Saturday, January 19, 2019
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Crime & Punishment NY style 1-10-2019
10. January 2019 Crime & Punishment NY style
In an explosive new investigation a group of courageous officers from the New York Police Department expose corrupt police practices targeting African Americans and other minorities in establishing racial quotas and retaliating against officers who speak out. The group, made up of predominantly of African-Americans and Latinos, known as the ”NYPD 12”, chose to risk their reputations and careers to confront their bosses illegal quotas system. A film, called “Crime + Punishment”, follows their epic battle to root out systemic corruption against tremendous odds. It has just been short listed for an Academy Award for Best Documentary. The “NYPD 12” filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court to seek damages and demand changes. The suit claimed the NYPD strayed from their mandate to help people and instead demanded the rank and file meet establish bogus arrest quotas unconcerned that such actions severely impacted the lives of those arrested.
In spite of massive lawsuits in the past exposing gross police misconduct costing the city millions of dollars in lawsuits little has changed. Perhaps “NYPD 12” might make a difference.
Sunday, January 6, 2019
Shame on Netflix 1-6-2019
6, January 2019 Shame on Netflix
Responding to pressure from Saudi Arabia,
Netflix blocked an episode of its show “Patriot Act” with Hasan Minhaj which
was critical of Saudi Arabia’s role in the killing of dissident Jamal Khashoggi.
Hasan Minhaj, a Muslim, deserves credit for
firing both barrels of his monologue laced with humor at one of the world’s
most brutal regimes. The thin skinned MBS cannot tolerate criticism much like
the present occupant of the White House. Anxious to deflect the intense
worldwide revulsion of Khashoggi’s killing,
MBS instructed a Saudi prosecutor to seek the death penalty for five of the
eleven “suspects.” Oh, what cruel irony. The man who likely ordered the killing of Khashoggi h is willing to send
5 men to a certain death!
In the roughly 18-minute now-censored
"Patriot Act" monologue, Minhaj also took aim at the Al Saud family
and its vast wealth, saying: "Saudi Arabia is crazy. One giant family
controls everything." Minhaj is right and we are crazy to support such a
regime which is still living in the Stone Age where women are denigrated and
living in dungeons and tortured for having the temerity to demand the right to
drive.
Human rights group Amnesty International said
Saudi Arabia's censorship of Netflix is "further proof of a relentless
crackdown on freedom of expression."
This also speaks
volumes of the moral decay of the Republican Party who have not raised a single
voice in opposition to President Trump who is obsessed with Saudi Arabia and
their vast oil wealth. Perhaps his tax returns may uncover the mystery of this
relationship.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Time to quit Afghanistan is NOW 1-2-2019
2, January 2019 Time to quit Afghanistan is NOW
The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to hunt down and kill
members of al-Qaeda and destroy their safe haven in an operation dubbed
‘Operation Enduring Freedom’. What a
grotesque name for a war that has gone so badly.
Hundreds of coalition forces and thousands of Afghan soldiers
and civilians have died and the Taliban insurgency has become emboldened,
occupying large swaths of land in rural areas and terrifying Kabul with IED’s and suicide bombers. Kabul
is so dangerous that US personnel are forbidden to drive the 2 miles from the
local airport to the US embassy but instructed to use helicopters to land onto
the embassy roof. American troops stay behind in steel-reinforced concrete
walls to protect themselves.
The CIA admits that it is partially defraying cost of
operations by transporting “poppy seed drugs” on American planes generating
about $50 billion annually.
According to Brown University, ‘Cost of War Project’ the
Afghan war could exceed $2 trillion in this mother of all quagmires. American
leaders stubbornly refuse to learn the lessons of prior conflicts. It has
recently come to light that General Westmorland was seeking permission to use
nuclear weapons in Vietnam!
It is obscene that all this money and human capital is being
used to prop up an unstable and highly corrupt government. The ongoing conflict
is an ethnic and sectarian conflict with Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras
fighting to exercise control over the same piece of geography.
The
legacy of Afghanistan mirrors other wars, Vietnam, Iraq and countless other
conflicts, a humiliating defeat stemming from the arrogance of American
military power and politicians who repeatedly mislead the American public. We
continue to repeat the mistakes of Vietnam, which we devastated with napalm,
Agent Orange, carpet bombing and multiple Mai Lai atrocities. The time to exit
Afghanistan is NOW. For more go to, http://callforsocialjustice.blogspot.com/
Time to quit Afghanistan is NOW 1-2-2019
2, January 2019 Time to quit Afghanistan is NOW
The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to hunt down and kill
members of al-Qaeda and destroy their safe haven in an operation dubbed
‘Operation Enduring Freedom’. What a
grotesque name for a war that has gone so badly.
Hundreds of coalition forces and thousands of Afghan
soldiers and civilians have died and the Taliban insurgency has become
emboldened, occupying large swaths of land in rural areas and terrifying Kabul with IED’s and suicide bombers. Kabul
is so dangerous that US personnel are forbidden to drive the 2 miles from the
local airport to the US embassy but instructed to use helicopters to land onto
the embassy roof. American troops stay behind in steel-reinforced concrete
walls to protect themselves.
The CIA admits that it is partially defraying cost of
operations by transporting “poppy seed drugs” on American planes generating
about $50 billion annually.
According to Brown University, ‘Cost of War Project’ the
Afghan war could exceed $2 trillion in this mother of all quagmires. American
leaders stubbornly refuse to learn the lessons of prior conflicts. It has
recently come to light that General Westmorland was seeking permission to use
nuclear weapons in Vietnam!
It is obscene that all this money and human capital is
being used to prop up an unstable and highly corrupt government. The ongoing
conflict is an ethnic and sectarian conflict with Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks and
Hazaras fighting to exercise control over the same piece of geography.
The legacy of Afghanistan mirrors other wars,
Vietnam, Iraq and countless other conflicts, a humiliating defeat stemming from
the arrogance of American military power and politicians who repeatedly mislead
the American public. We continue to repeat the mistakes of Vietnam, which we
devastated with napalm, Agent Orange, carpet bombing and multiple Mai Lai
atrocities. The time to exit Afghanistan is NOW. For
more go to, http://callforsocialjustice.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Free speech under assault 12-26-2018
26, December 2018 Free speech under assault
In yet another assault on America’s bedrock principles of
freedom of speech and political dissent, a new legislative proposal would
impose severe civil and criminal penalties on US companies that participate in
the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) supporting Palestinian
rights opposing Israel’s policies and the occupation of the West Bank.
Professor Marc Lamont Hill of Temple University and a
contributing commentator at CNN, spoke at the United Nations commemorating the 70th
anniversary of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights in support of Palestinian
Rights and a free Palestine. CNN
immediately fired him for his comments.
His call for a single state where all citizens could enjoy the same
rights with their Jewish brothers and sisters was interpreted as a dog whistle
for violence and a direct threat to the very existence of Israel.
CNN’s action makes a complete mockery of their claim to be
“fair and balanced”. Jewish Voice for Peace
excoriated CNN’s actions for silencing Dr. Hill while allowing Rick Santorum to
vent his racist claims that there are 'no “Palestinians in the West Bank!”
As a
further example of Israel’s reach, a long time Palestinian-American
speech pathologist in Austin, Texas lost her job after failing to take an oath
of allegiance to Israel.
An increasing number of American Jews oppose the occupation
of the West Bank and refuse to buy products of the settlements in the occupied
territories. Their right to protest in this way must be vigorously defended.
As Michael Bloomberg's famously said, “if you want to go to
a university where the government decides what kind of subjects are fit for
discussion, I suggest you apply to a school in North Korea.”
Combat veterans who recently spent an extended visit to
Israel were appalled what they saw. They witnessed daily degradation,
intimidation, and abuse of the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupation
forces. If the American people, and especially our politicians, were able to
spend any time in Palestine, and witness the truth for themselves, America's
blind allegiance to Israel would come to an end. In the meantime more and more
of our tax dollars are being squandered propping up an apartheid Israel.
Monday, December 10, 2018
President ‘41 George Herbert Walker Bush 12-10-2018
10, December 2018 President ‘41 George Herbert Walker Bush
The 41st President H.W. Bush has been lionized by the media in wall to wall coverage espousing his professional skills and high moral character. If one compares him to the present occupant of the White House, this is certainly a true statement. He also deserved credit for standing up to the NRA and AIPAC. However, to make a better assessment of his contributions to America and the world, we need to drill deeper into his presidency.
The following is a brief history of ‘41.
INVASION OF PANAMA
In late 1989, ‘41 ordered the invasion of Panama to arrest its leader, General Noriega, on charges of drug trafficking. This was the same man who was formerly on the CIA payroll. In a classic overkill, the U.S. unleashed 24,000 troops equipped with highly sophisticated weaponry and aircraft against a country with an army smaller than the New York City Police Department. An estimated 3,000 Panamanians died in the attack. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on Washington to pay massive reparations to Panama for its illegal invasion.
WAR ON DRUGS
During his tenure 41’ dramatically launched a war on drugs laced with overt racism. In a carefully orchestrated media blitz, ’41 held up a bag of cocaine which he claimed was found just outside the White House, a visual prop, orchestrated by US federal agents! Mass incarceration followed disproportionately, impacting young black men. Republicans like Rand Paul, and Chris Christie later admitted that the drug war was an utter failure.
USING RACISM TO WIN THE WHITE HOUSE
In the brutal presidential campaign of 1988, ‘41 used an appalling racist ad. depicting his rival, Dukakis to be weak on crime and responsible for the brutal rape and murder by Willie Horton while he was furloughed from prison. Lee Atwater, a top aide to ’41, apologized on his deathbed for the racist ad. which catapulted ’41 to the White House. It was considered to be the most racist ad, in US history.
CLIMATE CHANGE & THE SUPRME COURT
‘41was dismissive on the impact of climate change, famously saying, “The American way of life is not up for negotiation.” He nominated Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas even after Thomas was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill.
INVASION OF IRAQ
In August 2000 Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait illegally, in violation of international law. What is generally unknown is ‘41’s US ambassador to Kuwait. Glaspie told Saddam Hussein just weeks before the invasion, that America had no strong opinion on his border dispute with Kuwait. This was interpreted by Hussein as a green light for the invasion. But following the invasion, ’41 changed his mind claiming America’s intervention was necessary to defend Saudi Arabia. This proved to be totally false. Many of ’41 political detractors believed the invasion was meticulously choreographed to enhance ‘41’s reelection prospects.
To justify the invasion, the ’41 team launched a massive propaganda effort to win over hearts and minds to make them feel good about the “shock and awe” which was to follow demonstrating US military might. The pièce de résistance. was led by General Schwarzkopf, CENTCOM, Pete Williams of the Pentagon and the Bush administration. A staged weeping Kuwaiti, NAYIRAH AL-SABAH, appeared on all the major networks claiming that Saddam’s troops had thrown out babies from incubators. It turned out the young girl, SABAH, was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador who had been coached by the US public relations firm, Hill & Knowlton, who were working for the Kuwaiti government. The propaganda was so effective that even Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch believed the fictional tale and repeated the false story.
IRANGATE
In one of ’41 final act, he granted pardons to six former Reagan officials who were involved in the Iran-Contra scandal, when the Reagan administration secretly sold arms to Iran to raise money for the Nicaraguan Contras ignoring a congressional ban on providing aid to the Contras in Nicaragua. This was the most egregious scandal in US history. It is sad commentary that Reagan escaped impeachment for aiding and abetting a foreign adversary. Bush escaped liability for his role in the pardons scandal, claiming he was “out of the loop,” even though other participants and a paper trail suggested he was lying. So much for the media’s depiction of a “thoroughly decent man who believed in civility who did not believe in rancor who wanted, to unify all Americans,” RIP.
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