to cause upset with Facebook and its practices.

The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that hate speech is legally protected free speech under the First Amendment. Trying to ban speech that is offensive, or may cause another to become upset, is a slippery slope which causes more risk than the “overall good” intended. There are very clear laws in place that hate crimes are illegal and punishable. These crimes involve bodily injury to another person based on race, creed, religion, sex/gender, et cetera.

Hate crimes also include vandalizing property. Governance over words is an inherently dangerous activity to a healthy, and ultimately free society. Take away the right to voice an opinion, no matter how vile it may be, and you are ever closer to totalitarian rule.  However, that seed has been planted by very vocal left-leaning groups who do not want hate speech protected. When a group vocalizes repeatedly about how hate speech is a danger to society, that poison pill has been placed. Many who are not very politically active hear the side that makes the most “chatter” and tend to agree with the popular opinion instead of researching the situation on their own. Many citizens of the United States have no idea that other countries are struggling with free speech, and that we are the last bastion of hope for expression. Clueless that positions in other governments include titles such as “Chief Censor.” If they knew, more outrage over trying to silence hate speech would be front and center.

Once you cannot speak out without repercussions, all other rights are taken soon after. This is how dictators take over countries and oppress the citizens. This model has been seen time and time again. It is absolutely imperative that at least one country on this planet still has freedom of expression. This is how the others will rebuild their own freedoms, much the same way that the United States forged its way using the Magna Carta and British Bill of Rights all those years ago as inspiration.

Source

Ad Infinitum - US Federal Reserve Bank starts “quantitative easing forever” - 19 Oct 2019

As global economy enters synchronised slowdown

Two actions by US financial authorities this week indicate that the United States will respond to a looming downturn in the global economy by providing, once again, unlimited amounts of cash to financial markets.

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve began an operation, lasting at least six months, to purchase around $60 billion of Treasury bills a month in response to sharp spikes in interest rates in overnight markets. The following day, in a separate action, the New York Federal Reserve injected $104.15 billion into financial markets to boost liquidity.

Federal Reserve Building on Constitution Avenue in Washington

 

Together with the Fed’s decisions to twice cut interest rates, with the prospect of another cut at the end of this month, these moves make clear that, in conditions characterised by the International Monetary Fund as a “synchronised” global slowdown, any efforts to “normalize” monetary policy are well and truly over.

The European Central Bank has reversed its plan to end financial asset purchases and lowered its base interest rate further into negative territory, while the Bank of Japan continues to be the virtual sole purchaser of government debt and a major buyer of corporate shares.

In other words, the policy of the world’s major central banks, acting on behalf of a global financial oligarchy, is quantitative easing ad infinitum.

After the crash of 2008, the Fed and other central banks handed out trillions of dollars to the banks and finance houses whose actions had precipitated the crisis. This money did not go into the real economy but passed straight into the coffers of the financial oligarchs. Now, more unlimited cash is to be made available to the financial elites as they seek to slash the wages and conditions of workers.
The historic crisis of the global capitalist economy driving this program is exemplified in reports issued by the IMF for its semi-annual meeting Washington this week.

The most significant feature of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook report, which charts global growth, was not the cutting of growth projections for this year and the next, important as that was. It was the analysis that no significant upturn for the “big four” economies—the US, Japan, the eurozone and China—could be expected for the next five years.

At the end of 2017 and leading into 2018, the IMF and other global institutions were pointing to an upturn in global growth. This was taken as an indication that, at last, after the passage of almost a decade, the world economy was finally experiencing something of a revival.

The upturn proved to be remarkably short-lived. By the middle of 2018, the trend had turned down—a situation that has continued into 2019. As the latest IMF report makes clear, ongoing stagnation, with the increasing threat of outright recession, is now the “new normal.”

At the same time, the so-called “unconventional monetary policies” of the world’s major central banks—the lowering of interest rates to record historical lows and the pumping of trillions of dollars into the global financial system through the purchase of government bonds and other financial assets—have created the conditions for a new financial crisis, potentially even more devastating than that of 2008.

The rationale for these policies was that they would eventually bring about an economic expansion after the deepest recession since the 1930s. The resumption of economic growth would then see a return to a more “normal” monetary policy.

Nothing of the sort has taken place. Instead, the financial system has become so dependent upon and addicted to the endless supply of cheap money that even the slightest move to reduce it threatens to set off a crisis.

“Unconventional monetary policies” and the ongoing economic stagnation now operate in a vicious circle. Falling growth has meant that instead of inducing investors to place the money made available to them in the real economy, they have channelled it into ever riskier financial assets in order to expand their capital. However, such assets are the most likely to experience a collapse in any significant economic downturn, the signs of which are becoming increasingly apparent.

Such a prospect was set out in the IMF’s Global Financial Stability report produced for this week’s meeting.

“In a material economic slowdown scenario, half as severe as the global financial crisis,” it said, “corporate debt-at-risk [debt owed by firms that are unable to cover their interest payments with their earnings] could rise to $19 trillion—or nearly 40 percent of total corporate debt in major economies—above crisis levels.”

The report noted that very low rates were prompting investors to search for yield by taking on “riskier and more illiquid assets to generate targeted returns.” The result is that “vulnerabilities among nonbank financial institutions are now elevated in 80 percent of economies with systemically important financial sectors”—a share similar to that “at the height of the global financial crisis.”

Boson Sunrise, or Boson Sunset? (Boson Observer) 19 Oct 2019

Red sky at night, sailors delight, red sky in morning, sailor take warning...

Pipefitters Local 537 honored with the Making a Difference Award by Building Pathways for fostering diversity and inclusion

October 18, 2019 - Construction Design & Engineering

Shown are Local 537 Building Pathways graduates with
training coordinator Paul McGrath and business manager Brian Kelly

Shown is Brian Kelly, third from left, receiving
Building Pathways’ Make A Difference Award

Boston, MA  Pipefitters Local 537 was honored with the prestigious Making a Difference Award by Building Pathways. The award honors organizations who have made significant contributions in the lives of graduates, their families and the communities in which they live and work. Pipefitters Local 537’s training program and membership was noted in particular for its success in recruiting top talent while providing opportunities to women and people of color.

“Local 537 has truly been a key supporter of our work and critical to creating greater diversity and inclusivity in the building trades workforce,” said Mary Vogel, executive director of Building Pathways.

Contractors EM Duggan and JC Cannistraro also received accolades for their commitment to ensuring economic opportunity across the region.

Pipefitters Local 537 opened a training center in Dorchester to help hundreds of residents jumpstart their careers in construction this past spring. There, hundreds of event attendees toured the facilities, met with instructors and current apprentices and learned about life-changing job opportunities. The center, which also is the home to the union’s new headquarters, includes a new rigging/derigging training space and 80 new welding booths.

Female pipefitters, welders and HVAC technicians were also recently recognized among the nearly 500 tradeswomen who worked on Encore Casino’s 7,000 person construction crew. Together, these women set a record for the largest number of female workers on any construction project in U.S. history.

“We’re incredibly honored that Building Pathways is recognizing Local 537’s top-notch training program and diverse membership,” said business manager Brian Kelly. “This award is a true testament to our curriculum, world-class instructional staff and countless success stories. We’re thrilled to be creating opportunities for all who want to learn a new trade and make a great living without going into thousands of dollars of debt at a technical college.”

Local 537 represents over 3,000 members across Massachusetts and is affiliated with the United Association. From medical campuses to area universities, Local 537 is proud to have worked on projects of all shapes and sizes throughout the region for over 100 years. Local 537 continues to provide career opportunities to apprentices and journeypersons in the industry and is determined to ensure the best wages and benefits for Pipefitters, Welders, and HVAC - Refrigeration Technicians.

Launched by the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District (MetroBTC) in 2011, Building Pathways creates opportunities for low-income area residents, particularly in underserved communities, to access and prepare for building trades apprenticeships and family-sustaining careers in the construction industry. Through apprenticeship preparedness training, outreach to young adults, and advocacy, Building Pathways addresses the need to recruit top talent into the industry while opening career pathways to women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, and transitioning veterans.

http://nerej.com/pipefitters-local-537-honored-for-fostering-diversity-and-inclusion