Burkinis 8-30-2016

30, August 2016                        Burkinis

The recent ban of Burkinis in France has predictably conflicted many Muslim women. In the wake of terror attacks in France Moslems are encountering greater scrutiny. It is unlikely that the Burkha/Burkini is one of personal choice but everything to do with pressure to conform by a deeply entrenched male dominated system. I wonder how many Muslim women would respond affirmatively if asked their personal views on wearing the Burkhas anonymously.

It was only late last year when women in Iran were disfigured and blinded in acid attacks for daring to challenge the country’s strict hijab code. No, the hijab is a symbol of oppression of women in much the same way as the ban on prohibiting women driving in countries like Saudi Arabia. The Somalian born author and activist, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, describes Muslim headscarves as a means in which a deeply patriarchal culture oppresses women. “The veil deliberately marks women as private and restricted property, non-persons. The veil sets women apart from men and apart from the world; it restrains them, confines them, grooms them for docility. It is the mark of a kind of apartheid, not the domination of a race but of a sex. You risk not only being judged, denounced and reviled but completely ostracized. Being a source of shame to your family for not abiding by accepted cultural practices can be traumatic for any young girl let alone one raised in cultures where she’s considered subservient to men”.

Response to NYT op ed article on France’s ban on Burkini 8-28-2016

28 Aug 2016          Response to NYT op ed article on France’s ban on Burkini

I wonder how many Muslim women would respond affirmatively if asked their personal views on wearing the Bukhas anonymously.

I wonder how many men would be willing to wear burkas to cover their alluring bodies from the gaze of women. It was only late last year when women in Iran were disfigured and blinded in acid attacks for daring to challenge the country’s strict hijab code. No, the hijab is a hideous symbol of oppression of women in much the same way as the fatwa on prohibiting women driving in countries like Saudi Arabia. The Somalian born author and activist, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, describes Muslim headscarves as a means in which a deeply patriarchal culture oppresses women. “The veil deliberately marks women as private and restricted property, non-persons,” she said. “The veil sets women apart from men and apart from the world; it restrains them, confines them, grooms them for docility. “It is the mark of a kind of apartheid, not the domination of a race but of a sex.”

The pressure to conform is overwhelming.  risk not only being judged, denounced and reviled but completely ostracized. Being a source of shame to your family for not abiding by accepted cultural practices can be traumatic for any young girl let alone one raised in cultures where she’s considered subservient to men.

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The unpalatable truth is that the root cause of much of the world’s entrenched misogyny in 2015 is Islam and it manifests itself in a variety of ways including the requirement for women to cover up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/28/opinion/sunday/at-the-beach-in-my-burkini.html?comments#permid=19619493

Response to Desmond Tuck’s letter 8-27-2016

27, August 2016       Response to Desmond Tuck’s letter

Desmond Tuck, in his letter Friday 27, accuses African-Americans of “engaging in anarchy”. It is apparent that Tuck has never experienced the sting of racism or the living hell many blacks have to endure on a daily basis especially when confronted by rogue cops that prey on poor African-Americans hurling racial epithets with guns blazing. Perhaps, Tuck is not aware or is unconcerned that eevery 36 hours, a black person is killed by a police officer. This year a staggering 1136 blacks have been killed by police officers. Comprising only 2% of the total US population, African American males between the ages of 15 and 34 accounts for than 15% of all deaths logged this year by an ongoing investigation into the use of deadly force by police. The rate of police-involved deaths was five times higher than for white men of the same age. Specific examples are too numerous to mention. However, the tragic death of Tamir Rice, a 12 year old African-American fatally shot by police within two seconds on arrival, is especially disturbing. When Tamir’s 14-year-old sister rushed to her brother’s side she was thrown to the ground and handcuffed. No effort was made to administer first aid to Tamir. African-Americans have tried to seek justice within the system to no avail. Tuck owes African-Americans an unconditional apology for his insensitive comment.

Those “Damned” Emails 8-26-2016

26, August 2016                    Those “Damned” Emails

Disturbing questions have once again arisen over the close ties between Clinton’s emails and her Foundation. It took three years of persistent effort by the Associated Press, using the Freedom of Information Act, to pry her fingers from the closely guarded data.

The released emails only cover half of her four-year tenure. Blaming Colin Powell as a defensible precedent doesn’t cut mustard when it has been shown that her private server was created 12 months before Powell’s created his private server. Furthermore, Powell always used the State Department’s server for classified work.

According to the AP investigation, more than half of the private citizens Clinton met while serving as Secretary of State donated huge sums of money to the Clinton Foundation. The analysis shows that at least 85 of 154 people Clinton had scheduled phone or face-to-face meetings were foundation donors. This does not include meetings Clinton held with U.S. or foreign governments. As Secretary of State she approved huge increases in arms sales to some of the most brutal regimes in the world including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE who rewarded her efforts with huge donations. None of these Gulf nations can ever be accused of having stellar reputations for their philanthropic work.

Criticism of Algeria’s human rights abuses were abruptly soft-pedalled following a generous donation.

UBS, embroiled in huge tax problems, abruptly received special dispensation after they made a generous donation. The quid pro quo may be difficult to prove but the odor is strong and lingering.

Disturbing questions have once again arisen over the close ties between Clinton’s emails and her Foundation. It took three years of persistent effort by the Associated Press, using the Freedom of Information Act, to pry her fingers from the closely guarded data.

The released emails only cover half of her four-year tenure. Blaming Colin Powell as a defensible precedent doesn’t cut mustard when it has been shown that her private server was created 12 months before Powell’s created his private server. Furthermore, Powell always used the State Department’s server for classified work.

According to the AP investigation, more than half of the private citizens Clinton met while serving as Secretary of State donated huge sums of money to the Clinton Foundation. The analysis shows that at least 85 of 154 people Clinton had scheduled phone or face-to-face meetings were foundation donors. This does not include meetings Clinton held with U.S. or foreign governments. As Secretary of State she approved huge increases in arms sales to some of the most brutal regimes in the world including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE who rewarded her efforts with huge donations. None of these Gulf nations can ever be accused of having stellar reputations for their philanthropic work.

Criticism of Algeria’s human rights abuses were abruptly soft-pedalled following a generous donation.

UBS, embroiled in huge tax problems, abruptly received special dispensation after they made a generous donation. The quid pro quo may be difficult to prove but the odor is strong and lingering.

Comment submitted in response to NYT op ed Saudi Arabia 8-25-2016

 25 Aug 2016             Comment submitted in response to NYT op ed Saudi Arabia

HC expresses outrage of Saudi’s close ties to terror groups! What hypocrisy! As Secretary of State she played a lead role in expediting huge arms sales to SA which they have used to launch a relentless bombing campaign on neighboring Yemen, one of the most impoverished nations in the world. The bombs have destroyed, factories, power plants, warehouses, ports, hospitals, schools, water tanks, gas stations, and bridges. In a grotesque effort to inflict more pain and misery, the Saudis have enforced a blockade, cutting off supplies of food, fuel, and medicine. To demonstrate their financial muscle, the Saudi’s coerced the UN from removing them from a blacklist of nations responsible for killing children, threatening to withhold their UN dues. The UN cravenly crumbled to a morally bankrupt bandit regime. The tentacles of Saudi money have penetrated deep into Washington. They have donated money to H C and the Clinton Foundation. Scores of US lobbyists are funded by the House of Saud. Red Cross President, Peter Maurer,  reported that Yemen, after five months, looks like Syria after five years. Yemen has never been a threat to the US and there can be no justification for our complicit role in Saudi’s war crimes. The only beneficiary of this appalling policy is to enrich US defense contractors at the expense of human lives. SA is the largest purveyor of terrorism in the world.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/26/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-islam.html?comments#permid=19598253

Trump destroying our social fabric 8-25-2016

25, August 2016                  Trump destroying our social fabric

All across America Trump’s incendiary rhetoric is rapidly destroying America’s fragile social fabric – tearing away at the civility and tolerance - harking back to the days of the Wild West “hang em” culture.

Students no longer feel the need to suppress their innermost racial demons but now feel free to hurl nasty epithets to minorities chanting slogans like “Build a Wall” or “Go Back”.

The open hostility is so bad at many high schools that more and more students are choosing to be home-schooled.

Donald Trump relishes goading his supporters by encouraging them to rough up protestors and dropping sly hints for them to invoke their second amendment rights to prevent Hillary Clinton from making judicial nominations.

His more vociferous supporters raised the ante by demanding that Clinton should be executed by a firing squad for treason while others have shouted “hang the b . . ch!” The NYT have made a video which captured the screams of his supporters which resembles a KKK lynch mob.  Racial slurs are also directed against Jews, Blacks, Latinos Muslims and gay people. The Southern Poverty Law Center reported a huge spike in bullying at all grade levels. Many Latino students are carrying their birth certifications and Social Security Cards out of fear they will deported.

The immense damage that the Republican front runner has inflicted on America’s psyche and his own party will linger on well after the November election.

Trump is the winner 8-21-2016

21, August 2016               Trump is the winner

There is little lingering doubt that Donald Trump possesses neither the band-width nor the stomach to meet the demands of the presidency. Readers may recall he offered John Kasich to be his Dick Cheney VP clone with the understanding that he would assume the responsibilities of domestic and foreign affairs freeing Trump to bask in the trappings of power.

Trump is not an ideologue like his former Republican rivals, or a “Bernie Sanders” driven by a desire to level the playing field for poor Americans suffering job losses and unpaid medical bills or the younger Millennials burdened with student debt.

Regardless of the outcome of the election, Trump will be a clear winner.

The unprecedented media attention has already boosted his business profits and assured him a coveted presence among the ‘talking heads’ of mainstream media.  It is also possible that he might abandon the ‘crooked media’ and form his own media company with the help of former Fox chairman, Roger Ailes.

The media continues to be enthralled with the Trump phenomena offering him free air time to report his daily outlandish pontifications. Likewise his supporters seem to be in a perpetual trance mesmerized by their Pipe Piper. Even his flip/flopping on the issues and insults don’t seem to faze them. Little do his admirers realize that their media idol will dump them as soon as he has capitalized on their support in much the same way he acquires properties, extracts handsome profits and then discards the dead carcasses. 

War Crimes 8-19-2016

 

19, August 2016                        War Crimes

In a perverse twist to its stated reason for promoting “stability within the region," the U.S. continues to sell large numbers of weapons  to Saudi Arabia, (a staggering $110 billion) — which the Saudis have been raining down on a predominantly civilian population in Yemen.  President Obama bypassed Congress to facilitate the sales.

The State Department recently approved an additional $1.5 billion in arms sales. Our British and European cousins are also jumping on the bandwagon eager to participate in the bonanza.

Despite clear marking and GPS coordinates provided to the warring factions, a Doctors Without Borders hospital was recently attacked   - again, killing medical personnel, patients,  and civilians.   

The attack on DWB and their support facilities was the fourth attack in the past year. The war has killed 6,500 people and displaced 2.5 million.  We also continue to ignore mounting evidence of Saudi’s close alliance to terrorist groups (including the perpetrators of 9/11) and its long history of exporting its Wahhabism strain of Sunni Islam which has fueled greater intolerance of “non-believers”. Daniel Benjamin, a former State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, has called Wahhabism "a devastating invasive species in Islam's enormous ecosystem”.

It is time the American people raise their collective voices and demand an immediate halt to further weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.  Failure to do so will make us complicit in Saudi’s war crimes.

As Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut told CNN:  “There’s an American imprint on every civilian life lost in Yemen.” Shameful.  

Foreign Money 8-15-2016

 

15, August 2016                        Foreign Money

There is mounting evidence that foreign corporations are attempting to influence our political system with large donations to super PACS permitted under the landmark, Supreme Court, ‘Citizens United’ decision.

An investigation conducted by the Intercept has revealed how a Chinese corporation, ‘American Pacific International Capital Company’ surreptitiously donated $1.3 million to Jeb Bush’s super PAC. George W. Bush’s brother, Neil Bush, now sits on the board of APIC and is paid upwards of $700,000 for serving on the board of a sister company, SingHaiyi.

Gordon Tang, one of the owners of APIC, has worked assiduously to gain U.S. political friends, inviting U.S. politicians to his ribbon cuttings, and also soliciting the help from Gary Locke, the former governor of Washington, former secretary of commerce and former U.S. ambassador to China.

In another troubling twist to the incestuous relationship, Locke sold his home in Bethesda to the Tang family for $1.6 million. The Intercept has an audio recording of a bribe of $200,000 being offered to one their reporter’s to quash the investigation.

Tang is also concerned about allegations a company he controlled is under investigation for smuggling and tax evasion in Shantou.

The pervasive influence of foreign money prompted the Federal Election Commission to propose an outright ban from domestic subsidiaries of foreign corporations. Politicians and the media would love to enrich themselves by opening the floodgates of foreign money, but the ultimate losers will be our democracy.

Russia’s hacking? 8-15-2016

15, August 2016                   Russia’s hacking?

It is surprising that Democrats have expressed outrage that Russia has (allegedly) been hacking into their emails to upend their efforts to secure the keys to the White House.  They further accused the Kremlin of interfering in the US democratic process. Oh really? I seem to call a very high profile Prime Minister Netanyahu addressing Congress using his ‘red line’ fear tactics to try to torpedo the Iran nuclear deal and undermine President Obama’s reelection.  Would our intelligence agencies ever listen to private conversations of world leaders or UN officials? Do readers recall Angela Merkel’s cell phone being hacked by the NSA? Or, private conversations by participants at the Paris Climate summit?

Classified documents released by Edward Snowden show that the NSA was targeting the Chinese Huawei’s network in Shenzhen and monitored the company’s top executives.  The NSA is recording every single phone call made in an undisclosed foreign country. A surveillance system called MYSTIC stores the billions of phone conversations for up to 30 days. According to Ashkan Soltani, who co-wrote the Washington Post exposé on MYSTIC, revealed how the NSA uses Google cookies to pinpoint targets for hacking and how the NSA secretly broke into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world. Responding to mounting outrage of their citizens, foreign governments are shunning America’s cloud computer industry deemed to be unsafe to the prying eyes of the NSA. For example, Microsoft has lost customers, including the government of Brazil. IBM is spending more than a billion dollars to build data centers overseas to safeguard data of their foreign customers. Former President Jimmy Carter has revealed he limits his own email use out of fear he’s spied on by U.S. intelligence. In an interview with NBC News, Carter says he avoids emails when corresponding with foreign leaders — instead using old-fashioned "snail mail." Perhaps we should demand our own intelligence agencies halt their illegal activities before pointing fingers at foreign government. Or as the old proverb states more succinctly, -“what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.”

Trump, back in the news - again 8-11-2016

11, August 2016                Trump, back in the news - again                     

Trump’s remarks during a rally in North Carolina slyly hinting to his rabid supporters that it was perhaps time to conclude the presidential race by ‘taking out’ his rival – is beyond the pale. 

His careless remarks were met with predictable outrage. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut tweeted, "Don’t treat this as a political misstep. It’s an assassination threat, .  .  . Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt  commented Trump’s rhetoric, "may provide inspiration for those bent on bloodshed."

The U.S. editor of Israeli Haaretz, tweeted, "People who remember the incitement that led to Rabin’s assassination will find Trump’s rhetoric hauntingly familiar." See Amos Gitai mesmerizing film ‘Rabin, the last Day’ who argues the current Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu conducted a similar campaign to Trump’s and is ‘morally culpable for the 1995 assassination’.

Trump should heed the New York Daily News’s call to end his campaign. The GOP should stiffen their collective spines and withdraw their endorsement. His campaign has degenerated from offensive to reckless to criminal. Trump can no longer temper his remarks. He craves the adulation of his misguided supporters and feels compelled to win their continued support with more and more incendiary comments stoking violence. His latest diatribe accusing President Obama policies of being responsible for the birth of ISIS is laughable. It was President George Bush’s disastrous invasion of Iraq which triggered the armed  Sunni insurrection.

White Collar Crime 8-10-2016

10, August 2016                       White Collar Crime

Commit a minor infraction and the strong arm of the law will descend on you without mercy. Collude with other major financial institutions to manipulate interest rates and you suffer no jail time and pay a small fine relative to your assets.

The Libor corruption was one of the biggest financial scandals of all time.  A number of the largest banks in the world were caught manipulating world interests rates through the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) which impacted more than $300 trillion of financial products.

British banks, who often boast to be the bastions of probity, played a central role in the scandal which has severely tarnished their image.

Barclays paid $453 million settlement in England and a minuscule $100 million fine in the United States. None of the officers are serving prison time. The fines offer no deterrent and are merely the cost of doing a very lucrative business. 

Bank officials will escape personal fines and will merely pass on the settlement fees to their shareholders.

The damage that was done to municipalities, city and state pension funds was enormous.

The LIBOR settlement is similar to the HSBC scandal, where the bank walked away with a relatively small fine for laundering hundreds of millions of dollars for foreign drug cartels.