Tamir Rice 12-31-2020

 

31, December 2020                      Tamir Rice

Last Tuesday, the United States Justice Department announced they would not be pursuing criminal charges against the two officers involved in the 2014 fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, citing insufficient evidence. Oh really? Does it really take a Perry Mason to determine the identity of the killers?

Rice would have graduated from high school in 2020 if he were still alive. The tragedy has been a major lynchpin in the Black Lives Matter movement over the course of the past several years. Dialing back to the fateful day, - on November 22 2014, a 911 caller reported seeing a young boy waving what appeared to be a toy gun. Officer Timothy Loehmann shot Tamir within two seconds after his police cruiser pulled up in front of the boy. Neither Loehmann nor his partner, Frank Garmback administered first aid to save the boy’s life. They then handcuffed Tamir’s 14-year-old sister and threw her to the ground as she ran to her at brother’s side, callously leaving the boy to die. Incredulously, an Ohio grand jury returned a decision not to indict.

What was omitted during the trial was Timothy Loehmann’s resignation from another police force after a “dangerous loss of composure” during firearms training. It is an absolute travesty that police officers who responded made no attempt to assess the situation for themselves but only saw the boy’s skin color and toy gun as a danger to the community which required the use of maximum lethal force. Tamir’s death has become another alarming statistic of a criminal justice system that continues to offer blanket impunity to police officers for their actions when confronting African-Americans. It appears that the prosecutor deliberately cherry-picked the jury and what amounts to gross prosecutorial misconduct recommended a non-indictment.

Other experts did find probable cause, including a municipal court judge who recommended Loehmann be charged with murder, manslaughter and reckless homicide.

Rice and scores of other blacks have had the gross misfortune of being born in America where we only give lip service to the value of human life. ”All men are NOT created equal and it is NOT self-evident especially to many law enforcement officers who only see skin color before taking lethal action.

 

 

Israeli terrorists assassinate Iranian nuclear scientist 11-28-2020

 

28, November 2020             Israeli terrorists assassinate Iranian nuclear scientist

Israeli terrorists struck a mortal blow into soon to be announced, Biden’s Iran’s peace initiative with Iran. It seems likely that Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo gave the green light to Prime Minister Netanyahu who in turn instructed Israeli secret police, the Mossad, to assassinate Iranian nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.  Netanyahu made no attempt to hide Israel’s role in the assassination. “There must be no return to the previous nuclear agreement,” he declared shortly after it became clear that Mr. Biden — who has proposed exactly that — would be the next president.Seething with anger over his presidential loss, Trump is determined to throw every possible roadblock in Biden’s attempt to charter a successful Middle East policy.

Pompeo also threatened a strong military response if a single American soldier is killed in the Middle East before Induration Day impeding the smooth transfer of power.

In spite of President Trump’s unilateral withdrawal of the 2015 Nuclear Accord, Iran has been in strict compliance according to the nuclear watchdog oversight agency, the IAEA and crippling U.S .sanctions.

In spite of these provocations, , Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Iran, proclaimed: “If the United States fulfills its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, then Iran will honor its responsibilities under the nuclear deal. This could be done automatically, without any need for negotiations. If the US wishes to rejoin the nuclear deal, then we will be ready to hold talks on how the US can re-enter the deal.”

Indian Farmers revolt 12-9-2020

 

9, December 2020                       Indian Farmers revolt

Indian farmers are angry with Prime Minister’s Modi’s policies of neoliberalism and inequality. Hundreds of thousands marched in New Delhi demanding repeal of new laws that maintain agricultural products at historic lows. This is a complete betrayal of promises made to famers in the 2014 election.

In a bid to win over farmers, Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said in its 2014 general election manifesto that all crop prices should be fixed at a minimum of 50% higher than the production costs. In 2016, Modi promised to boost the country's agriculture sector with a target of doubling the income of farmers by 2022. Agriculture is the main source of income for more than half of India’s 1.3 billion people.  Many farmers are no longer able to maintain a living wage and have been driven into bankruptcy and suicide. An estimated 250 million workers participated in the strike making it the largest strike in the world.   Police beat back peaceful demonstrators, many in their late sixties and seventies, with lathes and water cannons in the freezing cold weather.

This comes as COVID rages through India, which has reported more cases than any country in the world outside the United States. India’s working class endorsed the demands of the farmers.

Many artists and poets returned their civilian awards. Punjab’s famous athletes sent their medals to Modi in solidarity with the farmers. It was a tremendous show of unity and solidarity, when millions of workers were saying, “We are with the farmers.”

With unemployment hovering around 27% many farmers are unable to survive. In just two years, from 2018 to 2019, over 20,000 farmers died by suicide. Meanwhile the richest man in India, Mukesh Ambani, made $12 million an hour since the lockdown began. The farmers’ agitation rattled the Modi government prompting them to imprison opposition leaders.  The chief minister of Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal has openly come out in support of the farmers’ demands to roll back Mr. Modi’s agricultural policies. India’s tone deaf, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi dismissed the protests as a “conspiracy by the opposition.” Little wonder Modi and Donald Trump became such bosom friends. The autocratic Modi doesn’t seem to have learned from his heavy handed polices. Let us hope the powerful voices of India’s courageous farmers will change his mind. To introduce such unpopular polices during raging pandemic is excessive cruel and short-sighted.

Trump’s Lust for Killing 12-4-2020

 

Public Comment

 December 04, 2020 

                       Trump’s Lust for Killing

Following his monumental failure to protect the American people from the deadly Coronavirus, DJT has turned his attention to America’s most vulnerable population, people on death row who now face a firing squad, poison gas, or the electric chair to end their lives. It is baffling why a firing squad is needed is still needed to kill a single person. 

Under a new rule filed by Attorney General Darth Vader, William Barr now offers a tantalizing choice of methods can to carry out executions for federal death sentences in addition to lethal injection. DJT’s lust for killing during the lame duck period is unprecedented. 

This comes as the Trump administration has already executed eight people in the past five months. Well done sir, ievangelicals, and Jesus must be so happy. 

The Death Penalty Information Center reports it’s been more than a century since a federal execution was conducted during a lame-duck presidency, in 1889, during the outgoing administration of Grover Cleveland. 

Sister Helen described the planned executions as the most grotesque federal sponsored murders in US history. 

President-elect Joe Biden said during the election campaign he now supports eliminating the federal death penalty which is a welcome change from1990 Biden who authored legislation that expanded the federal death penalty. Let’s offer him a very short honeymoon before we demand he live up to his more enlightened pledge. 

America’s Double Standard 12-11-2020

 

 

11, December 2020                     America’s Double Standard

A deafening silence by the western press greeted the brutal murder of Iranian scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Strangely absent from the reported killing was the word “terrorist”. Fakhrizadeh was the fifth scientist to be (allegedly) assassinated by the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. Not even a murmur of outrage was reported in the western press following these brutal crimes.

Israel never even bothered to deny they were responsible. Neither Democrats nor Republicans condemned the killing. 

President Trump, on a whim, in complete violation of International law, decided to renege from the 2015 Nuclear Treaty boasting that it would be replaced by a “tougher” agreement. Crippling economic sanctions followed causing enormous suffering to the Iranian people amid a raging pandemic. The Iranians still have long memories of the theft of their oil in a 1953 coup orchestrated by British Mi6 and the CIA. 

What happened to our sense of morality?

These murders are acts of terrorism and should be described as such by the western media.   Failure to do so will expose us to charges of hypocrisy and embolden Iranian hard liners to seek revenge. An eye for eye, lust for revenge will leave us all blind. The Netanyahu government has played President Trump and Pompeo like a fiddle smothering them with flattery while cementing their chokehold on the suffering Palestinians expropriating more of their land and claiming the Syrian Golan Heights as their own.

These targeted killings of Iranian scientists not only go unquestioned but in the words of Israeli journalist Gideon Levy, are considered “treasonous” to even pose.

Why does Israel always get a free pass? After Fakrizadeh was murdered, Agnes Callamard, a U.N. Special Rapporteur and Director of Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University, tweeted that the assassination was “a violation of international human rights law and a complete violation of the UN Charter that disallow the use of force extraterritorially in times of peace.”

Yet it is Iran that continues to be targeted as a global threat. This, despite the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, repeatedly confirming in 2018 that Iran was complying with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal. So which nation is the greater threat to world peace?

Simply stated, Iran today has zero nuclear bombs while Israel is widely believed to possess 90 plutonium-based nuclear warheads and to have produced enough plutonium for 100-200 weapons, according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

I wonder how the world press would respond if Iran assassinated an Israeli or US scientist?  Public discourse on these state-sponsored acts of terrorism has historically been absent: Washington and Tel Aviv have had such a long-running alliance and shared intelligence regarding Iran that targeted killings not only go unquestioned but in the words of Israeli journalist Gideon Levy, are considered “treasonous” to even pose. So much for Israel’s claim to be a democracy.

No, America should NOT lead the world 12-17-2020

 

17, December 2020             No, America should NOT lead the world

I was horrified when president elect, Joe Biden thundered. “America is back at the head of table to lead the world.” Oh Really? Surely a healthy dose of realism and humility is in order before America can claim leadership or even a seat at the table! Hasn’t America done enough damage imposing its economic and military power on smaller nations?

For the past several decades we have cajoled our coalition partners to support our disastrous military adventures. From Vietnam to Afghanistan we have witnessed a monstrous misuse of American firepower. Deceitful politicians aided and abetted by US Defense Contractors and armies of lobbyists have bribed politicians with “campaign contributions” to do their bidding and bankrupt our nation sending tens of thousands to their early graves. No, Vietnam was no threat to the US but military engagement was based on the deceitful Gulf of Tonkin Resolution falsely claiming a North Vietnamese boat had fired on a US war ship. The Vietnamese are still suffering the devastating impact of “Agent Orange” and carpet bombing of their country causing devastating birth defects. The landscaped is littered with deadly cluster bombs responsible for the debilitating injuries of many children. President Nixon secretly widened the war carpet bombing neighboring Laos and Cambodia killing tens of thousands.

The Iraq War was a direct result of misguided political objectives orchestrated by the Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, Rice cabal but blame was nimbly deflected on US Intelligence Agencies when no WMD’s were found. Bush’s grotesque “war on terror” resulted in the death of hundreds of Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis and destruction of much of their country. Depleted uranium was used by the US military causing a great deal of ‘Gulf War” sickness. No politicians were held responsible, Cheney was back fly fishing and Bush jnr. is spending his days doodling on a canvas. Only General Colin Powel expressed remorse for his role.

Following the 9/11 attacks Bush Jnr launched another hasty, devastating war chasing our former ally, Bin Laden and his small band into the Bora Bora Mountains. Black sites were quickly established where we engaged in the most gruesome forms of torture. One of the senior CIA leaders Gina Haspel has since been promoted to head the CIA. GITMO was a maximum security prison used to house Afghan prisoners most of whom have never been charged with any crimes. It cost US taxpayers a whopping $13 million to house each detainee. GITMO is a disturbing Bush-Cheney relic and should be shut down and all prisoners released. Following the death of Bin Laden our military is still fighting the Taliban and losing the war. In a bizarre twist, the head of U.S. Central Command recently confirmed that the U.S. military has conducted drone strikes on the Islamic State terrorist group to assist the Taliban. In the 20 year conflict, hundreds of civilians have been killed which the US dismisses as acceptable collateral damage.

Throughout all these terrible wars the US has never apologized for its blunders and mistakes or offered reparations. Both Democrats and Republicans are both eager to demonstrate their loyalty to the US military by granting them generous pay raises. Trillions of dollars have been squandered in these war games. Billions more have been spent on U.S. cyber defenses only to have them compromised by the Russians. The CIA has always enjoyed a “hands off” approach and a black box budget but no one has had the courage to measure the effectives of their clandestine activities. 

 

Rupert Murdoch “enemy of the planet” 11-27-2020

 

27, November 2020             Rupert Murdoch “enemy of the planet”

Rupert Murdoch’s media empire is an existential threat to democracy and the survival of the planet.

Former Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd laid out the case for forming a Royal Commission to break up the media giant.  Rudd complains of Murdoch’s enormous influence on issues like global warming and his relentless effort to push his right-leaning agenda in Australia. Many would argue that played a pivotal role in ushering in BREXIT and the rise of Donald Trump. Fox News served as the propaganda megaphone for Trump allowing him to trash his enemies and promote his bizarre conspiracy theories. Rudd blamed Fox News  for its efforts to delegitimize Barack Obama with grotesque racist “birther  theories.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Michelle Obama said she would never forgive Trump for the anxiety he caused her family.

Another former Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, complained bitterly about Murdoch's influence as a "climate denier, “dismissing Australia’s massive wildfires on “arsonists”.

Rudd saved his most biting criticism on Tamp, FOX news and to a lesser extent on the Wall Street Journal. Their collective efforts have created havoc in the world experiencing higher sea levels, higher temperatures, hurricanes and wide-spread flooding.

Murdoch has large holding in his home country, Australia, the UK and the US. During the past four years he has left an indelible mark on the Republican Party aided by the messianic Trump and FOX News. Republicans dare not cross Trump lest he ends their cherished carriers with a single nasty tweet.

Carbon pricing to boost renewables and other measures which are now standard fare in most countries in the world have been an abject failure in Australia.

Our fragile world has received a mortal blow from choosing to be AWOL from the Paris Climate Accord. Once again profits from fossil fuel industries take precedent over the welfare of the planet.

Murdoch’s impact on Australia was so devastating that one of his son’s, James, bowed out of his father’s empire saying he “can’t stomach it any longer.” His son-in law promised even more radical measures to preserve the Murdoch Empire. Let us hope the “royal Commission” will trim his empire down to size.

 

Pompeo’s visit to Israel 11-24-2020

 

24, November 2020               Pompeo’s visit to Israel

Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, was in a generous Christmas mood when he visited Israel. Gone are the good old days when America was a functioning democracy. Presidents and their team make important decisions and Congress invariably bows in total acquiesce. Ignoring the 128 resolutions of the UN Security Council, declaring the Occupied territories illegal, Pompeo is and his MIA boss are blurring the line between the state of Israel and the Palestinian territories it controls.

 In a further effort to shied  Israel from its apartheid policies, Pompeo has now  declared that the US would withhold funds from NGO’s who support  Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), a world-wide non-violent movement whose aim is to economically pressure Israel into providing equal rights and a right of return to Palestinians.

The BDS movement was modelled on the successful anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.

As a final gift to Israel, Pompeo asserted that the US will no longer regard the Occupied settlements as “illegal” and the Syrian Golan Heights as an integral part of Israel.  He also declared BDS anti-Semitic. The original sin was committed by a Zionist Lord Astor of “Great” Britain who gifted Palestine to the Jews as a land “without a people”  ignoring the fact Palestinians had lived in the land for hundreds of years.

The tragic history of Palestine is superbly documented by Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia University, in his book “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine.

Such exciting times all documented in the Bible which was written many years AFTER the death of Christ. Jesus would be appalled at how his non-violent, compassionate teachings have been so badly manipulated by Jews and evangelicals. Maybe, Jesus will cancel his Second Coming after all.

 

Trump Rants On 11-13-2020

 

Public Comment

                           Trump Rants On

 November 13, 2020 

President Trump mocked environmental activist, Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental activist and told her to “chill out” when she denounced governments for their lack of action on the threats of climate change. Greta offered President Trump the same advice when he was roundly defeated in the Presidential election. 

Late night comedian, Bill Maher deserves credit for warning his viewers many months ago that DJT would not concede defeat but would rant and rave claiming election fraud. 

Trump’s niece Mary Trump and elder sister, Maryanne warned the general public that their uncle/brother was untrustworthy, and a pathological liar. Many Republicans have quietly congratulated Biden on his victory behind closed doors but are reluctant to go public lest they alienate the mercurial “godfather” and his ardent mask-less supporters. It is time Republicans stop coddling their fallen leader and allow the country to move forward. Perhaps Mary Trump could offer her uncle a free therapy session to help repair his wounded ego. The post-election activities of Biden and Trump reveal a stark difference in character. While the president elect has been busy forming a task to tackle the myriad of challenges which will soon confront him, the president neglect is out golfing. 

Finally, it is puzzling why the Republicans are happy to accept the Senate and the House results, but not the presidential race? Are they not on the same ballot?

Qasem Soleimani 11-8-2020

 11-8-2020                                   Qasem Soleimani

Following in the footsteps of the dynamic duo, Cheney and Bush the self-proclaimed “liberators of Iraq”, Trump ordered a drone strike which reportedly killed Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qasem Soleimani, an act that observers warned could mark a significant step toward a hot war in the region. "The Trump administration just plunged the region into a likely massive sectarian and bloody crisis—and along with it, this country," tweeted Al Jazeera journalist Sana Saeed.The Trump administration just plunged the region into a likely massive sectarian and bloody crisis - and along with it, this country. https://t.co/wtv0SABazv — Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) January 3, 2020 "Most Americans won't understand the gravity of this," said prominent journalist Khalek. The National's deputy foreign editor Jack Moore described the importance of the strike as tantamount to Iran killing Gina Haspel. "It's like Iran killing the head of the CIA or the Mossad on foreign soil," said Moore. "This isn't just about Iraq." Young Americans and thousands of Iraqis and Iranians may well perish, victims of Trump’s appalling ignorance of the complexities of the Middle East and his racist determination to undermine Obama’s singular achievement crafting the JCPA Agreement. Republicans are willing participants in the carnage that will likely follow.

UN exposes more Israeli crimes 11-8-2020

 

                                   UN exposes more Israeli crimes

 November 08, 2020 

While America is preoccupied in desperate attempts to save its democracy, the Israeli military used the opportunity to strike terror on one of the poorest of the poor Bedouin hamlets in the Jordan Valley. Excavators escorted by military vehicles were filmed smashing tents, shacks, and animal shelters.  

“These are some of the most vulnerable communities in the West Bank,” said Yvonne Helle, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory. A staggering three-quarters of the community lost their homes making it the largest forced displacement activity in more than four years. A total of 76 structures were destroyed. Encouraged by Washington’s unconditional support, Israel has accelerated its ethnic-cleansing in the West Bank. 

Nearly 700 structures have been demolished across the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 2020 so far, leaving 869 Palestinians homeless. UN spokesperson observed “demolitions are a key means of creating an environment designed to coerce Palestinians to leave their homes,” and accused Israel of “grave breaches of international law”. 

An on-site report by prominent Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, provided a detailed inventory of the demolitions including livestock and tractors that were confiscated. “As part of its efforts to take over more and more Palestinian land, Israel routinely demolishes Palestinian homes and property,” said B’Tselem spokesperson Amit Gilutz. 

Much like apartheid South Africa, the Israeli military continues its brutal occupation with abandon with the comforting knowledge that pro-Israeli Democrats and Republicans are unlikely to interfere. The Bedouin and sheepherding communities have no legal course to halt such barbaric behavior. The Israeli military and government establish the rules which makes Israel’s claim to be a democracy a complete sham.

DON’T WASTE TAX FUNDS ON NEW LIBRARY 11-4-2020

 

11-4-2020                                DON’T WASTE TAX FUNDS ON NEW LIBRARY

I was extremely disappointed with the comments from the Los Altos City Council candidates, running for three open seats, all supporting the construction of a new library. This would be an appalling waste of our tax dollars. The current library serves the community adequately.

I have invited friends from all over the world to visit our current library and they have been enthralled by the beautiful country setting and its many facilities. It was built with great care, supporting adults, children and teens in a stunning picturesque setting. The clamor for new building exposes an inherent flaw in our economic model, where rich communities continue to outpace poorer, underserved communities.

Let Los Altos begin a new chapter in demonstrating compassion for poorer communities. Let us set aside a percentage of our revenue to uplift poorer cities. This could go a long way to level the current lopsided economic divide.

Autocracy on the Rise in India 11-4-2020

 

                                           Autocracy on the Rise in India

November 04, 2020

Using the Trump playbook, “how to be demolish constraints of a democracy,” Prime Minister Modi and his supporters aided by the ultra-right wing Rashtriya_Swayamsevak_Sangh) paramilitary party (RSS), has struck terror in the hearts of Indians yearning for a return to its secular roots. Younger Indians may not be aware of the tragic reign of Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi who manufactured a false “emergency” to neutralize her political enemies, culminating in the attack on the Golden Temple. Tens of thousands of Sikhs were killed in the aftermath of her assassination. Lord Indarjit Singh of London spoke passionately and wrote eloquently (for the BBC and Sikh Messenger) critical of Gandhi’s polices and accused the British of collusion with the Indian Government who were more anxious maintaining trade relations, than raising their voices in support of basic human rights. Repeated demands to the British government by Lord Singh to publicly acknowledge its dark role in the attack on the Golden Temple in 1984 has been ignored. President Trump, following the “British trade model” has sold $billions of US weapons to the most despotic regimes in the world (Saudi Arabia, UAE, , ) unconcerned by the appalling civilian casualties caused by massive bombing in neighboring Yemen.  

Fast forward to the present day, we are now witnessing troubling signs of India’s rapid descent into an autocracy. The government has seized on the pandemic to acquire new “emergency” powers. 

Prime Minister Modi often responds with explosive anger when courageous journalists criticize his harsh polices. Amnesty International, the world-wide human rights organization announced its unprecedented decision to shut down its Indian operations. In my many decades working for AI, I have never encountered such a fierce backlash from a country claiming to be a democracy. The government has even gone as far as charging peaceful demonstrators with sedition with no supporting evidence. Sedition is an overused catch phrase that is used by autocrats to silence dissent. Even the Trump administration flirted with charging pro-democracy activists with sedition but dropped the strategy following howls of protests. 

Amartya Sen, winner of the Nobel Peace, warned that massive silent demonstrations are the only remedy to cripple autocratic tendencies. The people of Belarus are a shining example of democracy in action taking to the streets demanding the removal of President Aleksandra Lukashenko following a massive fraudulent election. 

Under the BJP government India has made disturbing efforts to mold India into a Hindustan even going so far as rewriting history to glorify a Hindu raj while ignoring the insidious cruel caste system where “untouchables” and other low caste Hindus are condemned to a life of appalling discrimination. Not a single Indian leader has demanded an end to the “winners and losers” lottery system of life. Cases of rape and murder of Dalits (low-caste) by Hindus have been shockingly on the rise but frequently ignored or covered up the government. 

The government use of “sedition” charges harks back to similar actions taken by British colonial masters who arrested and imprisoned India’s champions of pro-independence, nonviolent leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru udder “preventive detention” statutes.  

Under the Hindutva government now in office, preventive detention has acquired a far more sinister role , allowing easy arrests and imprisonment of opposition politicians, without trial. 

Under the provisions of this freshly minted law a state can unilaterally declare someone to be a terrorist, which allows the state to incarcerate them without trial. A number of human rights activists have been tossed into India’s dark dungeons under the new law. 

Critics of the government are often given the dreaded label “anti-national”, a draconian label which is meant to stifle and intimidate free expression.  

Remember Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela was described as a “terrorist” by apartheid South Africa. Israel has adopted similar measures to imprison Palestinian peace activists. 

The Indian authorities have been particularly harsh on the rights of Muslims, even going as far as denying them of their citizenship rights. 

The celebrated Hindu poet Rabindranath rejected religious fanaticism and “casteism” and described himself as confluence of three cultural streams, combining Hinduism Islam, and British culture. 

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

“Winner take all” undemocratic 10-30-2020

 

30, October 2020               “Winner take all” undemocratic

It’s time to end the “stone age” electoral system. Ratification is likely to be difficult put perhaps our lawmakers could craft a national referendum modelled on BREXIT.

In the near term, a simple tweak of the existing system would produce a system more closely aligned with the wishes of future voters. A simple amendment would require each state to divide its electoral vote proportionately between the two leading candidates. For example, if a state has 10 electoral votes, the two leading candidates would be assigned a percentage based on the votes they have garnered. In this simple example, if 60% of voters cast their ballots for candidate A and 40% voted for candidate B, A would receive 6 electoral votes NOT 10 under the current skewed system. A “winner take all” is undemocratic and should be tossed in the dustbin of history.

 

FOR THE SAKE OF PEACE, A ONE-STATE SOLUTION IS NEEDED

 

FOR THE SAKE OF PEACE, A ONE-STATE SOLUTION IS NEEDED

The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 announcing support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. The declaration was contained in a letter dated Nov. 2, 1917 from the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland.

Fast forward to the global Black Lives Matter movement. Palestinians have eagerly embraced the symbolism with large banners saying “Palestinian Lives Matter” on prominent display in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Since its birth Israel has displaced the local indigenous Palestinian population by brute force, supported by billions in U.S. military aid prodded by AIPAC and other powerful pro-Israel organizations.

Meanwhile, an estimated 640,000 illegal Jewish settlers now live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Even the leaders of Israel’s center-left parties increasingly no longer support such a fragmented Palestinian state, and now openly support Israeli annexation.

The Trump-Kushner disastrous “peace plan” envisions an archipelago of Palestinian towns, scattered across the West Bank, under tight Israeli military control, much like the bantustans of apartheid South Africa. This is a profoundly cruel “remedy” perpetrated by Netanyahu’s right-wing government in close collaboration with the Trump administration. The only practical, equitable way forward is one state where all Palestinians and Jews enjoy the same equal rights, otherwise Israel’s claim to being a Jewish democratic state is patently absurd.

Highly respected writers such as Peter Beinart, Yousef Munayyer and the late Edward Said have argued that equality comes in the form of one state that includes Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

Recent history provides convincing examples where such remedies have been successfully implemented. A peace agreement between Protestant Northern Ireland and the Catholic South ended decades of bloody strife.

Another poignant example is the settlement between Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda. Rwanda is currently one of the most progressive states in the African subcontinent. Decades of foreign “divide and rule” mischief (Britain in Ireland, Belgium in Rwanda, and the U.S. and Britain in Israel) was responsible for creating death and misery for many millions of innocent victims.

Trump’s Pardons 12-26-2020

 

26, December 2020                 Trump’s Pardons

Scrapping to the bottom of the barrel of the deplorable lowlifes of American society, Donald Trump demonstrated his utter disdain for the teaching of Jesus by pardoning criminals Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Charlie Kushner, and a barrel of war criminals.

 

Most prominent of the war criminals pardoned were four security guards from the private military firm Blackwater who were serving jail sentences for killing 14 civilians including two children in Baghdad in 2007, a massacre that sparked an international outcry over the use of mercenaries in war.

This is just the beginning of his crusade to pardon other criminals including the president himself from the clutches of the law. . Too many people in his immediate and extended family remain exposed and more pardons are sure to follow including the president himself.

The sword of Damocles is hanging menacingly over Trump as Cyrus Vance, Manhattan’s district attorney has opened up a case charging Trump an unindicted co-conspirator in the case of Michael Cohen. Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal friend and lawyer will likely be granted a pardon for election law violations. Certain that he enjoys Trump’s unconditional support, Giuliani lashed out calling investigators “secret police” toading up to Joe Boden”. Crushed by the encircling wagons of legislators, Trump is certain to try to pardon himself. How far Giuliani has fallen! After 9/11 he was regarded as America’s mayor. He was No 3 lawyer at the Justice Department and US attorney of the southern district. He prosecuted Marc Rich who was charged with tax evasion, Iraninfamously pardoned by Bill Clinton. Jared Kushner, is in the cross hairs of the Justice Department for his role in Trump’s re-election campaign, - creating a shell company, American Made Media Consultants to accept questionable payments.

The ex-reality host has managed to debase the presidency to new lows and has recreated the thoroughly disgraced Republican Party in his image. Only Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, rose above the fray calling the pardons “rotten to the core”.

 

Trump resembles world’s worst dictators 10-24-2020

 

24, October 2020             Trump resembles world’s worst dictators

Anne Rimoin, an epidemiologist at U.C.L.A. astutely observed that DJT closely resembles the former President of South Africa Mbeki who surrounded himself with sycophants and cost his country hundreds of thousands of lives by ignoring science.

Kim Jong-un of North Korea and former President of Uganda, Idi Amin closely match Trump’s self-adulation.

Trump’s entourage and fellow Republicans follow him in silent submission refusing to challenge their “naked leader” when he heaps immodest claims that he deserves an A plus for his “phenomenal job” handling the coronavirus. In a recent editorial the highly respected New England Journal of Medicine was fiercely critical of the Trump administration and Republicans for “recklessly squandering American lives.”

David Cutler, a software developer and President Clinton’s former Treasury Secretary, Larry Summers, estimated the economic cost of the pandemic will be $16T or about $125,000 per American household – far exceeding the median family’s net worth. Devi Sridhar professor of global heath at the University of Edinburgh commented that it was “sad to the U.S. presidency fall from being the champion of global health to being the laughingstock of the world.”  We are witnessing America’s rapid decline as the richest country in the world to a quagmire of political malpractice of infectious disease, poverty, mental illness, addiction, obesity and hunger. Homeless enclaves in major U.S. cities more closely resemble slums of third world countries.

As Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State under President Clinton commented “Trump is an international disgrace -- and our country is in desperate need of a leader whose word can be trusted, whose ideals lift people up, and whose actions bring people together rather than driving them apart.”

Since the day he took office, Trump has abandoned vital diplomatic agreements, insulted our allies, and hurt our ability to work with other nations to address common threats, like the coronavirus pandemic and climate change.

His presidency has been such a five-alarm fire that many people are

desperately trying to douse the flames 

understandably consumed with trying to put out the flames or simply survive it. But there will come a day, hopefully in the not too distant future, when people have the breathing room to investigate how the fire got started.

The mess the nation faces is bigger than Donald Trump. If he is voted out in November, the people who cast ballots for him will remain, pining for the policies he promoted. About 40 percent of American voters want tariffs and a border wall. More than half say it’s important to deport more undocumented immigrants.

Evangelicals MUST reject Trump’s re-election 10-14-2020

 

14, October 2020            Evangelicals MUST reject Trump’s re-election

At a recent political rally, Donald Trump made the preposterous claim that he is an evangelical, a devout Christian! Nothing could be further from the truth – unless holding a Bible upside-down outside a Church makes you a Christian.

Readers may recall Trump as the man who escaped the horrors of the Vietnam War, falsely claiming he had bone spurs and has long voiced his disdain for US veterans and soldiers as “losers and suckers” and his supporters as “disgusting”.

Sadly, we as a nation have long abandoned one of the most basic tenets it of Christianity, namely it is immoral to kill innocent civilians

Last summer Trump said the American military should kill the families of terrorists. But who are the terrorists? I wonder how Trump would describe countries who supply weapons to autocratic regimes like Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia who commit unspeakable atrocities against their own people. How would we describe US pilots and drone operators who blow up innocent men, women and children? Under his radical doctrine wouldn’t Trump and his family be liable for war crimes or worse? I wonder if Jesus and evangelicals concur with Trump’s radical beliefs. Wouldn’t these actions compound the war crimes we are already committing against impoverished nations like Yemen? Are not the actions of our US allies who round up and torture dissidents and toss them into dark dungeons violate the basic tenet of Christianity? In a further example of violent anti-Christian doctrine, Trump gave the green light to China to continue its genocidal actions against the Uigurs. Evangelicals, this the time to voice your outage against the antichrist President. Do not t follow Republicans who have long abandoned their core values blindly following the Pipe Pieper of Deceit. Speak out and regain your wonderful Christian heritage before it is too late. Vote early and vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

 

Time to invoke 25 Amendment? 10-11-2020

 

11, October 2020            Time to invoke 25 Amendment?

Trump’s behavior has always been highly erratic from the time he transitioned from a reality TV star to the presidency. His 2015 presidential campaign was nasty and brutal and he viscously trashed his opponents who quickly succumbed and moved in lock step to his radical agenda.

Since the President has been inflicted with the Covid curse there is mounting concern that under intense pressure, his doctors have discharged their patient too soon. His treatment has been shrouded in secrecy and muddled statements from his medical team have only heightened concerns.

The secret cocktail of medications and steroids seem to have energized the President into a false feeling of euphoria (“I feel 25 years younger”) but also seem to have degraded his mental faculties, aggressively goading white supremacists, the “Proud Boys” (harks back to the Nazi “brown shirts”) to “stand back and stand by”. His dog whistles resulted in a very serious threat on the life of the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer.

Lack of transparency of his recovery was voiced   by Speaker Pelosi who raised the possibility of invoking the 25^th Amendment allowing an orderly transition to a provisional leadership while President Trump is completing his medical treatment. To permit a potentially contagious President to continue to conduct rallies with his team, security staff and supporters (which he secretly despises) is the height of insanity. 

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

 

Trump’s erratic Covid behavior 10-8-2020

 

 

8. October 2020                 Trump’s erratic Covid behavior

Following his disastrous debate performance mocking his opponent for wearing a mask, President Trump retreated to the sanctuary of the White house invoking fierce criticism of being complicit in the infection of a growing number of prominent Republicans who continue to follow their cult leader with complete abandon at super spreading events.

Tormented by the nagging thought that his VP might upend him and aching for the adoration of his supporters, DJT sauntered out of Walter Reed Hospital endangering the safety of his Secret Service Agents for a joy ride and photo op him in hermetically sealed presidential vehicle.

This was a brazen, wanton act of unconcern for the health and safety of others.

Following media frenzy on the fate of many of his staff, a blanket of secrecy was cast on the fate of other staff members. Even this close encounter with Covid and possible death did not deter many of his mask-less staff to continue to defy basic safety procedures. 

Perhaps DJT is aping the behavior of his shirtless Russian idol, Putin who unlike Trump adheres strictly to all medical procedures to ensure his own safety only communicating with his people via video-screen.

The president’s staff, including his medical team continue to send mixed messages terrified they might invoke the displeasure of the emperor and trigger a tweet storm. This was evident in the doctors “happy talk” while administering a drug regimen appropriate for a case of severe Covid.  The man who so badly bungled the health of the nation is now abysmally mismanaging the messaging for his own treatment.

 

It is hard to believe DJT is in any condition to continue campaigning after his first debate was a tirade of angry insults at his opponent. His behavior is a classic case of a sociopath in urgent need of psychological intervention.

 

Trump’s realty RNC show 8-28-2020

 

28, August 2020                   Trump’s realty RNC show

Maryanne Trump Barry, President Trump’s sister, the retired Federal judge warned Americans that her younger brother is a pathological liar. This warning was echoed by Trump’s niece, Mary Trump and Jon Bolton, Trump’s former national security advisor.

In the age of KALJUG, criminals, like Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, , , , are pardoned while scores of African-Americans are languishing in jail charged with extremely minor offenses or the inability to post bail.

I hope Americans will examine objective fact-checking that occurred during the convention where there were so many obvious and blatant lies. In addition, we must remember that the White House is a national symbol. It is the “People’s House,” paid for by all Americans; it does not belong to a political candidate like Donald Trump and Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo,  and others who blatantly violated the provisos of the Hatch Act which forbids Federal property being used for political purposes.

Glaringly absent from Trump’s reality show was any reference to the raging pandemic which has taken the lives of 180,00 Americans resulting from his incompetent leadership. Earlier Trump dismissed the deadly virus as a hoax, his favorite four letter word he uses constantly to dismiss unpleasant news critical of his failed leadership.

Right on cue, the sycophants clicked their heels and saluted their leader terrified they might offend him which would trigger a Twitter tirade and end their careers. The tragic unproked shooting of Jacob Blake in the presence of his 3 young children by a racist cop was not mentioned. But the 17 year old white supremacist ist, Kyle Rittenhouse who killed two protestors was lauded as a hero. VP Pence dutifully echoed his master’s racist tirade.

  The great spiritual leader, Nanak defined GOD as “TRUTH”. but the truth was absent in the war of ugly words uttered at the RNC. 

If a buzzer rang or a bleep machine masked out every time a lie was uttered by President Trump or his obedient minions I wonder how much of the speeches would be heard. Perhaps the TV networks could use the same rating approach to monitor FACEBOOK, QANON conspiracy theories and FOX news which more closely resembles Pravda, the former propaganda arm of the Russian Communist Party.

 

Trump’s erratic Covid behavior 10-8-2020

 

 

8. October 2020              Trump’s erratic Covid behavior

Following his disastrous debate performance mocking his opponent for wearing a mask, President Trump retreated to the sanctuary of the White house invoking fierce criticism of being complicit in the infection of a growing number of prominent Republicans who continue to follow their cult leader with complete abandon at super spreading events.

Tormented by the nagging thought that his VP might upend him and aching for the adoration of his supporters, DJT sauntered out of Walter Reed Hospital endangering the safety of his Secret Service Agents for a joy ride and photo op him in hermetically sealed presidential vehicle.

This was a brazen, wanton act of unconcern for the health and safety of others.

Following media frenzy on the fate of many of his staff, a blanket of secrecy was cast on the fate of other staff members. Even this close encounter with Covid and possible death did not deter many of his mask-less staff to continue to defy basic safety procedures. 

Perhaps DJT is aping the behavior of his shirtless Russian idol, Putin who unlike Trump adheres strictly to all medical procedures to ensure his own safety only communicating with his people via video-screen.

The president’s staff, including his medical team continue to send mixed messages terrified they might invoke the displeasure of the emperor and trigger a tweet storm. This was evident in the doctors “happy talk” while administering a drug regimen appropriate for a case of severe Covid.  The man who so badly bungled the health of the nation is now abysmally mismanaging the messaging for his own treatment.

 

It is hard to believe DJT is in any condition to continue campaigning after his first debate was a tirade of angry insults at his opponent. His behavior is a classic case of a sociopath in urgent need of psychological intervention.

DJT “The Artful Tax Dodger” 10-2-2020

 

2, October 2020                DJT “The Artful Tax Dodger”

The chickens have finally come home to roost.

The DJT myth as a successful businessman has finally been dispelled. In the presidential campaign of 2016, he made the preposterous claim he was so wealthy he could easily self-fund his campaign. While hard working Americans are paying their fair share of taxes, DJT used staggering business losses to avoid paying his fair share of taxes. 

Mr. Trump has been more successful playing a mythical business mogul than being one in real life. This brings back memories of the movie classic “The secret life of Walter Mitty” a daydreaming comedian who assumed successful roles.

“The Apprentice,” along with the licensing and endorsement deals that flowed from his expanding celebrity, brought Mr. Trump a total of $427.4 million, but relentless greed and bad business decisions landed him in the poor house.  He invested much of “Apprentice” money in a collection of businesses, mostly golf courses that in ensuing years have steadily devoured cash from a spree of quixotic overspending. He was NOT a self-made businessman but a self-made business failure.

He paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the last 15 years. When Chris Wallace, the moderator of the first debate, asked him to confirm that he paid only $750 in federal taxes in 2016 and 2017, he responded that he had paid milions! Hark the wise words of Mary Trump and elder sister Maryanne warning Americans that DJT is a sociopath and pathological liar. You have been warned. Vote wisely. Throw a Heil Mary and save our precious democracy.