Regime change in Venezuela 1-26-2019

26, January 2019             Regime change in Venezuela

The United States never seems to learn from its past mistakes. We have attempted regime changes in Iran (to steal their oil), sold weapons to Iraq in their civil war with Iran, invaded Iraq with bogus claims of WMD’s, sold weapons to Saudi Arabia resulting in the devastating famine in Yemen, overthrew Kaddafi in Libya resulting in complete chaos . . .John Bolton, National Security Advisor, admitted that a regime change would benefit US oil. In our latest effort to maintain our impeccable record of regime change failures, the Trump administration is beating the war drums to replace President Maduro of Venezuela with his unelected contender, Juan Guaidó.

Secretary of State Pompeo’s appointment of Elliot Abrams to lead the US imposed changes is an exceeding bad choice. He is a right-wing hawk whose resume is full of dark deeds. In 1991 he was convicted for lying to congress during the Iran-Contra scandal and narrowly escaped the “orange suit and shackles” by a pardon from President H.W. Bush. He defended mass murderer and torturer, Guatemalan dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt, who was later convicted of genocide of indigenous people in Guatemala in the 1980s. Abrams was also deeply involved in the attempted coup of Hugo Chávez and supporting the right-wing government in El Salvador.

The Democrats should speak up against this administration’s effort to draw us into another civil war. The crippling sanctions should be lifted and Venezuela must accept the offer of Uruguay, Mexico, and the Vatican to mediate in the crisis and request the IMF’s help in bringing down hyperinflation.

 

PG&E 1-19-2019

19, January 2019                             PG&E

PG&E’s systemic problems have gone unchecked for decades. It has now been forced into bankruptcy following California’s devastating wildfires. The company’s wildfire insurance was grossly underfunded to the tune of $1.4 billion compared to actual liability of more than $30 billion not including potential punitive damages, fines tied to future claims. Ratepayers can expect whopping increases in their utility bills.

In its effort to make the state free from carbon-dioxide emissions, California pushed utilities to buy renewal energy.

Clean-energy initiatives, such as Solar and wind-energy designed to fight the effects of climate change will be a major casualty.

Never missing an opportunity to make money from other people’s misery,

Hedge funds are already offering to buy settlement claims from insurance companies.

The filing comes a day after the company announced the resignation of its chief executive, Geisha Williams and three other executives who were paid millions for their gross incompetence.

Reject William Barr as AG 1-19-2019

19 January 2019                 Reject William Barr as AG

William Barr, who faces a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation as Attorney General should be rejected due to his past transgressions as AG under President H.W. Bush. At that time, Barr strongly advocated blanket pardons to all those guilty in the Iran-Contra affair thwarting independent counsel Lawrence Walsh’s efforts to charge those responsible for a massive cover-up. The arms for- hostages scandal has cast a long shadow on subsequent US administrations up to the present time. Our constant meddling in Middle East affairs has destabilized much of the region. If Barr played such a key role in sabotaging the rule of law under Bush senior it is unlikely that he could be trusted to administer the law fairly under the current president.

If President Trump is truly under the spell of the Russian leader, it is likely that Barr would be severally compromise in his position as AG. The future and well-being of the Republic lies in the balance and the impartiality of the AG, if confirmed, will be fully tested as the newly elected House members do battle with an embattled presidency.

Barr has already displayed his bias stating he would withhold the Mueller report from the general public or have it severely redacted.

Crime & Punishment NY style 1-10-2019

10. January 2019                  Crime & Punishment NY style

In an explosive new investigation a group of courageous officers from the New York Police Department expose corrupt police practices targeting African Americans and other minorities in establishing racial quotas and retaliating against officers who speak out. The group, made up of predominantly of African-Americans and Latinos, known as the ”NYPD 12”, chose to risk their reputations and careers to confront their bosses illegal quotas system. A film, called “Crime + Punishment”, follows their epic battle to root out systemic corruption against tremendous odds. It has just been short listed for an Academy Award for Best Documentary. The “NYPD 12” filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court to seek damages and demand changes. The suit claimed the NYPD strayed from their mandate to help people and instead demanded the rank and file meet establish bogus arrest quotas unconcerned that such actions severely impacted the lives of those arrested.

In spite of massive lawsuits in the past exposing gross police misconduct costing the city millions of dollars in lawsuits little has changed.  Perhaps “NYPD 12” might make a difference.

Shame on Netflix 1-6-2019

6, January 2019                                     Shame on Netflix

Responding to pressure from Saudi Arabia, Netflix blocked an episode of its show “Patriot Act” with Hasan Minhaj which was critical of Saudi Arabia’s role in the killing of dissident Jamal Khashoggi.

Hasan Minhaj, a Muslim, deserves credit for firing both barrels of his monologue laced with humor at one of the world’s most brutal regimes. The thin skinned MBS cannot tolerate criticism much like the present occupant of the White House. Anxious to deflect the intense worldwide revulsion of Khashoggi’s killing, MBS instructed a Saudi prosecutor to seek the death penalty for five of the eleven “suspects.” Oh, what cruel irony. The man who likely ordered the killing of Khashoggi h is willing to send 5 men to a certain death!

In the roughly 18-minute now-censored "Patriot Act" monologue, Minhaj also took aim at the Al Saud family and its vast wealth, saying: "Saudi Arabia is crazy. One giant family controls everything." Minhaj is right and we are crazy to support such a regime which is still living in the Stone Age where women are denigrated and living in dungeons and tortured for having the temerity to demand the right to drive.

Human rights group Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia's censorship of Netflix is "further proof of a relentless crackdown on freedom of expression."

This also speaks volumes of the moral decay of the Republican Party who have not raised a single voice in opposition to President Trump who is obsessed with Saudi Arabia and their vast oil wealth. Perhaps his tax returns may uncover the mystery of this relationship.

Time to quit Afghanistan is NOW 1-2-2019

2, January 2019               Time to quit Afghanistan is NOW

The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to hunt down and kill members of al-Qaeda and destroy their safe haven in an operation dubbed ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’.  What a grotesque name for a war that has gone so badly.

Hundreds of coalition forces and thousands of Afghan soldiers and civilians have died and the Taliban insurgency has become emboldened, occupying large swaths of land in rural areas and terrifying  Kabul with IED’s and suicide bombers. Kabul is so dangerous that US personnel are forbidden to drive the 2 miles from the local airport to the US embassy but instructed to use helicopters to land onto the embassy roof. American troops stay behind in steel-reinforced concrete walls to protect themselves.

The CIA admits that it is partially defraying cost of operations by transporting “poppy seed drugs” on American planes generating about $50 billion annually.

According to Brown University, ‘Cost of War Project’ the Afghan war could exceed $2 trillion in this mother of all quagmires. American leaders stubbornly refuse to learn the lessons of prior conflicts. It has recently come to light that General Westmorland was seeking permission to use nuclear weapons in Vietnam!

It is obscene that all this money and human capital is being used to prop up an unstable and highly corrupt government. The ongoing conflict is an ethnic and sectarian conflict with Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras fighting to exercise control over the same piece of geography.

The legacy of Afghanistan mirrors other wars, Vietnam, Iraq and countless other conflicts, a humiliating defeat stemming from the arrogance of American military power and politicians who repeatedly mislead the American public. We continue to repeat the mistakes of Vietnam, which we devastated with napalm, Agent Orange, carpet bombing and multiple Mai Lai atrocities. The time to exit Afghanistan is NOW. For more go to, http://callforsocialjustice.blogspot.com/

Time to quit Afghanistan is NOW 1-2-2019

2, January 2019             Time to quit Afghanistan is NOW

The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to hunt down and kill members of al-Qaeda and destroy their safe haven in an operation dubbed ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’.  What a grotesque name for a war that has gone so badly.

Hundreds of coalition forces and thousands of Afghan soldiers and civilians have died and the Taliban insurgency has become emboldened, occupying large swaths of land in rural areas and terrifying  Kabul with IED’s and suicide bombers. Kabul is so dangerous that US personnel are forbidden to drive the 2 miles from the local airport to the US embassy but instructed to use helicopters to land onto the embassy roof. American troops stay behind in steel-reinforced concrete walls to protect themselves.

The CIA admits that it is partially defraying cost of operations by transporting “poppy seed drugs” on American planes generating about $50 billion annually.

According to Brown University, ‘Cost of War Project’ the Afghan war could exceed $2 trillion in this mother of all quagmires. American leaders stubbornly refuse to learn the lessons of prior conflicts. It has recently come to light that General Westmorland was seeking permission to use nuclear weapons in Vietnam!

It is obscene that all this money and human capital is being used to prop up an unstable and highly corrupt government. The ongoing conflict is an ethnic and sectarian conflict with Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras fighting to exercise control over the same piece of geography.

The legacy of Afghanistan mirrors other wars, Vietnam, Iraq and countless other conflicts, a humiliating defeat stemming from the arrogance of American military power and politicians who repeatedly mislead the American public. We continue to repeat the mistakes of Vietnam, which we devastated with napalm, Agent Orange, carpet bombing and multiple Mai Lai atrocities. The time to exit Afghanistan is NOW. For more go to, http://callforsocialjustice.blogspot.com/