Free speech under assault 12-26-2018

26, December 2018                 Free speech under assault

In yet another assault on America’s bedrock principles of freedom of speech and political dissent, a new legislative proposal would impose severe civil and criminal penalties on US companies that participate in the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) supporting Palestinian rights opposing Israel’s policies and the occupation of the West Bank.

Professor Marc Lamont Hill of Temple University and a contributing commentator at CNN, spoke at the United Nations commemorating the 70^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in support of Palestinian Rights and a free Palestine.  CNN immediately fired him for his comments.  His call for a single state where all citizens could enjoy the same rights with their Jewish brothers and sisters was interpreted as a dog whistle for violence and a direct threat to the very existence of Israel.

CNN’s action makes a complete mockery of their claim to be “fair and balanced”. Jewish Voice for Peace excoriated CNN’s actions for silencing Dr. Hill while allowing Rick Santorum to vent his racist claims that there are 'no “Palestinians in the West Bank!”

As a further example of Israel’s reach, a long time Palestinian-American speech pathologist in Austin, Texas lost her job after failing to take an oath of allegiance to Israel.

An increasing number of American Jews oppose the occupation of the West Bank and refuse to buy products of the settlements in the occupied territories. Their right to protest in this way must be vigorously defended.

As Michael Bloomberg's famously said, “if you want to go to a university where the government decides what kind of subjects are fit for discussion, I suggest you apply to a school in North Korea.”

Combat veterans who recently spent an extended visit to Israel were appalled what they saw. They witnessed daily degradation, intimidation, and abuse of the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupation forces. If the American people, and especially our politicians, were able to spend any time in Palestine, and witness the truth for themselves, America's blind allegiance to Israel would come to an end. In the meantime more and more of our tax dollars are being squandered propping up an apartheid Israel.

President ‘41 George Herbert Walker Bush 12-10-2018

10, December 2018          President ‘41 George Herbert Walker Bush

 The 41st President H.W. Bush has been lionized by the media in wall to wall coverage   espousing his professional skills and high moral character. If one compares him to the present occupant of the White House, this is certainly a true statement. He also deserved credit for standing up to the NRA and AIPAC. However, to make a better assessment of his contributions to America and the world, we need to drill deeper into his presidency.

The following is a brief history of ‘41.

INVASION OF PANAMA

In late 1989, ‘41 ordered the invasion of Panama to arrest its leader, General Noriega, on charges of drug trafficking.  This was the same man who was formerly on the CIA payroll. In a classic overkill, the U.S. unleashed 24,000 troops equipped with highly sophisticated weaponry and aircraft against a country with an army smaller than the New York City Police Department. An estimated 3,000 Panamanians died in the attack. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on Washington to pay massive reparations to Panama for its illegal invasion.  

WAR ON DRUGS

During his tenure 41’ dramatically launched a war on drugs laced with overt racism.  In a carefully orchestrated media blitz, ’41 held up a bag of cocaine which he claimed was found just outside the White House, a visual prop, orchestrated by US federal agents! Mass incarceration followed disproportionately, impacting young black men.  Republicans like Rand Paul, and Chris Christie later admitted that the drug war was an utter failure.

USING RACISM TO WIN THE WHITE HOUSE

In the brutal presidential campaign of 1988, ‘41 used an appalling racist ad. depicting his rival, Dukakis to be weak on crime and responsible for the brutal rape and murder by Willie Horton while he was furloughed from prison. Lee Atwater, a top aide to ’41, apologized on his deathbed for the racist ad. which catapulted ’41 to the White House. It was considered to be the most racist ad, in US history.

CLIMATE CHANGE & THE SUPRME COURT

‘41was dismissive on the impact of climate change, famously saying, “The American way of life is not up for negotiation.” He nominated Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas even after Thomas was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill.

INVASION OF IRAQ

In August 2000 Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait illegally, in violation of international law. What is generally unknown is ‘41’s US ambassador to Kuwait. Glaspie told Saddam Hussein just weeks before the invasion, that America had no strong opinion on his border dispute with Kuwait. This was interpreted by Hussein as a green light for the invasion. But following the invasion, ’41 changed his mind claiming America’s intervention was necessary to defend Saudi Arabia. This proved to be totally false. Many of ’41 political detractors believed the invasion was meticulously choreographed to enhance ‘41’s reelection prospects.

To justify the invasion, the ’41 team launched a massive propaganda effort to win over hearts and minds to make them feel good about the “shock and awe” which was to follow demonstrating US military might.  The pièce de résistance. was led by General Schwarzkopf, CENTCOM, Pete Williams of the Pentagon and the Bush administration.  A staged weeping Kuwaiti, NAYIRAH AL-SABAH, appeared on all the major networks claiming that Saddam’s troops had thrown out babies from incubators. It turned out the young girl, SABAH, was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador who had been coached by the US public relations firm, Hill & Knowlton, who were working for the Kuwaiti government. The propaganda was so effective that even Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch believed the fictional tale and repeated the false story.   

 IRANGATE

In one of ’41 final act, he granted pardons to six former Reagan officials who were involved in the Iran-Contra scandal, when the Reagan administration secretly sold arms to Iran to raise money for the Nicaraguan Contras ignoring a congressional ban on providing aid to the Contras in Nicaragua. This was the most egregious scandal in US history. It is sad commentary that Reagan escaped impeachment for aiding and abetting a foreign adversary. Bush escaped liability for his role in the pardons scandal, claiming he was “out of the loop,” even though other participants and a paper trail suggested he was lying. So much for the media’s depiction of a “thoroughly decent man who believed in civility who did not believe in rancor who wanted, to unify all Americans,” RIP.

India’s Caste System 11-21-2018

21 November 2018                              India’s Caste System

The New York Times published the gruesome story of a low cast Dalit bludgeoned by upper-caste hoodlums who then held him down and made deep cuts in his scalp. The Dalit, Sardar Singh Jatav, suffered severe injuries ended up in a government hospital in Gwalior. His crime? Wearing a turban.

Dalits are considered to be outcastes or untouchables. 

Much like Donald Trump, Narendra Modi and the RSS have unleashed the worst excesses of caste politics.

What is even more appalling is the “laissez-faire” attitude of the diaspora and population at large who have chosen to remain in mute silence. According to the latest crime statistics, the assaults on low caste Indians are dramatically on the rise. They are humiliated tortured, disfigured and murdered in alarming numbers.  A few recent examples:

A 14-year-old Dalit Girl was beheaded by an upper-caste man in deference to his wife’s wishes.

A Dalit scavenger was gagged, bound and fatally whipped. Another Dalit was killed for riding a horse. 

Dalits are so reviled that they must drop their gaze when passing higher castes and are confined to drinking from separate drinking taps much like the Jim Crow American south.

The violence is intended to deliver a strong message that despite India’s notable progress and growing affluence, its social order remains deeply entrenched. This is a failure of law enforcement to uphold the Indian Constitution which bans caste discrimination.

A few brave voices are speaking out. Ayatthi Ramaiah, a sociology professor in Mumbai admitted that “we have a mental illness”. India may be a rising global power, but has fossilized into a spiritual God Centered midget. Surely God doesn’t condone such savagery”.  If such behavior violates God’s laws, why is such behavior, tolerated?

Dalits can expect no justice from the authorities who are usually from a higher caste. I urge readers to denounce the cancer of caste-ism in Indian society.

California Fires 11-14-2018

14, November 2018                        California Fires

After innocent lives perished and hundreds more reported missing in California’s raging infernos, President Trump responded with a nasty tweet blaming California of poor management of its forests.

Mr. Trump is clearly unaware, that most of the California fires started on federal lands which are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture. President Trump, you need to direct your ire at your own federal agency before you waggle your finger at California. Stop trying to settle political scores and send help to the victims of these devastating fires. Your stubborn denial of climate change is a contributing factor. This is yet another example of your ignorance and poor leadership.

Stop squandering our tax money by sending troops to the southern border on a mythical mission to stop a caravan of “terrorists”. Drape the “lady of liberty” – she has no relevance under your administration.

Finally, I would like to remind you that California is a ‘donor state.’ It pays far more in taxes to D.C. than it receives in federal spending.

Jim Acosta 11-12-2018

12, November 2018                             Jim Acosta                       

President Trump vented anger and racism at reporters in his recent press conference. Fuming over the loss of the House he went on to attack Jim Acosta revoking his press credentials when he was unwilling to respond to his questions. Acting like the head of a banana republic, choking with anger he insulted the intelligence and credentials of Acosta, a highly respected reporter from CNN and went on to insult African-Americans reporters with a racial tirade.

The White House then doctored a video claiming Acosta assaulted an intern to justify revocation of his White House pass. Acosta’s statement, “Pardon me, ma’am,” was not included in the video Sanders presented. White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, and her boss have consistently shown disdain for the truth. Sanders has lost all credibility with the press corps and should resign.

This is the latest example of “fake news” coming from the White House.

I urge the White House Press corps to respond in solidarity with Acosta and other reporters who were the target of the president’s insults. Members of Congress and the press must stand up to the president’s appalling abuse of power.

Election post-mortem 11-8-2018

8, November 2018                       Election post-mortem         

The Republican Party hooked their wagons to Donald Trump and took a shellacking in the House. A visibly shaken and irritable president cut-off and snarled at reporters injecting some of hackneyed expressions to boot.

Imposing massive voter suppression, gerrymandering, limiting hours of operation at polling boots and targeting Democrats with hateful racist messages won notable victories in the Senate in rural states.

Independent thinkers all but vanished from the Republican Party choosing to exit with their spines intact.

The public should now brace themselves for the presidential campaign of 2020 which will be a repeat performance of the last two years punctuated with anger, division laced with mega doses of fear and perhaps violence. A no holds barred campaign will likely continue to entertain Trump’s base and drive them into a perpetual frenzy. The black hole of Trump will draw in all his sycophants and negate independent thinkers.

Julian E. Zelizer, a historian at Princeton University, reflected on the somber mood of the nation, ““Trump’s tapped into something really powerful and really ugly in the American electorate and it’s going to be hard to put that back into the bottle.”

George Will summed up the ebb and flow of the election in his usual eloquent style, “political antibodies have strengthen the nation’s immune system.”

Strap on your seat belts it’s going to be another roller coaster ride.

Election post-mortem 11-8-2018

8, November 2018                              Election post-mortem         

The Republican Party hooked their wagons to Donald Trump and took a shellacking in the House. A visibly shaken and irritable president cut-off and snarled at reporters injecting some of hackneyed expressions to boot.

Imposing massive voter suppression, gerrymandering, limiting hours of operation at polling boots and targeting Democrats with hateful racist messages won notable victories in the Senate in rural states.

Independent thinkers all but vanished from the Republican Party choosing to exit with their spines intact.

The public should now brace themselves for the presidential campaign of 2020 which will be a repeat performance of the last two years punctuated with anger, division laced with mega doses of fear and perhaps violence. A no holds barred campaign will likely continue to entertain Trump’s base and drive them into a perpetual frenzy. The black hole of Trump will draw in all his sycophants and negate independent thinkers.

Julian E. Zelizer, a historian at Princeton University, reflected on the somber mood of the nation, ““Trump’s tapped into something really powerful and really ugly in the American electorate and it’s going to be hard to put that back into the bottle.”

George Will summed up the ebb and flow of the election in his usual eloquent style, “political antibodies have strengthen the nation’s immune system.”

Strap on your seat belts it’s going to be another roller coaster ride.

War Crimes in Yemen 11-6-2018

6, November 2018                War Crimes in Yemen

The United Nations and a growing number of countries in the world are calling for an immediate ceasefire in war torn Yemen.

Oxfam and other agencies are calling on the United States and European countries to end their support for the Saudi coalition. More and more Americans are reacting to the “gut-wrenching” images of starving Yemeni children.

The airports and seaports have been devastated by Saudi-US bombing and the economic collapse have pushed food prices beyond the reach for most Yeminis intensifying hunger and famine.

Images of young children reduced to flesh and bones have amplified demands for an immediate end to US and European weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Emirates.

US bomb fragments have littered the Yemeni landscape intensifying anger towards the US.     

Civilian deaths have been grossly understated to minimize opposition of arms sales. A comprehensive study conducted by the Fletcher School of International Diplomacy at Tufts University reveal the actual deaths to be about 80,000. Food supplies have been deliberately targeted intensifying shortages. The Saudis are also trying to close the port through which many supplies enter the country. The U.S. supplies the intelligence for the Saudi Air Force, which is carrying out massive atrocities making us complicit in Saudi’s war crimes. 

Turkey’s Hypocrisy 11-6-2018

                                  

6, November 2018              Turkey’s Hypocrisy

Relations between Turkey and America continue their downward spiral even after the release of American pastor, Andrew Brunson. The preacher had been detained and convicted by Turkey’s pro-government press long before he was sentenced in court. Brunson was accused of being a spy relating to the failed coup against President Erdogan.

The release of Brunson had little to do with the pursuit of justice and everything to do with Turkey’s declining economy.  The Turkish lira was already in a tailspin.

Yet that did not stop Erdogan making the audacious claim that Brunson’s release was proof of Turkey’s “independent and impartial” judiciary. What Chutzpah!

Erdogan’s non-stop drumbeat of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudis was a further effort to deflect Turkey’s appalling record on human rights abuses.

Several American nationals remain in prison in Turkey, alongside tens of thousands of people arrested on spurious grounds following the failed coup.

The crackdown on dissidents, journalists and alleged coup plotters in Turkey seems to confirm what many observers have long suspected: Turkish democracy is dead, and President Erdogan’s grip on society is tighter than ever.

Anti-Semitism & Israel 11-2-2018

2, November 2018                         Anti-Semitism & Israel

In contrast to the angry mourners shunning the arrival of President Trump at the Pittsburgh synagogue, Ron Bermer, Israel’s ambassador to the United States greeted him with open arms.

Another prominent Israeli official, Naftali Bennett, took to twitter to defend Mr. Trump and drive a wedge between the American Jewish community and Israeli hard liners.

Israel’s right-wing government has become Mr. Trump’s ardent supporter reflecting its loyalty to a president who has backed its interests but also deepened a rift with American Jews, many of whom hold Mr. Trump at least partly responsible for the rise in anti-Jewish vitriol over the last two years.

A progressive Jewish community, “Bend the Arc”, in Pittsburg denounced the president and told him he was unwelcome until he denounced white nationalism. The letter contained “84,000 signatures which excoriated the president stating, “You have also deliberately undermined the safety of people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities.”

Bermer, used the tragedy to score political points over Israel’s growing apartheid system condemning anti-Semitism on college compasses attempting to establish a false equivalence of growing anger over Israel’s ongoing occupation and siege of Gaza. Israel has created a repugnant new caste system, much like India, where the Brahmin Israeli Jews feel they have a divine right to exploit and punish the “untouchable” Palestinians. Shane on Israel and greater shame on the U.S. for supporting their inhumane polices.

The Caravan 11-1-2018

1, November 2018                     The Caravan

In a desperate attempt to malign the Democrats before the mid-term elections, the divider-in-chief, President Trump has reached down into his oversize bag of “dirty tricks’ and used the desperate plight of Honduran migrants to stoke fear and galvanize his base. Fearful of a blue wave, the president and the GOP are moving audaciously far from the truth and deep into the gutter.

Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, slyly accused liberal philanthropist George Soros of funding the caravan and in the process put him in mortal danger with an undetonated explosive device found outside his home.

While the president continues to demonize “the tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free. . “, we seldom hear about the causes of this northern migration.

During the wars in the 1980s, the United States government spent billions of dollars supporting murderous dictators in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras creating devastation that left tens of thousands dead, millions displaced internally, more than a hundred thousand refugees in Mexico and shattered societies. The lasting legacy is violence, corruption and impunity.

Instead of rebuilding societies we destroyed, the Trump administration now threatens the little U.S. aid those countries receive, reportedly $500 million last year. Common sense would suggest Central American desperately need US economic aid, and remittances sent by immigrants to prevent social and economic collapse.  

Pittsburgh synagogue massacre 10/30/2018

30, October 2018               Pittsburgh synagogue massacre

While much of the country is reacting in horror to the massacre of 11 Jews in a Pittsburgh synagogue there is virtually no international outrage over the daily killing of Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has announced it is implementing a “zero tolerance” policy toward peaceful protesters in Gaza, who have been staging weekly Friday protests since March 30. Since then, Israeli forces have killed at least 170 Palestinians, including more than 30 children, and injured at least 18,000.  The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem representative HAGAI EL-AD addressed the United Nations: “The Gaza Strip, with a population of nearly 2 million, has essentially become an open-air prison. Its inmates have been staging protests for the past six months, after suffering for more than a decade under an Israeli-imposed blockade that has led to economic collapse, soaring unemployment rates, polluted drinking water, dwindling power supplies and, ultimately, to deep despair”. While we shed tears for our Jewish brothers and sisters who died we should save a few tears for the ongoing slaughter of Palestinians with the assistance of $billions of support from the US. Humanity should always triumph political and religious ideology. 

Susan Collins A Titanic Fraud 10-11-2018

11, October 2018                         Susan Collins A Titanic Fraud

Senator Collins went on the floor of the Senate to gaslight the entire nation about the nominee.

There is little doubt the FBI was hamstrung in its investigation by the White House but it is puzzling why they failed to issue a public statement requesting a more thorough investigation.

Kavanaugh was evasive and disingenuous. He falsely claimed that he could legally drink at age 17. In his senior year he entered “300 Kegs or Bust” boasting his alcohol consumption. He denied references to a girl called Renate, which he and his friends boasted of sexual conquests. His yearbook also contained entries of the “Devil Triangle” – sex between one woman and two men. Then into a further descent into moral depravity, Kavanaugh and his friends engaged in “boofing” anal sex infusion of drugs or alcohol.  He was a clear partisan who worked for Ken Star on his impeachment of Bill Clinton. He was part of GW Bush legal team which opposed a recount in Florida in 2000. As a jurist he told the Catholic University of America, “A good judge, like a good umpire, cannot act as partisan.”  What monumental hypocrisy! Sadly, Kavanaugh was supported by the “moderate” Senator Collins. She made the absurd comment that Dr. Ford was guilty of mistaken identity. What Chutzpah! The loud uproarious laughter with a would be rapist inches from her face attempting to rip of her clothes is something no woman can ever forget. Senator Collins you have lost all credibility.

 

Trump – the artful tax dodger 10-9-2018

9, October 2018                   Trump – the artful tax dodger

While most middle class and poor Americans pay their fair share of taxes to fund the federal government, President Trump has managed to finagle his way to minimize his tax burden. During the 2016 election campaign, he often boasted that he was a self-made billionaire from a small inheritance of $1 million from his father. Nothing could be further from the truth. According to a New York Times investigation Trump inherited $413 million in today’s dollars from his father’s real estate empire, much of it through tax dodges in the 1990s. Small wonder that he refused to release his tax returns offering the dubious claim they were under audit. Trump and his siblings claimed improper tax deductions worth millions. The crime family undervalued their real estate empire to drastically reduce estate taxes. The artful tax dodger’s mask has finally been removed.

Columbus Day 10-8-2018

8, October 2018                        Columbus Day

Today is Columbus Day -a day when Americans should remember and honor the indigenous people of America who suffered enormous cruelty and savagery by Columbus and his band of sailors. He should be rebranded not as a hero but as a mass murderer.

He was a guilty of a host of crimes including slavery and outright genocide in the wholesale slaughter of the Indians in the New World.

He opened the door to bands of fortune seekers who relived the Indians of their gold and other treasures.

Columbus violated the orders issued by Ferdinand and Isabella including a mandate that he and the men under his command “treat the Indians very well and lovingly, and abstain from doing them any harm.”

According to The Guardian which obtained a copy of a report in 2006 found in a state archive in the Spanish city of Valladolid, “Punishments included cutting off people's ears and noses, parading women naked through the streets, and selling them into slavery.”

“One man caught stealing corn had his nose and ears cut off, placed in shackles, and was then auctioned off as a slave. A woman who dared to suggest that Columbus was of lowly birth was punished by his brother Bartolomé, who had also traveled to the Caribbean. She was stripped naked and paraded around the colony on the back of a mule.”

Today, let us pay homage to our native Indians whose ancestors were treated with such barbarity.

Epilogue of Kavanaugh saga 10-6-2018

6, October 2018                           Epilogue of Kavanaugh saga

Unable to effectively blunt the damaging testimony of Dr. Ford and sensing their beer drinking and alleged sexual predator’s nomination slipping away, Trump and his morally bankrupt posse of bullies went on the attack. At a Mississippi campaign rally, Trump mocked Dr. Ford credulity regaling the crowd with his cruel taunts. Sadly, the FBI investigation turned out to be a complete sham, narrow in its scope with tight parameters established by the White House. It was designed to be a spectacle and fail. Key witnesses were ignored including 2,400 law professors who opposed Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

The degrading era of Kavanaugh’s service on the Supreme Court lies ahead.

Justice Kavanaugh will now join his “twin” Clarence Thomas both forever tainted by dishonesty, shamelessness and hostility to the welfare and well-being of women.

The virus of Trumpism is about to infect the Supreme Court for decades to come.

Kavanaugh 9-30-2018

30, September 2018                    Kavanaugh

In the high stakes drama, Dr. Blasey was clearly the winner. Dr. Blasey had everything to lose and nothing to gain. She waited until the very last day hoping someone other than Kavanaugh would be selected from the short list as the Supreme Court nominee terrified of the ordeal she might have to undergo.

She expressed unequivocal certainty that her attempted rapist was Kavanaugh aided by the elusive Mark Judge who remains conveniently hidden from the long arm of the law. In sharp contrast, Kavanaugh was intemperate, disrespectful  bombastic and filled with self-righteous indignation.

Such poor self-control and contempt for the Senate should disqualify him from his current appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals and most certainly from the highest court in the land.

The heroes, other than Dr. Blasey, were the courageous women who confronted Senator Flake in the Senate elevator who implored him to reconsider his important vote.

Finally, the Republicans betrayed their cowardice by commissioning a hired gun, Rachel Mitchell, to do their dirty work for them.

Brett Kavanaugh 9-25-2018

25, September                                 Brett Kavanaugh

Senator Dianne Feinstein is right in calling for the immediate postponement of the nomination proceedings of Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh after a second woman has come forward alleging gross sexual misconduct by the judge. Deborah Ramirez, a former classmate of Kavanaugh’s at Yale University, has accused him of exposing himself and assaulting her. It seems the anti-Christ Republicans pay little attention to assaults on women taking the unconscionable position that “boys will be boys.” Predictably, as soon as Republican Senate aides learned of Ramirez’s allegations they responded by trying to ram through Kavanaugh’s nomination before the allegations became public.

Oh you naughty Republicans’ have you learned nothing from the #MeTo movement? Ignore the voices of courageous women at your peril. Women across the country, including 1,100 alumnae of the Holton-Arms – Dr. Ford’s prep school signed a letter pledging their support. Republicans, a blood bath awaits you in the mid-terms.

Brett Kavanaugh 9-17-2018

17, September 2018                      Brett Kavanaugh

Dr. Ford accusation of attempted rape by Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, are serious extremely and credible given her status as a professor of clinical psychology at Palo Alto University. Her reluctance to go public is understandable given the bruising humiliation that Anita Hill was forced to endure at Supreme Court Clarence Thomas’s confirmation hearing. On the advice of her lawyer, Dr. Ford underwent and passed a lie detector test to validate her story. Kavanaugh must be compelled to under the same test given the serious charges that are alleged to have taken place.

At a minimum, the confirmation hearings should be delayed until Professor Ford has been given an opportunity to speak at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. We don’t want another sexual predator at SCOTUS.  Predictably, Fox and Friends is already trying to trash Dr. Ford stellar reputation.

Modi’s folly 9-10-2018

10, September 2018                       Modi’s folly

The chickens have come home to roost following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much hyped demonetization program. His ill-conceived policy of exchanging old to new money popped the balloon of the Indian economy. Modi should be held fully accountable for his monumental blunder. Sadly, reporters are loath to criticize their dear leader lest the RSS and their henchmen try to silence them. Modi is hardly likely to admit the folly of demonetization which resulted in 100 deaths, the loss of 1.5 million jobs and left 150 million people without cash for weeks. Back in November 2016 the government announced that all 500 and 1,000 rupee notes would become worthless and immediately withdrew them from circulation. Old notes would have to be exchanged for limited supplies of new currency. ATM’s ran dry and chaos followed.

This was a populist measure carried out on the backs of the poor.

Recent data from the Reserve bank of India showed that over 99% of currency notes are now back in circulation into the banking system.

India’s rich had been  forewarned and converted black cash holdings to gold and real estate.

Incredulously, the Modi government boasted that the bizarre scheme worked because it revealed how efficiently the government can collect money.

One columnist wrote, “this is like throwing yourself off a building while praising how hard the ground is”.

Mr. Modi claims to be a religious man promising that “if any fault is found … I am willing to suffer any punishment.” Really? I am sure his detractors could offer a few suggestions.

The government hopes the criticism abates which might explain why the Indian parliamentary finance committee hasn’t published its report on the demonetization debacle.

Ominously, the prime minister warns critics about how the state can be unleashed on dissent which explains the recent arrests of human rights activists, and reporters. His claim to support free speech and democracy rings hollow. Sadly, Modi lacks the humility to admit his shortcomings and is obsessive about cultivating a favorable image adorning himself with fine clothes, yoga postures, frequent shots holding a cell phone to his ear and foreign travel. His hubris may take a savage beating when his party meets its electoral nemesis.

India refuses foreign aid 9-6-2018

6, September 2018              India refuses foreign aid 

In the Indian State of Kerala, this was the time of year to mark the

Harvest festival of Onam with feasts, dancing and boat races. Instead

Nature greeted the residents with torrential rains which may be the

State’s worst flooding in a century – another ominous sign of the

impacts of climate change. More than 1 million have been displaced. The

torrential rains have taken the lives of hundreds with no sign of

retreat.

The Modi finds itself in another embarrassing situation over its lackluster aid to flood stricken Kerala.

The Modi Government doesn’t have the resources or perhaps has chosen to withhold assistance to the ultra-left Kerala government. For decades India has been more concerned with its international image of self-sufficiency than helping its less fortunate brethren.

Foreign governments were quick to offer assistance. The United Arab Emirates offered $100m which the Modi Government turned down infuriating the flood victims. Kerala sought 22bn rupees ($312m) and received only 6bn rupees. The UAE has a long association with Kerala hosting 1m of its people.

Congress member Shashi Tharoor from Kerala was furious denouncing the Modi Government as “churlish and irresponsible” to turn down foreign aid when Kerala’s needs “vastly exceeds anything that the central government can provide”.

Other countries are not burdened with self-pride. Japan, where the GDP is 20 times that of India, accepted outside help following the devastating earthquake in 2011.

With an excess rainfall of 30% in the last two months, there is still no end in sight. Kerala needs all the help it can get. To refuse help from foreign governments is shortsighted and a travesty.

John McCain 9-3-2018

3, September 2018                       John McCain

The outpourings of tributes and eulogies for John McCain are over but little attention was paid to the genocide that we committed in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Over 8-10 million people perished in our round-the clock carpet bombing raids. The New York Magazine piece captures the war succinctly: “There are Vietnamese children walking the Earth today who will die by stumbling on the landmines we planted, or unexploded ordnance we left behind. There are as-yet unborn Vietnamese babies who will enter the world with misshapen heads and giant tumors as a result of the defoliants we showered on their country 50 years ago.” This was America’s shame, an immoral war and sadly McCain was an enthusiastic participant.

Demonetization 9-2-2018

 

2, September 2018                     Demonetization

It’s been always two years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India threw the country into turmoil when he decided on a whim to invalidate old paper money. Modi’s secret plan, kept even from his cabinet, gave citizens 50 days to surrender 500-rupee and 1,000-rupee notes in exchange for new notes. Following the 5o day grace period, the old notes would be invalid. Poor citizens were disproportionately impacted waiting in in long lines severely impacting their businesses and lives. The purpose of the demonetization was to punish hoarders and tax cheats who would be forced to expose themselves to unwanted scrutiny from tax authorities.  According to figures released by the Reserve Bank 99 percent of the old bills eventually found their way back in circulation using devious but highly creative methods. Modi’s critics demanded the Prime Minister apologize to the people for disrupting their lives.

“This was a big mistake,” said Arun Kumar, an economics professor at the Institute of Social Sciences in New Delhi. “Employment was lost, output was lost and investment came down.”

Mr. Kumar said Mr. Modi’s decision clearly did not tackle the problem of illicit cash and was “a complete failure.”

The banks suffered a chronic shortage of new notes with ATM’s running dry. The enormous stress and suffocating heat drove several people to suicide while others suffered heart attacks. The cash base economy disproportionately affected the poor. Many economists believe the “demo” crimped India’s economic growth.

Others defended the government’s actions claiming that its actions would discourage tax cheats in a country where tax evasion is a challenging but satisfying “sport”.

John McCain 8-28-2018

28, August 2018                           John McCain

John McCain has had a very checkered life. He began his decades long career as a naval pilot in Vietnam where he was shot down in Hanoi in 1967.He spent the next two years in solitary confinement and twice attempted suicide. In order to escape the harsh conditions of his confinement he signed a confession admitting to,  “crimes against the Vietnamese country and people.”

His harsh treatment made him a lifelong opponent of torture and as such he vigorously opposed the nomination of Gina Haspel as director of the CIA who favored “enhance interrogation of prisoners”.

Sadly, McCain was an unapologetic war hawk, supporting President Nixon’s bombing of Cambodia. He firmly believed all problems could be solved at the barrel of a gun and supported both the first Gulf War, the wars in Afghanistan , Iraq , and Libya and favored bombing Iran. These wars have plunged the Middle East in utter chaos and created a huge refugee crisis.  

He faced withering criticism for his choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008.

McCain deserves credit for reaching across the aisle helping normalize relations with Vietnam and voted “thumbs down” against the Republican-effort to repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

McCain’s hostility with Trump is legendary and his family specifically requested Trump not attend the eulogy services.

Media reports have omitted the darker aspects of McCain’s public life. For example, his involvement in a massive financial scandal in the late 1980s. He was part of the Keating Five, the savings-and-loan debacle.

He flew multiple combat missions in Vietnam killing tens of thousands of innocent men. women and children in, a war that is now considered immoral. He offered no contrition for his role.

He also was a good friend of Mohammad bin Salman and the Saudis, the architects of 9/11, who presented McCain with a special award for his support for the Saudi invasion of Yemen which has created the worst human crisis in the world.

John McCain was not the embodiment of civility in U.S. politics, nor was he the bastion of decency. He called war resisters “low life scum”. He mocked Chelsea Clinton as ugly. He made jokes about rape and spousal abuse. He famously called his Vietnamese captors “gooks” and said, “I won’t apologize for that.” He was cranky, rude and abusive and even used insulted his wife in public using the C-word.

According to Time, McCain campaign staffers in Virginia were teaching volunteers to see Barack Obama as having terrorist ‘friends,’ and then providing these volunteers with arguments for “persuading voters that Sen. Obama, like Osama Bin Laden, shares responsibility for bombings of the Pentagon. These “gutter” tactics were used effectively in Trump’s bid for the presidency in 2016.

US Complicit in Saudi War Crimes 8-26-2018

26, August 2018          US Complicit in Saudi War Crimes


In examples of mind numbing hypocrisy, President Trump and his officials, ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, and his National Security Advisor John Bolton, like to stand in front of cameras and lecture other nations about the “need to change behavior”, while simultaneously  aiding and abetting Saudi Arabia’s war crimes in Yemen.

The 500-pound laser-guided MK 82 bomb, which the coalition dropped on August 9, killed 51 people, including 40 children. 


In May 2017, on his first stop abroad after taking office, Trump gleefully signed a $110 billion arms deal with the Saudi king in Riyadh unconcerned of the devastating impact on Yemini civilians.


British officials should also be targeted for public shaming, because of their government’s prominent role in supplying offensive munitions to the Saudi Kingdom. US economic sanctions are also responsible for the premature death of untold numbers of children around the world. This week, the UN and various civilian aid agencies warned that North Korea was facing a “food crisis” because Washington is stepping up its economic sanctions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

The medieval use of sieges on populations to starve them into submission is a heinous use of coercion and is an extreme violation of international humanitarian law.

On April 23, 2018, Saudi aircraft dropped cluster bombs made by Raytheon on a wedding in Yemen, killing 22 people, including many children. These weapons are banned by the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions.