Israeli Settlements 12-30-2016

30, December 2016                Israeli Settlements

Secretary of State John Kerry was right in excoriating Israel for its settlement policy - its ongoing theft of more and more Palestinian land to house Jewish only citizens.  But what is puzzling is why Kerry/Obama waited so long in voicing their criticism.  Even more puzzling is why prior US administrations rewarded Israel with billions of dollars of aid for its bad behavior – allowing its settlement expansion and denying Palestinians basic human rights. It is apparent that Netanyahu, the most reviled head of state for decades, will never advance a two-state solution which risks his leadership of Israel’s right-wing coalition or leads him on a collision course with Jewish settlers who continue to penetrate deeper and deeper into the West Bank.

Kerry was right when he stated that the settlers’ goal is very clear, “strategically place settlements in locations that make two states impossible, so that Israel will eventually annex all of the West Bank”.

A single state, under current conditions, would also condemn millions of Palestinians to live permanently in segregated enclaves in the middle of the West Bank, under a permanent military occupation, much like apartheid South Africa.

Unconditional US support has emboldened Israel to continue its suffocating military occupation. This support is an act of monumental betrayal. As Tom Friedman wrote in The New York Times, “you don’t supply a driver with more alcohol, you don’t let him drive drunk. And Obama let Israel drive drunk”.

US Ambassador to Israel 12-27-2016

27, December 2016                US Ambassador to Israel

President-elect Trump has been widely criticized for selecting Friedman as US ambassador to Israel. Former ambassador, Daniel Kurzer, assailed the appointment stating that Friedman’s appeals to a small minority of Israeli and American extremists.  J Street joined the mounting outrage stating the "this nomination is reckless, putting America’s reputation in the region and credibility around the world at risk."

So who is Friedman and what are his qualifications for such an important diplomatic position? As president of American Friends of Beit El Institutions, he has raised millions of dollars to support illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. According to a tax filing, Trump donated $10,000 to the group in 2003.

Friedman has no diplomatic experience but does have the dubious distinction of serving as bankruptcy attorney for Trump during the past 15 years.

He shares his disdain for international law, supporting the annexation of the entire Palestinian territory. He vigorously opposes a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

Intoxicated by his victory, Trump feels that he has now assumed the role of an autocrat making far right appointments thumbing his nose at career diplomats at the US Foreign Service establishment. Friedman will reinforce fears of Israel’s accelerated move to an apartheid system aggressively annexing more and more Palestinian land.  This sends a chilling message that the US can no longer be counted on to broker a peaceful settlement to the festering Middle-East conflict.

Yemen 12-19-2016

19, December 2016                              Yemen

According to the U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, one child is dying every 10 minutes in Yemen, victims of devastating air attacks by Saudi Arabia. Britain and the United States have sold Saudi Arabia billions of sophisticated weapons which have been used indiscriminately in its ongoing conflict with Houthis rebels causing devastating civilian deaths.  In addition, the US continues to refuel Saudi planes allowing them to intensify bombing raids leading to more fatalities. Missile fragments have the unmistakable markings of British and American defense ordinances. This is fueling intense hostility against the coalition partners, the British, US and the Gulf States, who seem totally unconcerned by the ongoing human suffering. Over half a million children are suffering severe malnutrition and 2.2 million others are in urgent need of care. Over 58 hospitals have been bombed by coalition airstrikes.

The Saudis are also blocking food supplies entering Yemen. According to the Times of London reporter, Iona Craig based in Sana’a, a high profile strike killed 140 civilians in a double-tap strike killing first and second responders. Our ongoing unconditional support of Saudi Arabia makes us and the British complicit in war crimes. This must stop.

I ask readers to call the White House, Comment Line 202-456-1111 (9 am – 5 pm Mon – Fri PST) and demand an immediate halt to weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

Russian Spying 12-18-2016

18, December 2016                       Russian Spying

Dirty tricks seem to be endemic to American politics. Recall the bugging of the Democratic Party offices by President Nixon or hiring a woman to strip naked at a Democratic press conference and scream her love for one the attendees. But Donald Trump and his Russian spymasters have accomplished the impossible – the theft of the American presidency and our democracy. It is a pity that senior Clinton officials failed to take action after an FBI agent issued repeated warnings that their computers were being hacked. The CIA failed to issue such warnings and block the intruders. Putin must have laughed uproariously at President Obama’s tepid response at their hacking admonishing them to “cut it out.”

Sadly, the CIA has a dismal history of predicting world events from 9/11, Russia’s annexation of Crimea to its incursion into Ukraine and its intervention in Syria. Before we point an accusing finger at the big bad wolf, Vladimir Putin, and his ‘gang of depolorables’, we should recall the CIA’s decades long misdeeds in overthrowing democracies who failed to bend to our will.     

A few examples: 1953 CIA overthrows the democratically elected Mohammed Mossadegh.

1954 CIA overthrows the democratically elected Jacob Arbenz of Guatemala.

1957-1973 The CIA carries out approximately one coup per year trying to nullify Laos’s democratic elections. 1959 The CIA helps the thug, “Papa Doc” Duvalier become dictator of Haiti. Multiple failed attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro including exploding cigars.

 As the saying goes, “what goes around comes around”.

Filipino’s Strongman 12-14-2016

14, December 2016                    Filipino’s Strongman

In an effort to combat drug related crime populist, President Rodrigo Duterte, has given the green light to his law enforcement agencies to engage in vigilante killings which has resulted in mind numbing slaughter. Since July 1, the police have killed more than 2,000 people suspected of criminal behavior.  Duterte responded with outrage to President Obama’s criticism of his policies calling him a ‘son of a whore’. Meanwhile, the population is living in constant fear. Death can strike anyone at any time with complete impunity protected by Deterte’s draconian promise to root out the drug problems with rewards being offered to anyone that helps. This may well give rise to bounty hunters or people settling scores. Duterte has also ignored calls by the international community, the United Nations, and the European Union to stop the killings threatening to pull the Philippines out of the United Nations and the International Criminal Court.

Mr. Duterte says he has found a sympathetic ear in President-elect Donald Trump, who gushed enthusiastically at Duterte’s crackdown. Perhaps Trump’s business interests in the Philippines have a lot to do with his support for the Filipino strongman. This does not bode well for the world where populist autocrats are on the rise contemptuous of the rule of law.

 

Torture 12-10-2016

10, December 2016                       Torture

The latest survey on American attitudes towards torture reveal a staggering 46 percent approve of using such cruel methods to extract information from enemy combatants, ignoring repeated studies which completely counter the effectiveness of such techniques. On the contrary, such methods only intensify the hostility towards the US. One need only reference the pioneering work on ‘Crime and Punishment’ by Cesare Baccaria in 1764 who called for the total abolition of torture not only on the grounds of its immorality but also because it simply doesn’t work. Victims will say anything to stop the torture. President-elect Trump wants to bring back waterboarding and ‘much worse.’ How brave of our future president who used his wealth to avoid being drafted to the killing fields of Vietnam. Trump needs to remember that torture is a war crime which has been banned by international law.

President Obama can help prevent torture from making a comeback by releasing the Torture Memo which highlights the dark deeds of the CIA during the Bush years.   

If he fails to do so, torture will surely re-emerge under president-elect Trump who has shown an appalling fascination in torture. The fact that torture is a federal crime under US anti-torture statute hasn’t damped his enthusiasm for its practice.

President Obama made a tactical blunder refusing to prosecute high level officials responsible for the torture program under the Bush presidency. His administration’s insistence of looking forward not back created a sense of impunity.

Trump’s hypocrisy 12-7-2016

 7, December 2016                     Trump’s hypocrisy

Just weeks away from his inauguration, Trump seems to have embraced President's Nixon's infamous dictum: "when the president does it, it is not illegal.

More and more facts are coming to light on his bizarre business activities. He hypocritically denounced Boeing for buying steel from China conveniently ignoring that Trump Tower was built with Chinese steel.

He hired 300 undocumented Polish workers on temporary visas to demolish the old Bonwit's building to make way for Trump Tower and then stiffed them by using a hired gun pretending to be his lawyer warning them that the immigration authorities would deport them.  He has multiple law suits for similar crimes including failing to pay three little girls, the "Freedom Kids," who sang in his honor.

Trump continues to violate ethical norms. Argentina's government denied permits to Trump building resorts for nine years. But one phone call between President-Elect Trump, Ivanka and President Macri, and voila’ within three days, the permits were approved. Ivanka failed to get her line of jewelry approved by the Japan's government-supported Sanai Int'l for two years. But just days after she and her father had a secret meeting with PM Abe, the deal was approved. Trump needs to remember that the majority of the people did not vote for him, they voted for Clinton.

The delegates of the Electoral College have a stark choice, if they put party before country we are doomed to embark on a historic descent into demagoguery, intimidation and tyranny.

The Trump saga continues 12-6-2016

 

6, December 2016                The Trump saga continues

Before he has even ascended to the White House throne, Donald Trump continues to wield his mighty hammer driving a deeper wedge between Democrats and Republicans.

Craving for adulation from his adoring fans, he visited Cincinnati for a victory lap delivering a campaign-style speech, gloating and boasting and falsely claiming that he saved 1,100 jobs at the Carrier plant. According to the Wall Street Journal and ABC News 300 of the 1,100 were never intended to move to Mexico.  This will cost Ohio $7 million or $14,000 per worker – hardly a brilliant deal. This is an exceedingly bad precedent. Other companies may seek similar state subsidies threatening to export jobs overseas.

Trump’s demagoguery and conflicts of interest are in complete violation of Federalist 68 and he should therefore be rejected by the Electoral College. As President Obama ruefully advised, “Mr. Trump wait until your inauguration before you destroy the world.”

The Devil’s Chessboard 11-26-2016

26, November 2016             The Devil’s Chessboard

David Talbot’s meticulously documented best-selling book, ‘The Devil’s Chessboard’ lays bare the dark activities of the Dulles brothers and America’s Secret Government, the CIA. Allen Foster Dulles assumed the role of the master spymaster projecting himself above the nation’s laws and elected leaders targeting assassinations and overthrowing nationalist governments yearning to be free from the yoke of American imperialism. This is an extremely disturbing chapter in CIA’s dark history which has engendered so much hostility.     

In the later chapters of the book, Talbot lays bare the official narrative of the Kennedy brothers’ assassinations which are riddled with inconsistencies.

Contrary to the Warren Report, the Zapruder film which captured the critical moments of the assassination showed President Kennedy’s head “thrust back and to the left” concluding that someone was firing front the front. This was corroborated by 121 witnesses in Dealey Plaza. Bobby Kennedy privately dismissed the Warren Report as a public relations exercise and refrained from public comment cognizant of his reduced power usurped by the hostile Johnson. His silence was used to bolster the flawed Warren Report. Like Oswald, Sirhan flatly denied he was responsible for Bobby Kennedy’s assassination. Dr. Thomas Noguchi, who conducted the autopsy, was convinced there was a second gunman.  

The ‘007 Dulles brothers provided the template for Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney which brought great infamy with the disastrous invasion of Iraq, and the rise of ISIS. Dead for nearly half a century the dark shadow of the Dulles brothers lives on.

Trump’s woes 11-23-2016

23, November 2016                             Trump’s woes

Trump grudgingly acknowledged that he may have run afoul of self-dealing rules by using $258,000 of foundation funds to settle legal disputes for his businesses. He also reneged on pledges of financial support for his foundation. Money was also improperly used to pay for private school fees for Trump’s son, Barron. The foundation remains shrouded under a dark cloud pending investigation by the New York attorney general.

Shell-shocked Democrats cowered into silence should wake up and demand that the Trump Foundation be open to more vigorous oversight.

Trump’s business interests intertwined with his president-elect duties are also gaining public scrutiny.

A few examples:

A week after winning the election, Trump met with his Indian business partners – who are managing $1.5 billion in Trump projects.

Requested British officials oppose wind farms in Scotland pleading they would mar the view of his company’s golf course.

Included his adult children to be at the helm of the transition team while simultaneously managing his business empire. 

Rise of Nazism 11-22-2016

22, November 2016                       Rise of Nazism

The ascendancy of Donald Trump has unleashed a frightening rise in racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia. Trump stoked these sentiments during his campaign to awaken the dark side of white Americans and then unabashedly appointed Bannon to keep the embers of racism alive. Trump embraces this ugly ideology because it is the source of his power. It explains why racist attacks by law enforcement on people of color and  mass incarceration have been tacitly encouraged.

Trump’s diatribes against immigrants, Muslims and support for ‘stop and frisk’ have been major taking points of his campaign.

Predictably, Trump launched a savage tweet in response to the impassioned plea of the cast of the Broadway “Hamilton” to Vice President-elect Pence to work on behalf of all Americans but then chose to remain silent when a gang of White supremacists spewed their racist chants.

Trump is so thin-skinned that his itchy twitter fingers will always respond to a real or imaginary affronts ensuring Alex Baldwin at least more four years of employment regaling his fans with his satirical impersonations of Trump. “Hamilton” has also benefited from all the publicity.

His binary view of the world can be reduced to two major groups, those that support him are “terrific” and those that oppose him as “losers”. He will drag America into the wilderness if it means feeding his insatiable appetite for adulation. He has no appetite for governing only make ‘great deals” to enrich himself.

Trump’s administration 11-20-2016

20, November 2016                           Trump’s administration

Trump has quickly assembled a potential list of loyalists and enemies. Loyalists are being rewarded with plumb positions in his administration and enemies will no doubt feel the sting of his 3am Twitter onslaughts.

The Twitter king shows few signs of moderation but continues to pick people that mirror his extreme ideology that defined his presidential campaign.

Hawks and conservative loyalists are being selected to fill important positions.

Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama has been tapped as attorney general in recognition for his unrelenting crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

Retired General Michael Flynn has been nominated as national security advisor for his hawkish stance on Muslim immigrants and willingness to join the “lock her up” brigades.

Representative Mike Pompeo of Kansas has been nominated director of the CIA for his harsh criticism of Hillary Clinton over Benghazi. Most surprisingly, is the overture to Gov. Mitt Romney a former bitter critic possibly displacing the prior favorite, the incendiary New Gingrich as secretary of state. Giuliani another favorite is almost certain to be part of Trump’s inner circle if he can extricate himself from his huge financial interests. Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of schools in the District of Columbia – the “charter school queen” will probably be offered the position as Secretary of Education.

Darth Vader, Bannon, tapped as White House strategist is the most controversial, notorious for his trafficking in racist, sexist anti-Semitic posts. He may well lock horns with Thump’s influential son-in-law, Jard Kushner, an orthodox Jew. 

Israeli Settlements 11-17-2016

17, November 2016                             Israeli Settlements

Right-wing Israeli politicians eager to capitalize on Trump’s election gave preliminary approval to a bill that would retroactively legalize illegal settlements built in the West Bank. The bill was rushed through the Israeli parliament to forestall the demolition of an illegal outpost by 25 December. 

Education Minister, Naftali Bennett, expressed his disdain for international law boasting “the era of the Palestinian state is over.”

Israel’s defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, went even further urging his government to negotiate a deal with the Trump administration to approve expanded construction in major West Bank settlements. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Attorney General, Avichai Mandelblit, oppose the bill warning that it violates international law. This development is a monumental failure of successive US administrations who have failed to broker a peaceful two-state settlement. Billions of US tax funds have been squandered rewarding Israel for their bad behavior.

Senator Patrick Leahy, denounced Israel’s blatant theft of Palestinian land stating,

“One of the most effective ways that ISIS and other terrorist groups have attracted recruits is by tarring the United States with Israel’s expanding occupation of the West Bank. This legislation to retroactively legalize illegal settlements will be welcomed by those murderous groups as further evidence that America’s closest ally in the region is bent on destroying a peaceful solution, including the possibility of a Palestinian state.”

Let us hope that President-Elect Trump will use his deal making skills to broker a peaceful and equitable solution to the festering Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump’s appointments 11-15-2016

15, November 2016                          Trump’s appointments

The ‘basket full of deplorables’ is filling up rapidly. 

Much to the collective dismay of Democrats and some Republican strategists President-elect Trump appointed a nationalist and racist, Stephen Bannon, to a top White House position.

As the chairman of Breitbart News, Bannon has consistently spewed his anti-Semitic, racist and white nationalist ideology.

His appointment was severely castigated by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which called for Trump to reject Bannon’s appointment. This view was further amplified by John Weaver, a Republican strategist who warned “be very vigilant, America.”

Jewish leaders also expressed dismay at anti-Semitic writings on the Breitbart website and similar comments he made about students at his daughter’s school.

One possible saving grace in Bannon’s appointment is his animus to the mainstream Republican Party for denigrating Trump supporters as the“vulgarians, the hobbits” and “the peasants with the pitchforks.”

What is perhaps even more vexing is Trump’s denial of climate change which is threatening the very survival of the planet as he has vowed to cancel the Paris climate agreement and stop all payments of U.S. tax dollars to U.N. global warming programs."

King Trump 11-10-2016

10, November 2016                          King Trump

Most of the planet is mired in disbelief, aghast at the thought of Donald Trump ascending to the White House throne. How can it be that voters would pass the baton from the first African-American president to one supported by the Ku Klux Klan, calling Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists, proposing a total ban on all Muslims entering the United States, mocked his opponents and the disabled? How can it be that such man escaped serious charges for assaulting more than a dozen women and boasted of such assaults? How did Melania Trump, escape deportation or a jail term by violating the law by earning modeling jobs before she became a lawful resident (AP & NYT report).
Trump used Hitler’s propaganda minster’s playbook, repeating lies to vanquish his Republican opponents and then bullied Clinton with the dreaded label, “crooked Hillary.”

Under a Trump presidency, (oh mercy!), the Supreme Court will make a hard right turn with the appointment of a Scalia clone.

Will his faithful lap dog, Rudy Giuliani, be appointed Attorney General, pardon Chris Christie embroiled in “bridgegate” and then put Clinton in jail? Will he organize a giant posse and round up all the Hispanics and build a giant southern wall? American voters proved they were no more immune to the lies of a dangerous demagogue than other democracies that succumbed to hate and cowardice to their eventual shame.

Funeral services will be held on January 20, 2017. 

Dakota Pipeline 11-7-2016

7, November 2016                       Dakota Pipeline

President Obama is right to call for an alternative route for the Dakota access pipeline away from the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.  But this has not received the immediate attention it deserves. The Army Corps of Engineers needs to respond to President Obama’s call and move quickly to deescalate the mounting tensions between the Native Indians, their supporters and law enforcement. 

The situation is rapidly spiraling out of control with flashbang grenades, sound cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and attack dogs. The images out of Cannon Ball North Dakota resemble scenes from a war zone. To make matters worse, police forcibly evacuated a camp established on land that belonged to the Sioux tribe, affirmed in an 1851 treaty.

For months, the water protectors have endured violent repression in response to their peaceful protests to block the Dakota Access Pipeline which would endanger the water supply from the Missouri River, their sacred lands and way of life.

Blatant racism has also reared its ugly head. An environmental impact report routed the pipeline away from its original path to protect the 92% of predominantly white residents of Bismarck of a possible oil spill. Now the Standing Rock Sioux is facing a similar threat. No environmental impact report has been filed to ensure the safety of the current pipeline.

This would be a wonderful opportunity to honor the Native Indians who have endured centuries of broken treaties and genocide of their people.

Israel 11-7-2016

7, November 2016                        Israel

Responding to mounting international pressure to reach an accommodation with the Palestinians, Prime Minister Netanyahu used one of his video postings, accusing Palestinian demands for the removal of 650,000 illegal Jews from the occupied territories as “ethnic cleansing”. 

He insisted that the Palestinians recognize the illegal settlers as ‘lawful’ as a precondition to peace talks.

This is akin to claims from illegal alien squatters who break into your home as legal occupants on the grounds that forcible eviction would amount to “ethnic cleaning”. This harks back to the early days of the plundering of American Native lands as “homesteading” or declaring land as lawful by ‘right of possession” as depicted in Hollywood Western movies.

Netanyahu’s latest demands has generated a huge backlash and ridicule by the international community which accuses Netanyahu of twisting the very definition of ethnic cleansing which is the expulsion, imprisonment, or killing of an ethnic minority by a dominant majority in order to achieve ethnic homogeneity.

Netanyahu latest tirade is an effort to toss another roadblock to Palestinians statehood.

Israel must feel elated that President Obama buckled under pressure in his waning few months in office signing a $38 billion military aid package.

This is an appalling misuse of taxpayer money which is in critical need to rebuild America’s infrastructure, shore up our health care and provide relief for college tuitions.

Israel should not be rewarded for their bad behavior- decades of an illegal occupation and oppression of the indigenous people.

.

Dakota Pipeline 11-7-2016

7, November 2016                 Dakota Pipeline

President Obama is right to call for an alternative route for the Dakota access pipeline away from the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.  But this has not received the immediate attention it deserves. The Army Corps of Engineers needs to respond to President Obama’s call and move quickly to deescalate the mounting tensions between the Native Indians, their supporters and law enforcement. 

The situation is rapidly spiraling out of control with flashbang grenades, sound cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and attack dogs. The images out of Cannon Ball North Dakota resemble scenes from a war zone. To make matters worse, police forcibly evacuated a camp established on land that belonged to the Sioux tribe, affirmed in an 1851 treaty.

For months, the water protectors have endured violent repression in response to their peaceful protests to block the Dakota Access Pipeline which would endanger the water supply from the Missouri River, their sacred lands and way of life.

Blatant racism has also reared its ugly head. An environmental impact report routed the pipeline away from its original path to protect the 92% of predominantly white residents of Bismarck of a possible oil spill. Now the Standing Rock Sioux is facing a similar threat. No environmental impact report has been filed to ensure the safety of the current pipeline.

This would be a wonderful opportunity to honor the Native Indians who have endured centuries of broken treaties and genocide of their people.

Rigged Election 11-1-2016

1, November 2016                        Rigged Election

Donald Trump is right. The historic 2016 election is turning out to be rigged forcing the Democratic Party to file lawsuits in four battleground states—Ohio, Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania—alleging Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican Party are "conspiring to threaten, intimidate, and thereby prevent minority voters in urban neighborhoods from voting." Citing the Voting Rights Act and the 1871 Klu Klux Klan Act in its filing, the Ohio Democratic Party alleges, "Trump has sought to advance his campaign’s goal of 'voter suppression' by using the loudest microphone in the nation to implore his supporters to engage in unlawful intimidation." The suit also names Trump adviser Roger Stone and his super PAC as ‘co-conspirators’. Trump has repeatedly urged his supporters to monitor polling booths (code words for intimidation) on Election Day. The North Carolina NAACP has further amplified their concern by filing a federal lawsuit seeking an immediate injunction to stop the state and various county boards of elections from illegally invalidating the registrations of thousands of voters. The NAACP alleges African-American voters are being unfairly targeted in a coordinated effort to suppress the black vote in the state.

To make matters worse, a prominent white nationalist has bankrolled robocalls to be made in Utah urging voters to back Trump over the third-party candidate Evan McMullin.

I propose November 9, be declared a national holiday so our weary nation can recover from PET (post-election disorder).

Clinton’s emails 11-1-2016

1, November 2016                        Clinton’s emails

This has been a historic election with all the ingredients of a blockbuster movie, hacked emails, mega doses of sexual explicit revelations, threats to jail Clinton; even Vice President Biden got into the fray wishing he had the opportunity to take on bully Trump behind the school gym.

Just days before the election, FBI Director Comey, plunged the election into chaos revealing the existence of another trove of emails from Antony Weiner’s computer which he shared with his estranged wife, Huma Abedin. 

“Worse than Watergate” screamed the hyperbolic Trump. What irony! In 1974, it was Hillary Clinton who was the rising star in the House Judiciary Committee that investigated Nixon and prepared the articles of impeachment.

On reflection, there is a false equivalence - “Emailgate” is no Watergate. It’s true that Clinton has played fast and loose with her private server and has been less than forthcoming in her responses, but in contrast her Republican opponent has exhibited appalling human behavior which is far more troubling.

His multiple assaults on women (12 and counting) alone should disqualify him from seeking any public office. If the victims seek justice through the courts, Trump will be forced to invest a great deal of time and energy to avoid spending his waning years in a correctional facility. According to a New York Times analysis, Trump has violated 8 of the 10 commandments which should make him an absolute pariah with the Conservative Christian Right.    

AT&T 10-30-2016

30, October 2016                              AT&T 

New details are emerging from investigations conducted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Daily Beast regarding AT&T decades long spying activities on Americans.

The activity, called, Project Hemisphere, captures Americans private calls, text messages, and chats and sells the information to authorities investigating everything from the war on drugs to Medicaid fraud.

The information passes through AT &T giant telecommunication infrastructure. Some of the records date back to 1987. Sheriffs and police departments each pay upward of $1 million a year for access to the call records.  No warrants are needed. This comes at a critical time when AT & T is seeking government approval for its $85 billion takeover of Time Warner.

AT&T activities are extremely troubling. The massive trove of customers’ call records should be sacrosanct, protected from the peering eyes of ‘Big Brother’.

If such information is deemed necessary in the pursuit of law enforcement, warrants should be issued to ensure proper legal oversight.  American has a long history of gross abuse of law enforcement agencies harking back to the dreaded years of FBI Director, Edgar Hoover.  

Dakota Pipeline 10-27-2016

27, October 2016                          Dakota Pipeline

The police in the vicinity of the North Dakota access pipeline continue using brutal intimidating tactics to silence local residents and reporters. They have arrested Native Americans and their ‘water protector’ supporters. They  have arrested journalists attempting to film the ongoing protests which is a major threat to free speech, a cornerstone of our democracy.  The actions of the police are beginning to mimic those of a tyrannical government.

Award-winning filmmaker Josh Fox and fellow filmmaker Deia Schlosberg, have been charged with three felonies for filming an act of civil disobedience in which climate activists manually turned off the safety valves to stop the flow of tar sands oil through pipelines spanning the U.S. and Canada.

We now have pipelines crisscrossing the country (the NED pipeline, the Sabal Trail pipeline, the Millennium pipeline, the AIM pipeline, the Algonquin pipeline expansion. . ) which pose long term threats to the environment and our very survival.

There are plans to build 300 new fracked gas power plants in America which will require thousands of miles of pipelines triggering more earthquakes and potential oil spills.

I urge concerned readers to call the White House comment line, 
202-456-1111 and demand an immediate halt to the construction of the North Dakota access pipeline which is a major threat to the well-being of the native tribes who depend on the Missouri River for their drinking water. Finally, don’t we owe the native-Americans an unconditional apology for plundering their land and the genocide of their people? 

 

The White Helmets 10-24-2016

24, October 2016                  The White Helmets

In the midst of the horrors of the Syrian civil war, a group of activists are trying to bring desperately needed help to the afflicted.

The Syrian Civil Defense, or the White Helmets (known for the color of the hard hats they wear) comprising some 3,000 volunteers has been credited with saving over 60,000 people from the rubble of buildings in war-torn Syria. They are made up of ordinary Syrian civilians. They are teachers, builders, carpenters, students – just ordinary folk who decided not to pick up a gun or flee Syria, but instead decided to wake up every morning and risk their lives to save complete strangers. Their actions are incredibly inspiring which brings new hope to a war ravaged country where the international community has failed to bring an end to the hostilities. It’s a story which resonates with people around the world, an effort to halt the madness of war and offer the people of Syria new hope. The work is extremely dangerous, one in six have been killed or badly wounded. Last month the group won a Right Livelihood Award, known as the Alternative Nobel Prize. Their motto, "To save a life is to save all of humanity." They were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize but sadly did not get it. To broaden their appeal and inject much needed sanity into the ongoing conflict, the founders of the movement have just released a new Netflix documentary, “The White Helmets (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wj4ncIEDxw

Central Park Five 10-22-2016

_{22, October 2016             Central Park Five}

_{In 1989 five teenagers were found guilty of raping a white woman in Central Park.  Buckling under intense prosecutorial pressure. the five pleaded guilty.}

_{The “confessions” were riddled with inconsistencies which should have raised multiple red flags. For example, the DNA taken from the accused did not match the DNA taken from the victim, a glaring omission which sealed the fate of the unfortunate victims.}

_{14 years later their sentences were vacated based on new DNA evidence following an actual confession by a serial rapist, Matias Reyes.} 

_{In spite of being wrongly convicted there has been a persistent drumbeat of their guilt because they lost the lottery of life and were born with darker skins. To compound the grave injustice, the ‘racist in chief’, Donald Trump still insists on their guilt blatantly ignorant of the country’s epidemic of wrongful convictions, which disproportionately affects minorities, and the prevalence of false confessions in such convictions. Not surprisingly, the New York Police Department and the District Attorney Office concurs with Trump’s racist views. Spewing her racial hatred, Anne Coulter argued “liberals are opposed to rape in the abstract, but when it comes to actual rapists, they’re all for them.” At the time of their arraignment, the teenagers were just 14, 15, and 16 years old with no prior convictions and no guardian or lawyer present. They were denied food, drink and sleep for many hours intensifying their misery. The case is symptomatic of a deeply flawed criminal justice system.}

The Red Cross 10-18-2016

18, October 2016                        The Red Cross

The devastating hurricane that brought havoc and destruction to Haiti has invoked fresh memories of the outright fraud perpetrated by the American Red Cross following the 2010 Earthquake.

At the time ProPublica published a scathing investigative report on the Red Cross’s alleged “development” project. The report was entitled “how the Red Cross Raised Half a Billion Dollars and Built Six Homes”.

Internal memos and emails from frustrated employees confirm that the Red Cross completely failed in its mission in Haiti. It squandered hundreds of millions of dollars of donations and made dubious claims for its success. Despite repeated requests, it has refused to disclose details of its disbursements of the funds collected. If it continues to refuse to open its books for scrutiny, it should have its non-profit status revoked.

This is also a failure of the government agency responsible for oversight of the Red Cross.

For details of the ProPublica report see https://www.propublica.org/article/how-the red-cross-raised-half-a-billion-dollars-for-haitii-and-built-6-homes.  

Torture 10-17-2016

17, October 2016                       Torture 

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, James Risen, and his team at The New York Times conducted an in-depth investigation into the abuse of prisoners by the CIA. Risen and military psychiatrist, Dr. Stephen Xenakis, concluded that the CIA torture methods caused devastating long-term psychological harm.

At least half of the 39 detainees interviewed experienced serious psychiatric problems including post-traumatic stress disorder, paranoia, depression and psychosis. The torture methods used mimic those used by autocratic regimes that we claim to despise such as severe sleep deprivation, waterboarding, mock executions, sexual violations, dog attacks, confinement in coffin-like boxes, severe beatings and dousing with ice-cold water. These grotesque, sadistic methods were approved at the highest levels of the Justice Department of the Bush administration. The prisoners were captured in a broad sweep at the outset of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Former prisoners complained of excruciating pain. Many had lost the will to live and were prone to suicidal thoughts. These gross violations of international law and the Geneva Conventions will continue until there is proper oversight of the CIA.  Its brutal activities have intensified rage and fueled anti-American hostility around the world. It has engaged in overthrowing governments around the world with complete impunity (Iran (1953); Guatemala(1954); Laos (1958); Ecuador (1961); Argentina (1963); Honduras (1963 & 2009); Panama (1968); Chile (1973); Bangladesh (1975); Haiti (1991 & 2004),  . . . The agency should be disbanded and the funds used for promoting real peace and democracy around the world. 

US-Saudi War Crimes in Yemen 10-12-2016

12, October 2016                 US-Saudi War Crimes in Yemen

Human rights activists are accusing the U.S. of being complicit in war crimes in Yemen. Thousands of Yemenis gathered at the United Nations building in Sana’a calling for an international investigation into the U.S. - backed Saudi assault on a funeral last week. The exploded munitions have clear U.S. markings which have intensified the anger and is fueling anti-American sentiments and radicalizing many of the local residents.

The Intercept reports, "Multiple bomb fragments at the scene appear to confirm the use of American-produced MK-82 guided bombs”. The fallout of the war in Yemen has been severe. The US and Saudi Arabia are closely linked to ongoing war crimes  and the credibility of the U.N. has been severely tarnished after it buckled to Saudi pressure which threatened to withhold its U.N.  dues.

The ongoing carnage in Yemen has stymied U.S. efforts to condemn Russian and Syrian government attacks on civilians in Aleppo. How can the U.S. condemn attacks by extremist groups like ISIS in Iraq and Syria on civilians when we are complicit in crimes on civilian targets in Yemen?

Sen. Chris Murphy stated “there is an American imprint on every civilian life lost in Yemen. The Houthi rebel army poses no existential threat to the United States.  The United States Congress has not debated a war authorization giving the president the power to conduct this operation in Yemen.”

I urge readers to call the White House Comment line (202-456-1111) and demand an immediate halt to weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

Second Debate 10-10-2016

10, October 2016                  Second Debate

Cornered and angry, Trump pursued a scorched earth approach to weaken his opponent. He didn't even wait for the debate to begin, kicking off with his pre-debate "press conference" stunt to embarrass Clinton and divert attention from the damaging 2005 sexual explicit videotape.

The tape provides gruesome evidence that the Republican nominee used his wealth and fame to prey on women using his tiny hands to violate the most intimate parts of their bodies offering conclusive proof that he is a disgusting sexual predator.

Sniffing and glowering like a bear released from a cage, Trump prowled menacingly behind Clinton throughout the debate. Devoid of talking points of any substance, Trump resorted to insults and innuendos threatening Clinton with jail if elected president.

He struggled to articulate any coherent policies stumbling into a series of unconnected sentences resorting to wild accusations which have repeatedly deemed to be false - accusing Clinton of giving birth to the birther lie about President Obama. In a desperate effort to capitalize on Clinton’s unwise support for the invasions of Iraq and Libya, Trump falsely claimed that he had opposed the invasions.

His practice of bullying and belittling anyone who dares to challenge him exemplifies the attributes of a dictator. Perhaps, that is why he has such admiration for Vladimir Putin. 

If we elect this quintessential bully, a serial sexual predator who boasts of  evading taxes, we will all be reduced to a nation of “deplorables”.

Netanyahu’ dilemma 10-8-2016

8, October 2016                 Netanyahu’ dilemma

The Jewish residents of Amona, an outpost in the occupied West Bank of Israel are heading for a battle with their own government. Buoyed by a weak Obama administration and a wink and nod by their own government, residents built illegal homes thwarting an Israel Supreme Court order to dismantle the homes by December 25. Amona is one of 100 illegal outposts built, without authorization, across the West Bank. World leaders have declared the settlements a clear violation of international law. An Israeli human rights group, Yesh Din, representing the Palestinian landowners, stated that the illegal occupation was a clear violation of the Military Order of 1967 which was supposed to protect such property.

The Amona outpost built on Palestinian land with commanding views of the central West Bank, was envisioned by Palestinians as the heart of their future state.

Even Israel’s hardline defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman — a settler himself — has declared the outpost to be illegal.

In a lawless attempt to thwart the return of Palestinians to their property in Ofra, settlers burned their grape farms. Using their usual soft language, the Obama administration condemned Israel’s plan to build 98 housing units east of Shilo, as “deeply troubling.” In a move reminiscent of the expropriation of native Indian land in America, Netanyahu’s  government retroactively legalized dozens of settler outpost. All this comes on the heels of a record $38 billion of US military aid to Israel. This is a shameful capitulation of Israel’s decade’s long occupation, land theft and home demolitions.

Trump 10-4-2016

4, October 2016                    Trump

As we approach the home stretch of our historic presidential election, the Republican nominee appears to be becoming more and more unhinged.

A man who was born into incredible wealth and privilege seems to be constantly at war with the truth, espousing self-contradictory positions that the media repeat with great abandon captivating their viewers and generating huge wealth for their networks. Trump is the quintessential anti-Christ, whose only purpose in life is to accumulate more and more wealth and power. This reflects badly on his legion of supporters who presumably share his warped set of values.

His latest tantrum with a former beauty queen is an appalling distraction in such an important election.

Trump is no paragon of physical fitness. By government standards he is obese, and makes the startling claim he has gained an extra inch in height. He feeds his massive frame with junk food and contrary to his repeated claims and according to Spy magazine his fingers are smaller than 85% of American men. So he should cease his childish twitter war with the former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado.

His loss of $916 billion belies the fact he is a successful business man. Such a colossal loss is an epic failure not a runaway success. Embarrassed with these financial disclosures, Trump makes the absurd argument that he is uniquely qualified to reform the tax code because he has so successfully gamed the system to his advantage.

Simon Peres 10-2-2016

2, October 2016                    Simon Peres

Leaders around the world honored Simon Peres who died at 93 as an Israeli peacemaker.

But a careful study of his life belies the false notion that he was a peacemaker. 

As a young immigrant from Poland, Peres joined the Jewish paramilitary terror group, the Haganah.

He quickly rose through the ranks of the military becoming defense minister, foreign minister and prime minister. His success was governed by assuming an extremely aggressive posture towards the Palestinians. As defense minister Peres introduced the practice of arbitrary arrests, home demolitions and extensive land confiscations.

In 1948 he participated in the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians and dispossession of their land to build exclusive Jewish towns such as Karmiel and Upper Nazareth. As Defense Minister he established military garrison checkpoints which disrupted the continuity of Palestinian towns and villages, reducing them to Palestinian Bantustans.

He was responsible for establishing Israel as a military mini super power with the help of billions of support from the United States. He acted as secret liaison with France which assisted Israel in building its nuclear reactors in Dimona and the Negev Desert.

As Defense Minister in 1975 Peres granted permission for the first of many illegal settlements in the West Bank which violates US stated policy and were the main impediments to peace.

Peres’s award of the Nobel Peace Prize was a cruel gesture by the international community who watched as silent observers to decades of suffering of the indigenous people.

Saudi Arabia & 9/11 9-29-2016

29, September 2016            Saudi Arabia & 9/11

President Obama’s efforts to veto a bill allowing victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi officials is ill-advised. Saudi Arabia is no friend of the United States. Propping up a thoroughly corrupt regime which withholds basic human rights from its citizens, stoning would be adulterers, demeaning women and forcing them to wear head to toe suffocating burkas in the stifling heat, lashing dissidents in public, chopping the hands of would be thieves, - is indefensible. Our decades of alliance to this monstrous regime is based on our addiction to oil and our desire to sell billions of the most sophisticated weapons to enrich our defense contractors.  These weapons have been used to kill thousands of innocent people in neighboring Yemen making us complicit in Saudi’s war crimes.

The Obama administration argues that passage of the bill will open up Pandora’s Box to possible lawsuits. The sad reality is that we have killed millions of innocent men, women and children with impunity with bombs, drones and other lethal weapons of war without offering apologies or reparations (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Iraq, Afghanistan…).

Why shouldn’t we hold our officials to the same standard that we demand from our adversaries?

Perhaps this might be the impetus to apply the brakes on endless wars and surely that would be a positive development. President Obama should shred his weekly “kill list” and allow the victims of 9/11 lawsuits to proceed.