Don’s attack dog attacked by the Republicans 2-28-2019

28, February 2019                 Don’s attack dog attacked by the Republicans

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s long time attack dog drew back the curtains of his boss’s sordid business activities and private life. His riveting testimony validated what most of us have long suspected.

By his own admission Cohen threatened more than 500 people or entities at  Trump’s behest.

Trump had an early history of gaming the system, Clearly embarrassed by his school grades and SAT scores he instructed Cohen to ensure they be hidden from the public. In mortal fear of being sent to the killing fields of Vietnam, he conjured up a fake bone spur story to escape the draft.  

Cohen looked a broken man, sacrificing his integrity for the proximity to power but nevertheless deserves credit for appearing before Congress with full knowledge that he would be vilified and treated like a human piñata by the Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.

Armed with documents to bolster his case Cohen accused his former boss as “a racist, con man, and a cheat who is fundamentally disloyal and a threat to democracy.” We should pay close attention to Cohen’s warnings otherwise we may be subjected to a Trump second term when he will continue to do irreparable damage to our nation, alienate our allies while cozying up to Russia’s Putin. With his stubborn denial of the ticking time bomb of climate change, he is clear and present danger to the entire planet. Republicans and Trump supporters time to take your head out of the sand and pay attention.

India’s shame 1-26-2019

26, January 2019                        India’s shame

In a explosive new documentary called “Period. End of Sentence,” Iranian-American director, Zehtabchi, highlights the appalling neglect of Indian women who do not have access to sanitary products.

According to Nielsen, a research firm estimates that an astounding 70% of women in the country cannot afford sanitary products: 300m use unhygienic substitutes like newspapers, dry leaves and cotton rags. Some 23% of girls drop out of school upon reaching puberty, humiliated by their peers and unable to access clean, private toilets. 

The silent shame that women have to endure is deeply entrenched. Women having their period can be barred from entering the kitchen, handling food and forbidden from entering places of worship.

In a landmark ruling, India’s Supreme Court allowed women between 10 and 50 (generally considered to be of menstruating age) to visit Sabarimala, a famous Hindu temple in Kerala. This ruling enraged many men mired in superstition of their mythical God, Lord Ayyappa who claims he was celibate and repulsed by the prospect of women’s fertility. It is worth repeating that Lord Ayyappa was a mythical, unreal entity whose only purpose was to perpetuate a false tradition and banish menstruating women from “defiling” the temple. 

A school dropout, Arunachalam Muruganantham from Tamil Nadu, was so horrified to discover his wife was using dirty cloths that he embarked on a quest to make sanitary towels at a fraction of the cost of the branded ones sold by multinationals.

He created a mock-up uterus from a football bladder filled with goat’s blood, with a tube that would squirt liquid into his undergarments and after many trials he introduced his highly successful “Pad Man.” Eventually Bollywood capitalized on his success by introducing a blockbuster movie by the same name.

Buoyed by their success in changing a few hearts and minds, a staggering 5.5 women in Kerala, one in three women in the state took to the streets to champion their emancipation. The government responded declaring menstruation should not be used to discriminate women’s full participation in society. The message is clear - never underestimate the power of a grassroots movement of determined women. Bravo!

For more go to, http://callforsocialjustice.blogspot.com/

Phony wall, endless wars 2-19-2019

19, February 2019                      Phony wall, endless wars

Teachers striking for higher pay and better living conditions, others driven from their home in icy conditions or living in make-shift shelters, working multiple jobs, roads and bridges collapsing. . .Cash strapped Americans delaying  critical medical procedures, skipping on their medications – while billions are squandered building a phony wall and tens of billions more into a bloated military fighting endless wars and on the brink of starting new hot wars with Venezuela and Iran – adding trillions to the national debt. 

What in God’s name has hijacked our sanity, the silence and acquiesce of the Republican Party and the enabler in Chief, Senator Mitch McConnell? How can these incompetent self-serving politicians continue to support a highly unstable president who weaves a web of deceit who rants and raves incoherent messages of hordes of marauders, rapists and bad brown hombres pouring across “open” borders? Declaring an emergency for a wall that Tromp claims is already under construction that will be paid by Mexico! It is time to drain the swamp and foreclose on this disastrous presidency who has violated every norm of honesty and basic decency.

Trumps’ joke about the Indian genocide 2-16-2019

16, February 2019                 Trumps’ joke about the Indian genocide

The Trial of Tears was a black stain on our violent history. According to History.com the dispossession of native Indian land was a series of brutal massacres, what white Americans perceived as the “Indian problem.” The new arrivals coveted lands held by native Indians and tried various wicked schemes to drive them out. Among the more bizarre methods attempted was to try “civilizing” the Indians — requiring them to learn English, accept European laws of property rights and convert their love of the “great spirit” to Christianity. When that failed they tried looting and mass murder. Finally, these self-proclaimed Christians resorted to genocide under the banner, the Indian Removal Act. With the help of the U.S. Army they were forced off their lands.

The Native Indians walked over a thousand miles, many in chains. Exposed to the elements, thousands died of whooping cough, typhus, cholera, dysentery and starvation.  The long brutal journey was called the “the trail of tears.”

The genocidal treatment of the Native Americans is no laughing matter but one prominent politician would disagree – Donald Trump.

Trump the elder, dug into his bottomless pit of hate and tweeted a jab at senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, referencing her claim of Native-American ancestry: “See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!”

Not to be outdone, Donald Jr. tweeted a screenshot of his father’s tweet with another tweet: “The Native American genocide continues with another murder by the president.”

“Savage!!!” exulted Don-Boy. “Love my president.” Oh, mercy!

Parkland Shooting – repeal the Second Amendment 2-14-2019

14, February 2019            Parkland Shooting – repeal the Second Amendment

February 14, 2018 marks the anniversary of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School—the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that stirred a nation’s outrage at the epidemic of gun violence. The shooter, armed with a military style semiautomatic AR-15 gunned down 17 students, staff and teachers in just three minutes. Several of the students who survived rose to national prominence taking aim at the “hall of shame” - the NRA and the politicians who put profit over people’s lives. Sadly, “Never again” becomes the rallying cry after each mass shooting.  The nation owes a debt of gratitude to the organizers of “March for Our Lives” who mobilized the youth vote nationwide for the midterm elections and nearly defeated the pro-gun candidates in the Parkland students’ home state of Florida.  Nearly 1,200 children have died from gun violence in the year following the Parkland shooting. That’s three to four a day. This is a national outrage. It is time we take aim at the real villain, the SECOND AMENDMENT. This was relevant at the birth of our nation when states had legitimate fears of an overbearing tyrannical federal government but has no place in today’s society.  Retired Supreme Court Justice, John Paul Stevens is a vigorous advocate for repealing the Second Amendment. We should heed his wise words. Finally, it is time we demand revocation of the NRA’s non-profit status.

Trump’s twitter war with the IC & their history of failures 2-8-2019

8, February 2019        Trump’s twitter war with the IC & their history of failures

The intelligence community of the United States (IC) is a bewildering behemoth consisting of 16 separate intelligence agencies and a 17th administrative office that works separately to conduct intelligence activities to support foreign policy and the national security of the United States.

The agencies rarely share information in an effort to protect their fiefdoms.

The 9/11 attack was pivotal time which spawned additional security agencies in a bid to keep “Americans safe”. There doesn’t appear to be a metric to gauge their success. Yet tens of billions have been spent in propping up these agencies. Stung by the agencies criticism of his false claims of victory over ISIS, the president’s itchy twitter fingers pounded out his disdain for the IC. Although his criticism was a visceral response, the IC does have a history of colossal failures. These failures have cost US taxpayers trillions of dollars, lost lives and undermined the credibility of the IC.

A few examples: in 2003, the then-CIA Director George Tenet’s confidently announced that the deadly threat posed by Saddam’s WMD stockpile — a “slam-dunk,” They were taken by surprise when India went nuclear in 1998, just as they had been stunned when the Soviets went nuclear in 1949. They didn’t expect Japan to attack Pearl Harbor. In January 1962, the CIA pronounced it “unlikely” the Soviets would attempt to build military bases in Cuba any time in the next 20 years. They didn't foresee the Communist invasion of South Korea in 1950, or the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
In 2005, the bipartisan Robb-Silberman commission — formed to examine the badly flawed estimates of Iraqi WMDs — summarized its findings. “Across the board,” the commission reported, “the intelligence community knows disturbingly little about the nuclear programs of many of the world's most dangerous actors.” And finally, the devastating attack of 9/11 came as a complete surprise. To protect of the sordid role of Saudi Arabia and the UAE the full 9/11 report remains hidden to the American public.

Perhaps President Trump’s private life has a lot to do with his lack of attention to national security. Clearly sleep deprived and crushed by the burdens of his presidency, President

Trump takes out executive time with self-grooming, making phone calls, sending tweets, resting and watching Fox and Friends.

Trump’s twitter war with the IC & their history of failures 2-8-2019

8, February 2019             Trump’s twitter war with the IC & their history of failures

The intelligence community of the United States (IC) is a bewildering behemoth consisting of 16 separate intelligence agencies and a 17th administrative office that works separately to conduct intelligence activities to support foreign policy and the national security of the United States.

The agencies rarely share information in an effort to protect their fiefdoms.

The 9/11 attack was pivotal time which spawned additional security agencies in a bid to keep “Americans safe”. There doesn’t appear to be a metric to gauge their success. Yet tens of billions have been spent in propping up these agencies. Stung by the agencies criticism of his false claims of victory over ISIS, the president’s itchy twitter fingers pounded out his disdain for the IC. Although his criticism was a visceral response, the IC does have a history of colossal failures. These failures have cost US taxpayers trillions of dollars, lost lives and undermined the credibility of the IC.

A few examples: in 2003, the then-CIA Director George Tenet’s confidently announced that the deadly threat posed by Saddam’s WMD stockpile — a “slam-dunk,” They were taken by surprise when India went nuclear in 1998, just as they had been stunned when the Soviets went nuclear in 1949. They didn’t expect Japan to attack Pearl Harbor. In January 1962, the CIA pronounced it “unlikely” the Soviets would attempt to build military bases in Cuba any time in the next 20 years. They didn't foresee the Communist invasion of South Korea in 1950, or the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
In 2005, the bipartisan Robb-Silberman commission — formed to examine the badly flawed estimates of Iraqi WMDs — summarized its findings. “Across the board,” the commission reported, “the intelligence community knows disturbingly little about the nuclear programs of many of the world's most dangerous actors.” And finally, the devastating attack of 9/11 came as a complete surprise. To protect of the sordid role of Saudi Arabia and the UAE the full 9/11 report remains hidden to the American public.

Perhaps President Trump’s private life has a lot to do with his lack of attention to national security. Clearly sleep deprived and crushed by the burdens of his presidency, President

Trump takes out executive time with self-grooming, making phone calls, sending tweets, resting and watching Fox and Friends.

Modi’s woes 2-4-2019

4, February 2019                      Modi’s woes

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was swept to power five years ago he promised to create millions of jobs to lift India out of poverty.

After suffering bruising losses in recent state elections, Modi’s BJP party has become extremely sensitive to high unemployment which is likely to adversely impact his party’s prospects in the next general election just a few months away.  

His government has been accused of blocking an official report on the national unemployment rate which had reached a staggering 45-year high in 2017. A highly respected Indian agency, the Business Standard confirmed the dire unemployment statistics which had been prepared by the National Sample Survey Office.

Two commissioners responsible for reviewing the data in the report and advocated for its early release resigned in protest when the government refused to release the report.

Much of Modi’s earlier popularity was closely aligned by the support of the ultra-nationalistic Rashtriya Seva Sangh nationalistic (RSS) militant group which is rewriting many of the school textbooks with information glorifying a fake narrative of Hinduism.

Much like our own president, the populist Modi promised to make India “great again,” an economic powerhouse rivaling China.  The gloomy economic forecast is bad news for the 10 to 12 million young people flooding into the labor force each year.

Modi’s hasty demonetization decision in 2016 aimed at eliminating illegal cash transactions (black money) created huge shortages and imposed enormous hardships on the poor. This was followed in 2017 by the new single tax code, or GST which was poorly implemented driving many small businesses into bankruptcy.

To add to Modi’s woes, the All India Manufacturers’ Organization reported that 3.5 million jobs had been lost since 2016.  The Center for Monitoring Indian Economy, a business information company in Mumbai, reported the loss of 11 million jobs in 2018 alone.

Himanshu, an associate professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University confirmed that job prospects had diminished under Modi’s watch.  

To add to Modi’s woes the website, WATCHDOG reported the ruling BJP amassed Rs. 553 crore as income from “unknown sources” in 2017-2018 which nets to an aggregate of 80% of total income from all political parties.

Modi who earlier looked unbeatable is now looking increasingly vulnerable. 

Sadly, the opposition Congress Party which has a history of patronage, ineptness, cronyism and corruption does not engender much hope for India’s future.