by Oui
Mon Jul 16th, 2018 at 02:41:49 PM EST
Pundits have gone into a frenzy for days, weeks ...
Democrats called for the summit to be canceled ...
Putin should first send the 12 GRU hackers to stand trial in the US based on a Grand Jury decision ...
Putin stole the election to benefit Trump ...
More to follow as press conference is about to start ...
Front paged by Frank Schnittger with minor edit
by Oui
Sun Jul 15th, 2018 at 05:54:02 PM EST
Started as a comment to a post by Cat:
What crucial attribute divides populist and democratic political ideologies?
Searching for some literature I came across Frank Furedi, an article of his published in Nov. 2016 ...
○ Populism: a defence
I find his writing interesting, however I miss the populist in power who set out to destroy the democratic institutions. What we see as goal in the UK with Brexit: no jurisdiction of the ECJ. The Conservatives want to establish new rules for levels of pollution and all goods such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals and the financials in the City of course. In Turkey with Erdogan and creating an all powerful executive, setting the legislature and judiciary aside. Somewhat similar to Poland and Romania. The expansion of the EU is the cause of much turmoil and dissatisfaction by the earlier EU nations: migration, competition from laborers with low wages and minimum rights. This feeds into the narrative of populism in politics: the easy way out and not taking responsibility nor showing leadership. As a result the voters are in free fall, setting aside the established parties and creating a much larger swing vote making the outcome of an election unpredictable.
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Sat Jul 14th, 2018 at 07:05:25 PM EST
Forming a coalition made in hell ...
Saudi 9/11 attack - Ariel Sharon - Bibi Natanyahu - Islamophobia - Funding by American Jews - NGOs such as Clarion Fund - political vehicles Dutch politicians Geert Wilders and Ayaan Hirsh Ali - right-wing support - white nationalists - Steve Bannon - Robert Mercer - Cambridge Analytica - Mark Zuckerberg - Intelligence Community giving cover - Black Cube - Erik Prince - a US President named Donald Trump!!
Possessing all of the evil elements that brought him into the world's most powerful office! No surprise to his unsophisticated message anti-Muslim - anti-women's rights - love for authoritarian regimes - a corporate guy selling pure capitalism - anti-socialist. let's such say anti-social period. Trump can't help it - a personal tragedy: Triad.
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Sat Jul 14th, 2018 at 10:03:21 AM EST
I have blogged about the sectarian strife in Syria from its start in 2011 and the quick turn for the worse when the rebellion sparked outside parties to participate with weapons, logistic support and jihadist fighters. A harsh and ugly civil war ensued for a strategic nation to Western powers, Israel, Iraq and Iran.
The attempt to get Obama more deeply involved in August 2013 failed. In September 2015 Russia as ally to the Assad regime stepped in and this was a turning point in the civil war. The hordes of Sunni forces emboldened by ISIL coming in along the Euphrates from Iraq were about to overthrow the Assad regime. A slaughters of the Alawite and Orthodox Christian minority was feared as outcome.
More below the fold ...
by joelado
Wed Jul 11th, 2018 at 10:41:30 PM EST
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is known as ICE. It is time to break it up.
I am not going to go into an open borders argument. I am, however, going to go from the assumption that all the readers here believe that ripping children from their parents, when we had in place more civil approaches, is and was wrong. It is wrong on the level of being a huge human rights violation. If this is considered acceptable behavior in any way today, what then could be considered acceptable behavior tomorrow? What I am going to focus on is the institutionalized support structure that makes this fiasco possible.
Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. ~ John Stuart Mill 1867
The quote above or the more familiar one, "The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing," which has been attributed to the likes of John F. Kennedy, Edmund Burke, R. Murray Hyslop, Charles F. Aked, as well as John Stuart Mill, in essence say the same thing. Evil will triumph if good men don't do anything to stop it. What this quote lead me to think about was, what do we do if we are not standing by? Opposing evil is too broad an idea. We all would want to do that. But how?
Three years ago I discovered that my family's linage on my mother's side went back to our family that had been kicked out of Spain in 1492 for the crime of being Jews. This discovery internalized my feelings about the most easily identifiable evil event in recent history, the Holocaust. I asked myself, how does one attack evil like that? I never thought in my life I would ever see an inkling of something like that. It was a lesson of history well learned by everyone. Still, I thought about it a lot. I remember asking myself, why didn't the rest of Germany simply refuse to do Hitler's bidding? If the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing, then surely it would also be true that the only thing necessary for the failure of evil would be that no one participate in the demands of the evil ones. I thought about myself. I am no one special. My death would be insignificant outside of my loving family, but if I could refuse to turn the valves to the gas chambers, at least for a moment my life would have inconvenienced the evil doers before it was ended by the Nazis. They would have to choose someone else to turn the valves or they would need to turn the valves themselves. Then I thought that it wouldn't be enough for me to just refuse to turn the valves, because I would simply be replaced. In order to not "do nothing" I would have to "do something" to insure that no one assigned to the task after me could just continue the evil. For the valve tender to the gas chamber he or she would have to break the valves so that they would remain closed. To do something would require not just an act of civil disobedience by refusing, but actively take part in sabotaging the mechanism of the evil apparatus.
At the moment of hearing that the Trump administration was wrenching children and babies out of the arms of mothers at the Mexican and U.S. border, I knew that this administration had crossed that line from being really bad to being downright evil. The heartache that I immediately felt for the mothers, the terror being experienced by the children, reminded me that the willingness to work with evil often times lives in the souls of ordinary people. The people of Germany, unfortunately, helped in the Holocaust. I guess it would simply be too much to ask that those employed by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the Border Patrol to simply refuse to take children away from their mothers. The employees of these agencies probably run the full spectrum from evil racists, to people who are economically desperate, from people not aware of what they are being involved in, to the blinded followers of Donald Trump. What we do know is that ICE, the Border Patrol and other agencies involve with immigration are the mechanism that this administration has used to accomplish this evil task. ICE+ in this metaphor are the valves to the gas chambers in the Holocaust. To actively stop this particular evil and keeping it from continuing on into the future we need to break the valve. We need to abolish ICE+.
by Oui
Wed Jul 11th, 2018 at 07:04:36 AM EST
Seehofer: 'Lovely, 69 on my birthday'
Seehofer is part of a ultra-conservative movement exploiting the issues of immigration for strengthening his own voter power base. Using Xenophobia and Islamophobia - how ugly politics has become.
Minister of Interior Seehofer jokes as Afghan migrants deported | BBC News |
The EU has vowed to step up deportations of failed asylum seekers - part of a complex and controversial drive against illegal migration.
A report from the German news agency DPA (in German) says Afghan officials were angry that Germany had sent such a large group, as an upper limit of 50 per flight had been agreed. Of the 69 migrants, 51 were deported from Bavaria, Mr Seehofer's home state.
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Wed Jul 11th, 2018 at 06:53:00 AM EST
Yep, making sure Europe's defense stays in the hands of US Generals, not politicians. Finance minister from the White House flying in to collect dues. Perhaps looking for cash payment to take back on Air Force One. About cash payment, Iran wants its money before the next sanctions by the US kicks in - huge Iran cash transfer request.
President Donald Tusk on EU-NATO cooperation
We have just signed a joint EU-NATO declaration, which brings the cooperation between the European Union and NATO to the next level. The aim is clear. We want to protect European citizens with all possible means available, and there is no better partner than NATO. That is why we have agreed today to strengthen EU-NATO ties in crucially important areas. They include improving the military mobility of troops and equipment, common preparedness for cyber and hybrid attacks, fighting terrorism and stopping migrant smugglers in the Mediterranean. The fullest possible involvement in our activities of EU Member States that are not NATO members will be encouraged and facilitated in an all-inclusive, non-discriminatory manner, without any artificial obstacles.
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Tue Jul 10th, 2018 at 10:37:39 AM EST
What would Brexit mean for the City of London? | FT - Feb. 23, 2016 |
Jamie Dimon, the outspoken JPMorgan chief executive, could not be clearer about the upheaval he thinks the City of London would suffer outside the EU.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Dimon warns of a "massive dislocation" to the financial hub that would reverse decades of growth for international banks in London and scatter them across Europe and the rest of the world.
Continued below the fold ...
by Frank Schnittger
Mon Jul 9th, 2018 at 08:24:34 PM EST
Davis, Fox, Johnson and Gove
David Davis and Boris Johnson have resigned from the UK government because they cannot support Theresa May's Brexit proposals which are unlikely to be acceptable to the EU in any case. Liam Fox and Michael Gove may soon follow although both are no doubt trying to position themselves for a leadership contest. He who wields the knife rarely inherits the crown... Meanwhile Theresa May is left to struggle on in what may well be a terminally weakened condition.
by Oui
Mon Jul 9th, 2018 at 08:14:08 AM EST
On immigration and asylum seekers - utter xenophobia based on white supremacy. A frustrated, bigoted society where white men attempt to hold onto a dwindling majority ...
○ Global Xenophobia and Historical Amnesia
Migrant mum called 'animal' for breastfeeding - BBC News
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Mon Jul 9th, 2018 at 01:10:27 AM EST
During the past two years, I have written many diaries on all topics listed below. There was an overwhelming opposition to a liberal, progressive agenda. The Conservatives have built their alliance over decades from the 1964 loss of Barry Goldwater, the Reagan years and the "dreadful" Clinton years. In the election campaign of 2016 all those forces came together with all their might with a Trump presidency as a result. Special attention for Netanyahu and Israel. Their collusion remains for some in the shadow, for me it's as clear as blue skies: Netanyahu got his revenge on the Obama administration and the JCPOA deal with Iran. You will hear more about the "former" Mossad agents in the Black Cube intelligence enterprise. All attention of the Trump team has been to reward Israel for its support in getting him elected. Busy job for Jared Kushner and his corrupt financial backers with Israeli citizenship.
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Sun Jul 8th, 2018 at 02:29:49 PM EST
Reuters and BBC first reported "chlorine" was found in Douma
The interim report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said "various chlorinated organic chemicals" had been found but there was no evidence of nerve agents.
Dozens of civilians were killed in the attack on the rebel-held town in the Eastern Ghouta region near Damascus.
The Syrian government denies carrying out any chemical weapons attacks.
Following the Douma attack, US, British and French warplanes launched strikes against government military targets.
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Sun Jul 8th, 2018 at 08:50:42 AM EST
Daraa rebels agree ceasefire, as Syrian regime seizes border crossing
Syrian rebels in Daraa said on Friday a ceasefire deal had been reached with regime ally Russia. The deal allows both fighters and civilians in Daraa to settle their status with the regime under Russia's protection.
Rebels would if they chose be allowed to leave Daraa for another opposition stronghold in northwest Syria, rather than stay under Assad's rule.
Continued below the fold ...
by Oui
Fri Jul 6th, 2018 at 07:26:32 PM EST
Rebuffing US Trade policy under GOP Congress and a Republican president ...
Commission welcomes Council green light for EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement
Today EU Member States in the Council authorised the signature
of the trade agreement between the EU and Japan.
As a result EU and Japan leaders will sign the agreement at the EU-Japan summit that will take place on 11 July in Brussels. After next week's signature, the European Parliament is expected to vote upon it in the autumn. Once procedures are finalised both at the EU level and in Japan, the agreement will enter into force in early 2019.
Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström said:
"I'm very pleased that EU member states have now given their formal backing. The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement is the biggest and most advanced bilateral agreement ever negotiated by the European Union. It creates a free trade zone covering 600 million people and a third of global GDP. Together with our Japanese partners we are sending a strong signal to the world that we still believe in open trade and that protectionism is never the answer. The economic benefits of this agreement are clear. It will eliminate the vast majority of duties paid by our firms and simplify customs procedures across the board. The deal will open huge market opportunities for both sides. European agriculture also has something to celebrate, with access to the enormous Japanese market and protection for over 200 distinctive food and drinks, like Champagne and Parma ham. I now call on the European Parliament to approve this agreement quickly so that European firms, citizens and farmers can reap the benefits of this deal as soon as possible."
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Fri Jul 6th, 2018 at 09:16:59 AM EST
Thanking Putin for the Trump presidency ...
Netanyahu, Putin pencil meeting next week in Russia | Ynet News |
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Wednesday, the same day on which the semifinals of the World Cup are played in Moscow.
The meeting will be the second between the two leaders within two months, with their last tête-à-tête taking place on May 9.
Just over a week ago, it was reported that Putin had invited the Israeli premier to his country to watch the final game of the World Cup in mid July, but Netanyahu had not made a decision at the time. The invitation was also extended to other world leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Lines of communication between Netanyahu and Putin have experienced significant activity in recent years, with the two leaders holding a series of meetings in a bid to avoid an accidental clash between Russian and Israeli forces in Syria where the Kremlin is propping up Jerusalem's foe President Bashar Assad.
Continued below he fold ...
by Oui
Thu Jul 5th, 2018 at 07:02:00 PM EST
Europe's national security will be decisive in protective measures in order to keep the JCPOA treaty standing with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Europe will not participate in another regime change initiated by the US in alliance with Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. Creation of chaos has been a tough lesson for Europe where Islamophobia and Xenophobia give rise to populist right-wing parties. These undermine the long-time status quo between conservatives, centrists and socialist oriented political parties.
Europe and the US do not have an immigration/migration issue as such but a political attack from extreme right wing political groups supported by big money and corporate power. Destruction of the US Supreme Court and the same in Poland to make room for political appointees to change the cultural balance of a nation.
○ Brussels starts legal process against Polish judicial regime
○ Polish PM Morawiecki to EU: Don't lecture us
More below the fold ...
by Frank Schnittger
Thu Jul 5th, 2018 at 10:17:30 AM EST
Is there method to May's madness? From a Bloomberg Brexit email...
Prime Minister Theresa May is gradually dragging her deeply divided Cabinet toward her vision of Brexit - and it's a softer version than the one she originally promised.
Her delaying has irked counterparts in the European Union, who say their patience with the U.K. and its political drama is running out. But by moving slowly, and offering token political gifts to the Brexit-backers along the way, she has clung on to her position - in the face of resignation threats and leadership plots - and shifted the terms of the Brexit debate.
First the Brexiters objected to paying a financial settlement for the divorce. May agreed to do so, peppering the announcement over a few months, and her critics accepted it. Then they objected to a transition period that would keep Britain bound to EU rules after Brexit day. May agreed to one, and they acquiesced.
Then she opened the door to indirect jurisdiction for the European Court of Justice - an institution loathed by euroskeptics as a symbol of lost sovereignty - and they kept quiet. Brexit Secretary David Davis threatened to resign over a plan for the Irish border, but stepped back from the brink after winning a concession from May that is unlikely to survive negotiations with Brussels. (Davis is the one making the most noise in the run-up to the crunch Cabinet meeting on Friday, too.)
Now May is proposing to keep the U.K. aligned with EU rules for trade in goods - an idea that's toxic for Brexit backers because it could reduce the scope for striking new commercial deals around the world, which was a key part of the Brexit campaign's narrative. Michael Gove, a possible leadership candidate, is predicting that no one will resign.
The danger isn't over for May. She could still be ousted. But if she comes out of the crunch Cabinet meeting on Friday with an agreement, it will be something of a victory for a prime minister persistently vilified for her lack of authority.
by joelado
Wed Jul 4th, 2018 at 05:04:33 PM EST
Taking children is so wrong. Hearing them cry has disturbed me profoundly.
I want Trump and his supporters to be as haunted about this as I am.
It is such a simple idea I'm afraid to say it. I was trying to find an effective way to rattle the Trump administration without reverting to violence or directly harassing them. I think I have come up with an answer that will not only unnerve the Trump machine, but will get most Trump supporters to abandon him.
What I have done is to take the recording of crying children at a border that was posted by ProPublica on SoundCloud <https://soundcloud.com/propublica/audio-crying-children-inside-a-us-customs-and-border-protectio
n-facility> and cut it up so that less of the adult voices and unrelated background noise is heard. I did this through GarageBand on my Mac. I then saved it to iTunes.
What I am thinking is this, we use the sound of the crying children's voices when anyone of us comes across a Trump administration personality out in public. For example, play the crying from an audio file on your phone. Please, don't do this in an, "in your face," manor!
What I'm imagining is this. You are sitting at a restaurant and a Trump administration celeb is there eating or comes in after you. You call the crying border baby file up and play it on your smart phone's speakers. Just a moment. If you happen to be seated relatively close to a Trump henchmen, you can play it for a few seconds and then stop. Do it just long enough so you know they heard it. If the restaurant approaches you about playing the recording, just apologize, claim it is your ringtone and stop it. You don't have to bludgeon them with it. Be satisfied with the knowledge that if they heard the recording it will most likely ruin their meal and possibly their entire day. We want them to feel uncomfortable. I've used a restaurant example here but there are probably thousands of other places where these people are out in public that we can do this. The point is not to make them angry or allow them to play the victim card for being harassed, but rattle their psyche just enough to tweak their consciences.
I am sure that Donald Trump would probably loose control hearing the border children crying if he were in the middle of one of his hate speeches at one of his rallies. Just think of it, everywhere he goes he will hear the sound of the very children his policies made cry. It will haunt his dreams. Furthermore, just imagine being a Trump supporter and hearing the cries of babies everywhere he goes. You can also play it at Trump supporter gatherings, in front of Trump signs, hotels, golfing establishments, buildings and resorts. I can't imagine anyone would ever want to be associated with the man who is associated with all that crying. Eventually the people who have buried the good in them selves deep inside to support Trump will turn on him. For the others it will take the pro-Trump wind out of their sails.
What I like most about this is that it is not violent. It is not caustic. It is not terribly loud. It is not even that rude. Yet it is very compelling and very disruptive. I can't imagine Sarah Huckabee Sander wanting to stay on with Trump always hearing crying babies everywhere she goes. This may even reach others in the administration like Kirstjen Nielsen if she has any kind of soul. But most of all it will reach all the fence sitters who have supported Trump in the past.
I know this recording has a strong effect on Trump supporters. I witnessed a neighbor of mine, who had displayed a Trump sign on his house since the election finally take it down when the recording of the crying children came out on the news. If all of us, saying nothing, would play the voices of the crying children taken from their mothers at the border every time when Trump or any of his evil bootlickers are out in public, I strongly believe this would finally bring down this disgrace of a Presidency.
by Oui
Wed Jul 4th, 2018 at 08:50:54 AM EST
Many persons believing in Justice have been barking up the wrong tree ...
The FBI, FTC and SEC are joining the Justice Department's inquiries into Facebook's Cambridge Analytica disclosures
An alphabet soup of federal agencies are now poring over Facebook's disclosures and the company's statements about its response to the improper use of its user information by the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission have joined the Justice Department in examining how the personal information of 71 million Americans was distributed by Facebook and used by Cambridge Analytica, according to a Washington Post report released Monday.
Continued below the fold ...
