I. Species Extinction
Edward O. Wilson says that "at one-half and above, life on earth enters the safe zone. Within that half, more than 80 percent of the species would be stabilized." "The peak of destruction that humanity has initiated is often called the Sixth Extinction."
"When expert estimates for invertebrates (such as the insects, crustaceans, and earthworms are added to estimates for algae, fungi, mosses, and gymnosperms as well as for bacteria and other microorganisms, the total added up and then projected has varied widely, from 5 million to more than 100 million species." "Humanity is losing the race between scientific study of global biodiversity and the obliteration of countless still unknown species." "As a consequence of human activity, it is believed that the current rate of extinction overall is between 100 and 1,000 times higher than it was originally."
'Biologists recognize that across the 3.8 billion year history of life, over 99 percent of all species that lived are extinct." [1]
II. Anti-Semitism Legislation
The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act would damage free speech rights on campuses. It endorses the State Department definition of anti-Semitism, which includes "delegitimizing" Israel, or "demonizing" Israel being held to a "double standard." The bill directs the Department of Education to consider this definition when investigating complaints of anti-Semitism on campus. But the bill does not add any new protections for Jewish students; also, the bill shuts down debate by suggesting that anyone who looks critically at Israeli policy is somehow beyond the pale. If Israel advocacy organizations report, say, a divestment protest, federal investigators may come to campus to investigate, causing a severe chilling effect. And if investigators determine that the university in question tolerates an anti-Semetic environment, they may revoke federal funding.
The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act flew through the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent,with zero debate and no public scrutiny, because the text of the bill was not published. No doubt, that's because lawmakers want to prevent vocal debate on Palestinian equality at all costs. [2]
III. Child Abuse in the Military
A Los Angeles Times investigation has found that the Army, Navy and Air Force knew of numerous cases of child abuse or neglect were occurring but failed to intervene, or to alert the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) or state welfare agencies. FAP is not able to properly investigate many of these cases due to "failure on the part of others to report concerns or maltreatment incidents, "warned an internal 2014 report on 27 deaths in Army families. "In several cases, command was aware of ongoing abuse but failed to report it," the report said. A 2014 report on 50 deaths in Air Force families over a five-year period reached the same conclusion. FAP counted 5,378 child abuse and neglect victims in military families in 2015. "We get about 25% of the incidents," says Rene Robichaux, who oversees an Army-wide clinical child abuse treatment program from the Army Medical Command in San Antonio. [3]
Studies show that America's longest wars have always been associated with poor mental health in military families: Behavioral problems in children, a higher risk of divorce, and higher rates of suicide.
ADDENDUMS:
*Judith Rodin, the president of the Rockefeller Foundation, has said that one-third of the world's available food either spoils or gets thrown away without being eaten. She adds that fixing the problem will feed an additional 795 million hungry people, while protecting the planet.
*The Founding Fathers proposed a pluralistic republic free of the religious wars that had burned through Western Europe. Trump's ban on Muslims aids ISIS, which can point to it as proof that the U.S. is waging war on Islam. It's a potent recruiting tool for jihadists.
*Since the introduction of Reaganomics, there's been a 70% drop in "social mobility."
Footnotes
[1] Edward O. Wilson, "Fifty-Fifty," Sierra, January/February 2017.
[2] Jon Rainwater, executive director of Peace Action, explanatory email of December 6, 2016.
[3] David S. Cloud, "Child abuse in the military: Failing those most in need," The Los Angeles Times, December 29, 2016.
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