Putin’s nemesis, Aleksei Navalny 1-27-2021

 

27, January 2021              Putin’s nemesis, Aleksei Navalny

What an incredible brave man. Having narrowly escaped death by a deadly  Russian poison, Aleksei Navalny decided to return to Moscow with full knowledge that he would be immediately detained by Kremlin police, face physical abuse or possible death.

Navalny  must have been acutely aware that there was little chance of overthrowing the “president for life” Putin militarily. He must have realized that despotic regimes can only be demolished using the moral force of truth.

All positive changes in the world are made by uncommon men of enormous courage like   Nelson Mandela who humbled South Africa’s apartheid or Gandhi and brave Sikhs slaughtered by British General Dyer who forced “the sun to set” on the former British empire. Soviet human rights stalwarts Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Andrei Sakharov and Natan Sharansky accelerated the demise of the former Soviet Union. Their efforts were reinforced by Lech Walesa of Poland and Vaclav Havel of Czechoslovakia.

Navalny has skillfully used social media to expose Putin and corrupt Russian oligarchs’ opulent life style which has stirred moral outrage among  ordinary Russians suffering from the COVID pandemic  and economic decline. International pressure demanding Navalny’s  release from prison must be intensified. Bravo, Mr. Navalny you a credit to the human race.

Trump’s Pardons 1-22-2021

 

22, January 2021                  Trump’s Pardons

While many poor innocent African Americans (see GEORGIA INNOCENT PROJECT)  languish in America’s dark dungeons while others serve long jail sentences for minor infractions of the law, the former (the word sounds delicious) President Trump has granted pardons to rich felons, are another example of the shameless influence-peddling on his watch.

Predictably, Trump bypassed the vetting and approval process of the Justice Department. This monumental abuse of power screams for Congressional action.

Trump’s swamp was overflowing with notable felons Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, , ,but with a stroke of the pen he freed them from the clutches of the law, free to continue their sordid activities. One of the most egregious miscreants was fformer Trump strategist, Steve Bannon, indicted for fraud as part of crowdfunding campaign to build the border wall. But much to the dismay of his gullible donors Bannon used the stolen money to purchase a million-dollar yacht. Who said crime doesn’t pay?

What do the pardon beneficiaries  have in common, - intimate knowledge of Trump’s political and business activities which could exacerbate Trump’s legal problems.

Selling indulgencies (forgiving  sins for donations) used to be common practice in the Roman Catholic Church. Modern day preachers in megachurches whip up emotions of guilt and redemption to exact donations from their congregations.

Monetizing pardons  is nothing new. In the  “The Pardoner’s Tale, the pardoner has hair “yellow as wax” as well as false credentials, and derives great pleasure in swindling his victims.

 

The insurrection 1-20-2021

 

20, January 2021                  The insurrection        

Let us hope the domestic terrorists retreat to their bunkers after their sugar high. The leader of the revolt, Donald Trump, egged them on at a safe distance then abandoned them petulant and defiant as ever claiming the election was rigged and he was the rightful king. 

Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebels was right, continuous repetition of lies will eventually get traction.

Falsehoods are a complete violation of all spiritual teachings. One of the world’s greatest spiritual teachers, Nanak stated ‘God is TRUTH’. It is hard to believe that the teachings of Jesus could so easily be dismissed by the so called Christian right who have enthusiastically embraced their wolf in wolf’s clothing cult leader.

If Republicans are truly remorseful for the actions of their followers, they should reimburse taxpayers for the damage to the Capital Building.

 Co-conspirators, Ted Cruz et al should resign; bomb throwers at FOX News, Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham and their boss Rupert Murdoch should retire to a monastery and atone for their many sins. They have done incalculable damage to divide this country and accelerate the demise of the planet.  

The assault on our cherished capital is a stark reminder that the law of karma may be knocking on our door. Our bad actors, the CIA and military have destroyed many functioning democracies around the world with their obsession for regime change.

As Chinese philosopher Confucius said “what you do not want done to you, do not do to others.”

US Coup over Time 1-16-2021

Jan, 16 2021                                     US Coup over Time

 While we denounce the actions of President Trump and his enablers for inciting violence let us remember the crimes the US has committed on weaker nations to advance its geopolitical agenda. As recently as last week, media pundits were urging the new Biden administration to return to our traditional role of SHORING UP DEMOCRACIES AROUND THE WORLD. What “bleep” balderdash! The US has spent decades orchestrating coups around the world.

Here are a few examples:

On Jan. 17, 1893, Hawaii’s beloved monarchy was overthrown when a group of US businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Liliuokalani to abdicate. The coup led to the dissolution of the Kingdom of Hawaii.Hawaii was targeted for annexation because it offered strategic economic and military opportunities.

In 1916 the US orchestrated a coup to overthrow the Dominican Republic.
 1930 Palestine.

Jewish terrorism in Palestine began during 1930s and 1940s. There were three basic para-military Zionist organizations in Palestine, working to drive the local inhabitants, the Palestinians, out of Palestine. The US funded the Zionists with $billions of weapons and logistical support. Thousands of Palestinians were killed or fled to neighboring countries. The Palestinians in Israel are living under extremely repressive conditions much like apartheid South Africa. While Americans are suffering hunger, poverty and extreme hardship, $billions of economic and military aid continue to flow to Israel.
 

In 1953 in a blatant theft of Iranian oil, Britain’s MI6 and the CIA orchestrated a coup to overthrow the democratic government of Premier Mohammad Mosaddeq and installed US puppet and tyrant Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. No howls of protest from the mainstream media. Reza unleashed the hated secret police, the Savak, to kill or “disappear” thousands of Iranians dissidents. $billions of weapons were purchased to enrich US Defense contractors. This generated fierce anti-US sentiments which still linger today.
1954 A Guatemalan coup was carried out t by the CIA to depose the democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz.

In 1973 the people of Diego Garcia, a British colony in the Indian Ocean, were thrown off their island to make way for a US military base. Many of their beloved dogs were gassed or drowned. The displaced Chagossians, raised within a largely barter economy, got nothing. They have a Kreol word for how they feel: sagren – unbearable sadness.

In 1973 President Nixon on the advice of Henry Kissinger” gave orders to the CIA to orchestrate a coup to depose the popular unity government of President Salvador Allende. Tens of thousands died or “disappeared” under General Augusto’s military junta.  

1975 – 1999 East Timor's landmark Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) found that U.S. "political and military support were fundamental to the Indonesian invasion and occupation" of East Timor. The US was charged with aiding and abetting the genocide. Over 100,000 men, women and children were slaughtered.

2001 After the 9-11 attack the US and its allies dispatched Special Forces and launched its fearsome military power to hunt for the elusive Bin Laden and his supporters. 15 out of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. Black sites were quickly established where the CIA engaged in the most brutal forms of torture. Hundreds of innocent Afghans were swept up and tortured. The full 9-11 report has never been released to avoid offending our staunch ally, Saudi Arabia. $978B has been squandered in America’s longest war. Hundreds of returning vets suffered appalling injuries leading many to take their own lives. Prisoners serving their 20th Year of indefinite detention have never received a fair trial but continue to languish in GITMO to cover up monumental political blunders. The cost per prisoner is $13 million.

In 2003 The US orchestrated a coup in Iraq on bogus claims of Weapons of Mass Destruction. The “shock and awe” was lauded by the US media. Tens of thousands of Iraqis perished and their infrastructure decimated. Saddam Hussein’s elite guard was fired by the US. They had no employment but did have access to large cache of weapons. They coalesced to form ISIS, The US offered no apologies, or reparations for their monumental blunders.

In 2009 The US back coup ousted Honduran President Zelaya which caused a major civilian exodus creating the current day migrant crisis.

In 2012 Secretary of State, John Kerry, under President Obama, gave tacit approval to the Egyptian Army to stage a coup and overthrow the elected president. Incredulously, Kerry said they were acting to restore democracy.

In 2019 a US backed coup forced Bolivian president Evo Morales from office to gain access to the country’s vast lithium resources. Following the coup, Elon Musk, tweeted on July 24th 2020, “we will coup whoever we want! deal with it.”
Throughout this period the notorious US ‘School of the Americas’ trained and financed some of the most vicious thugs in the world to murder and ‘disappear’ tens of thousands of their people “yearning to be free”. The Taliban and bin Laden were the creation of the CIA who in 1979 recruited the most vicious and radical fundamentalist fanatics from Saudi Arabia and other Arab and Muslim countries and utilized their enormous budget train, arm and finance them.

Terrorists invade the Capital Building 1-7-2021

 7, January 2021         Terrorists invade the Capital Building

Egged on by the master of deceit and maniacal conspiracy theories, white privileged Trump supporters invaded the Capital Building with little resistance. Why was this allowed to happen? If this were a mob of blacks I shudder to think what would have happened.  None of this insurrection on our democracy would have happened without the action of notable traitors like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and likeminded GOP members who cravenly humored Trump’s fantasies. Sycophant secretary of state Mike Pompeo promised “a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.” And what happened to America’s mayor, Rudy Giuliani, whose reputation is in free fall after he teamed with his false guru? Their names will live in infamy.

Autocrats and autocrat wannabees around the world must be applauding and mocking our frequent boasts “America is the greatest democracy in the world.”

Banning Trump from Facebook and Twitter is a good start but does not go far enough.

It is the duty of the House of Representatives and the Senate to reconvene immediately to impeach the president, remove him from office and bar him from ever holding office again. He is a clear and present danger.

Finally, there is urgent need to complete housecleaning by eliminating the Electoral College and Second Amendment. We don’t need militias roaming the streets of America.

 

Medical Apartheid 1-5-2021

 

5, January 2001                             Medical Apartheid

Israel has vaccinated more than 14% of its population so far, faster than any country in the world. Despite the record rollout, human rights groups are expressing outrage over Israel’s refusal to vaccinate Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, where about 1,500 people have already died during the pandemic. As an occupying power, Israel decision is in clear violation of international law.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, a physician, and a member of the Palestinian Parliament and head of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society was extremely critical of Israel’s skewed rollout.

He accused Israel’s apartheid system of committing serious crimes vaccinating 750,000 thousand illegal settlers while ignoring more than 3.1 million Palestinians. To add insult to injury, vaccines are being offered to Israeli criminal prisoners and their guards while 5,000 Palestinian prisoners left unprotected.

 Israel refused the Palestinian Authority’s requests for vaccines and prevented their importation.

The situation for Gaza 2.1 million Palestinians is dire. They lack basic health facilities and will not be receiving any vaccines.  70% of them are refugees displaced from their land in 1948. With chronic overcrowding, social distancing is impossible. Even masks are in chronic short supply.

Physicians for Human Rights recently said, “Israel bears moral and humanitarian responsibility for vaccinating the Palestinian population under its control.”  Israel is, however, offering vaccines to Jewish settlers living in the illegal settlements in the West Bank.

Israel has so far been relying on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which needs to be stored at minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit which would be impossible in Gaza, where residents often go 12 or more hours a day without electricity. In 2014, Israel bombed Gaza’s only power plant in what Amnesty International severely condemned as “collective punishment.”  .

The infection rate confirms our worst fears. In the West Bank and Gaza it is 36%, while in Israel it’s 4.5%.

The current apartheid policy is short-sighed. It must include Palestinians in its vaccination program to achieve herd immunity. But Prime Minister Netanyahu, in a desperate attempt to ward of criminal charges, is pushing medical apartheid to appease right-wing voters.

But in reality, what his government is doing is actually hurting the Israelis. If the government pursues these goals it WILL NOT achieve herd immunity.  Large numbers of Palestinians who go to Israel to work will become super spreaders. This is a monstrous crime against the Palestinians and the health of Israeli and a gross violation of medical ethics which begs the question why is the US government diverting $billions of our taxpayer money to prop a rabid apartheid government?

Physicians for Human Rights recently said, quote, “Israel bears moral and humanitarian responsibility for vaccinating the Palestinian population under its control.”  Israel is, however, offering vaccines to Jewish settlers living in the illegal settlements in the West Bank.

 

 

ACTION ITEMS

If you agree with the contents & have the time please send the following tweets:

@berniesanders Israel continues se to misuse $billions of US aid to pursue its insidious apartheid policies. As a champion of human rights, I ask you demand the cessation of all US aid to Israel. Finally, kindly demand ALL Palestinians are included in Israel’s vaccination program

 

Ditto for all important lawmakers @JoeBiden, @KamalaHarris etc

 

People’s Vaccine 1-3-2021

 

3, January 2021                         People’s Vaccine

In the face of a global pandemic disturbing reports have emerged that wealthy countries are hoarding much of the vaccine supply. This means that close to 90% of the population in dozens of poorer countries will be forced to wait until at least 2022. This has prompted a growing movement calling for the development of a people’s vaccine and the suspension of intellectual property rights to expand production and access.

Two notable activists are driving the movement. Dr. Mohga Kamal-Yanni, a policy adviser to the People’s Vaccine Alliance, and Achal Prabhala, a public health advocate and coordinator of the AccessIBSA project, which campaigns for access to medicines in India, Brazil and South Africa.

According to the People’s Vaccine Alliance, which includes Amnesty International, Frontline AIDS, Global Justice Now and Oxfam, wealthy countries, including the United States, are hoarding enough doses to vaccinate their entire populations between three and five times over. This is a travesty; a global pandemic requires a global response.

Large pharmaceutical companies are keeping the vaccine research a closely guarded secret. In order to maximize their profits, these companies are limiting supply and maximizing costs leaving billions to die a slow painful death.

The UNAIDS executive director, part of the People’s Vaccine Alliance and  The World Health Organization also warned about the dangers inequitable distribution of the vaccine.

This is WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“We simply cannot accept a world in which the poor and marginalized are trampled by the rich and powerful in the stampede for vaccines. This is a global crisis, and the solutions must be shared equitably as global public goods, not as private commodities that widen inequalities”.

Achal Prabhala is coordinator of the AccessIBSA project, which campaigns for access to medicines in IBSA — that’s India, Brazil and South Africa. He recently co-authored an op-ed published in The New York Times headlined “Want Vaccines Fast? Suspend Intellectual Property Rights.”

Big pharma is now challenging the People’s Vaccine, a coalition which is united to produce a people’s vaccine, not a profit vaccine.

It’s not right on moral grounds. It’s not right on public health grounds, “Nobody is safe until everybody is safe.

AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is leading the way to becoming a more equitable vaccine.

Oxford University which was leading the research entered into a collaborative contract with AstraZeneca, allowing their vaccine to be more accessible to more developing countries.

AstraZeneca entered into a contract with Indian based Serum Institute, and made an agreement to produce 1 billion doses, so that’s vaccinating 500 million people. Half of them will be in India.

Each dose would have a fixed price $4.

The people vaccine alliance likes to remind pro-profit companies that   a lot public money was used in their basic vaccine research. If all vaccine companies remove their intellectual property barriers, this would allow a significant increase in vaccine production.

For example South Africa and India successfully campaigned with the World Trade Organization, to temporarily suspend a trade rule called TRIPS, which is an agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property.

There is an overwhelming support from developing countries for this proposal, but the WTO works on consensus, which means that even if five or six very rich countries oppose the proposal, it actually won’t pass. And that’s exactly what’s happening. The U.S., the EU, the U.K. and a few other rich countries, as well as, inexplicably, Brazil, have opposed this proposal and are stalling it.

Over 90% of the Pfizer vaccine has already been sold to a small number of wealthy countries. Additional supplies will not be available until 2022. Rich countries should follow the example of the polio vaccine developer, Jonas Salk, who, when asked whether he was going to patent his invention responded “Hahaha, can you patent the sun?”

It seems pharmaceutical companies have made their business decision, - profits triumph concerns over human life. Billions will die a preventable death!