Drones 3-28-2016

28, March 2016           Drones

General Michael Hayden’s recent statement,  “drones really work” needs to be vigorously challenged. The program is mired in secrecy developed on the false premise that it removes the necessity of having ‘boots on the ground’. We as a nation have assumed the right of violating a country’s sovereignty and killing perceived enemies, seemingly unconcerned of the probably death of innocent civilians. The program is illegal and highly flawed, and depends on the skill or lack thereof remote operators who with click of a mouse can vaporize perceived enemies. One can only imagine the horror and despair and seething anger of innocent victims killed by human errors. The drone program has received little Congressional oversight and has greatly expanded under the Obama administration. The program is conducted according to secret rules with no accountability.

The drone operators have sent a joint letter to the President expressing their profound reservations of the validity of the program. Assuaged with guilt, many of the operators are suffering from PTSD. The remote assassination program makes us less safe and needs to be halted. We have created an extremely dangerous precedent. It is only time when our enemies develop the same technology and begin to target U.S. cities and our people. An International Legal Counsel for Human Rights First said it more succinctly, ‘Intentionally using lethal force against an individual for being near a target is a war crime’.

Saudi Arabia 3-23-2016

23, March 2016                                Saudi Arabia

Our close ties to the Gulf States have been an unmitigated disaster. We have flooded the Middle East with billions of dollars of weapons which has fueled proxy wars and emboldened autocratic governments to export their brand of Islamic orthodoxy and weapons to their Sunni allies. For example, ‘our ally’ Saudi Arabia’s oil money has funded religious schools (Madrasas) in countries like Pakistan to ensure a continuous supply of suicide bombers and terrorists. They have fanned proxy wars in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Sunni bombardment of Yemen targeting Iranian-backed Houthis has resulted in the fatalities of thousands of civilians. The Saudis have also funneled weapons to radical rebel groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. Saudi Arabia and Egypt scoffed at President Obama’s mild chastisement of their countries appalling record suppressing political dissent and tolerating corruption and human rights abuses. Sadly, there seems little hope of any major change given the internal turmoil within the new shaky leadership within the Saudi royal family. Fortunately, falling oil prices has curtailed some of their activities. Pouring billions of dollars of weapons to autocratic governments bolsters profits of US defense contractors but makes a complete mockery of our claim to be a force for good. 

Nestlé Sucking up precious water 3-20-2016

20, March 2016        Nestlé Sucking up precious water

For years, Nestlé has been has been illegally pumping up to 28 million gallons of water a year from the San Bernardino National Forest, virtually free of charge. Inexplicably, the U.S. Forest Service granted Nestlé a permit for a miniscule $524 a year but that permit expired 27 years ago. In a move fraught with intrigue, the forest service official, responsible for reviewing and extending the permit abruptly left his job to join (drum roll. . .) Nestlé. Nothing much will change until the man with the ‘orange hair and small hands’ ascends to the throne and makes America great – again. In the meantime Courage Campaign and their partners in this effort at the Story of Stuff are asking for donations for their legal fight against Nestlé.

In a parallel action, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issued permits to Nestlé in 2001 and 2012, allowing them to pump up to 218 gallons of water per minute from aquifers that feed Lake Michigan. What is so egregious about this and the San Bernardino National Forest deal is no cost was levied on Nestlé other than a small permit fee and leasing cost to a private landowner. The pumped water is bottled and shipped all over the world generating millions in profits for the company. Outraged residents, of Mescosta County, where Nestlé’s plant is located, filed suit but are being hampered in their efforts by a paucity of legal resources. 

Feds pocket $50 billion 3-18-2016

18, March 2016                 Feds pocket $50 billion

In the past several years, the United States’ largest banks, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup, have paid billions of dollars to settle charges of financial crimes in the mortgage market in the years preceding the 2008 housing crisis. Top regulators claimed that the record fines extracted in these settlements would provide relief to homeowners struggling with their mortgages.

In an exhaustive investigation conducted by the Wall Street Journal has exposed a massive fraud perpetrated by the federal government. Nearly half of the $110 billion Wall Street Banks paid in settlement fines in recent years has been pocketed by the federal government and withheld from the rightful owners – homeowners. There has been no disclosure how the nearly $50 billion has been spent.

Kudos to Stanford & Harvard 3-16-2016

16, March 2016                    Kudos to Stanford & Harvard

It is an absolute affront to native-Americans to continue to honor Junipero Serra, the founder of California’s Missions.

According to historian, Alvin Josephy, thousands of native Indians perished after Serra’s missionaries arrived. Soldiers were employed to kidnap children and when their parents came looking for them they too were captured and used as slaves. Escapees would be severely punished. Fathers and mothers would be separated from their children. The women were separately housed and used as sex slaves by the soldiers.  Living conditions were appalling and an epidemic of disease resulted in the death of many more thousands.

Serra justified the savage beatings as a small price to pay for the joy of moving Indians out of their ‘dark past’ to become ‘enlightened Christians’. Pope Francis made a terrible mistake when he canonized Junípero Serra. I fully support Stanford students’ efforts in expunging Serra’s names and replacing them with notable Native Indian names.

Students at Harvard Law School are also demanding the replacement of its seal with a crest of an 18^th – century slave holder. Kudos to Stanford and Harvard.

Cameron Blasts Israel 3-13-2016

13, March 2016                    Cameron Blasts Israel

In a stinging indictment of Israel, British Prime Minister, David Cameron said he was horrified by what he had seen in the occupied territories in Jerusalem. On a recent tour he witnessed the effective encirclement of east Jerusalem on occupied Palestinian land and expressed profound concern to MPs in the House of Commons. The United Nations and the international community, including the U.S., regards all of East Jerusalem, including the core Old City, as being part of the Palestinian territories - illegally occupied by Israel. In December 2015, a United Nations conference accused Israel of practicing” ethnic cleansing against Palestinians”.

“Since Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967, it had implemented a comprehensive policy to deepen its control over the city by weakening Palestinian presence and ties there,” Shawan Jabarin, the general director of a Ramallah legal center told the conference. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that the Israeli occupation had led to “fear, humiliation, frustration and mistrust.” Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood condemned the Israeli Government’s decision to commission 450 new settlement homes in the West Bank.

Israel has now reached a ‘white South Africa moment” – only a total economic boycott of its products will nudge it to reverse decades of discrimination and ethnic cleansing.

This comes on the heels of highly disturbing reports of Palestinian violence and torture of Palestinian prisoners at the Shikma interrogation facility. Such acts of brutality must be condemned.

NSA OVERREACH 3-11-2016

11, March 2016                                   NSA OVERREACH

It is instructive that the NSA couldn’t cite a single instance in which its mammoth-sized haystack of data circumvented an imminent attack — including the San Bernardino shooters.

Dear Editor: The National Security Agency has an insatiable appetite to invade our privacy. Der Spiegel reported details of a secretive unit inside the NSA called the Office of Tailored Access Operations. That office has developed new ways to penetrate our privacy, courtesy of Microsoft, by gaining access to Windows users who report technical problems. In addition, new computer orders are intercepted in transit, and special malware is implanted to monitor all activity of unsuspecting users.

William Binny, creator of some of the NSA surveillance code, expressed concern that the agency is drowning in mountains of useless data which has rendered it to be totally dysfunctional. He also warned that the potential for abuse and misuse of the information is extremely troubling.

It is instructive that the NSA couldn’t cite a single instance in which its mammoth-sized haystack of data circumvented an imminent attack — including the San Bernardino shooters. In the last 15 years, the NSA had access to information about potential terrorist attacks but failed to act on the significance of the data.

It is ironic that the NSA paid millions in fees to Apple and other high-tech companies to weaken their encryption standards by supplying a back-door access. The same companies are now feigning outrage over government demands to allow them access to their devices, thereby weakening their encryption standards for all their customers.

As Dan Kaminsky, a security expert, commented: “When your products have been intentionally flawed in the support of intelligence missions, don’t expect people to buy them.”

HILLARY CLINTON 3-11-2016

11, March 2016                                      HILLARY CLINTON

At the recent Democratic debate she defended her dark money activity, claiming that it was acceptable because President Obama was also a recipient of millions from Wall Street banks. That is precisely why the Wall Street banks got a free pass from the Obama administration and none of the executives served prison time.

Dear Editor: The print and cable media continues to keep up the drumbeat of Bernie Sanders being unelectable and have effectively blocked his campaign coverage. By contrast, Hillary Clinton’s actual record has largely escaped scrutiny. She supported the deregulation and gambling activities of Wall Street, which precipitated the economic crash of 2008.

Her stubborn refusal to release the transcript of her speech to Goldman Sachs speaks volumes of her cozy relationship to these banks.

At the recent Democratic debate she defended her dark money activity, claiming that it was acceptable because President Obama was also a recipient of millions from Wall Street banks.

That is precisely why the Wall Street banks got a free pass from the Obama administration and none of the executives served prison time.

Responding to the political winds of change, Clinton waited until April 2014 to support the modest, staggered $10.10 per hour minimum wage bill.

Her vote for the disastrous war in Iraq was not a minor aberration but a major policy blunder.

Later, she ignored the advice of Defense Secretary Robert Gates for an unauthorized war on Libya that has plunged the region into utter chaos.

Using a private email server in her garage to conduct private and state business displays a further lack of judgment.

To allow subordinates to be the fall guys in an ongoing FBI investigation is inexcusable.

By contrast, Sanders is squeaky clean and exhibits a rare quality of integrity and a rare quality of integrity and a sincere compassion for the underdogs in our society.

Democratic presidential contenders 3-9-2016

9, March 2016                       Democratic presidential contenders

The print and cable media continues to keep up the drum beat of Bernie Sanders being unelectable and have effectively blocked out his campaign coverage. By contrast, Hillary Clinton actual record has largely escaped scrutiny. She supported the deregulation and gambling activities of Wall Street which precipitated the economic crash of 2008. Her stubborn refusal to release the transcript of her speech to Golden Sacks speaks volumes of her cozy relationship to these banks. At the recent Democratic debate she defended her dark money activity claiming that it was acceptable because President Obama was also a recipient of millions from Wall Street Banks. Following the piper’s bad example is ludicrous. That is precisely why the Wall Street banks got a free pass from the Obama administration and none of the executives served prison time.

Responding to the political winds of change, Clinton waited until April 2014 to support the modest, staggered $10.10 per hour minimum wage bill. She was also a vigorous supporter of the Crime Bill which resulted in the mass incarceration of African-Americans.

Her vote for the disastrous war in Iraq was not a minor aberration but a major policy blunder. Later, she ignored the advice of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, for an unauthorized war on Libya that has plunged the region into utter chaos. Using a private email server in her garage to conduct private and state business displays a further lack of judgment. To allow subordinates to be the fall guys in an ongoing FBI investigation is inexcusable.

By contrast, Sanders is squeaky clean and exhibits a rare quality of integrity and a sincere compassion for the underdogs in our society.

Response to op ed in the NYT - An Anti-Semitism of the Left 3-8-2016

March 8, 2016            Response to op ed in the nyt -   An Anti-Semitism of the Left

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/opinion/an-anti-semitism-of-the-left.html?comments#permid=17814641

It is profoundly disturbing that critics of Israel’s are vilified as being anti-Semitic. Nothing could further from the truth. These are cheap shots aimed at silencing Israel’s policies. The U.N. Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has repeatedly vented his frustration at Israel’s polices. Human Rights Watch has called for all companies to cease doing business with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The group’s new report, titled "Occupation, Inc.," also calls on countries like the United States to "withhold funding to the Israeli government in an amount equivalent to its expenditures and related infrastructure in the West Bank." The report comes on the heels of a statement by the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, in which he accused Israel of abominable treatment of Palestinians. He stated that Israel “having two standards for adherence to the rule of law in the West Bank—one for Jews and one for Palestinians. He added "Too many attacks on Palestinians lack a vigorous investigation or response by Israeli authorities. Too much vigilantism goes unchecked. And at times there seem to be two standards of adherence to the rule of law—one for Israelis and another for Palestinians." The BDS is a legitimate grass roots movement aimed applying economic pressure to persuade Israel to abandon its decades old illegal occupation. To support such polices is not an act of loyalty but one of betrayal which will only hasten Israel’s isolation.

The NSA & Encryption 3-4-2016

4, March 2016                          The NSA & Encryption

The NSA has an insatiable appetite to invade our privacy. Der Spiegel reported details of a secretive unit inside the NSA, called the Office of Tailored Access Operations, or TAO. TAO has developed new ways to penetrate our privacy, courtesy of Microsoft, by gaining access to WINDOWS users who report technical problems. In addition, new computer orders are intercepted in transit and special malware is implanted to monitor all activity of unsuspecting users.

William Binny, creator of some of the NSA surveillance code, expressed concern that the agency is drowning in mountains of useless data which has rendered it to be totally dysfunctional.  He also warned that the potential for abuse and misuse of the information is extremely troubling.

It is instructive that the NSA couldn’t cite a single instance in which its mammoth sized haystack of data circumvented an imminent attack – including the Bernardino shooters. In the last fifteen years the NSA had access to potential terrorist attacks but failed to act on the significance of the data.

It is ironic that the NSA paid millions in fees to Apple and other high tech companies to weaken their encryption standards by supplying a back door access. The same companies are now feigning outrage over government demands to allow them access to their devices thereby weakening their encryption standards for all their customers.

As Dan Kaminsky, a security expert commented, “when your products have been intentionally flawed in the support of intelligence missions, don’t expect people to buy them”.  

Solitary Confinement 3-1-2016

1, March 2016               Solitary Confinement

Solitary Confinement is a barbaric form of punishment. It violates the 8^th amendment of the US Constitution. It is illegal in treaties ratified by the U.S.  It is guaranteed to harden human beings confined to its solitary dungeons. A staggering 80,000 are confined to solitary. Justice Kennedy commented that the insidious practice is sure to “literally drive men mad.”  The prisoners are held in windowless cells devoid of virtually all human contact. A correctional facility should make every effort to rehabilitate prisoners to drive down recidivism rates when they are released. President Obama is the first president to denounce the practice, and called for its total ban for juveniles. He stated "how can we subject prisoners to unnecessary solitary confinement, knowing its effects, and then expect them to return to our communities as whole people?” After much legal prodding and hunger strikes, California agreed to overall its system which is the largest and most brutal in the country. 500 of the prisoners who participated in the class-action lawsuit had been in solitary for more ten years. A United Nations report states that stays longer than 15 days could amount to torture. Albert Woodfox served 43 years in solitary, more time than anyone in U.S. history. This is a stark reminder of the injustice that pervades our criminal justice system. It makes us far less safe and is an affront to our common humanity. It is aptly described by social scientists as social death.