Barr bows to Saudi monarchy 4-25-2020

 

25, April 2020                    Barr bows to Saudi monarchy

In a major betrayal of the families of victims of 9/11, Attorney General William Barr refused to release the relevant documents citing concerns of national security.

This announcement follows months of promises by Donald Trump to support families of the 9/11 victims in a civil lawsuit that has been dragging on for almost 20 years. It is pure hogwash for the justice department to make the absurd claim that the information is state secret. This is little to do with state secrets and everything to do with protecting the Saudi crime family and embarrassing inaction by former President George Bush who allowed Saudi planes to leave the U.S. at the height of the 9/11 attacks.

Trump has always boasted about his close ties with Saudi royalty. He and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are deeply embroiled in financial entanglements, following decades of failed businesses.

Even the plaintiff’s lawyers were unable to see the AJ’s written justification or a statement of the judge’s ruling.

“The extraordinary lengths that they’re going to here suggest that there must be some deep, dark secret that they’re still trying very hard to hide after almost 20 years,” said a lawyer for the families.

This seem to be another example of the Trump administration protecting the Saudis and is reminiscent of the crimes committed by former President George W. Bush’s  administration blocking legal challenges to its policies on torture, extraordinary rendition and warrantless surveillance.

 

 

 

Trump incites violence 4-21-2020

 

21, April 2020                     Trump incites violence   

Ignoring the critical need for Coronavirus testing several state governors, egged on by President Trump and Fox News, has announced plans to ease restrictions. Trumps tweets, “LIBERATE MINISOTO AND MICHIGAN,” Democratic states, is code language to his supporters to rebel. In another tweets, his twitchy fingers pounded out, “LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment,” stoking gun violence. The federal government plans to channel $19B to ease the burden on farmers and ranchers caused by Trump’s disastrous trade policies and the Coronavirus. This will ensure support for Trump in rural America. To feed his insatiable appetite for self-aggrandizement, Trump insisted his name be stamped on the stimulus check delaying relief to millions of Americans.

Compounding the devastating impact of the pandemic, Trump is stirring his supporters to defy state and health mandated precautions. 1000 defied local laws and created a traffic jam on the streets of the State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan chanting “lock her (Gov. Gretchen Whitmer), up”; alas, Trump hasn’t lost his demonic magic to stir his base.

Similar protests occurred in St. Paul, Minn., by a group calling itself “Liberate Minnesota” and Virginia demanding an end to the lockdown.  Steve Miller, an economist, amplified Trump’s divisive tweets stating, “”We need to be the Rosa Parks here, and protest against these government injustices.”

This is an appalling lack of leadership by Trump, his “devout Christian” Vice-President Mike Pence and by the Republicans who stubbornly remain silent while America slides into moral decay.

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

 

 

Trump playing the blame game 4-17-2020

 

17, April 2020                    Trump playing the blame game

This has been an especially bad week for Donald Trump. Multiple media reports have carefully cataloged his conflicting statements in response to the Coronavirus. He initially praised China’s and later charged them with withholding critical information. Twisting his Rubik’s Cube of blame he now blames the World Health Organization (WHO) of being too China-centric.

Halting American funding of WHO during a raging pandemic is like torching a fire department’s trucks in the middle of an inferno. WHO rang the alarm as early as January 4 and declared the Coronavirus an international emergency at the end of the month.  Tragically, the Trump administration ignored their warnings and rejected their diagnostic testing kit which has been used in dozens of countries.Trump repeatedly downplayed the severity of the Coronavirus dismissing it as a Democrat hoax claiming the number of infections would quickly disappear. His passivity has caused the death of thousands of Americans and left large numbers of doctors and nurses unprotected.

No amount of bobbing and weaving, screaming and insulting reporters detracts from Trump’s gross incompetence. He likened the virus to the flu which encouraged large gathering in Churches and young people to frolic on Florida beaches.

According to recent statistics, the U.S. had 80 deaths per million compared to four in South Korea and less than one in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Dr Strangelove Trump continues to promote Hydroxychloroquine as a cure. Yes, he does have a personal stake in the sales of the malaria drug.

 

Migrants left to die in Gulf Sates 4-15-2020

 

15, April 2020                    Migrants left to die in Gulf Sates

The Gulf has always been a mecca for poor migrant workers. The local Gulf “Brahmin” inhabitants have always eschewed blue collar jobs importing migrants to do the heavy lifting. 

Many migrants amassed substantial debts to recruiters and middlemen before arriving. Many are desperately short of food and money and are bitter their host countries treat them as an expendable underclass.

Gulf States like Qatar and Saudi Arabia have fired tens of thousands of migrants and ordered a lockdown in overcrowded facilities raising fears of the widespread of the coronavirus. If the migrants are lucky enough to escape the virus they will certainly die of starvation.

According to recent statistics released by the CIA, migrants make up more than 30% of Saudi Arabia’s 34 million citizens; more than 50% in Bahrain and Oman and in Kuwait foreigners outnumber citizens by two-thirds. In Qatar the number is a staggering nine to one.

It is extremely short sighted to deny them support. A hasty exit would surely cause many of the Gulf States economies to collapse.

Equally guilty are their countries of origin who have failed to airlift the migrants back home. 

In a show of contempt for poor migrants, a prominent Kuwaiti actress said on TV that they should be thrown out “into the desert.”

It is appalling that the US, Britain and other western counties who have amassed $billions in arms sales to the Gulf States but show little concern for the welfare of migrant communities.

Politics Triumphs human life 4-8-2020

 

8, April 2020                      Politics Triumphs human life

Republicans in Wisconsin took a deep dive into the cesspool of immorality putting their voters at considerable danger from the Coronavirus.

Predictably, the Republican legislature aided and abetted by the Republican Wisconsin State Supreme Court overrode the Democratic governor’s desire to issue paper ballots. It corralled mask-wearing voters into endless lines reducing the number of polling booths from 180 to 5 exposing them to the deadly Coronavirus. Unable to maintain social distancing and fearful of becoming infected, hundreds of voters stayed at home – a major potential victory for Republicans. This is a culmination of decades of efforts by state Republicans to limit voting and redraw legislative boundaries – the antithesis of a functioning democracy.  The Republican-dominated state legislature have maintained a majority since 2011 due partly to gerrymandering and repeatedly refused to mail paper ballots. The State’s largest newspaper, which previously heavily favored Republican leaders, described the election as the “most undemocratic in the State’s history.” Another profoundly troubling election is the battle between State Supreme Court, incumbent justice, Daniel Kelly, and a liberal challenger, Jill Karofsky. The winner will have the power to cast a deciding vote in a case before the court to purge 200,000 people from the voter ballot, diluting the impact of Democratic and African-America voters.

 

Trump ignored top advisor 4-8-2020

 

8, April 2020                                    Trump ignored top advisor

A recently strongly worded memo from Peter Navarro, President Trump’s trade adviser warned the administration  of the devastating consequences of a deadly Coronavirus  heading towards the US. Navarro warned the president in late January that the crisis could cost the United Sates trillions of dollars and risk the lives of millions of Americans. Sadly, the president dismissed the memo as a “Democrat hoax.” The prescient memo warned,  this lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans.”

Mr. Trump downplayed the risks and later falsely claimed that “no one could have predicted the risks.”

Buttressed by Fox News and friendly Republicans, the President Trump continues his daily freak  show briefings hugging the microphone, denigrating reporters who pose tough questions and spewing false information, waving his arms like an accordion much to the dismay of doctors in attendance itching to perform a Heimlich  maneuver on the president.

Heaping scorn and blame on the previous administration, Trump continues his diatribe unable to confront the devastating impact of the pandemic. Rapidly escaping into his fantasy world he rhapsodizes on his beloved border wall.

This man is a total embarrassment and should be forced to resign along with his ethically challenged VP.

Trump-Pompeo’s ‘generosity’ killing Americans 4-4-2020

 

4, April 2020                    Trump-Pompeo’s ‘generosity’ killing Americans

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps America, the Trump administration continued to export critical medical equipment to China. Ignoring desperate pleas from State governors, the administration allowed a steady flow of ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) s to be sent abroad, with a shipment as recently as March 17. Secretary of State Pompeo boasted that the shipments were a testament of America’s “generosity”. Back on February 7, the World Health Organization (WHO) sounded alarm bells that demand for PPE’s far exceeded supply.

On the same day as the WHO warning, the Trump administration announced it was transporting nearly 17.8 tons of masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials to China.

Growing numbers of Americans are expressing outrage towards President Trump who seems to thrive on basking in his own appalling ignorance and a callous unconcern for the welfare of ordinary Americans. Most of the American media has repeated Trump’s inconstant statements, initially claiming there should be no concern and later insisting he was fully aware of the pandemic “before any other American”. Recently he boasted of his vast knowledge of S. Korea claiming the population of Seoul is 38 million!

Throwing fuel on a raging fire, Trump and Pompeo identified the COVID-19 as a Chinese and WU-Han pandemic intensifying hate crimes against Chinese Americans. Even Dr. Fachi, who continues to correct Trump’s misstatements, received death threats.