Tamir Rice 12-31-2015

31, December 2015                 Tamir Rice

Once again a family mourns the death of their son, 12 year-old African American, Tamir Rice. On November 22 2014, a 911 caller reported seeing a young juvenile waving what appeared to be a toy gun. Tragically that vital information was not transmitted to the responding officer. Officer Timothy Loehmann shot Tamir within two seconds after his police cruiser pulled up in front of the boy. Neither Loehmann nor his partner, Frank Garmback administered first aid to save the boy’s life. They then handcuffed Tamir’s 14-year-old sister and threw her to the ground as she ran to her brother’s side, callously leaving the boy to die. Incredulously, an Ohio grand jury returned a decision not to indict.

What was omitted during trial was Timothy Loehmann’s resignation from another police force after a “dangerous loss of composure” during firearms training. It is an absolute travesty that police officers who responded made no attempt to assess the situation for themselves but only saw the boy’s skin color and toy gun as a danger to the community which required the use of maximum lethal force. Tamir’s death has become another alarming statistic of a criminal justice system that continues to offer blanket impunity to police officers for their actions when confronting African-Americans. It appears that the prosecutor deliberately cherry-picked the jury and what amounts to gross prosecutorial misconduct recommended a non-indictment. Other experts did find probable cause, including a municipal court judge who recommended Loehmann be charged with murder, manslaughter and reckless homicide.

The Democratic Debate 12-29-2015

29, December 2015           The Democratic Debate

Both the O’Malley and Sanders campaigns have rightly accused the ‘undemocratic DNC’ of boosting Clinton’s prospects by limiting the number of debates and scheduling them during low-viewership times like Saturday nights. According to Nielsen, only 6.7 million people tuned in to ABC during the last debate — a fraction of the 18 million who watched the fifth Republican debate. It was the second Democratic debate in a row held on a Saturday night. The next Democratic debate is scheduled for Sunday, January 17, during the Martin Luther King Day three-day-long weekend. During the last debate. O’Malley rightly accused both of his rivals of being weak on gun control; this will likely encourage lone wolf assassins to purchase firearms at gun shows before launching attacks on unsuspecting Americans.

The debate also exposed Sanders and Clinton’s foreign policy blunders. Clinton was a vigorous supporter of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and both she and Sanders the ouster of Gaddafi in Libya. Both decisions have created monumental chaos in the Middle East and the death and displacement of millions. Clinton played out her well-known hawkishness to demonstrate her ‘steel-toughness’, to compete with the boys, by advocating a no-fly zone over Syria, heading for a possible dangerous collision course with Russia. Both Syria and Iraq have invited the Soviets into their air space in contrast to the US who not received such a request. A no-fly zone would be a clear violation of international law and fraught with incredible risk.

Saudi Arabia 12-21-2015

21, December 2015                Saudi Arabia

One of the great shortcomings in the American-led fight against the Islamic State is the lack of fighters from Muslim countries. The announcement by Saudi Arabia that it has cobbled together 34 Islamic nations to fight terrorism is not very encouraging. It surely depends on the Saudi’s definition of terrorism. It seems unlikely they will set their sights on their ISIS Sunni brothers. Furthermore, given their abysmal record of killing thousands of civilians, with U.S. supplied weapons, in neighboring Yemen makes it extremely unlikely that they are sincere in fighting ISIS. Human Rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused Saudi Arabia of war crimes. These organizations have also accused the U.S. of being complicit in Saudi’s crimes.

Saudi Arabia has fomented the growing turmoil in much of the Arab world by funding Wahhabi religious schools and clerics who are spreading the kind of extremist doctrine that is at the heart of the Islamic State’s ideology. Saudi leaders have been more concerned with opposing Shia-led Iran, which they consider their greatest adversary.

It is time for the American people to wake-up and realize that Saudi Arabia has never been our friend - it has always been shaking our hand while orchestrating policies detrimental to our well-being.  Remember the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. Calling them friends is symptomatic of the corruption of our own ideals where trade in weapons of death triumphs concerns for human rights. A staggering $100 billion of weapons has been sold to the Saudi kingdom over the last 5 years.

Until the U.S. and the West are willing to confront this oil-rich Frankenstein that is more suited to Game of Thrones than to the 21st century, the turmoil in the Middle East will continue.

Saudi Arabia 12-21-2015

21, December 2015                Saudi Arabia

One of the great shortcomings in the American-led fight against the Islamic State is the lack of fighters from Muslim countries. The announcement by Saudi Arabia that it has cobbled together 34 Islamic nations to fight terrorism is not very encouraging. It surely depends on the Saudi’s definition of terrorism. It seems unlikely they will set their sights on their ISIS Sunni brothers. Furthermore, given their abysmal record of killing thousands of civilians, with U.S. supplied weapons, in neighboring Yemen makes it extremely unlikely that they are sincere in fighting ISIS. Saudi Arabia has fomented the growing turmoil in much of the Arab world by funding Wahhabi religious schools and clerics who are spreading the kind of extremist doctrine that is at the heart of the Islamic State’s ideology.

It is time for the American people to wake-up and realize that Saudi Arabia has never been our friend - it has always been shaking our hand while orchestrating policies detrimental to our well-being.  Calling them friends is symptomatic of the corruption of our own ideals where trade in weapons of death triumphs concerns for human rights. A staggering $100 billion of weapons has been sold to the Saudi kingdom over the last 5 years.

Until the U.S. and the West are willing to confront this oil-rich Frankenstein that is more suited to the Game of Thrones than to the 21st century, the turmoil in the Middle East will continue.

Abuses by Navy Seals 12-20-2015

20, December 2015             Abuses by Navy Seals

According to a report by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), three Navy SEALS dropped heavy stones on detainees chests, stomped on their heads and poured bottles of water in simulated water boarding. One detainee died from his injuries. Four U.S. soldiers working with the SEALs witnessed the abuses and reported the matter to their superior officers.

According to the report the four soldiers recanted their earlier testimony and their names were redacted from the report. However, the soldiers were tracked down and vigorously denied they recanted their testimony which smacks of a cover-up.

Incredulously, the Seals were cleared of any wrong doing and two of SEALSs implicated and their lieutenant have since been promoted despite calls from one of the commanders calling for their dismissal. Retired Rear Admiral Donald Guter, a former judge advocate general of the Navy was highly critical of the cover-up.

Tragically, these gross abuses were not isolated incidents but a systemic problem of unprofessional conduct. SEALs were reported to have tossed grenades and fired at local tribesmen indiscriminately generating a great deal of resentment between ordinary soldiers and the local population, a serious setback for winning hearts and minds with the Afghan people.

Geoffrey Corn, a former military lawyer who was the Army’s senior expert adviser on the law of war, warned that not taking charges seriously damages ethical standards and morale and emboldens the enemy.   

Climate Change 12-6-2015

6, December 2015                   Climate Change

NASA’s former top climate scientist, James Hansen, was the first scientist who warned about the inherent dangers of climate change when he appeared before Congress in 1988. At the time he was mocked as an alarmist and ridiculed by the climate deniers.

Speaking at the Climate Conference in Paris, Hansen’s views are finally getting some traction. He stated that the current price of fossil fuels was dishonest. It should include its cost to society. He recommended a rising fee be added to the price of fossil fuels. This would spur investment of alternative clean energy technologies and create a disincentive to fossil fuel polluters. The fuel tax would then be refunded to the general public using the Alaska model. People who limit their use of fossil-fuels would be rewarded with a higher refund of the carbon tax. Rich people who can afford higher fuel prices, the jet setters and gas guzzlers, will pay more. A carbon tax would also favor renewables and energy efficiency. It would be revenue neutral and would therefore have negligible impact on the size of government. Hansen’s proposal has support from leading conservatives.

Gun Violence 12-6-2015

6, December                                     Gun Violence

In the wake of yet another mass shooting, many Americans are asking, what will it take for Congress to restrict access to guns? This I believe is a futile hope. Most members of Congress follow the 11the commandment –look after thyself; avoid taking any action which might hinder their re-election prospects. 

I believe the only radical action that needs to be taken is to go to the source of all the controversy –the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which reads: "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed" – which begs the question, do we really need militias in 2015 to resist the actions of a tyrannical government? The answer surely is a resounding NO! Thus, the Second Amendment is on very shaky moral and ethical grounds. What is needed is a massive grass roots effort to challenge the validly of the Second Amendment. The U.S. Constitution was crafted in 1787 to reflect the prevailing frontier conditions at the birth of our nation when people had a strong need to protect their families and livestock and prior to the establishment of a reliable constabulary. We have well-established law enforcement agencies so there is no need for militias!  To encourage the formation of militias would be foolhardy and irresponsible and would invite anarchy and chaos. The proliferation of guns is based on an unhealthy obsession with firearms and fear. Do we really need to kill God’s creatures with AK47 assault rifles or guns for pleasure? Where is the outrage from the Bible Belt that professes to echo the great teachings of the Bible? In the interim, the citizens of this country must break their long silence and demand change. Expose all lawmakers who accept donations (bribes) from the NRA and ensure their defeat. Tar and feather (virtually) the miscreants in Congress and make their life so uncomfortable that they will be forced to free themselves from the clutches of the NRA. It is unconscionable to allow gun manufacturers and the NRA to profit from the mayhem occurring in our inner cities.  Fellow citizens break your silence and let your voices be heard. The time to act is NOW!

Exxon Mobile Exposed 12-3-2015

3, December 2015               Exxon Mobile Exposed

Oil giant Exxon Mobile is under a sweeping criminal investigation in New York over claims it deliberately misled the public on the risks of climate change. Revelations have now surfaced that early in the 1970s Exxon’s own scientists concluded that there was a direct causation between burning fossil fuels and climate change. Students at Columbia Journalism School (CJS) in collaboration with The Los Angeles Times broke the story. In what appears to be an attempt to silence or undermine its investigation, Exxon donated $220,000 to CJS. In a heavy-handed attempt to quash the impact of the investigation, Exxon, with additional funding from the Koch Brothers, accused the reporters of misleading the public. The highly respected journal ‘Nature’  countered by publishing a damning article accusing Exxon of endangering the public good by  spreading disinformation to its investors and the general public, in a desperate attempt to protect its bottom line. In a rare moment of official concern over the brouhaha, Secretary of State, John Kerry, stated “that if these allegations are proved to be true, it was worse than the tobacco industry and a betrayal of everything it means to be a responsible corporation”. If the criminal investigation prevails, Exxon could be liable for millions in court fees and possibly billions in punitive damages arising from its callous and willful disregard for public health and safety.

Trump 12-1-2015

1, December 2015               Trump

Donald Trump continues on a downward spiral oblivious of the chaos he is creating for his party and for America at large. He has tarnished the image of the country he professes to love and assumed the role of Charlie Chaplin, the Great Dictator.

He has alienated the Hispanics, Syrians and all non-white migrants wishing to seek refuge. He has promised to unleash a swat team to go door-to-door breaking up families and dispatching millions of Hispanics south of the border plunging the housing, construction and farming industries into utter chaos – ignoring the fact that more Mexicans are leaving than entering the country. He boasted - “I am going to move them so fast your head would spin”. He promised to set up a database to track all Muslims and close all mosques thereby violating the U.S. Constitution and pitting 1.6 billion Muslims against the infidel-in-chief. Refugees already vetted would be sent back to confront the butchers of the Islamic State. Trump has little patience with the truth falsely claiming that thousands of Syrians in New Jersey cheered the attacks on 9/11. Perhaps the scariest spectacle in Trump’s public events is the wild cheers that accompany his rambling monologues; he made no effort to discourage his supporters from pummeling protestors. A few days ago in Alabama, a black protester was punched and kicked by his supporters. Trump cheered them on and suggested the man had it coming. Oh, America how do we push this genie back and re-cork the bottle? 

Police Brutality & Cover-up 11-27-2015

27, November 2015                 Police Brutality & Cover-up

The gruesome killing of 17-year-old African-American, Laquan McDonald, in a hail of 16 bullets, including multiple times in the back, occurred more than a year ago. Chicago police officer, Van Dyke, who has been charged with first-degree murder began shooting 6 seconds after arriving on the scene. Laquan’s final moments were captured on the dashboard camera.

After months of foot dragging a judge ordered the video of the killing to be released. 400 days have elapsed and every effort was made to prevent the release of the video which clearly implicates senior police officials and high government Chicago officials including Mayor Rahm Emmanuel.  Van Dyke received full pay during the 400 days.

He had at least 20 civilian complaints against him, which included excessive use of force, illegal arrest and use of racial slurs. None of these complaints resulted in any disciplinary action.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s claim that he had not seen the video seems highly unlikely given that he approved a $5 million settlement to the family earlier this year, even before the family had filed a lawsuit. The Mayor and the State’s Attorney, Anita Alvarez stated “they were saddened, outraged, disturbed when they saw the video.” It is a pity they didn’t express outrage over Van Dyke prior unprofessional conduct and failed to take remedial action. The police chief should be fired and Mayor Emanuel should be severely censored for his complicity in prolonging the course of justice.

Migrants 11-25-2015

25, November 2015                          Migrants

It’s been four long years since the people of Syria rose up to demand democratic reforms and the release of political prisoners. Bashar al-Assad’s response was to brutally repress the protesters, pushing his country into a civil war that has attracted local and foreign fighters, among them the terrorists of ISIS.

This long and bloody conflict has already resulted in the death of a quarter of a million people, displaced 8 million civilians internally, and caused another 4 million to flee. Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan have responded taking in hundreds of thousands of refugees, and while Germany opened its doors to them, the United States has accepted only 36.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, Donald Trump and the governors in 31 states have stoked up fears and called for an immediate halt to accepting any additional migrants. Largely ignored in the debate is the role the United States played in creating the crisis. The 2003 invasion of Iraq on false pretenses was the catalyst that led to the creation of ISIS from whom the refugees are fleeing.

A bill by House Republicans restricts Iraqi and Syrian refugees from resettling here. In a perfect world we should have paid billions in reparations to Iraq and Afghanistan for destabilizing their country and creating the refugee crisis. 

Jihadist infiltration is a legitimate concern but the tight vetting process should prevent them from entering. It is ironic that Americans are dying at the rate of 100 a day but an adequate vetting process for the possession of hand guns remains elusive.

The current hysteria draws historical parallels the country faced in the 1930s, when Jewish refugees sought refuge here. Case Western Reserve University history professor, Peter Schulman, recently tweeted a Fortune Magazine poll question from 1939 that asked, "Should the U.S. government permit 10,000 mostly Jewish refugee children to seek sanctuary from Germany?" A staggering 61 percent of respondents at the time said NO. Among those who were denied were Anne Frank and her family. Anne’s father, Otto Frank, made desperate attempts to enter the United States and Cuba without success.

The ordeal faced by Jewish refugees during and after World War II was portrayed in the 1976 film, "Voyage of the Damned." The film is based on the true story of the 1939 voyage of the SS St. Louis, which sailed for Havana from Hamburg Germany carrying 900 Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis. The Cuban Government denied entry to the passengers, so the ship made its way to the United States, where the Coast Guard delivered the following ominous message:

SS ST. LOUIS CREWMAN: “Attention, Captain St. Louis. You are violating U.S. territorial limits. Do not approach any closer. Do not attempt to land. You will not, repeat, not be permitted to dock at any United States port. Acknowledge”.

SS ST. LOUIS CAPTAIN: “Signal, message received and acknowledged”.

Consumed with fear and despair a number of people jumped off the sides of the ship and drowned. The remaining German Jews were shipped back to Germany and died in concentration camps.

Arguments were made at the time to keep out the Jews stoking up feelings of bigotry, racism and anti-Semitism; they were perceived to be an ideological threat and posed a danger that Nazi agents may have infiltrated among them.

Echoes of those arguments are heard in the present day narrative regarding the threat of terrorists infiltrating among the Syrians. What is most disturbing is not what Donald Trump said when he vehemently opposed Syrian refugees entering the United States, but the wild cheers that accompanied his racist comments. Hostility and racism has been experienced by most early immigrants - the Irish, Poles, Chinese, Catholics, Indians and many other groups. In every case such fears have proven to be completely unfounded. There is a much greater risk from home grown terrorists who have easy access to guns.

In spite of the Paris attacks, President Francois Hollande declared that France will continue to honor its commitment to take in a minimum of 20,000 Syrian refugees, over the next two years.

In the ensuing debate, it is time to remember that America is a nation of refugees and we should act with compassion and humanity to honor Emma Lazarus’s famous words, chiseled on the Statue of Liberty: “A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles.”

Saudi Arabia 11-23-2015

23, November 2015         Saudi Arabia

The Obama administration has intensified its trade with Saudi Arabia ignoring warnings that it is guilty of massive war crimes and human rights violations in Yemen. The sale includes 84 new Boeing F-15 aircraft, 70 of Boeing's Apache attack helicopters and 36 of its AH-6M Little Birds. In addition, the deal will include 72 Black Hawk helicopters.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch has called for the United States to halt arm shipments to Saudi Arabia or risk being complicit in war crimes in Yemen where Saudi Arabia is continuing its intensive bombing campaign against the Houthi rebels. Thousands of civilians have died under the heavy Saudi onslaught.  

It is past time to file divorce papers and sever all connection to this xenophobic regime which exemplifies a harsh Islamic orthodoxy that is extremely misogynistic, homophobic, intolerant of other religions and excessively cruel in its archaic system of justice and punishment. Sadly, the defense contractors in Britain and the US see Saudi Arabia as a cash cow who will continue to purchase huge quantities of weapons to expand their medieval Islamic Wahhabism round the world. The U.S. has truly lost the moral high ground in its ongoing support of the Saudi monarchy. We seem to have conveniently forgotten that 15 of the 19 9/11 attackers were Saudi nationals. The lead author of the Senate’s report on 9/11 says it’s time to reveal what’s in the 28 pages that were redacted from it.

Paris Attacks 11-22-2015

22, November 2015             Paris Attacks

In the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, top U.S. officials are calling for access to encryption information on smartphones; thus far there has been no evidence that the terrorists’ communications were encrypted. In a blatant attempt to exploit the Paris attacks, the FBI and NSA reiterated their defense of mass surveillance and dismissed those who challenged it. They also used the occasion to demonize Edward Snowden ignoring the fact that Snowden never released any sensitive data directly to the general public but routed it to major media organizations for proper vetting prior to publication.

This is, in large part, an effort by the Intelligence Agencies to deflect the growing criticism of their abysmal record of preventing terrorist attacks and manufacturing false threats dating back to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In spite of receiving billions to support their activities, the bogus claims of WMD’s in Iraq foisted on a largely skeptical public, contributed mightily to the destabilization of the whole Middle East. The decision by Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, to dismiss elite Baathist soldiers aligned with Saddam Hussein, was a monumental blunder which gave rise to ISIS. With its tentacles speading far and wide, the CIA failed to detect the 2002 bombing of the nightclub in Bali, the 2004, 2005 attacks on the trains in Madrid and London, the 2008 mass shooting spree in Mumbai, the April 2013 attack on the Boston Marathon and more recently the terrorist attacks in Paris and Mali.

Terrorists have known for decades that the U.S. government is trying to read their emails and listen to their telephone calls and have used sophisticated encryption. As far back as February, 2001, before the 9/11 attack, the FBI warned Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda were using extremely sophisticated encryption in order to prevent us from listening to their conversations. For more go to, http://callforsocialjustice.blogspot.com/

Middle East Turmoil 11-19-2015

19, November 2015             Middle East Turmoil

In the recent Democratic Presidential Debate, Bernie Sanders was right to hold Hillary Clinton’s feet to the fire for her hasty, short-sighted decision to topple Saddam Hussein of Iran and Gaddafi of Libya. Her glib response that it was ‘a mistake’ is a gross understatement. Neither Hussein nor Gaddafi were an existential threat to the US. Their removal has plunged the whole Middle East into utter chaos. Sanders was also right to condemn ‘regime change’ as a core foreign US foreign policy objective. It has been an unmitigated disaster in destabilizing so many countries in the world. Western powers, most notably the US, Canada, France, the UK and Israel have flooded the Middle East, with billions of dollars in weapons sales. The US sold Saudi Arabia over $30 billion in F-15 Boeing fighter jets and Lockheed F-16 to bomb Yemen and Syria. The Emirates will be receiving a fleet of Predator drones to run spying missions. France has just completed a $10 billion contract with Saudi Arabia.

The Emirates spent nearly $23 billion last year, more than three times what they spent in 2006.

Saudi Arabia spent more than $80 billion on weaponry last year and has become the world’s fourth-largest defense market. Our administration and defense contractors seem to be totally unconcerned that our great ‘ally’ Saudi Arabia is the epicenter of terrorism and many of the weapons will be funneled to ISIS and to wage war on Iran and Yemen.

Does trade and profits in these killing machines triumph concerns for human life? Doesn’t this conflict with our much touted “core values’? Our current polices are a prescription for mayhem where most of the victims are innocent civilians. As a first step the US and are allies should create a weapons free zone in the Middle East. We should extricate ourselves from regional proxy and sectarian wars and let the Muslim nations sort out their differences which are rooted in a profound disagreements over the rightful descendent of Prophet Mohamad.

For more go to, http://callforsocialjustice.blogspot.com/

Paris Attacks 11-15-2015

15, November 2015             Paris Attacks

As Paris reels from another barbaric atrocity, there must be wild cheers within the ranks of ISIS that their reach is wide and their thirst for revenge unfathomable. Their cowardly acts of brutality were accompanied by “Allah ah Akbar” – God is great – as though God condones such despicable behavior!

Islam does not have a monopoly on the truth. Defenders of Islam often respond by claiming that Islam is a religion of peace. But where is the evidence? Most of the current conflicts in the world, most notably in the Middle East and Africa, are being conducted by Islamic fundamentalists rooted in a deep chasm between Shias and Sunnis. 

If the Koran does indeed sanction such acts of violence then it is past time that these ‘sacred texts’ undergo a major overall and these offensive ‘kill all infidels’ passages be expunged. If Muslim scholars fail to respond there is little doubt that Islam will forever be tainted and Muslims fleeing conflict zones adversely impacted.

Host countries must protect their citizenry from Jihadists who may infiltrate within the thousands of innocent migrants seeking refuge. A probationary period (say 1 -2 years) should be imposed on all migrants seeking residence with mandatory language and job training requirements. Every effort should be made to integrate the newcomers and there should be zero-tolerance of self-styled religious fanatics spewing hatred and discord. The Paris attacks should be a stark warning that it can no longer continue “business as usual.” 

Response to Tom Elias 11-13-2015

13, November 2015           Response to Tom Elias

Tom Elias (opinion November 12) is right to condemn blatant acts of anti-Semitism on college campuses. However, it would be wrong to conflate legitimate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. Actions calling for a boycott of Israeli products are legitimate and endorsed by a growing number of European countries. Every effort should be made to end Israel’s crushing occupation, theft of Palestinian land and violations of international law aided and abetted by our tax dollars.

Perhaps Elias is not aware that a leading Jewish spokesman, Henry Siegman, the former executive director of the American Jewish Congress, stated recently that Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel is the main impediment to peace. According to Siegman, Netanyahu’s cabinet appointments expose a troubling overt racism. Consider the following:

Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked, called for the “destruction of the entire Palestinian people, including its elderly women, cities, villages, property and infrastructure."

Foreign minister, Hotovely, sent out instructions to all Israeli ambassadors to advise governments that the Bible confirmed that God was in the real estate business and promised all of Palestine to the Jews.

Deputy Minister of Defense, Dahan and his boss called for separating Palestinians and Jews on separate busses.
Silvan Shalom the new chief of peace negotiations has been on record for opposing a two-state solution.

Dore Gold, the former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, currently the new director of the Foreign Ministry has a lifelong record of total opposition to a Palestinian state.

BDS Growing 11-11-2015

11, November 2015             BDS Growing    

      

Hundreds of university professors in the United Kingdom plan to halt all further cooperation with Israeli schools in an effort to draw world-wide attention to Israel's violations of international law. They hoped their action would draw attention to Israel’s apartheid policies and encourage other institutions to follow their lead. The move is part of the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign that aims to isolate Israel as a form of nonviolent resistance to defend basic Palestinian rights.

"The need for solidarity with the Palestinian people is made more urgent today by the current escalation of violent conflict in Israel/Palestine. The fatalities are overwhelmingly of Palestinians engaging in street protests provoked by Israel's 48-year and ever tightening occupation," organizers said in a statement. "Palestinians are driven to desperation in the face of Israeli intransigence, and its continuing ethnic cleansing of East Jerusalem."

The 343 signatories from 72 institutions throughout the UK cited the "deep complicity" of Israeli academic institutions in Israel's violations of international law and have vowed to maintain their boycott "until the State of Israel complies with international law, and respects universal principles of human rights".

The signatories accused Israeli universities of being complicit in the countries violations of international law including research leading to the development of weaponized, unmanned bulldozers that have been used to demolish Palestinian homes. It is tragic that the Obama administration and all prior administrations continue to fund the Israeli war machine and thereby abandon its core values of promoting human rights.

Ben Carson 11-9-2015

9, November 2015               Ben Carson

It appears another Republican presidential candidate has bitten the dust. If Ben Carson’s account of trying to attack his mother with a hammer and stabbing a friend is true he has effectively foreclosed his bid for the White House. The more Ben Carson speaks, the less presidential he appears. It is truly frightening to imagine such a man have access to our nuclear codes and be on top of the chain of command.

The fact that he has so many supporters in the Republican Party is frightening and says volumes about how low the political process has sunk. We should all be afraid that Carson and a demagogue like "the Donald" are the front runners.

It seems strange that Carson would vigorously challenge reporters about facts of his bio, with an intensity that was totally absent in defending some of his policy positions.

Eagar to receive the endorsement of the Bible belt he announced a continuous stream of Bible-based stories and historical interpretations and exploded with uncharacteristic anger when challenged by the media. 

It appears a desperate attempt to convince a growing skeptical public that God had rescued him from his inner demons. This is a sad epitaph to a man who reached the pinnacle of his profession and can justly be proud of his professional accomplishments as a brain surgeon. Following his retirement he seems to have forgotten the Hippocratic Oath, “doctor first do no harm”! This includes adhering to the truth and not engaging in flights of fantasy.   

Curveball (Conned the Neocons) 11-8-2015

8, November 2015               Curveball (Conned the Neocons)

Ahmed Chalabi, nicknamed ‘CURVEBALL’, by President George Bush’s, inner circle, was  an opportunist who well understood that Bush and his close advisors, Cheney and Rumsfeld were desperate to topple Saddam Hussein and were only looking for some ‘tangible proof’ to  justify the 2003 invasion.

Chalabi was a prosperous Iraqi Shia exile with a doctorate in knot theory from Chicago who possessed a usual talent for spinning yarns. He made a fortune from a bank in Jordan, but had to hide in the trunk of a car to escape Jordanian authorities in hot pursuit who accused him of massive fraud. The Washington neocons, regarded Chalabi as the quintessential influential Iraqi insider who could bring his prodigious talents to convince a skeptical public that Saddam Hussein was an imminent threat to the US. Chalabi was put on the CIA payroll and mesmerized the neocons with his bogus stories of Saddam’s WMD’s. If the invasion had gone well there is little doubt that Chalabi would have been groomed as the next President.  Eventually he was exposed as a charlatan but managed to wiggle his way into influential and lucrative positions in successive Iraqi governments. He died a rich and free man, out of the clutches of Iraqi law enforcement. It’s hard to believe that one man could wreck such havoc on his own country and the wider Middle East

A sad epitaph to a brilliant but morally bankrupt man who was the architect of his country’s demise.

Lord of the Rings Speaks Out 11-6-2015

6, November 2015                Lord of the Rings Speaks Out

Viggo Mortensen, best known for his portrayal of the warrior-king Aragorn in the blockbuster "Lord of the Rings"(LOR) trilogy, spoke out against police brutality and American Empire. He is a fierce advocate of progressive causes and social justice. His memorial line in LOR "Let us together rebuild this world, that we may share in the days of peace" is certainly relevant in today’s troubled world.

His book, Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation, was published at the height of the ill-fated invasion of Iraq which most pundits agree was the biggest foreign policy blunder in American history. Mortensen paid homage to former Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who was the only person in the House who voted against the invasion of Iraq.

In a recent interview he recalled the first line of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ –, "O say can you see," reflecting that so few challenged the actions of our government who goad us into so many conflicts using the Clinton doctrine that ‘America reserves the right to invade any  country in the world if our vital interests are threatened  - undeterred that such pompous arrogance is a complete violation of international law. I dare say many of those incarcerated on relatively minor charges would hardly experience much pride in the last two lines , "Land of the free and home of the brave." Mortenson was highly critical of police abuses, especially of black people and Obama’s drone attacks which has resulted in over 90% civilian deaths.

The Republican Debate 11-5-2015

5, November 2015   The Republican Debate

Following their disastrous defeat in the 2008 election, Republicans did a great deal of soul searching and came to the conclusion that they should start talking to the American people rather than serve as an echo chamber to their own base which merely reinforces their own cherished, misguided beliefs. The recent Republican debate failed to achieve this objective but used every opportunity to trash each other and Obama’s policies without offering any specifics or alternatives.

Frustrated by their collective weak performance they lashed out at the CNBC moderators for failing to offer them softball questions. A pouting Trump got his way following the successful boycott of Telemundo pitting himself against Latino voters. The candidates were frothing at the mouth when asked to explain how they might simultaneously slash taxes and the federal deficit; deport 10 million people overnight; or cut the tax code from 70,000 pages to three. To make it more interesting for future viewers, the real answers could be provided with a screen caption in real time.

Passionate familiarity with the issues, not anger and bombast should be an essential human quality for those seeking the presidency. A president who has the nuclear codes given to emotional responses and a superficial knowledge of the important issues would be an unmitigated disaster. We witnessed what happened on George Bush’s watch – an endless war in Afghanistan chaos in Iraq, a staggering federal deficit and a monumental bank crisis.

Genocide in India 11-3-2015

3, November 2015                Genocide in India

During the Vedic era, a matriarchal society existed when Indian women were honored and respected epitomized by the goddesses Lakshmi, Durga and Sarasvati and put on pedestals of glory. This concept was reinforced by the common belief, 'Yatra Naryastu Pujyante, Ramante Tatra Devta' - where woman are worshiped, God resides.

With the dawn of ‘civilization’, much has changed with new rules, customs and dogmas replacing the old Vedic traditions. Male dominance quickly supplanted  female societal roles and they quickly lost their ‘life, liberty and pursuit of happiness’. 

The 'Nari tu Narayani' woman worshiped as a goddess turned out to be a slave who suffered abuse by a partriachical society.

The many decades of oppression of girls and women was the theme of ‘Petals in the Dust (PID)’, a documentary shown at the South Asian Film Festival last Sunday. It highlights the challenges facing the class of endangered people in modern India - the vanishing female population. Whereas most of the present day focus has been on Prime Minister Modi and India’s burgeoning economy, scant attention has been paid to the plight of women. In a patriarchal society that focuses far too much attention on the value of boys, girls have been marginalized and many are snuffed out before they even gasp their first breath.

A staggering 50 million women have been murdered in the last century; that is higher than the combined fatalities in World War 1 & II, a sad indictment of a nation that boasts of being the epicenter of spirituality. A few other alarming statics; India ranks as the world's fourth most dangerous country for a woman behind Saudi Arabia and the most dangerous country in the world for female visitors; about half a million female fetuses are aborted every year; nearly half of India's girls are married off before the age of 18.

Sikhs who engage in these hideous pracices should be especially ashamed. This is a clear violation of the basic tenet of Sikhism. Guru Nanak, the founder and all succeeding Gurus vigorously promoted complete gender equality.  

Not a single religious or political leader has championed the cause of women which has allowed this genocide to continue.

PIF examines the plight of women in modern India and dispels the myth that such criminal behavior is only confined to poor or low caste families. On the contrary, female infanticide is especially prevalent in upper middle class families.

The root cause of the problem is a patriarchal mindset which favors boys over girls.

The PID filmmaker spent 7 years researching the plight of girls and women and concluded that they continue to lose their lives to infanticide, sex-selective abortions, starvation, medical neglect, dowry deaths and brutal gang rapes. The declining female population is also leading to increased crimes against women including trafficking and bride purchasing. If current practices continue it is estimated that by 2020 there will be 20 percent more men than women. The highly lucrative ultra sound clinics play a major role in abortions and infanticides.

The girls ‘fortunate’ to survive selective abortions, are usually relegated to subordinate roles – denied educational opportunities and condemned to a life of menial work and early marriage.

The skewed gender imbalance has led to wife sharing, trafficking, and bride purchasing. If this trend is allowed to continue, there will be 20 percent more men than women by 2020.

There are certain Indian customs which reinforces male superiority and must be rejected.

SATI The insidious practice of widows throwing themselves on their husband’s funeral pyre. This sends a strong message that a widow’s life has been foreclosed following their husband’s death. Although, the practice is outlawed and illegal it occurs up to the present day and is still regarded by some Hindus as the ultimate form of womanly devotion and sacrifice.

Widows often shorn their hair,  and retire to ashrams to lead lives of poverty and destitution following the death of their husbands. This further reinforces the subordinate role of women.

The film explores the cultural origins of this vast genocidal crime and includes the voices of activists and gender experts. The harrowing stories of young survivors who appeared in the film were forced to endure years of physical, mental and sexual abuse. One woman described suffering multiple jaw fractures from her upper middle class ‘cultured’ husband. One of the most gruesome acts of infanticide showed fetuses being tossed to an angry mob of snarling dogs. There were loud gasps of outrage and many of the audience turned their faces away.

FID delivers a strong message calling for a reversal of current practices. In a panel discussion following the showing of the film, the speakers spoke passionately of the urgent need for change and reinforced much of the points raised by PID. One of the speakers called attention to the practice of  Karwa Chauth, a Hindu fasting ritual practiced by wives to bless their husbands with a long and prosperous life. Few husbands reciprocate the ritual for their wife’s. Thus, the ritual only perpetuates unhealthy male dominance. To see a trailer of PID go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0QyZEY1UF4.

Response to A.K. Sharma 11-1-2015

1, November 2015               Response to A.K. Sharma (I-W Oct. 30)

A.K. Sharma’s letter (I-W October 30) contains a number of inaccuracies. He is right to challenge Khalistan as an important current issue among Sikhs; it is largely a non-issue with most Sikhs in India. A few American Sikhs still cling to the notion of creating a separate state for the Sikhs, but they are few in number. However, it was dictatorial of Indira Gandhi to declare Khalistan to be a non-issue in the 1980s. It was an important issue at that time but had been suppressed by draconian police and army methods when large numbers of Sikhs were tortured, killed or simply ‘disappeared’.

Contrary to Sharma’s assertions, it is important to define Sikhism as a separate and distinct faith to Hinduism. Our founder, Guru Nanak, born a Hindu, was a social reformer eager to propagate the ‘ek Onkar’ one God tenet in stark contrast to the pantheon of Gods endemic to Hinduism. It is ludicrous for Sharma to assert that it was a matter of convenience for Dr. Ambedkar to ‘lump’ Hinduism and Sikhism to together as a matter of convenience to distinguish them from the imported faiths of Christianity and Islam which were thrust upon the Indian population by aggressive proselytizing by Christian missionaries or the sword by the messianic Mughal invaders.

Sharma then makes the absurd assertion that there have been no forcible conversions since Modi assumed power. The British Daily, the Guardian, New York Times and many Indian language newspapers have reported widely on the forcible conversions of poverty stricken Muslims and Christians by withholding government subsidies as a conversion tool. Then Sharma makes the preposterous claim that disaffected Muslims and Christians mired in poverty could always rush to travel agents with wads of cash and visas to escape their oppressors. The absence of such an exodus, asserts Sharma, is conclusive proof that these religious minorities are content.

Sharma seems to have conveniently forgotten, that successive US governments denied Modi a visa because of his alleged role in the pogrom in Gujarat. It is surprising that a former pariah could be welcomed with such emotional adulation. I urge Sharma to see a documentary produced by Rakesh Sharma, ‘The Final Solution’ www.vimco.com/rakeshfilm’. on the Muslim/Hindu riots in Gujarat in 2002.

Israel 10-31-2015

31, October 2015                              Israel

The inclusion of Iran in talks with the US and Russia at peace negotiations on Syria is welcome and overdue. Many older Iranians still remember the overthrow of their democratic government by the CIA and Britain in 1953 with understandable anger. We have never apologized and offered reparations.

Every effort should now be made to end the conflict in Syria – without any preconditions. A peace agreement would save lives and discourage innocent civilians from seeking save havens in Europe.

We should lean on Israel to dial back the harsh anti-Iran rhetoric to allow reformists led by President Hassan Rouhani to increase their sphere of influence. Israel has used its opposition to Iran as a smokescreen to deflect mounting criticism of his oppressive occupation and margination of Palestinian aspirations. Recent attacks by Palestinians on Israeli citizens can never be justified but the mounting anger is certainly understandable. Prime Minister, Netanyahu is completely at odds with the US stated goals, saying “we will forever live by the sword and we need to control all of the territory for the foreseeable future.” This makes a complete mockery of Israel’s assertion that it is a functioning – one man – one vote democracy . To add insult to injury, Netanyahu made the outrageous suggestion that the grand mufti of Jerusalem gave Hitler the idea of annihilating European Jewry (when about a million European Jews were already dead in the Baltic states and elsewhere). 

The Benghazi Hearings 10-26-2015

26, October 2015                    The Benghazi Hearings

So fixated were the GOP Republications on inflicting damage on front-runner Hillary Clinton, they completely missed an important opportunity to uncover the real reasons behind the US bombing raids on Libya. Melvin Goodman, former CIA and State Department analyst, reflected wryly "What was learned was irrelevant, and what was relevant wasn’t discussed."

For example, why was Ambassador Stevens in Benghazi? Why were CIA officials trying to buy-back weapons that we had previously given to Gaddafi? Why were we trying to bring about yet another regime change after our abject failure in Iraq? Why was Clinton not challenged when she boasted “We came, we saw, he died" – a hasty decision which plunged the country into utter chaos. Why did we deliberately mislead the Russians claiming that our mission was limited? Was it to discourage Russia from using its veto power to block the invasion of Libya? Why was the State Department operating a transitional mission facility, in Benghazi when all other embassies and NGO’s had withdrawn their staff?

It seems we have learned little from past foreign policy blunders? A cardinal rule - NEVER launch military power on unstable regimes; pouring gasoline onto a raging conflagration is certain to make matters worse. Examples, Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982, gave rise to Hezbollah. Arming the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan in the 1980s, gave rise to the Haqqani faction, the Hekmatyar group, and al-Qaeda. Our invasion of Iraq precipitated the Sunni Awakening and the Islamic State.

In 2012, using Bush’s Iraq invasion playbook, ignoring constitutional authority, we bombed Libya and destroyed their army and obliterated their police stations. Devoid of any civil authority, armed brigades launched a reign of terror on the defenseless population; Al-Qaeda soon expanded its presence giving rise to even greater chaos.

Yes, Gaddafi was a brutal thug, but it often takes a thuggish leader to hold the nation together. Hillary Clinton and her boss President Barrack Obama must accept responsibly for the chaos in the wake of Gaddafi’s death. This is sure to be an indelible stain on Obama’s legacy.

Hillary Clinton has two strikes against her – support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Gaddafi. This should be enough to disqualify her for seeking the presidency.

The Invisible Man – A CIA Vendetta 10-20-2015

20, October 2015      The Invisible Man – A CIA Vendetta

Jeffrey Sterling is the first African-American case officer to file a suit against the CIA for racial discrimination. The CIA countered with its own suit charging Sterling with nine felony counts including espionage. They accused Sterling of passing on details of a botched up CIA effort to derail the Iran nuclear program to James Risen of the New York Times. Risen reported that the CIA details may have actually aided the Iranian government nuclear program and stubbornly refused to reveal his source. The CIA counter-suit appears to have little to do with protecting national security but more to do with punishing Sterling for filing his discrimination suit. Sterling’s case is the subject of the documentary short, ‘The Invisible Man’.

The case is extremely important for preserving civil liberties and freedom of the press and the public’s right to know, with informed consent, in what’s supposed to be a democracy.

Drone attacks – death by Metadata 10-19-2015

19, October 2015           Drone attacks – death by Metadata

One of the most secretive military campaigns in U.S. history has come under intense scrutiny by investigative reporters of the Intercept who recently published its report, “The Drone Papers”

The White House assassination program commenced in 2002 with the drone strike that killed six  civilians in Yemen including one US citizen. Condoleezza Rice, a senior advisor to President George Bush alleged that the White House reserved the right to assassinate anyone in the world based on actionable intelligence “that the president could never reveal in public”. Thus, nobody could ever be held accountable - how convenient! Under the Obama administration, drone attacks in Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan have intensified with hundreds of civilians, including many children, being blown apart – using highly faulty intelligence as the Intercept report revealed. The bureaucratic kill chain consisted of senior White House and Pentagon officials who would decide who would live and who would die without any judicial review starkly reminiscent of old style emperors. The target would be designated as an “imminent threat” to the U.S. giving the military 60 days to hunt down and kill the target.  Reporters at  the Intercept interviewed Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, a former head of the Defense  Intelligence Agency, who confirmed that “signal intelligence” is an extremely unreliable method of identifying a target and without doubt resulted in a significant number of innocent victims being assassinated. This was further confirmed by Ryan Devereaux’s report on "Manhunting in the Hindu Kush" which examined a JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) campaign called “Operation Haymaker” which initially claimed a high degree of success   hunting down leaders of  al-Qaeda – but later admitted that 88 percent of those killed were innocent civilians. Killing innocent victims of war no doubt emboldens the enemy and makes a complete mockery of our much touted “core values”.

A Congressional hearing should be convened calling for an immediate halt to drone attacks and demands that all those found responsible for these hideous mass killings of innocent victims be held fully accountable.

Israel 10-19-2015

                                                            Israel               

Predictably, the pressure cooker situation in Israel has finally exploded with spasms of violence by Palestinians and Israelis. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his rightwing government have incited much of the violence by expanding Jewish settlements and ignoring settler terrorist attacks. About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Settler terrorism has been ongoing for decades with impunity. The cycle of violence will continue as long as the US government continues to show its blatant partiality by sending huge shipments of weapons to Israel and deflecting censure and criticism by using its veto power at the UN.

Israel has reached a South Africa moment, when more and more European countries and American Jews are voicing frustration and anger at the deteriorating situation, and lending support to the growing BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement. By assuring Israel of its unshakeable support and alliance, regardless of its appalling history of human rights violations and suffocating occupation, the US is complicit in the ongoing mayhem.